Info about Following Seas:

Official game description:
**ABOUT THIS GAME**
Adrift in the ruins of a collapsed empire, you and your ship are a tenuous lifeline to the scattered peoples that make the few remaining green islands their home. Brave hostile seas and dying lands to transport goods that can be the difference between starving and survival for those that watch the rising sun for your sails on the horizon.
Following Seas is a game about ships and the sea. Transport cargo, fish, and fight the weather in an unforgiving open world.
**YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL**
You have great control over your sails, using detailed physical simulation of wind forces, you can trim your sails by adjusting the position and length of guide ropes. Manage stability by adding or removing ballast, or positioning your load to maintain an even keel. Use navigation tools like the compass, chronometer, or quadrant to track your position. Following Seas aims to be an accessible but complex sim-lite. Understanding your ship is key, but this is not a full simulator.
Fast travel and various convenience features are present -- but this is not a swashbuckling adventure game. The pace is slow, intensity infrequent, and moment to moment experience will be often mundane. 
**YOUR FEET ON DECK**
Command your ship from first person, and explore the detailed ships that draw inspiration from historical vessels that sailed between the 15th and 18th centuries. Inspect your provisions and cargo, batten the hatches, and catch that horizon!
**Unforgiving Seas**
Winds can be fickle, and storms only rise when you need them least. Progressive flooding is simulated, along with negative stability effects caused by the freesurface effect of onboard floodwaters. A moment of inattention could see you capsize, and then at the bottom. You must manage your pumps, along with your load and heading to stay afloat in heavy seas.

Release date: Nov 21, 2025

Categories: Ship Combat, Simulation, Survival, Exploration, First-Person Perspective, Physics Simulation, Sailing Simulation, Resource Management


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


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:
- Realistic sailing mechanics (weight 0.96): The game features complex and rewarding sailing mechanics, with realistic sail behavior and ship physics. Players appreciate the depth and accuracy of the sailing simulation.
- Variety of ships and activities (weight 0.85): The game offers a diverse selection of highly detailed and well-modeled ships, along with various activities such as fishing and exploration. This variety adds to the game's appeal and replayability.
- Active and passionate developer (weight 0.85): The developer is highly active, frequently releasing patches and updates, and is responsive to player feedback. This dedication and passion for the game are well-received by the community.
- Atmospheric and visually appealing (weight 0.82): The game is praised for its beautiful graphics, dynamic weather, and attention to detail, creating an immersive and atmospheric experience. Players enjoy the stunning visuals, including sunsets, sunrises, and realistic water effects.
- Immersive and engaging gameplay (weight 0.79): The game provides a deeply engaging and immersive experience through its complex operations, realistic touches, and intriguing lore. Players find the gameplay relaxing and enjoyable once they overcome the learning curve.
- Interesting game concept and potential (weight 0.77): Players believe in the game's potential and find its concept interesting. The game is seen as a breath of fresh air in the sailing game genre, offering a unique and fascinating experience.
- Good performance and optimization (weight 0.76): The game is noted for its good performance and stability, running smoothly even on mid-grade PCs with high settings. This optimization is appreciated by players.

