This unit controls the time and the weather for the virtual world. It is divided into two sections:
– The large knob displays the time of day and can also be used to set it. Its two small “bugs” can be dragged around the knob to set the times for sunrise and sunset. The small knob underneath sets how quickly a day passes.
– The knobs on the right set the primary variables from which the weather is computed: temperature, pressure and humidity. Note that the weather is generated out over the ocean and takes a few minutes to reach the island, so changes won’t be seen or felt by the creatures immediately.
– The small switch at the top toggles between auto mode and manual mode.
– In auto mode, the rightmost columns of knobs select the maximum and minimum values for each parameter. The exact values will vary over time between these limits. For example, to create tropical rainforest conditions you might set the minimum humidity and temperature fairly high while allowing the full range of pressures.
– For experiments it is also possible to operate the ECS in manual mode. In this mode, the min and max knobs have no effect and the exact desired weather can be set using the leftmost column of knobs. For example, setting humidity and temperature to high, and pressure to low, will cause the ECS to generate thunderstorms for as long as you are in manual mode.
To turn knobs or move bugs, click and drag them.