Intuitive Time Warp Labels

[Electrollama]

I have a hard time deciding which time warp option to use in a given situation. If I need to wait until the next orbit, and the period is about 1 hour, is that "1000x" or "10000x"? I know a transfer to Mun takes around 1.5 days (Apollo 11 took 3 days), and from experience I happen to know "10000x" is okay but "100000x" would zip you right past it. With counting zeroes and the altered time system (6 hours per day, 425 days per year), these kinds of estimates are non-intuitive.

I recommend new labels for each time warp option based on how much in-game time would elapse in 1 real-time second. To make them comparable to current options, these options would be:

1s, 5s, 10s, 1m, 2m, 15m, 2h (or 1/2 d), 5d

Then you'd instantly know "2h" (10000x) would be suitable for a 2-day journey to Mun, but "5d" (100000x) would be too much. The new maneuver node editor uses this type of labeling in the sensitivity slider. For a game that introduces people to the time and space scales of space travel, time warp should effectively convey the passage of time. (P.S. I also think the time warp options should be re-balanced, but that's a different suggestion.)

Edited January 31, 2020 by Electrollama
bold main point

[Mortimer Kerman]

2 minutes ago, Electrollama said:

I have a hard time deciding which time warp option to use in a given situation. If I need to wait until the next orbit, and the period is about 1 hour, is that "1000x" or "10000x"? I know a transfer to Mun takes around 1.5 days (Apollo 11 took 3 days), and from experience I happen to know "10000x" is okay but "100000x" would zip you right past it. With counting zeroes and the altered time system (6 hours per day, 425 days per year), these kinds of estimates are non-intuitive.

I recommend new labels for each time warp option based on how much in-game time would elapse in 1 real-time second. To make them comparable to current options, these options would be:

1s, 5s, 10s, 1m, 2m, 15m, 2h (or 1/2 d), 5d

Then you'd instantly know "2h" (10000x) would be suitable for a 2-day journey to Mun, but "5d" (100000x) would be too much. The new maneuver node editor uses this type of labeling in the sensitivity slider. For a game that introduces people to the time and space scales of space travel, time warp should effectively convey the passage of time. (P.S. I also think the time warp options should be re-balanced, but that's a different suggestion.)

Good idea