Phases of the Moon

[ethomas21]

My wish list item is a background environmental change, adding realistic moonrise/moonset times and moon phases to the game. Looks pretty, and gives more light at night if its full.

[Leonard87]

I had this thought, too. Like that idea. Full moon is really bright. +1

[AmericanSteel]

The lumes would definitely have an impact walking around a night. +1.

[Gaboris]

+1 for moon phases all the way.

I just LOVE it when I take my dog out for the night time walk and there's a full moon that basically lights up everything better then the actual streetlights.

[Everis]

+1

Great idea, almost wish I thought of it first.

[Dirmagnos]

Rly good idea, would add variability and new tactics, depending on lunar cycles.

[Arcani]

+1

Good Idea! Moon Phases

[CountZero]

I'm for howling with the beast... +1

[Leonard87]

Along with it, a real-life starlit sky would be nice too. Of course, brighter with new moon ^^ anyway, howling with the wolves would be great :-)

[cekivi]

Awesome idea! + 1

[CountZero]

hehe....it seems our wish is granted with the new update....I find new moons every 5th day it seems....could be wrong

[cekivi]

Neat. I saw enhanced weather and dusk/dawn lighting in the change log but I didn't remember seeing anything about night time changes...

[Leonard87]

I saw new moon and full moon so far. Great addition. Still i think full moon is even brighter, especially without any air pollution there to happen. Furthermore, snow reflects a whole lot of light. This is important, because full moon can actually cast noticable shadows. Anyway, great addition. :-)

Edit: I've obviously meant light pollution not air pollution ^^ Do you think it could be a good idea to add the next moon phase in the ingame panel? After all it would be annoying to count days... otherwise if your rested you'd have to go out and watch it... would be still better if the moon phase would be estimateable by the light available in houses... Then you would only have to know, whether it's decreasing or increasing... (http://www.moon-phases.net/aboutmoon.html) On new moon it is obviously impossible to go out and do anything (at least on stalker).

[Gaboris]

Wait they added it? Well then that explains what I experienced on my second night.

I got stuck in a car by wolves around dusk and I tried to "sleep them away". I woke up to a pitch black night that only had a dark round shadow in the sky. I froze to death shortly since the wolves were still around.

So YAY! The moon can get REAL dark, but does a full moon properly light up everything like it's day?

[jackattack]

I wouldn't compare it to daylight, but a full moon is more than enough light to navigate by, and will in fact cast distinct shadows. I had occasion to walk home in the dark without streetlights for an extended period, and the difference between no moon and full moon was (to me, a child of the suburbs) startling.

You do, however, lose a great deal of color perception by moonlight.

[Leonard87]

Wait they added it? Well then that explains what I experienced on my second night.

I got stuck in a car by wolves around dusk and I tried to "sleep them away". I woke up to a pitch black night that only had a dark round shadow in the sky. I froze to death shortly since the wolves were still around.

So YAY! The moon can get REAL dark, but does a full moon properly light up everything like it's day?

In the night (whether full moon or new moon) and late twilight mainly the rod cells of the retina are working which means no color-perception. There is (in most cases) simply not enough light to stimulate the Cone cells. This means shape and movement detection is quite good in full moon powered by rod cells. On the other hand Cone cells are nearly useless, so (nearly) no colors. Considering shape and movement on full moon your rod cells are quite as good as your cone cells in daylight. But black shapes in black shapes (wolf in front of a tree) can hardly be distinguished, Best by shadows in the right line of sight arrangement. However, maaybe there is a slight color-perception, so enough light in certain full moon nights.

By the way. A way to simulate night is adding a dark blue filter over an image (e.g. movies, paintings & games). This may simulate nighttime, because blue light has the shortest wavelength of visually perceptible light. So maybe cone cells are still responding to that bit of it. (Still not completely figured out by science. It is the same with the bigger moon illusion) ( following link: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronom ... t12312014/) Still, because everything has the blue touch this cannot suffice to distinguish colors.

In the above posted photos the photographer said, that the sky didn't look blue but nearly gray. It is just the camera that did it.

[madrepityu]

Guys, it was in the previous builds, as well! I believe it's in the game since the beginning!

I didn't understand this thread, because I clearly saw the different phases of the moon every night I spent ingame, since a very long time ago.

Since I first saw this thread I made few screenshots, but I didn't post them. My plan was to made screenshots every night, with every moon phases. But I got bored after the 4th day, and I decided not posting any pics because I don't wanted to be the clever guy.

But now, as I read that you may think it's a new feature, I have to enlighten you that it's not. Unfortunately, I already deleted most of the pics, but I still have the pics from the first two nights.

It's so funny to see so many people requesting something what's already in the game. :lol:

Unfortunately they are not the debug ones, so you have to believe me that they're made in v258!

[Leonard87]

hmm, never had the feeling that the night-sky has a big effect on light conditions... as seen on your the pictures. The last time i saw the moon ingame, it seemed to me that now it affects the light conditions a litte bit more. still, a bigger effect would be great.

[Gaboris]

Guys, it was in the previous builds, as well! I believe it's in the game since the beginning!

Wait, really? Good lord have I been avoiding looking at the night sky THAT much? O_o

Maybe I didn't notice because the moon didn't affect the "nighttime lighting"? Can't remember, but at least now we know for sure that it's working.

[CountZero]

Guys, it was in the previous builds, as well! I believe it's in the game since the beginning!

Wait, really? Good lord have I been avoiding looking at the night sky THAT much? O_o

Maybe I didn't notice because the moon didn't affect the "nighttime lighting"? Can't remember, but at least now we know for sure that it's working.

oh you sly dog....

[madrepityu]

Guys, it was in the previous builds, as well! I believe it's in the game since the beginning!

Wait, really? Good lord have I been avoiding looking at the night sky THAT much? O_o

Maybe I didn't notice because the moon didn't affect the "nighttime lighting"? Can't remember, but at least now we know for sure that it's working.

[Leonard87]

[...] Still i think full moon is even brighter, especially without any light pollution there to happen. Furthermore, snow reflects a whole lot of light. [...]

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-blogs/struck-moonlight12312014/

The same window without additional light

(quotes for comparison) I don't think that this looks right. Again you do a great job and i like this game very much. i know this is complaning about first world problems. Actually standing right in front of the window from inside in direction of the full moon shouldn't render plain black. The lighting should more be comparable to twilight, considering shades of gray (or dark blue), so that white snow is actually quite white. So less colour-saturation, and maybe some dark blue filter, but more light.

[cekivi]

I remember seeing the full moon from time to time... but I must admit I also try to avoid being outside at night as much as possible