Potion Permit Demo Feedback (20+ hours playtime)

[Udingo]

Proof
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2826676970

I only explain the bad things, because good things no need to fix

Pros :
+ Good arts
+ Easy to play, difficulty isn't hard, too easy if I must say
+ Story & Quest is good
+ Money easy to get
+ Fast travel / Teleport

Cons :
- Gameplay too simple
The game is fun but became repetitive very fast, everyday I just get up, heal sick villager, teleport to the woods, gather ingredients, using all the stamina, go back to village, socialize, go to bath house to recover stamina, go back gather ingredients till midnight, go fishing till 1 am, then go to sleep

While in other games, there is many thing to do, let say stardew valley, I get up, water the plants (later can use sprinkler), then I can choose to go mining, chopping wood, fishing, gathering berries, or just socialize with villager

- Money easy to get, thus with minimal work, you can get rich very easy
So with intensive work, you can get like 60+ ingredients each day, I not kidding
Ok lets just count the herbs :
Daisy 4, Sunflower 3, Basil 4, Jasmine 4, Fever something flower 4, Lavender 4, Rainbow dew 3, Lemon balm 2, Konjac 3 = 31 Flowers each day! and that is 100% drop
count the 100% drop from animal like bears (3 bear paw + 4 savage mane + 3 black bear fur) = 10 animal parts
and not counting like slime, pangolin armor, bug leg, spores, iron ore, copper ore, tree saps, etc
it's very easy to get rich, even (I'm sorry) stupid time & money management player can get enough money to upgrade tools in no time
Also 1st potion box can sell 6 potions each day, 2nd tier potion sell like 200 gold each, so yeah if the game played as intended you can get 1200 gold each day, 2nd upgrade to potion box can sell 12 potions each day, that's stunning 2400 gold each day!

- Moon cloves! Moon Cloves! Everybody loves moon cloves!
I don't think it's wise to design socialize game that gifting other villager only need 1 type of items, it's just too simple, you're a chemist, why not gift a villager with potions they like, or something that need work

- No seasons, calendar & festival
It's a crime to make this kind of game without a festival

My solution / fix
Maybe herb that replenish each 2 day or 3 day, so later with more places unlocked, you can manage what do you want to do today or tomorrow

If you design a game that you can get rich from just gathering, that makes no initial cost to your work, so it became simple loot & gather games, why not make so player need to make herb garden or other works like grind the herb / process the herb, that need player to pay fuel or whatever

I explain, in other games, if you want to get mooney, you must buy seeds first, plant it, water it, then you can harvest and sell it, it makes the game more advanced & thus need brain to think how to manage money & time, which plant sell the best, not just loot & sell

Implement seasons! fire herb only grow in summer or etc, but then another problem is rising, that you can't craft potion everyday, idk how to solve it, but the problem is the ingredients too abundant and always available

Conclusions

The game is too simple, you need an early game stage where you're poor and everything is expensive, you need to manage your money & time right, like invest in upgrading tools, then middle game where you made sum of money and can afford things, you can start to upgrade things to make more money, and late game where money isn't a problem and everything is automated

[Sugus]

The problem is that you take this kind of videogames too seriously, the goal, in my point of view, should not be the search for efficiency when it comes to improving tools, house, clinic... I think people have forgotten that videogames are for enjoyment and disconnection.

[Udingo]

Originally posted by Itsuga:

The problem is that you take this kind of videogames too seriously, the goal, in my point of view, should not be the search for efficiency when it comes to improving tools, house, clinic... I think people have forgotten that videogames are for enjoyment and disconnection.

It's my opinion that this kind of game need a balanced progression, if the game allow to get too much money early game, people will look into guides & wiki and follow their steps thus making the game lifetime very short
The logic is like you play zombie games and the most OP weapon is minigun, but the gun can be bought by playing 1st mission 10 times, so yeah people will grind that 1st mission 10 times and get minigun and be done with the game

If you played games like :
Recettear - you need to make profit to pay your debt, so there is a feel of relief when you can pass that debt payment time
Touhou - Mystia's Izakaya - Same thing, there is debt deadline, and need money for expanding branch
Stardew Valley - You can't get rich by just gathering things, you need to work on your farm, upgrade technology, mining, you need to get gather things that low value then turn it to something more expensive with the right technology
My time at Portia - same thing like stardew valley but 3D

You can check all that games above have positive rating on steam

[Sugus]

Although they are not easy, the first guides that usually come out and more abundant in this type of games are how to get rich as soon as possible, so at the end of the day, no matter how difficult they make it, there will always be someone whose goal is to break the game as soon as possible, hence my conclusion that they have lost the desire to enjoy this hobby.

[Luper]

I feel the same as you.
I know it's a Demo, and some features are in developing, but it's true:
- The gameplay it's too simple: I did the exact same things as you with the time and stamina, wich means that the most players will do the exact same things "linearly", ouch.
All games needs to be simple in certain ways and a challenge in the other.
- Money is easy to get: maybe the problem isn't the money but the costs. ALL upgrades, foods and ingredients are in a close number for a novice. And that is a problem. For example, In Athelier series, you need to work, invest, suffer and make the basic potions for a whole season until one can buy the advanced alchemy books, the tools, discover different ingredients, and so on. And you feel that satisfaction at the end. Same as Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, and so on and that is part of the essence of games like this..
-Moon Cloves: ... THIS!.
We are supposed to fulfill the role of an alchemist, that we can create many things that people may like. But No. This feature says: People's tastes doesn't matter. Are you interested in someone?? Just give her/him hundreds of the same sh*t item that u would give to somebody else. Nothing Special. Just Awfull.
- No seasons, calendar & festival:
It's not exactly required, but in a game about the life in a little town...
May I add Weather? I played 20+ hours too and all days were the same. No Rain or Storms...
I hope they at least show it at release.

[buyyy]

is making bestfriend quest from martha the last quest in demo?

[Udingo]

Originally posted by buyyy:

is making bestfriend quest from martha the last quest in demo?

Hmm, I don't think that the last one, the last one is when you need to upgrade your chemist license and you can't progress further

[buyyy]

Originally posted by Udingo:

Originally posted by buyyy:

is making bestfriend quest from martha the last quest in demo?

Hmm, I don't think that the last one, the last one is when you need to upgrade your chemist license and you can't progress further

is that quest from colin?

[kittycatshoes]

Does it bother anyone else that Leano's hook switches which hand it's on depending on which way she's facing?