Seasons

[sarahjc]

So the birthday thread got me thinking..I wouldn't know the exact date that I was born, but I may know that I was born in the early spring.

Seasons? Does Zalanthas have seasons. And not like spring, summer, winter, fall. But now with the new time changes, is there room for seasonal times? Since each month is now a standard two weeks and six to a year. How about three seasons?

The hot and dusty season.

Maybe there is a time of year were there is a -lot- of sand storms. Game is a bit more scarce, most animals are dormant and the temperature is very hot all the time.

The  warm season

Things cool down a bit at night, the weather is more pleasant. Less sand storms, game and hunting start starts to pick up more out more.

The cool and calm season.

Nights are cold, but less wind than normal. A good time of year for inter-city travel. Game animals flourish, as perhaps breeding has occurred in the less comfortable seasons and youngsters are now out of the nests and dens.

I think it could add a whole dimension to the game and add a bit more to the harshness. People would have to learn to deal with the harsher seasons, perhaps dry and salt food. Prices for things like water could go up and down depending. You would have more city Rp when the weather was poor and a good amount of hunting done when the cool season comes.


So good idea this would add dimension?

or

Overkill, we don't need this, I just want to kill things all the time all year round?

[grog]

So good idea this would add dimension?

or

Overkill, we don't need this, I just want to kill things all the time all year round?

Both!   Seriously I like the idea, I tend to think of each of the months as a seperate season in game, but I was never sure if the immortals had done anything to make it so.

[ashyom]

Days are further grouped into sets of two hundred thirty-one. This interval marks the third time the sun and two moons converge in each phase of the sun. Thus, in a 231-day phase, the sun and moons will all occupy the same place in the sky, which happens to occur at midnight, exactly three times. The third time this happens, the sun is said to have moved into another phase and a new month begins.

So, there aren't seasons, per se, that match up with the months' intervals.  However, certain plants and animals do bloom/breed at certain times of year.  I believe that one of the staff is looking at implementing this further in depth, which will make it neat for the rangers and outdoorsy people.
Ashyom

[JollyGreenGiant]

I could be vastly mistaken, but the last couple of outdoor PCs that I had noticed weather trends that seem to indicate that at the least, there's a "stormy" season and a "not-so-stormy" season.

[Pungee]

Aren't there seasons? Descending/Ascending Sun and one other? As I recall theres even a difference in whether patterns.

[sarahjc]

I know that there are "seasons" in the time line of things. But I thought it would be cool if the weather truly had an effect on things and there were docs on the way you should expect the seasons to effect daily life.

The three arcs, the Arc of Descension, the Low Arc, and the Arc of Ascension are set as the three months, right? But no real seasonal type weather patters follow at least not in a code wise or cultural way that I know of. Maybe that might have been do to the fact that the days weren't exactly even and time measure was difficult. I've seen some elves say that they don't hunt certain animals in a certain time of year. But that is random and up to perception at best.

Now with the set coded time why not have hard coded seasons to match?

I have yet to hear a merchant say," Are you crazy? We can’t  travel next month. It's the stormy season, we won't make it half way across the plains before we get stuck in a sand dune!"

Or in the dry season have some poor tavern squatter say, "Well, we sold our oldest into slavery a few weeks back. Too many mouths to feed. The dry season's been hard. Can't afford the water prices no-more, the plains are so dried up a decent man can't even afford a livin'. Think you could spare a hungry man a few extra sid noble fancy pants?"

I think it would neat if the effects of the seasons were hard coded and people would have to adapted behaviors accordingly. I mean you could rp this way anyway, but it would be cool if it had a code base as well.

But It's just an idea..

[Delirium]

I actually like this a lot.

I'd add the idea that sandstorms behave like real sandstorms do, as well..  and that there be more frequency of the blinding ones that are so bad you can't see in the same room even during broad daylight - and make it so you get turned around if you try to move. (Can you say 'hello mister kind ranger, won't you take me home?') To compensate for this however, storms should last an IC day at most, and the edges of them would move.. so if the wind's howling out of the south, the storm is slowly moving northward until it dissapates, and the southern edge is slowly creeping up until clear air has arrived again. The worst of the storm would be right in the center where you couldn't see at all, and the edges of the storm would slowly get easier to see, until it was just 'gritty sand', etc.

During the stormy season, you get lots of huge, longer storms, with super hot weather.
During the warm season, you'd get a frequency of small, short sandstorms, and slightly cooler weather.
During the 'cool' season, sandstorms are semi-rare and short (I vote that there always be the risk of a storm, however), and the weather is almost pleasant, by Zalanthan standards.

I wouldn't wish the coding of that on anyone, but it's a nice dream, I think. *g*

[Pungee]

so if the wind's howling out of the south, the storm is slowly moving northward until it dissapates, and the southern edge is slowly creeping up until clear air has arrived again.

I believe it already does something like this. I can't be -sure- but the last time I went along the north road and there was a storm, when I got up north the storm was just hitting the place and kicked up during the night and lasted several days.

[Bhagharva]

Offhand I'm not sure if it is code specific, but most tribes consider each month a season. Wether or not the weather is diffrent I don't know for sure.

[Delstro]

I see a problem with the three seasonio's
First season- High amount of sandstorms.
Second season- Mild amount of sandstorms
Third season- Practiclly none.
First season- It goes from practiclly none to a  high amount?

[sarahjc]

Much Like the South American Hurricane Season..

Since there is only a three month cycle, it would be difficult to make the transition like we do here with our four seasons.

But I think you could assume that wind and weather conditions can be volatile. After all, it isn't earth. And it is a fantasy land..

Heck, it might not even be a round planet...Could be oval or oblong.. have a big dent in it, or be severely misshapen. Not to mention that the known world is a very small part of the actual world.

[Jacques]

My take on the "three season" approach...

Season one: It's hot, and when the sandstorms come (and they will, far too often), they suck in a massive, grandiose manner.

Season two: It's excessively warm, and when the winds begin to blow very vigorously (which happens with considerable regularity), one must watch carefully for sand in one's eyes or undergarments.

Season three: It's decidedly UN-cold, and the sand (which does not particularly enjoy the un-cold) consistently decides to relocate into more lofty locations, causing no small level of discomfort to those around it.

I hope that clears everything up.  :twisted:

Actually, I could see there being a period of the year where there was greater sandstorm activity, like monsoon season, but I don't think it would be associated with the months. Those are more likely based on the sun and moons, and not the weather. But you MIGHT hear something like "Ah, Jihae is flirting with Lirathu again... guess the winds will be coming again soon. Hope it's a mild season this year."