What was Bioware´s rationale on not implementing Day/Night and Weather cycles?

[Aramyth]

I was excited to thing that someone had posted recently about this topic again, as opposed to just an old necro post. Oh well.

 

For people that say things about Bioware not knowing how to implement it or the engine not being able to handle it, you obviously have no clue. To put it simply, it's programming you can do whatever you want. Bioware programming team probably only has a couple of junior programmers at most; meaning these are seasone programmers working ok this game. As for the Hero Engine, the day/night cycle that is built into the engine by default is a check box and an assign value for the iterations of your day/night. In other words, a monkey could do it.

 

The technology exists to create different "planets" with different static disgusting skyboxes, therefore the sky has the ability to be different on each planet. Each planet exists as a different scene in the code/engine, think of it as a stagr for each planet, therefore just keep track of the time for each planet and display the sun/sky accordingly.

 

I never personally liked the whole "it's a snapshot" in time crap. When do the stories ever reference the time in which you are on a planet? Never. Additionally, do you expect me to believe that all 8 story lines all end up on the same planets (minus a handful) at PRECISELY that exact same moment? Talk about ridiculous.

 

Just make a day/night cycle already.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Aramyth

[aeterno]

I would venture to guess the rationale was one of lack of development time/resources.

 

It may sound an easy thing to implement but it's not from the sense that the game world SHOULD react to in in some way if you do it.

 

TORs worlds are extremely static. Makeb makes a tiny step forward with patrolling mobs but that's it.

 

A day/night cycle on top of that would only serve to painfully highlight what is already a sore spot of this game. All the things on the planet happening in a frozen moment of time still make more sense than say on balmorra 2 packs of mobs shooting at each other (which in itself is a nice touch) literary for 24/7. They'd have to be made to stop at night or something, else it'd look ridiculous. And that there takes a not so small amount of effort.

 

Painting a few more skyboxes to rotate is but the tip of the iceberg of the work that needs to be done for a decent implementation of the cycle. If skybox is all they'd do then they might as well not bother cos it's better without the cycle.

Edited April 30, 2013 by aeterno

[Lunafox]

I like the idea of night/day, weather...season....I think it would be awesome...however I think having new Companion stories would be better.

[Aries_cz]

Since someone decided to necro a year old post, I guess I can come with an explanation.

The main rationale for excluding weather and day/night cycles was to keep the atmosphere of the planet just the way BW wants it to be (Tatooine in night would be kinda "meh" imo, or infiltrating Oasis City in newest ops during a bright daylight would be strange as well)

[MajikMyst]

I don't know.. I think Tatooine would be awesome at night.. All the flickering camp fires everywhere.. Barely being able to see in the Dune seas.. Just the stars or maybe a moon to light the way..

 

I really would like day/night cycles to be added..

 

Hoth at night would be another scary place.. Nar Shaddaa during the day would be interesting..

 

I am all for it.. I just don't know how much stress that would put on performance or the engine..

[Shoogli]

It's probably also a combination of vertex lighting, painted shadows and that sort of things. It doesn't allow for dynamic lighting over landscape but is very efficient to render aka better performances.

[Larthalalyss]

I think if they ever added the day/night cycle and weather, I'd want it to truly be implemented. Night time, humans are blind, The screen is almost pitch black, maybe 5 foot visibility unless wearing special gear (like Kaon Under Siege). Make it so even title plates disappear when out of visibility that way you just might accidentally stumble into an area and get gang raped by 5 different groups you didn't 'see'.

 

Same with rain, snow, or sandstorms, cut the visibility down. Rain, perhaps not as bad as snow and sand, where even special gear my be totally useless. That is the only way I'd want weather effects implemented. Make it real, not just "look" pretty. If you want the appearance, well then use your imagination. Otherwise, what is the point and purpose.

[Aries_cz]

I think if they ever added the day/night cycle and weather, I'd want it to truly be implemented. Night time, humans are blind, The screen is almost pitch black, maybe 5 foot visibility unless wearing special gear (like Kaon Under Siege). Make it so even title plates disappear when out of visibility that way you just might accidentally stumble into an area and get gang raped by 5 different groups you didn't 'see'.

 

Same with rain, snow, or sandstorms, cut the visibility down. Rain, perhaps not as bad as snow and sand, where even special gear my be totally useless. That is the only way I'd want weather effects implemented. Make it real, not just "look" pretty. If you want the appearance, well then use your imagination. Otherwise, what is the point and purpose.

 

Well, that seems like an overkill, no? Most people can adjust to seeing in the dark to see at least 5 meters. Plus, I am sure Jedi/Sith could use force sight, troopers and smugglers some sort of nightvision. People want the "wow-like" day/night cycles, when during night (server time), the "sun" light source gets turned off, and all world is covered in sort of dark blue overlay.

Funnily, this did not occur to me, but it could not logically work, as we are on several planets, not on one like in Azeroth, and those planets are sure to be at different distances from their sun, with different rotation speed, etc.

[Larthalalyss]

I know there would be ways around the vision bit. It just gets old seeing something go from bright red to muted red. It just doesn't have any impact with me. As for the different planets, working out cycles would be a pain, like you said.