Hello players,

We’re excited to share our new month-long event in The Long Dark. Running from 10am Pacific on Monday June 29th, and lasting until July 31st at 10am PST, WINTER’S EMBRACE makes the harsh Winter environment of Great Bear Island even harsher, with:

• Average world temperature is reduced by 10 degrees Celsius
  
• Interior temperatures are reduced by 10 degrees Celsius
  
• More frequent, and longer-lasting Blizzards

And since Canada Day occurs during this Event (on July 1st) we’re also adding two new Canadian-themed Food items:

• Maple Syrup
  
• Ketchup Chips

To celebrate your time in WINTER’S EMBRACE, we’ll unlock two badges for you if you accomplish the following tasks:

• Canadian Feast: Find and consume 25 bottles of Maple Syrup and 25 bags of Ketchup Chips across multiple saves while WINTER’S EMBRACE is active.
  
• Winter in July: Survive 25 consecutive days across a single WINTER’s EMBRACE save, while the event is active.

Please note that you don’t have to accomplish both these tasks in the same game!

As another nod to Canada Day, we’re also adding a Heritage Filter mode, inspired by old National Film Board TV and film content we grew up with in the 1970s and 1980s. This mode adds an old-school TV filter to the game world (but it does not affect the in-game user interface). And for film buffs out there, we’ve also added a Noir mode, which lets you experience The Long Dark or WINTERMUTE in a classic monochromatic filter. Both Filters can be applied from the Display settings.



Maple Syrup, Ketchup Chips, and the new view filters (Heritage & Noir) will persist in the game after WINTER’S EMBRACE ends, but you won’t be able to get the badges after July 31st at 10am PST, so we hope you’ll jump into the event and test your survival skills in the coldest The Long Dark has ever been!

To join the event, make sure you have updated the game to the latest version, and select the WINTER’S EMBRACE item from the Main Menu. If you run into any issues, please contact us at thelongdark.com/support.



We hope you enjoy WINTER’S EMBRACE, and please feel free to share your survival stories with us in the Official Community, or on social media using the tags #thelongdark and #wintersembrace.

– The Hinterland Team


THE LONG DARK v1.79 (63945) CHANGELIST

• Added WINTER’S EMBRACE Content & Event.

GENERAL FIXES

• [General] Added collision to the car's hood, so the Battery can no longer be interacted with through a closed hood.

GENERAL ART FIXES

• [Enviro] Fixed various floating or clipping objects found throughout the world.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed numerous areas where small chunks of rock appeared to unintentionally push through the snow.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed numerous areas Players could become stuck on terrain.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed issue that caused Backpacks to clip into objects they were placed against.
  
• [Enviro] When spray painting the hood of a truck, the decal will no longer clip through the snow.

USER INTERFACE

• [UI] Fixed an issue that caused the Pleasant Valley’s Prepper Cache map icon to not appear on the map after discovery.
  
• [UI] Fixed an issue that caused an incorrect UI callout to appear after lighting a Match, and then opening and closing the Inventory.
  
• [UI] Fixed an issue that prevented Players from editing Rock Cache notes when using a controller.
  
• [UI] Fixed overlapping between Stamina UI and Spray Paint UI.
  
• [UI] FIxed an issue that caused Mysterious Signal Fire to appear twice when viewing Surveyed Locations in the Journal.
  
• [UI] FIxed an issue that caused the Map screens help to appear too low on the screen, cutting off text.

ALL GAME MODES

• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue that caused clothing to become wet when left in the Trailers found next to the Cannery.
  
• [Gameplay] Spray Paint Cans weight and durability now decrease at the same rate when used.
  
• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue that prevented Timberwolves Pack Morale from being drained when using the Flashlight’s high beam.

WINTERMUTE

• [WINTERMUTE] Timberwolves will now react to the Flashlight when appearing in WINTERMUTE.

SURVIVAL MODE

• Fixed an issue that prevented feathers from spawning on carcasses after long amounts of time have passed.
  
• Removed duplicated polaroid found in the FM Shortwave Tower, in the Forlorn Muskeg region.

### END OF CHANGELIST ###

We’ve released our v1.78 Hotfix for FEARLESS NAVIGATOR. If you encounter any 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 (Game | Studio).



