April Developer Diary

[RegentRelic]

Why a season pass? Is season pass just the french way of saying pre-purchase? I am assuming we won’t lose access to content once the season pass is over? Is it so, more people will by all three to four DLCs instead of just a few? Are we going to have daily quests that you have to complete enough of to unlock the new content? Hmm Hmmmm!

[Captcavey]

1 hour ago, JaySovereign said:

It's still an issue because if I buy this pass for a bunch of money and then stop payments, all the money will be wasted and gone because all the content will be gone. This is really making me reconsider even buying this game to begin with, I can't believe you guys would decide to do something so...corporate and greedy. Not like you at all.

 

Edit: If I'm not understanding this correctly, please point out what's really going on here as I'm very confused over this.

You haven't bought the game yet? You are missing out. There's nothing in this genre that comes close. Dig deep and buy a copy, you'll see why current players such as the majority replying here, will be very happy to make sure Hinterland continues by supporting them, paying for DLC/season pass.

Nothing has been hammered out as fact yet by the sounds of it but let's face it, the sales alone would never support ongoing updates forever. We've had a lot of updates for our original outlay IMO.

Apologies if I've misunderstood.

[SpanishMoss]

@Admin PLEASE make a separate post with clarification about the "season pass/DLC" it's confusing a lot of people. Thanks!

Edited May 2, 2022 by SpanishMoss

[odizzido]

Cool, sounds good. Easier development is always nice. Personally I've just been waiting for the story mode so it will be nice to finally play it. I am happy with how things went with my pre purchase of this game(not something I do a lot) so that's good.

You guys at hinterland have done a very good job with the atmosphere of TLD which is extra good for story driven games so I look forward to playing the game and seeing what you guys do next.

[manolitode]

You can see how Hinterland develops a lot with every new survival map they release. I think we're in for a very fun and rewarding couple of years in the near future.

[Dogelsagod]

I don’t care what the dlc has I’m still going to buy it. I love this game and I know I my have joined around 18 months ago but I love this game so much.

[Nervous Pete]

17 hours ago, JaySovereign said:

It's still an issue because if I buy this pass for a bunch of money and then stop payments, all the money will be wasted and gone because all the content will be gone. This is really making me reconsider even buying this game to begin with, I can't believe you guys would decide to do something so...corporate and greedy. Not like you at all.

 

Edit: If I'm not understanding this correctly, please point out what's really going on here as I'm very confused over this.

Hi Jay, it is a bit of a confusing name apparently. What Hinterland are suggesting is that you pay for the DLC up-front as a Season Pass that gets you access to the upcoming DLC over a period of time. It's a one time payment and the DLC is yours to keep, it's just that you pay in advance for DLC released over a 'season'. Once that 'season' is completed another will probably be announced, with another bunch of DLC released over time. Buying a 'season pass' will probably get you a small discount. Again, I believe there's just one up-front payment and you're not subscribing as such. 

Alternatively you can pay for the DLC as and when they come out separately.

Anno 1800 by Ubisoft also calls their DLC bundles 'season passes' where you pay up front and receive three of four DLC over time as and when they're released. Again, once paid you keep them, it's not a subscription thing. Hope that helps. 

[Demetrious]

You: "We need more money to continue development." 

Me: TAKE MY MONEY 

The amount of content I have access to due to a single late-Early Access purchase of $20 USD is phenomenal. It'd still be phenomenal at full retail. One of the single best ROIs of any game I've ever bought. And then came the magic words "mod support."

Lads I'm ready to shell out dosh. 

[piddy3825]

I volunteer for any beta testing on the games story mode content if you need bodies to do so!!!   
I remember those early days of development well, where the community would play and post their
experiences on the forums, helping to guide the dev team to identify problems and helping to formulate fixes and improvements.  If you need me, just let me know!

As to paid downloadable content, I love the fact that Hinterland is giving their players options. 
For a gamer like myself, 
I'd gladly pay for new updated content especially for a game that I purchased back in 2015.   The fact that the sandbox in survival mode is one of the largest open world areas in the gaming industry has not been lost on me.  
Expecting continued support and development of survival mode without expense to the customer doesn't strike me as a very lucrative business model and I'm sure that many of here on the forums would agree.

Looking forward now to prepaying for my "seasons pass!"

 

[JaySovereign]

Alright, I think I understand the situation better, but I'd still rather have an Admin confirm what they really mean.

[Gun Tech.]

Firstly: I'm such a sucker for this game that I'll probably buy every expansion without question. ❤️ But not all gamers are like this.

Few games get more than 2 DLCs that aren't cosmetics or maps, and that's if the base game is finished, released, and solid enough to support DLCs (and mods). This would be a great achievement! 👍

I like the split-up between Story and Survival to the extent that Survival is not neglected but honed into the Survival Sim which is the game's great reputation, and allows budgeting testing, fixing, and improving Survival. This is solely because Story mode is much more forgiving, and Survival is very punishing, making it possible for bugs to end runs, whereas Story is not Permadeath but like all other Story mode games (reload save or automatic save/checkpoint).

(That is to say, I enjoy Story also. I think finishing EP5 will be Hinterland's great achievement and goal, and if splitting off Story furthers this goal, that I will not only enjoy EP5 and possible expansions to it, but also enjoy separate improvements to Survival.)

Even though DLCs are normally a one-time fee lesser than the purchase of the base game, I would wholeheartedly support a "DLC season pass" if it budgets the testing, refinement, and expansion of this Survival gem. (And as I hinted at first, likely whatever the addition or improvement is.)  

Edited May 2, 2022 by Gun Tech.

[Polynomial-C]

Hinterland: "...nearly 80% of you wanted us to begin producing paid expansion content for Survival Mode."

