SE49

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SE49 or Point Lights are used to cast a round light when the Polymer Renderer is used, it will not cast a light in other rendering modes and is unavailable in other ports. Unlike SE50, this type of light does not cast shadows.

Setup

Mappers can create an SE49 by placing a SECTOREFFECTOR into their map and editing it's properties in 2D Mode.

SE49 Properties
Property Value Notes
Lotag 49 Use ALT+T in 2D Mode to set the Lotag value. Set it to 49.
Hitag Range Use ALT+H in 2D Mode to set the Hitag value, this will determine the range or "spherical radius" of the light (the size of the area it will light up). unlike many other SE's, the Hitag does not have to be unique.
Xvel Red Use F8 in 2D Mode to edit the sprite's properties.

The cursor and Return keys are used to navigate and select which property to edit in this mode, you can use the Esc key to exit this window. XVEL, YVEL and ZVEL represent the RGB (Red, Green and Blue) color levels for the light respectively.

Set the XVEL to the desired amount of Red, the value must not be less than 0 and can be no more than 255.

Yvel Green The same as above except this sets the level of Green, the value must not be less than 0 and can be no more than 255.
Zvel Blue The same as above except this sets the level of Blue, the value must not be less than 0 and can be no more than 255.
Transparency Priority This controls the priority of the light and can be set using the T key in 3D Mode, a solid sprite is the highest priority, a 33% transparent light is a lower priority and a 66% transparent light is an even lower priority. Changing the transparency will not affect how the light appears. Lights with a low priority tend to do these first in low framerates: stop casting shadows (SE 50), stop casting light in a sector if there are too many lights in the sector (see notes).
Center Bit Negative If you press C in 3D Mode, the light will remove light instead of casting it, can be used to make very dark spots in otherwise well lit areas, and other interesting light effects.

You should also use PGUP and PGDN in 3D Mode to set the height of the light, leaving it too close to a floor will prevent the light from being cast very far.

Notes

  • You can preview lights in Mapster32 by pressing '+X in 3D Mode, although you may have to use the console to enable Polymer with the command setrendermode 4.
  • If a lot of lights are visible at the same time, performance begins to decrease quickly, keep an eye on the framerate counter. Aim for segmented maps that consist of smaller areas separated by ceiling doors, corridors or teleporters rather than huge outdoor areas.
  • Also, if too many lights are visible in one sector, some will disappear. This can usually be fixed by splitting up the sector.
  • Lights will often move with sectors, but it may cause flickering with certain effects. Sectors that the lights will move horizontally with (when the floor relativity bit is set) include: two way trains, subway vehicles, SE 1&0 rotating sectors (lights can be made to move in a circular path, or can be made to spin which great for spotlights). Lights will also move up and down with elevators.
  • There is currently no way to turn the lights off in the game, you could use a door to cover them up, use a mod such as DukePlus or CONfetti or write your own CON Code.
  • It might be useful to use the Edit Colors mode in Paint to help you get a grasp on how the RGB values work. It's also useful for finding values of a specific colour you have in mind.