We have released our v2.00 (91441) Quality of Life Update for The Long Dark. This update includes some significant bug fixes, along with game and performance improvements. Please note that it may take time to update across all platforms.
Thank you for your patience and support. Please remember to visit our Support Portal if you encounter any issues while playing the game, and visit our Forums for a list of Known Issues. For additional news and information about The Long Dark and Hinterland, please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).
A note about the Unity Upgrade:
This Quality of Life update includes a major update of the Unity Engine, to version 2019.4.19f1. Updating Unity touches every system we have in the game, and requires the entire game to be tested. Despite our best efforts, it is possible that such a major update to core technology may have unforeseen outcomes. If you experience any bugs or unusual behaviour that you think might be the result of this Unity update, please submit a Bug Report to our Support Portal.
Please note that this update will likely impact any mods you may have installed or have created. While we don’t provide any official support for mods, please feel free to visit our Mod Forum with any questions and we will monitor questions to help where we can.
GENERAL FIXES
[Update] Updated Unity to 2019.4.19f1
[Rendering] Fixed an issue that caused excessive Z-Fighting (flickering) to appear on numerous objects and the environment when playing the game on Linux.
[Rendering] Updated Linux builds to use Vulcan by default.
[General] Optimized save data to help reduce the overall size of save files.
[General] Fixed an issue that could cause stuttering or freezes when Lighting a Campfire or Torch.
[General] Fixed an issue that caused containers that the Player had already searched, to re-randomize their contents.
[General] Fixed the issue where explosion decals from Noisemakers disappeared between game sessions.
[Gameplay] Added measures to prevent Players from falling through objects when they wake after sleeping.
USER INTERFACE
[Map] Fixed an issue that caused the Prepper Caches to appear on the Map, even when the Player hasn’t Surveyed that area.
[UI] Blackrock Region: Fixed an incorrect button icon for the “Go Down” prompt when using the Elevator found in the Blackrock Mine.
[UI] Fixed an issue that caused some text on the Main Menu to render at a lower resolution than expected.
[UI] Fixed an issue that prevented Players from properly opening the Radial Menu when Steam Input was enabled.
[UI] Fixed an issue that caused the Crafting Filter to default to the Ammunition Crafting Filter for all benches, after interacting with the Ammunition Crafting Bench.
[UI] Fixed an issue that caused Subtitles and Closed Captions to no longer appear when the Voiceover audio level was set to 0.
[UI] Fixed an issue that would cause fuel to automatically be added to a fire when accessing the “Add Fuel” menu with an Xbox Controller.
[UI] Fixed an issue that caused item-related warning messages to appear underneath menus when attempting to use them.
[UI] Fixed an issue that caused some locations to report as newly discovered when they had already been discovered.
[UI] Fixed an issue where the Journal displayed the incorrect number of collectable Buffer Memories.
[UI] Fixed an issue where the Blackrock Region map was missing some roads.
[UI] Fixed an issue that would cause an empty UI box to appear if the Player pressed “Escape” when viewing the Cooking Slot menu.
ART FIXES
[Enviro] General art and environment polish pass on all Regions.
[Enviro] Fixed numerous locations where bushes and grass would clip through the environment or other objects.
[Enviro] Fixed a number of floating objects found throughout the world.
[Enviro] Fixed a small hole found on the interior geometry of cars.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed an issue that caused light effects to appear in the Steam Tunnels during the Aurora, even if there are no electrical items in the area.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed a misaligned water trigger so that Players will no longer drown before reaching the water below the Power Plant entrance.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed numerous locations that provided Players with access to invalid areas of the Region.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed many floating or misplaced objects.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed many issues where items could fall through the world if dropped at certain locations.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed many issues where players could become stuck or fall through the world.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed many issues where snow wasn't being lit correctly.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed an issue that caused some door frames to disappear, allowing Players to unintentionally see through them.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Adjusted the Level of Detail settings in a number of locations to prevent geometry from unsightly popping-in.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed scaling issues with some of the rock facades found throughout the region.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed an issue that prevented the Player from breaking down the Hand Truck found in the Prison Interior.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed an issue that would cause some materials to float after breaking down an object when in the Old Substation.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed a small hole found in the Steam Tunnel geo.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Replaced a static version of the Car Battery found in some vehicles with the correct (interactable) version.
[Enviro] Blackrock Region: Fixed an issue that would cause Players to sink through the planks found in the Mines if they saved the game and then reloaded while standing on the planks.
[Enviro] Hushed River Valley: Fixed various Birch Saplings that were placed too deeply in the snow.
