this game has too much good content help

Sunless Sea
1

I have a history of being very, very bad at open-world games, because when faced with too many attractive options I just kind of freeze up. I’m not sure that Sunless Sea counts as an open-world game exactly, but I’m having the same problem - I have a good grasp of the mechanics, I’m fairly good at not dying, but I have no idea what to do when there are so many options! I bought Zubmariner recently and haven’t touched it, because it just adds to the problem.

Compounding the problem is the lack of a real quest log. Sometimes objectives are mentioned in the cards in my journal, sometimes they’re not and I have to consult the wiki…

I’ve pretty much just been seeking out the ports I’ve been asked to get intel from, because that’s one of the first quests presented to you and it’s fairly linear and doesn’t require much decision making. I’ve started some of my officers’ personal quests, but I’m not sure who to prioritize and I keep forgetting what I need to do and who needs to go where…

I guess what I’m asking is, in what order should I approach the story-heavy quests? I know there’s so much good writing in this game and I want to enjoy it, I just… don’t know where to start.

(also, is the bug where the text saying there’s no shop/shipyard here is cut off when the text is sized up a known issue, or should I report it?)

2

I would suggest–start anywhere that takes your fancy! (Or at the first point that takes your fancy.) Keep track of what you’ve done and where you’ve been, so you can cover different stories at different times without missing anything. That is basically the advice FBG gives to people starting out with Fallen London, and I’d bet it is just as true with Sunless Sea. (P.S. If you see a bug and don’t know if it’s been reported, report it–I think it’s better to make sure FBG knows about bugs than to try to guess whether they’ve heard of a particular bug.)

3

Keep a journal of where you are with each quest, and don’t try too hard to follow the storylines. Instead, make a trade route, based on what you have, what you need, when you will need to refuel, etc, passing through various ports along the way. Single-mindedness will not help you. Very few plots are time-sensitive, only the Mr Sacks/Snow Child questlines and, to a lesser extent, the Brisk Campaigner. Everything else can be played as you come across it.

The journal function is not very detailed, and often does not remind you what you need, so notes of your own are very helpful. Organise them by port.

4

THIS. That’s what I did too. It helps to know who needs what.