Carriage Lights - Strange Button in Broken Railroad

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I'm pretty sure that many of you have seen this button. If you haven't, it's located at the driver's seat in the carriage in Broken Railroad. The button doesn't have a 3D model. It's just a large hitbox with the label: GAMEPLAY_Lights.

Anyway, I've known about this button for a long time now, about a week since Wintermute was released, but for all that time, I haven't had a chance to check out what it does. I have a stalker playthrough where I was about to leave Broken Railroad (hopefully for good) and I thought that since I wasn't planning on coming back, I should check it out.

Well it took quite a while waiting for an early aurora but I managed to get one a few hours after twilight. I made my way to the carriage. I had a sprained ankle, which I sustained fighting a wolf, keeping the path clear during the day in order to make sure I didn't get cornered on my way to and from the carriage during the aurora, but I made it safe and sound. I clicked the button and noticed that something changed. There was an ambient change in brightness. I looked around and saw that there seemed to be light from outside the carriage, at the front and back, that made a bright spot at the front and back of the carriage on the inside. I stepped out of the carriage and this is what I saw:

This seems to be an intended feature of these carriages but I've only ever found the peculiar button in Broken Railroad. My guess is that it's a feature that isn't quite finished but Hinterland plans to properly implement it in the future. Thoughts?

[Kedge]

Oh wow I never saw that before! Then again, I've much to see. I only just started playing  recently. I always try pushing buttons, keyboards, switches, etc when an aurora happens. I never tried, but do radios work during? That would be cool to hear a little something, even static. All I know about is the flashlight. I like to think that like this carriage button, other objects were also intended and maybe one day be more functional during an aurora too. Very interesting.

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1 hour ago, Kedge said:

I always try pushing buttons, keyboards, switches, etc when an aurora happens. I never tried, but do radios work during?

Basically all buttons that have functions during auroras have interactions even if there is no aurora, i.e. the buttons exist even if the aurora isn't present. I'm not talking about keys on in-game computers or light switches or what not. Basically, these are objects in the 3D environment that the player can interact with using the pointer (all dropped objects are buttons, doors are buttons, containers are buttons). In fact the button I'm referring to in this post doesn't have a 3D model, i.e. the object doesn't have a visible presence in the 3D environment, but it has a hitbox which displays the label (GAMEPLAY_Lights) when the player is within interaction distance. Even without an aurora, this button can be clicked and plays a sound when the player does so.

So to simplify what I just said, these objects are interactive even without an aurora. They have hitboxes (interaction hitboxes, not the same hitboxes used to calculate weapon hits). They probably have labels that are displayed on the UI when you're within interaction distance but not necessarily.

[Kedge]

I understood what you said, I understand. I mod/model myself, and I know that. All I said was I'd love to hear radios work, and that I've never seen that on that carriage before. In fact, the last time I saw that carriage, I was running for my life, haha. It's interesting and all, but I have my eyes set on Milton. Can't wait. Next week!

[Winnsford]

26 minutes ago, Kedge said:

I'd love to hear radios work

During the next aurora try the radios. I think you get a pleasant surprise.

[Fuarian]

You know, I was wondering about this today when I was in Broken Railroad and it didn't show up. This was before the update.

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3 hours ago, Fuarian said:

You know, I was wondering about this today when I was in Broken Railroad and it didn't show up. This was before the update.

OMFG! Today's update remove the button?

I wonder what they plan to do with the feature. I hope they don't remove it entirely...

[Fuarian]

7 hours ago, shade_grey said:

OMFG! Today's update remove the button?

I wonder what they plan to do with the feature. I hope they don't remove it entirely...

Did you not read what I just said?

I said this was before the update.

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49 minutes ago, Fuarian said:

I said this was before the update.

I thought you were referring to the button when you said that...

[Rusty_Old_F250]

Interesting... Makes me wonder if a part of story mode will involve getting one of them running and using it to reach someplace. These cars are faithful recreation of some shop build cars designed to haul loggers out into the woods, loggers called them crummy(s). Built by CANFOR, there were several of them, each slightly different, built in the 1940's (I think, I have a magazine article that details their history) The shop built them using truck engines and some running gear. 

My main point here, 40s/50s/60s truck engines are dead simple, carburetor for fuel supply and points for ignition. Mackenzie could get one running in his sleep.

Sam