this still feels like an Early Access game.

[Dougiee Jones]

the cutscenes are all so jank and actually feel unfinished, the ending is horrible for this. the crafting feels like a step down from the first one, Tons of things you'd imagine would have unique items just don't, like animal pelts.

not even saying the game is bad just it doesn't feel like a 1.0 after a playthrough

[(Czari) C.A.S.S.I.E. lover uwu]

true

[Macdallan]

I held off on buying this for quite a while hoping that doing so would mean they would have time to properly polish the game's systems and story and fix bugs.

Apparently it did not matter. This feels like playing something on day one of early access after a short and very rocky development period. It's a bit baffling how a game with so many glaring flaws can get so many positive reviews that are absolutely gushing about how great the game is...

My biggest complaint so far is the building system, but it's far from the only issue the game has.

This is a sequel, not a first attempt at a game for the developers, and as such the building system should be much better in this game than it is. It's so clunky and painful to use that it's the main reason I am thinking about refunding it.

I like the "ghost image" systems used by certain games that allow the player to lay out their design first and then add resources to build it and they did a pretty good job with it in this game. Not perfect, but it's good enough. The problem is that they only use that system for some things, not for everything.

Want to build a platform or a ramp? Sure, ghost image blueprint system has your back. Slap it down then add resources. Easy, robust, user friendly. Want to build a wall or a doorway the same way? You can't. You get to individually place logs using a clunky and somewhat difficult to aim system that snaps to a location based vaguely on where you are aiming. That doorway you wanted? You have to build a wall using the aforementioned system and then chop each log to cut out the doorway instead of just adding the doorway as a ghost image and then adding the resources you need to it. Want to make a roof? Good luck figuring that one out since the game does not tell you how to do that and trying to figure it out is going to be extremely painful. Why are there two very different systems and why is one of them so janky and clunky? No idea. There should be the same blueprint ghost image system for everything - walls (with and without doorways/windows), beams, roofs, and everything else you build.

Want to make a campfire? Aim at the ground until you get some very hard to see white lines and then click. Add fuel to a campfire? Select the stick from your backpack, aim vaguely at the campfire, and click. Add "firewood" to that same campfire? Nope, can't do it. Why not? No idea - that little campfire is too small, I guess.

Build a stick holder and want to move it? Sure, just hold "C" and you can pick it up and move it. Build a stone holder and want to move it? Nope. Hold "C" and it falls apart. The whole "Hold C" system is clunky to begin with as it doesn't actually tell you what you're about to pick up or deconstruct, you aim vaguely toward what you want to interact with and hope the game decides to choose the right object. Luckily it usually does but... come on, why not a build mode that highlights the object you're aiming at?

I have no idea why they made the systems for building so painful. They even went with the super annoying "survival guide" again. Got to flip through that stupid book over and over again to build things instead of having an easy to use menu system.

The NPC helper character? Good idea, but very broken. Walks on the campfire all the time so is frequently running around while on fire. Does not drop logs in the giant log holder even though when I told him to gather logs and drop them "here" I was standing IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRICKIN' LOG HOLDER.

[Contrast]

Yup

[Rhyagelle]

abandoned for sure cant believe i paid full price for this ass game twice (1 x gift).

[Ozzys_Dad]

$30 is less than half the price of most games.

[ToFuBoi]

I feel the same. It is a good game, but does feel somehow unfinished. They just suddenly stopped updating it, but there are so many things could still be added/improved.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Everyone lived happily ever after. What more do you need?

[Ozzys_Dad]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff:

Everyone lived happily ever after. What more do you need?

Cans of hair spray and badgers.

[cpguru21]

Just purchased a third time for my grandson and I to play together. I understand the complaints because some of you wanted more. I think it would be awesome to have literally ANY communication from the devs, but I still love this game and keep going back to it.

