I really like The Long Journey Home. I also agree almost entirely with our review. It is a punishing and aggressively unforgiving game that demands a serious investment of time and attention. That's part of the appeal, but it can also be incredibly frustrating when after a half-dozen hours of play you still can't easily stick a planetary landing (that you desperately need to make).
To help smooth those rough waters, and hopefully bring back early players who were put off by their initial experience, Daedalic has added a new "Story Mode" difficulty that promises to dial back the danger significantly. The galaxy as a whole is considerably less threatening in the new mode, the lander is much tougher and uses less fuel, planetary hazards will be reduced, and resources are more abundant, more valuable when sold, and more effective when used. Ships and equipment won't wear out so quickly, planetary orbit will be easier to achieve, and the non-human population of the galaxy won't be quite so dickish when you meet them.
Story mode will still present a challenge, but "one that is easier to get into," Daedalic said on Steam. "With these changes, the Daedalus-7 crew will now be freer to explore and savor the galaxy during their Long Journey Home, instead of having to focus constantly on survival."
The original modes, Adventure (formerly called Explorer) and Rogue, are as tough as ever, and Daedalic said Adventure "remains our standard recommended level, encouraging survival through learning and repeated missions." Some "quality of life" changes have been made, however, including the addition of a laser targeting system "to improve combat efficiency" and native full-screen support.
The Long Journey Home Story Mode changelog is below. Daedalic said that further updates, based on player feedback, are on the way.
New Mode: Story Mode:
- Reduced planetary difficulty conditions
- More abundant galactic resources
- Resources worth more in trade and for ship repair/maintenance
- Increased Lander strength
- Reduced impact/heat/environmental/drilling damage in the Lander
- Reduced fuel consumption in the Lander
- Enemies cannot lock player into Encounter
- Aliens offer more credits and more generous deals in trade
- Reduced flyover damage in event of failed orbit
- Greatly reduced pirate presence
- Larger orbit window
General Changes:
- Explorer mode renamed “Adventure Mode”
- Devices now require timed button press to uninstall/destroy
- Can now jump back to same system if required
- Lander rotation speed and thruster agility increased
- Reduced pirate presence
- Native fullscreen mode
- Many bug-fixes and scripting tweaks
