[/i] Hi, so I have roughly 10 hours in the game so far so please take what I have to say with a pinch of salt. I enjoy this game and want to see it evolve in the best way possible before eventual release and know Larian will look to these forums to get insight into what the community wants. Some of this is going to be wishful thinking whilst others will be more practical and realistic- bear with me. [i]
First and foremost:
[/b] Character Creation [b]
I am a sucker for creating a unique character that reflects whatever I feel in the moment- thinking up fake backstories etc. and trying to give them life. I would first like to say that those texture details are on the whole well done, especially the skin. Some of the hair textures look a bit funky, however, so it would be nice to see them all on the same level. I like the inclusion of the ability to use 'all' colours for hair, eyes, and skin. It allows for some really cool (and sometimes scary) creations whilst still giving the player the original and intended look for each race.
I am not too keen on the inclusion of the next arrows when changing features as it feels cumbersome to skip through each option and, especially where there are many such as with hair, makes it hard to compare two when they are option 3 and 15. This leads me to my other big issue with the creation options: there is a lack of customization when it comes down to the face and the body. I really hope to see (but doubt) the inclusion of a more detailed editing of faces, as I feel it is sad to see the options for colors to only realize you have five face shapes to choose from, and that you can't change features independently from each other, such as changing noses or eyes. There is also no body customization at all, which is my biggest criticism of this part of the game as it results in all characters looking near-identical from afar, being the same weight and height for each race.
Overall I see lots of potential and I am impressed with it in the viewpoint that this is EA 6/10
[/b] Gameplay [b]
This is going to be a long one, as I love DnD 5e and think that the game is so close to getting it perfect.
1)[/u]Disengage/Jump[u] should not be a bonus action. I understand the inclusion of it (to make the game flow better) but it honestly feels like I am playing leapfrog rather than combat, not to mention it reduces a rogue's core ability massively. The same should be for throwing and pushing as they also feel extremely powerful, although I notice this a lot less as a glaring problem.
2)[/u] General Spell Balence [u] could be improved. The main example here is firebolt, as it adds a completely new condition of burning to the game- something spells in 5e very rarely did, opting to include DoT effects to specific spells at higher levels. Editing it to burn makes it feel extremely powerful and lends to the overall issue of environmental terrain being overutilized, resulting in grease, acid, ice, or fire covering a battlefield in most encounters. Acid Splash is another example of this, covering the floor in acid (-2 to AC) seems like a total departure from the original idea of being able to hit two enemies with a save for damage rather than rolling to hit and instead makes it into an AoE that can affect allies as well. I love the animations for all of the spells I have encountered so far though, especially Elderich Blast which is simply giving me yet [/i]another[i] reason to go warlock... again.
3)[/u] Spell Scrolls [u] need attention as they seem pretty crazy, especially when a wizard seems to be able to learn them all (even if they are not in their spell list). I have made a comment in another thread about how I dislike how the wizard can copy any spell... for free... instantly... from any spell list... without consequence, and how being able to swap spells around instantly is very powerful so I won't rant about that again here but I think that their abundance needs to be countered by certain rules to make sure they don't become the most important feature.
These are my biggest gameplay issues but there are really easy fixes to most of them 7/10
[/b] UI [b]
Most of the UI is intuitive and easy to use, being able to see tool-tips for many things just by hovering over it. I find that some things do become slow with the multitudes of menu's you have to go through sometimes though. I also would like to see, specifically, the spell effects being more obvious as I often forget I am concentrating or that I am grappled or that I am hidden. Having the icons a bit larger/more visible would make it easier to see. This leads me to the HP and THP, as they are similar colours and it can be hard to distinguish which is which, or what quantities you have of each (it would also be nice for the shield for abjuration wizard to be separate from THP as it technically is not the same and they can stack). The same clarity issue follow through for spell slots. I would also like to see the abilities/spells section cleaned up slightly- I have no suggestions as to how to be honest, it just feels very cluttered (although it is nice to have so much choice as to how you set it up).
8/10
I still, like I said earlier, see lots of potential here and really want to see the game thrive. It is only these niggly bits that stop it from getting tat one step further.
Last edited by kitnal; 08/10/20 10:45 AM.
