Sherri

Made a new, easier to edit version using Miro. I also made the layout more closely reflect the Great Bear map.

Updated connections map. Added Keeper's Pass and Blackrock.

Oh shoot I forgot BlackRock...

The connections map has been updated for the 3 new TFTFT regions. Feedback welcome!

3 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

Terms like "sucker punched" and "'being ignored" and other things that were said by Loper players during their lobby to pressure the devs into adding this tale to Loper were unnecessary and completely disrespectful of the devs who have already in the past responded several times to complaints that were principally made by Loper players.

I agree. There's no need to be hyperbolic and accuse maliciousness when there obviously isn't any.

At the same time.... survival games, by their nature get easier with experience. So over time players increase difficulty. So your interloper players I would bet are the longest-term, players. It takes time & dedication. I don't think it's unreasonable to give that difficulty the attention it's players have earned & not accidentally think of it like some fringe game mode. 😊

This is absolutely the first time ever that I've seen a significantly sized studio respond so well, so compassionately & so swiftly to player feedback.

This is 100% the right decision & the reasoning behind why it was not in interloper originally was very enlightening & informative. I don't think Hinterland was wrong at all to be so cautious regarding preserving the difficulty of interloper and not wanting to add something so hard with little gain.

But the feedback was that players wanted it no matter how hard or how little reward it had & Hinterland pivoted swiftly.

This is not easy from a development perspective... hats off & a warm cup of acorn brew to Hinterland. ❤️

This looks really really awesome & I can't wait to play it. Good work it looks like a really fun addition!

Although, even as a Voyage-Stalker player myself... I can't fathom why this would not be available to Interloper players. The most diehard, long-term, dedicated players get ignored? I don't care if the mandatory aurora navigation would make it blindingly hard on interloper - those players would welcome the challenge. This has to be a mistake. Just put minimal loot in there & let the 'loper players have some story & crazy-hard goals to work for. It doesn't even matter if it's hard to balance it. Err on the side of *crazy-hard* and the interloper-tough survivors  will love it.

This doesn't even affect me & I find it to be quite sad. These are the players who put in the time & practise to get 'loper level good. They deserve this too.

10 hours ago, Serenity said:

Looks like the 2.08 update. Just more bugfixes

That's a lotta bug fixes. lol. I wonder if they might be pushing out some of the next TFTFT content update but keeping it 'locked' so that the downloads are more manageable on launch day. Like maybe it's a bunch of audio or something. Fun to guess anyway.

7 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Pc I presume?

Yes

Oooo something is coming....

On 2/10/2023 at 12:33 PM, Semple Fi said:

@everyone

I don’t know who watches the news anymore, or the average age for the gamers present here but….. at what point in the last two/three years has the expectation of immediate gratification been a realistic expectation?

 I’m surprised HTL is still a functioning company after all of the small business tragedy in the last two years.  Not because of their choices, but because of poor government policy combined with a massive wealth transfer to the biggest companies currently in existence.  
I’m  happy just to continue getting anymore content to this game, I figured it was over and episode 5 would never come to fruition.  

If there was a justifiable perception of lack of effort/customer abuse on the part of HTL, all these negative comments would be permissible.  But really, guys? 
At this point in the 2023 post pandemic market system, this should be EXPECTED.
HTL will make the final product promised, they’ve clearly demonstrated that in the last decade; but it will take time, it will take patience, it will take understanding, it will take support.

Try logging these complaints with a company like Nintendo, see how much they care. And I own a Nintendo switch, imagine my disappointment.  
 

now, get positive!

I could not agree with you more.

People really have lost all perspective and just cry like babies when something goes a tiny bit out of their expectations.

Building a huge piece of software to run perfectly on several consoles and thousands of configurations of PC is a nearly impossible task to do without unforeseen hiccups. I'm a back-end web developer. My software only has to run on ONE configuration of web server and it's still not an exact science.