*****



THE LONG DARK v1.78 (62973) CHANGELIST


GENERAL FIXES

• [General] When spraying a Marker with Spray Paint, after shooting a Wolf, the sprayed Marker will no longer appear as a blood drip texture.
  
• [General] Improved stability for Players who were crashing when transitioning from between exteriors to an interior, and vice versa.
  
• [General] Faithful Cartographer Achievement now updates progress correctly, when loading a save file from version 1.75 or earlier.
  
• [General] Removed erroneous output in the debug logs, when inserting a Steam Controller
  
• [General] Improved framerate while inspecting an item.
  
• [General] Draw distance on the First Aid Kit increased, so it no longer appears to pop-in to the world.

GENERAL ART FIXES

• [Enviro] Burnt out cabins now properly show bullet hole decals, after being shot.
  
• [Enviro] Collision polish pass throughout all regions, to remove superfluous collision.
  
• [Enviro] Microwave door state is now restored correctly, when reloading a save.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed a number of locations where the Player could become stuck on the terrain.

USER INTERFACE

• [UI] Players can now scroll using the mouse wheel, or clicking on the scroll bar, when viewing the Rock Cache page, in the Journal
  
• [UI] Improved how Markers on the map are clustered together, to reduce crowding.
  
• [UI] Spray Paint Marker localization is now properly updated, when changing the in-game language.
  
• [UI] Discovered locations are now tracked correctly when viewing the Locations Discovered page in the Journal.
  
• [UI] Total available Notes displayed on the Collections page, in the Journal, updated to show the correct total available.

ALL GAME MODES

• [All Modes] Meat now decays at the correct rate, when stored in a Rock Cache.
  
• [All Modes] Rock Caches can no longer be placed inside a building, by standing outside of the building and entering placement mode.
  
• [All Modes] Crafting Ammo now requires light as intended. Players will no longer be able to craft Ammo without a light source.
  
• [All Modes] When throwing a physics based object, such as a flare, it will no longer appear to stutter.
  
• [All Modes] If the Player enters and exits the Crafting Menu while holding a Lantern, the Lantern is no longer hidden from view.

SURVIVAL MODE

• [Survival] Bleak Inlet Polaroid will no longer spawn in the Quonset Garage, as it was unintended.

### END OF CHANGELIST ###


Update:

Due to technical issues we have turned off the interactivity of our in-game notification relating to the new telemetry system that was released with FEARLESS NAVIGATOR. To opt-in to the system please turn this on in the game’s Main Menu, under Options>Privacy.

At Hinterland, we value the diversity of our community of millions across the world. We also value the diversity of the game industry, and the strength of our medium to represent different points of view.

We look on in pain at the current violence erupting against Black people across the United States, and also reflect on the racism that exists in our own country.

We acknowledge that it isn’t enough to simply not be racist. We have to actively work to be anti-racist, and to intentionally dismantle the racist structures that we as privileged people are often not even aware of. We also know this statement is just the beginning of the work we must do.

To turn words into concrete action, we have made financial donations to the following organizations: Black Lives Matter (US org), Black Lives Matter (Vancouver chapter), and Minnesota Freedom Fund.
We stand in solidarity with the Black community.

#blacklivesmatter

I believe that creators must be the custodians of their own content, and that developers should be able to determine for themselves which platforms their games are experienced on. In fact, I strongly believe that the continued vibrancy of the independent games industry depends on us being masters of our own destiny.

Back in March I decided to remove The Long Dark from NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW game streaming platform, as I disagreed with our game being incorporated into the service without our consent. We discussed our position with NVIDIA, which they respected. This week, NVIDIA announced they are shifting to an opt-in program for getting games onto GeForce NOW. This means developers now fully control whether or not their games appear on the platform. I’m thrilled to see NVIDIA move to this model as it’s best for everyone — for players, for the platform, and for the developers who create the games you love.

Accessibility is important to us. GeForce NOW is a great service that offers players with low-spec or incompatible hardware the chance to play the games that might otherwise be out of reach, and we’re happy to announce that we’re bringing The Long Dark back to GeForce NOW, effective immediately.

