Including Brightskins?

[Gig]

Hello. There are various internet servers around that are "modded" and add Brightskins, right?
I've just thought a thing: why do the server admins have to mod the game (baseoa or a previous mod) simply to add Brightskins?
Why don't include an option (I suggest a server-side option, because I fear that if client-side, it would give a gap between players...), to allow the server admin to enable or disable them directly from baseoa, without the need to add extra stuff for them?

I suppose it would be a shader, that, if enabled, would be applied to all the players, independently from their player model. If this would not be possible for some reason, maybe it could force the default player model (with brightskin) for all players...

I think the option would be disabled by default...
If possible, it would be good to place it to a virtual machine level (I don't know exatly how this works) that would allow to have its effects also with old mods (it could not be integrated into old customizations of the GUI, but with the console it should work)...

What do you think about this?
It's just an idea I had a minute ago....

Just an example: DO NOT LINK[/b]) h t t p s : / / openarena . wikia . com/wiki/File:Insta-rj_01.jpg]this is a screenshot of Insta-RJ, a good mod, that is a "fork" of the DO NOT LINK[/b]) h t t p s : / / openarena . wikia . com/wiki/ModCompat/Unlagged_Rocket_Rail]Unlagged Rocket Rail[/i] mod for Q3A, and that -AFAIK- simply adds Brightskins to it.
PS: I have to check if that mod also "forces" the activation of Force player model -It seems to me that the first time I connected to the server (by the Evil Clan) that uses it I found all the players look like Sarge/Grism, even if I was not used to have forcemodel in baseoa.... but I'm not sure and thus I want to check-... but I really must go now...

[fromhell]

maybe a file .pro prefix i.e. models/players/kyonshi/default.pro, and if the server has that file and sees you using it with pro skins disabled (on the server) it'll (NONPRO) sarge you, but you probably cant stop the forcemodel so i donno.

[Gig]

maybe a file .pro prefix i.e. models/players/kyonshi/default.pro, and if the server has that file and sees you using it with pro skins disabled (on the server) it'll (NONPRO) sarge you, but you probably cant stop the forcemodel so i donno.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you talking about creating new (bright) skins for each model of OpenArena, and make the server decide if the clients have to load the "pro" (bright) skin instead of the standard one? And if for that character no "pro" skin have been created yet, then the client should load Sarge instead?

It is a nice idea... but I was thinking about a new shader to be applied by the engine over any model (to not have to create new skins for all the models)... an extra "layer" that adds "glow" to the entire player. Isn't it possible someway?

PS: In the z-player-shader.pk3 file of the ScrewOA (rail) server there are custom shaders (that add brightskins) for all the characters included with the main game (player_beret.shader, player_liz.shader, etc.), right? Isn't it possible, modifying the engine, to make something similar, but to have the shader automatically applied to all the models/skins, to have it working also with future/custom models?

[sago007]

The quad powerup is an example of a blue player that are easy to spot and works on all models (even if some gets a tail). It should be possible to add the same for red. Unlike the quad effect they should not emit light unless they actually have the quad.

That they all the models would still be recognizable.

However there is nothing wrong in having a modded server and one might argue that getting better mod support should be a priority. Not that I have time to do anything about that at the moment... there is a larger amount of work needed.

[Gig]

Right, copying the way the quad works (modifying it to do not emit light) seems a good idea!

I hope some of you guys may find some time to take a look to that.
Apart from you two, who are the other active "coders" here around, to ask if they have time (and obviously, want) to take a look?