The Trader... Thoughts, Concerns, Anxieties, Hopes, and Dreams.

[Looper]

On 5/15/2024 at 5:59 AM, Enigmaecho said:

trader,

Why do people talk about this. A trader would defeat the whole purpose of the game entirely.  The game revolves around scarce ressources to survive and exploration to find them. 

Plus talk about an immersion break. I'm all alone in the wilderness - except for the dude with unlimited ressources to barter for sticks. 

I think its a great update !

[rush247]

5 hours ago, Looper said:

Why do people talk about this. A trader would defeat the whole purpose of the game entirely.  The game revolves around scarce ressources to survive and exploration to find them. 

Plus talk about an immersion break. I'm all alone in the wilderness - except for the dude with unlimited ressources to barter for sticks. 

I think its a great update !

No reason to lose your head when we don't even know how it'll work lol.  For all you know 1.  It could be completely optional regardless of game mode like what they've done with the cougar.  2.  It may have a limited and finite number of items available,  after their supply of said items has been depleted you can no longer trade for them.  There could also be a number of other factors we don't know about.  Also it's part of the "paid stream" of content in the Tales dlc, meaning if you don't want it at all then don't buy it.  Oh and we already have infinitely respawning items washing up on ice in coastal regions.  How is this any different?

Edited May 16 by rush247
Censoring language.

[artmunki]

4 hours ago, Looper said:

Why do people talk about this. A trader would defeat the whole purpose of the game entirely.  The game revolves around scarce ressources to survive and exploration to find them. 

Plus talk about an immersion break. I'm all alone in the wilderness - except for the dude with unlimited ressources to barter for sticks. 

I think its a great update !

Oh, come now. If you don't think Hinterland gave long and serious thought to how such a surprising and unexpected addition could be made to fit in the game, you really haven't been paying attention.

I'll be honest - when I first read the Tales announcement and saw the first mention of the trader, my own reaction was a big ol' WTF, and I can't really say I've warmed to the idea terribly much since then either. But beyond my own grumbling disquiet in this potential interruption of our solitude (and we have no idea how the trader will actually present itself yet, remember), I'm also incredibly curious to see what they actually have planned. I mean, it's not just gonna be some guy sitting in a corner store - Hinterland will have something interesting up their sleeve.

And hey - it's not like it's setting up in Thomson's Crossing or the camp office. The trader is gonna be in one of the most remote regions on the island, and I very much doubt it's gonna be near the transition point(s) - if you don't wanna use the trader in your play, it's not like it's gonna be hard to avoid. 

[ThePancakeLady]

To be honest, with the Trader- I am more interested with the information they may have for a price. 

Will this be backstory and lore, like the Notes Left Behind, information that may allow my character to gain Skill Points to level up in a skill they are lacking or haven't learned yet? Or information about hidden secret locations, similar to Polaroids, Mementos, or hidden bunkers and caches similar to those found with the Handheld?

Yes, the Roadmap also says "rare items", but I seriously doubt they are going to trade me a full set of Miner's clothing with a hardhat and a Spelunker's Lantern for easy to obtain items like sticks or cattail heads. Will they want hard to obtain foods or recipes I have to cook that will cut into my supply of Scurvy-fighting foods? Or are they going to want some of my more precious crafting supplies, or even crafted items like a Moosehide cloak, Rabbitskin mittens, and a Bear Bedroll for that lantern and miner's clothing?

[ThePancakeLady]

1 hour ago, Cr41g said:

I don't expect the trader to set up shop anywhere... in fact I am hoping he isn't static at all.. more of a nomad like we are and you may or may not run into him anywhere at any time on any map.....

Yeah, that is what I am hoping for as well. Not an NPC sitting in only one spot, but showing up randomly, or some sort of notice we find if they are in the same region as we are and want to make a trade of some sort. They are stuck on the island the same as we are- unless it is Methuselah (magically appearing at significant times- Santathesulah!) (<<<kidding). So they should be out trying to scrounge up food and supplies like we are, though they may have a hidden stash of things they scavenged from all over the island after the other islanders left or died.

[piddy3825]

3 hours ago, ThePancakeLady said:

Yeah, that is what I am hoping for as well. Not an NPC sitting in only one spot, but showing up randomly, or some sort of notice we find if they are in the same region as we are and want to make a trade of some sort. They are stuck on the island the same as we are- unless it is Methuselah (magically appearing at significant times- Santathesulah!) (<<<kidding). So they should be out trying to scrounge up food and supplies like we are, though they may have a hidden stash of things they scavenged from all over the island after the other islanders left or died.

