Dynamic Lighting Mechanics

[SRJR]

Having all dynamic lighting offers a few opportunities for gameplay. Many have mentioned hiding in the shadows, and personally I like the idea of using a torch or a lantern to uncover enemies in dark corridors.

However, one more possibility occurred to me, and I'm not sure if it's reasonable or not. Blowing out candles?
If a candelabra is lit and the player blasts it or swings at it, the candles (and the light) would probably go out. In fact, any indoor light source could be taken out if it was within striking range.

Would NPCs react to this? I can imagine it would be hard to make AI that would attempt to re-light candles. At the very least, enemies would have to be put on alert when a normally lit candle or lantern is put out.

I like the idea of utilizing truly dynamic light as a game mechanic.
For instance, you could hide from a search party in the countryside on a moonless night, ducking to stay out of the torchlight.
Depending on how far light is visible, you could also survey torches from afar (like the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when the outlaws can distantly see the trackers closing in on their trail). [edit: this might not be possible with the fixed view]
What else could you do with fully dynamic lighting?

 

[the0thMonkey]

What you suggest sounds doable, and it also sounds very much in the style of Sui Generis. I'm also intrigued by the implications of thaumaturgy on dynamic lighting. For instance, spells that create darkness (or extinguish lights) and spells that create light. These could have practical applications in the situations you mentioned above and more.

 

[MrIdontKnow]

I can't see it being hard to implement, AI can't hear or see, so the devs have to almost fake hearing you or seeing you, at least that's how I believe it is.

So the light source could be called Light_Source_Dun_0001 and you could check wether it was on or off. If it was off it could tell the AI to do something.

 

[SRJR]

I can't see it being hard to implement, AI can't hear or see, so the devs have to almost fake hearing you or seeing you, at least that's how I believe it is.

So the light source could be called Light_Source_Dun_0001 and you could check wether it was on or off. If it was off it could tell the AI to do something.

I make games as a hobby, so I also think about SG in terms of what is possible on a software level.

If you are rendering dynamic lights, then you can find out how much light is being cast on a certain point, and if the value goes above a certain amount, then you are visible. You could even account for enemies in bright areas, where the value has to go higher to be seen by them.

I don't know as much about how the computer understands volume, in the sense that two sounds playing at the same time create twice as much noise- but the windows volume adjuster does it okay, so you could definitely have a similar check as with light.

Actually (going off topic) you could have a "total noise" value, where you add for every sound, but it "cools down" and slowly reduces back to zero. If you make too much noise in a short time, you have to keep quiet for a moment, or nearby enemies will become suspicious.

 

[MrIdontKnow]

Ill be honest with you, I really like the idea of AI reacting to a changed environment, lights that are turned off, objects that have moved, cloth or sounds from the floor, all that should be implemented.

 

[the0thMonkey]

I think BME knows their stuff, so we probably don't need to worry about the implementation (unless we want to). Judging from what we've seen so far, dynamic events and responses (as well as realistic shadows and their uses) will be covered.