@inbred-chimera said in A warning to you all:
I think I disagree, at least in parts. I think I agree in others, but I know that what appears to be half the issue is that much like Obi Wan said to the troopers: This is not the game your looking for.
But that doesn't actually credit half of what you've said, though your opinions are certainly yours to have. Please allow me to chime in with my own opinions in kind. Perhaps you can come to see that your feelings may be valid, but it doesn't mean that they're entirely correct.
First, a caveat you've played 8 hours since launch. Presumably you've played pre-launch as well. That's certainly enough time to review the game and determine if it's got that flavor your looking for. This game certainly doesn't have it. I'm not here to tell you it does. If your not happy with the game, that's just how it's going to be. But unlike you, I've played for the 5 months you've mentioned and neither do I feel I am a sheep, I also don't hate the title nearly so much as you think I should. That tells me there's merit to the game, even if you don't see it.
For me here's what this game has to offer that keeps me going, and I promise it is not rabid fanboyism:
For starters camaraderie. This could be found in many games, perhaps any game that has both a community and an online player base. But whatever the reason Sea of Thieves has allowed me to find just the right players that even when I nearly quit the game from frustration... I find myself coming back for more. I've played other games where the camaraderie exists, yet somehow I don't remain. Clearly there's something to the game even if it's merely the worlds prettiest chatroom, that brings me back. I can't answer to why in decades of gaming only 3 games have kept me playing for this long in a stretch, even when it upsets me. But I presume it has much to do with those whom I've met and the nature of the title as a more casually invested game.
The game lacked content from the start, and heavens knows that the content offerings we do have are still thin as a razor. But I actually like the direction that the content is going. It's been FUN to do the things we have done. I have actually enjoyed fighting the meg, the ships, the weeklies haven't bothered me even if they seem sometimes silly and stupid. I love the additions we get as we get them. I couldn't be more curious about how I'll receive FS, and I actually like that. The content I find the most pleasing is the simple interaction with other pirates, be it via PvP which might annoy many... I enjoy getting trounced on occasion and only find myself frustrated by it on occasion. Sure, I've rage quit once or twice... but I come back for more... it's somehing about how SIMPLE everything is that actually draws me in. I find depth in the combat that I don't think was ever intended in the first place. Sure, other games do PvP "better" but I actually like that it's NOT better. I feel responsible for the outcome in most PvP encounters I end up in, not many games can provide that. Most PvP I've played over the years... I feel is far too unpredictable how it'll go. Something about the simply weak PvP mechanics we do have actually makes me feel like it was ME that caused my win or loss, not pure luck or practice at some twitch jumpy mechanic.
I actually think the game is pretty darn buggy... but for all of that... I love it's art style and the sense of immersion it provides is both potent enough for me to be interested but comical enough that I am not lost in some art school grads splatter fest of high resolution detail work that looses me. Skull and Bones has a look that appeals to me more in some ways.. but I really like the look in SoT ALOT... even if the livery for PL is stupid and reminds me of My Little Pony, and I might not like the fashion designs all of the time... somewhere despite it all I still find myself chilling on the waves simply zoning out comfortably at a beautiful horizon. Sure it breaks down in areas, and as I said not all fashions appeal to me.
There's more.. but let me break it down in response to your remarks.
So I've just come back from a 5 month break to see what progress the game has made.
There's your first problem, not accounting for what your experience was pre-launch... I feel without actual post launch effort... your simply checking in to see if the game became something you want it to be that it likely never will. Were I you.. I'd simply not waste my time. It's like buying CoD and wanting battlefield... sure.. it's similar...but it'll never be the same.
I was very passionate about a much needed pirate game coming out late last year, like many others, and I made many suggestions as to how to improve the game. I still see a torrent of suggstions on the forum now, ideas ot improve gameplay and help people enjoy the experience.
This will go on forever... players will eternally have ideas about what a thing should be, but never will be. Happily I can say that the team certainly does listen to feedback and make changes... Rare definitely has work to do to meet many expectations. And I absolutely feel the game launch way too early, and that the content we're finally getting by the end of next month to include what we've gotten is merely a touchstone of the overall content we should have had ages ago. I agree, the darn game simply lacked focus and rather has been made and launched... empty... and the result is we're seeing things added in post that should have been here at pre. But... if that's how they want to be.. reactionary... let them. Because despite it all I've been entertained. You and me both could scream forever I am sure at the amount of things we expect from SoT... but ultimately all we're going to get... we've gotten already. The question now is how well can they keep us hooked. In my case... they've done pretty well. Though I admit I am taking a break right now in favor of "We Happy Few".. the love affair with that game won't last 5 months I promise you that.
