Will there ever be a story mode? Starting to think not : (

I started playing TLD not long after it was first available and WOW it has come a long way. I have to admit, I think it might be a little "too" easy to survive now (compared to back then when surviving a week was a major accomplishment. So before I give any "not so positive" feedback, I want to say the game is awesome. I'm a bit of a survival game enthusiast and this one is very well done.

That said, the sandbox game has long wore thin for me. Honestly, at this stage, survival is fairly easy and repetitive. I REALLY hoped that this game, by now, would have a story mode. At the absolute very least, we should have an alpha story load by now. Ideally, we should have have been in beta by now. I feel the developers are trying to entertain us with sandbox updates to keep people interested in the game rather than putting out anything with real substance. Even if there wasn't a "story mode", having SOMEONE to talk to in the sandbox would be a hell of a thing. The sheer boredom of having no one to speak to has got me down. I REALLY want to play this game and enjoy it like I used to.

I restarted AGAIN today (after taking a few months off) and again, I saw the developers had added some nice touches, but no real meat to the game (unless I am missing something)? I played for 2 hours and couldn't stand it any more. It's very sad. So much potential.

Hinterlands, you've got a lot of potential with this game, but you need to move forward or let players know you have no intention of doing so.

Again, please don't take this as an "I hate the game" post. I absolutely DO NOT hate the game. I just want MORE in the game besides giving me some new sticks to pick up or a new look to my character screen...those are nice. I know you have new zones, but that is just a rinse/repeat of the first one as far as scavenge, fill up your bars, next day...scavenge....next day...scavenge...and so on.

I will give you credit for the progress you have made though

For what it's worth, I sense some direction and have been seeing clues about what may be coming. Perhaps it isn't as obvious as I think it is. I think we are starting to experience parts of what story mode will be.

Consider that we can now interact with the game world in ways we could not previously. Where we were dependent upon items laying around we can now harvest them. Harvesting has extended past just animals and a few inventory items.

We were just given the ability to move objects once they are dropped. There may or may not be a strategic use for this, but one might imagine using it to place keys in locks or components into utility equipment later. The mechanics have to be sound in the sandbox before they can be directed in story mode.

We can now highlight and harvest pans. Since they are now in-game objects rather than just static background art I suspect greater interaction with pans in the future - whether for cooking or gathering or other uses. We are just beginning to interact with static objects. Maybe they'll do this with all those candles and maybe not.

With just the last update there are a lot of things to fix. Use a hacksaw on a shelf and the items don't fall, for instance.

Now consider about the areas. Desolation Point is a small area, comparatively (or it feels like it), BUT the player is being directed there. It is the only place to make arrowheads. Also, as many times as I've been there I've never found a hatchet at DP. I always end up making my own at the forge. They force the exploration of DP by requiring the heavy hammer to forge.

The only way to DP is through Coastal Highway, which is as we all know, very much owned by the wolves. To get to DP you have to go past an area in CH with a high concentration of wolves and the probability of a bear. There is no way around them. DP itself has a large number of wolves. Now, if a player wants to use arrows, which, unlike the rifle ammunition, are reusable and renewable, they have to push themselves across CH, through the choke point of wolves in CH, and on to DP. So Hinterland is pushing us into danger - giving us no way to avoid it.

And this was all with this last update...

In my mind we are being directed into story mode by being pushed toward an area and not homesteading in just one. Sure, we can hang out in one area but the sacrifices aren't worth it. Homesteading is boring, lonely, repetitive, and unchallenging. We are being made to be on the move to get the tools we need.

If I planned to get out of alpha the same time I introduced story mode then I would want all these mechanics in place, the sequence of travel established with the gauntlets in place, and all of it community tested before fully directing game play with story mode. We are as much testers as we are players in my mind.

The Story Mode is scheduled for "end of 2015" release and has been for some time now so you don't have much longer to wait for it. As random calliope said, there've been signs about what's to come with story mode and a clear history of frequent updates & added content working towards that goal.

If you're getting bored, you could always challenge yourself to something new with self-imposed goals or limits, such as these.

I am curious of what you mean when you say you want more, though. More what? Is it anything outside of craving the narrative-driven experience? You say you want someone to talk to but multiplayer is not happening and I'm not sure how interactive the NPCs in Story Mode will be, though I'm still looking forward to seeing how we interact with them. Either way, we only have about 2 months before we find out!

...I REALLY hoped that this game, by now, would have a story mode. At the absolute very least, we should have an alpha story load by now...

I also really want to play the story mode and had hoped it would have been released by now, but Hinterland has always been clear that the story mode wouldn't be released before the game was finished and that the release would be end 2015 has been known for quite some time now. I'm really hoping they will manage to finish everything in time so we will see a 2015 release, but I'm already preparing myself mentally that it may take a month or two more.

The reason we don't have an alpha of the story mode is simple: Hinterland wants the first time we play the story mode to be the real deal, not some unfinished alpha thing that might have some story breaking bugs in it. And I agree. I would not play the story mode even if they did release it as alpha right now. You can only play it the first time once and I want that experience to be the best it can be.

