LePaul,
Yes, clouds are looking amazing in Alpha. Don't be rash and rush to an upgrade for alpha. There have been several good threads already to help folks make decisions, and good reasons why a bad decision might cost you bucks without the desired result.
In other words, plenty of "brand new" costly graphic cards, OS, game systems, etc. are out there that don't deliver. Be very familiar with manufacturer nomenclature (some new cards are not as good for certain alpha requirements as several year older models). Newer is not always Better.
As far as the night time fights in the Main Arena, I would not count on it for any length of time. The novelty of crashing your plane into darkened structures, seas, or terrain seems to wear off pretty quickly when there is a penalty of "game perks" associated with it. A number of custom setups and special events could however "shine" with the realism added, which shows the length that staff goes for development of areas that are not even in their bread and butter subscription interests.