10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP)

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    OK, so let's get this straight first of all. I neither enjoy, or am any good at PvP, but up until now I accepted it as part of the game, and had to put up with the times I got attacked and lost loot etc as it didn't really stop me enjoying the rest of the game.
    However, the latest update bringing in the Emissary system has, in my opinion, shifted the balance of gameplay far too heavily in favour of PvP, made it more prone to camping and griefing and has given those players who get pleasure in harrassing other less skilled players more of a reason to do so, which, is not what I thought the game was intended to be about (Arena mode not withstanding).
    So, with that in mind, here are a few suggestions as to how to improve the game and make it a little fairer and a more fun experience (Note some of these I thought of prior to the update):

    1. First and foremost, do something about the Emissary system that punishes those crews running a Reaper emissary flag who harrass and attack non Emissary crews. The whole point of the emissary system as I understand it is to increase the rewards but also increase the risks, but for those not flying Emissary flags who want to just get on with other aspects of the game they should not have to deal with the constant harrasment. Balance between PvP and PvE needs to be restored ASAP because players like me will be driven away from what was, up until two weeks ago, a brillaint and hugely enjoyable game.
    2. Either allow players to buy a storage crate at the beginning of a session for a minimal amount to speed up the process of stocking their ship up, or somehow allow items to be carried over from one session to the next. The most tedious part of the game has always been stocking up your ship, and it's now been made stressful too by the fact that Reaper Emissary crews will happily attack you sitting at an outpost even when you've literally just logged on. The ability to stock up quickly needs to be introduced to stop you being so vulnerable at the beginning of a game when you don't have the means to defend yourself properly.
    3. I've no idea why this isn't part of the game already, but for goodness sake add a stamina bar so that those annoying PvP players who jump around like "kangaroos on speed" during combat will be punished by losing stamina and subsequent health. It's a totally unrealistic aspect of the game and makes combat even more frustrating, especially for those of us who don't want to pretend we're playing Call Of Duty or Gears Of War.
    4. Add some sort of spawn protection for players who get killed multiple times over by the same player/crew. It would discourage harrassment and griefing by players who just enjoy spawn killing other players just for the fun of it. I know people will say I need to just get better at PvP, but first of all, I try, and I don't seem to get any better, but secondly, that's not the point. Even if I was brillaint at it, it's not why I play the game, and for people like me who like the questing and tall tales, spending half your time being griefed by some crew who have discovered you're not very good at PvP is really frustrating and annnoying when you just want to get on with the parts of the game you do enjoy.
    5. Either allow players to carry a third weapon (why you can't have sword, pistol and one of the sniper rifle or shotgun I've never understood anyway) or add an ammo pouch option which could be found or bought at an outpost (and maybe count it as one of your 5 food slots to give players the choice between more ammo or more food). The ammo crate which was introduced a while back, is next to useless as it's just not practical to take it with you when you're searching for items on an island and need extra ammo to kill the PVE skeletons.
    6. Talking of which, add some different PvE enemies. Skeletons are just getting really boring now, and...
    7. Reduce the number of Gunpowder skeletons that spawn, they're too repetitive and if you've only got a limited amount of ammo (as above) it takes forever to find treasure or kill captains when they're constantly spawning over and over again, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time! It didn't use to matter how long it took to kill them when the PvP wasn't so prevelant, but now with the constant threat of being attacked by a Reaper Emissary crew at any time, it's important to get through quests as quickly as possible and the over abundance of gunpowder skeletons makes this really hard to achieve.
    8. Add a gang plank option to reward players who actually take the time and effort to dock the ship properly. (This has been bugging me since day one)
    9. If you want to encourage PvP, at least make it a little easier for some of us who aren't good at it by turning the automatic mermaid spawn option off and having a "spawn mermaid" function available to the player instead. At least that way some of us could try and use stealth rather than gun ho tactics. It's very hard to sneak up on someone when your mermaid is sitting in the water right by your hiding position!
      10 And finally, please fix the shocking lag, glitches and connection issues that have crept in since the update. I got booted yesterday from the game after 4 hours gameplay, right before we started the Final Chapter of the Athena's run and couldn't get back in again meaning I lost a load of loot that we'd already collected and most annoyingly missed out on the Chest of Legends too. Rare have been quite good at quickly resolving issues like this over the last two years so this needs to be fixed ASAP as, the lag in particular, is making PvP even harder than it already is.
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  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    All excellent ideas and I agree the balance has been shifted to heavily towards PvP now, emissaries are a great idea but they definitely need re working!

  • avecrux
    Captain
    Insider

    @jaynestown

    1. what's the difference if reaper emissaries attack you or crew without emissary flag?
    2. Please no. It's the part of the game to collect supplies
    3. Maybe but in the other side you will be running away with your own stamina and hp. Additionaly it could destroy the balance in some tall tales
    4. You can scuttle your ship and start at other island. Want to be better at PvP so start some fight inestead only defending when someone board you
    5. No, 2 weapons are completely fine
    6. We've got megalodon, kraken, skeleton bosses, skeleton ships but yeah, more variety would be good
    7. it's ok. You can be alive and make them boom even without any ammo. Just think a bit how to manage that
    8. Yes, the plank from pier to ship would be awesome
  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @jaynestown

    As a veteran that enjoys both PvE and PvP it just sounds like you need more practice and #BeMorePirate.

    1. You don't have an emissary flag, so you don't show up on their map. The fact remains that all ships can attack each other for any reason, nothing changed in this regard and you are not taking the additional risk or placing a tracking beacon on your ship and well they are marked on the map... maybe you need to pay more attention.

