Date and Time

Overview

CDDA features the passage of time based on the number of turns taken by the player's character and other factors. Just like real life the game has a full day and night cycle, and seasons. The player can always tell what season it is and, while above ground, the character can always view the position of the sun. In order to tell the exact time, the character needs to have some kind of time-telling device in their possession.

Telling Time

There are two ways for a character to tell the time of day. The first is for them to look at the sky, and the second is to use some kind of device.

Natural Time-Telling

GIF of the day and night cycle in the game Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead.

As long as the character can see the sky (e.g. is not underground) they will see a small sundial pictograph in their UI display (seen at right). This picture will change throughout the day and night and corresponds to the hour of the day. It is impossible to tell the exact time without a device. If the character is underground (e.g. in a basement, etc.) the sundial will be replaced with the grey-tinted message "underground." This limits natural time telling to above-ground use.

Using a Device

Any device listed with time-telling capabilities in its description will display the exact time of day in the UI display as a digital clock. This will continue as long as the device has power. Such devices include wrist-watches, cell-phones, and pocket watches, as well as bionic enhancement.