More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics

I agree that Rare needs to work on other ways to interact with players. Yeah, raising your tankard, and sharing a song is charming but it does not have any longevity.

I usually end up raising a reaper flag, but before that, I will fly some other emissary to collect flags first. Within that period, any ship spotted without an emissary will be spared from battle. What are my options really? Board them, realize they have no loot, raise my tankard and peace?

I keep saying that being able to gather intel and supplies from other players without fighting needs to be a thing.

It needs to be a thing!

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

Sea of Thieves is a lot of things to a lot of people. It speaks well of the game that pretty much everyone is very passionate about it. They either love it, or they play it for a very limited time, get bored (or griefed off a server multiple times), and then leave for less, shall we say, divided waters.

As a long time player, that division is both fun to watch and one of the most frustrating parts of the game, as one part of the community asks only for a bit more say in the kind of adventure they want to have, while the other half generally just responds with hostility towards that player telling them they should just get better at the game. >

Not sure what debates you are reading here but most do not ask for “abit more”. They ask for an entire carbon copy world that is identical to main adventure all same rewards but with combat removed. Many Posters here are generally supportive of PvE modes that arnt carbon copy of adventure.

Also I fail to see anything hostile about suggesting a player work on game skills as long as they follow up with actual advice. I offer advice here often particularly to solo sloopers as I was one. Does that make me a hostile person? What I am not a fan of is those who just say “git gud bro!”

Bare with me please.

Sea of Thieves, in spite of it's rocky start and the glitches and quirks that still plague it to this day, actually gets a lot of things right. The voyages are fun for the casual player who doesn't grind them endlessly but instead uses them as a starting point or guide for the random things they are going to experience on the seas. The same is true for the Forts and Tall Tales. The game is meant to be about your story, not your endless grind.

Well some people part of their story is grinding. Whether it was grinding to PL or grinding for a ship set they wanted.

That said, I feel that the one thing that Rare got wrong is the focus on PvP combat. Sea of Thieves is described as a Shared World Adventure Game, with the key word being Adventure. They want the players to come together and interact with one another. Unfortunately, that interaction far too often boils down to combat, which in turn creates a very toxic atmosphere for the game, both in the world and outside it, which actually has the opposite effect for a lot of players. Now I'm not saying take away PvP and that changes. No. What I do think, however, is that there should be other options available as well. PvP isn't just combat, it's any time a player finds themselves in direct competition with another player over a given objective. However, Rare has chosen to focus on encouraging players to fight one another with only a very few things, such as the half of the Throne Commendations and the Glitterbeard story arc, requiring peaceful interaction between multiple crews. And Glitterbeard isn't even a proper story arch, as it's not told in order, but presented randomly with the pieces scattered around the map almost haphazardly. Even so players are only encouraged to work together for the final goal only. In spite of the Emote packs, and things of the like, the Sea of Thieves developers focus on encouraging PvP combat rather than player interaction as a whole actively hurts the game, as the most common way to greet another ship on the sea is with a cannonball, which means that they are actually discouraging the very thing they wanted to encourage.

I see your point here. I have always found games with PvP in them who also advertise to bring players together kinda off. I think it’s hard to achieve. I tried to team up with other ships back in day for some of the earlier events where Rare was pushing hard to work together and always ended up not even making it to event as we were attacked first. One time we were stocking up at fort with ship who agreed to head over to an event with us and this event could only be done a certain time of day so was already stressed and what did they do? They tried to sink us, we sunk them and killed them and were like that’s it never working with people we don’t know again. Till this day won’t join alliances.

I’m not sure how they can truly fix that. They added alliances but those are either a back stabbing joke or exploited in alliance servers.

Sea of Thieves is a Shared World Adventure Game, not a Shared World Arena Game.

Rant Aside, lets get to the good parts.

Reducing Spawn Camping:

I have seen far to many people saying "Give us temporary immunity until we move." which would be great but does really nothing to solve the problem. For one thing that reduces combat down to who can pull the trigger faster and just encourages the camper to stand behind you making them harder to report.

