Setting background stars & nebulas

[JazHaz]

Today I've been fiddling with various settings to try to reproduce the "cinematic" look of the background stars and nebulas, as seen in this old image made by another commander:



I've made myself a planetinfo.plist, currently set as follows, to increase the number of stars:

Code: Select all

{
universal =
	{		
		"star_count_multiplier" = "15.0";
	};
	
}

This is working quite nicely, however I'm going to increase the multiplier further. I also want to change the colour of the stars to be whiter. Is there any way of doing that without altering the sun's colour?

In the system I'm in at the moment, the sun's colour is reddish, which is fine, but I'm getting a lot of red background stars. The following screenshot shows this (and also the green flashers from DockLights OXP):


DockLights OXP by JazHaz, on Flickr

[Cody]

I've made myself a planetinfo.plist, currently set as follows, to increase the number of stars:

Code: Select all

{
universal =
	{		
		"star_count_multiplier" = "15.0";
	};
	
}

After much tinkering with that, I settled on star_count_multiplier = 50; and zero nebulae.

[JazHaz]

After much tinkering with that, I settled on star_count_multiplier = 50;

Thanks for that suggestion. I've also changed the multiplier to 50. The below screenie was taken at that setting. I've not touched the nebula settings yet. Note the pink sunlight reflection off the SuperHub.


SuperHub & Station in a red sun system by JazHaz, on Flickr

[Commander McLane]

I also want to change the colour of the stars to be whiter. Is there any way of doing that without altering the sun's colour?

What about sky_rgb_colors? It's all in the manual…

[JazHaz]

I also want to change the colour of the stars to be whiter. Is there any way of doing that without altering the sun's colour?

What about sky_rgb_colors? It's all in the manual…

OK... not sure about the format in the examples on the wiki. Are each values for the red, green, and blue; ranges? If they are does that mean that the game would pick a random value (as in my code below, between 0.8 and 1.0?)?

This is what I'm using right now:

Code: Select all

{
universal =
	{	
		"sky_rgb_colors" = "0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0";
		"star_count_multiplier" = "60.0";
	};
	
}

Which produces sky like this (I'm still in the same system):


White stars and more of them by JazHaz, on Flickr

[Commander McLane]

This is what I'm using right now:

Code: Select all

{
universal =
	{	
		"sky_rgb_colors" = "0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0 0.8..1.0";
		"star_count_multiplier" = "60.0";
	};
	
}

I have no idea why the result does actually match what you wanted. Probably you're lucky and the numbers are interpreted from back to front?

The example in the Wiki indeed specifies the permitted range. You are supposed to choose a value inside the range, not to copy the template, as the instruction tells you:

These are rgb values (from 0.0 to 1.0) for the two colours between which the colour of the stars (and nebulaesque blurs) vary, ordered r1 g1 b1 r2 g2 b2 where (r1 g1 b1) defines the first colour and (r2 g2 b2) the second.
(Default values are "0.0 1.0 0.5 0.0 1.0 0.0")

So, you need two RGB values written one after the other. Your star colours will be between these values. Thus, if you want colours between red and white you would write the RGB-triple for red ("1.0 0.0 0.0") and white ("1.0 1.0 1.0") in one row: "1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0". That's all. If your want star colours between "0.8 0.8 0.8" and "1.0 1.0 1.0" you should write exactly that: "0.8 0.8 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.0".

What you have now is only "1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0", which means that there's no other colour than white. Luckily it seems that Oolite simply ignores the superfluous "0.8.." in front of each "1.0".

[JazHaz]

OK, what I have now is this:

Code: Select all

{
universal =
	{	
		"sky_rgb_colors" = "1.0 0.7 0.7 1.0 1.0 1.0";
		"star_count_multiplier" = "60.0";
	};
	
}

Which produces:


Pink sun with mostly white and some pink stars by JazHaz, on Flickr

Getting there, though will fiddle a bit more with the settings.

I'm a little concerned about using the universal setting though. Could this interfere with some other OXPs (currently only using Povray Planets, which doesn't touch suns and stars)?

[Cody]

I'm a little concerned about using the universal setting though. Could this interfere with some other OXPs (currently only using Povray Planets, which doesn't touch suns and stars)?

System Redux has its own universal section, which I think would override your planetinfo.plist (I can't remember as I've disabled that section in my copy of SR).

[Commander McLane]

I'm a little concerned about using the universal setting though. Could this interfere with some other OXPs (currently only using Povray Planets, which doesn't touch suns and stars)?

There's nothing much you can do about that, I'm afraid. Indeed, two OXPs which set the same key in the universal-section will clash by design. Depending on OS (I think) it's either the alphabetically later one or a random one which will win.

The only thing you can do is to put a warning on your OXP, telling the player with which existing OXPs it will clash, and instructing him what to do to solve this clash (they have to edit one of the conflicting planetinfos; and first of all they have to make a decision which of the settings they want to use).

It's a natural by-product of the ability to install more than one OXP.

[Wildeblood]

I'm a little concerned about using the universal setting though. Could this interfere with some other OXPs...?

If you're creating an OXP for public release, it should never touch the universal settings, unless that's all it does and nothing else. My impression was you're tweaking your own ooniverse.

You can adjust sky settings for universal, for interstellar space, or for individual systems or interstellar spaces. Assuming you generally like lots of stars and have found one particular system you think is too red (which is how I read your remarks), set the star count in universal and the sky colour for the particular system.

[Knotty]

Hi,
if you're going for realistic colours:
http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education ... olour.html
http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/starcolor/
which i've translated as:
"0.6 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.4"

[Cody]

Thanks, Knotty... and welcome aboard!

[Shipbuilder]

Good info there Knotty.

Welcome to the forum.

[Diziet Sma]

Way to make an entrance, Knotty!

Welcome to "the friendliest board this side of Riedquat"™ !

[JazHaz]

Hi,
if you're going for realistic colours:
http://outreach.atnf.csiro.au/education ... olour.html
http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/starcolor/
which i've translated as:
"0.6 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.4"

Excellent. Have tried these settings out and they look nice. Here's the result, the sun is not too red and the background stars look good.


Oolite background stars settings by JazHaz, on Flickr