Carbon

Some people just say the right things to the right people at the right time and don't post where they have nothing worthwhile to contribute. Thus, they get a positive reaction from at least one person who finds the post helpful, relevant or insightful. A 'less is more' kind of thing.

I'm honestly happy to throw some more support to one of the best games and best developers around. I paid $30 for a game from which I've enjoyed hundreds and hundreds of hours of immersive pleasure...whatever the cost, count me in. Priceless.

I don't know Murphy, but Raph's laws decree that: ~ No matter which direction you travel, the wind will be at your face. ~ The last piece of cloth will have you fail at a mend. ~ The blizzard will always arrive as you are ready to walk out the door. 😅

Well, whatever it's called, count me in. TLD is a classic and I can't express enough gratitude to the devs for the years of support and content. Hands down the best developers out there and TLD one of the best games ever. Cheers to the past and pending.

As Leo said, handguns are terribly rare in Canada and as this relates to realism, then the revolver is already a stretch in this regard. It's not outside of the realm of possibility, as the locale is rural, so a few folks might have one squirreled away, but again, very rarely. If I recall from a similar discussion long ago when the revolver was first added, the devs didn't want this to turn into a shooter of any kind; the firearms were supposed to be less than ideal, only semi-useful and I think that adding more variety would go against this notion. A personal opinion: guns generally seem to violate an unspoken theme in TLD, one of a quiet struggle. Guns are obnoxious and put a stake in the 'brains over brawn' notion that seems to pervade TLD. There is violence in the game, but it doesn't seem brutal or unfair, something I feel every firearm kill exemplifies.

GGs! Great video and congrats...a heck of a thing.

It's been a long time since it happened but who can forget? I had always feared bears big time; a physical reaction to seeing them and I'd just slink off the other way. One day, high up on a cliff I saw one below and figured this is the chance to get a cheap shot in and start to overcome my fears...so, I let one fly. It connected but the bear just tanked it, turned and ran. I though that was that, a first step taken, move along. Not a minute later I hear the beast charging over the horizon; he'd come the long way around and up and yeah...it didn't end well for me. But an unforgettable moment, one of many in this great game.

Maybe buy some friends a copy of the game?

Sorry. What is "it" then?

The idea that the game is not striving to be a faithful simulation isn't at all a grey area, it's a fact. As I said, though it may veer closer and farther from some known reality doesn't say anything contrary to the established fact that it is a fantasy. I think it's a valid conclusion to claim that the current sprain system isn't at all realistic in any sense and why should it be? And where exactly is the game striving for realism? I can't think of one system that accurately portrays any objective reality. Ok...it snows. There's one. It gets windy. Two. But past these more banal examples, I really can't think of anything objective. Maybe the reason why this keeps coming up in the context of TLD (and not in Star Wars games) is that the fantasy isn't so far from a common and well-known reality and our familiarity with aspects/elements of particular aspects of the game leads us to believe that represented reality 'X' in the game should more accurately mirror the real 'X', but there is no foundation for this assertion. Why should in-game 'X' be more like 'X' in real life? So, a kind of Appeal to Nature variant mixed with a confirmation/familiarity bias? I'm not well-read on all aspects of ludology or game criticism enough to label exactly what's going on here concisely, but I guess that there is something akin to what I described. We know 'X in real life' and judge 'representation of X in game' according to our understanding of 'real X'. We thus have difficulty suspending our disbelief towards those aspects of which we are more familiar. I don't see anyone making complaints about the harvesting/repair systems though, probably because we don't know much about those things, as a contrary example. Anyhow, the railing against reality as a yardstick by which to measure the game might go away simply because of redundancy, but it will never go away because it becomes a valid premise to justify a conclusion about an aspect of the game. We should be happy enough to state and discuss our opinions on these matters and not strive to dress them up as truths or valid arguments. Again, @diggity, no disrespect intended at all. Just talking. :)

I wasn't being passive/aggressive, I was simply showing that arguments based on 'realism' are invalid and suggesting a solution. You don't have to treat the sprain. Again, most community challenges have come about by players setting their own rules - typically limitations - and adhering to them. It's a choice and to set your own limitations is as valid as the game's hard-coded rules. It's your run and you can make your own story and rules...play it how you want. Pain does affect my playing (I can't speak for everyone): the character whinging constantly and the blurred edges are a strong motivator, particularly if I get a sprain early in the day and have a lot of ground to cover. It's just annoying to continuously hear and see that and I don't want to have that continue. The pain meds being finite are the punishment - or deterrent, if you want - to getting sprains. Not having them or needing to take the time, energy and materials (wood, precious matches or needing a sunny day if you're lucky enough to have the mag lens) to brew RH tea are all negative side-effects of sprains. The bandage returns mobility but trying to carry on in pain drastically affects my enjoyment of the game, so I'm strongly motivated to avoid getting sprains. The point is that pain does have consequences and meaningful ones (again, for me) all within the context of the game. So your calls for these consequences to be more severe are just your opinion and to base those calls on reality has no foundation given that the entire premise of the game is essentially a fantasy. Yes, the game is a reflection of reality, veering closer in some aspects and farther in others, but it's not trying to re-create reality. And yes, as I said, perhaps your ideas will be implemented, as this is our place for discussion. But certainly we are allowed to politely debate these ideas with one another which is what I believe I'm doing. No disrespect intended at all and I apologize if you took anything I wrote that way. I responded not to simply be contrary or antagonistic, but to voice my opinion toward your ideas, that's all.

