time-of-day
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Black Desert shows off time transitions
We've all sat down to play our favorite game in the evening only to be alerted to the time by sunlight filtering in through the window. In many games, however, day and night are simply toggles -- the game goes from dark to light, possibly with some dimming or brightening along the way. Black Desert is going for a more realistic approach, and a new set of photos shows off the game's transition from the deep of night into the brightness of day. According to translations, a full day cycle runs in four hours, with a gradual progression of the sun from the horizon to its zenith and then back down again. The result are shadows and light patterns that reflect the time of day. Time will also be reflected in the habits of NPCs, with shopkeepers returning home to rest and monsters swarming in increased numbers. There will also be content only available during the day or night, something to look forward to as the sun rises or sets.
Addon Spotlight: Fubar
Fubar is one of those addons that I didn't know I needed until I tried it out. It lets you display information in a bar at the top and/or bottom of the screen -- all the numbers and meters that you want to always have handy, without having to click on anything or hover your mouse for tooltips. Fubar itself provides a framework for the Fubar modules (downloaded seperately) to display this information for you -- anything from your durability to your current experience (with rest) to the time of day (both in your time zone and on your server). I personally find one of its most useful features to be that it can show you how many of your guild mates and friends are online at any given moment, then let you hover your mouse over the number to see a tooltip list, with clickable names for whispers or invitations, just like a regular IM program. To be honest, I actually tried out its competitor, Titan Panel, long before I had heard of Fubar, and then switched to Fubar because it feels more flexible and lighter on my system. Fubar is made with Ace, which usually helps addons feel smoother somehow; the difference between Fubar and Titan is what made me go looking for other Ace addons. Also, the other thing I love about it... is that it's called "Fubar!" and most of its companion module addons end in "fu", as in "QuestsFu" and "MoneyFu!" I just love my addons with a extra helping of humor sauce.
