The Long Dark

[Burning Bridges]

The test branch, which I was finally allowed to installed, is a fucking joke, and I am just slowly getting angry.

I expected to be able to see the new maps and story mode. In fact, all it contains is a new difficulty level, lots of cosmetic changes, an annoying 1 second delay which makes picking up items a total chore, new voiceovers that are worse than the ones we had, a shittons of different lighting, colors and new objects and a rather promising approach for a skill based game (books).

Otherwise it totally pisses me off that this company contantly replaces stuff that has been working perfectly and then replaces them again. In the last 2 years some systems were reinvented and re-reinvented more than 4 times and they may end up at the exact point they started. Why the fuck did they have to change the voiceovers which were as great as can be? Why did they have to change the code for picking up items which was working perfectly fine and replace it with some annoying shit? And I say again from the build I currently have there is an alarming lack of progress, focus and discipline in this work because most of that you can do in the game could already be done almost 2 years ago.

I think I understand the problem now, there is either not enough authority by the person in charge or he is just not doing it right. People are coming to work with no deadlines and doing whatever they want and end up redoing things that are perfectly fine, because they find them fun, while other things that need to be done are neglected because they are less fun. Or in other words, hipsters doing a EA game that gets them constant cupply of cash to play around.

 

[Ironmonk]

So, they updated it 3 days ago...

Spoiler

THE LONG DARK SANDBOX UPDATED to v.364: "VIGILANT TRESPASS"
22 September - Hinterland_Studio

We’ve just updated The Long Dark to v.364,“Vigilant Trespass”. This update introduces several new features and changes to content, outlined below. A full changelist can be found at the end of this message.

Here’s a video that discusses some of the changes introduced in “Vigilant Trespass”.

YouTube™ Video: The Long Dark - Vigilant Trespass (Game Update)
Views: 24,646
We’ve just updated The Long Dark to v.364, “Vigilant Trespass”. This update introduces several new features and changes to content.


New Experience Mode: Interloper

We’ve added a new Experience Mode: Interloper. Interloper is a highly challenging mode that focuses on self-sufficiency in survival. It is the most “extreme” of the Experience Modes for the following reasons:

* The world becomes more hostile to you as you play. Global temperature drops, wildlife and fuel resources become more scarce, and Blizzards become more frequent.
* There are no Rifles in the world.
* Apart from the Hacksaw and Hammer, which spawn rarely in the world, you need to create all your own improvised tools (ex. Hatchets, Knives, etc.).
* The best Clothing and Food items do not spawn.
* Wolves are more rare, but also more deadly.
* Wildlife becomes more rare over time.

New Challenge Mode: Hunted, Part Two

We’ve added the follow-up challenge to Hunted. In Hunted, Part Two, you must track the Old Bear from the Trapper’s Cabin, to its Den. Keep an eye out for tracks and blood drops. The weather may not cooperate!

Improved World “Decay” Systems

We’ve made some changes to how various systems work to ensure that, over time, the Sandbox becomes gradually more challenging over time. This is to combat the sense that the game becomes too easy once players have made it past a certain threshold in their survival skill and with improvised gear and tools. The new Experience Mode, Interloper, shows the most extreme version of this updated “Decay”, but we’ve applied it to all pre-existing Experience Modes as well. In general, we tune about a dozen variables differently as the game progresses over time, including (amongst other things): wildlife spawn behaviour, weather patterns, global temperature, and the availability of fuel resource spawns. The rate at which this “decay” occurs depends on the Experience Mode, with Pilgrim and Interloper being on opposite ends of the spectrum. Our intent is that these changes ensure the level of challenge in the game remains engaging over long-term Sandbox games, but consistent with the level that players would expect for that particular Experience Mode.

First-Person Presence & Updated Locomotion

We’ve updated all our in-game Light Sources with first-person animations. This includes: Flare, Lantern, Torch, Brand, Matches. Lantern placement has also been modified to work better with first-person hands.

Both Male and Female hands are represented. For now, we are not visualizing custom player clothing or gloves/mittens on the hands.

Please note that there may still be glitches with this system, as well as unanticipated effects to some of the in-game interactions.

We’ve updated our Locomotion animations to work better with the First-Person hands. You will see equipped light sources in hand when walking, though hidden while sprinting.

