UpUpAway95

So, it's a buggy game at release... still doesn't make it an early access one. I agree the game has issues, particularly when it comes to things like saving on the Xbox. Fallout 4 (released in 2015) still hase the 0 kb save error on PS and the constant crashing issue in downtown Boston. FO4 players are anxiously awaiting a promised update in 2023 (upgrading the game to next gen consoles) that will, hopefully, at last alleviate those issues. It would be nice if we could get back to the "good old days" when games released on console had very few bugs in them and games didn't need a constant feed of updates and additions just to keep our insatiable appetite for "new shinies" going (I say this as No Man's Sky has been updating all day on my Xbox for the second time in as many weeks... it seems almost like it wants to update every time I turn on my Xbox).

The key there is "develop for release" and TLD was officially released on August 1, 2017... plus I suspect "Steam Early Access" definitions don't necessarily apply to Xbox (Microsoft Store). Lots of games have ongoing development after release. (e.g. Minecraft has changed significantly since if officially released in 2011). In addition, you're citing Episode 5 of Wintermute as what is putting an "early access" definition on what is now something separate since people can now purchase "The Long Dark Survival Edition" which does not include story mode. ... and then there's this from TLD's own FAQ: "We brought THE LONG DARK’s Sandbox Mode to Steam Early Access in September of 2014, and then to Xbox Game Preview in June 2015. These were both “pre-release Alphas”, early in-development versions of the game. On August 1st, we’ll be launching the 1.0 version of The Long Dark."

Have asked for this multiple times... don't care even if it burns less than a minute... yes, please.

It's no longer an "early access game" and hasn't been one for many years now. From Wikipedia: "An alpha version was released through Steam Early Access in September 2014.[3] The alpha version was later launched on the Xbox One as one of the first two launch titles associated with Microsoft's Game Preview Program in June 2015. Early reviews of the alpha release were generally positive, and the game went on to sell around 750,000 copies by April 2016.[4] It was officially released on all aforementioned platforms on August 1, 2017, as well as for PlayStation 4.[5] In 2017, it was announced that a film adaptation of The Long Dark was in the works.[6] On September 17, 2020, it was announced that the game would be coming to Nintendo Switch later that same day.[7]"

This morning, I've encountered an extremely serious problem. When I first tried to launch TLD, my internet connection was down so the game asked if I should "try again" or "use offline." I opted instead to back out and go to the home page to test my connection and try to sort it out from there. I got the internet back up and running, but now TLD will not launch at all. I get the title screen (black that says The Long Dark) for a moment, then the screen goes entirely black (title disappears) and nothing further happens (I've sat and waited on that totally black screen for minutes. I can return to the home page, quit TLD in the manage games menu, and launch any other of my games. I'm sending HL a bug report, but I'm frustrated to the point of being ready to just uninstall the game and forget about it entirely.

In light of the discussion on the "expanded custom settings" thread, I've been thinking... There is another way around the diminishing rifle spawns that are being done by HL that was done to accommodate more frequent random spawns of the distress pistol this time round and was previously done to accommodate revolver spawns. That would be to give custom players three sliders: Rifle availability (none, low, high) Revolver availability (none, low, high) Distress Pistol availability (none, low, high) Setting all three to high wouldn't make guns abundant or common, but would ensure that an equal amount of guns of each type would spawn. Setting them all to low would also keep them equal, but cause a few of the sites to not spawn a gun. Setting one to high would ensure that more of that type of gun would spawn relative to the others, so that a player with a preference for a particular type of gun could choose to forfeit spawns of the other two in order to increase their chances of finding their preferred weapons. Ammo would also be tied to this slider, so the player would also be assured of finding ammo related directly to their preferences (e.g. a player who sets the distress pistol to "none" would not find flare shells in their game and a player who sets the rifle setting to high and the revolver and distress pistol to low would find more rifle ammo than they would find either revolver or distress pistol ammo).

I think I'd rather they just add an eerie sound file and maybe some occasional tracks, but that the creature itself would never actually be seen and would certainly never be caught or killed. He's a legend... I'd rather leave him that way.

I don't think a feat to start with a loaded gun and no addition ammo spawning would make much difference... As you say, it might be a starting aid, but one reason a lot of Lopers argue against taking Firemaster is because it ceases to be useful as the player eventually levels higher than it anyways. I doubt getting six shots is a feat they would choose over one of the others. I doubt standard stalker players would sacrifice one of their other 3 feats for it either. I find making a custom "gunloper" run more appealing (which we've been able to do for some time). This suggestion was more about getting around the fact that over the last several updates, riffle spawns (specifically) have been intentionally reduced by HL. In the most recent update, I've noticed that many old rifle spawns are are spawning distress pistols (so in a way, standard Lopers have better access to a "pre-forge" weapon than they've had in the past, although now the distress pistols are not necessarily found in their old "guaranteed" locations). Overall, even on stalker level runs (various test runs spawning in different regions with different standard and custom parameters), I've found more distress pistols in the main game than I have rifles (current count is distress pistols 5, rifles 1).

