The July update for The Long Dark, Hinterland’s chilly Early Access survival game, is a big ‘un. Hardly any of the game has been left alone.
Harvesting, movement, fire, wolves and the weather have all been tweaked and, in some cases, overhauled, but there’s a video breaking down all the changes so you don’t get even more lost on your next romp through the wilderness.
Here’s the full patch notes:
Gameplay improvements
- Replaced abstract Foraging with Direct Harvesting mechanics. You can now harvest fuel and cloth directly from objects in the world. This is a new system that will likely require ongoing tuning into the future, so we appreciate all your feedback and patience!
- Updated outdoor Campfire system. You now need to add fuel to increase the burn time and heat output of a fire. In Pilgrim and Voyageur experience modes, any fire will immediately halt all Condition loss due to Freezing (note that you won’t warm up unless the fire temperature exceeds the outside temperature). In Stalker, the fire temperature needs to exceed the outdoor temperature before you begin to warm up.
- Updated the Wolf Struggle mechanic. Simplified the controls and interface. Wolf Struggle now inflicts damage events over time. Fighting back reduces the duration of the Struggle, and is modified by weapon and experience mode.
- Updated the First Aid system. Replaced the previous First Aid interface and also extended the First Aid system to support multiple afflictions per type (ex. multiple simultaneous blood loss events), as well as added new afflictions/injuries including Wrist Sprains, Lacerations/Bruising, and Hypothermia.
- Updated the player movement model to remove Running. We now have Walk (base speed has been increased), and a discrete Sprint action that has a stamina component. Stamina regenerates slowly, and Sprinting increases Fatigue.
- Physical objects now properly occlude snow and wind FX. If you see something blocking snow, it means it will provide shelter from the wind.
- Replaced the Warmer/Colder HUD text with a sheltered icon (wind with shield). When this icon is present, you are protected from windchill and fires will not be affected by wind. (Keep in mind that wind direction changes more frequently now).
- [Controllers only] Rebound Crouch to Left Shoulder to avoid accidental use.
- [Controllers only] Remapped Inventory navigation to D-pad, LS-click for sorting.
Visual/audio improvements
- Added ambient bird-song which communicates things like wildlife presence, temperature, location, and time of day. Sudden ducking of song from small birds may indicate the presence of predators.
- Added 1,500 additional ambient sound effects for high-winds and blizzards. Players should now be able to identify man-made shelters from afar, by listening to how the wind behaves (ex. metal rattling in the wind).
- Updated the campfire, torch, flare, and lantern fire FX.
- Updated the snow visual FX and increased weather and wind variability to create a more dynamic weather environment in the game. Performance of snow and blizzards has also been improved.
- The reticle now fades out unless there is something interactive within range.
Bug fixes
- Screenshots now work when HUD is disabled
- Fixed issue with fish weight not saving/restoring properly
- Fixed some bugs related to wildlife audio sometimes distorting
- Fixed issue with campfires sometimes not being allowed to be lit in caves.
- Adjusted the two most basic beds to give some warmth bonus
- Removed equip button in inventory for broken rifles/bows
- Tuned deadzone for controller sticks to make fine adjustments easier
- Fixed white outlines on trees at night
- Exploration achievement fixed
- Fixed issue that could sometimes cause arrows to become compressed
- Peaches now lose heat over time once cooked
- Gear weight shown to two decimal places in inventory UI
- Allow extra fuel from harvested lamps to fill other lamps in inventory
- Cancelling lantern refuel will now give you fuel based on the percentage of refuelling