Inactivity timeout

[unclebeer]

Please, I'm desperate.  ALL of my runs over the last month have ended with me falling asleep at the wheel, and waking up at the stats screen post-death.  Maybe if you're standing there slowly freezing/starving to death without any keyboard/mouse input over 5 or 10 minutes you could just snap into the pause menu or something.  

[Karlov]

I would like this too. Sometimes i go to the washroom and forget to pause!

[Hochleistungsfaultier]

But what is so hard about pressing "Esc" once before you leave your PC...

Also, playing until your fatigue overwhelms you isn't a good lifestyle. You might consider changing it.

Cheers

[ManicManiac]

On 4/7/2020 at 6:52 PM, unclebeer said:

Maybe if you're standing there slowly freezing/starving to death without any keyboard/mouse input over 5 or 10 minutes you could just snap into the pause menu or something.  

No thank you.

I would not be in favor of something like this at all.  I've never liked the idea of adding more player "safety nets" to this game... I think the last thing the game needs more hand holding mechanics.  I think part of what I like so much about this game is that it's not afraid to make us have to deal with the consequences of our actions... on in this case, inaction.
 

I've spoken about this before in the past so I'll just echo it here:

On 2/17/2020 at 11:48 PM, ManicManiac said:

I think that player behavior doesn't need to be fixed by a developer...

On 8/10/2019 at 4:52 AM, ManicManiac said:

I tend not to mention it until I see posts about wanting to have more "safety nets" added to the game to save a player from their mistakes.  This is when I start discussing about how for a game that (I feel) was fundamentally build on not holding the player's hand to start implementing this kind of hand holding; I think undermines the rest of the experience that the team has built. 

I only talk about it because I know this could easily be a slippery slope.  [text removed for brevity]  I would just hate for that to happen, when the simpler solution would be for the players to pay more attention.

On 2/18/2020 at 12:19 AM, ManicManiac said:

[I think] we should accept the consequences of our actions.  I think the better solution is for a player to be more careful...  Sure, that takes time and practice, but I think that's better than asking a developer to add "safety net" mechanics.  I think the challenge comes from having to [pay attention to what we are doing and the world around us].  Yes, sometimes [bad things happen] through no fault of one's own... but at the same time I'd say, "That's life sometimes."  One of the things I respect about this game, is that sometimes bad things happen... sometimes it's our fault, sometimes it's not... but either way we have to deal with it.  The game's not going to rescue us.

[The bits in brackets are where I've updated some of those older posts to put them in broader terms because they referenced other specific topics - but the idea still applies to this one]

Edited April 9, 2020 by ManicManiac

[Archonax]

19 hours ago, Hochleistungsfaultier said:

But what is so hard about pressing "Esc" once before you leave your PC...

Also, playing until your fatigue overwhelms you isn't a good lifestyle. You might consider changing it.

Cheers

 

2 hours ago, ManicManiac said:

No thank you.

I would not be in favor of something like this at all.  I've never liked the idea of adding more player "safety nets" to this game... I think the last thing the game needs more hand holding mechanics.  I think part of what I like so much about this game is that it's not afraid to make us have to deal with the consequences of our actions... on in this case, inaction.
 

I've spoken about this before in the past so I'll just echo it here:

[The bits in brackets are where I've updated some of those older posts to put them in broader terms because they referenced other specific topics - but the idea still applies to this one]

 

Agreed. At best this could be considered an accessibility request (re: narcolepsy, emergencies, etc), but even so it would be near impossible to implement without interfering with your average player. Sit still watching a bear move across the pond for [a few] minutes? Whoops, paused! Watch the sunrise without moving? Whoops, paused! Severe immersion breaker at its worst.

[exeexe]

If you want to not die from inaction just do something

If you want to sleep just turn off computer and go to sleep

[ajb1978]

Only if it were optional, and the default setting is off.  

[unclebeer]

On 4/13/2020 at 1:03 PM, ajb1978 said:

Only if it were optional, and the default setting is off.  

Naturally.  It wouldn't even necessarily prevent death.  I mean if I'm nodding off, half a map away from a sleeping spot, I have to make the decision to pause the game and let the computer run till morning, or give up and die.  I get that.  I've even started carrying parasitic meat so I can force a save if I know I'm too tired to make it back. 

But if I have enough HP to stand inside a building with zero keyboard or mouse movement for 15 or 20 minutes, I think that's pretty obvious that I'm not making an in-game mistake, I'm drooling on myself on the couch.

 

[unclebeer]

On 4/9/2020 at 1:42 AM, Hochleistungsfaultier said:

But what is so hard about pressing "Esc" once before you leave your PC...

