The current issues with long queue times for hourglass matches, as well as the lack of appeal for new players who may not be entirely familiar, or comfortable, with losing. Its just not fun to play hourglass when you consistently get in a crew where everything is fine but everyone rage quits when you lose to luck (Double one-balls, or crazy things like that). AFTER waiting for what feels like forever in the tunnel at the bottom of the sea for a match.
A great solution has already been implemented with the launch of PS5. injecting a lot of new players into the game who want those curses.
But, thats the problem. You play a game to have fun. And players are usually happy to be rid of the mode entirely after they get their curses and the associated cosmetics... And its sad that its seen more as this grind, than what it actually is - a trial by fire.
Hourglass is fun when you win a great fight, plunder a ton of flags from a stacked gally of skeletons. It feels great being the champion at the end and getting that breather with your team in celebration.
But theres an entire other half of the game that is the losing side of the match. Half of the players will have to experience this a lot before they actually get to experience that winning side. IF they stick with it. And it can be hard to stick with it as a casual player who may have only an hour or two a night for a couple of matches, if that.
I think its about time that these fierce Servants of Flame, or Guardians of Fortune are RECOGNIZED for the ACTIONS they have taken, As an individual in the Battle for the Sea of Thieves. Its about time that they are given a proper acknowledgement for their war efforts. Sure, let the base hourglass rewards stay the same for your team
But I feel that hourglass could benefit from a new treasure item entirely, called the "War Record".
This treasure item could not be stolen from you, it is bound to your boat like the hourglass. But it is also bound to you alone.
Your War Record is a collection of all the efforts you have made in the Battle for the Sea of Thieves.
I feel that at the end of a match, instead of a demoralizing splash-screen of your ship destroyed, and your pirates floating, defeated,
you would instead be greeted with a brand new screen.
This screen would instead greet you with "Your ship has been martyred for The Servants of the Flame/Guardians of Fortune"
And a personalized message thanking you for your service to the cause. Something akin to "Your burning persistence to fight fiercely onwards for our victory is not going unnoticed. May the flame burn!" for Servants, or "Your valiant efforts to defend the Pirates Life are not going unnoticed! We Shall Sail Together!"
It would then present you with your brand new best friend, and the Heart of your personal Hourglass journey, your War Record.
During your match with your opponent, everything would be going as it normally does. You will play your match as usually. You will spring up from the depths, fight your heart out! And hopefully be victorious!
If you win, great! You move on like usual. Turn in your hourglass, or sell. But if you continue, or whenever you do finally meet your end in hourglass, your War Record will update before your eyes with all of the things you managed to achieve for the cause in your fights.
These stats could be a whole wealth of things, but I think the most obvious ones would be
-Cannonballs landed against the enemy ship
-Enemy players killed
-Supplies expended for the cause (Maybe a gold amount tied to each cannonball, and the player could see how much supplies they have spent fighting for their faction)
-Times Martyred (Killed in Battle for Sea of Thieves)
-Damage Impacted against enemies
-Fire damage caused on enemy vessels
-Panic Caused (Triggered if all enemy crew is bucketing rapidly to save their boat)
-Crews wiped (If your crew managed to kill all of the enemy crew on larger boats)
-Sword Duels Fought
-Time Spent Hunting Enemy Crews (You guessed it, you finally get credit for the time spent down at the bottom of the sea doing your favorite idle emotes waiting for a match!)
there could be so many more, of course.
And this War Record would then convert all of those stats into allegiance and award that to the player right as they lose, giving them their deserved levels for their efforts alone, and not for the outcome of this specific battle in the ongoing war.
This gives players something to look forward to when they do lose.
And I feel this slight change to how the mode feels for the player would fundamentally impact player engagement with the content because they are being rewarded for their time.
Its hard to want to play hourglass as a struggling swabbie learning the ropes! And this positive reinforcement of encouraging them to try in every fight, because they know that all their efforts are going to be rewarded, would be hugely beneficial to their morale as someone fighting for the cause (And their curses!) But I think this also would bring in a whole other side to hourglass. Their could be crazy awards tied to the war record. You could be given medals when youve achieved so many feats. There could be really fun and niche ones you wouldnt expect to see (Bananas set aflame on enemy vessels) or just fun one-off things that happened during your actual fights that you can reflect on.
...And that actually makes you feel like youre fighting this ongoing war.
Lets be real here... if two equally matched opponents have a long fight that ends in stalemate, both ships demasted and it comes down to who gets the one-ball first... I dont feel that the loser in this fight should only get the small speck of allegiance compared to the victor's share. Both fighters gave all. Sure, the victor deserves that victory allegiance! But both fighters should get some recognition for their efforts, and encouraged to keep fighting!
This War Record would grow over time, and by the time the player has gotten a PVP curse they will have quite a lot to reflect on too.
And knowing that, even if you do lose, youre not out of the entire fight. Youre just out one battle- it might be enough to keep players interested longer.
Not to mention, these could be tied to trinkets or little medals you could display somewhere.
Especially with Flameheart returning! Nows the perfect time for some fresh hourglass content to help the gamemode as a whole feel fun and rewarding.