SURVIVAL
[Gameplay] Mountain Town: Fixed an issue that would cause the Key for Paradise Meadows Farm to de-spawn, preventing Players from being able to retrieve it.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue that caused Carcasses to decay faster than intended.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue that caused the Ballistic Vest’s buff to remain active even after the vest was taken off.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue that prevented the Noisemaker from exploding if thrown at exactly the same time a struggle starts.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue that would cause some items found in the Blackrock Mines to create new stacks when added to inventory, instead of stacking with existing items.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue that caused Noisemakers to become unlit if lit before transitioning through a load screen, resulting in inconsistent fuse burn times.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue where players could interact with containers while holding a lit Noisemaker.
[Crafting] Fixed an issue where Crampon Repair mistakenly required a Sewing Kit.
[Crafting] Crafting the Noisemaker will no longer increase your Repair Skill.
[Crafting] Fixed an issue that allowed Players to craft more Bullets then their current supply of Gunpowder would allow.
WINTERMUTE
** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **
[EP 2] Fixed an issue that could prevent the Player from being able to open the gate to the Carter Dam.
[EP 2] Fixed missing dialogue audio when asking Methuselah about Wildlife.
[EP 4] Fixed a bug that could cause the game to hang or enter other incorrect states if an autosave occurred while a cinematic was playing. This addresses numerous issues including NPCs becoming stuck or the game loading to a black screen.
[EP 4] Fixed an issue that would cause Players to become stuck in the Suffocating state if they saved and reloaded while suffocating.
[EP 4] Blackrock Blues: Fixed an issue that prevented Players from being able to climb through the window leading to the Infirmary.
CUSTOM MODE
[Custom] Fixed an issue so that Voyager and Stalker default difficulty are now correctly set to “Random.”
CHALLENGE MODES
[Darkwalker] Fixed an issue that prevented Players from resting when suffering from the Anxious/Afraid Affliction.
[Archivist\As the Dead Sleep] Fixed an issue that would cause locations to incorrectly appear as “Surveyed” at the start of the Challenge.
[As the Dead Sleep] Fixed an issue that would cause the Journal to appear corrupted if the challenge ended while the Journal was open.
### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###
The Long Dark is Verified on Steam Deck!
Are you waiting for your Steam Deck to arrive, or considering buying one?
You'll be happy to know that The Long Dark is Steam Deck verified! Access your Steam library on the go, and use Steam Deck to explore everything the Quiet Apocalypse has to offer. Plus, the Hinterland team has been hard at work on visual and performance improvements on Linux to make your experience on Steam Deck even better.
To learn more, or to reserve your Steam Deck, please CLICK HERE. Great Bear Island is waiting, and there has never been a better time to explore!
The Long Dark Hotfixed to v1.99 [87977]
Hello Community,
We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to version 1.99 (87977). This hotfix primarily addresses a potential blocker in Episode Four. Please find the full list below. (NOTE: list may contain spoilers for WINTERMUTE.)
Please don’t forget to visit our Support Portal for useful articles, or if you need to log an issue. To stay up-to-date with news and information about The Long Dark and Hinterland, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).
WINTERMUTE
** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **
[Ep 4 - "The Detonators"] Fixed an issue that could cause players to become stuck on a black screen after returning to Blackrock Penitentiary with the Explosives.
[Ep 4 - "The Detonators"] Fixed an issue where an unintended steam effect could occur after closing the third valve in the Mines.
SWITCH
[UI] Updated the Main menu to the latest version for PERILOUS CONSTRAINT.
Please note that the 1.99 update is not yet available for Switch, but we will provide an update as soon as one is available.
Dev Diary - December 2021
Hello Survivors,
We just launched our latest update to Survival Mode, called PERILOUS CONSTRAINT. This update includes:
New to Survival! Blackrock Region added to Survival Mode. It connects to Pleasant Valley via a Transition zone, and to Timberwolf Mountain via a cave system.
New to Survival! The Noisemaker from Episode Four is now available for crafting and use in Survival Mode. Note that the Blueprint unlocks after you find your first Noisemaker, currently only discoverable in Blackrock Region.
New to The Long Dark! The Ballistic Vest. It’s the first piece of protective gear in the game and offers strong defense against physical harms from wildlife attacks.
Various quality-of-life improvements, including making Crampons repairable, and a new piece of soundtrack music, along with many bug fixes.
