1)Introduction:
Sea of Thieves is, in my opinion, a great game. Not a perfect one, for certain, but with a huge potential, and an already solid gameplay foundation. So much potential, in fact, that it sets the creative part of my brain abuzz, with quite a few ideas trying to catch my attention. As we all know not all ideas are good, and many need to be refined and shared to become the chiseled system worth adding to the game. With your help, I believe we can give Rare indications to make the game move in the right direction. This thread will not address every issue in the game, but is meant as a place of reflection and sharing, upon my ideas, which may or may not be worthy addition to the game. I will keep updating this post with more ideas and what I can collect from your advices :)
2)Player Interaction:
Bounties & Escorts
I have seen quite a few people suggesting the addition of a bounty system to offer some regulations for the PvP action in the game. In my opinion, this is a really good idea, but here is my take on it: Instead of having the game generate bounties automatically, and having to discern aggressions and self defense, I think player should be the ones to post a bounty on other player, paying it with their own money.
Upon dying, you would have the possibility to place a bounty on your killer. Should it be a set amount like 500 coins? Should it be at the player's discretion? Should there be other limitations? I believe it would be fairer if it was a set amount or maybe the choice between several values.
Bounties are cumulative, so if several players place a bounty on the same player, they add to each other.
Then at the outpost, there would be the typical bounty board, with a poster presenting the ugly mug of your killer, his name, and the total bounty on his head, probably with a NPC merchant allowing you to purchase the bounties (for free?).
Bounties work like voyages so you can only have one active, and the crew must vote for it.
Any number of crews may follow the same bounty.
Bounties displayed are only for players in the same server (obviously), but they are persistent through servers and sessions.
When a bounty you are following is claimed, you are notified, and lose that bounty.
You get a notification that a bounty has been placed on your head, and your total bounty is displayed along with your gold and faction standing.
You have the ability to pay off your bounty, by going to an Outpost and speaking to the Bountyman.
Targets are tracked through a magic compass pointing in their direction? Should they appear on your map?
You are not notified that someone is tracking you.
Bounties are collected upon sinking the offender's ship. You receive half of it immediately, and a flag worth the other half is dropped at the site of the wreckage. Additionally, if the offender is killed after the ship has sunk, he will drop a skull (worth 10% of the bounty? a set amount?). Should every participant to a bounty receive the initial reward?
Should something happen if your mark disconnect? Maybe the ships flag worth half the bounty could be left in the water?
You are notified upon completion of a bounty you have placed.
The skull can be turned in at the order of souls as normal, while the flag must be brought to a bountyman, as proof that the deed is done.
Should the sunk ship respawn on another server? I'd go for a yes, but what do you think?
TLDR: Player paid bounties, bounties=voyage, upon ship sinking 1/2bounty is paid, flag worth 1/2, skull of the offender worth 10%, ability to pay off bounties at outpost.
The bounty board would also be the place to set Escort contracts, just speak to the bountyman to set up an offer.
Should there be an upfront fee for this? I think something like 500 coins would do the trick. Those are only deducted from the player setting up the contract, not given to the first crew who picks up the job.
While under contract, you receive a compass to track the ship you are supposed to protect.
You earn a share of everything they sell. 33% looks good to me, but what do you think? Should it be fixed by the players? Picked among several values?
Is there friendly fire? I'd say yes, but damages are reduced by 50%, and cannon shots don't damage the allied ship.
Escort contracts are voted upon, as any other voyage, and can be cancelled at anytime with another vote.
Escort contracts can also be cancelled by the crew who set it by a vote at the captain's table.
Should there be a penalty if your VIP is sunk while under your guard? Should there be a penalty if you break contract to betray your ally? Tell me what you believe would be best!
TLDR: Escort=Voyage, Cancel at anytime, Penalties?
All in all, this should provide an interesting framework for PvP action and cooperation, while providing new opportunity for treason, and rewards for hunting your fellow players, while still allowing you to pay off the bounty if you do not want to take part in it. The system is not perfect to deter griefer, as anyone can post a bounty on his killer. Any ideas on this? Should we add a special cost?
Trade
Many players are arguing in favor of NPCs merchant ships to raid or to escort. I do not think this goes in the sense of favoring player interaction. In my opinion, the solution lies in a trading system, with different selling values for items at each outpost. First, the player would be able to purchase crates (of tea, sugar, spices and the likes?) at the outpost, and can sell them at other outposts. How does this work? let me illustrate with an example. You buy a crate of sugar at Galleon's Grave. If you sell it on site, it would be a loss. If you sell it at Dagger tooth, you would basically be refunded. If you sell it at another outpost, you would turn a small profit, but should bring it all the way to Golden Sands, you would be rewarded with a nice juicy profit! This would create trade routes between outposts, player manned, and open opportunities of both profit and raiding.
Players could buy any amount of crates their money allows.
Crate selling value example:
I think it immediately gives more personnality to the different outposts, with Plunder profiling himself as the basic trading HUB, and ancient Spire appearing as the place to make a profit! However, I do think that in order to perfectly balance this, the map would need some tweaks, especially regarding outposts distance to one another.
Crates found in the world are sold at the same prices, so bringing them to the right outpost would earn you a bigger share of spoils!
Should this come along with a slight increase in server population? Should the map be reworked to balance it?
