Dark side of planets
- Thread starter LJITimate
- Start date
This. Although not limited to the ambient light of the galaxy, but all light sources around. That means (just from the top of my head, probably far from complete):
- indirect light reflected from other planets/moons
- direct light from other stars in the system
In the case of multi-star systems, this would also generate multiple, and possibly differently coloured, shadows. Yes, this would tax even good graphics cards quite a bit, so I can see why we have the current situation - in which planets in a system with a black hole primary and a class B secondary are pitch black
Back before they changed the lighting I did that once. The terrain does't get shown in detail on your radar until you're at a relatively low altitude so if you were at say 2km altitude and flying towards a cliff face which was a) pretty much vertical) and b) 4km high the first you knew about it was when you flew into it. That goes double if you had the audacity to play the game in a room which wasn't 100% dark.
It's a personal preference obviously and I do think the way it gets brighter now as you get nearer to the surface on the dark side is visually jarring, but just be careful what you wish for. I just stopped landing at anything on the dark side of a planet eventually because without some form of ship lights that are more effective than sticking a torch on the front of my ship with blu-tak it was just a massive pain in the backside.
that's why some people want it to be an option, if it turns out to be annoying, you can turn it off and if you want a bit of a challenge, turn it on
I understand that FD made the dark side lighter for "gameplay reasons". I would prefer proper dark too - it would be great if things like this could be configured (like orbit lines). I remember finding myself on the dark side of a planet inadvertently once (I landed when it was light) in the early days, and it was a great experience (I did fly around to see the sun rise ).
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Ah the old dark side thread ... I want dark sides to be dark. not this nonsense we have now.
Deleted member 38366
D
Typical Ecplise I'm seeing :
Basically even then, the deeper Canyons/Craters get some articifial illumation while the higher parts actually go dark, resulting in that "fog layers" effect.
Lacking various Image Enhancement modes for the Cockpit, I guess the artificial recoloring and brightening is quite useful.
I'd prefer pitch black, though, no later than we (hopefully) get such different Vision modes (Thermal, Light Amplification, UV, Electro-Optical, fully Synthetic).
Basically even then, the deeper Canyons/Craters get some articifial illumation while the higher parts actually go dark, resulting in that "fog layers" effect.
Lacking various Image Enhancement modes for the Cockpit, I guess the artificial recoloring and brightening is quite useful.
I'd prefer pitch black, though, no later than we (hopefully) get such different Vision modes (Thermal, Light Amplification, UV, Electro-Optical, fully Synthetic).
I don't think the orbital cruise gauge we currently have is enough for safe, pain free landings in the dark. We need a simple wireframe representation of the terrain to kick in when we enter glide mode.
This is correct. The dark side of planets at the edge of the galaxy are in fact so pitch black that the ONLY lighting source are your headlights. Everything else is as black as your monitor will go. The lightening is actually from ambient sources like the galactic core or nebulae, but surprisingly NOT secondary stars in the system nor moons. So it's realistic passive night vision (like a cat's), up to a point.
This is what the dark side of a planet looks like at the edge of the galaxy, Beagle Point: with no available ambient sources in the sky.
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This. ^^^
The current artificial light buff is way too much, it looks like at a certain altitude the space janitor turns on the floodlights.
verminstar
Banned
I do so miss the old dark sides...with it not being truly dark, feels like frontier are catering to a much younger audience.
Goth pensioners rock.
I'd be okay with it being actually dark if we had enhanced vision modes (like night vision). But then in 3303, I assume the tech would exist to make it look just like it does now when it's dark.
So it doesn't really bother me, and I enjoy not suddenly slamming into the surface.
So it doesn't really bother me, and I enjoy not suddenly slamming into the surface.
This would be my favourite option.
Either night vision or some sort of wireframe view.
This does keep coming up
I think options, yes.
Maybe some sort of light-level management setting or some such.
Though it might be nice if it can then help more in asteroid fields with the lights working much better as a result or something. Hmm
Bonus points if it reverts to no light normalisation and having to deal with ambient light conditions if the canopy pops. Maybe.
