Forgotten Kingdoms Forums

Since everything else in the game is slowed down, it might be advisable to slow down the time system as well?
It makes some difficulties for RP when presently an ordinary conversation takes the better part of a day. A (dinner) lasts until tomorrow's lunch, and etc.

Years and years ago the time system was much faster then now. Basically it encompasses a day in about one hour currently instead of the previous ten minutes from 2001. I am curious though what do you mean by everything being slower now?

Also, this is more suited to the amply named thread Game Suggestions more than it is to being in general discussion.

Stop and think about how many things will be affected if the time frame is extended........how much longer people would have to wait for a shop to open to purchase a necessary item when going on a group journey, or if there is an emergency and they have to wait eons for something to open to get some needed component. I am not in favour of this, but that is just me, Yes just plain ordinary converstions can take days, but remember this is make believe, and a game, why must every single thing be like real life. Am I the only one who logs on to escape real life?

Rather than shifting the time-base of the entire game, various solutions have been suggested for effectively slowing the passage of time (or at least its symptoms) in appropriate situations:
http://www.gallwey.com/fk/board/viewtopic.php?t=5449
http://www.gallwey.com/fk/board/viewtop ... ger+thirst

Both of these posts might warrant moving to Game Suggestions as well. To summarize my take from those posts:

Time in the game moves at the same speed, whether you are gallivanting across the plains or talking with someone. Personally, I do not go from sated to starving while debating politics with someone, nor can I carry on any conversation for days at a time. Adapting the code to slow the action of time on those engaged in conversation would be hard, but while things stay as they are I find it both perfectly IC and conducive to RP to ignore hunger echoes when engaged in a long conversation. Long though a conversation may be, it only takes hours of game time because it takes time to type and the game clock ticks along at a good clip. I don't want to see that change (I wait for boats, stores, etc. long enough to be very appreciative of the rate of time!), but I do, and even urge others, to RP as if time were moving much more slowly when engaged in conversation and the like.

This doesn't solve the auto-heal problem Lerytha brought up in her post, however, which does tend to interfere with (if not make endless) detailed SMOTEd combat.

I don't really see why time should be slowed down, unless it's about the age of your character.

I agree I'm not for this at all... I think the time system works well with each game hour being five rl minutes... like Rhianon said... it would take so much longer for things to open... and it would slow things down so much that people wouldn't be able to prepare a good for adventuring roleplay and keep everyone online for that length of time. Not everyone can devote 5 hours to playing out an entire adventure... so I say stick with what we have... it seems to be working just fine!

Erm...a little frustrated here. Maybe I should have quoted more of the linked discussions. In a nutshell:

The advantages of the present time system are many, and it seems about perfect for a great many things. However, when one is involved in an involved, smote-exchanging RP, of such things as a PC on PC combat, healing of a critical injury, or even a long conversation, which takes many RL minutes, time seems to flow quickly enough as to cause problems. Specifically:
* In the course of waxing philosophical about death, a Kelemvorite will go from sated to babbling incoherently, due to the rapid onset of famine
* A Sunite extolling the virtues of beauty will dry up and near die of thirst, undermining their argument as to the importance of constantly moisturizing one's skin
* The mangled leg of a young man will heal faster than the Ilmateri can whip out some well smote-d sympathetic healing action (Think Monty Python and "I'm not quite dead yet...in fact, I'm feeling better!")
* The opponents in a spar will heal as quickly as they actually dish out damage

Ok, not quite that bad, but you see the point, I hope! The solutions suggested to this point have all been cognizant of the fact that time is a universal constant and that it can't just be slowed for conversations. Instead, they propose squelching the symptoms of the rapid passage of time in situations such as these: slowing hunger, thirst, and/or auto-healing progression.

Does this explanation/clarification make this problem seem any more worth addressing, in the eyes of any save the two or three who have already spoken up about it? If not, there's little point in debating possible mechanics, I suppose!