Apr 20, 2023

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Hello Community,

We have just released our v2.15 (113209) Hotfix for THE LONG DARK (including Survival Edition) and TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY on Steam and Epic Games Store. The update is currently scheduled for Xbox and Playstation during the week of April 24. Please note that WINTERMUTE’s version number has not changed. This hotfix addresses TALES items not spawning in Interloper mode, including the Handheld Shortwave. Details on these changes can be found in our latest Dev Diary found here.

GENERAL

[SURVIVAL] Enables TALES content in Interloper.
[SURVIVAL] Using the Handheld Shortwave Interloper players are now able to locate Trackable Hidden Caches, which will provide loot that is also balanced for Interloper.
[SURVIVAL] Players are now able to find the Handheld Shortwave at the Airfield’s Control Tower and start the Signal Void Tale, while playing in Interloper.

TALES will be accessible via your existing save and do not need to start a new Survival save in order to get these changes
The bunkers discovered in Signal Void have been adjusted to provide less loot on Interloper
A few extra Transmitter repair supplies will be newly available in Interloper to ensure the initial repairs are possible (applies to both existing saves or new)

To check current releases on each platform, please visit our new Build Status Page.

Please visit our Support Portal (or consult our Known Issues page) if you encounter any issues while playing the game. For additional news and information, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).

Apr 14, 2023

April Dev Diary

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Hello Survivors!

Now that TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY is available on Steam, Epic Game Store, Xbox, and PlayStation, we wanted to provide a quick update about some upcoming changes, and bug fixes we are currently working on.

Adding Interloper to TALES

It’s been a couple of weeks since we released TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Two: SIGNAL VOID, which included the introduction of the first ‘Tale.’ We have been reviewing feedback, and we appreciate the time many of you took to file tickets via our Support Portal. While we are working to resolve some high-priority bugs following the release (more on that later), we also wanted to acknowledge the feedback from many Interloper players in our community, and how we plan to address Tales moving forward.

By introducing the idea of Tales to Survival Mode, we wanted to give our Survival Mode players more reasons to explore and more objectives to follow, while still weaving in some compelling narrative elements. When tuning for the Interloper experience mode, we are always especially careful not to upset the balance of the game, and so we tend to approach changes to Interloper with caution and thoughtfulness. Interloper is a very stripped-down experience; many gear items are either excluded entirely or heavily restricted, containers are mostly empty, and the general tuning settings are designed to be punishing. The addition of new locations, new gear items, places you can scavenge more loot, and resources run the risk of upsetting that “survival on a knife’s edge” feel, so anything we add into this experience mode does require an extra layer of consideration. When designing both the transponder systems that would enable the new Supply Caches to be found, and also considering the significant amount of effort that would go into completing the “Signal Void” Tale, we strongly felt that these systems would not work well in Interloper, and in particular we felt the Tale would be extremely difficult with almost no pay-off (necessary to preserve the Interloper balance), which would simply be frustrating.

After hearing from many of you in our player community who very strongly align yourselves with the Interloper mode (to the point that you don’t play any other modes in the game), we understood that you didn’t really mind if the experience would be a massive struggle with little reward. You just wanted that option.

So, after careful consideration, we have decided to introduce the “Signal Void” Tale to Interloper, with some modifications designed to preserve game balance for that specific Experience Mode:

Bunkers will be adjusted to provide less loot on Interloper.
The final Bunker will still contain a couple of rare items, but adjusted for Interloper.

Additionally, once you have the Handheld Shortwave you will be able to explore and discover the hidden Supply Caches, which will provide loot that is also balanced for Interloper. A number of them will be empty, while others will have loot that is consistent with what you would expect on Interloper.

For those Interloper players wondering how to access the new content, you will be able to access the Tale and any new changes via your existing save, and there will be no need to start a new Survival save in order to get these changes. Simply pick up the Handheld Shortwave in the Control Tower at the Forsaken Airfield region, and you’re on your way. Just please know that your experience of the Supply Caches, and “Signal Void”, will be extremely tough, without much reward apart from bragging rights.

We plan to release these changes in the next week, so you should have access to the Tale very soon. Keep an eye out for the official release notes!

For more information on the Tale and Part Two: SIGNAL VOID, please visit the March Dev Diary.

Xbox and PlayStation - Uncapped Frame Rates

Following the release of v2.09 on Xbox, some players may have noticed a change to the frame-rate cap on Xbox Series S/X. While this change isn't part of the overall Visual Enhancements we have promised with TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, we'd like to clarify what has changed, and what our plans are for the future.

