Niddhog
Posts: 19
7/14/2014
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I've played the game for some 26 hours, and would just like to list my suggestions, mostly quality of life improvements.
-Current observations should show up under an enemy's portrait. I hate having to constantly pause and sift through the combat log for this. A little symbol under the portrait/to the right of the enemy's action would be a huge help
-Unless I'm missing something, there should be a way to check your hold in the middle of the zee. If nothing else, a little indicator under your crew could display current/max cargo (say, 38/40). This is just a helpful reminder so that you don't turn zee-bats into supplies (or stop and farm that next lifeberg/pirate) when you are already full
-Speaking of filling up when wanting to add supplies, I'd love an option to use up a supply when your cargo hold is full instead of tossing something out. This can be either a "feast" option (reset hunger to 0, possible terror reduction dependent on how little hunger crew had), or the option to try and convert the supply into fuel (and add to your current fuel meter, straight into the engines).
-An option to delay consuming supplies. I don't know how many times I've been a hair from Hunter's Keep/Chancel of Lights/small yellow crab when my crew ticked over 50 and consumed a supply. Just 1 more second and I could have avoided losing a supply! Afaik, so long as you don't hit 100 hunger there are no penalties, so why can't I tell my crew to quit bitching for a minute as I sail into port at Hunter's Keep?
-Storage at Wolfstack Docks. Either the ability to rent or purchase a warehouse to store surplus goods. Whenever I kill 1 (or 10) too many zeebats and fill my hold with supplies, it'd be nice to store some of the extra. Or perhaps I swung by Mt. Palmerston and filled up on fuel, and decided to store 20 at the docks for future use. Maybe I changed my mind about going up to venderblight and decide to shelve the mushroom wine for now. If nothing else this would be a huge help to those pursuing the "Zong of the Zee" victory condition. Most of the stories and such don't take up space, but "Strange Catch" and "Lamentable Relics" can be found very early. Being penalized (by lack of cargo space) for holding onto them seems like such a waste. The docks have to be FULL of warehouses, surely you could rent one or two? This could also open up new storylets (Rattus Faber/Urchins breaking into it, for one).
-When you get near London, you get a blurb in your journal about "Home Waters" and how your crew can see the distant lights of said city. Since your crew's spirit is bolstered by being so close to home, shouldn't you gain terror slower here? Also, being so close to such a bustling port, shouldn't you get another option to hail a passing ship when out of fuel? I've had to abandon a game to lack of fuel... while right next to Wolfstack Docks, within the harbor of Fallen London itself! I was seconds from docking, and my crew could have swam to shore. This close to port, there should be plenty of ships coming/going. Surely another captain could be persuaded to sell you fuel (at a grossly inflated price, ofc). "Hail a passing ship for fuel" Can thus be a final options when you get the "Desperate Measures" quality. Your chance of success can be dependent on how close you are to a port (and how busy said port is). Out in hte middle of nowhere chances are zilch, but within FL's harbour should be a guaranteed success of hailing another ship. There can be skill checks to see how bad you get fleeced for said fuel (free, at cost, double cost, triple cost, so on). Perhaps an admiralty ship swings by and you can cash in 2-3 favor for a unit? Anything is better than losing a game a stones throw from port!
-Secrets feel like they are gained far too slow. Your origin is +25 stats, and even then it feels like that isn't enough (How many pages is needed to have a reasonable chance of winning the hardest riddles!?) Not just pages, but 3 stats all need to be well over 50 to fight the more difficult enemies (iron, mirrors, veils). This leaves pages and hearts far into the dust if you hope to not die miserably fighting Khanate ships... yet alone the Obsidian Mt and that spiky sea anemone thingy... So our origin is +25, we can pass on accumulated progress in one skill, and then funnel the rest of our secrets into the third stat to take down tough enemies... but again, this leaves no room for pages/hearts.
-Trade. I know smuggling is coming soon, but it feels like putting the cart before the horse. What use is smuggling when there are maybe 2-3 trade routes in the whole zee!? (Wine to Vendorblight, Wine/honey to Corsair's Forest, Devilbones from Mt. Palm to London... I don't like wine to Godfall due to the terror gained... ~4 terror there and back at least). And these routes that exist? They are all chump change. If I'm spending 10+ fuel to get there and back, I need to be gaining more than 1 measely echo per item sold. As it stands, trade is little more than "farm pirates/lifebergs, sell their stuff in London"
-Separate "food" and "resources" for supplies. It feels weird being able to repair my ship with the same materials my crew is eating. At least it somewhat makes sense rummaging among supplies for fuel (high fat foods would burn), but how do I repair my ship's hull with zeebat corpses and fungal crackers!?
-On that note, eating nothing but zeebats and crab for a few weeks seems like it would give my crew a serious case of scurvy (Zurvy? Zcurvy?) Maybe have different food types? Meat+veggies? I imagine fruit is rare, but it does exist in the Unterzee (sometimes when opening a crate you can find peaches, although your crew weeps and loses 5 terror at the find).
-I've notice what look like schools of fish just under the water (spinning circles), could we get an option to fish at these spots for supplies/chance at strange catch? A rare failure could even bring up combat with something best not awakened!
