Dynamic Lighting - Updates, Bugs, & Feedback

Hey Roll20 Team !  First, thanks for all the work, even if it's not always perfect ! ^^ My issue is more a gameplay issue for DnD5E and PF2E. It's something other put on the table in the past : low-light vision. Do you think you'll make something about it ? Or maybe I missed something ? Thanks !

I think that's what the multiplier is supposed to handle, but maybe if you described the mechanic, you might be able to get a better answer.

I'm not sure if this is the spot to suggest new features or not, but I was really hopeful that if I set a light source to "black" for color, it would function as a source of Darkness instead of light (e.g. the "black light" would overwrite all color and shift it to black.) Far as I could tell, it wound up doing nothing. Sadness.

There is no lowlight vision in 5e. If you mean Darkvision you give the token Nocturnal vision and Roll20 takes care of the rest. I am unfamiliar with Pathfinder 2e’s rules. Tigilou said: Hey Roll20 Team !  First, thanks for all the work, even if it's not always perfect ! ^^ My issue is more a gameplay issue for DnD5E and PF2E. It's something other put on the table in the past : low-light vision. Do you think you'll make something about it ? Or maybe I missed something ? Thanks !

I think low light vision increases the radius of light sources for people who have it. If so, the light multiplier is for this reason. But I'd like confirmation.

keithcurtis said: I think low light vision increases the radius of light sources for people who have it. If so, the light multiplier is for this reason. But I'd like confirmation. That is how low-light vision is handled for pathfinder 1 (increase the multiplier), so I assume it would be similar for 2E.

In PF2e low-light vision only increases dim light to bright light. Darkness remains unchanged. The multiplier turns darkness around a light source into dim light. A slider for Nocturnal mode that changes the brightness/dimness of darkness would be perfect for this, letting you adjust it so all light is treated as bright but darkness stays dark.

Exactly, so this is something that is missing. I was just about to answer that "Low-light vision" in PF2 doesn't allow you to see twice as far, only the dim light like a normal light. This makes possible to see obstacles and dangers as well, even with very little light. But thanks to answer me so quickly ! ;)

I am struggling with Dynamic lighting. I really like the idea, visually it looks great, however, not being able to move tokens on the map because of lag is painful for the players and the DM (me). I keep reading, adapting and when I think i have it beat, it lags again. How big of a map is maximum size. Would I be better off mixing Dynamic and Advanced fog of war. I have spent all of my time using dynamic lighting and designing maps to make the most of dynamic lighting, using secret doors, narrow corridors, relying on line of sight to reveal important elements, monsters and NPC's. But both my players and myself constantly get stuck. It seems to change day to day even with the same map setup. I gave up today and eleminated all dynamic just to finsh the game. Any insights, suggestions or ideas. I did roll a natural 20 on insight so give it up if you have it, LOL. I have an I7 processor @2.7 Ghz. with 16 gig Ram.. I only have issues in roll 20 with dynamic lighting, so a strong wifi and internet connection. using google. I am also not real computer tech savy.

I second this concern.  I, too, have grown love the new dynamic lighting system, but for 2 Sundays in a row now the lighting seems to cause massive lag in the game and absolutely ruins gameplay.  It usually results in me turning dynamic lighting off, but this isn't what I'm paying to be a premium member to do.  I never seem to have these issues during the day, but all of a sudden on Sunday nights, when it's game time, Roll20 lag seems to be a major issue as of late. Alan M. said: I am struggling with Dynamic lighting. I really like the idea, visually it looks great, however, not being able to move tokens on the map because of lag is painful for the players and the DM (me). I keep reading, adapting and when I think i have it beat, it lags again. How big of a map is maximum size. Would I be better off mixing Dynamic and Advanced fog of war. I have spent all of my time using dynamic lighting and designing maps to make the most of dynamic lighting, using secret doors, narrow corridors, relying on line of sight to reveal important elements, monsters and NPC's. But both my players and myself constantly get stuck. It seems to change day to day even with the same map setup. I gave up today and eleminated all dynamic just to finsh the game. Any insights, suggestions or ideas. I did roll a natural 20 on insight so give it up if you have it, LOL. I have an I7 processor @2.7 Ghz. with 16 gig Ram.. I only have issues in roll 20 with dynamic lighting, so a strong wifi and internet connection. using google. I am also not real computer tech savy.

