It's Impossible to See at Night! - Other threads will be locked/deleted!

[Darkmanta84 0]

Hi don't know if its just me but some servers i log into its pitch black but its day time not night as their are no stars ect. anyone else getting this problem ?

Any help would be good :)

Im pretty new to this so wasnt sure if its normal ^^

[Matterthief 0]

I got to say, this pitch-black darkness is the most poorly designed thing I have ever encountered in a game that claims to be realistic. Unless there are thick clouds, you will never be in a situation in which you cannot see even a tiny bit using starlight or moonlight. If the nightime is going to be so dark that you cannot see three feet in front of you, make the chem light glow more than just a 1ft radius. At this point the chem lights are less useful than glow in the dark stickers.

[dallas 5195]

I guess DayZ nights try to give you an authentic experience of being scared and lost in the dark. By the amount of posts darkness is generating, I guess DayZ succeeded.

[Anemia (DayZ) 0]

I got to say' date=' this pitch-black darkness is the most poorly designed thing I have ever encountered in a game that claims to be realistic. Unless there are thick clouds, you will never be in a situation in which you cannot see even a tiny bit using starlight or moonlight. If the nightime is going to be so dark that you cannot see three feet in front of you, make the chem light glow more than just a 1ft radius. At this point the chem lights are less useful than glow in the dark stickers.

[/quote']

I think we can all agree that the darkness completely unrealistic so this is more of a question how this affects the gameplay. Personally I think that the biggest problem is the nvgs at the moment. As it is right now the leap between nvgs and flares is just huge. If there was some real drawback with the nvgs then I think the pitch blackness could be "fair". Especially since so many kill on sight even if in this case they could easily rob people of everything they have and leave them alive without any real risk.

Edit: typo

[Finkle 0]

I dont really think it's that unrealistic. Keep in mind, after a real apocalypse there wouldnt be any light reflecting off the moon. The moon is the only reason we can see at night in reality.. if, we were out in the middle of no where

[dunnobe 3]

I always stay in the cities when it's night time. I don't have NVG's and use chem lights to clear buildings. Chemlights don't get you spotted from a long distance, unlike flares you have to use as a distraction or to mark your route vaguely.

Well, DayZ could put a script in the mod that would turn on the street lights from a certain time.

[Robert512 12]

I dont really think it's that unrealistic. Keep in mind' date=' after a real apocalypse there wouldnt be any light reflecting off the moon. The moon is the only reason we can see at night in reality.. if, we were out in the middle of no where

[/quote']

??

The moon would be the only natural lightsource left after the apocalypse, and then not even all the time. The lightsource that the moon reflects is that source that we love so much because it gives us light and warmth, its called the sun.

[daish 11]

I dont really think it's that unrealistic. Keep in mind' date=' after a real apocalypse there wouldnt be any light reflecting off the moon. The moon is the only reason we can see at night in reality.. if, we were out in the middle of no where

[/quote']

the light reflecting off the moon comes from the sun not street lights?

[fackstah 31]

I dont really think it's that unrealistic. Keep in mind' date=' after a real apocalypse there wouldnt be any light reflecting off the moon. The moon is the only reason we can see at night in reality.. if, we were out in the middle of no where

[/quote']

the light reflecting off the moon comes from the sun not street lights?

LIES! i dont belive ! light comes from lightbulbs not the sun!

[daish 11]

o god -.-

this is a video game anyway people seem to be forgeting something for people to enjoy its not a training simulator for people

not being able to see is not enjoyable when playing a game

there needs to be a choice on the mod for day only -.- so the server can run 24/7 and stay daylight watch 99% of the servers choose this option if the Arma 2 Beta patch is applyed

[Andrej Dudev 50]

Well, considering that even at dusk/dawn it's still pitch black, something must be done.

[thygrrr 1]

Well' date=' considering that even at dusk/dawn it's still pitch black, something must be done.

[/quote']

Thanks for the screenshot - indeed, that's obviously broken and in no way what to expect from HDR.

