Story mode in 10 days prepare your carcasses, food, water, clothes, skills, badges, ammunition and weapons. Let's survive friends because the story mode is coming.

Story Mode (AKA Wintermute) launches Aug. 1st, 2017!
August 1st marks the end of our time in Early Access. We will be launching version 1.0 of The Long Dark worldwide on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on that day, including the first two parts of our 5-episode Story Mode, known as WINTERMUTE.

If you've already bought the game, no further purchase will be required to access version 1.0 or Wintermute content.

Although The Long Dark will no longer be in Early Access, we will continue working to improve aspects of the game after the August 1st launch, including Sandbox (also known as Survival Mode). Player feedback and is welcome and appreciated.

For more information about Wintermute and the August 1st launch, check out our FAQ: http://www.thelongdark.com/news/frequently-asked-questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

06.05.2017.
Q: When is THE LONG DARK launching?

A: THE LONG DARK launches on August 1st, 2017, worldwide.

Q: I’m confused. I thought the game launched years ago?

A: We brought THE LONG DARK’s Sandbox Mode to Steam Early Access in September of 2014, and then to Xbox Game Preview in June 2015. These were both “pre-release Alphas”, early in-development versions of the game. On August 1st, we’ll be launching the 1.0 version of The Long Dark.

Q: Will THE LONG DARK remain in Early Access after August 1st?

A: No. The August 1st launch marks the end of our time in Early Access and Game Preview.

Q: Does this mean you won’t be taking community feedback, or updating the game after your 1.0 launch?

A: We plan to continue updating the game after our 1.0 launch. We will continue working on the remaining episodes of our 5-episode “Story Mode” (renamed WINTERMUTE), and we’d also like to continue updating the “Sandbox Mode” (renamed Survivor Mode). Although we’re proud of what we’ve created so far, there are still lots of things we’d like to add and improve! We also know that regular updates help keep our community engaged with the game, which is important to us.

Q: What platforms is THE LONG DARK shipping on?

A: THE LONG DARK Survivor Mode is currently available on Steam Early Access and Xbox One Game Preview, and will be until we launch our 1.0 on August 1st. The 1.0 version of The Long Dark will also be available on PlayStation 4 on August 1st.

Q: I see that THE LONG DARK is available on Steam and Xbox One already. Why can’t I get it on PlayStation 4 yet?

A: Both Steam and Xbox One have “early access” programs, where players can purchase games that are still in development. Sony does not have an “early access” program for the PlayStation, so our 1.0 version will be the first version available on PlayStation 4.

Q: If I bought THE LONG DARK in Early Access/Game Preview, do I need to pay more for the 1.0 version when it launches on August 1st?

A: No. Your purchase of THE LONG DARK in Early Access/Game Preview gives you full access to all the launch and Season One updates (Episodes One to Five) when the game’s 1.0 version launches on August 1st.

Q: You increased the price from $19.99 USD to $34.99 USD. Why?

A: We launched THE LONG DARK on Early Access at $19.99 USD in September 2014. The game has had years of updates since then and we’ve spent a lot of time, effort, and money continuously improving the game. We feel that the $34.99 price represents the true value of the game, while $19.99 has been a very fair price for our early adopters, who have received a lot of value for their purchase.

Also, as a self-funded and completely independent studio, we rely on sales of THE LONG DARK to fund continued development of the game and other games we’d like to make. We work very hard to ensure you feel you get fair value for your money, and our goal is to continue making thought-provoking experiences that challenge genre-conventions. In order to do so, we have to ensure we’re getting a fair price for the quality of experience we’re creating for you, so that we can continue investing in more experiences like The Long Dark in the future.

Q: What happened to Sandbox Mode and Story Mode? Where did they go?

A: They didn’t go anywhere! We just renamed them, as those names were always meant to be placeholders for our in-development versions of the game. Now that we are so close to launch, we’re re-”branding” these game modes as Survivor Mode, and WINTERMUTE. Survivor Mode is the free-form, non-narrative, open-world survival sandbox you’ve been playing throughout Early Access.

Q: What is WINTERMUTE?

A: WINTERMUTE is the name of our first season of “story mode” — five episodes that cover the story of bush pilot Will Mackenzie, and Dr. Astrid Greenwood, as they explore the Northern Canadian wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster that has plunged their world into “the long dark”.

Q: How many story episodes are included in my purchase of the game?

