March Dev Diary

[Admin]

 

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! 
 

[xanna]

Thank you! ❤️

[Leeanda]

Thanks guys😊.    Really looking forward to getting the updates and getting stuck in!  

[Serenity]

Do we get the clothing items on Interloper too?

Also it would be cool if the prepper bunkers were there in Interloper. Just remove all the loot.

[Dan_]

Great news!

Very excited for signal void and the enhanced beachcombing. A boat full of goodies seems very enticing, could spawn a multitude of new user-created challenges. I'm ready to do some science, bring it on! 🤓

1) May I ask two small questions? 2) Will signal void be available on all difficulty modes?

 

[Glacia]

The prepper bunkers will spawn on Interloper? 

[conanjaguar]

27 minutes ago, Glacia said:

The prepper bunkers will spawn on Interloper? 

I doubt it… at least not the full ones, anyway 😁.

[ManicManiac]

Thank you, Hinterland.

[RegentRelic]

Wonder if they’ll add a slider for beach-combing loot to the custom settings?

[RossBondReturns]

So freaking excited!

[Elefella]

I'm excited, but wonder what mode I'll need to play to enjoy the new gameplay.

[javijungle]

Thanks! 😉Good news and sounds very exciting ⏳

[Merrak]

Quote

We’ve also added three new clothing items – a Hockey Jersey

Say no more...I'm already too excited for the update to get here.

[hozz1235]

Anticipation and excitement building!!!  Thanks for the update.

@Admin, a couple questions:

14 hours ago, Admin said:

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.

Will these be added to existing saves, even if we've previously looted all containers?

14 hours ago, Admin said:

In Survival Edition, you’ll be happy to hear we have re-enabled the hidden Prepper Bunkers.

I seem to recall these will be available on existing saves, correct?

[ManicManiac]

Now that have had some time to read (re-read) and soak in/consider more of the details:

I really like the idea behind the changes to the bunkers.  I appreciate that there will possibly be more places to seek shelter in out of the way places, but I really like that only three will be "fully stocked."  I think that still maintaining the same number of stocked bunkers, but also increasing their possible locations gives the player some wonderful reasons to go exploring.  Simply not knowing where they are anymore is wonderful too... I'm going to very much enjoy hunting for them, and then seeing if I found a treasure trove, or just a handy spot to hole-up in a blizzard.  

I'm always in support of new clothing options (Hinterlands way of balancing benefits and drawbacks has always felt pretty on point).

No sure how I feel about new weather connection to beachcombing... I was really hoping they would fix the lack of thin ice at beachcombing spawn points.
I'll have to see exactly how and what blizzards end up depositing out on the ice... could be a really nice addition, but I'll just have to wait and see how it feels.  ...Hmm, are they implying fishing boats may wash up from a storm?  🤔 Okay, that could be interesting.

I love the idea of the fire-hardened arrows.  I really appreciate that they won't be "sharp" enough to injure the larger animals.  That will make for a new option when it comes to fending off some critters without having to expend valuable arrows/cartridges.  I like the fact that they have their rather specific niche, considering they can be crafted (essentially) by hand.

I'm rather ambivalent about oak trees... I guess I'll have to see how they feel out in the wilderness of Great Bear Island.  Maybe they will make for a beautiful addition to add more character to the forests.  I kind of feel the same way about birch and birch bark that I do about oak and acorns... always nice to have options, I suppose.  I'm a bit wary of how many calories will end up just laying around on the ground... but I suppose having more option for forging could be nice (assuming they rebalance the frequency of birch bark as well).

I'm still not sure I'm a fan of narrative (story mode type) elements leaking into my survival sandbox.
It sounds like this sort of "side quest" might be essentially triggered by picking up the Shortwave... if so, then I suppose I can just avoid and ignore if it turns out to be something I end up not liking.  However, when it comes out, I absolutely will give it a shot.  Hinterland has always been pretty on point when it comes to the implementation of new features and facets of their gameplay... so I won't decide on whether or not the "Tales" are something I want to engage in until after I get at least one playthrough.  I do hope to be pleasantly surprised, but I as of right now I think it's kind of like the Spray Cans.   I can see how it might be fun or useful for some... but not really for me.

Edited March 21, 2023 by ManicManiac

[PilgrimReaper]

4 hours ago, Merrak said:

Say no more...I'm already too excited for the update to get here.

HL logo on the front? Would be pretty cool 🙂

[deviro_verity]

Is that boat in the last picture new? I can't recall ever seeing it. And which region was that screenshot taken from? I think its overlooking the waterfront cottages next to commuter's lament in CH.

Edited March 21, 2023 by deviro_verity

[Leeanda]

It looks like coastal to me, but it also looks like it's facing the wrong way...kind of ,🤔

[hozz1235]

1 hour ago, deviro_verity said:

Is that boat in the last picture new?

I'm guessing (and hoping!) it is.  Perhaps a new object resulting from beachcombing.  Would make more sense than scrap metal 😜

[Glacia]

2 hours ago, deviro_verity said:

Is that boat in the last picture new? I can't recall ever seeing it. And which region was that screenshot taken from? I think its overlooking the waterfront cottages next to commuter's lament in CH.

Yes it's a new asset, similar to the one at the cannery anyways.

For me, it's the border of the Bleak inlet region, near the hidden island and coastal highway terminus landmark. You can't travel further because of the thin ice, but you can see a forest not too far from the other side, similar to the one at the screenshoot.

[Luca Loquax]

Happy-pants fun flounder factory ! 

[RegentRelic]

3 hours ago, deviro_verity said:

Is that boat in the last picture new? I can't recall ever seeing it. And which region was that screenshot taken from? I think its overlooking the waterfront cottages next to commuter's lament in CH.

yes, yes it is.

[The Gentleman Bastard]

I dunno about the Prepper Bunkers in fixed locations... was kinda fun never knowing if your game would even have one or not.. regardless, stoked to try out Tales

[Gun Tech.]

Cheers for Acorns, and for the clarification of game save compatibility.

[RossBondReturns]

41 minutes ago, The Gentleman Bastard said:

I dunno about the Prepper Bunkers in fixed locations... was kinda fun never knowing if your game would even have one or not.. regardless, stoked to try out Tales

Every game always had 3 bunkers in any 1 of 9 locations with bunkers in ML, PV and Blackrock.

27 potential locations...with only 3 actual bunkers randomized each run.

Now it seems we're getting all the possible bunkers (possibly at new spawn points) but only 3 of them will be fully stocked. (Randomly with each new sandbox) I'm guessing one stocked one in the region.

Whether the regions are the same as before who knows...should be a lot of fun searching them out.