Day / Night Cycles

This is something that's been mentioned sporadically on other forums but has never really gotten any true attention- and this has bothered me somewhat as well, being how the world of Guild Wars looks so awesome yet it lacks one rather essential thing to it that really brings out another look to Tyria- the addition of a day and night cycle. Morrowind, for instance, was very well known at the time it came out for amazing detail, and it was very evident in the day and night cycles, stars, the moon, and so on- something Guild Wars truly lacks.

This isn't just for atmosphere either:

Consider this for a moment, if you will. Each server runs on its own standard real-time day and night cycle- if it's dark outside where you live, it's dark in the game. Night in the world here is night in Tyria- and the same with day. Aggro circles would be smaller during night (allowing for stealth, which has been mentioned on other suggestion posts), and open up new approaches to some missions. Perhaps different monsters come out at night as well, or mobs are found to be "asleep?"

Possibilities for this are limited only by imagination. But it's something I'd really like to see in a future Guild Wars update.

As a designer note, and taking this from the experience I have as a computer scientist, I think it may be a bit difficult to do this, so it might be something to release in Chapter 2 (or even 3, if and when it comes out).

A simple change from day to night, changing based on a time zone in the area of the world that server is based, would be a simple thing (though they would need some new sprites/models ) and would add a bit more to the game.

The other things. . .well, I can see those being problems for people who could only play at night (say, you work during the day) But, they would still add some interesting things to the game.

/signed

I miss day-to-night. When it's light or dark all the time, I get a feeling like I'm trapped in the arctic circle.

//Signed <--Doublesigned.

--The Shim

I did wrote a thead on this issue before too.
no day-night cycle in Missions, but yet in Exploration area and town. I don't think it should follow the real time cycle, but maybe a 10hour game day cycle. Of couse, one thing to keep in mind is that the light effect (shadow, color, etc) in game right now seem to be very much set to max the beauty. To add a day-night cycle might be a bit more harder than expect (so I guess) Other than that... I will /sign

/signed
Night time in lions arch=halloween flashback.

I like this idea, however, I can't help but thinking of problems with it.

The whole purpose of the International Districts, for instance, is for people from different regions to meet and fight together. If the day/night cycle applies to your region, won't there be some problems if you are playing during the day cycle, and your Korean or European friends are playing at night? If there's different monsters, it'd be impossible to fight.

Korean dude: I'm attacking a Bog Skale!
American dude: What skale?
Korean dude: The one thats killing you...
American dude: What the... I just got killed by a Tengu, not some skale...
Korean: Look out behind you!
American: I only see you.

See what I mean?

Good point. Then maybe they should base it on a fake GW time. Not PST or EST, etc.

Thats why I would go with just a 10 or 8 hour day. That way it will roate to differnt time, and not base on what time you play or what is your regional time. Else a person who can only play at night would never see the light of the day (pun inteneded)

Could even also change the exploration area depend on time. So you have one kind of monster out in day, another kind in night. Would certainly add on more randomness.

it's great at first but the d/n cycles get very old fast. Be careful what you wish for.

I think daytime only has got old very fast.

Actually the Frog mentioned that day/night cycle might be implemented in the second chapter

Awesome.

Definitely would be a wonderful thing
/signed

/signed x10
I would LOVE to see this. Although I agree it should not be realtime. It's more fun (and useful) to have it change more often. I think the whole world should be on the same cycle just so that it feels unified.

/not signed
I play guild wars so I can get aways from my crappy life, not to replay the life cycle.
*Starts to cry*

Just fooling y'all

/signed

/not signed

Most people have one time of the day they usually play (mostly evening), and then it basicly comes to playing in either dark or light too. The concept day and night is fine with me, but I don't really like playing in the dark all the time (like I do when I used to play World of Warcraft).

I think that would be a great idea, except for a few things.. The day/night cycle should only have day for say, 2 hours, and night for 2 hours, and it would have to be the same for all districts. It would make much more sense too, because the west of the US is less populated than the east, so there would be too many players in the east and not enough in the west. See what I mean?

4 hour D/N cycles sounds good.
/Signed

This is not a virtual world. It is a strictly linear game (you can do things out of order if you want, but it doesn't change the linear nature of the story). The choice of day or night for any given area is that way for a particular reason, since time of day actually has an impact on the storyline.

Take Riverside Provence. You're supposed to be slinking around in the dark in an attempt to slip past the White Mantle (the mission was actually a bit darker in beta). In Borlis Pass, you're attempting to reach Grooble's Gulch before nightfall so that your fellow Ascalonian refugees don't freeze.

Day and night changes would break existing storyline elements. And quite frankly, I see no reason to add it other than "well this other game has it".

haha good point Cymmina