The Long Dark Hotfixed to v1.97 [85101]

Hello Community,

We’ve just hotfixed The Long Dark to version 1.97 [85101]. This hotfix addresses issues that emerged with the launch of Episode Four, addresses certain gameplay bugs, and offers general game improvements. Please find the full list below. (NOTE: list may contain spoilers.) It may take some time for changes to take effect as platforms update. Thank you for your patience.

There are two issues in particular affected players should be aware of:

• For any PlayStation players impacted by missing Episode Four Trophies at launch; we have a way to potentially regain your progress. Please visit this page on our support portal for more info.
• [SPOILERS] Episode Four Steam Tunnel puzzle; some players reported that they were unable to open the Control Room door after the ice thawed while solving the Steam Pipe puzzle. If you encountered issues with this puzzle, this document might be helpful.

Don’t forget to visit our Support Portal for useful articles, or if you need to log an issue. To stay up-to-date with news and information about The Long Dark and Hinterland, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Twitter (Game | Studio).

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GENERAL FIXES

• [Optimization] Fixed a rare issue that would prevent the Player’s footprints from appearing correctly in certain circumstances.
• [Optimization] Fixed numerous performance hitches, which should result in a smoother play experience.
• [Steam] Updated the Workshop String Table to include all Episode Four strings.

ANIMATION

• [Animation] Numerous tweaks and polish to various mission related animations.
• [Animation] Fixed an issue where certain climbing animations were broken when the FOV was set to maximum.
• [Animation] Fixed an issue where the animation twitched during the Kill/Release choice after catching a Rabbit.
• [Animation] Fixed an issue where Mackenzie’s arms shook incorrectly when climbing various areas.

ART, ENVIRO, and UI

• [Accessibility] Updated Mature Language Filter to include some lines that were missed.
• [Art] Optimized render distance on various objects found in Episode Four so they will become visible at the appropriate distance from the Player. This will reduce instances of distant objects popping in to the world.
• [Art] Optimized the Steam Tunnels object and lighting draw distance to improve the overall visual quality and performance.
• [Art] Tuned lighting in various interiors and fixed mismatched lighting on objects.
• [Environment] Fixed an issue that caused the walls inside the Radio Hut to remain visible regardless of what room inside the Radio Hut you were in.
• [Environment] Optimized the Mines to ensure the Gas is not drawn when not needed, resulting in performance improvements.
• [Environment] Added some extra collision to the pipes in the Steam Tunnel to prevent the camera from clipping into the pipes.
• [Environment] Fixed a gap found in the doors of the Power Plant.
• [Environment] Fixed large black shadows found on the beds in the Blackrock Prison Infirmary.
• [Environment] Moved the “Danger Electric Cables Over-Head” warning sign in the Steam Tunnel to make it more visible.
• [Environment] Fixed numerous floating or clipping objects throughout the Blackrock Region.
• [Environment] Fixed an issue where the water splash sound effect was missing when walking through water found in the Abandoned Mine.
• [UI] Fixed an issue in the Journal’s exit button on the Collections -> Surveyed Locations screen so Players no longer need to change to a different screen to exit.
• [UI] Fixed an issue preventing the Region displayed on the Map from updating correctly when using a cave to transition to a new Region.
• [UI] Fixed an issue where the Mission Status tab would not reflect the state of the current active mission.
• [UI] Tuned the icons on the Map screen so Mission Markers are sorted above other Map Markers.
• [UI] Fixed an issue where the weather could change from the intended calibration preset while adjusting the Brightness in the Main Menu.
• [UI] Fixed an issue where Open Cans can appear as closed when viewed in the Cooking Menu.
• [UI] Fixed unaligned buttons on the “Continue to ...?” screen that appears after completing an Episode.
• [UI] Updated the Hardcase item description.
• [UI] Updated the icon for Key 8 found in Episode One to a higher quality version.

