Genuine Opinions

[ajb1978]

I almost dread posting this, but I'm doing it out of morbid curiosity.

Please state your honest opinion about the state of the game. Story, Survival, DLC or Base content, whatever your stance. Let it all out. This is a safe space (I hope, Admin please back me up, if I'm worthy.)

[Leeanda]

Aside from a few bug issues and the glimmer fog (for health reasons)  I really have no problems with the game..   it's as good now as it was three years ago.  My only concern is about the way the story is going..  I'm dreading the thought that it's going to be Mathis chasing down Will across the island..  even if it is though I'll still play it because like everyone else I want to know what happens and what's in the briefcase😁. 

[ManicManiac]

I think Hinterland has done a wonderful job with the game.

I think that by now, most folks should not be surprised by bugs and delays... every game/update is likely going to have them.  So, I don't mark that against any developer so soon after an update.

I think the state of the game is great... for me (and apparently others as well) I think it's the "loper-leet" attitude that has gotten tiresome over the years.  I'm very concerned that a thread encouraging people to "let it all out" (however well intentioned) may just end up being a lightning rod and become the new focal point of all the vitriol that has been festering.

I like the idea of the thread... but I'm warry of what it's inviting.

[Merrak]

A lot of people are like me and have been playing for years.

There's just something that keeps pulling you back in, even if you put the game down for a while. No matter what other games or things I'm doing at any given time, any time there is a new update, I make sure to stop in and check it out for at least a few weeks. In some cases, I get bit by the bug and end up playing again for months on end.

The game itself has been in a great spot for quite some time. I've never had stability issues with this game, and the gameplay is always engaging and enjoyable. Each update adds just a little more flavor to what you do in game.

There are minor bugs that annoy me, most of them related to the latest update (currently my biggest hit-list items are the acorn cracking audio loop and no benefit from drinking the acorn coffee).

There is the issue of boredom on long playthroughs (ie: 500 day challenges), but in all honesty, that's going to happen no matter what game you play. You just have to fall into a specific gameplay loop at that point to keep the game from feeling stagnant. I've personally found new ways to challenge myself after long periods of time (ie: gather all loot from every zone, break down all furniture in each zone, stay outdoors over long periods of time, etc).

32 minutes ago, ManicManiac said:

I think the state of the game is great... for me (and apparently others as well) I think it's the "loper-leet" attitude that has gotten tiresome over the years.  I'm very concerned that a thread encouraging people to "let it all out" (however well intentioned) may just end up being a lightning rod and become the new focal point of all the vitriol that has been festering.

As Manic stated, there's concern with the direction some in the community are going with things. Hopefully the spread of that stops.

[Moosemaster]

👍

[xanna]

OK, you asked for it. My genuine unvarnished opinion:

The Long Dark is a masterpiece. It's a game with incredible playability, replayability, and it manages to be an astounding work of art at the same time. It has enriched my life more than I ever thought a videogame could. It gives me a familiar yet challenging world to escape to that feels so real to me, through the diligent work Hinterland put into every part of it - the concepts and maps themselves, and so many little details. No game matches it for its level of immersion, from the calming pleasure of a snowy hike on a bright day, to the excitement of discovering new things, to the terror of crossing high bridges or spotting a bear closeby. To spend time in such a beautiful place is an honour, and HL have ensured there is enough challenge and motivation for me to want to stay there.

We all know that there are glitches, but somehow for me TLD surpasses them with ease, and managing them quickly becomes incorporated into my playstyle, as just another aspect of survival. (Game-breaking errors are another matter, obviously but,) no glitch can begin to tarnish the beauty of the experience that playing TLD is for me.

I've found the community to be a joy as well. There's something very lovely about chatting to people who know the names of places that I spend time in! I don't detect a lot of elitism or snobbery about different play modes; my experience here and in the chats of Interloper and NOGOA streams on twitch feels so friendly and welcoming with no regard for the different amount or type of experiences that we all have.

I am extremely grateful that TLD exists. It's a miraculous work, made all the more remarkable and meaningful when I consider the general gaming landscape and behaviour of other studios. I have nothing but respect, awe and gratitude for @Raphael van Lierop and all at Hinterland. It's a visionary work, and I feel so fortunate that HL never lost that vision, and I'm betting they never will.

