Ashes Afterglow TC - closing the vault

[RKD]

I think Ashes lighting is fine the way it is right now. It appeals enough to both sides (too bright vs too dark). In my case, the problem with maps/mods that go way too dark or barely visible for atmosphere, have the detrimental factor of hurting my eyes (and my vision is fine). When I can't barely see two steps ahead of me even with lantern/flashlight/whatever, I unconciously force my vision and get a sort of motion sickness that ends up in headache. That kills any interest I can have in keep playing any further.

Yes, it's true that some users are at fault for not calibrating properly their monitor but I do believe anyone should be able to play fine enough regardless with just the sector lighting setting. As far as I recall, either Dark or Doom were the recommended settings and I've set mine in Doom since the other was too dark for me. In all honesty, for those folks who want to further expand their game experience with a darker atmosphere, a third party mod (like DDZ) is likely to enhance way more said experience than anything that could come built-in with Ashes, because I'm pretty sure the author wants to appeal just enough to both "factions" in this lighting matter. And that is something that, imho, Ashes does very very right.

[Ihavequestions]

I don't know. I do not get any motion sickness from looking at a dark screen. But I do get tired from looking at a gray scene that really should be black. It's unnatural, it takes away detail, and there is no way to improve it other than by editing the map myself.

[ButtonBoy]

Going along with the more night time level encouragement, I reckon a fully dedicated stealth level would be awesome. So imagine you get abducted like you did in the blood sport level, but by a bandit camp instead. So all your stuff gets taken but you still have your boot knife. You have to escape, your purposely made to be low on supplies so you can't go in guns blazing, so you kill the occasional raider when the situation suits it. Really just a fully dedicated stealth level would be so cool.

[AmissaAnima]

That is actually a really good idea Buttonboy I'm surprised I didn't think of the sooner lol. And even if it doesn't get added in the actual main series someone making a mod themselves could add that mechanic into their own mod.

[june gloom]

I like to load up Caligari87's DarkDoomZ to fine-tune the darkness in those levels. As a nice bonus, in legacy 2063 when the lantern was a huge nuisance that I didn't care for at all, I used DDZ's flashlight function shamelessly as my light source, set to simple/incandescent/handheld so it jiggles like it's attached to Scav's clothes like one of those old military L-shaped flashlights that can take a proper beating.

In Enhanced and Afterglow, now that the lantern is so much better, I refrain from that, it's a bit cheesy. Rather, I go for RicardoLuis0's Flashlight+ so I can modify the light to be a very dim and short-ranged beam (like an LED penlight with almost dead batteries, it's plausible for Scav to have one if you think about it) that really only serves as an emergency lighting alternative when I burn through all of my lantern battery in levels where I can't recharge it at all.

EDIT: Forgot to mention one thing about the enhanced lantern: in the normal light levels of the mod, it brightens up rooms very slightly even beyond the dynamic light's radius. If you darken the game with DDZ, that effect is lost and all you have is its circle of light.

All this sounds amazing and I'm going to have to give it a try.

[Plasmazippo]

I said it before and will reinforce it: if you're unsatisfied, use DarkDoomZ. It doesn't affect screen brightness, it alters the sector's light level itself. Play through The Boneyard (2063 level 2) with it disabled then set it to Compress on Murky intensity, and y'all will see a WORLD of difference.

Going along with the more night time level encouragement, I reckon a fully dedicated stealth level would be awesome. So imagine you get abducted like you did in the blood sport level, but by a bandit camp instead. So all your stuff gets taken but you still have your boot knife. You have to escape, your purposely made to be low on supplies so you can't go in guns blazing, so you kill the occasional raider when the situation suits it. Really just a fully dedicated stealth level would be so cool.

Heck yeah, I dig this idea a lot. It would make the crowbar and the silenced machine pistol take the leading role like they never had to.

[Ihavequestions]

I said it before and will reinforce it: if you're unsatisfied, use DarkDoomZ. It doesn't affect screen brightness, it alters the sector's light level itself.

You really don't get it, do you? That mod will darken all sectors regardless of their surroundings. A parking lot deck will become just as dark as a windowless room somewhere deep in a basement that has received the same sector brightness by the map designer. It's pointless. A mod cannot undo a bad design decision.

[Plasmazippo]

No, I absolutely get it. I use it all the darn time, and I tweak it on the go, as it has menu CVARs that control those effects. Night map? Murky. Start of daytime map? Disable.

If you want a one-and-done attempt at a solution that you don't have to keep messing with as you play, take a look at Hey Doomer's Relighting Doom. May be what you're looking for.

[Ihavequestions]

If you want a one-and-done attempt at a solution that you don't have to keep messing with as you play, take a look at Hey Doomer's Relighting Doom. May be what you're looking for.

Interesting, but doesn't work with Ashes.

[Plasmazippo]

Well drat. It was worth a try.

[AmissaAnima]

Well drat. It was worth a try.

Regardless of how skilled one can be we all have the unfortunate circumstances where we can't accomplish what we set our mind too. Don't worry though dude you've done excellent work so far and one little thing is nothing compared to the amount of work you have put in to make everything possible in the mod thus far. If you weren't here i'm sure that Ashes wouldn't be as great at it is now. All i'm saying is that you're one cool smart fella.

[ButtonBoy]

That is actually a really good idea Buttonboy I'm surprised I didn't think of the sooner lol. And even if it doesn't get added in the actual main series someone making a mod themselves could add that mechanic into their own mod.

Heck yeah, I dig this idea a lot. It would make the crowbar and the silenced machine pistol take the leading role like they never had to.

Yeah! I don't know how familiar you guys are with the wolfenstein doom mod Blade of agony but in the second chapter the first level is a dedicated stealth level and its so much fun, and I would just love something like that but for Ashes.

[mrspeaker]

So am I supposed to find some kind of clue in the general's camp/room? There's nothing there apart from some military fatigues on a wall.

[Captain J]

Do look around again. You'll see a Bronze Key, Purge Steam and other good stuff in there. You probably will need that key to progress.

[mrspeaker]

Sure, but I was expecting to find some info/lore. Like who made it out and how, where they went next. Was that corpse in 2063 next to the revolver and the message (don't let her out) not the general but one of his men?

I think the bronze key just opens up that shortcut next to the beginning of the area. At least I can't remember using it anywhere else.

Also how are you supposed to win the arcade minigame? I'm pretty sure I beat all the other bike guys but it just keeps going on forever until I hit something and lose on purpose.