Champie wrote: you failed to do the most essential thing - You have not defined or explained the "few major flaws" of the game. All of your ideas are interesting, but they seem like just a creative laundry list rather than a direct response to specific and well defined problems with the game. I haven't been able to figure out how or why anything that you have written actually makes a significant impact on the overall direction or goals of game play, especially end game play.
*I appreciate this comment, I had hoped to talk about how each major change I suggested fixed issues I find with the game but you are correct it doesn't add up at this point, especially since the only major changes I have suggested so far have been a Temperature rework. My other changes are either for fun, or are part of laying the foundation for another change so I don't post a huge ass blocks of text like this one. I don't expect anyone to read this whole thing, but these are my thoughts on the game. I genuinely would live to see Salem thrive and understand for that to happen vets, new players, and devs need to be happy, or at least comfortable with the game. My thoughts probably differ from JC's quite a bit at places. There may be a way to rework this thread to better take into account what JC wants, but I don't want to take this that seriously, even this post, while it felt good for me to articulate everything, made me feel a bit like I'm taking this too seriously. 
*Major FlawsLearning Curve:I am going to put this one first because I think it is one of the biggest issues and its probably the one I disagree with the most with JC. I understand JC's opinion is that the mechanics are not hard to learn and that this system filters out people who would complain the most when they get raided or killed write bad reviews or try to get refunds for shop items. It's not that I think the game is too hard, its more that some of the early game hurdles are un-intuitive and unrewarding to deal with.
Difficult mechanics SHOULD be a part of Salem, but frustrating is not the same as difficult. Two of the biggest offenders I see are Hypothermia and Insanity. Overcoming these doesn't fill you with some sense of accomplishment, at best you can mostly forget about them, at worst they remain a nuisance and chore even in late-game. These are not the only offenders but they are the most egregious.
Thoughts on Fixing: I do not think changes to the tutorial or community guides alone would be enough to fix this issue, as this hand-holdy approach makes it less difficult but not any more rewarding nor fosters any sense of accomplishment. I doubt this approach particularly appealing to JC.Instead of approaches that modify the difficulty I believe the entire early game needs to flow better and be more intuitive to modern video game players.
How I Propose to Fix: First switching to a Temperature mechanic which creates something like difficulty zones giving newer players a taste of the mechanics before having to dive right in. This also fixes Hypothermia and makes the ability to deal with it a reward mechanic, essentially opening up new parts of the map. I have an Insanity rework written up which will passive Insanity entirely and turn it into something you seek out like food cravings. Gaining Max Insanity unlocks Profession Skills. This way Insanity becomes a reward mechanic one opts into rather than deals with like a chore.
Permissions SystemThe ability to have people backstab you in cool, but too prevalent in Salem. If you get raided it can bum you out but you can improve your defenses, learn to fight, etc. The point is you have a direction inherent in your loss. When you get back stabbed the only direction you can take from it is to be less social. If being less social is too common a solution it becomes a problem for any game trying to be an MMO.
Thoughts on Fixing: I'm still wrestling with this one to be honest.
How I Propose to Fix: My only solution so far has been a "Menial Labor" Permission which covers small stuff like lifting and chopping without giving full permissions. I have some ideas regarding changes on a new stat called Status and its interaction with politics and crime, but I'm not sure how this will affect backstabbing and permission issues.
The Alt Problem: Champie you said it yourself, as have others. If a low level character has mostly the same benefits as high level characters what's the point? Also Alt are un-intuitive to new players, it is not common in games that you need to make more accounts to reach mid or late game. It also reduces consequences of your actions and puts more focus into your stuff/base than your character. Alts will always be a part of Salem, I don't even have anything against them, but I feel they are over-emphasized especially in comparison to vet vs new player and the skill gap it creates between them. JC has a weird relationship with Alts, both wanting them to be de-emphasized and then implementing mechanics that drive people towards throw away characters.
Thoughts on Fixing: There are 3 approaches I can think of to addressing this. Punish Alts by making them harder to maintain. Shift power onto mains. Needs to be balanced with not wanting to quit immediately if you lose your main. Shifting alt advantages onto non character activities/mechanics. Attempts to look at IPs and what not don't seem worth the effort,
How I Propose to Fix: I have a ton of changes scattered through-out my suggestions to address alts, using all the ways I mentioned above. I have already mentioned is Metes and Bounds shifting some of the need to make material alts onto the Metes and Bounds mechanic. The Stroy of Cain and Able will be moved to the Insanity/Profession mechanic making the Killing Blow more of an effort than a store item but also significantly less than it currently is to learn natively. Also changes to crime and the Status stat which will have effects on alts as well. Not so much to remove alts, but should help bridge the gap between players that opt into alts and those who never use them.
