Info about Nova Lands:

Official game description:
TEST YOURSELF AGAINST CAPITALISM
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Check out Upcoming Cozy Survival Adventure
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About the Game
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If you were to mix Factorio, Forager, and Satisfactory, Nova Lands would be just that. Explore, build, and automate your base in this awesome, open-world 2D game!  
New planet, new home. Build your new base with all sorts of resources available to you, from basic rocks and wood to rare and unknown materials. Unlock new possibilities with every new building, maximize efficiency, and push deeper to other islands.  
As you progress through the game, you will be able to automate more and more things, freeing up more time to explore! Your little helper bots will be instrumental in helping you do that.  
The bots are the tipping point where your ingenuity will begin to shine. These little self-sufficient machines can form entire production chains and sustain your industry all on its own. They’re easy to set up and manage.  
Just like you’re not the only person to land on this planet, your started island is one of many! Kickstart your industry to get all the tech you need and comfortably explore other islands. You’ll come across various biomes, creatures, landmarks, caves, and some really important people…  
Of course, there’s a blaster you can fire, and critters large enough to be a real menace! Engage in combat and gather rare materials, or, go the full pacifist route and remain a kind guest to this planet - even when boss creatures are concerned. Be prepared to offer valuables to make peace with them, however.

Release date: Jun 22, 2023

Categories: Automation Game, Resource Management, Exploration, Crafting, Base Building, Island Management, Logistics Management, Progression System

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 75; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around the need for external guides and wikis to understand game mechanics, item usage, and progression. Additionally, users frequently mention the necessity of using Excel sheets for inventory management and economic planning. These issues highlight significant barriers in learning game systems and managing resources effectively.
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game generally works well on Linux with Proton, but there are some minor graphical issues reported by users.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key themes related to the Steam Deck experience. Significant issues include battery drain, where users reported leaving their devices on overnight to progress in the game. UI/UX issues were noted, particularly with mouse cursor visibility under Linux. Control and input issues were also highlighted, with users experiencing unresponsive links and input reading problems. Despite these issues, there were positive remarks about the game's compatibility with Linux and Proton, suggesting a generally smooth experience on the Steam Deck.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows a mixed sentiment regarding the game's price. Some users find the full price of around $20 to be steep and suggest a lower price point around $15 would be more reasonable. Others mention that the game is worth the $20 price tag, especially if more content is added. The general consensus seems to be that the game is worth purchasing, but preferably at a discounted price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: 20.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: 10.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several key points that help estimate the playtime metrics. One user mentions being 15 hours into the game and still not done with all the content, indicating that the total game completion time is likely longer than 15 hours. Another user states that they obtained the last achievement around the 30-hour mark, with the last 11 hours spent grinding, suggesting a total playtime of around 30 hours for full completion. Additionally, a user mentions that the last 5 hours felt like a slog, implying that the main story or campaign might be completed around the 20-25 hour mark. Several reviews mention sessions of a few hours, indicating typical session lengths. Finally, multiple reviews highlight the grind and waiting times in the endgame, suggesting significant post-story content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players generally find the game fun and engaging from the start, with smooth progression and enjoyable automation mechanics. The fun begins almost immediately, with the early game being particularly enjoyable.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Understanding key mechanics
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: Confusing progression; Limited space for building automation; Tedious late game; Grindy sections
  - Unlock drivers: Solid fundamental gameplay; Interesting automation mechanics; Smooth progression
  - Conditions: Understanding key mechanics; Casual play sessions; Exploration and automation loop
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Automator (sale)
    - Motivation: Relaxation and casual gameplay
    - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed automation gameplay
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: casual player; newcomer
    - Reference games: Factorio; Satisfactory
  - Completionist Collector (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Achievement hunting and completion
    - Playstyle: Grinding and collecting all items and achievements
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: completionist; achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Forager
  - Logistics Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of logistics and automation
    - Playstyle: Focused on building and managing efficient logistics networks
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: logistics lover; automation enthusiast
    - Reference games: Forager; Factorio


