Lighting Update

[Tom Devaney]

So two weeks ago in NA, I put out a lighting fix where I just multiplied the bulb brightness maximum for every table by a certain value; therefore, all of the table's max brightness went way up. And while this looked good on Creature and Cirqus, it made other tables look blown out. To compound this issue, the slider at 0 was barely making a difference. To fix these issues, I decided to actually go into 90 some files worth of lighting min and max's, and I changed them. This is basically what I did.

• I kept the room brightness minimum the same for every table. That way people could go as dark as they previously could.
• I lowered the bulb brightness minimum on every table to 0. So if bulb brightness is at 0%, the bulbs won't be lit.
• I raised the room brightness maximum on most tables. This way people who like the tables lighter can have it lighter. Also, for people who still have the default 50/60 values, their table will now be lighter.
• I raised the bulb brightness maximum on some tables. Compared to other platforms, the maximum bulb brightness on tables was already usually higher. So for the most part, I left this the same. I occasionally bumped it up when the bulbs seemed too dim though. I didn't want to blow the lighting out though, so I was cautious with this.

Here's are a couple tables that show off the room brightness changes:

Dr. Who MOT
https://imgur.com/gzc5hTr
https://imgur.com/Gz5UtoC

World Cup
https://imgur.com/bnvmbCe
https://imgur.com/rvs7Dc0

And here's are a couple of bulb brightness changes:

Twilight Zone
https://imgur.com/mVhRaTP
https://imgur.com/UJghCdS

Monster Bash
https://imgur.com/ZJJKSdG
https://imgur.com/TwReZG7

Anyways, lighting is very tricky. It took me over a dozen hours to go though every table and adjust the values (I went through all the tables twice), and I'm sure not everyone will be pleased. And the changes are pretty subtle as there is a very fine line between it looking good and it being blown out. TV's settings can make a table's lighting look completely different than the way I was seeing it. So in regards to this thread, if there's a table where it's pretty unanimous that the lighting needs to be higher, then I'll definitely do that. What seems ok to me might be different for others.

 

[PeacemakerPIN]

Nice work Tom!

Much appreciated.

 

[PiN WiZ]

Once again...great job Tom! I appreciate all the work you've been putting into TPA since taking over as the PS programmer.

 

[wolfson]

Tom thanks

 

[Silverball67]

Thanks Tom!
Will the lightning-patch be included in the patch we get today in Europe?

 

[SteveLate7]

Still no patch here. I only see that Pistol Poker is new in the shop today.

 

[Byte]

Tom is in the Pacific Time zone, so it'll take a while. He said he'd try and come in early to start on pushing out the patches (which apparently needs to be done manually).

 

[stigdu]

I'm a long time watcher of these boards, but very rarely post, and I just wanted to say how nice it is for the programmer to come in, give us updates, and listen to feedback.

Great work, Tom!

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[grashopper]

Pleased to see some progress with the game updates in general. Not sure how much work it would be but would it be a easy addition to add a game specific brightness setting? You know how they'll have a slider with a picture that says make this image barely visible to have our idea of the proper lighting for our game. Makes it easier than cranking down the brightness setting when playing pinball using my TV settings. Want those lights to pop!

 

[PiN WiZ]

Lighting is greatly improved and much appreciated. I checked all 90 tables on my tv with the picture set to default professional calibration settings with Room Brightness at 0% and Bulb Brightness at 100%. A few tables are still a bit too bright at 0% Room Brightness and some tables could have their Bulb Brightness at 100% set a bit higher. However, I will let you fix other issues before I start nit picking about the lighting anymore.

Thanks again.

 

[mineru]

Love it. Thank you.

 

[xZOMBIEx]

Thanks for finally updating the lighting and getting it a lot better than what it used to be... Like above, there is still some things that can be improved and hopefully it'll still be adjusted here and there when you all get extra time...

Its really hard to explain and this is like my fourth time or so as i erase and start over cause it gets to long because i try to be detailed even though it's just one thing...

The easiest and best way I can try to explain, is it still doesn't look as bright, vibrant, crisp, and clean looking as it does on PC and even Mobile Devices... Maybe cause it's a port from last gen console versions? I understand you might be able to get higher resolutions on a PC, but this isn't a graphic heavy or intense game like other games on PS4, so one would think that this should be able to look just as good as it does on PC... If it was a port from last gen versions, then is there any plans on possibly redoing or rebuilding the game so it is more efficient on PS4 and be able to utilize the hardware a lot better than it is now???

I think that's what might be holding this back... My main thing with the lighting is that it seems like there is a light that is supposed to be on, but it's currently off... For example, let's say you have the table play field and you split that into 3 parts, you have the top, middle, and bottom...

With those 3 sections you also have a light hanging above it and the light is on at the top and bottom, but the middle light is not on... So in the middle you have that section a little darker or more dim and not as bright as it is on the top and bottom...