I chose to look at this problem ( which actually is considered a problem by the Dev Team) from the point of view that it had to address the problem without actively hurting PvP combat (much) and it has to make sense within the lore of the world.

I came up with the following.

The Ferry is under attack by Ghost Ships. This is a random thing, and players can man the cannons there to help fend them off. Can they hurt you? No. I mean your dead and this is just a fun bit of background flavor that you can kill time with while you wait for the door. This leads to a story, a Tall Tale that actually takes place while your dead. It takes the form of an escape room basically with the ultimate goal being that you Light (or Relight) a Soul Flame which increases the power of the Ferry, allowing it to defend itself better and fend off the Ghost Ships.

In the world, respawning sends out a Keg like blast that does not effect the ship but will push other players away from your spawn point if they are standing to close and possibly stun them. On smaller ships this could have the effect of actually throwing the attacking player off the boat simply for standing to close.

The blast actually does no damage, only throwing the player, but gives the respawning character a small window to respond to their attackers, while encouraging attackers to keep their distance, reducing spawn camping.

There you go, an fairly elegant and simple solution that actually has a lore entry behind it to explain the change. Your Welcome.

I think that was well thought out. I agree the spawning in sucks in this game. I know we can scuttle but that answer while yes is logical never really fully set well with me. I think people should have at least a Chance for a comeback.

A Death Log

In a game where players can kill one another from any distance where they are not able to see the name of their attacker, this would actually help players that are being harassed, be able to take action, such as reporting griefers, without having to rely on faulty memory, screen shots, a list that literally just puts everyone that's on the server into it, or simply never actually seeing the persons name. Being able to see who killed you would admittedly be a double edged sword, making it easier for a pirate to target another for a minor slight, but it would also give players another tool in the war against toxic players.

Reporting in game is tricky. People will report you for killing them even if you did it in defense and they are salty they lost. People will report you for killing them because you took their loot and now they are salty. I think the better way is to have gamer tags flash on screen when people are talking since voice toxicity is a serious problem. That way can record and report. I just worry your idea would lead to a flood of frivolous reports that would result in nothing being accomplished.

Races

Remember at the beginning when I pointed out that PvP is about more than just trying to kill one another all the time. Here is one example. Games such as Grand Theft Auto Online have proven that a race mode can work very well in an open world PvP game. Sea of Thieves has a wide variety of players, yet not all of them get a way to be able to shine on the seas. Racing on any of the ships would be an experience completely unique as the crews have to work together to be the fastest ship. This would likely stand out as an Arena mode, and would have rules in place put there by the pirates that run it, things like only certain curse balls being available, the removal of cannons, and the like. Am I saying that players couldn't find a way onto another ship to attack? Nope. We are pirates after all, just that they would have to think about different ways to do that.

That would be funny, two galleons racing against the wind lol.

Shopping in the Main Menus

I know that many players who have been around a long time pretty much already have everything. I'm not someone who has that kind of time and as such, I occasionally do a little shopping on my little sloop. I have nothing against being able to shop in world, but it can take a little bit to fully make up your mind, and being kicked off a server for being idle, even though you have been looking through the many clothing options trying to find the thing that best suits your pirate the whole time, only makes it take longer. Seriously, there is no real reason why I can't access the shops from a very basic interface before actually loading into a server. My character is already loaded, so being able to shop, change how I am dressed, my tattoos, hair style, color, tools, ect., is something I should be able to do, without taking up a slot on a server, or making my crew have to wait on me.

I don’t know how I feel about that. Kinda takes the immersive experience away.

A Non-Combat community area in Adventure

Remember what I said about people not being encourages to interact with one another in a positive manor? Well, why not address that directly. You see the Arena already has this in the form of it's matchmaking lobby where the crews of each of the participating ships are placed in a single area and allowed to interact without danger to one another.

