Time Changes

[mikeledo]

I am of the opinion if a German company is going to cater to the US then all start times of events should be conveyed in US time...pick a time zone. Their changing spire and tourny time as well as announcing FA start times etc in German time is a bad business model for US servers. It is simply laziness on INNO's part not to make the effort.

 

[DeletedUser2959]

Or they can just use GMT, and you can add or subtract for wherever you are. For me: In most states in the USA and in most provinces in Canada, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is observed. During DST the time is shifted forward by 1 hour to EDT; which is 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-4). After the Summer months Eastern Time is shifted back by 1 hour to US Eastern Standard Time (EST) or (GMT-5)

So I'm either -4 or -5 depending on the time of year. Sure, it takes a second but it's not too terrible. Of course, my mind works in 24 hour time so if you're normal it's probably a bit more thinky-ish.

 

[mikeledo]

They should serve their customers. I shouldn't have to add or subtract anything from GMT or Europe. Business folks on the west coast who want to do business with NYC wake up at 4 AM. All I am asking is they report the time to the nation of their server. It is simply a good business model.

 

[Ashrem]

They should serve their customers. I shouldn't have to add or subtract anything from GMT or Europe. Business folks on the west coast who want to do business with NYC wake up at 4 AM. All I am asking is they report the time to the nation of their server. It is simply a good business model.

So which of the sixseven american time zones should they use? Yours, or mine, or one of the other fourfive.

edit: forgot Hawaii

 

[mikeledo]

So which of the sixseven american time zones should they use? Yours, or mine, or one of the other fourfive.

edit: forgot Hawaii

East Coast, New York City Time.

 

[Ashrem]

East Coast, New York City Time.

So everyone else in North America can keep having to adjust, but the people on the east coast deserve to have the time correct for them?

 

[WolfSinger]

So everyone else in North America can keep having to adjust, but the people on the east coast deserve to have the time correct for them?

I live in mountain time and I would estimate 75% of the time when a company posts times for something and includes the continental us time zones - they still leave mountain time out. they'll show Eastern, Central and Pacific.

A couple other Online games I've played that had multiple servers like Elvenar did try to use a "local" time zone for the various servers - typically they would either use eastern or pacific as the primary for the US - most players were good with that.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

So everyone else in North America can keep having to adjust, but the people on the east coast deserve to have the time correct for them?

Generally yes, especially if it is some live event on tv. But other stuff less so now, than it was a couple of decades ago.

 

[mikeledo]

Most folks in the US and Canada pretty much automatically know what time it is in their own zone when they hear east coast time. They have grown used to hearing it all their life.

 

[Ashrem]

Most folks in the US and Canada pretty much automatically know what time it is in their own zone when they hear east coast time. They have grown used to hearing it all their life.

I don't think that's remotely true. I think most people who don't live on the coast have no idea what time it is on the East Coast "automatically." I could figure it out in my head, but most people knowing it automatically is a serious stretch.

Actually, at the moment, I couldn't, because I don't know if they are on EST or EDT without looking it up.

 

[WolfSinger]

Actually, at the moment, I couldn't, because I don't know if they are on EST or EDT without looking it up.

Other than a couple of outliers like Arizona - the US is in Standard and Daylight at the same time - so if you are in the US if you know the time where you are it's an almost automatic thing to convert in your head within seconds the time for any other time zone. The thing that slows me down is remembering which time zone a specific area (city/state) is in if it's one I don't deal with regulary. But if someone says 9pm EST I know within microseconds that's 7pm MST.

 

[mikeledo]

I don't think that's remotely true. I think most people who don't live on the coast have no idea what time it is on the East Coast "automatically." I could figure it out in my head, but most people knowing it automatically is a serious stretch.

Actually, at the moment, I couldn't, because I don't know if they are on EST or EDT without looking it up.

It is drilled into their heads as children as they watch TV. And any US time would be better for a US server than any Euro time. The world revolves around New York.

 

[Ashrem]

It is drilled into their heads as children as they watch TV.

