Well, I don't know Day/night in Pillars of Eternity or other recent games were people say it's <cosmetic> (for my part if something enhances Atmosphere I do not think it can be called <cosmetic>). Being able to dye your hair any colors of the rainbow is way more <cosmetic> than Day/Night. And Larian clearly prioritized that aspect...

SO let us look at a previous Baldur's gate game : Baldur's gate 2 (2000).

Content
-Certain quest lines only came at night.
-Some dialogues and banters quicked in during nightime.
-Only certain creatures or encounters happened at night.
-Some areas available only at night.
-Nightime affected certain skills and items.

Atmosphere or <cosmetics?>
-Obviously graphics. Progressively gets darker/lighter. Cutscene to nightime. Dark and Lights turn on from buildings if in town.
-Some building closes, less NPCs walking around, generated creatures are different.
-Wildlife soundeffects matches the night. Music changes.
-Nightime weather effects are enhanced. (Lightning flash with rain...)

etc...

Now thats from a game 22 years ago. Surely this can be expended upon in 2022? Particularly since the (3) in Baldur's gate 3 tells us this is a Baldur's gate game? One of the major Baldur's gate game expectation is to have day/night included I would think. When I think of Baldur's gate (both games) are the contrasting night/day time city graphics! It looked spectacular.
Like ordering Turnips soup but getting served raw turnips with a spicy sauce!
Found this great image in the forum:
[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]
[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

Last edited by Count Turnipsome; 29/09/22 01:22 AM.
It just reminded me of the bowl of goat's milk that old Winthrop used to put outside his door every evening for the dust demons. He said the dust demons could never resist goat's milk, and that they would always drink themselves into a stupor and then be too tired to enter his room..