A: THE LONG DARK’s “Story Mode”, called WINTERMUTE, is five episodes. All five are included in your purchase of the game, although only the first two episodes will be available at launch. The remaining three episodes will be released over the course of the remainder of 2017, and part of 2018.

Q: I backed the game on Kickstarter. Will I have to pay more to get access to the 1.0 version?

A: No way! As a backer, you should have received a Steam key back in 2014. The game has been updating in your Steam account ever since, and will continue to update with all the new content coming in WINTERMUTE and future updates to Survivor Mode. If for some reason you still haven’t received your key, please contact us at info(at)hinterlandgames(dot)com so we can help you out!

Q: Most episodic games have 2-3 hour episodes. How long are the episodes in WINTERMUTE?

A: Since THE LONG DARK is not a purely linear game like most of the other episodic games available to date, play time can vary from player to player. However, in our playtests, we have found episode play times typically range from 4-6 hours. This will generally be our target for episode play lengths moving forward as well, as we think it allows a good amount of time to develop an interesting story while letting players experience the open-world survival gameplay The Long Dark is known for.

Q: I know that I play Will Mackenzie in WINTERMUTE. Will I play anyone else?

A: Actually, WINTERMUTE is the story of Will Mackenzie AND Dr. Astrid Greenwood. So, while you play Mackenzie in Episode One and Episode Two, you will play Dr. Greenwood in Episode Three, and we’ll switch between the two playable characters for Episodes Four and Five.

Q: Do I have to play the game as Mackenzie OR Astrid? Can I play through all the episodes as one character?

A: No. When you play Mackenzie or Astrid, you’re experiencing their part of the story. We feel it’s important that you get to experience that character’s point of view of the story as it unfolds, and that the story presents different situations for each of the two characters. We didn’t want there to be only one story that remained the same regardless of who you happen to be playing.

Q: Why did you make your Survivor Mode an open-world sandbox, but your “story mode” episodic?

A: Survivor Mode is about the player experiencing their own story of survival in the world of THE LONG DARK. WINTERMUTE is about you experiencing the story of THE LONG DARK that we want to tell. We feel there is room for both experiences, and separating the game into two “modes” like this allows us to ensure that each experience is tuned to be as compelling as possible given our specific goals for it. This is a bit of an unconventional approach — in fact, we don’t think there’s another open-world game that is structured quite like this — so it’s also a big experiment for us. We’re looking forward to hearing what you think, so that we can continue refine our approach in the future.

Q: You’ve published a pretty big “wish list” of Sandbox features in the past. Are you still planning to implement any of those, or is the list irrelevant now that the 1.0 version is launching on August 1st?

A: The “wish list” was always meant to be aspirational, and our heavy focus on preparing our launch content for WINTERMUTE definitely impacted our development bandwidth for Survivor Mode (AKA Sandbox Mode) in the first half of 2017. We didn’t manage to get all the new “Sandbox” features and content into the game that we would have liked to for our 1.0 launch, but we have added a lot of new stuff, even for Survivor Mode players who aren’t that interested in WINTERMUTE. We still have a lot of things we’d like to add to the game, in terms of mechanics and content, and we’d like to continue updating THE LONG DARK with updates well into the future. The frequency and scope of these updates will depend partly on how players respond to WINTERMUTE.

Q: Do you have any plans to bring THE LONG DARK to other platforms?

A: We have nothing to report on future platform expansion beyond Steam, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. That said, we’d like to see as many people as possible get to experience THE LONG DARK, so we’re definitely open to bringing the game to new platforms in the future, provided we’re certain we can provide a good experience to players there. Whether we take this step, or what platforms we might consider, aren’t questions we can answer right now.

Q: There’s been some talk about a movie based on THE LONG DARK. Is this happening?

A: We have nothing to report on this at the moment. We’re glad that people are enjoying the game so much that they’d like to experience it in other media. We think there are lots of stories to be told in the world of THE LONG DARK, and it’s possible that we won’t be able to tell all of them in the game.

Q: Will my saves from Early Access carry over into the 1.0 version of the game?

A: While we managed to maintain backwards compatibility with previous saves for our nearly 3-year run in Early Access, due to significant changes to the save architecture required to support our launch, we will be rendering all old saves obsolete as of the FINAL Sandbox update (currently targeting late-May/early-June 2017). In other words, your old games won’t work with the final Sandbox update before we launch our 1.0. It’s worth noting that your Profile data will carry over, however, which means progress towards Feats, or any Badges you’ve unlocked, will carry over. We will provide ample warning before making this switch.

