From everyone at Hinterland Studio — we wish you a great and relaxing time with friends and family. It’s been a fantastic year for the game and the studio, culminating with the recent release of Episodes One and Two Redux. We are incredibly grateful for your continued support, and the thoughtful interactions we get to have with the community through the Milton Mailbag and other channels. Now onto 2019, Episode Three and beyond!

We also wanted to let you know that Hinterland will be on holiday break from December 21st to January 8th. You can of course still reach us through our new Customer Support Portal. Please keep in mind that while our support team will follow up with you, it may take up to 48 hours before we respond. In the meantime, please refer to the FAQ available on the Portal for a list of troubleshooting steps you can check out before we get back to you.

Hello community,

We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to v1.44 [44110] to address some issues that surfaced after our REDUX Update.

NOTE: Please be aware there may be WINTERMUTE story spoilers in the changelist.

If you encounter issues while playing The Long Dark please visit our Support Portal.

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.

You’ll find the complete changelist for the hotfix below.


*[ALL] Fixed colour grading for early-morning ambient lighting effects.
*[SURVIVAL MODE] Fixed Rabbitskin Hat not appearing on the Paper Doll screen for the female survivor.
*[WINTERMUTE] Improved the Old Bear’s pathing when in the cave system during the What One Man Can Do mission in Episode Two. Please note we’re still working to resolve all scenarios where the Old Bear can become stuck.

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

Dear players of The Long Dark on NVIDIA on Linux:

Unfortunately, the latest version of Unity (used in the Redux version of The Long Dark) introduces graphical corruption issues when played using NVIDIA video cards. Fortunately, there is a workaround that may address these issues for you by forcing the game into OpenGL 4.2.

To do this:

• Right-click on The Long Dark in your Steam Library
  
• Select Properties
  
• Select Set Launch Options
  
• Paste the following in the resulting text box: -force-glcore42 -force-clamped

We’ll continue working with Unity to resolve the issue with a proper fix, but until then this work-around should allow you to play the game.

- The Hinterland Team

Hello community,

We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to v1.43 [44083] to address some issues that surfaced after our REDUX Update.

NOTE: Please be aware there may be WINTERMUTE story spoilers in the changelist.

If you encounter issues while playing The Long Dark please visit our Support Portal.

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.

You’ll find the complete changelist for the hotfix below.


*[ALL] Fixed the entrance to the basement at Skeeter Ridge in Pleasant Valley appearing in the wrong spot.

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

Hello community,

We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to v1.42 [44062] to address some issues that surfaced after our REDUX Update.

NOTE: Please be aware there may be WINTERMUTE story spoilers in the changelist.

If you encounter issues while playing The Long Dark please visit our Support Portal.

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.

You’ll find the complete changelist for the hotfix below.


*[ALL] Fixed 'Suppress Discovery Text' setting being carried from WINTERMUTE into Survival Mode.
*[ALL] Fixed issue where gaining an Affliction during a Struggle was not saving the game.
*[ALL] Fixed scrollbar leaving a gap when scrolling to the bottom of the list in the Crafting menu, keeping some Crafting options hidden.
*[ALL] Fixed being unable to light a Torch from a campfire.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed incorrect location text appearing when reloading the game indoors in Milton.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed arms clipping into camera during the Bear encounter at Carter Dam when FOV was set above 90.
*[WINTERMUTE] Removed deer carcass from the Survival Bowl sequence in Episode One that could cause a crash.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed Episode Two not starting correctly when a player walks beyond the Cave transition trigger at the end of Episode One.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed the Old Bear not rearing up before starting its attack when in the Bear Cave.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed Rifle not returning to player inventory at the end of What One Man Can Do mission in Episode Two.
*[WINTERMUTE] Fixed Bear becoming stuck in flee after stepping off a fallen tree adjacent to the Bear Spear in Episode Two.
*[SURVIVAL MODE] Fixed missing truck in Pleasant Valley.

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

https://youtu.be/PAKw7yokYFg

We’ve just released the completely overhauled versions of Episodes One and Two. This reflects over a year of effort to improve our Story Mode experience based on player feedback, and to strengthen the technical foundation of our game in anticipation of the remaining three episodes to complete WINTERMUTE, which will be unlocked as they are completed.

