I've played Simple Planes since 2017, and I've put a lot of hours into it. I've explored the vanilla game, the mods, and of course other people's builds. Recently, after a lot of thinking about this game and the state it's in (and has been in for a long time), I updated my Steam review from one I made last year that was very short and poorly detailed. I'll say right now that this is not a positive review. I tried to be fair to game, and I tried not to sound too harsh, but after everything I've experienced with this game, I feel like there was a lot to say.
I want feedback from other players, to see if my thoughts on the game are agreeable, or even if they're fair.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198067206910/recommended/397340?snr=159__402
@PlaneFlightX Ah, nevermind, I misread. My bad.
Either way, I respectfully disagree. I'm glad you find it satisfactory, but just ask anyone else if they think the map could use more, and I think you can guess their answer.
@Mantha I wasn't suggesting things, I was stating all the things it needs, which it already has!
@temporaryplanetester I admit I have few concrete ideas for how to make the designer less confusing and more intuitive, but I can compare it with a similar game: Sprocket. Basically Simple Planes but for tanks instead. Its designer allows for virtually unlimited freedom, and it's very intuitive and easy to understand. Only the super advanced stuff requires reading a guide.
@PlaneFlightX No offense, but if it's "perfectly fine", then why did you follow that up with suggesting new things for it? :P
@PlaneFlightX The map is... not beautiful, to say the least, but at least it allows me to run the game at a decent framerate on my crappy pc, so I'm not sure how to feel about it.
A new island would be cool though, after flying on the same places over and over again you get bored eventually.
@Mantha Making cool stuff is pretty complicated, but also allows for a lot of control over how the builds end up. To be honest I don't really know how the designer could be improved, other than better tutorials.
Do you have any ideas that could make the game easier for new players without sacrificing compatibility with old builds or the level of detail we currently have?
@temporaryplanetester @Mantha The map is perfectly fine. All it needs to be is a few reasonable detailed airports and some basic terrain, and that's all you need.
@temporaryplanetester I should have been more specific when I wrote "limited". You described exactly what I meant, though. Making one decent plane takes so much time and patience that it's discouraging to many people.
Partially agree, the A.I. does suck and the map gets boring after a while, it's about time they get an update.
Though I don't think the designer is limited at all, clunky? Maybe. Unintuitive? Absolutely. But it's definitely not limited, just look at all the crazy stuff people can make on it, from calculators to mechs, the only limiting factor is your patience and free time (though it does take a lot of both to make cool things).