Hi Rikka,
I'm so glad you like the micro-expression idea! Hopefully that will add to the game--I didn't want to include a reputation tracker because I'm going for realism and immersion. I'm so glad you noticed my minimalist approach to the message bar, too!
Regarding the sound options menu, I still don't think we're talking about the same icon. There are 2 in the lower right of the screen, but one is hidden, and that's the sound settings icon. You have to mouse over the area to the left of the planet icon (in the right corner of the screen.) I've included a photo showing what happens when you move your cursor there:
I realize that not everyone is going to read the README (and it might even be hard to imagine what I'm talking about without seeing this photo?) So, if you have any suggestions about ways I can let the player know about this better, please feel free to share. I could leave it visible, but I really prefer it remain hidden if possible.
Interesting that the highlights around the items weren't noticeable--that's probably my attempt to keep things subtle again. One reviewer commented that they liked that function, but hoped to do more of that in the demo and only saw it once. I'm considering adding more point-and-click into the game, especially for battle scenes.
I just double checked the weapons scene to make sure the mouse turns into a hand when in that area, and it does, but only over the weapons. Maybe that's why you didn't notice it? Once you mouse past the weapons you'll see it change. But I do understand that if you don't know to do that, it could be a little counter-intuitive.
Thanks so much for the encouraging words, I really, really appreciate it! I've been disappointed that the Kickstarter for voice acting hasn't been moving very quickly, but when people that play the demo say such nice things about it, it's an encouraging reminder that this is going in the right direction. Thanks for adding The Star Legation to your wishlist, I'm really excited to finish the game someday and to hear what you think about the full experience. It's so hard to contain myself and avoid sharing some of the major events that happen in the story!
Best,
Andy
UPDATE: the full version of the game now has a tutorial at the beginning which details where the hidden sound-options button is: it's hidden underneath the menu icon that is persistent through the game. Just move your mouse pointer under the icon during the game and you'll see the sound options icon appear. You can adjust your sound settings any time during the game.