Rooms are too dark!! What am I doing wrong!? D=

[Squall429]

Ok so I've been building a house for a while and it's a big house. The first floor is nice and bright... until I add a floor on the second floor above it and it's all dark and stupid no matter how many lights and windows I put.

I don't think I need to explain more as it does the same thing for each level of the house.

My Light settings are at max too so if someone could please tell me a work around or a fix, that'd be great! Thanks in advance!


=D

[Zokugai]

Have you clicked on the lights in normal play and adjusted the brightness? Not under settings. During actual gameplay.

[Squall429]

I haven't moved my player into that house yet, so I can't but I tried it on another house and it does ok for NIGHT time, but what about for daylight and sun? It still looks like crap.

[music2ologist]

Play with all the lights on.

[cameranutz2]

- Try using different windows if possible. Some let in more light than others.
- Use colors on the walls/floors that reflect light when you can.
- Use the hidden wall & ceiling lights that are in Buy Debug. They can be adjusted for brightness and color just as regular lights. They also come in different sizes so you can use the one(s) that best suits the room.

[J. M. Pescado]

YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS! Pylons emit this cool blue glow that will help brighten up any overly dark room. And you must construct additional ones. But first, you may require more minerals.

[Squall429]

Is that the only way I can fix this annoying lighting issue?

Do I have to use invisible lights to fill up those darkened areas?

I mean what if I want warm colored walls and floors but still have decent lightining like there was in the Sims 2?

PS: Thanks for all your responses so far.

[Zokugai]

You know you can change lighting color in order to maintain a warm look, right? Personally I prefer "Flame", it's less bleaching than the default white.

[Squall429]

Yes but is there currently a work around for this at the moment is this all I have to do with right now? X.x

[cameranutz2]

Yes but is there currently a work around for this...

Yes.

Have you clicked on the lights in normal play and adjusted the brightness? ...
Play with all the lights on.

- Try using different windows if possible.
- Use colors on the walls/floors that reflect light
- Use the hidden wall & ceiling lights that are in Buy Debug.
And an option I haven't tried but I'm sure Pescado would not steer us wrong!

YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS! Pylons emit this cool blue glow that will help brighten up any overly dark room. And you must construct additional ones. But first, you may require more minerals.

This is not S2 so don't expect it to be. If anyone else has other suggestions I'm sure they'll pass it along.

[Zokugai]

I don't understand what workaround you still need.

Is it too dark? Use the buydebug lights, reflective walls, or different/more windows.

Does turning up the brightness wash it out? Change the light color to something other than white.

What other problem haven't we addressed?

[RoseCity]

Also just to add that the windows have an inside and an outside orientation and the 'sunlight' won't come in correctly if the window isn't oriented correctly.

You know you can change lighting color in order to maintain a warm look, right? Personally I prefer "Flame", it's less bleaching than the default white.
That's my favorite too.

[little bee]

Did you install any light mods?
Some light mods make the lighting in the game "look more real" but it also causes the room lighting to be "too dark".

If not, avoid using 2 tiles-windows and build many windows. Click lighting menu pie to be BRIGHT, not normal, not dim.
Personally I always use glass doors and french windows for more natural lights in room.

[SalemPower10]

I know this thread is super old but I am having the same issue. Sadly I think the problem is the design of the game itself. See in the Sims 2, you could build a room and place one window and it would emit light throughout the whole room, like in real life.

In TS3 you can place a BIG window and it will only light up a few feet away from it and leave the rest of the room pitch black, even in the day time, which isn't realistic to me. That's why you can place like ten windows (I've done it), and the room will still be dark. I hate having to play with all of the lights on full blast during the day just to be able to see inside my house but oh well. Not one of TS3's best qualities.

That's why none of the others' suggestions are working lol.

[Inge Jones]

I was actually finding it hard to play as even with my monitor brightness at maximum, the indoors was too dark to see much detail - I could only play comfortably outdoor scenes. I wish there was a "no shading" setting. Anyway by fluke I found this old low resolution VGA monitor and hooked that up. If I use that for simming, not only is the whole scene clearer but the little thumbnails in the buy catalog are larger too!

Sadly, just choosing to play in a lower resolution on a high resolution monitor doesn't work, as the game makes its window smaller.