TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Five -- "Last Horizon", Launches June 24th at 10AM Pacific

[snowmeow]

Just to add to the other positive comments, I have lots of love and appreciation for Hinterland for all the time and effort they have put into making such an enjoyable game. I've really been enjoying all the extra content which has been released as part of the DLC and also appreciate how quickly things are fixed after being reported.

Like others, I would happily pay for future DLC releases and I look forward for new content to come 😀

[ElSuperGecko]

@Raphael van Lierop in line with the positive vibes being posted on here at the moment, and for what it's worth I'd just like to say you and your team have crafted an absolutely incredible game experience.

Xbox player here, and I bought my console back when Red Dead Redemption 2 was released.  Superficially at least, there's a couple of vague similarities between Rockstar's cowboy game and The Long Dark; there's a vast, open wilderness to explore, with stunning scenery and and a range of wildlife.  You can explore, hunt and fish, you can harvest plants etc... but despite RDR being a game I was eagerly looking forward to at the time and the reason I bought the Xbox in the first place, I've barely played it.

The Long Dark, on the other hand, I've clocked hundreds of hours on.

Rockstar are one of those big name studios with money to burn and a team of thousands.  Their game, as technically  impressive as it is, simply didn't hold my attention.

The Long Dark, I just can't stay away from.  It's satisfying in a way that very few games are.  I think there's only two or three games I've ever spent more time playing.  And it's catching them up.

[artmunki]

18 hours ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

We've always had a very clear idea of what we wanted Community to be for TLD, but I don't think we've done a good job really guiding things to that place.

Man, I genuinely think you've done a stellar job. As I've said before, this is pretty much my only point of (semi-)regular engagement online these days, because it's the first place I've found online in ages that reminds me of the easy camaraderie and good-natured fandoms of good ol' BBS and Yahoo groups, when (almost) everyone was there just to share their love of whatever geeky little niche thing they were obsessed with. Y'know, before social marketing sites took over and made narcisism the primary driving force online.

Aye, I know - I'm a crotchety old bugger. 😜

But my point is, although you may not have managed to make the community quite as you'd envisioned it, I still think what you've achieved here at least is head & shoulders above anything else I've found in a long time. I do think TLD is a game that's more likely to appeal to a more contemplative type of player anyway, which is undoubtedly to your advantage, but I honestly think one of the main things that helps this community feel so positive is the simple fact that Hinterland does feel like part of the community. And when a gamer feels like their views might actually be heard by the developer, they're far more likely to engage in a positive and constructive manner. That's never guaranteed of course, but a responsive and engaged developer team has to be one of the best ways to encourage a similarly engaged and positive community, and you guys are doing a fantastic job.

Try not to let the habitual gripers get to you. And as for Steam ... yeah, let's be honest now - civilising Steam is probably far beyond human capacity at this point. 

[Sherri]

On 7/2/2024 at 2:22 PM, Raphael van Lierop said:

FWIW, there hasn't been a time since probably 2015 that we haven't had a full-time community manager at Hinterland.

That's. That's surprising... because whoever that is, is pretty stealthy. The only officially Hinterland staff member I ever see posting here at all is Raph and some nebulous 'Administrator' account who posts very rarely. I'm used to this role being a named person (even if it's a fake persona for dealing with the community) who develops a rapport with players and kind of acts like a negativity-shield for the rest of the team. Someone with alligator-thick skin lol. 😁

Though to be fair maybe I just haven't stumbled across this person's activity around here. {shrug}

[Raphael van Lierop]

26 minutes ago, Sherri said:

That's. That's surprising... because whoever that is, is pretty stealthy. The only officially Hinterland staff member I ever see posting here at all is Raph and some nebulous 'Administrator' account who posts very rarely. I'm used to this role being a named person (even if it's a fake persona for dealing with the community) who develops a rapport with players and kind of acts like a negativity-shield for the rest of the team. Someone with alligator-thick skin lol. 😁

Though to be fair maybe I just haven't stumbled across this person's activity around here. {shrug}

They have always posted as Admin. We never have employees use personal or named accounts in the community. They all work through anonymized accounts for their own protection. I'm the only one who posts in here using my real name.

[Mroz4k]

I have seen how toxic and rabid can the reddit community of TLD be, and kinda expected that, because in the end, it is Reddit. Im not sure that community could have ever been maintained positive even with an army of moderators. With steam community, it is a shame that so much of it is negative as well, and maybe this one could have been made better. At least these forums have pretty much remained mostly positive!

But what I truly did not expect is what I uncovered by accident today - and that was the torrent of negativity, stemming from backers of the Kickstarter campaign. And most of it is so petty, too... 

I cant even imagine the toxicity you have to deal with in the "contact support" format that is not public... especially when it comes to complaints that you have no direct control over, such as the issues with Switch game version...

I think I will join one of these communities and start posting there, with a positive attitude in the spirit of these forums, and try to encourage others to join these forums as well. Maybe that little bit will help stem the tide a bit.

[chrislacruz]

@Raphael van Lierop So sorry that you and the team feel brow beaten, it is very disappointing that a team that creates such a superb game has to deal with hostility. I think sadly, it is just the way of the world.

Some people seemingly cannot understand than in any creative endeavour, some things don't really work, or that sometimes one feature just isn't for them.  It seems to be a personal slight and generates anger out of proportion to the issue.

The DLC has been superb, very happy with the regions, the tales and the additions you have made.  It has extended and added to our enjoyment of the TLD, and it is very disheartening to think that the negativity you get may stifle future developments like this.

Like most of the other people here, we are customers of banks, insurers, supermarkets and of course other gaming companies... and we live in a world of hidden add ons, constant price increases, and lower quality... and in the gaming market loot boxes, subscription and outrageous prices.

