Then, Drano, I belong to category D) WAS here when it happened but didn't tweak my system, neither did any of my buddies because it would've been against our sportsmanship code. Depending on the situation, we either flew solo, had a night mission or defended our fields. It was fun doing a NOE mission trying not to hit the mountains!
You talked about milkrunning without being seen. IMO the red icons will shine like neon lights in the dark. The dar bar and dots don't go anywhere. If there's people in the tower just sitting and watching the sky turn red, it's their loss. If people really left the arenas in droves as you put it, it would have affected all countries, leaving each the opportunity to try to take empty fields in the dark. Statistically no country benefited in such a situation. Besides, that's how it works even in daylight conditions during the off-hours when it's prime time either on the Atlantic or the Pacific, or in the Far East except for Japan for that matter. A disciplined and well oriented group could win entire maps during those hours! Unlike the damage that could be done during a 15 minutes darkness.