I propose a town like setting, likely run by the Bilge Rats, as they have had multiple hints that they go off somewhere beyond the available area in the game. The Merchants are another possible candidate as those supplies have to come from somewhere. This area is its own separate location with personal ships, no combat outside of a designated area, and an increased focus on things players can do together, such as actually forming their crew themselves by talking to players within the area, or even forming alliances. Again This IS NOT me suggesting a PvE mode for the game, but more of an area that, within the lore of the game, allows for more player interaction than the typical cannonball/sword to the face.

Would this area have money making opportunities? Maybe, but if so the payout wouldn't be very high. It would however go a long way towards helping settle the PvP/PvE debate, allowing players a bit more of a say in the flavor of story they want to be told/tell.

Personally, I envision this area as an Island hidden within the Shroud, one of many such pockets. Through some means, likely mystical, the Merchants/Bilge Rats can get to and from this island, which has now been opened to the general pirates of the Sea of Thieves. Having this area be Non-Combat focused similar to the arena waiting lobby allows it to be more social in nature, and exploration of the island can be encouraged with several secrets ( such as the ones hidden in Maiden Voyage) scattered throughout the island. And No...I don't care if you think this kind of thing can be abused, or if you think you will have less targets. I specifically said this is it's own server....which gets me to another point.

I honestly would rather see a PvE mode with its own faction like Arena over this.

In Menu Server Swap

Yeah...I would rather not have to go all the way back to the title screen just to be able to change servers. If I'm that frustrated, I'm just as likely to quit the game as I am to log back into it. It's nice that you gave us the option to skip the opening animatic, but honestly, I would rather be able to save the steps. This is a very basic quality of life change that would be greatly appreciated.

That’s going to make server hopper abusers life so much easier though.

And Finally.

Put Greater Effort Going Forward into Encouraging Positive Interaction

Just because this is Sea of Thieves, doesn't mean it has to be full of jerks. Yes, stealing is part of the game. Yes, player on player combat is part of the game. No, they aren't the only parts of the game. In another thread I literally saw a player tell another that in order to defend their several hours worth of loot they needed to get better at PvP. This is a purely disrespectful and even juvenile response.

Why is it disrespectful and juvenile? Again what is so wrong about advising someone to get better at PvP skills in a game with PvP? I guess people can blindly pretend PvP isn’t part of game but it is.

My advice to that person personally would have been never have several hours of loot on your ship especially if you can not defend yourself properly. Cash in often, it’s what I do. Sorry but is that rude of me to say?

Not every player has the option to dedicate a large amount of time to this game. I myself and a parent and have a full time job with several real world obligations as well as other games I enjoy just as much as Sea of Thieves. I should not have to dedicate my limited play time to improving at something I do not enjoy and have little to no interest in actively engaging in just to enjoy the content that there is quite a bit more of and which I do actually enjoy enough to still be playing the game years later.

See that kinda makes my eyes roll abit when people bring up their real world obligations. “ I’m a parent ” “ I work! “ ok well that’s nice so do many of us. I’m an adult gamer too with life obligations , no I can’t keep up with everyone but that’s my problem and for me to figure out.

You do not by any means need to become a PvP expert, I’m not a huge fan of PvP on SOT either and will mostly avoid it if I can. However there is nothing obscene about learning basic skills to defend yourself or learning tactics to avoid it. I learned both and both have improved my experience. Sorry you are in an open world with PvP as am I so as much as you don’t want that to be part of it ,it is part of it.

We have enough things in world to encourage combat. Literally everything that has been introduced into the game, with very few exceptions, has been done with the idea that players will fight to do that one thing. Perhaps, going forward Rare should be more open to looking at ways they can allow those people who do not enjoy the PvP aspect of their game to feel included, or even heard. Right now, the player is given the illusion of agency in choosing what kind of pirate they want to become. That is the dream. The sad truth about Sea of Thieves is that it really is a game where you are either predator or prey, the bully or the bullied, and no one really likes to lose.

As a PvE’ er I don’t feel like I’m being bullied, I don’t feel like prey and I feel like I am choosing the pirate I want to be. Yes I’ve had bad experiences as I mentioned with events but for me there was something about forced positive interaction that just wasn’t working and like I said it’s tough on games with PvP. However I’ve had good times too, met good people, have been able to help new players I come across which I really enjoy.

