NOTE: You can download this tutorial in Microsoft Word format for future reference. The zip download includes 'Basic Lighting' and Lighting via 'INI Editing'. Get it here. [14kb]

So you have learned to make a decent looking map and you would like to enhance it's over all appearance. You would like to make the colors more vibrant, maybe include a Day/Night loop, or just want information on what the lighting settings are and how they work. This tutorial will attempt to do just that. Let's begin with the basics.

Tip #1: Setting your editor

Make sure that your copy of FINAL ALERT is not in the beginner mode, go to "options" and uncheck beginner. Next select "Edit" and the "Lighting". A window will open with various numerical settings. Click on the picture below so you know what the lighting menu looks like. 

You'll find the following settings that can be changed:

Tip #2: Setting the Normal parameters

Ambient *normal* defines the overall visibility and the brightness (day or night) of the map. Red, green, and blue define the tinting or actual colors of your map. The numerical entries are expressed in percentages (numbers to the right hand side of the decimal point). Tints are used to extract emotions (feelings) from the end user and as a way to enhance the overall look of the map.

If you are making a Desert theater map then may want to tint your map slightly higher with red and green or, lower the blue setting. Remembering that a little goes a long way. This will give your map a "warm and sunny" feeling.

If the theater is Temperate, then possibly lowering the red and increasing the green and blue content may be the way to go. This should convey an emotion of "anxiety". On the other hand when working in the Lunar or Snow Theaters, then slightly increasing the blue setting will give the overall feeling of cold, frigid, and remote.

All of the previous examples are assuming that your map is using a "daylight" setting for the ambience. Usually this is between 1.00000 and a 0.800000 setting. For sunrise and sunset settings then a little extra red tinting will be in order. The ambient level for sunrise and sunset will be somewhere between 0.800000 and 0.600000. Ambient levels for dawn and dusk lie somewhere in the range of 0.450000 and 0.600000.

Dawn and dusk (just before sunrise or just after sunset) tinting settings can be tricky depending on the ambient level you have chosen. If, for example, the ambient level is set at the lower end of the scale then blue would be the predominant tint and red the would be the dominated tint, whereas if the setting is on the higher end of the scale the reverse would be the case.

We now come to "night" ambient levels. These settings are the trickiest of all and can be frustrating to the end user if entered without regard to playability. Remember all monitors are not equal!! If your map is too dark not all will be able to play it unless you make some modifications to it (this will be covered later).

The settings for night ambient levels resides in the range of 0.00000 and 0.4500000 The tinting of this ambient level also depends on whether you would like to convey a "moonlight" type of mood or weather it is a moonless, cloud covered type mood. For the "moonlight' effect then a heavy dose of blue tinting can be quite beautiful with just a little smattering of green. On the other hand if it is a moonless night then all tints should be equal.

Now let's tackle the "Level" setting. This parameter determines the percentage of ambient difference between the various height values ..in other words if the ambient light level is set for .95 and a cliff is at a height of 12 tiles then it would be very bright as compared to the floor (height=0)of the map, which would be "shadowed". This setting is very delicate but can be adjusted for personal preference also. When experimenting with this parameter you will notice that a little bit goes an extremely long way. Settings from 0.038000 to 0.000000 are typical. For" high noon" ambient levels, a setting of 0.000000 works quite nicely as the sun appears to be directly over head and the shadowing effect is limited. For all other times, setting the parameter from 0.038000 to 0.015000 works well. You may wish to go higher but, the resulting appearance is harsh and offensive if the map is a "night" map. It will cause the lower valley's to be extremely dark and unplayable. I have found that the 0.015 setting is a very good all around setting and very seldom do I stray from that unless I have a flat or extremely bright map.

My personal settings for the various lighting scenarios are as follows:
Daylight, high noon, Desert Theater:
Ambient=1.100000
Red=1.00000
Green=.950000
Blue=.900000
Level=0.00000

Daylight, high noon, Temperate Theater, Urban Theater and NewUrban Theater:
Ambient=1.000000
Red=.900000
Blue=.950000
Green= 1.000000
Level=0.00000

Daylight, high noon, Lunar Theater and Snow Theater:
Ambient=1.00000
Red= 0.950000
Green=0.950000
Blue=1.200000
Level=0.00000

Daylight, sunrise or sunset, Desert theater:
Ambient=0.750000
Red=0.750000
Green=0.72000
Blue=0.70000
Level=0.01500

Daylight,sunrise or sunset, Temperate Theater, Urban Theater and NewUrban Theater:
Ambient=0.750000
Red=0.75000
Green=0.720000
Blue=0.700000
Level=0.01500

Daylight,sunrise or sunset, Lunar Theater and Snow Theater:
Ambient=0.750000
Red=0.75000
Green=0.70000
Blue=0.73000
Level=0.01500

Twilight, dawn or dusk, Desert Theater:
Ambient=0.500000
Red=0.70000
Green=0.70000
Blue=0.75000
Level=0.01500

