Seasonal changes


Unfundedpanther

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On the subject of seasonal changes in The Long Dark, I am somewhat torn. I love the idea of witnessing the seasonal changes, and the new survival challenges that different seasons would offer. However, I am dubious about what effect it might have on gameplay. Regarding the temperature, freezing might still be a concern. Certain populated areas in the far north of Canada do record below-freezing temperatures, even in the middle of "summer". Eureka, Nunavut, for example, records a daily mean temperature above freezing during only 3 out of 12 months(June, July, August), but even during those months temperatures well below freezing have been recorded in the past. Granted, Eureka is essentially just a weather station, with a total population of 8, but I only use it as an example. There would be a lot of considerations that would have to be made if the setting of The Long Dark was that far north, beyond just temperature though:

  1. From mid-April to late-August, locations experience the "midnight sun", meaning that there is no true darkness during this period of the year.
  2. Conversely, from mid-October to late-February, they experience the true "long dark", with no sunlight at all.
  3. Areas this far north are usually considered deserts, with very low annual precipitation, limiting the development of plants and other wildlife.

I'm not saying these would necessarily be a factor in The Long Dark. There's no indication, at least that I can find, to say that the setting of the game is that far north. However, the core mechanics of the game revolve around the need to survive the frozen wilderness, so if the setting is far enough south that it's only "cold" for 4-6 months of the year then having "seasons" would basically defeat the whole point of the game.

That all being said, I think that if it were done properly, seasonal changes could add some interesting elements to gameplay in The Long Dark. Dealing with the midnight sun during the "summer" and the long dark in the "winter" would completely change how one plays during these times. Survival in the "summer" doesn't necessarily become "easier" just because it's warmer, it's just different.

TL;DR : I like the idea of changing seasons, but I am not sure it works for this game.

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I would love to be able to experience summer time in The Long Dark. (=   Perhaps the developers could implement an option to choose which season you would like to play on, rather than have it change over a period of time.

Here are some things that could make summer difficult or interesting:

- Meat and fish would spoil a lot faster and attract flies (if left out of your inventory) on cooked and uncooked meat.

- Being stung by bees or wasps could result in an allergic reaction, or simply cause an affliction.

- Hail storms would keep you inside. Going outside puts you at risk for clothing damage, bruising damage, or even death (from hail stones or lightning).

- The row boats could be used for fishing and transportation on the lakes. They will need to be repaired to keep them in working order, otherwise they will break.  If none are present in the area, boats could be crated, but only only near a body of water. (a docking post could be used as a crafting table)

- I don't know how far north the game is set, but if you're out and running around a lot on warmer days, there could be a risk for over heating.  Sleeping in cars on a warm day could be dangerous as well.

- Deer would only be active at dusk and dawn.

 

 

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Not to be a wet blanket, but my money says: Any seasonal change will be a new game (require purchase) or at the very least an xpac. I believe you will zone right in to spring/summer when you choose to do so. For the record, I will buy it right away, and I would not require a story mode. (for the spring/summer version)

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3 hours ago, Lovehandel said:

Not to be a wet blanket, but my money says: Any seasonal change will be a new game (require purchase) or at the very least an xpac. I believe you will zone right in to spring/summer when you choose to do so. For the record, I will buy it right away, and I would not require a story mode. (for the spring/summer version)

I can confirm that the story mode of the game is intended to cover all four seasons with each season requiring separate purchase based on past announcements from the studio. However, to the best of my knowledge, @Raphael van Lierop and @Support have not said anything about how seasons will relate to the sandbox mode and whether they will require a separate purchase. 

Personally, given the amount of time and work that has gone into the game (and the sandbox) so far, I wouldn't be surprised if the sandbox is eventually spun off into an entirely separate game.

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4 hours ago, cekivi said:

I can confirm that the story mode of the game is intended to cover all four seasons with each season requiring separate purchase based on past announcements from the studio. However, to the best of my knowledge, @Raphael van Lierop and @Support have not said anything about how seasons will relate to the sandbox mode and whether they will require a separate purchase. 

Personally, given the amount of time and work that has gone into the game (and the sandbox) so far, I wouldn't be surprised if the sandbox is eventually spun off into an entirely separate game.

Just to add some clarity here: We haven't said specifically how or when additional Seasons (both the time of year and additional storylines) would intersect with the current game.

A full-season Sandbox feature is on our Roadmap as a potential development goal, not a promise. What we have said is that additional Seasons (sequels) would be standalone games (i.e. The Long Dark 2), but that depends on where we are when we finish Season 1 and a variety of factors down the road. 

Right now we're concentrated fully on Season 1 of Story Mode and making it the best it can be. :)

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Just remember to add a "1" after "season" to make clear the topic in question is the game storyline :D 

While a four-season sandbox is on the potential goals section... a spring sandbox is on the mid term ones ;) 

I guess no clarification can be made at this point about where we are going in terms of season-transitions... right @Patrick Carlson & @Raphael van Lierop?

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1 hour ago, Ohbal said:

Just remember to add a "1" after "season" to make clear the topic in question is the game storyline :D 

While a four-season sandbox is on the potential goals section... a spring sandbox is on the mid term ones ;) 

I guess no clarification can be made at this point about where we are going in terms of season-transitions... right @Patrick Carlson & @Raphael van Lierop?

As I said, right now we are hard at work on Story Mode Season 1 -- that's our focus. :) Thanks again. 

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