Extensive Clarity & QoL Boost
If you take even a quick look through the forums or reviews here, it's pretty obvious that one thing this game really lacked was a clear direction for players, both in what to do, and how to do it. This update is all about addressing that in as many ways as I could manage.
Quest System
The core of the update is the quest/tutorial system. Where before players pieced together what was happening and what their role was from scattered conversations, you can now expect to be pointed in the right direction from the minute you walk through the gate.
The quests will guide you step by step through making and selling your first weapon, with compass guidance, and visibility while working in the mini games to explain those as needed.
On finishing the first weapon, the system will then expand out to long-term goals that guide the player right through the Legion mission, and introduce material and map location discovery.
The legion mission quest will automatically start from your current progress when loading a save game, as it's now required to clear the smelters. No more guess-work on what to make, a quest with a clear weapon specification is generated for the bosses.
You can also hide the in-game display at any time if you prefer the more free-form, sand-boxy playstyle.
Rich Text Prompts
There is a lot of text in the game. There's a lot to explain, but that doesn't make it any easier to read. Following on from the simplified pop-up prompts on the equipment, I've taken it a step further. Key press instructions now feature key icons instead of ever more text, and the key words are highlighted for easy scanning.
Achievements
Finally, for those who want a challenge, and an easy way to know when you've hit completion in an area, I've added in 33 achievements covering Smithing, Sales, Map Discovery, and Mission Progress to aim for. In keeping with a promise I made way back at launch, combat remains entirely optional, and no achievements are tied to the mine at this point.
Other Help
For anything else, I recorded my final testing play-through, so I'll upload it to YouTube to replace the outdated intro vid. I may even split it down to shorts for easier viewing. There's a link to the channel on the steam page. I'll also try to hook up my new Discord server to the steam page for ease of players swapping tips and screenshots.
Thanks everyone for your support and patience to this point. I hope you'll stick around to see me (finally) update those flaming NPCs, among a few other ideas from the discussion boards I haven't had time to roll out yet.