Graphics

Related topics: User Interface, Graphical Errors, Frequently Asked Questions

Articles

• Toby Ragaini discusses AC's Weather Effects

Graphics Engine Updates

Event	Updates
Darkness Ascendant	Colored lighting effects introduced. Many lights, including the sun and moon, will now cast colored light in both hardware and software modes.
Throne of Destiny Expansion	Updated from DirectX 7 to DirectX 9 and from 16-bit to 32-bit texture buffers. A complete texture update (6,500 textures). Some low-poly models (such as Gromnies and Monougas) updated. True Z-Buffering support. Native window mode (no more need to patch the client.) Anisotropic Filtering and V-Sync support. Basic lighting effects on your character. New pop-up windows for help system and trade skill interactions. 3D models of people and creatures are now shown in the ID panel instead of an icon. Software mode will no longer be supported. Weather Effects including landscape fog left out of new code base due to performance issues.
Reprisals	Higher Resolution Textures activated for ToD clients. (From the Texture detail dropdown box, select Very High setting)
Toward Ancient Shores	Lightning effects disabled due to complaints (you can still see the effect without the sound, however, at the Battlefield of Ayn Tayan).
Shifting Gears	Landscape distance fog reintroduced.
The Risen Princess	Weather effects reintroduced.

Model & Texture Updates

Click each event link to see some before & after images

Event	Models/Textures Updated
Darkness Ascendant	Drudges, Golems
Hollow Victory	Tuskers
Chains of Command	Character Underwear
The Widening Gyre	Olthoi
A Reign of Stone	Lugians
The Gathering Storm	Mosswarts, Cows
Flesh and Blood	Empyrean Stone Head
Festivus	Banderlings, Human hands updated with thumbs
Mirror, Mirror	Armored Skeletons, Armored Undead
The Madness of Men	Gelidite Acolyte, Gelidite Initiate, Gelidite Lord
Across the Vast Divide	Small Creepy Statues
A New Threat	Fern Plants, Mites
Pillars Made of Sand	Mosswart Idols
From the Darkness Born	Phyntos Wasps
Throne of Destiny Expansion	Lifestone, Gromnies, Monougas, Reedsharks, Skeletons
Friend and Foe	Tumeroks
Shifting Gears	Landscape: Grass, Ice, Desert etc
Winter's Knight	Pine Trees
Quiet Before the Storm	Aluvian Doors
Shifting Shadows	Hairstyles

Animation Updates

Event	New Animation
Thorns of the Hopeslayer	Casting portal recall spells now make you play some purple bubbly physics scripts for about two seconds before blipping you away.
Twilight's Gleaming	New logout motion and animation. Now, when a player logs out, they get purple bubbly effects and fade out.
The Widening Gyre	When you pick up something from a different height the animation is different -- arm swipe only, no bending.
The First Strike	New animation for the house recall function that more closely mirrors the duration of the recall.
Atonement	The animations and sounds from double- and triple-striking just weren't cool enough, so we tweaked them slightly. Thrill at the enhanced swinging action!
Visions in the Darkness	New animations for @lifestone, @marketplace, and @pklite commands.
A New Threat	New backflip animation for Mites.
Quiet Before the Storm	The Logout/Lifestone animation has been changed to have a smoother looking animation.

Misc Changes

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• Shadow creatures now transparent.

Before

After

Should the Stars Fall

• The animation speed for equipping and un-equipping bows and crossbows has been increased.

The Gathering Storm

• Nighttime visibility has been increased.

Dead of Winter

• Snow texture brightness reduced.