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lord1box
Posts: 62
7/20/2014
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Medicine Man wrote:
* Moby Dick. Allowing a character to have the ambition of killing a dreadful unique Zea-beasts (from a list of 2-3 possibles, decided on character creation) would be truly awesome and would fit so well with the setting. Building up the ship capable of facing the beast, finding it, and possibly acquiring special weapons to harm it (silver tipped harpoon, etc) could easily fill up an entire career.
Overall, this game is rich with possibilities. I can hardly wait to see where y'all go with it.
This should be in the game.
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Niddhog
Posts: 19
7/21/2014
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About sunk ships... since this is a rogue like (and you are NOT the only captain of the 'zee), there should at least be random events where you come across a wrecked ship near shore (mirrors check to find some goodies/supplies). Or perhaps you come across a ship floating adrift... and find it full of crazed cannibals! (say, the remaining crew from a previous failed game). If nothing else, when zubmarines are added, there will HAVE to be wrecks beneath the waves to visit. An insanely nice touch would be to find your past ships beneath the waves. You could salvage some of the items in your hull/maybe find the ship's log/part of a map (for secrets/locations revealed). If nothing else it would be cool to come upon your last ship, even if all it had was a log saying how you died (maybe some mad ramblings about Mt. Obsidian thingy).
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Martha Pennywell
Posts: 1
7/15/2014
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Good day all, I recently purchased Sunless Sea on a recommendation and fell in love! The challenge of exploration, managing resources and all the twists in the stories - I cannot put this game down! I think a lot of people are drawn to the stories (Hunter's Keep anyone?) but after I played on Fallen London for a bit, I think I spotted an inconsistency.
Given I'm a bit useless at forums and can't find the "spoiler tag" button, I'll mention things in a vague sense. So, the Blind Bruiser's asks you to ship certain items on behalf of his employer, but I recently read something in Fallen London stating that he doesn't dabble in that particular trade avenue due to certain past events. It could be that I haven't pursued that option well enough in Fallen London and don't know all the details, but when I had a think about what I was shipping and who was asking me to do it, it didn't all seem to add up.
Not entirely sure if this qualifies as a suggestion, or if I'm even posting this in the right place. It's just a little something that's been niggling at me.
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Pathboy
Posts: 3
7/15/2014
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Quick suggestion: Make additional "light bouys" an option to purchase and launch where you want them. You could make trade routes 'easier' but may attract more hostiles.
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JErosion
Posts: 13
7/19/2014
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I'll toss out a few things here...
As soon as you arrive at the Wolfstack Docks you get to choose whether you head out immediately or rummage around London. Given the limited trade opportunities the first thing most of us do is walk into the admiralty's office and ask if there is anything they need us to do, and then we get a mission to collect some strategic information. And right there is where my first thought came into play. Why am I, a nobody, being allowed to collect Strategic information? I should have to earn that sort of trust? There is already a system in place in the form of the Admiralty's Favor. Doing Port reports raises your favor,which you can in turn cash in for awesome repair work once you've earn enough. Gather Strategic info should be the same way. But there should be some smaller tasks you can do for additional favor and coin. Like Delivering Mail or special supplies to certain ports or one of the Light Ships, Im sure they need replacement 5,000 watt light bulbs(which can open up an opportunity to sell off a few items at profit like a cask of mushroom wine or a frisk of Prisoner's Honey cause you know those guys have to be bored. Not a large amount but being able to earn a some extra echoes baring a veil test or something for contraband items, failure could cause a loss in Admiralty's favor ) Also there needs to be more light ships especially near the Cumaean Canal, its strategically important and the Iron Republic is to the south, Polythreme and the Khan's Heart is to the east and if the British aren't careful a Warship one of Britain's surface competitors might just waltz on down from the surface, with the intention of starting a colony.
But lets not get too far off track, if you gain the admiralty's favor with port reports there should be a few things that will cause you to lose it too once you get into london. Taking on crew from Khan's Heart, That officer(known pirate) you hired in Gaider's Mourn, acts of piracy(once they add neutral vessels) you started to add unorthodox parts to your ship(also from the Gaider's Mourn)But wait how would they find out about that? maybe your crew isn't so happy with you. Fear level is too high. Your threw a crew member over board to escape a shark. you've visited like twelve ports so far and haven't bothered to allow your crew a decent bit of shore leave. You started pirating British commerce.
But back to the Admiralty's Favor thingy, if you gain enough, couldn't that open even more doors? And couldn't that be one of the end games? For Queen and Country. Raise your Admiralty's favor enough that you catch the Queen's eye/favor, could lead to a proper commission and be given a real ship, ie a Dreadnaught. Seriously the Admiralty wouldn't allow private citizens to buy one and it wouldn't be affordable to fully staff and stock and fuel such a beast. So if your in the service of the queen they will provide the fuel and supplies for you, but not without a catch, you have to go to certain ports in a timely manner, you can't upgrade the ship but you as you preform your duty, you gain points towards the Queen's favor which you can trade in for better guns, or repairs. Failure will lead to ruin. Strip you of rank and face exile to the north. However If you do well enough, and defeat the Empire's enemies, Prove you worth, maybe you'll be knighted, and you can retire leaving a strong legacy for your children(unless your married to the sea)
edited by JErosion on 7/20/2014
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