So what am I warning you about?
This game is a cash grab and a sunken costs fallacy.
I don't actually disagree in this sentiment. I've long felt that the AAA budget for the game was wasted on doughnuts, tea, and the art dept. As far as actual in depth game... we've been given 3 fetch quest and a year of waiting for more. This is IMO much ado about the need for MS to push a title out that was an exclusive, that could rest well at the helm of Game Pass. Were they left to their own devices I feel Rare would have not released when they had. This conspiracy theory of mine has persisted since launch and I won't bore you with the finer details of it.. I'll simply say that overall I feel we agree.
Of the many, many excellent suggestions made, some more than a year ago, I would estimate less than 1% made it into the game.
The reasons for this are many. Some of the inclusions likely take time to develop, see my opinion that the game was under developed at launch above. Others may have rightly been ideas Rare can't wait to see in the game... but must wait for other needs to be crafted and added in first. And so on. Let's not even go near the idea that maybe 99% of the suggestions... are stupid... or don't have a place in the game. Recently I got a laugh out of a remark upon why we won't see more interactive wildlife, particularly dolphins, the response was one built out of a weak stomach and fear that players will kill the animals.
I can say that I find it entertaining as heck we can shoot one another in the face... but if flipper gets harpooned we are up in arms....
It show cases how the morals, whether I agree with the sentiments or not, go much deeper than to ask if it's something players want. The very idea that asking for something as basic as a harpoon and fishing up whales or so on ala Black Flag... gets a response of "No Think of the fishies!" and that the remark actually bears weight in that light both scares me that people can be so delicate... and forget that we're shooting guns at one another half the time but that doesn't matter at all....
So there's clearly much more going on than if something is a good idea in this regard. Also, the team clearly has serious issues actually crafting the content we are getting and launching it on time as well. Nary a patch week has gone by that something hasn't broken for every addition we've gotten. Not one event has flown by cleanly... we are STILL without our Kraken, she's been gone... what.. a month? And God forbid you hand someone a banana underwater back in the day... it was like dividing by zero! So in that remark the team clearly struggles to meet our demands. But that doesn't mean that things aren't being added... many of them including fan feedback responses.
Over 5 months of me not once playing the game, it has no improved at all. The core issue remain and the very few improvements made have been diluted by negative changes.
Negative is a matter of perspective. So far I've appreciated the inclusions even if I don't like the implementations entirely... I can at least say what we have gotten has entertained me. Are you not entertained? If not... they certainly should hear why... but that doesn't mean they're going to make THIS title the title your looking for. Much like The Sims.. The game lacks the ability on my behalf to shoot my sims in the face... but it's not the games fault that I can only kill them by removing pool parts... or setting the house on fire... and though I certainly want the ability to have my Sim go postal... it's simply not the game to do that in. Even 5 months after launch The Sims hasn't introduced guns that shoot people... that doesn't make it a bad game... it just means if I want dead sims I need to starve them in a room without a door. That doesn't make it a bad game. Just not the game I'm looking for.
They've added an explosive skeleton, presumably to draw focus from the poor, unintuitive combat since very little matters in the presence of an explosive barrel. Why make any decision other than step back and shoot the barrel?
Honestly, I feel that the GPS have much more to do with late arrival of something desired for the game since inception. Same with the sniper skellies... it's not new content to Rare... it's finally getting added to the game content. This sort of perspective only supports my tinfoil conspiracy that the game wasn't finished and we're playing an Early Access release lauded as a GaaS. I disagree with your perspective but I can appreciate that you want more from the game at launch and didn't get it. I don't feel it's chicanery so much as I feel it's slow development that is wrongly described.
The game is still not about piracy.
Honestly, I don't think it ever was meant to be. I feel that the framework is one of piracy in image.. but Rare clearly lacks the salt or even the desire to make a game about wanton killing, theft, and mayhem. They didn't ever seem intent to make Grand Theft Ocean... instead they've taken the concept and applied comedic and gentle Rare stylings. A shift to be sure from Conker stylings in the past. Reflective of finer more sensitive or delicate tastes to be sure. Even the advertisements and art style itself tells me that the game is one of comedic and yakity sax music played as players chase one another around over garbage castaways chests. It's a spirit of silliness and giggles that seems to be the inspiration here. Not one of actual piracy or historical reflection. They skinned the game after piracy.. but only in a tongue in cheek sort of way.
in 8 hours of gameplay, I managed a few fetch quests. I played at a variety of times but never encountered any other crew of any level of competency.
