Random encounters need to be opt in.

  • Tommy2238
    Marauder

    Took some time off the game and came back to find that the random encounter rate has been dramatically increased since the original month of release.

    I understand some people like the random events. That being said, random encounters are objectionally bad game design. Any mechanic that is not influenced by player choice is bad game design.

    There's a reason that every franchise that once relied on random encounters as filler have either entirely moved away from the mechanic, or gives the player the option to opt out of it.

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  • Corvum Mortis
    Seafarer
    Insider

    You could say the same thing regarding a pve server. But I have seen that they would rather the game be played the way they intended.

    I think to remove this from the game would be playing a different game. The entire point of this game is the risk. If they remove all of the dangerous aspects... What are you really left with? They may as well just give you access to all cosmetics. "Creative mode".

    I know this is one of my favorite aspects of this game and I certainly wish more games included this mechanic. I really hope they don't start removing/simplifying/altering game features just to appease the lcd....

  • Tommy2238
    Marauder

    @corvum-mortis I would get this argument if fighting random events were anything beyond a brainless nuisance.

    The means to achieve the win condition is always exactly the same. You handle skeleton ships the same way every time. There's no variation in how to beat a Kraken.

    I'm not against having these things in the game, I'm just not sure why the player has to be forced into engagements with them.

  • EGGamer13
    Legend
    Insider

    @corvum-mortis I would get this argument if fighting random events were anything beyond a brainless nuisance.

    The means to achieve the win condition is always exactly the same. You handle skeleton ships the same way every time. There's no variation in how to beat a Kraken.

    I'm not against having these things in the game, I'm just not sure why the player has to be forced into engagements with them.

    You aren't forced to do them. If a skeleton ship appears, just go into full wind all the time, and the ship will stop chasing you in a moment or another. With the Kraken, you just need to sail off the black circle, and with the meg, you just go onto an island and it will disappear.

  • princes lettuce
    Master
    Insider

    I agree that they can be a pain, but I think they want players to all be in the exact same game (in order for everything to be as fair as possible, pvp wise) so I don't think they will ever offer to opt out.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    I think it's funny you seem to think RNG is going extinct in other video games, because I assure you, that it's not - if anything, it's likely growing, or simply being repurposed, but it's very much still there.

  • they sank
    Ship Mate

    I heart RNG

  • Tommy2238
    Marauder

    @galactic-geek said in Random encounters need to be opt in.:

    I think it's funny you seem to think RNG is going extinct in other video games, because I assure you, that it's not - if anything, it's likely growing, or simply being repurposed, but it's very much still there.

    RNG has increased in games, but not random encounters. They have drastically decreased over the years.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    I would call any game with matchmaking a random encounter. 😅

    BTW, the forum censoring won't let me quote or tag you because of your gamertag... 🙄

  • contentzilla
    Ship Mate

    @c"edit"hrist-commando I think when you start up the game and choose adventure mode that is your "opt in".

    Lol, "Your message contains the following restricted word(s): C"edit"hrist"

  • Tommy2238
    Marauder

    @galactic-geek said in Random encounters need to be opt in.:

    I would call any game with matchmaking a random encounter. 😅

    BTW, the forum censoring won't let me quote or tag you because of your gamertag... 🙄

    That's not true at all. You you can keep away from other ships. You don't have to engage them. You can get away from random events after some time, but you are forced to confront them, there's no other option.

  • CallMeBackdrafT
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    kraken is not rng...
    You can hear the kraken every in game night at 3 am and hear from the sound in what direction it is.

    Then you have the meggy and the emergent skelly ships (not the roaming ones because they aren’t rng) yes those are rng but the meggy is easily avoided just sail in range of an island and it will back off, if it even attacks you not all meggy’s are aggresive unless you shoot them.

    Skelly ships are less easy to get away from but just something you have to deal with.

    Just like pve players just have to deal with all of them AND other PvP crews that will try to sink them.

    Not bad game design in the slightest.

