Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode

  • Okwui
    Ship Mate

    @princes-lettuce said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    Video gaming is supposed to be fun and relaxing.

    This is one of the faulty premises I hear a lot. Yes, video games are supposed to be fun - a subjective term; relaxing, though... depends on the game. There are certainly relaxing games out there, yes, but not every game is designed to be relaxing.

    The devs have talked a lot about the need to look over one’s shoulder, to keep an eye on the horizon, the uneasy nature of alliances. That sound relaxing to anyone?

    Yes, there are moments - stunning, beautiful moments - where you can relax and enjoy the beauty of the game, but the dev’s idea is that you not get sucked into that sense of ease, because there will always be that threat of another crew.

    Asking for “PvE only” because folks believe that playing video games should be relaxing is like asking that the devs at Creative Assembly make a mode where the Alien is removed from Alien: Islolation so that players can casually explore the station and just fight synthetics and humans.

  • Amancebacabras
    Master
    Insider

    Va ca-Hombre I wasn't actually starting a debate about new generations or asking for the game to stay tough, I only pointed that, despite what op said that it don't hurt the current game, it does and is a naive though: when you give people shortcuts, they use it, and implementing a pve mode that let you earn the same things earned in adventure, only ends in adventure mode dying.

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @capt-niteshade said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    Literally every game I played as a kid was hard.. Many had no save game options and when it was game over you started again.. Mario? Was a hard game, at least the originals on the nes were..

    And that's an even BIGGER change in the general biosphere of video games.

    You ARE correct. Beating Super Mario Bros. was not an easy task. But the thing is, you didn't have to. I played Mario a lot as an awkward pre-teen disaster. But I never actually beat the game until I was grown up and playing one of the many rereleases.

    But that was what was great about it. I didn't need to beat it to enjoy playing it. That's my major problem in this discussion. People keep talking about the rewards of playing the game and how that pertains to the risk involved.

    The main reward of playing the game should be the fun you have playing it. Commendations and new outfits are GREAT, don't get me wrong. But they're the sprinkles on top. If you don't enjoy playing the game itself, then any unlockables are just hollow incentives to slog through something you aren't having fun with.

    As I said before, I don't need a PvE mode. I'm having fun right now. But the argument keeps coming up that "without the risk of other pirates, the game would be boring".

    The thing is, that's how I've been playing the game from before launch. I don't PvP. And that doesn't mean I just don't start fights. That means I've literally never fired a weapon at another player.

    If you catch me, my treasure is yours. I don't fight at all. So for me, there IS no risk from other pirates because there is no thrill from trying to best them.

    And I'm having the time of my life. So while I don't need a dedicated mode to have that experience, I can't fault those who do because that's basically how I've been enjoying the game.

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @amancebacabras said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    when you give people shortcuts, they use it,

    Single white mage playthroughs of Final Fantasy and the Nuzlocke runs of Pokemon would like to differ.

  • Amancebacabras
    Master
    Insider

    Ok, but I meaned "in a competitive game". And with fights for the booty, SoT is. In the other hand, of course that there's people that seek such challenges, but is not the majority

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @amancebacabras said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    In the other hand, of course that there's people that seek such challenges, but is not the majority

    Indeed. The majority of "gamers" are probably playing mobile games. I feel we more serious "informed" gamers often forget that we are very much the minority.

  • StarQuest
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    @viperishemu2992 Maybe people like the uncertainty of if they will find a quality enemy, a few kids, some noobs. Maybe the fact that were all mixed together is what makes the game so special to many of us that enjoy pvp. I enjoy pvp and also helping players out at times. I like that I can choose how I respond to the unknown players on the horizon. You basically destroyed your own argument when you said that would change.

    Some of the most hilarious moments have been with inexperienced crews or kids screaming they are being attacked. Or running into those random noobs and showing them how to play. I would rather them find out on the seas together than be hidden away on some private server.