Edited April 18, 2023 by xanna

[stratvox]

Last night I was in BI, entering for the second time to look for that "mysterious signal" mentioned in the SV journal. When I entered I was fortunate enough to find a moose hanging around just west of the Frozen Delta. I crept around for a while trying to find a spot where I could shoot it safely, but every time it got close to either the fallen tree or the hunter's blind it would turn around and walk away again, the tease. Eventually I just decided to eat it and shoot him from the ground. I went up crouched, and put an arrow into his mid-section. At this point, naturally, he spun around and charged. I got two more arrows off, one going into his shoulder and the last one when I could veritably feel his breath on my face going into his head... and taking him down. Just one step and I was able to pull my arrows. 

It's moments like that that make this game. I'd been through an extended period of low stress travelling, though of course once you get into a timberwolf region the stress level goes up. Now I've got thirty kilos of meat in the cave on the west side of the region and am in a position to stay for the long haul and wait for the aurora so I can fire up the ol' shortwave and find out what they've got for me. Should be super entertaining dodging the timberwolves; I'm thinking I should probably spend my time until the next aurora wandering quietly about the joint and laying waste to the packs, being careful to leave one alive from each pack to carry forward the tale of the apex predator and why timberwolves should run when they smell me.

And now, of course, now that I've done the bravado the likeliest end for this guy is to have his intestines splayed across the snow after a bad encounter with a wolf pack.

[UpUpAway95]

3 hours ago, Moosemaster said:

👍

This... 'nuff said (and I can hear the collective sigh of relief from everyone).

[Serenity]

I'm not a fan of how glitchy the game currently is. There have been issues that have been present for months if not years with no indication if or when any of them will be fixed. They are small things in of itself, but it has added up. For example now there seems to be a thing where visor notes don't spawn.

Animal behavior in particular is very noticeable. There is all kinds of weird stuff going on there. Some of that could always be there, but not with anywhere near this frequency. I'm having fun overall, but some stuff just breaks immersion.

Feature wise the game is a decent state and I like most of the additions. Just needs to be balanced a bit better.

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by Serenity

[conanjaguar]

Honest opinions?

I’d agree with @xanna, TLD is hands-down the best game I have ever played. There’s a magic to traveling the frozen landscape that never gets stale.

Everything about this game is a lesson to all future game developers. The art style shows that you don’t need fancy photorealistic graphics to have a beautiful game. The world truly feels alive and responsive to your actions; each gameplay mechanic is polished to near-perfection.
I know I’m about to commit major heresy here, but I’ll say it: the gunplay is better than many “Shooter” games. Sorry Doom, smashing demons left and right just doesn’t compare to the exhilarating rush of adrenaline after taking down a moose or a bear with a single shot, or with miraculously fighting off a pack of Timberwolves.

In short, there are a few things that could be added, like first-person animations, more cooking, maybe a bit more variety of items, but otherwise, TLD is as close to a perfect game as I have ever played.

(Okay, fine, Subnautica is up there too, but for different reasons)

[Glacia]

On 4/18/2023 at 1:23 AM, ajb1978 said:

Please state your honest opinion about the state of the game. Story, Survival, DLC or Base content, whatever your stance.

For base content and game? It's a masterpiece and incredible solid, at the point of most players feeling as a complete/finished game. Very polished and an excellent work of art and gameplay. This have been this way for years.

I have a mixed feelings about story mode, for two reasons:

First of all, the story features two main plots without connection between them: The geomagnetic apocalypse and the disease around the island, with astrid having the cure. The problem of having two separate history plots comes with a non-solid explanation of what is exactly the reason of a story mode, ¿What are the devs trying to tell us with the story? This may be explained with the episode 5 and future tales, but currently the story isn't that good and considerably confusing.

It doesn't mean it's bad, it's just inconsistent. The episode 4 it's a jewel of gameplay but have a terrible plot and offers absolutely nothing to the story, i really hope episode 5 give a good close to the story.

About the DLC:

I really like the new additions and concepts, but i still think the DLC have been released so early, damaging the players experience. Several bugs, consoles getting content later or buggy content, controversial changes or changes without impact on the game.

I don't expect anyways the first parts of the DLC to be very good. But i really want to see the game polished for the late year, at least the bugs fixed and so on.

It's a very ambitious project and gives the game several fresh features! 

Overall i think the game it's still the masterpiece that i have been played for around 2 years now. Besides controversial changes or bugs, things have becomed better in most cases and the DLC have future.

 

[Admin]

Thank you for your kind words, and your constructive feedback. We love hearing your stories -- your adventures in the game, how the game has impacted you, and everything in between. Thank you for playing! 

(And, of course, if you run into bugs, please reach out to us via the Support Portal: http://hinterlandgames.com/support )