Recently, we upgraded THE LONG DARK to a newer version of the Unity engine and Xbox Unity plug-in. Prior to the Unity update, the console frame rate was limited to 30 frames per second (FPS), and the game would use a method of “dynamic resolution scaling” (a standard practice on consoles) to maintain this target frame rate to ensure a smooth experience.

This Unity latest update has now uncapped frame rates on the Xbox Series S/X, so they are no longer limited to 30 FPS. These Xbox platforms should now be able to achieve up to 60 FPS with dynamic resolution scaling.

Upcoming Changes: We have made additional adjustments to uncap frame rates on Xbox One X in an upcoming update. Additionally, in order to ensure parity on PlayStation, we have done some work to enable up to 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, as well as higher than 30FPS resolutions on PlayStation 4 Pro. These additional changes are planned for release at the end of this month.

To summarize, following these improvements, players can expect:

Xbox One X – Up to 60 FPS at 1080p
Xbox Series S – Up to 60 FPS at 1080p
Xbox Series X – Up to 60 FPS at 1080p
PlayStation 4 Pro – Up to 45 FPS at 900p (using dynamic resolution scaling)
PlayStation 5 – Up to 60 FPS at 1080p

Once the changes are live, you will be able to manually enable the higher frame rate cap, or change it back to the 30 FPS cap, in the Display Settings. We will share more information alongside the Release Notes later this month.

Please note that this change does not impact the Switch, or any of the PC or Mac-based versions of the game. (PC and Mac have always been able to run at higher than 60 FPS, provided the hardware is powerful enough.)

We will continue working toward additional improvements, including providing official support for next-gen consoles, additional visual enhancements, and more. We will provide more information in the coming months.

Upcoming Bug Fixes

In addition to today’s Hotfix on Xbox, we are working on a series of other high-priority fixes and will release them in hotfixes as soon as possible.

We have introduced the Known Issues section on our Support Portal. This list provides a regularly-updated summary of high-priority bugs organized by platform. While this list is not exhaustive, it does provide a good starting point to check whether your issue appears, and it includes some helpful workarounds and tips where applicable.

If you currently require technical support, please reach out via our Support Portal. We are working to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible.

Thank You

Thank you, Survivors. We will share more information on TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY in the coming weeks.

Mar 30, 2023

TALES, PART TWO Released & THE LONG DARK UPDATED to Version 2.10

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Hello Survivors,

Today, we launched TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY Part Two: Signal Void.

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY features the first paid content for THE LONG DARK, significantly adding to the world of Great Bear Island and the game's core Survival foundation. New Parts will be added regularly over the course of the 12-month Expansion Pass campaign, featuring new Regions, new Gameplay, and new objective-based Tales.

Each Part of TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY includes content that is exclusive to the Paid stream, plus free updates to Survival Mode.

PART TWO: SIGNAL VOID

The first Tale, SIGNAL VOID: Requires an estimated 5+ hours to complete
Handheld Shortwave Radio: For use with Transponder Cache Gameplay
Transponder Cache Gameplay: Including the Handheld Shortwave, Transmitter sites, and trackable hidden Supply Caches
New Bunkers: Discovered as part of the Tale
Four new clothing items: The Hockey Jersey, Flight Jacket, Aviator Cap, and Technical Balaclava
New “Surprise” Accessory item: Only found as part of the Tale – check out the update video to find out more!

A note for players on Interloper: Prepper Caches are have returned to the game, however, there will be no fully-stocked versions. The new Tale also isn’t available on Interloper.
PART TWO: FREE STREAM

Along with the contents of Part Two for the paid Expansion Pass, the following free updates were applied to the base Survival game.

Fire-Hardened Arrows: Good for hunting small game
Enhanced Prepper Bunkers: Including visual updates, loot updates, and a spawn refresh. Prepper Bunkers are now spread out over more regions and there are more hatches than before, however only 3 are fully-stocked.
Enhanced Beachcombing: Watch for new loot and larger items after Blizzards
Acorns & more Oak Trees: Prepare and eat Acorns, or use them to make delicious Acorn Coffee

DETAILED RELEASE NOTES

USER INTERFACE

UI - Added a unique Icon for Cured/Dried Guts.
UI - Updated the Insomnia affliction tooltip to reflect proper duration.
UI - Fixed an issue where Accessibility Options and Keyboard Bindings would reset after updating the game to a new version.
UI - Fixed an instance of debug text that would appear on the Map screen, after finding a Visor Note.
UI - Fixed an issue that prevented players from setting a custom Display Number in the “Settings Menu”, locking the game to the Primary Monitor.
UI - Added the correct “Sawing” text that displays when using the Hacksaw.
UI - Fixed an issue that caused the wrong audio to play when pressing the 'X' button on a Controller in the Crafting Menu.
UI - Fixed an issue that caused the "Back to Home" button to disappear when using a controller.
UI - Reviewed and adjusted translated text for TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY as needed.

