sknthelisper
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So to start with, some background. I'm a returning player that played these games many, many years ago. Last time I played this was probably some 2-3 years ago(got to somewhere around level 30), stopped much for the same reason I'm having difficulty jumping into it right now.
The first thing I notice(this applies to all the games, really) is how unorganized everything is. From the perspective of a new player, I know no one, or anything in the world, and the Inn keeper(Assume it is the inkeeper, considering he is standing behind the counter!) is talking as if we've been buddies for decades? This doesn't make any sense. I also have no idea on what quests to do, when to do them, or if I've done any quests(as there is no sort of market to indicate a quest is done), making it feel like I'm expected to open up a spreadsheet next to the game, with a list of all quests I've done.
This is just in the first town, a huge amount of quests, features and just a lot to take in. It's very obvious the game has underwent many content updates over the years, and for someone that's been playing of and on it'll all feel organized enough, but for a new player? It's overwhelming, confusing and just a nightmare to navigate.
The worldmap is sligthly better, as it locks locations based on your level, which to a certain degree gives some sort of progression path, and limit the content for a new player, however you simply level too quickly, causing you to overshoot and end up unlocking too much, too quickly, creating the same situation. Where you have no idea what you should be doing(what made me quit last time), or what you'd like to do.
So to summarize the exact 'issue\feedback'. There's simply too much content, thrown at the player from the getgo, and too much assumption on their knowledge(it assumes 'some' knowledge, which a new player doesn't have). This makes the new player feel like they've skipped something they shouldnt' have, make them second guess what they're doing(should I have entered the inn and talked to this person? Should I have gone to the mogling forest?).
The solution to all of this, is to create a clearer quest progression path, mark completed quests, and instead of level-gating locations\places, quest-gate them instead. Once you've done a certain quest(or quest chain) in a certain location, unlock another(or multiple locations, to continue to providing choice). Especially with pretty much everything being levelscaled, this just feels like the correct path to go. This is what's making me question returning to the game(and thereby repurchase a new x-guardian). There simply is too much content thrust upon me, with too much assumption of me knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.
Should I go into The Devour Saga at level 2? How about the warrior tower? or Dragonbane? I'm sure it wasn't designed\meant for me to jump into these things at level 2, but there is nothing stopping me, no clear paths stating; "this is something to do later", all paths are essentially telling me; "This is all content you can now swallow as a new player, at level 2, not having done anything else in this game". It feels like a barrier of entry to an otherwise great game, and I imagine something that absolutely could be keeping some peopel from actually investing the time this game deserves.
This again, is an issue in most of Battleon's games(Dragonfable, Mechquest), but in at least those other two, it's far less of an issue, compared to this one(primarily because DF has a more structured mainstory path through the different locations).
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