May Dev Diary

[hozz1235]

@Raphael van Lierop, I'm glad you put into words how many of us "regulars" feel about this forum.  It is evident to me because this is the only "social media" site I regularly visit.  I've never done FB or any other sites because, unfortunately, I leave them feeling worse than when I visited and I don't want that s**t in my life.  I have visited Twitter on occasion, but that was just to get the scoop on new TLD content since you seem to be more active there.

Thanks for having a "safe place" in this increasingly bitter world.

[Semple Fi]

my 2 cents

 

I own a switch and haven't played it since Tales came out, I've been waiting for the expansion to pick it up again.  In the meantime, I own a computer so I purchased it through Steam. I didn't even pay full price for it through Steam, so... I can't complain. I've gotten my monies worth and I'll keep playing on Steam in the meantime.  And guess what? I'll buy the expansion whenever it finally releases on Switch.  

And don't skimp on episode 5!  Wintermute is at the same level for me as Survival. Really looking forward to everything coming out in it's own due time.

  @Admin @Raphael van Lierop If y'all put this project to rest after finishing Tales and Ep.5.... I don't think anyone could fault you. I won't complain about more content of course.... but you need to find joy in your job, and it sounds like its been miserable since the release of tales.  Thanks for the candid update, but don't beat yourselves up too much. Perfection is not attainable in this system, and all of us; from players to developers, need patience and understanding with each other and ourselves. 

and from the comments in this section.... You have a pretty strong backbone of loyal player support. In the words of meme.... Cheers to all the haters LOLOLOLOL

Edited May 22, 2023 by Semple Fi
shout out to the wrong person HAHA

[FreshYoMama]

just registered my account and had a good read through this, but @Admin, with the wonderful game you all at hinterland have made, delayed releases are the least of my concerns, i love the long dark, and have for years, so to see so much cool content still be released for it makes me happy. this game is the only survival game i play due to its relaxed nature on lower difficulties, which suites me more, and makes me happy to play, so thank you all for creating such a wonderful game that i love playing every time i boot up steam. Just bought the expansion pass today and cant wait to play through the Signal Void tales!

[Sherri]

Speaking to those who might be upset, as a software developer myself... this is why crunch exists in the game & software dev industries. Software is like a living organism. A bug in one place can cascade to others. It's as much an art as a science.

Other studios might respond to the *inevitable* hiccups by driving the team harder. Working evenings and weekend. Burning out the humans who build the things we love all in the name of the hallowed schedule.

As a fan who has bought the game & expansion, I can say unequivocally that I don't want that. If it means fuzzy release dates, that's ok with me.

I am *loving* TFTFT. It is taking me months of real world time to even get to the transmitters. I'm in no rush. I'm enjoying a return to TLD and other great games. Life is good.

Don't be chained to dates Hinterland. And feel free to stop giving specific dates in the future. Work in the way that suits your studio & the fans will understand.

Thank you for this honest update & for the game that I've played more than any others & that introduced me to the genre I didn't know I love. 🪓

[Sherri]

On 5/18/2023 at 11:02 PM, JaySovereign said:

You can say whatever you want to justify the decisions that have been made, but in no way will I ever agree to buying something like this again, or go along with such nonsensical things you all put into motion like separating the main game from story in order to get more money.

...I doubt I or anyone else will ever buy anything else from you again unless you can show us it will be released reliably.

 

... It wouldn't hurt to conduct a poll on here before you all apply things like buying the story+main game separation.

You are perfectly welcome to be upset and disappointed but man... the door is over there & there is a world of other games you can play.

If you bought the expansion without knowing there *could* be schedule delays then you haven't been paying attention. I see you've been on the forums since 2017...

Do Microsoft & Google make a poll before doing major architecture changes to their software? That's laughable. It got so big it had to be split, that was painfully obvious & a wise development decision. I can't fathom it being a money grab- if you owned it before then you now own both parts at no added cost.

I get you need to vent, but it helps nothing. Play some other games dude, hanging such hopes on one game isn't healthy for anyone.

Might I suggest giving Subnautica a spin? Or Winter Survival? Green Hell? Similar feel and genre to TLD. Might make the wait more palatable for you. 

I for one will definitely buy more games from Hinterland. In no small part because of honesty like this and the care for the team.

Edited May 23, 2023 by Sherri

[hozz1235]

13 minutes ago, Acthalla said:

but whenever it comes to games everyone apologizes to the devs,

You said it yourself, this is a game, so you should expect this behavior.

[Sherri]

37 minutes ago, Acthalla said:

In any other industry...

