Sherri

This is a *fantastic* idea.

While it does look like the harvesting changes have increased the difficulty of getting food from animal sources early on and without tools... we definitely have received more food sources with the addition of burdock and acorns. So I think that in the long run the game balance remains pretty fair. I do agree that the animations are a bit on the gruesome side though. I thought 'harvesting animations' would mean chopping wood and picking cattails etc. For some reason I didn't even consider meat harvesting LOL. I guess I'll have to squint and bear it! Those poor bunnies...😆

I've seen at least two small updates to TLD after the big update yesterday with the new part 4 (Steam, PC). Nothing in the release log but it looks like they are rapidly patching early issues which is great!

Launch trailer for part 4 is coming in less than an hour. HL confirmed in live chat that the update is dropping TODAY! 🙂

Release trailer premiering in under an hour. HL confirmed in live chat that update is dropping TODAY!! 🤩

I'm pretty excited about the scurvy addition. It always seemed a bit silly to me that I could basically camp out in one place and live off a respawning bear forever. This forces variety and exploration which is great. I trust HL to have a long-game plan in mind.

I can kinda see what you're saying. But with the game being one of (if not THE) biggest open world maps in all of gaming... the nice thing is that there is plenty of map to explore and it's pretty easy to stay away from the Far Territories if the new environmental challenges aren't for you. Even the transition regions like the Branch Line/Transfer Pass are new maps that are more 'traditional'. So while I'm a bit hesitant about poison pools and wolves... it's something new that I'll definitely give a try... and it's more variety which can only be a good thing. There's only so much snowy fields, forests, rocky mountains and cabins that you can cram into a game. It's nice to try some new things, and anyone who isn't keen can just stay away. Either way, love the new maps or not... you're still getting a ton of new content, equipment, mechanics, etc... not just a map. I really don't see how anyone can fault this update - it's a smorgasbord of goodies for everyone.

Time to add powdered Tang to the game! 😆

Wow. Lots of goodies in this one. Looks like there is something for everyone. New convenience tools and equipment New risks and afflictions Immersion improvements with the hand coverings and harvest animations New survival elements to balance (goodbye all-meat diet!) A new map One hell of a tough new environmental challenge. Not gonna lie, the description of the toxic pools and gas caused some nervous goosebumps to break out! --- I'm curious how the scurvy affliction will affect the long game. When all the plants have been harvested and eaten, and the only renewable source of food is meat... what then? That will be tough. Might have to ration those rosehips and can goods for later!

Besides the red & white mug, I was most hoping for the red & white Canadian toque. Mostly just interested in items that are actually in the game rather than general merch.

Well, they did say that this temp sale was just to offload extra stock they had from before... and a more permanent store would be in the future. But oof. I was refreshing all day and just as I see it open, almost everything sold out. 😓

I could no say it better than @Raphael van Lierop... the no crunch 'disclaimer' in the game bootup is a factor in how I personally value the game & the studio's work. I work in the software industry. I have a LOT of empathy for these challenges. It's not just a matter of adding feature A, B & C. There are underlying engine updates that you are at the mercy of & many other factors outside Hinterland's control. Human hiccups including a pandemic are there too & the fact that Hinterland won't whip their staff through crunch to "mitigate" those human challenges (oh you have a sick child - tough shit get into work)... mean that planning & meeting targets is even harder. And we should have understanding for that. Never trade mental health for deadlines. Never product over people. Missed dates will never get my "knickers in a twist" as grandma used to say. But I will say... just not giving dates until it's done might be ideal. I hope chapter 5 is never given a date. Just surprise us. 😁

Probably grouped together in the description despite being fixed in multiple places or situations.

Omg I love this! This would be a really great way to implement the trader.

Avalanches of snow would be fun. Or even snow falls from walking under trees that would instantly lower hp + soak your outer clothes. I keep thinking the game needs more reasons to make us look up. Too busy picking sticks off the ground. Lol

Raph's response is right on. Glad this won't cause stress for their future projects. Thanks for sharing the link!