ENVIRONMENT and AUDIO

Audio - Fixed an issue where wind sound effects would not play correctly when loading from a Save file.
Audio - Fixed an issue where wind was not being occluded while indoors, making it sound like the player was still outside.
Audio - Fixed an issue that would cause the wrong footstep sounds to play when walking on carpets.
Environment - Fixed terrian that could not be crossed near the Brittle Cave in the Forsaken Airfield.
Environment - Fixed floating items found inside Mystery Lake Trailers near the Carter Hydro Dam.
Environment - Fixed graphical texture issues found throughout Forsaken Airfield.
Environment - Fixed an invisible corpse found in the Carter Hydro Dam.
Environment - Fixed loot placement in one of the caves in Broken Railroad.
Environment - Fixed various floating objects found in the Forsaken Airfield.
Environment - Fixed visible texture seams found on some of the distant mountains in Broken Railroad.
Environment - Fixed an issue that would cause the Security Hut to become invisible at certain distances.
Environment - Fixed a light source in the Farm House in Pleasant Valley.
Environment - Fixed an issue that caused the Water Tower to pop-in unexpectedly in Mountain Town at certain distances.
Environment - Removed numerous locations where the player could become trapped in the environment throughout Forsaken Airfield.
Environment - Fixed low resolution textures found on the Safe in the Hydro Dam.

SURVIVAL

Gameplay - Updated Memento Cache Interloper Spawn Table, and fixed an issue with some Keys spawning for disabled Memento Caches. Please note that players might not see the fix in an existing save if they have already visited that location.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that caused Cat Tails to have the incorrect weight, after being partially eaten.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that would cause the player to teleport to a pre-placed Snow Shelter, if they saved and reloaded, while in a different Snow Shelter.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that prevented the player from breaking down the Scrub Brush found in the Broken Railroad region.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that could cause the player to shift vertically, if they saved the game while crouching.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue where spray-painted Markers would not appear correctly when applied to some trees.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that caused cured Pelts to float above the ground.
Gameplay - Updated the Deer Pelt icon to better match the in-game item.

CHALLENGE MODES

The Hunted Part Two - Fixed an issue that caused the Old Bear to leave inconsistent blood trails.
The Hunted Part Two - Fixed an issue that caused the Hunted Part Two's journal text to disappear after reloading.
The Hunted Part Two - Fixed missing Rifle Ammo in the Camp Office.
Darkwalker - Fixed an issue that caused erroneous text to appear when completing the Darkwalker Challenge.

WINTERMUTE

** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **

Episode 3 - Fixed an issue that allowed Players to inadvertently skip a cinematic during their first time watching it.
Episode 4 - Fixed issue that caused sound effects to be cut off after the end of a cinematic.
WINTERMUTE - Added missing Crafting icons.

MAC

Mac - Fixed an issue that prevented players from taking a screenshot using the “F8” hotkey.
Mac - Fixed an issue that caused the “Press any button” and “Loading…” text on load screens to appear very small on retina displays or other high-resolution monitors.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For a list of known live issues, please click here.

Please visit our Support Portal if you encounter any issues while playing the game. For additional news and information, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

Mar 30, 2023

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Two is Here!

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Survivors, get ready for a whole new Survival experience. TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Two: SIGNAL VOID is available NOW!

The latest Expansion Pass update introduces the first Tale, SIGNAL VOID. Explore a narrative-driven challenge that delves into the territory's mysterious past, featuring gameplay objectives that reveal the history of Great Bear Island.

For more information on the first Tale, and a look at the great new content available in Part Two: SIGNAL VOID, check out our new update video below:

Part Two: SIGNAL VOID Expansion Pass Content

The first Tale: SIGNAL VOID (requires an estimated 5+ hours to complete)
Handheld Shortwave Radio: For use with Transponder Cache Gameplay
Transponder Cache Gameplay: Including the Handheld Shortwave, Transmitter sites, and trackable hidden Supply Caches
New Bunkers: Discovered as part of the Tale
Four new clothing items: The Hockey Jersey, Flight Jacket, Aviator Cap, and Technical Balaclava
New “Surprise” Accessory item: Only found as part of the Tale – check out the update video to find out more!

Free Stream

Note: This update is available to anyone who owns THE LONG DARK or SURVIVAL EDITION.

