Is it just me or is the lantern next to useless?

The flashlight is just so much better.. Or am I missing how to fuel it or something?

EDIT: Not the oil lantern, or iron lantern, it's called just "Lantern".

 

I think it's to provide an option. The back lantern many may not like the placeholder graphics for, and the flashlight is extremely directional lighting rather than radiant, thus limiting it's usability.

 

The lantern lights so dimly it makes no difference for me.

 

Go into the config file for it, and increase the light from one to two, and it is decently useful. Increase it to ten, and you become a star. That's how I got the title "phantasmal quasar", after all.

 

@Guswut Bad! You are putting temptations in my head to raise it to something crazy, like... 1,000! To keep going until the game crashes!

 

I actually don't mind it being more dim; worthwhile trade-off for getting rid of the harsh directionality of the flashlight, in my opinion.

 

It was designed to be a safety net instead of being completely blind when you fall into the dark. Any brighter and torches would serve no purpose.

 

Where do I find said config file?

 

As is, it is enough for me to stop using torches, and to only use the flashlight to scan for ores just out of sight.

 

If you're referring to the Lantern Stick backpack item, it's definitely not useless. It's useful for lighting up the ground when I'm travelling about at night. Granted, it lacks the range and the brightness the flashlight has, but it allows me to see my surroundings rather than just one direction. It also allows me to wield two items as opposed to a one + the flashlight. I won't be discarding it anytime soon, I can assure you.

 

You cant use the flashlight and the pickaxe/drill at the same time... The lantern on a stick really helps alot. Now... if it is the normal lantern, yes it totally useless.

 

I got better things to spend my iron on. We need copper lanterns instead.

 

The normal lantern proved to be a decent way to navigate thro dark caves, combined with an actual flashlight that is. Not really worth to use along with any other one-handed weapon imo. The lantern on a stick is a whole different topic tho, being one of the few backpack items actually doing something and so easy to access, really helps out a ton. I really hoped for the lanterns to be as good (or, actually, just a bit less effective) than placed torches.

 

The normal lantern is simply too dim, I will agree, but it gets a significant upgrade when it becomes a backpack.

 

Assuming Windows 64 bit, "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Starbound\assets\items\armors\backitems\lanternstick", specifically "lanternstick.back", line fourteen:

Code:

    "amount" : 1, 

Change that, although be wary as it is absurdly bright at five (brighter than a torch by a good deal), so two is likely a good choice.

 

Thanks Guswut.
Two wasn't actually that bright, so I went with 5 instead.