Raphael van Lierop, Founder of Hinterland Studio and creator of The Long Dark, appears to be dropping hints about one of the changes players can expect in the May 4 update.
This morning's head-clearing walk. I heard crows going nuts in the distance. Cougars have been seen in the area. pic.twitter.com/4T15pefyih
— Raphael van Lierop (@RaphLife) May 3, 2017
For those that play the game as much as we do (to the tune of 254 hours), you’ll know that Cougars were mentioned in the Roadmap some time ago. Also, seeing and hearing Crows in-game can indicate certain events, like the presence of a carcass, a live bear, or changing weather. To see van Lierop tweeting about cougars and crows with less than a day until a major update is unlikely to be unrelated.
Of course, until we get our hands on the update we can’t say for sure, and it’s unlikely van Lierop would confirm anything, because where’s the fun in that from his perspective? For what it’s worth, however, here are some potential (but by no means confirmed) items and concepts that could be in the update. It’s taken straight from the roadmap, but it’s also worth noting that some of these may never be in the game at all.
- Moose
- Cougar
- Improved Cooking; more of the cooking action happens in-game (vs. in menus); cooking happens in game-time (i.e. not accelerated time), so you can multi-task.
- Frostbite affliction
- Axe (tool)
- Wellbeing system (i.e. mental/emotional cost of survival; “willpower locket” fits in here)
- Aurora gameplay effects & hazards
- Widespread narrative collectibles
- Backer naming and writing rewards integrated into game world
- Primitive firemaking skill (ex. bow-drill)
- Improved first-person presence (low-hanging fruit)
- Improved Sprains
- Improved Infections
- New Clothing system & all new Clothing assets
- NPCs in the Sandbox
- Parley system
- Improved firemaking (blowing mechanic; first-person presence)
- Revolver
- Non-map based Navigation system
- Knowledge system
- Improved first-person presence (more complex interactions)
- Snowshoes or Nordic skis?
- Steam Trading Cards
For more on The Long Dark here at Indie Obscura, be sure to check out our helpful guides on how to kill a bear in The Long Dark, how to kill a wolf in The Long Dark, and how to save in The Long Dark.