There's a difference between buying a finished product, an ongoing service or an under-development project.

Ever had a house built, a pool installed? A room painted? A car engine rebuilt? Etc. I've yet to see a promised date met by construction contractors. So other industries are no better.

 

Hell, I pre-ordered the new Zelda a *month* in advance & Amazon, the world's biggest consumer shipping co, delayed my delivery 3 times till I cancelled & bought it elsewhere. 😭

If broken deadlines break your heart... life is gonna be rough. 😏

[Sherri]

On 5/19/2023 at 6:32 AM, Nervous Pete said:

"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."

 That is a perfect quote!

[Sherri]

On 5/21/2023 at 12:26 PM, Raphael van Lierop said:

I also assume other TLD communities are growing, because the active player base is vibrant.

There is a good size TLD group on Facebook that is active & very positive from what I've seen. Little pocket communities everywhere! 😁

[Semple Fi]

11 hours ago, Sherri said:

 

I for one will definitely buy more games from Hinterland. In no small part because of honesty like this and the care for the team.

Specifically….. I’d buy TLD2 - The Mainland edition 🤤✌️😎

Edited May 24, 2023 by Semple Fi
Changed

[odizzido]

I am a big fan of having good working conditions for employees, and I also think delaying things so that you can reach a certain quality is a good idea. I don't really play this game as I am just waiting for the story game to be finished but from the bugs I've seen here you guys could use some time to fix things up before moving forward too much.

I do have complaints about how this game has been made and presented, but I certainly won't complain about you guys taking the time to do as good a job as you can without burning people out.

[Raphael van Lierop]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:00 PM, Dum_Gen said:

 @Raphael van Lierop so what's up with your plans to have 2 separate teams to work on Survival and WM separately to increase the work speed?

Since then you decided to focus on paid content and WM fans have to wait and wait and wait until you decide to finish what was already paid for years ago. Don't you think that we deserve a little more info than what can be basically summarized as ~" it will be done when it's done (not this year, lol) - wait more, only 19+ months have passed since ep.4 release" ?

I don't think anyone deserves anything but the best game we can make, and that's what we're focused on. You've been around long enough to know what our announcement and info sharing philosophy is. Not sure why you keep asking when you already know the answer?

[Lumiiyx]

I agree with @ManicManiac.

I've enjoyed everything that Tales has been so far, and I'm glad you @Raphael van Lierop are so transparent with your fan base.  While I am looking forward to Part III it's definitely something I can wait on for when its ready. I know this hasn't gone as you expected, but these things take time and your team needs rest and to come back afterwards, refocused and reenergized. I know that your finished product will be amazing.

Edited May 25, 2023 by LumiStylesTTV

[Allasse]

Hi I thought I might throw my tuppence worth in here. The Long Dark is truly the game I love playing the most. I found it on game pass and died immediately as I couldn't figure out how to make a fire. This pissed me off and to my surprise and later my delight I found I wanted to figure it out because I wanted to know what happens next, I wanted to see more of this beautifully crafted world. After many attempts I made it to Grey Mother and was hooked. I have been eaten by bears and spat out by wolves. I  have faded into the long dark with hypothermia, with falls, with starvation and gun shots.  With help from this amazing community (cough, Zak, cough) I challenged myself to interloper where I died in the first 5 minutes. I have the screen shot of possibly the fastest death. Eventually, over days, weeks, months I got over 500 days and started again with the new game. I love this. It is a second home.

The point here is it took me time and attempt after attempt and I kept at it because TLD occupies a place in my heart. It makes sense to me that making and maintaining and moving this game forward must take time and you guys must be given the time and space to try and fail and try again because nothing good in life comes without struggles. So many players love what you have created, and I am grateful. As others have said, I will be here, waiting patiently (shivering with only a couple of matches while the wolves howl).

[ell635]

New player here. I had seen TLD on Xbox Game Pass for years but didn't take the plunge. It was only once it left XGP that I realised how much I'd intended on playing it!

I bought TLD in the sale after it left Game Pass. I was hooked throughout May, to a point of obsession. There I was reading back on historic dev updates, watching YouTube videos, playing the game every day, signing up to the forums...

i especially found the dev updates to be really transparent and informative. To feel immersed and engrossed in a video game, and it's community, is a rare and beautiful thing for me. So reading through the dev updates was a really nice way to play catch -up on how we got here.

I subsequently bought TFFT expansion. I always take the mindset that if I wanna financially support a developer, then I won't hesitate to do so. You guys deserve to make money for the talent and healthy work culture you possess. And for the quality content you produce. And I'd like to see Hinterland, TLD and future projects prosper.

