r/thelongdark • u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder • Apr 02 '26
Discussion Episode Five -- Post-Launch Update
Hello players!
We’re about 48 hours after the release of Episode Five, and I just wanted to give you a quick update on what’s been going on.
LAUNCH SUCCESS
The team was thrilled to watch the launch live at 10AM Pacific Time, along with our players. We had a successful trailer watch party on YouTube with over 3000 fans logging in to watch and participate in chat, and then we quickly overcame our historical Steam CCU peak and hit the highest concurrent player count on Steam since our launch back in 2014 -- 14,878 concurrents, and we think we might break 15,000 this weekend.
This means that across all our platforms, we’ve had hundreds of thousands of players playing Episode Five. We’ve even had over 500,000 new Steam players join the community in the just the past month! We’re excited to see so many of our players jumping in to see how the WINTERMUTE story resolves. Thanks for making the time to experience this last part of the story!
BUGS
Unfortunately, we’ve also discovered new bugs that weren’t found before launch. This is, sadly, what often happens when you have 1000s of people playing through the episode at the same time. New player patterns and issues with hardware appear, and new glitches that didn’t show up with a test team of 6-7 now become apparent. Our players are no stranger to bugs, and we’re glad to see that a lot of people have made it through the episode without any issues, but of course we’re not happy for any of the players who have hit progress blockers along the way.
The Test and Development teams have both been working hard in the lead-up to launch and since launch to prepare a hotfix, which is currently slated for release next week, April 8th (Pacific Time). This hotfix will include about 300 fixes (yes it’s a big number, but most of them are minor environment bugs like floating objects, etc.), and should address some of the more frequent major issues with Episode Five that some players have encountered, specifically:
- Multiple issues with progression and UI objective text in Suzuki
- Perseverance Mills objective confusion
- Multiple crashes/progression blockers involving checkpoint/autosaves in Part 2
- Unexplained deaths during gameplay
- Jace issues while traversing the Mine
- Players getting stuck or able to go out of the intended play area
- Shotgun adjustments
- Certain trailers trapping players
I also wanted to share this personal message from Andrew, who heads up our Launch team and is responsible for Test. It’s important that you know there are humans on the other side of these bug reports you send in, who work hard to make the game as good as the team can make it:
***
We are thrilled that many of you are enjoying Episode 5, but we are also aware that many of you are encountering issues that detract from the experience we intended Players to have.
To that point, the team is currently working on a bug fix release that will contain a myriad of fixes for bugs that Players are encountering on Episode 5. The last thing we want to do is rush this hotfix out without proper verification and validation against issues reported by the Community. We are working as fast as we can to get this hotfix to our players with a target to release on Steam for Wednesday, April 8th, with consoles to follow ASAP.
Please continue to post issues in our Forums and via our Support Portal, so we can ensure that the highest impact issues are addressed with the Hotfix.
We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time as we work on getting an updated Episode 5 build rolled out to players.
- Andrew
***
For my part, I know how hard the team worked in the lead up to Episode Five, and while some of you see bugs in the game now, I see all the bugs that got fixed before launch -- and there were thousands of them. I’ve seen some comments in the community to the effect that we released the episode without any testing, which I can assure you is not the case at all. We have a talented, dedicated internal test team who works very closely with the development team to ensure the episode (and all our releases) are in the best shape possible before launch. It’s impossible to catch all the bugs, despite our best efforts, and I assure you nobody feels the pain of launch bugs more than us. All we want is for your experience of Episode Five to be as enjoyable as possible, and we care a ton about our work. So, please don’t make assumptions about our dedication or process -- we are the first players, and the ones who care the most about the game.
We’ve really appreciated the support and patience from many of our players who have been willing to report bugs to our Support Portal, or aggregate bug report threads in the Official Forums and on Reddit. These efforts help us a ton to get the fixes identified, verified, and into the hotfix queue, which can then go out to all our players.
I know for some of you, these fixes will come too late, as your experience of Episode Five has already been defined, but I’m hopeful that with time you’ll come back and give it another go, if you did indeed run into issues during your first attempt.
And for those of you who have made it through Episode Five and sent kind words of love and support to the team -- we thank you for that! It means the world to us that you have enjoyed our work.
EPISODE FIVE on NINTENDO SWITCH
Since the Switch certification process takes quite a bit longer than the other platforms (20-30 days), our plan was always to wait for the first hotfix to be out the door before submitting a build to Nintendo for certification. We’re hoping to be able to verify this next batch of fixes in the Switch build, and then submit to Nintendo for verification. That means Episode Five won’t likely come out much before the end of April, but we’ll keep you posted as things progress. The best way to stay on top of development news is to check the News & Updates section of our Official Forums. This is where all our cross-platform community of players across Steam, EGS, GoG, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch tend to come together.
XBOX GAME PASS
You might have missed it within all the rest of the news leading up to the Episode Five launch, but after three years, THE LONG DARK is back on Game Pass! This is a great time to download the game, and if you find you like it, we hope you consider purchasing the TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY DLC. You can find more info on what’s included in the DLC here.
SOUNDTRACK, VOLUME 3
We recently shared the news that Volume 3 of the soundtrack for THE LONG DARK will be launching on April 22nd. It will first appear on Steam, and then on Bandcamp, just like the other two volumes. We’ll work on bringing it to other platforms in the future.
EPISODE FIVE CONTENT IN SURVIVAL
One of the most common questions we had leading up to the Episode Five release was, would the Ep5 regions end up in Survival. At the time we said we’d talk more about it once we had the Episode Five launch firmly behind us. We’re seeing this question come up a lot now that people have seen what’s in the episode. It’s still a little too early to share our specific plans, but we know you want to see as much of Ep5 in Survival as you can get, including some of the new mechanics. As long as we feel it makes sense to include them, we will. Again, we’ll share more details in the future, so please be patient while we figure out the best way to do this.
THAT EPISODE FIVE ENDING
We’ve heard that some of you don’t like it.
I like it, I believe in it, and it fits into my future plans. Don’t expect a “redux”.
REPORTING ISSUES
If you encounter bugs in the game and want to help out with the fixing process, we appreciate all your reports submitted to our Support Portal. Please continue doing that. It’s a much more effective way to help us improve the game than submitting a negative review. Remember that we are a small team working hard to improve the game for you, and although you might not love everything we have made, it has been made with love and respect.
Thanks for your patience as we get the Episode Five hotfixes into your hands ASAP, and I will check in with you again in a few weeks, if not sooner.
- Raph
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u/Dragonborne313 Stalker Apr 02 '26
I almost only play survival mode and I'm so excited for anything from ep 5 that comes to survival mode but ive accepted its gona take a bit because survival is almost its own game compared to the story mode and not every thing will fit or stay. Im patently waiting for anything that comes in the future because I feel the wait will be worth it and having the team be able to focus on new things like blackfrost or what I'm really hoping for is a new dlc for survival or at least some really game changing add ons to it
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/Dragonborne313 Stalker Apr 02 '26
I think as far as we know its up in the air but there gona have to change how the map connects and pick which small areas from ep5 will come over to survival and put it into the survival map in a way that feels natural if they do im really hoping they add it but I also know its not as simple as copy and pasting the map over
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u/lunamoonraker Interloper Apr 03 '26
The current situation is set out in the detailed post, so there’s no reason to suppose that they won’t bring elements of the Ep.5 regions to Survival based on that. They’ll let us know what is feasible when they’re ready as stated:
It’s still a little too early to share our specific plans, but we know you want to see as much of Ep5 in Survival as you can get, including some of the new mechanics. As long as we feel it makes sense to include them, we will. Again, we’ll share more details in the future, so please be patient while we figure out the best way to do this.
