Please make storm skies better!

[DamianTV]

<p>I have to admit the least realistic thing about the games graphics is the sky looks horrible during storms or when its raining!  It looks like its not any different.  Now I do understand that when building a game they have to take into consideration everyones average computer to figure out what they can use as a TEXTURE BUDGET, but id also like to point out that some of us have way better than average computers and thus higher texture budgets.  When EQ2 was first released it required a mosnter of a box to run with the graphics turned all the way up.  It still does.  The engine is pretty advanced, even if it is getting kind of old by now, it is still an awesome engine, and I do recall hearing that the engine was built with the idea of making sure the engine was going to be great for years to come.  So sony does like to cater to those of us that have better machines by giving us the option of better graphics!  So maybe an option for "High Detail Skies" on and off and default to off so everyone can play.</p><p>Its just that the current sky really looks terrible when its raining.  Its great for sunny or partly cloudy day, and the night skies with all of the effects, star twinkle, shooting stars and the beautiful destroyed moon of Luclin, and for those that have never seen one, an IN GAME SOLAR ECLIPSE!  Yes Sony there are those of us that notice the incredible ammount of detail that was put into the skies, those extra things mean a LOT to people like me.  Its just that when it starts raining and I can see Luclin, it doesnt look or feel right.  If its raining, I dont think we should be able to see any moon or stars.  And it is one change that I imagine would be used everywhere so not too difficult to do!  </p><p>PRETTY PLEASE!  ITS JUST ONE CHANGE!  MAKE STORMY SKIES LOOK STORMY!</p><p>I noticed recently that the storms did have some thunder sound effects.  I dont know if I've never noticed that before, but um, what goes with thunder?  Peanut Butter!  A peanut butter and thunder sandwich!  No wait, that isnt right.  Oh its LIGHTNING!  I'll be totally happy if we can get a better stormy sky texture, but if visual lightning was added during storms, I'd be so graphicly happy id cover myself in peanut butter and run around outside in a thunderstorm!  Again lightning only would appear with High Detail Skies turned on.  Other games used to make their skies look great but their water looked terrible.  EQ has awesome looking water, but the clouds (not stars or moon) look worse than most games today.  Not enough variation.  I want my eye candy and eat it too!</p><p>---Lighting and Storms---</p><p>Lighting, not Lightning.  The EQ2 engine supports realtime dynamic lighting and shadows, which to me also means DYNAMIC LIGHT COLOR.  As everyone obviously knows when it gets stormy, you cant see the sun, and when you cant see the sun, things get DARKER.  Now I can see how changing the color for global light source dynamically can cause slower frame rates on most computers, but really, I think that is the other big thing that kills the appearance of storms is that the sky looks sunny, and the color of everything else looks just as bright.  It needs to get darker.  One engine I played with had light color animation.  It was used as a fake way to do a flickering effect before shadows were a viable option.  The light color was just cycled to give the appearance of a flicker but without the high overhead of shadows.  Now the engine did also support static shadows, and it supported dynamic skyboxes form going from a sunny day to rainy.  One of the imporatant things about these transitions was they did something pretty easy as far as how much it stressed peoples computers, but what they did was change the color of the global light source to match the color of the shadows.  The shadows were still there but the effect it gave was that the sun went away, it got darker, and you couldnt see all the clear crisp shadows because they were the same color as the light source.  The effect was awesome.  If anyone has it, go back and play the very first Serious Sam!  Its the very first opening scene, its sunny then gets stormy and it was an awesome transition for the time.  It should run on everyones computers nowadays...</p><p>Is it possible we can get the global lighting to change when it gets darker?  </p><p>if ($weather == "stormy"<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />" width="15" height="15" />  {</p><p>$global_lighting = some_light_function($rgb) - 35%;</p><p>}</p><p>(edit: fixed typo.  bad spellers of the wrold untie!)</p>

[John]

Indeed! Clouds when it rains and pours is not that visually pleasing.  I can see the cloud pattern repeat in the sky, pretty annoying since everything else is quite nice looking.  Lightning would be pretty cool to have, to see it in the sky and to have the flash.  Or maybe that would be too processes intensive but at least the visible lightning in the sky. And yes, the visible sun when it rains is not quite right <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.

