First of all: LiF is the new standard for sandboxing! Very good job indeed! After some hours of playtime i would like to give some feedback and some suggestions - some for a better handling (especially to decrease the amount of clicks for monotonous tasks), some for deeper immersion and realism
- If a Menu (eg. the inventory) gets locked on position it should stay there, even if the key for the menu is pressed - until it´s unlocked again and closed by the player by CLICKING on it
- More messages need the "show me in chat option"
- Right-Click commands should be addable to the toolbar (eg. press 5 for terraforming observe
- Observe modes for farming (showing kind of soil+quality, plowed, type of plant, state of growth), forestry (Hardwood/Softwood / quality, if trees were inspected by player)
- Automated queue for default options eg: inspect tree - gather sprout - harvest apples - cut down - uproot - plant oak tree - go home and drink beer - all in one click!
- Usable items should be usable directly out of an container. It is annoying to take an appel out and click it again in the inventory to eat it
- Automation for default left-click command eg. one click and you gather all 12 sprouts off a large oak instead of having to click 12 times
- When mining/digging/terraforming: set amount of material to be gathered automat. eg. dig tunnel until 237 stones are gathered. so one does not have to click the tile again and again
- For Mining und Tunnels: Add ladders to enable climbing up levels in a quarry or mine. so one can built a complete vertical mine shaft or a high quarry.
- Automated pull-out for the killn
- If the proper tool for an action (eg. shovel) is in the inventory it should autom. be equipped when i start digging instead of telling me that i don´t have the proper tool
- Warnings that an action (digging, planting etc...) is not possible (blocked for terraforming; another tree to close; you are overburdened ect...) should come BEFORE i start an action and then the action should not start at all; instead of letting me do it and then reading that it could not work in the first place. this would safe some time checking different menus and observe modes.
- Possibility to set one type of building as left-click default. so you only have to click ones eg. if you want to build 20 walls in a row.
- When in construction overview unfinished buildings should be visible as they will look like when finished; so one can check the alignment again (eg walls and towers)
I think these ideas might make general tasks a pit less a pain in the a .... armor...
An finally some ideas for the later game:
- Dead animals carcasses should rot after some time (atm there are dead animals lying around everywhere...) and attract aggressive animals. Rotten animals should spread diseases (we need those too!) and can be used as ammo for catapults (funny for later siege warfare hihi)
- Food, seeds, flax and straw should rot too when lying outside, with a longer storage life when stored in proper containers or buildings. Maybe let the weather have an effect on the process: It´s sunny - you get dry straw... it raining you get wet straw which becomes rotten straw (and useless) after some time
- We need pests (rats, flees, roaches etc) which are attracted by food and eat it! Later on dogs, cats and falcons might be used to fight them off
- Pets like cats and dogs would be great eg training a hunting dog for tracking and retreiving prey
- Falconry would be AWESOME! Catch a falcon with nets in the trees, train it to scout or hunt. This could be combined with: Fog of war and the need to explore the map. Show buildings/settlements the player (or the trusted falcon) has seen with his own eyes on the map - cover with FoW after some time so the information has to be updated by "spying" again.
- Add a compost pile for organic material (seeds, wood, meat, fruits, straw, flax etc) wich after some time become fertilizer (depending on quality and quantity)
- There should be visible steps when building something. eg at 0% you see nothing, after adding 10% of the mats you see a part of the wall and a scaffolding, 25% makes you see the first floor etc...
- Buildings with more then one story should have building levels (eg house with 2 stories): first raise the basis, that the first floor. then you need a small ladder to get up an the second floor, and finaly a larger ladder to get up to the roof.
- Risk of accidents on unsecured buildings sites and safety measures and tools (scaffoldings, ladders, secure with ropes etc..). It would be funny if the great master mason falls of his cathedral and breakes both of his arms
- Treasure chests with goodies should be buried to be found. Maybe add some unique items with special legend. abilities: undestructible tools and weapons for example.
- When locks start working we need picks and a lock picking skill
So far! That´s my list of ideas and my feedback for a very very very outstanding sandbox game! LiF has the potential to become an absolute legend! Keep up the splendid work!
And remember: for every tree you chop plant two sprouts
EDIT:
- Possibility to plant herbs
- Menus/windows should open where they were closed
Perhaps editing and leaving a space between ideas would make it easier for devs to read.