EmilyAriel
Posts: 124
7/4/2014
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Nenjin wrote:
Handy. Seems like gaming the system a bit though.
Apologies in advance for the longpost, but I'm curious as to what you're doing and want to share my general strategy.
I'm not sure how using the SAY system counts as gaming the system -- it's there to alert you as to when something might happen at port, and given that Mutton Island has a particularly lucrative option, it's definitely worth stopping there to use it if possible!
Nenjin, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with money, moreso than most. I definitely had trouble at first, but I've since found a good rhythm and while upgrading a ship is still a long grind that any given captain is unlikely to survive for, I don't have the trouble you seem to be having just being able to afford the next outing.
I'm really curious as to what a typical game looks like for you; if you can describe that, we can probably give you some pointers to make it a bit easier on you.
I just started a new game, and I decided to keep track of my first three runs. I'm assuming in these runs that I bought fuel, even though I only used the starting fuel on the first run and the gift from the Cheery Man on the second; however, I'm ignoring supplies, because any run that passes Venderbight should be able to acquire enough from bats that it doesn't need to be purchased.
Run 1: The admiral wanted strategic information from the Iron & Misery Funging station on Demeaux Gate. I purchased 3x wine (21 e each), the Mutton Island port report (1 e), 8x fuel (10 e each), for a total of 144 echoes. I sold 3x tomb-colonists (15 e each), recent news (10 e), port reports for Mutton Island, Hunter's Keep, and Venderbight (5, 5, and 10 e respectively), 3x wine (23 e each), strategic information (150 e), and got lucky and found a Judgment Egg (500 e). The Judgment Egg is definitely lucky, so I'm not counting it; even without that, I received a total of 294 echoes, for a profit of 150 echoes. Not enough to upgrade; in reality of course it's more because I didn't actually spend 80 echoes on fuel! If I did count the egg I would have used it to purchase the 200 e harpoon gun. This is would definitely be enough to fund my next run, even if the Cheery Man didn't give me fuel.
Run 2: The admiral wanted strategic information from the Cumean Canal; this is a pretty crappy run and I didn't make a lot, because there's not a lot on the way. I purchased 6x fuel (10 e each), the Mutton Island port report (1 e), a terror reduction at Mutton Island, hoping for stat gain (20 e, no luck), and recruited the Genial Magician before I set out (50 e), for a total of 131 echoes. I sold the Mutton Island and Cumean Canal port reports (both 5 e each), strategic information (150 e), and found a Judgment Egg on both legs of the trip; I used those to buy the 1000 e harpoon gun (glad I didn't buy the 200 earlier!). Not counting the egg-gun trade, my total income was 160 e, for a measly net profit of 29 echoes. This is unsurprising since it was a short trip with very few stops.
Run 3: The admiral asked me to go to the Chapel of Lights; if I'm already going there, it's trivial to go to Mt. Palmerston to deliver the Cheery Man's package, where cheap fuel can be had, and if I'm already going there, it's easy to head south on the way back and make quite a few other stops. I did actually have to buy fuel in London to start out with, unfortunately; I came to port with 5 and bought 10 more, though 15 fuel to get to Palmerston is overkill. In total, I bought 10x fuel in london (10e each), recruited the Sigil-Ridden Navigator (50 e), 13x wine (21 e each), recruited the Bandaged Poissonier in Venderbight (300 e, and a very rare expense--this is only the second time I've seen him), 20x fuel at Mt. Palmerston (9 e each), the Mutton Island port report (1 e), and a terror reduction at Mutton Island (20 e, again no stats  ). I sold 3x tomb-colonists (15 e each), recent news (10 e), 13x wine (23e each), a pirate ship (50 e), 2x strategic information (150 e; one from the Chapel; one from succeeding the Veils check in Gaider's Mourn), and the port reports for Hunter's Keep, Venderbight, Wither, the Chapel of Lights, Mt. Palmerston, Port Cecil, Gaider's Mourn, Station III, Abbey Rock, and Mutton Island (5, 10, 20, 20, 40, 30, 30, 20, 5 e, respectively, and you can see the loop around the map that I made from the order), and the smuggled souls (200 e), all for a total of 1184 echoes, and a profit of 260 echoes. I had some luck in both directions; the Poisonnier was an unexpected expense, slighly balanced out by the unexpected windfall of strategic info in Gaider's Mourn. I also arrived at London with 22 fuel, which is enough that I don't need to buy any there.
