My first impressions (not good at all)

[Kroom]

I sympathize with the technical challenges, not the greatest way to make a first time impression. Currently, this is what prevents me from recommending it’s purchase to some RL friends.

The pay to play beta, for better or worse, has become the new business model for indie game developers. I blame the success of Minecraft for that...

Regarding the first hour of running in the dark to find an unpopulated area to setup camp, everyone goes through that. If you are trying to find somewhere to settle or make your way to a tribe, it’s going to take sometime. That’s the way it is and should remain, no fast travel (excluding any discussion of death and re-spawning), we are settlers. Perhaps some form of crafted handle held light (i.e. torch, flashlight), some type of mapping system, and improved tool tips would make it more digestible for beginners. These are just ideas that came to mind thinking about the first time I logged on. Perhaps you have better suggestions...

[xyberviri]

personally getting killed and ported to the middle of nowhere is one of the better ways to come into the game if you ask my opinion since you learn the hard truth about the game, its not lollipops and gum drops, I'm not saying this in anyway to sound mean or offend anyone, personally i like it like this. it makes the game feel like the apocalypse

the danger of loosing all your carried belongings and sulking back to camp to start over adds a edge over pvp that most other games dont have. when i do pvp even if i loose the rush is allot more than most pvp in other games. its the same with pve too when you do find animals if they kill you there's a chance some one could come along and kill the animal and also take your stuff. i got attacked by two bears the other night and survived.

Just a FYI, i have been killed and fully looted on many occasions so its not like im saying this to be a ass either.

personally i dont agree with a map, the coordinate system is a slight step out of the games direction but there is no other way to navigate in this game so with out them you would be completely lost.

How ever i can see that noobs need a crash course to the game, ie some form of tutorial to help them out, maybe some tool tips.
I hope that when they add item decay they can make the starter items no loot but with a high level of decay, or give you a 1 hour window with out loot rights.

there is talk of removing the coordinates which with out the addition of a compass would sorta up the ante on the difficulty level.

Also i think todays gamer has it way to easy, there are over head maps, auto assisted aiming, heck even combat is automated in some games. i know allot of people that never played deadspace past the first level because they were too scared to play the game, that game scared the crap out of me i had nightmares and was afraid of the dark for about the first month.

people dont want to die, they dont want to loose, they dont want to be looted. This is all apart of real life. the bug fixes and problems we been having are hard to fix and test out.