Ale & Tale Tavern - Gameplay Tips + Map

This guide talks about important parts of playing the game. It covers both how to play and some technical stuff.

Useful Tips for New Players

Look through the game settings, you might find some useful options there.
Start the full game from the beginning, not from the prologue save. The full game has a different tutorial. You can move save files manually, but it’s not recommended.
If your computer gets too hot, try limiting the game’s FPS in settings. Make sure your computer’s cooling is working properly.
Play with a good internet connection, especially the host player. Playing on the same Wi-Fi network might cause small issues.
If you have connection problems, check your firewall settings. Make sure Steam is allowed through your firewall.
You can play offline. Choose this option when starting the game.
There’s a “simple dishwashing” option in settings. Use it to adjust gameplay.
You can put dirty dishes on the dishwasher and wash them later.
You can buy an automatic dishwasher later in the game.
Buy a jukebox for music in your tavern. There are as many songs as story quests.
You don’t need to select a dish to serve it. Just having it in your inventory is enough.
Hold the action button near serving tables to place all dishes at once.
All players share money.
All players share quests.
You can stop other players from removing furniture. You can kick problem players from the game. Items they bought will be sold automatically after a while.
Try different ingredients in the cauldron to make new potions.
Eat food to regain health. Some items have special effects when eaten.
Press ENTER for text chat.
Use the locator (T key) to see other players and the tavern on the map.
You can catch things other than fish.
The forest is more dangerous at night.
There are many ways to make money, so don’t worry about going broke.
Change menu dishes if they stop giving much experience. Dishes recover experience over time if not served.
You can change how many dishes are cooked at once in the cooking window.

The game changes based on how many people are playing. This affects things like how much experience you get and how many enemies you face. This makes the game fair for people playing alone or with friends. You can start playing by yourself and then play with friends later if you want. Devs think playing alone isn’t harder, just different. It might feel a bit slower or have a different focus. But it’s not more difficult.