    Edit - Also the Arena mode was always planned before the launch of the game they just were waiting for the right time and way to implement it. PVE only however is not what a SWAG is about which is a shared world adventure game and what SoT was advertised as well before release. They used to allow you to kill your own crew even but decided crews vs the world was the better way to go. If you just keep an eye out you will never get surprised and you can avoid pretty much all pvp if you really wish. Consider the other players as a stalking enemy ship like a skeleton lord who wants you dead.

  • xeola
    Captain
    Insider

    @itskingbertie it can still be fun, you dont need to plan as much as you think just be more careful.

    I was delivering the final 'wild rose' items earlier and i went into a storm, i jumped onto an island to fish for stormfish not realizing there was a small hole at the back of my brig, when i went back my ship sunk infront of me, being careful would have helped me :D

  • Anndy578
    Founder

    @qabic i don't have to deal with [mod edit], i'm done with this trash game. it's been a year and they've failed to add any real content. if they had actually improved the game it might be worth playing through and dealing with toxic people like you but as it is it's simply a waste of my valuable time

  • Anndy578
    Founder

    @princes-lettuce that's exactly what i'm trying to say. sure losing loot sucks but whatever that's part of the game. being killed over and over while listening to some screechy kids hurl insults over the mic until you leave the game is just ridiculous. of course it doesn't help that it's insanely easy to drop someones anchor now

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    RAREs goal and our goal should be to create the best game. The goal of money is always going to drive companies and shouldn't be our motivation or our advice to the company... pay to win is lucrative and not desirable. As long as SoT has a steady playerbase it will retain support from Microsoft and Rare.

    You can focus on new players, but if you cannot retain them what is the point? It is better to provide better support in making these players a seasoned player. Keep them playing, so they can spend their money on the micro transactions that are going to come.

    Hardcore PvE players should be proficient enough to avoid PvP and secure their manner of playing. You can sail the seas and avoid all PvP with good gameplay. It is possible, solo captains like myself do it all the time and if I can do it any crew can with practice.

    Families would be fine with a seperate area where they cannot transfer progress or where all progress is unlocked, so their kids can dress up in any way they want. Their goal is to have a fun time with the family and if the kids are old enough they can join the rest of the community.

    A PvE mode that competes with the PvPvE mode will have a negative impact on the PvP enabled version. People will grind in safety and hunt in the current mode. Regardless of the slower rate of progression, it is without the main threat in the game. It decreases the variety of interactions on the seas in all modes and removes the mystery. That mystery is what keeps seasoned players coming back and is the main threat on the seas.

    New modes, new features and more need to compliment the core ideals of the game and not compete with the current game that attracted the core players, what has caused the huge hype at the start... Rare has a great vision and is why people were so hyped at the start and why their core has been loyal to the game. It should be maintained, suggesting to throw it out is bad.

    The goal is to get a steady playerbase, create a great game to retain them and that's not done by having your game compete with itself. There is already tons of competing games for our attention in the world, focus and vision is what makes games great.

  • BlindNev
    Captain

    In my opinion, instead of seperating the servers and giving people an easy "gold grind mode", Rare should focus on making changes to the core game.

    Currently, you have no reason to interact in a friendly manner with other pirates. You don't get anything out of it and the risks are too high.
    There are no real downsides to just attacking others either. We need something like a bounty system.

    Also, they need to add friendly hubs, mini games, ways to trade (maybe to negotiate) and some way of protecting your loot (stashing it somehow, trap it, etc.)
    Hell, you can even add a vault to the ship. You'll be able to store a few items in there (not too many) and others would have to pick the lock in order to steal them.

    In addition, smaller ships should have better ways to defend themselves. With the new damage mechanics and harpoon, it's way too easy to catch and destroy a sloop.

  • Look Behind You
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Moderator
    Founder
    Deckhand

    @anndy578 Your post has been edited as it goes against the Forum Rules and Pirate Code

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  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @blindnev said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    In my opinion, instead of seperating the servers and giving people an easy "gold grind mode", Rare should focus on making changes to the core game.

    You know, this got me thinking.

