The heart of The Long Dark

[Schaumrolle24]

Salute, dear fellow survivors! 😇
It's been a very long time since I've posted anything here. But I have a few things on my mind that I need to get off my chest. You'd better get a coffee to go with it. There's a lot coming up:

I got to know and love The Long Dark back in 2015 in Early Access. For years, every patch that expanded the content for the sandbox - no matter how small the innovations were - was a highlight for me. I was happy like a little child about the introduction of Direct Harvesting, Timberwolf Mountain and other new maps, the Radial Menu and the accompanying interface redesign, frostbite, moose, the revolver and all the other great updates. I also remember this forum (German and English) with its many cool people, helpful admins and developers interested in the feedback of the community as a great experience.

Even though there were a few setbacks later on, I didn't have to think or hesitate for a second when I heard that a paid DLC was going to be released. After all, Hinterland has expanded the game very extensively over the years - and also purposefully at the beginning. Of course I wanted to experience the sequel step by step - just like before - and gladly support Hinterland financially.

The start of "Tales from the Far Territory" was quite bumpy. And now, a good month after release, I have to say: Of the really interesting sounding features on the roadmap, nothing was actually included in the first update. At least for me.
That's not a disaster yet, but more on that in a moment.

I find Forsaken Airfield to be quite a nice map overall, as its openness offers variety from the previous maps. However, the map definitely needs to be reworked in some places. Not only is it almost impossible to survive there (as a starting area) on Interloper. I also find it a great pity that there is only one workbench on an airfield with helicopters, planes, workshops, storerooms and hangars. And of course it is in the basement where there are no light sources.... I also don't like the lack of cooking facilities/fire barrels, which has been mentioned several times. It seems poorly thought out and tested overall. As do the still numerous (new) bugs.

What worries me more, however, is the evolution of The Long Dark's survival mode over the last few years. Existing features, some of which have been in the game unchanged for 7-8 years, still feel like Early Access quality. However, they are not being replaced, expanded or improved. Instead, I watch as more and more things are implemented that feel more like ballast, but don't move the game forward, or improve the gameplay experience. Sometimes even the opposite.   

The spray paint that was introduced in 2020, for example. It's nice at best, but nothing more. I hardly use it, and from what I read, it's very similar to most other gamers. It's more likely to be abused for graffiti vandalism and defacing the maps with it 😄

The bulletproof vest as it currently works ingame - also rather off.

And now, as a new feature, the Glimmer Fog and the Insomnia.

Fog belongs in the game. It's natural, it makes orientation more difficult, it makes for interesting and nerve-wracking moments, and it adds to the challenge. It adds depth. But a different kind of fog, just more fog, does not automatically make the game better. Quite the opposite. Combined with the sleep disorder, it introduces a flat, completely uninteresting game mechanic that just annoys me.

The new item variations are certainly quite nice. But they are also very rare (which is perfectly okay). But they don't affect the game experience practically at the moment.

I wonder what goal is being pursued to add more facets to the core aspects of the game - namely the struggle for warmth, water, food and sleep. Namely clothing, fire starting, shelter building, cooking, fishing, hunting, item crafting, maintenance and repair, plants and animal life, weather effects and so on. These are the aspects that make up the game and should be expanded. Just as has been done in previous updates. And that should not be the very last measure in the patches still to come.
Because: They are the heart of The Long Dark! ❤️

Starting locations and loot tables have been revised. That is good in principle. I even think it's very good that there are now far fewer weapons to find. But I still find 50 rounds of revolver ammo and 20 rounds + of rifle ammo on Stalker, on two maps, within two ingame days. And what pisses me off the most: Still 10 cans of spray paint in a single location. And that's on Stalker!! Partly I find these standing in a child's room. Far too much of it and not exactly beneficial to the atmosphere and persuasiveness of the game world.  

Unfortunately, I have the impression that the game is being developed more and more without regard for its soul. I would enjoy it more without said spray paint, without a rather pointless bulletproof vest and without glimmerfog and a totally annoying insomnia effect. If I could, I'd turn all that off in the options.

I'm looking forward to ptarmigans, cougars, more clothes, acorns, soup and other food, revised ice fishing, more cooking recipes, travois, but most of all: finally such a central element as a revised, (and hopefully) really good mechanic for Fire Starting.

Because features like ice fishing, fire starting, but especially sprains and the wild animal AI, are partly (still) implemented in such a rudimentary way and have been left completely loveless in the last few years, instead of developing them further.

The game lags for a moment and I suddenly sprained my wrist.
When making fire, it doesn't matter which tinder I use and how much of it (because I'm allowed to use only 1). From level 3 on, tinder doesn't matter at all. A timer is running and a probability calculation decides at the end whether my fire will start. The kindling is not animated in any way, or even executed as a kind of quicktime-event in which the player is asked to actively intervene. The whole thing is even blunter with ice fishing.
Wild animals flee headlong towards the player, sometimes clipping right through him on their "flight". Bears have been bugging for years repeatedly when a fire is involved.
The "trick" of using torches and flares to force wolves to flee immediately and guaranteed, is the only way to survive on Interloper. In my opinion, this is not a clever game design, but an exploit.
Brandishing, on the other hand - i.e. waving a burning torch to keep wolves and other animals at bay - was removed from the game years ago. A decision I could never understand.

Rather than improving all these things, they left them out. And instead implemented quite useless spray paint (sorry for harping on about this😋).
Now they're moving on to Glimmerfog or cameras and photo development in a dark room (WTF?!?). And I fear the worst for Transponder and the Trader....

Firestarting and ice fishing are supposed to be revised in the coming patches. And I am very much looking forward to that. But at the same time I'm anxious and hope that Hinterland will implement it well.
But if we are honest: It's long overdue and could and should have been included before the release of the main game. And not afterwards, as additional DLC, where I possibly have to pay for this content.

