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AO Forum :: > Regional Discussion > Standardised time zones in AO

Posted by: Pacitalia Jan 5 2006, 10:59 PM

I've been thinking, and now that I'm east of Sarzonia but he's one-three hours ahead of me, we should take a look at standardising time zones.

Now, Vilita and I discussed this a while back and he had a valid point in that standardised time zones would, in effect, force some people to be in a time zone when they didn't want to be - aka removing RP freedom. However, for a more realistic effect, IMO it would be more fun to actually have time zones - maybe that would even help RPing here, because we could say "9.00pm, Columbia, Bedistan", or "4.30am, Lontorika" etc. etc.

Participation would, of course, be non-obligation, if you don't want to have a standardised time zone, you don't have to, and we'd just RP that you use a different time measurement system.

However, Vilita said as well that since time zones in RL are fixed to a certain generalised width in kilometres, it might further restrict RPing freedom. If we just draw lines between countries and not through them (unless they're big enough to have more than one time zone, such as Pacitalia is), I don't think it would.

So, what do you guys think?

Posted by: Bedistan Jan 6 2006, 01:05 AM

After a bit of discussion, here the proposal I've come up with:

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9303/aotimezones1tt.png

This proposal gives AO seven time zones while also ensuring that most nations remain entirely within one zone (only Nojika, Nedalia, and Pacitalia are split into two). The somewhat strange boundary between AOTC+0200 and AOTC+0300 is there so that Commerce Heights and Tingitana can both remain entirely within one time zone. Lontorika is in its own special AOTC+0230 for political reasons (it doesn't like either CH or Tingitana).

Posted by: Starblaydia Jan 6 2006, 07:04 AM

I guess its a useful idea, but it's a step towards telling us how big our nations are, rather than letting us figure that out for ourselves.

Non-obligation is the key, I think. Conform, don't conform, it doesnt really matter, its not like Bedi has set out a massive difference from end to end there.

Plus, a minor point, wouldn't Vilita be in ±0000, being the Founder? Centre of the Region and all that? But, then again, Vilita originally had everything from Oli down to Krytenia as well, so that's a fair enough place to make the time-zone centre of the region.

See, I can contradict my own opinions in the same paragraph. Basically I like the idea

Posted by: Pacitalia Jan 6 2006, 09:59 PM

Well, the time zones I guess would have to be relative to their lineage on the map, not how big your nation is - so that you still have RP freedom.

Otherwise, I like Bedi's compromise post (partly because it mixes my ideas and partly because it's sensible). However, I think Space Union should be in +0300 too, and perhaps, although that would isolate that part of CH, maybe we could put it in +0230 with Lontorika. Otherwise, it should be in +0300 too, IMO.

Posted by: Commerce Heights Jan 6 2006, 11:35 PM

QUOTE (Pacitalia)

However, I think Space Union should be in +0300 too, and perhaps, although that would isolate that part of CH, maybe we could put it in +0230 with Lontorika.

It’d isolate what? o_O

Perhaps I should clarify the Capitalizt position on the time zones—CH is in AOTC−0200 iff AOTC is UTC+0200. In the far more likely event that AOTC has no relation to UTC, then time in CH has no relation to AOTC.

I think this is a problem with the proposed system—if a nation does not use the standardized AO time zones, then the time there has no relation to the rest of the region. If UTC were used as a base, then people could still figure out what time it was in nations that don’t want to change their current time zone (like mine). And since time zones are arbitrary, a relation to UTC doesn’t imply the region’s longitude if you don’t want it to.

Posted by: Starblaydia Jan 7 2006, 06:07 AM

QUOTE (Commerce Heights @ Jan 7 2006, 05:35 AM)

...lots of acronyms...

I think I need a lie down, my head hurts.

Posted by: Legalese Jan 7 2006, 01:27 PM

CH: Unless I've missed something created by someone somewhere, their is no UTC in Nationstates (yes, this is coming from someone who has their timezone listed as GMT -5, but ignore that for a moment

). So, there's really no context to set UTC from. So in that case, what's the big deal for you simply determining what your time zone is, using the AOTC, even if you don't follow the "geographical" version of it? And even if so, other than where it may relate RP-wise, if it seems the rest of us like/don't mind the idea, why should we care?

Posted by: Lamoni Jan 7 2006, 10:22 PM

I have no problems with this.

Posted by: Commerce Heights Jan 10 2006, 06:53 PM

QUOTE (Ratlea @ Jan 7 2006, 01:27 PM)

CH: Unless I've missed something created by someone somewhere, their is no UTC in Nationstates (yes, this is coming from someone who has their timezone listed as GMT -5, but ignore that for a moment

It’s true that there isn’t any explicit international standard, but there must be some standard, or timekeeping on NS Earth would be such a problem that anyone who deals with time would want to create one. And since many nations define their time zone in terms of UTC/GMT…

And the big deal with using an AOTC-based time is that AOTC is an arbitrary non-standard time zone (as evidenced by its lack of relation to the abstract UTC time) which Capitalizts would never use any more than they’d use the ASCII character set or the USAnian government’s set of country codes.

