[Feedback to Alpha2] The Curve of Excitement and some other things

[Kralith]

My story is already known by some of you. I got a link to Fractured in 2017 from a friend, then i was reading the first and second Spotlight and was already falling in love to the whole Vision. That happens rarely at games in this stage, at many many others of the same kind (Sandbox,(A)RPG,MMO) i was losing my interest for a reason of "something is wrong". Fractured did not show up the "something is wrong" for me, opposite, the vision and the visibility of our Dynamigths made me say "Yes, that will be the game i want."
My first conclusion summary i made was in Pre-Alpha, it was quite short and driven mostly by feelings.
Very basic core things we got to test there, Weapons, a campfire and a small map with Grassland and Forest Biomes and some animals in it.
But when i was stepped in first time, i noticed the already present Atmosphere.
It was very basic, but i saw the potential.
I did not expected much, but i got a suprising nice running Pre-Alpha and the following Alpha 1.
Each next Phase was setting at least one point on top to my favourite list.
Now we are in Alpha2-1 and we got first really cool Creatures, the first test of the Knowledge System and the awesome Cart
With each piece of content we are able to test, my excitement about the game grows.
But that not mean i am blind or that i have pink glasses. I keep an on the happenings.

For this reason i want to write down some things i was thinking about and noted for a later conclusion.
I will fill the empty parts while the Alpha 2 is running, but i think it is a good idea already to post the actual written parts.

Atmosphere

Let's start with the Atmosphere.

The Environment Algorithms are already well defined.
Trees, Plants and decorative Elements are placed without this Pattern-Feeling.
That means, the diversity is present and the varity of arrays of items makes the environment a kind of natural.
Good Job

But please remove the lawn mower ability from the Cart, i really like the Environment and i would like to decide if i want to remove a Bush or not.
If you don't see other possibilities than to remove surface stuff while placing blueprints, then it would be super nice to have the possibility later to place decorative Bushes and Stones in our settlements. It would be a very nice QoL and would make the whole housing aspect more living.
But to this aspect more when i am writing the Housing Conclusion.

Hear the sounds!
It is so relaxing to walk around and hear the river, the birds, the leaves in the wind.
I am hoping for much more variety in future, depending on Biomes and Planets.
Sure, there are some issues with the sounds, but in general the idea behind is visible.
I noticed per example some missing sounds (Mining Stone Boulder, Cart). Also i am still at testing about the previous issues with hard sound breaks i countered in previous test phases. I will write more about them later on.

But what i noticed when i was switching from my Boxes to my headphones - and i like it so damn much - was that you hear the sound from where it comes.
Means, you hear where the fighting is going on, where someone hitting a tree and even where your campfire is crackling.
Some minor improvement i want to suggest, make the sound both sided/all around if you stand directly at the sound source, because otherwise the sound always switch from left to right and back, when you just move a step. Maybe 2m around a source per example.
But in general, i am sooo amazed about this sound feature, i think i will play from now exclusively with headphones or at the soundsystem in our living room

Housing

Before i say something about housing in Fractured, i want to look to my excitement level.
When it comes to housing in a sandbox like game, i am consider it beside exploring and collecting as the most important long time motivation i have to look at. But there are many other parts, that arouse my interest. The fearfactor of PVP per example, if i am brave enough to step out of my comfort zone
But to see a good developement of creative possibilities pushes my excitement up.
Fractured got a bunch small details that gives me promising thoughts.
But nevertheless there are things that needs to get worked, others that i wish to have and many ideas in that i am curious about how they get implemented in the next phases.

In my opinion, Housing has to pay out, it has to be something that binds yourself to special places and makes you feeling you have to fight for them if something is threatening it.
The most part i am looking to are the possibilities of housing.
How will look like our towns, will they be very indiviual?
Are the planned housing features be usable in great Roleplay, from playing a Bartender in a Tavern next to the marketplace till to be a Harsh Commander in a Military Base?
Will the Governor Role really matter and will this might lead to interesting political controverses in Freetowns, or even Guildtowns?
What will happen with towns, if they get sieged?
There are many other questions, that will get hopefully answered during the Alpha&Beta.

I don't think i need to repeat, that Fractured already has a very nice graphic.
But i want to say, same is for the Furniture and Crafting Stations.
If we now combine it with my wishes, then i would make all furnitures interactable.
Sitting on the Table&Bench with 3 others, laying on a bed, using a table as trading storage.
Such things and more.
I like to be able to use foreign houses fires and workbenches.

But for QoL it is a bit too early.
Lets look to the mechanics that have to get worked.

• Blueprint Placement does not work next to walls for some structures (per example Wooden Chest or Fences).

• Once i built my stuff, i am supposed to be able to move my stuff around. It works outside of houses almost well, but inside it doesn't work.

• Some positions next to housewalls are not valid to move there, even if the structure seems to fit very well, like the Workbench next to the Door.

• If you go out of a house, the walls/roof don't gets visible again. You need to go a good while and come back, to reset the visibility of them.

• Not the entire structures have a bounding box with collision enabled.

I think that was the most important for going to the next level.
Now i will look curiously to the next phase and wait patiently for next features to test.

Fighting

I am not a theorycrafter directed to fights and min-maxing.
So you will probably not much read about fighting theory from my side.
Others are way better in testing the whole fighting mechanics.
But some points i may have, mostly about the look and feel of fights.

Fighting feels good and makes fun, because you have to aim, otherwise your Cast/Hit/Shoot will missing, per example shooting a Firebolt miles away from the target. I like this system.
And i like the skill effects you created. I see much nice artwork in it. Thank you Michele @Sunti

The targetting could be more consistent, since i had some problems as Arcanist to get the attack symbol at cursor when many people fighting together. It feels like you have to find this single small spot between all these scurring people where the enemy is targetable.
Some casts just trigger, if you have a fighting target, means the cursor with fighting symbol, when you moving over a target. If you can't find the target, you can't use the skill.
More annoying it is for Hordes of Creatures (at least two) who are close to each other, you can't target them precise. Very bad if you want to shoot a priority target, but you always get just target the other, because it is in front of your view (not of your character).
Not sure how to improve it, but i would not like to have a click to target system as alternative.
I can imagine to trigger the skill if anything under the cursor position is valid for the skill.
And then the Target is choosed by the angle of my click to my character.

The moving of creatures and their pathfinding goes into the right direction.
Here we got a huge upgrade after you changed your platform version.
Animals and Creatuers are more smooth in their movement and i see some kind of tactics they use.
Their difficulty level shows already a bit that we will need to be creative to fight them, especially if you don't have recommended skills yet.
I already hate the Wisps

But some things i wish to see in future, since the system now feels still a bit clumsy.
That there is a need for Spawner at fixed positions is for me very clear, you want to set the positions of Mob groups at special POI.
But maybe the random ones should be really random or at least a bit random with limits.
For now it is like "Oh i need to kill x Rabbits, there are 2 spots next to my house, i know exactly where they are." - run, kill, repeat = finished Knowledge
Also i would like to see, that spawned Animals don't run back to their spawn point if they lose aggro.
Why not let them wait at the spot they losed line of sight for some time to you? Maybe let them walk back slowly, after a while of waiting.
This resetting behaviour seems to be a big possibility of abusing in my opinion.
I want to be able to really run away from them (outside line of sight and interest), not just run to xy and i know they are resetted. I want to be able to run aways as good i can and hide me, if i am not brave enough. And i want to get in trouble if i do this headless.

Knowledge System

< still on testing, need to get written later >

UI

< still on testing, need to get written later >