GAMEPLAY

• [AI] Fixed an issue where Wolves continued to eat carcasses after the carcass is gone.
• [Audio] Added audio ducking to the Marine Flare, so its audio is no longer louder than in-game dialogue.
• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue where water longer disappeared when clicking the “Move All to Container” button, then immediately transferring the water back to the container.
• [Gameplay] Fixed an issue where the Maple Syrup would remain attached to the Player, instead of being removed from the world after being picked up.
• [Gameplay] Sprain Risk is no longer disabled when taking a phone call.

CHALLENGE MODES

• [Darkwalker] Tuned the wait time between placing a Banish Glyph and the Darkwalker appearing. Players should not have to wait extended periods of time, now.
• [Hunted 1/2 and Whiteout] Added Socks to starting inventory.
• [Whiteout] Tuned the mission complete percentage to be more accurate.

WINTERMUTE

** Please note that this section contains spoilers for WINTERMUTE. **

• [Cinematics] Fixed several lighting issues across a range of Episode Four cinematics.
• [Cinematics] Fixed an issue during Chapter 1: Blackrock Blues that could cause the audio in cinematics to no longer align with the animations, if the Player skipped a cinematic.
• [Cinematics] Fixed an issue that would often cause in-game dialogue to be skipped if it was intended to play immediately after a cinematic during Episode Three.
• [Environment] Fixed an issue with the Wolf found near the farm during Episode One so it now feeds on corpses, as intended.
• [Environment] Fixed numerous locations where the Player could either become stuck or escape the map or intended progression route during Episode Four.
• [Episode One] Fixed an issue where Mackenzie would appear without a bandaged hand while picking up the Hardcase.
• [Episode One] Fixed clipping that could occur when climbing out of the Crash Site.
• [Episode One] Fixed an issue that caused the audio for the fires at the Crash Site to continue to play after they had burned out.
• [Episode One] Fixed an issue that would cause the skybox to briefly appear when exiting back to the Main Menu from inside the Grey Mother’s House.
• [Episode Two] Fixed overlapping audio that can occur while speaking to Jeremiah.
• [Episode Two] Fixed an issue where the Active Objective UI element would not appear as intended when bringing up the Radial Menu, after getting the Bear Spear during The Best Defense.
• [Episode Two] Tuned the Aurora that occurs during the Return to Dam mission so it will now be fully active, instead of just starting.
• [Episode Three] Fixed an issue that would prevent the Player from being able to progress if they saved the game right before answering the Phone at the burnt-out cabin, then reloaded the save during the Phone Call.
• [Episode Three] Fixed an issue so that removing the fuse now correctly disables both the electrical visual and sound effects during Aftermath.
• [Episode Three] Tuned the mission complete percentage to be more accurate during Forest Talker.
• [Episode Three] HUD will no longer remain disabled after speaking to Molly.
• [Episode Four] Fixed an issue where the final gauge could appear at full pressure when the valves were still incorrectly set during Steam Valve Puzzle #1.
• [Episode Four] Fixed an issue that caused the interaction point on the Valve to shift if the Player entered the tunnels, then returned to the Valves during The Detonators.
• [Episode Four] Fixed an issue where weapons and gear were not confiscated properly after completing The Detonators.
• [Episode Four] Added safeguards to help prevent the Player from dropping the Bolt Cutters into unreachable locations in The Detonators.
• [Episode Four] Fixed an issue that caused the Status bar to flicker prior to returning to gameplay after the cinematic sequence in Donner.
• [Episode Four] Dialogue will no longer continue to play on the Death screen if the Player is caught during Donner.
• [Episode Four] Increased the range at which the entrances can be seen during Convict Caches.

PLAYSTATION 4

• [General] Fixed an issue where the game crashed for some players on launch.
• [General] Fixed a potential crash that could occur when throwing an item.

WINDOWS 7

• [General] Fixed an issue where players using Windows 7 would become stuck on an unskippable black screen when playing an in-game video, such as the opening credits.

MAC

• [Rendering] Fixed an issue that would cause rocks to not render on OpenGL systems.

SWITCH

[Rendering] Decreased the compression on numerous textures to increase the overall visual quality.