Fire-Hardened Arrows: Good for hunting small game
Enhanced Prepper Bunkers, including visual updates, loot updates, and a spawn refresh
Enhanced Beachcombing: Watch for new loot and larger items after storms
Acorns & more Oak Trees: Prepare and eat Acorns, or use them to make delicious Acorn Coffee

About TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY

Releasing in multiple Parts over the course of a 12-month campaign, TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY includes both paid updates for those who own the Expansion Pass, and free updates for anyone who owns THE LONG DARK (or SURVIVAL EDITION). Updates are currently planned for release every 10 weeks or so, depending on development realities.

Thank you for your ongoing support, Survivors. Good luck exploring the Far Territory, and we hope you enjoy the latest Expansion Pass update!

For more information on TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, including details on availability and the full planned content Roadmap, please visit the updated Expansion Pass website. To share your adventures in the Far Territory and connect with a fantastic community of Survivors around the world, please join our Official Community.

Mar 20, 2023

The Long Dark Updated to v2.08

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

THE LONG DARK - QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATE 2.08

Hello Community,

We just released a v2.08 Quality of Life Hotfix for THE LONG DARK on PC and Mac, including Survival Edition. This update includes bug fixes, along with game and performance improvements.

CL Versions Displayed In-Game:
You can confirm that you have the latest update by checking the CL number displayed in the top left corner of your Home Screen in-game. Please note that this release does not contain an update to WINTERMUTE.
Steam:

Windows - Survival Mode / TALES - 111676
Linux - Survival Mode / TALES - 111676
Mac - Survival Mode / TALES - 111676

Epic Games Store:

Windows - Survival Mode / TALES - 111676
Mac - Survival Mode / TALES - 111676

Please visit our Support Portal if you encounter any issues while playing the game. For additional news and information, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).

USER INTERFACE

UI - Added missing stats to the Journal screen for TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY content.
UI - Fixed the action text that appears when opening a container with the Hack Saw. “Sawing” will now appear instead of “Searching”.
UI - Completed a general polish pass on UI items.

SURVIVAL MODE

Gameplay - Fixed an issue where unexpected items were spawning in Interloper games.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that caused players to wake up from Insomnia less often than intended.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue that caused Distress Pistol Containers to lose their contents if the player transitioned through a load screen.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue where some randomly spawned corpses were invisible.
Gameplay - Fixed an issue where players using a Controller could not add fuel to a Fire.

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY
**Please note that this section contains spoilers for TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY.**

Airfield - Updated the route travelled by Bears in the Forsaken Airfield Region to help avoid areas where they could become stuck, including rocks in the middle of the river.
Airfield - Fixed an issue where Glimmer Fog would not activate if the player was inside an interior while in the Forsaken Airfield.

GENERAL

General - Fixed an issue that caused WINTERMUTE to ignore Launch Options set in the Steam client, such as video mode and resolution overrides.
Audio - Fixed an issue that caused waterfall sounds to play at unintended locations.

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###

Mar 20, 2023

March Dev Diary

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Hello Survivors!

We wanted to update you on a few things as we get close to the launch of TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Two: SIGNAL VOID. Below, you will find more details about the new content that will be available as part of the Expansion Pass, along with some helpful information to help you get the most out of your adventures in the Far Territory.

Introducing the First Tale: SIGNAL VOID

The paid content for this part of the Expansion Pass focuses on the addition of our first ‘Tale’. We created Tales to give our Survival Mode players more reasons to explore and more objectives to follow, while weaving in some compelling narrative elements. The result is new gameplay that feels something like one of our “Challenge Modes”. You’ll also encounter interesting new locations as you progress, which are exclusive to the Tale.

Our first Tale, SIGNAL VOID, utilizes our new Transponder gameplay, comprised of a series of Transmitter sites scattered across Great Bear and the new Handheld Shortwave. Once a Transmitter is active, the Handheld Shortwave will be able to pick up mysterious signals in that area, leading to hidden caches, crash sites, and other locations that relate to the Tale. All in all it gives you even more to do during an Aurora, which is a fun time to explore the world – albeit potentially risky!

Transmitter Repair

We’ve also added three new clothing items – a Hockey Jersey, a leather Flight Jacket, and a matching Aviator Hat. You’ll find them scattered around Great Bear, so you will find them as you explore locations and search containers.

In addition, we’ve added a few new surprise items that are exclusive to the use of the Handheld Shortwave, one of which is only revealed at the final step in the Tale.

