Salem

I have recently started playing, i dont confess to knowing or half understanding the game mechanics or the reasons why things are as they are. But I have had a great issue actually getting into the game.

The premise interests me, which is why i am still here.. yet the simple (cough) mechanics of the game are incredibly hard to understand and then implement.. yes it might be fine for someone who has played a dozens characters through the game to know the best ways of activating gluttony and how to vary your meals.. but new players must spend hours reading the guides etc. which are good in places and dreadful at the same time. This brings me to the suggestions:

1. Improve the tutorial.. and provide a skip option at character creation for those who complain that letting others know how to play 'their' game is unneccesary. There is information there, but its not clear and no examples are given.

2. Do something about the information that is given to players.. the serious of numbers takes an hour reading a guide to understand.. Especially about the gluttony system.

3. Terrain, if you have a requirement for flat land.. do what enders client does and give people the ability to see what is flat land.

4. Hunting.. why no traps? and no weapons? early man can tie a stone to a stick and hit people.. my character has an axe and decides to defend himself with his fists???

5. Experience, not just from looking at rocks.. how on earth does checking out a rock allow me to learn how to fish? okay.. I understand the proficiency mechanic and like it.. it really should benefit from a repeatable task.. If I keep making things shouldnt i get better at doing it?

I feel the punitive, drawn out and simply repetitive beginning to the game... needs improving.. you need far too much onerous grind just to get to where you really needed to be to begin that grind.. yes the first skills are fairly easy to get, then you start seeing Settling.. which to be fair needs a good few hours to grind those proficiencies up, and if you have anything else to do, which most people do.. this wont get done and they quit playing..

I am not saying gift anyone anything, but some of the skills need their requirements re-evaluated considering what a new inexperienced player can generate in a reasonable amount of time.. getting 800 stocks and cultivars is incredibly frustrating when you cannot find any grass..

Is it worth discussing trading with other players or the vendors when the player is just started, has a few sticks and stones to his name and no silver? Yes I know it can work this way, but as a new player this is not what I would expect from a playable game, where within the first few hours I am at the ransom of the market.

I apologise if this has been said before, but as a new player in the beta phase, I feel giving input is the point of the beta phase.. and new players are necessary to see any flaws before they have learned to get past them. But if these flaws are desired game mechanics, include them in the tutorial.

Remember that this is a game still in development. There's a lot of things missing, a lot of things incomplete, and many things that need rebalancing. Some of these the devs have promised to work on, others they've been contemplating since I started playing the game over a year ago when it was still in alpha testing. Patience is all we can ask. If the game isn't playable for you, check back in a few months and see what the status of things is.

As far as #5, they're called inspirationals for a reason. Man can take inspiration from many things to see how something else might work. Looking at that rock might give you a better idea of how to weight down your fish bait into the water so it doesn't float. This is a matter of abstract thinking. Some people come by it naturally, others have to work at it.

That is true, and yes, development is ongoing.. I didnt say the game was unplayable for me, I just see a lot of suggestions from people who have played the game for a good while, and few from those who have just come to the game. The game has a lot of promise.. and given a few improvements I cant see why people wouldnt want to pay to play, or invest in character development in the future. But to ensure the money does roll in, it should be easier for people to get started and see what the game actually entails rather than see challenges that they have no idea (bar reading for hours in guides)..

In essence, when someone buys a game, they usually want to play it before having to trawl the guides for the information they want, not have to spend hours taking notes from guides that for all they know is someones preferred way of play.. I know I certainly dont want to have to follow a step by step user guide to play a game..

DemonEyes wrote: I know I certainly dont want to have to follow a step by step user guide to play a game..

we do

I agree with your suggestions, Demoneyes.

I think that many veterans players should keep in mind the fact that new players are NEW.

Hans_Lemurson wrote:I agree with your suggestions, Demoneyes.

I think that many veterans players should keep in mind the fact that new players are NEW.

wow really new players are new?

Looking information up isn't hard. It's something anyone with a computer has the ability to do and should do for many different things.

Kinda of agree here.

When you first download a game, you expect to at least get some kind of introduction to the game.

Here in Salem, its more like, Go research the game for 1 week, before you decide to play, because in 99% of cases, if you fail to research the game, you will find it insta **** due to total lack of understanding how anything works and quit within 1h.

So what would a good introduction look like? I have a hard time designing one that isn't just retarded and forced.

I sort of take Dallanes view on this, i've never read any introductions on any game i've ever played, lack of patience, lol, when the time comes that I get stuck or am unsure what to do next, then i'll go and look it up or ask on the forums, if applicable.

The only complicated thing I found with Salem was the gluttony system, i'll admit I didn't undertand it that much better even after reading about it, but I soon learnt the process simply from playing and that is what i've found to be true with all games. Your second char will be your main.

My problem with Salem is staying power and apart from rage-quitting, this comes pretty high on the list for why people leave - from what i've read, from what others have said and from my own experience, "the punitive, drawn out and simply repetitive beginning to the game" (to use DemonEyes words) soon become beyond boring! That is when I left the first time.

The middle period was quite enjoyable but then you've built everything and are raising your humours nicely and then it just becomes repetitive again. My second exit, lol.

I know its in beta before someone jumps down my throat but more content is much more in need than an intro imo.

I like Salem and I enjoy playing, but only in small doses and not enough to spend rl money on it or make it my main game, so to speak.

jorb wrote:So what would a good introduction look like? I have a hard time designing one that isn't just retarded and forced.

There was mentioned idea of island where new players would learn about game... I think this can be done by expanding character-creation-area and after choosing a name we would be able to open some gates and try few things.

There should be small plot with farmers house sign with only few boards missing to finish. Few threes, sawbuck, chest with axe, food for gluttony, base inspirationals, field and some seeds (script that would make it grow faster) and many buildings and structures (smelters, kiln, owens etc etc) just to show people what they can have in Salem. I think it is bad that at start people can't see what they can have in this game, I know you prefer to let us explore game, but it is bad for new people they live in world of commercials when they see product before they can buy it. Why not make same thing in Salem and let people see what they can achieve in game?
Near "building plot" should be small hostile claim with basic fence and torchposts, so after finishing crafters-part of the game player would get black and combat skills and could try how wall bashing is look like (under fire from 2-3 torchposts, of course when player will got KO'd he should back to his building-plot after few seconds).
When we get over wall there should be NPC aka "afk player", so after stealing food for regen and sword (+fencing script or auto add fencing skill we receiving sword) from his chest, player would get new "quest" KO this NPC, after he finish that he should be able to murder him.
After this basic scenario last quest should be go back to starting area and click on ship... but gates to area should be closed and few (2-3) NPC-fighters spawned (stats 300, except yb 100), of course there shouldn't be way to win this fight and after our character get KO'd one of fighters should murder him.

I know it would require a lot of work, but this "no win scenario" would be unique tutorial and maybe it would show new people that death is only matter of time in this game