Steam Page says to expect full game by end of 2015

[ark1of712]

So I noticed on the steam page it says you expect to be out of early access/release story mode by the end of 2015. I was wondering if that means we can expect the finished product by the end of the month, or if it means you need to update your steam page?

Thanks!

[elloco999]

TLD is still set to release before the end of the year.

[ark1of712]

OH MY GERD I'M SO EXCITED

[nicko]

nice! any news on a pre-bugfix version first?

[ark1of712]

Thanks for getting my hopes up Elloco! JK, I was kind of expecting a delay. Ah well, what can you do.

[elloco999]

Yeah, sorry about that. I had truly expected better from Hinterland than to let us believe story mode was going to be released this year. I simply can't believe that two weeks ago they truly believed they were still going to make it and now it has to be postponed up to 3 months!

The new region is still a great chirstmas present, but not getting the story mode I was expecting to play during my vacation is still a huge bummer.

[Hotzn]

I don't mind the delay. Of course it would have been nice, who is not looking forward to having story mode? But I'd rather wait and get a better product.

[Bill Tarling]

Yeah, sorry about that. I had truly expected better from Hinterland than to let us believe story mode was going to be released this year. I simply can't believe that two weeks ago they truly believed they were still going to make it and now it has to be postponed up to 3 months!

Don't forget though, besides the new map and expanded sandbox, they've also expanded the story to dual characters now too, plus are going to be having 25-30% new maps for story mode... Well worth it.

Easy thing would have been to just put out the shorter one character story and say done -- instead they're reinvesting to give even more play value... That's a bonus I like for a short wait

[Patrick Carlson]

So I noticed on the steam page it says you expect to be out of early access/release story mode by the end of 2015. I was wondering if that means we can expect the finished product by the end of the month, or if it means you need to update your steam page?

Thanks!

Yes, we will be updating that language on Steam. In the meantime I'll say that you'll see the additional time used until Spring to bring more into the game. I think the trailer we released this week gives you an idea of the direction we're heading.

--Patrick

[ark1of712]

Thank you for your response, I don't really mind the delay, I know you guys don't twiddle your thumbs and fart around. There's new content every month which is more than 90% of early access developers achieve. Love the game and love the new content. It's more the lack of transparency on your steam page.

I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate you guys keeping your steam page updated. Especially if they buy the game as a gift/for themselves/during the winter sale and expect a finished product come January 1st.

So you know, I'm kind of like a mom, I'm a little disappointed you guys didn't lock this down before it became an issue, but I'm still really proud in general of how much you've grown.

Terrible and creepy analogy, but you know what I mean.

[Spottdrossel]

If this is really the good news you are now trying to make it ("You get much more content for only a little bit of extra wait") why wasn't this part of the exclusive IGN interview?

Why not go ahead and make a news item out of this great decision?

Why wait until people openly explain how disappointed they are that you delayed story mode again?

What are the chances that there will be another great idea that should be added to story mode before release in Spring 2016?

[steppenwolf]

I already got so much more gameplay & fun than in other early access games... i don't remind if it was 10-15 € which I have invested in TLD. But they are still worth it. Tonight I will drink several "Charly" (weinbrand/coke ) with the worth of the game investment. So for me personally, I don't really care if it will released now or in spring / summer - end of 2016 - or never.

On the other hand I would rather play the story mode now, too. And I understand, that some people are unhappy about the policy of information. I mean... you say "story mode" will released end of 2015 and than the backers get quickly a new region, instead. To calm down the audience ... (or what you'd say in english).

Buuut I don't care... it's christmas time. A stressfully time for everyone. And in the end, it's not the end of the world to wait few month more

[Fuarian]

It might still be released by the year's end just not with Story Mode. Probably not but still.

[Patrick Carlson]

If all you've seen is the IGN story, I'd really encourage you to take a read through our complete announcement, available here: http://hinterlandgames.com/the-long-dar ... de-teaser/

It has some additional details that didn't make it into the IGN story. We, of course, have no control of what IGN does or doesn't write about the game.

As for additions to the game--Both Sandbox and Story Mode will be growing in parallel throughout 2016, as we indicate in our announcement. From Raphael van Lierop, Creative Director -- “We’ve discovered that Sandbox offers a completely different experience, highly beloved by our players, and it deserves to continue to exist in its own right. So we plan to continue updating Sandbox with more features and content, expanding the foundation of our core exploration-survival experience, in parallel with our work on Story Mode.”

