I have about 15 hours in game; therefore, this is a new guy's first impression. Finding a home site, gathering materials, and building your first home takes some time. Its a slow enough process to be on the edge of monotonous but fast enough to keep a player engaged.
I looked at the available blueprints, figured out that my home site was 4x4, and realized that I will need space outside of the building for a few add-ons. I planned my initial noob project and built a 3X3 house. I threw up a couple of smelters and a forge. Then, I attempted to build a charcoal pile to fuel my smelters.
Unbeknownst to me, even though the charcoal pile looks like it will fit in a 1x1 square, it will not. The description did not indicate the required space. Also, when I saw them at other build sites, it did not appear to need more room. Now, I am in a predicament. I can tear down my house and start over or travel over half a continent away to farm charcoal.
My initial assessment of the time investment was that it is precariously balanced... which probably is a good thing. However, situations like this, where a lack of information leads to wasting many hours, is likely to demotivate players. I haven't decided which of my two options to do yet. If I knew coal was the option, I would have chosen a site closer to a coal pit. I am not inclined to tear the house down either because I learned that you do not get any of the material back.
Anyhow, this is a beta and the game seems to be heading in a good direction. However, if this were live and this was the first impression, I would likely have walked away from the game. Time is valuable. As is, I am still intrigued by the game and what it could be.
Possible fixes:
- Add space requirements to blueprints
- Make the charcoal pile fit in a 1x1 square
- Add some level of material reclamation when destroying structures