We’ve also modified the way Sprinting works -- you can no longer sprint backwards, nor sprint-strafe in perfectly lateral directions (though it is still possible to sprint forward and on an angle).

Updated Rest & Passing Time Interface

Our last pass on the Rest and Passing Time interface was confusing for players, so we’ve updated both these interfaces.

Now, to Pass Time, you use the Radial > Campcraft menu to select the “Pass Time” option (the icon is a Deck of Cards). You will now get real-time feedback on how Passing Time is affecting your Status, and you can interrupt Passing Time at any time.

Please keep in mind that the previous Warmth bonus during Pass Time was an artifact from the use of the Rest menu, and was not an intended bonus. You can now Pass Time anywhere (i.e. you do not need a Bed or Bedroll).

Rest works as it always has -- you can Rest from the Bedroll or any Bed. Both interfaces have been updated to clarify your current Status, to help you make a better decision about how long you want to Rest or Pass Time.

Wolf Decoy Exploit Fix

We’ve fixed the Wolf Decoy exploit. Decoys will now cause Wolves to “retreat” for a period of time, but they will no longer stand there making an easy target. Only Meat (includes Fish and Guts) may now be used for Decoys, and the “Drop Decoy” action will automatically select the “smelliest” (i.e. lowest Condition) meat in your Backpack.

Beachcombing

We’ve updated the Coastlines to have open water. You’ll find that useful things occasionally wash up, but keep an ear out for signs of weak ice. If you fall in the water, it’s instant Hypothermia and your clothes will all be Wet!

New Skills: Archery & Mending

We’ve added two new skills: Archery, and Mending. Keep in mind that we’re still iterating on the Skills system, so our plan is to continue tuning and expanding this system over time.

Feat Slots

Based on feedback from the community, we’ve modified how we handle Feats. Now each Experience Mode supports a number of active Feats -- 5 for Pilgrim, 4 for Voyageur, etc. During the Sandbox setup, you’ll need to activate any Feats you’ve unlocked so far, and those Feats will be active for that particular Sandbox game.

If you prefer not to use Feats, simply do not activate any of them. Also, please keep in mind that you can’t enable Feats you’ve unlocked in your current game.

A Few More Tweaks

We’ve rebalanced Snow Shelters to be a little less effective. Linux users can now Alt-Tab without audio becoming corrupted. We’ve added a warning to help avoid burning partly-researched Books. Cleaning your Rifle no longer improves the Rifle Firearm skill. Cooking Fish now produces a small amount of usable Lamp Oil.

We’ve also fixed several bugs; the full changelist will be published once we migrate the Test Branch to the Main Release.

New Languages

Apart from any new text added in this Test Branch (which hasn’t been translated yet), you should find the Sandbox has now been translated into: Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Finnish, and Dutch.

Middleware Updates

In this Test Build, we’ve updated Unity and also Wwise (our audio engine). We don’t think this will impact anyone, but it’s possible that these updates may have affected stability. You may notice this particularly around graphics, and audio. Please make sure you report any bugs around unusual graphics glitches, audio issues.

NOTE ON TEST BUILD SAVES

As noted during the Test Build process, we are not carrying progress from the Test Build back into the Main Branch. This is to prevent any bugs or issues captured in your Saves, from being introduced back into your Main Branch games.

***Please note that current in-progress games from the Main Branch should continue working as expected with Vigilant Trespass.***

Also, please make sure your drivers are updated!

*****

THE LONG DARK SANDBOX UPDATE v.364, “VIGILANT TRESPASS” -- FULL CHANGELIST

NEW FEATURES

* Added new Experience Mode: Interloper
* Added new Challenge: Hunted, Part 2
* Added full First-Person Presence for Light Sources: Flare, Torch, Brand, Lantern, Matches
* Added Beachcombing Gameplay
* Added Archery Skill
* Added Mending Skill
* Iteration on “World Decay” systems across all Experience Modes, focused particularly on: global temperature, weather patterns, wildlife presence, blizzard frequency, and fuel resources
* Iteration on Feats system; players now activate a limited number of unlocked Feats per Sandbox game

