Thank you very much for the though review, it literally helps me out so much. I actually have been pondering the exact same things you brought up, mainly about gameplay and the story.
Gameplay: I’m trying to strike a balance between giving the player too much information and not enough information. I want there to be a sense of genuine exploration, without just telling the player “go here”. I’m working on a new update that is going to add much more clarity and direction to help the player understand what they need to do.
Story: I’m also working on a new system to improve the story. I have a lot of ideas and i’m trying to figure out the best way to accomplish this. I know i need more notes, but that only goes so far. I’m going to be adding in a very extensive voice log system into the game in an update very soon, which i’m hoping will fill in the gaps you mentioned. Not to spoil too much, but they’ll all be recorded by Jacob Caldwell himself. Also, big thing, i’m going to try and kill two birds with one stone here and make the lore also act as direction for the player. That makes it so collecting voice tapes isn’t just a tacked on side mechanic, it’s an integral part of the game and it makes players WANT to find pieces of lore because they might add a new marker on their map, a new way to use a tool, etc.
Again, thank you very much for the honest feedback, and i’d absolutely love if you’d play the future updates to continue to give stellar feedback!