Lack of Night vision combined with new "darker" game unnecessarily limits game play

[Eldragon]

A few basic facts:
1- A major component of the game (and method for getting materials) is settlements.
2- Half the settlements are in darkness. Some tidally locked, others with a day/night cycle.
3- The game is very dark, realistic, but very dark. It is also much darker now than it was in Horizons, or even the Odyssey Alpha.
4- Suits do not have night vision by default.


So as designed, half the game is incredibly hard to navigate until you get your first suit upgrade, night vision. This seems like a wasteful reward for something that should be installed by default with every suit.

When browsing missions, the game does not tell you which settlements are in light/dark until you actually reach the planet. So even if making players stick to daylight in the early part of the game, they don't have a good mechanism for knowing what kind of planet they will be approaching.

My conclusion: Ships and the SRV have night vision by default. Suits should be the same.

 

[boomslang69]

use a torch

 

[Jhaelen]

Nightvision is supposed to be an upgrade/mod/attachment.

 

[Distant Carrier]

Second. The combat suit at least should have night vision. What is this, the middle ages?

 

[Ydiss]

I love the way this is designed.

 

[GeoJase]

So how do you get hands on this suit night vision? A particular engineer or a suit upgrade?

 

[Valorin]

I'd like night vision to be standard for suits. Makes little sense to collect stuff and visit an expert for something I'd get cheap at the shop next corner.

 

[Vekt Ey'doom]

I think the reason they didn't give night vision to suits by default is because Night Vision is actually a very large benefit to stealth combat. Your flashlight/Torch makes you extremely easy to see (Your shields do too).

 

[Tom Jacobs]

The flashlight isnt even standard. Took me half an hour to find out how to equip it. Only works with artemis chest piece.

 

[gooddoc]

The flashlight isnt even standard. Took me half an hour to find out how to equip it. Only works with artemis chest piece.

Really??
Isn't Standard??
Only with the artemis??

Probably because you didn't spend time looking through all the keybinds before starting to play the Alpha or Live release.

I've had my suit lights keybind to 'L' on my keyboard since day 1 of Alpha.......& it works for all three Suits.

 

[Darkman Returns]

There is an issue with the flashlight if you use the Pioneer skin and don't use the Pioneer Torso piece. Either just avoid the Pioneer until FDev sort it, or make sure you fit the additional Torso piece.

 

[Shintai]

The new darker is a bug, seems it looks normal on HDR screens.

 

[Tom Jacobs]

Really??
Isn't Standard??
Only with the artemis??

Probably because you didn't spend time looking through all the keybinds before starting to play the Alpha or Live release.

I've had my suit lights keybind to 'L' on my keyboard since day 1 of Alpha.......& it works for all three Suits.

In alpha worked with all suits. Now only works in artemis suit or if i put the artemis chest piece on the other suits.

 

[Tom Jacobs]

There is an issue with the flashlight if you use the Pioneer skin and don't use the Pioneer Torso piece. Either just avoid the Pioneer until FDev sort it, or make sure you fit the additional Torso piece.

Pioneer skin is even more bugged and shows no light at all.

 

[Darkman Returns]

Flashlight works fine for me with the Pioneer suit (and the Pioneer Torso). It works fine with all the other suits too, though I prefer Night Vision for all but close up work.

Maybe this is another issue we don't fully understand, or FDev haven't sorted, yet?

 

[Distant Carrier]

So how do you get hands on this suit night vision? A particular engineer or a suit upgrade?

[Pr.S: This became long and I'm terribly sorry about that. ENFP issues.]

I think you'll get it from the dynamics engineer... I can't remember names, but there is a Force engineer for weapons and defenses and then two other types called 'Dynamics' and 'Science Nerd'. I'm fuzzy on the details, but I'm pretty sure night vision will fall under Dynamics. Someone might maybe correct me if not.

You unlock this particular Dynamics engineer by completing 10 Conflict Zones (surface, not ship borne), and I definitely recommend using a Frontiers (Frontline Solutions) office in any system with a war going on as opposed to flying in with your ship near the CZ, picking a side, and then getting blown to pieces by installation defenses. The dropships are a little wonky but are pretty very cool overall... OR, you can do it like I do and park somewhere close to the combat zone, pick a side, and run directly out of the ship with skirts held high as you hear its shields going down and hull being pelted with cannon shots. Mine always manages to get back into orbit somehow, your results may vary.

Also, be aware your character will become a mess if forced to sprint over 1km, with condensation covering the faceplate and all, if you park far away. I recommend the assisted lunar bounce approach to traversal, and don't forget to release the sprint button when airborne.

As far as combat goes, if you love FPS combat and are a good shot you will have a ton of fun. The AI, while seemingly extremely smart kudos Frontier, is still in it's infancy and is about as combat ready as a group of chickens milling about a chicken run. If you do not love it, fps stuff, then I advise getting as high up as you can and using Aphelion to pick down the shields of every enemy in sight. This will help your side hugely, which may lead to a win, and will also tag every enemy for a combat bond, which is good.

After it ends and if you came in your own ship, an easy way to reset the zone is to turn your shields off and blow yourself up. If you lean toward RP maybe don't do this I would think, but you'll wind up in your ship around 30km up from the installation of interest. If you've managed to get 'destroyed', lol, by one of the opposing force near the end you won't need to do this. Also, there is no penalty for retreating from the combat zone in case the AI gets stuck in "cautiously examine crates with no pallets and the sky and other interesting things" mode and never finishes the battle.

This has been a complimentary AM Briefing. Some people enjoy this treatment nearly every morning on widely varied subjects, and those persons may or may not be reading over my shoulder at this moment as I excitedly type away. Cheers, and happy hunting!

 

[Murfelton]

I lucked into a G3 Dominator with night vision. Only tested it a bit, but makes night missions in unpowered settlements much easier.

 

[Distant Carrier]

I lucked into a G3 Dominator with night vision. Only tested it a bit, but makes night missions in unpowered settlements much easier.

What?? How the hell did you do that? I want one. I must have one.

 

[Just]

I use Nvidia filers to make night mission playable.
Works pretty well.
I could make dark areas even brighter, but it would ruin the "night" feeling.

 

[rennarda]

It's bizarre that in the year 3020-whatever I can't walk into a shop and buy a night vision kit for my suit (or buy a suit with one, you know, installed), but instead I have to sneak around surface bases stealing out of cupboards in order to... - I dunno - how do you get NV on a suit?