Posted by: Legalese Jan 20 2006, 04:35 PM

I'll give ya that point, as it does make sense to assume there is a standardized UTC for NS Earth, with the intracacies of gameplay allowing it to be set basically anywhere, or for us to be set any timezone apart from it. With that in mind, does anyone think we should set AOTC to the UTC equivalent? Like for instance, setting AOTC +0 as equal to UTC -6? (Theoretcially)

Posted by: Pacitalia Jan 20 2006, 04:42 PM

The problem would then lie for European RPers who would have to consistently RP some of their events taking place at night when it's their daytime. Although this could be avoided, it may still be an issue for some.

An example of how we could standardise is this -> Timiocato is two hours ahead of where I live IRL (west coast of Canada), so I RP Timiocato as being 3.41pm (it's 1.41pm here right now). Timiocato is in UTC -6, therefore, and is in AOTC+0300, which would be UTC -3 if we used Legal's idea.

And since I'm a nerd and set my watch IRL to Timiocato time

(shut up) it would mess me up! Oh praytell, You got me laughing on that one!...

Anyway, whatever we do from here as per the equivalent time AOTC>UTC, is fine by me. Just as long as it stays realistic for as many players as possible.

Posted by: Legalese Jan 20 2006, 08:19 PM

keep in mind, in NS, the time is whatever time you damn well say it is :-P

Just mind you, in terms of what time it is in certain places, it doesn't really matter what time you actually post. Like it could be 2 am EST here when I post, but if I were to timestamp the time and date in Legalese, it's going to be whatever time makes the most sense for the RP. So other than just using it to correlate the time difference between Legalese and Nojika, for instance, there's no other major point to the time zones.

Posted by: Starblaydia Feb 13 2006, 01:47 PM

QUOTE (Legalese @ Jan 21 2006, 02:19 AM)

keep in mind, in NS, the time is whatever time you damn well say it is :-P

Surely this is the whole idea. Showing how nations' times can be relative to each other as far as some randomly-distributed zones go can be useful, I would have thought. How it relates to any other time, NS or RL, surely makes no difference.

Posted by: Falcania Feb 19 2006, 05:30 PM

It doesn't really matter for me and my fluid timeline.

Posted by: USSNA Feb 21 2006, 10:58 AM

I agree, time in NS is fluid and doesnt really matter with respect to the time you posted it. A unified time zone system for AO would be useful for doing RPs within the region and might cause some trouble with RP taking place outside of the region. This could be sloved by just saying AO-0000 is equal to GMT/UTC-0000. It just gives a point of reference.

Posted by: Starblaydia Feb 21 2006, 11:02 AM

Fluid time doesn't quite equate, as a concept, to what we're doing here, though. Fluid time is more about the passage of time within and between RPs, from a few moments per post to 5 years between posts.

But to just say that when someone is getting up in Lamoni, then a Sarzonian is having lunch... just gives things a little more perspective and structure.

Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 21 2006, 02:21 PM

YES! That's exactly what I meant. Couldn't have said that any better, Star.

Posted by: Sarzonia Feb 21 2006, 03:11 PM

QUOTE (Starblaydia @ Feb 21 2006, 11:02 AM)

But to just say that when someone is getting up in Lamoni, then a Sarzonian is having lunch... just gives things a little more perspective and structure.

And that's what I find attractive about the idea. Just the thought that Lord Tiberius could perhaps deliberately schedule his war rumblings to pipe in when Sarzo and Tyler are just sitting down to supper could add an element of interest to regional RPing. That and a RSTF rogue threatening to launch sarin gas over Timiocato timed for the period when Francesco Sorantanali is getting ready for bed and is in pyjamas or a night gown.

If for some reason the AO time zone doesn't fit your RP of your country (for instance, you may RP your country being something like six hours behind the AO time zone), you do NOT have to take part in it. Not every state in the U.S. follows Daylight Savings Time. Heck, *parts* of Indiana do or don't. Just like Daylight Savings Time is optional, so is this proposal.

QUOTE

If we didn't follow fluid time, NS would be a jumbled mess (not that it isn't, mind). There's no way that a nation of 5 million people that established itself on 22 March 2004 is going to have over 4 *billion* people less than two years later. If we followed a set formula of one RL day = 1 NS year, I have characters I've been using since the very beginning who by all rights would be long dead. PIW would also still be feverishly constructing its first warships rather than coming up with close to 100 ship classes.

The name of this game is selective flexibility. Pick the battles that need to be fought (such as rampant Godmoding) and drop the ones that don't.

Posted by: Pacitalia Feb 21 2006, 06:16 PM

QUOTE (Sarzonia @ Feb 21 2006, 12:11 PM)

Francesco Sorantanali

Who?

Posted by: Atheistic Right [OLD] Mar 28 2006, 04:02 AM

Atheistic Right supports this proposal... not that we have any influence or anything