Re: Lighting

[Brian Thomas <>]

> From:  (Akshay Srinivasan)
> 
> Sorry to bother Brian but I was wondering how soon the patch for the lighting
> code will be available on ftp.astro.psu.edu and I hope there will be notice on
> this mailing-list.  This should reduce the number of hits astro has been taking
> from me prowling around /pub/thomas eagerly awaiting it :)
>

	Well I suppose its nice that someone else out there is enthusiatic
	about the code :). As it happens I am trying to check out if the 
	Install script I made for it is working. I will have something out 
	within the next few hours. Again, I dont expect to have much documentation
	for it. A brief summary,

		- fast calculation of lighting. For players los (line-
		of sight)is calculated from a linked list of nearby lights. 
		For monsters, no los is calculated, rather a modified check_wakeup
		routine is used to see if they will follow/attack players.
		Monsters with can_see_in_dark act normally in dark areas.
		
		- New attacktype -AT_BLIND. This is a pretty severe penalty
		for monsters and players alike. Players cant see any square 
		but thier own, monsters can only attack/follow players who are
		in an adjacent square. Need to make the monsters stumble around
		when no player is near, rather than the current way in which
		they stand around waiting to get "ace'd". Undead cannot be 
		blinded, nor should be effected by darkness. For other monsters,
		if they have immunity to blindness or can see invisible, they
		are uneffected by AT_BLIND attacks.

		- New spells. Some magician, some clerical. They work, but may
		need to be adjusted for playbalance. Normal spells available 
		include: "light", "darkness", "sunspear", "faery fire" and 
		"dark vision". All spells (but darkvision) work (do something)
		whether the lighting code is used or not. 

		- Modified archetypes and artifacts list to encompass changes
		to the code from lighting. Also, some new archs instroduced,
		namely "flint and steel" for lighting stuff on fire and "torch"
		a source of light.
		
						-b.t.
 
> Have fun,
> Akshay
>