Common complaints:
- Game is buggy and unstable (weight 0.95): The game is reported to be very buggy, with numerous issues affecting gameplay. Players have experienced glitches, crashes, and various bugs that make the game unstable and sometimes unplayable.
- Sailing mechanics are unclear (weight 0.64): The sailing mechanics are reported to be unclear and unreliable. Players find it difficult to understand how to set sail, navigate, and manage the sails effectively.
- Lack of content and activities (weight 0.6): Players have noted a lack of meaningful content and activities in the game. There is a limited set of gameplay loops and themes, making the game feel boring and repetitive.
- Unintuitive UI and controls (weight 0.53): The user interface and controls are described as unintuitive and confusing. Players have difficulty navigating the game and understanding how to perform basic actions, which affects the overall gameplay experience.
- Lack of tutorials and guidance (weight 0.52): There is a significant lack of tutorials and guidance in the game, making it difficult for players to understand the mechanics and objectives. This results in a steep learning curve and frustration.
- Early access issues (weight 0.49): The game is in early access and has many missing features and bugs. Players have reported that the game feels incomplete and lacks polish.
- High learning curve (weight 0.45): The game has a high learning curve, especially for those with less nautical knowledge. This makes it difficult for new players to get into the game and enjoy it fully.
- Wind direction issues (weight 0.38): Players have reported frequent and unnatural changes in wind direction, making it difficult to catch the wind properly and navigate effectively.
- Save and cargo issues (weight 0.09): There are issues with saving the game and managing cargo. Players have reported that saves are being deleted and cargo disappears, leading to frustration and progress loss.
- Fast travel system problems (weight 0.06): The fast travel system is reported to be problematic, as it trivializes gameplay and conflicts with the sailing mechanics, affecting the overall game balance.
- Lack of language support (weight 0.02): There is a lack of language support in the game, with specific mentions of no Russian language support. This limits the accessibility of the game to a broader audience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Complex sailing mechanics praised (weight 0.48): Players appreciate the detailed and realistic sailing mechanics, including physics-based gameplay, sail management, and ship controls. The complexity and realism of the sailing mechanics are highlighted as significant positives.
- Immersive graphics and audio (weight 0.05): The game's graphics and water effects, along with its audio, contribute to a highly immersive experience. Players are impressed by the visual and auditory details.
- Multiplayer and chill gameplay (weight 0.05): The game offers a multiplayer mode that allows for a relaxed and enjoyable gaming experience. Players appreciate the chill gameplay that multiplayer provides.
- Variety of well-modeled ships (weight 0.05): The game features a variety of ship types and upgrades, with detailed and well-modeled ships. This variety adds depth to the gameplay and is appreciated by players.
- Fishing minigame needs work (weight 0.05): While the game includes various activities like fishing and trading, the fishing minigame is noted as needing improvement. Players find it less engaging compared to other aspects of the game.
- Ongoing development in early access (weight 0.03): The game is currently in early access, with ongoing development and updates. Players are aware of and appreciate the continuous improvements being made.
- Realistic touches enhance gameplay (weight 0.03): Small, realistic touches throughout the game enhance the overall gameplay experience, making it more immersive and enjoyable.
- Intriguing lore and worldbuilding (weight 0.03): The game features intriguing lore and worldbuilding, which adds depth and context to the gameplay, making the world feel more alive and engaging.
- Stormy starting scenario (weight 0.03): The game begins with a challenging scenario set during a storm, which sets the tone for the adventure and tests players' sailing skills from the outset.
- Survival elements included (weight 0.03): The game incorporates survival elements such as hunger and thirst, adding another layer of realism and challenge to the gameplay.
- Hostile weather conditions (weight 0.03): Players encounter hostile weather conditions, which add to the game's realism and challenge. These conditions require players to adapt their strategies and sailing techniques.
- Undertaken jobs add depth (weight 0.03): The game includes various jobs and activities that players can undertake, adding depth and variety to the gameplay experience.
- Slow, meditative gameplay (weight 0.03): The game offers a slow and meditative gameplay experience, which can be relaxing and enjoyable for players looking for a more laid-back gaming session.
- Skip intro by sinking boat (weight 0.02): Players have found a way to skip the introductory scenario by sinking their boat, which can be useful for those who want to jump straight into the main gameplay.

Performance notes:
- High hardware usage (weight 0.08): The game causes relatively high performance use and stress on computer hardware. For example, players with an RTX3060 graphics card report that the GPU always shows 100% usage while playing the game.
- Specific crash during gameplay (weight 0.03): A specific issue has been identified where the game crashes when unfurling the sail. This appears to be a consistent problem affecting players during this particular action.

