Guns Of Icarus Online

Community => Community Events => Topic started by: Zyem on October 05, 2013, 06:35:49 am

Title: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Zyem on October 05, 2013, 06:35:49 am
Guns of Icarus Online has a very international community though naturally, a large proportion are located in America. This means that most events are stated in EST time (as the organisers tend to be American).

This has caught at least 2 clans out on 2 separate occassions because the time was stated in EST but was really referring to current local time of the organiser.. which was EDT! So when the time was converted to the participants local time.. it was wrong by an hour. Cue last minute chaos as the event happens an hour before expected..

So, could event organisers please consider at least adding the UTC time to the event information, if not making it the primary way of stating the time? This way, it won't be silently affected by DST (the UTC time would explicitly change) and removes a lot of potential confusion and mistakes.

Thanks for you time! :)
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Squash on October 05, 2013, 07:14:16 am
I massively agree with this, this is vitally important. Many a prearranged meeting has been confused due to time zone misunderstandings. I suggest event organizers use the following link when organizing matches.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: RearAdmiralZill on October 05, 2013, 08:51:46 am
+1

A few of my international members have asked me to do it for organizing just ourselves. Would be nice for organizers to add it too.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Alistair MacBain on October 05, 2013, 09:00:11 am
Sign.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Swallox on October 05, 2013, 10:48:34 am
The funny thing is: I set the time for the Cogs at 4pm EST due to it translating into that... But every time I think of when the Cogs are due to start, I forget the time in GMT. (Curse you DST!)

It really would be helpful to add multiple timezones into the mix... Preferably by someone who can handle them without wanting to punch holes in walls.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Skrimskraw on October 05, 2013, 07:43:36 pm
write est, cet and utc timezone for every event.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Imagine on October 05, 2013, 08:22:38 pm
Ok, seriously, what the hell is CET and UTC.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: DMaximus on October 05, 2013, 08:27:04 pm
Ok, seriously, what the hell is CET and UTC.

UTC is basically GMT. CET is UTC + 1.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Imagine on October 05, 2013, 08:35:30 pm
Ok, seriously, what the hell is CET and UTC.

UTC is basically GMT. CET is UTC + 1.
Why would you want/need both of those, then?
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Piemanlives on October 06, 2013, 12:22:26 am
Ok, seriously, what the hell is CET and UTC.

UTC is basically GMT. CET is UTC + 1.
Why would you want/need both of those, then?

UTC is mostly used as a base line, CET gives our European players a frame of reference.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Sammy B. T. on October 06, 2013, 05:28:19 am
write est, cet and utc timezone for every event.

Actually est is the issue. When most people say est they are actually thinking edt.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Gryphos on October 06, 2013, 06:46:39 am
I swear daylight savings cause more annoyance than good.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Squidslinger Gilder on October 06, 2013, 07:16:01 am
I swear daylight savings cause more annoyance than good.

Yeah it ruins my sleeping in when things change over. Blasted scheming farmers ;D.

As long as there is a converter around then go ahead. UTC/etc isn't used in the US but we also have a bunch of players in Europe where they do. Doesn't bother me.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Zyem on October 06, 2013, 10:23:25 am
As long as there is a converter around then go ahead. UTC/etc isn't used in the US but we also have a bunch of players in Europe where they do. Doesn't bother me.
You have to be careful with converters too. Some automatically change EST selections to EDT when DST is in effect, but others don't. If you happen to be in an EST offset location that doesn't observe DST, you could end up with a UTC time that is still off by an hour.

Fun times :)

If anyone is having issues or doubts, you are welcome to message me and I will figure out/confirm the UTC time for the events for you.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: B'Elanna on October 06, 2013, 10:41:25 am
Uhm! GOOD IDEA... yesh...

i.. don't feel like this thread got started because i messed up. i don't feel like this thread got started because i messed up. i don't feel like this thread got started because i messed up. i don't feel like this thread got started because i messed up. i don't feel like this thread got started because i messed up.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Grayknight on October 12, 2013, 02:42:06 am
Coming from a team with several international players from at least four different time zones, UTC would be awesome.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Zyem on August 30, 2014, 03:41:30 pm
..and now Muse have been bitten by this with PAX. They put the local time and the UTC offset. The wrong UTC offset.

