Server Time

[Marauder Moe]

Sorry people, but I really don't think this "server time" thing is working out.

Time and time again I see people go:

RPT at RPT o'clock, server time!

and inevitably

What's server time?

It's EST

And then if we're lucky we get into a discussion about time zones and daylight savings.

Making up a new name for EST/EDT doesn't make it any easier for people to translate time zones.

[BadSkeelz]

Those people are usually newbies. They will learn.

[Maso]

Lol. It really does help. It helps me out a shitload. It doesn't matter whether it's EST or EDT or GMT or ACDT. It's whatever it says on the home page and that makes life easier.

I can't see how it harms anyone and if new players ask...It's hardly complicated to explain it. It's a notion that somehow works for major gaming communities and online games that have millions of players.

[Patuk]

Point said person at the time the website shows. Problem solved.

If this is what we call complicated, well.. So's tying your shoelaces.

[Maso]

Maybe it could be more prominent on the web page. It is kind of a bit...Tuluki.

[Drayab]

I like it because it saves me the trouble of separating what somebody typed from what they actually mean. And yeah, I'd like it if the time was placed more prominently, too. Like, right below the current IG time and date.

[Delirium]

Lol. It really does help. It helps me out a shitload.

Yep.

[Riya OniSenshi]

If the rpt post contains a time zone (assuming it's the correct one accounting for daylight savings) then it's fair easy to figure out what time it is for you unless you are so completely lazy as to not know where in the world you live.

"Sever Time" is just another way to say EST/EDT.

I'm pretty sure this was brought up before when they first added that to the webpage.

It doesn't really help or change the situation from what it was as people who couldn't/wouldn't bother themselves to convert the time before still won't no matter what you call it.

[bcw81]

I wish we would all just use GMT and get over it.

Seriously.

That's what GMT was made for.

There's a specific time, and if you are off of the area where it's that time, you're GMT -#.

So take the Pacific coast (where I'm from). We're GMT -8. The East coast is GMT -5.

[Refugee]

I've seen arguments on game boards about GMT too. 

Server time is best and it's easy to point someone at the website.  It would be great if it was more prominent.  It would make no difference if Server time was Eastern or GMT or some other zone, just having that source to refer people to is great.

[Drayab]

I do like the idea of GMT, simply because some people will already be familiar with it, or they can google it to find out, while server time is Armageddon specific, thus new players have to ask.

One possible downside to GMT is that it does not change with the seasons, while most of our players live in daylight savings observing regions (or the local equivalent). It might be disorienting to some when their clocks change but the one on the homepage does not. The server is currently set to EST/EDT, depending on the time of year, which means that the time difference for people in observing regions is more or less fixed. When the server time changes, your local time changes at the same time (or at least pretty close to it). This is good for lazy people.

All staff would have to do is set the time shown on the webpage to GMT, but I would prefer how things are currently.

[Marauder Moe]

Why would it not actually be best to just say "EST"/"EDT" time and skip the step of making people look at the website and/or ask what "server time" means?

Note: the webside doesn't actually define server time, it just gives the current clock value.

[Maso]

Man I lived in England for 25 years and I ALWAYS used GMT on here. That is...I had no fricking clue when it was Daylight Savings Time in the UK (even though I was in it). So everything was "x to x GMT, or...daylight...or whatever, I dunno. You Americans can figure it out."

Server time has rescued my blonde ass (I'm not even blonde ). If we stop using it, I'll drown in confusion.

[Marauder Moe]

I mean, if we still want to adopt a guideline that says "Please post RPTs in US Eastern time", that's fine with me.  Just skip the confusing alias in favor of the actual term, which people already know.

[Maso]

Why would it not actually be best to just say "EST"/"EDT" time and skip the step of making people look at the website and/or ask what "server time" means?

Note: the webside doesn't actually define server time, it just gives the current clock value.

1. Because then people would have to figure out their time in relation to EST and EDT and people who live nowhere near the East coast would need to know which phase the East coast was in.

2. Server time doesn't need to be defined. It is what it is. IT'S THE SERVER TIME. You just figure how you relate to it, and everythings gravy.

I really don't get why this is an issue for people. What harm does it do you?