    In another thread you said that you actually only play PvP games (apart from sot) like overwatch cod etc. This game is a different beast and will take addaptation from your side if you want to get into it. But maybe this just isnt a game for you.

    I have stated this so many times by now but: You dont go to a BMW dealership and buy a BMW there, only to return in a week and “demand” they change that exact car you bought into a volkswagen

  • mlgproLOLwut
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    Random encounters (RNG) should not be opt-in. There are a gamut of reasons why they shouldn't be and among them are:
    Imagine you create a bot that plays the game for you. It likely will not be able to deal with RNG in the game. This is one of the many reasons that RNG is necessary in just about any game.
    Think about those that LIKE the RNG in the game (I personally like megs and kill every single one I see). This is another reason to keep the RNG in the game.
    Think about COMMENDATIONS FOR THE RNG. (nuff said here)
    Now think about new players. Should they have a good time thinking the sea is safe? I SAY NO!
    You can get a lot of things from these RNG encounters, and although they may seem moot and annoying to some legends at sea, they aren't. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten bone dusts from RNG.
    Although, I must say, sometimes there is little to no loot. I think the loot should be a reflection of how well you handled the encounter, but past that, I vote leave the RNG in the game. (pls kraken me, I need the commendation, thx)

  • Crimsonraziel
    Master
    Insider

    @mlgprololwut said in Random encounters need to be opt in.:

    I think the loot should be a reflection of how well you handled the encounter, but past that, I vote leave the RNG in the game.

    Fighting for your life always on the brink of sinking, barely managed to defeat Megan for a measly Foul Bounty Skull. Uhm, nope.

  • Phantaxus
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    I think there could be a case for turning off random encounters for low level players (less than level 10). To ease them into the game. You might still see Megs and Skelly ships but they would not attack you unless you attacked first.

  • Hynieth
    Master
    Insider

    Random encounters have not disappeared from games because they were unwanted. Random encounters have been a thing Since Dungeons and Dragons and will be a thing in gaming forever.
    In the olden days games couldn't handle rendering enemies on a world map or dynamic battles like we see in modern Final Fantasy games, so they had to resort to random encounters. Nowadays we still get random encounters. FFXV's dropships are a prime example of this, the most modern FF game still has random encounters!

    These emergent threats are what makes the game great. They are not all that often (I get a skeleton ship maybe once or twice per session a megladon appears a few times just to do nothing and a kraken, i've not been attacked by one for a while now.

    Just go way back to the start of the game, search the forums for what people were posting back then, people wanted more to do. Wanted more threats, if a server had no hostile players (good chanse in a lot of cases) there'd be no danger. Emergant threats make the game interesting.

  • Jareto102
    Marauder

    Man, I can't wait for the new Pokemon game! This time, Nintendo is letting YOU be in charge of your pokemon adventure! You can choose which one you encounter, at what level, in what place! or you can even choose to just not encounter any while walking around!

    That sounds like a horrible game to play, doesn't it? Yeah. That's because without random encounters, some games lose the niche they once filled. Sea of thieves may not fully rely on random encounters, but it is a big selling point of the game, and it's what makes your moments while playing memorable. The tales of people escaping a player and skeleton ship simultaneously are some of the best I hear, and they always get me pumped to play the game again. And have you even thought how this would work? What if some people turned RE off in a server while others had it on?

  • Luci6396
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    the fact that you can run away from all random encounters makes this pretty pointless to complain about. the kraken takes a bit longer but you can even run away from that.

  • Lem0n Curry
    Vanguard
    Insider

    Don't like this idea at all.
    I've got the notion that the spawn rate of the Kraken, Meg and Skalleons is lower than before. Maybe not if you're server hopping but otherwise game would be boring without them.

  • GroundFilly036
    Castaway

    I think they’re too much. I play on a solo sloop mostly and almost every mission I do I get multiple events. Had 3 krakens in one play through. I lost most of my loot because I always get sunk. I can legit play for 5 hours and make no progression because of the frequency in these events.

  • Musicmee
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Moderator
    Founder
    Deckhand

    Ahoy maties!

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