Armageddon Standard Time

[Maso]

Ok...this might not seem like an issue to some...because how hard is it to figure out timezone differences etc....but I find it incredibly annoying sometimes. Keeping track of the timezone differences (especially when I'm moving country a lot), trying to keep track of which timezones are in daylight savings and which aren't and when they change (people never seem say when the country they are posting from is in savings time or not)...

Some RPT's are in CST, some are in GMT, some are in PST or EST or whatever.

You go on a clan board, and you get Amos who plays 6-12 CST, Marie who plays 4-8 GMT, Tektolnes who plays 12-7 CEST...and you have to translate it all to where ever you are. It's totally unnecessary brain pain.

Why don't we just pick one for Arm, call it AST, have a clock running on the homepage...and stick with it. It's arbitrary which timezone it is...and daylight savings time is irrelevant to Arm...so why don't we just have a standardised time that we all work to? (it works well on Neopets >.>).

It would be incredibly easy to do and I think very beneficial to organisation and planning.

Doo it.

[Reiteration]

Seconded, just add something to the homepage, take the current time of the server and just use AST instead of whatever timezone the server is in currently.

Code Select Expand

<?php echo "It is currently " . date( "hh-ii AA" ) . " in Armageddon Standard Time (AST)." ?>

Add some HTML tags around it to make it bigger and you're done.

This will give something like

It is currently 06:14 AM in Armageddon Standard Time (AST).

[Maso]

Exactly!

[RogueGunslinger]

I like this idea. But until something like this gets added: http://www.timezoneconverter.com/cgi-bin/tzc.tzc

[Maso]

Yeah, well that's basically what I do. But you still have the problem of knowing whether the person has forgotten to mention whether or not they are in savings time or not...

It's also a pain for working out clan player times, unless you want to personally convert and keep a record of others playtimes in your timezone...which is just awkward...

[Barsook]

I can read.

[Barsook]

Also, I see one problem: What timezome will the time be based on?

[Maso]

Also, I see one problem: What timezome will the time be based on?

Whatever time. The time that server is currently set to. GMT, PST, EST...pick one out of a hat. It really doesn't matter - it's entirely arbitrary. Whatever time it is...everyone will learn to relate their own timezone to that, so it becomes a 'universal' timezone...rather than trying to relate their own timezone to every single other timezone at once.

[Barsook]

I figured.  And I do dig this idea.

[Yam]

It's really not that hard to relate time zones.

Just use http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ or, hell, google time zone.

[ShaLeah]

You know you're addicted to Arm when you want its own time zone created

[Maso]

It's really not that hard to relate time zones.

Just use http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ or, hell, google time zone.

I think it's actually simpler to implement a clock on the Arm homepage and call it AST...once...than it is for every player to check a timezone clock every time they have to coordinate with another player in a different timezone.

And like I said before, people often don't include daylight savings. For example, I'm in GMT...I just say I'm in GMT. Even if we're in daylight savings, hell, I don't even know when we are in daylight savings! So people will assume I'm GMT and work accordingly, they won't know what country I am in to check to whether it's in daylight savings time or not...and they'll miss me by an hour. Because apparently it is DLS time.

I have missed RPT's and events and scheduled meetings in the past...I'm not saying it's not because I'm a bit crap...maybe I am...but I know that this would help me and I bet others too.

I haven't ever seen anyone mention being in daylight savings time, in any timezone, during my entire play here. And honestly, trying to understand the ins and outs of various countries timezone names and techniques is confusing some times (especially in the states, and I live there now...theres 8 different zones?!)......

But no...adding a clock to the home page and calling it AST...would be so difficult....it's not worth all the time it could potentially save players.

Just think it would make everything a lot neater. Especially when trying to work out good times for RPT's etc.

[valeria]

There are references to timezones.  It's why some people say they're in EDT rather than EST, or GDT rather than GMT.  It's a subtle indication but it's there and I've definitely used it myself.

But I definitely wouldn't mind having a server time.  I would prefer it be displayed as "Armageddon server time" on the webpage rather than an acronym so we don't confuse people who haven't read this thread.  It seems like most games with players across wide timezones have a server time.

[Cutthroat]

For what it's worth, the server time* is GMT -4 during Daylight Saving- s Time in the US and GMT -5 otherwise. Daylight Savings Time currently begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November in the US, where the server is based.