Also I think you touched on a big issue and that is people can’t handle losing. That is why many get made when they are sunk because they lost. I’ve been sunk and you know what? It’s ok. I don’t mind. I still had fun with my crew that day. People who get angry about losing in a video game well that’s their issue to deal with. Life is not about never losing after all.

I'm not asking for a PvP server. I don't want one. What I do want, however, is more agency in choosing the kind of experience that I have. Perhaps tracking a players hostility, to allow more hostile pirates to be placed with similarly hostile pirates, social "rest" areas giving prey players a place where they can relax and have some respite, or goals voyages or tall tales that encourage players to interact with other crews rather than just shoot them for existing.>

I’m not a fan of games that have PvP then punish for PvP’ing and also how would game know who the aggressor was? I think those kinda tracking systems open a can of worms. I play a game with that type system and got punished for defending myself.

I’m all for more positive social interaction if can be done correct.

I know that my views are only one persons of literally thousands. This board is littered with suggestions, some good, some bad, from people just like me. I love this game, even if I think it's flawed, and I want it to be the best game that it can be. I ask only that people try to see the game through other peoples eyes, be they the victim, or the attacker. A game is played to have fun, which is the final goal of literally everyone on the server. Respect your fellow players, and think honestly about what your actions may be doing to their fun. We are Pirates, we are Thieves, but first we are Players, and People. Treat other players how you would want to be treated on the Sea.

May your sails be ever full.

-Kid

I agree at end day we are all members of SOT community no matter how we choose to play.

Sorry if some parts of my post seem blunt I can be bit direct person to point but I don’t mean disrespect and do not take discussion personal.

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

Reducing Spawn Camping:
In the world, respawning sends out a Keg like blast that does not effect the ship but will push other players away from your spawn point if they are standing to close and possibly stun them. On smaller ships this could have the effect of actually throwing the attacking player off the boat simply for standing to close.

The blast actually does no damage, only throwing the player, but gives the respawning character a small window to respond to their attackers, while encouraging attackers to keep their distance, reducing spawn camping.

There you go, an fairly elegant and simple solution that actually has a lore entry behind it to explain the change. Your Welcome.

The reason I'm against this is because the difficult part about boarding an enemy is getting on the ship without getting blunderbussed, this would make the powerful SoT players even more powerful. I've battled against many formidable players and if I wasn't able to spawn camp it would've been a long drawn out battle.

If they get spawn camped they are basically paying the price for a mistake they made... or hit reg :P

A Death Log

In a game where players can kill one another from any distance where they are not able to see the name of their attacker, this would actually help players that are being harassed, be able to take action, such as reporting griefers, without having to rely on faulty memory, screen shots, a list that literally just puts everyone that's on the server into it, or simply never actually seeing the persons name. Being able to see who killed you would admittedly be a double edged sword, making it easier for a pirate to target another for a minor slight, but it would also give players another tool in the war against toxic players.

I hate this idea simply because I do a lot of alliance betrayals while hiding on an enemies ship, if they can simply look at a log and learn names that would be too difficult. They should just be aware of the name and try to get a glimpse and write it down if they're too bothered by whatever is going on.

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

Shopping in the Main Menus

I know that many players who have been around a long time pretty much already have everything. I'm not someone who has that kind of time and as such, I occasionally do a little shopping on my little sloop. I have nothing against being able to shop in world, but it can take a little bit to fully make up your mind, and being kicked off a server for being idle, even though you have been looking through the many clothing options trying to find the thing that best suits your pirate the whole time, only makes it take longer. Seriously, there is no real reason why I can't access the shops from a very basic interface before actually loading into a server. My character is already loaded, so being able to shop, change how I am dressed, my tattoos, hair style, color, tools, ect., is something I should be able to do, without taking up a slot on a server, or making my crew have to wait on me.

I see no harm in adding this.