CRASHES FIXED

* Fixed rare crash when firing Arrows
* Fixed rare crash issue in Fire UI
* Fixed rare crash in Badges UI
* Fixed rare audio crashes
* Fixed crash issues that could occur in the Snow Shelter UI
* Fixed rare crash related to Cabin Fever
* Fixed rare crash when accessing the Log screen
* Fixed rare crash when cancelling Firestarting
* Fixed rare crash when being stalked by a Wolf
* Fixed “Many Campfires” Out of Memory crash
* Fixed crash that could occur when trying to force burn an unread research book
* Fixed rare crash that could occur when firing the Survival Bow
* Fixed crash that could occur when entering a Struggle and holding a lit Flare/Torch/Brand

GAMEPLAY TUNING

* Cooking Fish now produces a small amount of Lamp Oil (varies based on Fish type and weight)
* Tuned Snow Shelter dismantling resources
* Hacksaws can now be used to harvest Saplings and Tree Limbs
* Updated the Bed and Bedroll interfaces to support Passing Time as well as Rest
* Enabled Users to view status overlay when Rope Climbing - but not the radial menu
* Tuned Hacksaw per-use decay rate
* Fixed Decoy exploit; Wolves will no longer make an easy target!

FIXES

* Fixed issue where brandishing the Flare did not increase Fatigue
* Fixed issue where player could drop Decoys when in a Snow Shelter or vehicle
* Fixed issues with drag-and-drop behaviour in Containers
* Fixed issue with Inventory sort icon colliders overlapping
* Fixed issue with audio when dragging scrollbar
* Fixed alpha issue on car windows that caused trees/foliage to not sort correctly
* Fixed floating objects after breaking down furniture in Farmhouse
* Fixed issue with player crashing through top of Snow Shelter after picking up items
* Fixed issue with debug screenshot behaviour
* Fixed issue with Brands providing a Heat Bonus when placed near a fire
* Fixed issue where players could become stuck on a black screen when retrying a Challenge
* Fixed being unable to light Torches from a fire
* Fixed issue where players could add Coal to a fire at an invalid (too low) temperature
* Fixed audio dropping out after a player Alt+Tabs away from the game
* Fixed issue with falling snow passing through walls in Forestry Lookouts
* Fixed issue that caused wildlife to sometimes become stuck on chunks of ice
* Fixed issue with Wildlife trying to pathfind into deep water
* Fixed Flare effects showing through doors
* Fixed issue that caused corpses to disappear when only partially in view
* Fixed issue where players could place Camp Fires deep in mines
* Fixed issue with looping Flare ignition audio
* Fixed floating plates appearing after breaking down certain tables in Coastal Highway
* Fixed inaccurate Calorie cost preview for Passing Time
* Fixed Harvesting UI displaying incorrect requirements when harvesting with bare hands with the Master Harvesting Skill
* Fixed issue with stackable items merging with invalid stacks, when dropped from inventory
* Fixed issue with inaccessible backpack in Timber Wolf Mountain
* Fixed issue with Torches not being lit by other lit (dropped) Torches and Flares
* Fixed issue that prevented the Journal stats from populating when viewed from the Main Menu
* Fixed issue that caused the camera to rotate and pan unexpectedly
* Fixed issue that could cause incorrect camera FOV at the start of game
* Fixed missing cabins in Coastal Highway
* Fixed duplicate rope near Mystery Lake Western Access
* Fixed issue with the Extinguish/Brandish prompts disappearing too quickly
* Fixed issue that caused the Torch effects to become offset after a scene load
* Fixed issue that allowed players to fire the Survival Bow after dropping their last Arrow
* Fixed issue caused by picking up an Arrow and nocking it, while holding the Survival Bow
* Fixed issue that allowed all Bunkers to spawn in Mystery Lake in certain scenarios
* Fixed issue that allowed low detail trees to appear on the Main Menu when running Low or Medium quality

MISC.

* Memory optimizations
* Fixed various environment art and world collision issues

### END OF CHANGELIST ###

Thank you for playing, and we hope you enjoy Vigilant Trespass!

The Hinterland Team

Anyone tried it?

 

[imajia]

So, they updated it 3 days ago...
[...]
Anyone tried it?

Yes.

If you're familiar with the previous update, then there haven't been many relevant changes in the standard sandbox modes. Interloper is a different story.
For me, the noticable changes are:
- "Fixed Decoy exploit; Wolves will no longer make an easy target!"
Which simply means that they grab the decoy and trot away. Which makes hunting them by bow more difficult.

