SKYRIMLE Realistic Lighting With Customization (by The Realistic Lighting Team)

[stoppingby4now]

I quoted the changelog before because probably they're going more customization with the patcher' date=' like torch radius, fog and more, to make little tweaks to the original mod. You're right, you have less choice regarding which mods to install as or you install only RLwC 4.0 or not but that's the only way they can a weather/lighting mod stable and without bugs. They can't make many standalone mods perfectly compatible with each other in every possible combination, that's too much work and depends critically on updates, which makes it unstable.[/quote']

In regard to customization, I definitely welcome that. In regards to standalone, I'm so sure on that. But I'm also not an expert on modding.

About lighting without weather,they said that they are connected in the CK as they are in real life, and you can't fully enhance the first without changing the second.

Then this probably comes down to their implementation since they modify the HDR. All the more reason for me to go with a pure post processing implementation.

I agree that choice is important and again, there is the patcher for that.But what if you arrive mid-game and you realize there is something wrong with your personal combination of lighting / weather mods ? You mentioned STEP: STEP has a strong baseline that you can download and use to play the game and you know is well done and stable. Now, you worked on STEP with the others so you know exactly why some mods were included, why others removed and in general how was developed so you can tweak it as you like. But now everyone can do it unless they have some knowledge, as a personalized STEP is untested and may cause bugs if done in the wrong way. So i respect your views ,and i too like to have a choice, but i can't complain because i think they found the method to get the best results( in their opinion) and easily accessible to everyone.

Personalize lighting is difficult, and they spend hundreds of hours doing it, so i will at least see the results and test them fully before trying to customize it.

 

Btw, i'm not a RLwC fan, i actually used URWL more, i just liked the idea behind it.

Very valid points. But it's important to note that I'm in no way requesting that RLwC remove extra content, just that I would prefer it to be optional. :P

[ivactheseeker]

Very valid points. But it's important to note that I'm in no way requesting that RLwC remove extra content, just that I would prefer it to be optional.

Maybe they will, i don't know, and probably they don't know ether at this stage. Version 3.4 had a BAIN installer that let you choose, on a custom install, which extras to include during the activation of the mod.

I'm not sure everything can be made optional easly though. Let's take for example the custom rain they're including in the next release: they edit fog, brightness etc with that mod in mind for rainy weathers, and it may be totally off with vanilla rain. You may still try a different rain mod but then you have tu test to make sure it fits right. This is total speculation though, as i'm not a RLwC guru or any way associated with the RLwC team.

Then this probably comes down to their implementation since they modify the HDR. All the more reason for me to go with a pure post processing implementation.

You can do it, but i see at least two problems

• FPS loss which can be an issue for some with uber rig (me included :))
• PP does not effect game engine calculations. So if you like dark nights and/or doungeons, enemies will see you just as easly as vanilla while with HDR sneaking and related stuff is also modified

(on an unrelated note: i just tried the new list with the WYSIWYG editor and i love it :D)

[stoppingby4now]

Then this probably comes down to their implementation since they modify the HDR. All the more reason for me to go with a pure post processing implementation.

You can do it, but i see at least two problems

• FPS loss which can be an issue for some with uber rig (me included :))
• PP does not effect game engine calculations. So if you like dark nights and/or doungeons, enemies will see you just as easly as vanilla while with HDR sneaking and related stuff is also modified

 

Fortunately, I have enough horse power to handle that. True that a pure PP solution would not affecting sneaking without providing an ESP to help with that. RCRN for example must be doing something in their ESP to help in this regard, because I never had any problems with sneaking with V2, despite others claims to the contrary. The biggest difference is that it wasn't as drastic as RLwC, which isn't realistic at all due to the shadows problem I already mentioned.

[ivactheseeker]

I'm sorry but i didn't understand exactly what the shadow problem was. If you describe it better, when you have time, i will check if it's still there.

[stoppingby4now]

The issue with shadows is that RLwC "adjusts" them to keep them uniform even when you make changes lighting, particularly targetlum values. On the one hand it's nice, because you are able to tweak the lighting without adversely affecting the shadows. The problem is that, due to this "adjusting", it negatively affects ambient light. Not a great example, but it's akin to using a negative light source in 3D rendering to take away light.

