*Very mild spoilers for the beginning of the game*



I'm still at the beginning of the game (in Trinsic) running around talking to people and whatnot. It's nighttime (has to be after 9pm because the meeting in the fellowship hall is going on.) and I'm walking around in the dark.

I noticed the street lights aren't on. Are they suppose to turn on automatically when it gets dark out? I can run around and turn them on manually but I figured they'd run on a schedule following the day/night cycle. Are they supposed to turn on?

On a related note... how do you tell what time it is in this game? Iolo will helpfully ask me how many hours I wish to sleep but I have no idea because I don't know what time it is! I'm the Avatar I have important work to do. I can't be rolling outta bed at noon! :)

Can't remember the lighting... but I seem to recall the guards lighting the street lights?

As for the time, there are clocks in various places you can click on to see the time, as well as sun-dials (but only during the day!).

The best (and most convenient) way to tell the time is to carry a pocket-watch, but you'll have to meet an old friend to get that back.

Guards will most frequently be the ones to light (and douse) lamp-posts, although other NPCs may occasionally do so. (They're much more likely to light or douse smaller indoor lights, though.)

The friend you want to visit for your pocketwatch is spending time in the tavern in Britain nowadays. Double-clicking on it will give you the exact time.

(You'll also have your pocketwatch with you when you start The Serpent Isle. Since the expansion is already installed on the GoG version, you can read the time with a hotkey rather than having to click it in inventory. I don't think this feature was ever added to The Black Gate, although if you use Exult it may provide that functionality.)