 

5 hours ago, Cr41g said:

I don't expect the trader to set up shop anywhere... in fact I am hoping he isn't static at all.. more of a nomad like we are and you may or may not run into him anywhere at any time on any map.....

I dunno, but my two cents is that we won't ever see the trader.  I suspect that the handheld radio will be used to make contact with the trader during an aurora.  When they do make contact, arrangements will be made to meet at a drop location where the trader will drop off the goods and our hero will drop off their payment.  The only evidence of actually "seeing" them will be that the bartered trade will have been completed.  That way, the player still never sees another living person thereby keeping that sense of loneliness and isolation intact as an integral part of the game.  

[Enigmaecho]

23 hours ago, Looper said:

Why do people talk about this. A trader would defeat the whole purpose of the game entirely.  The game revolves around scarce ressources to survive and exploration to find them. 

Plus talk about an immersion break. I'm all alone in the wilderness - except for the dude with unlimited ressources to barter for sticks. 

I think its a great update !

We keep talking about it because we know that it’s coming wether or not some folks like the concept, I presume hinterland understands some people have this view and will implement the trader the same as other things with a toggle option, give them some credit that it’s not gonna be a convenient store with every item in game for stick currency

[Enigmaecho]

17 hours ago, ThePancakeLady said:

To be honest, with the Trader- I am more interested with the information they may have for a price. 

Will this be backstory and lore, like the Notes Left Behind, information that may allow my character to gain Skill Points to level up in a skill they are lacking or haven't learned yet? Or information about hidden secret locations, similar to Polaroids, Mementos, or hidden bunkers and caches similar to those found with the Handheld?

Yes, the Roadmap also says "rare items", but I seriously doubt they are going to trade me a full set of Miner's clothing with a hardhat and a Spelunker's Lantern for easy to obtain items like sticks or cattail heads. Will they want hard to obtain foods or recipes I have to cook that will cut into my supply of Scurvy-fighting foods? Or are they going to want some of my more precious crafting supplies, or even crafted items like a Moosehide cloak, Rabbitskin mittens, and a Bear Bedroll for that lantern and miner's clothing?

I’m wondering if they are going to tap into the predux mechanics how we used to have a value system based on items sticks and logs worth nothing pelts worth a decent amount maybe we can trade them extra rifles and other gear to earn “credit” to get things like the cooking ingredients, i too hope they go into info dealing with them too I’ve said before I think a First Nation member who’s got new natural clothing plans or trap blueprints would be really interesting 

[ManicManiac]

The Trader... Thoughts, Concerns, Anxieties, Hopes, and Dreams.
Here's a new place for the discussions of all things pertaining to The Trader:

Edited May 21 by ManicManiac

[ThePancakeLady]

Half of me hopes that we actually will have a chance to interact with the Trader, the other half of me hopes there will only be a drop-off and pick-up type of system.

I love the solitude of being all alone in Survival mode, but there is always that nagging thought as I am roleplaying my way through the game world- "Am I the last person alive on the planet, somehow? Please tell me I am not, and all hope isn't lost!". Interaction with another human would reassure me that I am not the last and only person left, and that everything I am going through might be worth it in the end. That Life goes on- for my species too.

I am expecting trades to be expensive- something I will really have to think about, plan for, and make sure I am not ruining my chances for long term survival because of FOMO- that one precious item or bit of information, that the Trader may only offer once. Do I really have to have it? I've been surviving well on my own, but _this_thing_ could make it easier in the future. Or it could be a huge mistake trading off _this_other_thing_I_already_have that is making survival possible right now.

My biggest interest, to be honest. is the information part. Will it be lore and backstory? Hidden stashes or locations revealed? New helpful short-cuts (roads, caves, trails) revealed? Knowledge that will allow my character to level up a Skill or Skills faster, or teach me an entirely new Skill? New crafting recipes? New cooking recipes? Any/all of the above- but available randomly?

I really enjoy trying to figure out the story of the island and what happened there and really enjoy writing in my own details as I go, growing my character and building their personality and reason for pushing onward in spite of the situation they find themselves in.