Well, invalid premises will beget invalid conclusions. :P The "realism" argument is equally exhausting and exhausted. At every moment we are asked to suspend reality, an idea toward which I'm sure you don't require detailed information. An argument that founds itself on realism in a game which not only makes no claim to be a simulation but actually makes claims to the contrary on each and every startup just seems....invalid. It's simply your opinion that the mechanics are "broken", hence this topic being in the "wish list" and not in a formal bug report. Your idea has gone from a desire to now stating that the system is broken but language alone doesn't change opinions into arguments. It's not broken, it just isn't the way you want. I see no more suspension of disbelief in ignoring meds and bandages than using leather taken from running shoes to make hiking boots new; they both require the 'forgetting' of reality. Heck, the very premise upon which the entire game is founded requires this, yet we play. I really don't want to argue at all. It's not that you're wrong in reality - we've all had bad sprains that don't go away in an instant - but it's a game and there is a lot of creative license taken at each and every moment. It's good that we can state our ideas and I don't doubt that the developers read those ideas and take them into consideration. Perhaps you will be vindicated with a patch or an update incorporating your ideas. But they are just opinions based on a faulty premise in the end. After all, anything is possible in Disneyland. ;) Take care mate.

I think the challenge is more about finding and consuming finite, non-renewable resources than hobbling the player for extended periods. I suppose if you feel strongly about it, don't take the meds or use the bandage and limp around for your requisite 2 days. If you make this choice, you get what you want while everyone else is also happy not having to do that. This is how the Deadman challenge was created: players setting and adhering to rules they set for themselves.

24-hour grace period maybe...?

I often just keep walking. I've strolled right through a pack of 3 wolves and they all start growling and following, but I just keep on truckin' and sure enough, at a point they are either scripted away or they just give up. Breaking line of sight helps, but yeah...I just kind of ignore them most of the time.

The Long Dark changed my gaming life forever and set a new bar in survival simulation. Bravo, even if it were to all stop now. But no. That we're still getting unpaid content is unheard of...to think I paid only $30 for all of this joy. What else can be said but thank you all at Hinterland.

Some oddities in a game are annoying, some are game-breaking and some are simply endearing. I think Trapper's falls into the latter category. As @stratvox said, it's very welcoming right now when you arrive at the location and my vote is to leave it be.

Nice! That looks sweet @Obsidian Productions! I'd likely frame it! Good on you for spending some more to help HL out. For those who wish to do the same, the merchandise store is here: https://www.hinterlandstore.com/ Top-notch items and - as I found out - they ship halfway around the world!

Having all of the weapons in the game makes TWM (and any other location) a breeze. Wolves, deer, possibly and moose and rabbits pretty much within sight from the hut, 1 or 2 bears nearby, more deer in deer clearing, cargo containers spread over 5 locations besides the summit...food for months and all manner of hides for crafting. A workbench right in the hut makes crafting and repair a breeze, the fishing hut for cabin fever avoidance and of course another source of food. On my first run, I dragged all of the loot I could and left it in the bunker at the foot of the last climb to TWM (in PV), making an easy trip for some supplies if needed (TWM lacks convenient storage). I made TWM my final destination at that time, so I left a ton of stuff in the bunker. The caves and cave systems should not be forgotten! There is - or was - a ropeless path to the summit and one can also get off the summit ropeless as well, so this way you can have more gear with you for the summit run (to help with first time success) and you can ferry down a ton of gear. I say was: I haven't made the summit bid since many updates have passed, so I'm not sure if the ropeless path is still viable. Crafted clothing is a must, so get those hides curing as soon as you can and I always craft a bearskin bedroll for TWM. Change out clothing when the weather is good to save wear and tear on your best stuff, so have both 'warm' and 'freaking warm' loadouts. TWM isn't the easiest survival location in the game, but it's very rewarding. Best of luck.

I've posted this music before, but for me, most of Erik Satie's work captures TLD's mood and atmosphere perfectly. This is perhaps his most well-known piece, but it is a fitting sample. The last thing I want when playing is lyrics; it takes away that feeling of isolation and calm. Satie provides the perfect soundtrack for my peaceful, meditative experience.

Seems as good a time as any for some levity. Yep....excessive sprains have been around for a while.

Just throwing this out there for anyone who wants to offer more support to Hinterland. https://hinterland-merch-store.myshopify.com/ This bad boy is on my office wall.

Well, this is truly an epic thread. Good on everyone for having a civil, considerate and very open discussion, particularly to Raph for being so open and forthright. It isn't often that a community is privy to such personal insights from the developers, and I for one greatly appreciate it. This is the very reason as to why TLD has been and will continue to be in a league of its own; because the developers are a very special group and have fostered an amazing community around their vision. Thanks to one and all for this. You are all pretty freakin' awesome people. Game on folks.

I was saying initially that it wasn't a perceptual change but a real one (the only place where @ManicManiac I said he was wrong explicitly), but now you're saying that they don't like the new system simply becuase treatement is more complex and not becuase of an increase in the number of sprains? I'm really not sure what cause or effect we're talking about anymore. Look, my initial claim was simply that it wasn't Baader-Meinhof, evidenced by the number or responders in this thread, Raph's own words and HL's subsequent action. As for why they like/dislike it overall, the apparent implication in my statement was that it was the increase in number they weren't liking. I suppose it follows that with an increase and a more difficult remedial course, sure, that would compound the situation but that wasn't what we were - or I was - discussing. Anyhow, I don't want to clog up a good thread over this any longer. I'm happy to talk about this more through PMs, so let's take it there, if need be.

So it's no longer the Baader-Meinhof? No longer a perceptual change? Moving the goalposts mate. But I'm done. Have fun.