Question Thread :: Milton Mailbag

[omike100]

Coop add co-op please

[Skelegutplays]

Is a rifle scope ever going to be added?

[Admin]

1 hour ago, omike100 said:

Coop add co-op please

This is not a question, it's a feature request.

This thread is for questions for the Creative Director of The Long Dark. If you want us to consider adding a feature please create a thread in our Wish List sub-forum where you expand on what you'd like that feature to be and how you believe it would help make the game better.

Also if you can think of an interesting way to turn a feature request into a question then please check our Index to see if it's already been touched on. You'll see that @Raphael van Lierop has already touched on Co-Op before.

This isn't to pick on this particular poster or this one question. It's just to try to highlight that a lot of this thread gets filled up with things that aren't questions.

We appreciate the work you put into asking interesting things and that's why we invest the time to answer them. 

 

[Annette]

Will Astrid have blueprints that are not in episode 1 and  2  when it is done ?

[jkripper]

I'm wondering if you plan on adding more weather mechanics? I was thinking along the lines of ice storms, thundersnow  or even snow blindness. 

[SpanishMoss]

On 7/20/2019 at 11:05 AM, jkripper said:

I'm wondering if you plan on adding more weather mechanics? I was thinking along the lines of ice storms, thundersnow  or even snow blindness. 

This is partly an item that should go on the Wishlist forum.

[PlayerPawn]

In previous mailbags, you've mentioned that Hinterland uses Max and Maya for your modelling and animation which you mention is pretty standard in the industry.  However, big companies like Epic Games and Ubisoft have very recently joined the Blender Foundation's Development Fund which helps further develop the free and open-sourced 3D modelling/animation program, Blender.  Has Blender ever been a consideration for implementation at Hinterland, or is it something that is on your radar at all?  I ask because a massive update is about to drop for it and it seems to be getting a lot of attention and with Epic and Ubisoft joining the development fund, I'm curious if the industry is slowly starting to adopt Blender as a replacement to the industry standard.  It's also free and has no licensing fee's, but I'm not sure how big a dent those costs make in the overall budget.

[Skelegutplays]

Will it be possible to ever get the old 4 days of night badges? I did not have time to get them last halloween and i would like to have them.

 

[Moll]

Why you dont release periodical devblog with a few screens and a short testament every week? Rust did that pretty well, even small details can help to keep attention of players for game. 

[Faithful Cartographer]

Hi Raph!

Did you know that in 5 days exactly TWO YEARS?

[Khan_Drichthyes]

Hello, and great work on the game!

If Episode 3 winds up not being released before Halloween, has there been any consideration of Timberwolves making their big debut in the next 4DON?

[ThePancakeLady]

In the Milton Mailbag Dispatch #10, the question of Easter Eggs came up.

"On 9/7/2018 at 2:28 PM, Raphael van Lierop said:

Question from @Vonwoah: Are there any undiscovered easter eggs that no one has found or have mentioned yet?

- Yes. "

There has been some discussion among players about what those were, where they were found, ect. Without giving any spoilers such as locations, descriptions of said eggs, or whether they are in Survival Mode, one of the Challenge Modes, or in the currently published Wintermute Episodes...

Would you be willing to give a short list of the movies, books, tv shows, celebrities, streamers and such, that inspired any Easter Eggs added to the game by yourself, or any other members of the Hinterland team, past or present?

And if any of them involve Pancakes?  

 

[JujuBear]

Hello! Fairly new to the forums so please bear with me if the question's been asked already.

That said, I'd like to ask 3 questions if you don't mind:

1) I'm curious about your creative process in constantly improving the game. How much of the community's feedback and your own as developers influence in designing levels and adding in feature's?

2) Related to the first question: What is your team's work-flow usually then when applying these changes/updates?

3) What made you decide to replace the brandishing option (specifically with the torch) with having the player be able to throw them instead?

Cheers!

[Azdrawee]

When I've first heard about The Long Dark, I thought that surviving for a long ammount of days is impossible - that on higher difficulties, even experienced players die after a few days. However, recently I've been noticing that people are able to survive years in Interloper and that got me thinking: Have you ever considered adding even a higher difficulty than Interloper? For instance a difficulty where wolves would instantly kill you no matter what, or other things that would make the game impossible to survive even for seriously experienced players. I feel like even though I can't imagine myself surviving in Interloper for this ammount of days, some people are capable of it, so there's probably a room for even higher difficulty.

