Hello all, quick general question. How do you feel about timers in a text adventure?
Ok so I have been working on a survival sim for some time and am now to the point where I really need input on the direction. Currently I have 5 timers, day&night cycle([W] Time/Weather/Seasons/Months, Temp Timer, shelter timer and cooking timers for burning wood stuff in forge and campfire, I also turned these into turn scrips. So I guess question is do you prefer turn scripts or timers?

Turn scripts. Sometimes (and largely depending on the game) I really like to read carefully through the text in search of clues I might have missed. Timers ruin that option. Of course, if I am made well aware that I'm involved in a timed section of a game I don't mind them. I think it is safe to assume that the author isn't cruel (or stupid) enough to leave crucial clues in timed text that requires scrutiny and thought.

I created a basic weather system/night-day cycle that doesn't use timers. It's "Simple Weather yada yada" in the "Library and Code Samples Forum"

I don't like timers except in very rare circumstances, the reason being is that the player should never ever be rushed to read quickly through an event either because you set the timer too short for them to read, or because the timer is too long and they have to sit there and wait. So the best way to substitute it in my opinion is a turn-script.

Second, as far as weather/TOD cycles, sometimes player's aren't going to be able to sit through however many hours of gameplay without having to stand or maybe do some quick chores, cook a meal, whatever. And if I was playing a game and one of the above occurred and I had to leave for a few minutes, I would be pissed if like...5 days went by, or it was clear and sunny and then turned stormy and deathly and my character was about to die because of it.

Timers need to be used very, very carefully in a text adventure, and probably saved for like scenery like a grasshopper or bird cooing every 5-10 minutes.

Hope that helps!

TL;DR: Turn-scripts > timers.

Anonynn.

Yeah thank for that both of you, I felt the same way when I was testing which is why I made turnscripts. I just wanted to hear from other text creators and players. And Anonynn I have seen your system which is what gave me the idea to do the my own system to fit my game. Thats something I like to do is play alot of games and figure out how they did something and recreate it, for instance my campfire, forge, clothing and weather system are all tied together and mimic that from 7 Days to Die, a big inspiration of mine.

Thanks again guys/gals really help with opinions from other writers.

Mike

Awesome :) Glad you decided to take your own stab at it! Great job!

Anonynn.

you always want (NEED) full control, especially doing Computer Achitecture (circuitry) design, as it's too hard for a human to know, handle, and account for clock pulses (rises-falls), electrical current times/length, nanosecond timing, etc etc etc. You need to be sure what is going on / happening, through/at every single step/process/action, or else you're going to have problems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_signal
http://www.circuitsgallery.com/2015/04/bluetooth-android-home-automation.html (an example, scroll down to the pic with lots of lines and rectnagles in it)

with all these diffrent circuits running... they do have different times, so you need controls in place (where/when needed) that stop the quicker circuits to wait for the slower circuits (as this can/will cause it to not work correctly).

I guess you can kind of think of a relay race:

you have 4 people around the track, but they can't start running to the next person (or the finish line if last person) until the person before them reaches them and hands them the baton. Though with circuitry, usually both circuits are needed (so for this relay example, the previous person would be running along with the next person, to the next person or finish line, instead of stopping and just letting/having the next person run to the next person or finish line)

I like timers for some stuff - cooking for example. Or chopping a tree. I don't want to have to click, click, click, to make every chop or stir the food.

But never, ever puzzles or things like them. Timers on puzzles make me delete the game.

those are some really good examples of what Timers DO work well for, especially the part about wiping out excessive clicking (when possible of course -- as some things unfortunately do require individual/excessive clicking, sighs) (save everyone from arthridas / carpel tunnel syndrone, I hate having to excessively click!)! I never would have thought of or realized this stuff. Thank you, Crystalwizard!

and ya, your part of "never use Timers on/with/for puzzles", pretty much sums it up, very concisely to the point!