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

A Non-Combat community area in Adventure

Remember what I said about people not being encourages to interact with one another in a positive manor? Well, why not address that directly. You see the Arena already has this in the form of it's matchmaking lobby where the crews of each of the participating ships are placed in a single area and allowed to interact without danger to one another.

They literally banned communication in arena lobbies/in-game because people complained about the toxicity rofl.

I propose a town like setting, likely run by the Bilge Rats, as they have had multiple hints that they go off somewhere beyond the available area in the game. The Merchants are another possible candidate as those supplies have to come from somewhere. This area is its own separate location with personal ships, no combat outside of a designated area, and an increased focus on things players can do together, such as actually forming their crew themselves by talking to players within the area, or even forming alliances. Again This IS NOT me suggesting a PvE mode for the game, but more of an area that, within the lore of the game, allows for more player interaction than the typical cannonball/sword to the face.

Would this area have money making opportunities? Maybe, but if so the payout wouldn't be very high. It would however go a long way towards helping settle the PvP/PvE debate, allowing players a bit more of a say in the flavor of story they want to be told/tell.

Personally, I envision this area as an Island hidden within the Shroud, one of many such pockets. Through some means, likely mystical, the Merchants/Bilge Rats can get to and from this island, which has now been opened to the general pirates of the Sea of Thieves. Having this area be Non-Combat focused similar to the arena waiting lobby allows it to be more social in nature, and exploration of the island can be encouraged with several secrets ( such as the ones hidden in Maiden Voyage) scattered throughout the island.

This idea would only be viable if not treasures are allowed in. It's unfair to just camp there until the chaser gets bored then the runner sells whenever he feels like it. If you have to drop all your loot before going in then I see no problem in this.

And No...I don't care if you think this kind of thing can be abused, or if you think you will have less targets. I specifically said this is it's own server....which gets me to another point.

You don't care about one of the most important topics? Abusing this "safe" island would make the game just unfair and plain not fun. It could pretty much halt the stealing idea of this game...

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

Put Greater Effort Going Forward into Encouraging Positive Interaction

Just because this is Sea of Thieves, doesn't mean it has to be full of jerks. Yes, stealing is part of the game. Yes, player on player combat is part of the game. No, they aren't the only parts of the game. In another thread I literally saw a player tell another that in order to defend their several hours worth of loot they needed to get better at PvP. This is a purely disrespectful and even juvenile response.

Telling someone to get better at PvP is not disrespectful, it's the actual tip to win in those situations. How you say it is a different story.

Not every player has the option to dedicate a large amount of time to this game. I myself and a parent and have a full time job with several real world obligations as well as other games I enjoy just as much as Sea of Thieves.

You don't need to dedicate that much time. Can't PvP? Learn how to run away efficiently.

I should not have to dedicate my limited play time to improving at something I do not enjoy and have little to no interest in actively engaging in just to enjoy the content that there is quite a bit more of and which I do actually enjoy enough to still be playing the game years later.

That is literally your problem and not the game's...

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

We have enough things in world to encourage combat. Literally everything that has been introduced into the game, with very few exceptions, has been done with the idea that players will fight to do that one thing. Perhaps, going forward Rare should be more open to looking at ways they can allow those people who do not enjoy the PvP aspect of their game to feel included, or even heard. Right now, the player is given the illusion of agency in choosing what kind of pirate they want to become. That is the dream. The sad truth about Sea of Thieves is that it really is a game where you are either predator or prey, the bully or the bullied, and no one really likes to lose.

So practice to be the predator, you can be the Robin Hood of Sea of Thieves but don't complain once you get stabbed in the back. Getting good at PvP doesn't mean you need to actively destroy other people. You could get good to protect yourself and others, but like I said, don't complain once you inevitably get back stabbed.

I'm not asking for a PvP server. I don't want one. What I do want, however, is more agency in choosing the kind of experience that I have. Perhaps tracking a players hostility, to allow more hostile pirates to be placed with similarly hostile pirates, social "rest" areas giving prey players a place where they can relax and have some respite, or goals voyages or tall tales that encourage players to interact with other crews rather than just shoot them for existing.

