The passage of time

[madrepityu]

If the protagonist do anything what is going to fast forward the time (i.e. harvesting, sleeping, etc.)

then only the "indicated" time will moving forward. The wildlife's time doesn't.

Example:

If you crouch beside a carcass and spot a wolf/dear/bear walking far away and let's say you spend 2 hours harvesting it. After you done you can see that the same wolf/dear/bear would be in the exact same location, just only few steps away. So, for the wolf that 2 hours was only enough to take a few steps.

It was the same with foraging before the current update. Spot a wolf, start to forage e.g. 2 hours, and after you finish the wolf will be almost in the same spot, before you started foraging.

Hope you understand what I mean. So, basically the time spent with something doesn't reflect the wildlife's time. And it's a huge problem, imho!

[Bill Tarling]

It's been like that since v.001 -- and strangely enough does make a bit of gameplay sense as well.

Early on, it did bother me seeing a wolf not too far away and yet I could harvest wood for 4 hours and then continue where the wolf was previously. It didn't feel right that the wildlife were also locked in my time bubble -- then I realized the alternative...

If they had the animals continue in real time (which I still hope may be possible at some point, or perhaps in The Long Dark 2), then you really wouldn't be able to get much done outside. You would be under attack every time you needed to do something.

Alternatively, all outdoors action could be done in relative real time, but personally I don't want to spend 15 or 30 minutes getting a campfire put together, nor do I want to spend the real time minutes cooking.

So while it is weird that animals are halted while we time shift, it does seem to be something in favor of the players survival -- think of times you've seen a wolf approaching and hurry to get the campfire started to halt it... if the animals kept moving, we would be a crunchy snack before we even had a chance to use our matches.

While it would be nice to see differently, personally I can live with it. I think it might take more effort to design workarounds changing that function so that it can still balance fairly, plus it's hard to say how much time would be needed for all the reprogramming [time that can be used on new stuff] in relation to how much it would increase the gameplay value.

Tough call, so I'm just relying on the devs extensive gameplay experience to make the call on this one.

[madrepityu]

It's been like that since v.001

Yup, I know that! It's a big immersion beaker since then.

If they had the animals continue in real time (which I still hope may be possible at some point, or perhaps in The Long Dark 2), then you really wouldn't be able to get much done outside. You would be under attack every time you needed to do something.

Well, if you want to see(and believe) that way, then yes. Otherwise no!

If the wolves wouldn't spawn/patrol only in certain areas(huge problem again), than no. They wouldn't attack every time because maybe they're in different area, far away. It would be totaly random. And that's how it should be.

In the current game there's also alot of areas where wolves never go, so no, they're wouldn't attack every time.

If devs was started to make the game with this in mind, then no again!

Alternatively, all outdoors action could be done in relative real time, but personally I don't want to spend 15 or 30 minutes getting a campfire put together, nor do I want to spend the real time minutes cooking.

It's okay, that's not the problem. I'm not asking for do stuffs in relative real time. I asking for a consistent time mechanics ingame.

think of times you've seen a wolf approaching and hurry to get the campfire started to halt it... if the animals kept moving, we would be a crunchy snack before we even had a chance to use our matches.

Whos done things like that?! Whos start a fire when a wolf approaching? It's even unrealistic for the game, not to mention in real life.

While it would be nice to see differently, personally I can live with it. I think it might take more effort to design workarounds changing that function so that it can still balance fairly, plus it's hard to say how much time would be needed for all the reprogramming [time that can be used on new stuff] in relation to how much it would increase the gameplay value.

Bill, pls, I'm too old for this. They made the game from the beggining, right? How about making it that way from the first time?

I cannot imagine the point when someone from the team ask the others: Hey guys, what if the time forward doesn't affect the wildlife, at all? And I cannot imagine that the others answers: Hey, that's a hell of a good idea!

Oh, and the promise of "new stuff". How about making new stuffs after the current ones are okay? Otherwise, those "new stuffs" fall into the same issue: they would need workarounds and reprogramming.

Bill, this thing is even hard for you to defend, but you're gonna defend it because you are part of the team. And that's another big problem. I don't expect clear answers here, anymore. The crew's answers became windy and even wrote silly things just to defend a statement.

[Bill Tarling]

Bill, this thing is even hard for you to defend, but you're gonna defend it because you are part of the team. And that's another big problem. I don't expect clear answers here, anymore. The crew's answers became windy and even wrote silly things just to defend a statement.

For your info, I'm not one of the devs or staff members at Hinterland

[octavian]

For your info, I'm not one of the devs or staff members at Hinterland

But you are one of the admins, right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Bill Tarling]

But you are one of the admins, right? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Strictly for maintaining the forum and daily backups yes. I'm not one of the Community Managers or other staff position. I also provide some feedback on some parts of the test versions [not a paid position or staff tester] as part of the original outside volunteer testers.

I agreed with the OP [although they seem to think I'm pushing some hidden agenda and disagreeing], and even pointed it out during early test versions. While I would prefer to see the wildlife continue on their own timelines during the timeshifts, I understood and accepted when it was said early on that for design and programming reasons, it was set that way for gameplay reasons.

I'm not on the Hinterland staff, so I have no idea whether they'll change it or not - I simply posted my personal opinions both pro and con for the original topic [i.e. while personally I would have liked it set for wildlife to continue during those periods, I didn't consider it a game breaker, and simply accept it as part of the needed mechanics or system if that's what they feel is needed].

[octavian]

This is bad, I thought everything was hard-coded to the time step - and it is in ways I don't want to go into - but since this particular circumstance is an exception this is a pretty moderate exploit as you can harvest-cancel to make sure the animal dies instead of running away.

And, if this cannot be addressed I'm sure other ways to take advantage of this will be discovered.

[madrepityu]

[although they seem to think I'm pushing some hidden agenda and disagreeing]

Bill, I'm sorry for presuppose that you're a paid employee! If I'm correct you mentioned something about that you're an old friend of the (or one of the) Hinterland team members, and you're in touch with them regulary, and living in the same area. And that's why I tought that you're part of the team, as well. Sorry if I'm totally WRONG and it was another person! :oops:

I don't think you pushing some agenda(there are other staff members). I never did. Perhaps, the right word is partiality. And if that's the case I think I can understand that. If TLD would be my childhood friend's own game, then I think my opinion was partial, as well. At least in public.

[Bill Tarling]

Bill, I'm sorry for presuppose that you're a paid employee! If I'm correct you mentioned something about that you're an old friend of the (or one of the) Hinterland team members, and you're in touch with them regularly, and living in the same area. And that's why I thought that you're part of the team, as well. Sorry if I'm totally WRONG and it was another person! :oops:

lol - no worries madrepityu

Not really "old friend" with anyone there, but yes was by chance that the studio opened just a couple of blocks from me. So Raph had met me a couple of times around town [which is about population 300 and so small we don't even have a stoplight], plus I was one of the original KS backers. I've also worked on computers since 1973 [before the first home computers], and my autism gives me a a big advantage in business, marketing, and my computer work [extremely high functioning aspergers]; so that was probably why I was invited to be part to the original small group for testing.

I just help out where I can so they can spend their time focussed on the brilliant stuff they do best.

[iSUGGESTthings]

On the subject of time, I would find it enjoyable if the counter employed weeks/days/months/years.