11 bit Needs to Come Clean - Discontent Ultimatum

[Harris]

I'll start with the fact that is obvious by now - On the Edge is a failure and the weakest dlc of them all and overall a frustrating ending to a great journey Frostpunk has been for all this years.

This, in fact, was suspected ever since Gameplay Reveal video a week ago (https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2797251919712458809/). Its reception in the comments was mixed at best, many potential issues with the scenario were spotted from the video, and concerns were raised.

Gameplay reveal discussion led to me reaching out to the devs (https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/5188663423642141156/) with some legitimate concerns over the dlc - it feeling shallow and unpolished, the book of laws taken from us, the whole "colonial" narrative of the scenario feeling contrived etc.

The dev actually ended up replying to that thread. What they said was basically reassurement that everything will be fine without any facts or details to back that up. Here I'd like to quote this one:

"First of all: remember that you haven't seen the whole expansion. While I can understand your concerns - I feel that they are based on kinda vague assumptions. Yes, that's partly because we haven't shown you the full scope of this scenario, yet. But you've spent many hours in our game, you've experienced other scenarios (and liked them, from what I can tell) so what we can only ask for is to trust us this time, too. :)

...

But coming back to the beginning of my reply: have a little faith in us."

Instead of telling us the truth, the devs leveraged the goodwill they've accumulated over this years. They asked for trust and faith, and the community was very much willing to provide that.

However, by now it's obvious that not only the dlc is lackluster, but also that we were lied to, much like you can lie to people of Winterhome if you want to keep them eagerly do your bidding.

On the Edge's problems is the talk of this forums right now. They are so numerous that they warrant dedicated threads. And, in fact, they did. Just some of them for your reference:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2800630252903318396/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2800630252900359808/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2800630252901969405/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2800630252904173270/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/2800630252900519178/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/3960307437815423836/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/323190/discussions/0/3960307437815191798/

I could post a dozen more but you get the point. The key issues include:
- shallow, rushed nature of the dlc with a lot of assets reused
- pointless mechanics that bring little to the game and aren't thought out
- lack of challenge and balance, too much rng influence, little replayability
- poor narrative which feels contrived and makes no sense
- lack of hard moral choices and societal conflicts
- poor stability and quality assurance, with glitches, crashes and typos all over

And those were only the problems of On the Edge as its own thing. When people awaited "project reclamation" and anticipated to find out more about the events of previous scenarios, meet known characters and the like, and got this instead.

Long story short, On the Edge is a very weak "anti-dlc" and a horrible ending to the story of Frostpunk. It's that scenario that you'll play a bit for the achievements and will never have the desire to come back to.

The fact devs chose to hide the truth about the dlc's nature from the community, lied outright when reached out to and gave false hope means that for me all their hard-earned goodwill goes down the drain.

I have always been one of Frostpunk's staunch supporters. I followed it since the development diaries, got a season pass, soundtrack and artbook when they became available. I spent over 200 hours with the game and I love it, having unlocked almost every achievement including the most secret and difficult ones.

However, unless 11 bit comes clean and apologizes to us, explaining the reasoning behind us getting this mediocrity where the people still refer to outpost leader as the "captain", I honestly can't see myself supporting 11 bit and its endeavours in the future.

[Internet Native😳🖥]

Exactly, the System under wich they are employed under has failed them and us, the consumer! They need to get rid of their dumb CEOs and insane Investors!! Only that way can they come clean again! Glory to the Working Class!

[Raga]

I did not search for anything in the internet about the last DLC with the exeption where it will be coming. I had no expectations and I am not disappointed.

When I read some of the reviews it makes me laugh.
People have no imagination. They want to give them answers on a plate.
Some of the movies do not give all the answers on purpose to give wievers something to think about. I find it very similar here.

I do not need scientific information why the temperature dropped. Most of the survivors have noone to ask. They are workers and engineers, not scientists.
Why New London fell? Who cares? Maybe the reason was the as in scenario settlements. Because of riots and bad management. I main scenario overseer can also be banished because of it.

I found last DLC short but interesting. I wasted a lot of time searching for settlement in worong directions but still maneged to finish it. Now I'll try endurance endless mode with them.

[Markus Reese]

I too have been a great supporter of the game. While time played is nowhere near what others have done, and I have not even come close to a 100% completionist for achievements, I still held and promoted frostpunk as one of the best games ever made.

However, I did have to write a negative review of this expansion

I do however feel the expansion can, by just adjustment of some dialog and variable adjustments then a slight UI change and addition, become the grand conclusion game needs.

Perhaps I will write a thread on that here in a bit, though do doubt much will come of it.

Edit: @Raga from what I read, all endless mode get the additional features included, so that is a bit more of a flavour win. Going to try that today.

[The Three]

It feels as if the DLC was planned to be completely different, but 11 bit had to scrap the idea and publish what we got instead. I'm disappointed with the last DLC, and agree with most of OPs points. Nevertheless, Frostpunk is a great game, and I wish 11bit all the best.