    2. Stocking a ship has never been easier, find a patch of barrels in the water, use row boats... seriously I cannot get how people are struggling to stock up a ship in this day and age.

    3. Don't see the need for it, running around freely is great... also in PvE.

    4. Spawn protection from being killed over and over, stay on the ferry nobody can kill you there. Keep spawning if you believe you can fight them off, else tap out and scuttle. It is the defenders that choose to return to the battle and extend it to take up half their time.

    5. Weapon load outs are a choice, each has their benefits and negatives... that is how balance is crafted to some degree. Also ammo crates are great at creating a fighting ground... ammo amounts are fine.

    6. Never fought a shark or kraken? Skeletons are fine... the lords could use some unique flavors though.

    7. Gunpowder skeletons speed up the progress... you clearly never played before they were introduced. Speed of completion of objectives on islands is important, it just sounds like you need more practice.

    8. You park properly you can just hop on and off your ship... what else do you need?

    9. What.... mermaids are key give away to indicate pirates which helps the people that aren't going for PvP to be alerted of others. Also learn to manipulate the mermaid if you want to be stealthy.... you act like there aren't a bunch of tuckers out there that manage perfectly fine to be stealthy!

    10. I haven't had much issues with connectivity, though this just is annoying and I am sorry to hear it ruined your voyage.

  • Mac1ver
    Captain
    Insider

    I'd say I'm on the complete opposite side of the fence as someone who almost only PvP's and although I understand where you're coming from, I disagree with a lot of the points you put forward (other than the PvE suggestions which I'm not really bothered about).

    The emissary system definitely isn't in a polished state and will receive tweaks in the future but I really don't think it needs a re-work as many people suggest. Yes it does encourage more PvP (which personally I'm happy about) but reapers are very easy to avoid as they are now and I'd say are already at major disadvantage with their position and grade constantly visible on the map. This not only warns players of an incoming threat from miles away but also shows they are carrying loot if their at a high grade. Also I know this isn't entirely practical, but if you see a reaper emissary on the map when you spawn, why not just change server? Besides, most reaper emissaries I've seen just do forts/voyages to grade V then sell, it's really not an extreme PvP faction as many suggest.

    Stamina option just doesn't belong in this game, it's a suggestion I've never seen before I'll give you that but it just wouldn't work. Rather than making it easier to kill 'kangaroos on speed' (which it won't) it'll just make the already basic combat system , extremely clunky and slow and at the end of the day players who are beating you using the current meta (jumping) will only find a way around it as good players will always adapt to the meta.

    'Spawn protection' already exists; scuttling. I tell this to people a lot but if you've been boarded and are getting repeatedly killed, then you've lost, if you don't think you'll be able to kill you're opponents then just scuttle and re-spawn. If you don't want this to happen, don't let anyone board, this completely removes the threat of having to PvP someone because at the end of the day if you allow someone to board then you've made a mistake.

    Carry a third weapon? You do realise this would make you're PvP problem a thousand times worse as it would allow people to triple gun? Again, not really seen this suggested but there's a reason why.

    Call mermaid is a suggestion I've seen a lot and even as someone who 'tucks' a lot, I'm really against something like this. It would make these kind of stealth plays far to easy as there would be virtually no way of an enemy ship knowing if someone's on an outpost for example. I feel knowing how and where to spawn you're mermaid in the current system is an element of skill, plus, half the crews I face seem to be completely oblivious to mermaids so I wouldn't say it's an issue currently.

    PvP is something that always divides opinion, especially in a PvPvE environment such as SoT. However, at the end of the day there's so many ways currently to avoid and counter a PvP thirsty crew but crews just don't seem to realise or accept. Obviously it's down to opinion but I'd say the game really doesn't need any sort of additional protection for players from PvP, there's already plenty of counters, just takes a bit of experience to realise them.

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    @MacIver01

    I'm not saying any or all ideas are perfect, but as someone who needs my Xbox as a way to de-stress after work etc, SoT was a great way to do this because for the most part the PvP encounters were few and far between. BUT I cannot stand spawn killers and people who, knowing they are better than you, target you for no other reaosn than to get enjoyment from doing so anger me because they're taking pleasure in other people's misfortune, which is why I avoid games like COD. If you have one encounter, you lose, and can move on that's fine, but these sort of people just keep hunting you down and if they're in a faster ship and have better combat skills it's hard to just avoid them, especially when they realise, for instance, that you're trying to do a Thieves Haven Athena run and will be in the same area of the map. Scuttling the ship over and over again is no fun, trust me, and this new Update has shifted the balance too far to the advantage of PvP players, hence why I'm suggsting other options for bringing the balance back, as they're not going to remove the Emissary system now.

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    @jaynestown sagte in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    OK, so let's get this straight first of all. I neither enjoy, or am any good at PvP, but up until now I accepted it as part of the game, and had to put up with the times I got attacked and lost loot etc as it didn't really stop me enjoying the rest of the game.
    However, the latest update bringing in the Emissary system has, in my opinion, shifted the balance of gameplay far too heavily in favour of PvP, made it more prone to camping and griefing and has given those players who get pleasure in harrassing other less skilled players more of a reason to do so, which, is not what I thought the game was intended to be about (Arena mode not withstanding).

    the thing is PvP is allways around!
    Its already PvP to watch the horizon for threatening crews and to have to be cautious and maybe run. That's sandbox PvP imho.
    If you also refuse to do that it's like accepting your game ocasionally ctd and you loose everything.
    But if you are fine to d so, ok, who am i to stop you :) ?!

