Compass?

[Lanthrudar]

Just got the game after seeing someone stream it. I get that the maps are crude, and the goal is to have the player 'embrace nature' after the collapse that occurred, but have to question why something as simple as a compass isn't in game?

This is not a hard tech, and if the group could medical evac off a deserted island, and also apparently break down things into components via quantum/spirit mechanics, why such a simple tech is not in game? Other than to try to add difficulty and complexity where game play lacks?

I've only found poor UI/QOL features in a game where there is a lack of game play and things are skewed to make up for it, like having a game where you can only walk, no storage and limited carry space, etc. I'm hoping this isn't the case here, but after a half dozen starts, where I've never made it past day 2 due to the convoluted terrain on the starting island, a simple thing like missing a compass is STRONGLY making me want to add a "not recommended" review to the game.

And please, don't say that navigation flags make up for this because they simply DON'T, not when there are massive rock formations that block navigation at every turn.

[justinhosford35]

Hey! So it’s not because the tech isn’t available, it’s because the player is sent on the rite of passage without too much help. A compass is not provided so they get to know the land and navigate for themselves. Also, the icons at the biome entrances do basically the same thing as a compass. In testing, when we had an interactive map, players stated that navigation felt too easy.

[Lanthrudar]

Originally posted by justinhosford35:

Hey! So it’s not because the tech isn’t available, it’s because the player is sent on the rite of passage without too much help. A compass is not provided so they get to know the land and navigate for themselves. Also, the icons at the biome entrances do basically the same thing as a compass. In testing, when we had an interactive map, players stated that navigation felt too easy.

Getting "the lay of the land" is great in a 3D VR world where the player can actually look around and make visual queues and do line of sight navigation. Done all that in military land navigation and it makes sense when you can see distance, and include hearing, and other senses.

A "rite of passage" where someone is medical evac's a dozen times because they kept getting lost due to failing to give them a basic navigation and survival tool is a society that really doesn't value their people. The goal should be them focusing on learning to survive by checking out the area, seeing where it's safe to move, exploring and other things in a safe manner.

The biome markers don't do "the same thing" as a compass because the player has to try to orient to some imaginary point between both of them and you don't know which way you're actually heading or facing with that. Again, do IRL land navigation without a compass and then with one and see which gets you pointed in the actual right direction.

Ah, the testing response.. So the real truth is that the testers said the game was "too easy" because of a compass so instead of expanding on the areas, or adding actual places to explore that would challenge the player you just removed a player tool to otherwise fluff and artificially inflate your game play time. This is the true reason there is no compass and it's like the old MMO grind of needing "5 cat paws" and you have to kill 30 cat creatures to get the 5 drops.

A hint for future games you develop... Players usually don't like artificial grind. Grind or deliberately removing basic genre tools to try to add difficulty doesn't add difficulty, it add's tedium. And that's why you get negative reviews from players who actually expect more than the less than minimum tools in the game or incomplete features (like only being able to build square or rectangular houses).

[justinhosford35]

Developer note: You can build structures that are different shapes than square and rectangle by using the “triangular floor” piece