GrandmaPork

I've personally not had any issues finding either. I'm sure any player will dig it up out of curiosity at some point Right right, maybe I should've specified that it was nothing immediate, unlike dry grass and cattails which the game tells you to cut down anyways

Thanks all, So I personally don't like it. It's helpful, yes, but almost too much. The game wastes time explaining what baskets do and why you'd need them. To be honest, I'm just nitpicking it, but it doesn't do what I want the game to do. I would also prefer that notification popups weren't added, but it would work. And I do agree, I do not want to get in the way of veterans on their playthroughs. Also you mention "important" things like clay, I honestly believe that nearly every resource I've come across so far have been important, which is rare in an open world game. All except flowers, which I've noticed a pattern of them all doing nothing and I like that a lot. I would prefer this: you pick up your first cattail and a sound plays. Under a "discovery tab" you see just the firestarter, basket, bed, shield, and bandages. Nothing extra but not missing crucial mechanics like skipping the night (and more importantly, time), and starting a fire. I hope they see this then if they're doing that. I think the handbook is fine and I think it was made really well. I haven't had difficulties learning anything with it. With that being said, it's not very immersive and I would rather it be for when I am truly stuck. I agree with this! glad to have somewhat inspired you. I am very interested in game progression and balancing so I do my best to take notes of everything I can. People often forget this part and just add things in without a second thought.

I understand this game is in early access so here's a list of in game "immersive" progression that it could expand on to help the player rely less on the handbook. This is coming from someone who began a blind playthrough in some sort of marshy area (I also just recently made a copper pickaxe) so sorry if I missed something. Also don't get me wrong, I've really enjoyed the game thus far. Flint is done well. I explored for a while and picked up random items until I came across flint which told me to place it to knapp. This was perfect but only took me so far. I dug a hole and got a lot of food but there wasn't a way to figure out how to build a campfire without using the handbook. I've noticed that drift wood can be turned into firewood, so I suggest in game log splitting for driftwood and logs, to help the player, as I had tried placing everything into a firepit once I figured out you could place the dry grass. Fire starting is the next step and I like the reusable firestarter. My only suggestion would be to allow flint striking, or something similar to be done until then since the recipe isn't found anywhere outside of the tutorial or handbook, which, don't worry, is where my next idea comes in. The game hands you everything at once by just hitting 'H' which, on top of being overwhelming, brings the fun out of learning things. I understand that this is no easy task for VS so I suggest that traders give 1-2 tips under a "tips" option based on how far they are from your spawn/what you've done. It would've been great if one showed me the recipe for a fire starter, or for the simple bed out of dry grass. Sure 'H' is still available and some people will miss it, but it helps guide the player towards crucial game mechanics in a more immersive way. I didn't find clay until I new I had to be looking for it, which is my fault because I didn't explore enough, but once the player finds it I think it is a great addition to progression. My only suggestion is to add a pop up for placing dry grass around a pot mold as it does when you place the first piece. In the event a player tries to build it outside of a 1x1 hole, the grass can fall out like stack coal does (if it doesn't already) incentivizing they surround the clay mold. Smithing wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. On my own I found out you could place a crucible in a firepit, but it was kind of odd that you can only place the ores in after that, since baskets can be picked up with stuff inside of them. It was also obvious that coal was needed to cook it since its temperature went high enough to smelt. As much as I dislike how not obvious it is to make charcoal pits, coal can be found outside of them so I don't think it's necessary to hint that anywhere. The handbook is probably the only good way to teach that. I would only suggest that a trader would have a tip recommending you prepare a tool mold before you begin smelting, as well as giving the tongs recipe. I'll update this when I get further. My next goal is to mine more copper and find zinc for an anvil, and I found some copper bits which I think hints deposits excellently. I also have a feeling that using the anvil will be straight forwards and I'm looking forward to making a saw. Only thing I'll say is for a trader to give a tip saying something like: "anvils can be used to make more advanced tools like saws". I'm not a huge fan of playing tutorials if I don't have to, especially in open world games like these. Mainly because I enjoy figuring things out on my own, and because most "tutorials" can be given in game. Breath of the Wild, while much more linear than what VS needs, is a great example. It's starting plateau has everything the player will interact with on their journey, while slowly giving them new mechanics. I don't suggest VS do that, but adding a "discovery" tab that shows what you can make with everything you've collected would help. It might even be worth it to specifically show key features like the hay bed and fire starter, to prevent it from becoming too cluttered and overwhelming. Note: I think the handbook does its job well and don't want it to be dulled down, I just wish it weren't the only option in progression. Also making it an actual book with bookmarks as tabs would be subtle but add a lot to the experience.