So when we/I try to adjust the room brightness, it will brighten up that middle area a little better, but then its to bright on the top and bottom... One good table i can notice that is the Attack from Mars table... or any other table similar to that where it has a bigger open area in the middle of the play field just above the flippers...

That's the best way i can explain it...

Now don't get me wrong, it is good now and definitely a lot better than before and I'm not trying to be nitpicky or trying to complain about something... I'm just trying to explain and point that out and hopefully down the road it can be looked into in order to make this game better...

Thanks again very much though for being able to at least make the game way more playable than what it was...

 

[jda824]

Thanks for the work Tom it looks a lot better! So happy to hear you will be the dedicated PS programmer!

 

[shogun00]

You need to take a look at the Ghostbusters table Tom. I have the universal room brightness setting at 0%, yet Ghostbusters room brightness looks like it's still on the default 50% setting.

 

[xZOMBIEx]

You need to take a look at the Ghostbusters table Tom. I have the universal room brightness setting at 0%, yet Ghostbusters room brightness looks like it's still on the default 50% setting.

It might be because that's a newer table that has a lot of LED lights under the play field and is very bright because of that...

I would say that is like the only table that does feel bright and vibrant throughout and not just towards the top and bottom like i was mentioning...

 

[shogun00]

It might be because that's a newer table that has a lot of LED lights under the play field and is very bright because of that...

I would say that is like the only table that does feel bright and vibrant throughout and not just towards the top and bottom like i was mentioning...

I was able to darken the room quite a bit before the update.

 

[GregoroV]

Ghostbusters ive played on switch the most, and got the same over brightness problem. But when comes to lighting, my biggest cry is Medieval Madness, lighting is off on this table. If you like to play it quite bright, no issue. But if you like to play on darker settings, this table looks like a mess, there is strong light around bulbs but center of the table looks like a black hole.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[funchords]

Tom, I'm a pretty happy camper with the new lighting. v1.21. Thanks.

 

[Tom Devaney]

Thanks for finally updating the lighting and getting it a lot better than what it used to be... Like above, there is still some things that can be improved and hopefully it'll still be adjusted here and there when you all get extra time...

Its really hard to explain and this is like my fourth time or so as i erase and start over cause it gets to long because i try to be detailed even though it's just one thing...

The easiest and best way I can try to explain, is it still doesn't look as bright, vibrant, crisp, and clean looking as it does on PC and even Mobile Devices... Maybe cause it's a port from last gen console versions? I understand you might be able to get higher resolutions on a PC, but this isn't a graphic heavy or intense game like other games on PS4, so one would think that this should be able to look just as good as it does on PC... If it was a port from last gen versions, then is there any plans on possibly redoing or rebuilding the game so it is more efficient on PS4 and be able to utilize the hardware a lot better than it is now???

I think that's what might be holding this back... My main thing with the lighting is that it seems like there is a light that is supposed to be on, but it's currently off... For example, let's say you have the table play field and you split that into 3 parts, you have the top, middle, and bottom...

With those 3 sections you also have a light hanging above it and the light is on at the top and bottom, but the middle light is not on... So in the middle you have that section a little darker or more dim and not as bright as it is on the top and bottom...

So when we/I try to adjust the room brightness, it will brighten up that middle area a little better, but then its to bright on the top and bottom... One good table i can notice that is the Attack from Mars table... or any other table similar to that where it has a bigger open area in the middle of the play field just above the flippers...

That's the best way i can explain it...

Now don't get me wrong, it is good now and definitely a lot better than before and I'm not trying to be nitpicky or trying to complain about something... I'm just trying to explain and point that out and hopefully down the road it can be looked into in order to make this game better...

Thanks again very much though for being able to at least make the game way more playable than what it was...

Yeah, I noticed that with Medieval Madness. I was turning up max room brightness, and the middle playfield still looked too dark. The reasoning for this is I'm pretty sure is that season one tables were done by different artists. So the lighting isn't how we might do it now. As a programmer, I wouldn't be equipped to actually changing this unfortunately.

[MENTION=2788]Pin[/MENTION]-WiZ

In regards to bulb brightness being brighter, i definitely agree on some tables. I checked pretty much the majority of tables on 100/100 to make sure they were bright enough. I didn't spend enough time 0/100. The only thing that gets tricky in regards to 0/100 is that the bulb brightness could be brighter in some cases, but when some people go to 100/100 it might look a bit blown out because the bulb and room brightness compound off of each other. This would require some further tinkering in the future to nail it just right. For now though, I'll focus on some bugs and getting in the new table.

 

[The M]

Thanks again Tom. I personally think the lighting and slider have been greatly improved! The tables are looking great now! Glad to see the dedication as we could really use it. I am really digging the new ball brightness also. Makes the new lighting look even better. Take note of the Twilight Zone bug I mentioned in previous posts as it is game breaking. Looking forward to the next update! I have the first 5 seasons Pro and am just waiting for some final fixes to buy more. I plan on having every table, so the work you are doing is important to me. Thanks again!