Exploration confusion & greetings from new player

Hi there :)

Just wanted to say how much I’m enjoying the game - all aspects - design, narrative, gameplay, audio - all of it just delightful! I’m utterly hooked.

I know the game is in early access so things are still improving but I’ve found exploration quite tricky and I wanted to clarify some things. I hope that’s ok.

As I understand it, the map shuffling system was introduced recently, and that can mean large areas of your current map are filled with yet-to-be-developed zones. I’m having some problems progressing much passed the west coast of the map (Hunter’s Keep, Mutton Island etc) because I often can’t find islands to explore. Added to which, I’m having difficulty locating the places the Admiralty want me to find. Well, I occasionally find them but usually not.

I’m not sure if I’m ‘supposed’ to sail around the west coast a lot early in the game - perhaps I’m over-reaching myself and my poor little boat too soon. Is this the fault of my playstyle or new map shuffling or a bit of both? And if I zail through the unfinished zones, can I find finished ones beyond them?

As I say, I’m really enjoying myself, I’m just a bit confused by how things work at the moment. :)
edited by Tarantella de Pangolin on 8/16/2014

Long story short: yep, the empty zones being shuffled into the map can make getting started really hard! The filled-in areas will be beyond the empty ones, though they might be some distance away. Don’t be afraid to, for instance, start a new game, save, sail around a bit recklessly to see if there are islands nearby, then reload your save and start a proper game (if you’ve gotten a good random map), or quit and restart (if not.)

Thanks so much! Actually, that was something else I meant to ask. If I use my save trinket (I’m sorry I can’t remember what it’s proper name is now!) can I get it back again if I reload the game? I would hate to lose it forever - I want to play the game as it should be played :) - but as things stand, I’m so tempted to use it.

Again, thanks so much for the swift reply. :)

Honestly, I don’t think Unforgiving Mode is the way the game should be played - especially in these early stages, when the mechanics and map aren’t complete and there’s so much exploring and bugfixing to do! If you lose the token, you can’t get it back, but I’d rather just play without it until the game’s finished and I feel like doing a hardcore run.

(By the way, I love your username - pangolins are great little critters!)

Oh dear, well maybe I’ll just have to bite the cutlass and use it. Perhaps we might get one back when the game officially launches?

And thank you! They are lovely aren’t they and I think they do look quite other-worldly. One of my fave creatures. People must stop eating them!!

Oh, just to clarify - you do get a new token when starting a completely new game; just not when loading a game or when you pass down a legacy to a new character from an old character who’s given up their token.

The effect of the token is to signify that you are playing the game in hard mode. Giving it up merely allows you to save anywhere. Otherwise, you oonly save upon docking at a port.

And yes, pangolins are adorable, even if I don’t know what possessed someone to crossbreed an armadillo and a pinecone.

Zounds! Yes, saving makes an enormous difference. Managing to make some progress finally! :)

[quote=Tarantella de Pangolin]Oh dear, well maybe I’ll just have to bite the cutlass and use it. Perhaps we might get one back when the game officially launches?

And thank you! They are lovely aren’t they and I think they do look quite other-worldly. One of my fave creatures. People must stop eating them!![/quote]

[li]
I would definitely advise against playing in Unforgiving mode when just starting out with the game. I fell into the same trap (wanting to play the game &quotas it should be played&quot) and got incredibly frustrated. Of course, everyone’s tolerance for these things is different, but you definitely will die… a lot. So maybe wait with playing in unforgiving until you got the hang of the mechanics of the game and an idea of what awaits you out on the zee.

As far as I can tell, you can still only save at a port. The difference is that your manual saves aren’t wiped out by pesky things like dying.

Oh. My apoligies.

I’d misread the description, then. (I’ve never switched to merciful mode.)

I know this has been discussed elsewhere on the forums as well, but it’s relevant to the topic: the designers might want to consider changing the text when explaining the difference between Unforgiving and Save mode. As it is, I think people initially think that Unforgiving is the &quotRegular&quot difficulty and Save is the &quotEasy&quot difficulty, when in reality it’s more like Save is the &quotRegular&quot mode and Unforgiving is &quotHardcore&quot mode.

&quotI know this has been discussed elsewhere on the forums as well, but it’s relevant to the topic: the designers might want to consider changing the text when explaining the difference between Unforgiving and Save mode. As it is, I think people initially think that Unforgiving is the &quotRegular&quot difficulty and Save is the &quotEasy&quot difficulty, when in reality it’s more like Save is the &quotRegular&quot mode and Unforgiving is &quotHardcore&quot mode.&quot

I think this is a really good idea

Actually, I’m being a bit of a twit - I thought the little ‘thumbs up’ icons were to show appreciation and friendliness but they’re for indicating the most appropriate answer to questions aren’t they.

Sorry!
edited by Tarantella de Pangolin on 8/16/2014

Haha, I thought they were for showing appreciation too!

I just want to mention also that the frustration is definitely not part of your play style. In fact, I think once the issues with map shuffling (admiralty wrong and blank zones) are solved, this is probably the best way to play imo. You get to explore the zee without being bored by grinding, with only a little practice strategic information can support a voyage to just about anywhere on the (current) map, and you can blame all of your horrible deaths on yourself and have fun with them.

