TUT: Creating Rain + Snow + Fog in DarkPlaces

[DaniOcampo1992]

I'll check it out!
EDIT: Oops! You're right, I'll fix it asap, then release it with the snow versions..

[Roy Batty]

I just installed your ent files (mostly rain+fog, and hellfog sometimes). Man these are GREAT, they really add a lot of atmosphere (no pun intended) to the game. I am looking forward to more.

Keep up the great work, thumbs up.

@Seven: I will try to give a go at creating some .ent files. Is there a util which allows to free-look through the maps? I know there is tools like this for other games/mods. Or is it possible to do so in Dark Places itself? I looked around and couldn't find any info on how to do that.

[DaniOcampo1992]

If you're interested you should make them for episode 3..

[Seven]

Hello Roy Batty,

Thank you for trying to create weather .ent files.
Regarding your issue with free-look:
Please use the cheat "noclip" + "nortaget" to freely move around your map.
You have to enable cheats first by typing "sv_cheats 1" everytime you load DP, or simply paste it in your autoexec.cfg

Have fun
Seven

[Roy Batty]

Ok Seven , that will help me out so I can draw the maps then =]

I suppose I could extract the maps from the pak files and give that go too in a map editor, so I can get overhead shots. Did some reading on that already.

[Cobalt]

Hi Seven:

Got a question for ya. If you swap the min - max box coordinates with each other would that effect the rain at all ? Have not tried it yet....I would think no, because a box is a box, right?

[Roy Batty]

@Seven: ok I wrote down all the commands I needed, and had a look at your ent files to get an idea about things. I'm having a problem tho, I can figure out how to move up+down in fly+noclip mode. :grin: Can you give me a hint?

[LambentHammerBurst]

Don't need fly at all

Use your console and type in:
Noclip

Then to move up/down use your swim up/down keys.

[Seven]

Hello Cobalt,

You need 2 points of a cube to declare it (= 2 opposite corners).
Please read the lines from post #1 for more details (see quote below).

It doesnt matter if you start with the left front corner or with the right back corner.
The only VERY important thing you MUST do is:
You must start with the lower corner (= mins) and after that you must type in the upper one (= maxs). It will not work the other way round.

2b) Finding the area (coordinates) for the rain or snow to fall
Fortunately LordHavoc gave us the tool with which we can do this in no time as a gift in DarkPlaces.
We will misuse his RTLIGHTS Editor for it
Type: r_editlights 1 in the console.
A cursor will appear which will tell you exactly the X/Y/Z coordinates of everything you want.
The weather code in DP needs to have the cube coordinates in which the rain or snow shall fall.
The cube is defined by 2 coordinates: its 2 opposite corners.
What you want to do now is to fly (with noclip) to the roof cutout and detect one corner of it (X2/Y2/Z2).
Now fly to the opposite corner and detect (X1/Y1). The Z1 value is the lowest point (=floor) beneath the cutout,
So fly down to the ground again and detect the Z1 coordinate.
I named the XYZ coordinates (1 and 2) with purpose !
You must always enter the low corner first, then the opposite upper corner.

Regarding the issue you have with the rain in the map "babel":

Please be careful to not mix up the params:
- count
- cnt
Described in post #1 (see quote below)
The .ent file works fine.
Please try it with the .ent file before you hardcode the params.
(for a quick test use the "small mod compilation"�s progs.dat)

2c) Declare the rain / snow properties
Now all that is left to do is to tell DarkPlaces how the rain / snow shall look like and how it shall fall.
- Velocity = X / Y / Z (standard should be for rain: 0/0/-700 ; for snow: 0/0/-100 (sometimes you must use Z=-190 to spawn snowflakes !))
You can simulate wind as well, by using X or Y values other than 0.
- Visual of rain/snow and rainfall/snowfall rate
You have the �count� parameter and the �cnt� parameter for it.
�count� is directly related to the size of the cube and declares the rainfall/snowfall rate. Standard for a medium cube should be (for rain: �4�; for snow: "10").
In a small cube value �4� will have heavier rain than in a big cube with �4�.
�cnt� declares the visual. Such as: color, thickness and transparency.
My �cnt� favorite for rain is: �2�. (A value of �2� is realistic rain). For snow: "11".
The bigger the value gets (until around �15�), the thicker, opaque and whiter the rain/snow gets.
Values bigger than �15� brings colored rain/snow (example: red), which is maybe interesting for some hellish maps.

