Ship Messaging System

  • Hunty Guy
    Marauder
    Insider

    I think that this game would benefit well from having a messaging system that allows players to talk over long distances. It would make it actually possible to communicate with your alliance, especially if they are across the map from you.

    So how can this be implemented? Well it can be as simple as an extra table in the captains quraters. On this table you can select a ship in the game (may or may not have to be in your alliance), and you can type them a message. The receiving crew will get a notification that they received the message, and they can view it and/or respond to it.

    Want a more realistic system? Replace the table with pidgeons. You can take a pidgeon, select a crew to send it to, and then write your message. The pidgeon flys away and then lands in the deck of the receiving crew. The crew will know they have a message when they see a pidgeon on their deck. They can take the pidgeon and read the message and/or respond to it.

    Its a simple feature that i think the game desperately needs. This would make it possible to organise and do things with my alliance. I dont want to have to travel across the map if i want to tell my alliance something. I could use this to send out invitations for people to come and join my alliance. I could use this to send people invitations to battle us. I could tell my alliance to come help with a skeleton fort, or a battle, or a skeleton ship. I could tell my alliance to put on specific sails for a commendation. The possibilities are endless with a messaging system. It can be as simple as a writing table or pidgeons.

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  • Admiral RRRSole

    @hunty-guy
    Unfortunately the current messaging system is woeful encouraging players to use the Xbox party chat or discord.

    Messenger pigeons have been suggested before and I still like that idea.

    As for the line: "On this table you can select a ship in the game (may or may not have to be in your alliance)" they would need to either be in your alliance or be flying the "reaper's mark" otherwise they wouldn't appear on the chart table.

  • D Jaguar
    Captain
    Insider

    Pigeons had to know where they were flying to. They didn't fly to ships at sea.
    They could fly to outposts and this would give us more reasons to visit an outpost tavern.
    For Brigs and Galleons, one of the sailors on board could keep a vigilant eye on the map. Other ships can use the reapers mark to send messages to others across the map. Don't even have to be in an alliance.

    Now we must all brush up on our Morse code training.

    Morse code translator: Encode and convert online

    Morse code translator: Encode and convert online

    Morse code, named for the inventor of the telegraph Samuel F. B. Morse, is a method of transmitting text information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks.

  • D Jaguar
    Captain
    Insider

    @soulseeker could we also shoot our enemies pigeons?

  • Goedecke Michel
    Marauder

    Xbox: can't type a message.

  • D Jaguar
    Captain
    Insider

    @goedecke-michel same way we type on minecraft sign posts

  • Goedecke Michel
    Marauder

    @d-jaguar no, thanks.

  • I AM THE LAW935
    Marauder

    I had a similar idea only with parrots because y'know pirates lol

  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    I've suggested this in the past and I think it would be good (would need Xbox players to be able to type first).

    And to those complaining about realism I ask are you fine with the magical life saving bananas? It's a quirkey game, I don't think messenger pigeons will break 'immersion'.

  • KattTruewalker
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder
    Deckhand

    @d-jaguar Omigosh imagine if we could use semaphore flags hahaha!

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @hunty-guy This is a great idea, which would add a lot of depth to the world, even just the addition of seeing little pigeons flying overhead from other ships!

    I will suggest that we can only send them to ships already in an alliance. Forming an alliance should require having to approach others to maintain that risk of betrayal we have now.

    Otherwise a really cool idea!

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    No. Because the Megaphone adds immersive gameplay and would become obsolete.
    With this, things i experienced while the Hungering Deep, but also later arent possible.
    Everybody would use the more "effective way".
    But the most effective way isn't constraint the best way.

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @stundorn said in Ship Messaging System:

    No. Because the Megaphone adds immersive gameplay and would become obsolete.
    With this, things i experienced while the Hungering Deep, but also later arent possible.
    Everybody would use the more "effective way".
    But the most effective way isn't constraint the best way.

    Doesn't quite make sense. If a ship is within range of the trumpet then I'll use the trumpet... it would be more efficient then typing out a message and sending a bird. Then again if an ally is in another biome from me and I simply want to ask them a question, having a messaging system gives me a more efficient option beyond having to sail across the map to speak to them.

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    I like things not effective sometimes and i like it's not possible to ask them.

  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    @stundorn said in Ship Messaging System:

    No. Because the Megaphone adds immersive gameplay and would become obsolete.
    With this, things i experienced while the Hungering Deep, but also later arent possible.
    Everybody would use the more "effective way".
    But the most effective way isn't constraint the best way.

    I think the trumpet would still be used for proximity communication and would have to be used to first form the alliance.

  • Qui3tCool
    Master
    Insider

    The pigeon idea although not realistic, would be fun and fit in a whimsical way. Right now you have to spend time chasing down your allies in order to communicate. It would be nice to send short messages to your allies “meet at skull fort”, “SOS being stalked by galleon”, or “party at The Snake Pit BYOG”.

  • D Jaguar
    Captain
    Insider

    @katttruewalker yes!
    When they gave us our first clue to the golden banana I thought they would enter into the game.
    alt text

  • entspeak
    Captain
    Insider

    @hunty-guy Pigeons knew where to fly because they’d been there before. It makes zero sense that a pigeon carrying a message would be able locate the intended ship. Alliances aren’t meant to be perfect and comms play a role in that.