Try cooking one meal and serving it to a restaurant full of 100 people. Will everyone be happy? Hell no! Will someone have an allergy? Hell yes! And that's assuming all your inputs are predictable. What if your vegetables call in sick? What if your stove gets an update and you have to relearn how to use it? Good grief.

I'm running the game on a Linux PC and let me tell you - almost zero studios give a shit about making their game work well on Linux. But this game works flawlessly.

Tune into the tech news for 5 minutes this year and you'll hear of thousands upon thousands of layoffs at the top tech companies. Bleeding talent. Cancelling projects. Nuking their ethics and support teams. It's a mess.

Yet here is Hinterland putting out quality content in a responsible way, updating a game that by all measures is old and has probably saturated their market of survival game players. Dunno if it's younger folks doing the complaining but Long Darkians.... we have got it GOOD with this game and this studio. Take it from a multi-decade gamer who has gone the distance on console and PC gaming for a long long time. This kind of attention and quality on a very old game from a small-medium size studio is unheard of. A game that by all measures is way better and beyond what was originally planned from the kickstarter. These hiccups are unfortunate but normal... and if you keep being blindsided and devastated by them... then maybe playing games that are still under development isn't for you. 

Oooo this is very exciting. I love any single bit of story content I can get! Maybe this update includes audio logs? 

Anyone find a specific location or 2 where a moose will spawn in the new DLC regions? I've been here for a while and I'm hurting for that satchel.

Days 58-60

The next day I collect rocks, cattail heads and charcoal then drop them in a line from the cabin to the fishing hut. I won't get lost in the fog now. Later I chop up a bunch of barrels around the cabin for firewood. I'm preparing for another fishing run. That evening I find a map of the area in a cupboard and see there's another fishing hut across the lake and then possibly another cabin beyond that. It seems to be the far corner of the airfield region. Instantly my mind turns to exploring there. I'm beginning to turn my thoughts to a new long-term goal. If I can't find people here, then I need to stay alive until someone finds me. And I need to know as much about Great Bear as I can.

In the morning the weather is as nice as it gets here. I head out, climbing down to the docks nearby and spot the fishing cabin. A pack of wolves is between it and me. I shoot my revolver into the air hoping to scare them off, but the wolves are hearty here and they only run a short distance then turn back to me. All four start closing in, and I shoot the leader who drops instantly. The other three scatter and I sprint to the fishing hut. Unfortunately it also lacks a door. I find a fishing hook and some matches, and a granola bar but not much else. Disappointing. I'm hoping for more notes from past residents.

Before the wolves can find me I head quickly to the shore. I have a vague idea of where I'm going and I find myself in rolling hills and trees. A chill goes up my spine and my hair stands on end when I realize I'm in bear territory. I bring my rifle to hand and keep my head on swivel. After a while I'm starting to wonder how far the hills go on, when I come across a road. Roads are good! A relief! Roads always lead to something good. Shelter hopefully. I follow the road to my left. Constantly expecting the cabin to appear over the next rise. But hours pass and nothing. This region is truly enormous. Eventually, as the weather starts to turn dangerous, I see a beautiful cabin. Two floors. When I get inside I recall my thoughts about how messy the houses are on the island, but this cabin is neat and tidy. The combat boots and pants tell me ex-military. Many paintings line the walls. It's homey and comfortable.

After a long rest I try to map and explore around. I find a good place to anchor a rope climb, but I have no rope. I still have the haunting feeling of being watched and I wonder if my instincts are telling me to stay alert.

The weather turns and stays stormy. I'm starting to wonder if coming to this remote corner of the airfield was a mistake. I might be stuck here.

1 hour ago, hozz1235 said:

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall reading/discussing transition saves.  I seem to recall it was to prevent us from re-rolling the loot tables in a location (i.e. without a save point, you could enter, exit, enter, exit a location until a desired/good loot item appeared within based upon RNG).

Wow that's bizzare.

I would have thought a new game creates a long seed code then all other random effects would be rolled off that seed & therefore you'd get the same result every time. Prevents that kind of shenanigans.