For my next run, I'm to get strategic info from Khan's Heart, and purchase souls in Polythreme; this isn't a great run by itself, but from Khan's Heart it's not too hard to take the reverse of my previous trip and return by way of Gaider's Mourn, Port Cecil, Mt. Palmerston (where I'll refuel) and the rest of the northern points, though I do have to buy some supplies to start out with unfortunately. They are a trivial expense compared to the expected profit.
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nameless
Posts: 237
7/4/2014
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Just go for the 1000 echo harpoon weapon, the other ones aren't worth it. Also, harpoon do bonus damage to sea beasts so you can start farming hunting trophies.
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The only god of the zee is nameless.
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Capt. Poopaloupe
Posts: 6
7/4/2014
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If I choose the option to keep my skin unblemished(-50 terror w00t), can I still get a tattoo the next time I return to port?
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Capt. Poopaloupe
Posts: 6
7/4/2014
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Fhoenix
Terror is a wonderful thing. I like it very much as a concept. But I don't think my zailors should mutiny when I am on my way back to London and have maybe ten seconds until we dock. I am all for getting terror from omens and sailing in unknown waters, but getting it on return trips feels wrong. Not sure there is any way to fix it under the current system. But it just feels so illogical.
Also suddenly getting that event at 100 was very surprising. I new something bad would happen... I just did not know it would be this radical.
Fonts need to be bigger and sharper, but as I understand, it's a known problem.
[/quote wrote:
I suppose I have to look at that as your crew deciding enough is enough, and that they don't want to be lead by you ever again. You put them through hell, you did! I couldn't blame my crew since I sacrificed one of them to one of those living icebergs. Still... so close to port.
And yes, I would definitely like the option to increase font size.
edited by Capt. Poopaloupe on 7/4/2014
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nameless
Posts: 237
7/4/2014
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@Capt. Poopaloupe, No, it is permanent.
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The only god of the zee is nameless.
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Capt. Poopaloupe
Posts: 6
7/4/2014
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Capt. Poopaloupe wrote:
If I choose the option to keep my skin unblemished(-50 terror w00t), can I still get a tattoo the next time I return to port?
nameless wrote:
@Capt. Poopaloupe, No, it is permanent.
Mm... okay. Thanks you.
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Nenjin
Posts: 171
7/4/2014
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Nenjin, you seem to be having a lot of trouble with money, moreso than most.
Mmm no. I can make money, it just takes forever until you get lucky enough to get a good event from SAY. (25 Mutton Island runs. 2 Judgement Eggs, TYVM.) Plenty of other people feel getting money early game is a pain in the ass too.
I was wrong that it could be gamed, but I didn't think the event was that rare. Turns out it kinda is. There's no other real money on that run until you can get the Special Report mission. The first time I played, it took me 10 hours to eventually work my way out far enough to do it.
The changes in Corsair Gold from Gold do help things a bit. Consistent payment on Special Reports.Drastically reduced cost of dry dock repairs. But you basically have to have done the first Special Report task before you can do more than pay your fuel bills without a good event and the knowledge of where to find it. I went 20 hours in my Gold saved game before I ever found an event that yielded something like a Judgment Egg or Live Specimen.
On this save, I've been playing 7 hours and have only now gotten enough together to buy a gun upgrade, without leaving myself completely broke. And I think that's what most people experience their first real game.
As Alexis has said, it will probably get better so I'm in wait and see mode. Once you get passed the early game and have a cash stockpile, things are not so bad. Hopefully the early game will smooth out for people more.
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EmilyAriel
Posts: 124
7/4/2014
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nameless wrote:
Just go for the 1000 echo harpoon weapon, the other ones aren't worth it. Also, harpoon do bonus damage to sea beasts so you can start farming hunting trophies.
I definitely think the 200 echo harpoon gun is worthwhile -- harpoons, almost completely regardless of your irons, are the difference between one-shotting the low level pirates and bats and taking 2-3 shots. The 500 is eminently skippable, though.