I applaud NVIDIA for embracing this opt-in approach, and for their support of independent creators like Hinterland. I also support any developers who choose, for their own reasons, to withhold their games from any platform, and I hope you will respect their decisions to do so as well. Developer choice is at the heart of a strong independent games industry.

Sincerely,

Raphael van Lierop
Founder & CEO
Hinterland

We’ve released our v1.77 Hotfix for FEARLESS NAVIGATOR. If you encounter any 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 (Game | Studio).



*****

THE LONG DARK v1.77 (62748) CHANGELIST


KNOWN ISSUES

We’re currently investigating an issue that results in some locations not appearing in the Journal, when viewing the Faithful Cartographer’s achievement progress. A full list of all locations can be found here.

GENERAL FIXES

• [General] When using a Spray Can to place a symbol, quickly selecting “Erase” while still spraying will no longer cause a soft lock.
  
• [General] Cap on the Spray Can will now match the colour of the Spray Paint.
  
• [General] Windows found on the Forestry Lookout can no longer have Spray Paint applied to them.
  
• [General] Spray Paint will no longer clip through snow, when sprayed on picnic tables.
  
• [General] Added additional checks to ensure Players can not exit the game while a save is in progress.

GENERAL ART FIXES

• [Enviro] Fixed an issue in the Mystery Lake to Mountain Town transition that caused invisible collision to spawn, blocking the Player.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed an issue in Mystery Lake that caused some logs to appear to pop into the world.
  
• [Enviro] The Milton Park Notice Board now checks for collision when retrieving a Polaroid, preventing the Player from being able to interact with the Polaroid from an invalid direction.

USER INTERFACE

• [UI] When building a new Rock Cache, errant text will no longer appear briefly on the screen.
  
• [UI] When editing Rock Cache Notes, in the Journal, the character limit is now properly enforced.
  
• [UI] When editing Rock Cache Notes, in the Journal, the Player can now use backspace to delete previously written content, as intended.
  
• [UI] When viewing the Journal, the scroll bar will now animate correctly when scrolling through content.
  
• [UI] When viewing Rock Cache Notes, in the Journal, the Edit option will no longer appear unless there is content to edit.
  
• [UI] Fixed an issue that prevented Players from editing previously written Rock Cache Notes, in the Journal.
  
• [UI] When viewing the Map, the Player no longer has to press Escape twice if they try to exit the Map, while having the cursor over a cluster of icons.
  
• [UI] Fixed overlapping UI when inspecting a Polaroid.
  
• [UI] When deleting a Rock Cache icon cluster on the Map, “Delete All” now properly removes all associated icons from the Map.
  
• [UI] Text size has been increased on warning messages as it was appearing too small.
  
• [UI] Fixed overlapping Text and Button icons found on the Map, when using a controller.
  
• [UI] Fixed incorrect Map cons for the Coastal Houses found in Coastal Highway.
  
• [UI] When Spray Painting in a previously surveyed area, the “New Area Surveyed on Map” message will no longer erroneously appear.
  
• [UI] Indoor markers will no longer appear on outdoor maps, after spray painting certain buildings.

ALL GAME MODES

• [All Modes] A Full Moon during a Snow Storm will no longer allow the Player to perform actions such as crafting or reading a research book.
  
• [Audio] Fixed missing wind sound effects during a Blizzard.
  
• [All Modes] Surveying is restricted during low visibility weather, as intended.

Mac Only

• [General] Spray Paint Markers will now appear correctly on the map.

### END OF CHANGELIST ###

Hello Community,

We’ve just updated The Long Dark to v1.76 (62505) — FEARLESS NAVIGATOR.

For a detailed breakdown of the new features and changes, please review the latest Update video.



Full Release Notes are available below.

SURVIVAL MARKERS

Find Spray Cans in the world. Leave markers identifying important survival information such as the location of supplies or dangerous places to avoid. These in-world indicators appear on your map so that you can find things back even days or weeks after you’ve left a region.

ROCK CACHES

Build a landmark to help you navigate, and create emergency supply caches along commonly travelled routes. Review your Caches in the Journal, and leave notes on what you’ve stored in them so you can find vital tools or resources in the future.