At least that's how I'd code it. 🤷‍♀️

Not sure if this is intentional, but the Insomnia affliction can't be disabled in a custom game. I would expect to see it alongside the toggle for Cabin Fever.

I realize it's not super bad, but figured it would be a good addition to the config for completeness.

Great blog! I'm having much the same experience. Fun to explore new regions, but the weather is SO bad and wind so ever-present that I don't feel like doing everything in slow motion all the time (walking into the wind). And the area is SO big it feels empty.

I'm very much looking forward to what new regions will connect to the Transfer Hub.

It's my understanding that these DLC regions won't have anything to do with Wintermute.

Days 56-57

In the morning I build a fire inside the shed beside the cabin and boil several litres of water. In the past I've tossed the water purification tablets into the trash, but today I clue into their value. When you don't have a stove and the wind is always hunting you... you can't take a leisurely time at the fire. The tablets let me boil twice the amount of water than usual.

Afterwards, the wind has calmed down, so I trek back to the wolf that I had killed when first arriving on this small island. Its frozen body there, unharvested, fills me with shame. I build a quick fire and harvest as much as I can from the animal. I won't let this go to waste. I wonder if my guilt is a sign that I haven't completely lost it. I do the same with a deer carcass I find nearby.

I also find some birch saplings which I chop down. This island is a haven for archers!

I decide to make my stay at this cabin into a bit of a holiday. The bit of wolf and deer meat I've collected inspires me to fill a pantry with food and kind of 'relax' for a while. So I head to the fishing hut I passed by earlier with a backpack full of firewood. I light a cozy fire in the potbelly stove and set to fishing. The activity is relaxing and a bit hypnotic. I catch and cook at the same time, eating as I go. It's a fun activity and a challenge to remember to stop fishing in time to prevent the meat from burning.

When my firewood finally runs out, I'm exhausted. I look up to realize that it's the middle of the night and a raging blizzard has turned the world into a sheet of white. Three steps out of the fishing hut and I'm totally blind. I stumble back into the hut and the chill realization pours down my spine. I can't make it back to the cabin in this blizzard. And I'll soon be out of wood to burn to keep warm.

In a desperate move I put my last sticks and my 'emergency coal' into the stove, drop my bedroll and force my nerves to calm down. I sleep for 3 hours and wake with the fire out and my body temperature starting to cool. I turn around holding my breath and am relieved to see that the blizzard has calmed to a heavy snowfall and the sun is just beginning to rise. Just enough that I can make out the shape of the land and trees. I string the fish onto my pack - damn I stink - and stumble back to the cabin. I drop everything on the porch and stumble into bed. My sleep schedule has been totally inverted, so I try to sleep just for a few hours.

When I wake up it's to bright sunlight and a gentle snowfall like fairies in the air. It's as if Great Bear is asking "What blizzard?"

My 'vacation' is off to a great start!

2 hours ago, PiterZ said:

Dear @Sherri, It's very nice to read your story. You have a talent for writing. I read carefully from the very beginning. Thanks for posting it and good luck on your journey ❤️

Thank you very much, that's so kind! 😊

Days 54-55

My gloomy thoughts made for a restless night. In the morning I find that I've caught a rabbit in the snare I set up outside. I cook it up outside the terminal and the wind changes direction halfway through and snuffs out my meal. I barely keep myself from kicking away the fire's ashes in frustration.

I wander in and out of the airport buildings unsure what to do next. The weather in this place feels intimidating enough that I'm wary of adventuring far. On the other hand, the failed promise of the airport and its many ghosts haunt me and feel like they're driving me away. In the morning the angry wind and snow calm down a bit and I decide to trek down the river to see what's at its mouth. Maybe a fishing hut so I can taste and do something different for a change. 

The sky actually turns blue for part of my journey, but there's never no wind here. At the mouth of the river I see a sight that actually picks up my spirits for a change. Across the lake and high on a rocky island I faintly spy a cabin. I can't be totally sure that its not a burned out wreck but just the prospect of a target to work toward immediately raises my spirits. There's a pack of wolves between the island and me... but my recent nihilism has made me brave. Or reckless.