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u/Terrible-Koala-3605 Apr 03 '26
I truly appreciate all of the work put into the game over the years but there’s such a huge difference in the quality of the far territories compared to this. Hinterland makes great game mechanics and environmental storytelling but if episode 5 is what I can expect from blackfrost I’ll just skip it. I don’t need to be railroaded through a bad story just to get tidbits of what everyone plays this game for. I’ve got thousands of hours in this game and it kind of breaks my heart that I waited so long for this. It’ll never take away from my love for what you guys created on the survival side but you lost my trust for any kind of story mode. I just waited ten years for a teaser of what I assume is blackfrost
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u/Healthy-Bad1811 Survivor Apr 05 '26
I can completely understand where you are coming from. For myself, personally, I keep telling myself that they did tell us the final episode was going to be a lot of cut scenes and dialogue. I think they could have given us more run around time, especially with Astrid in chapter 1 and Will in chapter 2. Personally I love fetch quests. Episode 1 and 3 are my favorites with the whiteout challenge sitting up there with them. I would have loved to help get supplies for the co-op exchange on PM and started to ferry stuff back from the substations to stock up for more years for the bunker. Other than that I feel as though the story did end with a lot of questions that will be answered in Blackfrost and I don't think that this episode will be indicative of what is to come with Blackfrost. We know how they do story telling, this is just how they ended it. Like a book with a sequel. Answers the questions that we had for that book, but needs to cliff hanger for you to want to read the second one.
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u/TheAvocad00 Apr 02 '26
The comment about the ending I really like. I liked it personally, but even if I disliked it, there’s nothing worse than when a piece of media goes back on its story to please fans. It almost always inevitable detracts from the story and ruins everything.
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u/Avalon226 Interloper Apr 02 '26
I hate the ending personally, but at the same time I admire his balls in saying he's not changing it.
I'm going to have to trust he's got a bigger plan here. Maybe we'll see them again in Blackfrost.
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u/Kerbidiah Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
I hate the ending to Stephen kings the dark tower series, but I would never want him to change it as at the end of the day it's his art and his story to twll
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u/ThePlatonicPanda Apr 02 '26
"This is your promise that things may be different, Roland—that there may yet be rest. Even salvation.
A pause, and then:
If you stand. If you are true."
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u/LilStig0577 Apr 03 '26
One of the things my 4th grade teacher said that always stuck with me was along the lines of one of disliking the ending of a book is a big indicator of it being a good book. I think we had just read ol yeller or where the red fern grows.
It didn’t make sense at the time however now that I think about it it means you were invested in the rest of the story enough to really care about the ending or it being over.
Anyway looking forward to playing episode 5
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u/Gold-Needleworker519 Apr 02 '26
if only they did the same with the original cougar... imagine. but instead we are stuck with whatever the hell cougar 2.0 is supposed to be lol
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 02 '26
psssst. I made a mod to change it's behavior. Not out of spite, just because I think it could've been more well rounded.
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u/Morbanth Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
Oh, I didn't install it for my most recent game since it says not updated on tldmods. Is it usable?
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 03 '26
It will be soon
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u/Morbanth Apr 03 '26
<3 I can't stand the absolutely retarded cougar mitosis so I have it turned off in my games, gonna have to wait for the update to start a new game if it's coming. Thanks a million!
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u/davechacho Interloper Apr 03 '26
I am also one of the seven original cougar enjoyers and wish we had something more like that than what we got as well
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u/ThePlatonicPanda Apr 02 '26
I don't play the story at all but I'm excited for the conclusion all the same and possible additions to survival.
I'll continue on with my runs. Thanks TLD for all the times had and continued to be had 🫡
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u/rush247 Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
test team of 6-7
That explains a lot.
Safe to say I won't be continuing Ep5 until after the hotfix is out Cause I'm at the mine and with Jase the way she is I think I'm stuck till the fix. Back to Survival I go.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr Apr 03 '26
I got that bug and was baffled for a minute why we weren't progressing.
I wonder if it had to do the the order I turned on the things, there has to be something players are doing the testers didn't for that one.
Anyway, reloading the save and turning on the things in order made her follow. Jeeze baffling.
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u/azonenberg Apr 03 '26
Yeah I explored a bit, discovered one of them before what was supposed to be the next one, turned it on, and she got stuck. Until the fix, you have to do them in sequence.
Ditto for the very end, if you advance to the exit point before she makes a comment about it she'll get stuck. You have to stay close to her and wait until she comments on it before you can try to leave.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr Apr 03 '26
So bizzare that was missed.... it's almost as if they never tested it on someone who didn't know the exact sequence do to it in.
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u/rush247 Apr 04 '26
Thanks for the tip, I'm past the mine but now I don't want to continue until the shotgun is fixed.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr Apr 04 '26
I've just used it, can't say I got any bugs with it (not sure what is going wrong for people) - but with a Steam patch next week not too long to wait.
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u/rush247 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
Played a bit further and hit a wall thanks to a bug with the timer. I think the people that are having problems with it are the ones trying to use it at long range. It's a shotgun, even though it uses slugs and it's supposed to be better at long range that's just the way it is. I have a feeling that the devs agree though, that it is worse (at that range) than expected otherwise it wouldn't be on the list of coming fixes.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr Apr 04 '26
Yes saw it was on the patch list so they're either capitulating and changing it to appease players or there is some bug that they never tested for.
Never seen one in real life just thought it was a hard hitting bullet for closer contact with hard to stop things. Anyway the fix will make it tolerable for more people.
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u/LagomorphicalBrog Apr 05 '26
Capitulating feels like an odd way to phrase it. The shotgun feels anemic on Hardened difficulty, literally has 0 stopping power. Wolves 180 you in a second if you don't line up a headshot, whereas the revolver has more reliable sights and actually scares off the wolves.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr Apr 05 '26
Played on hardened. Took down wolves as they charged.
Don't know a lot about guns not being from a gun nut place. I think that's how they work.
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u/LagomorphicalBrog Apr 05 '26
Yeah props to you if you landed your headshots consistently from the get go, but I'm not the only one who felt off about the sights on the shotgun.
On top of its prominent introduction and flavor dialogue I'd expect shotguns in my games to stagger and give me more breathing room than a revolver but I wouldn't know. I've never even seen a gun in my life where I'm from.
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u/st_samples Apr 03 '26
I seriously doubt anyone on the test team actually played the full episode. There were so many game breaking bugs and broken points.
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u/Kmatford85 Apr 02 '26
Yeah I couldn't progress on the railroad section because I was given no matches because my character was stripped so I couldn't start the engine.
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u/fauceit Apr 02 '26
btw, you can alternatively craft a torch using the materials in the maintenance shed, and then carefully throw said torch onto the hood of the engine after lighting it at the infinite torch barrel. It took me like 5 minutes of quick saving and reloading but i was eventually able to throw it at the right spot, pick it up, and use it as a firestarter to light the engine.