    The big controversy seems to be that some PvE focused players see the Arena and think, "why them and not us?". Understandable, but not a direct comparison.

    While the Arena has it's own faction and progression; everyone just assumes that a PvE mode would just be the core game with passive mode enabled.

    But what if it wasn't? What if it was a new game mode with a dedicated faction and progression of it's own. While the Arena is all about pirates duking it out for prizes, maybe this new mode would be about working toward a common goal. You could explain the lack of damage to other pirates with magic. "As long as you sail these waters, no harm shall befall you from the hands of man" or something like that.

    I'm not clever (or motivated) enough to really flesh the idea out, but basically, missions done in this new mode would reward specific prizes, much like the Arena.

    Just off the top of my head, maybe there could be a goal to reach for each server. This many fish caught, this much gold found, Meg invasion: stop the fishy horde!!

    That kinda thing.

    You'd earn rewards for contributing to the goal (with maybe a bonus for teaming up with other ships) and a further reward once the goal is reached, based on the size of your contribution.

    That way players could knuckle down and try to make as big a dent as they can, or just sail about lazily if they want some relaxation.

    Boom! New game mode with new mechanics favoring the PvE crowd to match the PvPers' Arena. Also removes the pesky argument of "unearned progression".

    sigh

    Sometimes it's hard being a genius.

  • Anndy578
    Founder

    @triheadedmonkey bypassing the filter? i censored myself. go ahead and ban me, i already said i'm done with your trash game anyway. actually pretty ironic i post a censored word and get warned yet in game there's kids saying all kinds of horrible things with zero consequences.

  • BloodyBil
    Legend
    Insider

    @vacca-hombre said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    @blindnev said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    In my opinion, instead of seperating the servers and giving people an easy "gold grind mode", Rare should focus on making changes to the core game.

    You know, this got me thinking.

    The big controversy seems to be that some PvE focused players see the Arena and think, "why them and not us?". Understandable, but not a direct comparison.

    While the Arena has it's own faction and progression; everyone just assumes that a PvE mode would just be the core game with passive mode enabled.

    But what if it wasn't? What if it was a new game mode with a dedicated faction and progression of it's own. While the Arena is all about pirates duking it out for prizes, maybe this new mode would be about working toward a common goal. You could explain the lack of damage to other pirates with magic. "As long as you sail these waters, no harm shall befall you from the hands of man" or something like that.

    I'm not clever (or motivated) enough to really flesh the idea out, but basically, missions done in this new mode would reward specific prizes, much like the Arena.

    Just off the top of my head, maybe there could be a goal to reach for each server. This many fish caught, this much gold found, Meg invasion: stop the fishy horde!!

    That kinda thing.

    You'd earn rewards for contributing to the goal (with maybe a bonus for teaming up with other ships) and a further reward once the goal is reached, based on the size of your contribution.

    That way players could knuckle down and try to make as big a dent as they can, or just sail about lazily if they want some relaxation.

    Boom! New game mode with new mechanics favoring the PvE crowd to match the PvPers' Arena. Also removes the pesky argument of "unearned progression".

    sigh

    Sometimes it's hard being a genius.

    Coop tall tales would be neat as a separate mode, couple of ideas here:

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/91800/coop-mega-tall-tale-mode-pve-arena-kinda

  • Flying Poopla
    Master
    Insider

    @anndy578 lol you think PvP is toxic? What a joke.

  • Qabic
    Marauder
    Insider

    @anndy578 Where exactly did you thinking i am toxic come from if you have such a big problem with the game you should move on to something else that you like.

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @vacahombre said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    @capt-niteshade said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    Literally every game I played as a kid was hard.. Many had no save game options and when it was game over you started again.. Mario? Was a hard game, at least the originals on the nes were..

    And that's an even BIGGER change in the general biosphere of video games.

    You ARE correct. Beating Super Mario Bros. was not an easy task. But the thing is, you didn't have to. I played Mario a lot as an awkward pre-teen disaster. But I never actually beat the game until I was grown up and playing one of the many rereleases.