Best regards,
Seven

[Seven]

Hello Roy Batty,

You must fly out quite much to get an overview of the map area, that you work with.
Remember, you only need the ones, that have an open roof

Easiest way is to place yourself oriented to the world coordinates !
So that, when you look forward, the Y-coordinate gets bigger.
And when you look to the right, the X-coordinate gets bigger.

Then fly upwards (with swim-up key) as high as you need to get an overview like this (example, see below from one open area in E3M4).

That will help you to draw your scetch (like those).
You do not need any other program.
(Your rtlight-editor cursor will only show you coordinates when you fly back down into the map)




Kind regards,
Seven

[Roy Batty]

Ok thanks OoPpEe and Seven, but the swim keys don't seem to work here, I always stay on the same plane? Dunno what I'm doing wrong, or maybe my binds got messed up or something, I'll have a look at those.

Seven: anything special I need to do, like multiple cubes in areas where the map isn't symmetrical? Like E3M1 in the smaller outside part where there is a platform above the slime and the portal has some wall above it? I suppose I don't want rain falling under the platform?

Also had a question about the fog, I would like fog on top of all water areas, is it possible to have fog in different area's at different heights? Or can you only have one declaration of it.

:EDIT:

Yep it was my binds, I can fly around now, started on E3M1 =]

[Seven]

Hello Roy Batty,

First of all, thank you for your will and effort to create weather .ent files !

Your questions:
1.) You will find the situation quite often, that the outside area is not a simple square.
Nice example is E1M1. (The outside area at the beginning with the big roof+bridge in the middle)
This is very complicated !
It was my first map and it gave me headaches...
You must create multiple cubes to be able to cover all the OPEN places, so that it doesnt rain in COVERED places.
On top of that, it MUST NOT rain in near INSIDE areas.

You often have to patchwork your cubes (smartly place them) to cover the sometimes complicated geometries.
If you take a closer look at my scetches you will see what I mean.
Yes, it is not easy sometimes. But doable


2.) Local fog
Unfortunately not.
You can only add ONE global fog in each map.
I asked LordHavoc to implement the possibility to add different local fog areas, but he is not interested atm.
There are much more important things to be done for him of course.


Thank you again.
Seven

[Roy Batty]

Cool stuff indeed, I managed to do a few already.

I modified your start one to have the fog a little lower in the map, as I kind of liked it that way.

I messed with your one for e1m1 too, because I wanted some fog in it.

I also did one for e1m6 with hell fog in it, because I noticed you didn't include one for that map in your pack.

I started on one for e3m1 but haven't finished it yet. However I have got the hang of it now and I'll finish up that episode and the 4th one too if someone else doesn't beat me to it. After that I'll start working on the expansion packs, because as you said it's really not all that difficult.

Anyways, here's a link to them, feedback is welcome.

Roy's ent files v1

P.S. I found the lights editor sometimes gives wrong X or Y values when pointing at certain walls, I'm not sure if it's a bug in that function, or because maybe the maps have some overlapping stuff.

[Roy Batty]

Finished a couple more ent files, for e3m1 and e3m2.

Didn't quite get e3m1 how I wanted, there a couple small places in a corner with no rain, because I couldn't get it to look right, count doesn't accept floating point numbers and the rain was just too heavy and funky looking with "1".

E3M1 E3M2 Ent files

[gdiddy62]

Thanks for the contribution!