The Long Dark update adds new region and improved (but no less lethal) weather

The latest update to the first-person survival game The Long Dark makes a number of big changes to the game, including the addition of a brand-new region called Desolation Point—which also happens to be the name of the update.

makes a number of big changes to the game, including the addition of a brand-new region called Desolation Point—which also happens to be the name of the update. Described as "a stretch of coastal highway pockmarked with the abandoned remnants of a formerly thriving whaling industry," Desolation Point can be found somewhere beyond the end of the Coastal Highway, past the Commuter's Lament. That'd put it somewhere up around Conception Bay, right?

Other big changes include the ability to properly place items in the world rather than just dropping it all on the ground, and a new "metal forging" option that enables the creation of a few simple tools. Icons have replaced text on the HUD, and in place of the Survival Panel there's now a new Status screen, which provides access to the Backpack, First Aid, Bedroll, and Fire-Starting.

The weather system has also been overhauled to provide smoother transitions in and out of different weather states, and to offer more consistent visual clues for incoming bad weather, making it possible to better predict and prepare for inclement conditions. "These weather patterns are different from region to region as well, so play close attention to the weather around you, as learning to predict when a blizzard might spool up could save your life," Raphael Van Lierop, creative director at The Long Dark developer Hinterland, explains in the trailer.

The update also includes the addition of multiple sandbox game slots—five in total, although each still only has a single save slot—as well as new wind sounds, gear sounds, better support for controllers, and a number of fixes and tweaks. Fortunately, despite all the changes, the developers said the new version of the game (v264, if you're keeping track) should be compatible with saves from previous versions. The complete list of changes can be found on Steam.