NPC carpenter for Solo Sloops.

  • Matmoesa
    Seafarer

    There are constant forum posts about improving the solo experience but trying to find ways that don't break the core group play focus of the game.
    Iv been scratching my head on things that could improve the experience but won't break Solo sloops and leading tp making alliance solo slooping a meta outcome.

    After playing the tall tales and having Jack as a NPC crew mate I was thinking wouldn't it be interesting to have this all the time.
    but Ban him from the cannons because of aim bot.

    they would Fix holes every now and again. bail water.
    repair wheels capstan and masts ( not hoisting only repair when upright).

    the NPC wouldn't take over tasks but help shorten the time it takes to do them as a solo slooper. if you get the mast upright your NPC can nail 2 of the 3 planks to it.
    they could bail water every now and again and repair holes here and there but as a solo you would have to do the tasks as well as you would be faster and more efficient.
    if you left the NPC to do these tasks by them selfs they would fail to save the ship when under a lot of stress due to the speed they would do the tasks.

    the could also provide some banter, play tunes, cook food, fish, lounge around on deck.

    They could also Harpoon you and items from the shore if asked via a quick text selection.

    It would also be another cool thing to spend coins on. you could pick up crewmates from the tall tales and the factions.

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  • Nabberwar
    Lord
    Insider

    Part of the appeal in this game is the micromanagement of the ship as a group, to me, adding AI ship hands just destroys that. People should be encouraged to cooperate, not isolate themselves with AI. All in all, soloing is a choice. Each solo captain has to live with the decision when they choose to sail alone.

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @nabberwar said in NPC carpenter for Solo Sloops.:

    Part of the appeal in this game is the micromanagement of the ship as a group, to me, adding AI ship hands just destroys that. People should be encouraged to cooperate, not isolate themselves with AI. All in all, soloing is a choice. Each solo captain has to live with the decision when they choose to sail alone.

    This

    If you need a crew mate, there are plenty of ways to find other players to team up with.

  • wagstr
    Master
    Insider

    @matmoesa

    You can bucket out a sloop on the brink of sinking ridiculously easily already, sloops are really easy to manage and keep afloat by design. Why not just go one step further and have your NPC do everything while you take a nap on the canopy afk and watch TV instead?

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    When it comes to gameplay I don't think it offers enough pros to justify the cons

    From an immersion and psychological perspective I find it interesting. AI companionship for people that struggle socially for whatever reasons they have interests me. Similar to the benefits of a pet but potentially stronger.
    I don't think there is a place for gameplay assistance but I think there is potentially an opening there for improving the quality of life for people that struggle with finding a crew for personal reasons.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    @wolfmanbush Pirate's who struggle socially to find crews to sail with for "personal reasons" is not the problem. The problem stems from those who don't want to sail with them because they found out about those "personal reasons" - they don't keep an open mind, nor do they respect them enough to donate their own personal time.

  • WolfManbush
    Champion

    @galactic-geek said in NPC carpenter for Solo Sloops.:

    @wolfmanbush Pirate's who struggle socially to find crews to sail with for "personal reasons" is not the problem. The problem stems from those who don't want to sail with them because they found out about those "personal reasons" - they don't keep an open mind, nor do they respect them enough to donate their own personal time.

    not always the case. Some are just not comfortable around people. People can always improve how they treat others but not everyone is capable of being able to consistently accept the effort from others even when both sides are trying

    I'm not really interested in lecturing people on how they act or interact with others I'm more interested in offering options to more people when in regards to quality of life without sacrificing balance or the foundation of the game.

    I think there may be some opportunity here to offer people more than just escapism but companionship outside of just other human interactions and pets

  • Matmoesa
    Seafarer

    I play with a crew regularly but I often just jump on the sloop to do my own thing. sea of thieves is really peaceful and chill if you take it at your own pace and aren't constantly yammering to your mates. it's a different experience.

    the NPC would have a similar role as the pet as adding a bit more life to the ship.
    the NPC wouldn't have the capacity to pull you out of an intense pvp bind but might just help keep you going.

    its big help would be helping you out when VSing PVE world events. on a solo sloop things can get out of control fast especially when vsing the skeleton ships. once things start to break you end up falling behind on tasks and then it all snowballs because while you're getting your ship back together the skelly ship is doing the same.

    also in those instances in a storm when a random wave knocks a hole in your boat.
    and you go down deck to fix it but letting go of the wheel sents your ship into a spiral.

  • wagstr
    Master
    Insider

    A ghostly companion would work for people who need a companion, just for entertainment. Otherwise we're back to monkeys grabbing supplies for you as well..

  • Dash Filbert
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    Not just for sloops, for anyone that needs a temp crewmate. Say you are on a gally and one friend has to leave for work mid voyage, you could swing by an outpost and hire a temp. It would be better than trying to find someone open crew, where a lot of the time they immediately quit or sabotage the ship. They would do stuff via a command wheel. Ive wanted this for awhile.

  • Matmoesa
    Seafarer

    @cornelius-ix

    that's not the worst idea. I have had many moments where a crewmate has stepped out to attend to something and instead of filling his stop we just sail undercrewed just they can jump in later.
    The only issue I see is if you have 2 people you can sloop or 2 + NPC brig or do you, 3 man, a brig or 3+NPC a gally, not the worst issue but might cause some dramas with crew balance.

    I guess the trick is that the crew mate isn't directly looking for tasks expect the random hole / water bucket.
    the real use would be for it to jump on tasks that have multiple actions to speed up the process so the task juggle doesn't got on top of you.

    the slippery slope is making them delayed so they are slow on the draw so crewmates will always be superior.

    Having that NPC crewmate should be a step up from having no one but not being the pick over a real crewmate.

  • KlutchxKay
    Legend
    Insider

    @cornelius-ix I'd like a Magic Message in a Bottle washed up on shores, it would look like a normal bottle, but it'd have a golden glow coming from inside, and you could hear a muffled voice from inside.

    You could pick it up like loot items and carry it around, and when you use it with right trigger or left click aboard your ship, you'd pull out the cork and it'd release a golden ghost crewmate out who could help you for 30 minutes. The bottle will dissappear when used. The golden ghost will listen to the chat radial commands, and stays on the ship. He can't be killed by PvE, but one hit from any enemy player will defeat him. Only one per ship at a time, and when he expires, he leaves behind a gold pouch for freeing him. If the bottle is opened off of your ship, he will give you the gold and leave immediately.

    Just a brainstorm. Balancing could be done, obviously.

  • Lem0n Curry
    Vanguard
    Insider

    @klutchxking518
    We will need the I Dream of Jeannie tune to play on our instruments to go with that :).

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