You can check out more information about the update here:
[previewyoutube="o7QXyRF2zm4;full"]
Mod Support in 2022
We’re setting up a small internal team dedicated solely to supporting Modding and User Generated Content at Hinterland. Our initial focus will be on supporting The Long Dark, but we plan for this to be a long-standing investment in time and resources, and the things we learn and the modding community we build with you, will hopefully become a strong foundation of more things to come in future Hinterland games.
As first steps, we’re setting up a Modding & UGC section of the official Hinterland forums. We’ll have dedicated focus from our Community team on this area, so please focus your mod discussions here so we can best support you. We’ve also set up a new email alias, “mods@hinterlandgames.com”, which you can use to contact us with any requests or information you’d like to share.
In the Spring, we’ll be sharing more info about our Creator Hub, which will have documentation, some tools, and other resources for modders, and other types of fan creations for The Long Dark. Until then, we’ll be active in the new Modding & UGC section of the official forums, and we’ll also be proactively reaching out to many of you who have been busy modding the game over the past years. We want to know more about what you need in terms of tool support, documentation, and also to provide you a clear path to communicating with us as we grow this area of The Long Dark’s community.
Survival Mode Updates in 2022 & Beyond
We’ve been working on a plan for how to tackle ongoing support for Survival Mode between now and Episode Five’s launch, and beyond. I’ll share more details about our plans in the new year, as there are a lot of technical aspects we’re still figuring out. But as a high-level direction, based on the guidance we’ve received from many of you in our player community through our community poll earlier this year -- and after providing nearly over 7 years of free updates to Survival Mode -- our plan is to move to a more sustainable paid update path.
One of the first stages we’re working towards is splitting Story Mode and Survival Mode into two separate games and executables. This won’t affect your ownership in any way -- everyone who currently owns The Long Dark will automatically have both games. In fact, depending on how we handle this, the split may be mostly on the back-end and invisible to you as a player. This split is mostly about how we structure content and data in the game on the development side.
Until now, Story content has been a layer on top of the core Survival Mode foundation, which has allowed us (over the years) to share the world and mechanics between the two modes, then using tuning variables and a complex system of scene layering to keep the two different experiences separate but relatively cohesive. This was a fantastic decision for us earlier in the project when the game world was smaller and we had less episode content, but as the years have passed it’s become harder and harder for us to maintain this structure, and we feel it’s become overly limiting to our ability to continue to grow The Long Dark for the future.
One illustrative example of this is that every time we change an element of UI, or a foundational art asset or system that is shared between the modes, we have to then test all the episodes, all the survival mode regions and content, and all the Challenge modes against this change. As a result, over time we’ve had to spend an increasing amount of effort on testing and validating our existing content and systems every time we want to release something new, and this has prevented us from updating the game as frequently as we would like. It’s also limited the kinds of things we can update, and we feel that many of the architecture choices from back in 2014 and onward have now become detrimental to the game’s growth and evolution in 2021 and beyond.
What splitting the game into Story and Survival will mean for us is that we’ll be better able to compartmentalize content, features, cinematics, etc. so that every time we make a change in Survival, we don’t have to retest the entirety of the rest of the game, and vice versa. In theory, this should make it easier for us to update the game in the future, both shortening the testing cycle and ensuring it can be more focused on a narrower band of changes. Our belief is that this will help us better maintain the game and ensure a high-quality experience for our players. We’ll share more details about this split in the new year, and as I said our hope is that for most current players this split will be very “behind the scenes”.
Beyond this, our plan for 2022 and beyond is to introduce some form of a paid update path for Survival Mode. We’re still working out the details of this -- and there are many! -- but our primary goal in developing this strategy is to focus on: 1) fairness to our current players, 2) creating multiple entry-points so that players can opt-in depending on what they want and what they can afford, and 3) long-term sustainability for the development team.
Part of our update plans also include how to handle next-gen visual enhancements. Thus far the only way to play The Long Dark on Xbox Series X|S, or PlayStation 5, has been through backwards compatibility. We want to create some next-gen native visual enhancements that really capitalize on the greater processing power and memory in the new consoles, and also on high-end PC, but again because of how our game is structured -- and because of how the platforms prefer developers to handle this content -- it’s been tough to reconcile the dev work required to make these changes with the impact they would have to our bottom line. We think we have a good plan for this and we’ll share more news about our approach and the list of enhancements we’re tackling at the same time we roll out more details about the paid update path for Survival Mode.
And just to be crystal clear -- none of these changes will have any impact on the delivery of Episode Five. This will still be free for all existing customers. If you own The Long Dark, you will not have to pay extra for Episode Five.
And speaking of Episodes, in case you missed it, we released Episode Four: Fury, Then Silence, in October. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, we encourage you to play it over the holidays!
