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Captain Canard has Enshrouded

Jan 15 @ 5:51am

Explain the Sun / Compass

So, the sun both rises and sets in the west? I'm confused in this game. I log in and try to use the compass to determine if it's dawn or dusk, to no avail. Maybe I need to set my day duration to the lowest setting (right now I have it maxed out) and just sit and watch the sun travel through the sky. And maybe the compass is wack... Or maybe I'm wack! Somebody explain, please.

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Showing 1-15 of 15 comments

Lailantie

Jan 15 @ 5:56am

I don't really get it either. I noticed that when the sun is going to set, it's in the North. Haven't checked the morning yet.

C13

Jan 15 @ 8:27am

The sun rises in the South and sets in the North. If you look up and it's around the NW point, then it's time to head home :)

Therin

Jan 15 @ 9:13am

Originally posted by C13:
The sun rises in the South and sets in the North. If you look up and it's around the NW point, then it's time to head home :)

Thanks!! I'd wondered about this too.

Captain Canard has Enshrouded

Jan 15 @ 9:15am

Ahh, well at least I'm not the one who is crazy, LOL. This brings up an interesting question - in astronomy, is east and west based on sunrise and sunset regardless the planet's rotation (ie - sun always rises in the east), or is it based on magnetic field?

In other words, why do the devs think it's cool to have the sun rise in the south and set in the north? If they are going to make stuff up, why even use compass names?

PakaNoHida has Enshrouded

Jan 15 @ 9:29am

Originally posted by Captain Canard:
So, the sun both rises and sets in the west? I'm confused in this game.

Simple explanation, this is not Earth

coslie

Jan 15 @ 7:23pm

Originally posted by PakaNoHida:
Originally posted by Captain Canard:
So, the sun both rises and sets in the west? I'm confused in this game.

Simple explanation, this is not Earth

The etymology of the words east and west come from sunrise and sunset respectively. East is by definition the direction the sun rises, and west the direction the sun sets.

Even on a planet spinning the opposite way like Venus where sunrise and sunset would be reversed (which messes up the language) the sun isn't going to rise or set from the north.

Ellis_Cake Jan 16 @ 2:17am

This is a fictional made up fantasy world, that is fine.

'.The Sev.' has Enshrouded

Jan 16 @ 3:57am

Originally posted by Captain Canard:
Ahh, well at least I'm not the one who is crazy, LOL. This brings up an interesting question - in astronomy, is east and west based on sunrise and sunset regardless the planet's rotation (ie - sun always rises in the east), or is it based on magnetic field?

In other words, why do the devs think it's cool to have the sun rise in the south and set in the north? If they are going to make stuff up, why even use compass names?

The compass as we know it doesn't care about the sun and where it is in the sky - it cares only for the magnetic north. Here on planet earth, we've built a lot around the expectation that the planet's rotation is around the axis that (nearly) lines up with magnetic north, so we've come to know fundamentally that the sun rises in the east.

Doesn't seem all that wild to me that one can have a world where a compass might point to a place other than the planet's rotational axis

Last edited by '.The Sev.'; Jan 16 @ 3:59am

The Big Brzezinski has Enshrouded

Jan 16 @ 4:39am

Originally posted by '.The Sev.':
Originally posted by Captain Canard:
Ahh, well at least I'm not the one who is crazy, LOL. This brings up an interesting question - in astronomy, is east and west based on sunrise and sunset regardless the planet's rotation (ie - sun always rises in the east), or is it based on magnetic field?

In other words, why do the devs think it's cool to have the sun rise in the south and set in the north? If they are going to make stuff up, why even use compass names?

The compass as we know it doesn't care about the sun and where it is in the sky - it cares only for the magnetic north. Here on planet earth, we've built a lot around the expectation that the planet's rotation is around the axis that (nearly) lines up with magnetic north, so we've come to know fundamentally that the sun rises in the east.

Doesn't seem all that wild to me that one can have a world where a compass might point to a place other than the planet's rotational axis

This is only true of magnetic compasses, An astronomical or solar compass doesn't give a hoot about a planet's magnetic poles.

Doesn't really matter, anyway. We're just used to the top of the map being north. In this game, the top of the map is west and the right side is north. It's needlessly awkward and confusing for no real benefit, but it's allowed.

Therin

Jan 16 @ 7:39am

As a guy with a couple telescopes this thread has been a blast to read haha - thanks all for the input. (I didn't even know about the etymology of the directional words either - great stuff, thanks!) I need more coffee though to wrap my head around some of the implications for being an a planet like Uranus that spins on such a different axis, just to pick one thing.

My 2 cents though is to +1 on @Ellis_Cake's view.

Besides it's good for me to question more of my preconceived ways of seeing the world. (Even if it's sometimes annoying, as I hear you there, @The Big Brzezinski.)

#10

Jitatha

Jan 16 @ 10:15am

Because it is flat..

#11

coslie

Jan 16 @ 2:25pm

Originally posted by '.The Sev.':
Originally posted by Captain Canard:
Ahh, well at least I'm not the one who is crazy, LOL. This brings up an interesting question - in astronomy, is east and west based on sunrise and sunset regardless the planet's rotation (ie - sun always rises in the east), or is it based on magnetic field?

In other words, why do the devs think it's cool to have the sun rise in the south and set in the north? If they are going to make stuff up, why even use compass names?

The compass as we know it doesn't care about the sun and where it is in the sky - it cares only for the magnetic north. Here on planet earth, we've built a lot around the expectation that the planet's rotation is around the axis that (nearly) lines up with magnetic north, so we've come to know fundamentally that the sun rises in the east.

Doesn't seem all that wild to me that one can have a world where a compass might point to a place other than the planet's rotational axis

North means to the left when facing the rising sun. The term predates magnetic compasses, in Europe at least.

And although it's way way more complicated and less well understood than I thought, from what I can understand of it rotation plays a part in generating a body's magnetic field. As such I don't think that the magnetic pole can vary too far from the geographic one. On earth it's ~11 degrees out, it wanders, and it can flip from north to south, but I'm pretty sure it couldn't wander down to the equator.

#12