how do i make the world feel dark?

[MrBlobby]

like i need something like fog thats pitch black and a dark skybox or anything, plus rain too! but i can add the rain myself and just need help with the things that make map go dark

[Geebanger0]

search the workshop

just look for fog, darker skybox, and rain mods

[Evil]

You can do that with color correction (for the most part). To do that, load the game in tools mode through the authoring tools, load a map, then open the console and type colorcorrectionui (or something like that, been a while since I used that).

This controls the overall tone of the map. How dark it is, what color it is, etc. One thing to note is that what you see in tools mode isn't exactly what other players would see, it has a bit of amplification similar to the hdr scaling stuff which basically means the parameters will be a bit more intense than you intended so this needs to be scaled too. Trial and error is the key.

[AlwaysToast]

Every map needs a master fog, for optimization purposes, and to make water render correctly. Black fog makes the level actually dark. But black fog doesn’t look right outside (it works ok in totally enclosed spaces). But dark grey instead of pure black generally looks better. You can use different fogs on one map. Generally you have one fog for outside, which is also used in rooms/buildings that are not too big, or have large open windows. Then you have one fog for inside, specifically for interior rooms, long dark tunnels, etc.

You generally want to use a fog color for an outside for to matches your skybox texture. Which will generally be a grey that is tinted towards a color in the skybox.

Also the Fog Start distance and Fog End (where the fog becomes opaque) distance will impact the visibility and how dark a map feels.

There is an important difference between “feels dark” and “is dark.”

A map that really is pitch black almost everywhere isn’t fun for most players, and some players who have issues with their settings will call it unplayable. You generally want to go with a dark feeling, while actually illuminating the map enough that everywhere on the map can be navigated.

You should read the basic design theory for L4D2 (specifically Aesthetics: Lighting) and the L4D2 blog on Stylized Darkness[www.l4d.com]. You probably also want to read Lighting, intermediate lighting, and advanced lighting.

Lights from above are normal, and generally make an area feel well lit. So you may want to use them in saferooms, where the player should feel safe. I'd suggest paying attention to how the lighting is used in official maps.

What lighting techniques you are using also depends on if there is power in a given area, and what kind of story you want to tell. Often times I need a light at a certain location, but then I end up making a little story around that light. The story is often told in blood stains and the placement of corpses, etc. In order for a battery powered light to be on... someone had to be using it recently enough that the battery hasn't worn out by the time the survivors came along.

You generally want lights that are low down, generally horizontal to player eye level (like burning barrels) or light from below (like car headlights or objects on the ground like flashlights and flairs).

You also generally want to use lights to help with navigation. It helps a lot with navigation if the lights tell survivors they are going the right way. Or they can point in the direction of travel. Areas off the main path generally should have less lighting.

You’ll also want to consider the textures you are using on brush surfaces in relation to the lighting. You can use light colored textures in poorly lit places, so they still feel dark, but have a bit more reflected light in them. You can use dark textures where you have bright lights, to absorb that light (cause less light to bounce off the surface). Which can make an area with a bright light in it, still feel dark.

Also the visual quality of the lighting and reflections is depended on how you compile the map.

If you want to watch video tutorials, I'd suggest looking for TopHATTwaffle videos on youtube, specifically basic lighting and advanced lighting. While they are not L4D2 specific, the vast majority of the information is applicable to L4D2.