Alan M. said: I am struggling with Dynamic lighting.  Which Dynamic Lighting? Advanced Fog of War was part of legacy DO NOT turn on Advanced Fog of War if you are having performance issues.  Do all your tokens, including NPCs have sight tuned on?. 

Which Dynamic Lighting? Advanced Fog of War was part of legacy DO NOT turn on Advanced Fog of War if you are having performance issues.  Do all your tokens, including NPCs have sight tuned on?.  Yes, on tokens sight turned on. No on NPC sight turned on. No on fog of war and advanced fog of war, although I have just recently started playing with that to learn to use it because "DYNAMIC LIGHTING" causes extreme lagging, constant problems. How do I know? I simply clear the dynamic lighting and it instantly allows everyone to move without lag. And of course totally destroys the whole map and line of sight idea. It is awesome when it works, it just doesn't seem to work well. I suspect map size, but there is NO continuity, I suspect my internet connection and replace my router with a bigger and better system and there is no continuity, I play on a sunday morning and there is no continuity. Just saying, "Dynamic lighting does not have a consistent solution, it freezes up, lags and looks really cool when I test it but sucks, not in a good way, in game play."

Alan M. said: Yes, on tokens sight turned on. No on NPC sight turned on. No on fog of war and advanced fog of war, although I have just recently started playing with that to learn to use it because "DYNAMIC LIGHTING" causes extreme lagging, constant problems. How do I know? I simply clear the dynamic lighting and it instantly allows everyone to move without lag. And of course totally destroys the whole map and line of sight idea. It is awesome when it works, it just doesn't seem to work well. I suspect map size, but there is NO continuity, I suspect my internet connection and replace my router with a bigger and better system and there is no continuity, I play on a sunday morning and there is no continuity. Just saying, "Dynamic lighting does not have a consistent solution, it freezes up, lags and looks really cool when I test it but sucks, not in a good way, in game play." It sounds like you are using Updated Dynamic Lighting - the default dynamic lighting system.  It has been plagued with issues since its implementation and the developers haven't yet figured out how to make it work for all users. One option is to revert to legacy dynamic lighting which operates a bit differently but actually works: If you want to stay on Updated Dynamic Lighting then you will need to spend a significant amount of your own time testing various scenarios to determine what might provide you a better experience.  You can try switching browsers, disabling all add-ons, turning off explorer mode, making sure your maps are all 25x25 or less, etc. Best of luck -Adam

Turning off Explorer Mode on Dynamic Lighting can often alleviate lag issues. If this helps, you can achieve similar functionality to Explorer Mode through the use of  Light Crumbs . I used to use them all the time on the old DL system because I deeply disliked the implementation of Advanced Fog of War.

I still swear by Legacy myself in all my games :) Tom

Thank you all. I will check out the legacy option. I believe I am operating in the updated version. I will also reduce my map sizes, they have gotten a bit large these days. I have been building maps with Inkarnate, I will have to restrain myself a bit I think.

Tom said: I still swear by Legacy myself in all my games :) Tom Me too. I really hate the that developers have hidden Legacy Lighting away in the menus that it takes several clicks to make changes to a token's light. Legacy Lighting is the only way to go.

keithcurtis said: Turning off Explorer Mode on Dynamic Lighting can often alleviate lag issues. If this helps, you can achieve similar functionality to Explorer Mode through the use of  Light Crumbs . I used to use them all the time on the old DL system because I deeply disliked the implementation of Advanced Fog of War. With respect, if the workaround to UDL not working properly is to disable one of its key features, that's not exactly a glowing reflection of UDL's functionality and stability.