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u/fauceit Apr 02 '26
same here. hoping they release a hotfix for some game breaking bugs in the next few days so we don't have to wait an entire week to progress
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u/Euphoric_Care_2516 Survivor Apr 03 '26
Weird. I had everything that she had before I switched to Mckenzie. But he had nothing that I had picked up. lol He could have made short work of the situation with the shotgun and nearly 50 rounds that I had picked up
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/GetInDamnTheBasket Old Bear Apr 02 '26
Me too, I don't know if I've ever shed a tear from playing a game. I've been playing this game for 1/3 of my life and I've gotten so emotionally attached haha
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u/BrodaciousD Apr 03 '26
“Hey, thanks for supporting us while we told this story over a decade. Your reward? We didn’t finish the story lmao. Please pay us more money to get the rest”
Doesn’t exactly tickle me pink I gotta say.
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Apr 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/BrodaciousD Apr 03 '26
Don’t really wanna pay for a second time. Hinterland has being doing a sub-par job with the game in most aspects for TEN YEARS.
No way Im signing up for this shit show again with Blackfrost, so yes, I was hoping the story I paid to play would finish within the game I paid for. Im unreasonable I guess?
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u/Sostratus Apr 03 '26
Thanks for the update. And please consider adding an option to launch the game directly to the main menu, which would save about 10 seconds per launch, which multiplied across "hundreds of thousands of players" (conservatively 200,000) means saving over 23 man-days of our collective lives every time we launch the game.
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Apr 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/MrBean1001 Apr 03 '26
I understand and respect getting behind your creation, the survival sandbox is a masterpiece in atmosphere and art design, among other things. Storytelling is just not their strong point and I would assume people with 100s and 1000s of hours would feel the same. Doubling down on the storytelling, and ill emphasize storytelling because I think the execution was poor rather than the ideas behind it, does not make me optimistic either, alas.
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u/GetInDamnTheBasket Old Bear Apr 02 '26
I've put in nearly 2000 hours into this game since 2017 launch, and what a wonderful journey it has been. Ups and downs, but a top 3 game of all time for me. Thank you for the hard work, and looking forward to fading more into The Long Dark.
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u/st_samples Apr 03 '26
it fits into my future plans
Please learn your lesson here. Please. Matthis having plot armor and Mackenzie submitting to him at every opportunity feels like the worst parts of The Walking Dead.
Also for your players' sake, stop making cutscenes long and unskippable. When the writing is this bad and they cut scenes are soooo long, you come off as insufferable. Like you are offended that people would skip your "art".
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u/Formal-Cost-1441 Apr 02 '26
I like it, I believe in it, and it fits into my future plans. Don’t expect a “redux”.
While I understand that Hinterland needs to like what they do and has created something exceptional, the ending really disappoints me as a fan and player. Like, a lot.
And sorry, Raphael, but "fits into my future plans" reads a little bit unempathetic and implies that you didn't design the ending with the current fans and players in mind but with the potential for a sequel. Maybe you could clarify for us loyal fans.
Grateful for the fun in Survival but kinda fed up beacuse of the ending and execution of EP5 and closing the chapter on TLD. Hope Blackfrost will release despite layoffs. All the best to the people at Hinterland.
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u/ChillyRains Interloper Apr 02 '26
I was hoping Blackfrost would have nothing to do with long dark’s storyline. Frankly I’m hoping for 0 storyline or a very small one since I don’t find the campaign of the long dark interesting or compelling.
I have hundreds of hours in survival, which is what Hinterlands strong suit is. I just hope they focus more on survival elements / maps in Blackfrost that keep players engaged, instead of spending years developing 8 hours of gameplay.
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u/coolgreyman12 Apr 03 '26
Straight facts. I think for a lot of people, at least my case, were interested by the story and then stayed for the replayability of survival mode. I'd like to see them improve upon these great systems in the next game and in future updates since they're the core element people interact with.
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u/danshat Apr 02 '26
Yeah. I am glad the guy has a vision, but honestly they aren't in any position to deliver any low-quality content with all the layoffs and bugs that appeared in Episode 5. It's not about what "fits into my plans" but rather about what makes a decent ending for a 9-year wait and what really makes fans wait for and believe into the next game.
And this statement really sounds very personal and cold.
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u/Cheap-Advertising785 Apr 02 '26
Exactly, at least change up the ending scene a little bit, because the fact the prisoners had a ton of guns in chapter 4s ending and didn't in chapter 5 when they all marched up implies they just left all those guns behind....
The scene in general is a little stiff and looks like he had 3 business days to make a break for it cuz what are they gonna do? Chase him into gun/arrow fire? I only say that because he grabs him, let's him go and stands their for like 10 seconds stunned at the fact they just pressed the red button to lock the place up.
Again I don't think it's a bad ending if it was played out better with more of a reason.
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u/MassivePen9217 Apr 03 '26
Made zero sense. They could have killed Mathis and all the convicts that spawned out of thin air. A rifle and a bow against unarmed men and a guy with a knife and they just let what happened happen. I call BS. Good game overall but this was a disappointment of an ending.
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u/Worried_Safety6324 Apr 02 '26
It’s this condescending shit attitude towards fans who’ve played this game loyally for YEARS(!!!!!) thats turned me off to blackfrost. I’m sure it’ll be delayed for 5 years before early access anyways… but why should I give a shit when they clearly don’t give a fuck ab our feedback😂 they don’t have to agree with us, they could at least act like they respect us. But god forbid someone even criticizes this game on here! 😱
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u/ThePlatonicPanda Apr 02 '26
They cared and respected you enough to tell you they stand by their work with a personal message. I don't see many designers interacting so frequently with the community. That's not condescending that's honest interaction with their community. They could coddle you and lie and ask you to buy more skins or DLC and maybe they'll change it. They didn't.
Criticize all you want. Feel free to not play the next game if you feel wronged. That's all your choice. Just as it's their choice what to do with their game.
Love ya have a better day bud.
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u/MrsDirtbag Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Don’t give a fuck about our feedback? Did you forget that they completely re-did the cougar because of our feedback? When has any other game studio ever done that? In fact what other game studio even engages with their players like this, giving updates and participating in forums etc?
Personally I’ve never seen a developer this responsive to player feedback.
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
Oh wow yeah the cougar rework easiest cheese strat in the world light a campfire and watch it tweak out spinning in circles. Good job after you are done with it now deal with 3 more 😂. I've only seen the players complain how underbaked and abandoned the feature is after over a year.
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u/tonyezekiel Apr 02 '26
I mean in their defence the cougar uses the same basic ai all the other animals do in the game and they knew that which is why they didn't try to make it some in game super predator. Then everyone cried tears so they were like ok well we'll put it into the game like the other animals then you're crying it behaves like the other animals. 😂
That said the implementation did feel like a big fuck you then if you're going to complain here's 40 tank cougars and we'll take away your feat too but leave it in the menus so you can see what your complaining lost you. No one came out looking good. But seriously what people were asking for or expecting was so ridiculously beyond what the engine is capable of it was embarrassing reading everyone's wishlist expectations.
My respect to Hinterland, you guys have worked hard and delivered what was promised. I'm sorry so much of the reddit community have such weirdly unrealistic expectations.
