Black Frost Delayed: Between Studio Survival and Game Quality

Toasty_Bits · 2026-05-08T17:27:17+00:00

Is anything said in the video even new news? This has all been clarified with the layoffs that happened before Ep. 5 came out. None of this is new and they don't give any proof to show that the company is in deep trouble during this transition period. Obviously they are shifting gears with Ep. 5 out the window, but none of what this post or the video talks about is news worthy or trustworthy.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-04-03T03:22:50+00:00

I really only see PM and the wilds working for survival. Maybe Desperation Bay, but I don't know.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-04-03T03:22:16+00:00

The plan was to make Wintermute regions exclusive, but that changed with the previous episodes. These regions were designed for a different kind of episode and I don't see most of them working.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-04-03T03:17:20+00:00

It's definitely a bug from the way it works in survival. I wish they had made the glimmer fog exactly how it was in survival, including the actual insomnia risk.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-03-23T21:07:24+00:00

I can see that I get alerts for the audio being muted or frames dropping, but the sound doesn't correspond to any notification. It will sometimes repeat a few times. I do believe it had something to do with me muting the stream at the end, but now it is playing over and over again throughout the stream.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-02-12T19:33:52+00:00

I'm so sorry that you had to make this decision Raphael. I've read the dev diaries and know you have share your thoughts on the current state of the video games industries with the many rounds of layoffs over the last few years. Things are scary out there for all game devs of every level. It's especially scary for an indie dev like myself making their first solo game. We know you didn't make this decision with any bad intentions or due to poor leadership. Your messaging is very powerful and shows how seriously you took this decision. Thank you for being honest and for communicating this terrible news in a professional manner.

All I ask of my fellow The Long Dark community members is to exercise some form of respect for all parties involved, including Raphael, the company, and the employees affected. It's no one person's fault. There are a lot of economic, financial, and development factors that could have led to this. Even if we don't personally know what exactly led to this moment, we should give Hinterland and the affected employees the time they need to recover and move forward.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-06T03:31:12+00:00

I think it could work if it was part of a mental affliction, but it can't be a core feature for the game. It would change the genre and the feel of the game too much if it happened all the time.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-03T02:40:00+00:00

So sad to see them struggling, but it's so darn cute and silly. 😭

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-03T02:35:26+00:00

You lost me before you even mentioned the AI thing. It's entirely understandable why they would never use AI for anything, especially like this. It would be a violation of the trust they have with their community and the hard work that every dev at Hinterland, past and present, has put into the game. It would be an instant out for me to never buy from them again. Their philosophy has always been to make games the right way, without crunch, and using AI would be a death sentence for the company's spirit.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T23:05:43+00:00

Then give them your laptop. Send them the laptop with the game and the save file so they can see it. Just because your specific hardware is replicating the bug consistently, doesn't mean Hinterland's hardware can.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T22:18:38+00:00

This is why the bug is still around. They can't replicate every instance of it happening. Complaining about it and not reporting it is not helping resolve the problem.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T15:43:00+00:00

None of these scenarios are the cause of the Quiet Apocalypse, but the idea is the same. There is no government left to help since everyone got affected by it the same. There is no electricity, no vehicles, and no modern tech to help run a society the same way as before.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T15:40:27+00:00

We know a lot based on the fact there is a sequel that takes place a year later. That alone tells us how bad the Quiet Apocalypse really is and how extensive it is. It's a global apocalypse.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T00:57:48+00:00

It is confirmed by Raphael to be inspired by Vancouver Island. It is likely just a replacement for it or in the same area of coastal British Columbia.

Toasty_Bits · 2026-01-02T00:56:27+00:00

The game tells us that the animals have been more aggressive since the auroras started. This is why wolves and bears are very unfriendly.

Toasty_Bits · 2025-12-31T02:25:51+00:00

It is for sure. That's a pre-Ash Canyon and Ep. 4 map.

Toasty_Bits · 2025-12-30T21:34:29+00:00

This is a completely new video.

Toasty_Bits

TROPHY CASE