    But that was what was great about it. I didn't need to beat it to enjoy playing it. That's my major problem in this discussion. People keep talking about the rewards of playing the game and how that pertains to the risk involved.

    The main reward of playing the game should be the fun you have playing it. Commendations and new outfits are GREAT, don't get me wrong. But they're the sprinkles on top. If you don't enjoy playing the game itself, then any unlockables are just hollow incentives to slog through something you aren't having fun with.

    As I said before, I don't need a PvE mode. I'm having fun right now. But the argument keeps coming up that "without the risk of other pirates, the game would be boring".

    The thing is, that's how I've been playing the game from before launch. I don't PvP. And that doesn't mean I just don't start fights. That means I've literally never fired a weapon at another player.

    If you catch me, my treasure is yours. I don't fight at all. So for me, there IS no risk from other pirates because there is no thrill from trying to best them.

    And I'm having the time of my life. So while I don't need a dedicated mode to have that experience, I can't fault those who do because that's basically how I've been enjoying the game.

    That's because it's pvpve, you have a choice in how you approach it, I agree with you, but rare designed the game so that you would see other real players while playing and have to make a choice between fight flight or Co operate, a pve mode of one is added should be like arena, or a separate game. Also argue semantics all you want, but whichever way you look at it games have been watered down to suit casuals over the years, not saying it's necessarily a bad thing either, it's simply fact. You didn't have to beat Mario to enjoy it, but these days most games hold your hand all the way to the end and are almost impossible not to beat

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @capt-niteshade said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    Also argue semantics all you want, but whichever way you look at it games have been watered down to suit casuals over the years, not saying it's necessarily a bad thing either, it's simply fact. You didn't have to beat Mario to enjoy it, but these days most games hold your hand all the way to the end and are almost impossible not to beat

    Doesn't change my core point. If a game is fun to play, then it's fun to play. Things like rewards, difficulty, and even online elements shouldn't effect that. And I find SoT fun to play, even when I never catch even a glimpse of another ship.

    a pve mode of one is added should be like arena, or a separate game.

    Ah, and if you check a few posts up, that's exactly the suggestion I made. PvE mode shouldn't just be the core game with passive mode turned on.

    Make it it's own thing just like Arena. With progression and rewards you can only get in that mode.

    I went into more depth in the previous post.

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    If you give PvE players a PvE mode who is left in Adventure mode?

    People who like the mixed PvPvE.

    If you give Arena to PvP focussed players who is left on Adventure mode.

    People who like PvPve mixed mode and sandbox over an Arena.

    More players more participants in all modes in the long run.

    I'm more for Private Servers to setup as you like, even premade PvP settings of 5 Galleons hunt 1 Brigg etc.
    Or 3v3 ships or just full PvE.
    Whatever people like.

    Does it ruin the Adventure mode?

    No people who like adventure mode keep playing it.

    People who dont like it can go arena for more action or pivate for more action or more peace.

    A lot of toxic talk comes also from people unable to deal with getting sunk.

    Edit: if people exagerate about the meaning of cosmetics and horizontal progression i cannot help them.
    If people argue that they wont "earn" it to have this or that i ask myself where they stopped growing up or if they are grown up already.

    The jealousy over progressuon in a game with gamemechanically zero meaning to progression is pitiful and something that want me mostly opt out from any sense of community.
    If i see what people wpost here and how they degal with others opinions and feedback and how less empathic they are, but how greedy and less playful they aproach playing a game i only can facepalm.

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @vacahombre we aren't even arguing mate, seems like we agree on everything.. I loved your idea about the separate mode

  • Catskill Joe
    Marauder
    Insider

    @entspeak I couldn't agree more, they are two totally different games in how they do things.

    I was using it more as an example of a full PvP game going the route of split PvP/PvE and succeeding at it, all the while keeping players paying them a monthly subscription (which has no weight in this discussion but does bring to light what people would do for a more casual experience.

    For me it doesn't even matter as I no longer play SoT, I just watch the forums and development to see where things go.

