The Sea of Thieves forums have seen a wave of increased traffic and noise since the Beta—some of it constructive and necessary, some of it extreme in its negativity. I’m not trying to mask any legitimate criticisms or concerns players might have, but I know I’m not alone in the wealth of positive moments I’ve had within this game, even with other players.
The first day of the Beta, I was sailing solo. I saw another sloop anchored at an outpost. I anchored next to it, and the lone crewman began firing at me. Over the sound of his gunfire, I asked if he wanted to team up as a two-boat fleet, possibly searching for a galleon to take on. He shot once more, but I wasn’t sure if he heard me, so I repeated myself, while using the “wave” emote. He didn’t have a mic, so he proceeded to jump up and down on his deck, like some excited puppy (and I giggled like the proverbial school-child). So we set sail side-by-side. We didn’t find another galleon, but we traded cannon-fire with a two-man sloop for a time, with no resulting winners or losers.
The next day, solo again, I followed another sloop for a good 15-20 minutes, to the literal edge of the map. I had intended to fire my cannons and search them for treasure, but when I finally caught up to them at an island, I decided to simply pull out my hurdy gurdy. They boarded my boat, and I expected they would shoot me—most pirates have the “shoot first” philosophy, it seems. But instead they pulled out their instruments, and we made music for a few minutes. I made friends with them, and it turns out they were brand new to the game and had recently been sunk by a ship with the same sails as mine (we found that boat later), so I showed them a few things, and we sailed together for a while. We sailed together on a galleon the next day. Keep in mind, I’m generally averse to talking on a microphone to strangers on the Internet, let alone making friends with them, but this game provided a platform for these positive connections.
In the Alpha, I mostly played alone, and I generally avoided other ships. In the Beta, I tried to be more creative in my interactions—and it paid off. Even at launch, when this game has a bit more content, Sea of Thieves will still be the type of game that doesn’t hand everything to you wholesale. For the full experience, you have to meet this game halfway. If we want a positive community of players, that needs to start with us. When a community becomes toxic, kindness and creativity will be rare, and therefore more powerful.
But I want to hear from others. What positive interactions did you have in the Beta with other players?
