Light properly cycling and light sources

[Kanjar]

Hi, I've seen common complaints online from people using Classic UO and not liking the way it usually manages Light, day/night cycle and light sources.


At the moment here on UO Forever the lighting system is not working, there is no night/day cycling and the global illumination casually and totally randomly flickers light level through either:

- a 100% full bright light THAT NEGATES LIGHT SOURCES EFFECTS (and it's OH SO BAD and should never be used because it just ruins the art in the game)
- some randomly extremely dark environment that might sometimes happen either at log-in or while crossing certain boundaries or in dungeons


this FORCES players to choose a solution between either:

- set a light filter in Razor or in Classic UO (in game) and have a FIXED amount of light everywhere in the game and at anytime, still negating the night/day cycling plus negating dark dungeons plus negating light sources and light effects IF the set amount chosen is 100% light
- set the "alternative lights" option in the Classic UO (in game menu) to have a fixed 100% full bright light (cannot be set in any other way, it's hardcoded that way) PLUS light sources properly working even at 100% total bright light which makes some parts of the game look kinda funny and overbright

Now: is it possible to create a proper night/day cycle and dark dungeons, perhaps setting the game in a way that global lighting would only hit its maximum around in-game noon (at which hour all light effects would be negated and full 100% light would be enforced, it would last just a few minutes in real life anyway) and hit some very low spot at in-game night with some shades in between? Plus keeping the EXTREMELY DARK dungeons?

This way people who don't want to use the goddamn razor hacks could keep playing Ultima Online with its beautiful and immersive graphics.

 

[Amalgam]

I approve of your suggestion and would also like to see a day/night cycle implemented. Of course, it can be overridden with razor, but at least the function would exist as intended and, as you say, it gives the player the option.

I was told once that it is possible to "force dark nights" on all clients. I don't see how this would be achieved to be honest, does anyone know? The day/night cycle may yet remain lost, but at least dungeons will be pitch black.

Give nightsight potion/spell a purpose! (or perhaps remove altogether? or alter the effect so that it does something else...?)

 

[Kanjar]

The implementation I'm asking for would make the game function as intended and as it works on OSI-Official Shards, IT WOULD NOT TOUCH THE GAME FOR THOSE WHO USE A LIGHT FILTER, so for them nothing would change at all.

It's just a matter of love about Ultima and its features and I believe most shards I played in always had a night and day cycle and dark dungeons: here on UOF the function is kinda there but it's funky and doesn't properly cycle.