[previewyoutube="-AzzG1Iaczw;full"]
Studio Closure
As usual for this time of year, the Hinterland team will be enjoying well-deserved rest with loved ones this holiday season, and the studio will be shut down from December 20th to January 3rd. If you run into any issues with the game during that period, and wish to contact us, please use our Support Portal. Please keep in mind that due to being on holiday, our responses might be delayed.
We’re excited to share more news with you in the new year, but until then, get some rest, stay safe these holidays, enjoy time with your loved ones, and we’ll see you in 2022 to begin a whole new phase of The Long Dark.
All the best, and thanks for your support this year.
- Raphael
*****
The latest update to Survival Mode is called PERILOUS CONSTRAINT— v1.98 (87574).
This update includes:
New to Survival: Blackrock Region is now available in Survival Mode. It connects to Pleasant Valley via a Transition zone, and to Timberwolf Mountain via a cave system.
New to Survival: The Noisemaker from Episode Four is now available for crafting and use in Survival Mode. Please note that the Blueprint unlocks after you find your first Noisemaker, which is currently only discoverable in Blackrock Region.
New to The Long Dark: The new Ballistic Vest is the first piece of protective gear in the game, offering strong defense against physical harms from wildlife attacks.
Various quality-of-life improvements, including making Crampons repairable, a new piece of soundtrack music, and many bug fixes.
There are also a couple of known issues affected players should be aware of:
Please note that on Switch, the Main menu art will not be updated with the release, though the game should still update. Players can verify the correct version via the top left-hand side of the main menu screen v1.98 (86821).
When attempting to repair the Crampons, you need either the Simple Tools or High Quality Tools item. If you do not have these items, you will receive an error message stating the Sewing Kit is required.
Don’t forget to visit our Support Portal for useful articles, or if you need to log an issue. To stay up-to-date with news and information about The Long Dark and Hinterland, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).
ART, ENVIRO, and UI
[Enviro] Fixed numerous areas the player could escape/leave the regular game environment.
[UI] Fixed an issue in Survival Mode that caused six incorrect Possible Old Bear Locations to appear in the list of Mystery Lake Surveyed Locations.
[UI] Fixed an issue when using a Controller that caused the Start Fire menu to skip when starting a fire in a Fire Barrel.
[UI] Fixed an issue that prevented items from appearing in Inspection Mode when the HUD was disabled in Options.
[UI] Fixed a performance issue that caused the WINTERMUTE menu to become unresponsive when the Player had many save files.
GAMEPLAY
[General] Updated Feats, so they now always save up completion.
CHALLENGE MODES
[Darkwalker] Fixed an issue that could prevent the game from saving correctly.
WINTERMUTE
** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **
[Ep4] Fixed a bug that could cause the game to save in an unloadable state.
[Ep3] Fixed a bug that caused the UI to disappear after exiting various sequences, such as a phone call or a dialogue sequence.
[Dialogue] Fixed an issue that caused the text to appear distorted during a dialogue sequence.
### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###
NOMINATE THE LONG DARK - A LABOR OF LOVE
Nominations are open for the 2021 Steam Awards, recognizing some of the best the games industry has to offer.
This year, The Long Dark is eligible in one game category: the Labor of Love Award. This award goes to a game that has been out for a while, but continues to grow, improve, and gain new content.
If you feel The Long Dark is a good candidate, please consider submitting your nomination by December 1st at 10AM (PST). As a bonus, you can earn Steam badges and up to 100XP for participating in the nomination process.
Click HERE to learn more, and to submit your nomination.
Thank you for playing, Survivors!
The Long Dark Hotfixed to v1.97 [85101]
Hello Community,
We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to version 1.97 [85101]. This hotfix addresses issues that emerged with the launch of Episode Four, addresses certain gameplay bugs, and offers general game improvements. Please find the full list below. (NOTE: list may contain spoilers.) It may take some time for changes to take effect as platforms update. Thank you for your patience.
There are two issues in particular affected players should be aware of:
For any PlayStation players impacted by missing Episode Four Trophies at launch; we have a way to potentially regain your progress. Please visit this page on our support portal for more info.
[SPOILERS] Episode Four Steam Tunnel puzzle; some players reported that they were unable to open the Control Room door after the ice thawed while solving the Steam Pipe puzzle. If you encountered issues with this puzzle, this document might be helpful.
Don’t forget to visit our Support Portal for useful articles, or if you need to log an issue. To stay up-to-date with news and information about The Long Dark and Hinterland, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).
* * * * *
GENERAL FIXES
[Optimization] Fixed a rare issue that would prevent the Player’s footprints from appearing correctly in certain circumstances.