VISTA SURVEYS

Hard to find Polaroids in the world indicate locations that offer sweeping Vista views of a region. Get to those locations and Survey them to reveal the majority of a region’s map!

IMPROVED CHARCOAL SURVEY

The Charcoal Survey action now reveals an enhanced radius on the Map. Surveying from higher altitudes now increases how much of the Map is revealed.

MAP & JOURNAL IMPROVEMENTS

Turn layers of information on and off in the Map. Locate and rename Rock Caches. Keep track of all Surveyed locations to know if you’ve found them all. Especially useful if you are hunting locations for the Faithful Cartographer achievement.

TELEMETRY & QUALITY OF LIFE

New Autowalk accessibility feature ensures comfort for players with hand or wrist issues. New Opt-in Telemetry gathers gameplay data the development team will use to inform future balance and feature development efforts (Note: Telemetry is defaulted to OFF and needs to be turned on in the Options>Privacy settings.)

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



*****



THE LONG DARK v1.76 (62505) CHANGELIST



KNOWN ISSUES

These are issues we’re currently tracking and will be addressing in an upcoming hotfix:

• [UI] When viewing the Rock Cache Notes in your Journal, the scroll bar will not scroll.
  
• [UI] When viewing the Rock Cache Notes in your Journal, the edit button will appear, even if there are no notes to edit.
  
• [Audio] Sometimes during a blizzard, ambient wind sounds may become muted.

GENERAL FIXES

• [General] Fixed stuttering when looking towards Wolves, while in Milton.
  
• [General] Fixed null exception that would occur when lighting the Pot Belly Stove.
  
• [General] Bear sound effects no longer play when a carcass is removed from the world.
  
• [General] Updated Steam Controller profile.
  
• [General] Fixed an issue that prevented Players from being able to save or load their game if the save contained invalid data.

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] Added casting shadows to numerous trees.
  
• [Enviro] Improvements to item placement system to reduce frequency of out of reach items.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed many minor art bugs to improve general polish in Bleak Inlet region.
  
• [Enviro] Environment art polish to improve sight-lines between major visual landmarks in Bleak Inlet.
  
• [Enviro] Removed extra window outlines that could appear on Trailers.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed several instances of trees placed incorrectly in Coastal Highway.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed several instances of collision being incorrect on porches in the Milton townsite.

USER INTERFACE

• [UI] Fixed an issue that caused icons on the Map to no longer populate, after mapping or discovering a large number of locations.
  
• [UI] Updated alignment on help text to make it consistent.
  
• [UI] Added missing Map icons found in the Town of Milton.
  
• [UI] Added missing Map icon hover text, when viewing the Derailment in the Ravine Crummy.
  
• [UI] Fixed missing UI elements when viewing notes, while the HUD is disabled.
  
• [UI] Fixed an incorrect tooltip found in Options->Display menu.
  
• [UI] Cooking UI now displays updated weight of items, instead of always showing the base weight.
  
• [UI] Added Audio options for selecting Headphones or Speakers.
  
• [UI] Fixed incorrectly named transitions areas on the Bleak Inlet Map.
  
• [UI] Updated labels on transition zones to be more consistent.
  
• [UI] When Crafting Tinder Plugs, the craft value will no longer appear as Rounds.
  
• [UI] Updated scroll bars to work consistently across all menus.
  
• [UI] Removed an extraneous line in the Skills menu.
  
• [Loc] Fixed multiple instances of overlapping Russian text.

ALL GAME MODES

• [All Modes] Added Lost and Found boxes to all remaining scenes.
  
• [Gameplay] Players will no longer lose Stamina if they are holding shift, while lighting or extinguishing a Lantern.
  
• [Gameplay] Replaced the non-interactable stack of papers found on the Workbench, with an interactable version.
  
• [Gameplay] The Cooking Pot now provides the correct bonus when cooking meat.
  
• [Gameplay] Breaking down items will no longer cause nearby gear items to drop through the ground.
  
• [Gameplay] Updated the water in the Mine Tunnels to deal less cold damage.
  
• [Gameplay] Fixed bug where Revolver Bullet weight changed when added to your inventory.
  
