Here's a list of things that should be added to/changed in/removed from lighting:
0) The default skybox. Make it a clear sky blue, no clouds, no streaks of paint. Make it a more controllable render effect, where we can choose map altitude for example.
1) Fog. Make it a separate object altogether, that can be inserted like the skybox. Barely anyone uses it, and when people do, there's issues with the sky not getting foggy.
Take fog as it is now, and expand on the options. Add fogdensity, fogminalt and fogmaxalt to fogcolor, fogstart and fogend. Then make it a separate object. That way, if people want to use it, they get more control over the fog.
Make it render volumetric, and make it affect the sky as well as parts.
Wind will only affect minimally and must be in lighting to affect fog.
2) Dust. Similar to above, but with two vector3's that give an area where the dust is within. See above for options, substitute dust for fog. Can have wind effects if a wind object is present within lighting.
3) Clouds. Similar to fog as well, but with various options, such as stratus, cirrus, cumulus, alto, nimbo, cirro, et cetera. Render volumetric, but with a low LoD, say 16 by 16 studs with blending. Can have wind effects if such an object exists in lighting. Similar height controls.
4) Wind. Affects most other things within the lighting, and can exist multiple times. Can set wind direction, wind speed, and wind altitude range. Can move unanchored parts around if strong enough. Can exist multiple times at multiple altitudes.
5) High resolution skybox textureset, uploaded as a zipped set of 6. Each texture is 1024px squared, and when uploaded the viewer is a javathing whatever in which you can turn the camera to view the skybox. Pics named panorama_0 thru panorama_5. Must be approved by an admin beforehand.
6) Upgrade skybox to take texturesets as well as single textures. Self-explanatory.
7) Moving stars based on level's time and latitude. Self-explanatory.
TL:DR Upgrade lighting for a whole range of easy-to-use weather effects and a new skybox system. Oh, moving stars.
These could all be toggled. |