Free March Update

In Survival Edition, you’ll be happy to hear we have re-enabled the hidden Prepper Bunkers. We have made some significant updates to them, both visually and in the way they spawn into the world. You will now find Prepper Bunkers in nine locations across Lower Great Bear (in appropriately remote spots, of course). However, you won’t know until you begin exploring whether the Prepper Bunker is fully-equipped… or almost entirely empty. There will only be three fully-equipped Prepper Bunkers across a single game, the location in which they spawn will change with every new game. Each full Bunker you find will also have a unique feel, and the loot inside is themed to reflect that.

Beachcombing has had an update as well. We've added new items that may appear, and tied the respawning of those potential items to Blizzards, so with every big storm there's a reason to revisit the coastline.

Fishing Boat - Enhanced Beachcombing

We introduced Oak Trees into the new regions, and you’ll find them all over Great Bear. You can also search for Acorns underneath, which after some prep work can be eaten or ground up and used to make some delicious Acorn coffee.

Finally, we’ve added the ability to craft Fire-Hardened Arrows, so if you happen across a bow early in your playthrough and want to make some Arrows that don't require you to head to the nearest Forge, then you may find these useful. They’re effective for hunting smaller game like Rabbits, and might scare off a Wolf, but they won't actually damage anything big.

Reminder: Save Compatibility

Note: This section is most applicable to players on Xbox and PlayStation. If you previously downloaded the Expansion Pass or the free December update on PC or Mac, you will not lose your save progress with this update, and you will not need to start a new Survival run to access the new content.

As previously mentioned, we made some necessary changes to help future-proof the save system in THE LONG DARK, and to enable you to receive improvements to the game moving forward. As a result, current Survival Mode saves will not work with the game once you download the update for Part One of TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY. This is true even if you do not purchase the Expansion Pass, however, this change will not impact Feats, Feats progress, Achievements, or WINTERMUTE saves.
Since Part One and Part Two are coming to Xbox and PlayStation on March 30th, you have just over a week to wrap up your Survival saves and prepare for your next big adventure on Great Bear Island!

Store Changes
With this next update, we are also separating Survival Mode and WINTERMUTE on Xbox and PlayStation. If you already own THE LONG DARK, you will not need to re-purchase WINTERMUTE or Survival Edition, and you will still get all five WINTERMUTE Episodes, including Episode Five when it unlocks.

For anyone who doesn’t currently own the game, SURVIVAL EDITION will be available as a standalone purchase in the coming weeks, with the option to buy WINTERMUTE or the TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY Expansion Pass as DLC. This offers a number of good options for new players to come in at different price points, while also offering greater flexibility for updating the game.

At launch, TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY will retail on Xbox and PlayStation for $19.99 USD, with a 15% discount for the first week after launch. While we endeavour to keep pricing as consistent as possible, please note that prices are subject to regional store adjustments.

For more information on why we split Survival and Story Mode, please visit this post.

Thank You

That’s it for now, Survivors. We will share the full update list containing details on new paid and free content, along with any game improvements and bug fixes, in the release notes when TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY Part Two launches. We will also share more information on the Expansion Pass launch on Nintendo Switch in the near future. For all other technical issues, please reach out via our Support Portal.

Thank you for reading, and good luck exploring the new content in TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY when it launches on PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation on March 30th!

Mar 17, 2023

The Long Dark Updated to v2.07

The Long Dark - hinterland_community

Hello Community,

We just released our v2.07 Quality of Life Update for THE LONG DARK, including Survival Edition. This update includes some significant bug fixes, along with game and performance improvements.

CL Versions Displayed In-Game:
You can confirm that you have the latest update by checking the CL number displayed in the top left corner of your Home Screen in-game.

Steam:

Windows - Survival Mode / TALES - 111199
Windows - WINTERMUTE - 111213
Linux - Survival Mode / TALES - 111199
Linux - WINTERMUTE - 111213
Mac - Survival Mode / TALES - 111371
Mac - WINTERMUTE - 111213

UI - Fixed an issue that caused the game to crash with the error message “failure to apply graphics settings” when a previously available display was no longer valid.

WINTERMUTE

** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **

Episode Four - Lost Power Workers: Fixed an issue that caused the game to hang if the player entered the Trailer in Blackrock when looking for the second Lost Power Worker.

WINDOWS 10

General - Fixed a hang when launching the game on Windows 10. Please note that some players will still experience a hang when launching the game using Windows 7, however, we continue to work toward a resolution.

MAC

General - Fixed an issue on OS 10.14 that would prevent players from being able to launch the game.
General - Fixed an issue preventing players from accessing WINTERMUTE and TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY DLC on OS 10.14 and older.

### END OF RELEASE NOTES ###