[Jendo]

Hey Raph, thanks for taking the time again to answer a bunch of our questions.

I think this is my first non-TLD-specific question, so here goes: What did you make of No Man's Sky? Broadly speaking, I mean, in terms of how it is as a game, its pre-release hype and post-release backlash, how the team have slowly but surely "delivered on what they promised" etc.

I think I'm asking you because, although they're obviously very different games (albeit both in the survival/exploration mould), NMS and TLD deliver a similar feeling to me: a kind of ethereal, awe-inspiring sense of freedom and wonder, as well as being proud of delivering something different, rather than necessarily bowing to the perceived limitations of what a game can (or should) be.

If I were to get a little more specific, I guess I'd ask... did you feel some sympathy for Hello Games given that a lot of people were angry and disappointed regarding the game's initial state? They were a tiny team at the time, making a game on a quite literally galactic scale with only ten people. Sure, they had the marketing power of Sony behind them, but that came later; they didn't start development as some kind of AAA studio.

Don't worry, I'm not asking in the hope that you're gonna say it sucked or anything haha

Thanks again, and keep up good work!

[Themadlad94]

I have 2 questions for you

1. Have you ever considered adding new underwear? Maybe something like a union suit?

2. Have you also ever considered adding more hunting items? Like animal calls or a bear trap?

thank you for such a truly amazing game!

[Tohono O'odham Man]

Will there be more things to craft? 

[smaointeoireacht]

First off, not a question but I don't think I've seen anyone comment on it (please forgive me if I missed it) since the Steadfast Ranger update, but as someone who uses the accessible features, thank you so much for the accessible struggle option! It has massively changed my gameplay for the better. I am so very greatful to the team for the work that must have gone into creating accessible struggle.

When creating new regions, how do you link them to existing ones? Do you create a new region, decide what existing region to connect it to and then try and find a cave or something on the existing region at an appropriate place to join them? Or do you decide where the connection to the existing region will be before creating the new one? Or maybe is there a super secret map of Great Bear somewhere at Hinterland with all the regions, existing and yet to come, planned out?!

[Themadlad94]

What made you choose the revolver over other handguns? Did it have some sorta importance like the hunting rifle?

[yollarbenibekler]

Hi Ralph, again!

I have several questions this time:

-How about adding a moveable metal barrel in the game to store water in it? There are already barrels in the game and storing water in 1lt bottles are space-consuming and not "enviromentally green"

-Do you plan to add more tracks to your in-game soundtrack? The world is getting big and for different type of region you could add different music

-Can we use clothes and wearable items as fuel for fire in the future?

-A suggestion for a special day challenge as 4DON: Let us gather loot for 4-5 days for an apocalypse. Spending 20-50 days in an underground shelter afterwards would be a fantastic experience.

 

Thanks!

[Skelegutplays]

What have been some of the weirdest/most funny bugs you have encountered during game development?

[Tohono O'odham Man]

Hello my question dose hinterland have other types of survival games in the works? Like a desert survival game That takes place in the south west. Because in the lond dark world most of the population of North America and south America will kill it's self and from the nuclear power plant exploding across the western hemisphere. After TSHTF the world will be quiet some what. Just my thoughts to make The Long Dark Universe bigger.

[Jolan]

Hi Ralph and the Team!  I've seriously enjoyed the changes made in Wintermute Redeux, I think you did a particularly good job at reworking the characters and their dialog/interactions.  Eagerly look forward to what comes next!  I have a quick question about blueprints. In Wintermute The Dress Rehearsal you could get some blueprints in Episode 2 that you can't seem to get in Redeux's Episode 2.  Did you eliminate some blueprints?  Thanks!

 

 

[SpanishMoss]

The Go! Energy drink is meant to replace/add a new version to the stim, but the effects are similar to coffee, but coffee doesn’t have the headache effect afterwards, I see the Go! Energy drink as an alternative to a stim, but without the condition boost. So my question is this: would you consider buffing the Go! Energy drink?

[MikeV]

 

Hi Rafael. I have a question about food, do you want to add more food, such as waffles or cookies(biscuits,cracker), or anything else? And also I know that already asked, but why there is no alcohol in the game? It would be exactly preserved, so if the soda was kept) He would warm during the night transition, or in a snowstorm, and helped to kindle a fire, could be used for a torch, etc., a very useful thing;)

used for a torch, etc., a very useful thing;)

Edited August 5, 2019 by MikeV