DayZ Community afraid of the Dark?

[rn_max 202]

Night time has mostly been made ineffective since the moonlit nights update in 1.7.7(?).  There is usually enough ambient light to see well unaided and quite often it is too bright for NVG's.

 

Even on the rare occasions now when it is actually too dark to see far, there are plenty of chem lights, road flares and flashlights.  Glock G17's and Remington 870's come into their own.

 

What happened to the suspense of blundering around in fear, clinging to the beam of a torch or glow of a chem light, jumping at every sound, hoping not to stumble into zeds or be seen by others?  Or of seeing the frantic waggling of a flashlight beam in the distance, undoubtedly from a panic stricken survivor on the run?

 

 

It is both amusingly ironic and disappointing that a well balanced and reasonable challenge like darkness is diluted and avoided, whilst infection retains its unreasonable 100% lethality, albeit over a whoopee-doo 90 minutes instead of 60 ... and still blind and fainting for the last 14 minutes anyway.  But that is another subject.

[Wayze 549]

Yes, we are able to feel their environment. I get that. In fact I know what you are talking about. I can wander down a hallway and sense door openings I pass. I still can't sense objects at 200 meters which I can do with vision. We don't trip over small branches in DayZ and fall on our faces. That takes care of the sensing our surroundings.

You do NOT know where you step. Go walk around in a dark woods at night, you run a large risk of spraining an ankle if not worse. In a dark house where you have been and know the layout, you have some idea, but not in the woods. Even in pitch black in DayZ we can run full bore and only have a small risk of running down a steep hill and breaking a leg. No tripping and such. Get over that. 

You have heard the phrase, "So dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face."? That comes from something, that being that without light you can't see. In fact in low light that many animals can see in Humans lack enough Rods to absorb enough light to make out much at night. What they can make out is often very low resolution due to where the rods are located in our eyes and them needing enough light stimulation to fire and notify our brains.

I get the feeling you really haven't been out in the wilderness on a rainy night with no moon and no local lighting.  

You still haven't replied to "a bad gameplay decision", because as you see it just is one.

 

Anyways, I don't want to talk about how it is in real life, because I am pretty sure it is not like in DayZ. The point is nobody want to play in dark because it sucks, so make it better.

Like I said the same with first person, make it better and remove third person, so everyone is able to enjoy.

[mercules 1290]

You still haven't replied to "a bad gameplay decision", because as you see it just is one.

 

Anyways, I don't want to talk about how it is in real life, because I am pretty sure it is not like in DayZ. The point is nobody want to play in dark because it sucks, so make it better.

Like I said the same with first person, make it better and remove third person, so everyone is able to enjoy.

 

The thing is you are incorrect, some of us enjoy playing in the dark and think the rest of you are just a little to whiny about it. So your "nobody" is actually, "Not me." and your "Bad Gameplay Decision" issue is actually "I'm afraid of the dark so I cower instead of learning how to play. " issue.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Mercules

[Wayze 549]

The thing is you are incorrect, some of us enjoy playing in the dark and think the rest of you are just a little to whiny about it. So your "nobody" is actually, "Not me." and your "Bad Gameplay Decision" issue is actually "I'm afraid of the dark so I cower instead of learning how to play. " issue.

I don't think you understand how game designing works. You know, games are supposed to make fun. It is the problem of the developers to fix the problem, because the players won't do it anyway.

Like I said, same problem with first person...

[mercules 1290]

I don't think you understand how game designing works. You know, games are supposed to make fun. It is the problem of the developers to fix the problem, because the players won't do it anyway.

Like I said, same problem with first person...

No, I understand it. The issue is not the game where the developers have given people plenty of tools, Flashlights, weapons with flashlights on them, NV Scopes, NV Goggles, Flares, Campfires, various Glow Sticks with different range, Full Moon nearly always. The issue is the players giving up without trying. The game gives you the tools and is a lot of fun if you actually use them instead of just pronouncing the game broken and deciding it is too hard. 

At night Zed risk goes down but Player risk goes up. Looting out of the way towns is excellent at night but you always run the risk that you will run into other players and give your position away with too much light or not notice the other player with too little light. 