The reason we don't have an alpha of the story mode is simple: Hinterland wants the first time we play the story mode to be the real deal, not some unfinished alpha thing that might have some story breaking bugs in it. And I agree. I would not play the story mode even if they did release it as alpha right now. You can only play it the first time once and I want that experience to be the best it can be.

I couldn't agree more. Realistically, release dates are guesses, and I always prefer a finished product released late over a half-baked, bug-riddled product released on time. Unfortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has been steadily heading in the opposite direction ever since Internet access became widespread (and fast) enough to make post-release patching feasible for customers on a large scale. I understand the financial incentive for getting something out the door as soon as possible, but I have a lot more respect for companies who don't do that if it's not ready.

I'm confident that we'll see a story mode at some point. Will it appear by the end of 2015? Maybe, maybe not. If it doesn't, I'm not going to get upset about it.

I'd be curious as to know whether they are still on time or not though. As an intense Star Citizen backer, I kind of lost hopes in deadlines by now so some reassurance that the release period is still more or less accurate would be great!

By guess is summer 2016 but that's just me talking through my hat,

We are still set to release at the end of this year. If anything changes, we will certainly keep the community updated!

I started playing TLD not long after it was first available and WOW it has come a long way. I have to admit, I think it might be a little "too" easy to survive now (compared to back then when surviving a week was a major accomplishment. So before I give any "not so positive" feedback, I want to say the game is awesome. I'm a bit of a survival game enthusiast and this one is very well done.

That said, the sandbox game has long wore thin for me. Honestly, at this stage, survival is fairly easy and repetitive. I REALLY hoped that this game, by now, would have a story mode. At the absolute very least, we should have an alpha story load by now. Ideally, we should have have been in beta by now. I feel the developers are trying to entertain us with sandbox updates to keep people interested in the game rather than putting out anything with real substance. Even if there wasn't a "story mode", having SOMEONE to talk to in the sandbox would be a hell of a thing. The sheer boredom of having no one to speak to has got me down. I REALLY want to play this game and enjoy it like I used to.

I restarted AGAIN today (after taking a few months off) and again, I saw the developers had added some nice touches, but no real meat to the game (unless I am missing something)? I played for 2 hours and couldn't stand it any more. It's very sad. So much potential.

Hinterlands, you've got a lot of potential with this game, but you need to move forward or let players know you have no intention of doing so.

Again, please don't take this as an "I hate the game" post. I absolutely DO NOT hate the game. I just want MORE in the game besides giving me some new sticks to pick up or a new look to my character screen...those are nice. I know you have new zones, but that is just a rinse/repeat of the first one as far as scavenge, fill up your bars, next day...scavenge....next day...scavenge...and so on.

I will give you credit for the progress you have made though

Experience suggests it takes much longer than a year for most decent games to go from early production to reasonably finished product (beta traditionally is a sign of a near finished product). Especially from a start up. Frankly, if they make release by the end of the year we should all be more surprised than anything.

At least the game is good enough we are all looking forward and excited about new content. After almost 30 years of gaming and countless alphas and betas, this is one of the most professional companies I've seen. Half the time you get companies that seem to not be able to figure out what direction they want to go, or over estimate their abilities and budget etc. In other words, well intentioned people with good ideas, who are less than able, organized business people. Hinderlands really deserve patience and a little more reasonable expectations.

...I REALLY hoped that this game, by now, would have a story mode. At the absolute very least, we should have an alpha story load by now...

I also really want to play the story mode and had hoped it would have been released by now, but Hinterland has always been clear that the story mode wouldn't be released before the game was finished and that the release would be end 2015 has been known for quite some time now. I'm really hoping they will manage to finish everything in time so we will see a 2015 release, but I'm already preparing myself mentally that it may take a month or two more.

The reason we don't have an alpha of the story mode is simple: Hinterland wants the first time we play the story mode to be the real deal, not some unfinished alpha thing that might have some story breaking bugs in it. And I agree. I would not play the story mode even if they did release it as alpha right now. You can only play it the first time once and I want that experience to be the best it can be.

Couldn't have said it better myself. In my mind Hinterland has delivered in terms of giving us more to play with in sandbox mode. Personally I don't mind waiting longer than expected for story mode if it means that players get to experience something more polished. Yeah sometimes it can get boring in with no narrative structure to speak of, but that's sandbox mode for you in any game, not just this one.

If you're looking for a challenge to occupy yourself while waiting for story mode, try looking for the bunkers in PV and ML. After 250+ hours in this game, I found my very first one! It was a good feeling.

There is one thing I do agree on with the OP: I would like some NPC company in the sandbox.

We are still set to release at the end of this year. If anything changes, we will certainly keep the community updated!

There ought to be an area in the game called Bethany's Frozen Bog where we find a body that has that elusive never-before-seen flint striker next to it because it would, you know, give us some hope.

We are still set to release at the end of this year. If anything changes, we will certainly keep the community updated!

I'll hand it to ya, this is a well managed community ;P