Build a LFG lobby system / server browser into the game.

  • KhaiFX
    Ship Mate

    Very few people hop directly into a game now and if you do it's 99.9% noobs or trolls and usually the worst experience available to Sea of Thieves players (new and old). For a long time now many of us use the rather clunky Xbox LFG system (which is infinitely worse on PC btw - and also peppered with Xbox Only rooms) and while that is a horrible experience, the LFG system gets us into the best kinds of games. We get to join groups doing the kinds of activities we want to do, with like-minded people and with similar ranks. The find-a-game system built in served its purpose in the first year of release but it seems that it's not fit for purpose any longer. A lovely lobby system in the game itself would be ideal and wouldn't have to rely on slow, clunky third party overlays. Of course this would likely come down to a decision by Microsoft, not Rare, because Microsoft are going to want people using the built in Xbox features and the inferior garbage overlay on Windows 10... but one can hope, right?

    How difficult would it be to have everything under one interface across all platforms?

    If none of the above is possible I'm hoping that in future I can make "PC Only" specific lobbies because currently we can not - not because I have an issue with Xbox gamers per se, but mostly due to the fact that if Xbox players can block PC gamers from lobbies we should have an equal right to stop them joining our rosters (or lying and saying they're a PC gamer when they are in fact on Xbox).

    Thoughts?

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  • Captain Coel
    Commander
    Insider

    @khaifx an in game tool would be great. It would help alot players imo.

    Have pc only lobbies is bad. Initial numbers showed that very few people used the xbox only lobbies. And the new XSX is gonna be better than many gaming pcs and should have access to the xbox only lobbies.

  • KaiJoi
    Castaway
    Insider

    @khaifx

    It would definitely be a very good idea. The problem as to why most games don't do something like this is because they have to spend multiple months getting all of the problems and bug fixes worked out, when they could just make a discord server and not have to do any of that technical work. So I wouldn't hold out hope and I would just join the SOT discord. Over 180,000 players in the discord and there are constantly new requests for people to join their crew. Much like the Xbox LFG, you can specify what you want people to be doing and they'll join.

    If you want to play with people who aren't open crew I would recommend using discord. Now if you ONLY want to play with xbox players then you'd have an easier time using the xbox lfg, but if you want more options then I'd use the discord

    Discord: https://discord.gg/seaofthieves

  • Glannigan
    Sailor

    It’s already built into the XBOX Gaming Service.

    Just click the Gem and LFG you’ll see like 250+ lobbies and stuff

  • BlueStar0316
    Marauder
    Insider

    @khaifx you're right but Discord is primarily PC kids, which has way more for you than an LFG of bots trying to do the same thing. I've scrolled through LFG for 40 minutes hitting refresh and they're normally all terrible

  • BurnBacon
    Vanguard
    Insider

    Yeah...I’m sure a lot of people will join non empty servers...

  • KhaiFX
    Ship Mate

    @glannigan said in Build a LFG lobby system / server browser into the game.:

    It’s already built into the XBOX Gaming Service.

    Just click the Gem and LFG you’ll see like 250+ lobbies and stuff

    I don't think you read what I typed. Built into the game.

    As for the PC Only thing, that's just a minor request everyone can ignore... it's a sort of, IN YOUR FACE to Xbox players who do it to PC players. There's plenty of games in the Xbox Overlay LFG on Windows 10 but today there were just so many Xbox Only games.

    That reminds me... if we are all sharing the same servers, including the ones Steam are on, how do Steam users join groups? Are they reliant on Discord? Just wondering.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    I just finished playing EA's Star Wars Squadrons, which uses a lobby system similar to what you're describing. Guess what?

    It's AWFUL!

    I don't want that for SoT.

    It was clunky, required numerous steps to work, required a 3rd party sign up process with EA, and I still had issues connecting with my brother on his PC.

    I like how it is with Discord and the LFGs - one works better for PC, 1 works better for Xbox.

    If you have a mixed crew, you can even choose, as they are interchangeable.

  • KhaiFX
    Ship Mate

    @burnbacon said in Build a LFG lobby system / server browser into the game.:

    Yeah...I’m sure a lot of people will join non empty servers...

    Bad wording on my part, I shouldn't have put server browser in the title. Basically what I'm saying, is put an LFG tool and build it into the game so people can see, without the use of external (terribly designed) overlays to join a game and has it the same across all platforms. Finding a decent crew with the built in tool as it is now is practically useless and relies on those horrible third party tools. Is it strictly necessary? Not really, but it's different for console users, Steam users and Windows 10 users and the Windows 10 Xbox Game Bar (whatever they call it these days) is a steaming pile. The game evolves but match-making hasn't.

  • KhaiFX
    Ship Mate

    @galactic-geek said in Build a LFG lobby system / server browser into the game.:

    I just finished playing EA's Star Wars Squadrons, which uses a lobby system similar to what you're describing. Guess what?

    It's AWFUL!

    I don't want that for SoT.

    It was clunky, required numerous steps to work, required a 3rd party sign up process with EA, and I still had issues connecting with my brother on his PC.

    I like how it is with Discord and the LFGs - one works better for PC, 1 works better for Xbox.

    If you have a mixed crew, you can even choose, as they are interchangeable.

    That's because it was designed bad. Nobody copies and pastes a system from an EA game to a Rare/Microsoft title and one should never make a sweeping generalisation that all LFG systems in games are bad.

    It was just an idea anyway... I'll stick with using this horrendously bad April Fool's joke Windows 10 overlay for LFG. :(

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