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
7/4/2014
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Note that the two 1,000 echo weapons fit different slots - so you can have both at once! ...if you're fantastically wealthy and desire to be fantastically well-armed.
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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valday
Posts: 4
7/4/2014
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Hi fellow Zeemen!
I've now played the game for 6 hours since it released on steam, and here is some feedback that hopefully seems constructive. There is a lot of subjects to go by, but I will go trough some of the ones I find most important atm. I'm fully aware that there is work in progress, but anyhow:
Artwork, music and atmosphere:
This is just beautiful, and I feel the game is really unique. This is the reason why I bought the game in the first place. I can only say I look forward to when more content is added.
Combat:
I do like the whole Illuminate concept, but there is ALOT to be done here. Seeing that the progress for combat is currently at 65%, the last 35% need to be spot on for this game to succeed in the long run. Since rogue-like games are based heavily on this, it has to be more interactive and interesting then it is at its current state. There is really not much strategy involved at the moment except making sure you illuminate your enemy above 50, and try at all cost to stay hidden yourself. This is not entertaining, require little-to-no planning, and you often find that you are using the same "recipe" over and over (at least at the easy enemies).
The games I enjoy (or have enjoyed) the most are the ones that allows you to match up to greater foes, but with a good strategy and some cunning tactics makes you able to pull of a win - and of course, if you screw up you bite the dust. Right now, I kinda think it boils down to whom has the biggest boat (or best stats).
Enemies:
As with combat, "this" needs to be improved. Currently I've battled bats, small crabs and light pirates without much problem, and as mentioned earlier I pretty much do the same moves on all of them. I've also killed a few sharkes (with that collar thing around their neck) without much problems. Apart from that, everything else that I've "got in touch with" has killed me as soon as they get enough illumination to do their first attack. And before you yell "use your damn evasion skills", I did. It was more or less all i did in fact. I understand that some enemies aren't meant to be beaten before you get a better boat/stats, but bloody hell, killing you in one hit seems a bit over the top. You should at least get something like "oh sh****T, this thing hits hard, lets gtfo". Seeing that you only have 1 life, attacking new enemies is not really something I look forward to knowing that it would probably be the last thing I do - at least that's my experience so far. Getting more info on your opponent (abilities/damage) might help.
Economy:
This has been mention in several other posts, and I share most points pointed out about your ability to make money. Trade routes needs to be improved and so on.. Especially since I don't really see how you can afford to get a new ship at the moment, without grinding your hats off. Also, before you get a stronger ship, you can't really take on stronger foes..
Map and location:
Again, the artwork is amazing, and even if sailing around is kinda "simple" I do not think it is boring. Finding new locations are always exiting, and seeing that there is so much more to come is really something to look forward to. I do wish though that you could interact more with the different island "states", in the form of building improvements, which again could open possibilities for better trade routes, better prices, new shop options and so on. This would also help making each new game more unique, since I do fear the "been there, done that" when you find eg. Demeaux's gate on your X playthrough.
Interface and user friendliness:
As we all know, Sunless Sea is beyond anything we (or at least I) have seen earlier. Terminology like Mirrors, terror, iron, echoes etc. are thrown at you right from the start, and you will most likely find yourself at a loss in the beginning. Personally I kinda like this approach since it's all refreshingly new, and helps to make SS what is is. I'm not sure however if everyone feels this way, and I think it should be possible to get some more information about the different things if you feel like it.
One last note:
I really like the idea of having the possibility to keep a officer, skill or [insert last option here, i can't remember] for your next game. Though this is what happened to me: I got a really good officer which i chose to keep after I got absolutely murdered by a whale-thingy, but the first thing that happened in the next game was that through a seemingly random event, the officer decides to leave my ship - before I even had the chance to cast off!!.. As I hope you understand, this was kinda infuriating and things like this needs to be removed... Also, transferring a skill, lets say 56 iron, to your next game makes picking the Iron character background (Veteran of the Hell-war or something) which would normally give you a bonus to iron useless, since this wont improve your skill over 50. If I missed some info that told me this, it's my own fault, if not, this is just mean.