Please Hinterland, - don't get so lost in new features that the game doesn't really need.
Please go back to the heart of "The Long Dark"!

To the community:
Let me know what you think about the topics mentioned.
Of course, I cannot and will not only criticise here. Needless to say, I also have ideas for the above-mentioned shortcomings and weaknesses.
But first I would like to find out whether you have a similar perception. Or is it just me who is so bothered by these things...? 😶

Thank you for your attention and I am looking forward to your answers!

Edited January 25, 2023 by Schaumrolle24
Misspelling

[Moosemaster]

Fellow Early Access brother, welcome back. I would like to take a moment to expand on some of the topics you mentioned, first the items like the spray-paint and ballistic vest, both of these items are mostly meant for players who are newer/haven’t memorized maps and aren’t very good at avoiding struggles. A lot of the mechanics of this game have been meant to both make the game harder but accessible for new players, the only exception being challenges but that’s their whole point, so yes they may seem like useless things to you, for others they were almost necessary to learn the game. I used them after my return a few months back to learn the maps and still use them to this day to mark my main buildings as I have one in almost every region, but I know also t all the maps well enough to blind travel with no help from map as or anything. I use sprays for areas like AC and HRV.

the item variants aren’t meant to be a big thing in the game, just to expand the game and more are being added as the update goes on.

glimmer fog is a “story” element meant to expand the mystery of the aurora, and it does that with ought making the game more horror like, as that is not its intention, horror comes in the Halloween events. 

they are expanding mechanics from before, they said in the update logs they are improving both fishing and cooking this year, and most other mechanics have been expanded once or twice before, for instance in resolute outfitter the clothing system was completely revamped.

also for the loot tables they aren’t meant to be super scarce in stalker, stalker was as much loot as the first difficulty of the game, but with slightly easier animals, more loot is going to continue to show up as they add more items. If you really want that experience you speak of you should play interloper or custom stalker, both are there for people who want an experiment like you.

fire staring doesn’t need much changes and the animal AI are being worked on as we speak, and one of the updates to come will be a full animal spawn and placement revamp that also promises to fix many bugs and improve their AI, the AI isn’t the problem, it’s trying to make it not too punishing but not too easy, that’s why the mechanic where they loose track of you and run away if they cant reach you was implemented, wildlife AI used to be much worse and animals would follow you to the ends of the earth, and you can change it in customs.

lag and tinder is an issue but for LV3 fire starting it’s the only thing special you can add to fires, lag is an issue with loaded assists and I haven’t had any lag after I got the game on PlayStation (though I prefer computer it can’t run it well I mostly use it for new updates) all tinder being the same makes sense as your meant to tear down the newspaper into tinder plugs and burning them directly is meant to be for desperation, fire buggs with bears are going to be common unless we remove the mechanic making the bear the most dangerous and almost unstoppable animal. And the removal of brands was because of a large amount of the community complaining wolves were too hard to detour so they added torches. 
 

while I understand those mechanics can be annoying most of them are being revised and some of them haven’t even been added so I don’t find it fair to repeatedly mention mechanics being changed or aren’t there yet until they are changed, if it goes wrong I will be on the frontlines to request that they are changed, but until then I will wait patiently.

do not take this as toxicity, I agree that a lot of mechanics could be expanded and have been and that some parts of mechanics are very confusing or annoying and im happy for the changes. This is just meant to be showing that the mechanics aren’t so bad and their uses in the game. Have a good game and enjoy 

[Semple Fi]

That’s quite a Novel

[MarrowStone]

I agree with the brandishing confusion, i really wish that still were in game. Felt much more desperate and interactive. 

Animal AI still needs work and the wolves have gotten so aggressive! Sometimes they'll run into me ans attack me after I throw my flare, or sometimes ignore the flare throw completely! 

Spraypaint is actually a good addition. I also had my doubts about it, but spraying it down reveals your current position on the map, good for new players and for triangulating those darn memento caches. It also lets you make your own landmarks! (yes it can be done with sticks etc but..) 

Glimmer fog is probably not fully implemented till the story elements of TFTFT come out. 

I agree firestarting and fishing need work. Especially that firestarting level 3 perk. I also think cooking needs a perk rework too.  Too many skill level perks just up and delete a mechanic's depth. 

Im excited for the photo development! It seems like a way to make late game more interesting while not (as I know of) forcing players to interact with it. 

Item varients are a step in the right direction and I think a few of our problems will be addressed in the coming updates. I understand the concern though! This game is pretty dear to me and some changes have bothered me but a vast majority of the changes I end up liking once i had time to play around with it. 

[MavByte]

I wasn't there at the beginning, but i used the Time Capsule to learn everything about the games past versions. (currently I'm on a total play time of 1,007.8 hours)

I too am confused 'bout why brandishing has been removed, since it was a really cool feature, that amplified the feeling of desperation in my striving for survival. The current "trick" with the torch and stone to scare of wolves just feels way too easy. So a rework on the Animal AI and maybe a revisit of brandishing might be really cool. (and as far as i'm aware of: they're already working at the animal AI)

While I agree that there are way too many spray paints around in the world (I'm playing on Interloper, but even there i find too many of 'em), I personally use 'em from time to time. Especially in areas I'm not quite familiar with, so that i can find my way back, in case i get lost. (God damn Hushed River Valley.. I still get lost there.. xD)

At the current time I'm not quite fond of glimmer fog as well. I think the "idea" is nice, but needs to be improved, though I'm not quite sure in which way. And YES, big YES: While i like the idea of Forsaken Airfield, it's quite annoying that the only workbench is in the cellar of the hangar and it's absolutely pitch black there. without any source of light you're lost down there.