My first 10 hours

[akodo1]

So I've been playing for about 10 hours. Here are some impressions.

I really like the 'alone against the wilderness' feel.

Some of the following have to do with the balance between realism and challenge.

I don't think food is properly balanced. To start, items that shouldn't degrade, do. (MREs, canned food). There should be some items that do degrade and others that don't. I'd also suggest more initial food items, this allows players to explore more. I think this feeds into your discovery that most players fail to find their way onto your other maps...no ability to explore due to calorie cap.

Once you get a good break, find a few good items, you can get ahead on the curve. I found the one time I had a near week run, things got easier and easier. Don't let the people who say 'I've survived 100 days it's not hard!' Going from 100 to your 101st day is much easier than going from day 2 to day 3. Think about the experience you want for your new players, for your more average players, not for those who are gluttons for punishment.

Clothing degrades too quickly and yet is too easy to fix. It's silly how quickly a ski parka becomes useless, and it's silly how easy it to make a wolf-hide jacket. I suggest rejiggering the degrade rate lower for clothing, also decrease the drop rate, and increase the difficulty in creating crafted clothing.

I find myself actively looking for wolves to fight as a source of food. I often have excess medical items so as long as I have a hatchet the meat is worth the fight. This is backwards. Wolves should be a threat to deal with, not a resource to farm. (this dovetails into goods durability and food availability)

Some items like hatchet and knife, wearing with use makes some sense but they shouldn't wear away to nothing, but become a new item (dull hatchet, dull knife) reducing your chance of success or how long a task takes. Whetstones should not wear away. The hinges on your favorite cabin door are more likely to give way with wear than your hatchet. Cold, limited food, few bullets, etc. there are plenty of things that DO degrade or are limiters that make the game challenging.

[akodo1]

now, I am going to go play some more, because it really is an awesome game

[SwissArmy]

Nice post. Yes, it is an engrossing game....

[Larkid]

Agreed! A good hatchet and whetstone should last someone years, not days. A properly maintained rifle can last decades. As long as you're not getting mauled by bears or running through thorn bushes, a coat should last a year or more.