Time Compression

Keith Mac · Post by **Keith Mac** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:25 am

The current Admin ruling for NWN 2 is 9:1

I thought there was a poll in which a majority favored almost half that. Could an Admin please propose and/or review the data to bring this number down. What are the downsides?

HEEGZ · Post by **HEEGZ** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:33 am

Poll link for easy reference:

http://www.alandfaraway.org/phpbbforum/ ... hp?t=30543

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 5:47 am

Additional technical options are being considered relating to the game clock. I was actually going to post a poll today but got hung up on christmas shoping.

The exact time compression does not need to be decided at this stage. Everything in the ACR2 is being coded to allow for a flexible game clock, in other words changing it is as easy as entering a new value in module properties.

dergon darkhelm · Post by **dergon darkhelm** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:17 pm

One of the things that gave me pause with the idea of lessing the amount of compression was the fact that in 3.0 it allowed "buffed" casters to be virtually permanently enhanced with their 1hour/caster lvl spells.

With 3.5 making the majority of those spells one min/lvl my concerns related to balance are lessened.

Concerns that remain:

*If* servers are built so that merchants are only opened in the daytime, it is possible that people might log in and for RL hours not be to access merchants. ((I personally would favor a 7/11 approach to merchants....open 24 hours)).

Other day/night issues are also exacerbated. A party might have to sit around in a tavern for RL hours before it IC safe to travel during the daylight etc.

Advantages:

RP chat more realistic. You don't start a conversation in the tavern with a PC saying "Good Afternoon, Grog".....and then after you are having drinks over dinner....45 minutes later another PC enters and says "Good morning, men. Fine sunrise eh!"

Keith Mac · Post by **Keith Mac** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:31 pm

Thanks Heegz

So the poll pretty much had alfa favoring to reduce th clock 30 to 18

As far as the downside putting a nix on "Night activities" I personally believe that is a seperate issue that needs to be solved. I think it should be mandatory that each server has at least one "Night clerk" to sell basic necesities and each major temple/merchant operation should have at least a "night watchman" where PC's can gather information at the verry least.

White Warlock · Post by **White Warlock** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:51 am

It was an improperly presented poll, if that's how you're going to try and read it. Six options, with only one being 'as is.' A more appropriate approach would be to pose a poll asking the community if they want the time scale changed in the first place. If so, pose a poll listing 4 options. If not, drop the subject.

Blackwill · Post by **Blackwill** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:22 am

White Warlock wrote:It was an improperly presented poll, if that's how you're going to try and read it. Six options, with only one being 'as is.' A more appropriate approach would be to pose a poll asking the community if they want the time scale changed in the first place. If so, pose a poll listing 4 options. If not, drop the subject.

I agree.

My opinion has been known for a long time now, it's simply way too quick as is now. Somthing needs to be done IMO.

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:31 pm

If they didn't want it changed, they would't have voted for the options which change it. The poll prior to this had faster options, too.

A significantly slower game clock could cause problems with other time-dependant server mechanics and players, which I am currently discussing with the server build teams. In addition to what Keith mentioned, travel made more dangerous or impossibe by night (due to spawns, caravans not running, or whatever) can put a halt to RP if a player logs in at 22:00 on a server where night lasts 3 hours, or something.

AcadiusLost · Post by **AcadiusLost** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:42 pm

I'd be interested to reopen this discussion- once we get global ALFA persistency going via NWNx4/SQL, we may be seeing time "enforced" more globally across NWN2-ALFA. Population growth of humanoid tribes, statics with in-game dates they must be completed by, inn rooms rented by the ingame week, month, etc. To me, the more time passage comes directly into play, the more frustrating a fast time compression becomes.

As has been pointed out, the spell duration argument for large time compression is a less troublesome one in 3.5E-based NWN2 than it was in NWN1. The concern about a player who has a consistent schedule often hitting the same time of day/night is a valid one as well, and good reason to make sure any proposed compression is asynchronous.

In terms of limited options for players on during "nighttime" on their servers, I would suggest that builders consider such from the start- while having all merchants open 24/7 isn't ideal in my eyes, neither is having outdoor spawns change radically at the stroke of 18:00, or deadly beasties disappear entirely as the rooster crows. I think we have (or are developing) the tools to make a much more immursive world.

Certainly, this is something we can play around with in Beta as well- see how some alternatives for time compression hold up.