Exactly. I think this is the misunderstanding a lot are having about my post. I'm not saying let's make BG3 into BG3: Zerg Rush. Maybe I'm saying that for the prologue, but it's a prologue with a burning nautiloid being attacked by dragons and Gith and demons and imps. You are 100% in a hostile environment with NO friends or allies that you can trust. It goes 100% against the story to have your PC roam around the ship like you aren't blazing through the Hells. So yes. For that prologue scene, it should maybe be a bit more like a "get your butt in gear" game.
I don't think it is a good idea to make the player race through the tutorial areas while they might be still learning the controls. Especially since the party controls in BG3 are so clunky compared to most cRPGs. If the intro were too frustrating, people would just refund at that point. BG1 had a tutorial that didn't try to be all that realistic either, but was extensive enough to teach you the basics.
My preference would be to replace the camping trip with resting in that particular location, and add a chance to spawn an enemy ambush in dangerous areas. Just have everyone pull out a bedroll and maybe start a camp fire. Pathfinder Kingmaker did it this way, including characters being slow to wake up when attacked.
Camping could be limited to resting only in safe areas, but tbh I still don't see how npcs like Volo are supposed to follow the party to Moonrise towers.
Again, I don't mean to make it seem like I'm rushing players too much in the prologue. I'm just saying some sort of sense of urgency at least.
Perhaps a better idea to illustrate what I'm saying is that the room you start in is on fire. Make it so that your character says, "The fire is spreading. I need to get out of here. Now!" after you've been poking around for a minute or so to get your bearings. Thus, teaching players that fires are not static in the game. They can spread. Then, in the room with the devourer, allow the player to search around a bit, find the devourer, etc. Then after the devourer, a small cutscene. Demons burst into the room you are in from the room you had just left. Your character spots them from where the devourer scene occurs, up on the higher level. The camera pans to the exit, indicating to you that this is where you need to go. Cutscene ends with a dragon bursting into the room, snatching one of the demons and gulping it down. The other demons attack the dragon. They continue fighting right there near you while you are hurrying out of the room.
This is the kinds of things I'm talking about. It doesn't have to be exactly what I've suggested. I'm just looking for something to build more excitement and keep the pace up.
As for the rest of what you said, I totally agree. I would LOVE if they replaced the camping trip with resting in whatever location you're in. I'd love random chance encounters. The more dangerous the area, the less likely you will rest safely. Rest in the druid's grove, no chance of attack. Shoot! Even make the camp somewhere in the druid's grove that I can actually physically get to and I'd be happy with it. Right now, resting in this nebulous camp that doesn't really exist anywhere on the map is weird.
The only reason I suggested otherwise is because my thought is that Larian wouldn't have to tweak the game THAT much to implement what I was suggesting. All the elements are already there for them to implement my suggestions. They would just need to tweak what they have built already to make it happen. Well...knowing IT...I know it's not as easy I just made it sound, but I'd think it'd be easier than trying to implement what I'd really want, which is what I just stated here.