  • Admiral GreyJoy
    Castaway

    The fact is you shouldn’t receive any form of progression playing on pve servers. You said yourself pve servers would benefit little kids, crybaby’s & noobs. Well I’m none of these things I am a pirate legend who likes playing the game, the way it was designed to be played. Anybody who wants the same ranks/cosmetics as me should have to perform the same grind (yes this includes dealing with “PvP” players)

    So please do tell how do they appease these noobies implement private servers in a way that doesn’t offend or insult those of us who play the game the real way? The way I see it if they implement private servers then they marketed this game to me under false advertising & that would leave a long lasting bad taste in my mouth towards rare. That would steer me clear of any of their future titles

  • Admiral GreyJoy
    Castaway

    What they could do for the pve crowds is make an expansion called dead seas no skull forts, no fleets, fill the world with nothing but seafarers chests & foul skulls & let y’all sail the Dead Sea unmolested ranking up in the slowest way. Also anyone who visits the Dead Sea even once can no longer buy commendation letters in regular adventure mode. Let them rank up as slowly as possible in their lonely entitled pve world.

    I was pirate legend before the hungering deep I was Athena 10 before cursed sails. Then I quit the game because there were never any other ships & the game was completely stale with the cat & mouse aspect removed. I’ve recently returned due to the introduction of arena mode. I’m really enjoying all the new features (harpoon guns 👍😃) So for me it’s a little irritating hearing people campaigning for the lonely seas that drove me away in the first place. I want a world filled with pirates & dangers not empty servers.

    A better thing they could probably do to pacify the pve crowd is introduce a new area to the map. One that is more colonized & civilized where attacks are frowned upon & instead of skelly ships they have the governors armadas that will attack any hostile ships in the colonized zone.

    When you guys make these posts please try to keep in mind not everyone wants what you want. It isn’t all about you. Have ideas that are good & benefit all of the community even the griefers. Not ideas that seperate the community & take players out of the player pool.

  • AzShadowStar
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @itskingbertie your still basicly asking them to make the game easy its a pirate game its ment to have pvp

  • BraxKedren
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    You remove player on player threat the seas becomes dead and the game will follow. The NPC “threat” isnt enough to still call yourself a pirate because they are all easily avoidable and you can get away with little risk.

    With other players, there are tactics you must use that could fail, the real threat of loss, death and the thrill of winning or escaping with none of that happening. You don’t get that with NPC’s.

    If Rare wants to give you a sailing simulator thats fine but there should be no way to achieve anything in that mode.ALL achievements need to stay locked behind the threat of other players being able to make that a longer grind than you expect.

    No Easy Mode Sea of Thieves

  • ArecBalrin
    Ship Mate

    I gave up and refunded SoT a year ago because I saw the direction of travel Rare were choosing. A PvE mode/server is inevitable and will hurt the game, just as the Arena mode will, as they have done in every single open-world live-service game that has introduced anything like them.

    If someone wants to play an open-world PvE game with friends, the market is saturated with choices. If they want to play an open-world PvP game, the market is again full of choice. Companies are falling over themselves copying each other, trying to make 'the next Fortnite' or 'the next Destiny' or 'the next Left4Dead' and so on and so forth.

    There are practically no PvPvE games. If you want a player-governed open-world with rule-based design with the gameplay tension created by stakes and risks, your only options are janky survival games, EVE Online or Sea of Thieves, which makes Sea of Thieves something special among all the battle royale and co-op clones. At least it was, then Rare made themselves hostage to people who hate open-world PvP of any kind.

    I hope the PvE servers come this year, then Rare can give up pretending they ever listened to people who wanted something different, rather than just another clone of some other game they liked. The same thing you'll remember happened following the wake of World of Warcraft's success: every new MMO for years was ruined by ex-WoW players demanding even before release that each game be turned into WoW, itself turned into an anti-fun Everquest-clone by the likes of Jeff Kaplan.

