Long Drive North News

[p]We're excited to share that the next update for Long Drive North, launching May/June, will feature a shared RV option for multiplayer, as well as a number of RV upgrades including: engine upgrades; appliances; storage options; liveries and more![/p][p]We hugely appreciate the support you've all given us, especially those of you who purchased the game at launch and have been here since day one.[/p][p][/p][p]Here is a sneak peak at some highly requested features that will be a part of the next update. We can’t wait to hear what you think![/p][p][/p][h3]Passenger Seat[/h3][p]Standing in the back of a moving RV isn't ideal, so friends will have their very own, super comfy passenger seat![/p][p][/p][h3]Over-Cab[/h3][p]We're also implementing the ability to place your bed roll in the over-cab above the driver's seat for a cosy night's sleep.[/p][h3][/h3][h3]Usable Ladder[/h3][p]In this update, you will not start with a ladder on your RV, you will need to craft it. BUT, once crafted, the new ladder can be used by you and your friends![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Keep an eye out for more news as we move towards our next update![/p]

[p]New update live now, plus a 60% discount![/p][p]Still on the fence? Then try before you buy with our new free demo.[/p][p]This update includes...[/p]

• [p]More variety: new areas to journey through + multiple large new POIs to explore and loot[/p]
• [p]Customisable difficulty: a storm difficulty slider, allowing you to tailor your experience to a more intense survival experience or a more chilled road trip[/p]
• [p]A better survival experience: rebalanced loot spawns, wolves, higher wildlife spawn rates and improved storm mechanics[/p]
• [p]Quality of life: keyboard and mouse keybinding, controller button remapping and bug fixes[/p]
• [p]Plus much more, including better highlighted shortcuts and hidden areas, bobbleheads and mugs for your RV dashboard and improved dog companion behaviour[/p]

[p]Please note that multiplayer shared RV support is coming in the next planned content update.[/p][carousel][/carousel][h2]New Free Demo - Out Now[/h2][p][/p][p]Try before you buy! This new demo features all the gameplay improvements from the latest game update.[/p][p]Plus, once you buy the game, you can continue your journey seamlessly - your save data from the demo transfers across to the game itself.[/p][p]Simply head to the Long Drive North store page to download the free demo.[/p][h2]60% Discount - Special Offer Now Live[/h2][h2][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]Full Update Notes[/h2][p]Please note that saves from previous versions of the game should work with the new update, but if you experience any issues, please submit a report to us via the in-game F11 bug report function![/p][p]⭐ Additions[/p]

• [p]Added new areas, such as the rocky road trails[/p]
• [p]Added new POIs, such as the junkyard, farm and trailer park[/p]
• [p]Added a ‘Storm Slider’ so players can control the speed of the storm, allowing players to control difficulty[/p]
• [p]Added new dirt roads to highlight off-road shortcuts and hidden areas[/p]
• [p]Added wolves for increased danger[/p]
• [p]Added bobbleheads and mugs that can be found in POIs and placed onto the dashboard of the RV[/p]
• [p]Added recipe sheets that can be found in POIs to help with cooking better meals[/p]
• [p]Added keybindings for keyboard and mouse[/p]
• [p]Added button remapping for controller[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to pause the game in singleplayer[/p]
• [p]Added a visual indicator on the compass to indicate nearby medium and large points of interest (POIs)[/p]
• [p]The dog companion now barks when passing medium and large POIs[/p]
• [p]The dog companion now whimpers when the storm is close[/p]
• [p]Added a visual and audible static indicator when the storm is close[/p]
• [p]Added new SFX (as well as updating some existing SFX)[/p]

[p][/p][p]🎮Tweaks[/p]

• [p]The storm indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of the HUD now tells you how many hours away the storm is, rather than distance. This allows players to understand how much time they have before the storm gets too close.[/p]
• [p]The storm now moves at a constant speed, rather than jumping unpredictably.[/p]
• [p]The storm continues to move whilst you sleep (previously, it would pause between 7pm-7am).[/p]
• [p]Keep your RV door closed! Leaving it open now affects the player's temperature.[/p]
• [p]Keep warm! Cold temperatures now affect player’s stats.[/p]
• [p]Max stamina value has been doubled.[/p]
• [p]Stamina is affected by 25% when you are tired, hungry or thirsty. For example - If you are tired, hungry and thirsty, your stamina is affected by 75%.[/p]
• [p]The requirements for each crafting tier have been tripled (except for the required amount of tools, which remains the same).[/p]
• [p]Reduced loot in the starting area.[/p]
• [p]Barrels have a chance to give 1-2 rocks when searched.[/p]
• [p]Increased the spawn rate of existing animals - bears, deer and rabbits.[/p]
• [p]The siphon is now a Tier 1 crafting item.[/p]
• [p]The spawn rates of all items have been tweaked with luxury items (such as wheel jacks, engines and engine batteries) more likely to spawn at specific POIs.[/p]