[Optimization] Fixed numerous performance hitches, which should result in a smoother play experience.
[Steam] Updated the Workshop String Table to include all Episode Four strings.
ANIMATION
[Animation] Numerous tweaks and polish to various mission related animations.
[Animation] Fixed an issue where certain climbing animations were broken when the FOV was set to maximum.
[Animation] Fixed an issue where the animation twitched during the Kill/Release choice after catching a Rabbit.
[Animation] Fixed an issue where Mackenzie’s arms shook incorrectly when climbing various areas.
ART, ENVIRO, and UI
[Accessibility] Updated Mature Language Filter to include some lines that were missed.
[Art] Optimized render distance on various objects found in Episode Four so they will become visible at the appropriate distance from the Player. This will reduce instances of distant objects popping in to the world.
[Art] Optimized the Steam Tunnels object and lighting draw distance to improve the overall visual quality and performance.
[Art] Tuned lighting in various interiors and fixed mismatched lighting on objects.
[Environment] Fixed an issue that caused the walls inside the Radio Hut to remain visible regardless of what room inside the Radio Hut you were in.
[Environment] Optimized the Mines to ensure the Gas is not drawn when not needed, resulting in performance improvements.
[Environment] Added some extra collision to the pipes in the Steam Tunnel to prevent the camera from clipping into the pipes.
[Environment] Fixed a gap found in the doors of the Power Plant.
[Environment] Fixed large black shadows found on the beds in the Blackrock Prison Infirmary.
[Environment] Moved the “Danger Electric Cables Over-Head” warning sign in the Steam Tunnel to make it more visible.
[Environment] Fixed numerous floating or clipping objects throughout the Blackrock Region.
[Environment] Fixed an issue where the water splash sound effect was missing when walking through water found in the Abandoned Mine.
[UI] Fixed an issue in the Journal’s exit button on the Collections -> Surveyed Locations screen so Players no longer need to change to a different screen to exit.
[UI] Fixed an issue preventing the Region displayed on the Map from updating correctly when using a cave to transition to a new Region.
[UI] Fixed an issue where the Mission Status tab would not reflect the state of the current active mission.
[UI] Tuned the icons on the Map screen so Mission Markers are sorted above other Map Markers.
[UI] Fixed an issue where the weather could change from the intended calibration preset while adjusting the Brightness in the Main Menu.
[UI] Fixed an issue where Open Cans can appear as closed when viewed in the Cooking Menu.
[UI] Fixed unaligned buttons on the “Continue to ...?” screen that appears after completing an Episode.
[UI] Updated the Hardcase item description.
[UI] Updated the icon for Key 8 found in Episode One to a higher quality version.
GAMEPLAY
[AI] Fixed an issue where Wolves continued to eat carcasses after the carcass is gone.
[Audio] Added audio ducking to the Marine Flare, so its audio is no longer louder than in-game dialogue.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue where water longer disappeared when clicking the “Move All to Container” button, then immediately transferring the water back to the container.
[Gameplay] Fixed an issue where the Maple Syrup would remain attached to the Player, instead of being removed from the world after being picked up.
[Gameplay] Sprain Risk is no longer disabled when taking a phone call.
CHALLENGE MODES
[Darkwalker] Tuned the wait time between placing a Banish Glyph and the Darkwalker appearing. Players should not have to wait extended periods of time, now.
[Hunted 1/2 and Whiteout] Added Socks to starting inventory.
[Whiteout] Tuned the mission complete percentage to be more accurate.
WINTERMUTE
** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **
[Cinematics] Fixed several lighting issues across a range of Episode Four cinematics.
[Cinematics] Fixed an issue during Chapter 1: Blackrock Blues that could cause the audio in cinematics to no longer align with the animations, if the Player skipped a cinematic.
[Cinematics] Fixed an issue that would often cause in-game dialogue to be skipped if it was intended to play immediately after a cinematic during Episode Three.
[Environment] Fixed an issue with the Wolf found near the farm during Episode One so it now feeds on corpses, as intended.
[Environment] Fixed numerous locations where the Player could either become stuck or escape the map or intended progression route during Episode Four.
[Episode One] Fixed an issue where Mackenzie would appear without a bandaged hand while picking up the Hardcase.
[Episode One] Fixed clipping that could occur when climbing out of the Crash Site.
[Episode One] Fixed an issue that caused the audio for the fires at the Crash Site to continue to play after they had burned out.
[Episode One] Fixed an issue that would cause the skybox to briefly appear when exiting back to the Main Menu from inside the Grey Mother’s House.
