Thanks a lot for writing this up, really solid points.
You’re right about the difficulty curve. Enemies being mostly reactive makes hand planning very safe right now, and we’ve been talking about more disruption exactly like the examples you mentioned. Belt pressure, stance interference and passive damage are all things we want to explore more.
Map feedback is also on point. We like the freedom it gives, but it does reduce tension. Fog of war and forced encounters are ideas we’re actively discussing. Good catch on the island tile too, that’s a bug and shouldn’t happen. And yeah, empty areas need to feel more worth the detour.
Really appreciate the thoughtful feedback. This kind of stuff helps a lot.