Q: If you’re going to wipe all our saves, why not wait until you launch the 1.0? Why do this one update prior to your launch?

A: We want to make sure that when we launch our 1.0, the save system has been thoroughly tested, so players can have the best experience possible. Releasing the update to the save system one full update cycle before we launch will help ensure that. The good news is that the saves from the last Sandbox update should remain intact in our 1.0 launch.

Q: Do you have any plans for paid DLC?

A: At the moment, our focus is on pushing as much value into THE LONG DARK as we can for the $34.99 USD price. We believe that five story episodes and continued updates to the sandbox will help ensure you continue to feel good about your purchase. That said, if we found that our community was hungry for paid DLC outside of WINTERMUTE and the sandbox updates, we would consider it.

Q: Are you ever going to add multiplayer? How about VR?

A: We’re still focused on making THE LONG DARK the best single-player survival story we can. That said, we’re always looking for ways to make THE LONG DARK experience even more compelling. We think there could be an interesting VR experience set in the world of THE LONG DARK, although we have no illusions of making the entire game playable in VR — the controls and locomotion challenges alone are staggering. If we found a way to create an experience for more than one player that was true to the spirit of THE LONG DARK, we’d consider it. But, it’d likely be a separate, stand-alone game, as THE LONG DARK has not been designed, nor its systems or code architected, to support more than one player. And as you might imagine, creating these different types of experiences requires a lot of effort and resources. We’re a small studio that cares very much about quality, so this means focusing on doing one thing very well, before moving on to new things.

Multiplayer / Co-op / PvP in The Long Dark -- All threads will be merged here
This thread is for discussion related to multiplayer in The Long Dark. It has been left unlocked to give players a place to share and discuss ideas, as well as see Hinterland's comments about the topic. Future threads related to multiplayer/co-op/pvp will be merged here.

The Long Dark was designed from the beginning to be a single-player experience and we don't have any plans to add multiplayer. It doesn't quite fit with type of experience we are trying to build and yes, the technical challenges of trying to add multiplayer to the existing game would be pretty significant.

However we do understand many people are interested in a multiplayer experience, and don't fault anyone for finding the idea compelling (it IS fun to imagine). We've seen quite a few requests for it, and it might be something we consider for a future game -- but not this one.-----------What is your opinion about a pvp and coop in the game?

Hello community,

We've just released a Hotfix to FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER, bringing the game to v.426 and addressing a variety of issues, outlined below.

CHANGELIST

CRASH MITIGATION

* Fixed rare crash when bullet raycast hit an object
* Fixed rare crash when clicking rapidly when throwing a Torch or Flare
* Fixed rare crash when examining inventory items

CHANGES

* Add Bandage to starting player items in Hunted
* Updated icons for Old Man's Beard items (harvestable item and crafted Treatment)
* Added translations for all remaining non-localized strings from 424 launch

BUGS

* Fixed issue with not being able to dismiss save failure popup using gamepad
* Fixed issue with saved Journals not showing written notes, skills or collectibles.
* Fixed issue with resolutions passed from command line not being used. This fixes issue with game not running multiscreen for some players.
* Fixed issue with not being able to rebind key when mouse hovered over input field
* Fixed issue with some UI actions not being possible when using a Steam Controller
* Fixed issue with all Experience Mode icons being highlighted on death screen stats
* Fixed issue with First Aid UI not updating if affliction list changes while screen is active
* Fixed issue with Hypothermia and Frostbite Risk percentages not showing up on icons
* Fixed issue where female survivor slot could be used when male survivor slot was highlighted
* Fixed issue with Hunger/Thirst arrows sometimes pointing wrong direction
* Fixed issue with mouse pointer flickering on screen when opening a can in Fire UI
* Fixed issue with TOD indicator not showing up in Status UI
* Fixed issue with TOD indicator shifting turing Harvesting
* Fixed issue with background blur disappearing in Harvest UI when aborting a harvest
* Fixed issue with camera switching when pushing LS on gamepad when in Quartering UI
* Fixed issue with non-functional Harvest option showing up when on Quartering UI
* Fixed issue with hand sometimes not syncing correctly with lantern in first person
* Fixed issue with some trees having incorrect lighting (most noticeable at night)
* Fixed issue with gamepad navigation on Clothing UI
* Fixed issue with Quit button on death screen having dark text
* Fixed issue with encumbered icon overlapping full screen UI
* Fixed issue with scroll audio playing unnecessarily on Clothing and Crafting UI
* Fixed issue with Lantern sometimes not equipping after leaving a UI screen
* Use LT/RT instead of LB/RB for top level navigation in Fire UI

