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[KelvinNZ]

Hey Cameni, is there any chance to modify the time flow to include a "system time" setting, (if it is easy enough) perhaps a button that, when pressed, will capture the current time  - basically using all the Outerra slider settings currently available. When I click it it will set the sun to the current time of day and month of my system. Or perhaps even when starting Outerra, could it be set to the current time of the user based on their system time and if you have a default saved location and time it will just load to that time overriding this setting?

I see this would be a global setting as it is not different between users in that each persons OS will have a time set so I would imagine that this is not so much a tailored setting but would be a default setting in the engine!?

Am I naive to think this is a simple thing to do?
 
Thanks in advance.

Kel.

[cameni]

Should be simple enough. The system uses UTC time (that's what is stored in world.cfg), but the UI uses solar time, where the midday is when the sun is at its zenith.
There are two possible options here: setting current UTC time, or current solar time for any location where you jump into.

I'm not sure this should be the default though. People usually start playing games at the same time, on evenings or afternoons, and they would experience the same time in the game as well, which is not what most of them want. Gaming session only lasts some time, during which the lighting would not change much. That's why the game time is usually much faster and in case of online multiplayer also set to a prime number multiplier so that the time isn't the same when starting at the same time.

I guess FS fans have different preferences, but it should be easy to put a checkbox there that disables other sliders and follows the real time.

[KelvinNZ]

I see, so then I suppose that's where the difference lies; If one was to go into a multiplayer game them of course they will want the same time to match each other (system time disabled and having something like "multiplayer time mode" ) which could be perhaps be a time determined by the multiplayer settings of the host??.

If one wants to sim or play locally and wants to start at their current time at their chosen location (system time UTC enabled) then this could meet the demands of those who want to sim realtime. This could also raise further demands as to the current weather but this then starts to become more of a demand for 3rd party plugins (maybe?)

I guess this is also where the issue starts for me looking forward because although I understand daylight saving is a social construct (so to speak) it would be nice to have especially when you know you can look out your window and experience in game the same time and light. dynamic changes like this make the Sim/Game that much more immersive. I suppose a plugin using the API could resolve this unless you could figure out a way (down the track) to implement it.

Having a inbuilt conversion of time I.e UTC, GMT etc... would be something I've never seen before in an engine and would offer something to all those sim fans out there and even for commercial organisations who may use the engine even though time is what society puts meaning to rather than the earth rotating around the sun to provide night and day for environmental reasons

The main thing for now highlights the need for real time versus multiplayer time and having these 2 separate modes to select from. Having this would most certainly give flexibility to the engine.

That's enough to chew on for the moment.

Kel.

[cameni]

Daylight savings is indeed only a social construct, actually you can query the operating system for the current universal time that's the same for everyone at given moment of time. You can set this time in Outerra as well (as a kind of a universe time), and the sun position will match the expected sun position everywhere on Earth. You don't need daylight savings time for any of that, the only thing where you actually have to consider time zones and current daylight savings setting is when you want to know what local time is it.

But to know it, you'd need to know where you are, and for the time zones you need to know your political location and the corresponding time zone, then when daylight savings are in effect there.

But obviously none of that is needed when all you want is just to sync Outerra to the current universe time. Also, you can easily convert from a specific time zone time into UTC. So if you want to tell - set the current time to 10:34AM PST - it will convert it to UTC time using OS functions, and then set the UTC time in Outerra.

[KelvinNZ]

Ok thanks for the run down. I gather you will look into the Real Time versus multiplayer time at some point, like you noted, having a setting to enable/disable this function as required.

[ZeosPantera]

Daylight savings time is a relic from an age when farmers ruled the land. I will be happy to see it go in OT.. I think a fixed universe time is needed. No matter where you are on the globe, one time synced around the world for all players. You will just need to know sunrise and sunset times for your area and that can be provided in the UI or holographic emitter watch.

[Basroks]

Just adding my support for a "current time" toggle, which I've wanted since first trying Outerra. Maybe not so useful when playing multiplayer games, but if you're just exploring the world, it would be great to know that "this is exactly what this point on earth looks like right now".

Far-fetched stretch goal: up-to-date weather data so we can have current cloud cover in addition current to sun/moon position...

[PytonPago]

Yes, lets have anyone a self-set time so one speaks of the beauty of the moon and other must walk around in sunglasses ...   


...would not be bad to have an option to set a time-shift and the time flow speed option for servers, that people could start, but the main is indeed better in real time. Doe, there needs to be a flash-light option there whyte several light intensities ... just for night-time light-signals, when people get carried away and need to find themselves ...