I skirt around the island avoiding the wolves despite some cooked meat in my pack. The island doesn't have any obvious way up. I circle all the way around to the back... fatigue from jogging against the wind kicking in... but I spot a fishing hut! I briefly duck inside and make a note to come back. In the meantime I see a slope at the back of the island to climb to the top where I think the cabin is. A patrolling wolf is there though. I get close, and in a fit of reaffirming my own survival and control over this land, I drop to one knee and pull out my rifle. The wolf is dead before he sees me. I don't stand up for a long while however. I'm disturbed by my lack of disturbance. I don't normally enjoy hunting. Who am I becoming out here? I vow to return to gather the meat and hide later to honour the wolf's sacrifice. I refuse to hunt for sport. Some of myself is still left. I think.

Climbing the hill I see a sight that I didn't realize I needed - the cabin looks cozy and inviting. A place more like a home than anywhere I've been in a long time. Garages and trailers and hangers have taken their toll.

In the area and inside I find 2 maple saplings and several damaged bows. The island is telling me something. It might be time to learn to use a bow, and connect myself more closely to the land around me, and get these harsh, heavy guns out of my hands. I'm becoming hard and cold like the weather.

The cabin is an absolute mess. Are all the residents of Great Bear slobs? I tidy up a bit, rip up some tarps (I'm utterly swimming in cloth here in the Far Territories), repair a few things and lay out the spare tools. Outside the glimmer fog has returned but I'm still unsure why I should avoid it. I find a small crevice that leads down to stairs and a dock. Apparently this is how I was supposed to get up here.

Back at the cabin I take a long time to look at the family pictures, the papers strewn about. The glasses on the nightstand. Try to imagine the person who lived here. It makes me feel less alone. I catch myself talking to them as I use their home and rest on their bed. What should I do now? The cabin's ghosts don't have an answer.

Days 50-53

The next morning a blizzard keeps me indoors in the junker's trailer. I start to question my decision to travel to the Far Territories. But there must be something out here!

The second the blizzard changes to soft snow I set out. Despite the "airport ahead" sign... the airfield is not, in fact, close at all. In fact I once again travel for so long that I start to wonder if I got turned around somehow or if I'm a fool for coming here. I've become so complacent to the lack of danger other than the weather, that a wolf startles me without a weapon in hand.  Rookie mistake! I stumble backward and pull out my revolver. Two shots and he runs off. Blood on the snow but no success. Maybe I'll find him later.

But then I round the next bend and finally see the air traffic tower in the distance. It's a welcome sight. I climb a small hill and look around in a full 360. My jaw drops and I'm almost paralyzed with whatever the opposite of claustrophobia is. This Forsaken Airfield is vast. Beyond vast. Empty white hills stretch on as far as I can see. Foreboding cliffs ring the territory far at the horizon in every direction. Why have I come here? This is no place for people. It's a land for wind spirits and ghosts.

I bring my gaze back to the tower and the buildings around it. Civilization! There must be people here.

Exhausted I arrive at the airport. My heart sinks when I walk out onto the asphalt and no one comes out to greet me. I delay facing reality by checking in all the cars and airplanes around the area. The planes are totally bursting with compartments and it's time consuming but rewarding. I duck inside the terminal, looting suitcases and dropping a pile of my extra supplies. I tell myself that no one would make camp here. They would definitely be in the big hangar.

Eventually I can put it off no longer. I climb up the tower. Its height and central location and it's connection to the outside world is a hope that I cling to. If there was any information about what happened on Great Bear, if there was any sign or notes to indicate humans were *solving this problem* (It's what we do!) then it would be here. A journal or transcript of chats with the mainland? A distress signal being broadcast on loop to tell the outside world to come and get us damnit? Anything?