This turned out to be longer then i expected. I guess it means that I only wish Failgames the best of luck, as I think this game has tremendous potential, and I would love to see it succeed.
In the meantime, may the terror be kept in check, and the sisters on Hunter's Keep treat you well!
Z U at Zee,
- V
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Zack Oak
Posts: 205
7/4/2014
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(Cross-posted from the Profit! thread, because I am a derp and put this there instead of here in the feedback one...)
I am happy to say, for the first time ever, I have won Sunless Sea. Lady Cecilia DiAmante is now relaxing in a beautiful zeeside mansion, surrounded by attentive servants and enormous piles of money. So, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with how that worked out. With Corsair's Gold out, I have my usual list o' things to say:
The great!
- Dat combat rebalance. I can fight zee-beasts, and it's an exciting, harrowing challenge of risk vs. reward, even at the highest levels of gameplay. Lorn-flukes are appropriately terrifying, but not insurmountable, and remain the barometer for how top-tier combat should feel for me. I absolutely love the difference in AI between beasts and ships, where the difference between a war-trimaran with a navy and a heavily-armed rustbucket is apparent. Wild salvos are a fun change to the way you fight steam-pinnaces, too.
- Mt. Palmerston's fuel prices. Devilbone dice. Yes, yes, yes, yes.
The good!
- New items! New methods of trade up in Whithier! It's really cool to see things that are valued besides echoes, which fits the concept of how the manifold nation-states across the zee function.
- The hidden officer at 75 terror. I was not expecting that at all.
- Cheaper repairs, and the admiralty yards. Terror reduction in London.
- A will! Relic collections and heirlooms!
The bad.
- The sad, gloomy game over music plays even when you have successful, victorious retirement. That seems wrong.
- Kind of a long time between when something awaits you triggers. Exploration is not quite as fun when you don't have those options.
- Not as many places to trade, unless stygian ivory is much easier to find than I thought. I would have imagined Polythreme to be more of a trade hub. Getting echoes outside of exploration remains a grind.
- It's actually harder to starve than I would have expected. I kind of wanted to play a cannibal captain, but I really need to work to make that happen.
The ugly.
- This section would be blank if I didn't put this sentence here, and that would have made my post ugly and ill-formatted. How dare you. Grumble. Unfunny ironic fake anger and such.
--
Roland Banning, The Ambitious Operative (Profile)
Tumblr RP Account
Ask me about the Delicious Friends RP group!
Open for social actions (no cats or photographers, please. Currently taking a break from K&C.)
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valday
Posts: 4
7/4/2014
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Also, I just realized that there is a specific thread for feedback.. If any moderator would be so kind and move my post, I would be grateful.
- V
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
7/4/2014
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valday wrote:
Also, before you get a stronger ship, you can't really take on stronger foes.
A stronger ship certainly helps, but you can do pretty well by upgrading your existing ship's weapons, systems and officers, as well as your captain's stats. That will give you the capacity to illuminate and blast enemies quickly, and reduce your own illumination if need be, but not to tank enemy hits. So, risky but possible!
valday wrote:
Also, I just realized that there is a specific thread for feedback.. If any moderator would be so kind and move my post, I would be grateful.
Merg'd!
--
Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Nenjin
Posts: 171
7/5/2014
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I found the other bay where the audio for my ship's engines in one of my speakers dies. It's a little unnamed bay just north of Pickets Bluff.
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James Flattery
Posts: 7
7/5/2014
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I'm playing on a 1080p screen, and I'm finding the gazette way too small. It takes up about a fourth of the screen. I'd really like a way to make it larger, since right now it feels like one of those popup dialogs (the sort you learn to click through quickly so you can go back to doing whatever you were doing before) rather than the core of the story.
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Nenjin
Posts: 171
7/5/2014
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Couple other bugs/oddities I've noticed:
-Salt's Attention is marked as an accomplishment, while Stone's Attention is a story.