[Episode Two] Fixed overlapping audio that can occur while speaking to Jeremiah.
[Episode Two] Fixed an issue where the Active Objective UI element would not appear as intended when bringing up the Radial Menu, after getting the Bear Spear during The Best Defense.
[Episode Two] Tuned the Aurora that occurs during the Return to Dam mission so it will now be fully active, instead of just starting.
[Episode Three] Fixed an issue that would prevent the Player from being able to progress if they saved the game right before answering the Phone at the burnt-out cabin, then reloaded the save during the Phone Call.
[Episode Three] Fixed an issue so that removing the fuse now correctly disables both the electrical visual and sound effects during Aftermath.
[Episode Three] Tuned the mission complete percentage to be more accurate during Forest Talker.
[Episode Three] HUD will no longer remain disabled after speaking to Molly.
[Episode Four] Fixed an issue where the final gauge could appear at full pressure when the valves were still incorrectly set during Steam Valve Puzzle #1.
[Episode Four] Fixed an issue that caused the interaction point on the Valve to shift if the Player entered the tunnels, then returned to the Valves during The Detonators.
[Episode Four] Fixed an issue where weapons and gear were not confiscated properly after completing The Detonators.
[Episode Four] Added safeguards to help prevent the Player from dropping the Bolt Cutters into unreachable locations in The Detonators.
[Episode Four] Fixed an issue that caused the Status bar to flicker prior to returning to gameplay after the cinematic sequence in Donner.
[Episode Four] Dialogue will no longer continue to play on the Death screen if the Player is caught during Donner.
[Episode Four] Increased the range at which the entrances can be seen during Convict Caches.
PLAYSTATION 4
[General] Fixed an issue where the game crashed for some players on launch.
[General] Fixed a potential crash that could occur when throwing an item.
WINDOWS 7
[General] Fixed an issue where players using Windows 7 would become stuck on an unskippable black screen when playing an in-game video, such as the opening credits.
MAC
[Rendering] Fixed an issue that would cause rocks to not render on OpenGL systems.
SWITCH
[Rendering] Decreased the compression on numerous textures to increase the overall visual quality.
October 2021 Developer Diary
Hello everyone!
October’s been a big month for Hinterland and The Long Dark. In case you missed it, we launched Episode Four: Fury, Then Silence. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re grateful for that.
Current Issues
With Episode Four, like most of our big releases, we tend to find issues post-launch. I wanted to address a bit about how this can happen. Right now we are tracking 3-4 issues that are impacting a small number of players but in highly visible ways. They include:
Windows 7; there is an issue with video compatibility on Windows 7 which prevents certain videos (like the opening credits) from playing correctly. We have provided a work-around here, but we understand that it’s not very satisfying. This issue disproportionately impacts players in parts of the world where Windows 7 is still commonly used.
Mac rendering issue; some Mac users have encountered a rendering issue that can result in weird visual glitches, and a separate issue can result in missing geometry. We’ve suggested a workaround for the first issue.
PlayStation Trophies; these were missing at launch but have since been added.
In addition to these, there are other miscellaneous issues that we have been tracking and working on.
I know it seems tough to understand how a studio can release game content that has bugs in it. For some background, we have a full-time in-house Test team who regularly comb through the game and find bugs for the team to fix. We also have a Support team who receives all the bug reports you share at our Support Portal (thank you to everyone who takes the time to do this -- it is extremely helpful!), as well as a Community team who takes note of the issues you flag in the forums and on our social accounts.
All this information gets put into an internal database that we use to evaluate outstanding issues. We then review each issue and consider how often a bug seems to appear, how seriously the bug affects players, and then we assign bugs out based on priority. The first step to fixing a bug is being able to reproduce it reliably, and this is where getting info like log files, screenshots, and videos can be very helpful in pinpointing the issues. Things like crashes and progress blockers are always the top priority to fix. Minor things like floating items get prioritized last. These bugs get assigned out by the team leads. The development team works on fixing them, and we create an internal version of the game that has all these fixes in it. At some point in the process we have to lock the build so that the Test team can test it all again, because every time something new is added to the build it invalidates most of the testing that has been done.
For really big releases like our Episodes, we supplement our internal Test team with an external team of about 5-10 testers (depending on the release) who help us review the entire game. Remember, every time we release an Episode, a Survival Update, or a Hotfix, we have to pretty much test the ENTIRE game again, to make sure we haven’t introduced issues elsewhere (it’s common for bug fixes to cause or reveal other issues). This includes all the Survival Mode mechanics on all Experience Modes, all the Regions, all the Challenges, and every Episode of WINTERMUTE. It’s a huge game that requires a massive amount of testing.