Switched over to "Legacy" on a test map. It looks good. I have it set for players with darkvision with a 180 degree field of vision with 60 ft of dim light and any player using a light source enabled with alll players see light with appropriate field and light density. Not sure how to test for lag other than mabe see if i can get players to do a quick test drive on an off day. To check for lag. Also not sure I quite understand why i would use "Fog of War" or Advanced Fog of war" with "Legacy dynamic lighting". Thoughts?

Fog of War is good for hiding an area of the map regardless of sight or vision. It is also sometimes used as a fall back in case of DL failure. The map remains hidden despite loss of line of sight functionality. Advanced Fog of War is LDL's version of Explorer Mode, retaining areas that have been seen, but in a cell-by-cell paradigm (which is the reason I never used it). Lag on the new Dynamic Lighting is undeniably a problem, though anecdotally, it is not a universal one. Some folks report no lag. I have not had a lag instance with DL, though I have occasionally had other issues (such as black for lighted areas). I did have a player who reported lag that he fixed wby switching to Edge (unsupported, but if it works...). It was unclear from his description if the lag was DL related or not. He tends to have regular technical issues.

Alan M. said: Switched over to "Legacy" on a test map. It looks good. I have it set for players with darkvision with a 180 degree field of vision with 60 ft of dim light and any player using a light source enabled with alll players see light with appropriate field and light density. Not sure how to test for lag other than mabe see if i can get players to do a quick test drive on an off day. To check for lag. Also not sure I quite understand why i would use "Fog of War" or Advanced Fog of war" with "Legacy dynamic lighting". Thoughts? My own $ .02 - I have never had to worry about lag on LDL.  I think you'll be all set (at least until the developers tell us they are taking away LDL because they believe they have finally fixed UDL.) I would not recommend using Advanced Fog of War - historically it was also known to cause lag (I haven't used it any time recently to be able to speak to if that is still the case or not.) -Adam

hi Does anyone know why our 3D dice can not be seen by other players ? it only appears in the side box  i can see my dice but my mates can see mine and i cant see theirs

Slob said: hi Does anyone know why our 3D dice can not be seen by other players ? it only appears in the side box&nbsp; i can see my dice but my mates can see mine and i cant see theirs The same thing happens to us.&nbsp; I have opened a post to report it. You can follow it here -&nbsp;<a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/10534024/3d-dices-are-not-visible-for-players-but-you-ingame/?pageforid=10534024#post-10534024" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/10534024/3d-dices-are-not-visible-for-players-but-you-ingame/?pageforid=10534024#post-10534024</a>

Keep in mind, this thread is for posting feedback on the Dynamic Lighting system.

I wanted to simulate a nightly forage into a house with windows. I added the windows as lit walls and added a token without nightvision or light to test it.&nbsp; At first everything seems fine. There is low light in rooms with windows and no light in rooms without windows. But whenever I move my test token back into a lit area again, it does not regain its vision or all lightsources are dark (cant say what).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Today troubles to load pages with Dynamic Light System.It spent too much time to load the page

Am I doing something wrong here please? Tokens for monsters are almost invisible to a player stood right next to them when in an area with a dim light source the beholder here is my test token .. the magic ring gives off bright light in 10 feet and dim light in 20 feet I have vision turned off on the monster but it doesn't make a difference if it's on. If I put the monster in my control the token&nbsp; is fully Visible&nbsp; but REMAINS fully visible on the map when the test token is in another room through several walls,&nbsp; so that's no good Any ideas greatly appreciated Thanks

It remains visible to you, the GM, but should still be invisible to players. This is IMO, a bug in DL, though the official word is that it is a feature. It has been reported many times.

it's colours ..&nbsp; the tints on light sources wash out tokens .. transparent light sources can see the enemy a lot better .. but the above image is awful UX ... how a token can be almost transparent to someone stood next to it ?&nbsp; I've just renewed my Plus subs as I'm GM-ing and like UDL ...but this is really off-putting EDIT : found a slight work around ... double up on light sources . put a transparent one down to make tokens better visible .. and then drop a duplicate tinted one on top to add ambience

My advice is to not use tinted lights and vision. They are gimmicky and rarely blend well. At most, use one only to avoid overlap. The current advice for the transparency issue is to make all NPCs controllable by the GM. This will fix the visibility, but is a terrible imposition on users, again, in my opinion. Rest assured that regardless of how the tokens appear to the GM, they will appear normal for the players. You can test this by using a&nbsp; Dummy Account .