Also, playing until your fatigue overwhelms you isn't a good lifestyle. You might consider changing it.

Cheers

This has absolutely nothing to do with pressing escape before you leave your PC.  This is about falling asleep while playing and losing an entire run because of the way this game handles saving.

And dispensing unsolicited "lifestyle" advice based on your own assumptions can really make you look like an ass.  You might consider changing this behavior.  I couldn't care less about your approval of my lifestyle.
Some people take medication that may make them drowsy.  Some people bust their ass all day long and unwind by playing games in the evening.  Some people have medical conditions that cause them to fall asleep.  I belong to one of these categories every day and a second one ~some~ days.

 

Cheers

[unclebeer]

On 4/9/2020 at 8:48 PM, Archonax said:

 

 

 Sit still watching a bear move across the pond for [a few] minutes? Whoops, paused! Watch the sunrise without moving? Whoops, paused! Severe immersion breaker at its worst.

Which is why most accessibility options are toggleable...

[unclebeer]

On 4/13/2020 at 5:42 AM, exeexe said:

If you want to not die from inaction just do something

If you want to sleep just turn off computer and go to sleep

Good plan!  "Well, let's see, I *might* get tired and nod off sometime in the next 3 or 4 hours.  Guess I'll just shut the computer down and go to bed after supper."

[Archonax]

12 hours ago, unclebeer said:

Which is why most accessibility options are toggleable...

Give 'GameSave Manager' a try -- it's free and has the ability to back up your game saves (including The Long Dark) automatically at intervals. This way, you could set your TLD save to be backed up every X minutes, so that if you fall asleep and wind up dying you can 'restore' an earlier backup from before you died.

[Guest Paphalophagus]

You can save the game anytime you want just by going to the radial menu, hitting the campfire (CAMPCRAFT), then hitting the deck of cards (PASS TIME) and pass time for an hour. No bedroll required.

Sure you loose an hour but it saves the game. Just make sure you're not in a position to get attacked.

Of course I'm sure you know you can save by exiting and entering a building. No time loss either.

 

[unclebeer]

On 4/17/2020 at 11:06 PM, Archonax said:

Give 'GameSave Manager' a try -- it's free and has the ability to back up your game saves (including The Long Dark) automatically at intervals. This way, you could set your TLD save to be backed up every X minutes, so that if you fall asleep and wind up dying you can 'restore' an earlier backup from before you died.

Thanks, I may try this at some point.  I'm hesitant though because of slippery-slopism.  "What?  That wolf shouldn't have been out in the blizzard!  Reload!"  Bad habit to get into.

[unclebeer]

On 4/18/2020 at 6:42 AM, Paphalophagus said:

You can save the game anytime you want just by going to the radial menu, hitting the campfire (CAMPCRAFT), then hitting the deck of cards (PASS TIME) and pass time for an hour. No bedroll required.

Sure you loose an hour but it saves the game. Just make sure you're not in a position to get attacked.

Of course I'm sure you know you can save by exiting and entering a building. No time loss either.

 

Game saves on a sprain too, right?  Maybe I can work around this.  Sprains are easy.

[Guest Paphalophagus]

1 hour ago, unclebeer said:

Game saves on a sprain too, right?

Yep! Sure does.

[Hochleistungsfaultier]

On 4/17/2020 at 5:23 PM, unclebeer said:

And dispensing unsolicited "lifestyle" advice based on your own assumptions can really make you look like an ass.  You might consider changing this behavior.  I couldn't care less about your approval of my lifestyle.
Some people take medication that may make them drowsy.  Some people bust their ass all day long and unwind by playing games in the evening.  Some people have medical conditions that cause them to fall asleep.  I belong to one of these categories every day and a second one ~some~ days.

Play a game that fits you better then. Peace and out!

[LkP]

Men, such aggressiveness around a simple proposal... If you don't like it, just say so, don't bite the poster.
As an option, I wouldn't activate it. But since some may need/prefer it, it's a good idea, and doesn't look like asking for the moon.

[Aurimas]

I would use it, a custom time-to-pause would make it even more useful

[odizzido]

I have played games with someone who would narc out. This sounds like a reasonable feature to me. A little option box could be there for anyone who wants to use it without impacting anyone else's game.

[Moll]

Quite opposite. You should handle you responsibility. 

I would like to punish players, just for the lolz. You inactive for long time, you are going to loose a feat. No questions asked.

But i am satisfied you were punished losing your run. Thats adequate punishment for you.

[Willy Pete]

I agree with those who disagree. Hitting the escape button isn't hard, end of story.