The Long Dark News

Here is a message from THE LONG DARK's creative director:

Hello players,

Over the past few days, we've heard your feedback loud and clear: you aren't happy with our implementation of the Cougar.

I want to make it clear that the design we selected for the Cougar was my decision, and we shipped it as intended (apart from the bugs, of course). But there are a lot of different ways to deliver on an intention, and so I've decided that the fairest thing for our players, as well as for the dev team, is to pull the Cougar out of the build until we can do some revisions and come up with something we are happier with.

We don't want to simply fix bugs and react to player sentiment. The changes will go beyond just fixing the bugs in the current version. That doesn't mean we will deliver 100% the version that everyone is hoping for. At the end of the day, we have a clear vision for THE LONG DARK and we'll continue to work towards that vision.

For now, we're taking the Cougar back, and will work on it until it's ready. I can't say for sure how long that will take, but it'll likely be more than a couple of weeks. We'll deliver a re-envisioned Cougar before we deliver Part Six of TALES.

Thanks to everyone who shared constructive feedback and impressions over the past few days. Your input is useful and highly valued. I hope you enjoy the other features in Part Five, until we bring the Cougar back to you.

- Raphael

***

As a result of this, you will find the Cougar is no longer available in the game starting tomorrow (Friday) on Steam, and early next week on the consoles.

If you already have existing raw materials collected from killing Cougars, those items will remain in your inventory. You will still be able to craft the Cougar-related items, but you will not be able to find more Cougar materials to repair them. If you have unlocked the Cougar Feat, you will still be able to use it.

If you have any questions or run into issues, please report them to our Support Portal.

Thank you.

- The Hinterland Team

Hello Community,

We have just released our v2.29 (136986) Hotfix for THE LONG DARK (including Survival Edition) and TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY on Steam and Epic Games Store. Please note that WINTERMUTE’s version number has not changed. This Hotfix addresses multiple issues introduced in the v.2.28 update for TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY.

The following are mostly fixes in response to issues opting in or out of the Cougar or Scurvy on current saves, so please read carefully.

[h3]GAMEPLAY, UI, CONTROLS[/h3]

* Fixed an issue where the time spent in a Region in a pre-existing save would count towards Cougar Threat, and prematurely trigger Cougar Encroaching.
* Fixed an issue where players were not prompted to opt in/out of Cougar and Scurvy settings when loading a pre-existing save via the Resume button
* As part of this fix, the first time any save created prior to v2.29 is loaded, the prompt will appear, regardless of whether the player had received it on that save previously.
* Fixed an issue where players were not prompted to opt in/out of Cougar and Scurvy settings when loading a pre-existing Custom Toolbox save.
* As part of this fix, upon loading any Custom Toolbox save, all players will be prompted to opt in/out of Cougar and Scurvy settings.
* Players who opt in to Cougar settings where none existed previously, will have Low Cougar Spawn Chance settings applied.
* Players who opt in to Scurvy settings will have their Vitamin-C Drain Rate determined by the Base Resource Availability setting of that save. (If Scurvy was set to “Off” during initial Custom Toolbox creation, opting in will not change that setting.)


To check current releases on each platform, please visit our Build Status Page.

Please visit our Support Portal (or consult our Known Issues page) if you encounter any issues while playing the game. For additional news and information, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).

Greetings, players.

We have just updated THE LONG DARK to version 2.28, Build 136607.

This update includes Part Five of TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, “Last Horizon”, as well as a free update to the base Survival Mode for THE LONG DARK. It also includes a series of bug fixes.

For a detailed breakdown of all the new features added to TALES in Part Five, or the new free additions added to Survival Mode, please watch the update video below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h3]NEW REGION! SUNDERED PASS[/h3]

Accessed from the Zone of Contamination, Sundered Pass is a dramatically vertical region that reaches deeply into the spine of the Far Territory, showcasing some of the mountainous terrain that separates this area from the rest of Great Bear Island. Seek out the abandoned Weather Station near the summit!

[h3]THE THIRD TALE: LAST HORIZON[/h3]

Picking up from Buried Echoes, Last Horizon delivers the third and final Tale, a trilogy of stories started with Signal Void. Follow the clues leading from the Zone of Contamination, deep into the heart of Sundered Pass, hunting for answers to the story of Rüdiger and the weird experiments he spearheaded in the dark depths of the Far Territory.

[h3]NEW WILDLIFE! THE COUGAR[/h3]

Keep an eye open for this dangerous new threat. Territorial, silent, and deadly. If you aren’t paying attention, the first time you see the Cougar might be your last.

[h3]NEW TOOLS! COUGAR CLAW KNIFE & COUGAR-HIDE WRAP[/h3]

If you survive encounters with the Cougar you might end up with the raw materials you need to craft these two new Cougar-themed gear items.

[h3]NEW CLOTHING! TACTICAL JACKET & TACTICAL GLOVES[/h3]

Rare and especially tough clothing items unlocked by completing the Last Horizon tale.

[h3]NEW FEATS! SETTLED MIND & CELESTIAL NAVIGATOR[/h3]

Unlocked by completing Last Horizon, these feats provide unique gameplay benefits.



[h3]MISERY MODE[/h3]

The first new experience mode added to THE LONG DARK since 2016’s Interloper. Misery ratchets up the difficulty of Interloper even further, adds the Cougar and Scurvy to the mix, and over fixed intervals introduces a series of six entirely new and incredibly punishing afflictions. Experience the five stages of Misery in the most challenging experience mode yet!

