Make no mistake, I am well aware this game will continue with or without my support, I hope that need not be stated in hopes you all would understand what this post is truly about, it's a personal statement, and my logical reasoning behind the choice I made, and choices I will make.
I remember a time when the game had potential to create unique adventures with millions of possible directions and experiences that supported natural encounters with fellow crew members and others. A world where one had to decide how to use the basic tools provided to them to solve riddles or quests. Shoot a bullet into a bull's eye target to open a gate, Platform race while on the grog to get to a different area, use lantern colors in a maze, sail in voyage filled with treacherous seas, Use the shadows reflected off of objects to solve puzzles, jump trigger plates, Use of emotes to open secrets, Run through passageways filled with lava or flooding water, jump barrels, etc. the potential was limitless. And all the better if it were to be paired with general stories that lead to truly shocking revelations, a trap, the tables turned on you, a fight against those who you may have trusted. A large vision, sure, but one that sufficiently had time to wander around enough to be churned out into usable components. And perhaps it may be true that some of those components did make their way into the game, but not one that is personally acceptably sufficient.
I no longer see that vision, and to say the game still has that potential after more than 4 years is a fleeting dream. That is to say, for more than 4 years, I have supported that dream.
If there is anything to take from all that has been said and done is that behind the message are shallow hypocritical statements.
When one had stated that pirate legend was just the beginning of the real adventures in Sea of thieves, that was a lie (Now coincidentally buried far away and hidden). When they announced that the beta was only a fraction of what the game had to offer, that too was a lie. And now we see them go back on those same words in what is apparently the most shameful behavior, to give up on the conceptual idea and promises in order to follow the money. What has this achieved? At this point, who knows, I only wish them well. At the end of it all, this is business, it's just a business I no longer care to support as our interests no longer align.
Now many of you might already understood the implication of this post, yes, it's about the pve only servers just announced, but it's also more than that.
It's about things that can't be currently said, things that may be, and I truly hope it never ends up coming to be.
It's about the consequences of going back on your words, twisting them to selfishly suit the narrative need of whatever one presently may benefit them.
It's about locking certain features, such as captaincy ship title themes behind real payments, or locking away basic mechanics such as character resets behind a monetized strategy.
It's also about the lack of balance, that have been critiqued and begged for to no avail over the years, which have also been drowned of any importance to even some here who have failed to see the long term perspective and defended or protected stagnation. What are these balance changes that have been requested for so long? In summary, a balancing formula for rewards, that is too long to go over now, and that requires desire and will that no longer exist. Changes to rewards such as those found in the underwater shrines, even way before these shrines where even implemented. Changes to fortresses, the overall difficulty and cannon aims, which has led to the most current meta, and further stagnation. Tales not providing enough, balanced, and physical treasure rewards... The list goes on.
It's about stagnation, an inability to produce new content, recycle old, reframe and relabel it as a new world event like for of fortune or whatever one may call it. Stagnation throughout multiple mechanics, whether it's the combat system, where weapons, enemies, enemy behavior, or even the combat flow finds too slow of a change.
And even then, that is not the complete reason for the change and views as it comes to this game and it's current direction. Things that have been suggested for years now, better implementation of puzzles and minigames vs tools and weapons in a more synchronized way, have not been satisfactorily achieved throughout the years, inf act, little progress has been made within this concept, with the bulk of it being thrown into tall tales.
The issue with an over expanding game such as this one, is that with more expansions the more the issues become glaring. To improve upon the game's quality, attention to detail, and reviewing and improving upon past material is imperative. It's been a long time since I've seen an actual good implementation that improves or challenges previous updated content, and adventures have, for a long time now, led the game's potential astray for far too long.
There have been critiques of the tall tales already, and yet I do not see an actual scaling of understanding or learning taking place within these new tales being introduced. I have yet to provide a review of the most recent tale and will get to it in the limited potential future, emphasis on potential. After all, what is the point of a comment or suggestion if it doesn't even get taken seriously and is rejected and neglected without consideration? What is the point of a logical argument if it's just going to be muffled by emotional tantrums, and illogical disagreements without reasoning? Or perhaps the answer is none of these and it all just gets lost in silence? And all in the outcome of it being forgotten and left to time's fleeting moments.
Some of you will still see me out in the waves, although as rare as it may be, but in terms of business practices, I refuse to continue support. The interest the game seems to now cater too, is one I can no longer stand by and support. I wish no ill will onto anyone nor any company, as Becket once put it "It's just good business", although in this case it may be considered it bad business.
