Survival Mode Variations


InvaderNoodle

Recommended Posts

Premise

So my suggestion is just for four separate settings for survival mode. This is separate from the actual difficulty settings, and instead change the experience depending on what people are looking for in the game. Nights get longer and longer towards "rescue day". 

 

Implementation & development 

Very little would need added to the game, except perhaps a brief "ending" video. The theory is that you can play the game endless, or with a set end. In the versions with an ending, it could be as simple as a cinematic of a helicopter approaching the area you're in. It lands in an appropriate area and you need to get there. Then a cinematic of the helicopter flying away and you get to see your stats.

Another option would be that all the electricity comes back on. If you get somewhere with a radio there's an emergency broadcast. This triggers an extraction scenario like above. Perhaps the extraction is at the top of Timberwolf Mountain (yikes)? 

 

Details

Four survival game lengths:

The Short Dark - 3 months (90 days) until extraction/rescue

The Long Dark - 6 months (182 days) until extraction/rescue

The Longer Dark: 1 year (365 days) until extraction/rescue

The Longest Dark: Endless mode, like we have now!

 

Summary

Some people are asking for an "ending" to survival mode. Some say it would ruin the experience. So why not satisfy both? Different lengths of games for different folks. Play the game the way YOU want to. Anyways, that's my two-canadian-pennies-worth of suggestions. Just think it would make people finally content over survival game's style! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Willy Pete said:

The world would definitely need to change for helicopters (or literally any modern combustion/electric engine) to work again. Still, while an ending doesn't really fit with the style of the game, it could be neat to add it as an option in custom games.

Maybe you get rescued by a sled dog team. Hahaha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest kristaok

I’m not sure if an ending could work, especially one with a helicopter since the aurora caused all vehicles to stop. Idk though... I kind of like TLD the way it is, I’m an avid fan of sandbox games, I like the ability to continue on as long as I can. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd like to see an optional ending, with the option to remain as long as you choose. Someone mentioned the idea of fixing up a radio or radio transmissions, similar to Wintermute Ep 2 I suppose. I like this idea. I don't like the idea of rescue, that kind of goes against the whole idea of isolation. What about fixing up a boat in Desolation Point to get off the island or something like that?

I would like some longish term goals which encourage you to go to all the zones in the game. Yes, kind of like a Challenge but a much longer one and where its an option you can toggle when starting a survival mode game. Radio towers or similar would be an easy choice, because you can just stick them in obvious spots like on Timberwolf Mountain, at the lighthouse, etc. Or maybe you need to go to certain spots with a portable radio, or a sensor to measure the aurora etc. Making the player stay for a bit in a location, have time limited objectives etc might help, to prevent players who know the maps just "rushing" the objectives like people do for forges on Interloper.

Or how about required objectives need to be visited in order, but the order is randomised every game - with a time delay between each new objective? That way combined with random player spawn and loot could provide a lot of variety in how people's longer term game turn out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boat would make more sense then helli, if it was some kind of a wind propelled yacht. No engine needed.

Electricity being operable would bring forth and incredible amount of coding work, and it would massively change the game around. I dont see that happening, nor would it fit into the lore, same as the helli rescue.

That said, what you describe is not an unpopular idea - with the timed limit to rescue. But you dont really need the game to do that - part of the appeal in this game is that you can build a story like this yourself. Even with the cinematic...

This idea sounds more like it would be right up the alley of mods, when mod support becomes a part of the game. As for the vanilla game right now, Id rather see different improvements then this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.