    1. First and foremost, do something about the Emissary system that punishes those crews running a Reaper emissary flag who harrass and attack non Emissary crews. The whole point of the emissary system as I understand it is to increase the rewards but also increase the risks, but for those not flying Emissary flags who want to just get on with other aspects of the game they should not have to deal with the constant harrasment. Balance between PvP and PvE needs to be restored ASAP because players like me will be driven away from what was, up until two weeks ago, a brillaint and hugely enjoyable game.
      My experience: Most Reper Ships do PvE and some even run away from you when you are not a Reaper.
      The Ledger System to me is far more pushing competition.
      If you think of PvE only they implemented a PvE competition.
      No matter if i am a reaper or not, i sink you , to make you not climbing up the ladders this month more quick than i am.
      therefore i stop you progressing and making points, no matter what.
      Another thing is, if we roleplay pirates, we dont care for you beeing an emissary or not, you maybe have loot, fish, ccb's...
      Even if i'm a Merchants emissary, your loot wil level my flag and your loot will push my reputation.
      The Emissary system - and i said so before it was released - does in no way give non-emissarys a more safe sea where pirates go for emissarys only. Anyway no later than in two month the veteran players are all 4x75/20 (i already hit A20 today) and the whole system can be ignored completely - also said before in insiders.
    1. Either allow players to buy a storage crate at the beginning of a session for a minimal amount to speed up the process of stocking their ship up,

    This is a gamemechanic / -loop the devs build in extra.
    Collecting supplies is a vital part of the gameloop.
    People with millions of gold would never run out of stock, while a new player would be put in a disadvantage, because he still needs to earn his 6 Million gold to buy the complete Athena livery.

    ...or somehow allow items to be carried over from one session to the next.

    this would favor 24/7 players too much and would still be an incentive to grind out ressources too much.

    The most tedious part of the game has always been stocking up your ship, and it's now been made stressful too by the fact that Reaper Emissary crews will happily attack you sitting at an outpost even when you've literally just logged on. The ability to stock up quickly needs to be introduced to stop you being so vulnerable at the beginning of a game when you don't have the means to defend yourself properly.

    seriously if you got catched on the wrong foot just spawning in you loose nothing!
    Just rejoin!
    If you dislike the stocking up you dislike a vital part of the game what is extra designed this way.

    1. I've no idea why this isn't part of the game already, but for goodness sake add a stamina bar so that those annoying PvP players who jump around like "kangaroos on speed" during combat will be punished by losing stamina and subsequent health. It's a totally unrealistic aspect of the game and makes combat even more frustrating, especially for those of us who don't want to pretend we're playing Call Of Duty or Gears Of War.

    I agree there should be something versus bunnyhopping, but i dont like a stamina bar and therefore an extra GUI element what the devs also wanted to have as less as possible to not disturb the beautifull immersive look.

    I instead want a limit of 3 hops in short succession, a 4th will make you exhaust 1,5s like a charge does.
    the time to hop again should be only a few seconds, like 5 or 10 maybe. No timer, know what you are ding and plan your movement accordingly ;)

    1. Add some sort of spawn protection for players who get killed multiple times over by the same player/crew. It would discourage harrassment and griefing by players who just enjoy spawn killing other players just for the fun of it. I know people will say I need to just get better at PvP, but first of all, I try, and I don't seem to get any better, but secondly, that's not the point. Even if I was brillaint at it, it's not why I play the game, and for people like me who like the questing and tall tales, spending half your time being griefed by some crew who have discovered you're not very good at PvP is really frustrating and annnoying when you just want to get on with the parts of the game you do enjoy.
      they rtied invincibility after spawning, but it all was bad in total.
      the way to go is to scuttle if you canot fight back.
      I also hat it to beeing spawncamped and if not neccessary i dont do it. Sometimes you need to kill somene 2 or 3 times until they sunk.
      The gamemechanic versus spawnkilling is to scuttle.
      You lost anyway, get over it, scuttle, restart!
    1. Either allow players to carry a third weapon (why you can't have sword, pistol and one of the sniper rifle or shotgun I've never understood anyway) or add an ammo pouch option which could be found or bought at an outpost (and maybe count it as one of your 5 food slots to give players the choice between more ammo or more food). The ammo crate which was introduced a while back, is next to useless as it's just not practical to take it with you when you're searching for items on an island and need extra ammo to kill the PVE skeletons.

    you are soloing only?
    Think bigger, its a crew feature and this is a MP game ;)

    1. Talking of which, add some different PvE enemies. Skeletons are just getting really boring now, and...

    ...but lore!!!

    1. Reduce the number of Gunpowder skeletons that spawn, they're too repetitive and if you've only got a limited amount of ammo (as above) it takes forever to find treasure or kill captains when they're constantly spawning over and over again, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time! It didn't use to matter how long it took to kill them when the PvP wasn't so prevelant, but now with the constant threat of being attacked by a Reaper Emissary crew at any time, it's important to get through quests as quickly as possible and the over abundance of gunpowder skeletons makes this really hard to achieve.

    now you are crying really...

    do you know the definition of constantly?
    i bet a box of beer it is not constantly, but occasinally at best and even more rare in comparison off all time on the seas.

    1. Add a gang plank option to reward players who actually take the time and effort to dock the ship properly. (This has been bugging me since day one)

    ok with this :)

    1. If you want to encourage PvP, at least make it a little easier for some of us who aren't good at it by turning the automatic mermaid spawn option off and having a "spawn mermaid" function available to the player instead. At least that way some of us could try and use stealth rather than gun ho tactics. It's very hard to sneak up on someone when your mermaid is sitting in the water right by your hiding position!

    What now? Do you want to sneak up people and PvP or not?
    You are contradicting yourself now.