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Satisfying automation gameplay (weight 0.33): The game offers a very satisfying automation experience, making it enjoyable for both beginners and experienced players. It is praised for its fun and simple automation mechanics, which are engaging and rewarding.
- Good graphics and visuals (weight 0.2): The game features good graphics that are colorful and easily identifiable. The pixel art style is charming and visually appealing, with a cozy aesthetic.
- Good for beginners (weight 0.2): The game is suitable for beginners in the genre, offering a good starting point. It is easy to get started and recommended for those new to automation games.
- Fun and enjoyable game (weight 0.19): Players find the game very fun and addictive, with a good overall experience. It is described as innovative, cute, and enjoyable, making it a great time-passing game.
- Relaxing and casual gameplay (weight 0.19): The game provides a relaxing and casual experience, with gameplay that is not stressful. It is engaging yet fairly relaxed, making it suitable for casual play.
- Satisfying progression (weight 0.17): The game offers a gratifying and smooth progression system. Players find the progression rewarding and enjoyable.
- Similar to other popular games (weight 0.15): The game is often compared to other popular titles like Factorio and Forager. It combines elements from these games, offering a unique yet familiar experience.
- Engaging and time-flies-by gameplay (weight 0.15): The game is highly engaging, with players often losing track of time. The gameplay loop is entertaining and keeps players hooked for hours.
- Highly recommended (weight 0.14): The game is highly recommended by players, who consider it amazing and very good in its genre. It is praised for its overall quality and enjoyment.
- Worth the price (weight 0.12): The game is considered to be worth the price, offering great value for money. It is recommended for its affordability and the fun it provides.
- Enjoyable early and mid-game (weight 0.1): The early and mid-game stages are particularly enjoyable and well-balanced. Players find these stages engaging and fun.
- Long gameplay duration (weight 0.07): The game offers a significant amount of content, providing players with many hours of entertainment. It is praised for its long gameplay duration and rich content.
- Unique gameplay elements (weight 0.07): The game features unique and charming gameplay elements, such as island elements, item crafting, and character operations. It also includes story-driven gameplay.
- Complex resource management (weight 0.07): The game features depth and complexity in its resource management mechanics. Players enjoy the logistics and resource management aspects, which add to the game's depth.
- Complex logistics systems (weight 0.07): The game offers complex logistics systems with lots of different systems to manage. It is praised for its excellent logistics management design and easy setup.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and grindy gameplay (weight 0.16): Players frequently mention that the gameplay becomes repetitive and grindy, particularly in the late-game stages. This includes repetitive automation, dialogues, and a lack of combat variety.
- Slow crafting times (weight 0.14): Crafting times are noted to be excessively long, even with all possible improvements. This can make the gameplay feel tedious and slow.
- Limited bot capacity (weight 0.13): The game restricts players to only five bots per island, which limits automation and production capabilities. This restriction is seen as arbitrary and frustrating.
- Limited building space (weight 0.13): Players find the building space to be limited and inefficient, which restricts their ability to place buildings and explore effectively.
- Unsatisfying combat (weight 0.12): The combat system is described as bland, unsatisfying, and unnecessary. Players find it forgettable and dull.
- Slow progression pace (weight 0.11): The game's progression is criticized for being very slow and boring, with an extremely grindy and unbalanced pace.
- Poor sound and UI design (weight 0.1): The game suffers from poor sound design, clunky controls, and a terrible UX/UI, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Lack of game depth (weight 0.1): Players find the game to be not very interesting and lacking in depth, which can make it tedious and boring over time.
- Excessive grinding (weight 0.09): The game is noted for having an annoying and unbearable grind, particularly in the end game, which can be tedious.
- Intrusive data collection (weight 0.09): Players are concerned about the game's data collection practices, which are enabled by default with no clear opt-out option.
- Lacking and unengaging story (weight 0.08): The story is criticized for being lacking, slow, and unengaging, with little narrative context to keep players interested.
- Tedious late-game progression (weight 0.08): The late-game progression is criticized for being very tedious and slow, which can make the game feel monotonous.
- Long build times for final items (weight 0.08): The time required to build final and advanced items is noted to be excessively long, which can be frustrating for players.
- Lack of clear guidance (weight 0.08): The game lacks clear task and operation guidance, making it difficult for players to understand what to do next.
- Slow production speed (weight 0.08): The production speed, particularly for plastic, is noted to be slow, which can stall progress and make the game tedious.
- Lack of quality-of-life features (weight 0.07): Players note a lack of quality-of-life improvements and features, which can make the gameplay experience less enjoyable.
- Unsatisfying endgame (weight 0.07): The endgame is criticized for feeling incomplete, unbalanced, and unsatisfying, leaving room for improvement.
- Tedious space mining (weight 0.07): The space mining minigame is criticized for being purely manual, tedious, and boring, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Confusing hexagonal map design (weight 0.07): The hexagonal map with square grids is found to be confusing and poorly designed, leading to wasted space and frustration.

