Fishing

  • Currently Sea of Thieves: plays great, has AAA graphics, fun treasure hunting, and now with Forsaken Shores we have even more content.

    One thing that I have found the game missing is any type of fishing mechanic. It would be easy (Especially in Unreal Engine) to make a Tool entity like the shovel/bucket called "Fishing Pole" that can be cast, sat on the water, and reeled in when a fish is caught; giving a player a variant of a fish in their inventory.

    Unreal has global functions that detect when projectiles collide with another entity. This could be used for when the hook (the projectile of the pole) collides with the water entity (specifically the ocean). When the line is bobbing in the water, send a server request for a random value between 12-30 seconds for a fish to snag, and with the help of a fish loot table, give the player a fish to catch. Similar to how players can find snake, pig, and chicken cages: give them a fish tank that can be found and filled with fish.

    This also opens up opportunity for more Xbox achievements (microsoft loves having plenty of those) for catching all types of fish variants. Like snakes, chickens, and pigs: have a loot table of different fish colors. If you really want to get detailed, make the fish tank an array holder of fish entity objects, keeping track of the type of fish caught. Each specification of fish can land different gold amounts when sold (clown fish: 50 gold, eel: 75 gold) as an example (or hell, randomize the gold amount between a number range). Make them worth a lot less then the number examples i provided considering fishing is much easier than having to hunt for treasure.

    Players will flock to this because as it stands, all quests involve a lot of "standing over the oven" experiences. You have to constantly be watching your map, constantly fighting off skeletons, constantly dodging megs in order to complete an objective. This is loads of fun, but it is easy to feel exhausted after even 5 quests. Fishing would provide a relief in between quests while you're waiting on an AFK player, dropping off loot, or plain ol waiting to get to your destination. Sometimes you just need a 5 minute breather before getting attacked by kraken again near Ruby Falls.

    There is also plenty of options for shipping personal cosmetics for different fishing poles. This would add another price point of sale in the in game economy.

    For any questions on programing this feature or general features, leave a comment.

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  • @yourdad95 +1

    I totally agree with all of the points you made here. It could offer low gold income so as to not be overpowered and could maybe even be a food source that heals less than bananas as well. I think the addition of fishing would give players the opportunity to take in more of the atmosphere as well as having more chances for people encountering each other to socialize.

    Great idea!

  • absolutely

  • @yourdad95 Ahoy there Matey this indeed is a well written Topic on one of the Most requested Features to be Added to Game. It's been requested so often that the dev teases it in every annoncement and has become a bit of an inside joke that fishing is coming in the next patch. There have been very many detialed post on this Topic like this one:Fishing, Crabbing, and Digging Clams

    This and Many more great idea's Can be found here in The Community Ideas Master List

    Althou you sir seem to know abit about Game Design So if you also like I'm currently Running a project I call Rogue Wave which seeks to analyze and solve key flaws in the game. Speficaly the Imbalance in the PvEvP Enviroment and the Loot EoL/Apathy issue.

  • I'm all for fishing, ever since the release of the game :D

  • I think fishing is useless in a pirate themed game.

    Awesome boat mechanics on awesome water graphics does not require a fishing mechanic "just because".

    The game is based on the acquisition of booty, What does fishing have to do with pirates?
    Pirates fishing sounds like Mafia hitmen working the hot dog counter at a football game. Just doesn't match the stereotype. Other than harpooning a sea monster, how does Rare make fishing more pirate-ey?
    So much feedback for MMO wannabe features.

    Be more pirate. . . go fishing?

  • @barnabas-seadog said in Fishing:

    (...) Be more pirate. . . go fishing?

    Be more pirate, sink fisherman's ships (and take their aquariums)

    I'm not a a fisherman's friend :)

  • If/when they introduce fishing I'd like it a bit more in depth that just throwing a line in the water, waiting a certain amount of time then rng on what fish you get. You can get that type of fishing from a mobile game and most of them are dull

    I'm more interested though as to the variates of sea life that it would bring to the game cause currently swimming in the swallows makes the seas seem a little barren and lifeless

    If a fishing update brought with lots of sea life then even if the fishing mechanic was boring I'd still be happy

  • I still can't stand this fishing demanding people. Let go and buy yourself a fishing app. You may dress as a pirate while playing with one of those fishing simulations.

  • I don't know why this keeps coming up. In RDR2 fishing is the worst, most boring thing to do and it kinda fits into that game. This here is a freaking pirate game, I've never read anything anywhere about pirates being great fishermen or even cooks by that nature. Just the name scurvy pirate means they ain't eating vitamin C or probably anything good while out at sea.

