Author Topic: Baked shadows?  (Read 5899 times)

You guys are forgetting that the sun is dynamic now.
Even moving it by the slightest bit would require the scene to be baked again.
You're not supposed to be using baked shadows for day cycles.

Let's say you build de_dust from Counter-Strike, set up a TDM minigame and run it 24/7 on some dedicated hoster for a month. You don't change the build in that time. You don't change the envinronment settings in that time. You probably won't even change the minigame. Or the server name. Reagardless the clients are calculating the brick shadows in real time for a month even though the build has never changed.

You could bake the shadows into the build and this way increase performance for the clients so they do not need to calculate the shadows for bricks. Clients would only need to calculate shadows for players, vehicles, and other things that move. The build does not move. Or the sun for that matter.


This idea is very popular  :cookieMonster:

predetermined shadows or did i read that incorrectly
Baking is a term used in 3D modeling.

Would this be something that could be done by Badspot&co
When you finish building a map you do some server command that would then allow people in different graphics shading levels to more easily render shadows as they would not have to be dynamic once the game started and thus not have to be constantly done.

This would allow for mandatory shadows for stealth minigames and such.


Fantastic. This suggestions is just what I need.

I want everyone to see shadows in a TDM, but people will naturally kill their shadows to gain an advantage in the game.


Question:
Is there some way to check if the client got shadows turned on? If so, would it be possible to create a script which keeps people without shaders out of your server, or something similar?

Is there some way to check if the client got shadows turned on? If so, would it be possible to create a script which keeps people without shaders out of your server, or something similar?
It's been proposed before. I'm not so sure I like the idea. I mean, it would be awesome to have stealth-based games, but refusing connections just doesn't seem fair.


Fantastic. This suggestions is just what I need.

I want everyone to see shadows in a TDM, but people will naturally kill their shadows to gain an advantage in the game.


Question:
Is there some way to check if the client got shadows turned on? If so, would it be possible to create a script which keeps people without shaders out of your server, or something similar?
But slebs I can't run shaders :(

It's been proposed before. I'm not so sure I like the idea. I mean, it would be awesome to have stealth-based games, but refusing connections just doesn't seem fair.

Well, if it's possible.. I want it. It's pretty harsh against people who can't run shaders, but if that is what it takes to obtain maximum awesome for the people who join in.. I'm sure for it. There's no idea to run something half-assed. All in I say.

Refusing connection for the greater good... for the greater good I say... ooOo

But slebs I can't run shaders :(

muahaha

Alternative idea is buildable shadows with volume bricks that make the area they are covering darker and the players inside them darker as well. Have them at like various angles or something

This wouldn't work.  It would look terrible or take a long time to render.  You wouldn't see proper player shading, it would make player shadows look like the used to (really bad) and really just complicate the game.  Frankly, I think time would be better spent optimizing the current system more and maybe adding more effects like SSAO.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2013, 12:50:45 AM by Marcem »

This wouldn't work.  It would look terrible or take a long time to render.  You wouldn't see proper player shading, make player shadows look like the used to (really bad) and really just complicate the game.  Frankly, I think time would be better spent optimizing the current system more and maybe adding more effects like SSAO.
pretty much my thoughts as well

Baking is a term used in 3D modeling.

oh cool

can you explain it to me

Question:
Is there some way to check if the client got shadows turned on? If so, would it be possible to create a script which keeps people without shaders out of your server, or something similar?

If an addon for this is made, your server will be barren.
The only people you will have on the server are the rich kids that can afford super computers.

You guys are forgetting that the sun is dynamic now.
Even moving it by the slightest bit would require the scene to be baked again.

It could have a check to see if the server is has a static sun before baking the shadow.

It could have a check to see if the server is has a static sun before baking the shadow.
Unnecessary limitation. It's just user stupidity if they bake shadows while continuing to use day cycles.