I have reached the mountain biome, which, I’ve got to say, is far more beautiful after spending a whole season stranded in plains. So much easier to defend myself with all the natural barriers. Have yet to find any caves or crystals, but I’ll keep searching.
I’ve been here… for two hours… and nothing. I’ve found more crystals in the dungeons than I’ve been able to find in the mountains. At this point, the only thing I can do is trek southeast to Fort Everrest, and hope whoever’s there knows where I can find a city. If I did my math right, given how it took almost 900 tiles to reach Granitedowns, then it will take at least 3-4 thousand tiles for me to reach the fort if I start now. Boy, do I miss Mosshaven. I hope they’re doing okay, because I sure haven’t.
Yeah I will need to address the crystal issue - they need to be scarce enough that they need the player to adventure out and be prepped and ready, but not so scarce it's annoying and unfair. Kinda like Subnautica with rarer materials that force you into the depths... that's the vibe I'm going for with it, in a roundabout way.
The world should feel big enough that getting from one major city to the next or one major region to the next feels like a triumph. The portals should make it easier to navigate across the world once you unlock them though - so it's not just busy work, it should feel rewarding and special. At least, i hope so!
Glad to hear the biomes feel rewarding and different! The seasons will add a lot too - I'm hoping to really ramp up the immersion and visual effects e.g. snow fall, snow tracks etc. Sorry that the crystal has been hard to find - it's been a balancing act, literally, but the feedback has been invaluable so thank you.