CosmicOsmo 1 Posted May 21, 2012 I know Rocket has mentioned technical reasons why changing the day length is impossible or hard, but setting that aside for a moment, I wanted to share my opinion on why a compressed day could actually enhance realism if it could be implement.Obviously, it is realistic on the surface level for a day to last 24 hours. This is very simple.However, it is realistic on a much deeper level for the day/night cycle to affect gameplay in a natural way. In a survival situation, people would choose to have reduced activity during the night, but would occasionally choose or be forced to become active during night, to take advantage of the cloak of darkness or to respond to interference by others. This is not currently happening in DayZ. What is more common is that people choose to switch servers during nighttime hours to always play in daylight. The ability to select the current position of the sun by stepping through a dimensional doorway into another server in not realistic.If the length of a day were something like 5, 7, or 10 hours (ie. not something that cleanly divides into 24) and ALL servers were synchronized to the same cycle, then the following things would happen:- People who can only regularly play for the same period each evening in their local time wouldn't always have to play at the same time of day in-game. They would get some variety, because the daylight cycle moves around relative to real-world time.- People would get caught by the sun setting and/or rising during their operations (by surprise even, if they didn't/couldn't check the time, or become delayed).- People would not be able to magically choose the time to suit their needs.- People who wanted to plan some activities that required light or dark wouldn't have to wait as long to do so.- The high rate of food and water consumption would be put in a more sensible context. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
glowfow@hotmail.com 55 Posted May 21, 2012 I completely agree with this! So far this is my only gripe with this game (apart from the bugs obviously, but that's just part of the development process). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_triumph_ 1 Posted May 21, 2012 Seeing anything at night is just unrealistically bad. Everyone suffers from night blindness even with a full moon out. Solve that issue and playing at night without a torch becomes fun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Burned Man 20 Posted May 21, 2012 Quote Seeing anything at night is just unrealistically bad. Everyone suffers from night blindness even with a full moon out. Solve that issue and playing at night without a torch becomes fun.The game is as bright as day with a full moon even without changing gamma settings.Not using a torch or chemlight at night makes the night pointless.This wasn't much of a problem the first weeks of the mod, why is it now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyline 1 Posted May 21, 2012 Totally agree. Survivors shouldn't be able to chose if they want play at night or at day. They should have to deal with both. Also as you said, ALL servers should be synchronized to the database, so wherever server you log in, it will be the same time. People would not server jump to find a server with the time they like. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Demorro 0 Posted May 21, 2012 I agree 100% There are many parts of the game that simply cannot be done at night without the right gear. It's the transition from day to night that provides tension, and the transition from night to day that provides relief.Here's a thought, what if the game was more dangerous in the dark, (slightly increased zombie count, darkness, etc,) but had slightly better loot on average, that would create an incentive to play in the dark. Still don't want to be locked out of the game for a whole half of the day though because I can't see. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterjts 1 Posted May 21, 2012 I like it how it is. I enjoy night a bit more than day and it is much easier to get onto servers when people leave in disgust. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misterzen (DayZ) 0 Posted May 21, 2012 Quote Survivors shouldn't be able to chose if they want play at night or at day. They should have to deal with both. I disagree, Skyline. There is something fundamentally wrong in what you said. You went to the extreme; it's one thing to comment on the number of people unnecessarily complaining about the dark, it's a completely other beast to claim that players/survivors should have no control of when they are playing.I literally cannot see anything except for the stars in the sky when I log on at night, and I typically only have one or two flares..which will only get me so far in the utter blackness. Perhaps it's my gamma; I haven't checked, but until I find some NVGs, I'm not playing at night..and that is my choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_triumph_ 1 Posted May 21, 2012 'The Burned Man said: Quote Seeing anything at night is just unrealistically bad. Everyone suffers from night blindness even with a full moon out. Solve that issue and playing at night without a torch becomes fun.The game is as bright as day with a full moon even without changing gamma settings.Not using a torch or chemlight at night makes the night pointless.This wasn't much of a problem the first weeks of the mod' date=' why is it now?[/quote']Only time I could see anything in the dark was when I entered a server right at 4am game time and even that seemed a bit off. Not having night vision, and I don't mean night vision goggles makes night time pointless which is why people keep hopping servers. If I go inside a structure I should need a light or in a dark valley. But when I can't see anything crossing an open field its just strange and doesn't represent night vision well at all. It's not like my character is staring at a light and then going outside. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dallas 5195 Posted May 21, 2012 Atm moon rises around 1AM. DayZ/ArmA has a real day night cycle, a real calendar year and a working lunar cycle. Just survive long enough for the moon to go full.Any action in DayZ, comes with a risk, so does traveling at night. There are less players on servers at night, so start getting comfortable using flares, chemlights, flash light and ears. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pauleh 1 Posted May 21, 2012 I wouldn't mind nights if the cycle was shorter, I have no problems playing at night if I know in a hour or two it will be dawn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_triumph_ 1 Posted May 21, 2012 'Dallas said: Atm moon rises around 1AM. DayZ/ArmA has a real day night cycle' date=' a real calendar year and a working lunar cycle. Just survive long enough for the moon to go full.Any action in DayZ, comes with a risk, so does traveling at night. There are less players on servers at night, so start getting comfortable using flares, chemlights, flash light and ears.[/quote']Server switch or stare at a black screen for a couple hours? Not a hard choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PzIV (DayZ) 1 Posted May 21, 2012 'Tri said: Quote Atm moon rises around 1AM. DayZ/ArmA has a real day night cycle' date=' a real calendar year and a working lunar cycle. Just survive long enough for the moon to go full.Any action in DayZ, comes with a risk, so does traveling at night. There are less players on servers at night, so start getting comfortable using flares, chemlights, flash light and ears.[/quote']Server switch or stare at a black screen for a couple hours? Not a hard choice.If the only thing that changed was a moon that never went completely dark, I'd be 100% satisfied. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dallas 5195 Posted May 21, 2012 'PzIV said: If the only thing that changed was a moon that never went completely dark' date=' I'd be 100% satisfied.[/quote']That's not how the moon works. It's new or full and travels the rotating night sky, like the sun does at day. If you want to freeze the full moon on the sky, why stop there, let's stop time completely and lock the sun at zenith. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dylan(Pezix) 0 Posted May 21, 2012 This issue needs to die or be thrown together with the other threads too many night time issue threads to comment on. Look this game wasn't meant to be easy or nice or controllable, that is the point of the anti-game, it's cruel, it doesn't care if you want to play during the day or not. Rocket gave you flares so use them... I usually only hit night time on my work days also but you have to adapt to your surroundings, it's survival. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grey508 17 Posted May 21, 2012 'The Burned Man said: This wasn't much of a problem the first weeks of the mod' date=' why is it now?[/quote']Because, in the first weeks of the mod, the moon was in a different phase. This weekend was the new moon, so it was as dark as it is going to get. In two weeks or so, it will be full moon again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CosmicOsmo 1 Posted May 21, 2012 'Dylan(Pezix) said: This issue needs to die or be thrown together with the other threads too many night time issue threads to comment on. Look this game wasn't meant to be easy or nice or controllable' date=' that is the point of the anti-game, it's cruel, it doesn't care if you want to play during the day or not. Rocket gave you flares so use them... I usually only hit night time on my work days also but you have to adapt to your surroundings, it's survival.[/quote']I don't think you understood my OP. Right now everyone is avoiding night by switching servers. I want night to be an important, unavoidable part of gameplay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites