Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-26119768-20171121050348

This is a suggestion which is simple in concept, although maybe not in practice. In reality, being in a bright area ruins your night vision, making it near impossible to see in the dark for a short time. This is something which would make an interesting mechanic for the mod. Night sieges become more interesting, with sneaking past defenders blinded by their torches a  viable option, or hired units must be stationed more strategically.

To implement this, I suggest that in situations where you have no access to daylight, such as at night, in caves, or in badly lit buildings, standing on a block with a light level of 6 or higher would inflict Light Blindness. This is an invisible effect which is applied while standing in light and for around 2-5 minutes after leaving the light, perhaps the duration depending on the brightness. Light Blindness leaves you unable to see in the dark, with unlit areas near pitch black, or as dark enough as required to severely hamper vision. Once the Light Blindness wears off, the dark will return to what it normally looks like.

Now, this is well and good, but some may ask 'if light is so bad, why not just leave everything dark?'. Well, good question. We must add either benefits to being in the light, or detriments to being in the dark, or maybe both.

First, being in a light level of less than 6 slightly reduces your movement speed. Walking or running in the dark is dangerous, what with uncertain footing, and you want to slow down a bit to keep from falling.

Second, being in the dark adds a slight shake to using bows or crossbows. The aiming is slightly inaccurate, due to the low visibility.

Third, nametags and alignment indicators above other player's heads are much less visible. Telling friend from foe in the dark is difficult.

Now, we have detriments for being in the dark, but light still needs some perks.

First, Nazgûl attacks are reduced, albeit at the expense of being more visible. Nazgûl dislike fire, and keeping your sentries from being snatched by one is always a plus. This is obviously one which won't work until Nazgûl are added though.

Second, light in dark areas reveal invisible things. This would not apply to rangers, since they are not totally invisible, but to players, who, through potions or small pieces of jewelry, make themselves invisible. The visibility would manifest either as a shadow or reducing the invisibility to what rangers look like.

Third, morale. Yes, this is an abstract one, but as a player, the idea of peering into the night without a source of light is a bit creepy.

Final addition, the current night is a bit bright, especially with brightness all the way up. Yes, you can turn the brightness to moody, but you can't enforce that among all players. If it could be toned down a bit, it would improve the effects of this suggestion. All of this should be configurable by the way, as some might not like the idea of stumbling around blind because the went near a torch. Another not, these effects would apply to mobs, or at least hired units. It could add another dimension to hiring too. Perhaps some units are unaffected by the night, or some work better in the day. Sieges and traveling might have to be planned for certain times, instead of whenever.

In conclusion, the intent of this suggestion is to add consequences and rewards for both using light sources and forgoing them, with the hope that different players will find uses for both methods. This suggestion seeks to add a challenge to the night, one less immediate than orcs or wargs, and one which makes players either love, or fear the night. Thank you, constructive criticism is appreciated. 