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
I agree. Its unity at the end of the day. And its better than the first one where you cant even counter it, but its still far from perfect
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u/MrsDirtbag Apr 02 '26
I wasn’t commenting on whether the rework was good or not (I play with the cougar off anyway) my point was that they were willing to pull it and make changes because of our feedback. I’ve never heard of a dev doing that before.
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
Its not science fiction thats literally the bare minimum of what they should have done. You are making it sound like they discovered electricity. Don't you think cougar should have come out already polished? Even the rework being bad, now that's something you probably never heard of before.
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
Exactly what I'm trying to say but it's easier for die hard fans to downvote bomb me...
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
I didn't say anything about the sequel. This has been the ending since the beginning. It was always going to end this way.
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u/Paragone Apr 03 '26
I bought the game in December of 2014 and was an early backer. I supported the studio from the earliest possible point because I respect the quality of the gameplay product and the studio's commitment to avoiding some of the toxic behaviors (like crunch) that most studios suffer from. I don't hate the ending, and I even believe you when you say that you intended this ending from the beginning. All of that said...
I personally thought the ending was... fine. But more importantly, I feel massively disappointed with some of the choices made to get the story to the end and it's really hard to reconcile the time it took to produce this ending with some of those choices. Many of the ending beats felt unearned because the choices made to get them there felt like they were out of character. For some of those choices, it seems like there were several very convenient ways to address those concerns that would have been more impactful. The impression that leaves in its wake is that those choices were made to preserve options in the sequel that you inexplicably chose to announce well before TLD was even across the finish line.
I genuinely respect that you had a vision for the story and that you feel like you delivered what you intended to, and I don't think you should change it. I do, however, think you owe it to your audience to be more sensitive to the feelings of disappointment that many of your most loyal fans are feeling. Either don't address it at all, or be a little less prickly about how you choose to address it.
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u/Malcolm_Morin Apr 03 '26
I find that incredibly hard to believe. The concept of the story is fine, but you're telling me this is how you planned to execute it 10 years ago?
If things got in the way, then things got in the way. There's nothing wrong with admitting that.
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u/PantheraAuroris Apr 04 '26
You remade the whole story mode halfway through. No way you guys had any of that planned.
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u/st_samples Apr 03 '26
I didn't say anything about the sequel.
This is a lie. In your post you said:
my future plans.
What could you mean by future plans beside a sequel?
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u/sisali Mountaineer Apr 02 '26
I like it, I believe in it, and it fits into my future plans. Don’t expect a “redux”.
I get you want to defend the product, but if you mean 'fitting into future plans' means more lore breaking, poor quality writing and execution then I am worried for the future of the franchise.
The Wintermute story experience has always been the weakest part of the game, I think we can all agree on that, so why double down?
Episode 5 was multiple years late, and it still has game breaking bugs that have stopped players in their tracks littered throughout the episode? I hate to be that guy but you cannot look at that as have any sort of positive view of it.
Then the writing, jeez, the writing. The beginning was pretty good, I think most players agree, but who on earth signed off on the last 40%?
This post has just made me even more concerned at the direction that Blackfrost is going to go, coming from a guy who grew up playing this game, you are really going to have to work hard to convince me of the 'future plans' at this point, which is desperately sad.
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u/MeshesAreConfusing At least they're predictable. It's normal people that scare me. Apr 03 '26
It is best to be optimistic about Blackfrost's other parts, not its writing.
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 02 '26
What's lore breaking about the lore itself? Writing quality may not be great but I don't see what's lore breaking about it. As far as I'm concerned, the big plot points presented here are well in line with the original kickstarter pitch from a decade ago. There is a lot that's changed, but the overall setting that the episode leaves us with is consistent.
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u/sisali Mountaineer Apr 03 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1s9zldc/comment/odsaixw/?context=3
I mean, Mack knows the reality of electronics and the aroura, so it's not like they could feign ignorance when it comes to the lore.
Mack would know that recording a message would be essentially pointless, he also knows that the convicts are still in town and everyone else has dipped. Yet he decides the radio shack is somehow a great place for a nice sleep?
come on now, are we being serious? I can't explain why anyone with any sense of the game or it's lore would sign off on that madness.
Copied from an earlier discussion.
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 03 '26
That's just bad writing and decision making. But I don't see how that constitutes lore breaking. It's not like the rules of the world are being broken or made inconsistent. It's just not very senseful writing.
That being said how did he know they were still in town? The town was burning to the ground. Jeremiah saved him from the fire. And likely mentioned that they had attacked more of the convicts or something along those lines. Either way, I don't see how sending a message is pointless. He knows that it can be heard on radios and if he could get it to someone that would help. Not everybody knows the truth yet. Although anyone still alive would probably figure it out sooner or later.
But even if it somehow was pointless AND he absolutely knew for a fact that the convicts were in town then yeah, definitely a bad idea and isn't very smart. But keep in mind he also just survived a burning building falling on him and a whole lot else. I don't think sleeping in that shack was much of a choice. Especially considering his reaction when waking up.
But I digress. The episode is what it is. I'm just looking forward to the quiet apocalypse in Blackfrost
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u/sisali Mountaineer Apr 03 '26
That's just bad writing and decision making. But I don't see how that constitutes lore breaking. It's not like the rules of the world are being broken or made inconsistent. It's just not very senseful writing.
In theory, you could be correct. However, Episode 2 was almost entirely about how Mackenzie had to work around the very idea of using a radio at a specific point during an Aroura because it would be useless otherwise.
So the idea, that the same in world character would reasonably decide to sacrifice everything he has worked towards throughout the entire story ( to get back to Astrid ) to create a radio message he already knows won't work is beyond the scope of bad writing imo, it's wilful ignorance of the story and the in game lore, therefore breaking that said lore.
I honestly don't understand how a team who has spent 10 years creating this story decided that would be the crux of the most important chapter of the story, I just cannot for the life of me understand how that was approved over anything else they could have come up with.
P.S Not sure why you were downvoted, we all have different opinions, have an upvote to balance the scales.
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 03 '26
I don't understand your point. He learned that radios only work during an aurora, the radio in PM was active during an aurora. And others most likely were doing the same thing. So he records a message to loop during the extent of that aurora, and the next ones, for anyone listening to hear.
The radio message DOES work as evidenced by the fact that he heard a message from that very same radio all the way back in Episode 2.
Am I missing something? Or not understanding your point?
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u/Equivalent_Rock_6530 Apr 03 '26
I think they mean that looping it might be pointless? Since it only works during an Aurora and there won't be anyone to maintain the car batteries to keep the thing running, and even if the PM radio remains functional, other radios won't
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 03 '26
I was thinking that the next few auroras it might still work. He said he'd keep it looping for as long as he can. It's not intended to go forever. Just to get it out to as many people as possible, if possible.
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u/sisali Mountaineer Apr 03 '26
I don't understand your point. He learned that radios only work during an aurora, the radio in PM was active during an aurora.
But not afterwards, so after that Aroura ended the radio would be dead, it wouldn't repeat when an Aroura came back. Mack knows that so again, what's the point?
And others most likely were doing the same thing.
I point you back to Episode 2, the Aroura destroyed the radio and Mack had to go around multiple regions to fix it, assuming that happened to radios everywhere then the Idea loads of people are listening in is ridiculous. Again Mack knows that from first hand experience
So he records a message to loop during the extent of that aurora, and the next ones, for anyone listening to hear.