 

This is why it is unrealistic. The only way to simulate ambient light leakage into shadows is to increase the brightness. This also then requires adjusting at a minimum targetlum to maintain the lighting that you want.

 

There are two specific things that you can look for that reveal this problem (or at least can confirm if it still is a problem). This will require adjusting values in the ini.

• Go to Bleak Falls Barrow and enter the main entrance. You will have to keep a very keen eye on the monitor for when the loading screen is done. You will see a very quick clamping of the shadows from Vanilla->RLwC just as your enter (~1 sec). At this point, take a screenshot for comparison later. Keeping all other values the same, decrease targetlum2 in dungeons to increase the brightness of the light sources. Re-enter the dungeon and watch the clamping again. Take a screenshot. Repeat this process as many times as you like decreasing targetlum2 all the while. In my original testing/evaluation, I decreased targetLum2MultiplyerDungeon all they way to 0.2 in 0.1 decrements. When comparing screenshots, you will see the shadows remain consistent throughout the majority of the change. I can't remember the exact figure, but it wasn't till I was somewhere around 0.4 or 0.3 that the shadows finally started to brighten as RLwC was having a much harder time keeping the shadows uniform.
• This also translates to another problem, and that is the depth of shadows. While looking at a tree with shadows enabled in daytime (with no direct sunlight), compare screenshots of RLwC with either Vanilla or an ENB preset. It becomes very clear at this point that the shadow problem leads to loss of shadow depth, i.e. ambient light is extremely suppressed leaving you with much darker areas within the tree limbs everywhere. Compare with Vanilla or an ENB preset, and even real life. As you look into a tree with dense branches and no direct sunlight, at the outermost portions of the branches, the shadows are lighter. As you examine shadows moving towards the trunk, the shadows deepen as there are more obsticals to block ambient light sources.

This is also why a lot of thiefs tend to love RLwC. But the way they are handling the shadows is nowhere near realistic.

[frihyland]

Realistic Lighting 3.5 is out! Install 3.4a FIRST! Read the readme for install and load order info!

[torminater]

Changelog:

Realistic Lighting 3.5 OUT NOW!!

 

As a thank you to our community and because of delays with 4.0, I have decided to fix a lot of bugs with 3.4a and also make it compatible with Dawnguard - thus the scary dungeons and better lighting now affects Dawnguard too.

 

Normalised Fog Levels for Snow, Fog and Rain weathers.

Fixed issues with Ambient Occlusion by ensuring the fog layer did not encroach on AO layer.

Added new fog settings for clear days to make them more realistic.

Altered Riften Weather from 90% fog to only 5% fog chance.

Added true weather type to Riften to add greater diversity in weather patterns.

Removed Wraith effect bug from weather c8220.

Improved/extended transition time between weathers.

Fixed a rare "light saber" bug which made weapons glow at a distance.

Fixed issues with white borders around water with certain texture mods.

Fixed a bug across all clear and cloudy weather which made near water look blue; Changed to RGB 255 255 255 (white)

Fixed an issue with 3.4a with long distance/LOD water, stemmed from a bug with lower sky colours.

Decreased sunglare by 50%

Decreased skyscale during clear days by 25%

Realistic Lighting 3.5 for Dawnguard! We have altered imagespaces and weathers to match those with 3.5 (Currently non customizable, will be for 4.0)

Vision Lighting discontinued as of 3.5 (due to huge work load required to keep doubling up changes)

[Besidilo]

Realistic Lighting 3.5 is out! Install 3.4a FIRST! Read the readme for install and load order info!

Is that a recommendation over RCRN 3.5 or just a suggestion for those that like RLwC more?

[frihyland]

I personally like the AI differences that RLwC provides, the shaders from rcrn and the bugfixes from ENB.

[mothergoose729]

Realistic Lighting With Customization

https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/7654

 

Realistic lighting is a completely lighting overhaul, adding hundred of weather effects, different sky and sun textures, lighting, brightness, and contrast tweaks as well as many lighting source tweaks. At its default it eliminates any and all source of "fake" lighting, so that any light in an interior comes from some sort of visible light source; ie window, torch, candle, open ceiling, ect. Also includes an ini file that can be edited (out of game), causing updates to the game in real time. This file can be shared and exported allowing for people or persons to create different RLWC configurations and profiles. 