  • Unleashed3008
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @arecbalrin said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    The same thing you'll remember happened following the wake of World of Warcraft's success: every new MMO for years was ruined by ex-WoW players demanding even before release that each game be turned into WoW, itself turned into an anti-fun Everquest-clone by the likes of Jeff Kaplan.

    WoW has avoided going F2P with a successful box price + sub model for 15 years. Its greatest success came when it made itself most accessible. Whether you agree with it on an artistic or philosophical level or not, it was (and remains) an incredible success. So much so that it sucked the oxygen out of an entire genre, killing clones but especially asphyxiating games which thought they'd found a counter, like Wildstar, by ignoring accessibility.

    WoW's most successful PvE servers also happened to be, for a long time, PvPvE servers. Despite the game offering (and having more players enjoying) PvE servers. PvE only servers didn't kill open world PvP. It wouldn't here either.

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @xixaxap said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    @arecbalrin said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    The same thing you'll remember happened following the wake of World of Warcraft's success: every new MMO for years was ruined by ex-WoW players demanding even before release that each game be turned into WoW, itself turned into an anti-fun Everquest-clone by the likes of Jeff Kaplan.

    WoW has avoided going F2P with a successful box price + sub model for 15 years. Its greatest success came when it made itself most accessible. Whether you agree with it on an artistic or philosophical level or not, it was (and remains) an incredible success. So much so that it sucked the oxygen out of an entire genre, killing clones but especially asphyxiating games which thought they'd found a counter, like Wildstar, by ignoring accessibility.

    WoW's most successful PvE servers also happened to be, for a long time, PvPvE servers. Despite the game offering (and having more players enjoying) PvE servers. PvE only servers didn't kill open world PvP. It wouldn't here either.

    And they keep them separate for a reason. People here want to be able to pick and choose... I think it would damage the games vision in any case if they offer a mode that competes with the main game, but at a minimum don't let rewards swap betwee worlds.

  • ArecBalrin
    Ship Mate

    @xixaxap WoW had a counter-factual: EVE Online released just a year before and whilst it has nowhere the same spectacular success, it is the only long-running subscription MMO which has seen it's playerbase grow constantly. There were no massive peaks and troughs, which even WoW had to weather.

    EVE did it by giving players the most agency, ahead of any imposed top-down design(leading to an elected council of players in response to unpopular dev decisions). The main problem EVE had was it's retention-rate: the average time before a new player cancelled was 6 months. It had an accessibility problem and still does. On top of that, a lot of people just don't like the setting and the abstract nature of controlling a ship mainly with buttons and not actually piloting it. Survival games too have an accessibility issue.

    Sea of Thieves didn't and it's potential was it's main draw, now that potential has been and will continue to be squandered. What was a polished, stable and accessible open-world which allowed for spontaneous player combat, possibly in competition for environment-sourced rewards, is now slipping away.

    Games were ruined by WoW players trying to turn them into WoW; the problem was anyone who wanted to play WoW already had WoW. SoT will suffer a similar fate as players demand Rare make it more like other games, arguing it would 'appeal to the wider audience'. The problem is that audience has no shortage of the type of games they are wanting SoT to be. Unless it does something like what Fortnite did to PUBG by stealing it's BR crown, this will hurt it.

    Completely disagree with you regarding WoW's PvE servers, the ones it called 'normal' servers whilst segretating the game it could have been off onto 'PvP' servers, before segregating even further with the instance-based PvP minigames, then inevitably an Arena once Blizzard had locked that direction in.

  • Unleashed3008
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @cotu42 said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    And they keep them separate for a reason. People here want to be able to pick and choose... I think it would damage the games vision in any case if they offer a mode that competes with the main game, but at a minimum don't let rewards swap betwee worlds.

    You can pay for a server transfer and keep everything. Some account-wide awards become available everywhere across all characters regardless of server type. I'd imagine there are pros and cons to letting people swap at will, but there is no firm wall between these in WoW. Hasn't been for more than 10 years, though doom from on high was preached prior to the feature's release.

    It had no negative effect.