• [Gameplay] Improved moving items to the Lost and Found box, if they have fallen outside of the world.

WINTERMUTE FIXES

• [WINTERMUTE] Completing an Episode 1 or Episode 2 Side Missions now displays a completion message.
  
• [EPISODE THREE] Fixed an issue in the Mine exiting Pleasant Valley, where players would be repositioned after reloading a saved game.
  
• [EPISODE THREE] Added missing foley to the second part of the Mine Tremor cinematic.
  
• [EPISODE THREE] IDs are now removed from the Players inventory when completing the Fallen Star mission in Episode Three .
  
• [EPISODE THREE] Removed access to Timberwolf Mountain from Pleasant Valley.
  
• [EPISODE THREE] Fixed the spawn condition of the Revolver found in Molly’s basement.

SURVIVAL MODE

• [Survival] Fixed incorrect spawn rate for the Prepper Cache found in Pleasant Valley.
  
• [Survival] All cabins now display smoke coming out of their chimney, when a fire is lit inside.
  
• [Survival] When sleeping, the save file screenshot will now occur after the player transitions from sleep, instead of during the transition.
  
• [Survival] Players can now place a Rifle on the gun rack found in the Hunting Lodge.
  
• [Survival] Cancelling while drinking Coffee will now award the appropriate amount of progress to the “Straight to the Heart” Feat.
  
• [Survival] Pre-Spawned campfires will no longer respawn, when loading a save where they were previously broken down.
  
• [Saves] Implemented a check to force the Aurora to be enabled on Survival Mode save files created prior to the Aurora being enabled.

### END OF CHANGELIST ###

Hello everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well in these strange times we find ourselves in. It’s time to update you on some of the goings-on at Hinterland these days.

COVID-19
Like many of you, our entire team is currently in Lockdown. British Columbia was one of the earliest Canadian provinces to have verified cases of COVID-19, back in January, so we were pretty aggressive in shutting down the physical studio. We had everyone work from home for half of February, and then by the first week of March we decided to just shut it down for at least a few months (back then everyone was still thinking week-to-week and this was tricky for planning so we figured it would be less disruptive just to assume we’d all work from home for at least a few months). We’ve all been doing this for about eight weeks now so that “few months” is probably going to end up being a few months more than that. I don’t expect us to go back to working in the studio until the Fall or later. Even when it becomes safe to start slowly re-integrating into our “old lives” (as much as that will even be possible), our priority will continue to be ensuring our team is safe and protected. We won’t go back to work in the studio until we know we can ensure our staff will be safe.

We’re pretty fortunate that our work can be done largely virtually, although we do miss sharing time together in our physical workspace. During pre-COVID times, everyone at Hinterland had the option to work from home a couple of days per week, so everyone was already well equipped with home offices and our internal communications and development tools were already set up to support working from home. As a result, this transition hasn’t been as disruptive for us as it has been for a lot of businesses.

That said, I’d be lying if I said the lockdown situation hasn’t impacted the team or our production. We all suddenly find ourselves working from home, with our kids and families around us, worried about their safety, access to supplies, what school will look like this year, what it’ll look like next year, and how this global situation may change how we live and work together…potentially forever.

We were able to add a counselling component to our employee benefits package, which gives the team access to professional support if they feel like they need to talk to someone. We also got everyone on the team an annual pass for MasterClass, and we’ve set up Zoom rooms for things like a Friday “Happy Hour” hangout. There’s been a lot more sharing around hobbies and personal interests and it’s been great to see how everyone has pulled together to support each other.

We’ve been thinking about the world at large, and the disadvantaged people who are most affected by this situation. Earlier this month, we ran a fundraiser on Steam to raise money for the United Nations Foundation and the World Health Organization’s fight against the spread of COVID-19. We donated 100% of the proceeds from that sale (including the 30% platform cut) and managed to raise nearly $200,000 to put towards these global efforts. One of our core values is taking care of others, and we feel really fortunate to be able to harness the work we do — the creation of video games — into something that can make a positive contribution in this challenging world. It makes us feel a little less helpless, I guess.



