Nice concept, however I would do some key changes to it:
- Use a "confirm" and "cancel" input instead of what you've got going on with Z and C for the crate, I don't think it's a bad concept but I think it's overcomplicating it. Space to start interacting with the crate, then arrow keys to navigate and space to grab things, and an input to exit interaction. Personally I think it would feel more intuitive than how it currently is.
- Some "recipes" could use more flexibility, for example: putting utensils on the stove first and then putting the food inside them, as opposed to putting in the food first (personally I always boil water first and then put the noodles/whatever else in, which is why I tried that despite the tutorial telling me to do otherwise. Surprised that boiling water counts as ruined?).
- Crate UI is way too huge, though I guess the size is part of it being a placeholder too.
- It's weird that some actions like mixing ingredients in a bowl are automatic, but others like cutting the noodles are not. Makes me feel like putting them into the bowl at all is an extra step that should be cut, but logically that's not the case. Also, why would the noodles become whole again if I walk away mid cutting?
Some other situational feedback:
- A certain tutorial (I think the second one to mention so) says to press H for past tutorials, instead of T.
- Cut noodles can't be put down on the cutting board again, which, after my boiling water counted as dubious food, and I had them grabbed on top of my head, could then only go to the trash or a plate but not the bowl.
- For some reason I can pick up cut noodles from the plate while carrying my pot with a burnt mess and water inside.
- The mortar appears to be bugged. After mashing the tomato, I can't pick it up to put it into the pan. If I walk away then it becomes uninteractable, if I don't then I can press space once more for a progress bar to show up again, but this one can't progress, so I can only walk away. Only way to pick it up is by carrying a pan and interacting with it.
- Aren't we going to drain the pasta?
- Cooking bars are far too fast to do anything the tutorial tells you to in between without it getting burned.
- Two-step cooking could be nice; have dishes requiring ingredients to be added halfway, so instead of having one cooking bar, you have two.
- A counter placed itself once while closing build mode. Removed itself again when opening it again, and then didn't come back.
- Building mode resets the player's position.
Hoping to see more next demoday!