Night time in video games : V - Skyrim

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:13 pm

On the Everquest topic I always forget there are areas with darkness because I play a Vah Shir and they can see in the dark passively.

You can see in the dark?

Oh wait, you're probably referring to a street with street lights at every corner.

Herp derp.

There is still some light without street lights reflected off the Moon. Obviously not nearly as well as in the day time.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:04 pm

A true darkness for night wouldn't happen.

Reason: The game was designed for casual gamers. Since 25% of the game would be in darkness, requiring such RPG-veteran-only skills as lighting a torch, Beth probably assumed it would be too hard for the casual gamer to figure out.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:13 pm

Something like this: http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/595805657193362725/D794B407E0E513B4F068838654F6BA11DDE5308B/? Or like this: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4369513612_96cefd4f60.jpg?

That's STALKER: Call of Pripyat. I'd strongly recommend it for anyone's game literacy library.

Lightning flashes are pretty awesome in that game too.

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/596931496824580482/B1BF73AFBCEBB48CFDD80C0D8913F2DC5C960AA4/
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/596931496824581036/658E943506E00EBF6F3CD806049A821604BBF27F/

(the colours in the first shot look a bit odd but it's normally properly dark)

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:50 am

On the Everquest topic I always forget there are areas with darkness because I play a Vah Shir and they can see in the dark passively.

There is still some light without street lights reflected off the Moon. Obviously not nearly as well as in the day time.

The moon gets covered by clouds easily, and even if it wasn't, the moon wouldn't light rough terrain like Skyrim enough anyway. Traveling in rugged terain like that with no light source would be foolish.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:49 pm

On the Everquest topic I always forget there are areas with darkness because I play a Vah Shir and they can see in the dark passively.

There is still some light without street lights reflected off the Moon. Obviously not nearly as well as in the day time.

Which translates to pitch black in low valley large tree / below sea level settings.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:06 pm

Todd Howard: "Here's a new screenshot we are releasing. You can see here from the larger textures and other features like AA that these are our first publicly released PC screenshots. This is a little camp site that you might wander across in your travels. http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4485/nigthtime.png Note the level of detail in the foliage and distant textures. We think folks are really going to enjoy the more realistic night time settings."

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:28 pm

Just being actually forced to use a torch or a light spell (both utterly useless in Oblivion) would be a huuuuge plus for me.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:00 pm

I have a feeling you're not a fan of light spells and torches because you never needed them before! If toggling either on and off was simple and not a clunky menu design, then I think everyone would find the night time feature enjoyable!

I meant in general, I've played other games where I needed them and still didn't like using them. In Oblivion though you have a point, but as far as light spells I usually have other more important uses for my magicka.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:54 pm

Todd Howard: "Here's a new screenshot we are releasing. You can see here from the larger textures and other features like AA that these are our first publicly released PC screenshots. This is a little camp site that you might wander across in your travels. http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/4485/nigthtime.png Note the level of detail in the foliage and distant textures. We think folks are really going to enjoy the more realistic night time settings."

Holy crap 1080p! Glorious!

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 11:33 am

Holy crap 1080p! Glorious!

Is that a black screen joke or is it bugged for me? Sorry I dunno XD

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 6:52 pm

Just being actually forced to use a torch or a light spell (both utterly useless in Oblivion) would be a huuuuge plus for me.

Agreed.

» Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:55 am

This is a great idea. I used a mod to achieve this in Oblivion.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 11:06 pm

:spotted owl: And have owls steal our helments!!!

Owls have been confirmed...me is so happy now!!!! :rock:

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:18 pm

Darker Nights and Darker Dungeons mods in Oblivion are a must for me.

It really adds immersion when you are fighting and you have to drop torches everywhere (mod enabled) to light up the room or you have Night Eye and it suddenly runs out and you are in literally pitch black being attacked.

I have mods that also add night time creatures, like low level skeletons, ghots and wraiths etc and also stronger variations of creatures like Night Trolls and Bog Ogres.

Night time should be scary and full of the undead.

Caves and dungeons should be dark and require a torch just to find your way around.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 5:19 pm

Just being actually forced to use a torch or a light spell (both utterly useless in Oblivion) would be a huuuuge plus for me.

It would be a huge bummer to me. Because night time isn't that dark. Now I know...most people live in the uburban cities. But I live in rural road. You become so accostumed to the farm land at night with no extra lights that nighttime is no big deal. While others think it's so dark outside with no lamps on, your reflexes become almost catlike. I have in real life adjusted so well to night with few lights, that it breaks game immersion to me when nighttime is unrealistically dark.

» Sun Sep 25, 2011 2:12 am

It would be cool to have to either wait until day or travel by moonlight.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 9:23 pm

Every game I've played that had night time would just make everything a darker color, but you were still able to see just as well as day.

I fully understand why this makes sense for a video game, but wouldn't it be a lot more fun to treat night time as something you would naturally want to avoid? Camp out or tread extra carefully.

Or even better, something you want to use as an advantage with night vision and get the upper hand on NPCS. Torches would also see a much better use!

Make it dark enough that I have to use Night Eye at night. Assuming it's still in the game... -.-

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:01 pm

Except vampires will be completely unplayable?

» Sun Sep 25, 2011 2:13 am

Except vampires will be completely unplayable?

Glad to see you read the entire thread before posting the first thought that came to your head.

Spells, torches, racials, and possibly item enchantments could allow you to continue playing in the darkness.

If you wanna play devils advocate please be more thoughtful in your replies.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:51 pm

Glad to see you read the entire thread before posting the first thought that came to your head.

Spells, torches, racials, and possibly item enchantments could allow you to continue playing in the darkness.

If you wanna play devils advocate please be more thoughtful in your replies.

Light and torch = no sneak.
Night-eye = [censored] blue filter that MAY potentially take cost you an arm, as in requiring you to equip and hold it.

I thought all these stuff is basic knowledge and did not really care to explain them. Also, turning down the in-game brightness setting makes your dark much darker while still having serviceable day.

On the other hand, if the two extremes are too far apart, adjusting the brightness will result in either too bright light or too dark darkness. Is that enough thought for you?

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:19 pm

I agree... What would be cool is if Skyrim was like pitch black at night and you cast a spell which shines light over the area you are in... The spell would conjure like a floating star..

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 10:09 pm

Now, on a cloudy night, it should be dark, but on Nirn when it's clear, there are too large moons and lots of stars (possibly more than those we can see from Earth?... not sure) illuminating the night sky are there not? That would make nights pretty bright I would think, even by Earth's standards, not to mention the aurora that have been included, although I don't know how often you'll see that. So truly dark nights might (possibly) be a rare occurrence given the game's setting.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 8:43 pm

I Would love Really Dark Nights,
Just having a Dragon chasing after you and you have no clue where it is, only detection would be the light from the Fire coming out of it's mouth.
or just get Jumped by a Werewolf then contracting the disease.

Having Creepy moments like that just make you wanna tell your friends the Story

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:57 pm

I love darker nights.

» Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:17 pm

Light and torch = no sneak.
Night-eye = [censored] blue filter that MAY potentially take cost you an arm, as in requiring you to equip and hold it.

I thought all these stuff is basic knowledge and did not really care to explain them. Also, turning down the in-game brightness setting makes your dark much darker while still having serviceable day.

On the other hand, if the two extremes are too far apart, adjusting the brightness will result in either too bright light or too dark darkness. Is that enough though for you?

Well i hope Night eye as the Khajiit's special ability doesn't require your Arm being up, i would prefer it being like a Natural thing to them where you could just turn it on and off