@sweetsandman said in Captain Missing D. Mark:
Rare created a masterpiece. Listening to the vocal minority is how the game got where it's at. If you don't think the incessant whining from the vocal minority about their hate for PvP and their "i CaN't eVeN lEaVe tHe OuTpOsT wItHoUt ThOsE tOxIc PvPeRs SiNkInG mE" hyperbole didn't have an impact on the direction the game has gone, you're fooling yourself.
That's definitely not the crowd they have ever listened to nor ever will. If that was the case, SS would be the gamemode that gets most developmental attention and they wouldnt be charging for Fleets.
Preface: I develop my own RPG with a permadeath mechanic.
The crowd that they have listened to that is killing the game is the crowd that seems to find the game boring. The ones diving was made for. It is no wonder these are the same players crooning the game is repetitive and stale.
While, content like S18's Commendation track have us killing the same boss upwards of 10 times is once again, hits on a coercive repetitive gameplay structure. It feels so repetitious because the activity is packed into such a short time frame, and depending on how many times other pirates sink you, you might be fighting that Guardian WAY too many times. Yet, somehow, this boss was made to freshen things up, with an update cadence to also placate the aforementioned players that need content now now now.
As for any kind of complaints about repetitive content in this game, I can't see it as any more than complaints about tiring of the gameplay itself. It blows my mind this is even a consideration for some folks. What is there not to get? Sail, fight baddies for as long as the player likes, maybe fight player (dont sink!), sail, sell, repeat. Interruptions come if another pirate sinks the player or an emergent event disturbs the loop. That's what you signed up for. Don't like it? Play HG or another game for a while.
If you play WoW, you don't complain that you always press a hotkey to make a spell go, you don't complain that all bosses are basically the same: dont stand in goo, dont let tanks die, listen for audio cues. If you play Runescape, you dont complain you have to click trees or play the same minigame for dozens of hours to get your Woodcutting up.
So for these players, the devs have made concession after concession to cut the meat and potatoes from the game and wonder why the seas are empty. Well, the answer is obvious, because no one needs to sail! By cutting out the journey, the destination is meaningless, and the experience shallow. No matter how much content the devs add, no matter how different the models on the treasures are it wont change the gameplay loop of the game.
These players aren't wrong for their feelings, but the wrong concessions are made because even they don't understand what to ask for. Ultimately, the game feels boring and repetitive because the player's time is not respected. Recovering resources from a sink and losing a big treasure haul after a long session just doesn't feel good. The lack of respect for a players time again extends to Safer Seas which will now have paid features... but still no Captaincy. The simplest, easiest fix here is to not total loss players. Respect every session, even if its a sink. I'm not saying a HUGE amount, but... dang, just a little pence. Also, Captaincy for Safer Seas if you are going to be taking money to play for additional features, as to respect a players time and money.
In the case of my game, as I prefaced this rant with despite being permadeath your dead characters corpse and encampments can be found in world and recovered, or their wealth passed on when you make a new character (I'm so original I know, never been done before /s). The only way for a player in my game to lose dozens to hundreds of hours of material progress is via choice. The same should be true of SoT, a total loss should only ever come when you hit that "Exit" button.
Big rant to say that instead of cutting out the sailing from a sailing game and then needing to develop features to fill the sea again. Perhaps a better approach is to better respect a players time? Better yet, reward players for playing on full servers (but not in the same alliance or alliances) since dodging full servers or preventing mergers is an art many practice when they are on a big haul.
Respect the time and risk instead of trying to code a solution, players will feel respected and adjust their behaviors accordingly. Stop listening to the players who don't respect their own time and don't actually want to play the game, just want number to go up.... you can make SS better for them and you have them as a player forever.
Edit:
Sorry, what I am trying to say isn't clear. You should listen to your players like one listens to their child. "My tummy hurts, I want candy" does not mean you can fix the tummy ache with candy. In this case, the tummy ache is the boring and repetitive state of the game, and the candy is instant gratification gameplay and too-fast development cycles. The job of the developer, like the parent is to find a root cause, and that is a lack of respect for player time.
