I like the game, but there is one problem that I can't get over: I tried playing it straight out of the box, ended up doing random stuff for a couple hours and accomplished literally nothing because I had no idea what I supposed to be doing. Then I downloaded the walkthru, followed it line by line and breezed through everything at lightspeed.
This is a problem. If someone literally cannot play or make progress outside of following a guidebook then something is clearly wrong in the design. Either there is a lack of hints, lack of direction or lack of clear objectives. Yes, there is a quest journal but, as stated above, it didn't really help. Only reading the walkthru gave me the info I needed, and upon reading it everything was clearly meant to done in a certain exact way in a certain exact order. Even doing quests correctly could end up with softlocks on progress if they were so much as done out of a certain sequential order - a fact that isn't even hinted at outside of that guide.
Then you have the main quest being to simply leave a village and then putting literally 6+ other quests in front of it that all must be overcome first. If I didn't have that guidebook I could have played this game for weeks and ended up assuming that everything outside the village just hadn't even been created yet.
So my suggestion is this:
1) Rewrite the quests so that they don't have to be done in any particular order.
2) Maze puzzles are not fun.
3) Those teleport stones should be available, and strongly suggested as, an opening quest instead of being gated behind all the other quests that would benefit from already having them activated. Seriously, by the time you get them open you no longer need need them. That's frustrating on a whole new level.
4) Housing upgrades should only require money - again, gating them behind quests is a negative motivator. Having getting the upgrade open the door to new quests is a positive motivator.
That last point is how I feel quest design should be redone. Have the player level-up something first and then clearly point out how this new level unlocks a new quest that uses that newfound power after they have that new power. Build the cell then get the capture quest. Build a workshop then get crafting quests. Add rooms then reveal quests for companions to reside in them. And make those companions worth something outside of combat. Let them act as passive, background workers who can gather & craft for you. Come home to find new potions waiting or a project finished.
Again, I like the game but the plot feels more like a visual novel than an RPG.
TL;DR = Less rails, more sandbox. Thanks!
This is a problem. If someone literally cannot play or make progress outside of following a guidebook then something is clearly wrong in the design. Either there is a lack of hints, lack of direction or lack of clear objectives. Yes, there is a quest journal but, as stated above, it didn't really help. Only reading the walkthru gave me the info I needed, and upon reading it everything was clearly meant to done in a certain exact way in a certain exact order. Even doing quests correctly could end up with softlocks on progress if they were so much as done out of a certain sequential order - a fact that isn't even hinted at outside of that guide.
Then you have the main quest being to simply leave a village and then putting literally 6+ other quests in front of it that all must be overcome first. If I didn't have that guidebook I could have played this game for weeks and ended up assuming that everything outside the village just hadn't even been created yet.
So my suggestion is this:
1) Rewrite the quests so that they don't have to be done in any particular order.
2) Maze puzzles are not fun.
3) Those teleport stones should be available, and strongly suggested as, an opening quest instead of being gated behind all the other quests that would benefit from already having them activated. Seriously, by the time you get them open you no longer need need them. That's frustrating on a whole new level.
4) Housing upgrades should only require money - again, gating them behind quests is a negative motivator. Having getting the upgrade open the door to new quests is a positive motivator.
That last point is how I feel quest design should be redone. Have the player level-up something first and then clearly point out how this new level unlocks a new quest that uses that newfound power after they have that new power. Build the cell then get the capture quest. Build a workshop then get crafting quests. Add rooms then reveal quests for companions to reside in them. And make those companions worth something outside of combat. Let them act as passive, background workers who can gather & craft for you. Come home to find new potions waiting or a project finished.
Again, I like the game but the plot feels more like a visual novel than an RPG.
TL;DR = Less rails, more sandbox. Thanks!