  • @barnabas-seadog "The game is based on the acquisition of booty, what does fishing haveto do with pirates?"

    Same could be set for capturing chickens and pigs, but that is still there.

    I don't understand why you are so against adding a feature that is suggested often and supported well even if it doesn't directly appeal to you.

  • @manifest7 You can already capture animals, fishing is not far from that, and would be a welcome feature from the community. New game mechanics and economic points never hurt a good game.

  • @YourDad95 totally agree with you. @ENF0RCER mentioned my post detailing out fishing and other similar activities. I offer Rare suggestions and functionality for using fishing poles, fish crates, spears, nets, buckets and shovels, crab cages, and even harpoons for hunting the Megs and Karen. This new cargo could be stolen. Even include how to sell the catch of the day as an alternative to animal collecting and moving cargo. I invite those interested in activities like fishing to come take a look.

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/76831/fishing-crabbing-and-digging-clams

    I know some do not understand the attraction. It is one of the most popular things that players look for in games. It is a staple in most MMOs. It can be a lot of fun and a good way to socialize with your crew. A game like Warframe even has fishing.

    The core game which Rare wants to call Adventure mode will need things like fishing to continue to grow and maintain a healthy player base. There will be fans which will explain the same argument that Sea of Thieves is fine just as it is. That it does not need this or that. Sea of Thieves is a great game, but it lacks the sea legs to keep many players engaged in the game for the long voyage years ahead if it stays the same and does not grow, even in different ways. So, yes even a pirate game will need fishing.

    You can find PvP if that is your thing once and a while now in the Sea of Thieves. It is nothing like it was back in the beginning. It now comes in waves, being more present during updates, but quickly fades away like the tide going out afterwards. The Arena will players seeking PvP more of what they want. Some will stay in Adventure mode and enjoy the player battles when they trickle their way.

    However, the majority of PvE players are going to be looking for more things to do after a while they are accustomed to seeing in other games such as fishing. Although the voices in the forums may make it sound like PvP is the only part the game must depend on, it is actually the PvE side of the sea that will keep the game afloat for a very long time to come.

    There are going to be two pirate themed games that will compete with Sea of Thieves. They each have their qualities and flaws. Though many fans will remain loyal, they will have an impact. Together they will draw some of the audience that would be sailing in the Sea of Thieves. Their success and how much Rare grows the Sea of Thieves will determine just how much.

    The Arena, if successful, will only solve one half of the restless sea for all the pirates out there on the Sea of Thieves. Adventure mode will not keep the other players happy by just doing the same voyages over and over with nothing else to do over the life of the game. Adventure mode will have to grow to be more than just digging up and stealing chests.

    Bring on the fishing sooner than later! Then cooking can be next. Followed by brewing. A pirate has to be able to make some bootleg rum. Cheers!

  • Didn't Rare already mention a while back that fishing was on their to-do list?

  • @crazed-corsair said in Fishing:

    Didn't Rare already mention a while back that fishing was on their to-do list?

    Aye like i said before they the devs have metioned and hinted about it almost every announcement so it will be coming one day.

  • @barnabas-seadog

    The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time had fishing.
    It wasn't a central theme and you could take your same argument and apply it to that game. It was out of place from what was going on.

    Another great example is Assassin's Creed Black Flag. That had fishing. I've never played it but one could assume that your mission is to kill things being an assassin.

    The point of adding it is to add more things to do. It was a fun mechanic and side-quest. It earned rewards.

    So, it isn't just an MMO thing for a just because. There is the purpose. It is a community-based game so if that's what people want then by all means.

    And, I think you confuse what piracy was all about back in the day. Sure, the stories involved gold. But, pirates also robbed merchants of commodities. So, there is a pirate element to fishing too.

  • @yourdad95 I would say the driest part of this game is being a freaking "chicken chaser". That's why they added the cargo quest, give you something else to work up MA. I'd rather have pets, captaincy or just something new, not a bunch of re-packaged quests.

  • I was a huge fan of most forms of fishing in any game. It is relaxing and you don't have to get your hands dirty with bait!

    Top fishing mechanic goes to Zelda OoT because the fish you catch are actually in the game before you cast the lure. And the idea of fighting the fish to land it is great. I've battled a fish in that game for 10 mins or more and it was stressful but enjoyable when you finally land it.

