I've seen a lot of talk about the lack of content, and some people saying it doesn't matter because what is in the game makes it fun. Here's the point of content, it's not exclusively about the end goal. Rust, for example, is about the journey. In fact it's exclusively about the journey, which is why the server's wipe after typically a week. However, it's much different from Sea of Thieves because of how many paths there are to take. PvP is pretty fun, and I think Sea of Thieves, while it has some things to improve, has a decent PvP system, but that can't be the only part of this open-world game. Another thing Rust does very well is the base-building system, and the feeling of loss and reward that comes along with it. You have the ability to create an entirely customizable experience through base building. It's something you have to build from the ground up and defend. Your location leads to constant interaction with surrounding players, and most importantly it's something you can lose. I think Sea of Thieves could benefit from a more customizable, risky experience. It could be a game where losing even an empty ship is going to hurt you in the long run, or where maybe you own some kind of an outpost that can be taken from you. PvP can't be everything, and PvE needs to be more dynamic. This doesn't mean more rewards, that's not content. Content is the number of ways to get there, and the number of ways you can lose.
Sea of Thieves vs Rust. What makes an open-world game fun.
@seniorwaffle14 your suggestion for player-built bases doesn't work because of how the servers work. You're literally on a different server every time you leave matchmaking unless you join a friend you were playing previously and they hadn't signed out themselves.
@seniorwaffle14 I suppose on paper that could work, but that would add yet another thing to track for each and every player so there could be technical problems with that.
Rust is popular because people like raiding a base for loot to add to their stockpile of loot, which makes them harder to raid and the PvP in rust is actually decent, with the gun/bow physics being decent themselves. It started as a survival game, now it might as well just be an arena based PvP game with survival mechanics because the players just liked it that way.