When I draw thin lines in Dynamic light map,the lines don´t stop token´s moving or vision.Only I can use small lines or bigger. Sorry for my English.

Go to your map&gt;then open settings&gt;then got to "Page details"(not dynamic lighting. &gt;Scroll down to Movement and turn on. That should establish not moving thru the dynamic lines that you are using

keithcurtis said: My advice is to not use tinted lights and vision. They are gimmicky and rarely blend well. At most, use one only to avoid overlap. Totally agree with this, Keith. Untinted (checkerboard -&nbsp; not white) lights only. This is where the main bug is. Applies to tinted night vision too.

I can´t erase the red thin line in the map. Why is this? I must remake all the map again

You are unable to select that line at all?

exactly

I will never use thin lines again

DMRG said: I can´t erase the red thin line in the map. Why is this? I must remake all the map again Trying to select thin lines is a nightmare. It usually takes a lot fiddling around and/or pot luck to get them selected.

It´s like the program don´t recognize&nbsp; thin lines well

ok thanks

DMRG said: ok thanks I would make sure it just didn’t end up on a different layer. I’ve had that happen…

Ditto, I have mistakenly found myself in the wrong layer. Sometimes I will do thin lines in a different color just to make it easier to capture. Also you could try the control Z command to erase your last few lines if you are not to far deep into the drawing.

DMRG said: I can´t erase the red thin line in the map. Why is this? I must remake all the map again Roll20 has a problem with straight, thin lines. Thin lines can be reliably selected if they consist of at least two segments. This can be done by putting a small "tail" at the end of the line. In your example, you could draw the red line from bottom to top and put the second segment at an angle crossing the yellow DL line of the wall. You can then select the line by zooming in and clicking it or drawing a selection box through the line. You can also get a similar effect to a thin line by drawing a thin, filled box instead. Use thin lines for the box and the same color for the interior of the box. It will be a little thicker than a thin line, but it will be easier to select. To get rid of this red line you can try selecting to the left of right of the line in the empty spaces where there are no lines. Sometimes Roll20 thinks the line is stored several squares away from its actual location. If you still cannot find it, you can select all of the other lines and send them to the GM layer. Once all of the other lines and DL objects are removed, you can use Ctrl+A to select the line and delete it. You can then enable the advanced commands in the VTT options tab to allow you to move the DL lines back to the DL layer. Select the lines and press "l" then "," to move them. <a href="https://help.roll20.net/hc/en-us/articles/360039178974-Advanced-Hotkeys" rel="nofollow">https://help.roll20.net/hc/en-us/articles/360039178974-Advanced-Hotkeys</a>

Ctrl+A worked!!! Thin line red erased.Thank you so much bro!!!

Lots of lag on the DM (me) side today. Not so for the players though. Not unplayable but it would take about 5-10 times as long to move a token as it should…

Can you help me? How can I fuse those Modular Tokens to move them together always?

this works AFAIK, from another user obvs! Just drag a box around them then follow instructions given here June 19 (6 years ago) Craig Pro Permalink Quote Report If you select both tokens using shift, right click select Advanced you can group them. I am thinking that is what you are looking for.

DMRG said: Can you help me? How can I fuse those Modular Tokens to move them together always? This isn't a bug or question regarding Updated Dynamic Lighting. It should be posted in the general use forum.&nbsp; <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/category/19" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/category/19</a> The short answer to your question is that there isn't a good way to do it in Roll20. As a Pro member, you could possibly use the Carry API to link the two tokens, but the best thing to do would be to use an image editing program like Photoshop or GIMP to composite the two images together, export it as a new PNG, and upload it to Roll20.

ok thanks