  • Zormis
    Marauder
    Insider

    @x-crowheart-x said in Ship Messaging System:

    The pigeon idea although not realistic, would be fun and fit in a whimsical way. Right now you have to spend time chasing down your allies in order to communicate. It would be nice to send short messages to your allies “meet at skull fort”, “SOS being stalked by galleon”, or “party at The Snake Pit BYOG”.

    You could always get in a group chat with them, I have done that before.

  • IcarusInundated
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    I like this idea sounds like a great way for super long range communication (across biomes) i would 100% prefer the pidgeon version of the idea.

    Only problem with this idea is on console not being able to type out messages. Unless they want to open up the ability for console players to type what they want to say then this idea could work.

  • Qui3tCool
    Master
    Insider

    @zormis said in Ship Messaging System:

    @x-crowheart-x said in Ship Messaging System:

    The pigeon idea although not realistic, would be fun and fit in a whimsical way. Right now you have to spend time chasing down your allies in order to communicate. It would be nice to send short messages to your allies “meet at skull fort”, “SOS being stalked by galleon”, or “party at The Snake Pit BYOG”.

    You could always get in a group chat with them, I have done that before.

    Yes of course. We always run a group chat. Many people we come across prefer to not be in any external chat programs. Many like playing and staying in game. Not a valid reason to pass on a useful and fun way to communicate more within the game.

    There is nothing wrong with the pigeon idea. Yes, in real life it was one way to their home. This is a video game. This game is already far from reality. The pigeons' homes in the world of Sea of Thieves could be ships.

    Could make them parrots, seagulls, or canaries if having pigeons in a comical, cartoon-like make believe world called Sea of Thieves is a bit too much for one to bear. If birds of any kind are out, could use hermit crabs. They could tuck the message under their shell. They could make their way between ships crawling up on the rail in front of the helm to deliver the messages. : )

  • Qui3tCool
    Master
    Insider

    @katttruewalker said in Ship Messaging System:

    @d-jaguar Omigosh imagine if we could use semaphore flags hahaha!

    Would be cool. Except they would not work as being suggested over very long distances.

  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    @bran-the-ent and bananas can't heal bullet wounds, so what's your point?

  • entspeak
    Captain
    Insider

    @octopus-lime I’ve stated my point. Alliances are intentionally designed to be tricky to maintain. Adding a map wide comm system for alliances goes against that concept.

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @bran-the-ent said in Ship Messaging System:

    @octopus-lime I’ve stated my point. Alliances are intentionally designed to be tricky to maintain. Adding a map wide comm system for alliances goes against that concept.

    But does it really? The alliance would still be tricky and a comms system might actually open up more options for gameplay. It could be used to deceive other members should you choose, or just make for a more inclusive experience for all. I can't quite see why you're so against adding something that would add a rather useful quirk to the game.

  • Ktingaling
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    @icarusinundated maybe not a typed message, but a voice message? Performance-wise this should be a message of max 30 secs orso..

    And to prevent trolling / griefing it would be nice if you could disable incomming messages by a turret shooting the pigeon xD Or just let de pigeon return to the sender so he knows the messages is blocked..

    @Bran-the-Ent i get your point.. but since it is a game based on interaction it would be nice to have a feature like this.. Maybe to let the pigeon fly slowly so it would be a longer time to receive a message.. And only 1 pigeon per crew, so you can only send one message a time. This way you can communicate, but it would still be tricky

  • Octopus Lime
    Master
    Founder

    @bran-the-ent said in Ship Messaging System:

    @octopus-lime I’ve stated my point. Alliances are intentionally designed to be tricky to maintain.

    Have the devs said that?

  • entspeak
    Captain
    Insider

    @octopus-lime Well, the word they used was “uneasy,” but, yes, they have. Being able to more easily communicate with members would diminish the uneasiness. You should always be wondering when they will betray you, or if they will come to your aid.

  • Capt Chrowe
    Marauder
    Insider

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/75282/a-way-for-alliance-ships-to-communicate-from-across-the-sea/17

    This is an idea that I had posted on a different thread

  • Bern DimaII

    @d-jaguar Or release our pet "Hawk" to shred them to pieces?

  • Friedwilly
    Commander
    Insider

    I think selecting an allianced ship on the map should allow you to either message that ship or send a flag, with different flag colors meaning different things (i.e., red=being attacked, yellow=need help with a voyage, blue=meet at current location).

    The in-game mechanics for the messaging option would be to add a post box to the captains quarters with a notification flag when mail has arrived. Also, a popup banner that mail has arrived.

    The in-game mechanics for the flag notification option would be to add a secondary flag post off the aft of the ship and then by default there would be no flag, until an allianced ship sent you a flag notification. When the user would look at the flag there would be a hover text to show the meaning of the flag color. Also, a popup banner that a flag notification has arrived.

  • Flamingbeast15
    Castaway
    Insider

    I wish SoT would put back in reps to where you can buy them as much as you want instead of only buying them per month

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