* I define "server time" as the date and time that comes up next to an IG board post.

Having the server time visible would definitely be handy, both on the website and perhaps as an attachment to the "time" command in game.

[Maso]

If there is an 'Armageddon Server Time' it probably shouldn't adjust to daylight savings - that just over complicates it, especially as DST is different in every country. It should just be a time...that stays the same...for everyone.

If it was up on the Arm site and possibly in game too...that would help encourage people to use it rather than their local time.

The time on the IG board is set to whatever time zone you are in...Mine is currently 9 hours behind GMT or GDT...or whatever, not 5.

[Cutthroat]

Oh. I thought it was the same for everyone. Well, that complicates things.

[Lizzie]

Oh. I thought it was the same for everyone. Well, that complicates things.

Not only is it not the same for everyone, it isn't even the same for everyone in the USA. Some parts of this country don't recognize daylight savings time at all and while most of the USA changes clocks back and forth an hour, they don't.

[Cutthroat]

I guess you could pick a timezone based on where the majority of players are from, which I would guess is either eastern or central US but would probably take either a poll or analysis of who connects to the game to figure out.

[Lizzie]

You don't need to analyze anything. There already exists a universal mean time: GMT. In the world, GMT is set at 0. Everything else revolves around it, up or down depending on where it is on the cylindrical map, laid out flat. Every time converter in existence recognizes it as the standard, and many people already know how to convert. Hell, even clocks in international airports have it spot dab in the middle of all their other clocks, and even my supermarket has 3 clocks: 1 for local time, 1 for GMT, and 1 for Tokyo.

If I see on the Arm clock that it's 12:53 PM, all I need to know is that HERE at my house, it's 8:53 AM. I know that Arm's clock is 4 hours ahead of mine. So if someone posts on the GDB "Hey! RPT on Saturday, at 6PM AST!" I know to subtract 4 hours and I get that it starts at 2PM in the afternoon, for me.

It doesn't matter what time zone they -use- to create their clock, however, there already exists GMT from which all other time zones evolve. Rather than add more confusion by changing the "standard" real-world clock, why not just use the one that already exists. Then, people who -want- to use a real actual converter..or people who can count good without one, can figure it out easily.

[Maso]

You don't need to analyze anything. There already exists a universal mean time: GMT. In the world, GMT is set at 0. Everything else revolves around it, up or down depending on where it is on the cylindrical map, laid out flat. Every time converter in existence recognizes it as the standard, and many people already know how to convert. Hell, even clocks in international airports have it spot dab in the middle of all their other clocks, and even my supermarket has 3 clocks: 1 for local time, 1 for GMT, and 1 for Tokyo.

If I see on the Arm clock that it's 12:53 PM, all I need to know is that HERE at my house, it's 8:53 AM. I know that Arm's clock is 4 hours ahead of mine. So if someone posts on the GDB "Hey! RPT on Saturday, at 6PM AST!" I know to subtract 4 hours and I get that it starts at 2PM in the afternoon, for me.

It doesn't matter what time zone they -use- to create their clock, however, there already exists GMT from which all other time zones evolve. Rather than add more confusion by changing the "standard" real-world clock, why not just use the one that already exists. Then, people who -want- to use a real actual converter..or people who can count good without one, can figure it out easily.

Exactly this. GMT makes a sensible choice. It's not like the actual time of 'AST' would have any real impact. It is entirely arbitrary!! But it makes sense to use GMT.

[Nyr]

Armageddon's server is on Eastern (whether daylight or standard).  It has been for close to forever, and probably will continue to be so.  Putting that actual time up on the homepage seems like a good idea, though.

[Maso]

Armageddon's server is on Eastern (whether daylight or standard).  It has been for close to forever, and probably will continue to be so.  Putting that actual time up on the homepage seems like a good idea, though.

Yay!

[Maso]

Can you also do an announcement to encourage people to use it instead of local timezones? 

[brytta.leofa]

GMT is what "makes sense," except that 70% of the players will find it easier to calculate from US Eastern time (including US Daylight Savings, Common Variant, when applicable).  And the other 30% are well-used to American cultural imperialism.

[ponycorns]

Mountain time has no daylight savings, aka Arizona Colorado etc....if that helps.