Hinterland’s survival expansion for The Long Dark, Iron Road, is now available in early access on Steam. The studio has also shared a roadmap for the expansion’s early access period.
According to information Oyun Günlüğü obtained from Hinterland, community feedback will shape Iron Road throughout early access. The studio says early access is about involving players in the process of refining the game experience. Hinterland asks players to share their feedback, comments and bug reports through Iron Road’s dedicated feedback portals.
Harpoon and seal hunting on the roadmap
The roadmap’s new gameplay tools and wildlife section includes the following content: Enhanced Gun Oil, harpoon and seal hunting, a Whale Oil Lamp, a Flensing Knife, Canned Whale Meat and new cooking recipes. The Portable Oil Heater and the Wax Cylinder Player are listed as instant unlocks. The roadmap also includes new fish types, seals, seabirds and new aurora hazards.
From the Whaler’s Coat to Sealskin Boots
The new clothing on the roadmap is as follows: The Whaler’s Coat, Whaler’s Hat, Sealskin Mittens, Mariner’s Mitts, Islander Sweater and Sealskin Boots.
Maritime flavour for Great Bear safehouses
Iron Road’s roadmap also features new safehouse customization items. They are themed around 1920s-1930s whaling stations and other historical locales across the barren island landscape. Players can gather these items and bring them back to Great Bear to give their favourite safehouses some Old World maritime flavour.
Missions and audio collectibles on Cauldron Island
Iron Road follows the structure introduced in Tales from the Far Territory and will feature a series of audio collectibles and light narrative missions. These missions provide objectives that motivate the journey across the entirety of Cauldron Island. The missions and narrative materials will be integrated directly into the game’s survival sandbox.
Monthly small updates, quarterly large ones
Hinterland plans to release regular bug fixes and quality of life improvements throughout early access. The studio will alternate between small and large updates. It is aiming for small updates every month and large updates every quarter, with regular hotfixes for bugs and balance changes in between. Small updates would cover more isolated features and content, such as new foods and clothing items. Large updates could bring major new train systems. They could also add a new island with associated points of interest and narratives.
The roadmap is not a guarantee
Hinterland notes that it has been involved with early access-style development since launching The Long Dark in 2014. On that basis, the studio says players can purchase Iron Road confident that it will deliver a high-quality experience. However, the team is building the expansion around community feedback, so some planned roadmap items may change. Any item that changes will be replaced by an alternative of roughly equal value in terms of development effort. Hinterland stresses that the roadmap is an aspirational document, not a promise or guarantee. The studio suggests that players who do not like the current build should wait until Iron Road is complete.