Harder does not equal a problem or broken, it equals lazy or clueless players seeking easier solutions and labeling it broken.

[BC_Hawke 276]

Why exactly are all you people talking about playing in the pitch black? I have heard people say things like, "Crap! Nothing but flares." or "Empty tin cans and Glow Sticks? This sucks." Yeah, it isn't like finding another clip for your gun but it isn't trash if you actually challenge yourself and play at night. A carried Blue Chemlight will let you see your immediate surroundings and won't be overtly noticeable at range. At best until close you see a blue point.Once really close it is all but impossible to miss the bright glowing person. You are at disadvantage against someone with NVGs but that makes sense since you can find blue chemlights everywhere and NVGs are pretty rare. G17 has a flashlight attached which is excellent for quick peeks when in cover like a dark interior and if you don't mind using a shotgun the Remington 870 can work like this as well.

"But someone might be watching me with NVGs and shoot me while I skulk around." Um, yeah, that is true but that is also the point. Stick to cover so you don't get sniped, keep the engagement ranges low by sticking to crowded areas and you can whip out a flare or with the guns I mentioned above flick on the flashlight and blind those people, as long as they are close. With big towns I will sometimes throw some flares out the side of the town to attract zombies that way and also put a light barrier between me and anyone shooting into town.

Honestly, some of the people who won't play at night... They give you all the tools to get around at night. If you are scared of dying you shouldn't be playing DayZ.

^^ Truth. It's beyond me why people don't use chem lights or think of smart ways to use flares. Nighttime used to be fun and incredibly intense in DayZ. It was one of my favorite aspects of the game. I really miss it.

[BC_Hawke 276]

Harder does not equal a problem or broken, it equals lazy or clueless players seeking easier solutions and labeling it broken.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[piffaroni 13]

1.7.7.1 has a know time bug...

 

I wanted my server to run from 1600-2300 and restart, but the stupid time sync bug ruins it

[Imafighter 236]

Ooooo, spooooookyyyyyyyy

[klesh 2423]

People can't handle the game when it's not easymode, they use the guise of "fun", not realizing that when its hard, its fun too, just another kind of fun.

 

This is the same reason we see servers with 300+ cars, barracks all over the place, weapons lists that include every gun in Arma, and 24/7 daylight servers.  People would rather turn the game into Battlefield 2 pvp with a sprinkle of zombies, than play a brutal zombie apocalypse survival game.  They want cheap thrills instant fun, they don't want the DayZ experience.  These are the people that will hate the standalone, especially after months and months of the lame pseudo rambo mods of DayZ that are out there.

 

 

[Wayze 549]

No, I understand it. The issue is not the game where the developers have given people plenty of tools, Flashlights, weapons with flashlights on them, NV Scopes, NV Goggles, Flares, Campfires, various Glow Sticks with different range, Full Moon nearly always. The issue is the players giving up without trying. The game gives you the tools and is a lot of fun if you actually use them instead of just pronouncing the game broken and deciding it is too hard. 

At night Zed risk goes down but Player risk goes up. Looting out of the way towns is excellent at night but you always run the risk that you will run into other players and give your position away with too much light or not notice the other player with too little light. 

Harder does not equal a problem or broken, it equals lazy or clueless players seeking easier solutions and labeling it broken.

Lazy players? No way man, never heard of something like that!

 

Seriously, you obviously have no idea of game design. If you do something and people just don't like it and do not use it, it is not the fault of the players but of the developers. The player does always what he wants.

 

What you do not understand is that a bad design decision does not have to break a game. Players are lazy, yes. But like I said the designer has to have this in mind. Dean never wanted the nights to be like freaking dark, it was forced by the arma engine. If 97 of 100 people do not like the way you talk to them, you just tell them "Oh, it's your fault, you f*ckers do not understand me!"?.

 

 

 

 

People can't handle the game when it's not easymode, they use the guise of "fun", not realizing that when its hard, its fun too, just another kind of fun.