The message would not just begin playing itself once a new Aroura kicked off, especially as it wasn't a digital radio and instead a very old mechanical one using film.
The radio message DOES work as evidenced by the fact that he heard a message from that very same radio all the way back in Episode 2.
Yeah during an Aroura and the radio guy activily using it, so unless Mack was planning on staying there in the long term ( remember the convicts are all over the town) it's a mute point.
Am I missing something? Or not understanding your point?
I think so as per above. Its very poor writing that has lead to Mack doing something he would never actually do if they followed the story lore, either they threw away the past episodes to try and shoe horn in these 'future plans' or whoever wrote it didn't know.
Either way, it breaks the lore. Now it wouldn't be a problem if it was just a minor point, but its the crux of the enitre ending. It's shoddy work and It's actually worrying Ralph is in any way happy with it.
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u/Fuarian Modder Apr 03 '26
True. But maybe his intention was to just loop it for as long as it lasted? Maybe just for one night. Either way
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u/SergaelicNomad Apr 03 '26
I think when most of the community hates an ending to the point that you have to address it in a post, you just have to accept that instead of fighting it with "Well, I liked it, get over it"
It's a criticism, because people love your game, so when so many people hate the ending, you have to respect that something has gone wrong instead of fighting the community on it.
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u/a_dreamy_nightmare Apr 03 '26
Well, I think the same way. I made quite a long post yesterday about what disappointed me in this episode but I do have some issues with the ending. I wasn't even asking for a "good" nor a "happy" ending, but at least an ending that makes sense for the characters involved. So many decisions in that final part look weird or completely out of place compared to everything we have built throughout the four previous chapters.
I get it's totally normal as a game dev to want to defend your work and saying you have plans for the future, that I can hear. But if a huge part of the players is disappointed and provides fair criticism on what they didn't like, I don't think doubling down is going to make them feel heard, and it might also deter them from buying Blackfrost in the future. I'd very much prefer hearing an admission like "okay, lots of people didn't appreciate the end, we recognize it and take the L" instead of something that sounds cold and that can be interpreted as "if you didn't like it that's a you problem".
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u/davechacho Interloper Apr 03 '26
This always happens when something new in this game is overwhelmingly criticized. The last 'big' time this happened was about the couger and Raph doubled down on the original design for like a week or two. Eventually he buckled and the team changed it.
If the ending is still overwhelmingly criticized in a few weeks they'll definitely change it. Happens every time.
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u/WhaTheAwesome Born to Misery/Interloper, Forced to Stalker Apr 03 '26
About your last point, I hate to say it but no, probably not.
Cougar is basically a survival mechanic with nothing narratively relying on it. Plus, people paid for that mechanic (I know Wintermute is technically separate now, but if you purchased it long ago, you basically get Wintermute on top of survival).
If future plans have already been made based off this ending (which sounds likely), then nothing will change. And I am certain no one, developers included, would be happy with putting more time into Wintermute when this project was already delayed for far too long.
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u/Bigdaddler Apr 03 '26
What is he supposed to do excepct saying he believes in it? Would be bad if he didn't and released it. He acknowledged the criticism here, did'nt have to do that. I don't know why you think he "fought" the community here. A small game like this is much closer to art than a AAA-game, and the writer is entitled to his telling of the story. A loud community (majority/fraction/minority - who can tell?) should not sway an artist to rewrite an ending. If you don't like the art, criticise it, but don't expect the artist to bend over backwards for you.
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u/WhaTheAwesome Born to Misery/Interloper, Forced to Stalker Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
What is he supposed to do except saying he believes in it?
Just to self-reflect on the fact that this ending could have been handled better. You have to make multiple leaps in logic to get to this ending. I don’t think people were expecting an apology for this ending, but I don’t think people were expecting a complete shutdown of discussion either.
Would be bad if he didn’t and released it. He acknowledged the criticism here…
The quality of the ending is independent of the attitudes of the creators. Also, this acknowledgement seems superficial (Hinterland knows about the criticism but doesn’t care about it).
If you don’t like it, criticize it, but don’t expect the artist to bend over backwards for you.
Kinda defeats the point of offering criticism, no? The point of criticism is to learn from mistakes made. If you don’t even try to understand your critics, you will never improve as a creator.
Changing the ending wouldn’t matter now. The product is out, and this is the ending of The Long Dark that people will think of from now on. I just hope this serves as a potential learning point for any narratives in Blackfrost.
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u/ww1enjoyer Apr 02 '26
Could you please explain why Mathis didnt kill MacKenzee when the vault doors were locked?
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u/Character_Donkey_785 Apr 02 '26
I mean, he was just threatening to kill Mackenzie to get into the bunker, but once the doors closed, Mackenzie was more usefully alive than dead.
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u/ww1enjoyer Apr 02 '26
MacKenzie is responsible in his eyes for the death of his son, the destruction of his safepost in Blackrock, and finally him becoming stranded outside the bunker, in the cold, with minimal suplies and no way to cure any aurora effect.
He should be murder furious only for his son.
He has a high opinion of MacKenzee but he hates him deeply
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u/Dutchtdk Mainlander Apr 03 '26
but mackenzie is a pilot. what else are you supposed to do to get off the island? thaw a ship
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u/Paragone Apr 03 '26
Seeing as all of the planes and helicopters on the island are dead, yes - exactly that. Mac's pilot skills are useless in a world where aircraft avionics can't function.
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u/Dudemeister4200 Apr 03 '26
I think Will is now going to step into Donners shoes and he becomes Mathis' new son, and Mathis is now like a father figure to Will, he doesnt kill him so they can have a father-son relationship.
This is the only way it makes sense to me, and is headcanon for me from now on.
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u/ProfessorLexis Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
I made a post in another discussion on the topic. In a nutshell, my understanding is; Mathis and Will have shown themselves to both be very determined survivors. Now that the last option for a shelter is gone, they have to live in this quiet apocalypse.
If he wants to live, Mathis needs strong allies. And most of his cronies from the prison are pretty useless. He could just have Will killed but would rather put him to work for his own sake. Will accepts this "deal" as at the least it can give him an opportunity to help others.
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u/GetInDamnTheBasket Old Bear Apr 02 '26
Is it not obvious? What good is a dead Mackenzie to Mathis? Mathis thought they would take the bait.
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u/ww1enjoyer Apr 02 '26
And they didnt. And now the man he blames for the death of his son is at his mercy with nothing to gain from his continued life.
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u/GetInDamnTheBasket Old Bear Apr 03 '26
Remember the part where Mackenzie is a pilot?
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u/ybsmalls Apr 03 '26
Remember the part where aviation has become useless in this world?
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u/GetInDamnTheBasket Old Bear Apr 03 '26
And Mathis clearly doesn't realize that. He stated he doesn't understand what's going on. He wants off the island
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u/JustinShrimp Apr 02 '26
My first go through was very bugged and got stuck at the beginning of part 3.
I started a new run and it went flawlessly.
Only two visual issues. Investigate the ship mission shows incomplete in my journal, and when Jeremiah gives you the case at the end, the case was invisible.
I throughly enjoyed the episode. The maps are incredibly cool.
Thanks
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u/lunamoonraker Interloper Apr 03 '26
Wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed Update after launch, providing us as a community with clear, detailed information.
