23 Hour Update

[SoADarthCyfe6]

I know this has been talked about before, and mainly by Clash, but I am generally growing tired of having to deal with nations getting curbstomped in war because they can't get on at the update. This game was created as a competitive type atmosphere with people around the world in completely different timezones. It's very difficult to compete when I have to get on at 1 am in the morning all the time, which means I have to neglect sleep and screw myself over for the next day. For other people, it gives them a HUGE advantage over other because some of their updates occur at 8, 9, 10 or 11 pm at night which makes it so much easier to get on. I'm not sure how many times I've contemplated leaving Tournament Edition because of the extreme difficulties it presents to my personal life and I really don't want to because I enjoy this game. As for some others too, some can't get on at this time due to other real life constraints as well, preventing them from getting on the game around the update.

Having a 23 hour update would create a 'fairer' environment for those who can't always get on at 1 am in the morning to worry about getting 'quaded' by an opponent who declares before the update an attacks after the update. Plus adding on 2 more people would create 12 attacks in less then 10 minutes which ultimately crushes someone with ease. Just getting on at 1 am every night to prevent myself from ten minutes destruction because others can get on at 10 pm is just !@#$%^&*. It is entirely unfair to those who have to screw over their real life's in order to play a game they really do enjoy.

Now I understand it would create problems with the in game clock and calender, but you could finish the round in 60 days (with the 23 hour update) and wait the last couple of days before starting the new round in order to start the in game clock back on the normal date. If any other and better ideas come up, feel free to post them in this thread.

[Stelios]

Well, the update line has to be somewhere. You just unfortunately fall on the bad side of it

[Jinnai]

Well its arguably a bigger issue in TE than SE due to a clear end-game.

[SoADarthCyfe6]

In TE, wars happen randomly with minimal time to prepare due to a 'limited political arena'. In SE, [i]most[/i] wars happen with heightening escalations between alliances due to political reasons and other things. It's by far, much easier to keep a defcon level in SE then it is compared to TE.

This was a message I received from one of my members regarding our current war in TE with the Hell Patrol.

[quote]
good point with the update time - I am sitting in Germany and update is at 6 or 7 in the morning....
[/quote]

I know we are not the only one's who dislike the permanent update time. It's very, [i]very[/i] unfair and gives others a huge strategical advantage over us as well.

Edited May 1, 2011 by SoADarthCyfe6

[lonewolfe2015]

To be fair, there are numerous ways of solving this problem, but nothing has ever been done.

Between bi-daily updates, rotating updates, etc. I personally believe each nation should be allowed to select their update time based inside perhaps 4 or 6 different "windows", you'll find this changes alliance coordination fairly well too and allows for people to not go insane staying up late. The true warriors would still win because they'd be the ones that find ways to protect themselves no matter when update is for themselves or their opponents.

[sir pwnage]

I prefer the moving update idea. I don't think update should be different times for different people, because I don't want to have to check my nation every 3 hours, and I think that's a sentiment that a lot of people share. The moving update allows everyone to get a chance to blitz and is, in my opinion, much fairer. Then everyone gets stuck with the 1 a.m. update. Or worse, 3 a.m. Because that's just absolutely unworkable.

Or, a compromise: You can either pick to have the day-to-day, one hour at a time thing. OR, you could have it stay at a certain time for six (or twelve) days, then jump so you catch up with everyone else. It'd look like this (times in server time).

A group|| B group
12 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
1 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
2 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
3 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
4 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
5 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
6 a.m.|| 6 a.m.
etc. etc.

Also, EST is the worst timezone for Cybernations. It's like Admin hates New Yorkers or something

Edited May 8, 2011 by sir pwnage

[bcortell]

Hmm... I thought everyone hated New Yorkers, not just Admin.

Just make the update at 12PM game time. Most people will be at a much closer advantage/disadvantage because of it. (i.e. most will be at work by 9AM on the West Coast, just like they would on the East Coast. Marcus... err the kids will still be at school.) Sure, this makes blitzing more difficult, but AA's could do off update blitz's then, but they wouldn't be able to quad guys. It also helps the servers for when there is an SE war going on, making them less clogged at update (since the update times are different).

[MrMuz]

I prefer the 23 hour update idea. Nobody should be disadvantaged just because they live in different sides of the world, and TE is a great time to test it out. I like having more days anyway

BTW, quads aren't everything in CN. FOK does very well at war, despite never being on update. Figure it

[oddjob]

This is on the similar lines as my suggestion that everyone seems to have read over.... http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=99972

[SoADarthCyfe6]

[quote name='oddjob' timestamp='1305135075' post='2710169']
This is on the similar lines as my suggestion that everyone seems to have read over.... http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=99972
[/quote]

I saw it. I didn't like it at all. Twelve hour updates would make this game more hectic then it already is. The reason for the 24 hour update is simply because it's how the world works (literally speaking). It gives everyone a fair chance at getting on at least once a day. Having a 12 hour update would often result in 2 day inactivity, more chaos and just too much to handle. I like TE the way it is, it's competitive, it's exciting and it's alot of fun. No need to double what it already is. Too much good can be a bad thing.

Also, that would make the game a 120 days rather then 60 which is just too much.

[memoryproblems]

What is it that you mean by 23 hour update, that if you do something, you can't do it again for 23 hours?

Its an intriguing idea, but it seems hard to implement just from thinking how games are built.

[Plutarch]

I like the idea of a 23 hour update. Even though I am on the west coast, I have to be at work at 6am, so even 10pm at night can be a stretch, especially after a long day.

It would be interesting to see how a floating update would change wars around TE, plus it would at a couple of extra "days" to the round!