I know that my views are only one persons of literally thousands. This board is littered with suggestions, some good, some bad, from people just like me. I love this game, even if I think it's flawed, and I want it to be the best game that it can be. I ask only that people try to see the game through other peoples eyes, be they the victim, or the attacker. A game is played to have fun, which is the final goal of literally everyone on the server.

I agree.

Respect your fellow players, and think honestly about what your actions may be doing to their fun.

Not allowing a lot of people to attack on sight will ruin a lot of people's fun.

We are Pirates, we are Thieves, but first we are Players, and People. Treat other players how you would want to be treated on the Sea.

May your sails be ever full.

-Kid

I posted multiple posts because the forums have a formatting and length issue where if you type more than a certain amount it stops updating/giving the ability to post. At least I'm having this problem.

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

I should not have to dedicate my limited play time to improving at something I do not enjoy

Why not? Everyone else had to improve at PvP. You bought a game with PvP in it and then get upset that you need to be able to PvP?

@combatxkitty Thank you. I love it when you reply, as you give honest feedback on the ideas.

I actually like your idea of their gamer tag appearing on screen with they speak. I will say that I don't really want the report feature moved in game. It's frustrating that it isn't but not having it in game gives people time to cool down. My only real complaint is that when you do have a problem with a certain player it can be very difficult to identify that player, and I feel that Rare should take steps to make it just that little bit easier.

As for shopping in the menu, I don't actually want to take it out of the in game world, just give the option to change your appearance and the like before you join the world. I don't really intend for it to be immersion breaking, not really. I really think of it more as something your character did while you weren't actually logged in. Like drinking until they pass out at the tavern table.

There is nothing wrong with telling someone to get better at PvP if you actually are offering advice about how they can do that. My advise would be much the same as yours in fact. What is rude and juvenile is that that advise is often just framed in a variation of get good.

Learning basic defense skills are important. I myself sail solo more often than not do my instincts are fairly keen ( but not perfect ). My point about my real world obligations was actually just what you pointed out, I can't keep up, at least not without dedicating time specifically to that element. If I don't find that element enjoyable, however, I am far less inclined to dedicate my limited play time to it. Telling someone to go into the Arena to get practice or to raid other ships on an empty sloop are good only if that player actually enjoys PvP and actively wants to improve their skill. In game my solution is to get good at spotting ships (I can usually do so at res distance), figuring out where they are going, planning how to get away, and learning tricks to help me escape. It's still PvP, but not combat.

As for being the bully or the bullied, that was more a generalization. You could really think of it as a carnivore/herbivore kind of dynamic, and where you sit on that dynamic is a big part of your pirate, so much so that it limits your choices in other areas. I'm not saying that I haven't figured out who my pirate is, and a large part comes from finding what you like and what you don't like. I will admit they have given some agency but pretty much everything in the game is trying to force you into a fight with another player, with that single element taking away a lot of play style options.

I don't really envision play tracking as hard division, but something more akin to how GTAO handles the idea. If you are running around killing a pretty large number of players in a fairly short time then you are more likely to get matched with other players who do the same thing matching you with players that have a similar taste in playstyle and vice versa. If your playstyle changes then your grouping would change to reflect that. That said it was just an idea I threw in as an example and not really something that I worked out fully as a suggestion.

As for the PvE social area, I intentionally saved that for the last part of my reply to you as I would honestly love to hear why you feel the way you do. Mostly I'm curious as having an area where players can interact, form crews dynamically and the like that is on a server separated from the main Sea's of the game isn't something that would actually hurt the main play area population, and might actually make managing to get on the same server as your friends a bit easier.

@mferr11 thank you for proving my juvenile and disrespectful point.

@capt-soul-beard having this problem myself.

@capt-soul-beard It's literally a separate area set behind a load screen so they really couldn't bring loot there anyway. And any loot that is there wouldn't be much and wouldn't count toward any factions. I'm thinking of the secret compartment in Maiden Voyage as the example. I don't really care if people could gold farm it. Gold is easy to get.