It would be a feat that standard Lopers could never use because there would be no ammo or cleaning kits spawning in their world without a means of activating the guns (which is custom option).

Wow, I can't say I've ever thrown away flour after only three months... and I know I've occasionally used flour (all-purpose) that has been older than a year and not had a noticeable problem with how it smelled, looked or the taste of it in the recipe. I do keep it in a sealed tupperware container in a cool, dry, dark cabinet where bugs or critters can't get at it. I've never frozen it. I sort of think these "best before" dates have become a bit of a scam and we're tending to throw away a lot of food that is still quite safe and edible. Food varieties in games really don't concern me much. If a recipe becomes too onerous to make (i.e. too many different ingredients or steps), I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be bothering to go out of my way to make it as long as I had something quicker and simpler to eat and survive on. It all tastes like pixels to me. 😀PS: I'm not against the variety. If other people want it, that's OK by me... I'm just not likely to bother with it.

Since I'm the one who has suggested that quick resume is a problem, I should explain that it wasn't in relation to the autosave problem... rather a problem with being able to start either a new game or to launch a previous save. It is an issue that started for me in relation to the update that added the DLC. It was not an issue for me piror to that time. The autosave not saving is, IMO, a completely different issue. I did have an autosave issue way back when on my Xbox One where I had lost significant progress on a save even though I had slept many times in that game before I quit playing for the day. When I started the next day, I was set back several sleeps/days earlier in the save. At the time, I thought it might have been related to my internet going offline while I had played and the game being then unable to update the cloud when autosaving.

My idea would have to be reframed a bit, but it's doable. There would have to be a separate option to allow for ammo to spawn separate from allowing the random gun spawns to be active in order to ensure that the empty gun that spawns in the player's inventory would be the only gun in the game, but that the player could still find ammo and cleaning kits for it. As I set up the suggestion originally, the "gun in inventory" selection would only be available after enabling the guns in general. Potentially, there would also be a way to enable/disable the DLC guns separately (just in case the player wants to play with just the one regular gun and no random ones; but still be able to find the special ones related to the DLC)... but that's probably a little too many toggles related just to the guns. However, I would also like a separate toggle to enable/disable the DLC entirely (short of having to uninstall it)... just in case someone who has bought it and installed it wants to occasionally play without it.

Has anyone noticed any moose sign (scraped trees) since the update. I've encountered several moose in different regions with different custom starting parameters; but I haven't spotted a single scraped tree/moose sign so far. Is this a bug or has HL intenionally removed them from the game? Another pattern that seems to be emerging from my tests (but still requires more verification due to RNG): Stick spawns in the standard difficulties seem to be more abundant than in custom when the appropriate settings are the same as in the standard difficulties (i.e. stick, branch and stone respawn frequency and harvestable plant availability settings). I'm running these tests in Broken Railroad (since that zone is small and has an abundance of forest where sticks should spawn). This is not to suggest there is a lack of sticks at the higher settings, but just a comparison between the standard setting and the same settings in the custom menu. So far, I seem to be gathering about 1/2 the sticks in custom that I'm able to gather in an equivalent standard difficulty. Prior to the update, I never noticed this sort of difference. Anyway, I'm going to be taking a break from test runs and concentrate on my main character for awhile.

Several Xbox players (both on Xbox One and Xbox Series X systems) are reporting similar animations and sound files running on endlessly on other threads. Therefore, the bug is not limited to just the PS4 and not just limited to acorns. I personally have had a safe stall on the opening sound and not actually show me the available items inside it. That mechanic has been in the game as long as I can remember, but I've never had it stall out like this before. I also had to exit the game and relaunch it (of course it took me back to the point where I first entered that particular indoor area).

No, I've tried that. Pressing "A" for accept does nothing. Pressing "B" for cancel takes me back to the select feats screen. The only solution seems to be to go back to the Xbox home page, then use the "manage games" menu to fully quit the game (which closes the "quick resume" function for that game on the Xbox X), and then relaunch the game from scratch. I've told HL that I think the problem there is being triggered by some sort of conflict with "quick resume"; but if the keyboard not launching is happening in other places (as you indicate), then that theory is probably incorrect.

Probably related to the bug I reported to HL about sporadically not being able to start a new game because I can get beyond the "name sandbox" screen (i.e. keyboard does not appear).

That seems possible (not just with beachcombing) since it does seem to going like "feast or famine" in my starting tests. e.g. ML run on pilgrim wound up with 8 can openers, but almost no other tools. My custom run in CH would turn up types of tools in groups of two's or three's close together. I'm sure it balances if the player utilizes the whole world (i.e. perhaps entering a new region starts a new "round" in the RNG) but it makes a one-region run extremely likely to be very lop-sided... i.e. many multiples of one thing and almost nothing of anything else.