- "Added full First-Person Presence for Light Sources: Flare, Torch, Brand, Lantern, Matches"
Probably the most anoying change beside the new rock texture and the pebbles. When you lit a lantern, then your character stops walking (except if you climb stairs), centers the view and blocks your view with the bloody lantern. Which makes it more difficult to navigate in the dark without wasting fuel. So its kind of a fix for the lantern exploit

- "Cooking Fish now produces a small amount of Lamp Oil (varies based on Fish type and weight)"
Haven't tried it, but it obviously makes one less dependent on kerosene which is now called lantern oil. I'm not a fish expert, but this sounds pretty stupid. No one is producing fish oil while frying a salmon for 7 minutes over a campfire.

- "you can no longer sprint backwards, nor sprint-strafe in perfectly lateral directions "
Another annoying change. You can't sprint and look around anymore.


The other stuff I don't really care about or haven't noticed in "Voyager". Considering that Hinterland claimed at least once, that 1/3 is working on the sandbox stuff and 2/3 on the story mode, I can only agree with Burning Bridges' assessment: "this game has arrived in EA hell for good.". Which is a damn shame.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Can somebody confirm this annoying pick up delay? Because this is worse for me than anything else I mentioned before. The person who did it should be thrown down the ravine.

This game has a motivation problem from some point on. If I had designed this game it should be possible to build or find a house, make extended trips to the surrounding (with gameplay similar to polar exploration parties), and also design the game for mobile bases in form of a dog sled or boats (oceans)
In the game it is so that the really good homes are all at the border of the map or hard to approach. The map is also desgned in a way that makes sled travel impossible. All in all the world is way to small, what this game would have needed is an approach based on satellite data covering 100s of miles, and not some mediocre story mode (it already makes me cringe what will come to us in terms of hipster artistry). The only really well designed house is Trappers Homestead but it is on the wrong place, just 100m behind it the world ends. I sometimes spend time in the two lookouts, but they are naturally not the best places to live, and in the Rabit Cove which is a bit like Trappers Homestead, but total shit in terms of extendability.

All in all I would suggest finishing this game asap, then make TLD2 sandbox only (but with NPCs and means of transportation) and make the maps really huge. As it is it will remain a niche game on Steam that is fun for some time but then you see the limitations. I would look for inspiration for a TLD sandbox from The Mysterious Island of Jules Verne or Earnest Shackletons Voyage. Such a game could for example take place in the Old West - think of Jack Londons Clondike stories - where the gameplay would be similar, but with more focus on hunting and other things like finding gold, trading and building houses.

Anyway, if that sounds too negative, for 20$ it is an absolute great purchase that will give you many days of entertainment. Nobody should get away with the impression I am putting this game down, it is really good but eventually dissapointing. Just get it, play it and tell us what you think.

 

[Ironmonk]

I played this when it was released on GOG, so its been a while... I remember that when I reached the point where all my gear was top notch I lost my interest to keep playing and decided to wait for some significant update or eventual release to return.

The game sure is worth, I had good fun for its price.

I guess I will wait some more.

 

[agentorange]

Latest version seems to run far worse. The visible hands, which are supposed to be immersive, looks so bad that they take me right out of the game. Also it affects the way you hold certain items, such as the flare which you now hold above your head making it impossible to see anything while it is lit.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I don't even understand why those things were changed.

A good thing is that it seems the interior light is somewhat realistic now. There was a point where it was ridiculous, bright sunshine outside and pitch black inside. They should set up all houses like the hut in Timberwolf Mountain, it's so much more realistic to have exterior light and cold and the possibility to freeze to death inside your cabin, and such things as the darkroom huts could not happen. But as it is now, I think I could live in Rabits Cove for a while, without groping in the dark all the time

 

[imajia]

I don't even understand why those things were changed.

You already gave the answer a few posts back. The guys (if it was more than one) with the design ideas left and the others were left with the code, the assets and a pat on the shoulder and the words "now make something out of it".
Then they renamed the superior wintercoat to expedition parka and added pebbles. And a second kind of gras.

