Should this be made a requirement?

[konidias]

With more and more cool things being possible with lighting, and now with transparency (soon), the question comes up...

Should there be playerworlds that REQUIRE lighting effects to be enabled? The reason I ask this, is because I was considering planning this for my playerworld. With players being able to disable lighting effects, it ruins many features. For example, dark caverns and nighttime is completely pointless when the player can turn off the lighting. What is the point in having a torch when the level is not dark?

Also, things like special spell effects, transparent things such as shadows, etc, will not show up, causing double the graphics/scripting to accomodate both types of situations.

What I mean by require, is for the playerworld to check if the player has lighting enabled, whenever they are playing the playerworld. Thus, if the player is not using lights, they will be sent to a level instructing them to use lighting, and how to set it, and what computer requirements you need and stuff.

What do you guys think?

[Aruchinjiru]

Good ideas and all but you need to take into account that probably half the people that play graal don't have Video cards that support lights so all they would see is light images and crap and wouldn't see the real effects of your lighting. I think you should, leave it as a option.

[PurgatoryIE]

I think you should leave it as an option also. This POS computer can only pick up lighting effects once i Maximize my screen, then restore it back to it's original window states. Then it continues to lag more and more. Lighting effects are the worst lag causers on graal.

[Minoc]

no

[Sir_Gareth]

No, because some people realy lag with ligh effects, when I turn them on I cant move, and if that happened to me on a playeworld that would make me unable to play that playerworld so no.

[Thak2]

My computer can't have lighting effects enabled, I lack the video card for it.

You could just check if light effects aren't enabled, and if not, not let them play your playerworld.

[Darlene159]

Originally posted by Thak2
My computer can't have lighting effects enabled, I lack the video card for it.

You could just check if light effects aren't enabled, and if not, not let them play your playerworld.

That wouldnt be fair...........also, enabling lighting effects I have heard freezes some peoples computers...it isnt fair to make people enable it unless stefan makes it more compatible to all cards

[konidias]

Um that's the entire reason I made the poll, to get everyone's opinion on the matter. The whole point is that I know it isn't "fair" to these people that have bad computers, but it isn't "fair" to the people with good computers that have to put up with not having cool features because of the old computer users.

Like I said, for example, you have night in your game. The whole point of night, is to allow players to sneak around and attack travelers along paths and stuff, and you would need lanterns to light the area so you could see anyone coming. However, if a player could simply turn of lighting, it would completely ruin the point of the entire concept.

Tons of games out today require users to have directx and a decent computer. You don't see other big online games needing to allow players the ability to disable all the lighting effects. I think this is Graals weaknesss in a way. Nearly any computer made within the last... 6 years, could probably run lighting effects fine. It's the simple fact that most people don't know what the heck they are doing, and don't know how to install directx, or upgrade their video card drivers.

[Minoc]

Originally posted by konidias
Um that's the entire reason I made the poll, to get everyone's opinion on the matter. The whole point is that I know it isn't "fair" to these people that have bad computers, but it isn't "fair" to the people with good computers that have to put up with not having cool features because of the old computer users.

Like I said, for example, you have night in your game. The whole point of night, is to allow players to sneak around and attack travelers along paths and stuff, and you would need lanterns to light the area so you could see anyone coming. However, if a player could simply turn of lighting, it would completely ruin the point of the entire concept.

Tons of games out today require users to have directx and a decent computer. You don't see other big online games needing to allow players the ability to disable all the lighting effects. I think this is Graals weaknesss in a way. Nearly any computer made within the last... 6 years, could probably run lighting effects fine. It's the simple fact that most people don't know what the heck they are doing, and don't know how to install directx, or upgrade their video card drivers.

The problem is that alot of games (like Neverwinter Nights, Ultima Online, Warcraft III, Blood Omen 2) works faster then Graal with lightning effects \=

[Nemesis]

Thats a truly toss up question to ask...

Fact of the matter is you look at it from a perspective. Not everyone has the computers to just run everything on high res and not lag...Then you have others who struggle to use what they have now...

Basically from a design aspect, you go forth...add what you add...Those who have the luxary, will be able to see what you have, all the benefits of the lighting, and everything else the server has to offer.

Those who can't apply the lighting effects, will see nothing special, but if you can captivate those who have the feature on, then you've done your job and all that you could ask of yourself and your server...

Just basically those who have the ability will enjoy, those who don't will simply just see it as "another server"...Sad but thats the way it works...Graal has some weird lag, it's just crazy to see such a small game have so much more lag than a graphical intensive game that when you run at 1600 x 1200 it doesn't lag, yet you play graal and it lags...Odd no?

Well thats my 2 cents...prolly means nothing but hey, I said it anyways

[Graal518]

Originally posted by Nemesis
Thats a truly toss up question to ask...

Fact of the matter is you look at it from a perspective. Not everyone has the computers to just run everything on high res and not lag...Then you have others who struggle to use what they have now...

Basically from a design aspect, you go forth...add what you add...Those who have the luxary, will be able to see what you have, all the benefits of the lighting, and everything else the server has to offer.

Those who can't apply the lighting effects, will see nothing special, but if you can captivate those who have the feature on, then you've done your job and all that you could ask of yourself and your server...

Just basically those who have the ability will enjoy, those who don't will simply just see it as "another server"...Sad but thats the way it works...Graal has some weird lag, it's just crazy to see such a small game have so much more lag than a graphical intensive game that when you run at 1600 x 1200 it doesn't lag, yet you play graal and it lags...Odd no?

Well thats my 2 cents...prolly means nothing but hey, I said it anyways

[MeoMyo]

Razor: yeah nem has a good point its there loss if they cant see it or they don't choose to see it but i also understand what koni is trying to say both valid points hard to say

[konidias]

Yes Nemesis, while that is all good and true, you're forgetting the gameplay aspect. If users can turn off darkness at night and in caves, what is the purpose of even making it?

Then the lightenabled users have to suffer because the users that turn off lighteffects can easily see in the dark and attack you when it's pitch black and in order for you to defend you have to turn your lighting effects off too.

[Jinx]

Originally posted by Nemesis
Well thats my 2 cents...prolly means nothing but hey, I said it anyways

Your the PW Admin, you should give your two cents on these types of things.

-Jinx

[VampiricTutorNewHD]

No. If this became mainstream it would kill graal. My computer runs slow as ever when lights are on. I would quit if this happened.

What they should do is rethink backpals, for the cave thing. Only don't have the backpals stay on the whole time. It's easy, just have a if(playerleaves) command.