In the beginning, when building the PC, it would be nice with an ACTUAL CHOICE about what to build, make it so there are 2-3 viable PC's to build (basically identical, maybe 1 stat difference in the end), instead of only 1 choice per category.
Then be very clear about what stats make part X be wrong against part Y if the player chooses the wrong part.
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Thanks — this one pushed me to make a real improvement, so I appreciate it. Two parts:
On choice: there's actually a full catalog already — 8 CPUs, 8 GPUs, plus several motherboards, RAM kits, PSUs and cases across Budget → Mid → Pro tiers, each with genuine tradeoffs (matching socket, RAM type, PSU wattage, case airflow, durability). What makes it feel like one option at the very start is your budget — early on you can only afford the budget tier, and the tutorial points you at a cheap first build. As you earn money the mid/pro tiers open up and the choices get interesting. So there are plenty of viable builds; they're gated by cash, not locked away.
On clarity — you were 100% right, and it's now fixed. Instead of a vague "RAM type mismatch," the builder now spells out exactly why, e.g. "RAM mismatch: this board takes DDR5, but you picked DDR4 RAM," or "PSU too weak: this build draws ~480W but the PSU only supplies 350W." Live in the next update. Thanks for the sharp feedback! 🖥️
The choice thing, is why I commented about the resetting the progress in my next comment above, maybe I just misunderstood the interface, so I would like to go back & verify.
But it can still be good to provide 2 (or 3) starting-budget PCs, that also educates the player a bit about right & wrong choices about building the PC.
Maybe this can be a bit overwhelming for complete novices that basically don't know what a PC is, but with guidance & part suggestions that difficulty can be overcome, or if nothing else, add a "I give up, just give me a computer"-button.
Totally fair — and for the "go back and verify" part, good news: there's already a 🔄 Reset / New Game button in the Save Manager (💾 icon, top-right), so you can wipe and re-check the builder anytime.
I'm sold on the starter-PC idea, too. I'll add a couple of suggested budget builds with quick notes on why a part is right or wrong — and, love this, a one-click "just give me a computer" Quick Build for anyone who doesn't want to think about parts yet and would rather get straight to the hacking. Best of both: total novices skip ahead, and the folks who want to learn the hardware still can. Thanks for keeping the newcomer in mind! 🖥️