They should set up all houses like the hut in Timberwolf Mountain

That would be great if you could repair it as a longterm goal or if the game is designed around it in general. As much as I like the game, I have no idea what its actual design goal is supposed to be. Compared to the version you used in your LP (which btw is the reason I started playing it) to the the current one, there has been zero progress. The wood harvesting bit was Ok, but it's also kind of symptomatic for the whole thing. Sticks, branches and logs are added and all is good. Then they add the wetstone and render the whole log harvesting part useless.
Surviving in the beginning is way too easy once you understand how the game works and long term survival is too boring as there is nothing to do.

All in all I would suggest finishing this game asap, then make TLD2 sandbox only (but with NPCs and means of transportation) and make the maps really huge.

Agreed, but I can live without the NPCs

 

[Burning Bridges]

I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head with your analysis.

As to what the goal would be, that would come automatically with a large game world. After you made your bases on all the major places, like the Trappers homestead Camp Office etc, there is no real point in doing this anymore. If you had a large enough world the journey becomes a goal by itself. I dont have to tell you how much fun it is to spend a night on the road in one of the few places where this is possible (for example the cave in the ravine). I would also look for a place that is perfectly right for me, has most resources and potential to grow, and use that. But right now I am stuck with this type of goal, because places like the Rabbits Cove and Draft Dodgers Cabin cannot be extended with a simple fireplace, and there is nothing to do there except shuffle items between the 2 irons lockers and the drawer in the desk until they decay.

See what I mean? The game hints at so much potential, but eventually becomes an insult to your intelligence. Another problem is that the map is deteriorating in quality from Mystery Lake. If you leave Mystery Lake, you basically never find another place that is really as good as Trappers homestead or Camp Office. The Farmhouse may seem great but isn't. The lighthouse is depressing, as it is on a rock and you can always feel the map limitations in all directions. In fact the whole Desolation Point map is so bad that I wont ever go there anymore, a perfect example of the most atrocious level design of the 2010s. The hut in Timberwolf is a great place, but the map is already spoiled with the canned rope mechanics. And the inability to fix the hut makes this another example of the limitations you will run into. You are doomed to spend the rest of your days collecting twigs and freezing at night instead of fixing the roof and closing the window shutters.

Basically the whole area of the game world is tiny and can be topologically described with a few lines (especially dissappointing are the mines who are perfect corridor levels). Once you've seen everything there is really no point to discover. Which is typical for other Unity games like Subnautica. If wonder if developers are ever gonna drop this shit and make real game engines again that can handle real terrain, so that not every game has to take place in the Truman show.

 

[Ironmonk]

Well, I decided to give a try and after almost 40h clocked in, here are my thoughts:

(Keep in mind that I played the game the last time around 10 months ago)
(In this playthrough I explored only ML and the Ravine, and I'm trying to spend my resources in order to level skills and reduce my cargo by the time I need to move to a new map)

- Skills system are a nice addition, but a bit rough. The bad thing is that it takes forever to level them up and the way it is, it encourages grinding in order to do so. (Carcass Harvesting, Cooking and Ice Fishing seems ok. Fire Starting is too much grind. Rifle, Archery and Mending are very slow.) (In 40h the only level 5 skill I have got is Cooking)
- Degradation is a bit retarded, for example: my bear skin bedroll is inside a drawer and it lost 10% condition in ~70 days.
- I didn't notice any delays on collecting stuff and the like. I'm not saying it's not there, just that I didn't notice.
- The presence thing with stuff in your face is a little annoying (like the storm lantern or flare), but as soon as you get used it, you tend to forget and carry on.
- The current UI is a lot better than the last time I played, the radial menu is a good addition.
- The Feats system is a nice idea with a very crap implementation. After all this time I didn't unlock anything, the best one is the sprint related feat at 72% and the worst is the fire making one stuck at 2%. You probably get tired of the game much earlier than unlocking the feats (so why have them?). To someone that plays something like 400h probably will have all of them unlocked, but the same person is probably so good at the game that he will not use the feats because they make the game "too easy".
- As a side note to skills, you probably will run out of bullets way before reaching lvl 5 on rifle. (I might be wrong, but that's the impression I have)
- Collecting Lamp oil from Frying fish is a nice addition, it incentives to actually use the storm lantern instead of keeping it for extreme situations (and end up never using it).
- Skill Books are a nice touch and helps to pass time when you have hypothermia and can't leave the indoors.

Considering all that and some things I forgot to mention, I think that the game is better now than 10 months ago. It sure have more pros than cons.
I checked their roadmap and IF they leave the development hell and reach all those goals the game will be a lot better and for the current price tag, IMO, you already get enough.