Yea.. sounds about right. The game is built on fetch quests.... regarding competency... that's a coin toss.. I've a pretty decent player and a tolerable PvP gamer at that... and yet the errors I've made in SoT... the losses I've suffered... yea.. I've hung my head in shame many a times. To wit.. I've still only encountered a smattering of crews that have blown my mind with their ability a couple of which i actually wonder might have been cheating.
But the players weaknesses aren't the games fault. At most it's an indication towards the style of player that is drawn to games like this... of which you really don't seem to be that type. You seem to have a much more aggressive play style that a game like SoT is likely to draw attention towards.
I remember clearly that ths forum was full of [Mod Edited] and [Mod Edited] and so I'm not inclined to go into futher detail for the benefit of [Mod Edited], especially considering the habit of some mods to sensor valid, reasonable threads in favour of those that baselessly credit the game.
I'd suggest perhaps remodelling your tone and as evidenced by the moderations themselvs.. your language. You'll probably find more appropriate responses from both the community and the Mods themselves.
It doesn't behoove any forum user present to post containing call outs, expletives, or antagonizing threads built around diminishing others. Those WILL get shut down... even if the ultimate desire it generous or an attempt to be helpful.
This is simply a warning to those of you coming to the game late or coming back to the game for a while. The community is now mostly children who have very little interest in playing the game, or the hardcore players that any multiplayer game will have because people like to be the best at something.
I don't believe I fall under either of these categories neither do many or any of my friends. But, we do have a desire to explore the content that is slowly fed to us, see lore built into the game, test our abilities in the combat the game does offer, keep in one anothers' company, and so much more... let's not even talk about the streamers who live for this sort of game. That is one that highlights making your own fun in alot of ways.
There's not 'spirit' to the game, soul or even art.
I disagree even if I can complain about the game and it's lack of content, and more.
The devlopers are not interested in the 'experience'.
I disagree again.
Like many ex-players, it will feel immersive and mysterious for a short while, then the reality will sink in that this is a basic, shallow and unimaginative concept created by a design team of the same nature. It is not changing other than in the most miniscule ways, and it's going nowhere under its current management.
I disagree again. Though I do bear agreement that the game needed at least this one more year of development... deeper levels of content than we've received even 5 months later... I'll happily agree that Rare needs to develop better quality control measures, actually get their heads wrapped around what player really want versus making changes after every update, and to speed things up regarding content releases still. I also feel that we've been misdirected and that the game isn't one that even Rare would have released when they did.... I feel it was MS themselves that pushed it's launch and that Rare simply showed a product and MS lauded it happily... it's MS who are the ones setting Rare up to fail far before I'll assume Rare are the ones who were ready to sell.
I made many suggestions and responses and i'm 1 in possibly thousands of enthusiasts that tried to support this game, but there is just no interest in improvement.
Seems to me more likely that the improvements your after are upcoming, as seems the case with many additions. It really has felt since launch that the immediate cries for subject matter improvement are being collected from pre-launch feedback and that the post launch community only receive reactionary changes. Or in otherwords they're still working from a back catalog of feedback... and changing it when the current community reacts poorly or needs immediate changes.
In a single release RARE has shattered a respected name and image, which I've been told is down to the RARE team actually not being the same people it was in the past.
There are much better developers out there that deserve your time and money.
I'm sure there are... But at the end of the day I'm not committing a lifetime of focus or money into this title. I have on the other hand been appreciably entertained, despite all my complains and gripes, for 5 months. I can't name the last game that I have played that long in the last few years....
That says alot no matter how much complaining even I can do! And much as I'm sure you value your opinion far more than mine... I'd say that the 5 months of fun... and yes... complaints that I have leveraged upon the game... speak FAR louder than some stranger on the internet.
So yes, your not a fan of the game.
That's TOTALLY FINE.
But I for one am happy with what I'm getting. Sure, i'm taking a "We Happy Few" break... and later I'll take a Red Dead Redemption 2 and a Fallout 76 break...
But so far...
the seas continue to call, so despite it all someone is clearly scratching some itch somewhere... I'm not here because I'm a mere sheep, and I am certainly no Rare apologist!
