Phew, been frantically trying to keep up with the threads popping up around the web, as well as my own site. So I apologize in advance if I miss someone's question or suggestion.
First off, you should now be able to play the game in a stretchy window using the links above both the demo and beta embedded flash area. Hopefully no more having to fidget with Swiffout, and no more eyestrain!
Second, I really like both Villain and Johannes's ideas about spotting/alertness. The Beta version has a sneak mechanic that lays some good groundwork for such a system, and it would pair well with the tracking/footprints system already in place. I'll have to look into how hard such a thing would be to implement.
About the combat, the original design kinda worked like a CYOA, much like scavenging or other encounters. I wanted the sort of "you see a humanoid in the distance" encounter, and you could use binoculars to see how he was armed, or combine a camo blanket and hiding to avoid being seen, etc. I still like the idea, it's just a *ton* of work to do an encounter with more than a few meaningful choices. I still may do it, and I'm glad to see some would've liked the idea. I just have the more Civ-like combat in there as a stopgap for now.
Re: save games, yeah. Every time someone makes an argument in one way or another, I end up agreeing. Convincing arguments both for and against, and for each style. It's a *really* tough call.
Re: "what's the point?" It's a good question. I find I get to that point with a lot of open-style games. And with story games, I often stop after the story. I'd like to tell a story in the world of NEO Scavenger (many, in fact), but not force it down the player's throat. But, inevitably, most players will get tired and move on once they've had their fill.
There's a chance I may be able to add user-created content hooks in there. The encounter system might actually do some really cool things in the hands of players. But the amount of DB editing to hook everything up right now is pretty prohibitive. That may be more of a late stage feature.
Re: too much clicking, there are *some* hotkeys in the game, though I'm guilty of hiding that fact. Many tooltips on buttons will have a key listed in parentheses if there's a hotkey. E.g. the item cursor modes are 1-4, end turn is spacebar, inventory is Q, etc.
Re: dying of cholera without warning. You got a warning, just like Awor says! Diarrhea and vomiting, and your thirst starts to plummet
Crafting = clunky. I totally hear ya. And it's getting worse the more recipes I add. I don't have a magic bullet to solve that yet, but it's definitely on my radar.
Re: entering the city. The beta actually bars entry due to an "orange threat level." It's a stopgap until I can work on more plot encounters, so unfortunately, that's the end of the plot for the time being. And for Hatter, if you complete his encounter and get the wrist tracking device, there are no more quests (yet). Even though he says "come back sometime," I have yet to write some more plots after the first.
Hope that answers some question, and alleviates a few concerns. As always, great feedback!
