Time to post news on how work progresses


Capi

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 Doesn't the line "one last chance to get the game at early access pricing" imply that soon it will no longer be early access, thus further implying that it will be a full offering and full price? This may also imply that the countdown is for both a sandbox update and story mode. This might make sense; assets for story mode developed also as additional sandbox assets would be an efficient method for a small team. If so, it wouldn't be crazy to consider the sandbox update to be relatively minor, with no grand changes to the core mechanics. Add a few Moose, tweaks on other items or mechanics, maybe a new region.

 As I have said before however, I am impossible to disappoint with TLD, even if the announcement turns out to be for a new company logo. Bummer, but I'll keep playing and waiting. :)

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On 28-4-2017 at 1:09 PM, Carbon said:

This may also imply that the countdown is for both a sandbox update and story mode.

You'd think if this was the official launch though, Hinterland would use the occasion to create some buzz. But to quote Elmer Fudd, it's 'vewy, vewy quiet.'

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Now, if you be hunting wabbits, that's a smart move; but if you're in the business of selling a product, you've got to garner as much attention as you can, especially when launching a software game.

Also note that after Hinterland introduced the countdown via Steam, when asked what the countdown was about, they specified that there would be one final Sandbox update before the launch of Story Mode. I still take that to mean that there's a Sandbox Update just around the corner, and that the separate Long Dark site (the one with the countdown) will be another vehicle for bringing attention to the game, in the advent of Story Mode.

So yeah, I reckon we're entering the final stages of development, but considering past experience Story Mode might still take five to six months.

Anyway, we'll find out what the Countdown was all about in less then two days, so...

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 Given the state of this forum and Steam, I would say that things are buzzing. The simplicity of the countdown clock is remarkable and I don't think we should underestimate its affect. When story mode arrives and it becomes more than an early access gem, I have no fear that things will expand.

 But yes....it's a waiting game and anything is possible.

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On 5/3/2017 at 10:29 AM, TWM said:

You'd think if this was the official launch though, Hinterland would use the occasion to create some buzz. But to quote Elmer Fudd, it's 'vewy, vewy quiet.'

Now, if you be hunting wabbits, that's a smart move; but if you're in the business of selling a product, you've got to garner as much attention as you can, especially when launching a software game.

The problem is, Hinterland are a team of software developers.. not marketers. They were previously developers for other software houses.. where it's a safe bet they never worked on the marketing teams at those companies.

And, just like most inventors, software developers tend to really suck at marketing their own products. Just as they also suck at writing the documentation.

 

I think this countdown is merely a symptom of the above problem.

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11 hours ago, JAFO said:

The problem is, Hinterland are a team of software developers.. not marketers. They were previously developers for other software houses.. where it's a safe bet they never worked on the marketing teams at those companies.

And, just like most inventors, software developers tend to really suck at marketing their own products. Just as they also suck at writing the documentation.

 

I think this countdown is merely a symptom of the above problem.

Yeah and i like it so. Most of the fucked up games novadays are fucked up by marketers and their deadlines.

Developers always keeps polishing until its perfect.

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So... it's May 4th, 10:29 AM EST/EDT. The countdown is completely gone (I checked). There's been no news release. No new website. No update - patch, hotfix, Official Release, of any kind. Steam's 'The Long Dark' Store page still claims that the game is in Early Access. The forums are the same - no updates, official messages, nothing. We got an Update on Twitter 20 hours ago, but that was just a quote with a picture. Nothing really pertinent. And the same thing from Twitter was also posted on Facebook. 

That's it, folks! But really, I guess I'll have to wait till Midnight tonight to really know if something happens today or not. It was obviously a simple timer that was designated to end on 12:01 AM May 4th, 2017 - not really down to the time of a release of information or patch. 

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4 minutes ago, Deathdealers747 said:

So... it's May 4th, 10:29 AM EST/EDT. The countdown is completely gone (I checked).

Nope. Two hours and twenty minutes.

I don't expect Story Mode to get launched in two hours, but surely something is bound to happen, right? Like the launch of a new platform for spreading the news about the Long Dark.

Anyway, we'll see in a couple of hours.

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Forty five minutes to go and my internet provider is messing with my connection.  Modem has been resetting and behaving this way now all week.  Some days internet connection is fully functional. Today, it seems, is not one of those days. 

What is it called when you are hyped for something but also stressed by something dependent for the other something to succeed?

 

 

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Mmmhh, shit storm incoming, I guess, at least on steam.

