Xbox series x disappointment

[IronBoogleChops]

I'm a pretty patient person, but I'm starting to get hacked off with TLD.

We had to wait longer for console release - no biggy, but it has certainly built my excitement.

With current save issues, it is unplayable. If I could manual save it wouldn't be an issue, but for a game that relies on autosave exclusively, it is game breaking for it not to work. It's not the sort of game where you want to retrace your steps on the same playthrough.

The other minor glitches I can deal with (items not showing in inventory, no aviator jacket showing on the avatar) but no save is game breaking.

I love the game, and was happy to buy the new dlc, but I'm annoyed and disappointed that there's little info on when this will be fixed.

I know people have pointed to an issue with quick resume, but that wasn't a problem before the updates.

[UpUpAway95]

Since I'm the one who has suggested that quick resume is a problem, I should explain that it wasn't in relation to the autosave problem... rather a problem with being able to start either a new game or to launch a previous save.  It is an issue that started for me in relation to the update that added the DLC.  It was not an issue for me piror to that time.

The autosave not saving is, IMO, a completely different issue.  I did have an autosave issue way back when on my Xbox One where I had lost significant progress on a save even though I had slept many times in that game before I quit playing for the day.  When I started the next day, I was set back several sleeps/days earlier in the save.  At the time, I thought it might have been related to my internet going offline while I had played and the game being then unable to update the cloud when autosaving.

[odizzido]

You're playing an early access game, of course it's buggy. I would just wait for them to finish the game before playing if it annoys you.

[UpUpAway95]

11 hours ago, odizzido said:

You're playing an early access game, of course it's buggy. I would just wait for them to finish the game before playing if it annoys you.

It's no longer an "early access game" and hasn't been one for many years now.

From Wikipedia:  "An alpha version was released through Steam Early Access in September 2014.^[3] The alpha version was later launched on the Xbox One as one of the first two launch titles associated with Microsoft's Game Preview Program in June 2015. Early reviews of the alpha release were generally positive, and the game went on to sell around 750,000 copies by April 2016.^[4] It was officially released on all aforementioned platforms on August 1, 2017, as well as for PlayStation 4.^[5] In 2017, it was announced that a film adaptation of The Long Dark was in the works.^[6] On September 17, 2020, it was announced that the game would be coming to Nintendo Switch later that same day.^[7]"

 

[xanna]

This is a very weird persistent myth, or possibly a statement made in irony to throw shade on the game for being glitchy. I can never tell, but it comes up now and then

[odizzido]

11 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

It's no longer an "early access game" and hasn't been one for many years now.

From Wikipedia:  "An alpha version was released through Steam Early Access in September 2014.^[3] The alpha version was later launched on the Xbox One as one of the first two launch titles associated with Microsoft's Game Preview Program in June 2015. Early reviews of the alpha release were generally positive, and the game went on to sell around 750,000 copies by April 2016.^[4] It was officially released on all aforementioned platforms on August 1, 2017, as well as for PlayStation 4.^[5] In 2017, it was announced that a film adaptation of The Long Dark was in the works.^[6] On September 17, 2020, it was announced that the game would be coming to Nintendo Switch later that same day.^[7]"

 

Unless they have stopped development of chapter 5, this game is in early access by definition on the platform they sell it on

Quote

Steam Early Access enables you to sell your game on Steam while it is still being developed, and provide context to customers that a product should be considered "unfinished." Early Access is a place for games that are in a playable alpha or beta state, are worth the current value of the playable build, and that you plan to continue to develop for release.

https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/earlyaccess

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, odizzido said:

Unless they have stopped development of chapter 5, this game is in early access by definition on the platform they sell it on

https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/earlyaccess

The  key there is "develop for release" and TLD was officially released on August 1, 2017... plus I suspect "Steam Early Access"  definitions don't necessarily apply to Xbox (Microsoft Store).  Lots of games have ongoing development after release.  (e.g. Minecraft has changed significantly since if officially released in 2011).  In addition, you're citing Episode 5 of Wintermute as what is putting an "early access" definition on what is now something separate since people can now purchase "The Long Dark Survival Edition" which does not include story mode.