So I paid full price for TFFT expansion and I have no concerns on how long it takes you to deliver this content. I'm just glad we can fund you, and receive content for our contributions. I'm glad there is a future for TLD. I hope you find a content model which works for your team and for this community.

I'm also glad there is a Road Map. I LOVE road maps! I know they can be controversial. They create expectations and deadlines which can be difficult to meet. But I love knowing what's intended for the game I love. And I love knowing what I can get excited about in the future. I'm very glad there will be more content for TLD. I hope there will be plenty more. Keep it coming.

Going forwards with content road maps - please don't shy away from them. But I recommend that you always underpromise and overdeliver. If you think it'll take 8-10 weeks to produce some content, then promise me 12-16 weeks and give yourself a nice buffer. You'll either meet your deadline or beat it. And if you can't meet the deadline, then hey - you've already got the "cap in hand" apology updates absolutely aced! And you've got a passionate and forgiving community to soften the blow of such circumstances.

Keep up the amazing work. And thanks for another great update. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by ell635

[Leeanda]

1 hour ago, ell635 said:

New player here. I had seen TLD on Xbox Game Pass for years but didn't take the plunge. It was only once it left XGP that I realised how much I'd intended on playing it!

I bought TLD in the sale after it left Game Pass. I was hooked throughout May, to a point of obsession. There I was reading back on historic dev updates, watching YouTube videos, playing the game every day, signing up to the forums...

i especially found the dev updates to be really transparent and informative. To feel immersed and engrossed in a video game, and it's community, is a rare and beautiful thing for me. So reading through the dev updates was a really nice way to play catch -up on how we got here.

I subsequently bought TFFT expansion. I always take the mindset that if I wanna financially support a developer, then I won't hesitate to do so. You guys deserve to make money for the talent and healthy work culture you possess. And for the quality content you produce. And I'd like to see Hinterland, TLD and future projects prosper.

So I paid full price for TFFT expansion and I have no concerns on how long it takes you to deliver this content. I'm just glad we can fund you, and receive content for our contributions. I'm glad there is a future for TLD. I hope you find a content model which works for your team and for this community.

I'm also glad there is a Road Map. I LOVE road maps! I know they can be controversial. They create expectations and deadlines which can be difficult to meet. But I love knowing what's intended for the game I love. And I love knowing what I can get excited about in the future. I'm very glad there will be more content for TLD. I hope there will be plenty more. Keep it coming.

Going forwards with content road maps - please don't shy away from them. But I recommend that you always underpromise and overdeliver. If you think it'll take 8-10 weeks to produce some content, then promise me 12-16 weeks and give yourself a nice buffer. You'll either meet your deadline or beat it. And if you can't meet the deadline, then hey - you've already got the "cap in hand" apology updates absolutely aced! And you've got a passionate and forgiving community to soften the blow of such circumstances.

Keep up the amazing work. And thanks for another great update. 

Welcome to the forum....and the game😊

[ell635]

On 6/3/2023 at 10:07 AM, Leeanda said:

Welcome to the forum....and the game😊

Thank you!

[ben676]

I stopped reading after the third paragraph. You don't need to convince me. I don't care how long it takes you, look after your people, get the game right, do the best you can. I bought TLD in a HumbleBundle for next to nothing and barely touched it for years, but one day it just clicked with me, I've bought the expansion, and bought the whole thing again on the Xbox, but with 1200 hours for well under £50 I've had a great value gaming experience.

There are always going to be people who like to hate. Honestly, **** them. You've made a great game here and you should be proud.

Also, where can I buy the Canadian flag hat?

[TFA303]

Coming late to the conversation, but just allow me to echo what has been said by many here more eloquently than I.

I love the game and I love how Hinterland has built it, and I don't expect a certain timeframe for new development and  features. I've gotten my money's worth a hundred times over. Keep it up, @Raphael van Lierop and @Admin Hinterland!

[DrZ]

I also wanted to leave my two cents and from me coming this late to the discussion you can probably guess my stance: For me the delays are ok. They don't bother me at all.

I have a busy life and have to make room to play and enjoy TLD. Which I do whenever possible. So I really could not dive into all the new content so far and a slower release cycle is actually better for me. And since it is my understanding that the new features will all come - just slower - I do not regret buying the expansion pass. (Although that says very little as I bought it primarly because I wanted to support my favourite game - the content is bonus...)

Keep up the good work, Hinterland. I am still a happy customer and TLD player.

Cheers, Z

[Admin]

Thank you, again, for your support!