Feels a bit linear

[ZeroKarma]

I am not complaining or throwing dirt here just off the bat.
There is something that doesn't feel right here. Coming form a long history of playing games similar to this, I find this is a little too scripted and not as sandboxy. Yes, I know its early release, yes I know they're working on it. But isn't that why were here? To talk about how we feel about it all?
Anyway, I am digging the quests and direction. But I also feel it is too much directing. I don't really understand what I'm feeling here. I played through a couple of times and they felt very much like the other times I played. You run through the checklist of quests and ... ... um, do it again on another map? I realise this sounds like most city builders but this one feels very much on rails without the freedom of just being able to sit back and watch village life pass by. Too many (nearly all) of these games have an "end game" problem. Where once you get a good balance and expansion, there is no real point to the game apart from getting bigger. I love that you are giving us more to do that just expand.
In saying all that, I am loving the game so far. It looks amazing and plays well. I don't know what sort of savant you had do the balance but for one of the first times in my life a game has a production line that is more balanced than AAA titles. Kudos on a nice game. I am hoping for a bit more casual city builder and it is probably going that direction. So keep up the good work.

[Indigo]

I think there are a bunch of factors combining to create this linear feeling, broadly falling onto two economies: Villagers, and gold.

First, villagers. The rate at which villagers arrive would be acceptable but for the early game's mandated 2:1 ratio between "head of household" and "worker". This means that of the 4 villagers you start with, 2 are lost to household duties. Then, of the 12 workers who arrive during spring and summer in the first year, 4 are lost to households. The workers who stock houses are largely dead weight -- they spend most of their time idling, but houses don't work without them.

So. Gold. For much of the early game, "family assistance" increases upkeep costs of the village by a factor of about 2/3rds, and it really feels punitive for the first few years of village growth if you're accepting all of the villagers, because every time you start feeling like you're making more in taxation, you hit the next "milestone" in village development and your "family assistance" increases to eat up all of that valuable tax income. as a result, most of the gold you'll have for buildings doesn't come from taxation, but from quest completion. But even that gets some large bites taken out of it from nobility quests, like the first-year fairy invasion and its 75 gold tax -- that's a whole season of taxation, literally more than a third of all the "profit" your town had generated by that point in the game, gone.

The 50 gold cost of housing with the default random upgrades really amplifies this effect, since the first year in particular trains the player to always keep housing available and accepting new villagers. Every single worker is crucial for getting through the first year, even considering that you'll be given a gift of coal for the first winter, and food the first time you run out. Housing is the vast majority of early-game gold expenditure, since you need to build two houses every season to keep up with incoming villagers, and you don't bring in enough in taxation to keep up with that.

And if housing didn't do enough on its own, about 3 years into a village I got a nobility quest to accept 2 refugees who had fled their village -- at a cost of 75 gold, plus the fact that it was effectively forcing me to spend an extra 50 gold in new housing that season.

On the whole, this feels like it really forces the player to focus on quest completion and following a highly specific build order to complete quests, rather than having a sandbox that slowly unlocks more toys.

[ZeroKarma]

Precise and thoughtful. Thank you. (i was expecting, well, you know what I was expecting.
I've palyed a bit more and found maybe it is my compulsions forcing me into completing everything as it pops up. I sat back and ignored the quests and found it a bit more casual.
You are correct about the economy. Somehow they've managed to get supply chains fairly good, but as you said, the money incoming feels as if they are punishing you for expanding. There is no real getting ahead because as soon as you tick over the next payday you have to immediately build more things that take it all away. That is the only way to keep it moving or you're sitting watching it stagnate as you build up funds.
I felt rushed. Maybe it was me, maybe it is the game. But Indigos last paragraph sums it up perfectly. I am not a fan of progression through building the thing before it to unlock or "levels". I know its cliche but I prefer to research/buy unlocks. That way I am able to decide the path of progression.

[thelefthorse]

I couldn't agree more OP. Very well said.

[Jane]

Thanks for your feedback! :)

[ZeroKarma]

Not a problem. As I said, not complaining. Just an observation. I like what is happening here so far. I appreciate that you have come in and paid attention. That is the sign of a good dev and potential for a better game.
I am in no way making demands or wanting you to change your vision because of some internet people didn't like a particular thing. I am also attempting to make a game and would be a little put out to have such demands.
Stay the path.