Game time versus Real time

[Warg]

Game time is x12 real time.

Each 5 seconds real time equates with 1 minute game time (from the "you survived xx:yy" message)

While I understand to accelerate monotonous tasks like fishing, sleeping and the like (and advance time by that known chunck), when walking or simply standing still I would expect the game time to be real time. I mean, in a long and active day I walk under 3km (according to the log)? I just arrive somewhere and, oups lets head back, it's late.

It kind of makes the game too repetitive with all that frequent make food, eat food, boil water, drink water routine while it could be about getting enough food and warmth to stay alive in an unforgiving environement.

On the other hand, all that time would have to be filled with some activities, quests, something and that will mean a complete overhaul and rebalancing.

At least make moving x6 realtime and add a wait option.

Speaking of time, please add at least rough estimates for cooking, boiling and so on, so I know how long the fire will last or how much I should fuel it for what I intend to do.

Not sure all this is cohesive, but that's how I feel. How do you feel about this?

[viZhual]

i know this game is still a WIP. The following are my suggestions.

I agree. I really wish the general walking around was real time. Actions can take time but walking around should be 1:1.

Also, the times of the destruction of items and cooking are way off. It doesn't take 15-20 minutes to heat up or cook steaks. Melting water should also be fast, boiling is where the time should be spent.

Here are my suggestions:

• Provide an option to melt/boil water at the same time. (To save time)
  
• Provide an option to cook all the "raw" food at the same time. (To save time)
  
• Please stop letting us craft to DEATH. Too many times have I gone to break down a box, repair something, or gut an animal just to die in the act. This is definitely silly. At least have the player fail early if death is imminent.
  
• Cooking times needs adjustment. They are too long. Times are more along the lines of baking times and not over a
  
• Food/Drink decay times are WAY too fast. People can go for days without food if they had water.
  
• The hallucinatory death vision is way too intense. At this point it's just an insult as you fumble around and die. Maybe that's the idea?
  
• All animals should be afraid of gunshots - even wolves.

I'm loving the idea of this game. But I find that I rage quit in frustration often when I craft 88% of my life away. Keep up the good work. I look forward to every patch.

viZ

[Spottdrossel]

How fast time passes in the game has been addressed several times already.

Recently the answer to why time is always accelerated was along the lines of "it would be too confusing for the player to have time pass at different speeds".

However when I pointed out, that this is what is happening already (e.g. cooking, repairing, breaking down branches, etc.) and asking why this is not considered too confusing I got not response.

I guess this is the same as with many other aspects of TLD:

It is just the way it is and no one can offer any good explanation. Or one that doesn't lead to contradictions, for that matter.

[tortuosit]

There are pro's and cons. "Confusing for the player" has been mentioned, therefore I recommend a command line parameter like "-timescale=8". This cannot be accidentally used and people who use it will not be confused.

But changing time scale would bring up questions, that's why I guess Hinterland do not want to make changes. For instance, if time is running realtime, but your character has moved the map fore and back 100 times people will ask to make character movement slower.

Controversial thought: I maybe would have no problem with unbinding day/night cycles from the 24 hrs cycle. So you would find "remaining daylight: 35 hours" in the game.

I'd also like to test slower timescales.

[Warg]

command line parameter like "-timescale=8". This cannot be accidentally used and people who use it will not be confused

+1, couldn't have put it better: optional, increased playability

[brun]

...but remember to keep it simple :-)

Time is at the very core of every mechanic. Everything happening is related to time. But I like any idea simplifying things, like being able to choose to roast all the meat with one click, or both melting and boiling water with one click. Heck, I'd like if you could just choose to loot every cupboard in a house with one click. Like when harvesting an animal, you can choose how much to harvest with just a couple of clicks.

[Warg]

choose to roast all the meat with one click, or both melting and boiling water with one click. Heck, I'd like if you could just choose to loot every cupboard in a house with one click. Like when harvesting an animal, you can choose how much to harvest with just a couple of clicks.

-1, sorry. That would take out the decision making (do I need it, how dangerous is it to stay here, do I take it now, and so on).

Were there more time in the day, the player would have time to take it slow. At x12, think about it, your active day of 12 hours is in fact 1 hour realtime and not even that: you boil, cook, fish, skin, harvest some 3 or 4 hours per day (game time) so that leaves about 45 minutes realtime to do everything you need to do and go and so on. A bit too hurried, hence my suggestion with this post.