... and then there's this from TLD's own FAQ:

"We brought THE LONG DARK’s Sandbox Mode to Steam Early Access in September of 2014, and then to Xbox Game Preview in June 2015. These were both “pre-release Alphas”, early in-development versions of the game. On August 1st, we’ll be launching the 1.0 version of The Long Dark."

Edited April 11, 2023 by UpUpAway95

[odizzido]

Calling this game a full release just makes it so much worse. The game can't even save properly.

[UpUpAway95]

2 hours ago, odizzido said:

Calling this game a full release just makes it so much worse. The game can't even save properly.

So, it's a buggy game at release... still doesn't make it an early access one.  I agree the game has issues, particularly when it comes to things like saving on the Xbox.  Fallout 4 (released in 2015) still hase the 0 kb save error on PS and the constant crashing issue in downtown Boston.  FO4 players are anxiously awaiting a promised update in 2023 (upgrading the game to next gen consoles) that will, hopefully, at last alleviate those issues.

It would be nice if we could get back to the "good old days" when games released on console had very few bugs in them and games didn't need a constant feed of updates and additions just to keep our insatiable appetite for "new shinies" going (I say this as No Man's Sky has been updating all day on my Xbox for the second time in as many weeks... it seems almost like it wants to update every time I turn on my Xbox).

[odizzido]

I still consider TLD early access and we will never convince eachother otherwise so it appears this conversation is over.

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, odizzido said:

I still consider TLD early access and we will never convince eachother otherwise so it appears this conversation is over.

You can consider it to be whatever you want... not trying to convince you of anything really.  We do agree it's got bugs and that Episode 5 needs to be finished.  However, I bought the game on Xbox through the Microsoft Store after August 1, 2017.  I did not purchase it as a "Game Preview" (Microsoft's term for "early access") and, as such, I had no "early access" expectations about the bugs.  I was fully aware that Episodes 3-5 were not yet released and I did have expectations that it would not take them this many years to get to where we are in the story.  Believe what you like, but I know what the terms of my purchase agreement were... it was not "early access."

[xanna]

@odizzidoSo is every game that has an episode structure in early access until every episode has been released? I'm not much of a gamer, but I thought that was pretty common practice. TellTale Games are nearly all like that, for example.

There are plenty of ways to talk about a game being glitchy/unfinished/disappointing without using a specific term that is just confusing people.

[odizzido]

@xannaIt's only become common recently as publishers have discovered people are more than happy to buy unfinished broken games. It's the same with all the gambling mechanics and buyable loot now, and they know that legally nobody can do anything if they force patch in a bunch of gambling after the game has been on sale for a while and the reviews are out.

Anyways, yes, TLD is still in early access. They sold their game as a story game with five chapters and only four have been completed. The exact definition of early access on steam is

Quote

Steam Early Access enables you to sell your game on Steam while it is still being developed, and provide context to customers that a product should be considered "unfinished."

This game is unfinished and it is currently being developed. This is the very definition of early access. Hinterland are the ones who are confusing the matter by labeling a game they are still finishing as out of early access. My guess is they wanted an injection of cash which is how that happened.

 

 

Now as to whether telltale's games were out of early access on the first chapter, I am not sure. It would depend on what they sold. If they sold it as a single chapter then no. If they sold it as five chapters with only one done then yes.

[UpUpAway95]

8 hours ago, odizzido said:

@xannaIt's only become common recently as publishers have discovered people are more than happy to buy unfinished broken games. It's the same with all the gambling mechanics and buyable loot now, and they know that legally nobody can do anything if they force patch in a bunch of gambling after the game has been on sale for a while and the reviews are out.

Anyways, yes, TLD is still in early access. They sold their game as a story game with five chapters and only four have been completed. The exact definition of early access on steam is

This game is unfinished and it is currently being developed. This is the very definition of early access. Hinterland are the ones who are confusing the matter by labeling a game they are still finishing as out of early access. My guess is they wanted an injection of cash which is how that happened.

 

 

Now as to whether telltale's games were out of early access on the first chapter, I am not sure. It would depend on what they sold. If they sold it as a single chapter then no. If they sold it as five chapters with only one done then yes.