The “Redux” represents thousands of fixes and improvements, as well as entirely new content. The number of changes are too numerous to list here. Generally, the changes are along the following themes:

* Narrative Presentation: New dialogue mode; all story is now experienced in first-person; all dialogue is fully voiced and animated. All cinematic moments have been redone.
* Narrative Content: All dialogue has been re-written and re-recorded. While the high-level story arc of Episodes One and Two remains the same, many of the supporting details have changed. We’ve introduced new plot elements, new locations, a new introduction, and overall a general layer of presentation polish on narrative content.
* Mission Structure: We’ve opened up the mission structure; previously there were several plot elements or side mission content (ex. Jeremiah’s Survival School) missions that were prerequisites to progressing in the story. As much as possible, while maintaining a logical story flow, we’ve made the mission structure more flexible. Side content is properly optional now and can be accessed over time and in between key narrative moments.
* Gameplay Improvements: In addition to opening up the structure somewhat, we’ve also retuned many of the mission objectives to provide the right amount of challenge. We’ve worked to reduce the amount of backtracking that is required to complete missions (while maintaining the right amount of open-world exploration to keep things interesting). We’ve completely overhauled the Bear Hunt mission structure, integrating it more fully into Episode Two, adding new Bear Spear gameplay, and adding climactic new encounter to complete that story. We’ve also made improvements to how we present mission information to the player. And finally, we’ve retuned the Survival “needs” per Story Experiene (Green, Capable, Hardened) and increased the amount of ammunition (Rifle, Distress Pistol) available in the world.

We hope you enjoy the “Redux” versions of Episodes One and Two. Please note that “Predux” (i.e. the previous version of the episodes) story saves are not compatible with Redux. If you have previously completed Episodes One and Two and you have no interest in experiencing the Redux versions, you will still be able to progress into Episode Three once it is unlocked in 2019.



The “Redux” game update includes some improvements to the game’s Survival Mode, notably:


* New Craftable Item: Rabbitskin Hat. This completes the suite of craftable clothing options in the game.
* New Health Buff: Well Fed. If you avoid Starvation for 72 hours, you will get a buff to Condition and Carrying Capacity. The 72-hour timer gets reset every time you begin to Starve.
* New Challenge: Archivist. Scour Great Bear to collect the last memories contained in several Aurora-animated computers.

Please note that the Bear Spear is currently a Story-mode only tool. It will be added to Survival Mode in a future update.

As part of the Redux overhaul, we’ve also made the following changes to the User Interface:

* Revised the HUD condition indicators. The game also now defaults to an “Always On” HUD configuration, which can be changed in the Display settings.
* Improved the Fire/Stove interaction interface, to clarify Firestarting, Fuel-Adding, Cooking, and Water production activities. This replaces the “direct placement” action from the Radial as the default, primary Fire/Stove interaction type, although we have also maintained the radial placement system for those who wish to use it.
* General improvements to the Map, Objectives, and Knowledge areas of the Journal (for Story mode only).
* Added new Load screens with gameplay and world information.

... in addition to the dozens of general improvements listed below.

*****


KNOWN ISSUES

Due to Unity issues, we are seeing lower than expected performance in some areas of the game on Xbox One and Xbox One S. We are investigating this issue and will release a fix ASAP. Xbox One X is not affected by this issue.
There are some rendering issues when using the latest NVidia drivers on Linux. We are working on a solution. This issue does not affect AMD video cards.

GENERAL FIXES

* General performance improvements across the game
* Widespread audio optimizations
* Upgraded to a new version of Unity, enabling widespread improvements across the game

GENERAL ART FIXES

* [Enviro] Numerous optimizations to improve performance
* [Enviro] Fixed numerous areas the player could become stuck in
* [Enviro] Fixed numerous areas the player could get outside of the intended play area
* [Enviro] Fixed numerous clipping and floating objects
* [Enviro] Performed various optimizations to avoid texture popping
* [Enviro] Improved alignment on some power lines
* [Enviro] Updated many snow banks, rocks, and fauna
* [Enviro] Numerous environment improvements
* [Enviro] Improved Aurora visuals; reduced the visible banding effect
* [Enviro] Improved blood decal lifetime
* [Enviro] Improved waterfall splash effects appearance when dark
* [Enviro] Improved light flicker visuals during an Aurora event
* [Enviro] Update to many items to prevent floating after an object is broken down
* [Enviro] Improved decal sorting
* [Enviro] Improved grass reflections lighting for time of day
* [Enviro] Fixed many instances of grass clipping through trees and railway tracks
* [Broken Railroad] Fixed invisible rocks near Rope Climb
* [Broken Railroad] Fixed overlapping pipes and debris near the Maintenance Yard
* [Carter Dam] Fixed box clipping into wall
* [Mystery Lake] Fixed corpses spawning sunken into the ground
* [Coastal Highway] Fixed stretched snow textures around some cabins
* [Mystery Lake] Fixed visual artifacts in river terrain
* [Mountain Town] Fixed flickering textures on mountain near Milton
* [Mountain Town] Fixed missing texture on rocks near transition to Mystery Lake
* [Mountain Town] Fixed missing collison on the barn at Paradise Meadow Farms
* [Mountain Town] Fixed flickering textures on the cars outside of Milton
* [Mountain Town] Fixed player being able to clip through parts of the silo