    WoW had a great idea with spawning schools of fish as well as the chance of catching rare items or rare fish depending on location. The catching of the fish was more or less skill count based and not technique which is a little let down but was still a great way to have some downtime

    The fishing in Stardew Valley had a neat way to have a mini game that had its difficulty modified by skill level. I think the way to get around this without having a real progression would be to eat fish for a temporary skill up to catch better fish? Probably needs more thought but it could be done. Also it had a feature that allowed for certain types of fish to be caught depending on location and time of day. It's something I think would translate very well to SoT.

  • @yourdad95

    To all those who are against the idea, I'll post this image of a survey which was carried out by a community member just after release, as you can see, fishing was an extremely popular request!

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/39577/vote-for-post-launch-content-poll-results/2

  • @bristlebacked said in Fishing:

    @yourdad95 +1

    I totally agree with all of the points you made here. It could offer low gold income so as to not be overpowered and could maybe even be a food source that heals less than bananas as well. I think the addition of fishing would give players the opportunity to take in more of the atmosphere as well as having more chances for people encountering each other to socialize.

    Great idea!

    I agree that it's a great idea.

    Just wanted to address the "overpowered" point you made. As long as the fish could be stolen (for instance they have to be put in a tank-barrel in your ship) and you have to be out on the sea to get them, there is no real need to even make them a weaker source of income. If you think about it that way, they are just another time-sink thing you can do while being vulnerable to the predations of the SoT. The obvious choice is to make them vendor trash to the Merchant Guild, but there could be special ones (like bone-fish or gold-fish) that can be sold to the others. It writes itself.

  • @ubersnail-prime For sure, I believe OP mentioned something regarding being able to maybe steal a ship's "aquarium". Overall, it just adds more variety to what one or many can do once they hit the seas. Maybe it could be possible to make certain fish native to different islands/regions so you have to actually travel to get different types.

  • @katttruewalker

    From the poll looks like it is time for fishing. Nice to see Rare pretty much followed it and what everyone wanted. We have a new ship type, new voyage types, and a bigger map to explore. Have different skeleton enemies added, more megs, and friendly NPCs. A new faction is coming in the Arena.

    That just leaves a bounty system. I read that Rare does not want to do that. Is that true? Sure idea was to inspire more PvP. The Arena mode should satisfy that.

    A lot has been added and changed, especially with having Shrouded Spoils now. See lots of new pirates on the sea and here in the forums. Would be interesting to have a new poll to see what is on everyone’s mind now.

  • @x-Crowheart-x Absolutley. Summon the updated poll!༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

    @Bristlebacked Totally agree. I know Rare wants to do their own unique take on fishing and I respect that, though I would prefer a placeholder mechanic while they figure it out. So they should totally Rare-it-up. But...

    There's no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to variety and the spreadsheet behind the whole thing. Tons of games have done this already really, really well, like Animal Crossing, some of the Zelda and Final Fantasy games, Maple Story, Stardew Valley, any number of actual fishing games and you could take inspiration from the bug-catching and other collection mini-games. Some obvious examples that should be in the game:

    • Common, rare, epic and legendary fish available any where. We will all come to love/ hate the ever-present Sea Bass or Clown Fish or whatever it is.
    • Common, rare, epic and legendary fish unique to each zone of the Sea.
    • Fish that can only be caught at certain islands, in certain types of body of water (lagoon, spring, etc), and/ or certain times of day or days of game month.
    • Something amazing for fishing off of the side of a skeleton ship or while the kraken or meg fight is ongoing
    • A massive beast of a fish (whale?) that can only be caught from the rowboat
    • Fish that are unique to boiling water
    • This could go on forever. For inspiration, download a list of fish names and habitats. Put 5 SoT enthusiasts (4 Rare employees and a touring guest from 'the colonies' named 'Ubersnail Prime') in a room with a white board and you will have you fish database in a few hours.
  • Fishing is a good idea as long as it is well thought out and planned. With the absence of other sea life i.e. crabs(except within trailers) and a few fish schools here and there. They really need to think this thru before implementing it.

  • @iceman-0007 See, respectfully, I disagree (and I realize that I am also disagreeing with the intent stated by Rare, so i get it.)

    I think they should add to the game incrementally. Like (hopefully) the kraken. It's fine now, certainly better than at launch, but we want a body and I think Rare can pull it off, but that didn't stop them from getting the tentacles in the game.

    Of course we all would love a well thought-out and fun fishing game. Sure. But while we wait, I keep swimming past schools of fish or watching the sunset and not catching fish. I think they should add what they can now/ soon and make it better later. Like everything else so far. (inventory interface, ammo box location, quest system, kraken, meg, etc, etc, etc)

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