Second pass, further in, and it backs up what I said rather than excusing it. The in-game Manual's First steps repeats the same prose (warehouse on the side street, up and to the left of the village square) and carries no map either. And the first E prompt I reached on the walk up was a build prompt: Build Development lab? Cost 270.00 (you have 180.00). So the opening hands you something you cannot afford before it hands you the shop. The part that reads well: kiosk setup mode itself, shelves highlighted, "Click furniture or a package. Esc: done". That is clear. The town is not.
Wow, thank you so much! You have no idea how happy this made me. This is my first game and I've been waiting so long for someone to leave a comment. And then you even played it twice and wrote all of this down in so much detail. That really, really means a lot to me.
And yes, of course I want your advice! That's exactly why I posted it. This is the kind of feedback I was hoping for.
So I took it to heart and changed things right away. Version 0.3.4 is live now:
- During the first steps a glowing golden path on the ground now leads you to the wholesaler, and afterwards back to your kiosk door.
- The prep phase in the morning is now actually morning. Bright daylight instead of night, so you can see where you're going.
- Construction plots you can't afford don't offer to build anymore. They just say "later, from €270" until you have the money.
Thanks again, comments like yours really keep me going. If you give it another try, I'd love to hear if the start works better now. Good luck with your own jam entry!
That's a fast turnaround, and the golden path is the right fix. My complaint was never difficulty, it was that the morning prep told me nothing about where to go, so I spent my first run guessing at doors. Teaching the first minute is the job. The plot sign is better than what I asked for: it tells me the price instead of scolding me. I'll come back to 0.3.4 and tell you straight whether the opening now explains itself.