Hinterland are head and shoulders above any other gaming company I have dealt with for their fairness and honesty with the community they have.

Of course as players we grumble and grouch a bit, but I hope most people realise how much we lucked out with the hinterland team.

Lastly, I think adding @Leeanda and @ManicManiac as mods was a brilliant idea, I cannot think of two more level headed and supportive people on the forums.

[Ghurcb]

@Raphael van Lierop I don't think the negative attitudes from the players are going to continue after the episode 5 is out. Personally, I understand that it will be ready when it's ready and no amount of complaining is going to make the development process faster. I also prefer the survival mode. But I get the frustration of people who have been waiting for 9 years learning that they'll have to wait for 1 more year (at least).

After the final chapter of Wintermute is released, I honestly believe most won't have anything to complain about.

Another reason for the players' frustration is the delays. Tales from the Far Territory, for example, was initially promoted as a year-long expansion pass. But this is a strict time limitation, and as we can see, more time was required. Not revealing any dates or timeframes until the update is almost ready to ship will definitely reduce the amount of complaints.

[Semple Fi]

On 6/17/2024 at 6:05 PM, Admin said:

We are now aiming for a mid-July launch

[rush247]

15 hours ago, Semple Fi said:

I hear ya, 12 days from the end of the month.  Surely we'll hear something about the Switch soon. 🤞

Edited July 19 by rush247

[Pyroxene]

Any other games I can play on Switch?

When is TFTFT on Switch coming out? Has Nintendo said anything?

[Leeanda]

4 minutes ago, Pyroxene said:

Any other games I can play on Switch?

When is TFTFT on Switch coming out? Has Nintendo said anything?

How about ark survival,or stranded deep?  

 

[Pyroxene]

1 minute ago, Leeanda said:

How about ark survival,or stranded deep?  

 

Yeah... I was thinking of maybe Beyond Good and Evil anniversary edition, or the free game Warface..

[Leeanda]

3 minutes ago, Pyroxene said:

Yeah... I was thinking of maybe Beyond Good and Evil anniversary edition, or the free game Warface..

Not heard of either of those..   depends what you're looking for really.. I'm sure there's a few good,and free ones at the moment..

[Pyroxene]

2 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Not heard of either of those..   depends what you're looking for really.. I'm sure there's a few good,and free ones at the moment..

I'm looking for open world games. I tried Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley, but I have already finished it. I liked it, though.

[Leeanda]

3 minutes ago, Pyroxene said:

I'm looking for open world games. I tried Snufkin: Melody of Moomin Valley, but I have already finished it. I liked it, though.

@Raphael van Lierop mentioned a few on the Rupert landing thread.. maybe look at some of those.

The later far cry series have quite good stories and pretty infinite playability..

[Pyroxene]

1 minute ago, Leeanda said:

@Raphael van Lierop mentioned a few on the Rupert landing thread.. maybe look at some of those.

The later far cry series have quite good stories and pretty infinite playability..

I just bought the game No Man's Sky on discount...

I have most of the Far Cry games on my PS4. I can't say I like playing them very much, but they're not bad either.

[Leeanda]

3 minutes ago, Pyroxene said:

I just bought the game No Man's Sky on discount...

I have most of the Far Cry games on my PS4. I can't say I like playing them very much, but they're not bad either.

My son's just repurchased that...  It's a good game..  definitely open worlds 😊. 

Fair enough..just a thought...  

 

[Raphael van Lierop]

On 7/5/2024 at 11:32 PM, Ghurcb said:

@Raphael van Lierop I don't think the negative attitudes from the players are going to continue after the episode 5 is out. Personally, I understand that it will be ready when it's ready and no amount of complaining is going to make the development process faster. I also prefer the survival mode. But I get the frustration of people who have been waiting for 9 years learning that they'll have to wait for 1 more year (at least).

After the final chapter of Wintermute is released, I honestly believe most won't have anything to complain about.

Another reason for the players' frustration is the delays. Tales from the Far Territory, for example, was initially promoted as a year-long expansion pass. But this is a strict time limitation, and as we can see, more time was required. Not revealing any dates or timeframes until the update is almost ready to ship will definitely reduce the amount of complaints.

Yup, I totally understand the frustrations around delays. We feel them too. 

[Raphael van Lierop]

3 hours ago, Pyroxene said:

Any other games I can play on Switch?

I'm sure this topic deserves its own thread, @Leeanda @ManicManiac. 😇

[Leeanda]

14 minutes ago, Raphael van Lierop said:

I'm sure this topic deserves its own thread, @Leeanda @ManicManiac. 😇

Apologies ...  Not intending to derail the thread..

[Pyroxene]

1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

Apologies ...  Not intending to derail the thread..

My apologies... I actually hoped that there was some new info about The Long Dark DLC.

[Leeanda]

3 minutes ago, Pyroxene said:

My apologies... I actually hoped that there was some new info about The Long Dark DLC.

No worries...

I'm sure they'll let us know when they have some news...  

[ManicManiac]

@borishu

As has often been said, all sides of a discussion are fine to have... provided it stays civil and respectful.

However, as far as I can see, you have not done that.  Instead, it seems you've decided to make some rather brash unqualified assumptions.  What's more, you seem to have tried to frame your personal opinions/assumptions as objective criticism... unfortunately you are mistaken about the things you've tried to assert.

As a result, what you are trying to communicate as legitimate criticism, really just appears to be a rather hostile and accusatory tirade.

[[[ Posts have been removed ]]]

Edited July 23 by ManicManiac
edited for clarity

[Semple Fi]

On 7/18/2024 at 9:57 PM, Semple Fi said: