I am quite impressed with the reception of the game so far. When I started it in my cave back in 2014, I made it just for myself. But it's quite heartwarming to see so many people enjoying the game for what it is. As a result, I got motivated to add some more stuff in, so I decided to work on some of the things I abandoned before release. You can consider these (early) "Easter eggs".
With this update, which should download automatically, there are finally enough books in the game to fill the shelves entirely. They will appear throughout the caves after enough time has passed. Most are not that hard to find.
There are some new items to put in your home: for example, you can learn to weave carpets made out of moss. The other things will be left to you to find out.
Of course, the update also includes several bug fixes (and probably new bugs as well...). For example, the flipping of crystals is finally saved correctly. Also achievements should now hopefully work on all Macs.
Regarding the translation of books, we are still working on a neat Steam Workshop integration, where you can download/upload translations or new texts in your native languages and replace the ones in the game with them. This should be done hopefully sometime this month.
Oh, and we have finally managed to release the soundtrack! It features original tracks made by Lord Redstone for the game and various old tracks by other dungeon synth artists, such as Vindkaldr, Erang, Spectral Kingdom, Erdstall and Dungeontroll: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1275730/THE_LONGING__Soundtrack/
Greetings from isolation, Anselm
PS: If you have finished the game already and want to jump back in to find the easter-eggs, there is most likely a way to restore your old save. I will give instructions for this via email: anselm.pyta@studioseufz.com
Release Date and IGF-Nomination!
After a few hundred days of waiting, we finally have a release date for the game: It will be the 5th of March, which is in approximately 52 days.
We are also proud to announce that the game has been nominated for an IGF Award in the "Nuovo" (innovation) category.
Oh, and you can watch a new trailer here:
[previewyoutube="Fp-CUEB0H_c;full"]
400-day anniversary and FAQ
Today marks the 400-day anniversary of this Steam page. A good date to post some news: First, we like to announce that THE LONGING now has a publisher, namely Application Systems Heidelberg! This cooperation will result in more in-game languages (soon-to-be added), ports to Mac and Linux and an overall better product.
Since we get asked similar questions all the time, here is a short FAQ regarding the game:
Q: Do I have to leave the game and computer running for 400 days?
No. You can quit the game and you can switch the computer off. Time will inevitably pass inside the game nonetheless.
Q: Do I really have to play for 400 days?
No, you could actually start the game once and come back after 400 days to find out how it ends, but you would miss a lot. Also remember that time is subjective and can feel a lot shorter if you learn to keep yourself occupied.
Q: What happens after 400 days?
We won't tell you. However, there are multiple endings and not every one of them might involve waiting for 400 days.
Q: Is this game an adventure game?
It is, in the sense that there are puzzles that you can solve. There are items to collect and you can do stuff with them. But you don't have to. There is a ton of well hidden content that you can discover if you like. And of course there is a story. Puzzles are often time based, as you would expect in a game like this.
Q: What is a time based puzzle?
Obstacles in the game need time to be overcome. If you want to climb up somewhere, it might involve waiting for a drop to fill up a pit or waiting for a spider to craft a web.
Q: Why is the character so slow and is there a way to make him walk faster?
The game is about time and loneliness. It is not about speed. But you can save waypoints and walk there automatically. Just quit the game and come back later, or watch the character take a stroll.
Q: Is this a Tamagotchi game?
It is and it isn't. You want to take good care of the lonely shade and you may start to like it, but you don't have to feed it. It is a shade so it'll not starve to death.
Q: When is this game going to be released??!
We still don't have a release date yet, since this new cooperation with the publisher will take some time to bear its fruits. Please keep in mind that this still is a one-man project at large. Patience will pay off after all. And you won't have to wait for another 400 days...