@swgsomekid said in More Random Idea's. Again hear me out, respectful discussion welcome on all topics:

@combatxkitty Thank you. I love it when you reply, as you give honest feedback on the ideas.

Well thank you. Some do not love when I reply lol. When I see someone who takes the times to come up with ideas I think they deserve just as well thought out of a reply.

I actually like your idea of their gamer tag appearing on screen with they speak. I will say that I don't really want the report feature moved in game. It's frustrating that it isn't but not having it in game gives people time to cool down. My only real complaint is that when you do have a problem with a certain player it can be very difficult to identify that player, and I feel that Rare should take steps to make it just that little bit easier.

That is true. My thought was just most toxic players cant help but not to keep their mouths shut so you would get the name that way.

As for shopping in the menu, I don't actually want to take it out of the in game world, just give the option to change your appearance and the like before you join the world. I don't really intend for it to be immersion breaking, not really. I really think of it more as something your character did while you weren't actually logged in. Like drinking until they pass out at the tavern table.

Oh ok thats fine then. Sorry I misunderstood. I thought you meant just move it to menu. Sometimes while I am shopping my crew accidently leaves me behind lol.

There is nothing wrong with telling someone to get better at PvP if you actually are offering advice about how they can do that. My advise would be much the same as yours in fact. What is rude and juvenile is that that advise is often just framed in a variation of get good.

Yep. That is why I dont agree with "git gud". Its like well geez if someone is so good then give some advice atleast.

As for being the bully or the bullied, that was more a generalization. You could really think of it as a carnivore/herbivore kind of dynamic, and where you sit on that dynamic is a big part of your pirate, so much so that it limits your choices in other areas. I'm not saying that I haven't figured out who my pirate is, and a large part comes from finding what you like and what you don't like. I will admit they have given some agency but pretty much everything in the game is trying to force you into a fight with another player, with that single element taking away a lot of play style options.

I see your point and Rare has tried to bring players together, glitter beard, the giving of gifts most recent along with other stuff but as I said its hard in game with PvP. I remember once I wanted to give a gift to a sloop and they ran right into the Red Sea which we were close to at the time. Ive had other ships run away when just wanted to give them supplies as we were logging off or treasure we didnt feel like selling. In short people tend not to tust you in game with PvP, therefore no trust makes interactions diffiult and back to my point its hard to achieve social interactions especially forced ones.

I don't really envision play tracking as hard division, but something more akin to how GTAO handles the idea. If you are running around killing a pretty large number of players in a fairly short time then you are more likely to get matched with other players who do the same thing matching you with players that have a similar taste in playstyle and vice versa. If your playstyle changes then your grouping would change to reflect that. That said it was just an idea I threw in as an example and not really something that I worked out fully as a suggestion.

GTAO was the game I was punished on for defending myself actually. I totally get the idea, I dont think its obscene but just for me I personally do not like games that encourage PvP and then punish for PvP'ing too much while also getting people who are just defending themselves mixed up in the mix which is bound to happen because these systems are not perfect.

As for the PvE social area, I intentionally saved that for the last part of my reply to you as I would honestly love to hear why you feel the way you do. Mostly I'm curious as having an area where players can interact, form crews dynamically and the like that is on a server separated from the main Sea's of the game isn't something that would actually hurt the main play area population, and might actually make managing to get on the same server as your friends a bit easier.

Well its not so much I am against it. I would just rather see a PvE mode or area with a bit more meat on the bone. Lets say a server we all load in to fight bosses or whatever. A server you can make gold on and rank up in a new faction with rewards just like Sea Dog while socializing and being productive together.

Ive played PvE games with social areas where people hang around and they are usually full of toxic trolls and sexual harraserment ( me being female my expierence may differ from a male of course). Nothing productive comes of that. I think having a common goal and keeping people busy can still bring players together but be less troll town.

Something I was always interested in however were adding games into the taverns. I know people say people dont play SOT for tavern games but it could be a fun addition. Let us play a dice game, cards , throw darts, stuff that doesnt involve putting a bullet in someones head and is just quick fun.