[rush247]

2 hours ago, ManicManiac said:

Here's a new place for the discussions of all things pertaining to The Trader:

I love that you included the old concept art for the trader lol.  All these people that are thinking it won't be in the form of an NPC are in denial I swear. 😆

 

Edit:  Of course I could be wrong too, we don't know a thing about it as I said earlier.

Edited May 17 by rush247

[ManicManiac]

@rush247

Thank you.  The posts got a bit jumbled when I moved them from the other thread (to this new one I made)... but all the posts that got moved, now have a home here.  

Edited May 21 by ManicManiac

[MaiveTheSheep]

i had made a post on wish list but i dont know how to remove cause didnt see this here before i posted. but i'm actually ok with a lot of set ups for the trader
if the trader is set up in only one region i think would need either limited supply or on one of the beaches (beachcombing). though now that thinking about it, really like the idea of the trader being expert with a bow where avoids moose but for wolves gets them to charge then headshots and with bears does that whole dance and shoot round them some people do. but only if they charge the trader, overall avoiding them.
i would hate only buying gold nuggets from you
i would like to occasionally buy mag lens and lanterns. the things that useful, one much more rare then the other. but when you find one you dont need more. maybe some tools like hammer and hacksaw but maybe even another way for improvised knife and hatchet in interloper but for a big price (so the trade off of getting a hammer and the coal and the metal and getting to a forge and taking time to make. or doing it almost instant but with higher item cost. same could also be for standard bow or arrows or craftable animal clothing)
i like the idea of personality, accent, or things more weighted then one would think for items buying and selling based on mindsets, what used to do, prior profession, etc. like could have been a prior teacher and giving out info or buying/selling skill books. or could be a sailor from the rikern, one of the islands activists, miner. and it could even be different from playthrough to playthrough
i would prefer different items wants to buy and willing to sell based on different times and make it so the more of an item you sell (with a cap) the less it's worth
their should be a penalty if npc and allowed to kill. whether it is more hostile wildlife. or a debuff for killing a trader that wished you no harm
maybe it's the fact that 2 of my grandparents were travelers (not meaning people that vacation a lot but rather traveling to buy and sell wares and service) but i like the idea of not just buying and selling items but also able to use the traders skills to do things like repair your gear or cook food at level 4 cooking or even level 5 but that would have to specify trader cooked. course, with price of what trader wants

[Cattleman]

Well, I guess I'll add my $.02...

Trader... Sure.

Randomly appears in random locations... Sure.

NPC... Sure.

Vast revolving inventory... Sure

 

 

OR

 

 

None of the above... Sure, because I have come to trust and respect Hinterlands process. @Raphael van Lierop and his team will make the right decision. I am MORE than confident that in the end The Long Dark will be one of, if not The Single, best survival game of all time.

 

I purchased TLD probably within the first month it was available on Xbox back in September of '16 or '17, because I was bored, it looked interesting, and it was only like $15 USD (being broke that price was very important at the time). What I have recieved for that initial $15 I would gladly pay 10 times that for. In fact me and my family have since purchased a 2 more copies of the base game and 3 copies of Tales so that we can all enjoy The Quiet Apocalypse simultainiously while all linked together in a live voice chat to ask for help or laugh at each others follies.

 

I personally have well over 1200 hours of play time in TLD, my wife has nearly 800 hours, my mother-in-law probably has 200 or 300 hours, my son probably has about 100 hours.

 

My point is that no matter how Hinterland decides to implement, or not implement at all, something... It will be the ok with me. 

From one outdoorsman to another... Thank You @Raphael van Lierop for bringing us all the enjoyment of Great Bear Island.

[Sherri]

7 hours ago, rush247 said:

I love that you included the old concept art for the trader lol.  All these people that are thinking it won't be in the form of an NPC are in denial I swear. 😆

 

Edit:  Of course I could be wrong too, we don't know a thing about it as I said earlier.

The picture could be a bit of a red herring. The person in the train car could be us. Showing off our happily traded goods with some base customization wall hooks...

[UTC-10]

I think the trader as a concept was floated to provide a way for the world of TLD to expand in some modest way.  If the DLC was successful then it would provide a vehicle to make a certain amount of hard or impossible to find items available, allow for quests, allow for players who, for any reason, lost some piece of equipment to find a replacement, etc.  