I hope this makes things a bit clearer.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

--Patrick

[ark1of712]

@Steppenwolf Like I said, don't really take any issue with the delay. Really trying to get that across here. Just think it's good to keep people informed, especially in early access.

But my original question has been answered. Thanks again Partrick Carlson for your response, I know the time will be put to good use.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

[elloco999]

Yeah, sorry about that. I had truly expected better from Hinterland than to let us believe story mode was going to be released this year. I simply can't believe that two weeks ago they truly believed they were still going to make it and now it has to be postponed up to 3 months!

Don't forget though, besides the new map and expanded sandbox, they've also expanded the story to dual characters now too, plus are going to be having 25-30% new maps for story mode... Well worth it.

Easy thing would have been to just put out the shorter one character story and say done -- instead they're reinvesting to give even more play value... That's a bonus I like for a short wait

I'm not complaining about the delay itself. I know we are getting much more than we were promised and don't mind the extra wait.

But it's not like they decided to do this 2 character story just now and found out they were going to need to postpone the release. Only weeks before the newsletter/ kickstarter update that the release was going to be postponed to Q1 2016 we were still being told by the Hinterland staff that "yes, we are going to release the full game including story mode this year!". And maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think they still believed that at that point. It's not like you develop a game for 2 years and realize 2 weeks before the deadline that you need 2-3 months more. These guys are way to professional and experienced for that.

And here I go repeating this 'official statement' to others and then this news is released. I thought I was helping Hinterland out by answering someone's question, but I'm less likely to be doing that again now that I don't trust that I won't be handing out false information.

Again, I don't mind the wait. I love this game and I want it to be as good as it can be when it releases. If that means waiting a few more months I'm cool with that. Just saying that an earlier heads-up would have been nice.

[Spottdrossel]

These guys are way to professional and experienced for that.

That's the really strange point about all this:

Can you be professional enough that you know a delay will be required well ahead of time and at the same time not be professional enough to communicate this in a timely fashion to prevent false hope and repeating a message you know is wrong?

I think it's kind of strange to keep your mouth shut about something like this.

Like a child that broke mommy's precious vase and doesn't tell right until the very last moment because it wants to drag out the unpleasant - yet inevitable - experience of admitting a mistake.

A futile attempt that makes a bad situation worse.

I mean there was no way this would go unnoticed and most people prefer "later and better" over "sooner and worse" anyway (although it's not certain that the delay will actually result in a better product), but IMO that was the worst way to handle this.

[SteveP]

I'm not at all disappointed by the delay; it means that they took at hard look at the schedule and decided they need more time both for fixes and for improvements and functional additions. That evidence of a mature management. It's all good. The project appears to be a great success with few outstanding issues. The Linux release may be shaking out a few more gremlins so that needs attention and the XBOX needed work on save game upgrades. The issues with border line graphics memory (<512 meg) and Direct X 9 vs Direct X 11 are worrisome. I sure hope that gets sorted out. The game crashes in DX 11 are less frequent now but still problematic.

Slipping schedule is far preferable to pushing out a product with annoying flaws. During Alpha/Beta release we can accept this in exchange for a superior product in the end! This is software development after all! Hinterland has a very strong development model with iterative spiral release with end-user feedback and early involvement.

[selfless]

These guys are way to professional and experienced for that.

That's the really strange point about all this:

Can you be professional enough that you know a delay will be required well ahead of time and at the same time not be professional enough to communicate this in a timely fashion to prevent false hope and repeating a message you know is wrong?

I think it's kind of strange to keep your mouth shut about something like this.

Like a child that broke mommy's precious vase and doesn't tell right until the very last moment because it wants to drag out the unpleasant - yet inevitable - experience of admitting a mistake.

A futile attempt that makes a bad situation worse.

I mean there was no way this would go unnoticed and most people prefer "later and better" over "sooner and worse" anyway (although it's not certain that the delay will actually result in a better product), but IMO that was the worst way to handle this.

^ THIS ^

Seriously. Who thought three weeks before the deadline that they still had a chance to make it/any intention of making it? I didn't, but only because the studio went super silent and I've read that script before. My great sadness in this predictable performance is only alieved by the fact that they gave me everything I ever wanted with the Timberwolf Mountain. Total awesome. Really kicked a homerun there. Excellent job.

But anyway... Story mode is now a year and a half past relevant. I long to replace my disappointment in inability to release a product with my disappointment in the product that ends up releasing. Or maybe it will exceed my expectation. Either way, I get to feel something different. Thanks for listening.