    10 And finally, please fix the shocking lag, glitches and connection issues that have crept in since the update. I got booted yesterday from the game after 4 hours gameplay, right before we started the Final Chapter of the Athena's run and couldn't get back in again meaning I lost a load of loot that we'd already collected and most annoyingly missed out on the Chest of Legends too. Rare have been quite good at quickly resolving issues like this over the last two years so this needs to be fixed ASAP as, the lag in particular, is making PvP even harder than it already is.

    agree!!!

  • Snipper60
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @jaynestown Number 10 is hopefully being fixed now, as there is a maintenance update! Hopefully that fixes all of our problems!

  • Nabberwar
    Lord
    Insider

    @jaynestown

    1. Being a non-emissary doesn't give you implied protection, Reaper's also display themselves on the map 24/7. This gives you all the essential information of where not to go. Use it. The balance is fine, because the balance will always include being attacked at all times.

    2. No comment, neither for or against it.

    3. What comes up must come down. Aim where they land, its not hard. Bunny-hopping can be found in a myriad of games, either learn it or fall behind.

    4. Spawn-killing can be legitimately used to sink ships. I get that some abuse that, but you can't punish a tactic if its legititmate. Don't let them on your ship.

    5. I can see the complaints coming right now. People already complain about double gunners, now you just gave them their mobility and defense back? Ammo crate isn't useless, you are just trying to apply it a dumb method. Its great for bounties, not for Gold Hoarder dig spots. Its also great for bosses like the FOTD and Tall Tale ones. You might find it useful if you actually use it smartly.

    6. No problems with enemy diversity.

    7. Boomers effectively make your job easier. Not only are they easy to dispatch, but they kill all of their fellow brethren around them. They are slower than your movement speed and give a unique sound clip when they spawn. You should be able to know exactly when one spawns. That is plenty of heads up to gain distance and pop them. They are easy, you just need to adapt.

    8. We have one, or at least the Galleon does. If you park correctly, you shouldn't need a gangplank. Parking close enough to jump ship and back on is quite easy once you learn how to do it.

    9. You seem like one of the types of guys who would hate this. You do realize that this makes outpost camping insanely easy right? Is that something you truly want?

    10. No comment.

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @cotu42 you have literally disagreed with every single point he made, even though many of them are valid and have been talked about by the community for a long time.. I therefore do not respect your opinion as it seems you just want to disagree for the sake of it, this is the reason I stopped coming to the forums last year, valid ideas and points are consistently put down.. Also sick of the derp get good argument.. Spawn killing is annoying no matter which game it is or how you look at it.. Seems to me you're a fool. For reference I'm 39 years old and I've been a gamer since 1984

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @jaynestown common sense on these forums is rare.. I feel you're wasting your time trying to argue your very valid points as it seems no one is actually listening to you, they are just using the get good argument nothing wrong with the game.. If rare took this view then nothing would have changed since day one, and believe me plenty of people on these forums were saying the game was fine as is even just after release

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @bugaboo-bill sorry but you are wrong on most points.. It isn't just solo. Players that this happens too.. But of course there is nothing wrong with the game, let's leave it as is.. Even though rare SAID they will be looking to make changes after they've seen how the emissary system plates out, they clearly don't need to worry cos everything is juts perfect.. Like it was with the arena, except oh dear it wasn't and they've made huge changes to it.. Get over yourself

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @nabberwar erm.. No comment. My god what is wrong with you people defending everything about the game at all times after every update. No. Comment.

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    @capt-niteshade

    Aboslutely. I'm not saying every idea would work, but this forum is supposed to be about suggestions to improve the game. I hate PVP and no matter how much I play and how hard I practice I just don't improve. I'm 49 years old and unfortunately at my age "practice makes perfect" doesn't seem to apply any more, it's more like "practice just stops you getting worse". I've been playing the game since it was released and every update has improved the game until now. This has tipped the balance so far towards the PvP'ers my boat will sink purely from the number of them. It's the spawn killers and harrassers they need to punish, not the genuine people who do a bit of PvP, win and move on, those people I have no issue with, hence why most of my suggestions are just to try and tip the balance back a little bit away from them.

  • Lem0n Curry
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @capt-niteshade said in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @cotu42 you have literally disagreed with every single point he made, even though many of them are valid and have been talked about by the community for a long time.. I therefore do not respect your opinion as it seems you just want to disagree for the sake of it, this is the reason I stopped coming to the forums last year, valid ideas and points are consistently put down.. Also sick of the derp get good argument.. Spawn killing is annoying no matter which game it is or how you look at it.. Seems to me you're a fool. For reference I'm 39 years old and I've been a gamer since 1984

    Literally doesn't mean what it just to mean apparently... he agreed with #6

    Almost none of the points are valid and have been proven as such in the past or don't make sense; making PvP easier (#9) for people who are not good at PvP makes it also easier for those that are good or better at PvP.

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    @capt-niteshade sagte in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @bugaboo-bill sorry but you are wrong on most points.. It isn't just solo. Players that this happens too.. But of course there is nothing wrong with the game, let's leave it as is.. Even though rare SAID they will be looking to make changes after they've seen how the emissary system plates out, they clearly don't need to worry cos everything is juts perfect.. Like it was with the arena, except oh dear it wasn't and they've made huge changes to it.. Get over yourself

    if you want to to discuss the points please let me know your opinion and where ou disagree and why, so i can answer.
    btw im 43 and i got my cpc464 in 1985 iirc :P
    And i disliked arena and didnt try the new mode until, not that much interested in Arena games at all.
    And i'm not fine with everything, the ledger ssystem is something i was against. Now i ccan see it adds a layer of extra pve-centered competition and achievements etc., but i will rate about it after this first 40 days or after some month and how it plays out in the long run. I'm for sure still doubting about it's purpose and benefit for the game because it incentivices to grind unhealthy amount of times. But we will see how it turns out and how they calculate it. I have to admit i'm still not understanding the exact math behind the points for the ledger system.

