A way to get rescued?? Like a Survival Mode end game?

[Jotown]

I think it would be really cool in The Long Dark to have a way to get rescued. I get we already have the “Hopeless Rescue” challenge, but maybe something for the normal survival mode sandbox? I’m sure someone has already suggested this before, but I wanted to give my take on it. I feel like it would add some hope and a nice change from the depressive “live or die” mentality of TLD- a motivation to keep going. Here’s my ideas:

1. A “chance to be rescued” would be a toggle-able option when starting a new save. So for those hardcore players who forever only want death as the way out, they would not have to play with a chance to be rescued.

2. You can only be rescued after you have survived a certain number of days, the harder the game mode the longer the amount of days (ex. Something like: Pilgrim, 50 days; Voyageur, 100 days; Stalker, 500 days; Interloper, 1,000 days.) In a custom setting, the player would be allowed to choose the amount of days.

3. After you have survived the required amount of days, when the next aurora appears, a new, special radio tower would appear on the map, lighting up super bright, and if you can make the difficult journey to the radio tower, which is atop the biggest mountain in-game, you can retrieve an exclusive, special flare gun (only one shot).

4. The special flare gun could then be used to signal a rescue from any reasonably high mountain, as long as the weather conditions are good (ex. No Aurora or Blizzard/Storm/Heavy Snow)

5. When the flare gun is fired in the right conditions, a plane will appear anytime from at that exact moment, to midnight the next day. 

6. When the rescue plane does arrive, there could be a joyful, end came cutscene and an option to get in the plane. Which means, if you choose not to enter the plane you can continue your sandbox, but the rescue plane will leave, the flare gun will be ruined, the radio tower loses signal, and you have to survive the required amount AGAIN before a second chance to escape.

7. If this sounds too easy, think again. The trek up to the radio tower would be the most dangerous task yet, and if you shoot the Exclusive flare gun in bad weather, well, then you have to do the process all over again. Including repeating the number of days, re-traversing the mountain, etc. 

 

Well I might be missing something, but that is a *brief* description of what I’d like as an in-game “ending”. I know many will despise this idea but I just wanted to put it out there to see what you all think. Also, ignore the vagueness (like a radio tower suddenly appearing on the map- what??) there would have to be a storyline for it, a mountain already in place to have the tower on it, etc. I’m just giving a brief idea- nothing more.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, tell me what you think! 😉

Keep surviving!

[wilsonaka]

Only if it meant that the new plane would also crash and you'd have to start over in a different region. I wouldn't trust a "rescue" in a plane that only worked during an Aurora.

 

[ManicManiac]

I recommend the search function, because there has been a lot of really good discussion about this topic in the past.

I'll echo what I've mentioned on some of those previous threads: 

On 5/23/2020 at 2:05 AM, ManicManiac said:

There is no "happily ever after" or "congratulations you win!" in Survival Mode, and I would argue there shouldn't be.  I really like that death is the eventuality, no mater what (regardless of whether it's because we've given up, or due to tragic circumstances - most often due to our own bad decisions). 

I really like the fact that once we are proficient in our survival tasks that it's really up to us to decided how we live in the world Hinterland has provided us and for how long. 

On 6/14/2020 at 8:02 PM, ManicManiac said:

I think in an open world sandbox the story we experience is ours, and the onus should be on us in that context.
So I'll say again... I think that folks who "get board at the end" are having a player issue, not a game issue.  

 

I could go on, but I think this sums it up my view pretty well.

Edited August 21, 2020 by ManicManiac

[Jotown]

5 hours ago, wilsonaka said:

Only if it meant that the new plane would also crash and you'd have to start over in a different region. I wouldn't trust a "rescue" in a plane that only worked during an Aurora.

 

Oh, I think you read my description incorrectly or I didn’t clarify, sorry! The aurora would turn on the new tower’s signal. The flare gun could not be shot in bad weather(including an aurora) so you would have to wait to signal a plane to rescue you, when everything clears. 