For me Mountain Pass (DLC) and Perseverance Mills (Wintermute) would likely be the end of the line for TLD.  Not that I would immediately stop playing but it might start to peter out over time (I need a new computer as well 💻) unless there were other expansions.  

If a trader does not materialize that's okay.  If a trader does materialize that's okay.  As for what the trader brings to the game that's okay.  We'll just have to see what appears.  

[piddy3825]

I found the Trader's camp...

[YesIndeed]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:02 AM, ThePancakeLady said:

Yeah, that is what I am hoping for as well. Not an NPC sitting in only one spot, but showing up randomly, or some sort of notice we find if they are in the same region as we are and want to make a trade of some sort. They are stuck on the island the same as we are- unless it is Methuselah (magically appearing at significant times- Santathesulah!) (<<<kidding). So they should be out trying to scrounge up food and supplies like we are, though they may have a hidden stash of things they scavenged from all over the island after the other islanders left or died.

If it is an actual person I feel this is the best approach. Like you might se a campfire in the distance with a guy sitting there. Maybe what he has for trading is based on the region he's in, like if he's in coastal he has some fish or In blackrock he'll have a noisemaker he found. As well as that, if you see him enough he might give you something like a special recipe he wrote up himself.

One other thing I wanted to add to this is that i think it would be cool if rather then trading specific items, every item has an invisible value like a stick is worth 2 and a fir firewood is worth 5. Then if you want to buy a fish off him you need 20 points worth of stuff. As well as this, certain items can't be bought with certain other items so that you can't swap 500 sticks for a bear pelt or something and you instead need something a bit better.

[Pyroxene]

I actually feel that a trader will make playing the game you feel less lonely...

[cuttlefish]

My only concern with the trader, is that it will give a feeling that escaping the island is possible. Of course it will depend on the way it is implemented, but I don't see how it won't give me that feeling, unless the trader is another survivor who crashed their plane or boat. At the same time I think this explanation is pretty dumb, because if that's the case, why wouldn't he want to join forces with you for safety, company, or even to escape? I'm sure Hinterland will be able to implement it in a satisfying way, but I was thinking about it and I wanted to share.

[ThePancakeLady]

3 minutes ago, cuttlefish said:

My only concern with the trader, is that it will give a feeling that escaping the island is possible. Of course it will depend on the way it is implemented, but I don't see how it won't give me that feeling, unless the trader is another survivor who crashed their plane or boat. At the same time I think this explanation is pretty dumb, because if that's the case, why wouldn't he want to join forces with you for safety, company, or even to escape? I'm sure Hinterland will be able to implement it in a satisfying way, but I was thinking about it and I wanted to share.

Paranoia. The Trader is a survivor, like you are. Maybe from a crashed plane, maybe from a wrecked boat- maybe they are the last of the islanders left after everyone else took off or died. Maybe they liked the solitude and wanted to stay there, alone. They have been scavenging the island and hoarding everything they found and crafted, thinking they will need it to stay alive- just like our survivor. But they suddenly find evidence of another living person also out scavenging the island. Are you another islander? If not- where did you come from and how did you manage to survive when everyone else seems to have died? Are you one of the people who worked for or with Rüdiger? Is the Trader affected by Rüdiger's machine and a bit out of his or her mind? Maybe they are testing you to see how honorable or honest you are, or if you are one of the baddies by trading with you to see how you act- and they'll decide whether to let you live or not depending on what you have to trade with and how much you have, or whether you are an honest trader or try to lowball them.

^^^ All my own storytelling, we have no idea who the Trader is, why they are on the island, or how they will interact with us (or if they will at all). Escaping the island being possible has been part of my own personal story for the game since I started playing it 8 years ago. How do I survive, and will I ever find a way to get off the island and back to the mainland? (Honestly hoping this might be a thing in TLD 2- what happened on the mainland during and after the First Flare?)

[rush247]

I'm almost positive now that the trader is a way to recover your pack after cheating death and choosing to respawn indoors.  Why else would everything be gone entirely?  Or at least it seems that way, has anyone found their pack after choosing this option?  I would seriously like to know if my pack still exists just at an unmarked location.

 

EDIT:  Turns out it does still exist, nevermind this theory.

https://hinterlandforums.com/forums/topic/45191-tales-part-five-known-issues/?do=findComment&comment=280378

Edited June 26 by rush247