[MrMuz]

[quote name='memoryproblems' timestamp='1305154071' post='2710285']
What is it that you mean by 23 hour update, that if you do something, you can't do it again for 23 hours?

Its an intriguing idea, but it seems hard to implement just from thinking how games are built.
[/quote]

I don't really get what you mean. The proposal is to change the days to 23 hours. So, today, you might have to wait until 12 AM before you can pay bills again. Tomorrow, you'd have to wait until 11 PM to pay bills, the next day on 10 PM.

If 'update' was at 10 PM today, you could pay bills once at 9 PM, and tomorrow's bills at 11 PM. Or similarly, do your ground/air/CM/nuke attacks.

Oh, and if this were implemented, the time between nuking would have to be shortened to 23 hours too, I suppose.

The current system benefits me, since I can almost always be on at update, but I don't like winning a war just because of an OOC advantage.

[jmborwell]

I think it would be interesting if Update could be chosen by the player (inputs a server time based on an hour 1, 2, 7 whatever), or maybe have options where you had the choice of 12am 6am 12pm or 6pm for update for your nation (w/ possible changes every 15 days or something?). Quads could be spread out during the day and coordination would be completely different based on different updates. It would spread out advantages and disadvanteages to all time zones around the world. Also could be declared on mid-day for massive chaotic wars


JM

[spearo]

And what is your plan when a war is declared and update runs through 6am -> 1 am during the war its going to be even worse.

[Hoosier]

[color="#FF0000"]Greetings
Interesting, the whole problem could be solved with a safe guard time frame. Example: Nations who have a special wonder (ex: stargate) increase their defensive strength for 6 hours by 20% or more. Making it almost suicide to engage this enemy at that time. Once you have this wonder, you select from the war table to launch this clock of defense, like block-aides. On the flip side, this wonder would weaken offensive during the time frame.

It would require an addition to wonders, and the wonder could be set for 6 hrs. or 12 hrs per TE discretion. Should be easy addition compared to game clock. Make another reason to be spying your opponent and careful planning.

Last note: Nukes are ruling TE, if nuke costs were 1 mil., and 250k daily upkeep. This game would be far more interesting and be more than a nuke environment.

Cowboy
"Warriors" [/color]

[Lan Mandragoran]

I'm never on at update (I'm old and need my beauty sleep) and I don't feel disadvantaged by it. I just play with a different warring style. i.e. I play cleanup after the younguns do their business in the middle of the night.

[Clash]

I van see how it would be a very difficult to do a 23 hour update from the standpoint of game coding and whatnot. Everything everywhere (not even just CN) is 24 hours, Admin would have to make some crazy coding changes. The time is based on where the server is, and that's hard to change as well. But still, there has to be a compromise somewhere, something that can be done even if not the 23 hour update.

Changing update so more people can be there for it throughout the round would most definitely improve TE participation, and arguably the fun to be had. Wars would come at different times as well - an alliance like WAPA which has almost no update nations, could then wait til update was more favorable for them before declaring war. It's just more fair. I'm not opposed to trying out new stuff that makes the game more fun for everyone. There has to be something that could be done.

Perhaps update for every nation could be dependent upon when they make their nation? If you make your nation at 3:37pm the first day of the round, your update becomes 3pm server time? That might also elevate alliance coordination - every nation in your alliance then makes their nations at the same time on purpose.

Edited June 28, 2011 by Clash

[Janitor]

A simple fix that already has code in place would be to treat 2 ground attacks, 2 cruise, 2 air exactly as nukes.

do 2 of each and wait 24 hours before the next can be launched. Update becomes meaningless compared to as many members on at the same time as possible when waging war.

THAT should be relatively easy to code!

[asewland]

[quote name='sir pwnage' timestamp='1304890021' post='2708703']
I prefer the moving update idea. I don't think update should be different times for different people, because I don't want to have to check my nation every 3 hours, and I think that's a sentiment that a lot of people share. The moving update allows everyone to get a chance to blitz and is, in my opinion, much fairer. Then everyone gets stuck with the 1 a.m. update. Or worse, 3 a.m. Because that's just absolutely unworkable.

Or, a compromise: You can either pick to have the day-to-day, one hour at a time thing. OR, you could have it stay at a certain time for six (or twelve) days, then jump so you catch up with everyone else. It'd look like this (times in server time).

A group|| B group
12 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
1 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
2 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
3 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
4 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
5 a.m.|| 12 a.m.
6 a.m.|| 6 a.m.
etc. etc.

[i]Also, EST is the worst timezone for Cybernations. It's like Admin hates New Yorkers or something [/i]
[/quote]
They also hate people who live near DC

[Aeros]

I like the idea of picking the hour of your update. Of course, it would make coordination even more nightmarish, but it will save my butt come fall. I won't be able to play Tournaments edition because I have University and no way in hell will I be staying up at 1 AM and then go to lecture the next day.

[paul711]

What about an hour wait before being to launch attacks. I mean AA 1 declares on AA 2 at update, which is 12 server time, they have to wait until 1 server time to launch attacks. This could possibly help solve the server problem by making declarations more strategic. The reasoning is akin to a nation having to build up forces for the attack.

[Therm]

Being in the eastern timezone, i would hate the above.

[paul711]

I am est as well and I am using those times as an example, under the proposition an attack could be st any time adding strategy

[lennybronx]

I'm in New York meaning update for me is 1 a.m. For somebody else, update may be 5 a.m.!! Admin won't change the update time just to please a few members. changing update to help yourselves might make it hell for somebody else.... Remember That.

Edited August 21, 2011 by lennybronx