Desolation Point

ORIGINAL RELEASE NOTE

THE LONG DARK SANDBOX UPDATED TO v264 — “DESOLATION POINT”

We’ve just updated The Long Dark’s Sandbox to v264: “Desolation Point”.

NOTE: v.264 should be compatible with saves from previous versions. If you run into issues, please post in our forums os we can support you.

DESOLATION POINT

We’re really excited to introduce a new region in this update, Desolation Point, a stretch of coastal highway pockmarked with the abandoned remnants of a formerly thriving whaling industry. You can find Desolation Point by going to the end of the Coastal Highway, passing through the Commuter’s Lament, and continuing onward. Good luck finding the way!

ITEM PLACEMENT

You can now place any gear item in a valid location in the world (vs. dropping it on the floor). Please review the Controls/Keybindings in Options for more details on how to accomplish this.

METAL FORGING GAMEPLAY

In addition to the new region, we’ve added Metal Forging gameplay. There is currently only one Forge in the game. It behaves as a hybrid of a Stove, and a Crafting Table. You first light the Stove part to build up heat, and then add Coal (a new fuel type which can be found in the mines scattered around the Sandbox world) to raise the forge’s temperature to sufficient levels. Using a Hammer and raw materials like scrap metal, you can now forge a small number of improvised tools.

WEATHER SYSTEM

We’ve also updated the Weather system, to allow for longer and smoother transitions in and out of weather states. We also telegraph bad weather (like blizzards) more, so you can begin to prepare yourself. Weather transitions now occur in patterns, so that you can gradually learn to “read” the weather. Keep in mind that there are multiple weather patterns for each weather type, and that weather patterns change from region to region.

HUD/UI UPDATE

We’ve removed all on-screen text from the HUD, and replaced it with icons. We’ve also replaced the old Survival Panel with a new Status screen, which is where you also access your Backpack, First Aid, Bedroll, and Fire-starting.

MULTIPLE SANDBOX GAME SLOTS

You can now run up to 5 simultaneous Sandbox games. Please note that there is still only one save slot per game, and this change does not affect permadeath in any way. Multiple Sandbox game slots just means that you can have multiple concurrent Sandbox games — for example, a separate Stalker and Voyageur run, one starting in Pleasant Valley and the other starting in Mystery Lake. You can now also stop fighting with your sibling/partner/spouse about whose turn it is to play the game!

OTHER CHANGES

There are many other changes! Please take a few minutes to check out our update video.

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THE LONG DARK SANDBOX UPDATE to V264 — CHANGELIST

* Added new region, Desolation Point.
* Added new item placement system.
* Added Forging gameplay.
* Added new Tools: Hammer, Improvised Knife, Improvised Hatchet.
* Added new Fuel type: Coal
* Added new location discovered on-screen text.
* Replaced all HUD text with icons.
* Updated Survival Panel with new Status screen.
* Updated Weather system, both visuals and to introduce weather patterns.
* Updated Wind system and wind sounds. Wind now changes based on altitude, location, temperature, and time of day.
* Added new Gear Sound system. You can hear certain gear sounds when moving through the world, if you have certain items in inventory.
* Added wider support for gamepads on PC/Mac.

GAME TUNING & BUG FIXES

* Fixed issue with only rolling for food poisoning when partially eating an item
* Fixed brightness issues on Mac; lighting conditions now match PC
* Sort and Filter buttons shift to the active inventory or container section of the UI
* Players can now drink water directly from Inspection mode
* Light torch UI only shows fire option after clicking on a burning fire
* Fixed issue where players could not fill a container to 100% full
* Fixed issue with books changing weight after being dropped
* Struggle and Fire actions now use the Interact binding.
* When rebinding movement actions to arrow keys, arrows can navigate menus
* Fixed small delay after crafting an item where you can’t use the craft button
* Fixed confusing wording in “condition too low” when trying to harvest a carcass
* The game now saves when the player is woken up from sleep
* Fixed torches so they emit heat
* Fixed break down audio loop playing forever if break down is interrupted
* Dropped and scattered items will only be randomly oriented/embedded if in snow
* Only wake player up after fire dies out if player is freezing
* Player will not receive torn clothing events if not wearing any clothes
* Fixed AI issues with wolves after attacking player holding a flare
* Fix crafting exploit (switching items while crafting in progress)
* Fixed crafting issue that could sometimes require longer crafting time than necessary.
* Fix for graphical glitch related to light shafts [Xbox One]
* Modified struggle damage modifiers for various tools, and added modifiers for the new Improvised Knife, Improvised Hatchet, and Hammer
* Reduced the Condition-cost to tools when using them to clear ice-fishing holes
* You can now clear ice-fishing holes with Hammers and Prybars
* Increased Prybar durability
* Modified animal carcass harvesting times
* Tool chests and Toolboxes are now more likely to have tools in them
* Hammers can be used to break down crates, furniture, etc.
* General performance optimization on PC, Mac, and Xbox One.

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