Magnifique!! So much cool stuff! - Tons of bug fixes! - New region & gear! - Hand coverings! - Episode 5 hints! - New games in the works! - A second TALE?!? I confess I thought Signal Void was going to be the only Tale in this DLC & I would have been content with that. A second one is very exciting! Good stuff HL - this is awesome.

Ouch, this is a crappy move from Unity that's going to hurt a lot of studios. 😞 "Unity announces a ‘Runtime Fee’, which will charge developers each time a game using the engine is downloaded." https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/sep/12/unity-engine-fees-backlash-response

100%. Plus it's fun to talk about! It's like there is a worry that talking about it would be spoiler-y. But players who hate spoilers can avoid these conversations if they are tagged. It would be so fun to hear about why Acorn Coffee was added, what the team thinks it brings to the game & how it's hoped that it will be used. Even these small additions are opportunities for insight & excitement.

I just can't fathom any self-respecting company still using Twitter as anything close to a primary communication medium. It's not a good look at this point. I don't know if anything is being posted there because I left many months ago. But I would hope that their own forum - especially with Twitter becoming a swamp - would be the main communication channel along with newsletter subscriptions & Steam release posts.

Not all communication needs to be a 5 page Dev Diary that takes hours & hours to write. Sometimes just a paragraph "Hey players, we finalized X for the next TFTFT release. We really think you'll love it because of Y. The team really struggled/debated/loved Z about it. Stay tuned!" And even just that gets players buzzing & feels good. 😊

As a long time fan of TLD & a somewhat active member on this forum... I have some feedback for Hinterland that 100% comes from the heart. Talk to us more. When TFTFT was announced, part of the reasons mentioned for the year long multi-part release plan was to get players talking about TLD again, reinvigorate excitement in the community, etc. With that in mind I began a habit of visiting these forums almost daily assuming that part of that communication would be from the studio to the players. But it has been a pattern of a big post with each new part release & crickets in between. If you want players to talk about your game, you have to talk *to* players about your game. For example, short video interviews with staff. Discussions about upcoming changes. Anecdotes about tough bugs that were fixed. New tech being used. Etc. Sit the sound effects person on a couch & talk in a 5 min youtube video about the new sounds added (why and how). Once a week spotlight a willing team member about what they do & why they love the game. Fans shouldn't be speculating on whether the next part coming soon has a new map or not. We should have been told about it in a mini post or video. Show us your excitement. 😁 I know... that these activities take precious time. And no, not all studios have to be chatty with players. But if a stated goal is to get people talking & excited... this fizzles when it's only fans talking among themselves... and people drift away. Take or leave my 2 cents here. I'm enjoying the DLC regardless.

Totally agree. These indicators are far from clear.

I only have 3 gripes: - Need the ability to jump/hop. Those tiny bumps & ledges are infuriating. - Travel is maddeningly slow. I sprint everywhere & use both sprint & into the wind perks & it's still kind of torture. Snow shoes or some kind of speed boosting craftable would be so cool. - That horizontal menu when cooking to select the thing to place on the burner needs to either A. scroll with the mouse scroll wheel, B. Sort meat before drinks, or C. scroll infinitely in both directions like a circle. Because clicking past all my drinks everytime I cook a piece of meat is silly.

I think the interior lighting is connected to the outdoor weather / moon phase. On clear bright nights I can see inside the Camp Office & even read sometimes. On dark & cloudy nights, it's pitch black & I'm blind. Sometimes the spark of the lantern lighter can orient me without actually lighting the lantern. The Far Territory tunnel & the slight glow around the player, is kind of unfortunate because I can navigate that without lighting anything, which maybe wasn't the ideal given the flares they litter around for us. The new transition-free interiors like the train are the ideal to me. Lighting perfectly reflects outside.