Make lighting mean more

[jambajuicey]

I was just looking at the splash screen for Menace to underdark and noticed the caster in the back holding a glode of light to illuminate the area... Rainbow in the dark is an awesome example of how delving into the underdark should be.. what happened to dark vision and low light vision.. I know.. I know.. get back to your RP server you troll you say! Bah..

[Eleia]

As much as I'd probably start complaining about it, a part of me would love to have to use light sources.

Torches, light spells, ultravision, things like that.

[THOTHdha]

As neat as it sounds, in the end something like having to worry about lighting in more than just the odd occasional quest just bogs down the game. Most of the superfluous junk that you saw in many of the early quests / chains has been phased out in the newer ones. It would be a huge step back to do this. There would be an interesting first few runs where it was new and exciting, and then so much time just being a PITA.

[Setin_Myways]

And lets add the need to eat while we are at it :} I think it has been said that it is assumed all toons have some level of light. I believe most enchanted items, provide some light, so anyone with magic weapons, armor, shields and such should have light... which is everyone given we get magic items in korthos.

[Matuse]

Rainbow in the dark is an awesome example of how delving into the underdark should be

If every underground quest was like Rainbow, this game would have died years ago.

[Raithe]

It would be a huge step back to do this. There would be an interesting first few runs where it was new and exciting, and then so much time just being a PITA.

According to your preferences, of course.

Much of the game is already centered on getting proper fields of view and dealing with spell effect visuals, as well as invisibility and blindness, it wouldn't be a significant departure from current gameplay to add lighting issues to a much larger degree.

D&D was a popular game because of its complexity and attention to detail. Putting in more details like lighting issues would bring DDO a little farther down the road towards D&D than its current state of slasher/shooter.


If every underground quest was like Rainbow, this game would have died years ago.

This isn't even close to the truth. Rainbow in the Dark is actually one of the more popular Vale quests, and the Vale quests are probably some of the most popular in the entire game.

Everyone has their own personal preferences. It is usually a mistake to assume that yours aligns with the general public's.

[JollySwagMan]

Hehe, I know what you mean OP, I posted a topic on this in the Menace of the Underdark forum...

but then it devolved into Matuse and Chai arguing about Everquest or something. I dunno.

All I really want is for the Luminous Truth quarterstaff to glow :)

[Emili]

If every underground quest was like Rainbow, this game would have died years ago.

As cool as lighting may be Matuse be pretty much correct.

[Setin_Myways]

I was just looking at the splash screen for Menace to underdark and noticed the caster in the back holding a glode of light to illuminate the area...

In all the times I have looked at that screen, i never thought they were holding a globe of light to illuminate the area, but rather were preparing an offensive spell to attack. - look at the staff, it too has an energy ball forming, so i was thinking rod of potency getting ready to augment one of the classic orb spells that have not been implmented in game, but are common to FR settings... they are 1st and 4th lvl spells and they have all the elements (fire,acid, electric, cold) and sound...

If you look the drow has one too, but a different color... we all know the drow are not using light, they have darkness as an innate ability in FR ... oH! will drow get innate spells back if they are exposed to the UD for a long period? :}

[Ilindith]

http://mikesrpgcenter.com/bgate/scrolls/infravision.gif

[gallantian]

My wife and I duoed rainbow and to not have to always have the scepter out I summoned my archon, on my favored soul. It worked well and had that 'light spell' feel.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

I would like to have a torch which I can ignite - and which would do fire damage, too (one-handed weapon).

[MrkGrismer]

This isn't even close to the truth. Rainbow in the Dark is actually one of the more popular Vale quests, and the Vale quests are probably some of the most popular in the entire game.

I would love to see your metrics for this statement, as I am fairly certain it is only true in Bizzaro World.

A significant number of people only do the vale quests because they have to in order to make green steel, and if they did not have to in order to make green steel they would not.

[Setin_Myways]

I think he is correct in saying that it is one of the more Popular of the VALE quests, not all quests in general. I think people hate Coal the most, followed by Sleeping dust, then rainbow and Ritual are tied, and Running is the favorite... of vale quests.

I only run these for the stones or flagging though, or an occasional farm if you get a good group.

[RabidKoala]

I think lighting would be a great thing to implement with dwarves and drow have dark vision and any weapon with incadesense or brilliance glows.

[Delssar]

I think he is correct in saying that it is one of the more Popular of the VALE quests, not all quests in general. I think people hate Coal the most, followed by Sleeping dust, then rainbow and Ritual are tied, and Running is the favorite... of vale quests.

I only run these for the stones or flagging though, or an occasional farm if you get a good group.

RUNNING THE FAVORITE? I'd rather do coal 20 times in a row then do running once, its an awful quest. Rainbow is by far the best quest in the vale followed by Ritual, Sleeping, Coal then running.

[Raithe]

RUNNING THE FAVORITE? I'd rather do coal 20 times in a row then do running once, its an awful quest. Rainbow is by far the best quest in the vale followed by Ritual, Sleeping, Coal then running.

