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33 minutes ago, Blinkin said:

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

So you're saying that for those who've followed the development of the game since 2014 and managed to connect little tidbits of information from different platforms, it was clear from the outset what to expect and what not?

Why, that changes everything!

Obviously it doesn't. I didn't expect Story Mode, in fact I cautioned people to curb their expectations precisely because I expected this backlash to happen. Which gets to my problem with Hinterland and their communication strategy: if I could anticipate this, so could they.

It just doesn't cut it to push a cart with your neighbour's kid down the road, watch it veer into a ditch for hundreds of yards and then say: hey, don't blame me: I wasn't the one driving it!

Hinterland could've and should have seen this coming (and it probably did) and did nothing to stop it from happening. Result: a lot of negative feelings from their customer base, backlash, negative reviews.

What's the business strategy here? I really like to know...

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13 minutes ago, TWM said:

Hinterland could've and should have seen this coming (and it probably did) and did nothing to stop it from happening. Result: a lot of negative feelings from their customer base, backlash, negative reviews.

What's the business strategy here? I really like to know...

I can't disagree with this. A lot of people were discussing this at the countdown timer post the past 3 weeks.
You're completely right that Hinterland could have seen this coming.

I'm sad this happened to this great community. Because the game itself and the community are lovely! :/

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1 hour ago, Blinkin said:

I can't disagree with this. A lot of people were discussing this at the countdown timer post the past 3 weeks.
You're completely right that Hinterland could have seen this coming.

I'm sad this happened to this great community. Because the game itself and the community are lovely! :/

It was obvious what the community was expecting from this countdown.  a simple " It's a big update, but not downloadable" would have saved a lot of upset.

Then none of us get it right all of the time,

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Actually, I think not only did they not mention anything about the uninformative timer countdown made it worse, but you guys read the FAQ, right?

In particular, there's this part of the FAQ that I think is MOST important: "While we managed to maintain backwards compatibility with previous saves for our nearly 3-year run in Early Access, 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). In other words, your old games won’t work with the final Sandbox update before we launch our 1.0. It’s worth noting that your Profile data will carry over, however, which means progress towards Feats, or any Badges you’ve unlocked, will carry over. We will provide ample warning before making this switch."

So, next patch that'll come soon will be the last Sandbox Update (Sandbox Fans not quite happy about that? I know I'm not), and it'll render our saves... useless. I'm still 'new' here and bought the game back in Late December when it was on sale for $10. I haven't gotten the 100 Day, 200 Day, or 10 other achievements on Steam yet. So, while my Profile Data will be saved, because my Sandbox Saves will be deleted, then I can no longer press for 100 Days on Stalker or 200 Days on Stalker or 25 of Each Natural Resource collected, etc. 

I know, I know, it's pre-release Alpha. We're not 1.0 yet and this Save Data Overhaul is supposed to prepare the game for the 1.0 release. But I still don't like it. And even though I have a considerable level of self-control, I can't help but think that if THIS was considered 'Bad Backlash' from the community, then what will the next update be considered!? Will the good outweigh the bad? Will the promise of a bright future be fulfilling enough to dial-down the anger of losing your 3-year saves? Or will people rage-quit so bad that they'll never return?

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19 minutes ago, selfless said:

This did not happen in a vacuum.  They could have said something.  They chose not to.  And enjoyed a windfall of new sales.

Now they want forgiveness...

I'm confused for what are they asking forgiveness? This hyped me through the roof for the game. I think the big problem is a ton of people hyped themselves up for actual playable updates when nothing of the sort had been promised. All I did was keep playing TLD...as I have done even more since the countdown ended, knowing that the end of the countdown would probably bring a slick new website and a final street date for Single Player. And whaddya know know that's exactly what we got...and a great trailer to boot...and a opt in sandbox soon.

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Just now, RossBondReturns said:

I'm confused for what are they asking forgiveness? This hyped me through the roof for the game. I think the big problem is a ton of people hyped themselves up for actual playable updates when nothing of the sort had been promised. All I did was keep playing TLD...as I have done even more since the countdown ended, knowing that the end of the countdown would probably bring a slick new website and a final street date for Single Player. And whaddya know know that's exactly what we got...and a great trailer to boot...and a opt in sandbox soon.