[h3]CHEAT DEATH SYSTEM[/h3]

The first change to THE LONG DARK’s save system since launching in 2014. Upon death, be tempted to continue playing but not without accepting intriguing penalties that stack with each subsequent death. Adds an optional gameplay twist and a player choice to the experience of death and failure. And if you want to play using permadeath as usual, just resist the temptation to Cheat Death!

***

Summary & Reporting Issues

If you encounter issues with the game, please report them to our Support Portal at hinterlandgames.com/support.

If you would like to provide feedback or discuss your experiences with the game with the development team or other players, please post your feedback in the Official Forums: hinterlandforums.com/forums.

If you encounter a crash or issue with the game post-updating, please contact us as we can often help players address their issues, and we always strive to! This is more productive than jumping to post a negative review.

Please remember that Hinterland is a small independent developer. Our Support Team strives to respond to all reports as quickly as possible, but as you can imagine, releases are our busiest time. We appreciate your patience, and please know the team is looking into your issues and we will resolve them as soon as we can. Unfortunately, we are not able to follow-up with every individual report that is submitted. But we appreciate them all.

Thank you for reading, and many thanks for your support!

###



[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

The team is currently aware of the following issues in the game. If you encounter one of these issues, there is no need to report it to the Support Portal. Fixes for these issues are slated to go out with the first Hotfix following the initial release.

* The Travois can rarely fall beneath terrain after transitioning back to where a player left it.
* The final affliction of the Misery Experience mode will not be applied when the player reaches their 46th day in Survival.
* Rarely, players may lose control of their camera after choosing to Cheat Death. Reloading the save will resolve this issue.
* Players can become stuck in the final location for Tale 3, if they choose to quit and reload in that location.
* In some Regions, when attacked by the Cougar, no sound effects will be played.
* Picking up the Teardrop Vista Polaroid, no associated Vista location is revealed on the map.
* Player’s save file will be changed to a generic name after using the Cheat Death feature.
* When in a Cougar occupied Zone of Contamination, the player will experience no Cougar attacks.



[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

This Major Update includes fixes for the following issues:

[h3]CRASHES[/h3]

* Fixed an issue which could result in the player hanging on a black screen if they began a new Survival game too quickly after dying.


[h3]GAMEPLAY, UI, CONTROLS[/h3]

* Added a new assignable hotkey to open the Cooking tab. (Default 'G')
* Adjusted the Ptarmigan meat interaction to be more accurate to the visible object.
* Fixed an issue where Poisoned Wolves would not leave footprints in the snow.
* Fixed an issue in Zone of Contamination where some areas which cause Chemical Poisoning visual effects would not increase the associated Affliction Risk.
* Fixed an issue in Ravine where animals could spawn in incorrect locations.
* Fixed an issue in Timberwolf Mountain where Bears could spawn beneath the terrain.
* Fixed an issue where some kitchen cupboards were mislabelled as drawers.
* Fixed an issue where harvesting a frozen quartered Wildlife with a lit light source would result in that light source being stowed while still lit.
* Fixed an issue in Forlorn Muskeg near the High Blind which resulted in a corpse that could not be searched.
* Fixed an issue which caused potatoes to stop cooking inside Foreman's Retreat when the player exited this location.
* Fixed an issue which could prevent Ptarmigan from spawning in specific locations in Mystery Lake.
* Fixed an issue where cups would not drop to the ground after breaking down a table in the Airfield Hangar.


[h3]ART & ENVIRONMENTS[/h3]

* Fixed an issue in WINTERMUTE Episode 4 which caused a cliff face to disappear when viewed from a specific distance in the Blackrock Region.
* Added more detail to the interior of all helicopters.
* Fixed multiple issues in the Langston Mine where objects and environment intersected each other incorrectly.
* Fixed an issue in Desolation Point where a tree intersected a nearby cliff.
* Fixed an issue which caused a visual strobing effect on exterior light sources from within the Forgotten Exploration tunnel.
* Fixed multiple item placement issues in the Forsaken Airfield - Zone of Contamination transition cave.
* Fixed multiple issues which could result in a player becoming stuck in the Forsaken Airfield - Zone of Contamination transition cave.
* Fixed an issue which resulted in a visually flat rope in the Forsaken Airfield - Zone of Contamination transition cave.
* Fixed an issue which caused a floating Fuse in the Maintenance Shed.


[h3]ANIMATION[/h3]

* Fixed an issue which caused the Survivor's arm to jolt during the Crank animation in an elevator.


[h3]PLATFORM-SPECIFIC[/h3]

* Fixed an issue where Steam controllers would continue to function if the "Enable Gamepad" Steam setting was disabled.


### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

Hello fans,

Just a quick note to inform you that Part Five of TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, titled "Last Horizon", will launch on Monday, June 24th, at 10AM Pacific Time

There will be an update video for TALES Part Five, going live on the Hinterland YouTube channel on Monday at 10AM Pacific.

For more information on what's coming in Part Five, check out the last Dev Diary.

See you then!

- The Hinterland Team

Ten years after its alpha first appeared in 2014, first-person survival game The Long Dark is still getting new stuff. The fifth and final part of its Tales from the Far Territory DLC is due out next month, and it's bringing with it some pretty interesting new elements, most of which are going to ratchet up the challenge but one that will give you a second chance at survival...
Read more.