SpriteShadow v2.0 (now built into GZDoom 4.6.0!)

[Nash]

You can try posting it in the features suggestions. It isn't unheard of for a new release to be triggered by one, and the release schedule is lagging a bit anyhow.

I'd like to submit the widescreen Hexen and Heretic assets (which are almost ready) in before a 4.6.0 release.

but also casings and ammo magazines that were tagged "+ISMONSTER" just for the sake of supporting them, so everything worked out of the box.

I strongly discourage using the monster flag just for the purpose of enabling shadows - abusing flags in ways it wasn't really designed to, might create conflicts with other mods, or even future engine updates that might use the monster flag for something legitimate.

Add +CASTSPRITESHADOW to actors that you specifically want to have sprite shadows.

[vsonnier]

I strongly discourage using the monster flag just for the purpose of enabling shadows - abusing flags in ways it wasn't really designed to, might create conflicts with other mods, or even future engine updates that might use the monster flag for something legitimate.

Add +CASTSPRITESHADOW to actors that you specifically want to have sprite shadows.

You are right of course, except until a new GZDoom is released this is the only way to make the mod still run (without shadows) with the official v4.50 version. I suppose having an unknown flag would make the DECORATE / ZScript not compile ?

[NightFright]

After having the Heretic/Hexen widescreen gfx included, we would indeed have reached a good time for a new release. Let's still wait for that, then. I assume those will also include weapons, btw? (I made a pack which even works in fullscreen, but my edits were rather just good enough to get it done - far from anything official.)

[Nash]

I assume those will also include weapons, btw?

Yes, all weapons have been extended both horizontally and (in Hexen's case) vertically.

[Caligari87]

You are right of course, except until a new GZDoom is released this is the only way to make the mod still run (without shadows) with the official v4.50 version. I suppose having an unknown flag would make the DECORATE / ZScript not compile ?

Don't resort to hacks to make it run. There are two options:

1. Follow best practices for the current stable release, until the feature you want is included in a stable release.
2. Target the unstable development release and accept that your mod won't run on current stable.

I personally would recommend being patient until the new release, as it's probably very close around the corner.

[Rachael]

I'd like to submit the widescreen Hexen and Heretic assets (which are almost ready) in before a 4.6.0 release.

Please keep me posted on that, then, because while Git doesn't actually "pull" data from a submodule, it still has to update the submodule's commit hash when something changes, and that requires someone with commit/push access.

I think Git does this for a "time capsule" effect (i.e. this version of this software worked with this specific X version of Y library).

[Nash]

Sprite shadows is now built directly into GZDoom 4.6.0!

Update May 23rd 2021 (version 2.0)

- Update mod to utilize engine-native sprite shadow rendering.
- Relicense to MIT.

[NightFright]

So, do those shadows perform better now after being integrated?

[Gez]

Yeah, that was the entire point.

[NightFright]

Outstanding. Well, I would have used them one way or the other. This mod used to be in my autoload and finally it arrived where it deserves to be.

[Lord Misfit]

So I'm not sure if this the right topic to talk about the 4.6.0 specific version of sprite shadow rendering, but is there a way for someone to tweak things about the shadows like the transparency level they have? When trying this out with my mod Aetherius, I noticed that my near-stealth monsters [monsters with very high transperancy to the point they're almost invisible, but still not true "stealth" monster] still leave shadows of the same opacity as fully opaque monsters (which makes them suddenly much easier to see coming at you), and I wanted to add a tweak in my mod that alters the visibility/transperancy of the shadows based on the opacity of the object they're linked to. I tried to look on the github repo, but the code I could find looks like it's not accessible to modders directly, at least what I could find [though I used the new flags and the r_spriteshadows var as the search terms, so I might have missed something]. o.o

[Nash]

Currently there's no customization of the shadows.

The issue about the specters and actor renderstyles has been brought up in another thread, and will be addressed.

As for customization - I don't know. I'm weary to add too much (or any at all) because every optional tweak to it has the potential to slow performance down. The whole point of bringing it to the engine is so that it performs fast (and it currently does - WAY better than the old mod version, because it's not spawning extra actors).

In comparison to the Build engine, there's practically no customizability there either - it's either on or off.

What you CAN do right now is disable shadows for certain monsters - just give them the +NOSPRITESHADOW flag.

(There are 2 new engine flags introduced with 4.6.0 - +CASTSPRITESHADOW and +NOSPRITESHADOW - hopefully self explanatory)

[NightFright]

Current options area bit confusing, anyway. Right now, there is "Default" and "Monsters and Player", but it could just as well be named "Off" and "On". That's what it basically is as it stands now.

[Gez]

"Default" is "only enabled for actors that actually have the +CASTSPRITESHADOW flag", in other words, custom content, since standard actors have not been affected. "Monsters and player" automatically project shadows from monsters and players (unless they have the +NOSPRITESHADOW flag, I suppose).

[Nash]

"Default" means "off by default, but modders can use +CASTSPRITESHADOW"

The engine will not ship with the feature on by default. However, not giving modders the option to specify their actors to have sprite shadows will also be pointless (they will go back to the mod version if they were imposed that limitation).