Change sunset / sunrise length

[witch]

I just re-found this page after a long lapse. Part way down the page it states

Where the game is installed, in ..\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Lights\Lighting.txt:

    * change day-night light cycle transition duration: change the 2 instances of "transitionTimes 2 100" to: "transitionTimes 30 100"

            ...or however long you want the sunset/sunrise to last. 30 (seconds in reality but minutes in gametime) is pretty close to reality but set it to whatever you want. For some reason Maxis decided to make the day/night light transition so short (2 seconds) that it looks very unrealistic.

            Note that the day-night transition button in buy/build mode will be affected, as well as the light fade transition for rooms with/without no doors/windows and when adding lights. (Light fading doesn't seem to increase when speeding up time either.) Why Maxis didn't feel the need to differentiate dark/light transitions is beyond me--yet more half-assed design.

I can't find any reference in the Lighting.txt file to TransitionTimes.`Was this there once but not now? I looked at the files under Pets and under the Sims2 base game folder. Has anyone else seen anything like this?

[mildlydisguised]

I' ve just had a look in the base game file and it is about one third of the way down in my lighting.txt.

projectiveShadowStrength 0.73

 # modifiers insideObjects  0 0 0 0
 # modifiers insidePortals      0       0         0 0
 #  modifiers insidePortalSpills 0       0          0 0

   # extra ambient for unlit rooms.
   unlitRoomColor (.3, .275, .275) -threshold .33
   unlitRoomColor (.45, .425, .4) -threshold .4
   flatShade (1, .95, .85) .75  -sims 1.7 -objects 1.3 -indoors 1 # for lighting set to low.

   environment (1, 1, 1) 1
   
   #               max in time (s)   max out time (s)
   transitionTimes        2                 100
end

Then if you scroll down a bit there is another transition Times under night time.

I've just changed both the 2s to 30s and will go and check out what it does.

[Eleonora]

mmm, if this works, I'm definitly changing this to something like .01 second. My game always lags during sun set/rise, though luckily I can pause the game whilst the transition continues.

[witch]

Hmm, all I can figure is that I made a spelling error when I used Edit / Find for Transition. Found it this time no problem.

I've set mine to 30 so it will be interesting to see what happens when I boot up the game.

[mildlydisguised]

Well sunset seems to last from about 7pm to about 7.20pm and gets progressively darker.  I was kind of expecting a sunset like the gunmod radiance mod with all the oranges/pinks but then remembered it's only changing the time not the look!  I was a bit distracted as my toddler chose 6pm to grow into a child and as he is Brandon Illiard's illegitimate son, he is hideously ugly.

On the whole I am pleased with the change.  The extended sunset did not cause any extra lag and isn't as visual jarring as the 2 second default.  I didn't try out the sunrise but I am assuming this is the same. 

Thanks witch for posting!