Jump to content

The Random Eye

  • entries
    14
  • comments
    26
  • views
    4,928

EyeQueue

1,358 views

The Long Dark is a first-person survival simulation video game by a Canadian company called Hinterland. It's currently in alpha release (available on Steam for both PC and X box platforms), so there are constant changes, updates, and tweaking. The game is frequently updated with new areas, new mechanics,and new looks/feels.

The setting is the frozen far-north Canadian wilderness after some kind of freak global disaster (currently not much info is yet available about that). So, there's no electricity or anyone else around (which they capture really well with an isolated/desolate feel to the game--you're on your own!), and you have to scavenge food, water, clothing, and other resources that will keep you alive all while protecting yourself from the elements.

Oh, and the wolves. And did I mention the bears? Yeah, those godless killing machines, too.

Currently, there are only 2 modes available:

  • "Sandbox"--you have the freedom to explore the world as you wish, with the goal being to survive as long as you can. And when you die, it's perma-death. No saves for you! (This perma-death/no save feature really pissed me off when the game glitched out on my longest survival run yet--529 in-game days, which put me on the leaderboard on Steam in the 42nd place).
  • "Challenge"--you can choose two pre-set challenges and try to beat the clock to accomplish the set goals (Oh, and watch out for that bear on "The Hunted, Part 1," because it's a bitch).

There will eventually be a "Story" mode that will provide an RPG-type experience (and will allow saving, from what I understand), but that is still in development. I think the first chapter is due to be released sometime in the next month or couple of months.

Let's take a look at just a few visuals, because the game is pretty visually stunning.

Here's a gorgeous sunset over a frozen lake in an area called "Mystery Lake." There's a lot of walking, climbing, running, hiding (and falling and starving and freezing and dying) through these beautiful landscapes.

Spoiler

Overlooking ML 1.jpg

A more typical snowscape, with a peach-tinged sunrise in the background.

Spoiler

peachy sunrise.jpg

Here, I was trying to make it to a safe location in the dead of night, and turned around to catch the moon rising in between some stark trees.

Spoiler

moon on old connector.jpg

Here's a typical shelter that provides refuge from the cold (and usually food, drink, and supplies). Actually, this is one of the swank digs in the game. A lot of the time you're kickin' it in a quonset hut, a little shack, or even a cave. Hell, I've been caught up in blizzards when out running for supplies and had to make due with a hollowed out tree. Oh, and there are also some "prepper caches" hidden in two of the maps, so you can luck out and find some really good stores of supplies.

Spoiler

pleasant_valley_farmhouse.jpg

There are currently 5 well-developed play areas (Coastal Highway, Mystery Lake, Pleasant Valley, Desolation Point, and Timberwolf Mountain), with more (from what I know) still in development. You can do fun (or terrifyingly dangerous, depending on your level of adrenaline junkiness) things like rappel down mountains, climb up mountains, ice fish (there are some cool little ice fishing huts on the frozen lakes), or try to find the wreckage of your airplane to scavenge for supplies.

You can also trap rabbits, hunt wolves (usually *they're* hunting *you*, though), or hunt bears, and their skins can be made into useful clothing that can mean the difference between freezing to death and being toasty warm as you explore the landscape.

I have been greatly enjoying it, and even though it's still only in alpha release and Sandbox mode is the most in-depth game play mode right now, I haven't yet gotten tired of it. Well, not *too* tired of it. They just recently did an update, so that's made me a pretty happy camper.

I plan to post more (I've got some more interesting screenshots and will probably post a couple "Day in the Life Of" type posts), but here's a video of the most recent update, which will give you a feel for what the game looks like in action:

 

  • Upvote 1

0 Comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Posts

    • Smee

      Posted

      She may not have any formal qualifications, but Jana has plenty of skills that could help her get a job if she wanted/needed to. I even think she could handle the repetitive nature of work - since she was a child she's been dealing with the boring ass daily grind of washing clothes and dishes and dirty faces day after day after day. What she lacks is ambition. There's a song we used to sing at my evangelical church, it starts with the line "there must be more than this" and goes on to be about wanting to be closer to God and have deeper passion for him etc. Any time Jana (or any Duggar) has had thoughts of more, of dissatisfaction with their life and desire to DO something less mundane, they've been taught to translate that into wanting more God.

      I could, however, see Jill studying some day. Not now, but maybe in 5-10 years, when she's finished having children (I'm not sure Freddie is her last) and they're a bit older and more self-sufficient. I see so many mothers of school-aged kids and teens saying "am I too old to do this? I'll be 45 when I finish studying" and if they're financially secure often they do decide to pursue the thing they've long had an interest in.

    • Black Aliss

      Posted

      Mother Jones Magazine has found out about T. Rex Arms. In today's newsletter:

      Quote

      March 28, 2024

      Ever heard of GunTube? 

      I hadn't, until I read this crazy story by Lila Hassan, published on our site today. GunTube is what, as Lila writes, extremism researchers call "an ecosphere of gun influencers whose videos peddle a wide range of conservative content." Their argument goes like this: Guns can help good Christian Americans defend against the hellscape the USA has become, as evinced by—you guessed it—the liberal media, gun control efforts, and Black Lives Matter protests. As Lila writes: 

      While some of its most popular videos offer product reviews and shooting tips, they are accompanied by a wide range of political content, including interviews with conservative officials and activists. In weekly “T.Rex Talks,” Lucas and his brothers sit in a dimly lit studio to discuss America in decay, and how like-minded, God-oriented people can save it. They often reference the end times and urge their viewers to seize control before things get worse. “They’re selling products,” says Max Rizzuto, another Atlantic Council researcher, “and the product is ideology, too.”

      As Lila's piece explains, this ideology also relies on patriarchy, among other things. So, in summary: Guns don't just kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, they're also the latest tool conservatives are using to recruit more people—and men especially—to their cause. 

      "Christian firearms accessory company." That's a contradiction in terms if ever there was one.

    • keepercjr

      Posted

      8 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

       

      The field of journalism has changed dramatically. But saying "they work for the rich" and are "sellouts" is so juvenile and lacks any sort of understanding of the state of the industry. 

      Calling people "sellouts" because they took or kept jobs when their peers and colleagues were being laid off is just cruel. It's also not that deep. Not everyone in journalism is into hard-hitting investigative journalism. There are sports writers and sports casters, arts and entertainment, political analysts, anchors, feature writers, food writers, etc. There's a former Attorney General who writes a garden column and occasionally a piece on local politics. I guess he's a "sellout" too, reminding us when to start our peonies and snap peas. 

       

       

      My good friend in high school has had a great career as a sports writer.  He has lived in NY, Honolulu and other places.  Is it hard hitting journalism? No, of course not.  But sports is something that interests people. 

    • noseybutt

      Posted

      3 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

      I bet there are quite a few changes in the book that they will never publicly admit to. 

      We need a graphic designer to make up a faux literary award for the new cover that acknowledges the number of times it has been entered into evidence in child murder trials.

       

      • Upvote 1
    • JermajestyDuggar

      Posted

      I bet there are quite a few changes in the book that they will never publicly admit to. 

      • Upvote 1


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.