  • Unleashed3008
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @arecbalrin said in Why every player should embrace a PvE Mode:

    Sea of Thieves didn't and it's potential was it's main draw, now that potential has been and will continue to be squandered. What was a polished, stable and accessible open-world which allowed for spontaneous player combat, possibly in competition for environment-sourced rewards, is now slipping away.

    I don't understand, how is Rare squandering SoT? I'm relatively new (well, I bought on release date, but the game did not hook me right away, came back for the anniversary update). Sorry, I'm just not plugged into how people feel about the anniversary update. The Arena has been great, imho, I've enjoyed it. Even when Open Crew means 2 of your teammates will be eating paint chips the entire match.

    Completely disagree with you regarding WoW's PvE servers, the ones it called 'normal' servers whilst segretating the game it could have been off onto 'PvP' servers, before segregating even further with the instance-based PvP minigames, then inevitably an Arena once Blizzard had locked that direction in.

    Sorry, I don't understand what this sentence means.

  • GunstooOG
    Ship Mate

    There is a reason why there aren't a lot PvPvE games. Most people don't like the game mode. It is the griefer game mode. You will run off 70% or more people within the first few months of playing the game. They will be so repulsed by their experiences that they will never try the game again. Not even if a PvE mode is added. They will divorce themselves from it in a very personal way and then tell all their friends to stay away too. Sound familiar?

    All of this is known. It has happened time and again with this game mode. The sociopaths that enjoy this game mode are a very small group. There are only a few games out there that turned this type of game mode into niche successes. How developers continue to swindle investors into these games is mind bottling.

    Will SoT be one of these games? I don't know but I think this game is something special even without the threat of griefing. I would hardly call it PvP. My best experiences in this game come from my friends that I'm playing with, not at the expense of others. If I want PvP, I go play something else.

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @xixaxap pick and choose always will have a negative effect on the current world.

    While many enjoy PvP, most will risk their plan of doing voyage X or Tall Tales adventure if given the choice? I don't think so and therefore making one the friendly server and one the hyper aggressive version.

    I play for the dynamic of a session, I lose I win, but still to this day and I have been playing since day one, I have no idea how people will respond on the seas. Fights are common, but with a bit of conversation, good positioning and forgiveness a truce is a very common aspect of my pirates life.

    This dynamic is created by throwing everyone in the same sea and not splitting it in sections. Game modes need to compliment each other and not compete against one another by offering the same experiences and rewards. Not sure different modes were the best choice, but that ship sailed with the Arena.

    In the Arena we experience the world in a different manner for a different set of rewards and a new faction. Any PvE mode should abide by that same principle, cause else it will change the nature of the Adventure mode in a negative manner. People shouting for PvE servers assume that everyone that likes the current servers are bloodthirsty pirate hunters, while there also others to consider that enjoy the mystery, the balance that is in the game between the players that kill you regardless, the players out to steal your treasure when ever given the chance, the players that like playing nice and the players like myself that switch their roles based on the situation. This dynamic is fragile and I believe is the main attraction of the game, at least for me.

    There are tons of PvE games, there tons of PvP games and there are very little games that provide the experience that this game does. It is why I don't want to mess around with it just to have more pirates around... I rather have a smaller community, which holds on to the vision Rare started out with, the mystery and excitement of seeing sails on the horizon, than alter it for the fame, money and glory of a huge player base.

    Predictability would cause me to lose all interest and for many core players I believe that is also true. I am a legend Athena 10 for months now and I get asked the question why I still play fairly often. It is the adventure, mystery and tales. The teams message with the tall tales is spot on and a PvE server would diminish its value by removing the largest wild card, the players.

    I played WoW in vanilla till wotlk and if you think world open PvP was the same after they made changes to the dynamic. You are very wrong. Open world PvP in WoW died off, it had battle grounds, instances and raids and the biggest community to keep players. Occassionally a side would organize and attack a capital, which took hours to setup and an additional couple to execute and some random spots here and there that were contested like ZG island due to raiders clashing near the buff sight.

    The WoW approach is not going to improve the quality of the Sea of Thieves experience.

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