Does anyone know why the headlights on the Blackpool Class 47 are so brilliant and bright in the dark and yet throughout this game, other locos and routes barely make a difference, if they're on or not. Is this something new added, and can be retrofitted to everything else? I think it looks great and adds to the atmosphere of night driving.
It depends on the train and which region you’re playing in. And Headlights in general have been iffy for a long time now. But generally, in the UK headlights a more for the benefit of oncoming traffic and people around the railway rather than giving the driver more visibility, an example of this would the class 101(NTP), it has just 2 marker lights that don’t light up anything. That’s not really the case anymore as trains like the 700 & 80x trains have two bright lights rather than one light and multiple marker lights like a 377 for example. In the US, headlights are used as expected. Very bright for the driver. European trains are similar in this sense as well.
The headlight on most trains are pretty much useless in TSW because the developers do not set them up properly. There are very few locomotives that actually illuminate the surrounding properly. And also there is only a single train in the game that uses anything more refined than standard UE light cones for headlights.
Actually the evolution of UE4.13, 4.16 and 4.26 (TOD4) didn't help in creating standards. I found many lightsources in older locos using parameters I couldn't even find in the UE docs... very confusing for me also. https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/BuildingWorlds/LightingAndShadows/IESLightProfiles/
I believe it is the DB BR612 on Tharandter Rampe? Instead of just a standard lightcone, it uses a technique that gives the light a better "shape" to achieve a more proper headlight effect that reaches further and looks good - sadly I don't remember what the technique is called.
Ah yes, that's it. Thanks! What's funny is that we've been told it's really time hard to set up so no other train is getting it, but in my opinion that does not seem to be the case, according to the article you posted. You literally just select a texture file. Even if they don't want to do a completely accurate one for every train, they could still simply re-use the same IES profile they used on the BR612 and every train's headlight would be miles better...
It's all a mess anyway. Just rode a TVL 101 from Blackpool to Preston. The saloon lights are going through the roof and light up the snow there. It would take a whole crew to fix all that. I think the hard part is not creating a IES lightsource, but matching the light profile to the real thing, as you need to have access to the vehicle at night, cycle through all light settings, and measure the lit area and attenuation.
Couldn't that be very easily fixed by limiting the light cone to 180° or less, instead of it being a 360° light source? That way the light would only shine downwards, leaving the roof dark like it should. As for that, I am pretty sure there must be plenty of pre-made IES profiles that would do the job. No need to create a 100% accurate one for every train. But make a few presets and re-use them as they fit best. Hell, even reusing the same one over and over again from the BR612 would be better than what we currently have.
Nah, you just need the manufacturer's specs for the light (supplemented by government regulatory requirements)
TSW is all over the place with both headlights and night lighting in general, and has been that way since the beginning. Occasionally, a loco will have halfway decent headlights, but usually they are ineffective, especially North American trains. Again, some routes will have acceptable night lighting, most will not. The recent UK offerings such as BCC, Cathcart and Glossop are literally undriveable at night, even though they are set in major metropolitan areas. Headlights and night lighting are two problems that DTG and partners seem incapable of getting right with any consistency. Whether it's a software limitation (unlikely), a blind spot ( more likely ), or just the absence of the necessary skill- set, I don't expect this to change any time soon..
A whole crew, or a single modder? https://www.trainsimcommunity.com/m...es/i3991-class-101-light-leak-patch-tvlgwbbpo
I was thinking of ALL lights in the game. Just had a great summer's evening sunset run on TSC's MML Leicester Derby Nottingham with the AP VP185 EMT HST. It's fantastically lit (those small trackside lamps in places) and still looks 10x better than TSWs
Oh right. Well, I think the sad reality is that that’s well beyond repair. The whole thing is a bowl of own brand dog food and is rapidly becoming an unmanageable mess. I can only imagine what a total clunkenfunk TSW will be in 3-5 years time. We can at least say with confidence that there will be 43 versions of the Class 66 in the game and the gangway doors on the 377 will still be open. I would put good money on the fact that the successor to TSW is already in development as a result.
But the roof shouldn't be dark, A) because the strip light isn't flush with the surface of the roof so it will directly illuminate the roof, and B) bounce lighting would further illuminate the roof. It would look very wrong if the roof wasn't illuminated at all. For example a Mk1 coach interior lit up https://www.flickr.com/photos/keith...2bvKbJL-nJjYMu-2hRnoDn-2kmXVH6-Qtvbow-2o3eF8r If you just limited to light source to 180 degrees below the lower half of the coach would be illuminated, but the roof would be completley pitch black
The issue is that the saloon pointlight goes through the roof to the outside, the roof doesn't block it. I've heard that a lightsource needs shadow casting to be enabled for solid materials to block its light - but they did not set that flag because it affects performance. So your only option is to weaken the light, change the radius. Then you have black passengers. No deal if you ask me. The roof SHOULD be dark.
This seems to be the same oversight that made the Dostos glow purple out the top before they finally fixed it.
Just made a quick mod and activated shadow casting for all DSN Class 101 pointlights - it works. Light doesn't penetrate the roof. Before After But then, you get these harsh shadows - as the diffusor covering the lamps is not simulated.... so it would need a bigger rework. They could if they wanted to. It does add a lot more depth to the visuals. But adding real diffuse light - that's where it could get heavy on your hardware. (Many TSC carriages have soft floor shadows under the seats baked in at least.)