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @lem0n-curry literally nothing you've literally said makes any literal sense.. Nothing has been literally proven by literally anyone on these forums.. Literally. Rare will continue to balance and make changes, while you lot literally say literally everything is literally fine all the time. Literally

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @bugaboo-bill I used to come to these forums and give my opinions but realised quickly that most people on here are just argumentative for the sake of it. So no thanks. I only weighed in because most of you have jumped on him and disagreed with nearly everything he said, which is exactly what happens on these forums all the time.. I see nothing has changed since a year ago.. Won't be posting on any other discussions that's for sure

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    @lem0n-curry Wrong. Totally wrong. I am better at hiding and being sneaky than straight forward PvP so I'd stand a better chance of killing people that way. And it's not just that anyway. My boat got sunk yesterday and whilst I spawned back to get another one my shipmate stayed on the island with the loot we had dug up and tried to hide from our attackers. If it hadn't been for the stupid mermaid she would have managed it but as they were about to leave they spotted it and found and killed her, and took the loot. If the option was there not to sapwn it then they would never have found her and we wouldn't have lost everything.

  • Lem0n Curry
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @capt-niteshade said in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @lem0n-curry literally nothing you've literally said makes any literal sense.. Nothing has been literally proven by literally anyone on these forums.. Literally. Rare will continue to balance and make changes, while you lot literally say literally everything is literally fine all the time. Literally

    No we don't.

    Literally.

    Can I have what you're having ? Must be some stronger stuff than the grog I usually get.

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    @capt-niteshade sagte in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @bugaboo-bill I used to come to these forums and give my opinions but realised quickly that most people on here are just argumentative for the sake of it. So no thanks. I only weighed in because most of you have jumped on him and disagreed with nearly everything he said, which is exactly what happens on these forums all the time.. I see nothing has changed since a year ago.. Won't be posting on any other discussions that's for sure

    i agreed at least to 2 points :)
    with all respect, you sound stressed and you assume too much about me or others maybe an predicting the bad.
    I wont even disagree that many downvoters are active here, and maybe i'm guilty too, because when i like something i defend it.
    For example i'm allwas vocal against suggestions about vertical progression or PvE Servers. Well for the least i changed my opinion a 2nd time, i was ok with it, i was against it, actually neutral to ok with it.
    I also cannot stand all discussions here, some trigger me, some days i'm also passive agressive and just a human beeing ;)

    Keep cool and say Arrrr :)

    good winds to you
    ~Bill

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @lem0n-curry literally

  • GeneralBuckfoi
    Marauder
    Insider

    @jaynestown

    Small point, I think this tried and tested idea of ‘restoring PvE/PvP balance’ is fundamentally flawed. Almost every update we have is aimed at giving you more PvE content. The game is far more heavily balanced towards it than it is PvP. If anything (and I’m not suggesting they should), to make it a true PvPvE, they should be doing more to make combat an even larger part of the game (if we are going by the idea of a ‘balance’.

  • Iceman D18
    Marauder
    Insider

    @jaynestown said in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):
    Just thought I'd share my thoughts on this...

    1. First and foremost, do something about the Emissary system that punishes those crews running a Reaper emissary flag who harrass and attack non Emissary crews. The whole point of the emissary system as I understand it is to increase the rewards but also increase the risks, but for those not flying Emissary flags who want to just get on with other aspects of the game they should not have to deal with the constant harrasment. Balance between PvP and PvE needs to be restored ASAP because players like me will be driven away from what was, up until two weeks ago, a brillaint and hugely enjoyable game.

    PvP has and always will be a big part of SoT. I get your frustration about Reapers Emissary hunting down players, but that is what they are rewarded to do. Even if you're not flying an Emissary flag, there are different commendations relating to this. The one advantage we now have is we can see these players coming. Make it part of your routine before you leave your ship to scout the map for reapers.

    1. Either allow players to buy a storage crate at the beginning of a session for a minimal amount to speed up the process of stocking their ship up, or somehow allow items to be carried over from one session to the next. The most tedious part of the game has always been stocking up your ship, and it's now been made stressful too by the fact that Reaper Emissary crews will happily attack you sitting at an outpost even when you've literally just logged on. The ability to stock up quickly needs to be introduced to stop you being so vulnerable at the beginning of a game when you don't have the means to defend yourself properly.

    Stocking up my ship is probably the least enjoyable part of SoT, however it is crucial. I've only been attacked once when I'd first spawned and was doing a full stock. Yes it was frustrating but it's part of the game again. Offering the ability to buy stock is an unfair advantage to those of us who have stacks of gold.

    1. I've no idea why this isn't part of the game already, but for goodness sake add a stamina bar so that those annoying PvP players who jump around like "kangaroos on speed" during combat will be punished by losing stamina and subsequent health. It's a totally unrealistic aspect of the game and makes combat even more frustrating, especially for those of us who don't want to pretend we're playing Call Of Duty or Gears Of War.