Also that would be super sad- and hilarious if you got rescued only to crash again in a new map. Not gonna lie that sounds pretty fun, unrealistic for Hinterland to add, but fun😉

[Fuarian]

not lore friendly

[DPHG]

I think this is a cool idea, and love that it's optional. That said, I think you could "pretend" re-create this scenario yourself if you're disciplined enough to follow the rules.

1. Play Interloper for 1,000 game-days *without* summiting Timberwolf Mountain (you can use the one in Ravine)
2. Go to the Pleasant valley radio tower during an aurora to "find" the location of the flare gun
3. Summit Timberwolf to get the flare gun
4. Make the trek to either Desolation point or (even better) the destroyed lighthouse in Bleak
5. Wait for a clear night and fire the flaregun
6. Survive for an additional x days on that island waiting for the "plane"
7. Delete your save and call yourself rescued.

 

[wilsonaka]

On 8/21/2020 at 6:55 PM, Jotown said:

Oh, I think you read my description incorrectly or I didn’t clarify, sorry! The aurora would turn on the new tower’s signal. The flare gun could not be shot in bad weather(including an aurora) so you would have to wait to signal a plane to rescue you, when everything clears. 

Oh, I did read it correctly.  Although, I don't believe you understand the premise of the game. No electricity works unless it's during an Aurora. A "rescue plane" would not be possible without an Aurora. That would have to be done at night, with an Aurora, and if the Aurora decides to shut off... there goes your plane. Just like before, which is why I would only agree to this idea as previously stated.

[Jotown]

3 hours ago, wilsonaka said:

Oh, I did read it correctly.  Although, I don't believe you understand the premise of the game. No electricity works unless it's during an Aurora. A "rescue plane" would not be possible without an Aurora. That would have to be done at night, with an Aurora, and if the Aurora decides to shut off... there goes your plane. Just like before, which is why I would only agree to this idea as previously stated.

Ahh, I understand. But then, how did Will and Mackenzie begin their flight to Great Bear? The Aurora hadn’t started yet. Or is it that after the geomagnetic storm nowhere has power? Including places not in Great Bear? Or is it that it is only Great Bear-  but as soon as the plane would enter the island, it would crash if an aurora wasn’t happening, due to lack of power?

Sorry, I think I just made everything ten times more confusing but I had to ask.

If answering my questions makes it even more confusing, I’m fine to just agree with you and end this conversation 😂.

[manolitode]

2 hours ago, Jotown said:

Or is it that after the geomagnetic storm nowhere has power?

Correct, no place that we get to visit up until the end of eisode 3 has power after the planecrash. Except for during the aurora. 

2 hours ago, Jotown said:

Including places not in Great Bear?

That is yet to be discovered, in this season or another. (I haven't replayed ep 1 and 2 since they remastered it so feel free to add did I miss something).

EDIT: As for the option of being saved, then it wouldn't be The Long Dark anymore. I prefer death as the only ending. Even in story mode but I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever ending they come up with, they've probably figured out an intriguing finish. 

Edited August 23, 2020 by manolitode

[sonics01]

Glad to see the discussion about end game, I suggested a similar thing a few months ago. And you could find similar discussions in Wishlist forum before. A lot of players have their own opinions and feelings towards TLD, so if endgame is suggested, that should be purely optional, not being forced to all players.

The key is, if devs have a will and time and manpower to pursue such project, and if they has, then would endgame option be a high priority or not. Honestly and sadly, considering the fact that they delayed Ep 4 recently, I'm pessimistic about it. Plus, HL's speed is not that fast, unfortunately...

So, if such options are tried by someone, then that would be a modding. But endgame option would not be an easy task for modding as well. For example, my idea includes some puzzle/mystery element, which should be tied with various points of maps and a lot of if/while loop conditions based on player behavior. This would not be a simple one. I'm not sure how HL will provide us the modding tool with how much of the degree of freedom, but contents like this seems not feasible to be provided via modding tool. If they include some options for new "quests" in survival mode then it might be possible but I'm not sure. 

So, anyway, let's hope some brilliant modder has the similar idea with us. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by sonics01