Combat & Crime:Current crime heavily favors throw away characters and is part of the alt problem. Raiding exits in a weird place of completely doable and frustrating annoying. The focus on RNG in crits creates an arms race of new players being at the complete mercy of vets who decide to raid and mega bases that are virtually unraidable. This balancing act gets increasingly more tenuous as the game progresses.
Thoughts on Fixing: Fixes need to take into account mega bases, mega characters, alts, new players, and shop items. There is a lot to balance and not a lot of good ways to do so without alienating one group or another. Current mechanics are not good, but exist in a state of something similar several diseases all preventing one disease from getting out of control.
How I Propose to Fix: I have some ideas, while I've done plenty enough crime to understand the mechanics I've never raided much so I don't want to put my foot in my mouth with too many suggestions here. I have a crime rework that will dramatically reduces what we currently have as far as punishment for crime but with the consequences fanning out into other mechanics like Status and Politics. But my ideas past that still need work.
Profitability, Direction and, Vision:Salem is perma death game where you can lose everything you own, but also wants to sell you stuff. It's the foundation of the game yet it is seemingly contradictory. I think this problem is one of the biggest although one that I haven't seen much discussion about. In the past JC has made changes that have protected carebears which is opposed to the hardcore nature of the game. To counter this he has added other "hardcore" mechanics to try to make up the difference, like Hypothermia, madness, and disease, all of which have their place in Salem, but never quite match that fear of maybe getting killed while walking in the woods I think some of us had in the old days. This is what I mean by a problem with direction and vision, the current approaches to profitability are counter to the direction of the game.
Thoughts on Fixing: Expeditions are alright. And these and introducing additional "hardcore" mechanics have been JC's go to methods of addressing this problem, but I think they have walked Salem into the very early game learning curve problem it faces. A new approach is needed that increases Salem profitability without harming the hardcore nature of the game or pushes it off onto Expeditions.
How I Propose to Fix: I have a bunch of suggestions for new ways to make money with Salem that will actually give more space to a return to hardcore mechanics of people losing their stuff or their character. I have the plan but I don't have it fully articulated and written up yet. I believe the slot adder, while a small change, is a start to addressing some issues with the store items.
MINOR FLAWSGrind: This is and should always be a part of Salem, but there are points where its not unthinkable to build hundreds of something. The game would be better off if this was tweaked so that while high end grind is something you can opt into at a lower risk, or have other ways of obtaining at a higher risk. While temperature changes start at this I would like to make more, as well as continuing to flesh out temperature. Essentially what I am proposing is pushing the costs of grind onto other cost aspects other than time and patience.
Gluttony: This system is unintuitive to newer players, but not crazy so. I see the biggest flaw is that it enables min-maxing and essentially throws always time and effort devs spend on making new recipes. Maybe a better way of putting it is that if a better food is made it makes others virtually worthless. I have a complete Gluttony Overhaul made up that incorporated more of the 7 deadly sins while being more intuitive and flowing smoother for new players.
Purity: While good when it started its high enough now that it becomes a balancing problem for new food and mechanics, its no longer a cost. A change to purity has to balance purity but in a way that take into mind the effort people have put into it, so it can't be a reset. I will cover my solution in my gluttony rework.
Size: The map should be big, but it feels too big for new players and vets alike, smaller space creates conflict and drama which the game needs, however its not practical to shrink the map. My temperature change encourages player to compete for the most productive zones on the map thereby shrinking it without actually shrinking it, but not harshly punishing those who do not wish for that conflict.
Witchcraft System: This is a huge draw to the game but it is obviously broken currently. Even when it was ok Witchcraft never met the paranoia aspect that is fundamental to colonial era Witch hunts. I have the basics of a suggestion that will delver more on this aspect, moving leveling a witch from inspirationals to acts which put them in danger but in ways that increase paranoia, and the removal of darkness lets witches live amount the innocent.
Really Petty Stuff that bugs me and maybe it shouldn't.
Also it feels kind of dull that the current hotspot for player Communication and trading is around the statue in the center of providence. I hope this could be a more exciting place for players to meet. Cons: How big would it have to be? I imagine it could get pretty tight at times. Maybe It could be the very first building in providence with several entrances. However I feel Like the church has done a good enough job of not cramming people too tight Whenever Marp is there. Definitely something to think about if it gets implemented Though. 