-The different color palettes of regions (default green sea, Venderblight Yellow, Wither Blue...) don't see to go away when they should. I've zailed across half the ocean to Wither's frosty blue waves.. Loading a save fixes it.
edited by Nenjin on 7/5/2014
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Kerine
Posts: 72
7/5/2014
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Nenjin wrote:
-The different color palettes of regions (default green sea, Venderblight Yellow, Wither Blue...) don't see to go away when they should. I've zailed across half the ocean to Wither's frosty blue waves.. Loading a save fixes it.
edited by Nenjin on 7/5/2014
That would explain why i've set sail (zail?) from London with the waves oddly sepia before...
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Kerine
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Nenjin
Posts: 171
7/5/2014
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Don't know if this is intended or not, but the storylet in Port Cecil that starts "Someone has carved a sinuous shape into the jumbled limestone of the reef" doesn't seem to consume Something Awaits You, so it's endlessly repeatable.
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CameoAppearance
Posts: 146
7/5/2014
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Ewan C. wrote:
organicmcgee wrote:
Still nothing. Myceligaea does not exist. Yep, it does, although - as noted - it is only for being pretty right now. Go SE from the Ragged Crow.
The Chelonate and Myceligaea seem to have switched places, so Myceligaea is sort of out in the middle of nowhere right now. It's very pretty, but there's not much to do there and it's very hard to get to (since there's a lack of buoys or illuminated islands leading out to it).
Dzurlord wrote:
I have no idea if it's possible to implement, but I would really enjoy being able to encounter my wayward prize-crew on the Zee again and rough them up. 
I love this idea.
Capt. Poopaloupe wrote:
Fhoenix wrote:
Terror is a wonderful thing. I like it very much as a concept. But I don't think my zailors should mutiny when I am on my way back to London and have maybe ten seconds until we dock. I am all for getting terror from omens and sailing in unknown waters, but getting it on return trips feels wrong. Not sure there is any way to fix it under the current system. But it just feels so illogical.
Also suddenly getting that event at 100 was very surprising. I new something bad would happen... I just did not know it would be this radical.
Fonts need to be bigger and sharper, but as I understand, it's a known problem.
I suppose I have to look at that as your crew deciding enough is enough, and that they don't want to be lead by you ever again. You put them through hell, you did! I couldn't blame my crew since I sacrificed one of them to one of those living icebergs. Still... so close to port.
I once got a mutiny within swimming distance of Wolfstack Docks. I worked this into my zee-captain's story as them having made the crew so angry/mad with fear that the crew wanted to make sure they were dead, rather than settling for getting off the boat in London and never coming back.
I'm sort of confused and mildly disappointed about Khan's Shadow, Khan's Glory, Myceligaea, Stonesoul Isles and Ragged Crow not having any more content than they did in the regular Gold release. (Ragged Crow doesn't even have anywhere to dock, which seems peculiar. But, meh, when Shepherd's Wash was unfinished it also had a lighthouse out in the middle of a barren sector.) I'm sure they'll be there soon but I was excited to explore them and then there wasn't anything new to explore. Well, I can go and have a look at the scenery in the case of Myceligaea, but that's it.
The music in this version seems to play over itself more often than it used to. Sometimes a track starts playing while I'm zailing when the previous track hasn't finished yet (it seems to happen more often with location-specific music), and the thing where the regular zailing music keeps playing during combat is still happening.
I like the little buoy noises. And I appreciate the subtle graphical polishes, even though I tend not to notice them in play.
edited by CameoAppearance on 7/5/2014
edited by CameoAppearance on 7/5/2014
--
Dr Cameo “Scary Teeth” Thurlow, that toothy androgyne with the wickedly sharp curly quotes
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AlexWattsEsq
Posts: 46
7/5/2014
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I'm back in after being away for a while. It's so much...gamier! I like it.
It also seems slightly more forgiving - in that there is scope for terrible narrow escapes, rather than the Zee enforcing death for the smallest mistake. I've undertaken speculative voyages in a few directions at the behest of the Admiralty and despite death, disaster, exploding engines and having to kill half my crew myself, have just about managed to limp back to dock and pull myself together. I prefer that kind of balance.
I'm currently looking for the Khanate. Can anyone give me a hint about where it is? I've discovered giant mushrooms, an island of warring vermin, more or less everything, in fact, except what I'm looking for.
Help?
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