We’ve also been thinking a lot about you, our players. We know a lot of you are feeling trapped at home, and so we’ve been trying to keep you engaged by running various activities on our social channels, including game key give-aways, and suggestions for ways to make the most of Social Distancing. We’ve also been working on some new game content to keep you occupied.


NEXT SURVIVAL UPDATE
The team has been working on a Navigation-themed update to Survival Mode. Without spoiling things too much, I can tell you that it’s a suite of new features that will enhance the usefulness of the in-game Map, without sacrificing our current Landmark-based navigation paradigm. Also, the new features will all be optional, so any players who enjoy the game as it currently is can choose to ignore them. We’re also finally adding an Autowalk accessibility feature, as this has been requested by various players in our community who struggle to play the game without this functionality.

The team is currently tracking towards a mid-May release for the next update. We’ll share more details as we get closer, so make sure you follow the studio accounts if you want to see those. As always, we’ll release a fully narrated update video along with the update launch, to help explain how some of the new features work.


EPISODE FOUR
The team has also been hard at work on Episode Four, since wrapping up the Episode Three launch at the end of last year. I spent the first couple of months of the year completing the outlines for Episodes Four and Five to make sure we wrap things up in a satisfying way, and also leave some questions for the future. Since I completed those, the team has been working on creating the Episode Four mission content and world assets since then. In Episode Four, we also take up some of the hints we laid out in Episode Three, and begin answering some of those questions and mysteries.

One unexpected issue we’ve encountered due to the COVID situation is that we don’t currently have a good way to create our story content, like cinematic sequences or dialogue mode, as these depend on being able to get into the studio with our actors, record their performances, and then process those performances into data that we can then apply to the 3D characters. We’ve been working on some fallback plans to figure out how to do as much of this as we can while maintaining social distancing, but this will definitely put us behind schedule. We’re still aiming to get Episode Four out this year but we’re not committing to any specific dates at the moment, because we’re still trying to understand how this will impact our production schedule.

In any case, we’ll keep you apprised of our general progress. For the time being, I’ve focused the team on what they need to do to stay healthy and to take care of themselves and their families, while doing the best to continue making progress towards our shared goals. Our plan is still based on delivering Episode Four in 2020, and we’ll continue to work towards that.


MOD TOOLS
As an update on this topic that’s popular amongst some people in our player community, we’ve created a small internal team to focus on carrying out our Mod Support/User Generated Content strategy for The Long Dark. We’ve also been working on a global strategy for the studio, so that the effort we put into mod support/UGC for The Long Dark extends into the future as well.

The first step is to outline what we believe the right kind of modifications and user-created content types we can support with the game, as the engine (Unity) and the game itself were not really designed with Modding in mind. We’ve also begun to identify the tools and technology we’ll need to create to support this effort. When the time is right, we will present our plan and begin consulting with the community to learn more about what you would like to see out of our Mod Support efforts. While we may not be able to do everything you want, we’ll do our best.


MAILBAG


Many of you might have followed my (almost) weekly Milton Mailbag post in the official forums. Unfortunately, due to the weekly time commitment required (each Mailbag post typically took me 2-3 hours to put together), I wasn’t able to maintain regular updates as we were finalizing Episode Three, and I just haven’t been able to justify the time since then, for the relatively small number of people (around 1,000-1,500 per entry) who would read the posts. But, I still want to respond to questions and engage with you around The Long Dark — I just need to find a more efficient/effective way to do this. One option we are considering is switching this to a video format — essentially, I would put together a video (it would not be anything fancy, as I’d be recording it in my home office) on a monthly basis (more often if we’re able), where I respond to 3-5 community questions. I might not end up going into as much detail in this format, and I may not be able to respond to 20-30 questions each week, but I think this will be a pace and time commitment I can sustain. If any of you would like to see the Mailbag become a regular video segment on our YouTube channel, please let us know on social or in the forums.


SWITCH VERSION
Not much to say here. The game is pretty much ready to go, apart from performance. We’re still working on that, trying to hit a reliable 30 frames-per-second in all areas.