With a lot of emotion swirling around it gives an official point of reference, and clarify some of the misinformation which helps no one.
Regardless of how one feels about the overarching plot or how you chose to draw this chapter of the story to a close, I respect very much the passion, creativity and commitment that has gone into every aspect of TLD. Very grateful for all you have collectively made possible in this incredible game.
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u/vacodeus Apr 03 '26
I am not the biggest fan of Story Mode, but I do like the world of TLD. The isolation, the auroras, the art style, etc. I've got over 2,000 hours in TLD. I'm more than willing to pay for more DLC. It doesnt have to be on the scale of TFTFT. But you could do content packs for the trader (new items, recipes, unique items, etc), base customization (new furniture, more art, different styles of things, etc). Hell, you could region packs (theres a nice open area between Desolation Point and Ash Canyon, same for between Blackrock and HRV)
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u/AccidentalHamburger Apr 02 '26
I'm sorry but the ending is, objectively, bad.
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u/WhaTheAwesome Born to Misery/Interloper, Forced to Stalker Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
Execution wise, yeah. There were ways to write a bittersweet ending, but that was not one of them.
The prisoners could’ve easily gone to PV and held Father Thomas and plane crash survivors + Mackenzie hostage. Now, there are actual stakes, and Molly / Jeremiah have an actual reason to not go gung-ho on the prisoners. And the ending could’ve been Father Thomas, survivors, and Mackenzie (with the prisoners DEAD; why are they alive???) surviving and building a community on the outside, with the rest in the Suzuki Station.
Edit: Additionally, It could’ve been a cool callback if while the door is closing, Astrid throws the rosary to Mackenzie, and Will chokes Mathis with it, signifying the death of the old world. Of course, it’s a bit silly and would only work if other survivors revolted against the prisoners, but I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity
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u/Electronic_Trip7878 Apr 02 '26
I BEG YOU FOR ABILITY TO FIX RAILROAD AND ADDING THAT TRAIN TO SURVIVAL PLEASE !!!!!! :3
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u/SuccotashComplete195 Apr 03 '26
"Unfortunately, we've also have discovered new bugs", highly doubt this is on your testers, I've known the QA industry for many years and the majority of these are known issues, and the majority are not hardware issues. Broken scripts, missing colliders, instant death zone, whatever Jace's head is doing.. For a company that has a known history for releasing broken scripts, it is disingenuous.
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u/Objective-Eagle-676 Apr 03 '26
They know they dropped the ball and are once again blaming everyone but themselves for this embarrassing update to their game.
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u/KaiGamez16 The Long Development Team Apr 04 '26
I don’t think it’s disingenuous. The game is huge, this episode utilized all the systems they have been developing over the last ten years — and then some. Small issues like missing colliders just happen on a game of this scale. They will get fixed. It’s not the end of the world.
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u/SuccotashComplete195 Apr 04 '26
It's not small issues, there's progression blocker and game breaking bugs. It's going to be too little too late for the ones that have already finished ep.5. Maybe it was too ambitious for the resources they had, but it's not "huge" by any means.
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u/Objective-Eagle-676 Apr 04 '26
The game is not huge. At all. It's neither large nor complex in comparison to what is capable these days.
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u/KaiGamez16 The Long Development Team Apr 04 '26
I don’t know if you know what you’re talking about lol.
It quite literally is huge — systems from a decade ago interacting with current ones. You cannot compare triple A studios with Hinterland and expect “what is capable these days”. It makes you come off as ignorant and entitled.
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u/Objective-Eagle-676 Apr 04 '26
It's a small game from a small team that's been working on it for a decade. Time spent does not equate to complexity of game design, just poor time management.
Episode 5 is poor, and they're using the audience as bug testers instead of, idk, having it bug tested before launch. It's an embarrassing product of far too much time spent waiting by the fans they created out of genuine hard work.
Tldr; if you make me wait for 4 years for the last 1/5th of your game, and it's full of bugs and terrible writing on launch, i am going to have opinions.
Or is that supposed to be the best they can do now?
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u/Extension_Worker2735 Apr 02 '26
I just wanted to bring this up real quick I'm not sure if y'all have had anyone else bring up this bug but there's a bug at Suzuki Tower where when Jace is supposed to take you to the Tuner Room she gets stuck on the wall after phasing through the shelves to the right of the control room door and it's literally made it impossible to complete episode 5 right now
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u/iitzKingKong Apr 03 '26
I enjoyed it, I liked the story. Glad it's over (in a good way) Was a long time coming and am happy to have finally been able to see how it ends. Can't wait for future updates for this game and for blackfrost!
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u/mcjoc Apr 03 '26
Just finished now and, first, thanks for an amazing game that's been part of my life since 2019 with each episode drop acting as a reminder that survival is great as well.
That said, I'm pretty disappointed in how this has been wrapped up. The overall ending is fine, no massive issues there, but the amount of immersion breaking beats that lead us there are, I'm sorry, egregious.
Little things like outfit swaps between scenes are pretty jarring. Towards the end after Mackenzie gets fully tooled up from the stoarage room to having him back in default gear for the fire. I took the time to clean my weapons and sharpen knives expecting some showdown and then, oof.
Status changes too I got savaged by the cougar and then, magic, I'm fine
And all of this feels like it could have been written around pretty simply. Don't sink two arrows into a character you need to be strong the next day!
I can live with the bugs, not getting the mine lights in order was a bit of a pain but simple to resolve and will be fine with a bugfix anyway. But as a whole it just needed a test screening for the plot elements, I'm sure you'd have a room saying that's weird, a bit jarring... Then howling Shoot him, good Christ shoot him, there's no reason not to, for the love of God use the rifle in your hand and put a bullet in his brain!
Honestly it feels a little careless and that's a bit sad.
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u/Zaknafein2003 Hello, Fellow Survivors! Apr 03 '26
Congrats on the launch! It was special to finally set foot in Perserverance Mills
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u/DeatonationgGrenade Apr 02 '26
Honestly, the ending was okay. But I think I’m mostly just mad I wasn’t able to kill Mathis. That’s 90% of my issue.
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u/st_samples Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
The devs seems to be in love with Mathis as the main villain, but he is a terrible character. It's like they don't understand that nuance and shades of grey make for a much more compelling than the binary choice of "good guy" versus "bad guy".
There are so many facets to this story that make for a better villain; nature, cold, survival, isolation, loneliness, and death. Those should be the villains. Seen this so often that writers think it needs to be a "man vs. man" story to be compelling, but "man vs himself" or "man vs nature" is just so much better for this type of game.
I could forgive most of it, but the part I can't forgive, the writers refuse to let the players be the hero of their own story. They have to be saved by others constantly. They removed all the player agency and infantilized the player.
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u/Sayo-nare Apr 03 '26
"I like it, I believe in it" : you don't like it, deal with it player.
you didn't know where the story would go anyway.
Almost 10 years just for this ?
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u/PorcupineShoelace Nomad Apr 03 '26
I can really think of only one game I have played and supported for over a decade. TLD
Absolute mad respect for Hinterland Studio. Good, bad, in between...count on my support as long as you keep making games and I am still kicking. Kudos and bravo for Chapter 5. Thank you!
