Regarding: The Long Dark GOG Release Delays and Issues

[nccvoyager]

I bought the GOG release of The Long Dark as I had no internet access at the time, and two years later I still have relatively minimal satellite internet access.
As much as I have enjoyed The Long Dark since I bought it, and the time I have put into it, being excluded from the 4 Days of Night event (again) hurts me.
I bought the GOG release with no reservations at the time.
My assumption was that the 4 Days of Night event would be coming to the GOG release again in 2017, since it had come to GOG in 2016, the first year The Long Dark was available on GOG.
Well, you know what they say about people that assume...
In 2017 when the Four Days of Night event occurred, GOG customers were excluded, and I was deeply saddened that I was unable to participate.
I was told at the time that bringing the event to GOG again in the future would be looked into.
Now for a second year the GOG release has been excluded from the 4 Days of Night event.
This is despite the event being available on both Xbox and PlayStation, which could be described as more difficult to release events like this on.
In fact, the email I received from Hinterland that declared the event occurring again this year specifically addressed that the event would not be coming to GOG, by the fact that it specifically stated the event was coming to Steam, with no mention of PC in general, or GOG.
For the last year or so there has been almost complete silence about the reason for update delays, and now silence as to why the event is (again) not available for GOG users.
The only official comments I have seen on the topic of the update delays or the exclusion of the 4 Days of Night event from GOG have completely deferred the questions rather than even attempting to answer them.
I have asked questions about the GOG release, and have been met with silence.
To me, it feels as though I am being told: "You bought the game on the only storefront that even let you play it for more than a year after you bought it? Must suck not being able to participate in an event that people who bought the game literally anywhere else can... Too bad!"

I understand that issues come up, and that delays and difficulties occur.
What I do not understand is the nearly complete lack of communication about the reason for the delays and exclusion.
As a customer who bought a copy of the game on the only storefront they could actually play the game from at the time they bought it, I am asking:
As a fan who greatly enjoys the game, and has the utmost respect and admiration for the Hinterland staff, I am asking:
What is the problem with the GOG release of The Long Dark?
What problem cropped up that is causing the (relatively long) delays in update releases on GOG?
What problem is so massive that it necessitates the complete exclusion of GOG customers from the 4 Days of Night event?
Was there a falling out between CD Projekt and Hinterland?
What problem is so horrible that even addressing the questions and concerns of GOG customers seems to be completely prohibited?
Are Hinterland employees subject to a NDA or something that prohibits the transparency that I am requesting?

I just want to know what is going on.
Being left out of the loop, with no actual reason being given for the delays and exclusion is disheartening.
As i said before, I understand that delays do occur; I get that.
Not being told why the delays are occurring makes me feel like I am seen as so unimportant that I don't even deserve an explanation.
Regarding that utmost respect and admiration for Hinterland staff I mentioned before...
Those feelings are beginning to waver and wane as the requests for information (from myself and others) continue to be deferred, if not outright ignored.
At a certain point, even the most loyal people break when neglected, and they are unlikely to ever return to being loyal again.

[nccvoyager]

Personally, I hope someone is allowed to answer.

[Blinkin]

I agree with OP. I'd like to have some answers.

Let's state the main problem here: complete utter lack of communication.
I was very happy the past year because Hinterland made a major leap when it came to communication to GOG players.... we're back to zero again.

Don't get me wrong I love the Hinterland devs and I really really love how the game turned out.
I completely hate the current communication again, it's something I tell to everyone close to me while being interested in the game: expect to be completely ignored at random times for no apparent reason.

Little note: I followed all the fun 4DoN stories this year, looks like an awesome hyped event! 

[Blinkin]

I just took note that TLD won't be able for purchase in a short while on the GOG platform. I would like what has lead to this decision before jumping to conclusions.

https://www.gog.com/forum/the_long_dark/the_long_dark_removal/page1

[Admin]

We will continue to support our existing GOG customers to ensure The Long Dark remains up to date for them. We have always updated all users as quickly and efficiently as possible and will continue to do so.

[StrangerFromTheInternet]

@admin Can you comment on why the game was removed from GOG?

[NardoLoopa]

Well, I've been looking for a reason to throw more money at Hinterland for this game.  I guess having a DRM version in my pocket is a good enough reason.

@StrangerFromTheInternet I imagine it's a sensitive subject, but I can also put 4DON + GOG together and get that there was some problem supporting 4DON on the platform so Hinterland decided that rather than let down even more GOG customers, they'd cut their loses.

Would be nice if GOG offered TLD link to Steam (as they do with some games)

[ThePancakeLady]

1 hour ago, NardoLoopa said:

Would be nice if GOG offered TLD link to Steam (as they do with some games)

But that does nothing for GoG-only owners. GoG connect only gives you a DRM-free copy on GoG for games you own on Steam, not the other way around.

I suspect I might know why this is happening, but I am not going to speculate on it. Speculation without absolute solid proof to back it up leads to a ton of misinformation flying around the internet. Throw reddit into the mix, and the misinformation factor goes up tenfold.

I'll let Hinterland tell us when they are ready to tell us, and get the story straight from them. 