 

[Burning Bridges]

- I didn't notice any delays on collecting stuff and the like. I'm not saying it's not there, just that I didn't notice.

That was only in the beta, since I have the release version there is no problem. My bad actually for bringing it up.

 

[Makabb]

10$ -50 %

 

[Seethe]

Is it a bad sign if early access is half off?

The game will be more expensive once story gets released afaik

 

[Darkzone]

Is it a bad sign if early access is half off?

For what? This game is great, at least was as i have played it the last time. And they have sold over 700k -800k on steam, so they have at least a still a good amount on the bank and they are doing undecided people a favor.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Is it a bad sign if early access is half off?

This has been going for quite some time. I have seen both TLD and Subnautica occasionally for 10$ and less. In fact I think I paid only 8.99 for Subnautica.

 

[cvv]

Is it a bad sign if early access is half off?

This has been going for quite some time. I have seen both TLD and Subnautica occasionally for 10$ and less. In fact I think I paid only 8.99 for Subnautica.

I've been checking Subnautica from time to time, always seems a bit too bright and kindergarten-like for my taste. Is it any good? How does it compare to TLD?

 

[Burning Bridges]

I dont know what other games you play, but 99% of games are way more stupid than subnautica. It has pretty believable extraterrestrial flora and fauna, which is interesting in its own right if you are into stuff like Voyage to Darwin IV

I find it a bit better than TLD because you only have one seemless map (the travelling in TLD along the always same routes kills it in the long run), and because the devs dont waste all resources and time in a popamole cutscene story mode that we will hate anyway.

It also has basebuilding which TLD has none. I wished they had done that during 2016 instead if the damn story crap. However, Subnautica is a game in which you will spend most time collecting and using the fabricator, so the workload is higher than TLD and that may kill it too In TLD you mostly just pick up wood on the way, whereas in Subnautica you collect Minerals, Salt, etc practically non stop.

The developers of Subnautica seem to be a lot more realistic and down to Earth, and they release an update every 6 weeks or so, unlike the Hinterland people who seemingly lost all kind of sense what is acceptable and dont give a damn about the people who want to play their games.

But what ultimately brings down both games imo is that you are completely alone. In subnautica you can at least watch the fish from your panoramic base window or the fishes multipliying in your tanks, or treat your mini submarine like it's a dog or something. But tbh I felt that in both games there is a point where I would want to meet someone, a NPC or a friend in MP.

 

[cvv]

But what ultimately brings down both games imo is that you are completely alone. In subnautica you can at least watch the fish from your panoramic base window or the fishes multipliying in your tanks, or treat your mini submarine like it's a dog or something. But tbh I felt that in both games there is a point where I would want to meet someone, a NPC or a friend in MP.

That's not a big deal for me, I love SP survival games like Don't Starve or This War of Mine. One of the reasons I don't feel tempted to try out things like Rust or Ark are the comments on Steam about constant stream of trolls invading your fun and giving you grief.

I've tried Don't Starve Together and immediately became frustrated with the trolling (less frequent) or sheer stupidity (omnipresent) of other players. One of the reasons I almost never play MP.

Anyway Subnautica is 50% off on G2A right now so imma check it out.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Go play subnautica, I dont think you will regret it. I rank it together with TLD as the two only early access games on Steam that I would recommend. It does however require quite a powerful computer, it runs badly on anything that is older than 4 years and a GTX 1060 or RX 480 would be the minimum for totally smooth running.

As to what you say on MP.

That's not a big deal for me, I love SP survival games like Don't Starve or This War of Mine. One of the reasons I don't feel tempted to try out things like Rust or Ark are the comments on Steam about constant stream of trolls invading your fun and giving you grief.

Same here, these games have a following because they are Single Player and there lots of us who hate the kids club that is MP with passion. In fact I got put off by some games (Miscreated comes to mind) where the whole point is to build until some other player comes and destroy everything. It's a bit like in the gulag or KZ where one team build up a pile of stones in the first shift and then the second shift dismantled it. Likewise as a kid I loved building huge intricate castles in the sand (that looked like real medieval German castles and where using up several cubic metres of sand, bricks and wood) .. but I did that together with the other kids and we LARPED with our knights and indian figures. We sure did not to fight with everyone about who destroys what the other builds, but we sort of bundled forces.

