Long Drive North News

[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]

[p]Hello,[/p][p]We have fixed an issue regarding saving: [/p][p]Saving outside your RV caused you to load back into the game in the incorrect location.[/p][p]Please take a read of our previous announcement for further details on our update plan![/p][p]Thanks again for your reports and support for Long Drive North.[/p]

[p]Hello all,[/p][p]First off, thank you so much for playing Long Drive North, and sorry for the radio silence so far - following all of the feedback we needed to take stock and revise our planned updates.[/p][p]It's clear that the game has not met your expectations at Early Access launch, and for that we are sorry.[/p][p]We have a small bug fix patch which is now live. This patch will not address a lot of your issues and concerns, but we wanted to show you that we are still here, and that we will be launching some bigger updates over the coming months.[/p][p]We have always wanted Long Drive North to be a true Early Access game, where we listen to what you want. As a small team, there will be issues and bugs that can only be found with lots of people playing the game, so we really appreciate all of your feedback! We are listening.[/p][p]We have seen a lot of comments about the price of the game. There's a tough balance in Early Access: launch too soon and there's not enough content, launch too late and players can’t help shape the game. We believed we had enough content, and have been very open about what is and is not in the game at launch - we didn’t want players buying the game without understanding this.[/p][p][/p][p]That said, it’s clear that many of you aren’t yet feeling that the price you paid was worth the money, and we are sorry for that. We hope that over the life of the game we can deliver on what you expected and rectify your feelings towards this. With this in mind, we wanted to outline what we see as the journey forward:[/p][h2]Major Update 1: World Improvements and Loot Balancing - Coming January[/h2][p]Our first major update will now launch in late January and will focus on improving the world.[/p][p]We have had lots of reports of the map ending, and people falling through the world. Fixing this is our first priority. Your bug reports have been really valuable in helping us understand why this is happening.[/p][p]In addition, 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. We'll make the location of more of these important POIs more obvious. Plus, we'll be improving the way the map is created to add more variety and more places to explore and loot.[/p][p]Finally, we will be re-balancing the loot system to address your feedback about food and other items.[/p][p]These are the foundations of the game, so it is important we address these first.[/p][h2]New Demo - Coming January[/h2][p]Alongside the update in January, we'll be launching a new demo - so if you have not purchased it yet, you can check our progress, and buy when it feels right for you. We want to ensure you all get a chance to play before you buy, and check you're getting the experience you expect.[/p][p][/p][h2]Major Update 2: Shared RVs - Coming March[/h2][p]Once the game foundations are improved, and it is clear that players are happy with the work we are doing, we will add shared RV support.[/p][h2]Patch Notes - November 25 2025[/h2][p]🐛 Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed issue where jerrycan would stick to the player after siphoning fuel[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue with player falling through the ground upon loading a save game[/p]
• [p]Fixed Authentication issue preventing players from joining a multiplayer session[/p]
• [p]Fixed arrows not saving when placed on the ground inside or outside RV[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where renaming a save file prevented players from loading it[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where tire condition wouldn’t increase if repaired by other players[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where no audio would play when the RV crashed into an object[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where the dog would float outside the RV when barking at the incoming storm[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where abandoned vehicles would show differing fuel amounts per player[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where weather wouldn’t progress after the player slept[/p]
• [p]Fixed issue where dog icon would show incorrectly on the compass UI[/p]
• [p]Fixed various words that were not localised[/p]

[p]Thank you for your support so far.[/p][p]The journey has just begun![/p]

[p]The time has finally come to hit the road.[/p][p]Long Drive North is OUT NOW in Early Access![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]How far can you survive your Long Drive North?[/p][p]This is just the beginning. We're excited to share this core experience with you, and to build upon that foundation with major updates throughout Early Access.[/p][p]Make sure to share any bug reports via the in-game f11 bug report function, and let us know your suggestions via the Steam forums and the Long Drive North Discord.[/p][p]And don't forget to leave a Steam review, to let us and other players know what you think of the game![/p][h2]What to Expect From Early Access Launch[/h2][p]Those of you who played the NextFest Demo will have a good idea of what to expect.[/p][p]Like the demo, at Early Access launch Long Drive North features the core survival mechanics and repair mechanics - and supports co-op with separate RVs.[/p][p]However, the Early Access launch version also includes endless route generation - and, of course, the ability to save your progress.[/p][h2]Early Access Roadmap[/h2][p]We have lots of exciting content planned during Early Access, including our first major content update: shared RVs in co-op! Take a look at what's planned for early 2026 and beyond:[/p][p][/p][h2]Q1 2026[/h2][p]Features[/p]

• [p]Co-op: Shared RV option[/p]
• [p]Co-op: Usable passenger seat[/p]
• [p]Co-op: Ability to drive other players' RVs[/p]

[p]RV[/p]

• [p]Usable ladder[/p]
• [p]Ability to place bed in RV overcab[/p]
• [p]Radio: Further LDN Radio broadcasts and music[/p]

[p]World[/p]

• [p]New routes, areas and POIs[/p]
• [p]Unique lore items (notes, photos, posters etc)[/p]

[p]Loadouts[/p]

• [p]New unlockable player character[/p]
• [p]New unlockable dog companion[/p]

[p]Crafting[/p]

• [p]Additions to Tier 3 crafting[/p]
• [p]Tier 4 crafting[/p]

[p]General[/p]

• [p]Bug fixes and quality of life improvements[/p]
• [p]Photo mode[/p]
• [p]Keybinds[/p]

[h2]Future Updates[/h2]

• [p]Difficulty setting[/p]
• [p]Additional routes, areas and POIs[/p]
• [p]Further lore[/p]
• [p]RV customisation[/p]
• [p]RV functionalities (propane tanks, electricity system etc)[/p]
• [p]RV appliances (fridge, microwave, oven etc)[/p]
• [p]New RV types[/p]
• [p]New unlockable playable characters[/p]
• [p]New unlockable dogs[/p]
• [p]New wildlife[/p]
• [p]New forageables[/p]
• [p]New tools[/p]
• [p]Towing[/p]
• [p]Cassette tapes (music, diary entries, recipes, tips etc)[/p]
• [p]Usable instant camera[/p]
• [p]Mod support[/p]

[p]Disclaimer: With larger updates which improve upon the game fundamentals, there is a possibility of save files being wiped. Roadmap subject to change.[/p]