May Dev Diary

[HyperLordBender]

I think the game devs could use a system like Trello to show what progress has been made. I see countdowns and time frames as old and no longer as reliable as they used to be. Things like Trello are where game devs should be going towards. Why? Because it lets you show your users what is being done, how its being done and even when its done. This system is not designed for large scale ideas like the entirety of Tales. Its for little things. Like an issue tracker but for progress. 

To me a visual aid as to whats being done is far better than any time frame or countdown as it is immutable. You can make large projects and then smaller things inside of that, and even smaller things inside of that (continuing like a nesting doll). But I am rambled a bit on this. 

As for whats been released its great. However it has issues. Things like travel time are an issue (time it takes to get to the Airfield). The global loot refresh was interesting but seems to have some issues like the hacksaw being far more rare and mementoes often just outright not spawning in Mountain Town.

Anyways, think about the Trello thing. If it would work for the team

[chrislacruz]

Thanks for the post @Admin, slower delivery fine with me and I hope you and the team find a decent balance to get work out as well as enjoy your lives!

I am always somewhat confused as to some of the anger on here.  It's a superb game, and it was a one off purchase for us all, not a rental agreement, yet we still got more and more updates

Driving some revenue for your business is nothing to be ashamed of, I'd rather that than TLD fade away.  Please keep making content and charging for it, if people don't want the expansions, that is their choice, but I have no problem for you charging for it at all. 

Sadly gaming with it's failed kickstarters and other scams, is seen as representative of everything, and also some people seem to fail to understand that nothing is free, every coding change, every texture, every animation, mocap, voice, music has to be paid for, to keep the talented creatives able to have normal lives, this isn't a hobby. This is wider internet problem,paying for the music we listen too has descended to streaming, paying for journalism seems an anathema.. but I digress!

You delivered a great game, and have, year after year, added more depth and content, way beyond what I expected for my purchase price.

So the Tales will be slower, oh well, thanks for trying to be super efficient, thanks for trying to maximise the value you are giving us.

Most of all, thanks to you and the team for a great game, and thanks for being able to make the post you did and not filter it through the usual PR / non speak rubbish that companies use these days, saying sorry is increasingly a lost art.

You don't have much to say sorry for, but the intent I think is really well received by most of the people on here.

[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 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 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 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?

[LumiStylesTTV]

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 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).