Couldn't think of a better way to name the title of this one. In Hungering Deep and Cursed Sails, by talking to an NPC, you "triggered" the main "quest" to learn about the new downloadable content, and it triggered a "Flare" banner for each. Like "Welcome to the Hungering Deep", or "Cursed Sails begins". Basically signaling you were going through the content and working on the new story lore they wanted you to know about. What happened with Forsaken Shores? Why wasn't something like that done with Captain Morrow or Jim? Reason to not announce it the same way in game any more? No...not essential, just curious cause I noticed it was missing. Figured with Cargo runs maybe it was getting added in, but noticed it didn't.
What happened to Major Content "In-Game" Banner Flares?
@monkeychow01 this is what some people were mentioning. I thought there was going to be some sort of npc talking campaign. since the update just came out it seems like the new merchant quests took over. But if you want the details I suggest you look at This video
I hit most of the islands but never really bothered reading what the forsaken alliance members had to say.
@monkeychow01 Probably cause there was no real quest line as you might have notice there aren't any free unlockable rewards you can get. Like the speaking trumpet and meg figurehead from HD or The 3 region sails from CS. Instead we got sort of new faction with a special loot in the form of the MBOW.
@personalc0ffee Well put, I kind of wish the exclusivity wasn't traded for keeping for the ability for more people to leisurely finish quests...but I'll deal.
I still think that Rare have missed out on an opportunity here in keeping persistent quest lines in the game.
- Why can't Meg be summoned back from the depths by new players? Merrick could still have a beef with her and want new players to keep her in her place by battering her as we all did back in May.
- Why can't the Skeleton ships still periodically invade the outposts, forcing players new and old to return to the battlegrounds to ensure they sink back to where they came?
- Why can't we have a specific questline for the Forsaken Alliance, perhaps now to find long-lost loot, or even pieces of the Shroudbreaker in order to build new ships - which then makes sense for breaking the shroud in other areas later on to open up more map.
Smaller questlines could have been so easily implemented as well through the commendation/books systems that we already have - give players something to do as a sideline so they can think "ooh, I'm done for now with Merchant Cargo Runs, let's go back to that mission to see what happened to Nura and where she ended up next... didn't we have to head somewhere in the Shores of Plenty?"
Whilst it could be classed as adding in single player content - what are commendations? They're yours to unlock, as are the myriad cosmetics in the game now.
@personalc0ffee I disagree ever so slightly. I'm not saying keep the rewards there, or make the quests the same - change them and develop them so that new players can find that lore and see where the game has gone - Merrick's diaries should still be available and the barmaids should still be able to talk about him even though he is no longer here.
Outposts should still remember that there was a Skeleton invasion because of Wanda and the lore should be there.
Without the lore, this game becomes a little empty and it's ok for those of us who were there to tell new players, but it's a little let down for them when they can't access the content at all. Don't give them the rewards as they were, and should be time-limited, but let them at least play those little aspects of the game.
I think the cargo runs and the new npcs on the islands is a good start.
It fleshes out the world a little, introduces some new characters, makes the place feel marginally more alive.
I know I can't be the only one who talked to Five Paces Frank and immediately went to the nearest tree, walked 5 paces and had a dig, just to check.
I also have enjoyed reading the multiple books that are scattered around, there seems to be more of them.
All in all I think Rare are moving things forward and making the world feel more alive. Collecting cargo from people helps to make them feel a bit less like person shaped vending machines.
I'd like to see more NPCs though, particularly in Taverns, I'd love to be able to chat to someone in a Tavern, who gave you a tip off about a voyage, as another way of starting a quest.
Maybe epic quests that involve taking down the skeleton ships or a fort. Imagine how intense a fort battle might become if one of the ships or even both of the ships needed to kill the captain to reach the next chapter of an Epic voyage. Failure would mean you had to take down the fleet instead.
I'd love to see voyages that involved talking to this npc here, find this book there, solve this riddle here etc. Not just digging up chests, chasing chickens, killing skeletons, those things have their place, but so does pure exploration and getting to know the various npcs and it's those last couple of elements that I feel are a missed opportunity.
@boxcar-squidy said in What happened to Major Content "In-Game" Banner Flares?:
I'd like to see more NPCs though, particularly in Taverns, I'd love to be able to chat to someone in a Tavern, who gave you a tip off about a voyage, as another way of starting a quest.