 

This is the same reason we see servers with 300+ cars, barracks all over the place, weapons lists that include every gun in Arma, and 24/7 daylight servers.  People would rather turn the game into Battlefield 2 pvp with a sprinkle of zombies, than play a brutal zombie apocalypse survival game.  They want cheap thrills instant fun, they don't want the DayZ experience.  These are the people that will hate the standalone, especially after months and months of the lame pseudo rambo mods of DayZ that are out there.

 

 

I agree. However I think DayZ turned into a battlefield when hardcoreplayers got bored. Then, because the game turned into a battlefield, the casual players came and played it. That's however how I expirienced it.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Wayze

[dr mailman 0]

I honestly love nighttime in the game, and in rl on cloudy moonless nights it would be pitch blackl. i really think that you shouldent be able to change it to 24/7 day. I like it the way it is in vanilla

[Wayze 549]

I honestly love nighttime in the game, and in rl on cloudy moonless nights it would be pitch blackl. i really think that you shouldent be able to change it to 24/7 day. I like it the way it is in vanilla

Totally realistic:

 

 

Or even better, you can see the stars:

Edited September 18, 2013 by Wayze

[Boshed 29]

Save your fingers lads.

 

You can't argue with someone who thinks you can see things when there is no light around...

[Gwraspe 318]

night play is intense as fuck and an important part of the game for me. raiding airfields by night with chemlights cause you couldnt find NVG is exciting, much more so than how most people are playing this game whereby they camp and shoot someone theyve never spoken to with a DMR from 500m away.

[Wayze 549]

Save your fingers lads.

 

You can't argue with someone who thinks you can see things when there is no light around...

Sure, the stars and the moon are painted on the sky. If there was no light around, even animals couldn't see sh*t, you genius. Eyes are able to adapt to darkness, but if you were ever like more than 1 hour outside in the darkness with no lightsource, you would know that.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Wayze

[Boshed 29]

Sure, the stars and the moon are painted on the sky. If there was no light around, even animals couldn't see sh*t, you genius. Eyes are able to adapt to darkness, but if you were ever like more than 1 hour outside in the darkness with no lightsource, you would know that.

 

Just carry on with that attitude fella, really productive - the worthwhile people on this forum see straight thought this kind of statement and your ignorant bigoted manner shines thought in all its glory.

 

Oh right yeah, I've never left my house for more than 1-hour at ngiht.  Yeah, sorry forgot I lived in a basement, geeze

 

My statement still stands however, if there is no light you can't see, simple as.

 

NB - Yes animals generally can't see sh*t at night.  Those that do come out at night generally use their sense of smell/hearing to get around.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Boshed

[Sutinen 635]

It is fun to play at night with flares and flashlights, if you know how to enjoy it. Most people play competitive and wont even touch night servers because "NVG players are gonna kill them"

I actually teamed up with a dude and we looted buildings while travelling up north. Got moved down by an MK48. Oh well.

[Wayze 549]

Just carry on with that attitude fella, really productive - the worthwhile people on this forum see straight thought this kind of statement and your ignorant bigoted manner shines thought in all its glory.

How sweet. You provocate me, I respond, and you cry like a girl.

 

Oh right yeah, I've never left my house for more than 1-hour at ngiht.  Yeah, sorry forgot I lived in a basement, geeze

That is what you said. I said, if you were ever outside in darkness with no light source for more than an hour then you would know that. Actually, there are very, very few people who did that, atleast in my country. So, geeze, don't cry about it.

 

My statement still stands however, if there is no light you can't see, simple as.

You don't say. However, there is never "no light" outside.

 

NB - Yes animals generally can't see sh*t at night.  Those that do come out at night generally use their sense of smell/hearing to get around.

Wrong.

https://www.ebiomedia.com/how-do-animals-see-in-the-dark.html

[Target Practice (DayZ) 1335]

There is almost always, always some kind of light around. That's how NVGs work - they pick up the light that's too dim for the naked eye to see and amplify it to a level where it can.