[p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]🐛 Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed major bug issue where the world would not spawn after 3-4 routes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where ammo boxes always provided 1 bullet per box. Bullet amounts are now randomised.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the ‘Settings’ and ‘Exit’ buttons on the main menu would not work when the following resolution settings were applied: 1400x1050, 1280x1024, 1280x960, 1152x864, 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where equipable items would get stuck to the player.[/p]

[p]Work is progressing nicely on the first major update for Long Drive North. As we move towards the late January update release we wanted to share a first look at some of the new points of interest you'll be exploring and scavenging![/p][p]As previously announced, this update focuses on improving the world and loot balancing. We're also adding a storm difficulty setting, keybinds and controller remapping, improving exploration and more.[/p][p]Please note that all content shown and discussed here is work in progress and may be subject to change.[/p][h2]New Points of Interest (POIs)[/h2][p]As well as surfacing existing POIs more clearly we're also adding a variety of new ones. You'll have to keep an eye out for new locations to explore and scavenge, including the farm, the trailer park and the junkyard![/p][carousel][/carousel][h2]Recipe Sheets[/h2][p]In addition to giving you more to explore we're also making exploration more meaningful. Careful loot rebalancing is a large part of this, ensuring that watching out for POIs and looting them are key to your survival. Another way we're making POI exploration more rewarding is by introducing recipe sheets which you can find - store them in your inventory or stick them on your RV walls as posters.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][h2]New Area[/h2][p]A priority for this update is making the world feel more expansive and varied - take a look at the new rocky road area we've been working on![/p][carousel][/carousel][p]We can't wait to get this update in your hands whether you've already begun your roadtrip or you're looking to begin your journey soon! Remember we'll be launching a new demo alongside this update so you can try the newly updated Long Drive North before you buy - plus you'll be able to transfer your save progress over to the game should you pick it up.[/p][p]See you soon![/p]

[p]We're working away on the first major update for Long Drive North, launching late January. This update focuses on storm gameplay, quality of life improvements, loot balancing and more.[/p][p]In addition to our internal playtesting, it's crucial that we gain additional feedback and bug reports ahead of the public launch in January, which will allow us to make adjustments before it goes live publicly - and ensure a better game update for everyone.[/p][p][/p][h2]Early Version of the January Update Now Available for Community Testing on the Unstable Branch[/h2][p]We want as much feedback and as many bug reports as we can get, which is why we've launched an early version of the January update on the unstable branch, available now for community testing![/p][p]Not all of you will want to play an update early - as the name implies, this unstable version is expected to be buggier and less stable than the version which is later released publicly. It is also missing some elements of the update which are still being worked on.[/p][p]If you don't want to play this early unstable version, you don't need to do anything. You'll receive the update automatically when it is released publicly in late January.[/p][p]For those of you who do want to jump in and play this early version, please follow these steps below and make sure to let us know what you think of the update on the Steam forums and our Discord.[/p][p]PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND YOU START A NEW SAVE FILE TO SEE THE FULL IMPACT OF THE STORM ADJUSTMENTS AND LOOT REBALANCING.[/p][p]There's also a known issue with this build where characters or RVs may be invisible. If you encounter this issue, please press the keys CTRL+F5 to refresh the world, which will make characters or RVs reappear.[/p][h2]How to Access the Unstable Branch[/h2][p]- Load up Steam and head to your library[/p][p]- Right click on Long Drive North and then select "Properties"[/p][p]- Head to the Beta tab and in the drop down select "unstable_test_branch" (no password needed)[/p][p]- This will then download the new update for you[/p][p][/p][h3]Patch Notes: November 18 2025 - Unstable Branch[/h3][p]⭐ Additions[/p]

