Time
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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. 1 year in the game is divided into 4 seasons, each of which has a duration of 2 days. So 1 Year in-game is 8 in-game days.
The Day/Night Cycle
The Day/Night Cycle is a simulation close to that of the real world as the game at it's 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 effect on a Sapien's mood. Lighting for areas where tasks are commonly completed can be augmented with Torches, which provide additional light.
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 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 day so it would take 48 minutes for a complete traversal. In practice an in-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, though all aren't directly usable by the player at this point.
| 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 the '9' key. |
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 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 Game Year | 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 | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Bamboo Seed | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Banana | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Beet Root (Cooked) | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Beetroot | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Beetroot Seed | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Birch Seed | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Bread Dough | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Chicken Carcass | 1 Game Year | 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 |
| Echinancea 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 |
| Flax Seeds | 1 Game Year | 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 | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Large Aspen Seed | 4 Game Years | 16 Game Years |
| Large Pine Cone | 4 Game Years | 16 Game Years |
| Mammoth Carcass | 1 Game Year | 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 |
| Pinecone | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Poppy Flower | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Pumpkin | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Pumpkin (Cooked) | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Raspberry | 2 Game Days | 1 Game Year |
| Sunflower Seeds | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
| Turmeric Root | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Wheat | 4 Game Days | 2 Game Years |
| Willow Seed | 1 Game Year | 4 Game Years |
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 Description | Max Real Time |
|---|---|---|
| Very Soon | Less than 6 hours | 12 Minutes |
| Few Hours | Less than 36 hours | 72 Minutes |
| Few Days | Less than 8 Days | 6.5 Hours |
| Next Year | Less than 2 Years | 12.8 Hours |
| Few Years | Less than 100 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.