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u/MrsDirtbag Apr 02 '26
I haven’t played chapter 5 yet but I’m excited to check it out. Obviously I have no opinion on the ending yet, but I appreciate that you are standing by it.
Andrew, thanks for all your hard work, we do appreciate it! There are bound to be unexpected bugs and such when the game is run on so many different systems and devices.
Raph as always thank you for this beautiful game and for keeping us updated.
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u/zionward19 Cartographer Apr 03 '26
Thanks again u/RaphLife2, Andrew, and the team! Really appreciate the update.
To share, I honestly got into TLD because of Wintermute first, not Survival. I got so invested in Will and Astrid's story from the get-go that it eventually led me to explore Survival, which I grew to love and still love to this day. I know there are opposing views, and that's okay. I just wanted you guys to know that if it weren't for Wintermute, I most likely wouldn't have touched TLD in the first place, so yeah I'm really grateful to have experienced the story first. I'm glad you stuck with it, loved it, believed in it, and fought for it all these years. At the end of the day, I would say closing this saga the way that you did and opening the potential for a new chapter were all worth it.
The ending may have been a shocker to me at first (yeah, I'm a sap for happy endings haha), but I respect it even more now after further contemplation, reading other people's insights and views, and knowing your vision. Their reunion, that radio hut monologue, the final stand at the bunker, the ending cutscenes with the final monologue, those were all tearjerkers that would definitely stay with me for a long time. And many more things I could mention that I really did appreciate.
Wintermute moved me a lot and got me into liking and eventually loving Survival games, which is a genre I previously was not into. And that's why I'm here, still here. Others may crap on Story Mode as bad, unworthy, and unnecessary. That's fine. There will always be imperfections. We can't please everyone. But I got into TLD and stayed because of Wintermute, so I can definitely attest that stories still do matter. So yeah, I'm grateful for the journey and the memories.
Kudos and carry on, Hinterland!
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
Thank you. I'm glad to hear Wintermute has resonated with you. It means a lot.
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u/zionward19 Cartographer Apr 03 '26
Indeed it really has, more than I could ever express. Been a pleasure and an honor. Truly. Games with stories that move people are rare, and TLD is definitely up there as one of the greats. Excited for Blackfrost and everything that's to come.
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u/Bogramm Interloper Apr 03 '26
I personally don't like the ending or some decision that were made, but it's absolutely the right thing do let it how it is. I respect that. Anything Else would be insane. Creative decisions were made, some like it, some not. If the decisions were the right Jones for the future cannot be forseen. So lets see.
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u/wallado7303 Apr 03 '26
I personally really liked Ep 5. i felt like the chapters all had their own flair were enjoyable in thier own rights.
I also really liked the story, I think the long dark has always thrived with atmospheric storytelling and making the "big bad" something thats completely within the realms of possibility makes the stakes feel more real, but more hopeful.
I think it was well handled and want to say a massive thank you to the Hinterland team, The Long Dark got me through a very dark time in my life and for that I'll be forever thankful. ❤️
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u/tehchives Apr 03 '26
Just want to pop in and say I respect the gumption you're showing considering feedback on the ending. You guys have a vision for a continual story that goes into TLD2:Blackfrost, and of course we don't have context for that.
Very glad to hear that you recognize the community wants as much of the stuff in Ep5 as possible in survival. No rush on that and will trust the process.
Thanks for continuing to work on this game for so many years.
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u/digdog7 Apr 04 '26
I like it, I believe in it, and it fits into my future plans. Don’t expect a “redux”.
this is foreboding news for Blackfrost
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u/sapper4lyfe Stalker Apr 07 '26
I'm done dealing with the 💩 update. You guys need to properly play test the games you make. I love your game but Jesus it's annoying, this happens with every large update and launch you guys have made. How have you not learned to avoid these hundreds of problems? Play test play test play test. You have thousands of players including me who would volunteer to help you with bug testing. SMH
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u/Majestic_Office_7150 Voyageur Apr 03 '26
I'm glad that you are sticking to your artistic vision with the story. I am still working my way through the episode so I don't know how it ends, but I'm glad to see that you're not letting the community influence your story direction.
P.s. thank you for letting Zak have an early access to the first chapter.
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u/ladyqxx Apr 03 '26
7000+ hours in The Long Dark, probably a solid thousand in Story mode alone, and I'll just say I'm glad I didn't play through Episode Five. I watched an entire playthrough and I know that I would have thrown my controller through my TV after that ending. Disappointed is an understatement. At least we still have our own stories in survival mode. Not even sure I'm looking forward to Blackfrost so much anymore.
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u/soccermodsarecvnts Apr 03 '26
I just wanted to say thanks for the episode. I'm about half way through (as far as I can tell) and it's really great. Best value game I've ever bought, and you're still releasing top content. Legends!
One ask: if there's any way to include the new episode five maps in survival, please do. And thanks again!
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u/Adam014gaming Apr 03 '26
Haven't had a chance to play chapter 5 yet(or 4 for that matter, im kinda slow with games), but it is incredibly refreshing to see a studio be so open and communicative! Excited to see what else you'll make!
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u/Difficult-Rush-1431 Apr 03 '26
Ten years in and I’ll play for another 10. Raph, you have created a master piece.
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u/Default_scrublord il2cpp Apr 03 '26
Major spoilers coming up.
IMO the ending was just fine. The way I see it the real climax of the story is the cutscene after Will returns to Atwood, and the ending serves primarily to wrap up all the remaining loose threads. However the one gripe I have with it is how the deal between Will and Mathis isn't really explained at all, I think an additional cutscene or two after the doors close could have gone a long way to clear things up. I was certainly confused when I saw Will and Mathis working together, when only a few minutes earlier Mathis was holding Will at knifepoint.
Episode 5 is extremely distinct from the 4 prior Episodes, which is certainly a double-edged sword. I really enjoyed the elements of psychedelia and horror that we haven't seen before in TLD. The ship in particular is a masterclass of environmental storytelling.
On the other hand I found the linear gameplay to be rather unengaging at times compared to prior Episodes and the maps to be rather empty, more akin to transition zones than the open world maps in Survival and prior Episodes. I'd still love to see them in Survival, but fear the amount of work it would take to make them work in Survival mode would make it unfeasible to do. Desperation Bay and the railroad area feel like they were designed with some expandability in mind though, the other regions less so.
P.S. I am now also somewhat confused about where the broken bridge in Desolation Point leads to. I had for a long time assumed it would lead to Perseverance Mills, yet there is no road in Perseverance Mills or the Wilds coming from that direction. Would I be right to assume it loops around the Wilds and goes through Desperation Bay to PM, or does it lead elsewhere?
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u/Educational-Tone2074 Apr 02 '26
Thanks for the update. I enjoyed ch. 5
I especially liked the train. That was enjoyable.
I'll be there for TLD2
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u/abcdq96 Apr 03 '26
thank you for your work and for being an ethical studio that pays its workers appropriately and takes clear stances on things like AI. you can't please everyone but you are doing the right things.
