Windlight is good...but what about the rest of us?

So I installed Firstlook...had a look at the square horizon and the blackhole sun, logged out and uninstalled it. I figured out that my graphics card doesn't cut it for the windlight deal so I get a 1998 version of SL graphics as opposed to the 2003 version I've grown accustomed to.

My question is this: is this what we have to look forward to if we don't upgrade our video cards? It's quite a step backwards from the regular graphics.

I have been planning on upgrading my video card anyway so it's not THAT big a deal, but I know there are people out there that can't or won't for whatever reason. Does this mean they have to get used to a lower level of service?

I am an avid anti-complainer when it comes to SL and LL but this one is really testing my resolve!!

Yup. If this goes into the mandatory client, it's upgrade or go blind. Isn't that sweet?

I have no choice. When this gets shoved down our throats, I'll have to replace my whole computer system. You can't upgrade the video on a Mac Mini.

I'm really going to miss flying through and above the clouds, too. Windlight is strictly for those chained to the ground at sea level. Everyone else gets screwed so those few can have a pretty sky from a fixed position on the ground.

What about the helicopter and plane flying? By the way, parachutes now will be useless too...

Hopefully it will be a display option. Did you check preferences in FirstLook?

You know, I am going to have to disagree with most of this. The fact of the matter is that graphics are going to get better and technology will continue to grow more advanced. At what point should a company decide to not improve their graphics just because people do not keep their computers up to date.


And about the sky thing, I live in a Skybox. I build in a Skybox. I do almost all my business in a skybox made to look like space station. Windlight's bug turns out to be pretty awesome at 750m. Looks like you've actually entered orbit.

Oddly enough, Windlight works better on my computer that's not up to date. My Vista system which is quite up to date, renders the clouds a lovely shade of grayscale, depending on density. :/

I'm wondering at what point I can start openly mocking the Vista users? Mine is up to date, running just fine.

Mocking isn't going to help. Computers are *shipping* with Vista. SL will be left behind if they don't support it at all.

Those are the facts... given that its not running great on Macs in the first place (ATI cards) and Vista, well... who's going to be using SL? people with three year old computers. My three year old system runs SL and sees Windlight great with a not entirely top of the line graphics card.

hardly "up to date" as you claim.

Windows XP runs it just fine.

that's not up to date

Go into a computer shop and try and find an XP system.

If you can get it with XP - which is rare - you have to order it special, or downgrade

yes I said ... downgrade ... your brand new computer.

I have both XP and Vista - but my up to date system isn't running XP ... the out of date system is and I find it necessary to have a Vista system around to test.

I build my own so I do suppose it's not that big of a deal. Costs less money and doesn't come with all the crappy "bonus" software.

Tybalt, if it was just me and my old Mac Mini not being able to render a few clouds, I could live with the need to upgrade my hardware. I've been saving up money for months now, trying to set aside enough to get a better system. With luck, I'll own one before this comes out.

But from what I see, Windlight sucks majorly if you are not on the ground, at sea level. No 3D clouds that you can fly through or above. (The makers of Windligt have that as a seperate option, but in typical LL fashion they will take away our existing clouds before maybe implementing any decent replacement.) Screwy horizons if you're at any height at all. Lousy looking water.

Windlight's arbitrary ceiling for sky effects is way too low. Sorry, 756 meters is not low earth orbit, and a complete vacuum. Even if you stay below their arbitrary height limit, a skybox anywhere near the height limit will be like a kid's playhouse near a painted ceiling. It won't look right AT ALL.

As I said in another thread, Windlight is designed from a "chained to the ground at sea-level" mindset. For those who fly, it sucks.

I really hope that LL trashes this whole plan. They won't, of course. They are too enamoured of the pretty, shiny distractions. But as it stands now, this kills a lot of what people do in SL, for the sake of the earthbound minority.

not everyone is you. Most people buy from a shop. These are going to be most people using SL

In a year, there will be more and more Vista users, because they buy them preloaded. That's economic reality.

Actually... I saw the clouds and all on my XP system, at 700 meters up. Seems to me like its more like a skybox system like in most games, where the skybox follows your avatar. Could be wrong... but that's my speculation.

