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I played through three Recover Components orders, built the recycler, and reached tutorial step 4. The current-objective panel stayed clear, the warehouse counts updated reliably, and the history feed made each completed action easy to verify. The strongest line was the transition from manual salvage to passive production because it made the base feel like it had started operating. My main friction was early pacing. Before reaching the first real planning choice, I waited through three 8-second salvage orders and an 18-second recycler build, roughly 42 seconds of repeated waiting. Consider making the first salvage instant, shortening the first recycler build, or letting the next order queue while the player reads the interface. The longer timers can return after the player understands what the resources unlock. That would bring the risk and expedition decisions forward without removing the production fantasy.

I reached the First Battle deployment step with anonymous logs switched off. The five-step progress wheel, enemy cards, and card stat definitions made the structure feel substantial, and the Logs OFF control was clear. My main hesitation came after the Zhao Yun stat lesson. The hand sits on the far right at a wide browser size, while the drag cue begins near the battlefield, so the cue did not visually connect the source card to the intended front slot. I tried both dragging and selecting the card before I understood the expected path. Highlight the actual source card and one valid slot with a continuous animated line, or support click-card then click-slot as an alternate input. That would let the first deployment teach the tactical idea instead of testing the drag gesture.

Played in the browser through the first combat and reached the loss screen at score 0. The large WASD graphic made movement easy to identify, and the boat and turret silhouettes read clearly against the water. I did not find an equally clear instruction that mouse click fires, so I spent the opening seconds testing input while the turret was already damaging the ship. I would add a persistent first-fight line such as 'Aim with the mouse and click to fire' beside the movement keys, then fade it after the first enemy is defeated. That would preserve the immediate action while removing the first-input guess.

Rulebreak Relay has a new live playtest build. The opening now explains repair versus quarantine during play, and timed shifts add clearer pressure for wrong unit, diagnosis, or route choices.

Playable link: https://kapitalkassets.itch.io/rulebreak-relay

No password needed. The current public browser build opens directly.

I am looking for first-time players. Please play naturally and tell me:

1. Where did you first become confused?

2. When did the game start to feel repetitive or too easy?

3. Did you choose to continue after your first completed contract?

If you have not launched it yet and are open to an unrecorded 15-minute Discord screen share, reply before playing. Share only the game window. No camera or microphone is needed.

Code and text are AI-assisted. Artwork was modeled and rendered in Blender.

Thanks, that narrows the context to Firefox on Arch Linux. I have recorded that the routing issue seemed limited to certain rules; the exact rule is still unknown. The label contrast and missing rule-specific explanation now have fixes in a separate local test build. Those changes are not on the published playtest yet, and I have not reproduced the unexpected penalty. No need to replay for us.

Thanks for playing twice and writing this up in order. Your screenshot pinpoints the unreadable seal labels, and the routing confusion is the first issue I am checking. I have also recorded the unclear dock progression and the long wait before older rules matter.

Which browser and device were you using? If you remember which unit or rule led to the unexpected routing penalty, that would help me reproduce it, but no need to replay just to find it. Your two-run report is already useful.

We are testing Rulebreak Relay, a short sci-fi inspection puzzle from kapitalK. We would like feedback from ten people who have not played it before, especially on the first confusing moment and whether the visual feedback is readable. This is an early prototype, not a finished release.

Playtest: https://kapitalkassets.itch.io/rulebreak-relay

No password needed. The current browser playtest is free.

The public game opens directly in your browser, with no installation, ads or purchases in this build.

Please play naturally and stop whenever you wish. Afterwards, what first confused you, if anything, and what made you stop? If a control, layout or effect caused a problem, please tell us your device/browser and the point where it happened. No personal details are needed.

Mouse and touch controls are supported. Sound starts off; ambient motion can be turned off. Progress resets when the page reloads.

AI-assisted code and text are disclosed on the game page. The dimensional artwork was modeled and rendered in Blender. Honest negative feedback is welcome; it will determine what we change before considering a wider release.