Coreyahno

(Note: I wrote this whole thing out and right after I finished writing it, I realized my idea would not work within the context of this game world given the geomagnetic disaster that’s taken place. But I am going to post this anyway for the sake of not totally wasting my time, haha!) Hello! I am new to this forum and somewhat new to The Long Dark. I have owned the game since early access but have only logged around 40 hours off and on throughout the years. While recently getting back in to the game, I had an idea regarding survival mode and a possible end game that was exciting to think about, so I thought I would share! I will start by saying I realize what I am purposing is unrealistic in the near-term as it would result in adding a substantial amount of new content to the game, and this would probably be more practical for a sequel if that ever happens. I am a huge fan of Subnautica, and my favorite aspect of that game is it’s very much a survival game much like The Long Dark, but it was not truly endless unless you wanted it to be. You could eventually, with enough work, escape the planet to find safety. I think The Long Dark could greatly benefit from a similar structure to keep players interest longer term.. which I know sounds bizarre suggesting something that has an ending could last longer than a mode that is truly endless, but in my case I would definitely stick with the game longer if I was working towards something more meaningful than just seeing another sunrise. Here is my possibly too ambitious idea. It involves adding at least two new regions to the game as well as several new items and gameplay mechanics. One region would be a smaller private style airfield with a badly damaged plane that has the potential for flight after some significant repairs. Various items would be needed to get the plane back in the air. Some common, some not so common. Finding these items would require the player to travel to every corner of the map. Some items could even be improvised and crafted (things like a makeshift propeller blade crafted from the blade on a boat perhaps?). Make the player be like Matt Damon in The Martian, and really have to think outside the box to get the plane airborne. The second region would be an enormous mountain. Near the summit I imagine a crashed plane with smoke bellowing in the sky to make sure the player cannot miss it. Eventually the smoke will fade, but upon first seeing the plane it will be there. After finding the repairable plane at the airfield, it should be obvious to the player they need to reach that plane. A required item for repair that only can be found at that plane on the mountain. Reaching the plane on the mountain will be the true trial, and is what will insure the player must sink hours upon hours in to the game before they can escape. That way it’s not just about walking around from place to place counting on RNG to save your life. Scaling the mountain would require various resources. Only the highest tier of clothing will be enough to survive the cold. You will need specific equipment to scale the mountain (Ice hooks, ropes, oxygen, etc.). Getting to the top and then back down would take multiple in-game days, and no food can be found on the mountain. I imagine the real obstacle will come in the form of having enough stamina to scale the mountainside. I think of Shadow of the Colossus, and reaching the secret garden, which required consuming enough hard to find items in the game to increase your stamina meter enough to make the climb. I am not sure what you could use to increase stamina in The Long Dark other than just simply walking (I think it needs to be more challenging than that), but it needs to make sense in the context of this world. Maybe reading enough books on rock climbing or collecting/crafting rare consumables perhaps. Repairing the plane and escaping should not be easy. It should take dozens of hours of gameplay at minimum. And of course all this can be completely ignored for those that have no interest in leaving the freezing Canadian wilderness behind. This is just something I thought would be really cool to work towards as I play, but I understand not everyone needs that end goal to keep them going. For me personally, it would make this the perfect survival game. Thanks for reading if you did!