Mr. Mask
2014-04-03, 09:25 AM
In games, time is often relative to what you need the players to experience. They can go to bed and eight hours will pass in the blink of an eye in the game. They can say they travel half way around the world, the journey passing with a one-sentence description. Years can pass in a single sitting.
Now, if the game is multiplayer... problems may arise. Time paradoxes can occur with ridiculous ease.
You play with Tommy at the in-game time of April 3rd, he breaks granny's vase. Then, you play with Susie at the in-game time of April 2nd, and she wants to break granny's vase.... so what happens? "No, you can't break granny's vase, because Tommy does that later in the game's timeline"? Allow her to break the vase, but make sure a replacement is organized for Tommy to have broken? Tell Tommy that his adventure breaking the vase has been vetoed, because Susie of the past got to it first?
If you think it's bad in the case of an event, think of how bad it can be in a competitive game.
This is a problem best avoided, because it is hard or perhaps impossible to make this work. However, with some brilliant minds on it, I think this will be a fun challenge to puzzle.
Let's be a bit flexible in facing this problem, since I'm not sure you can come to a reasonable answer if you want to keep a perfect timeline. The important point is for players' actions to not cause paradoxes, especially in competitive context. It also is important that players don't get an advantage for being ahead or behind in time (assuming time is tracked at all).
Now, if the game is multiplayer... problems may arise. Time paradoxes can occur with ridiculous ease.
You play with Tommy at the in-game time of April 3rd, he breaks granny's vase. Then, you play with Susie at the in-game time of April 2nd, and she wants to break granny's vase.... so what happens? "No, you can't break granny's vase, because Tommy does that later in the game's timeline"? Allow her to break the vase, but make sure a replacement is organized for Tommy to have broken? Tell Tommy that his adventure breaking the vase has been vetoed, because Susie of the past got to it first?
If you think it's bad in the case of an event, think of how bad it can be in a competitive game.
This is a problem best avoided, because it is hard or perhaps impossible to make this work. However, with some brilliant minds on it, I think this will be a fun challenge to puzzle.
Let's be a bit flexible in facing this problem, since I'm not sure you can come to a reasonable answer if you want to keep a perfect timeline. The important point is for players' actions to not cause paradoxes, especially in competitive context. It also is important that players don't get an advantage for being ahead or behind in time (assuming time is tracked at all).