I can see this suggestion not being very popular, but hear me out. I believe that collision-less stacking of large objects needs to be removed and a new system implemented requiring the space immediately in front of you to be mostly free of any other object before placement which could greatly change the dynamic gameplay to something requiring a bit more planning and risk, and would mean a few major gameplay changes would take place.
No more mass stacking of gunpowder barrels would be the most immediate change to come from this. Preventing players from amassing a large gunpower stockpile and make storing large quantities increasingly more dangerous
-this has always been a bit of imbalance in my eyes and I found it ridicules that you can theoretically store an infinite amount of barrels in your crowsnest, which now thanks to the new feature allowing players to ignite barrels in their hands, if a player reaches this stash it usually ends in the complete decimation of the ship and crew. This will discourage stashing huge amounts of barrels as you could only store 2-3 barrels up top before needing to store them in less "safe" locations.
No more "hiding" multiple items of value under a single item of less value. And no more mass stacking your entire 30 chest horde on one stack, making it appear you dont really have much on board.
-The benefit of this is obvious. Players abusing this lack of collision always tend to hide the entire treasure pile in one hard to see stack behind the captains chair and if stacking is removed this will force players to spread their treasure out more, which would naturally make players use the lower decks of their ships in the manner it was meant to, as the cargo hold of your vessel as well as adding further risk since the larger your stash becomes, the more inviting it will appear to an enemy pirate infiltrating your ship, making players who wish to hide their huge wealth try to put the horde as far below deck as possible.
This will also have the secondary effect of making the ship type very important when it comes to deciding how big of a haul you intend on gathering at one time, making sloops more appropriate for one off voyages and galleons even more preferable for raiding skele forts and for extended outings with of course the brig occupying a middleground between the two.
Finally, in anticipation of the Forsaken shores and it's new rowboat addition, I can see a whole lot more ways these rowboats could be abused as long as infinite stacking is still possible. Hiding your entire hoard in, creating "dingy nukes" filled with gunpowder which can essentially guarantee a crews destruction thanks to the stacking power of each keg blast.
Of course I have no idea how difficult this will be to code or what effects it may have on the server, and thanks to the engine may very well be impossible, which would explain why it wasnt a thing to begin with. But I still nontheless feel that its addition could single handedly create a significantly more balanced experience as well as increasing the aesthetic and risk of the long haul, since now depending on how long you have been gathering loot, the interior and even exterior will begin to visually reflect the gathered wealth.