    Stamina wouldn't work in SoT. I do think that there should be a cooldown timer on the jumping though to stop the jump spamming

    1. Add some sort of spawn protection for players who get killed multiple times over by the same player/crew. It would discourage harrassment and griefing by players who just enjoy spawn killing other players just for the fun of it. I know people will say I need to just get better at PvP, but first of all, I try, and I don't seem to get any better, but secondly, that's not the point. Even if I was brillaint at it, it's not why I play the game, and for people like me who like the questing and tall tales, spending half your time being griefed by some crew who have discovered you're not very good at PvP is really frustrating and annnoying when you just want to get on with the parts of the game you do enjoy.

    There is 2 different points here - Spawn Killing and Griefing.
    Spawn killing is frustrating, however the simple solution is to scuttle your ship. If you're being spawn trapped you've lost whatever loot you had on board so don't give them the satisfaction. Just scuttle when you're on the Ferry of the Dammed and move on.
    Griefing however is one of my biggest frustrations. Those crews that know you have no loot but insist on killing you are annoying, however they aren't going to go away. It's a difficult one for Rare to police as fundementally PvP is part of the game. As frustrating as it might be, changing servers is the best option. I've posted recently on these forums about the possibility of implementing something that would mean you can carry your quests over should your crew vote to change server (be that because of Griefing or change of ship size)

    1. Either allow players to carry a third weapon (why you can't have sword, pistol and one of the sniper rifle or shotgun I've never understood anyway) or add an ammo pouch option which could be found or bought at an outpost (and maybe count it as one of your 5 food slots to give players the choice between more ammo or more food). The ammo crate which was introduced a while back, is next to useless as it's just not practical to take it with you when you're searching for items on an island and need extra ammo to kill the PVE skeletons.

    A 3rd weapon would unbalance the PvP. The sword adds significant manoverability so giving people the ability to double gun and still have that manoverability would be horrendously unbalance. As for the ammo, it's about using tactics in fights. Don't go in all guns blazing if you're only carrying one gun, save your ammo for those that need it. If you're double gunning, try and make multi kills and use the environment to your advantage.

    1. Talking of which, add some different PvE enemies. Skeletons are just getting really boring now, and...

    Lore wise what else could be added in? They have added Kracken/Meg but in terms of land based, I don't think there is much option. Maybe add more variety of Skellies...such as the ones you find doing Order of Souls voyages. Those spawning on random islands would be a decent shake up.

    1. Reduce the number of Gunpowder skeletons that spawn, they're too repetitive and if you've only got a limited amount of ammo (as above) it takes forever to find treasure or kill captains when they're constantly spawning over and over again, sometimes 3 or 4 at a time! It didn't use to matter how long it took to kill them when the PvP wasn't so prevelant, but now with the constant threat of being attacked by a Reaper Emissary crew at any time, it's important to get through quests as quickly as possible and the over abundance of gunpowder skeletons makes this really hard to achieve.

    Again, these are great enemies to have when you're looking after your ammo. I tend to try and get them to gather a group (running into the sea is the best option) then one shot and you have a lot of bones flying around.

    1. Add a gang plank option to reward players who actually take the time and effort to dock the ship properly. (This has been bugging me since day one)

    A docked ship should be easy to jump from/to, but giving this as an option wouldn't harm the game any

    1. If you want to encourage PvP, at least make it a little easier for some of us who aren't good at it by turning the automatic mermaid spawn option off and having a "spawn mermaid" function available to the player instead. At least that way some of us could try and use stealth rather than gun ho tactics. It's very hard to sneak up on someone when your mermaid is sitting in the water right by your hiding position!

    The Mermaid helps balance the PvP. Those who like to 'Tuck' on ships have always critised the mermaid because it gives them away. I see from a later post how your friend was caught out because the Mermaid gave them away. Whilst it feels unfair, you obviously came up against a good crew who spotted it.

    10 And finally, please fix the shocking lag, glitches and connection issues that have crept in since the update. I got booted yesterday from the game after 4 hours gameplay, right before we started the Final Chapter of the Athena's run and couldn't get back in again meaning I lost a load of loot that we'd already collected and most annoyingly missed out on the Chest of Legends too. Rare have been quite good at quickly resolving issues like this over the last two years so this needs to be fixed ASAP as, the lag in particular, is making PvP even harder than it already is.

    QoL fixes are constantly being implemented and with new updates you always get unforseen bugs! Give them time, shouldn't be too long!

    Keep sailing!!

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @bugaboo-bill I am stressed today, didn't mean to sound so harsh I just have a bad tummy virus and I feel horrible .I know you are generally one of the good guys on this forum, I apologise

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @iceman-d18 a well thought out and decent response, while I don't agree with everything you've said you've made your points well.. I do think the option to buy crates should be given at the beginning of the game and the beginning only, limit 1 crate per ship.. If you can't afford a full crate you could have the option of a free empty crate that can be filled at the outpost before sailing off..it really is tedious picking up bananas and cannonballs every single time you log in, just my opinion though...

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @capt-niteshade said in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @cotu42 you have literally disagreed with every single point he made, even though many of them are valid and have been talked about by the community for a long time.. I therefore do not respect your opinion as it seems you just want to disagree for the sake of it, this is the reason I stopped coming to the forums last year, valid ideas and points are consistently put down.. Also sick of the derp get good argument.. Spawn killing is annoying no matter which game it is or how you look at it.. Seems to me you're a fool. For reference I'm 39 years old and I've been a gamer since 1984

    At least I am an adult that addresses the content of the conversation instead of trying to make it about personal bashing, you can call people a fool... just because they have a different view point and opinion. Also... not sure why it is relevant but I to am a 30+ year old with a bachelor in Game Design that has gaming for over 25 years... cool your horses there mate when dropping your credentials you aren't the only old guy on the block. Games are about balance, risk, rewards, winning and losing, proper feedback loops... maybe instead of trying to make it about how big of a fool I am you try to I don't know actually talk about the subject and counter my point of view on the subject at hand? You know be a proper part of the community and share ideas, talk about it... this is a shared environment and guess what you will meet people that see things differently. Hey maybe you make a good point and change my mind... this however isn't going to do that now is it?

