what's with the Cairns?

[piddy3825]

I must admit, I don't pay attention very well, my mind is always wandering and I must have missed the explanation or the announcement of these Cairns.

Some of them have some interesting comments therein, but the majority it seems are incomplete.  Were these part of some in game recognition for financial contribution, cause if so, can the community still get in on that now?  So many I have clicked on say the story remains to be told.

and then there is the question of placement... numbers 142 and 145.  Never seen 'em this close together.  Happy accident?

 

 

[Guest kristaok]

I think they (the Cairns) were a way of showing appreciation to all those who backed The along Dark. I think you can no longer back the game, I believe the Kickstarter has long been over. 

Edited January 6, 2019 by kristaok

[Blinkin]

That's correct. These are contributions from the crowdfunding backers. For some tiers it was a possibility to add these things. I like them a lot.

[piddy3825]

6 hours ago, Blinkin said:

That's correct. These are contributions from the crowdfunding backers. For some tiers it was a possibility to add these things. I like them a lot.

 

On 1/6/2019 at 2:09 AM, kristaok said:

I think they (the Cairns) were a way of showing appreciation to all those who backed The along Dark. I think you can no longer back the game, I believe the Kickstarter has long been over. 

thanks for the heads up.  kinda figured that was the jist of things.  I always enjoy finding one that has a message, but so many that i do find seem to be incomplete.  @Blinkin. since you're a TLD Backer, if you don't mind me asking you, why are so many of the cairns i find, without a story?  

[Blinkin]

Good question. I'm not one of the backers who got to add a cairn so I'm not fully informed (I think).
But from what I understand not all backers with this tier have written their contribution yet. I'm a bit afraid that some of them never will as this eye candy piece of the game added later than some expected (makes sense to me as it's purely eye candy). I think some people even forgot about it.

But this might be something a backer can confirm who was informed about what you have to do to write these. Or Hinterland themselves.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Blinkin

[piddy3825]

@Blinkin, I am sorry you missed out.  I certainly hope they, meaning Hinterland, don't forget about getting those backer's sentiments immortalized in the game.  Since there is still so much updating going, I would think there is still time to complete that aspect of the game.  I would venture to guess that the community could come up with some pretty witty prose if given the opportunity in the event a Backer wanted to remain anonymous.  Make a good contest if you ask me.  

[Stazco]

id like to pay money  to add new cairn or replace “story not written yet” with some correct message

Edited December 24, 2021 by Stazco

[piddy3825]

7 hours ago, Stazco said:

id like to pay money  to add new cairn or replace “story not written yet” with some correct message

yeah, me too.  
The community has bantered about this subject on more than one occassion since I authored this post almost three years ago.  
I think the consensus was that since it was basically recognition for a financial contribution which help to fund the continued development of the game
that those cairns would just remain empty.   I don't think there is ever going to be an movement to complete the project.  I always thought it would be a
great idea to get permission from those backers who did not write a message, to release their claim on their cairn so that Hinterland could hold a contest 
whereby the community could author messages in place of the those unwritten stories.  

might be a good mod project for the new User Generated Content program, what do you think?

[Serenity]

I'd like to just get rid of them somehow. They break immersion. Especially in areas like Winding River where there are so many of them all close together

[piddy3825]

1 hour ago, Serenity said:

I'd like to just get rid of them somehow. They break immersion. Especially in areas like Winding River where there are so many of them all close together

wait til you notice them while transition thru a few of the cave systems, it's like a catacombs in a couple of them.

[Old Hermit]

my problem with cairns is the lack of an identifying the "visited" and the "not visited". when u have 3 or 4 different playthroughs and u are constantly moving, it's impossible to know if you're clicking a visited or unvisited one.

there are band-aid solutions (put a stone or stick close to it), but i hate this.

currently i prefer to ignore them completely, so i agree with @Serenity

(using translator)

[Valuable Hunting Knife]

17 minutes ago, Old Hermit said:

my problem with cairns is the lack of an identifying the "visited" and the "not visited". when u have 3 or 4 different playthroughs and u are constantly moving, it's impossible to know if you're clicking a visited or unvisited one.

there are band-aid solutions (put a stone or stick close to it), but i hate this.

currently i prefer to ignore them completely, so i agree with @Serenity

(using translator)

I'd never thought to mark them.  Could even be a  use for all that spray paint!

[hozz1235]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:19 AM, Old Hermit said:

my problem with cairns is the lack of an identifying the "visited" and the "not visited". when u have 3 or 4 different playthroughs and u are constantly moving, it's impossible to know if you're clicking a visited or unvisited one.

there are band-aid solutions (put a stone or stick close to it), but i hate this.

currently i prefer to ignore them completely, so i agree with @Serenity

(using translator)

When I was working on the achievement, I would keep a notepad with which #s I had read, while also annotating a printed out map (since I had fully explored all the zones already) of which ones I had found.

To answer @piddy3825 's original question about why not all of them have a "note", I believe the backers were not required to put a note for their contribution, which is why the blank ones would be those who "opted out" and just wanted to contribute.