I understand your beef... but, on Xbox at least, it is not being sold as "game preview" and hasn't been sold as that since August 1, 2017.  Since HL's quote indicates it was released on all platforms as of that date, I doubt Steam is selling it under "early access" either.  Yeah, there is nothing legally that can be done and these "premature" (i.e. overtly buggy) releases are a big problem for consumers... but it still does not mean it is IN early access.  Whether it SHOULD still be is a different question... I would agree with you that it SHOULD BE still in early access and that then maybe HL would have kept a better focus on finishing the story... but it is not still in early access (that's just the sad fact).

Still, telling someone that they bought an early access game when they didn't and telling them that they should have waited until it comes out of early access when it is already out of early access is not helpful to them at all... It's just confusing them.

At any rate, the OP was expressly talking about this expansion pass on Xbox... we waited longer for its release on console... and even that didn't sort of some pretty serious bugs related to the consoles... and that is disappointing.

Edited April 12, 2023 by UpUpAway95

[xanna]

11 hours ago, odizzido said:

@xannaIt's only become common recently as publishers have discovered people are more than happy to buy unfinished broken games. It's the same with all the gambling mechanics and buyable loot now, and they know that legally nobody can do anything if they force patch in a bunch of gambling after the game has been on sale for a while and the reviews are out.

Anyways, yes, TLD is still in early access. They sold their game as a story game with five chapters and only four have been completed. The exact definition of early access on steam is

This game is unfinished and it is currently being developed. This is the very definition of early access. Hinterland are the ones who are confusing the matter by labeling a game they are still finishing as out of early access. My guess is they wanted an injection of cash which is how that happened.

Now as to whether telltale's games were out of early access on the first chapter, I am not sure. It would depend on what they sold. If they sold it as a single chapter then no. If they sold it as five chapters with only one done then yes.

There's a few issues with this.

Definitions don't always work in both directions. Early Access games are unfinished, yes, but not all unfinished games are Early Access. We define a blue whale as an aquatic mammal, but not all aquatic mammals are blue whales. The definition is of the blue whale, not of the class of aquatic mammals. The quotation is giving an explanation of Early Access games, not unfinished games. Lots of unfinished games are not in Early Access. Heck, lots of unfinished games aren't on Steam.

Secondly, this isn't a definition anyway, it's a description of a service. It says Early Access enables the release of unfinished games on Steam. It allows it, it facilitates it. Vimeo enables the publication of videos to the web. Does that mean all videos are Vimeo videos? No.

Thirdly, the quotation about Early Access is from Steam, so Steam is the authority you're citing. But Steam itself does not think The Long Dark is Early Access, since it has been taken out of the Early Access scheme and is no longer there. Whether it fits a definition or a description or not, it simply isn't actually in Early Access, which is an actual list of games that Steam has, and not a taxonomical category. Look - it's not there:

As for episodic games, no they are not new. The first was released in 1979. Telltale, who are best known for episodic games, released their first in 2006. In the history of gaming, this not a new phenomenon. It was, IMO, a natural format to explore given that TV, radio and novel series are episodic in nature. Episodic games are not 'broken' by definition, they are unfinished until they are finished. The first season of Breaking Bad was not 'broken', it was simply the first season.

Is The Long Dark unfinished? Yes. Is it deliberately episodic? Yes. Is it Early Access? No.

[Cranky]

Just got back into the game as soon as it was available on Xbox after about a  5 month break (sad story, died a few days before I hit 500 on my last stalker run). Bought the expansion, super excited. 
 

My first attempted run began in mountain town, with in 36 days I cleared the entire territory with what seemed like no saving issues. Then once I found the new prepper bunker at about 40 days I overloaded myself with all I wanted, slept, woke up and turned the game off. Next day i started up the game and I was set back to my 10th day. 
 

Naively I figured it was a one off glitch so I started a new run and have noticed this problem is constant. I’m constantly loosing a day or two worth of progress, today I just lost near a weeks worth. There really needs to be a player save game option, even if they limit it to interaction with only beds and doors. 
 

This is getting infuriating. 

[Admin]

On 4/12/2023 at 2:46 PM, Cranky said:

Just got back into the game as soon as it was available on Xbox after about a  5 month break (sad story, died a few days before I hit 500 on my last stalker run). Bought the expansion, super excited. 
 