USER INTERFACE

* [Mac/PC/Linux] Fixed Xbox One menu buttons appearing for 1 frame when using a PS4 controller
* [PC/Mac/Linux] Fixed selection swapping back and forth when cursor placed between two buttons
* [UI] Improved the visibility of HUD button prompt when using a controller
* [UI] Improved Main Menu appearing off-center in 21:9
* [UI] Fixed back button taking player to wrong screen when viewing a Note at the end of a Survival Game
* [UI] Fixed Reticle appearing over non-interactable cabinets
* [UI] Fixed alignment of UI when reading a note
* [UI] Fixed Online Messaging only showing only the latest announcement, instead of all new announcements
* [UI] Fixed Back button option being highlighted by mistake in certain scenarios
* [UI] Fixed player being unable to back out of Save/Load menu if it was empty

WINTERMUTE FIXES

* [WINTERMUTE] Improved map markers to allow merging of critical information when multiple icons are at the same location
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed frightened Wolves becoming aggressive after game is saved and loaded
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed conditions that caused players to start Episode Two holding a lantern
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed pelts not curing if partially cured when completing Episode One
* [WINTERMUTE] Added option to easily start Episode Two if the player quit after completing Episode One
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed issue that caused audio to cut out when entering certain cars in Milton
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed multiple sound effects playing when climbing rope breaks
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed Neighbours Note clipping into ground
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed deer carcass disappearing when loading an autosave
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed Wolves not always fleeing from flares
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed Wolves being able to attack players while in Dialogue Mode
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed weather not restoring correctly when loading a game
* [WINTERMUTE] Improved accuracy of the Episode Completion stat
* [WINTERMUTE] Fixed issue that caused players to be pushed into another room when opening the vault door in the Bank
* [WINTERMUTE] Numerous wildlife pathfinding updates


SURVIVAL MODE

* [Survival Mode] Fixed player being able to use weapons while afflicted with a sprained wrist by saving then reloading the game
* [Survival Mode] Fixed issue with mapping in Mountain Town on some legacy save files
* [Survival Mode] All bedrolls now use the same skill when repairing
* [Survival Mode] Prevented deer from fleeing to inaccessible areas in the Ravine transition
* [Survival Mode] Fixed items becoming lost under the Farmhouse in Pleasant Valley after a struggle
* [Survival Mode] Fixed animal sound effects playing when leaving Trapper’s Cabin
* [Survival Mode] Fixed issue where a cairn found in Coastal Highway could be found twice
* [Survival Mode] Fixed issue that could cause Rifles placed on racks to fall off when player exits the building
* [Survival Mode] Fixed Bear spawning in terrain in Mystery Lake

ALL GAME MODES

* [All] General gameplay tuning across a variety of systems.
* [All] Improved aiming mechanics for thrown Stones, to make Rabbit Hunting a bit easier.
* [All] Retuned Wolf flee behaviour to react to being hit by a thrown Stone (probability is subject to Experience Mode).
* [PC/Mac/Linux] Fixed cinematic audio continuing to play when the game is minimized
* [All] Bear breath effect optimization
* [All] Male survivor can no longer be heard breathing when Survivor Voiceover is turned Off
* [All] Fixed players arms becoming stuck if entering a wolf struggle while holding a Flashlight
* [All] Decreased campfires placement size to avoid players trapping themselves
* [All] Fixed condition that could result in the the player becoming stuck when picking up a stunned Rabbit
* [All] Fixed exploit that allowed Encumbered players to travel uphills at regular speed by crouching and standing repeatedly
* [All] Fixed Cooking Pots sinking into cooking surfaces
* [All] Improved how items snap onto cooking surfaces
* [All] Fixed last Cartridge in a stack dropping as a box
* [All] Fixed Bows and Rifles floating above placed location
* [All] Fixed placed Campfires sinking slightly after player leaves area
* [All] Fixed “You are not thirsty” message appearing incorrectly when trying to drink soda or tea
* [All] Fixed player becoming stuck in animation if attacked by a wolf while reloading the Rifle
* [All] Fixed Distress Pistol becoming stuck in hand if the reload button was pressed rapidly
* [All] Fixed instances where subtitles could play when turned off
* [All] Fixed issue where the fade to black after wolf struggle hid the get up animation
* [All] Fixed unplugging the controller during movie a not pausing playback
* [All] Fixed Ropes becoming inaccessible if player saves and reloads while on a ledge
* [All] Adjusted Flashlight lighting effect
* [All] Player can no longer enter a door when a Struggle has been initiated
* [All] Improved wildlife pathfinding in Milton
* [All] Fixed issue that caused Aurora to not appear correctly when using OpenGL
* [All] Improved wildlife pathfinding in Paradise Meadows Farm
* [All] Fixed player being able to throw a Flare while opening a car trunk
* [All] Fixed flickering sky that could occur during wind storm
* [All] Fixed not being able to place a Campfire on concrete
* [All] Fixed unlocked lockers in Trapper’s Cabin requiring a pry bar to open


