Custom servers deep dive

Info on me: 3.5k+ hours, both curses, involved in guilds and big fan of Rare

Since the "Community Direct", many players question the pricing, the reason and the impact that will have creative servers.

Grab coffee, 'cause this is a subject I really want to dive in for many reasons. This post is mostly suggestions, but I include information and details to create the better bigger picture & share my passionate desire to see this happen, in the best possible way.

This said, custom servers - what are they?
Creative tools for creative people. Ability to play with parameters (daytime, world events, who is on the server) and things (spawn items or ships), while having access to camera mode to better grasp epic scenes. / Most likely without commendations.

And it will be available on a premium subscription model (that includes access to "safer seas: fleet" (real name is?) - where you can bring your friends along, in a restricted environment).

In the context where anti-cheat system doesn't remove all the obvious cheaters, where the community is a mix of complete new players and veteran fighters: I completely understand when people say that playing on private servers should be part of the game's features, and not hidden behind a pay wall; it simply adds shame to the wound for people who can't SINK too much time in this cartoony pirate sandbox. I mean, can't we agree that it takes more resources to host many sloops on many safer seas rather than one server for friends?

From what I know, people are (rightly) tired of emporium taking all over the space for SoT news, devs explained (in YT videos) that they don't want to make SoT pay per month so they prefer to sell skins to retain players with free charge (lots of players tried game at low cost with game pass so I understand skins are a way to get needed income). Now we're at a point where part of SoT WILL have a pay per month... Wouldn't it be more appealing for pay per month people to have extra perks? Premium SHOULD offer content for HIGH SEAS. It needs to be something everyone wants, not just for the creative or tired and broken players.

This said, I believe premium bundle should include:

• current on-going season pass
• access to custom seas
• access to new safer seas with friends (official name?)
• access to premium content for HIGH seas (anything cool: new ship type, new weapons, access to locked new boss zone or loot tool (like the burning blade... it's a tool but also loot)

Note: if creative seas only needs to be paid by the host, it would be great to know. I also believe it there should be an option to choose which one you want to play and not only have bundle option.

This said, let's jump on my suggestions and comments for creative seas: all the tools / options / sliders I think could be fun to have!

[Important note: I believe private servers won't have any progression, therefore I'm going wild on suggestions]

• ability to play on Local / Lan? I know, I'm dreaming on this one.
• ability to play with maximum of players (you could lock your server from between 1 and 20(?) players (not sure but maybe having lower possible players could allow more smooth gameplay? While more players would force server limit but create crazy events
• remove AFK timer (these players are PAYING to play these sessions... don't kick them for bathroom time! Or maybe just have slider on time before AFK kick)
• there should be a clear symbol that says we are currently watching creative seas to prevent false claims
• options for player invites: closed / invites only (by host) / invites only / friend list / open
• kick player (temporary, he can join back. Mostly for afk scenarios)
• ban player (bans player from ever rejoining your private servers)
• see other player pings (toggle)
• choose server region where you want to host
• freely change players from one crew to another
• option to turn off ferry of the damned
• change crew aggro towards PvE (in scenario where a crew wants to help defend a fort)
• change NPC health value (even ghost ships?)
• change wave numbers for forts / ghost fleet / skelly fleet
• server limit capacity on hud (shows how the server is affected by all the elements spawned...) / impose limit on amount of things to spawn to prevent server crash? Option to disable all loot? Disable storms and waves?
• reset server (everything shutdowns, full reset, everybody at tavern)
• blank profiles: gives temporary profile to players (to enable racing to PL for speedrunners)
• option to set world events to a fix rotation / reset order: for speed running community
• customize ship names
• force every player's HUD off (for scenarios involving stealth, maybe have option to keep info of HP and ammo?)
• enable friendly fire or some way to make it possible to have every pirate for themselves?
• Arena point system with timer toggle (start / stop)? Access Arena mode? (would be a selling point in itself)
• play in Tall Tale or Adventure regions, with multiple crews?
• enable sniper skeletons / more challenging pve
• enable a custom point board, where host can manually award or remove points for various in-game games (this can be done on stream, but could be interesting to have it on hud for those in the game that don't have multiple screens).

Regarding creative camera:

• save camera angles on hotkeys to quickly change
• change walking speed (from veeery slow to tooo fast)

Regarding things that can be spawned:

1. Top priority for items to spawn:

• Supplies (crates or directly in their barrels, like outpost shipwright)
• Ships (also, can we teleport ships with their crew and loot? Can we teleport just players on demand? would be neat)
• ammo crate
• custom filling option for cannon and food barrels? (choose which ammo type (throwable, firework, trap, flare, chains, curseballs, etc) or food (fruit, raw or cooked)
• ability to delete item

2. Less priority stuff to spawn:

• fort key (regular, FoF or FoTD)
• Tridents or harpoons
• cone of unfair wind
• siren skull (& Brigsey turn in)
• arena chest (and NPC to cash it in)
• skull of destiny
• ashen chest & key
• merchant cpt key & shipwreck
• fish (loot)
• fog? athena fog (greenish)? reaper fog (reddish)?

3. Fun suggestions to spawn:

• Ashen Lord ('cause why not) or other bosses (without world event)
• LeChuck (ship boss fight, roaming like the BB) & rootbeer
• Traders (ex.: sovereign NPC) / teleport them (for narrative content)
• Teleport players / ships on shores of gold
• ancient meg
• pop up plunder map
• custom quest text (all players receive quest with custom text)
• reaper (keg) rowboats
• the big siren statue with big red bubble from Lords of the Sea, or just the big red bubble, for cinematic reasons
• unlock curses? (to make videos about a skeleton gang for example)
• ancient skellies (fake)

Regarding HG:
It should be available, with option to raise streak from 0 to 4, for cinematic reasons.

Regarding unique features from creative seas:
It could be fun to have specials features unique to this mode, that are fun (and not balanced at all, not intended for high seas) to just fun around.

• paintball mode?
• big heads?
• always drunk?
• you die if you don't touch a treasure every 5min. My precious....
• spawn NPC Elvis (Perfect Dark)
• unlock the skin of the green conductor in Blast Corps (pixelated) and music to play with instruments
• unlock "this was a triumph" (portal song) music to play with instruments (collab with Valve)

Must do:
remove ability for shrouded ghosts to spawn in there. I would cry to have it spawn in there, while we don't have commendations...