My first attempted run began in mountain town, with in 36 days I cleared the entire territory with what seemed like no saving issues. Then once I found the new prepper bunker at about 40 days I overloaded myself with all I wanted, slept, woke up and turned the game off. Next day i started up the game and I was set back to my 10th day. 
 

Naively I figured it was a one off glitch so I started a new run and have noticed this problem is constant. I’m constantly loosing a day or two worth of progress, today I just lost near a weeks worth. There really needs to be a player save game option, even if they limit it to interaction with only beds and doors. 
 

This is getting infuriating. 

We are working to release a resolution for this issue in the very near future. We appreciate your patience.

[SuperStriker16]

On 4/9/2023 at 11:04 AM, IronBoogleChops said:

With current save issues, it is unplayable.

I also play on Series x, found out that you can remove TLD from quick resume to re-set it which seems to fix it, if you don’t see the save icon in the corner when sleeping and entering buildings, then it means it didn’t properly save and you lost that progress. At that point there is nothing you can do, if you see it, immediately reset and make sure the save icon appears, then you should be fine to play with it actually saving. Hope it gets fixed soon because it’s really annoying to me too.

[IronBoogleChops]

Thanks for the responses (except the confidently incorrect one about early access - The game is old enough to be at school FFS!) 

Misery loves company, so it was good to hear I'm not alone with problems.

@Cranky Truly gutted for you dying just before the 500 days. I would be really upset. I was setting up for a long run when I had these issues, and it has put me off the game a bit. 

@SuperStriker16Thanks for the tip. The save icon is so unobtrusive anyway (which is usually great!) so I'm sure I'll forget to check it. Taking it off quick resume is annoying. The xbox is the heart of media in our family and I love the speed and convenience of quick resume, so I hope they fix this issue quickly.

[SuperStriker16]

I find removing it from quick resume to be an easier way to reset a game(before, you would need to go into a different game or press “stop playing” on the game). If you don’t like it then there is another way to check the problem and it’s what I’ve been doing recently. I’d save my game by going into a building, then return to the menu and then press resume, this will make sure it saves and should put you back to the same spot you were in before quitting. If it doesn’t, then go completely out of the game and remove from quick resume or click stop playing to fix the problem. If I get the glitch again, I’ll upload a clip of me doing this.

[UpUpAway95]

Looks like a "quick resume" Hotfix is already done.  Hopefully, Xbox will release it to all of us soon.  Dev diary didn't say anything about my issue with launching save files when "quick resume" was active, but hopefully that's also covered with this fix.

[Admin]

On 4/9/2023 at 8:04 AM, IronBoogleChops said:

I'm a pretty patient person, but I'm starting to get hacked off with TLD.

We had to wait longer for console release - no biggy, but it has certainly built my excitement.

With current save issues, it is unplayable. If I could manual save it wouldn't be an issue, but for a game that relies on autosave exclusively, it is game breaking for it not to work. It's not the sort of game where you want to retrace your steps on the same playthrough.

The other minor glitches I can deal with (items not showing in inventory, no aviator jacket showing on the avatar) but no save is game breaking.

I love the game, and was happy to buy the new dlc, but I'm annoyed and disappointed that there's little info on when this will be fixed.

I know people have pointed to an issue with quick resume, but that wasn't a problem before the updates.

We released a Hotfix last week that should resolve the save issues on Xbox. Can you please confirm whether you have experienced these issues since the latest update? 
 

 

[SuperStriker16]

@AdminI haven't had it since, but I have been vigilant for if it happens and been checking to make sure that the save icon appears. if it does happen again, i'll report it here. Thank you so much for fixing it, it's annoying and almost made me rage quit the game.

[Admin]

6 minutes ago, SuperStriker16 said:

@AdminI haven't had it since, but I have been vigilant for if it happens and been checking to make sure that the save icon appears. if it does happen again, i'll report it here. Thank you so much for fixing it, it's annoying and almost made me rage quit the game.

Thank you for the confirmation -- we hope that's the last you'll see of it, and good luck on your adventures! 

[IronBoogleChops]

2 hours ago, Admin said:

We released a Hotfix last week that should resolve the save issues on Xbox. Can you please confirm whether you have experienced these issues since the latest update? 
 

 

Same here - haven't had the problem since, which is great as it was very frustrating.

Thanks for the fix!