[Russell]

The Rifts was one map and a bridge system, but sure this is the weakest DLC. :P

I like 'On the Edge'.

You are right when you say it's very buggy, which is not ok.
I also agree that it's unbalanced (the coal settlement is next to useless IMO) but I like despite it's faults.

The Last Autumn added the most new features but it's the DLC I played the least, it was very difficult. I completed it once and that was enough for me, whereas I kept trying Hard endless on the Rifts until I got there and I can see myself trying to beat On the Edge on Hard mode aswell.

You know once a patch is out, because I'll be buggered if I'm going back to this game until they fix it.

[MarQan]

I think you need a hobby :D

I understand not liking the DLC, and I've seen your other post with the 9 points of why you don't like it (you had some good points, but some were unrealistic, even contradicting yourself).

If one of the devs replied on this issue saying that there's more to come, then maybe wait for that?!

[Potato PC]

I really hope 11 bit studios will remake this DLC.

The Long Dark had similar problem with story mode on episode 1 & 2, but the developer (Hinterland studio) decide to remake episode 1 & 2.

[Harris]

Originally posted by The Three:

11 bit had to scrap the idea and publish what we got instead.

I'm not saying Edge is completely horrible. It is playable, yes, some aspects of it can be enjoyed, I dig it.

And yet, the production quality is low to the point I wonder why was it released in a state like that? It is bad and the fact people expected something epic out of the last dlc makes it even worse.

Above all, I want transparency here. A lot of time has passed since the announcement of project reclamation between this release. This dlc doesn't look like it took a year to make.

Why did they have to scrap the idea and replace it with a mediocrity instead?

More importantly, why are they lying to their players? The concerns were pointed out to them a week before release and they dismissed them as nonexistent.

I understand the sentiment - they've done a good job over the years and deserve some trust for that. But that's exactly my point here - what happened? Why did their production quality sink like that? Will they always release half-baked games from now on? Will they always fail to deliver on their promises? Lie to their players?

Hope falls.

[Harris]

Originally posted by MarQan:

I think you need a hobby :D

This is ad hominem, and has nothing to do with the thread or its goal. You're better than that.

Originally posted by MarQan:

you had some good points, but some were unrealistic, even contradicting yourself

I would be more than happy to discuss any of those 9 points in detail and argue why I beleive they are valid. Preferably, in that thread. There are, however, many other threads with people voicing other, also very valid concerns.

Originally posted by MarQan:

If one of the devs replied on this issue saying that there's more to come, then maybe wait for that?!

You either didn't bother a detailed read, or.. exactly that.

A dev responded to my concerns raised about gameplay reveal video (i.e. a week ago) by saying they are on top of things and I should just have faith in them. It ended with the final product being flawed, buggy, et cetera. It was deception however you look at it.

There is yet to be any comment from the devs on the state of this dlc and their plans to fix it. Moreover, it won't be like Last Autumn, where they added animation for fishing boats while it was otherwise a cool and balanced scenario. Here, like Potato PC spot on says, the entire scenario would need to be remade. Quite possibly, from scratch. Will they do it? That I heavily doubt.

[Vertibird]

I decided to play the DLC after reading Harris' post. I've just lost the game because I've built houses instead of bunkhouses for New London refugees! This is ridiculous! Has nobody tested this DLC before release???
Rushed, poor quality DLC. What can I say? Harris is absolutely right...

[randommonicle]

Sorry to hear you feel this way about the DLC. While i admit i did not look up anything prior to release, i have really enjoyed this scenario, and felt it sat very well with the tone etc of the game.
So, do you know if this is the end of frostpunk? They are not planning on doing anything further?

[Harris]

Originally posted by randommonicle:

So, do you know if this is the end of frostpunk? They are not planning on doing anything further?

Yep, they did say it is the last dlc and thus the end of Frostpunk's story. As such, many people had high hopes and expectations of this dlc - to tie up the loose ends, quite possibly to explain some previous events.

Others bought into the whole "project reclamation" deal and thought they'd get to rebuild the Frostland, discover new technology and the like.

Therefore this dlc suffers from not only being underwhelming on its own, but also not living up to the community's expectations. Getting a mediocrity like this after an epic scenario Last Autumn was and reading the dev's comment of "have faith, we love the game and know what's good for it" it's like adding insult to injury.

[snuggleform]

I think we should have realized they didn't care when they released the Rifts. This wasn't a sudden unexpected disappointment.

[Xorza]

Yes, this is a big disappointment after Last Autumn, I was expecting something more grandiose for the finale of the whole game, well. ♥♥♥♥ happens.

[MarQan]

Originally posted by Harris:

A dev responded to my concerns raised about gameplay reveal video (i.e. a week ago) by saying they are on top of things and I should just have faith in them. It ended with the final product being flawed, buggy, et cetera.

Yes, I misunderstood you there, I apologise. I thought the dev reply was in a post-release discussion. That makes your points much more valid then.
Although I'd personally prefer fixes than an apology :D
But yeah, my previous comment is mute then.