Second Playthrough Feedback

[aemaccoll]

For my second playthrough, I decided that I would be more prepared. I made a plan. I started by reading the guide written by lordmaster4011 entitled The Long Dark Survival guide by LMG in the Steam community guides section.

[tab=30]I won't go into the intricate details of the playthrough, most of them are listed in the attached log. I didn't encounter any bugs, apart from one possible one involving my hunting rifle (which I have written about in another post). There are a few things that in my opinion would make the game more enjoyable. The first is that, from the outset, I was aware that the only way to get a renewable source of food was to hunt deer, rabbits and (possibly) wolves. In order to do this you require ammunition for your hunting rifle, which is fundamentally finite. Therefore, I quickly realised that no matter how much gear I got or how many wolves I killed, I was invariably going to die of starvation. This made the whole playthrough seem futile and, when I did take all my painkillers, curl up into a ball and go to sleep for the last time, it seemed like it had all been fruitless.

[tab=30]Perhaps a good way to overcome the finite nature of the game would be to introduce some renewable resources. You could suggest crafting rounds for the rifle, but the metal and gunpowder would be invariably limited on account of the fact that they're difficult to obtain in nature. A bow and arrow might be a good solution to this, but then you have to wonder how the player will find the flint or whatever they use for the arrowhead in nature, and how will can that be made sustainable. Traps are always a good alternative, but if the materials for the traps rely on their own products, like the need for guts to make snares, and they're not able to be reset, then they're also a poor solution.

[tab=30]Whether you, the developers, decide to use traps, bows and arrows or whatever - you must do something. Otherwise there is a serious risk of The Long Dark losing its 'replayability'.

[tab=30]A few other things - I like it when games add quirky features. Whether it's Max's Last Stand or Unnamed Pond, they're a nice touch. So, good job on keeping it light-hearted. Maybe an item like ear defenders would be interesting, which, when the player wears them, causes nearby sounds to become muffled and gunfire no longer causes ringing. They might also have the added bonus of keeping your ears warm.

[tab=30]When I complete a playthrough (well, when I die) I'll make a post similar to this in the section, along with the log. I'll try to add some screenshots next time as well.

[tab=30]Best of luck, fellow players! I stand on guard for thee!

log_0001.txt