I think you're using your peers as a sample and it isn't valid. It's perfectly reasonable to expect that a north american will have an easier time converting from Eastern Time than they will from German time, but the majority will not know it automatically, and I think it introduces significant risk of error when working with 49 individual servers to use different clocks on some of them. Nobody's going to lose their job or home if they are an hour early or late for an event or tournament. Somebody might lose their job if they set a timer wrong on one of 49 game servers and cause a customer service backlash.

Other than a couple of outliers like Arizona - the US is in Standard and Daylight at the same time - so if you are in the US

But the U.S aren't the only ones required to use the U.S. servers. And I happen to one of those outliers, who lives in a jurisdiction that doesn't use DST. I might not know what time it is on the East Coast, but I'm used to people who grew up in urban centres assuming that the rest of the world desires to bask in their glow.

 

[mikeledo]

My computer sets its time automatically. I am sure a server can do the same thing. If INNO's professional engineers and programmers can't keep the time straight on the US server, maybe they should look for another line of work. They can keep all their Euro servers set on one time. Likewise, you are using your peers as an example. Football start times is one reason why most Americans can convert. Sunday games start at 1PM east coast time. Everybody knows that and they know when it comes on their TV. It makes it a snap to convert.

 

[Ashrem]

My computer sets its time automatically. I am sure a server can do the same thing. If INNO's professional engineers and programmers can't keep the time straight on the US server, maybe they should look for another line of work. They can keep all their Euro servers set on one time. Likewise, you are using your peers as an example. Football start times is one reason why most Americans can convert. Sunday games start at 1PM east coast time. Everybody knows that and they know when it comes on their TV. It makes it a snap to convert.

Everything is easy, and a snap, except for Americans to convert from a time that isn't ours. Something that everyone who doesn't live in the center of the universe has learned to take for granted.

 

[DeletedUser2959]

Everything is easy, and a snap, except for Americans to convert from a time that isn't ours. Something that everyone who doesn't live in the center of the universe has learned to take for granted.

Yeah, this is a dumb hill to die on.

 

[mikeledo]

Everything is easy, and a snap, except for Americans to convert from a time that isn't ours. Something that everyone who doesn't live in the center of the universe has learned to take for granted.

If I was doing business in Germany I would convert to their time and learn the language. It would be a good business model. INNO hasn't bothered about the time which is something very simply they could do. It shows a lack of respect for their paying customers. It is a poor way to conduct business. Their English word usage and syntax could use some work too.

 

[Ashrem]

Their English word usage and syntax could use some work too

Well, we agree on that.

Yeah, this is a dumb hill to die on

Good thing I'm not fearing death over it then.

INNO hasn't bothered about the time which is something very simply they could do

Too many assumptions. The first being that they haven't bothered, whhen it's possible they looked at it and decided it isn't worthwhile. The second being that there isn't something going on that makes it not simple. The history of programming is rife with "simple" tasks that turned out not to have been worth it once they were done.

 

[Heymrdiedier]

well at least the improved a bit allready. Tournaments used to be totally based on german time. the switching to daylight saving time is something they added later, (i think its only the 2nd year they do it). they also extended the tournament time by 3 hours to be more fitting for US servers.
I agree it would have been just better to just have a starttime at 7 o clock each tuesday evening and end it at 7o clock each saterday evening depending on the timezone of the server(s), but hey its inno, what we expect to be the easiest and best solution isnt usually what they choose.

 

[DeletedUser2959]

Well, we agree on that.
Good thing I'm not fearing death over it then.
Too many assumptions. The first being that they haven't bothered, whhen it's possible they looked at it and decided it isn't worthwhile. The second being that there isn't something going on that makes it not simple. The history of programming is rife with "simple" tasks that turned out not to have been worth it once they were done.

My comment was aimed at OP, not you. My point is that arguing for a time change that is both unnecessary and unlikely is not the battle I'd commit all my troops to, as it were. Sorry I wasn't more clear.