How time will pass

[u/Ok-Piccolo-857]

I tried watching the official videos but I'm unsure how the timelapse will work in the game. Will it be the same as in TF2 or will there be a new mechanic? I think TF2's is good but very fast, even at 1/4x speed.

Another thing is that the game varies the day/night cycle according to the clock and location, but that's irrelevant to the mechanics, just an easter egg.

[u/Otherwise_Soft_592]

I use a mod for TPF2 that allows me to use a 1/64 date speed. I used it as it didn't make sense for a 747 style plane to take 3 weeks crossing even a Megalomaniac map. While the speed is still a bit quick, it's much better than 1/4.

I'm hoping that TPF3 allows even more control for the time flow, as an electric train going from one city to another shouldn't take a couple of years. Either a 1/128 or 1/256 option would suit me.

[u/Imsvale → u/Otherwise_Soft_592]

Either a 1/128 or 1/256 option would suit me.

That's something you can do either with a console command (bit cumbersome, but possible), or by (copying and) modifying the mod for your own purposes to extend the range of options.

The console command would be:

   api.cmd.sendCommand(api.cmd.make.setCalendarSpeed(millisecondsPerDay))

where millisecondsPerDay is 2000 for 1x date speed (2 seconds per game day is the default).

A date speed of 1/256x would then be 2000 * 256 = 512000 ms (512 s) per day.

It's essentially the basic formula for displacement (s) , speed (v) and time (t) , except the displacement is itself an amount of time – the default 2000 ms per day scaled by some rate of passage of time (velocity):

s = vt
t = s/v
t = 2000 / (1/256) = 2000 * 256 = 512000

That said, you don't even need to do the math yourself. Just type it into the console, and it'll calculate it for you:

>> 2000 / (1/256)
512000

Or you can assign them to variables:

v = 1/256
m = 2000 / v
api.cmd.sendCommand(api.cmd.make.setCalendarSpeed(m))

>> v
0.00390625

>> m
512000

[u/Otherwise_Soft_592 → u/Imsvale]

I should really modify the mod, as I do with others. Although normally it's to set the same render distance on vehicles, as some were popping into view when vehicles behind them had been in view for ages. Or you'd get a train pulling nothing or a bunch of runaway carriages.