This explanation isn’t meant to sound like I’m making excuses for why bugs end up being released -- as you know we work hard to release a “clean” build and we then work hard to stomp out any bugs that come to light after the fact. But it’s a really big game and every release reminds us that it’s getting harder and harder to ensure we find all the bugs before release. This is something we’re discussing internally to see how we can improve our approach and ensure a better quality product for you, because I don’t think the current testing cycle is sustainable, and it just slows things down too much.
Hotfix Work
The development team has a hotfix with our internal Test team now. This hotfix contains fixes for over 200 issues (many of them pre-date the Episode Four release and were held back until post-release). We don’t have an exact ETA for this, but we’re hopeful that we can get it out some time late next week (the week of October 25th). If it comes in too late we may have to push it to the following week because we don’t release hotfixes right before the weekend, since we can’t be around to monitor and help players if things go wrong.
We will be following our standard hotfixing protocol, which is to bring hotfixes to platforms as quickly as we can (rather than holding some to simultaneously ship on all platforms together), therefore the Hotfix will not arrive on every platform at the same time. The typical order is: Steam, Xbox + PlayStation, other digital stores (Humble, Nuuvem, etc.), WeGame in China, and Switch. This order is purely determined by how quickly and/or convenient the hotfixing process is. (For example, on Steam we can simply update the game immediately. On the other end of the spectrum, Nintendo usually takes 7-10 days to review every hotfix before it can be released). Unfortunately, these are not timings that we control, and we apologize if you happen to be impacted by any delays around deploying these fixes.
We’ll share more info on Hotfix progress on our Social accounts and in the Steam and Official forums, so please follow us on Twitter if you want to have up-to-date info.
End of the Year Survival Update & Halloween Event
As mentioned in the lead-up to Episode Four’s launch, the team is working on bringing Blackrock Region to Survival Mode for the end of this year. They are also incorporating the Noisemaker into Survival Mode, and we’re including one new gear item that was not in Episode Four. We’ll share more details about these things in the lead up to launching the update. We don’t have an ETA on the Survival Update apart from “before the end of the year”.
Between the Episode Four launch, the subsequent hotfixing work, and preparing the Survival Mode update for the end of the year, I unfortunately had to make a tough call to sacrifice the Halloween Event this year. I know many of you were looking forward to getting a refresh on Escape the Darkwalker, and we were excited to release a 2021 version, but the team just doesn’t have the bandwidth to produce the Hotfix, release an updated Darkwalker, and also produce a Survival Mode update for the end of the year. In terms of priority, it felt that the Survival Update was more important to you than the Darkwalker event, so we triaged out the event. Apologies to anyone that will be disappointed by this, but there’s only so much development bandwidth to go around and we need to make these calls at times. We’ll try to make it up to you next year.
* * *
I’ll share another dev diary closer to the end-of-year Survival update, and as mentioned we’ll keep you posted on Hotfix progress as it unfolds in the coming weeks.
Thanks for your patience and support of our efforts! We hope you’re enjoying Episode Four, and for those of you who are currently impacted by bugs, we hope to get you some fixes very soon.
- Raphael
Episode Four is Here
Today is a big day for Hinterland. After two years of development, we are finally launching Episode Four of our WINTERMUTE story mode for The Long Dark. “Fury, Then Silence” continues Mackenzie’s story after his ill-fated meeting with the convict Mathis in Carter Dam. You may remember that meeting didn’t end well for Mackenzie. Now we get to see what happens to our everyman bush pilot as he tangles with some very unpleasant people in a prison complex at the end of the world.
Developing the majority of this episode during a global pandemic has been a challenging experience to say the least. All the while, the team has banded together to support each other during the ups and downs. Within our small team, we’ve experienced the highs of births and new life, and the deep lows of losing people we love. And all the while, we pushed forward to tell the story of Mackenzie and Astrid, the quiet apocalypse, the wintery wilderness of Great Bear, and the mysterious aurora in the sky, all to the best of our ability. The parallels between our isolation and fears of the outside world and Mackenzie’s experience in the episode were not lost on us.
For us, Episode Four will always be the pandemic episode. The experience of making it, and of playing it, will always be coloured by this time. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so maybe you will feel some of those influences as you go through and experience Blackrock for yourselves.
