More Awesome Than You!

Hey guys.
I recently reinstalled Sims 3, this time installing WA and H-EL aswell.

I'm getting a problem with the lighting outside;
Lights inside my lot won't light-up the surrounding area, and vice-versa.

Images always help,
(http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/460/screenshotrsh.th.jpg) (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/screenshotrsh.jpg/)

(http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9881/screenshot6i.th.jpg) (http://img339.imageshack.us/i/screenshot6i.jpg/)

I don't think this is normal ..

Search is your friend.

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,17297.0.html

Hmm, I saw that thread, but it doesnt seem to address my issue.

Here is another
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,18305.msg529816.html#msg529816
When I did search I found pages full.  The issue has been discussed and there is presently no way to fix it.

Many thanks, I wouldn't have seen that.

I guess it's just a waiting game now, then.

You'll be waiting a VERY long time. EA don't seem to give a shit, especially when there's substandard Store-crap to push. I mean, why bother fixing the very thing they boasted about (the lighting) in the original previews when they can churn out TVs that show incorrect broken graphics when they break (one-tiled noise on a two-tiled screen), or clothes and hair that clip like fuck?

This lighting problem was introduced in one of the earlier patches when EA thought that everything would look so much better if they took on a creepy radioactive glow. I tried looking around the different files to see if I could isolate the lighting issue because it's pissing me off too. I even tried replacing the shaders file with the original from the disc but it made no difference, not that I thought it would, but you never know. Incidentally, I'm running the base game only.

Where's Gunmod when you need him? He worked wonders with the crappy TS2 lighting.

I suspect if EAxis try to fix the lighting issue, they will more than likely break it the other way, with everything being too dark.  Any patch, or attempted patch fix is more than likely going to be included with the next EP, or the one after that, or maybe even when TS4 comes out, but don't hold your breath waiting.

Well, this is the thing. When EA released some promo screenshots for HELS, there was one shot in particular that clearly showed the lighting working as it should, with light sources casting light on multiple floors, and I thought at the time that they had fixed the issue and would be releasing it as part of an upcoming patch. The patch came, and the light fix didn't.

I'll see if I can find a link to that screenshot.

EDIT: Actually, there were three, courtesy of SimPrograms:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simprograms/4310957403/in/set-72157622468798168/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simprograms/4311693710/in/set-72157622468798168/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/simprograms/4270888095/in/set-72157622468798168/

EAxis are pretty good at releasing screenshots and other details that make things appear to be either working right, or actually better than what they really are.

To me, those screen shots do not represent lighting "working as it should".  The third picture is particularly bad.

they appear much better though.

is this problem occuring to everyone?
or don't many people have the latest patches ..

Your shift key.  Use it.  You have TWO.

Is it really necessary in this situation?
It's readable. And no different.

Yes. It is necessary. This forum is a written format. It requires proper capitalization and punctuation.

Yes, we all seem to be having this problem. I don't know about people who didn't patch, since you have to patch to use AM, and most people here use it. We all also noticed the bloom effect, or the fact that bright lights wash out the details of the crappy EA furniture, which is a blessing of sorts. I find that dimming the lights helps with the bloom effect, but makes it hard to see your game. Catch -22.

I don't understand the complaints about bloom. People seem to be under the impression that (and sometimes even have pictures of) bloom makes any and all objects glow like crazy.

But that is not true. It isn't even like tha tin game. The only things that glow are bright bright bright things and shiny metal things.

Have you played the game? Damn near everything turns radioactive if you have more than one light in the room. And in some cases, having one light or even no lights causes radioactivity. Try making a white (or variant of) kitchen or bathroom; everything becomes a white haze as soon as you add a lamp with normal brightness or a window. Depending on the material/colour, some objects will realistically have a subtle glow to them, but there is no "subtle" in this game.

EAxis apparently don't follow the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.

Wait...  if they have pictures of it, how can it not be true?  It's not like people are photoshopping evidence just to support this, or that all the people who claim to have this problem (myself included)  are imagining things. 

Yes, I have played the game. ANd nothing turns radioactive with more than one light in the room.

Nothing should turn radioactive with even 10 lights in a room.  Everyday metal objects and shiny surfaces aren't that reflective, and seeing them that way is a nuisance to those who are complaining.

The problem with white surfaces is a serious pain in the ass, particularly for my "shabby chic" style rooms. There is no reason for the coffee table to look like it's glowing, dammit.

Does anyone know where I can find the lighting files?

I'd like to see if there's a way of combating a few of these problems (especially reducing the bloom by at least 3/4.)

If it was as simple as "finding the lighting files" it would have been fixed a long ass time ago.

Lighting for the sims 2 wasn't tackled for a loooong time, and even then only a couple people knew what they were doing. There are shader files somewhere and they open somehow and are edited in some way and nobody has the slightest idea.

I figured as much.

But wait, then how do we have mods such as the darker nights mod?

To the best of my knowledge, the darker night mods don't affect the way the lights work.  At least they didn't when I was using them.

I placed sort of a pastel colored pattern on a bed the other day and the thing glowed so brightly that I couldn't really tell what the hell it looked like. Jeesh.

What about if it's a vampire coffee table?

Can you see the table in a mirror? If not, better stake it.