Okay, some things here. Since I already came in and dropped timey whimey wibbly wobbly stuff...
"Technically, the time bubble is correct" in the exact same way that technically this "lore timeframe" isn't actually lore yet. Let me try to explain.
The Simpson's Time Bubble of 1.0, wherein the game's 2.5 years was condensed into the Year 1572, is canon lore, yes. Not because Fernehalwes told us about the bubble, but because of specific dates and timelines in the lore being released to us that details events that happened in 2010 being in 1572 alongside events that happened in 2012 occurring in 1572 also. When asked why, the time bubble method was explained.
While Fernehalwes has reaffirmed a similar time bubble exists for ARR and HW, we don't actually have any canon dates to affirm this time bubble's actual boundaries and constraints in the lore. What we have are a series of side quests, levequests, and seasonal events that exist within their own meta time bubbles along the continuum of the MSQ as it progresses forward in time at an unknown rate.
From an in-universe perspective, time does actually continue forward as evidenced both in game and in the Encyclopedia Eorzea.
So what of Seasonal quests still quoting the Calamity as happening 5 years ago even though they also say hey I saw you last year? This comes back to individual meta time bubbles along the continuum that is the MSQ. All Seasonal Events are accessible to all characters usually between levels 1-15 and with most only requiring the Sastasha dungeon clear as MSQ progression. This firmly roots all Seasonal Events as canonly occurring during the 7th Umbral Era, pre-Operation Archon, pre-Heavensward, pre-Haurchefant death. This is intended to be inclusive for players who are just joining the game in 4.0 who experience their first Moonfire Faire as a level 25 gladiator who has yet to face Titan, versus the seasoned Warrior of Light who has done four of these events already.
And all quests and levequests operate on this principle. If you partake in a Lv38 quest in Costa del Sol, you are participating in an event that occurred during the 7th Umbral Era, even though you've theoretically progressed through 6.0 content and are kicking Garleans out of Ilsabard. When you do any HW levequest, you're performing a task necessary during 3.0 only. This is why Estenien still gets tempted by Nidhogg in the DRG 50 quest even after you've killed Nidhogg already. This is why Nanamo Ul Namo still shows up in the 50 CUL quest with Lolorito for a fancy dinner in the Bismarck even though you've only completed up to 2.55 and you could've sworn Nanamo just got offed.
Parts of the game will always say that the Calamity happened five years ago. But you know what, Eorzeans are pretty liberal in their descriptions of time passage. Like how the Autumn War in 1468 was "one hundred" years ago. Or how the Great Flood was "fifteen hundred years ago" when it was much closer to sixteen-hundred.
So even though much of it could be considered meta, we have more in-game and in-universe perspective (book) of lore stating that time is actually moving forwards than the simple statement that somehow all of what we're playing is currently in an all-encompassing time bubble with no visible boundaries or rules, wherein many smaller time bubbles also exist as needed. The time bubble is more storytelling mechanic than it is story lore. The lore says, "Do you remember that knight you rescued, his wife had a baby!" The time bubble will eventually answer, "Of course I do, I rescued him tuesday before breakfast. I remember because that was the day I also defeated Nidhogg."
My point is, until a later expansion (perhaps 4.0!) or dev comes in and tells us There Was An Assassination Attempt on Ul'dah's Sultana in the same year as Warrior of Light Slays Nidhogg in the 1st Year of the Seventh Astral Era, it's not technically lore yet. Because that same expansion or dev could come in just as easily and say that There Was An Assassination Attempt on Ul'dah's Sultana in the 1st Year of the Seventh Astral Era and the Warrior of Light Slays Nidhogg in the 2nd Year of the Seventh Astral Era. Fernehalwes never said that this time bubble would only consist of one strict year. 1.0's time bubble contains "about a year" and this new time bubble has "just gotten bigger."
If this happens (and even just in general), it is and will be up to the individual roleplayer to decide how their stories and character events compress or expand into whatever timeframe we're eventually told, if any.
(02-08-2017, 02:14 PM)Kilieit Wrote: I don't really see any point of it, other than to say "well technically this is correct".
(02-08-2017, 03:17 PM)Kazukata Wrote: Honestly, though, I'm kind of surprised to learn that so little time has passed in the lore.
(02-06-2017, 07:03 PM)Valence Wrote: Respect of lore timeframe (or just lore itself) trumps everything else for me.