[DamianTV]

<p>Hmm, thats something I didnt consider, when lightning strikes, illuminate everything for a split second!  Good idea!</p><p>As far as being CPU intensive, I could see something like that also being enabled or disabled with a High Quality Skies option too...</p>

[LordPazuzu]

<p>The skyboxes in EQ2 are terrible in general.  They look like EQ1's skys looked years and years ago.  EQ1 has much better skybox graphics than EQ2 does these days.  Don't get me started on the Vanguard sky/weather system.</p><p>EQ2's skyboxes are incredibly dated and in serious need of replacement.</p>

[Dragowulf]

i have a friend over in the SOE department and he explained to me about the skies and why they suck so much in EQ2.Long story short he said something about layering ( i guess this is why clouds only move in one direction) in the game engine, and a few other things.He said making textures/graphics in EQ2 for the artists is like trying to paint with 1 hand your back.  I guess it's the way the engine is designed. I don't remember much so don't take me up on that.drago.

[DamianTV]

<p>You should get him to post on this if you can.  </p><p>Your statement makes me wonder if the texture handlers for models (like game characters and objects) is somehow different from enviornment textures.  One specific thing I can think of where the texture animation is just amazing is watching dryads turn to wood.  Looking at that, one would think that they could at least replace the sky texture, even if its a relatively boring lack of detail could texture, like overcast, and no cloud definition, we shouldnt be able to see the sun, stars, moons, shooting stars, etc when its raining...</p><p>Just my two copper pieces...</p>

[Freydinessa]

Yes, the sky/weather is very disappointing. And when running on max settings it looks absolutely terrible in comparison to the rest of the game. but in addition to modifying/updating the sky textures, what about using more atmospheric elements like fog, mist, yes storms too, altering the position of the sun in the sky and it's tracking across the sky for zones such as everfrost, and perhaps having seasonal variation in the general weather patterns. Have some misty days in Nektulos where you can't see very far infront of you, have some snow storms in everfrost with a similar effect, a dust storm or two on the Isle of Ro from time to time. Ash rain in Lavastorm. Some low cloud days in Antonica so you can't see the tops of the mountains. Heavy mist from time to time would also be appropriate in the Feerrott. And why stop there with just the visuals? Like what is implemented on the Loping plains, why don't SOE make some daily/weather related buffs/debuffs that effect all characters in the zones. The obvious ones are having something like a 'frostbite' effect in Everfrost, where you are more susceptible to cold damage, Similarly have players more prone to heat damage in lavastorm, and poison and disease damage in the humid stinky swamp that is the feerrott. There are lots and lots of ways the developers could be inventive with this, e.g. It's not too much to think that because Everfrost is cold, the air would be much thinner, and hence you would get tired much quicker, hence have an effect that reduces or eliminates in combat health/power regeneration. Variations in the light/darkness in zones would be great as well. Have some zones very very dark at night so having a torch might indeed be useful. A full moon? have it nice and light, a new moon? very dark. ~shrug~ these are just the obvious ideas i'm throwing into this topic. The usual situations you find when you step outside of your house.The Land scape/textures are well in front of the atmosphere and sky textures.

[Wilde_Night]

I've seen lightening effects when it storms before.  Not the jagged bolts in the sky, but the whole area brightening as if there was lightening happening waaaaay up above.  Ya know, like movies use - the flash effect.  Perhaps I have settings tweaked in a special way, but I know I see this effect.

[Freydinessa]

<cite>Aeviel@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote>I've seen lightening effects when it storms before.  Not the jagged bolts in the sky, but the whole area brightening as if there was lightening happening waaaaay up above.  Ya know, like movies use - the flash effect.  Perhaps I have settings tweaked in a special way, but I know I see this effect.</blockquote>Yep, Likewise. I see this too.