the game is too tuned - its extremely frustrating.

[Tipper]

the main gameplay loop is awesome - build a plane, do missions with plane, those missions make you do cooler planes. awesome stuff

that said the game needs to realize what it does right and completely rework the parts that suck - otherwise I can't recommend this to anyone for any reason

here's my issues -

the game is WAAYYY too tuned, the first hour is bumbling around trying to make a low teir plane transport anything more than a single cargo item.

the map simultaneously feels too small and the amount of fuel also feels too small.

what kind of plane gets 30 seconds of flight time before it runs out of fuel? and why are flights only 30 seconds long? is it because the progression is tied to having to do 3+ cargo runs for a single mission? anyway the easiest fix is to double the scale of the map and third the consumption of fuel.

the weights of items in your cargo bay are outrageous, what kind of big batteries are we carrying here? molten iron batteries? are we carrying an entire forest every time we haul lumber?? I hate designing my plane, flying it to the lumber yard (refueling 2 times on the way over) only to learn that my wheels break the instant I load any lumber onto the plane

really if you want to fix these issues, don't make your only tweak-able values weight and cargo capacity. how about each item has a specific volume it takes up in the plane, and you need to have that cargo space in your plane to actually hold it?


the progression rewards falls off a cliff and is super frustrating - i can't get jet engines until I invent a way to carry a forest.

and don't get me started on expiring items - this is the most frustrating mechanic in the game.


you've hit gold with the gameplay loop and managed to waste all its good will making the most frustrating decisions possible. how about instead of tuning a early access game to the point where it's too hard so people can't complete it, you tune it so it's easier in early accesss so people can try out and experience all the mechanics you're trying to present.

[The Haney]

I think the game is pretty reasonably tuned; I haven't had any issues so far and I'm almost finished with Desert.

The issue, I think, is that this feels silly. The tools the player has fit the mechanics they play in, but those mechanics feel... pretty arcadey.

This is especially evident when building planes to transport timed goods. I'm basically slapping together a guided missile with drag chutes, which is not particularly interesting compared to actually flying a plane.

[Pristinemender]

a simple solution for timed payloads would be to allow other in game items to extend that timer. for example, we can get ice. by having ice on the play it should extend the length of time you have to deliver timed payloads. the easiest way to implement that imo would be to have the ice have a timer (not sure why it doesn't) and once it runs out then the other item you are transporting has its timer start. alternatively just having a refrigerator fuselage would be beneficial.

in terms of overall gameplay/game loop i find its fine for the most part. though i certainly don't feel like you make enough money and certain items should be tuned to take up less cargo space and instead just weigh more. I don't mind adding extra props/wings to a plane, but having to just add more storage gets kinda repetitive in a bad way.

[Froy]

ngl I thought the game was too easy, but maybe they changed it from when you experienced it? beat the game in about 5 hours

[Mohrrunkel]

Low fuel is a you problem, not a game problem. The map is small intentionally, so you can return to base often and tinker with your design, without minute-long traveltimes as punishment. And the fuel for your starter plane is scaled to that. Emphasis on starter plane! You have the ability to cheaply unlock fuel tanks with no prerequisite. You can just double and triple your fuel reasonably fast. I don't get why you are not doing this?

The items are just arbitrary, same with the story. They are just a flavor text, a reason as to why you have to do those hauls. They are not meant to be realistic or representative and the numbers are just made up to create some challenge to a simple game about designing and tinkering with planes.
Same with food. You don't even have to have the perfect aircraft, there is lots of room for "creative designs". In other words the game is pretty easy, so if you are having trouble with it, you might lack some fundamental basics of the game (or aviation). The solution to that would be to seek help in forums or in form of guides, YT videos, etc..

I do feel the part about the wheels though. There should be some kind of UI element telling you at what percentage of your weight capacity you are, so have an indicator that your plane is bad BEFORE you arrive there. But then again, that is why the map is held relatively small.

Originally posted by Tipper:

the progression rewards falls off a cliff and is super frustrating - i can't get jet engines until I invent a way to carry a forest.

But that is literally the purpose of the game, or it's core gameplay loop as you've called it. Design, test, redesign until it works. Until you come up with a way to "carry an entire forest".