1. It's not hand holding to be able to see by moonlight.
2. EQ had a sucky newbie experience, it's not hand holding to improve that.
Hence why I said that the pitch black night of EQ was probably due to the fact that the moon was not a "lamp" that illuminated. Lighting graphics were not there yet when EQ was released. It is today though, so this can be avoided. In that way, it would be light where the moon was, clouds would cover it up, running into a forest at night would be much darker than running around in oasis where there a large moon in the sky near the sea.
So I agree completely. I am just saying that of the option of a World of Warcraft like scenario, where night is utterly pointless. It is just a slightly different graphical effect, offers no immersion or anything, it just is slightly bluish, I would rather have a pitch black night, where the items required to get it was a progression based factor. In EQ you outgrew the darkness when you got items that permanently made you able to see, but I am glad I had the experience.
As I said in previous posts, just because something at end game, can be avoided 100% of the time, does not mean that the feature should be removed completely from the game, never having new or old players experience it. Making the moon illuminate and giving different darkness patterns by clouds, weather, forests etc, would be improvements. Outright removing darkness from the concept of "night" is however, something I do not regard as improvement at all
And @Teekey, I do not think what I said above is "out of touch". How is it out of touch to have features in a mmo, that mimics real life? Nights are dark, less so in towns, but if you are out on a field, your illumination comes from the moon or if it is cloudy, it is pitch black. The only counter to not having it like that is to say "Oh it is supposed to be a game, games are "fun". Which again goes into the whole aspect of how games today are made for speed (everything should happen faster), accessibility (everyone should experience everything), and ease (there should be no difficulty until you have learned the game).
I might be out of touch, but I also do not think that the current trend in mmos are catering to the age demographic that apparently is the largest one.
Also, I never once turned up the gamma. I remember not being able to see when my human mage experienced night for the first time, outside freeport, having died from attacking my trainer by a mistake (another thing that is impossible to do today, can not let players make mistakes...). I died to an orc pawn I could hardly see. Then I asked "it is so dark, what do I do? If I had to wait until day". Someone gave me an ultrastone or whatever it was, told me I could make those myself one day. World turned purple. I went "oohhhh". Then he said I should pass it on when I logged off, because it was summoned and would dissapear. I did. the person I gave it to was happy as well....
Experiences that have not happened to anyone since EQ.
Am I saying it should be pitch black again, no. Mentioned that above. But pitch black over no point to night at all, yes. Nights being pointless seems to be the concept that is out of touch with reality in my eyes.