This is how I would estimate the general populace perceives the vale quests. And while there are a fair number of purist metagamers that don't do anything unless it provides an efficient reward for their number crunching, the vast majority of DDO players are at least partially impure and pick Vale quests for a multitude of reasons, one of the most prominent being FUN.

I should also point out that my personal preferences go in this order:

Coalescence (favorite) -> Ritual -> Rainbow -> Sleeping Dust -> Running.

[supot]

^ agree with the order of quest favorites.. I love Rainbow in the dark 2nd only after Running with the Devils.

Would be cool for me if they had quests like this in the new packs. Not a step backwards, just don't make every underground quest like this..

Darkness can add more variety in quests.. Coupled with disabling the mini-map would be fun. Just don't make it an underwater Tempest spine type quest without mini-map and darkness.

Though, would love to see some more randomness in DDO too.

[supot]

Running, Rainbow, Ritual, Sleeping, Coal is my order.

Also based on avg completion time,
Running, 12 mins
Rainbow, 20 mins
Ritual 30 mins,
Sleeping 40 mins,
Coal 50 mins,

[macubrae]

That being said, I don't think I would run it much if it weren't needed to flag for shroud. The feel is cool, the quest is fun, and the lighting works great, but if they add more then one underdark quest that needs a light source it's going to get old quick. It's a neat quality that should be in a handful of quests. Not for the WHOLE quest, but in some parts of some quests it would be okay.

For example, let's say that there is an optional, down one of these pitch black tunnels and a usable/equipable torch on the wall, I'm okay with that.

[Raithe]

For example, let's say that there is an optional, down one of these pitch black tunnels and a usable/equipable torch on the wall, I'm okay with that.

Of course, that is what I would find to be thoroughly enjoyable as well. Even "Rainbow in the Dark" does not require the torch everywhere. The beginning section and pit trap sections are really the only pitch black ones (Edit: oh ya, and the beholder tunnel).

D&D-style exploration and lighting requires a significantly different approach to the design of the game. The game needs to have more real estate per adventure area and per quest instance. "Travel" (one man's travel is another's exploration) needs to be a more fundamental aspect of the game and random encounters need to be made both interesting and potentially rewarding.

Its a pretty sad state of affairs when the one thing that is completely deficient in a game that holds the D&D brand name is an air of mystery.

[tyrr]

I think i would be happy if the graphics settings worked. they don't seem to save or be adjustable like they used to

[Entwhistle]

Of course, that is what I would find to be thoroughly enjoyable as well.

D&D-style exploration and lighting requires a significantly different approach to the design of the game. The game needs to have more real estate per adventure area and per quest instance. "Travel" (one man's travel is another's exploration) needs to be a more fundamental aspect of the game and random encounters need to be made both interesting and potentially rewarding.


Everyone has their own personal preferences. It is usually a mistake to assume that yours aligns with the general public's


.

[Setin_Myways]

I am sure the order of preference is directly proportionate to your mario skilz and attitude toward jumping. I am an older player and have poor mario skilz...

[macubrae]

All I know, is that when I could barely see some gnolls up ahead, and I went charging in with my fighter, and I landed in the spike trap(just like I used to in PnP), I laughed my rear off. My wife(and healer) freaked a bit, but we won the day(again, just like PnP).

I sneak everywhere with my mechanic, and play him as support. I guess my capped fighter with very low wisdom is also played true to character. I'm okay with that.

[arminius]

The simple fact is the engine can only deal with X number of lighting sources in any scene. The only way to change that is to rewrite the engine, which they aren't going to do. I was pleasantly surprised they managed to get a quest like Rainbow done at all.

[Zyerz]

As much as I'd probably start complaining about it, a part of me would love to have to use light sources.

Torches, light spells, ultravision, things like that.

Indeed. What I do is lower brightness and inrease contrast. (as of now my lighting sliders dont work lol) But I used to do that, and everything would be darker, yet, the lights in the dungeons would illuminate enough for me to see, and I could roleplay that it was actually a dark dungeon.

[MrkGrismer]

The simple fact is the engine can only deal with X number of lighting sources in any scene. The only way to change that is to rewrite the engine, which they aren't going to do. I was pleasantly surprised they managed to get a quest like Rainbow done at all.

7 is the number that was mentioned, IIRC.

However, there are some changes to the engine coming in the expansion. Such has been alluded to multiple times by the devs (and majmal), but no details on what changes. Obviously some of them are to support druid shape-changing. But there are likely others.

[Syllph]

It would be a waste imo, all it would mean is one extra buff at the start of a quest. The light spell is a level one spell. continual light iirc is level 3 and everyone would have continual light. It wouldn't change a thing.

[jambajuicey]

Remember the first time the fellowship goes into moria and they light the staff.. Wow! They see the expansiveness of the mines, then it illuminates the death...

Flashes of fireball/cometfall outlining more foes coming in the distance... yea.. maybe not all underground quests, but it does add to the mystique... My first rainbow run, I had no clue to equip the scepter, just thought it was the way the quest was... man - that was frusterating..