The tower is cold and empty. Utterly devoid of any sign of plans or understanding at all. No communication with the outside world. Nothing works - of course. No notes. No log.

----

I realize I've been glaring at the useless instrument panel for possibly hours. My fists are cramped, I've been gripping the back of the chair like a lunatic. I really thought there would be something here.

I trudge back down the stairs. Suddenly more bothered by my overfull backpack than I have ever been. Why is it so heavy? Why do I have so much junk? Why didn't I find a better backpack or make an extra bag or something before coming here? All of this is worthless. Why am I so weak??

When I enter the hangar, I hold in my mind the conscious certainty that I will not find anyone, but I can't stop a painful sliver of subconscious hope that despite all odds I will. Someone else. Anyone. Instead I find more signs of an airport abandoned. Of people who lost hope and left, maybe on foot. Some documentation points to the possibility that this airport was involved in some shady traffic. Maybe black-market goods. Who cares. 

It's the airplanes that look fully functional, but stand lifeless on the tarmac that hurt the most. If even flight can't get people off this island - or from the outside *to* the island. Then what hope is there? I start to feel a bit twitchy and wonder if I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I step back outside and see something new. Fog has blanketed the area but it crackles with static. A glimmer fog I think to call it. The air feels charged and some electronics start to flicker. Something I haven't seen during the day in ages. I'm ashamed to admit I first thought the power was coming back on. No, just more ways the island is torturing me.

I duck into the basement of the hangar and throw myself into chores to clear my mind. I found 2 thick wool sweaters and 2 more Mackinaw jackets in the region and I set to repairing every stitch of my clothing and my bedroll. I find a forge in the basement and forge a couple dozen arrow heads. I rip up junk clothing I've found and sort through my supplies. I wander the rooms of the hangar and eventually gather all my items in the terminal. I can't stay in this big empty hangar - it's awful.

This feels like an important moment for me. Till now my motivation has always been to figure out where everyone went, and find a way off of Great Bear. That hope and that goal has kept me going. Now I feel listless and more alone than I ever have. Knowing I won't find people means I can no longer pretend that people are out there. What am I supposed to do now? Is just surviving enough?

On 1/1/2023 at 12:25 AM, MarrowStone said:

 Idk if there's a wild sugar source. Otherwise it keeps forever so it might just be a non renewable item only found in kitchens. 

Tap the maple trees for syrup. 😋 Yum.

Assuming that the Transfer Pass is going to be a hub to many future expansion pass locations... I've set up a base there. Cozy, deer nearby and hopefully at a very central spot for future regions. I don't really see myself making a base in the airfield from what I've heard about the fog, and sheer size of the region. But I haven't been there yet so we'll see. Only downside is no workbench.

Noticed upon my arrival in the Transfer Pass region, the train station building with an interior that doesn't have a loading screen to go in and out of it. And the windows can be looked through.

I really think this is a nice change.

- Gives a real feeling of *relief* when you cross the threshold and the temperature rises and the wind sounds outside get muffled as you step in.

- You can spy for predators before going outside.

- Being able to look out the windows is SO nice. Check on the weather and feel connected to the outdoors and the weather even when you're inside.

- Feels less claustrophobic inside.

- A real, direct sense of the day/night cycle while inside. Sometimes moonlight improves visibility inside which is very cool.

- Getting in and out is faster (less loading is always good).

I do find that all doors in this game open freakishly fast. Why am I opening doors with so much gusto? lol

The big downside though is that you no longer get an automatic save point when you step inside. You now have to 'waste' time sleeping or playing cards in order to trigger a save. And it's harder to remember to do so. This means interruptions (not now kids, mom has to play till night-time lol) or crashes (hopefully not) can be more painful.

Wondering... if most future locations will be like this (or past interiors revamped), it might be valuable to add another way to trigger a save. For example after mapping with charcoal or something that can't be easily overused but still feels significant. 

Anyway, all in all a change that has increased immersion, very cool.

I noticed the new meat textures and find that they look grosser now. lol