Some feedback

[Lira]

I'm partially overwhelmed and partially impressed with this game.

When I first got it shortly after it came out, I gave up mid-year.

Partly it was because I was so overwhelmed with the many options, the "tutorial" from Gera's letter and the Mentor Adventures were hard to read (and really take in) for me - as the part of the screen devoted to the actual writing is very tiny.

Partly it was the fact that it took half a minute or even longer for anything to load because my computer was too old and slow for the game.

 

I recently got a new computer and "just to see if it ran", I tried the game again. Once I found that it did, I also made sure to check out the forums for some basic hints. I basically haven't stopped playing since them (too bad there's work to interrupt me). There are quite a few things I haven't tried yet and I know that this game can occupy me quite a loooong time with the many options available. You really managed to build a world with an outstanding depth.

 

But this very depth of the world is very, very overwhelming when you start. There needs to be a better tutorial, maybe a start with a pre-made char even or a char with less options, showing you the first couple of weeks and the options you have. (I am saying the thing about pre-made char because two thirds of the back-ground options are basically worthless and you only figure out once you are playing how little you got out of the points you spent and how much more you could have gotten out of some of the other choices - even if they don't quite fit in so well with the rpg of your char.

Also unless I'm totally blind there is absolutely no explanation during char creation what the seven attributes do for instance. And if you did not think to put any points into fitness, your char will be pretty much useless at the start.)

For me the game feels too much like "throw the baby into the water, we'll see if she swims". The many, many options are absolutely drowning at first.

 

I also found it very hard to find things:

for instance an adventure needs Courage to complete and I want to train. Now I know it's a Forge skill but it's anything but obvious. It was rather frustrating to have to check through all my skills to find where this little skill was hidden. And while the long list of skills makes for lots of diversity and depth, even now that I'm used to it, makes for lots of annoying scrolling.

 

And I'm still fighting with the Adventures: whenever you complete a part of the adventure, the next one has a new name. My chars always have good relationships with half the school, so I have lots of possible adventures. If I don't recall exactly where in the list an adventure was, I have to scroll down all of them to see where more than one name pops up in the list.

It would be lovely if started adventures were moved to the top of the list to be more easily to find - as the color of the adventures is already given to their difficulty.

Btw, I really like how started adventures are color-coded. It would be nice if you also got some pointers at the beginning which ones are best to start out with. The very first time I played, the very few adventures I tried were way too hard for my poor little mage and this also made me want to give up.

 

That said, I find the whole idea very impressive and am looking forward to many more happy hours with Academagia and hopefully its sequels.

[Schwarzbart]

Use Mouse over in your Adventure selector then you see the past steps as well as the curent one.

[Legate of Mineta]

Lira;

 

Thanks for the review! Much of what you wrote is shared discussion with other Academagians- we'll be looking to smooth over these spots in Year 2.

 

In particular, there will be several pre-made Characters (transfer Students), in case you just want to jump in and play.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, however, and have fun!

[Schwarzbart]

Can't premade Chars be done for year 1 via a 1st day save? Maybe give 2 or 3 as a addition to DLC 15? The downside is natural that they only work with the DLC they where made. (Also 1 Point have to spend in a no random familiar to avoid Day 0 Familiar Adventures)

Also the day 1 could also be filled up with some of the more interesting options. Sadly the letter would be missing and should be provided as text file.

[Legate of Mineta]

It's possible, but as you note, you miss a little of the Tutorial, and we'd need to explain to the Player that they can load a game to start up. It's doable, though, definitely.