Been playing for a couple weeks now and love it. Finally got the last achievement today. I'm excited to see what additions and changes will come about. Great game! I love it.

Pros-
It's a big island. Lot's of space to roam and get lost.

Other than the coastal area, there are easier places to survive and harder places, with no clear lines on the ground to tell you which is which. So there is always a sense of danger as you explore that something bigger and badder than you will face you down. I was pretty confident in my high end gear, strutting around like I owned the island. Then got taken down by a large pack of wolves, and another time by a pair of bears.

In most cases there are a lack of cheat features that trivialize the intended difficulties. No map that would instantly make the world smaller if you knew where you were, where you wanted to go and how to get there. A compass that makes you re-learn how a primitive compass actually works. No pause feature (at least not one built into the game for that purpose). No instant health potions. I appreciate the limited hand holding.


Cons- Which are more like personal suggestions on what might improve the game. I thoroughly enjoy the game as it is and have 230 hours in the game already.

A limited array of building options with no discernible difference between them other than look and material costs. And no ability to customize, design your own, or furnish them. It's also difficult to build where you want to build. So you end up wandering around while turning in circles to find just the right position where it will allow your building. This means it isn't turned the way you want it or positioned in relation to your other buildings how you want it.

Several of the beasts/monsters have movement limitations that allow you to exploit them and avoid danger (low level skeletons and bears). Packs of wolves can't always attack all at once. Some of the wolves get stuck behind the others. so you can take them on a couple at a time, which is significantly less dangerous. When it works correctly they surround you and add orifices to your body.

Some of the high end gear doesn't seem to last as long as the cost to maintain them is worth. So I use a stone axe to chop trees and bushes because the higher end items seem to deplete just as quickly, can't be maintained out in the field without building a forge, and require a large amount materials that are very time consuming to gather. So what I gained in chopping the tree down in two swings rather than the 8 it takes the stone axe, I more than lose when I have to mine for hours to get the materials I need, and either run to a forge or build one. The other high end weapons are needed against the higher end monsters (or if you don't want to chase deer down to be able to kill them in one swing) so you are forced to do a lot mine grinding. And that can get old. I keep a set of high end gear in my bags while I use the mid grade gear that I can maintain in the field and without large amounts of mine grinding. I understand the idea of keeping it more realistic by including wear and tear. And that is needed for the low end beginning gear experience. But part of achieving the high end gear should be either significantly more durable gear than it is, a drastic decrease in the materials needed to repair, or doing away with upkeep altogether.

No way to lock up your items. You want to invite people to your world, but you don't want them to have free access to everything you have spent hours gathering. Let me put a lock on my chest. And if the world is set to hostile give them the ability to bust it open with some effort. And in the same vain of thought, let me build defences for my buildings.

All in all, great game!

Been playing for a couple weeks now and love it. Finally got the last achievement today. I'm excited to see what additions and changes will come about. Great game! I love it. Pros- It's a big island. Lot's of space to roam and get lost. Other than the coastal area, there are easier places to survive and harder places, with no clear lines on the ground to tell you which is which. So there is always a sense of danger as you explore that something bigger and badder than you will face you down. I was pretty confident in my high end gear, strutting around like I owned the island. Then got taken down by a large pack of wolves, and another time by a pair of bears. In most cases there are a lack of cheat features that trivialize the intended difficulties. No map that would instantly make the world smaller if you knew where you were, where you wanted to go and how to get there. A compass that makes you re-learn how a primitive compass actually works. No pause feature (at least not one built into the game for that purpose). No instant health potions. I appreciate the limited hand holding. Cons- Which are more like personal suggestions on what might improve the game. I thoroughly enjoy the game as it is and have 230 hours in the game already. A limited array of building options with no discernible difference between them other than look and material costs. And no ability to customize, design your own, or furnish them. It's also difficult to build where you want to build. So you end up wandering around while turning in circles to find just the right position where it will allow your building. This means it isn't turned the way you want it or positioned in relation to your other buildings how you want it. Several of the beasts/monsters have movement limitations that allow you to exploit them and avoid danger (low level skeletons and bears). Packs of wolves can't always attack all at once. Some of the wolves get stuck behind the others. so you can take them on a couple at a time, which is significantly less dangerous. When it works correctly they surround you and add orifices to your body. Some of the high end gear doesn't seem to last as long as the cost to maintain them is worth. So I use a stone axe to chop trees and bushes because the higher end items seem to deplete just as quickly, can't be maintained out in the field without building a forge, and require a large amount materials that are very time consuming to gather. So what I gained in chopping the tree down in two swings rather than the 8 it takes the stone axe, I more than lose when I have to mine for hours to get the materials I need, and either run to a forge or build one. The other high end weapons are needed against the higher end monsters (or if you don't want to chase deer down to be able to kill them in one swing) so you are forced to do a lot mine grinding. And that can get old. I keep a set of high end gear in my bags while I use the mid grade gear that I can maintain in the field and without large amounts of mine grinding. I understand the idea of keeping it more realistic by including wear and tear. And that is needed for the low end beginning gear experience. But part of achieving the high end gear should be either significantly more durable gear than it is, a drastic decrease in the materials needed to repair, or doing away with upkeep altogether. No way to lock up your items. You want to invite people to your world, but you don't want them to have free access to everything you have spent hours gathering. Let me put a lock on my chest. And if the world is set to hostile give them the ability to bust it open with some effort. And in the same vain of thought, let me build defences for my buildings. All in all, great game!