[Hitsuchi]

I don't mind seeing Server Time used as it is right now - it's not that hard to figure out when things happen. And apparently most of our players are playing in the US: it's a lot easier shifting times by one or two hours instead of 5-6 hours for every RPT. That's what European and Asian/Oceanian players get to do - and we can't join in on nearly as many of them. I agree that the server time should be more prominent on the webpage (though I disagree with "right below the IG time" - since right now it doesn't show on the mobile interface).

It also gets much easier when you use online time converters to get that visual representation of how late you're actually going to have to stay up. Or how early you're forcing your fellow players to log in, for that matter...

Idea: Is it possible to add, after the current server time, "and you are X hours ahead/behind it"? This would make it easier for when you don't think about those two weeks every spring and fall when Europe is one hour closer to East Coast US.

Why would it not actually be best to just say "EST"/"EDT" time and skip the step of making people look at the website and/or ask what "server time" means?

Note: the webside doesn't actually define server time, it just gives the current clock value.

This, too. I've noticed quite a few people are using EST when they mean EDT, so..."RPT at X PM, Server Time (EDT)" seems like the least confusing way of saying it.

[Marauder Moe]

Why would it not actually be best to just say "EST"/"EDT" time and skip the step of making people look at the website and/or ask what "server time" means?

Note: the webside doesn't actually define server time, it just gives the current clock value.

1. Because then people would have to figure out their time in relation to EST and EDT and people who live nowhere near the East coast would need to know which phase the East coast was in.

But people still have to figure out their relation to EST and EDT because that's what server time is.

2. Server time doesn't need to be defined. It is what it is. IT'S THE SERVER TIME. You just figure how you relate to it, and everythings gravy.

Wat?  That's not how time works. All time zones are defined in relation to GMT, with some having adjustments for daylight savings seasons.  Server time is no exception.

I really don't get why this is an issue for people. What harm does it do you?

I'm looking out for the newbies and all my other Armageddon friends who get mixed up when someone posts an RPT and only lists "server time".  A problem doesn't have to affect me personally before I'm willing to speak up about it.  (I'm also an engineer.  Solving problems is what I do.)



What we really need is some kind of SMF (the forum system that the GDB runs on) tag that translates times to the viewer's timezone set in their account.  Sadly, I don't think anyone has written such a module.

[Barzalene]

I never know when it's st or dt

[Drayab]

I mean, if we still want to adopt a guideline that says "Please post RPTs in US Eastern time", that's fine with me.  Just skip the confusing alias in favor of the actual term, which people already know.

It more than just an alias. By using it, we can bypass the discussion of geography and daylight savings stuff.

Your suggestion of adopting a more familiar guideline highlights this very point.

Person 1: "Please post RPTs in US Eastern time"

Person 2: "EDT or EST?"

Person 1: "EST"

Person 2: "Year round? Or do you mean that we use EDT when daylights savings is in effect?"

Person 1: "What?"

Person 3: "I live in Arizona, so I'm laughing at both of you."

Person 4: "Just look at the damn website..."

[Marauder Moe]

You do realize that Server Time is affected by daylight savings too, right?

[Maso]

Yeah, but it's just whatever it says on the front page. We don't have to -know-. Krath. Everyone is saying how much easier it is for them. How can you argue that? Because one new player asked if it was GMT? Which frankly I thought was a joke (like....this RPT is happening at a time that's good for me, right?)

What Drayab said is spot on. All you gotta do is check the home page and you can see how many hours you are away from the impending RPT...without having to figure shit out.

[Drayab]

You do realize that Server Time is affected by daylight savings too, right?

Yeah, that was my argument against GMT.

[Patuk]

You really are making this a lot more complicated than it has to be. Stop it already.

[manipura]

 
Every time this issue comes up on the GDB I can't help but wonder why time zones are so difficult for people to figure out.

[Marauder Moe]

Yeah, but it's just whatever it says on the front page. We don't have to -know-. Krath. Everyone is saying how much easier it is for them. How can you argue that? Because one new player asked if it was GMT? Which frankly I thought was a joke (like....this RPT is happening at a time that's good for me, right?)

You and Drayab don't count as "everyone".

What Drayab said is spot on. All you gotta do is check the home page and you can see how many hours you are away from the impending RPT...without having to figure shit out.

How would it be any different if we abandoned the term "server time"?  You could still go to the webpage and look at the clock.