FOSS gamedev and creative worlds

Hi everyone!

I'm creating a torch for a mod I'm doing. I would like it to illuminate a huge block radius. Changing "light_source" only changes the intensity of light, the range of that light, however, remains. How can I change that range so that the torch illuminates as much distance as I want?

There are only 4 bits for the light-level, i.e. 0-15. Completely dark is 0.
The sun has max light, at 15, everything else can only have max 14.

Stepping down the lightlevel by 1 with every block of distance,
and you see why there is a max range for lightsources.

So, just set the time of day to get the sun out (see light-switch in tutorial).

hajo wrote:There are only 4 bits for the light-level, i.e. 0-15. Completely dark is 0.
The sun has max light, at 15, everything else can only have max 14.

Stepping down the lightlevel by 1 with every block of distance,
and you see why there is a max range for lightsources.

So, just set the time of day to get the sun out (see light-switch in tutorial).

I can't use that because if I want to illuminate a cave, the sunlight does not get inside.

You can't, in Minetest light range is limited to 16 nodes.

Just recently after seeing some science fiction film about living in an ice age, I had thought of a game where plantlife would only be possible around large light sources as the sun wouldn't be light enough for that job, just as on some of the planets (or large moons) farther from the sun. This could be a technical device or some plant like them large trees at the beginning of the Silmarillion in Valinor as described by Tolkien. For this to work though the light these sources could spread should reach a lot farther than 16 nodes. If I let a tree grow 100 nodes high the light should spread farther than the tree is high. Right now it would probably not reach the ground from the bottom most leaves.
Being able to use an alternative large light source that lights a considerable area as part of some special game design would be usefull indeed. Not only for fantasy themes but also for science fiction and mining related themes.

For this problem I imagined something like this:

X = torch
B = invisible light block
r = light

The default torch

r r r r r r r r r r r
r r r r r X r r r r
r r r r r r r r r r r

A "stronger torch"

r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
r r r r r B r r r r r r r r r r B r r r r r r r r r r B r r r r r r
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
r r r r r B r r r r r r r r r r X r r r r r r r r r r B r r r r r r
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
r r r r r B r r r r r r r r r r B r r r r r r r r r r B r r r r r r
r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r

I'm almost sure it will be much more heavier to run,but i think that will "simulate" a larger torch.

But there is another problem: a stronger torch will need to illuminate a higher and lower height, so a single "strong " torch would need a lot of light blocks.

yawin wrote:Hi everyone!

I'm creating a torch for a mod I'm doing. I would like it to illuminate a huge block radius. Changing "light_source" only changes the intensity of light, the range of that light, however, remains. How can I change that range so that the torch illuminates as much distance as I want?

you need a mini sun source