XBOX GAME PASS
We recently brought The Long Dark to Xbox Game Pass. This is an evolution of our ongoing relationship with Microsoft, going back to helping them launch the Game Preview program back in 2015. We’re excited to welcome a new generation of Xbox players into our community, and we look forward to learning more about the specific pros and cons of having a game inside a subscription service. While I have concerns about what this business model might mean for independent developers like Hinterland, Microsoft has been a great, respectful partner for us over the years and we’re excited to bring the game to a new audience while also gaining some key learnings we’ll need as we adapt to new industry business models in the future.

To any Xbox Game Pass subscribers reading this dev diary right now — welcome! We hope you’ll stick around for the long term. Please join us in our Official Community, sit by the fire, and stay a while.

###

That’s pretty much it for this instalment of my Dev Diary. Keep your eyes peeled for the May Survival Update. It should land in the second half of the month. Apart from that, if you want to stay abreast of the goings on at Hinterland, please feel free to sign up for our newsletter, join our Official Community, or follow our social channels.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the next update!

– Raph

We all have to do our part to fight the spread of COVID-19. To that end, we are proud to have raised $194,619 USD through our recent “Social Distancing Fundraiser” on Steam, to support the United Nations Foundation and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

“In the face of this global pandemic, we all have to do our part to support each other, and this is a time where game studios and the experiences we create can make a real difference in people’s lives”, said Raphael van Lierop, Hinterland Founder & CEO. “We’re proud to be able to donate 100% of the revenue from this Fundraiser, and to join other world-leading brands in the fight against this terrible virus.”

With the original pledge being for $100k USD, the fundraiser ended up raising $194,619 USD, the amount which Hinterland is donating 100% (including covering the 30% platform royalty) in order to maximize the impact.

This infographic illustrates the breakdown of how donations are being allocated by the WHO so far. Hinterland’s contribution will help the WHO to understand how the virus spreads, provide patients the critical care they need, and also supports frontline workers with essential supplies and information.

“We launched the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund seeking support for the World Health Organization’s life-saving global response,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation. “We are thankful that donors big and small have answered that call. And, we are grateful to Hinterland for generously increasing their original donation to do even more good.”

Our thanks goes to our community of players, and all those who bought The Long Dark to contribute to their crucial work to combat this pandemic.

– The Hinterland Team

We all have to do our part to help in the global fight against the spread of COVID-19.  Hinterland is partnering with the United Nations Foundation to raise money for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 response.

For one week starting Tuesday, March 24th at 10AM Pacific, you can fight your own cabin fever by buying The Long Dark for 60% off during our special Social Distancing Fundraiser on Steam. All our revenue from the fundraiser goes directly to the United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.

"This urgent moment calls for urgent global cooperation,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President & CEO of the UN Foundation. “And we need everyone – across all sectors – to work together. I am grateful to Hinterland for contributing to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. Their donation will help make sure health workers on the frontlines have the tools they need to prevent, detect, and respond to this pandemic.”

Please share news of this fundraiser amongst your network, as every dollar we raise will make a difference in the fight against this global pandemic. Thank you for your support. Please remember to stay safe during this time, practice social distancing, and wash your hands! We can get through this, together.

Raphael van Lierop
Founder/CEO
Hinterland

Hello community,

So far in 2020 we’ve released four Hotfixes for The Long Dark's ERRANT PILGRIM Update. If you encounter any 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 (Game | Studio ).



FEBRUARY 5th, 2020 - CHANGELIST v1.74 [58755]

GENERAL FIXES

• Fixed an issue that caused items to fall through the ground, when breaking down a nearby object.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused some items to fall through the ground when transitioning between locations.
  
• Added check to the Lost & Found Box to recover inaccessible items that were lost when breaking down an object or after a transition.
  
• Added additional checks to the Lost and Found Box to avoid moving invalid items to it.

JANUARY 29th, 2020 - CHANGELIST v1.73 [58590]

GENERAL FIXES

• [EP2] Fixed a crash that could occur when the Old Bear charges at the Player, if they had taken a specific path through the cave prior to the encounter.
  
• [General] Fixed a crash that could occur during an active Aurora.

JANUARY 22nd, 2020 - CHANGELIST v1.72 [58487]

GENERAL FIXES
Fixed an issue that caused the message "Unable to restore the game from a previous save.

• Press confirm to return to the main menu." to appear, after performing a transition.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused food’s cooking progress to reset after the Player performs a transition.
  