Me:

 

This is really great news. Please pretty please find a way for PC players to purchase these DLCs through alternative game stores (not Steam).

I especially like the split of Survival Mode and Story Mode in order to have more frequent releases/updates.

Oh and would it be possible to get the image with the railroad car at higher resolution so I can use it as background image? This is such a nice picture.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Polynomial-C

[Erroneus]

Thanks for the update. I like you approach, and find it fair.

BUT I am quite disappointed there is no mention at all, on how you are going to handle nextgen consoles? You have promised earlier an update on this and it's a bit overdue now.

I will support you, but my primary machine is a PS5 and I'm not gonna play TLD and the updates, if the game is not running in 60FPS on PS5. Please address this problem, I would also believe this is for your own benefit, as PS5/Xbox Series players will expect a native game or at least a game that runs 60 FPS.

[Ghurcb]

I'm just in love with this art. What I wouldn't give to see it animated and used as a main menu background...

[Sunwolf]

Fantastic.  Mod Tools?

[Admin]

We apologize for the lack of clarity around the terminology. The term "Season Pass" is confusing, and we're working on a better name for it. The important things to note are: 
 

• You will not lose content you already own.
• DLCs will not be mandatory. 
• We will release more information before changes roll out. 

We appreciate your patience and support. Thank you for your comments and feedback. 

[JMK]

14 minutes ago, Admin said:

We apologize for the lack of clarity around the terminology.

To be fair, I didn't pay attention to the terminology because I trust you to do the right thing simply because you've proven yourselves trustwothy along all these years 

So as our @Polynomial-C friend stated above, shut up and take our money

 

[turtle777]

TBH, I don’t get why there is so much confusion, too many gaming n00bs perhaps ?

There’s a reason this was called “season pass”, and NOT subscription.

With most season passes I’m aware of, you don’t lose what you paid for if you don’t get the “next” season pass. You just own the old seasons. Since TLD is not a multi-player game, there’s no concern about being on the “right” version.

It’s not a subscription.

I, for one, am glad that I can finally give Hinterland more money. I’m feeling bad for getting so much enjoyment out of a $10 purchase. I wish the Hinterland merch store was still up and running, but alas, shut up and take my money.

Raph, wish you all the best in the new “role” - can’t wait for what you create next.

-t

 

[JaySovereign]

On 5/7/2022 at 1:06 AM, piddy3825 said:

honestly I don't think to many of us were confused...

just the trolls, cause they live under a bridge and ain't got no money

Or maybe people who originally bought the game for 20$ (and are already on an extremely tight budget while inflation spirals out of control) now have to pay more for content in a way which a ton of games who've used such terminology as "subscriber-based" to leech their customers for every penny they could. That's why I freaked out a little. Since you have money, clearly you can afford some tact too?

[turtle777]

17 hours ago, JaySovereign said:

Or maybe people who originally bought the game for 20$ (and are already on an extremely tight budget while inflation spirals out of control) now have to pay more for content in a way which a ton of games who've used such terminology as "subscriber-based" to leech their customers for every penny they could.

That's why it's important to evaluate the game as you buy it, and determine if it offers enough "value" for what it is.

Sure, there are games where the "base" game (w/o future season passes or subscriptions) might be too bare bones. But that's not the case with LTD. This game has been in active development with multiple free feature releases for over 6 years. Heck, just the Story Mode alone will give you easily 50+ hours of enjoyment. This alone makes it worth, regardless of what happens with the sandbox (a.k.a. Survival Mode).

-t

[JaySovereign]

17 minutes ago, turtle777 said:

That's why it's important to evaluate the game as you buy it, and determine if it offers enough "value" for what it is.

Sure, there are games where the "base" game (w/o future season passes or subscriptions) might be too bare bones. But that's not the case with LTD. This game has been in active development with multiple free feature releases for over 6 years. Heck, just the Story Mode alone will give you easily 50+ hours of enjoyment. This alone makes it worth, regardless of what happens with the sandbox (a.k.a. Survival Mode).

-t

Yes, that's where I'm coming from. The game is worth it, but what I'm trying to say is that a lot of other games out there use the same terminology to rob their users blind, which is why I got so upset. Apparently that makes me a "broke troll", though.

[Cr41g]

I too enjoy Wintermute, but let's be honest survival is where this game shines... and if DLC can be had to improve on the survival experience I definitely want it first.

[Bearimpaler101]

7 hours ago, Ghurcb said:

Donner dies off screen

Ghanaians hahahahah😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Leeanda]

I'm  sorry but having a laugh at people who aren't well off is bad enough. But calling them names is even worse. It's not necessary and I thought people were above that behavior.  

[UpUpAway95]

I know I'm a bit late to this party, but I honestly haven't been focusing on TLD lately.  I am also honestly disappointed reading this... to learn that Episode 5 of Wintermute is not expected before the end of this year and that, in all likelihood, Perseverence Mills with be a DLC that needs to be paid for in Survival Mode... rather than the main survival mode game remaining "complete" and complementary to what appears in Wintermute.  To me, as a result, both game(s) will seem incomplete for quite some time to come.

I understand that it has been difficult and certainly HL (the company) has to do what it must to ensure that it remains a financially viable entity... still, I am disappointed and I hope HL understands that from my POV.

Also, the confusion over Season's Pass and Subscription, to me, is understandable.  On the Xbox a season's pass is essentially a subscription to gain access to a library of games that the player is never given ownership of and when the season's pass expires, access to those games is cut off.  Thankfully, HL is indicating here that there will be an option to buy completed DLC packages outright, but it does sound that release of these will be delayed from when the Season's Pass gives players access to that content.

Finally, to Raph... I wish you happiness and success in your next endeavour.  Keep up the great work!!