Need Help Make *.col files in NH

[Myth]

Good afternoon. I will not explain why, but now I need to create lighting for the location, using the "New Horizons". I was able to make sure that the Beatrice was loaded into the right location for me when I chose its history. But:
Version of the game: beta from May 18th this year.

1) I can not turn the rewind time 1 hour forward and backward. Does not work.
2) in the light debugger there is every hour separately. But as far as I know in the Pirates of the Caribbean, there are fewer files of light. What kind of clock should I cover?

Thank you.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I assume you've already seen this:
Guide - Generating Location Lighting Files (.COL)

If you use console to change the time, you also need to reload to another location for it to update.

For PotC, you need only 4 files: morning, afternoon, evening and night.

 

[Myth]

I assume you've already seen this:
Guide - Generating Location Lighting Files (.COL)

If you use console to change the time, you also need to reload to another location for it to update.

For PotC, you need only 4 files: morning, afternoon, evening and night.

Now i am кnow - no use weather func, use time func

 

[Myth]

I tried to illuminate the location. Very uncomfortable. Is there any normal way to switch the weather inside the location? In the city I go out there a day, and in that location that I rule the light of the night. Plus you have to constantly edit the console.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I tried to illuminate the location. Very uncomfortable. Is there any normal way to switch the weather inside the location? In the city I go out there a day, and in that location that I rule the light of the night. Plus you have to constantly edit the console.

The console tricks from the tutorial are the easiest way I know.

Use it with the game in windowed mode, so you can Alt+Tab in and out of the game without closing the game.
Then using the console becomes really easy.

Alternatively, make a pre-programmed sequence, so every time you press F12, you immediately go to the next time you need.

 

[Grey Roger]

How do I change the background scene outside to match the time of day? If I start the lighting tool, the whole room and the view outside the window go dark. I can then do what I like to the room lighting, but the window view still stays dark - it's using the night time background model regardless of time of day.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

How do I change the background scene outside to match the time of day? If I start the lighting tool, the whole room and the view outside the window go dark. I can then do what I like to the room lighting, but the window view still stays dark - it's using the night time background model regardless of time of day.

Truth be told, I'm not at all sure. I don't remember ever trying that and assumed it would just go automatically with the process.
Apparently not. That's disappointing...

 

[Jack Rackham]

I always make COL-files one by one with the TOOL. There are as Pieter says only 4/model needed.

For COAS/AOP import I use these values:
DAY1 40
EVENING3 42
MORNING1 23
NIGHT1 17

For original POTC:
DAY1 83
EVENING3 42
MORNING1 42
NIGHT1 17
The background to inside location has always been the right one (of 4 possible) automatically.

 

[Grey Roger]

Where in TOOL are the controls for making .COL files? "File" only appears to recognise .gm and .vrml files, and "Scene edit" doesn't appear to have anything to do with lighting.

 

[Jack Rackham]

This is the sequence in the TOOL:

1 open the model which needs COL files in the TOOL
2 Scene/Edit scene

3 Light/Make.COL file/with fixed color
4 replace the * in the name in the bottom window with DAY1/save
5 define (something) colors >>
6 change only light or lighting (left bottom window) to 83 for ex.
7 add to (something) colors (bottom button)
8 a small square to the left with your color appears/press it/ok

repeat step 3 - 8 for the other 3 needed COL files.
my tool is in swedish so I'm not quite sure what it says in english (something)

 

[Grey Roger]

Thanks! I didn't notice the "Light" tab. However, that doesn't seem to put anything into the "back" folder, so there needs to be something there already.

It also doesn't seem to allow editing of existing .COL files. The reason I'm asking is that, having been impressed with what @Myth did to "tavern_2", I want to do something similar to "tavern_1". I've got a decent night setting, which is probably all I really need because that's when the candles need to show up, but I'd like to make the morning and evening settings a bit more different to day.

 

[Jack Rackham]

I wander about tavern_2. What was wrong with it. I have used it for quest purpose but not noticed anything.
I covered the windows though for other reasons so maybe I didn't notice if it was something with the background.
Also all those COL files in the latest zip looks more like COAS. Does POTC really read all those numbers?
I mean not even in stock POTC we had so many and the numbers were different.

