The Lens Flare Effect

[dummiesboy]

So, thanks to a random MSN conversation involving aaro and carking, I decided to look into the extremely rare lens flare effect in MM2. I've seen it before, but only once while i was being chased by a cop with the water mod. Anyway, aaro showed a video of the effect with a cop car in an addon track, and it was pretty distinct. I was wondering how he managed to replicate it, when i noticed the hud arrow below his car, indicating he was on the 0,0,0 spot.

So on a hunch, I went to the 0,0,0 spot in SF (in front of the Ferry Building) with the default cop car, turned on the lights, and didn't see anything. But, when I zoomed into the front of the light bar, I was shocked when I saw this:


It's not very clear at all, barely noticeable. But, when I tried at night...


Clearly visible now. However, there is still one more shot I took, zoomed in all the way, looking up.



I found that this effect stays as long as you drive along the positive Z axis. It's much easier to see on addon tracks, when you start directly on the 0,0,0 spot.

So, overall, your car needs to be directly on the positive Z axis facing away from the 0,0,0 spot. Then, take the V-Cam look at the front of the car, and zoom in all the way. Try it for yourself!

[aaro4130]

Here is a video of the effect in action:

[zoot]

Interesting find.

[Franch88]

Good to have found out this Dummiesboy.
I know and noticed this many years ago, only one time maybe, when I played MM2 on my first PC. Then, with my next PC haven't anymore noticed it randomly, or haven't thought about see it on purpose, till I've restored back the graphic card that I've changed (a GeForce 4 Ti 4200, restored because of a problem with the successive one), then replaced again with the graphic card that now I still have (a GeForce 6600 GT, that then hasn't anymore showed the problem that it had); with the older graphic card the game colors looked really in 16 bit and there was no AA, but due to it I've got the possibility to notice this effect, and the car was right in the 0, 0, 0 position, on an add-on track. I've now tried as in the way you say and it's still visible, like the above screenshots, but I remember that it was more visible with the older graphic card, like in the above video. The graphic card affects the viewing of this effect?
In all the cases the played car has always been a cop car, so this effect is only related with the light bar lights effect.

[Triple_X]

so is there anyway to actually use this ? i mean mod it so it can actually work like in newer games ?

[Silent1Unknown]

Damn! How did I ever miss that? Thats pretty cool. If it only works with cop cars, maybe it has something to do with the mysterious SIREN0_H or SIREN1_H objects. I've noticed the lens flare texture in mm2tex.ar, but thought it was a leftover (dummy) texture.

[dummiesboy]

Franch: I dont think so. Just the angle you see it at, and maybe the position of the lights. Check aaro's vid, the flares get pretty bright.

Triple_X: I doubt it. Dunno how, really...

Silent: Nope, those are leftover from MM1.


My guess is that this effect was going to be used, but like everything else in MM2, wasn't finished due to time restrictions. Or maybe they attempted it, didn't see it anywhere ingame, and just left it?
Also, the texture is in MM1 too, but it's totally unused. Fun fact.

[HummersRock]

Really cool find.

[Riva]

I thought everyone knew :/

It's clearly visible when you're playing a cop car, especially when this one spawn for the first time, on the map.

[aaro4130]

I thought everyone knew :/

It's clearly visible when you're playing a cop car, especially when this one spawn for the first time, on the map.

Yeah me too. :/ I got them REALLY visible once

[agustin26]

Omg AARO video looked amazing O_O with this effect

[carmaniac]

Nice find