Today is a bittersweet day. We give you the fourth episode of our survival odyssey, and we come one step closer to the final part of our story. We have set the table for Episode Five, and now we turn our attention to bringing it to a close. There are still many challenges ahead.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more information about our plans for the future of Survival Mode, next-gen enhancements, mod support, and other things we’re doing at Hinterland. But today is about Mackenzie, a prison in the mountains, and a tough journey that will push him -- and you -- to your limits as a survivor.
We hope you enjoy the experience we have created for you, and on behalf of the entire team at Hinterland, I thank you for all your support and patience as you waited for this day. Thank you for believing in us, as we believe in you.
All the best, and safe travels.
- Raphael
The Long Dark, Episode Four: FURY, THEN SILENCE is available now on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, Epic Games Store, and Nintendo Switch. Watch the full trailer below.
[previewyoutube="-AzzG1Iaczw;full"]
Visit our Support Portal to find useful articles or to log an issue you encountered.
We’ve organized all of our accessibility features into a single menu available through OPTIONS->ACCESSIBILITY. We’ve also added two new options to assist players:
Swear Filter - Disables swear words in both spoken dialogue and subtitles
Misophonia Filter - Turns off the sounds that often play when eating or drinking food items in the game. There may be other sounds that trigger misophonia (ex. yawning when the Survivor is tired, lip-smacking when they are thirsty) and we will address those as we are able.
Known Issues - We’re currently working to address these issues in an upcoming Hotfix:
Switch Only
The In-Game News Messages will appear as placeholder text
When setting the Gyroscope Controls to “Aim Only” they will act as if they are set to “Always On”
Windows 7 Only
The game will freeze after the disclaimer screen, when trying to play the Intro videos. Please see this support article for a workaround https://hinterlandgames.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408005055636-Windows-7-Black-Screen-After-Disclaimer-or-Starting-WINTERMUTE-Episodes
General
If the Player unlocks a Feat and then exits the game before saving, the Feat will not be unlocked and progress may appear incorrect after restarting the Long Dark. To avoid this issue trigger a save after earning the Feat to ensure it is saved, before exiting.
The Long Dark - Episode Four Teaser & Launch Date
The long wait is nearly over. The next Episode of THE LONG DARK's Story Mode: FURY, THEN SILENCE is coming to Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch on October 6, 2021. (Free for all current owners of the game.)
A murderous gang of convicts have captured Mackenzie. Desperate to escape one of the darkest corners of Great Bear Island, he must somehow survive his fiercest enemy yet. Can Mackenzie recover the Hardcase, continue his search for Astrid, and save the innocents caught up in this deadly confrontation?
Click to watch the teaser below. [previewyoutube="zV3-8ZW4ZVE;full"]
The long wait is nearly over. Today we reveal the key art and title for Episode Four of The Long Dark’s WINTERMUTE story mode:
Episode Four: “Fury, Then Silence”
A murderous gang of convicts has captured Mackenzie. Desperate to escape one of the darkest corners of Great Bear Island, he must somehow survive his fiercest enemy yet. Can Mackenzie recover the Hardcase, continue his search for Astrid, and also save the innocents caught up in this deadly confrontation?
The episode takes place in a brand new region dominated by an old prison complex built under the shadow of Blackrock Mountain. Featuring 7-10 hours of gameplay, 60 minutes of narrative cinematics, and over 40 minutes of new music, Episode Four also introduces new key characters to the WINTERMUTE storyline, and puts the final narrative threads in place that will later be resolved in Episode Five (ship date TBD).
The team is heading into the final stretch of the episode. Most of the bugs are fixed, and we’re in the final stages of localization, optimization, and preparing things for launch.
True to our typical tradition, we aren’t announcing a release date until we are very close to launch, so stay tuned for that. For our Survival Mode fans, Blackrock Region will be added to Survival Mode before the end of the year, along with a few other additions.
UPCOMING PRICE CHANGE
When we had THE LONG DARK in Early Access on Steam and on Xbox Game Preview, it was priced at $19.99 USD. When we launched our 1.0 in August of 2017, we bumped the price up to $29.99 USD. With the launch of Episode Four, we’re increasing the price for THE LONG DARK to $34.99 USD ($5 increase). We feel this is more reflective of the current state of the game in terms of quality and the scope of content. The new price will take effect when Episode Four ships, so this is your last opportunity to purchase THE LONG DARK at its current $29.99 price. Please note that this price increase will not impact you if you already own the game. (Your local pricing may vary.)
ROADMAP AFTER EPISODE FOUR
After we launch Episode Four, I’ll post some details about our plans for THE LONG DARK, onward to Episode Five and beyond, including how we plan to update Survival Mode in the future, our plans for Mod Support, and more.
Now, back to preparing Episode Four’s launch. We’ll see you soon!