That countdown was a huge mistake as i feared... But I'm hyped, and as always, everything will be forgotten when the game will be out.

Moving back to some other games for now.

I wish you the best for the last developpement process!

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2 minutes ago, McGuffin said:

Mmmhh, shit storm incoming, I guess, at least on steam.

That countdown was a huge mistake as i feared...

Yep, it was even worse than anticipated. But what's really astonishing is that Hinterlands let the hype keep building without changing their tactics! In the first week, they could see that the majority of the (vocal) community was assuming it was a countdown to full release, and then as the date approached, the other side of the community spoke up that it was probably just the sandbox update.

Hinterland knew this announcement would land like a wet Kleenex, and yet they didn't pivot or speak up to try and dull the misguided anticipation they could see building each day...

I know, they're a small indie studio, but they have two full-time community managers and a tuned-in studio head/creative director. Come on guys. We all want this game to be super successful, and love it so much, but gaffes like this really turn off your early access community.

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I'm sorry to say it, but I'm really sad and angry about this totally avoidable disappointment of a great part of the playerbase. (If there had only been a clear announcement what the countdown was actually for). Will go for a walk now and try to get my blood pressure back below 100.

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Quote

due to significant changes to the save architecture required to support our launch, we will be rendering all old saves obsolete as of the FINAL Sandbox update (currently targeting late-May/early-June 2017).

The FAQ is helpful and informative, though.

Haha, so the Countdown was purely for the launch of the new site. Yes, like McGuffin says, there's going to be a lot of disappointed players out there.

Hinterland really should have communicated loud and clear that the only thing around the corner was a final timetable and a site packed with info, and that the final Sandbox update would still take a month or so after the launch of the new site.

Like we said earlier: they got everybody psyched ('My oh my, is this gonna be it?!') for little to nothing new content-wise. And the coming backlash is predictable.

Oh well, at least with the new site we have a nice repository of information right now.

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Well, we did get a new trailer, with a ton of little glimpses of actual character models and new environments, even the plane (I always thought that wrecked passenger jet couldn't be what our *bush pilot* was thrown out of).  And we do now have a concrete date, finally.

That said, the countdown was probably a misstep, that sort of thing builds real hype, an energy that must be directed with a payoff.  Without a payoff the energy is directed backwards at the company, fairly or unfairly.  I woulda said to start the timer *now*, not this past month, if only they had called me to ask my expert opinion that I'm sure they're dying to hear.  :)

If this had at least come with a Sandbox update along with the story announcement, this would have pulled the plane out of the nosedive and back to altitude (TOPICAL METAPHOR!).  And hey, maybe they WILL still drop a sandbox update and salvage the player butthurt.  I'm not especially perturbed, myself, it's lightweight but I'm happy to get this news and the trailer.  But I can see why some are peeved off.

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35 minutes ago, Scyzara said:

I'm sorry to say it, but I'm really sad and angry about this totally avoidable disappointment of a great part of the playerbase. (If there had only been a clear announcement what the countdown was actually for). Will go for a walk now and try to get my blood pressure back below 100.

I'm scrolling through the Steam Discussion board right now. The community response is brutal.

It's quite funny to read, especially if you saw it all coming weeks beforehand.

Oh, Hinterland, Hinterland... when will you ever learn?

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Not a very smart move.

Feel sorry for the poster who pledged $5,000 back in 2014 2013 to the Kickstarter for naming rights, who Hinterland apparently is ignoring. Would not be happy hearing about the announcement making PS4 is the top priority

At least I only bought Early Access

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Raphael and Hinterland have been quite clear the past months about the current status. Rapael stated a few weeks ago that they soon were ready to reveal information about the Storymode release date. Not long after still statement the countdown timer appeared and a post on the forums about is was made.
The post about the countdown timer literally stated: "There will be one more Sandbox update before Story Mode launches. More details about that update will be available soon. The team continues to be hard at work, creating the best experience we can for you. We appreciate your patience while we do so."

So anyone who has been following the game the past years (or even the past half year) could never have drawn the conclusion that storymode would launch today. The devs never stated this and it's completely unrealistic with the current status.

But I'm glad to know that there's still a majority of the community that knows this and speaks about it. I'm just a bit sad that there's a lot of fans raging right now. I get why, but the could have prevented this if they had checked their facts. :/

 

Edit: before I forget this: Hinterland I'm so happy to see this astonishing trailer! When I donated money to the crowdfunding I never expected this game to become this big! I love the trailer!! :D

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