The Long Dark TEST BRANCH

[Admin]

Hi Community,

As we have done in the past, we are implementing a TEST BRANCH to help us test The Long Dark. We've just integrated a major Unity engine update and before we make any further updates to the game, we want to ensure the foundation is still stable and that it runs without issue on as wide a selection of hardware as possible. Since we have players using a wide variety of hardware configurations, we are looking to our community for help!

In particular we are looking for feedback on:

• Does the game with the upgraded version of Unity work on your hardware?
• Do you run into any issues with being unable to save?
• Do you encounter any issues on the TEST BRANCH that you had not seen on the regular version of The Long Dark?

We have launched this new TEST BRANCH version of The Long Dark on Steam for PC, Mac, and Linux users.

Given that there’s no new content in this Test Branch, we are not opening a special subsection on the forums and instead we would ask that if you are playing on the Test Branch to please file any issues you come across with our Support Team here, or comment in the thread below.

To join the Test Branch:

• Launch Steam and open your Game Library, right click on The Long Dark in your game list. 
• Select Properties.
• Select the BETAS tab.
• Enter password (thelongdarktest) and click CHECK CODE (do not hit enter).
• From the drop down menu select test_build.
• The game will update to this new build.

To leave the TEST BRANCH, follow the above steps but select “NONE - Opt Out Of All Beta Programs” from the drop down menu.

Thank you for your continued support of The Long Dark. With your help we hope to be able to make the transition to this updated version of Unity as seamless as possible.

– The Hinterland Team

[NOVA7258]

Thank you. So far so good. I can create a new survival game, play for a while, save (sleep) and resume - several times.

[Zaknafein]

Two questions:

Will using this test branch affect feat progression, just like time capsules reset them?

For those of us who stream TLD, can test branches be streamed or would you prefer not to?

[Hadrian]

6 minutes ago, Zaknafein said:

Two questions:

Will using this test branch affect feat progression, just like time capsules reset them?

For those of us who stream TLD, can test branches be streamed or would you prefer not to?

I'd assume yes to the first, to be safe.

And historically, unless they specifically say otherwise (and I believe they have, once or twice), they're fine with streaming as long as you make it abundantly clear you're streaming test branch.

As a fellow content creator, I appreciate your asking about it.

[NOVA7258]

Streaming Steam,

Computer Dell XPS 8920
Graphics: NVIDA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Monitor: ASUS Vx24AH 2560 x 1440
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 CPU @ 3.60GHz
Memory: 16.0 GB
Disk: 512GB SSD, 2TB Disk
System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Keyboard: Logitech G105
Mouse: Logitech wired

 

 

[ajb1978]

1 hour ago, Zaknafein said:

Will using this test branch affect feat progression, just like time capsules reset them?

The default location for your save files, including user profile that records your feat progression is located at C:\Users\(your user name)\AppData\Local\Hinterland\TheLongDark\ so if you want to be absolutely, 100% sure you don't lose anything from the main branch, make a copy of everything in that folder before opting in to the beta.

[ajb1978]

I don't know if this is a glitch or not but I started a game on the test branch, and to maximize the 24-hour grace period I opted not to sleep and work through the night on day 1.  It hasn't been a full 24 hours yet, and I'm already seeing wolves.  I'm on maybe hour 18, but it's hard to judge without a clock.

[Admin]

6 hours ago, Zaknafein said:

 

For those of us who stream TLD, can test branches be streamed or would you prefer not to?

You are fine to stream the TEST BRANCH. To be clear though there is no new content. 
 

If you do run into an issue while streaming please note that you are playing the TEST BRANCH and report the issue as directed above. 

[ajb1978]

Got a phantom icicle that's visible through rocks.  Winding River, headed towards Pleasant Valley.  Windows 10, GTX1080TI, I7-4980k, 16gb

Edit: It wasn't there when I visited again...seems to be a one-off.

Edited August 28, 2020 by ajb1978

[LkP]

Debian / Nvidia 418.152

no problem to launch a game, previous saves were available but I've started a new Stalker one.
I have not detected issues that would make the game unplayable, I had some short freezes but that could be a hardware limitation on my side (my hdd is getting tired). Display seemed to be a more precise (especially for objects at long distance) and animation smoother, but that's just impressions.

a few details :
z-fighting is still a thing (check the books)

[bug not seen in regular version, to my knowledge] pointing an object gets weird sometimes:

 

I'll try again if HL signals here a new version.

[ajb1978]

4 hours ago, LkP said:

[bug not seen in regular version, to my knowledge] pointing an object gets weird sometimes:
 

Can confirm, i had the same problem last night.  I had a pile of sticks on the ground inside the Spence barn, and clicking on the pile did nothing.  If I clicked off center, like on the edge of the pile with the white cursor pointed at the ground, I could pick up sticks.

[ajb1978]

....this deer is completely unafraid of me...  Slightly east of Spence.  Interestingly, this is the same location I've heard a phantom deer in the past.  Am...am I dead?

Edit: It's this one deer specifically.  Other deer still run, but this guy...completely unafraid.  I respect that--he can live.