I think the anger is because Hinterland didn't communicate clearly or manage people's expectations. From the moment the countdown timer was released, people across Hinterland's social media platforms--this forum, the Steam forums, Reddit, etc.--speculated about what would happen when the countdown timer reached zero. Some people thought it was a final countdown to story mode. Others thought it was a countdown to sandbox mode. One thing that everyone can probably agree on is that the countdown was ambiguous. There was at least one guy who got banned from the Steam forums after complaining relentlessly about the countdown's ambiguity. After so much speculation and even some hostility before the countdown reached zero, Hinterland was on notice that the countdown was ambiguous, that people were speculating, and that at least some were already upset about the ambiguity. However, Hinterland never clarified what the countdown was all about until today. It sounds like you managed your own expectations, which is great. Nevertheless, because people are anxious for the game's official release, hopefully Hinterland will try harder to manage people's expectations going forward.

Just my two cents.

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I understand that I truly do. However I think that the fans were the ones that hyped themselves into a frenzy. Personally I got exactly what I expected, what I assumed we would be getting and a little more to be honest and I was ecstatic. I was able to be happy with and for Hinterlands for their awesome announcement. Story Mode August 1, PS4 and more. And the new website looks awesome...and loving what I'm hearing about Survivor (Aka Sandbox) and can't wait to test that.

To be blunt I have never been embarrassed to be part of this usually excellent fan community until today.

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Just now, RossBondReturns said:

I understand that I truly do. However I think that the fans were the ones that hyped themselves into a frenzy. Personally I got exactly what I expected, what I assumed we would be getting and a little more to be honest and I was ecstatic. I was able to be happy with and for Hinterlands for their awesome announcement. Story Mode August 1, PS4 and more. And the new website looks awesome...and loving what I'm hearing about Survivor (Aka Sandbox) and can't wait to test that.

To be blunt I have never been embarrassed to be part of this usually excellent fan community until today.

To be fair, Raphael van Lierop posted an apology on the Steam forums earlier today and explained that the countdown's ambiguity was intended to "build up some excitement around our new trailer." I can understand their motivation, but hype is a double-edged sword--see, e.g., No Man's Sky. I agree with you that people shouldn't hype themselves into a frenzy, but Hinterland intended for people to get hyped up and knew people's inflated expectations before today, so I do think there are lessons to be learned for them as well.

All that said, I hope that none of this comes across as anything more than constructive criticism. I wish all the best for Hinterland and am looking forward to August 1.

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8 hours ago, Blinkin said:

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... 

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. :/

 

Pretty much exactly this. I get that some people will be disappointed. But I, for one, loved everything about this whole build-up. I loved checking the website every day just to watch the countdown get closer. I loved logging in at 12:15 CDT and seeing..... A new Website. Ta Da! 

Seriously. The only reason people are so disappointed is that they allowed themselves to get all excited about story mode despite the absolute fact that we were told specifically that Story Mode wouldn't be released until after another Sandbox update. Nothing Hinterland has done with this entire stunt should have given anyone any indication whatsoever that Story Mode would be released today. 

What this did do is generate a lot of excitement in the community. And I think that's awesome. Maybe some part of this was @Raphael van Lierop and the team having a bit of fun at our expense. And you know what? I'm 100% fine with that. They've been busting their asses for well over two years on this project. They deserve a bit of levity. Kudos on the launch of the new website. Double Kudos on the timeline for the releases of the next update and Story Mode. And Triple Kudos on the new trailer. 

 

Well played, Hinterland. Well played.

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As i do believe a bit more damage control couldve been done on hibterlands part, there was no chance story mode would be released on such a quiet countdown timer. No sandbox update was a bit disappointing but the news we got was by far the most structured and detailed weve ever gotten, we should take joy in that and stockup for the june update and story mode, august 1st.

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Know) that on August 1 Story ) , but please tell me what to do ), until 1 August ) , if all are studied ) , I personally know the map by heart ) , and can calm the storm the house to find ) , it should go back out ) , I wonder what kind of a character in the video , where he sits on a chair with a blindfold ? Just feel sorry for him a bit in this area it is unlikely to survive , in this state , I would like more choice of characters in survival mode ) , so for example the heroes of the history itself ) , it was interesting ) , here for example ) , I have this idea that if you add in survival, the choice of a teenage boy ) , he is a local resident , he and his parents were in Encouraging the valley to Evacuate , they walked through the mine , the mine caved in , the parents managed to pass and he doesn't , the Parents do not notice , the son fell behind and left without him , and he waited bad weather in the mine and returned home , fortunately his house was spared.

 

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10 hours ago, Blinkin said:

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.

Well, I for one have certainly followed the game very closely since late 2014, and I at least considered the possibility of a full release coming 4th May when the timer was started. And don't underestimate what wishful thinking is doing to our brains. When the timer was running out, I thought at least the sandbox update would come in a package with other things (release date, trailer etc.). If you look over these forums - which is a place for many people who have been following the development closely - you will find an instructive poll I did on the expectations. Take a good look at the results. Were all those voters fools who did not follow the game as you put it?