I think options, yes.
Maybe some sort of light-level management setting or some such.
Though it might be nice if it can then help more in asteroid fields with the lights working much better as a result or something. Hmm
Bonus points if it reverts to no light normalisation and having to deal with ambient light conditions if the canopy pops. Maybe.
Is it maybe just that the effect of our eyes adjusting needs to happen more slowly? And a bit less.
For example, I never notice the stars emerging from the exposure gloom as we fly away from the star
For example, I never notice the stars emerging from the exposure gloom as we fly away from the star
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As Ziggy pointed out, the darkness should be related to the planet's location in the galaxy and the related star desity.
And as Ziljan confirmed, this is already the case.
I do see the point, that the dark side could in fact be a little bit darker in "our" (the human bubble) region of space.
However, the usual expectation of pitch black nights on planet surfaces comes (obviously) from our own experiences here on earth. Nights here can indeed be pitch black - but only, if the night-sky is overcast and there is no moon and no stars visible at all. Clouds are an atmospheric effect, though and planets we can land on in ED don't have one.
A night with clear sky, on the other hand, can be really bright even here on earth, especially in regions with little pollution. I remember one holiday trip, where we camped in the middle of the Sinai desert (one of the best holidays in my life! ). The moon wasn't there, but the light of the stars alone made it very possible to see and orientate! A newspaper probably would have been not possible to read, but a child's book with nice big letters would. And this is on a planet where the atmosphere (clear, but still present) did still filter some of the light.
Now imagine an airless planet!
Yes, there should be complete darkness in ED.
But applying this demand to each and every planet's night side would not only harm our ability to play the game, but also wouldn't be physically correct!
And as Ziljan confirmed, this is already the case.
I do see the point, that the dark side could in fact be a little bit darker in "our" (the human bubble) region of space.
However, the usual expectation of pitch black nights on planet surfaces comes (obviously) from our own experiences here on earth. Nights here can indeed be pitch black - but only, if the night-sky is overcast and there is no moon and no stars visible at all. Clouds are an atmospheric effect, though and planets we can land on in ED don't have one.
A night with clear sky, on the other hand, can be really bright even here on earth, especially in regions with little pollution. I remember one holiday trip, where we camped in the middle of the Sinai desert (one of the best holidays in my life!
). The moon wasn't there, but the light of the stars alone made it very possible to see and orientate! A newspaper probably would have been not possible to read, but a child's book with nice big letters would. And this is on a planet where the atmosphere (clear, but still present) did still filter some of the light.Now imagine an airless planet!
Yes, there should be complete darkness in ED.
But applying this demand to each and every planet's night side would not only harm our ability to play the game, but also wouldn't be physically correct!
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My vote would be for FD to implement a dramatically reduced (realistic?) level of ambient lighting as a normal state and then to have an in-ship control to do the artificial enhancing of that available light, with maybe 5 or 6 levels of enhancement.
That would cement the notion of it being an artificial enhancement and put the control in our hands to set it how we like/need it at any given time. Like the sensor scale option.
I quite like the idea of that either being fuzzy to emphasise that it is an enhancement, but thats not essential. Just having a bit more control would be nice.
Problem I find is when you're closer to the centre of the galaxy and in a nebula the brightness is just rediculous. Just flying through space in SC away from a star you can be bathed in bright light on the shadow side of the ship.
i realise I'm probably fighting my own expectation of light levels closer to the core, but there is still falloff on light from stars in space, isnt there?
That would cement the notion of it being an artificial enhancement and put the control in our hands to set it how we like/need it at any given time. Like the sensor scale option.
I quite like the idea of that either being fuzzy to emphasise that it is an enhancement, but thats not essential. Just having a bit more control would be nice.
Problem I find is when you're closer to the centre of the galaxy and in a nebula the brightness is just rediculous. Just flying through space in SC away from a star you can be bathed in bright light on the shadow side of the ship.
i realise I'm probably fighting my own expectation of light levels closer to the core, but there is still falloff on light from stars in space, isnt there?
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