Am I just not understanding the Temporal Stability mechanic?

[SarcShmarc]

So I've read the in-game guide and a few things online, and here is what I have come to understand:

-A temporally stable area is indicated by the central cog turning clockwise, while counter-clockwise means the area is unstable.

-Temporal instability is more common underground.

-The presence of rifts will cause an area to be unstable while they are there.

The thing I'm not understanding is that, numerous times, I will enter an area where the cog begins turning clockwise rapidly, indicating strong stability. If I continue to walk around that area to figure out where the barrier of that stable area is, I will eventually find areas where the cog stops moving altogether, or begins moving counter-clockwise. When this happens, I immediately return to the same exact spot that was showing high stability, only to find that the cog is now not moving anymore, or might even be turning counter-clockwise, with no rifts in sight or within earshot. This is all on the surface, mind you.

To be clear, I'm not talking about leaving the stable area for hours or even minutes. If I step out of the stable area for even a few seconds and return, the stability is then gone.

Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I have tried several different worlds and cant seem to find a continually stable place to start a base.

[idiomcritter]

an additional observation about the central cog, is that if you mouse over it, it will also reveal a percentage, 100% being the ideal/top.  if the percentage dips (because of temporal instability, it will only return to 100% when the player is in an area that has a positive stability.

and welcome to the forum

 

 

[LadyWYT]

30 minutes ago, SarcShmarc said:

Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I have tried several different worlds and cant seem to find a continually stable place to start a base.

When the gear is turning clockwise, that indicates a stable area. If the gear isn't turning at all, then it's either a neutral area(you won't gain or lose stability) or you're at 100% stability already, in which case the gear will cease to turn.

If the gear is turning counter-clockwise, then it's an unstable area and not the best place to remain long term. Rifts cause temporary instability in an area, though it's quite easy to tell if you're near a rift since you will likely hear and see it. However, sometimes rifts can spawn in a place that's difficult to see; in this case, it's still easy to tell if you're close since the gear will start rapidly spinning and the screen will start the rusty contortions once you get within the rift's threshold.

And yes, welcome to the forums!

[SarcShmarc]

Thank you both for the reply! I did not realize that you could actually see the stability as a percentage. That helps a ton with my understanding of the mechanic. 

And thank you for the welcome. I've not been part of this community long, but I really like it.