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Personally? I am not outraged, angry or whatever like most whining fans are. But hey, who am I to be rude and call those "angry" fans as whining? Of course, a moderator can talk to me privately if I overstep the rules or something.

Honestly, you are all pretty shit, people. Hinterland has been making this game since 2014 and till now, they done a lot, and I mean it, a lot lot lot work, released countless of updates and bug fixes (I doubt any other EARLY-ACCESS game developers have ever done that besides Prison Architect (By Introversion)) and you guys complain about what? A timer/countdown which were not guaranteed a release of story mode and/or sandbox update? Really, get your shit done because nothing was promised when the countdown would end. Nothing was promised but we were promised a new sandbox update which will be released before the story mode launch. Promise broken or not? Nope, they will keep the promise and eventually release the sandbox update but not the same day of the countdown because they didn't say about releasing sandbox update on the same day. 

You guys need to calm down and keep playing or just stop playing and wait for the new update. Nobody is forcing you to play this game and you really need to take a break from the game because you all are just whining over a little-nothing issue. Look on the good side: I am excited. But, hey, why? Because the game will be released to Playstation 4 on 1st August and that's all I need to be happy. But you (Especially PC gamers I am sure) are angry and whining about a poor thing.

Take a break. Hintlerland, I am proud of you and happy for your incoming plans (New sandbox update and story mode). But please, finish the roadmap as well, they are very important, thanks.

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2 hours ago, thekillergreece said:

...because you all are just whining over a little-nothing issue.

I don't find 3-years of save files being wiped to be a "little-nothing issue". Not to mention the fact that we were, in fact, promised Updates POST 1.0 Official Release, but now, with the new FAQ, that has been changed. I'm completely against the idea of Sandbox/Survivor-Mode no longer being updated and all of the save files being wiped.

EDIT: Not to mention the fact that we had to wait for a countdown just to tell us the bad news. That's very disappointing that I anxiously waited to see what good things would come... only to follow up with bad, bad, and... well... more bad. Sure, Story Mode is nice, but I'm a Hardcore Survivor/Sandbox Mode fan.

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35 minutes ago, Deathdealers747 said:

I don't find 3-years of save files being wiped to be a "little-nothing issue". Not to mention the fact that we were, in fact, promised Updates POST 1.0 Official Release, but now, with the new FAQ, that has been changed. I'm completely against the idea of Sandbox/Survivor-Mode no longer being updated and all of the save files being wiped.

EDIT: Not to mention the fact that we had to wait for a countdown just to tell us the bad news. That's very disappointing that I anxiously waited to see what good things would come... only to follow up with bad, bad, and... well... more bad. Sure, Story Mode is nice, but I'm a Hardcore Survivor/Sandbox Mode fan.

bad news? what is the bad news? and updates will continue be it sandbox or story. wake up or grow up.

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15 minutes ago, Deathdealers747 said:

I don't find 3-years of save files being wiped to be a "little-nothing issue". Not to mention the fact that we were, in fact, promised Updates POST 1.0 Official Release, but now, with the new FAQ, that has been changed. I'm completely against the idea of Sandbox/Survivor-Mode no longer being updated and all of the save files being wiped.

EDIT: Not to mention the fact that we had to wait for a countdown just to tell us the bad news. That's very disappointing that I anxiously waited to see what good things would come... only to follow up with bad, bad, and... well... more bad. Sure, Story Mode is nice, but I'm a Hardcore Survivor/Sandbox Mode fan.

Excuse me but does it state anywhere clearly that there won't be POST updates? Ontop of that, have you seen ANY early-access games supporting "alpha" saves to "full version" saves? Rimworld for example, erases save files each after alpha updates.

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6 hours ago, thekillergreece said:

Personally? I am not outraged, angry or whatever like most whining fans are. But hey, who am I to be rude and call those "angry" fans as whining? Of course, a moderator can talk to me privately if I overstep the rules or something.

Honestly, you are all pretty shit, people. 

 

Folks, namecalling and insults are never welcome here. Be critical, if that is your stance, but do so without insulting each other. If that isn't clear from our community guidelines, please message me directly so I can clear them up for you. Thank you. 

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22 minutes ago, Jolan said:

@MarrowStoneHer mouth is different so with that and the piercings, I'm going to vote not Astrid. :)

And she has a candle! what I wouldn't give for candles. :)

 

It's definitely not Astrid. You see Astrid in the plane at 0:17 in the video. She looks nothing like the woman with the piercings at the 1:41 mark. Going by all the equipment in the background, I suspect she's a researcher of some sort.

 

Astrid_zps1grmilxo.png~originalResearcher_zpssoml1gxq.png~original

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