More Awesome Than You!

TS2: Burnination => Oops! You Broke It! => Topic started by: Crash on 2008 September 13, 23:35:06



Title: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Crash on 2008 September 13, 23:35:06
As I reported here (http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,9811.100.html) I have problems with the AL wall hanging feature borking. First I thought it was because of the Lighing mod, but after I 'uninstalled' the mod, the borkage is still there.
The borkage symptoms is that the lighting is normal when I put the wall hangings on normal hight or higher, but putting the wall hanging lower than the normal height, makes the object considerably dimmed. As far as I know, this borkage appeared after I installed the lighting mod.
Uninstalling the mod did not undo the borkage.

To my question: is this a to the lighting mod unrelated AL bork, or did I break the game by installing the mod? I can't imagine anything else but the lighting mod causing this. Can someone more awesome than me point me in the right direction how to solve this?

The last resort would be to reinstall the game, with all the EPs and SPs. In the meantime, I will do more research through refurnishing my downloads folder.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Zazazu on 2008 September 14, 01:19:42
I have this problem as well, Crash. Same with lowering/raising lights.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: witch on 2008 September 14, 01:27:01
Yes, I noticed it on a painting the other night. I've never used the lighting mod.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Crash on 2008 September 14, 12:15:52
Thanks for your answers guys.
Allright, so I haven't broken anything. That's a relief in a way, because that means reinstalling won't help. I'm going to do some more research in game - I played another hood last night and the dimming was almost not discernible (although it was there). It might have had something to do with the fact that I had to place ceilings after a while - not sure.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Chain_Reaction on 2008 September 15, 17:31:38
I saw this reported on the BBS. The user said it happened when moving an object lower than its original height... but I've done that and mine still works fine. Perhaps it's just certain objects?


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Simsample on 2008 September 15, 20:16:44
My theory is that if you lower the item below a certain height, it takes the light source from the floor beneath. Okay if you have a habitable room, but if you are on ground level or foundation, there is no light source so it goes dark. This seems to make sense because Atavera's baby and toddler blanket have similar lighting issues- and they are basically cribs that are lowered below floor level.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Crash on 2008 September 15, 20:58:52
Chain Reaction, I have noticed a certain inconsistency with this issue - it's not as much different objects, but a single objects sometimes acts out and sometimes don't. I used the new shelves that came with AL, and in one hood they were considerably dimmed, but when I loaded another hood the dimming effect was almost next to none. A possible difference, that is yet to be confirmed, is that there was no ceilings on the lot where the dimming occurred. I have noticed that some lots actually do not get defaults ceilings for some reason.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Ruann on 2008 September 17, 16:02:38
In order for a ceiling to occur there must be floor tiles on the level above it.  Even if the level above it is the roof.  As long as there are floor tiles, and you haven't turned off auto-ceilings, you should get a ceiling.

I haven't messed around with the wall hanging feature much, mainly because I consider walls to be non-existant except when required by phone or mirror placement.  I play with my walls down more than up, so I forget they're there and never see anything on them so I don't put anything on them.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Knukleur on 2008 September 17, 17:07:05
I'm seeing this, too, but differently, with no lighting mods.  Some (but not all) wall items seem to be better lit if I lower them from the default position.  Could it have anything to do with windows nearby?   The rooms I see it happen in have windows where the top is farther from the ceiling than average (new narrow dual-casement AL windows and the space-age windows from Pets.)  But in the same room with the Pets windows, an item further from a window got darker when I lowered it (not the same item, so difficult to draw a conclusion.)  Next time I'm playing I'll try swapping the items and see if the location makes a difference.

Edit: Looking more closely, my lowered wall items are losing contrast.  So instead of being better lit, they're displayed as a more uniform, shadowless version of the object, as if in a windowless room or a basement.  It's easier to notice with wall hangings that have more 3-dimensional surfaces, such as the bas-relief of the cowplant (I think from GLS) or the Pets boomerang decoration ("Boronica by d'Lang").  Flat items like paintings seem to benefit from being lowered, since the picture may be lighter and the distracting shine from some of the frames will be diminished.  Changing window to something with more height to the fenestration didn't have an effect. 


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Crash on 2008 September 18, 12:59:20
@Ruann, that doesn't seem to be the case in some lots I've been playing. There are no ceilings if there are no ceilings on the second storey.
If I put ceilings on the second storey, there's automatically ceilings on the first storey. Granted, this is HP's mega hood I'm playing, which was installed after I installed AL.
-----
After some initial testing, it seems the dimming appears when there's no ceilings - placing ceilings makes the dimming appear less or not at all.
Possibly that goes for rooms where you have ceilings already and experience the dimming on wall objects - which means it should go away if you remove and place the ceiling again.

Really weird issue this.  ???


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: SpaceDoll on 2009 March 23, 02:45:32
Sorry for the Necromancy, but I've just started playing AL, and this really bothers me.  Here's my two cents: Simsample has it right.  I have two lowered Lack shelves hanging in an apartment, but they are not just dimmed, they are completely blacked out like any stuff in non-played apartments.  It's as if lowering the shelves has put them in the apartment below.  Anyone found a solution?


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: seelindarun on 2009 March 23, 19:18:36
I've noticed this with all manner of objects Maxis or custom, ceilings, no ceilings, moving windows -- I've pretty much tried everything mentioned in this thread.  I've also been looking for a fix but haven't come across any. :-\  As far as I can determine, you can arbitrarily raise an object without affecting its lighting, so one possibility would be to make an override for the Lack shelf that's low.  You would then shift it up when you need to.


Title: Re: Did I break the AL wall hanging feature?
Post by: Crash on 2009 March 29, 17:33:31
That's actually a very good idea seelindarum, I hope someone awesome show us mercy and make it.

This issue is yet another example of Eaxis not testing things enough, or not caring or whatever the reason. It it isn't as obvious in normal lighting, but when you use a lighting more like the radiance mod, it gets horribly obvious - especially for objects that are normally very high up on the wall that you really want to move down.
I tested putting extra lights in the foundation right under the lowered shelf - the lighting lit up the under side of the shelf but not above it - which of course technically I did. There are currently no workaround for this issue, other than the clever idea seelindarum mentioned. I hope someone creates the changed shelf.