Twilight, dawn or dusk, Temperate Theater, Urban Theater and NewUrban Theater:
Ambient=0.500000
Red=0.70000
Green=0.70000
Blue=0.75000
Level=0.01500

Twilight, dawn or dusk, Lunar Theater and Snow Theater:
Ambient=0.500000
Red=0.70000
Green=0.70000
Blue=0.75000
Level=0.01500

Night, moonlight, all theaters:
Ambient=0.35000
Red=0.70000
Green=0.73000
Blue=0.80000
Level=0.01500

Night, cloud cover, all theaters:
Ambient=0.35000
Red=0.70000
Green=0.70000
Blue=0.70000
Level=0.01500

Tip #3: Setting the Weather Storm (Ion Storm) parameters

The ambient level for the Weather Storm param's adds too the existing normal ambient level. In other words if the Normal ambient level is set at 0.50000 and the Weather Storm ambient level is set to 0.50000 then when the Weather Storm strikes the combined levels will cause the ambience to rise to a value of 1.00000.

This is also true for "level" settings. If the level settings are placed to high then the shadowing in the canyon floors will be so dark as to be surreal. This in itself can be used as a very nice technique in enhancing the looks of your map. The effect is is of short duration and can be incorporated without hindering the gameplay. Experimentation will yield the results you maybe looking for. However always keep in mind the normal ambient level of the map. Night type maps and maps that contain a Day/Night Loop will not need to add much to Weather Storm level and in no case should the sum of both be more than double of the "Normal" setting.

Tinting is not the mystery that some make it out to be. In my travels thru out this wonderful world of ours I have noticed several things about lightning storms...they all appear different in different areas of the world. When I lived in American Samoa (a small island 12degrees south of the equator), the climate was warm, wet, and humid. When a storm blew in from sea it was never refreshing as one would hope ( due no doubt that the rain itself was very warm indeed), and the lightning had a strange almost eerie bluish/white tint to it as well. This no doubt was in some respect due to the surrounding terrain affecting my "minds eye". This look can be accomplished in Final Alert/Final Sun by setting the tinting scheme so that it brings the normal tinting, as adjusted in the normal settings, to a different look. In a temperate, moonlight setting:

-Ambient=0.35000
-Red=0.70000
-Green=0.73000
-Blue=0.80000
-Level=0.01500

By using a Weather Storm ambient level of 0.65000 and a Level of 0.02300 the normal ambience will rise substantially and the shadows will deepen in the valleys. Now we can proceed to tint the terrain for use during a Weather Storm / Ion Storm. Increasing the Blue tint and decreasing the green and red tints will give the bluish effect that is indicative of the equatorial regions (Temperate). The amount of extra blue is really in the eye of the beholder but, as in eveything else in life, "moderation in all things" is the key. Experiment with the settings and slowly raise your blue levels up until you have achieved the desired effect.

While living and working in Baja California Sur ( southern Baja Pennisula), the stormy season (Chubasco), more often than not, brought fierce, windy, and violent storms. The terrain was muddied and had a tan tint to it. Lightning seems to exude an angry red tinge. As with the Temperate theater, by increasing the red tint the desired effect can also be achieved for the Desert Theater.

In the area around Pueto Vallarta, on the Mexican west coast (dense Jungle), the storms can be extemely violent. To give you some idea as the denseness of the jungle, the film Predator was filmed in and around this area. Many a night is spent by villagers working round the clock just to keep the wind out and the roof on. The storms there have a blue/green look about them, so we will increase the blue and the green for a temperate map with the "jungle" atmosphere.
The following settings can be guide lines for you to use and experiment with.

For a Jungle type terrain:
Ambient=0.38000
Red=1.00000
Green=1.10000
Blue=1.40000
Level=0.01000

For a Desert type terrain:
Ambient=0.38000
Red=1.10000
Green=1.00000 Blue=1.20000
Level=0.01000

For a Island type terrain:
Ambient=0.38000
Red=1.00000
Green=1.10000
Blue=1.30000
Level=0.01000

For a Snow covered forest type terrain:
Ambient=0.38000
Red=0.95000
Green=1.10000
Blue=1.40000
Level=0.01000

Tip #3: Setting the Dominator parameters (Final Alert Yuri only)

These paramaters are not available from the program!!

Not having ever experienced a Dominator effect in my life I have had to resort to using the same settings as the Weather/Ion Storm settings, with exception that I reverse the blue with the green tints. This has worked out nicely for me and it may work quite well for you also. To access these settings you will need to open your map with a text editor such as Wordpad, Edit pad, or even Notebook. Next hit the [Cntrl] [F] keys, this will bring up the search function. Type in the word [Lighting], employing the brackets []. Scroll down to the Dominator settings and adjust them as you have already learned how to do with the Normal and Weather Storm/Ion Storm settings. Save it and then close it. Do not be afraid to open the map back up with the map editor ..your settings will remain as they were. This concludes the basic settings for Final Alert and Final Sun.

Ready to tackle something a bit harder and enhance the lighting for your map even further? Then check out RVMECH's INI Editing Tutorial for lighting.