User defined time zone for clock

I have this as a proposal, number 534. The basic idea is that not everyone works in the Pacific time zone and it can get confusing to calculate the times in another country. So why not allow the user to define what time zone he/she sees? All times within the game would adjust accordingly, so a 3pm scheduled event (SL Time) can now be viewed as 6 pm Eastern time, should the user decide as such.

It's really a bigger deal outside of the US, I think, when time differences are upwards of 8 hours or so.

I second this suggestion. Not like its all that big a deal or anything, which is probably why it was never done this way in the begining. It does erk me though that the clock is wrong, for me anyhow being that I am in EST.

In fact, I dont think that I have never been in anykind of online enviroment where the systems clock didnt' synch itself to the timezone of the individual user or just pull the time from the users system itself.

The clock being off is like that annoying rattle you sometimes hear inside your car when driving down the road. You can never seem to figure out exactly where its comming from and the more you try to find it...the more annoying it gets.


Later..be good.

Funny, back in the day we'd petitioned for (what seemed like) months to get LL to put a LindenTime clock on the screen so people could match up with the events calendar and other time dependent events.

Yes, Linden Time is arbitrary, but so is Greenwich, UTC, or Swatch "Beat Time". If you want a local time clock while playing SL, it isn't too hard to put one on top of your monitor. I'm not on Linden Time either, but the game is.

Actually World of Warcraft synchs with where the server is, which is probably what SL does.

I've got mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I am on EST (GMT -5), and constantly find my body 'drifting' to SL Time due to playing way, way too much

I've become used to always doing the math in my head of what SL time is in local time.

On the other hand, I could see where attempting to discuss event times in a chat, or attempting to make fixed signs that refer to a time could be quite confusing without a common time metric for all.

Honestly, though - GMT would make a lot more sense than PST, IMHO.

With the addition of the notify feature a displayed clock that is in time with the events in world...isnt needed. The notify feature could simply run on PST as does the events. Leaving the displayed clock to be set to whatever time zone the user desires.

It really comes done to its basic usefullness..IMO. The clock is such a basic feature of the game, no one should have to work around it. Not to mention that in its current state its only there to tell the time. Like I had said...its not that its really such a crucial part of the game BUT in its simplicity....it should work...correctly. The word 'correctly' being used in a broad loose sense. So dont' get your panties in a bunch.

Theres that damn noise again....where the hell is it comming from !

I guess my point is - while I use the event calendar myself - the GUI tools aren't the only ones I use.

If everyone began thinking of time in-game relative to their own time zone, how would I create a sign advertising something at a specific time, if there was no universal time?

If I had to step away, and said in chat "I'll be back at 5" - would you know what I was talking about?

For those of us that have been around before this hypothetical change - no problem. I could just say "PST" or "SLT" on the sign or in my chat, and you'll all know what I mean.

But new residents coming in after the change - especially those that aren't from North America - the abreviation "PST" or "SLT" would have little meaning.

Its definately an interesting debate, regardless. It's amazing to me that I can collaborate with folks from the UK, Austrailia, and Japan simultaneously. While each of us are operating on our own timezone relative to where we are, in this virtual space we share - it just seems to me that having a common point of reference for time would make collaboration easier.

He's right:



A common point of reference: that, as the bizpeople say, is the bottom line.

Next topic!

Seconded.

I would hate this...I like it as it is..

When I am in SL, it is whatever time is in the upper corner, so when I say to a friend meet you at 8 here...I don't have to go, wait one sec...calculate, only meet you at 5 your time, which will be 10 my time..ahhh!!!!

So playing SL does it matter if it is 7 am, or 7 pm? NO that is game time and everyone is the same, which is best..

the problem that comes into play is events and meeting up with people. atleast with everyone on one game time it's really easy to coordinate in-game events.

if everyone was on a different time then how could people coordinate?

it's much easier right now with each indivdual person figuring out their own +/-PST time for themseves then trying to have each person figure out someone else time zone difference.

Yeah, I agree with the nay-sayers. I've withdrawn my own votes, so if anyone voted for it, please let it die.

If I cared enough, I'd even propose that they move to a much more rational 24 hour clock, but I don't.