Time
Overview
Time is a game mechanic that drives many core functionalities in the game. Time controls the day/night cycle, the growing of crops and replenishment of renewable resources, the decay of perishable items, lifecycles of sapiens and passage of the seasons to name a few.
Time Units
1 game year is divided into 4 seasons, each of which has a duration of 2 game days. So 1 game Year is 8 game days. A game day without game speed acceleration is 48 real-time minutes, with 1 game hour equaling 2 minutes. These values should be used as a reference only. In reality, the player is able to speed up the game and the game itself will speed through the night once all sapiens are asleep. This will fast forward through real-time minutes, making a full day cycle rarely 48 minutes exactly.
| Unit | Real Minutes | Real Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Game Hour | 2 | 0.03 |
| Game Day | 48 | 0.8 |
| Game Season | 96 | 1.6 |
| Game Year | 384 | 6.4 |
The Day/Night Cycle
The Day/Night Cycle is a simulation close to that of the real world as the game at its heart is a planet renderer. The duration of daytime is not consistent, with winter days being very short and summer days very long, as well as being affected by where on the globe your tribe is. This is most noticeable near the poles, where summer day times are extremely long and winter nights are extremely long as well.
Light is important to the productivity of a tribe of Sapiens. If there is insufficient light many tasks will not be performed by Sapiens until there is light again, and darkness also has a negative status effect on a Sapien's mood. Lighting for areas where tasks are commonly completed can be augmented with Torches, which provide additional light and sapiens will continue to work into the evening.
Time Control Widget
The Time Control Widget is shown in the top left hand corner of the screen in game. It contains various information about time of day as well as game speed controls and local temperature.
The Sundial on the Time Control Widget is the functional clock in the game. The passage of time is denoted by the traversal of the Time of Day Marker around the circle. Ignoring game speed changes, there are 48 real-time minutes in a game day so it would take 48 minutes for a complete traversal. In practice a game day doesn't take this long. The Bedtime Marker on the sundial is the point at which all Sapiens will try to sleep, and if they are all successful the game will Ultra Speed to sunrise (this needs to be taken into account when trying to figure out how long in real time certain items will store, etc). As mentioned earlier there is no definitive sunrise and sunset time as many factors come in to play, however a general rule of thumb is sunrise is somewhere around 6am and sunset is around 6pm.
The Time Control Widget also has buttons to control the speed of the game (see Game Speed), as well as the Local temperature. Please note this is not a seasonal temperature - this is the temperature in the position that the player is currently located.
Game Speed
The game currently has 5 speeds defined. 3 of the speeds are accessible from the Time Control Widget, Utra Speed is used by the game to bypass night time, and slow motion is mapped to a hotkey.
| Game Speed | Speed Multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pause | 0 | Stops the game completely in time. |
| Play | 1.0 | The normal speed of the game. |
| Fast | 3.0 | Fast game speed invokable by the player. |
| Ultra | 64.0 | Speed used to skip the night when sapiens are sleeping. |
| Slow Motion | 0.1 | Can be invoked using Ctrl+9 |
Seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, lasting 2 in-game days each.
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Drying Time
Some objects require time to dry to become usable. The following table outlines the drying time for these types of resources. Times are listed in real time, so are affected by Game Speed changes.
| Resource | Drying Time (Real Time) |
|---|---|
| Wet Hay | 2 minutes |
| Wet Flax | 4 minutes |
| Unfired Urn (Wet) | 4 minutes |
| Unfired Bowl (Wet) | 4 minutes |
| Unfired Brick (Wet) | 4 minutes |
| Unfired Tile (Wet) | 4 minutes |
Decay Time
Items stored indoors will have a duration of 4 times the value of the decay time of the item.
Decay of Perishable Resources
| Item | Decay Time (Outside) | Decay Time (Inside) |
|---|---|---|
| Aloe Leaf | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Alpaca Carcass | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Alpaca Meat | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Alpaca Meat (Cooked) | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Apple | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Aspen Seed | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Bamboo Seed | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Banana | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Beetroot (Cooked) | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Beetroot | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Beetroot Seed | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Birch Seed | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Bread Dough | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Chicken Carcass | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Chicken Meat (Cooked) | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Chicken Meat (Raw) | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Coconut | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Echinacea Flower | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Elderberries | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Flatbread | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Flax (Dryed) | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Flour | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Flax Seeds | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Garlic | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Ginger Root | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Gooseberry | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Hay | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Large Aspen Seed | 32 Game Days | 16 Game Years |
| Large Pine Cone | 32 Game Days | 16 Game Years |
| Mammoth Carcass | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years* |
| Mammoth Meat | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Mammoth Meat (Cooked) | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Marigold Flower | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Orange | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Peach | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Pine Cone | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Poppy Flower | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Pumpkin | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Pumpkin (Cooked) | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Raspberry | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Sunflower Seeds | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
| Turmeric Root | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Wheat | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Willow Seed | 8 Game Days | 4 Game Years |
Notes
- Please note only usable items are identified in the table. All rotten items will fully decay and disappear within 1 game day.
- While mammoth carcasses cannot be moved, you can technically build a shelter over them.
Container-based Decay
Some items can only exist in containers. Containers fired in a Kiln extend the shelf life of these resources.
| Resource | Unfired Container | Inside Unfired Container | Fired Container | Inside Fired Container |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury Medicine | 2 Game Days | 8 Game Days | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Burn Medicine | 2 Game Days | 8 Game Days | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Food Poisoning Medicine | 2 Game Days | 8 Game Days | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Virus Medicine | 2 Game Days | 8 Game Days | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Hulled Wheat | 4 Game Days | 16 Game Days | 2 Game Years | 8 Game Years |
| Flour | 4 Game Days | 16 Game Days | 2 Game Years | 8 Game Years |
Storage Area Longevity Estimates
When looking at items in a Storage Area, an estimate is given as to how long the items will last. The below table shows the ranges for how these estimates are communicated by the game. Values in the Time Span column are in-game.
| Time Span | Time Span Range | Max Real Time |
|---|---|---|
| Very Soon | 0-6 Game Hours | 12 Minutes |
| Few Hours | 6-36 Game Hours | 72 Minutes |
| Few Days | 1.5 Game Days - 8 Game Days | 6.5 Hours |
| Next Year | 8 Game Days - 16 Game Days | 12.8 Hours |
| Few Years | 2 Game Years - 100 Game Years | 640 Hours |
Progression of Growth
Most flora replenishes after 3 days.
Trivia
- Each world has a Year Speed value associated with the server. The value set in the current version of the game (0.3.5) is 0.0000434027777777.
- The length of the year is equal to 1/(Year Speed). Using the default value this works out to approximately 23040 seconds.