First impressions after my first weekend with the EA.
First of all - the game is incredibly fun and I loved playing it. Any comments here are only negative because they soured my experience with an otherwise really promising game.
1. The AI feels really dumb, but also incredibly mean.
The “DM†is far too brutal and all enemies seem to have the same tactics. It’s just not fun to have the main spellcaster downed immediately, and to then have enemies direct all their attacks on this downed spellcaster in order to kill them just doesn’t make any sense and is really frustrating and punishing. This behaviour *could* make sense for unique, intelligent creatures but a goblin or troll would focus on the enemies still standing rather than trying to finish off the person lying on the ground bleeding. There needs to be more AI archetypes - one for dumb beasts, one for regular folk and one for intelligent, cunning murderers.
The AI struggles with indoor environments and ranged attacks and often runs around aimlessly or fires shots that can’t hit.
2. The inventory and equipment system could do with a tutorial, perhaps something at the start to go through it. Right-clicking to see all possible interactions with an object in inventory or in the world wasn’t obvious to a friend of mine new to cRPGs.
It was also very overcomplicated to light a simple torch - surely this could just be automated if you have one in your inventory and are close to fire.
3. The surfaces (as many have pointed out) are cool but way too numerous and overpowered. Cantrips should not make surfaces.
Also, Gale’s necrotic surface after death is incredibly frustrating and due to him being at the back it almost always just affects his fellow party members rather than enemies. This needs to go or be an optional reaction right after he gets killed.
4. Creative and/or non-lethal solutions to problems should give XP.
5. Jumping is fun but overpowered and should be a full action. Only some classes, races should have long jump distances.
It’s silly to be able to jump away from engaged enemies and then attack. In 5e, the whole idea of engagement is that it takes concerted effort (ie. a full action) to break free from the engagement. If anything, jumping away from the enemy should still provoke an Attack of Opportunity.
