The game mechanic for determining the Longitude is based on a simple mathematical system. The actual longitude can be calculated based on the time shift between the players actual local day time and a known time at a known place on the Earth. The Longitude is calculated automatically when the player uses the Sextant.
The result will be the more accurate, the nearer to the noon time the calculation was made. As we stated above, the player doesn’t know his actual day time. The only accurate time is at noon. To determine when it is noon time, the player can either craft and use a Sundial or observe the position of the sun in the sky.
A simple Sundial consists of a branch shoved into the sand and a couple of small (tiny) rocks. How it works: The player sticks a branch into the sand and as the time passes he places small rocks to mark the end of the casted shadow. From all casted shadows, the shortest one indicated the exact noon time.
The shape of the stone arrangement can vary, based on the actual season and the latitude it is created on. Despite the different forms, the reading is always the same: the shortest shadow indicates noon time.
Sundial on latitude 30N in June and December at 11am
Sundial on the equator in June and December at 11am
