Stoneshard: How to Tell Time
stone chips features many sophisticated RPG systems that work together to create an immersive, realistic game world. There are survival needs like hunger, thirst, and rest, and there are dynamic quests, timed events, and NPC routines. The underlying system that makes all of these other systems work is time. The passage of time in stone chips is carefully calibrated. So much so that when it finally leaves Early Access, stone chips could end up having one of the best day/night cycles in gaming.
Day/night cycles in games tend to have some issues with being either over or under used. Sometimes they are unnecessarily complex or obscure. While stone chipsThe time system of has a few missing pieces, maintaining a steady heartbeat that throbs with just enough urgency to keep the player engaged but not overwhelmed.
How the time system works in Stoneshard
stone chips uses exact numbers to measure the passage of time. Each time the character performs an action (moves, attacks, eats, rests, etc.), time advances by one round. This is in contrast to the way that Minecraft handles the time that time progresses in real minutes. in the stone chips, Each day is 24 hours long (2,880 revolutions) and consists of four phases: dawn, day, dusk and night. Each phase lasts six hours. Each hour takes 120 revolutions to pass. In this way, each round represents 30 seconds of game time.
How to tell the time in Stoneshard
Players can tell what time it is by the color of the light outside. To get the exact time, they need to rest to see the time of day slider.
Many players have commented on the fact that the game does not have a convenient method of telling the exact time on any given round. Some say this mystery helps with immersion, while others have suggested that the character can see the position of the sun in the sky, so they should have some kind of indicator in the UI. Ink Stains Games could make some improvements in this area on the way out of Early Access. If not, it’s likely that modders will step forward again to invent a way to tell time exactly like they did Walheim.
Why time matters in Stoneshard
in the stone chips, everything happens according to certain schedules. Quests have time limits, NPCs have schedules, hunger and thirst develop gradually, and so on. The following events occur during each of the four phases of the day:
- Dusk: NPCs wake up and begin their daily routine. At the end of dawn all shops are open.
- Day: Shopkeepers run their shops and NPCs go about their normal routines.
- Dusk: Shopkeepers have closed their shops until late dawn and are returning home.
- Night: Undead creatures celebrate in cemeteries and other places where dead things accumulate.
stone chips is in Early Access on PC.