Gameplay feedback:
- Automation and production focus (weight 0.47): The game heavily emphasizes automation mechanics, including setting up and optimizing production lines, unlocking technology, and improving production efficiency. Players enjoy the depth of automated production and the complexity of managing production chains.
- Island exploration and management (weight 0.28): Players explore and manage multiple islands, each with unique resources and constraints. This involves unlocking islands, managing wildlife, and optimizing resource collection and transport between islands.
- Crafting and resource management (weight 0.21): The game features extensive crafting systems and resource management mechanics. Players gather resources, craft items, and manage their production and storage efficiently.
- Use of bots and drones (weight 0.16): Bots and drones play a significant role in automation, aiding in resource gathering, transport, and combat. Players utilize these automated helpers to optimize their production and logistics.
- Upgrade and progression systems (weight 0.14): The game includes upgrade and progression systems, allowing players to unlock new content, skills, and improvements. This adds depth and a sense of achievement to the gameplay.
- Puzzle solving and boss fights (weight 0.11): Players encounter light puzzle-solving elements and boss fights throughout the game. These challenges add variety and excitement to the exploration and combat aspects.
- Comparison to other games (weight 0.06): The game is often compared to other popular titles like Satisfactory and Factorio. Players note similarities in automation and factory-building mechanics.
- Building and upgrading structures (weight 0.06): Players can build and upgrade various structures, although upgrading often requires rebuilding. This mechanic adds a layer of strategy to the game.
- NPC interactions and quests (weight 0.06): The game features NPCs with missions and dialogues, providing additional content and interactions for players to engage with.

Performance notes:
- Good performance and optimization (weight 0.16): The game runs well and is optimized for various systems, including lower-end hardware and Linux with Proton. It is noted for its lightweight graphics and low system requirements.
- Frequent crashing issues (weight 0.06): Players report frequent crashes, particularly during autosaves. This significantly impacts the gaming experience.
- Late-game lag and performance issues (weight 0.06): There are notable performance issues in the late-game, including extreme lag and occasional delays. Lag spikes are also reported during island reorganization.
- UI and cursor visibility issues (weight 0.04): There are reports of poorly optimized UI interactions and issues with mouse cursor visibility, which can affect gameplay.
- Needs more animations (weight 0.02): Players feel that the game could benefit from additional animations to enhance the overall experience.
- Bottleneck issues (weight 0.02): Some players have reported experiencing bottleneck issues, which can impact the game's performance.

Recommendations:
- Appeals to automation fans (weight 0.2): The game is recommended for fans of resource management and automation games, similar to Factorio and Satisfactory. It will appeal to those who enjoy factory and automation games.
- Buy during a sale (weight 0.16): The game is often recommended to be bought during a sale or at a discounted price. Many players suggest it is worth picking up at a low price rather than at its original price.
- Highly recommended game (weight 0.16): Many players highly recommend the game for its engaging and time-flying gameplay. It is suggested as a casual game and is highly recommended for purchase.
- Not for narrative seekers (weight 0.13): The game is not recommended for those seeking a narrative-driven adventure. It may lack depth for experienced players and those who do not enjoy repetitive tasks or manual adjustments.
- Good for automation beginners (weight 0.12): The game is recommended for players new to automated production and those who find other automation games too complex. It serves as a good introduction to automation games and is suitable for beginners in the genre.
- Casual and easy gameplay (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for casual players and those looking for something easy. It is suitable for players who want a manageable challenge and a fun, rewarding playthrough.
- Recommendations for specific players (weight 0.07): The game is recommended for first-time achievement hunters and fans of cozy automation games. It is also suggested for management lovers and those who enjoy steady progression.
- Update and deletion suggestions (weight 0.03): Players suggest keeping the game updated and deleting it when feeling stuck, indicating some issues with game progression or updates.
- Potential future bundle (weight 0.02): The game is likely to be bundled on Humble soon, making it a good potential purchase for those waiting for bundles.