Looking down is where it gets a bit weird... but eh, it was weird before. Trading one weird for a new weird I guess.

Normally I'd agree with this when it comes to regular video/computer games but SL isn't by any means a "regular game".

You have all types of people using it...people that only really use the computer for email, internet and SL, super gamers, graphic designers and everyone in between.

In it's current form, the system doesn't just leave behind the lower-end users but actually TAKES AWAY from them.

If they want to keep a broad audience they need to keep in mind that not everybody can afford a brand new computer every year.

What about all the Brazilians (for example) who don't have as easy access to upgraded equipment? They have to pay US prices with Brazilian dollars (multiply everything by 2.5)!

I'll give LL the benefit of the doubt in this but I really think it should be brought to someone's attention.

Incidentally, SL runs better for me in Vista than in XP, including WindLight.

yay, a vista user who can see the clouds?!

Actually, my Vista system for SL is way faster than my XP system too, and rock hard stable.

I notice you have one of the professional series NVIDIA cards - maybe its just us with the midrange ones?

7900/8800 nvidias both xp/vista, can see clouds here \o, tho id rather use xp 'till i actually have a game that would require dx10, only reason i have it (but theres a 7900 in the other pc?, yes but that will be 8800 soon enough to : p)


But its really bland look, and it kills of any light prims thats spose to cast light just turn up really small and dinky.

No, lower-end users are taking themselves out of the picture. SL is a game no matter how you cut it, and we're talking about a graphics option here. For the people who use SL as nothing more than a business tool, they don't need to look at fancy skies now do they?

Also, rendering issues concerning Windows Vista probably have nothing to do with SL, and everything to do with lack of decent graphics drivers. My clouds aren't rendering at all on Vista, and I'm sure it's because nVidia has been failing major hard lately with the whole Vista thing. That's not LL's fault, and it's not an SL-compatibility issue.

But it's not like we're just "missing out" on added features. We're having features taken away at this point. That's not to say it's going to be like this forever since I understand the concept of the FirstLook viewer.

I just think that if your system can't hack the WindLight setup you should be able to still see SL how it was before.

And while this is a "game no matter which way you look at it" it's still a game used by a much larger and more diverse group of people than any other game. There are people in completely different socio-economical situations than the average gaming nerd who can't spend major cash every year to keep up to date (the hundreds of Brazilians in the game, for example...again).

They should still be allowed to see what they've been seeing for the last couple years.

Maybe if they divided SL into two viewers...an original recipie and a Crunchy Extra Crispy! That way they could cater to everyone and not just the nerds with too much money and nothing else to spend it on!

Heh, LL has enough trouble just managing *one* viewer.

And as mentioned, First Look viewer does NOT equal final. I see a lot of complaining about how it'll ruin various things, but it seems like no one remembers the previous First Look viewer (with render pipeline improvements and such). That viewer had several revisions before it went to the main viewer. The same will happen for WindLight.

Okay, I am going to have to do something I rarely do and jump ship. Just went in today finally(Stupid RL). Went to go build and found my building box half full of....sky. Also the the lighting in all forms made it a pain in the rear to line stuff up visually.

Now wheres the Nordlys?, heres some rl pics how sky can look at wintertimes where i live, so when SL can do that ill be more impressed : p SL stars are really dull to ~.~

hope they can do that, because that sky is sweet looking.

however, --FOX- For the people who use SL as nothing more than a business tool, they don't need to look at fancy skies now do they?------

no they dont need pretty skies, however it doesnt just change the sky... it changes all lighting. which in turn will change the way things are seen from person to person computer to computer.

hopefully they will come up with a default settings that are a good midrange for all. yes, I understand that its just adjustments to a few sliders but so are shapes, which have proven not too easy for everyone to deal with.

Well the way I see it, this is how Technology works. Its a game of "Keep Up or Fall Behind".

I'd love to run SL on my trusty Commodore 64 but..... its outdated.

I'd love to run SL using my old DOS Machine upstairs, but... its outdated.

I'd love to run SL on Windows Vista ULtimate Edition but... its not ready yet.

A Little over 2 decades ago, you were "rich" if you had a Personal Computer. Now everyone can have one, so the industry has to find another way to set apart the "haves" and "have nots".