I understand your frustrations, but...

[McFuzz]

The first contest: A story;

The tension of the first time limit to the contest was quite tight, and resource limitations meant I wasn't able to find ingredients good enough to make a great quality fire resistance potion. So I had to rely on my Health and Mana potions.

This created a tense, exciting situation, where I won the first round with a greater health potion, then my ♥♥♥♥♥♥ fire potion bombed as expected, creating a draw between me and the opponent. This meant it was all down to my mana potion, which only just scraped by at Common 4 stars. The haggling was exciting, it was all down to this! I won it after the first few turns, but even that it got so tight was quite exciting!

The first contest's difficulty and time limit is the most common complaint I see about the game but... For me, it created an extremely exciting circumstance, that was perfectly balanced, and I was left with a great feeling when I accomplished it!

If they change it, I will be sad, because in my opinion, it is utterly perfect the way it is. If options are added, then please do make them optional, but label the current way as the best way to play because frankly, I love this game because the fact that the contest was close at all was a very unique, very rewarding feeling.

[Kyle]

i will also be sad because i had a relatively easy time despite pulling it close to the curtain, i ended up winning the first 2 rounds, i think the second haggle was a little more difficult for me, i feel like a difficulty option would be better or a 'do you want to turn the difficulty down' setting when you lose

on second comp i messed up and had to get over like 50-60% haggle on third round with like 26% stress, was great

[Stormsong]

I would also really appreciate a difficulty option that retains the current level if they do decide to come make it easier. Easier's fine, if people want it and it can be added alongside what is here, great. It would be disappointing to lose the current setting entirely though.

[StasisZombie]

I found it easy. I even missed the brew on my fire resist thinking i would have time on the last day to brew it. just make sure you have close the required pots then just do well on your bargaining,

[Weeks]

Imo the best thing they could do is to simply introduce difficulty setting and leave current one as intended or something similar.

[ProbablyLobsters]

Honestly just free time between the comps would be nice. Kinda like how Persona 5 does after you finish a big event, Maybe not as many days, but like a week between comps would be nice. I dont have a issue with the difficulty of the game as much as i do the RNG of it. It just has not been in my favor. That, and not being able to skip the tutorial once having already played it.

[Swat Hound]

I'm reading about everyone complaining about the difficulty and how RNG dependent it is...
and I'm very excited to try it for myself.

As someone who's enjoyed a lot of Darkest Dungeon and Recettear, I hope if they do change anything they give us the option of playing with this current difficulty.

I'm waiting for some hotfixes, as my game locked itself on day 2 and I can't sell my potions to anyone (they all come in, do their dialogue, and won't initiate the card mini game)

This all happened after I heavily invested in Baptiste... and some people are saying they don't even see the option to invest...

Baptiste you set me up damnit.

[NerdyHexel]

I just completed the second competition, and for those first two I wasn't able to make the needed potions until 2 days before. I spend the rest of the time struggling. Idk if I'm just not doing things efficiently or if this is the intended difficulty. I wish Sylvia could keep some of those winnings because I really need the coin,

There's just a lot to juggle and I get a little overwhelmed. Sometimes I even kind of forget what I'm doing, and I'm considering actually taking notes just to play this game lmao.
-Send adventurers out to get new materials (requires money)
-Craft more/bigger potions to get money. (requires materials)
-Craft advanced potions for the competition (requires RNG to get good materials to make them)
-Complete special orders to make money (Only becomes an issue when they start asking for special effects)
-Spend money on materials after giving one to Quinn.
-Spend money on upgrades so you can make advanced potions.
-Spend time on building relationships.