CUSTOM EXPERIENCE SETTINGS

* [Custom Settings] Updated several description strings to reflect specific settings more accurately.
* [Custom Settings] Fixed "Struggle player strength bonus" option not working correctly
* [Custom Settings] Fixed "Struggle damage received modifier" option not working correctly
* [Custom Settings] Fixed “Stick, Branch, and Stone spawn frequency” always being set to high
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Hidden Caches in River Valley not appearing as empty in Custom Mode
* [Custom Settings] Fixed animals fleeing when Custom Mode set to Interloper mode
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Blizzard Frequency not working correctly
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Wildlife Respawn Frequency not working correctly
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Wolf Spawn Chance settings not matching intended preset
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Cabin Fever and Parasites being On when using the Pilgrim preset
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Medical Treatment voice over playing when Survivor Monologue was disabled
* [Custom Settings] Fixed Custom Experience options being unavailable until user scrolls to the bottom of the menu
* [Custom Settings] Fixed "Interrupt If Freezing Starts While Sleeping" option not taking effect

PS4-ONLY FIXES

* [PS4] Fixed missing Bear breath
* [PS4] Improved stability when transitioning scenes
* [PS4] Optimized Aurora performance
* [PS4] Improved lighting performance
* [PS4] Fixed cursor not resetting to correct position
* [PS4] Improved visual effects on Flares when thrown

XBOX-ONLY FIXES

* [Xbox] Fixed grass rotating to face the camera
* [Xbox] Improved performance when in the Whaling Station
* [Xbox] Improved performance during strong wind conditions
* [Xbox] Improved performance on breath effects

STEAM-ONLY FIXES

* [Steam] Episode 2 now unlocked properly when player has the “ Leaving the Old World Behind” achievement


### END OF CHANGELIST ###

A quick reminder that we’ll be wiping all existing Story Mode save games when we launch the REDUX versions of Episodes One and Two, NEXT WEEK!

(If you completed Episodes One and Two prior to Redux, Episode Three will still be unlocked for you when it launches in 2019, even if you don’t play the Redux versions of these episodes.)





For the upcoming Redux launch of Episodes One and Two, we’ve had to make some changes to locations in the following regions:

• Mystery Lake, Milton/Mountain Town, Forlorn Muskeg, Broken Railroad

It’s very likely that these changes will not affect your current Survival Mode games, but to be on the safe side, if you currently have a supply stash or any valuable items stored in any of these locations, it might be a good idea to move them to an unaffected region.

- The Hinterland Team

Dear Community,

The Steam Awards are back!

Please help us make it into the shortlist - by nominating us BY NOVEMBER 27th 10AM (PST). (Please note that you can nominate both Hinterland, under "Best Developer", and The Long Dark, under any other category.)

For additional details on how to vote, please visit the official Steam Awards page.

Dear Community,

We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to v1.40 [42090].

You’ll find the complete changelist for the hotfix below.


*[ALL] Added online messaging feature to distribute game news through the Main Menu.

Is there something that you've been wanting to ask about The Long Dark? The game's Creative Director Raphael van Lierop has been answering fan questions on our official forums. Fans of the game can ask questions, and for each Dispatch a handful of those are selected and answered.

You don't need to be a member of our official forums to read the answers - though if you do sign up you can ask your own questions!

Be sure to read past Dispatches to see if your question has already been addressed!

So get your questions posted on our official forums now to be considered for the next Mailbag.

Stay informed on the Milton Mailbag and The Long Dark by our newsletter.