    Making a game easier is not always the best solution, giving people more powers is not always the best solution, giving people all the options is not always the best solution and giving people all the control is definitely not the best solution. Games are to be played, which mean people need to work, adapt, learn and above all enjoy. They will win, they will lose... that is totally acceptable and even desired! This is an open world PvEvP game which also means that there is a variety of styles that needs to be catered to... people need to get good at their own style, whether that is flee, run, hide, talk or fight. Hell I am not the best at shooting and all that, but that is the beauty of open world PvEvP games... you can adapt your approach to your own abilities and preferences. It doesn't mean the game needs to adapt to you though, so yes there is a get good component to it and since when has that not been a part of games?

    Spawn camping is a not fun thing to experience if you are losing, dying before you can act and all that... I get it and I have been on the receiving end of it as well, on top of that I am a stubborn person and keep going back as long as needed extending the time longer than required in some cases. It is pride and stubborn behavior that keeps you in the loop the game allows you to go out of it. They cannot add save zones, they have been testing things like suggested and it didn't work out... it is why the game has a scuttle mechanic and yet there people that over use it in my opinion and people that never use it out of pride and whine about people wasting their time. The system might not be perfect, but it does keep the control in the defenders hands. The small window between black screen and action while your pirate is on the ship should be addressed to avoid the hearing yourself die situations, but that wasn't the suggestion... it was make me a god for a while so I can wipe people on my ship.

    Emissaries hasn't changed a thing when it comes to being able to be attacked and ransacked... yet now they are easier to spot and avoid? Isn't that helpful for those that don't fly emissary flags... again unlike the OP states.

    I express on these forums when I agree with things and I express when I don't... I don't disagree for the sake of disagreement, so you can disrespect my opinion but that just shows how immature you are. I still respect the OP's point of view, I just don't agree with it... maybe next time try to actually talk about the subject discussed instead of expressing how much you disrespect my opinion, it literally adds nothing.

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    @iceman-d18

    Thanks for a meaningful and well thought out response.

    Can I just clarify a few things.

    Point 2, I didn't mean buy stock, I just meant be able to buy an empty storage crate to make it easier and quicker to stock up from the barrels, it's so frustrating and time consuming having to go back and forward from one end of the island to another just because all the wood is in the 6 furthest boxes on Golden Sands (for example).
    Point 4, the ability to switch servers without losing quests would be a great solution to the griefing issues, I'd be all for that, as well as the option to upgrade or downgrade a boat, this really is an excellent idea, wish I had thought of it :) I won't comment about Sapwn killin again because that is my biggest annoyance on all multiplayer games, as mentioned already.
    Point 5 and 7 were more aimed at PvE encounters (I didn't really make that clear), it took me and my crewmate ages yesterday to clear four pirate captains on Plunder Valley because they were all at the top of the island, the gunpowder skeletons kept spawning 2 and 3 at a time (and on one occasion 4) and we were low on firebombs and blunderbombs. In hindsight (from reading yours and others responses) the three weapons idea probably wouldn't work but I still think some sort of ammo pouch to be able to carry more ammo rather than the ammo crate would be a better option.
    8) It's just always annoyed me that the Galleon has a gangplank but neither the sloop or the brig have, like you said it wouldn't affacet the game in any way, it's just a personal annoyance of mine :)
    9) I don't think anyone is going to agree with me on this but I will stick by my suggestion, but perhaps tweak it to say, if you voluntarily leave your boat then a mandatory mermaid spawn would still be applicable and the option to select to spawn your mermaid should only be available if your boat is sunk. At least that way, in my example above, my ship mate would have had a better chance to avoid detection :)

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @cotu42 my age and time games aren't exactly credentials, and it wasn't your opinions it's how you put them across.. Hence me thanking iceman for his well though out response. No point to argue with you, you are in game design so I know nothing and I bow to your presence.. Amen. Edit: I used to contribute to these forums in a thought out well mannered way, but stopped coming here because of petty repetitive arguing for the sake of it.. As many other people left these forums too.. Came back and wanted to defend these guys points as many of them are very valid, but nothing has changed it seems

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @cotu42 also rare have rebalanced the reapers bones system today, just thought you should know.. Guess they thought there was a problem with the emissary system too.. Oh well, you better tell them they are wrong

  • Salty Ginger616
    Sailor

    @iceman-d18 I agree with you on a lot of your points. PvP is essential as a risk/reward mechanic in the game. Rewarding both styles of play is essential. I like the new emissary systems as it just adds more risk and more reward, as well as PvE players to watch out for what my crew calls "hunters" (players looking to just kill or steal) lol.

    I think adding an option to buy supplies at an outpost wouldn't change too much, and could actually add more reward to the game. what if you had a set threshold of reputation with the merchants so that you could buy storage crates once. specific crates like food, wood, and cannonballs would be cheaper, and general storage crates were worth a decent amount (like 500 gold) so that you could more easily stock up your ship without making 10 trips to a single island. I think this would be a simple/easy addition that wouldn't shake up to much balance, just a quality of life improvement.

    The jump timer would be awesome. Jump spam is just annoying in PvP. It definitely needs a bit of a nerf to incentivize smart movement, not a spammy movement.