It definitely is unrealistic to play on unforgiving mode with the current map shuffling, at least as a beginner. I did it up until emerald from the beginning of early access, but that was on a static map, so you didn’t encounter the bugs that are now present, plus I could memorize the map. I could probably do so now (i don’t because I wanted to keep my old game and start a new one), but only because I now know the tricks of the zee. My advice is to get your footing on merciful, then switch it over and play a game on unforgiving with all of the fun of dying horribly because you did something you knew was a bad idea.

I also may be in the minority here, but I dislike the idea of calling unforgiving a hardcore mode. It is, I think, the way the game is meant to be experienced. Die a lot. Die even more. Finally decide to try something else and get further before you die. Promoting merciful as normal I think would just suggest that dying isn’t something that will - even should - happen. That’s not to say it should be described as easy mode either, just that I think their names describe them more aptly than hardcore and normal or even normal and easy. Maybe have merciful say something like &quotfor those zee-captains that prefer to get their feet in a slightly less deadly environment.&quot

I mean, I get that people will get frustrated by the common death, but to me that’s really part of the charm of the game and I would hate to have others lose that experience because they’re more used to the idea of their characters being more permanent.
edited by Kerine on 8/16/2014

there’s a ‘navigation’ bug due for correction in the next game update, scheduled for later this month. it will address the tendency of the game to give bad directions. still, don’t expect laser precision and GPS coordinates.

in the meantime (and even after) try using your &quotzee-bat&quot guidance system when out at zee (keyboard letter ‘z’). the little beast has quite a range and will mark ports it finds on the chart. you might not find the place you’re looking for, but you should be able to find something.[li]

[quote=Kerine]
I also may be in the minority here, but I dislike the idea of calling unforgiving a hardcore mode. It is, I think, the way the game is meant to be experienced. Die a lot. Die even more. Finally decide to try something else and get further before you die. Promoting merciful as normal I think would just suggest that dying isn’t something that will - even should - happen. That’s not to say it should be described as easy mode either, just that I think their names describe them more aptly than hardcore and normal or even normal and easy. Maybe have merciful say something like &quotfor those zee-captains that prefer to get their feet in a slightly less deadly environment.&quot
edited by Kerine on 8/16/2014[/quote]

Thanks so much for the encouraging advice, Kerine. I’m beginning to get the hang of things but I was starting to get disheartened by the constant dying of death every 20 mins or so. Nice to know it’s not me being a complete idiot all the time.

With regard to your quote and Fall Acious’ comment earlier - I think all you need is clear indication that you can get your Trinket back when you start a brand new game. I initially thought it was a one-use-only deal and I’d lose the chance to beat the game properly. I agree with you completely that Merciful shouldn’t be promoted as the main way to play. I love the permadeath and scrapes you can so easily get into! I think new players should be encouraged to follow the advice you’ve just given me - play with Merciful while you’re finding your feet and then play properly with Unforgiving mode.

Having said that, I’ve just spent the last 30 mins trying to get from one port back to Fallen London three zones away, with only 1 Fuel and 1 Supply left. I finally did it, but it was very much more luck than judgement, and only a ‘fortunate’ encounter with a Bound Shark allowed me to do it. I was glad I’d had the save so I could beat the problem.

As an aside, I’m so enjoying the writing, as you might expect, but my fave snippet today was the text for a placeholder zeemonster I killed. It went something like, ‘Loot me if you must, I’ll probably eat you one day anyway’. Very pleasing.

[li]incredibly satisfying, isn’t it?

save issues aside, it’s meant to be a very hard game, which makes every precious kernel of success pried from its steely grip very rewarding. just be-aware that some maps are going to be a lot, lot harder to play than others.

oh, and speaking of bewaring … avoid anything that looks like a giant urchin, and remember - &quotthat’s no island, it’s a mountain&quot.

[quote=Psst!][li]incredibly satisfying, isn’t it?

save issues aside, it’s meant to be a very hard game, which makes every precious kernel of success pried from its steely grip very rewarding. just be-aware that some maps are going to be a lot, lot harder to play than others.

oh, and speaking of bewaring … avoid anything that looks like a giant urchin, and remember - &quotthat’s no island, it’s a mountain&quot.[/quote]

Hee hee - if I’m honest, I run away from most things at the moment. Apart from zeebats. Zeebats are my prey.

[/li]

Go fight things, it’s fun. Also very likely deadly, but fun nonetheless. Like when I kept going in a certain godfall storylet even though there was no way I could possibly make it back. It was lots of fun and deadly.

Pirate steamers should be very possible at any point though, and once you’ve upgraded your guns you can kill western angler crabs as well (with a little difficulty if you’ve got lower veils). The key is, when the earlier monster is easy to beat and boring, you might just have a chance of killing the stronger one if the RNG god doesn’t hate you. Do heed the warnings of Psst! though. And never get yourself trapped in a corner when there might be a mountain around.