### END OF CHANGELIST ###

Thank you for reading. If you find additional bugs while playing, please report them in our Public Bug Database at: https://hinterlandgames.atlassian.net/projects/TLDP/

- The Hinterland Team

Hello community,

We're excited to share with you our last update to The Long Dark's Sandbox in Early Access. We're calling this update: FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMKXQTAHI_c

CHANGES

* User Interface Overhaul. All screens, buttons, HUD elements, etc. have been updated to better match the game's aesthetic, along with some usability changes in anticipation of our August 1st launch of WINTERMUTE.

* Accessible Interactions. We've added a new option in the Control settings, for players who suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and similar conditions. This makes all click/press+hold interactions a single click/press.

* Save System Overhaul. We've recreated our save system from scratch to future-proof the game. As a result, all previous Sandbox saves are now invalid. Saves from FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER will not be wiped at our 1.0 launch.

* Charcoal Mapping. Collect Charcoal from burned out fires. Use it to Survey your local area, updating your local region map with information about what you can see from your current position. The new Navigation section of the Radial and Main Nav provides access to the Map.

* Carcass Quartering System. In addition to the previous harvesting mechanic, you can now "Quarter" a carcass into bags of harvestable meat, allowing you to transport them to a better location for further harvesting.

* Scent System & HUD Element. Blood (your own, or from carcasses) makes you more attractive to predators. The Strength of the attraction is indicated by the new HUD element.

* Visual Updates. We've updated the lighting, fog colour, and fog distance, providing much longer vista views in the game which makes it easier to navigate by visible landmarks. We've also been updating interior lighting. We'll be continuing this work right up to our August 1st launch.

* First-Person Presence. The following tools have been updated with first-person hands: Rifle, Bow, Distress Pistol, Stim, and all Light Sources.

* Thrown Flares & Torches. We've removed Brandishing and brought back the old Throwing mechanic. You can throw lit Torches and Flares at Wolves to scare them off.

* Stone Throwing. You can now pick up and throw Stones in the world. Hitting a Rabbit with a Stone will stun it, providing an early-game option for hunting. Then you have to decide whether to kill or release it. Thrown Stones might even scare off a wolf, if you're very lucky.

* Struggle Weapon Choice. When you get into a Wolf struggle, you now have the option to select between available tools based on the outcome you're looking for: Scare off the wolf, Defend yourself from damage, or go for the Kill.

* First Aid Treatment. You can now treat Afflictions by using First Aid items directly from the Radial. The game no longer pre-selects the correct Treatment for you. Also, Old Man's Beard Dressings no longer require Bandages to Craft but only treat Infection Risk (and not Blood Loss).

* Optimizations. We've updated Unity a few times and worked on several optimizations to improve performance.

* Enhanced Graphics Options (Win/Mac/Linux Only). We've added a variety of Display and Quality settings so that you can customize your preferences to balance between beauty and performance.

* PS4 Controller Support. As we're bringing The Long Dark to PS4 on August 1st, you can now play the game with a PS4 controller.

* Crafting from Journal. You can now preview Crafting Blueprints in the Journal. All craftables that can be made without the use of a Workbench or Forge can now be crafted directly from the Journal. [NOTE: The current Journal is WIP and will be updated for our full August 1st launch.]

CRASH MITIGATION AND BUG FIXES

* Too numerous to list.

KNOWN ISSUES (Will be Hotfixed ASAP)

* Issue with Hunted, Part 1. We need to add a Bandage to the starting location.
* New Time of Day indicator should appear in both the Quick Stats and Radial UIs.
* Some localization strings did not make it into the build in time; we have the translations and they will be submitted in the next hotfix.
* Investigating issues with the game not loading on some Linux distributions.

REPORTING BUGS

Please report all bugs directly in our Public Bug Database: https://hinterlandgames.atlassian.net/projects/TLDP/

THANK YOU, COMMUNITY

FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER will be the last time we update the Sandbox in Early Access. Thank you for all your support of our game and studio over the years. We're very excited to share with you, our full launch of The Long Dark 1.0 on August 1st, 2017.

You have been a wonderful community and we look forward to continuing to build The Long Dark into the future. We hope you enjoy what we have created for you in WINTERMUTE, coming August 1st.

- The Hinterland Team