• Fixed a crash that could occur if a Stag or Rabbit was removed from the world, while being chased by a Predator.

JANUARY 20th, 2020 - CHANGELIST v1.71 [58341]
GENERAL ART FIXES

• [Enviro] All Regions - Fixed numerous areas where the Player could become stuck.
  
• [Enviro] All Regions - Additional pass for locations where the Player could get outside of the intended play area.
  
• [Enviro] All Regions - Fixed various clipping and floating objects.
  
• [Enviro] All Regions - Fixe numerous texture pop, stretch and flickering issues.
  
• [Enviro] Windows will no longer glow during the night.
  
• [Enviro] Fixed an issue that caused Players to teleport, if they fell off the rope climb in Bleak Inlet.
  
• [Enviro] All Regions - Fixed a variety of floating and clipping objects.
  
• [Lighting] Fixed an issue that caused corrupted lighting to appear on various objects in the world.

UI

• [UI] Fixed an issue that caused the Episode 1 intro cinematic to freeze, if the Voice or Master volume slider was set to 0.
  
• [UI] When repairing at the Milling Machine, the correct repaired condition is now shown.
  
• [UI] Fixed missing line break in Bleak Inlet description.
  
• [UI] Updated the Forlorn Muskeg description to include the Bleak Inlet transition.
  
• [UI] Updated localization and fixed typos.
  
• [UI] Full Lantern Fuel now properly displays correct weight

WINTERMUTE

• [EP2] Added additional checks to ensure the Old Bear does not become stuck.
  
• [EP2] Aurora lights now appear properly after the Old Bear knocks over the tram.
  
• [EP3] Players can no longer skip the Timberwolf Tutorial, by placing a survivor at the same time the tutorial triggers.
  
• [EP3] Fishing sound effects no longer persist after catching the Big Bass.
  
• [EP3] Players can no longer get stuck after the Mine Collapse cinematic.
  
• [EP3] When loading a save at the Mine entrance, the crates will no longer appear in new locations.

GAMEPLAY

• [AI] Stags now animate correctly after being felled by a Wolf.
  
• [AI] Fixed an issue that allowed Timberwolves to become hostile, regardless of game mode settings.
  
• [AI] Fixed an issue that could cause Wildlife to slide under certain terrain, such as ice and steep hills.
  
• [AI] Polished Stag and Wolf animations and transitions.
  
• [AI] Wolves will no longer attack immediately after completing a Crafting or Harvesting action, while near a fire.
  
• [AI] Fixed issue that prevented Timberwolves from attacking the Player, if they have entered and exited a vehicle.
  
• [AI] Timberwolves will now only pick valid locations to wander to, preventing them from becoming stuck.
  
• [AI] Add check to ensure Wildlife is always on navmesh.
  
• [Gameplay] Updated the location count for Faithful Cartographer to include missing Mountain Town locations.
  
• [Gameplay] Interrupted Progress made while repairing an item with the Milling Machine is now saved as progress, instead of repaired condition.
  
• [Gameplay] When reloading a Revolver in a vehicle, the casings now stay in the car.
  
• [Gameplay] Lost and Found Box added to Bleak Inlet.
  
• [Gameplay] Stags now check for collision when falling after death, to avoid falling into objects.
  
• [Gameplay] Torches pulled from fires will now properly randomize their condition.
  
• [Gameplay] Tea will no longer remain hot forever.
  
• [Gameplay] Added check to ensure equipped items used in crafting are unequipped correctly after crafting is complete.
  
• [Gameplay] When harvesting shelves, unrelated items will no longer drop to the floor.
  
• [Gameplay] Added additional checks to ensure Badges and Feats are not removed when moving between game versions.
  
• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue that caused unusable items to appear in the Lost and Found box.
  
• [Gameplay] Added additional check to ensure Wildlife conditions persist after exiting and re-entering a Region.
  
• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue that prevented Rifles from being placed on gun racks.
  
• [Gameplay] User can longer perform Fix or Repair actions when in the dark, as intended.
  
• [Custom Mode] Bullets now spawn correctly, when Low Availability Resources is enabled, in Custom Mode.