Recolored Flats (ZDoom Trick)

[Nanami]

While playing around with ZDoom I developed a neat trick that some ZDoom level makers might be interested in. I found that, while playing with Sector_SetColor, you can color just the flats in a sector and NOT the sprites that enter it.

This becomes much more useful when I realized that, combined with another trick, you can color JUST the floor, or JUST the ceiling. This should be useful for anyone who wants to change the colors of some of the flats, without adding new recolored flats to the wad. Here's a shot and a demo wad. Enjoy.



http://nami.mancubus.net/bluemarble.zip

[Cyb]

neat

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Unless line and sector translations get put into the next beta... (then it becomes even easier)

/me downloads

[DooMBoy]

Nice stuff

[Graf Zahl]

The Ultimate DooMer said:

Unless line and sector translations get put into the next beta... (then it becomes even easier)

/me downloads

Only if you can load an entire translation table from the WAD. Making a good looking colorization with CreateTranslation is a major piece of work because you'd have to do it by hand.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

It's no harder than recolouring a sprite.

[Nanami]

True, but some color ranges are hard to get (ever tried recoloring a Revenant?) and this method is universal... you can make EVERY flat blue using just one tag.

[Graf Zahl]

The Ultimate DooMer said:

It's no harder than recolouring a sprite.

Try recolring a zombie so that it appears to be lit by yellow (or blue or red...) light. Good luck...

[Ultraviolet]

Nanami said:

True, but some color ranges are hard to get (ever tried recoloring a Revenant?) and this method is universal... you can make EVERY flat blue using just one tag.

You mean like coloring his pants blue?

[Superpants]

Did somebody say pants?

[Ultraviolet]

Custom avatar at one post? You must be Lüt or Julian.

[Grimm]

Heh. Heh heh.

Honestly, I can't see the point in this. I'd much rahter have an actual flat. But for you guys and gals who get off on scripting, be my guest.

[Ultraviolet]

Grimm said:

Honestly, I can't see the point in this.

Well, there's the ability to dynamically fade between colors via scripting. You'd need a few hundred new flats in a wad to do that convincingly, whereas with scripted translations applied to the flats you'd need only a few lines (depending on your scripting skill). This will be especially useful in ZDoomGL where you'll be able to do some pretty smooth color transitions... hopefully.

And the revenant really is wearing pants.

[Cyb]

Ultraviolet said:

Well, there's the ability to dynamically fade between colors via scripting. You'd need a few hundred new flats in a wad to do that convincingly, whereas with scripted translations applied to the flats you'd need only a few lines (depending on your scripting skill). This will be especially useful in ZDoomGL where you'll be able to do some pretty smooth color transitions... hopefully.

plus it's at the expense of no additional space in the wad

[Nanami]

Plus there's a lot of fun variations I've been playing with:

Only the floor and ceiling are tinted. Sprites aren't.

Only the floor or only the ceiling is tinted. Sprites aren't.

Only the floor and sprites are tinted, the ceiling isn't (I put this to good use with a light overhead where I didn't want the light itself to be red, but everything BELOW the light was).

Only sprites are tinted. Not sure what use this might be, but it's fun to play with.

It's a neat effect... I desaturated a sector and make a black and white checkerboard floor.

I'm interested to see what people can come up with using this.

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Nanami said:

ever tried recoloring a Revenant?

Yep - I managed to get him wearing orange trousers with a faded brown breastplate (well, I just removed the grey/white bits off that but it looks different enough to the original)...but yes that one is tough. (and so is the archvile - so I gave up on him and did something else)

I know that some textures/flats will be hard to translate, but there are also many that would be easy to do.

(btw I wasn't knocking your method, I was just saying that I'll probably find it easier using translations - if Randy has followed my suggestion and put it in the next beta)

[Grimm]

Okay, now some of what you just said, Nanami, can be useful. Finally, now those red T_LITEs I love so much can be convincing. :)

[Hirogen2]

Hm, can this also be done with walls?

[The Ultimate DooMer]

I would probably say no, as it involves self-referencers and floor height differences of 1024. A bit like a sector with a lower floor and no lower textures appearing invisible - if it includes a wall it doesn't work. But of course I've not tried it...

[Nanami]

No. I tried it with walls but it has a bleeding effect. However, if you just color a sector that's only 1 unit away from the wall, nobody will ever notice, since only 1 doom unit away from the wall will be colored, and you can't get close enough to a wall to see a change in sprite color.

[Grimm]

Heh, yeah you can, actually.

Anyway, bug Randy and maybe he'll add support in.

[Vegeta]

Is it me, or Ultimate Doomer is jealous?

[Nanami]

Heh, well, both methods have pros and cons:

A new translation method:

PROS:
* Easier to add via ACS
* Can recolor just certain colors and ranges

CONS:
* Takes a while to test the ranges
* Sometimes hard to recolor ranges

This method:

PROS:
* No new functions have to be added
* Easily tint as many sectors as you want, all at the same time

CONS:
* The entire sector has to be recolored, no ranges
* Some testing is required to prevent "bleeding" at times

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Vegeta said:

Is it me, or Ultimate Doomer is jealous?

Me? Jealous of new tricks? No, I welcome such things as they can improve ZDoom maps and that's always a good thing.

Personally I think both methods are/would be great, so they should both be in the next beta and people can choose which one they want to use.

[Nanami]

Of course, if your method appears in the new ZDoom, mine will be useless, and even if someone DID use my method, it'd be overlooked as a floor translation special. =P

[The Ultimate DooMer]

Not necessarily, as not everyone is good at translations (and your method would certainly suit those people). And with some flats it might be better to use your method than the translations.

So it won't be useless at all.