Clock and timestamps?

froglady · July 6, 2013 at 1:29 AM

Would it be possible to have a clock on the pages of the site to tell us what day and time it is on the server? I'm on a different day, and I often can't remember what day the site is on (which is important in figuring out when events start and end, mainly).

I'd also like a timestamp on flowers. When on July 1 did I get that plant from the garden or breed it? With the 100 hour thing, sometimes it's impossible to remember whether you got that seed on Wednesday night at 10 pm (site time Thursday morning 8 am) or actually picked it up on Thursday evening after work. So you look and fret and wonder when it might sprout (or grow up). Would be nice to be able to figure it out more easily for ourselves.

Likes? Dislikes? Suggestions for improvement? Thanks, all.

EmeraldsLyn · July 6, 2013 at 1:34 AM

I also agree with these suggestions, knowing what time the server is on would make things a little bit easier for those of us that live in North America

Aztekior · July 6, 2013 at 6:08 AM

In the forum, at bottom right we have a timastamp. Now I read Samstag, 6. Juli 2013, 06:07. See you others? Often I thought, perhaps we could have a stamp for each flower state and also when we was giving extra caring. Some times I can know it. Other times the Rl takes most of attention. Then I forget the time.

EmeraldsLyn · July 6, 2013 at 6:16 AM

That is awesome Aztekior, thank you

MiaSkywalker · July 6, 2013 at 8:07 AM

It shows the time, but for me, at least, it's showing my local time. I think froglady is more interested in knowing what date/time it currently is in Germany, because that affects when the holidays begin and end. There are online converters, but I think there is usually a way to have something like that on a site as well.

Although, something to consider - the holidays don't turn off and on automatically (at least, in the past they didn't), so many times they actually end a little later than the stated date. (Usually only by a few hours or half a day, but still, it gives us a slightly longer opportunity.)
The date/time stamp on the seeds/seedlings would be useful, especially in these events, because then we would be better able to estimate when they are going to grow up. Many times I will see that I picked up a seed on X date, but was it in the wee hours of the morning? Or in the afternoon? Or late that night? I tend to check mine multiple times a day to make sure they are watered, so I usually see within a couple of hours if a seed has grown up, but not everyone has that opportunity.

froglady · July 6, 2013 at 8:23 AM

Yes, there is a time stamp in the forums, but it also shows Pacific Standard Time for me (my local time), not the server time. The date you picked up the plant that's listed on the plant's page isn't your local date and time, it's the site server date and time. I'd like to know what date and time it is by the game's count. (Right now, my time says "Friday July 5, 11:18 pm").
I know that the holidays are staff-mediated, but in lieu of the indivdual timestamps on seeds and seedlings it would at least help us know when to start looking for sprouts or mature plants. I usually get to check only in the evenings, as I work (sometimes even holidays and weekends, as this week I am in the middle of a 12-day stretch from July 1 to July 12 inclusive without a day off).

idril · July 6, 2013 at 11:11 AM

Germany is currently on CEST (Central European Summer Time) (UTC +2). It´s 11:10am now.
In Winter it´s UTC+1.

Not sure on which time the site runs, but I think it doesn´t matter when new flowers/ special events,... are still implemented manually.

Aztekior · July 6, 2013 at 2:00 PM

By default servers are using the local time. I've never seen an alternate rule. So all is clear. The users know the place and can calc to theyr local time. idril sayd it, servers placed in German does need in Summer = UTC + 2, in Winter = UTC +1. For the future the team plans to place the events automatically. There time an event time stamps could help only about.

EmeraldsLyn · July 6, 2013 at 6:12 PM

I don't know about that, I see the server at 6:09 pm and the time where I live is 10:09 am, an 8 hour difference, the same was last night, so I assume the server is 8 hours ahead of my time which is mountain daylight saving time
It works for me

froglady · July 24, 2013 at 10:21 AM

I am lazy and don't want to have to convert time on the fly after working 10-12 hours a day on a 12 day stretch. I have put in 240 hours at work in the last 4 weeks alone. By the time I get here (if I do before I crash out in my dinner plate in the evenings) I don't have the brains left to add time across midnight, then subtract and change days and subtract 24 x the number of days since I planted the seed to figure out how close to 100 hours I am on a plant. It's the time of sprouting/maturing that I'm having trouble with keeping track of.

Exterminans · July 24, 2013 at 11:04 AM

So it is less the timestamp you would be interested in but rather a meaningful progress meter and an ETA for the next stage at the current growth rate?

Both noted for the oncoming update. Showing times in local timezones is a bit tricky though, since I have no way of telling for sure which timezone you are living in. What I can do though, is displaying timestamps as "x days and x hours ago" for recent events and only switch to the date notation once it is older than a week or so.

blobber · July 24, 2013 at 1:06 PM

For me an ETA for the next stage would be good. The time difference is only an hour and doesn't concern me at all.

froglady · July 26, 2013 at 5:44 AM

Ooh, that meter would be lovely. It would solve all my problems. And I don't need my local time--I have that. I just wanted the server time displayed so I knew what time and date the game "thought" it was. I play lots of games from different TZs and countries, and I just go by the game clock, even though it's different from mine. At least I don't have to try to figure out midnight in Eastern, Central, Mountain, England, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. I just look at the game clock and go by that.

blobber · July 26, 2013 at 11:55 AM

How about if you found out the exact game time and set your time as that in your settings? Game time would then always be displayed on the board, although not your garden which I think is what you want.

froglady · August 6, 2013 at 5:57 AM

It's while I'm playing in the garden. I could care less what time I post.
I guess I could set my computer clock to German time (and Eastern, Central, Australian, etc.) and back when I play, but that's not an appetizing solution, somehow. The progress meter would be truly great.

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