Edited August 29, 2020 by ajb1978

[ajb1978]

I don't know if this is specific to the test branch or if I just never noticed before, but drawing a bow or aiming a stone causes the background aurora sounds to stop.  It doesn't happen with a revolver, rifle, or distress pistol.

[Sherri]

On 8/29/2020 at 11:37 AM, ajb1978 said:

....this deer is completely unafraid of me...  Slightly east of Spence.  Interestingly, this is the same location I've heard a phantom deer in the past.  Am...am I dead?

Edit: It's this one deer specifically.  Other deer still run, but this guy...completely unafraid.  I respect that--he can live.

 

Sneak peak at the new pet system! lol

[NOVA7258]

Thank you for making testing available!!!  

I have also seen a few cases of items such as dead wolf be off center which I did not notice in the standard version.  But when I came back after exit and reload, wolf dead wolf centered OK. 

*** this is a problem that should be fixed before going live. It is reproducible: Wound a wolf and track it down. ***

First image is Wolf off center just after a kill. Second image is OK after sleep one hour, exit quit and reload.

Edited August 31, 2020 by NOVA7258

[Gracia_WolfSlayer]

@Hadrian

I'm glad to see you post! Was worried about you since your channel has gone quit. Happy you're still around ❤️ (youtube subscriber who totally understands and was just legitimately concerned of your well being)

[Jolan]

I started missing feats (Fire Mastery is gone, nooooooo!!!!!!!!), auto walk isn't working either.  I'll report both of these to the land of bug hunters.  I have to ask - has the wobble always been this bad when Princess Buttercup is just standing there?  Its actually giving me motion sickness.  

[Jolan]

It seems to me that the lighting is better, the fires make more sense, windows as well.  

 

[mayimbe]

Hi, I would like to know if the game will continue to work with the same requirements since I have a 4 GB RAM laptop and a 1 GB graphic and I don't have money to buy a better PC. regards

[ajb1978]

19 hours ago, Jolan said:

I started missing feats (Fire Mastery is gone, nooooooo!!!!!!!!), auto walk isn't working either.  I'll report both of these to the land of bug hunters.  I have to ask - has the wobble always been this bad when Princess Buttercup is just standing there?  Its actually giving me motion sickness.  

If you copy your most recent user001 file from C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Hinterland\TheLongDark\ and paste it into C:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\HinterlandTest2\TheLongDark\ you can keep your unlocked feats from the main branch.

[stratvox]

Sweet! I have a new laptop I'm going to try this out on; and run the linux native instead of the windows version via proton.

If this fixes the flickering landscape issue on linux I'll be basically as pleased as pleased can be!

So glad to see that this is happening!

Cheers, guys!

[stratvox]

30 minutes ago, stratvox said:

Sweet! I have a new laptop I'm going to try this out on; and run the linux native instead of the windows version via proton.

If this fixes the flickering landscape issue on linux I'll be basically as pleased as pleased can be!

So glad to see that this is happening!

Cheers, guys!

Nope, distant landscape still flickers like mad in linux native. That's disappointing.

[acada]

18 hours ago, stratvox said:

Sweet! I have a new laptop I'm going to try this out on; and run the linux native instead of the windows version via proton.

If this fixes the flickering landscape issue on linux I'll be basically as pleased as pleased can be!

So glad to see that this is happening!

Cheers, guys!

By flickering landscape you mean the fact the landscape changes its shape once and stays as such? Or do you mean changing here and there. 

I can report the first one on Windows 10x64. Steam game. I dont have the video capture enabled. But it seems like this: Walking towards a rock or mountain. It is solid object, not like branches or such. You can see it and see its shape. But sudenly shape of the landscape changes. And stays like that.

No problem with loading, saving and such.

[stratvox]

On 9/3/2020 at 5:35 PM, acada said:

By flickering landscape you mean the fact the landscape changes its shape once and stays as such? Or do you mean changing here and there. 

I can report the first one on Windows 10x64. Steam game. I dont have the video capture enabled. But it seems like this: Walking towards a rock or mountain. It is solid object, not like branches or such. You can see it and see its shape. But sudenly shape of the landscape changes. And stays like that.

No problem with loading, saving and such.

No, I mean there's z-fighting between the snow on top of the landscape and the actual landscape. What you're seeing there is when the LOD (Level Of Detail) changes as you get closer to an object on the terrain. I'm talking about the fact that the landscape is actively flickering; in any given spot it'll bounce between snow and stone many times a second. This is called z-fighting; the engine is having trouble figuring out which texture to display and is bouncing between the snow texture and the stone texture. This is specific to OpenGL and Unity (the game engine Hinterland is using) as I understand it.

In the game there's a "near camera" (things close to the player and shown with a lot of detail) and a "far camera" (stuff farther away and shown with less detail to cut down on the number of triangles in the 3d render) -- (this is one of the many ways in which terrain complexity is managed in video games); it looks like there's little to no z-fighting in the "near camera" but there's very strong z-fighting in the "far camera".

Say, @Admin, does the new engine properly support vulkan? Because if it does that might fix the issue....

[stratvox]

Well, trying to use the "-force-vulkan" command option causes the game to punch out on IPL. 

I'd be happy to try any kind of test builds or anything like that to help fix this issue in the linux version if that's viewed as a possibility during this test cycle.