Displaying Only Universal Server Time on Map

[Chrysline.2317]

Hi ANet and fellow players! This is a suggestion that I hope is helpful to the community.

 

Rather than the players’ own timezone displayed on the map, how about just putting the UTC+0 time on the map?

 

The server already resets at 12:00 AM UTC anyway.

 

This would be a huge help for players coordinating between different timezones.

 

For example, when I attend HP trains, the commander has to say 20 mins from now or at XX:55 because everyone’s map is in different timezones.

 

As for possible objections:

_1) Displaying UTC might confuse players_

Response: you’d be surprised how fast gamers can learn! I’d say it would lessen confusion and promote multicultural understanding.

 

I used to play another game for 2 years (managed an alliance for 1 year) where the displayed time was in UTC. That one sometimes involved 24/7 war. (In many ways, GW2 WvW is like that, and in some cases PvE.) That’s why many alliances in that game had players from at least 3 timezones.

 

It only takes a minute or two of explanation for a player to understand the server time or how UTC works.

 

_2) Convenience: won’t displaying the player’s own time be more convenient?_

Response: showing only the UTC server time for all makes it more convenient to coordinate groups ;)

 

For example, I live in UTC +8. It’s easier to add or subtract 8 hours to convert. Unlike remembering all the EST, PST, etc. and researching the conversion for those.

 

If another player doesn’t understand which timezone along UTC they are, they can just state their current time (and date) to other players. With a universal server time displayed, the commanders/mentors can more easily do the math and give the player their timezone.

 

Plus, if the player really needed a clock for their own time, they probably already have several watches, clocks, or phones at home that can tell them that time.

 

Let’s use this chance to make it easier for guilds, squads, parties and the community as a whole to coordinate. :)

[Loosmaster.8263]

I'd rather have mine set to local time, tyvm...

Edit: Your example of XX:55 is the minutes of the current hour. They won't change regardless of the XX.

[Schimmi.6872]

You can already choose in the options between your Local Time, the Server Time (= UTC) and the Tyrian Time (ingame 2h day-night cycle).

So if people want to use UTC, they already have this option, no need to force everyone to use it.

[Hesione.9412]

Another no from me. _I already have to convert the server time into my local time when I am away from the PC, so I know when to login for events_. I want my in-game clock to show my local time.

 

If we want to promote cultural understanding, why not have everyone's in-game forced to be my local time? Why is one time zone better than any other time zone for promoting cultural understanding?

 

In the guilds I have joined, we are all doing things together. While I mainly play with people in the USA, there are also people in my country, the country next door to me, Canadians, etc. We have many an interesting conversation about where our countries differ (e.g. Xmas in the southern hemisphere vs Xmas in the northern hemisphere). For players who are not in my guilds, this interaction would have to be done in map chat/party chat/whispers. I have already had more than enough of the USA election "discussions" in map chat, and feel I really don't need any more of that cultural understanding.

 

Re convenience, I've had this done two ways. First, refer to reset. So "reset teq" or "reset leyline anomaly" etc. The other method is to put information into the guild's Discord and/or MoTD.

 

[Zephire.8049]

I don't see how this is needed as XX:55 works across timezones with the exception for the handful that are on the half hour. You can also turn timestamps on for chat so if someone says "HP train moving in 20 minutes" you know what time they said it and when the HP train would move out.

 

Also not everyone can math out timezones on the fly, especially when so many places still use Daylight Savings Time so their UTC number changes twice a year. Perhaps it was easy for you but your personal experience =/= universal. And I get it. I've been using 24-hour time since I was a kid so it's really easy to convert the times on the fly, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of people struggle with it if they aren't familiar with it and it can take months for people to get comfortable with it. Forcing people to be confused and not know what times things are at in a video game doesn't help anyone and guilds who are serious about having round the clock coverage are predisposed to having players who are familiar with UTC. Someone wanting to know when a world boss is doesn't benefit by being told the UTC when they have no idea how that system works—they just wanted to know when to set an alarm (which is in local time) or know if they can do that boss between dinner and putting the kids to bed.

 

The game already lets you change between local time, server time, and Tyrian time and I don't see how removing 2/3 of those fosters community rather than confusion. It's not about knowing what time it is for you locally without having to look anywhere else, it's being able to tell at a glance whether you'll have time to do in-game things without having to do a conversion from UTC to local time or having to use a website to do that for you.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

Sounds confusing.

I prefer my own local time, which aligns with ArenaNet time.

[Danikat.8537]

I have my in-game clock set to server time but I don't see any need to force it on everyone. It should be up to them to decide which of the options is most useful.

 

Also personally I find it far, far simpler to understand that XX:55 means '55 minutes into the current hour, no matter what time zone you're in or what your clock is set to' rather than trying to do the maths to work out how to convert from server time or the person speaking's local time to my time zone.

[Khisanth.2948]

As mentioned already the game already allows people the choice of setting their in game clock to show UTC+0.

 

If it is for messages there is a much better approach. They could make something that functions like the chat link codes. For example you could type in "doing guild missions at [&t 11:33pm]" and the message will automatically show up with the correct local time for whoever is reading the message. Clicking/hovering over it could show a countdown for the specified time.

[Chrysline.2317]

I see now, thank you everyone for your inputs! It’s great that we can discuss these in the forums to see how or if ideas work or not.

 

> @"Khisanth.2948" said:

> As mentioned already the game already allows people the choice of setting their in game clock to show UTC+0.

>

> If it is for messages there is a much better approach. They could make something that functions like the chat link codes. For example you could type in "doing guild missions at [&t 11:33pm]" and the message will automatically show up with the correct local time for whoever is reading the message. Clicking/hovering over it could show a countdown for the specified time.

 

That chat link code is helpful thank you. :open_mouth:

[The Greyhawk.9107]

No. I need that clock to show local time so I don't have to tab out just to check the time, and forcing everyone to change to this thing instead of leaving it as the option it already is, is always a bad design choice.