Other player notes:
- Data collection and privacy concerns (weight 0.08): Multiple reviews express concerns about the game's data collection practices and privacy issues. Players are worried about the extent of data gathering and the lack of options to opt-out.
- Skin activation codes mentioned (weight 0.02): Some reviews mention skin activation codes, although no specific issues or praises are detailed. This could indicate a feature or a point of interest for some players.
- Use of Excel for tracking (weight 0.02): A review mentions using Excel for tracking resources, which might suggest that the game's resource management could be improved or that players are finding their own solutions to manage in-game resources.
- Promotion of external group (weight 0.02): One review promotes an external group called Ribbon Hunters, which focuses on easy indie games to achieve all accomplishments. This is more of a promotional message rather than feedback about the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players are frustrated by the game's repetitive and grindy nature, particularly in the late stages. Issues such as slow crafting times, inefficient inventory management, and unclear task guidance contribute to this frustration. Additionally, bugs, crashes, and the need for manual adjustments add to the overall dissatisfaction.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.2): Players enjoy the game's relaxing and engaging automation mechanics, as well as its cute graphics and enjoyable gameplay loop. The game's similarity to Forager and its fun progression system are also highlighted as positive aspects. The overall experience is described as fun, addictive, and satisfying.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Players express disappointment due to the game's repetitive and boring nature, especially in the late stages. The lack of engaging story, poor combat system, and comparison to other games like Factorio and Forager contribute to this sentiment. Additionally, issues with automation, high price, and an unfinished feel add to the disappointment.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Players find satisfaction in the game's automation mechanics, which are not too complicated yet engaging. The game's relaxing gameplay, good graphics, and addictive nature contribute to this satisfaction. The smooth learning curve and clear progression stages are also appreciated.
- Positive (weight 0.06): Players have a positive experience with the game, enjoying its relaxed and pleasant gameplay. The variety of activities, pixel art, and overall fun mechanics contribute to this positivity. The game is seen as a good entry point for the genre and is appreciated for its simplicity and progression.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy from the game's fun automation and engaging gameplay loop. The cute graphics, enjoyable mechanics, and positive comparisons to Forager contribute to this joy. The game is described as addictive, relaxing, and bringing pure joy.
- Negative (weight 0.03): Players have a negative experience due to the game's repetitive and tedious nature. Issues such as lack of animations, weak guidance, and frustrating pacing contribute to this negativity. The game is seen as soulless and lacking an identity, with tedious tasks and grinding required for progress.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's cool graphic style and engaging gameplay mechanics. The addictive gameplay and pixel art style contribute to this excitement. The game is seen as richly detailed and challenging, with a promising future potential.
- Frustrated (weight 0.02): Players are frustrated with the game's steep learning curve, occasional bugs, and lack of quality-of-life improvements. The boring skill tree, late-game slowdown, and anticlimactic ending contribute to this frustration. Additionally, the difficulty in modifying production lines and occasional lack of clarity add to the overall dissatisfaction.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): Players are engaged by the game's factory management and resource management aspects. The fundamental gameplay and automation mechanics, as well as robot automation and island exploration, contribute to this engagement. The early-game automation is particularly highlighted as engaging.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Players experience boredom due to the game's tedious and monotonous gameplay, especially in the later stages. The lack of motivation to readjust production lines and uninteresting background events contribute to this boredom. The gameplay loop is seen as boring and tedious over time.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players are happy with their overall enjoyment of the game. The fun and engaging aspects of the game contribute to this happiness.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's depth and content. The unexpected depth in gameplay and more content after completing all achievements contribute to this surprise. The positive gameplay experience is also highlighted.
- Engagement (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the game's addictive open-world exploration and the discovery and creation of new buildings. The engaging nature of the game makes time fly by, contributing to this engagement.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Players experience confusion due to the game's weak guidance and unclear icons. The lack of direction and confusing game mechanics contribute to this confusion. The unusual gameplay is also mentioned as a source of confusion.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Players are satisfied with the game's suitability for different types of players. The game is seen as a perfect entry to the genre and a good introduction to the genre, contributing to this satisfaction.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Players are annoyed by the game's privacy opt-out issue and persistent feedback text. These issues contribute to the overall annoyance.
- Criticism (weight 0.01): Players criticize various aspects of the game that need polishing. The review expresses criticism of these aspects, contributing to the overall criticism.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players are angry about the game's design flaw where produced items despawn. The locked achievements until later stages also contribute to this anger.
- Recommended (weight 0.01): Players recommend the game despite some tedium and issues. The enjoyable experience and aspects of the game contribute to this recommendation.}