Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site decwrl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!whuxl!whuxlm!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-via!schuetz
From: schuetz@via.DEC (Chris Schuetz - backup System Manager 381-2647)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: re: infravision
Message-ID: <1158@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Mar-85 18:00:13 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.1158
Posted: Mon Mar 18 18:00:13 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Mar-85 23:47:25 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 15

>"It's the heat, not the light of the torch that interferes with infravision.

Exactly.  THat's why you have to wait a little in most circumstances, to let
your eyes adjust to the lower levels of heat radiated by beings at a distance.
Just like stepping from a brightly lit room into the outdoors at night, it 
takes a few seconds.  NOte - I said a few seconds to see things reasonably well.
But detecting an orc behind some bushes 50' away will take several minutes for
your eyes to develop that degree of sensitivity.  Unlike normal light, heat
gets absorbed very easily (moist air will do), and the longer wave lengths
diffuse rapidly.  Watch some infrared movies some time.

Of course, you can just argue that the infravision ability takes longer than
normal eyesight to adjust to lower levels.

/Chris