I am signed up to start helping at 13:00 (UTC-8) + 8 = 21:00 UTC + 1 = 22:00 BST.
When I am actually supposed to turn up is at 13:00 (UTC-7) + 7 = 20:00 UTC + 1 = 21:00 BST.

When will people start listening to me?
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Deltajugg on August 30, 2014, 03:45:08 pm
http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Zyem on August 30, 2014, 04:06:25 pm
http://www.worldtimebuddy.com/
This isn't entirely useful. For example, say an organiser says "The event will happen at 21:00 EST". Everyone then uses the above tool to convert EST to their local timezone.. and it still ends up being wrong.

Why?

1) They meant EST, but the program presumed EDT because DST is in effect (but not all EST locations observe EDT).
2) They actually meant EDT.
3) They meant EST.. Australia.

Far less mistakes happen when it goes:
Organiser: Known Local -> Common, Participant: Known Common -> Local
than when it goes:
Participant: Vague Local -> Local

And when organisers put both the local time and the UTC time, it is easy to check if they got it wrong.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Replaceable on August 30, 2014, 04:29:02 pm
Lets do this yes please.  8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: -Rydr- ToraTsuki on August 31, 2014, 04:05:52 pm
That would be AWESOME! Maybe just add one Timezone that is not changed by summertime. Just to have something to reffer to.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: AbbyTheRat on August 31, 2014, 05:44:26 pm
UTC/GMT does not change with Summertime, so it;s a good thing to reference. The day the world stop messing with timezones is the day everyone understands timezones. x_x
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Zyem on August 31, 2014, 06:51:18 pm
UTC/GMT does not change with Summertime, so it;s a good thing to reference. The day the world stop messing with timezones is the day everyone understands timezones. x_x
Don't reference GMT. GMT "changes" to BST. Just reference UTC, it isn't a "local" time zone at all.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: VVhite Angel on September 01, 2014, 06:30:47 am
Agree to use UTC,

because i'm tired to always check and check again about PST, EST, and other specific timezones ...
And i think more people know their UTC zone than their PST or other.

Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Celti on September 01, 2014, 10:49:40 am
Please do. Everything would be so much easier with only UTC.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: Queu Fox P. on September 02, 2014, 06:45:03 am
An idea I've been proposing lately, instead of a converter, is to use a countdown in the main thread of the event, like this:

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=m&iso=20140906T22&year=2014&month=9&day=6&hour=22&min=0&sec=0&p0=341&msg=Dummy%20Countdow (http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=m&iso=20140906T22&year=2014&month=9&day=6&hour=22&min=0&sec=0&p0=341&msg=Dummy%20Countdow)

The conversion problem is not present, since the countdown is set by the organizers in whatever timezone they prefer.

A countdown is even more universal than agreeing on using this or that timezone, something that starts in 3 hours will start in the same moment no matter where you are.
Title: Re: Organisers: Please consider using UTC timezone
Post by: GeoRmr on September 02, 2014, 06:53:11 am
An idea I've been proposing lately, instead of a converter, is to use a countdown in the main thread of the event, like this:

http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=m&iso=20140906T22&year=2014&month=9&day=6&hour=22&min=0&sec=0&p0=341&msg=Dummy%20Countdow (http://www.timeanddate.com/counters/fullscreen.html?mode=m&iso=20140906T22&year=2014&month=9&day=6&hour=22&min=0&sec=0&p0=341&msg=Dummy%20Countdow)

The conversion problem is not present, since the countdown is set by the organizers in whatever timezone they prefer.

A countdown is even more universal than agreeing on using this or that timezone, something that starts in 3 hours will start in the same moment no matter where you are.

I would like both UTC time and this countdown so v v much.