Is this favoring outpost camping? What can be done in this regard?
TLDR: Outpost sell crates, location dependent resell value, player manned trading ships.
3)Environment:
I'm certainly not the first one to say it, but non hostile underwater life even in the high seas would be nice, as well as some other hazards, like fog banks, or maybe sudden wind blasts, or wind absence, becalming your ship for a few minutes?
This may not fits with Rare's vision of the game, but I personnaly would love to see a more continental biome, largely covered in lands, with some kind of huuuuge mangrove to steer your ship through, allowing a more jungle-y feeling, with narrow waterways, waterfall to send you to your doom, and Conquistadorish adventures. Honestly, I don't expect it ever making its way into the game but still...
4)Loot:
COINS! If there was a possibility of finding some spare doubloons while exploring the Island, shore expeditions would already feel immensely more rewarding. Voyages and booty should still be the main source of profit of course, but the addition of some coins to loot right away to gain some change would immediately be a very good incentive towards taking time to explore your surroundings. Should there be some more loot naturally spawned on the islands? Idols from times past, and stuff like that? I think yes, but not many. They should be a rare and gratifying find.
TLDR: Coins to be found in exploration
5)Raid:
The skeleton forts are very good at being a raid that focuses on the fighting part of the game, but since there are several other facettes to the game, I think it suitable that there be more diversity in raids. Ideally, I believe that there should almost always be an active raid on the server, and upon completion of a raid, another one appears. Of course, I mean different raid types, not the same twice in a row.
Treasure Hunt Raid
Hard Riddles, revolving not only about landmarks, but also time (Read this map at midnight while standing on the penguin's nest), needing you to first guess the Island, then hunt the treasure over the course of a few days, while fending off other crews. Digging at the right place would open access to a big hole in the ground, with a ladder, and a sizeable amount of loot.
The raid could be advertised by the NPCs at the outpost, and talking to the gold hoarder would provide you with the riddle. The raid could not be active at the same time as another raid.
The Leviathan
Kraken style monster, the leviathan is a gigantic whale cruising in deep waters, after a brief warning were you might try and escape it, it swallows you whole, with your ship. Brief loading screen, and you find yoursleves on your ship, sliding down the throat of the beast, and into its belly. In the acidic waters of the monster's stomach, your ship will start taking damages at an alarming rate (kinda like when off map, but tuned down a bit), and the gastric liquids will also start damaging you, should you come in contact with them (kinda like drowning/poisoning). The cavity is huge, and you have to steer your ship through plenty of wreckages, of those that came before your. But the good news is that Gold and magical skulls, are not susceptible to these acids, and the beasts stomach holds a truly enormous hoard... if you can manage to get out of it alive.
Damages to the ship increase over time, each hole vomiting corrosive acid that burns the skin and melt the boots, and if you die into the Leviathan's digestive system, there is no going back, you respawn on a random island, doomed to wait for your crewmates to succeed, or die.
Navigating and reparing will be the primary challenges here, but if you want the experience to be profitable, you'll need to try and grab some loot at the same time as the rest of the crew keeps the ship cruising and floating.
Oh and you may collect buckets of acid while down there, providing a very unpleasant experience for anyone at the receiving end, be it man or hull.
As the Whale roams the sea, she might gulp down other ships along with you. Will you fight them? Can you help them?
Exiting the Monsters innards will require you to sail at the end of it, and fire with you cannons to force it to expel you.
TLDR: Your ship is eaten whole by a whale, you need to navigate through a maze of shipwrecks while under attack by acidic waters, and grab loot along the way.
Ghost Ships
Yet another recurrent idea, wouldn't it be very cool if sometimes in the heart of the storm or deep into the fog, you could encounter the mystical vessel of a long deceased legendary captain? The Wailing Rose, the Last Plunder or the Blackwych, doomed to roam the sea. The main focus of the raid is here ship to ship combat, and so, your primary objective is to sink the cursed ship to eventually clear the storm and claim your prize. How do you fancy fighting a crew of shades in the dark of the tempest, or plants under heavy rain? I'm not seeing this raid as pitting you againsts AHUNDREDTHOUSAND skeletons, more like 12 or 20 with a captain, and I'm confident that the storm, naval action, and of course other players will provide plenty of opportunities to forge long lasting memories and intense moments. Should we add a cursed chest to the loot?
TLDR: AI ships, crewed by skeletons, found in the heart of weather hazards. Ship to ship combat focus.
What do you guys think?
6)Misc:
Respawn and server switching
Yesterday, we had a fort battle, and as usual people kept dying and coming back to keep on fighting. While the recent ship respawn adjustment already goes a long way in impeding this, I find this to still be an issue. While finding the idea of forcing you to switch server immediately if your ship is sunk a bit harsh, I'm envisioning a system of "Hitpoints". When your ship spawn you start with one, and there is a maximum of three. You lose one everytime you sink, and if it reaches zero, your ship will respawn in another server. You gain one everytime you complete a voyage (up to a max of three).
I see this as an incentive to complete your voyage, be mindful of your ship, and to be more cautious in your approach to raids, while at the same time giving a better chance at repelling other crews for good during PvP action.
I do not belive it will come to harm the experience of PVP players, as even if their ship gets sunk, they are moved to another server with the possibility to keep preying on other ships.
Thanks for your time, fellow pirates, and may the winds favour you!