[wildguy]

Originally posted by Macdallan:

I held off on buying this for quite a while hoping that doing so would mean they would have time to properly polish the game's systems and story and fix bugs.

Apparently it did not matter. This feels like playing something on day one of early access after a short and very rocky development period. It's a bit baffling how a game with so many glaring flaws can get so many positive reviews that are absolutely gushing about how great the game is...

My biggest complaint so far is the building system, but it's far from the only issue the game has.

This is a sequel, not a first attempt at a game for the developers, and as such the building system should be much better in this game than it is. It's so clunky and painful to use that it's the main reason I am thinking about refunding it.

I like the "ghost image" systems used by certain games that allow the player to lay out their design first and then add resources to build it and they did a pretty good job with it in this game. Not perfect, but it's good enough. The problem is that they only use that system for some things, not for everything.

Want to build a platform or a ramp? Sure, ghost image blueprint system has your back. Slap it down then add resources. Easy, robust, user friendly. Want to build a wall or a doorway the same way? You can't. You get to individually place logs using a clunky and somewhat difficult to aim system that snaps to a location based vaguely on where you are aiming. That doorway you wanted? You have to build a wall using the aforementioned system and then chop each log to cut out the doorway instead of just adding the doorway as a ghost image and then adding the resources you need to it. Want to make a roof? Good luck figuring that one out since the game does not tell you how to do that and trying to figure it out is going to be extremely painful. Why are there two very different systems and why is one of them so janky and clunky? No idea. There should be the same blueprint ghost image system for everything - walls (with and without doorways/windows), beams, roofs, and everything else you build.

Want to make a campfire? Aim at the ground until you get some very hard to see white lines and then click. Add fuel to a campfire? Select the stick from your backpack, aim vaguely at the campfire, and click. Add "firewood" to that same campfire? Nope, can't do it. Why not? No idea - that little campfire is too small, I guess.

Build a stick holder and want to move it? Sure, just hold "C" and you can pick it up and move it. Build a stone holder and want to move it? Nope. Hold "C" and it falls apart. The whole "Hold C" system is clunky to begin with as it doesn't actually tell you what you're about to pick up or deconstruct, you aim vaguely toward what you want to interact with and hope the game decides to choose the right object. Luckily it usually does but... come on, why not a build mode that highlights the object you're aiming at?

I have no idea why they made the systems for building so painful. They even went with the super annoying "survival guide" again. Got to flip through that stupid book over and over again to build things instead of having an easy to use menu system.

The NPC helper character? Good idea, but very broken. Walks on the campfire all the time so is frequently running around while on fire. Does not drop logs in the giant log holder even though when I told him to gather logs and drop them "here" I was standing IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRICKIN' LOG HOLDER.

Not as broken as you say, he does put himself on fire but it doesn't happen all the time, it's rare in my games but it does happen. Why did you not tell him to fill the holders with logs and not drop here, he did what you asked. If he is so broken then kill him at the heli crash and play the game without him, i did and it made me appreciate him more as he's more useful than you think.

I like the building system the way it is, far better than the ghost image system imo. once you learn it it's pretty good, far more realistic. It can be a little buggy at times but it doesn't stop me from building. the fact that it's only $30 for the game is good too because....well it's only $30

[Macdallan]

Originally posted by wildguy:

Not as broken as you say, he does put himself on fire but it doesn't happen all the time, it's rare in my games but it does happen. Why did you not tell him to fill the holders with logs and not drop here, he did what you asked. If he is so broken then kill him at the heli crash and play the game without him, i did and it made me appreciate him more as he's more useful than you think.

I like the building system the way it is, far better than the ghost image system imo. once you learn it it's pretty good, far more realistic. It can be a little buggy at times but it doesn't stop me from building. the fact that it's only $30 for the game is good too because....well it's only $30

Nah, mate. It's exactly as broken as I say. I just started playing and in under 2 hours of play time this is what I've experienced.

