Suggestions for a More Engaging Experience in The Long Dark.

[Beshi]

Hello,

I love The Long Dark, but I feel a bit frustrated by the lack of incentives to visit certain areas or pursue specific objectives, especially in Interloper mode.

For example, Ash Canyon is a great zone where players are encouraged to traverse the area to obtain valuable items like crampons and the backpack. This is an excellent idea. However, once I find the hacksaw or hammer near my spawn or in nearby regions, I can settle down and become self-sufficient after crafting the improvised knife and hatchet. This drastically reduces long-term goals, making the experience monotonous as the only remaining challenge is survival, which becomes repetitive quite quickly.

The same applies to Tales from the Far Territory. For instance, in Interloper mode, replaying Buried Echoes isn’t very rewarding since the Foreman's Tool Belt isn’t particularly useful in this mode. Similarly, there’s little incentive to replay Last Horizon because it offers no reward, which further diminishes its appeal.

Introducing meaningful rewards, like the Aviator Cap, Wool Longjohns, or Climbing Socks, would significantly encourage players to revisit these features. It would create engaging goals and provide a fresh incentive for exploration, even for experienced players.

It’s a shame because the game has immense potential to deliver an even more captivating experience.

Thank you for considering these suggestions.

[Bobywan]

I think the trader update will bring such goals, hopefully.

[Beshi]

I hope so.

[MadBone12]

To enjoy this game for many hours, you need to be the type of player who can find pleasure and satisfaction in creating your own experience. Long term survival in this game is really engaging for me and I don't need the game to offer me an incentive to keep playing after I become established. I love wandering and exploring, taking a few supplies to the harsher regions and just surviving off the land before going to any of my bases to resupply, wandering the coastal regions to beachcomb, setting up smaller bases all over the map, trying to live outdoors for extended periods of time, etc.

I'm not saying everyone can or should find enjoyment in the minimalist design that this game offers - just that it works really well for me and I would hate the game to start revolving around objectives or challenges in a way that detracts from that self-directed experience that TLD does better than any other survival game I have tried.

[Beshi]

I completely understand your point of view. It’s true that the game excels at offering a self-directed experience and encouraging players to create their own stories and objectives.

That said, my feedback wasn’t meant to change this core aspect of the game but rather to highlight an opportunity to further enrich the experience for players who, like me, feel that the gameplay loop can become repetitive at some point.
I enjoy exploration and long-term survival, but I believe specific rewards for certain objectives or areas could actually encourage a variety of playstyles without detracting from the self-directed experience. These rewards wouldn’t need to upset the balance of the game but could provide a little incentive for players to explore more frequently or rethink their strategies.

Ultimately, my suggestion isn’t about turning the game into a series of linear quests but about adding more depth and incentives to extend the enjoyment for players who feel the need for it. Of course, I understand that this might not be necessary for everyone.

[MadBone12]

Yes, I don't have a problem with the devs adding that as long as it doesn't start drifting away from the core design which works so well (for some of us). This has been asked for by others and my understanding is that the DLC is an attempt to offer that by offering a narrative, in-game objectives, and rewards for completing them. I think it's probably less effective for people who play interloper or are looking for something more substantive.

It's sort of similar to the issue of building bases. For years, some people have asked for the ability to build their own cabins and bases. Personally, I feel like this would detract from the feeling that we are not rulers over the world - just survivors passing through it. I love that TLD offers this transitory experience where we leave little mark on the world - we move through it, using the resources but mostly leave the world as we found it. I think it goes really well with the themes of a dying civilisation and encroaching nature. I don't really enjoy survival games which require you to cut down a thousand trees so that you can build a base.* I suspect that the upcoming base customisation is a way for the devs to give more options to individualise your bases so that you can see and feel your progress for those who need this, but without moving away from the idea that we can't make significant changes to the world we are in.

*I will make an exception for games like Subnautica since building is easy and not time-consuming (and you can build as much or as little as you want and still get by).