There appears to be an ongoing issue with crews being able to spawn-lock a defending ship without being able to fight back at all. This mechanic suggestion will address that. I intend to propose a mechanic that will allow defending crews home field advantage on their own ship in a way that maintains the risk factor for opposing crews to board.
The problem
When you go from the Ferry of the Damned to your ship again, there is a loading screen and then you're immediately dropped back onto the ship at a set location. Player killers are exploiting this mechanic by placing themselves right next to the spawn point, firing their gun and swinging their sword, and effectively killing the spawning player before they have any time to respond.
Professional players have employed this exploit so well, that anyone who is on the receiving end of it can't stand a chance. On the receiving end, the ship is 100% under the attacking crew's control.
What is an exploit?
In video game terms in this context, an exploit is the use of a game system to the player's advantage in a way that is not intended by the game designers. I argue that spawn-locking in this matter is an unintended side effect of an old game system that has existed since this game has launched, as it unbalances naval combat when enemy players have boarded the ship, giving them an unintended advantage.
The solution
I was partially inspired by the new "Hide In Barrel" emote that came with Season Two's rewards. This emote creates an advantage for the hiding player just about anywhere by allowing them to hide in a barrel. So, the mechanic I'm proposing needs to answer the question: How can we hide where the player spawns on their ship in a way that is balanced and fair?
Suggestion
Let the player choose where they spawn in if their ship hasn't been scuttled yet. Once the player loads back onto their ship, they are invisible and invulnerable so a player can't see or attack them as soon as they load back into the main map. The respawning player will also be muted to everyone except their crewmates. From there, they have fifteen seconds to choose where they spawn from either the sea or their own ship, removing the invisibility/invulnerability/mute. Five seconds to think and ease into the situation and ten seconds to place their avatar where they believe is the most strategic location. Whether this is in a place where they can catch the enemy off guard, or somewhere in the sea to use the environment against the enemy crew or even board their ship is up to them.
They will also have the option to cut this timer short so they don't have to wait it out. This can allow for crews to coordinate and spawn back onto the ship together, creating another element of strategy that can turn the tide of a losing battle.
Conclusion
There are many players out there who have had spawn-locking happen to them, and it is a frustrating exploit that requires little to no skill in order to pull off. I understand that there will be a lot of players who welcome this suggestion and may want to provide their feedback and improve the suggestion for ways that are better than I can think of. I understand there will be a few players who dislike it and will defend the exploit. Both sides' feedback is welcome on this thread, as long as it's constructive.
Saying something like "Git gud" isn't constructive because you can't "Git gud" at avoiding a spawnlock. Getting better at the game is something we all do over time, and as players get better, they will be able to avoid that situation by not dying in the first place.
My main argument that this is an exploit is because the game is 100% themed on your choice in any situation. In combat, your crew and the opposing crew have a plethora of choices that they can make until one crew's ship is scuttled/sunk. That theme applies to every aspect out on the Sea, except for when a player crew is spawnlocked. Their only options are to keep trying to spawn, which is futile, or scuttle their ship to save the time, and that is something I am certain is not intended by the game's designers.
Long post short, if you have the will to fight, you are allowed to keep fighting until your ship sinks or you give up. That is the game's high concept and theme. Under no circumstance should the enemy crew be able to put you in a position where you are essentially forced to give up, because at any time, that crew can also be at risk of losing it all.