"Technically, the time bubble is correct" in the exact same way that technically this "lore timeframe" isn't actually lore yet. Let me try to explain.
The Simpson's Time Bubble of 1.0, wherein the game's 2.5 years was condensed into the Year 1572, is canon lore, yes. Not because Fernehalwes told us about the bubble, but because of specific dates and timelines in the lore being released to us that details events that happened in 2010 being in 1572 alongside events that happened in 2012 occurring in 1572 also. When asked why, the time bubble method was explained.
While Fernehalwes has reaffirmed a similar time bubble exists for ARR and HW, we don't actually have any canon dates to affirm this time bubble's actual boundaries and constraints in the lore. What we have are a series of side quests, levequests, and seasonal events that exist within their own meta time bubbles along the continuum of the MSQ as it progresses forward in time at an unknown rate.
From an in-universe perspective, time does actually continue forward as evidenced both in game and in the Encyclopedia Eorzea.
Drake Wrote:Two, um…years ago.
Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Gathered information is then used to improve future versions of the forgekin - such as what has been seen with the recent appearance of the "Neo Faust" but mere moons after a party of adventurers reported striking down an older, less sophisticated Faust model.
Redwald Wrote:Come, my lord. Mayhap you recall the survivor whom you carried back to Falcon's Nest that day? Well, his wife but recently gave birth to their first child.
So what of Seasonal quests still quoting the Calamity as happening 5 years ago even though they also say hey I saw you last year? This comes back to individual meta time bubbles along the continuum that is the MSQ. All Seasonal Events are accessible to all characters usually between levels 1-15 and with most only requiring the Sastasha dungeon clear as MSQ progression. This firmly roots all Seasonal Events as canonly occurring during the 7th Umbral Era, pre-Operation Archon, pre-Heavensward, pre-Haurchefant death. This is intended to be inclusive for players who are just joining the game in 4.0 who experience their first Moonfire Faire as a level 25 gladiator who has yet to face Titan, versus the seasoned Warrior of Light who has done four of these events already.
And all quests and levequests operate on this principle. If you partake in a Lv38 quest in Costa del Sol, you are participating in an event that occurred during the 7th Umbral Era, even though you've theoretically progressed through 6.0 content and are kicking Garleans out of Ilsabard. When you do any HW levequest, you're performing a task necessary during 3.0 only. This is why Estenien still gets tempted by Nidhogg in the DRG 50 quest even after you've killed Nidhogg already. This is why Nanamo Ul Namo still shows up in the 50 CUL quest with Lolorito for a fancy dinner in the Bismarck even though you've only completed up to 2.55 and you could've sworn Nanamo just got offed.
Parts of the game will always say that the Calamity happened five years ago. But you know what, Eorzeans are pretty liberal in their descriptions of time passage. Like how the Autumn War in 1468 was "one hundred" years ago. Or how the Great Flood was "fifteen hundred years ago" when it was much closer to sixteen-hundred.
So even though much of it could be considered meta, we have more in-game and in-universe perspective (book) of lore stating that time is actually moving forwards than the simple statement that somehow all of what we're playing is currently in an all-encompassing time bubble with no visible boundaries or rules, wherein many smaller time bubbles also exist as needed. The time bubble is more storytelling mechanic than it is story lore. The lore says, "Do you remember that knight you rescued, his wife had a baby!" The time bubble will eventually answer, "Of course I do, I rescued him tuesday before breakfast. I remember because that was the day I also defeated Nidhogg."
My point is, until a later expansion (perhaps 4.0!) or dev comes in and tells us There Was An Assassination Attempt on Ul'dah's Sultana in the same year as Warrior of Light Slays Nidhogg in the 1st Year of the Seventh Astral Era, it's not technically lore yet. Because that same expansion or dev could come in just as easily and say that There Was An Assassination Attempt on Ul'dah's Sultana in the 1st Year of the Seventh Astral Era and the Warrior of Light Slays Nidhogg in the 2nd Year of the Seventh Astral Era. Fernehalwes never said that this time bubble would only consist of one strict year. 1.0's time bubble contains "about a year" and this new time bubble has "just gotten bigger."
If this happens (and even just in general), it is and will be up to the individual roleplayer to decide how their stories and character events compress or expand into whatever timeframe we're eventually told, if any.