Pretty much what the title says... now that that rifles have been made extremely rare to find in the base game (no DLC), add an option in the custom menu so that the player can choose to start with one weapon in in their starting gear alllocaiton (regardless of baseline resources selecting). For the selection to be made, rifles or revolvers must be enabled first (so this won't affect anyone wishing to play without that option so enabled). It would also not affect any of the standard difficulty settings. The weapon would spawn in empty (no ammo or arrows/arrowheads). These would still have to be found in the world or crafted. Gun users would, of course, still have to collect the appropriate casings before being able to craft ammo. That this would make the game "easier" should not be an issue since it would be completely the option of the player to enable this selection in the custom menu. Since I enjoy playing custom "one-region" runs, this would mean I could play fewer "weaponless" runs (which have become the vast majority of them since I cannot usually forge anything and increasingly over the past few years, guns have failed to spawn in my starting regions)... to the point now where, the RNG is such that after several test starts, they almost never have spawned. Please HL consider this. ETA: It would also be nice for "baseline resources low" one-region ones to have an option to start with a knife or a hatchet without having to increase the BRA to medium... again, in custom only.

I absolutely support this. It should be an optional effect and HL should also add a warning. @Leeanda - I'm really sorry you're experience such discomfort with it. My vision issues give me pain from the effects used in several games. All I can do is take frequent breaks to keep the headaches in check. It's an accessibility issue and devs to really work harder to give players toggles and choices about such things. Yeah, such toggles can be used to make the game easier, but that shouldn't matter. People should not have to play through pain when it can be avoided.

I can say I've experienced a lot of the bugs on this list myself (Xbox Series X). Glad to know it's just not me losing my mind or that it's just a bad install (already tried uninstalling and reinstalling the game). Hopefully, HL will be able to track down what's causing all this random instability. Add: Wolves running in panic mode endlessly even if the player is way far away (Pilgrim mode example)... watching them run around on the lake making panic sounds (i.e. not hunting deer) when player is on the ridge by the Hunting Lodge (i.e. too great a distance to be detected).

Yeah... some weird stuff going on with the Xbox version it seems. Hopefully, they can work it out.

I'll start off by saying I don't really expect anyone will like this post... but I feel it needs to be said. The only thing I dislike about the new loot system is that it continues to insist on making the rifle rarer and rarer and rarer. This is stated quite clearly in the dev diary and this has been HL's mindset for several updates now (remember, Raph, when you reduced rifle spawns to add in more spawns for the revolver?) and it is basically turning TLD into a "bow hunting" game. When a person enables the use of a rifle in their game (either in custom or by choosing stalker), it is often because they WANT to play with a rifle. The rifle and revolver are also not "craftable" items... playing with one relies totally on finding one. One can always craft a bow, and I've never heard HL say they're making hammers rarer and rarer and rarer to find or reducing the number of maple and birch saplings in the game... and they've added forges as they've expanded the world. So, HL... I'll adapt (like I always do) and play with the bow more... but believe me... I do miss the early days of TLD where I happily travelled the world fondly using the war surplus Lee Enfield of my childhood. As a rifle player I feel picked on. Sad. It seems to me that something very Canadian is slowly leaving The Long Dark. ETA: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/why-the-114-year-old-lee-enfield-rifle-is-only-now-being-retired-by-the-canadian-armed-forces

That's where I've was looking. The first time I found it on a previous start, I climbed up the steep hill right by the train cars (a short cut I often used in the past to get onto the path that winds it's way up to the lookout. I started seeing burned and broken trees and had no trouble walking right to it. This time, it just doesn't seem to be there. I'm starting to think the game on my system is unstable (loses the update completely). I've had memento keys that didn't spawn in, weak ice that used the old notification rather than the new animation... things like that. This missing plane might just be another related thing. I even did a total uninstall and reinstall, but these bugs are still happening after that.... and I'm on a relatively new Xbox Series X (not the Xbox One I was on before). Not much more I can do except try another ML start and see how it compares. ETA: Finally saw the error of my ways... I forgot about the rock arch I went under just before seeing the burned area (and I assumed there were burned trees around, but it seems to be just a burned area in the snow). Anyway, I found the arch and the path to the plane... it is there. Thanks.

That was the first place I found, although it doesn't appear to be there in my current ML start (unless I'm totally lost... walked around the hill the forest looking is one for ages and didn't spot it).

Today, I walked out of the Hibernia Processing Plant (Day 2 of a Desolation Point spawn near the mine that leaves the region) and for some unknown reason instantly discovered "Little Island" when I haven't gone near it yet. After trying a reinstall (as recommended by HL for bugs I had reported a few days ago), I am now starting to get some of those bugs again (even though they stopped briefly after the reinstall) 1) Sometimes I cannot start a new run because I can't get past the "name sandbox" screen. Keyboard does not appear and "A" for Accept does nothing. "B" for Cancel takes me back on step to select feats. 2) Sometimes I cannot load any previously saved game... My names are there, but they are grayed out and unselectable. 3) Sometimes the sound file for harvesting saplings does not play. The harvest is completely silent whether I'm using a hatchet or a hacksaw. 4) While beachcombing, game used the old "thin ice" notification rather than the new "cracking ice" animation. 5) I'm also still suspicious that some memento keys are not spawning in. All of these bugs are sporadic and I have not pegged a reason why they come and go... game, essentially, seems to be somewhat unstable.