9 minutes ago, DocRussel said:I went camping this past weekend in a group of about 30, no electricity or running water, partly/mostly overcast skies at night. Many people didn't even use a flashlight at night since you can get around without one 4 hours after sundown. That's common when we go rustic camping. Not that the game is trying to reflect all elements of reality, but the current settings are not unrealistic in the real world. And if the moon is out and the ground is snow covered, you may even need shades. 😎
As someone who camps and who lives in the country, where there isn't any (much) light pollution, I can tell you that this is not entirely accurate. Yes, if there's a decent amount of moonlight, or if you are in a place where there is enough light pollution, you can see fine at night. However, on other nights, it can be pitch black and you cannot see within a couple feet without some sort of light. Even tonight at my house, at 7:45pm, it is dark enough that I cannot easily see very far without a light. There is some moonlight, so it's not as dark as it can be on other nights, but it's definitely dark. I'll add that the amount of darkness also is dependent on where you live in the world, and it depends on what time of year it is. For example, it doesn't get very dark for half the year in the far north for half the year.
And we aren't just talking about outside lighting. In the basement of a house without any lights on and in the middle of the night, you shouldn't be able to see much of anything without a light.
As far as why they did it, it probably is because too many players want "easy mode". But that doesn't mean there shouldn't be a setting.