I'd love to see voyages that involved talking to this npc here, find this book there, solve this riddle here etc. Not just digging up chests, chasing chickens, killing skeletons, those things have their place, but so does pure exploration and getting to know the various npcs and it's those last couple of elements that I feel are a missed opportunity.
Maybe epic quests that involve taking down the skeleton ships or a fort. Imagine how intense a fort battle might become if one of the ships or even both of the ships needed to kill the captain to reach the next chapter of an Epic voyage. Failure would mean you had to take down the fleet instead.
@PersonalC0ffee this is perhaps something more that we could both get behind. NPCs should really provide us with a means to start quests, other than just buying voyages. Perhaps they could be simple voyages, such as those we find in bottles already? But with different goals - get this letter of recommendation to x person before x date so that they don't get fired or even can you go and speak to y person about Pigs? We need more pigs - that person then gives you a couple of pig crates for you to go and deliver OR... Did you know that Z person is smelting down gold to make new weapons? Take these trinkets to her and see what she can do with them.
@personalc0ffee It just adds more life to the game! The NPCs on islands and the trading posts are good, but they could be better!
Also... when will they address the omnipotent Duke and his everpresence I wonder? Or is he like Nurse Joy in Pokémon? Does he actually have 20 brothers, all called duke, who all dress the same and have the same job?!
@monkeychow01 I kind of wish they brought those back. I ended up finding like half the dead alliance members before ever talking to Grace just because I was randomly exploring.
Wish a banner would have popped up when I found the first one saying I started the "quest."
@PersonalC0ffee So are you saying you like Rare's original vision of time limited campaigns with rewards locked to the campaign? I preferred it that way myself.
@xcalypt0x said in What happened to Major Content "In-Game" Banner Flares?:
So are you saying you like Rare's original vision of time limited campaigns with rewards locked to the campaign? I preferred it that way myself.
Noooooooooo! Let's no go back to that! We ended up in a right old mess with Cursed Sails and the ingenious timings design they included!
I can see why Doubloons should be locked behind the event, as the cosmetics from Duke already are, but don't see why people can't work towards the new commendations afterwards. Something for newbies and folk who have to miss out to do!@sshteeve said in What happened to Major Content "In-Game" Banner Flares?:
@xcalypt0x said in What happened to Major Content "In-Game" Banner Flares?:
So are you saying you like Rare's original vision of time limited campaigns with rewards locked to the campaign? I preferred it that way myself.
Noooooooooo! Let's no go back to that! We ended up in a right old mess with Cursed Sails and the ingenious timings design they included!
I can see why Doubloons should be locked behind the event, as the cosmetics from Duke already are, but don't see why people can't work towards the new commendations afterwards. Something for newbies and folk who have to miss out to do!Oh well I definitely didn't like the time zone lock lol. Just the limited time campaigns.
@xcalypt0x my only issue with the time limited campaigns was the fact that all of that exploration, reading fluff and speaking to npcs is what I wish the bread and butter of SoTs voyages was.
I loved them as time limited things but missed them when they were gone. If they were time limited but regular voyages included a little more of that exploration/npc exposition type of gameplay then I'd be delighted.
In saying that though the RL ship times was terrible, so no more of that sort of guff thanks.
@boxcar-squidy Yeah I don't think anybody liked the time zoned ship battles. I'm all for time limited events but let me log in at any point that's convenient for me during the day in those 2-4 weeks to do the event.
And then afterwards, like @PersonalC0ffee the lore needs to stay so that people who come later can see what took place in the world.
And while the event may end, the content becomes a part of the world in some way (like Meg and the ships). I thought it was mostly a good model they had going.
Yea also, I don't want anyone to take me wrong. I don't think it's a big deal at all (and I rather enjoy what we did get this go round). It was just something that I noticed in game this go round, and miss it because it adds a nice "flair" to it. I could almost see the first time you talk to Jim as starting it, and maybe after doing the ... things...for Captain Sorrow, you get a "all done". But again, not needed by any means, was just curious if direction changed, in which it seems it has.
SECRETS OF THE FORSAKEN ALLIANCE // SEA OF THIEVES - The Box of Wonderous Secrets.
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