[0.11.834] Sun lamp light radius attenuated by objects

[slamo]

Sun Lamp correctly displays circle 5 tiles out from the center tile (11 tiles across in total).

Howver the 100% lighting pattern isn't the full circle it's now a 5-tile diamond shape instead of round. Crops on the outer edges of the circle fail to grow because of bad lighting.

Old:

XXXOOOOOXXX
XOOOOOOOOOX
XOOOOOOOOOX
OOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOO+OOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOO
XOOOOOOOOOX
XOOOOOOOOOX
XXXOOOOOXXX

New:

XXXXXOXXXXX
XXXXOOOXXXX
XXXOOOOOXXX
XXOOOOOOOXX
XOOOOOOOOOX
OOOOO+OOOOO
XOOOOOOOOOX
XXOOOOOOOXX
XXXOOOOOXXX
XXXXOOOXXXX
XXXXXOXXXXX

[TLHeart]

Here is my test, and I find that at 5 tiles away from the light, in the same pattern as alpha 10, the lighting is 100%, at 6 tiles it drops to 60%  I have outline the entire area that is lit 100%

[Tynan]

So, TLHeart, you're saying it's not a true bug?

I haven't touched this system in several alphas.

[slamo]

After a bit more testing I found it only happens when I max out the lit area with Hydroponics Basins. It's almost like basins are casting shadows or otherwise blocking light.

The basins on the edge aren't getting full light. If I remove a few basins, then the outer edge can get full light again.

I don't have the previous alpha on this Mac, but I don't recall having a lighting issue in a Sun Lamp room with wall-to-wall basins before.

I'm going to see if I can be more specific about the pattern.

[slamo]

Top basin has 100% only on the tile directly north of the Sun Lamp.

Bottom basin has 100% light on all tiles.

[slamo]

Update: it appears to have functioned the same way in prior betas. I just hadn't noticed before. It might be working as designed.

[Tynan]

Actually, hydroponics shouldn't affect light. Thanks I'll have to look into it!

[StorymasterQ]

This sounds like a bug feature.

[slamo]

Ooh so it is a bug! Yay me!

It's not just hydroponics. I have one hydro farm I built in the spiral design. Three arms show 100% light on all hydro basin tiles. One arm has a power switch located inside the light circle. That arm shows 60% light on two tiles. The light switch too is casting a shadow.

[TLHeart]

The actual problem has been found. That objects throw shadows that reduce the light from the sun lamp.

Now the question becomes, is that a bug, or a change that reflects reality, that objects do throw shadows, that would reduce the light to the plants behind the object.

[slamo]

Or look at it from a game impact point of view.

With shadows, each one-light hydro farm can have max 16 hydro basins.

Without shadows, each farm can have 26 hydro basins, making indoor farming far more efficient, which makes gameplay easier.

[TLHeart]

I am looking at it from a game play perspective. The game should not be easy. Wind varies, and the wind turbines generate power according the wind.

solar panels are affected by how much light they receive, and shadows affect how much power they generate.

For shadows to affect the grow lamp, is a progression of changes that fit with the other changes, even if it was not intentional.

[puddlejumper448]

Shadows currently dont affect solar panels at all


Gameplay wise, I don't think this is the answer to making the game harder. If you can only use 16 hydro basins, hydroponics becomes useless, because its only very barely more efficient than just walling in a growing zone outside with that few basins.

Also it feels to me like the solar panels model realism more than difficulty with not producing power at night. Wind turbines were changed to be more realistic with the changing winds is what i seem to remember. its not realistic at all for basins to cast shadows on other basins, who in their right mind would build a lamp at the same level as the plants when you can raise it up more (or attach it to the ceiling, which the *vanilla* game cant do yet) to get all the basins in range

[Tynan]

It's a real bug - fixed now! Thanks for the report.