A17 impressions: The game feels like a survival at last

[ivailogeimara]

I agree with most of the OP.

 

For the inventory system I think it's step in the right direction. I would lock the bottom 1-2 rows completely though and making them unlockable by equipping a backpack (you will still be slow if you put stuff in the backpack without the Encumber perk).

As for level gating I proposed a change in this tread.

[gcomerfo]

I would say, the starting area makes or breaks your game. I have been doing random gen so far. My first spawn was into a frozen biome "town" full of big POIs, with small patches of wasteland zones interwoven.

 

That has to be the "evil-ist" biome combo to start you can imagine! It was so hard, that my initial impression of A17 was really bad. I was constantly fending off cold, wind, rain, etc. and even with newbie buff, it was bad. Then once it wore off, I was doomed. Besides weather, I could not even find any warm clothes loot. The POIs were mostly too difficult for starting out, so I was mostly looting shanty's and roadside garbage. Combine that with vultures from wastelands, and such... was brutal.

 

Then I spawned into a nice pine biome with desolate camp and cabin POIs... wow, that was much more reasonable to handle, like older versions. Now I can appreciate A17 more that I saw the contrast of experience based on starter zones.