Drop here = drop here, not drop there or drop anywhere in this general vicinity. He simply isn't consistently dropping the items where I told him to drop the items, and he wasn't doing it before I built the holder as well. He'll also walk half a mile to get logs when there are logs right next to the site where we are building.

I didn't say that he's not somewhat useful, just that he's a bit broken. Given his injuries I shouldn't be surprised.

You're objectively and factually wrong about the building system. You even said it's buggy, so why wouldn't they go with the completely non-buggy ghost image system instead of the buggy, clunky placement system?

Ghost image is better than what they have gone with because the other system is half baked at best, and the fact they didn't go all in on one system or the other is part of the issue as well. They split development time between the two systems instead of perfecting one system.

Realism isn't a valid point of argument in a game like this, it's not a mil-sim or other type of simulation game that is aiming for realism. Here's one simple explanation why. You can jam two sticks inside of a solid rock with your bare hands, those sticks can somehow prop up two corners of a Mylar blanket and that magically makes a "tent" that won't blow away in the wind. Nothing else holding it down.

I didn't talk about the cost of the game, that's not relevant.

edit: I just booted up The Forest a few minutes ago because playing the sequel made me want to re-experience the original and within seconds it became very apparent that they made more than the few mis-steps I mentioned above with the sequel. Just the simple act of picking things up was easier, far more user friendly, and just felt right in the first game compared to the sequel. When you get picking things up wrong...

One other simple thing they botched in Sons? The "survival guide." In the first game it's a single book, everything in one place. In Sons you have to swap books by HOLDING a key, the pages are smaller so you have to waste a lot more time flipping through it. How can you do it right in the first game and get it completely wrong in the sequel? Textbook example of "If it isn't broken then don't fix it."

[Gorebane]

This is why you don't buy games in early access. "I'm supporting the devs" = "I'm paying for the privilege of testing their product and will make a shocked pikachu face when they cut and run with my money".

[Macdallan]

Originally posted by Gorebane:

This is why you don't buy games in early access. "I'm supporting the devs" = "I'm paying for the privilege of testing their product and will make a shocked pikachu face when they cut and run with my money".

Even if you feel that what you said is true this isn't an early access game so that does not apply.

[JB2ALL]

It's goes similar to this. And you can research it still on youtube. In " The Forest" players complained about the map too small, so this time they made it bigger. Now they complain that it's too big. Players mainly built custom buildings, so the devs decided to make a different building system to accommodate the builders. but that doesn't seem to be good enough either. They left the story vague so that the player can fill in the gaps with whatever they imagine and still that isn't good enough. Players complain about the respawning of things and it doesn't feel like a survival game. Truth is, the player doesn't have to implement all components of the game. That's the beauty of it. You can build and play as you see fit, with whatever challenges you wish to imagine. Like next time try playing without Kelvin, Virginia, the gps or the minimap. It's much more challenging. And try a game play where you have to walk everywhere instead of golf carts or flying. It does take much longer.

[Macdallan]

Originally posted by Carter Rogue:

It's goes similar to this. And you can research it still on youtube. In " The Forest" players complained about the map too small, so this time they made it bigger. Now they complain that it's too big. Players mainly built custom buildings, so the devs decided to make a different building system to accommodate the builders. but that doesn't seem to be good enough either. They left the story vague so that the player can fill in the gaps with whatever they imagine and still that isn't good enough. Players complain about the respawning of things and it doesn't feel like a survival game. Truth is, the player doesn't have to implement all components of the game. That's the beauty of it. You can build and play as you see fit, with whatever challenges you wish to imagine. Like next time try playing without Kelvin, Virginia, the gps or the minimap. It's much more challenging. And try a game play where you have to walk everywhere instead of golf carts or flying. It does take much longer.

Players complain, it's what they do. Can't make everyone happy, but a game for everyone is a game for no one.

Anyway, these things, even if they are all true, do not excuse the very poor implementation of some of this game's systems and mechanics.