However if it's better now I'm greatful because "door_chapel" was something I added as an extra exit when using tavern_2 as a monastary.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Is it not easiest to take the 'back' folder and accompanying '.col' files from another location?
If I recall, they shouldn't necessarily need to be made from scratch.

 

[Grey Roger]

I wander about tavern_2. What was wrong with it. I have used it for quest purpose but not noticed anything.
I covered the windows though for other reasons so maybe I didn't notice if it was something with the background.
Also all those COL files in the latest zip looks more like COAS. Does POTC really read all those numbers?
I mean not even in stock POTC we had so many and the numbers were different.

Have a look at this thread:
www.piratesahoy.net/threads/tavern_2-from-new-horizons.29135/
@Myth did indeed create the new lighting files for "tavern_2" in CoAS. I don't know enough about .COL files to know which ones are needed for PoTC and the whole lot together don't take much space, so I took no chances and copied the lot. The result is that "tavern_2" is now much better lit at night. Have a look at Havana tavern; then have a look at Santiago tavern, which is "tavern_1". If I have my way, next update is going to have similarly pretty candles there as well.

The other difference is that the exits are swapped because you can see windows next to the upstairs door. So now when you enter the tavern from the street, you're upstairs and looking straight at the bar. Exiting the room now puts you downstairs.

However if it's better now I'm greatful because "door_chapel" was something I added as an extra exit when using tavern_2 as a monastary.

Yes, I noticed that. You may want to check if the monastery is properly lit as well now.

Is it not easiest to take the 'back' folder and accompanying '.col' files from another location?
If I recall, they shouldn't necessarily need to be made from scratch.

Yes, that would probably work. I did exactly that when I imported the residences from AoP, which doesn't have any "back" files for specific locations. It has one set of large "back" files which presumably it uses for everywhere. So I copied the "back" folders from existing PoTC residences. (Actually, for "tavern_1", I probably don't even need to do that. I'll see what happens if I copy its existing "back" folder somewhere safe, let the lighting tool do what it wants, then wipe the "back" folder and put the original "back" folder back.)

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I don't know enough about .COL files to know which ones are needed for PoTC and the whole lot together don't take much space, so I took no chances and copied the lot.

Should be the same ones that all other locations have.

 

[Jack Rackham]

I have understood that today we use
DAY1, EVENING3, MORNING1 and NIGHT1 and that it would be enough.
Stock Potc had 3 of day and evening each.
AOP/COAS has a lot of COL files also those called storm.

I did check the monastary and couldn't see any difference. Perhaps it was daytime and no candles lit.
My guess is that because the old COL files still are there side by side with the new ones it's the old ones
that are read.

 

[Jack Rackham]

Okay I made a test: removed the 4 older COL-files and let the new ones stay.

You can see in the picture that probably none of them were read.

 

[Grey Roger]

I did check the monastary and couldn't see any difference. Perhaps it was daytime and no candles lit.
My guess is that because the old COL files still are there side by side with the new ones it's the old ones
that are read.

Yes, if the old files haven't been overwritten by new ones then they'll be used. The appearance shouldn't be different during the day anyway. If the story permits it, visit the monastery at night and see if the candles are lit. This is how they should look now:

 

[Jack Rackham]

Yes, if the old files haven't been overwritten by new ones then they'll be used.

I removed the old COL files and the new ones were not read. That's the problem. As you can see in my picture it has the bright
shiny look that comes with no COL files at all.

My guess is that Potc reads COL files with the original names, which would be
Day 1 2 3
Evening 1 2 3
Morning 1
Night 1

Candles lit, doesn't that come from locators placed there?

 

[Grey Roger]

Among the mass of probably unnecessary files is a new version of "tavern_2_NIGHT1.COL" plus some files called "TAVERN_2_L_NIGHT0.COL", "TAVERN_2_L_NIGHT1.COL", etc. up to "TAVERN_2_L_NIGHT5.COL". Perhaps only "TAVERN_2_L_NIGHT1.COL" is needed, but I do know that the lighting tool generates one of these files as well.

Candles need both locators and a setting in the "COL" files. TOOL doesn't seem to handle that but the lighting tool does. Without the setting in the "COL" files, there's a feeble flame on the candle but no glow around it. Here's Santiago tavern at night. On the left, as it is now - it has all the required locators but no suitable "COL" file. On the right, after I've played around with the lighting tool.