 

RLWC team is a multiple modder team developing RLWC with plans to release a new version "very soon" implementing a host of new features. 

 

STEP currently using CoT as its lighting overhaul choice. I will make the case the RLWC is a superior lighting mod using screen shots and my observations.

 

METHADOLOGY: My system uses the Bethesda High Res Texture Pack Optimzed by Vano 89, with the "Hybrid (1024x2048) + vanilla NormalMaps option installed. I also use Vurts Flora Overhaul, lush tree with Vurts patch, as well as Hybrids HD plants and Herbs Retexture. To create the screen shot I used save points, so each screenshot was taken from approximately the same position at approximately the same time of day on the same day in skyrim. 

 

The noon and 9PM pictures for RLWC and CoT where taken at the same time and place. To capture the pictures of "dusk" I had to take screenshots at different times because CoT had a much more narrow "dusk" period. 

 

These pictures were taken with the default install settings for CoT, and with the custom install setting for RLWC with "vision setting", "alternate sunglare" and "brighter interiors" options enabled. 

 

Entry way of BanneredMare in Whiterun:

 

CoT

RLWC

 

Upper Floor BanneredMare

 

CoT

RLWC

 

Whiterun Plaza 1st noon, 2nd dusk, Night

 

CoT

NA - sorry forgot this one!

 

 

RLWC

[mothergoose729]

Riverwood 1st noon, 2nd dusk, 3rd night

CoT

 

 

RLWC

[mothergoose729]

Nature Scene 1st noon, 2nd dusk, 3rd night

 

CoT

 

RLWC

[mothergoose729]

Lake Scene 1st noon, 2nd dusk, 3rd night

 

CoT

 

RLWC

 

Markarth Keep Interior

 

CoT

 

RLWC

 

 

OBSERVATIONS:

 

The "day and night" cycle was noticeably more varied for RLWC than CoT. Sunset lasted about three hours with about three distinct stages, while in CoT sunset lasted about one hour with one stage. The day in RLWC at 12:00PM or 1:00PM was noticeably brighter than late afternoon while this was not the case with CoT. Night in RLWC has different stages with different brightness levels while CoT appeared to have one.

 

The shadows in RLWC where often darker and contrasted more. The lights from torches and candles where visibly more yellow while CoT appeared brigher and more white. The sun in RLWC appeared to shine brighter and cause more visible glare both in the sky and on the ground than CoT.

 

RCLW is a different approach to lighting entirely though. Even in its "vision" option torches are necessary at night and in dark dungeons. Torches are essential even to navigating in many places. RCLW has fewer world light sources overall because it removes most "ambient lighting" which casts "fake light" from no visible light source. RLWC also removes bloom entirely. I am not sure of CoT does the same. Bloom was removed from RLWC to give more realistic lighting effect, according to the mod authors.

 

NOTE: RCLW has a major update planned sometime "soon" (read next couple months of they are on track according to their own update schedule"). They plan to implement a lighting system based on meteorological data from Green land, I believe. A more detailed list of their planned updates can be found at their nexus page.

 

PERSONAL OPINION:

RLWC provides not only a more realistic lighting experience, but a more immersivle one as several fronts. The shadows are much better, especially in interior lighting. The weather changes are much more dramatic and provide a much more intense day and night cycle. Overall the weather feels much more natural and much better. I think they have implemented lighting in a way that is just superior With the customizable config, STEP can tweak things like night darkness and contrast to provide our own unique experience, or to make night and dungeon crawling more playable without torches. My personal preference is that torches should be more or less required in dark dungeons and during night time.

 

 

 

ADVANTAGES OF RLWC OVER CoT:

 

-Mod is still under development while CoT is a finished project

- Both mods have dirty edits, but RLWC has promised to fix its dirty edits in its next release

- More varied and more detailed day and night cycle

- Possible to have a custom RLWC lighting configuration for STEP

 

The screenshots, after uploading, lost a lot of detail. I uploaded them in their full glory here:

https://www.mediafire.com/?8w1ghhp7n7ck2jk

 

Download and look at them for better comparisons.

[mothergoose729]

Forgot to add these screentshots in the review

 

Tree and Sky Scene 1st noon, 2nd dusk, 3rd night

 

CoT

 

RLWC

[frihyland]

Merged with original thread