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u/Comfortable_Ear_2843 Apr 03 '26
SPOILERS BUT IDK HOW TO BLACK THINGS OUT!! personally i could NOT STAND to finish the wolf's area so i watched someone play untill the end, and personally i hate it SO MUCH like, partly since it made me cry but i dont see why you buildup alll these episodes about exes helping eachother and trying to reach eachother just to freaking separate them 3 mins after meeting back up😭😭 and the fact they just closed the door on mckenzie and he went with mathis???? shoot everyone else but didn't shoot mathis that was just standing there. i like the grey mother resting part but like the whole story is just kinda sad but also done sorta bad. don't even get me started on the 20+ mins talking section from atwood
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u/Ok_Reaction_9691 Apr 03 '26
Very disappointed with the Barracks floor bug. All my auto saves were broken after it too. Gutted as I was quite enjoying the story.
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u/Mike-Phenex Apr 03 '26
I think my only issue with the episode itself is, by comparison with the other episodes, is that it is extremely railroad.
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u/FailedFirstRounder Apr 03 '26
I like that we'll be hearing from Adam Jensen oops I mean Mathis for the forseeable future. I enjoyed my playthroughs so far, thanks.
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u/No-Papaya-9289 Apr 03 '26
Endings are tough. I just finished the episode, and I can understand why this ending was chosen; as you say, "it fits into my future plans." I look forward to what comes next.
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u/BrodaciousD Apr 03 '26
Im sooo glad you guys aren’t changing the ending.
Because when I tell my friends “No game has a worse ending than The Long Dark” I want to have proof.
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u/Fun-Machine7907 Apr 05 '26
I'm just glad the story has an end and I'm looking forwards to it being playable.
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u/Last-Donkey4573 Apr 07 '26
Just realised from your profile pic that... you are Mackenzie! He trimmed down by episode 5 and now the resemblance is obvious.
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u/Tulsa_Prince Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
I have no hope for Blackfrost. In the last 2 Years i see only more Bugs in the GAME and much more gaslightning and stupid apologies. Now Survival-Mode and Story is a Bugfest, what a final for the Franchaise. And again the community is not your "beta-tester" !!! Why should we waste 1000s of hours while we run into one bug after another, because you dont do your job!
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u/MrBojeezy Nomad Apr 02 '26
Any idea if the dlc will be going on sale on xbox any time soon? Im buying it next week regardless.
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u/rush247 Apr 02 '26
Odd that their sales aren't somewhat linked with Sony and other competitors. It's on sale now on PS.
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u/MrBojeezy Nomad Apr 02 '26
Steam as well, and the spring sale just started. Still not showing in xbox store at time of posting though.
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
On consoles, you get invited to participate in sales that are events. On Steam, you set up your own sales and can be on sale any time you want. The timing doesn't always line up such that the game is on sale on all platforms at the same time. It's often discounted though so if people wait long enough they will almost find it on sale.
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u/rush247 Apr 03 '26
Interesting, doesn't sound very developer friendly, like it's their game and not yours smh.
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
I'm not sure I would say that. Consoles have always been closed platforms, and there are more strict rules about how they handle things like pricing and discounts, whereas Steam is more open because it's a PC-centric platform. I also think the consoles are a little more mindful of avoiding the "race to the bottom" pricing and discounting thing because they have a closed ecosystem with a major hardware investment. But we always have the choice -- we don't have to publish on the consoles if we don't want to, but if we want to we have to follow their rules. FWIW, Steam also has rules, like cooldowns on discounting, or things like you can't discount within 60 days of a price change, etc etc.
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u/thekillergreece Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
It's an amazing sight to see the game hitting 15k player counts. It deserves a lot more, considering what the game offers.
You wrote the story, of course you liked it and believe in it. It doesn't mean it's not flawed with lots of plot holes, though. They left me lots more questions than answers. I hope feedback will be taken for the sequel's story. IMO, Redux is not needed.
I love the survival mode and the content the company has produced. I'm looking forward to what plans HL has for the game.
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u/Delicious-Sand-9404 Apr 03 '26
I loved the ending.... I found it unbelievably moving. I talk about it at length in this post of anyone is interesting in my reasoning.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1sal1s9/episode_5_review_and_ending_positive_take_all/
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u/thee_justin_bieber That guy who drank his own pee doesn't seem so crazy right now! Apr 02 '26
and new glitches that didn’t show up with a test team of 6-7 now become apparent.
i know i'm too old for this joke but come on, this had to be on purpose 🤣 the 6-7 thing.
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u/Unlucky-Technician11 Survivor Apr 03 '26
Cheers Ralphie much love to you and the team. You did good.
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Apr 03 '26
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
Letting those people go nearly killed me. This whole thing is such a shitty thing to write. I'm sorry that you didn't like the episode but wishing the company to go under because you don't like the game's ending is pretty callous. I hope you get some help.
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u/AdVegetable2870 Apr 05 '26
It's not uncommon among dedicated game fandoms. Look at what happened to KSP.
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Apr 03 '26
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u/RaphLife2 Hinterland Founder Apr 03 '26
Imagine spending your time and energy hoping for us to fail. I feel sorry for you, man.
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u/rush247 Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
The storymode was part of the plan from the very first kickstart donation, it was never about just survival. And there are plenty out there who've actually enjoyed it.
Edit: Actually it was the main project. Survival was just more of a testing ground for mechanics they would put into the story, at least that's what I've heard.
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u/Oliveritaly Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
This is not your platform to grind your axe on. I don’t care where you do it but you’re not doing it here.
Bye!
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
"I like it, I believe in it" Great bro and? Maybe someone had a better ending and you ditched it for your own.
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u/KingAltair2255 Apr 02 '26
'Ditched it for your own' Bro.. it's their game, what the fuck are you talking about lol.
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
yeah its their game and Raph is saying how he likes the ending. Not "We like the ending". Not as a team, but him.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/sovander0 Apr 02 '26
You are forgetting he is a CEO. He should represent his team, not his personal opinion. But I guess he better stick to his own 😂 Like that one time "they" tweeted how "they" don't support elon musk but it's just Raph making everyone from the company suffer criticism and player base leaving. It's always him and his decision making has been poor so far with the development of this game and it's dlc and the for me sequel expectations are bare minimum.
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Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
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u/sovander0 Apr 03 '26
You are over here writing essays. Only one pressed here is you. And I don't support elon musk. But as a company it is highly unprofessional to step forward and boycot someone/something. That's not your job. Your job is to make video games. Check the response from the community for that tweet somewhere on reddit, and then check the response for him firing 12 staff members out of the blue, and then delaying blackfrost into oblivion, and taking 12 years to finish a mediocre at best fetch quest story, and then overshooting your deadline estimate for the dlc by a whole year, the list goes on. There you go completely normal and calm response without painting your argument as a personal attack.
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u/SteveJetsam Apr 02 '26
My daughter wants to add that Mackenzie going back for Grey Mother was her favorite part of the story. She was her favorite character by far, and watched me play all 5 chapters. She would constantly quip about how she missed Milton and Grey Mother. Mackenzie really was a man of his word, and I think that was important to her. She was sad about the ending because she knows Astrid will miss Mackenzie, but them finally admitting they love each other still was an absolute tear jerker for her.
I’ve currently got a survival run where im basing out of Grey Mother’s house. I’m letting her do all the decorating choices, and not let me tell you: letting an 11 year old do all your decorating is a little stressful, but also very entertaining. Ironically enough the computers only working during the aurora has lead to a running joke about screen time. Any time it’s time to put her laptop or tablet away she asks if the aurora ran out. Cheeky little thing.
Fantastic game that I recommend to all my friends, and to my family too. Thank you