---

I live out in the country (about 15 miles away from any town) its dark at night' date=' but no where near this, the few days the moon is fullest, I can read a book outside. Even new moon is not as dark as this game.

I have been out to Philmont before (scout camp) in new mexico. Out in the back country 30-40 miles away from artificial light. you can still make your way around. the night sky is actually brighter than many city folk are lead to believe.

The only reason I play this game at night vs hopping to a day time server is I got night vision and that makes night look like day.

Nothing to do with this topic, but you cant wear night vision goggles and look through a sniper scope. To see through a scope at night, you have to have a night scope. If you want to add more realism, make night scopes drop that can be equipped to your gun.

[/quote']

I second this.

[Euphe 1]

I believe night time should be dark, but not that dark.

[Electroflux 0]

It should still be quite dark but only as long as you can actually see the ground. If you can't see the ground or structures, you're just walking blind and it's kind of ridiculous.

[Phantom Vader 0]

SUMMARY: The night time experience is ABSOLUTELY destroyed, and is best avoided unless you are a masochist.

I can actually see why they made it so nights are darker.. people would bring up their brightness and gamma all the way up and BOOM, instant night-vision.

The problem is that they made night TOO dark.

My screen, when it is night time, is PITCH BLACK even if i set the gamma and brightness all the way up. The only way i can tell that the game has loaded is by pressing the W button and listening for my footsteps. Towns are extremely hard to navigate since it is impossible to do so without throwing (now dimly lit) flares all over the place, which will obviously attract zombies.

The wilderness is absolutely impossible to navigate, unless you are in a room which allows the map to show your exact location (if you are lucky enough to have a map).. and even then, it is extremely difficult, since you have to check that map every 3 seconds and throw flares like mad. If you don't have a map or the server doesn't allow you to see your position, there is nothing you can do besides run around aimlessly until you run out of flares or a zombie sees you and kills you.

If you are on a night time map, and you don't have flares, you are screwed... period. You don't have a chance in hell to do ANYTHING on that map except sit there in total darkness and suck your thumb. Even if you have a map, navigating through town is impossible since you can not see ANY of the zombies, or houses, or roads, or open doors, or loot, or fences, or bandits, or team mates.

If you have team mates, don't even think about sticking together, you won't get anywhere. You can't see each other unless you are ALL sitting on a flare or someone is holding a flare (sucks to be him, he will likely die).. and even then, not being able to see anyone else on the team renders coordination very, VERY hard.

EFFECT: Almost every server has to change its time whenever it starts getting even remotely dark, otherwise the server completely empties. Instead of preventing people from using the brightness/gamma exploit, they made it so night time servers are nearly impossible to play. This DID hurt DayZ's popularity, as it completely broke the night time aspect of the game, which was popular with many people. Now me, and all my friends, have no choice but to avoid night maps like the plague, despite us (before) liking to play on them. Some don't even bother to play anymore.

SOLUTION: Definitely ease up on the brightness and gamma lock, so we can be able to see. I suggest that you put the brightness/gamma to where it was normally (if brightness/gamma is set to 1.0), but to LOCK IT at 1.0. This way, you can only barely see, but it is still dark. The only way to get by this lock is to change your actual monitor settings, which most will not bother with.

The goal is to make it hard to see, not impossible to see!!!!

[z64dan 17]

I understand the "hardcore" players who want it to be pitch black at night, so that they can use NVG and kill people willy-nilly.

The problem is, you won't have anyone to kill, because nobody wants to play a game where they can't see. So the 1-2 other people on your giant map who are actually staying on the server will also have NVG. Sounds like a pretty fuckin boring experience to me....

[Techercizer 82]

Wait, what happened to "The night is too damn dark!"? That thread had a way better title than this one...