• [p]Added keybindings for keyboard and mouse![/p]
• [p]Added button remapping for controller![/p]
• [p]Added a ‘Storm Slider’ so players can control the speed of the storm, allowing players to control difficulty[/p]
• [p]Added the ability to pause the game in singleplayer[/p]
• [p]Added a visual indicator on the compass to indicate nearby medium and large points of interest (POIs)[/p]
• [p]The dog companion now barks when passing points of interest (POIs)[/p]
• [p]Added a new tire track texture to highlight off-road shortcuts and hidden areas[/p]

[p]🎮Tweaks[/p]

• [p]The storm indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of the HUD now tells you how many hours away the storm is, rather than distance. This allows players to understand how much time they have before the storm gets too close.[/p]
• [p]The storm now moves at a constant speed, rather than jumping unpredictably.[/p]
• [p]The storm continues to move whilst you sleep (previously, it would pause between 7pm-7am).[/p]
• [p]Keep your RV door closed! Leaving it open now affects the player's temperature.[/p]
• [p]Keep warm! Cold temperatures now affect player’s stats.[/p]
• [p]Max stamina value has been doubled.[/p]
• [p]Stamina is affected by 25% when you are tired, hungry or thirsty. For example - If you are tired, hungry and thirsty, your stamina is affected by 75%.[/p]
• [p]The requirements for each crafting tier have been tripled (except for the required amount of tools, which remains the same).[/p]
• [p]Reduced loot in the starting area.[/p]
• [p]Loot rebalancing - made it easier to find some items and harder to find others.[/p]
• [p]More variety of loot can be found at POIs.[/p]
• [p]Barrels have a chance to give 1-2 rocks when searched.[/p]

[p]🐛 Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed major bug issue where the world would not spawn after 3-4 routes.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where ammo boxes always provided 1 bullet per box. Bullet amounts are now randomised.[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the ‘Settings’ and ‘Exit’ buttons on the main menu would not work when the following resolution settings were applied: 1400x1050, 1280x1024, 1280x960, 1152x864, 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480.[/p]

[p]We're hard at work on the first major update for Long Drive North, and we wanted to take a moment to keep you all in the loop and speak about some of our progress so far![/p][p]As previously announced, our first major update will now launch in late January and will focus on improving the world and loot balancing. Please take a read of this previous announcement if you haven't already, as today's post will just be speaking about some of the improvements and additions rather than the entire update.[/p][p]Please note that all content shown and discussed here is work in progress and may be subject to change.[/p][h3]Improved Exploration[/h3][p]One element of the update which we've been focused on is improving visibility of important POIs, as we are finding that lots of people are driving past some of the more hidden points of interest, adding to the feeling of the world being empty.[/p][p]We are working on a number of improvements in this area:[/p]

• [p]Adding a visual indicator on the compass to indicate nearby medium and large points of interest (POIs)[/p]
• [p]Changing dog companion behaviour, so that they will bark when passing medium and large points of interest (POIs)[/p]
• [p]Adding a new tire track texture to better highlight off-road shortcuts and hidden areas.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Improved Storm Gameplay[/h3][p]Another aspect we're keen to improve on in this update is the storm. We're working hard on a number of improvements to ensure a more consistent and logical gameplay experience and to offer more player choice:[/p]

• [p]Adding a storm indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of the HUD, to tell you how many in-game hours away the storm is, rather than distance, allowing you to understand how much time you have before the storm gets too close.[/p]
• [p]Tweaking the storm so that it will now move at a constant speed, rather than jumping unpredictably.[/p]
• [p]Adding a ‘Storm Slider’, allowing you to select the speed of the storm, essentially controlling how easy or challenging you wish the storm speed to be. This should help allow for a calmer experience for those of you who find the current storm overbearing or a more intense survival experience for those of you finding the current storm not threatening enough.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Quality of Life Improvements[/h3][p]Alongside bug fixes, another area we have been working on for this upcoming January update is quality of life. Here's just some of the additions in development aimed at making the game a better overall experience:[/p]

• [p]Adding keybindings for keyboard and mouse[/p]
• [p]Adding button remapping for controller[/p]
• [p]Adding the ability to pause the game in singleplayer[/p]

[p][/p][p]Thanks for checking in and we hope you enjoyed this sneak peak at some of the improvements we're working on to be released in the January update![/p]