[Kyle]

Originally posted by NerdyHexel:

I just completed the second competition, and for those first two I wasn't able to make the needed potions until 2 days before. I spend the rest of the time struggling. Idk if I'm just not doing things efficiently or if this is the intended difficulty. I wish Sylvia could keep some of those winnings because I really need the coin,

There's just a lot to juggle and I get a little overwhelmed. Sometimes I even kind of forget what I'm doing, and I'm considering actually taking notes just to play this game lmao.
-Send adventurers out to get new materials (requires money)
-Craft more/bigger potions to get money. (requires materials)
-Craft advanced potions for the competition (requires RNG to get good materials to make them)
-Complete special orders to make money (Only becomes an issue when they start asking for special effects)
-Spend money on materials after giving one to Quinn.
-Spend money on upgrades so you can make advanced potions.
-Spend time on building relationships.

if you are lacking money make sure to take advantage of the pop up events, you can use wood to complete your potions and sell them on the same day

i don't really use the adventure service much, or when i do it's without potions (too much work) or i prepare them for a single run through to see if there are any rare items, materials come from getting them from loq quality adventures/investing and then quinn

i don't use special orders, they look like they require too much work/time

i don't upgrade my cauldrons i just replace them once after a competition with the better ones the shop releases, currently only using 3

i am not sure early on but i haven't been interested in the relationships much, but now i am left with like eight days to mess around because i can make all the potions in a few days

[PoorMan Nate]

Im just going to wait for a guide lost first competition five times

[HapexIndustries]

I passed the first two competitions 6 days into the respective weeks and I;m playing blind. It seems like the people that are having an easier time with the game are doing these things:

Sending out lots of expeditions
Giving everything to Quinn so you can buy more of the good materials
Get a better cauldron and upgrade it so you can throw more stuff into it (this is key, and remember you can't upgrade a cauldron in use)
Sending Mint out when possible and getting her through the end of the dungeon (generally requires three or four potions)
Managing time appropriately; when you're using a time unit to do something like hitting Quinn's shop, do a circuit of everything else as well, you will only use that one time unit to move around (not a time unit for every movement)
Give characters gifts as opposed to hanging out, to raise your relationship

Because of the RNG in the game I feel like you could still get screwed each week if you somehow fail to get the high potency materials of the elements you need, and even if you get them you won't be able to use enough of them without upgraded cauldrons.

The game doesn't really reinforce the importance of playing into the RNG material acquisition aspect, but that's really the most important thing, you'll never pass the first competition with materials that only give 8 potency, you need materials that give 12 or 16. Once you have the materials you can win, and without them you will fail. The actual day to day potion making seems largely perfunctory because you turn around and spend all that money on more expeditions and Mint adventures until you get materials of high enough potency in the elements you need to conceivably make the potions you need, and then you just have to sell enough potions of whatever to make enough money to buy enough copies of the materials from Quinn to finally make those potions. If you're lucky you have time to spare and I guess if you're not you will just fail, which isn't the most satisfying of gameplay loops.

[(ノ°□°)ノ]

Ok, i just finished the first competition blind with an instant victory for the 1st potion, and a win after a singular card for the 2nd potion.

I feel... tricked, from reading some of the complaints regarding difficulty about the game.

[Marshmeow]

Originally posted by eeee:

Ok, i just finished the first competition blind with an instant victory for the 1st potion, and a win after a singular card for the 2nd potion.

I feel... tricked, from reading some of the complaints regarding difficulty about the game.

I'd say its not so much about the difficulty and rather about fun. You never have time to enjoy the brewing/shop-managing, you cant enjoy the friendships or their offers cause you are always in a hurry, rushing from one thing to another. That circle is just not fun. Yes after the first contest you start making better potions and earn money but at that point you've already fallen behind on shop/cauldron upgrading plus organizing ingredients non-stop. It just feels a little much....it feels like-if you finish the game you wont be happy that you made it or sad that its over-you'll just feel relieved.....

[windargelgamm]

I bought it with the intention of a relaxed game, and the time limit just tore me apart from playing it... i will keep the game in case they develop a difficulty setting (they can write the time limit option or the "hard" difficulty is the one created orinigally for the game), because i love the way the game looks, the vibes and the mecanics...

[khetrak]

if the developer does end up changing the difficult i hope he make it optional, this is a very hard management game and that is good, we need more of then, a lot of people like playing hard games.

[windargelgamm]

Originally posted by khetrak:

if the developer does end up changing the difficult i hope he make it optional, this is a very hard management game and that is good, we need more of then, a lot of people like playing hard games.

That great! Just give the option for people who want to chill, advising this is not the way developers thought the game, and the option for people who wants a challenge