[Maderas 12]

I posted my displeasure about this in the other thread, but yes, I think the night is too dark most of the time and it's only gotten worse now that zombies spot you from further away even in the dark. People starting with flashlights was a step in the right direction, although it's still a massive beacon to anybody nearby - last night I was trying to sneak through a town while only occasionally clicking on the light when I was hopelessly lost (which was most the time, as it was pitch black, but I was inching my way forward) and ended up getting shot from who knows where while in the process of trying to cross the street.

I'd prefer it if it was at least semi-feasible to find your way around open areas without the need of a light, while still needing a light source to see things once you actually go indoors or into a forest. I don't know how feasible that is, though. From what I've seen the darkness doesn't take your surroundings into account at all; buildings aren't darker than fields, etc. Everything is the same brightness level, which is usually either so bright you barely need to turn up your gamma or so dark you can't see anything no matter what.

[mrpotty 0]

Is this issue really a problem of a patch? I remember pitchblack nights in Arma II too, it all depends on the mission date.

To demonstrate this you just have to go to the editor and change the mission date and time.

Date: Oktober 12th, 2008; Time: 0:20 AM

And in the game:

That's how it looks with a full moon.

Now let's start changing the date!

Date: Oktober 16th, 2008; Time: 0:20 AM

And in the game:

It's a half moon now.

Date: Oktober 18th, 2008; Time: 0:20 AM

And in the game:

Now there is no moon.

So just go to the editor and play with the dates/times and see how it changes the visibility.

My guess is that the servers are now on a mission date/time where no moon is visible. The question now is if this was intended or if there just is a progression in the date, so we experience different moon phases.

[Nighthawk4 3]

I have once been on a server, where it was night and there was a moon. Was pretty fun. You could see, but a zombie in the shadows was pretty much impossible to see. That's what I expect.

Now the other day (1.7.0 still) I went onto another server where it was night too, and there I couldn't tell the game had loaded, the "loading" text in the middle of the screen just vanished. How do you guys expect me to play with such lighting?

[Big Boss (DayZ) 23]

I see the nighttime game play has changed. I see another rise if flare use, and the speed of looting stepped up instead of sneaking. Also chemlights are a good sneaky light tool for looting buildings (:

I've already seen a player set/camp a chem light trap at Balota Airfield.

This also puts players in a position to shoot zeds so they can loot and scoot before stalkers creep their flares.

[zyromkiru 1]

when you run out of light the game becomes horrible. Some light would be wayyyyy more realistic. Eyes adjust and you can at least see an outline of the ground outside instead of BLACK

[SockpuppetSamurai 11]

The amount of whining because people are forced to use some form of illumination in the middle of the night is fucking stupid.

"Whaaa! I can't see, it's dark and I'm scurred!" "Game is broken, my gamma tweaks don't make it bright as day anymore."

Fuck off, all of you.

[Notlim 2]

I wish the OP was edited with some peoples opinion on the realism of it all. Its not. If there's even a sliver of a moon out you can see terrain okay, and you can DEFINITELY see city structures vs the ground. How many people here have been in middle of wilderness with no campfire or no vehicle on for a few minutes? I feel like I'm in a damn volcano tube. I'd like to point out the graphic in the background of this forum.

If its a limitation of the engine to be able to be realistically dark then I feel like that should be the stated reason for blackness. Otherwise I find this change definitely going too far if it is the final form for the game.

[Validuz 0]

Flashlight.

Got a gun? Run backwards and fire when you think the zombie is in attackrange.

Flares en-masse. I've mistakenly attracted other players when i was in Cherno by throwing flares. Was quite fun :D

Hold a glowstick with your pistol. If you are scared of snipers, the glowsticks only 'glow' visibly at about 30m.

NVG's. Imagine you find a pair of NVG's and because you have been nagging that they should nerf the darkness. Your awesome NVG's are not so awesome anymore.

(ive played for 35hrs in this mod now. Ive YET TO SEE A CAR!!! Not a single one. (ive seen a chopper and heard car honking though.) but i sure as hell dont want them to become more common cuz then they wont be special when i find it.