    I saw online a suggestion for griefing players or at least players that are insistent that your loot is theirs. you may have seen it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJm9P1fzFik). Although I don't love the idea of being reduced to a raft, I love the idea of being spawned farther the 2nd and 3rd time you sink with less loot. I remember once when some pirate "legends" (I'm still a bit salty) showed up 5 or more times in a sloop as me and my gallon friends were doing a fort for the emissary missions. They kept spawning, loading, sailing from, and rowing from the outpost within view distance, but we couldn't just let the fort despawn or reset. eventually, we ran out of resources while they kept spawning within a stone's throw with a fresh stock.

    As for tucking, I think that balance comes down to personal player observation and knowledge. It serves to punish less knowledgeable players and new ppl who don't know what it is or that you can do it.

    better docking could use a reward system. what if, when you were docked propper, you got a boost to anchor lifting and a speed boost out of the dock? that would be nice for anyone who takes the time to dock like a real sailor.

    New enemies would be a welcome addition to the game. something to "spice things up" and give the players something new to learn and overcome. The lore argument doesn't sit well with me because, well, all lore is made up... you can make up more... they could add a new tall tale to help explain it, or a few books, but I wouldn't need that. It just comes down to creativity and how much of the enemy you want to see. I think something akin to the skeletons, but from the deep that walk onto islands could be cool, like a threat from both sides, making it harder to just run into the water for safety. maybe ghosts that want to defend an ancient burial at graves. maybe more traps that you have to put away your weapon to find unless you have a really good eye. Or, just add more skellie types. Firebombers, blunder bombers, looters that run, ones that steal the treasure, magic users, skellie raisers, skellie healers, possibilities are practically endless, and lore reasons can be easily overcome! It just makes things more interesting for the PvE crowd without changing too much for the PvP one. Maybe as a reward, some of the more special ones make things easier on the player or drop loot (like you said the powder barrels are a blessing and a curse which is my favorite type of mechanic in a game).

    Sorry for the poor formatting I realize I didn't go point by point lol. anyway I like you two's responses. great ideas all around! Happy sailing

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @capt-niteshade said in 10 ways to improve Sea Of Thieves (by someone who sucks at PvP):

    @cotu42 my age and time games aren't exactly credentials, and it wasn't your opinions it's how you put them across.. Hence me thanking iceman for his well though out response. No point to argue with you, you are in game design so I know nothing and I bow to your presence.. Amen

    I state to engage in me in conversation so that we can actually have a mutual exchange of ideas and you act like I am the one being disrespectful while you were the one attacking me on a personal level. Grow up man...

    @cotu42 also rare have rebalanced the reapers bones system today, just thought you should know.. Guess they thought there was a problem with the emissary system too.. Oh well, you better tell them they are wrong

    How exactly is that going to help with the point addressed by the OP? You think they will stop attacking his vessel, he already doesn't run an emissary flag?

  • Jaynestown
    Ship Mate

    To everyone saying I am wrong about point 1...

    To Quote Rare (yesterday)

    Our intention was always that the sole focus of Reaper’s Bones should be sinking Emissaries

    So they are instigating this (I believe):

    Grade progression for Reaper’s Bones will now take longer if relying on loot items, roughly 25% more effort to reach Grade V and unlock the special ability to reveal Emissaries on the Ship’s Map. However, grade progression from acquiring and handing in Emissary flags has been increased, again increasing the focus on this style of play.
    .
    .
    .

    In other words, the Reapers Bones Emissaries weren't playing the game how Rare intended it, and just attacking anyone rather than specifically focusing on other Emissary ships, so they're balancing it abck to give the biggest rewards for sinking other Emissary Ships

    :)

    bolded text

  • Capt Niteshade
    Marauder

    @cotu42 read the update maybe before asking that question. They have made it less rewarding for reapers bones crews who cash in loot, and more rewarding for sinking ships with emissary flags on them.. In the hope that reapers ships will now only try to sink ships that have the flags on them, hence my 'friend' will now hopefully be left alone more often as he doesn't fly an emissary flag.. I will try to grow up up course.. Maybe I'll be as mature as my 18 year old son one day.. I can only hope.. Edit, see above post

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @capt-niteshade The point is that it still will be rewarded, they are people that most likely are already out for PvP. Sure now that the update is fresh, people want to level up... there is just going to be more action on the seas. This should simmer down once people get what they want, that is always the case after an update. Sure lowering the amount earned might help a little bit, but frankly pirates will still gun for him when they are out looking for a fight and they are more likely to run a reapers to get more from it. Regardless of why they would want to attack you, it is important if you don't want a fight to learn to look, be aware and the new system helps with it.

    The new system makes it easier for them to see them coming; they are marked on the map! On top of that if you aren't running a flag to reveal yourself and therefore can avoid them, fly under the radar. The new system is rewarding PvP and that isn't going to change, those that want a fight are going to more likely carry the flag as well to benefit from well taking on other ships and so are more likely to be well gunning for you regardless of who you are.

    My point was not to see how to have the world adapt and change other peoples behavior. The point of #BeMorePirate is that it is more important to learn to play how you want, to learn to be aware, to adjust and take control of your own experience use the tools. The game is going to change, some things you will like and others you will not. The fact is that the new emissary system is in the game, even if the OP chooses not to take part in it and play with the added risk the fact is other people are. They will showcase themselves on the map, indicating they are out to steal from others and it is now part of the game.

    Personally I dislike the revive, as it gives more options in the offense as well as the defense - believe the offensive ones are more powerful than the defensive ones, but it is here. I will have to give it a shot as it isn't all bad, as yeah I use it when I play. Adapt, learn to fight around it and learn when to use it or let my mate die and tell them that I am not coming for them.

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