Recommendations:
- Try demo before buying (weight 0.29): Many reviewers across multiple clusters suggest trying the demo version of the game before making a purchase. This recommendation is aimed at ensuring that potential buyers understand the gameplay mechanics and enjoy the sailing experience.
- Recommend for sailing enthusiasts (weight 0.28): The game is highly recommended for those who enjoy sailing and meditative gameplay. Reviewers suggest that fans of sailing games and those who understand the Early Access model will find the game worthwhile.
- Wait for improvements (weight 0.23): Several reviewers mention that the game is not ready for early access as per Steam's guidelines and recommend waiting a few months for improvements and stability patches.
- Support the developer (weight 0.18): Some reviewers encourage buying the game in its current state to support the developer, indicating that it is worth investing time and money in.
- Add more content (weight 0.18): Reviewers suggest adding more interactive activities, such as trading and more islands to explore, to enhance the gameplay experience.
- Not for action-oriented players (weight 0.14): The game may not be suitable for those looking for a clear action or story-guided experience, as it focuses more on sailing and exploration.
- Consider VR mode (weight 0.06): There is a mention of VR mode, suggesting that it could be an interesting feature for players to consider.
- Enhance customization and tools (weight 0.04): There are requests for the ability to modify and customize ships, as well as improvements to navigational tools, to provide a more personalized and easier gaming experience.
- Adjust survival mechanics (weight 0.02): Some feedback mentions the need to adjust food and water consumption mechanics to better balance the gameplay.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Hopeful (weight 0.15): Players feel hopeful due to the developer's active engagement, frequent updates, and responsiveness to bug fixes. They appreciate the game's potential and are looking forward to future improvements, including better tutorials, controls, and additional content.
- Frustrated (weight 0.15): Players are frustrated by various gameplay issues, including bugs, crashes, and tedious sailing mechanics. The need to constantly adjust sails and the confusing navigational tools add to the frustration.
- Frustration (weight 0.12): Players experience frustration due to bugs, unintuitive UI, and performance issues. The slow and boring gameplay, along with the difficulty in reaching islands and lack of guidance, contribute to this emotion.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Players are disappointed with the current state of the game, citing lack of content, unmet expectations, and performance issues. They feel the game is not ready for public release and does not meet early access guidelines.
- Hope (weight 0.06): Players have hope due to the developer's activity and eagerness, as well as the potential for future updates. They believe in the game's potential and the developer's continued work.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Players find satisfaction in the game's detailed ships, cool sail dynamics, and relaxing experience after learning the mechanics. They enjoy the graphics and the overall chilling experience.
- Disappointed (weight 0.06): Players are disappointed with performance issues, sail physics, and the lack of content. They find the game not enjoyable due to many annoying bugs.
- Appreciation (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the game's atmosphere and charm. They find the simulation looks great and enjoy the overall charm of the game.
- Satisfied (weight 0.04): Players are satisfied with the game's graphics and physics simulation. They enjoy the gameplay despite the bugs and find the game beautiful.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Players experience joy from the beautiful graphics and attention to detail. They enjoy the sailing and fishing mechanics.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's potential and unique sailing experience. They look forward to the game's maturation and future updates.
- Impressed (weight 0.02): Players are impressed by the complex and dynamic sailing system. They see it as an amazing achievement by the developer.
- Excitement (weight 0.02): Players feel excitement due to the game's great potential. They are thrilled by the first-time sailing experience and the unique mechanics.
- Supportive (weight 0.02): Players are supportive of the developer's efforts and believe in the game's potential. They trust the developer and are optimistic about future improvements.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Players feel anger due to the wind mechanics and what they perceive as trolling by the developer. These issues significantly impact their enjoyment of the game.
- Surprised (weight 0.01): Players are surprised because the game exceeded their expectations. They find the game better than they initially thought.
- Relaxed (weight 0.01): Players feel relaxed after overcoming the initial learning curve. The gameplay becomes enjoyable and calming once they understand the mechanics.
- Concerned (weight 0.01): Players are concerned about the stress the game causes on their computer hardware. They worry about potential damage or performance issues.
- Trusting (weight 0.01): Players trust the developer and believe in the game's potential. They have faith in the developer's ability to improve the game over time.}