The latest update to The Long Dark, Fearless Navigator, adds some cool new navigation tools.
Can you believe that 2020 has been going on for eight whole years, yet somehow, it’s still only May? Speaking of things that have been going on for a very long time, The Long Dark originally released, into Steam Early Access, in September 2014.
Back then, the notion that a single independent video game might have such a long lifespan seemed far fetched. (Yes, some games take that long to get released thanks to development delays, but that’s not what we meant.)
Consider that, in the same time period, Bungie has released two Destinies, Ubisoft has released two Divisions and two Ghost Recons, while Bethesda and EA have missed the mark with Fallout 76 and Anthem respectively. While those games from massive publishers have been and gone, it’s even more remarkable that a small Vancouver studio has developed and maintained one indie game with such longevity and sustained popularity.
And why does The Long Dark continue to be so popular? Well, it’s very good, of course. That obviously helps. But it’s that continued commitment, development and support that makes it so cherished by its devoted fans.
Speaking of updates, Hinterland has today released version 1.76 of The Long Dark, the Fearless Navigator update. Here’s a nifty trailer showing off the new features, and a run-down of what’s included:
The Long Dark – Fearless Navigator update
Survival Markers
Find Spray Cans in the world. Leave markers identifying important survival information such as the location of supplies or dangerous places to avoid. These in-world indicators appear on your map so that you can find things back even days or weeks after you’ve left a region.
Rock caches
Build a landmark to help you navigate, and create emergency supply caches along commonly travelled routes. Review your Caches in the Journal, and leave notes on what you’ve stored in them so you can find vital tools or resources in the future.
Vista surveys
Hard to find Polaroids in the world indicate locations that offer sweeping Vista views of a region. Get to those locations and Survey them to reveal the majority of a region’s map!
Improved charcoal survey
The Charcoal Survey action now reveals an enhanced radius on the Map. Surveying from higher altitudes now increases how much of the Map is revealed.
Map and journal improvements
Turn layers of information on and off in the Map. Locate and rename Rock Caches. Keep track of all Surveyed locations to know if you’ve found them all. Especially useful if you are hunting locations for the Faithful Cartographer achievement.
Quality of life and telemetry
New Autowalk accessibility feature ensures comfort for players with hand or wrist issues. New Opt-in Telemetry gathers gameplay data the development team will use to inform future balance and feature development efforts (Note: Telemetry is defaulted to OFF and needs to be turned on in the Options > Privacy settings.)
The Long Dark’s Fearless Navigator update also includes a bunch of bug fixes, general fixes, tweaks, and improvements. You can read all about them on the Hinterland website.
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