Actually I would vote for speed up running animation, because we have very comfortable 1 GWT day without night = 3.5+ PT hours that way. And we still won't run too fast, our characters are like 25% slower that they should be to reach that equation. And yes, pause may be the best option for step 2. It will also allow them to address that "no pause for AFK" problem, turn-based mode would work as one.
Hmm... I don't know, I think I'd still vote for a slower ingame clock - especially considering that most players seem to severely dislike the stress that comes with the game keeping track of time. (... From observing the discussion when people bring up Pathfinder: Kingmaker). But I suppose you're right - speeding up the animations with 25-ish % should not be that much of a deal.
I am also slightly curious what you mean by "demanding" a long rest? As in our characters start complaining? Or that the game refuses to let you go on without long resting?
Actually both. First to ensure that the illusion doesn't break, second to help Larian avoid creating full night part of cycle for all maps. After all in TT a DM would also say from time to time that the party is too tired and sleepy to proceed.
Ah! Alright, I see where you're going. Now from a DnD perspective, I have no complaints about this (as long as the issues regarding conversations are solved) - however, the less-DnD-more-CRPG side of the community might be opposed to this. I do not know.
As I wrote "set and
change".
So if we know for sure (and we do) that we wake up after crash on the beach in the morning it should be set to morning by default, but if we go somewhere, do something than return to the beach, the game should count the amount of events passed, connect them to time and set the beach area to the proper day-time. It's just you move the time by actions, instead of time goes on it's own. I think I better rephrase the 2nd step: replace "day time" with "time duration" and the journal fake-quote should be “Meeting Shadowheart and all events after took 1 hour from 8AM, so met Astarion at 9AM. Events after meeting Astarion took 6 hours, so entered Overgrown ruins at 3PM...”. Fixed that in original post.
By the way at the moment you always go through the area around Blighted Village and then either to the camp or the swamp or the northern route. So it's quite possible to set the village to midday for example and those 3 areas to evening by default.
Ooooh! Now am following - sorry, I guess reading detailed posts at 3AM got to me :'] Yeah, that could work rather well. But I would honestly believe that, that would make option 2 as difficult as option 1 - making option 1 superior in at least my eyes.
I mean, surely from a purely technical sense, option 2 might be easier to fulfill (I must admit this is outside my territory of expertise) - but the amount of preparation tinkering it would require would probably make option 1 easier in the long run. Someone can correct me if I am wrong in this department.