 

[NardoLoopa]

12 minutes ago, ThePancakeLady said:

But that does nothing for GoG-only owners. GoG connect only gives you a DRM-free copy on GoG for games you own on Steam, not the other way around.

Ah, is that the direction of fit?  My mistake, then.

[ThePancakeLady]

Yeah. It's really the only reason I have a GoG account and any games there. I never use their client, and rarely play any of the games i have there, since i have them all on Steam, first, with more progress on them. I think i paid for one game there, had issues with the download (it kept coming through corrupted), and GoG customer support was horrid. I decided to take my money back to Steam and stay there. But I will grab the Connect games, just to let them sit, gathering digital dust, in my GoG library. making a useless point, I guess.

Honestly, I am not terribly concerned if TLD is pulled from their store. I don't own the game on GoG, so it really does not affect me. None of my close friends or family members own the game on GoG, we all own  on Steam and on either XBone or PS4. So, none of us are affected by this. It just caught my eye. I suppose I should have just looked and not commented, My bad.

[NardoLoopa]

I have quite a few GOG games.  Mostly memories, or things that ran on Linux.  I ideologically used to buy GOG instead of Steam when given the chance, but the Steam experience is so much better, that I've relinquished my ideological hard-line position.

It basically comes down to:

1. Discounts
2. Achievements
3. Mod support (not TLD currently, but for other games)

Yeah, how sad is that.

[deepanddark]

On 11/6/2018 at 8:56 PM, Blinkin said:

I just took note that TLD won't be able for purchase in a short while on the GOG platform. I would like what has lead to this decision before jumping to conclusions.

https://www.gog.com/forum/the_long_dark/the_long_dark_removal/page1

What a shame. My guess is bad sales. Bad sales figures lead to the lack of developer care we've been experiencing. Again, a damn shame! 

@ThePancakeLady: Please do!

[NardoLoopa]

Well, the good news is that it only costs you $8USD to switch over to Steam today.

[Blinkin]

The bad news is that Steam isn't a DRM free platform.

[nccvoyager]

The 75% discount has half-justified me picking it up on Steam; though I maintain the opinion that I shouldn't have to do so in order to participate in all of the content.
I gladly paid full for the GOG release at the time, and despite loving The Long Dark, I am a little salty about this experience.

At least I'll be able to join in any events like the 4 Days of Night in the future, and I won't have to wait upwards of 6 days longer for the latest updates and releases.
I'm just stating a fact there; I'm not trying to belittle the work that Hinterland employees put into it.
Realistically, there was a delay, and that delay was never satisfactorily explained by Hinterland, nor by CD Projekt (GOG).
I get it; confidentiality agreements occur, and employees are sworn to secrecy and stuff.
That doesn't make the lack of communication any less disappointing or frustrating.
(I would actually assume that the frustration is probably present on all three sides.)

Despite my salty attitude at the moment, I do still have a deep level of respect and admiration for what the Hinterland employees have accomplished.
That loyalty I felt has been tempered and is no longer absolute; it is cracked and weakened, and will never be as strong again.
I'll still follow future Hinterland projects, and am still excited to see where The Long Dark goes, but...
*Sigh.*
Anyways, take care everyone, and best of luck in your endeavours.

[Blinkin]

More new about why GOG was removed. I though it would be nice if I shared it here too for those who don't read the mailbag:

Quote

Just a business decision, like dozens I make every day. We'll continue supporting the GOG build for our existing customers so nobody is negatively impacted by this removal.

I'm glad there's communication about it. I appreciate this a lot. Thanks Raphael, thanks Hinterland.

[nccvoyager]

So, despite the fact that I've had it on GOG for a long time now, I picked it up on Steam because it's on sale.
While you have to download it and run it through Steam once, you can then move that installation anywhere else on that computer you want.
So, other than Steam itself being required to download the game, it can be freely played without Steam afterwards.
Making it effectively DRM-free on Steam. (Other than Steam itself being required for the download.)
Not sure whether you can move it to another computer and run it there as well; I didn't attempt it, as I don't have another computer capable of running it.

[Polynomial-C]

I'm quite concerned about Hinterland's decision to drop TLD from GoG.

Speaking as a player that despises Steam, I'd like to know where I now can purchase this great game (for Linux) without the requirement to install Steam software.

Just to make this chrystal clear: I do not want to install anything Steam-related on any of my systems even if it's merely for downloading the game.

I find it very disappointing that Hinterland removed the only choice for players to obtain this game without being forced to use Steam.

[nccvoyager]

In that case, it is unavailable to you.
If you don't use Steam (can't or won't; doesn't matter which) then you can not buy it for PC now.
Your only other option is to buy a copy of the console release.

[Wulf Marius]

On 9.11.2018 at 11:51 PM, Blinkin said:

More new about why GOG was removed. I though it would be nice if I shared it here too for those who don't read the mailbag:

I'm glad there's communication about it. I appreciate this a lot. Thanks Raphael, thanks Hinterland.

But that doesn't really explain why, does it?

It's just a confirmation of what was already known.