The Tick Timer
Update.cpp
This file controls the speed of time and determines the frequency of pulses known as The Tick Timer. The seasons and weather are regulated by other methods in this same file.Time advances within The Cosmos ten times faster than in The Dark Galaxy. This allows Kaesta to influence more events in The Cosmos than would otherwise be possible. There is a drawback to this design choice. If she lets the program continue to run while she is away from the computer, a great deal of time can go by within The Cosmos without her input.
Non-Linear History
Kaesta has a bad habit of keeping many different save files and versions of the database. Sometimes she goes back to an earlier save to try something new or to fix something that she perceives as a mistake. Her impatience means that sometimes she skips ahead to see the results of her recent actions. There are admin-level commands in Update.cpp that allow Kaesta to set the current date and time within the sandbox.The result of Kaesta's Save Scumming is that the peoples living within The Cosmos experience what appear to be prophetic dreams or visions of an alternate version of their perceived reality.
The Tick Timer
At quasi-regular intervals, the program controlling The Cosmos sends out a pulse of data that signifies the passage of another increment of time. When a Tick occurs, events are triggered and values are updated.Why aren't the ticks set to go off at a precise rate? They're slightly random.
It makes it more difficult to write client-side scripts for cheating.
But you cheat all the time!
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