 

I don't have a problem with playing in the dark in theory - my main issue is that it doesn't seem to affect zombie behaviour overly (that I've noticed, anyway), and as such puts me in considerably more danger than I'd otherwise be in if I raided the same village during the day. As that's the case, and survival is my main priority, I'll wait until daytime before raiding any area where I expect there to be more zombies than I could reasonably deal with in limited visibility. To that end, if I can't do one of my main activities in the dark, then there doesn't really seem to be too much point playing on a server where I'd have to spend half my time waiting for the sun to come up so I could do anything other than travel from town to town. DayZ is already close enough to a cross-country jogging simulator, the last thing I need is for it to be a 'camping in the woods' simulator too.

 

Like I said, I like the idea in theory, but in practicality, I find that in its current form, darkness is just a chore.

[Boshed 29]

How sweet. You provocate me, I respond, and you cry like a girl.

 

That is what you said. I said, if you were ever outside in darkness with no light source for more than an hour then you would know that. Actually, there are very, very few people who did that, atleast in my country. So, geeze, don't cry about it.

 

You don't say. However, there is never "no light" outside.

 

Wrong.

https://www.ebiomedia.com/how-do-animals-see-in-the-dark.html

 

No tears here sweetness, just observations about your attitude

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

Personally, for my own tastes - I love full day/night cycle servers. I play DayZ first person only most of the time, and I go in for the full immersion experience.

 

Each person has their own style though.

[OfficerRaymond 2064]

I cannot wait till standalone. Hopefully it'll have amazing nights that are locked to time zones.

[mercules 1290]

Sure, the stars and the moon are painted on the sky. If there was no light around, even animals couldn't see sh*t, you genius. Eyes are able to adapt to darkness, but if you were ever like more than 1 hour outside in the darkness with no lightsource, you would know that.

 

The ignorance of simple biology astounds me. First people think anti-biotics will cure viral infections now they think animals see exactly the same as humans. I'm dumbfounded. My 11-year-old knows this stuff. 

 

 

Cats' nocturnal vision is far superior to that of humans, however they can't see in total darkness. They can see clearly with only one-sixth of the illumination we need to see, so when you're trying to read that newspaper at twilight, ask your cat for help! In the feline, the muscles of the iris surrounding the pupils are constructed in a fashion that allows the eye to narrow to a vertical slit in bright light and to open fully in very dim light, to allow a maximum of illumination.

In addition, a reflective layer behind the cat's retina called the tapetum lucidum reflects incoming light and bounces it back off the cones, making more use of the existing light. The tapetum is probably responsible for the fact that when a small amount of light hits a cat's eyes at night, you see shiny green orbs.

 

These special feline features have probably developed for survival purposes, as wild cats are nocturnal and do much of their hunting at night.

There is light out there, but human eyes can only do so much. The reason many animals operate at night is because they have specifically evolved to be nocturnal and operate in light conditions that would leave a human blind. In addition while we can adapt to the light and see well enough to move around in extremely dim light we can no longer focus. Cones which detect color are densely packed in the focal area of our retina which allows us very clear color vision in normal light conditions. This area has fewer rods. As we have less and less light the Cones stop being able to function but the Rods still can for a while. The issue is that as I said, the focal area does not have as many Rods. So sometimes you can see something in the dark out of the corner of your eye but when you look at it directly you can no longer see it because there are not enough Rods in the focal area to process it. So night vision is really good at detecting motion but not very good for precise things. It would be great if they could capture that in a video game. 

Oh, and again this is not a bad design feature for a "HORROR ZOMBIE SURVIVAL SIM". Running around in the dark wondering if you are going to die seems like a really good thing for that game. 

 

[foggierglint 7]

I cannot wait till standalone. Hopefully it'll have amazing nights that are locked to time zones.

No chance. If I sat at home and did nothing but play 24/7, I'd be fine with the cycle. As having a real life and only playing for a few hours a day at most, typically after the rest of the family is in bed, that would leave me playing at night 90% of the time. That's why I play 24/7 daytime servers. I don't have a set schedule for when I can play, and if I can jump on the game for a quick bit, I don't want to spend it playing in the dark. In my mind, it's night time the whole time I'm logged off.