I therefore do think a strictly coop mode in Subnautica would be great (and in The Long Dark too with some remarks) but both games are too limited in technology. For coop to work both would have to handle larger, more diverse maps but they both have this everything-feels-like-it's-taking-place-in-your-own-small-real-estate disease (Unity). There is basically a massive wave of decline that is coming over us by default right now, simply from the fact that developers fell in love with the ease of use of Unity and them a whole generation embraced this shit, and now everyone keeps telling us that they can't do this or they can't do but that that an average programmer could do in 1 day in C++.

If you have doubts in what I say I would suggest you look at for example Kenshi what a guy with relative modest resources can do if he just stays the hell away from Unity. Afaik this guy used Ogre and C++ and the whole thing feels like a fucking continent compared to modern games, and people play it in spite of a lack of real gameplay just for that size reason.

 

[agris]

I rank it together with TLD as the two only early access games on Steam that I would recommend.

Battle Brothers.

 

[LESS T_T]

http://steamcommunity.com/games/305620/announcements/detail/223333894821100038

Countdown

www.thelongdark.com

*****

There will be one more Sandbox update before Story Mode launches. More details about that update will be available soon. The team continues to be hard at work, creating the best experience we can for you. We appreciate your patience while we do so.

- The Hinterland Team

http://steamcommunity.com/games/305620/announcements/detail/1280555122106170886

Midweek Madness: Last Chance to Buy The Long Dark at Early Access Pricing

Hello everyone,

In collaboration with Valve, The Long Dark will be available for 50% off its current $19.99 Early Access price during this week's Steam "Midweek Madness" sale, which starts tomorrow (April 25th).

This is to acknowledge all the community support you've given us over the years, and to offer one last chance to purchase the game at the Early Access price point.

Thanks for your support, and we can't wait to share what's coming next!

- The Hinterland Team

 

[Burning Bridges]

There will be one more Sandbox update before Story Mode launches. More details about that update will be available soon. The team continues to be hard at work, creating the best experience we can for you. We appreciate your patience while we do so.

This is a reading comprehension test that 99% of steam users inexplicably fail.

The countdown is not for the game launch, or the fucking story mode (which will probably be shit anyway) but another sandbox update.

After that, the next milestone will be the launch of the full game.

Promise!

Spoiler

if it is not delayed in the very last moment, like the last 2 deadlines

Spoiler

An euphemism for saying "we wont make it in 2017 just as we did in 2016"

 

[cvv]

I look forward to the game too but I'm generally tolerant to delays. Going into creating a game is like starting a relationship, you have a pretty good idea what you want but in reality it can go all sorts of ways. Hope they'll make it this year tho.

 

[Burning Bridges]

It all boils down to the question if you consider it normal to play a game in Early access that has some promise and then wait three years for a meaningful update.

A small map every 12 months is not gonna cut it. Besides the game is beginning to look outdated by now. Unity engine is shit, the maps too small, the animals/animations pure shit. The fact that most players know practically every square meter of the game says everything: wrong engine killed by lack of mod support.

What really put me off is that they have been lying for the the last 2 years and think they can get away it. Of course the vast majority of people understands very little about software development and believe the alibi updates have been normal progress. But they could have been made in a few weeks or months. Years of updates that amount to nothing but a few days of work and few lines of code have made me bitter.

I have very little hope and think the story mode will break the game even more. The game would have been great if they had followed the simulationist direction. But I can already envision the kind of dialog (the same shit as in games like Firewatch) and just wish that they never invested in this shit, especially not if it slowed the game by a full 2 years.

 

[Burning Bridges]

All they had to do is release an editor and the game would have been swamped with new maps. I am not convinced that randomly generated maps ever come up to that. But what we now have is kind of the worst possible situation because we still have the same 5 fucking maps that even the most diehard people are totally sick of.

Not really sure what you're thinking of simulating? Is it the animal populations? There's no other agents in the game, no?

The game is quite obviously different in that it simulates a lot of things. Fires, metabolism, clothing, health, plants, wood and more. Not a very good simulation, but this was what raised our interest years ago, when they showed that everything the character does uses calories from a limited store and how you would have a lot gameplay surring fires and food than you normally dont have.