I am under the impression that there is a mix of two different conversations here.

Some people seem to talk about Solo player servers (i.e. servers full of solo players, hence still a PvPvE experience) and other people answer about strict PvE servers

No Rare has pretty much said there will never be a PVE only mode of this game. Much of the community will try to defend the statement saying, "It's Sea of Thieves not Sea of Friendship." Completely ignoring the fact that the majority of the content in the game is PVE oriented content. Others will say there is no way to make a solo/private mode because the game is a persistent environment that needs other players. Even though again, other players literally affect not a single aspect of Sea of Thieves' world. As an example of how there is no excuse or reasonable case to defend the unnecessary amount of criticism that solo players receive. Elite Dangerous has an: Open Play, Solo, Private Group, Offline, and CQC (pvp) game modes. And that game actually has an online trade and faction controls that span star systems. I personally believe Rare doesn't care enough to want to make a solo game mode for what ever reason. Whether that be because of constraints of time, resources, man power who knows. At the end of the day it really boils down to what the company thinks is best for their product. If this is how it is, then that is how it is.

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EDIT: Wasted effort.

@rowge-gaming Alright your a monk and have given up all your worldy desires I understand but that is false for anyone who is honest with themselves about what the motivation is to play a game , Fun yes beyond that its some kind of progression a sense of a achievement anything undermining that sense of achievement damages the game no matter what type of game it is , pve servers alliance servers and anything devalueing to harder to obtain cosmetics undermines the point in playing the game long term , humans like to obtain things that arent necessary in there life but showcase something like buying a Ferrari to drive 3 blocks to work at 40mph or wearing designer clothes when you could be wearing something functional and cheap from walmart , its a important part of gaming pretending it doesn't exist is childish.

Hell MMOs are basically entirely designed around that concept

@rowge-gaming said in Solo player Servers?:

What someone else does in the game has no effect on you except what you want it to. This is 100% your problem, not anyone else's.

Exactly, like PVP.

@tastiesttoast75 there's no prestige in any skin except what you think there is. What someone else does in the game has no effect on you except what you want it to. This is 100% your problem, not anyone else's.

@rowge-gaming There is no prestige in a purchased skin it is not a motivation for anyone , I dont think they are healthy for the game beyond continued development costs tho just because like i said the game is based around cosmetic progression so adding bought cosmetics is more of an issue then it would be a power progression game.

@tastiesttoast75 If someone uses real money to buy cosmetics, does that affect you?

@rowge-gaming said in Solo player Servers?:

@ghostpaw said in Solo player Servers?:

@rowge-gaming said in Solo player Servers?:

@ghostpaw said in Solo player Servers?:

@omahae said in Solo player Servers?:

Why not. Would not hurt anyone.

Yes, it does. The solo or PvE flag/server ideas only make sense when people view the game with a PvP vs. PvE mindset and only viewing the game from an individual level. Most of us are PvPvE players. Granting a place for players to progress in safety on solo servers (or PvE servers) will mean a sizable number of players will progress in safety, returning to the normal servers only when they want to fight. Why? People usually take the path of least resistance towards their goal. Meanwhile, players who were supporting the game because it was a mix of PvPvE before, will find a high proportion of ships are empty of loot and the players are just there to shoot at others crews. This drives even more players into hiding on PvE or private servers to get anywhere. Over time you have a massive split. Yes, there are a small number of players who would support the game with a PvE option, but it would gut the player base who have continued supporting the PvPvE game that it is.

no. it doesn't hurt anyone, and it has literally zero affect on you.

Okay. I took time to explain how adding solo or PvE option with progression changes the game for everyone. Can you explain which part is wrong? BTW, the developers also agree that it would split the player base and change the game. You know, the people who have access to the data, and who you ultimately need to convince, so make sure you support your position with something more substantial than what you have said so far.

Someone else earning a cosmetic does not have an effect on you.

Servers can have up to 6 player crews, so as long as there are at least 5 other people that want to play adventure, you'll have a full server.

It literally does not have an effect on you if other people want to play a different mode.

Your argument is also centered around the fact that so many people want to play something other than PvPvE which is an admission that this is something that a lot of people want.

"Someone else earning a cosmetic does not have an effect on you." Im really tired of hearing this argument your either very naive or presenting a bad faith argument , most games that have no real progression are driven by a solid game play loop wich SoT has and progression wich in this case is skin based only, the more players with a hard to obtain skin the less valuable it is in the eyes of everyone else ,to have things harder to obtain motivates the player base to have a reason to keep playing a goal and a challenge if you devalue that reward in anyway it comprises the entire reason to play the game for a large portion of the player base , this is why pve servers and alliance servers are actual cancer and will ruin the game if widespread enough or in pve servers case introduced to the game.

Use LFG my dude. or find one of the many crews on this forum or discord who are always looking for people to sail with. Solo is perhaps one of the hardest things to do in this game now... but there are plenty of avenues to play with new people, make new friends and have an all round more enjoyable experience.

@weedstar-deluxe said in Solo player Servers?:

sure sot is based on teamplay but the fact it is possible to play solo and a lot people like to play solo why not giving us sloop serversß or better just one player per ship server....

The fact that it is possible to play solo at all is already a nice favor from Rare since it wasn't even planned or possible at first. As you mentioned, SoT is based on teamplay and choosing to handicap yourself is your own decision and comes with it's pros and cons. Overcome and adapt!

sure most think its not a good idea cause they need weak victims.....its feels like sot is based on that mechanics ,let the goofys do the work we go server jump and collecting loot and flags ,thats also why i hate that selling 10 flags event.....sure sot is based on teamplay but the fact it is possible to play solo and a lot people like to play solo why not giving us sloop serversß or better just one player per ship server....i think without they will lost some players....cause sometimes in a battle its to much u have to take care on everything alone and sometimes its not possible protecting the ladder when you have to steer,its superm annoying ,it feels really comfortable and its so enjoyable when rng spawns for you as a solo player,its balanced.....

@realstyli I don't think it's a great idea, just thought that clarification was needed. I disagree with the idea, even though meeting the brig or galleon can be anoying, it is part of the game design

SOLO SLOOPING! Love me some solo slooping! Watch PhuzzyBond on the youtubes as he has some great pointers, as well as a lot of other people (he's #1 in my book though). I play on Xbox and have seen lately (knock on wood) that people aren't too overly aggressive and I don't usually have a problem alliancing if I want to either. That said, I've learned to hold my own if needed against other ships (or RUN!) which comes from practice and watching other people play. I can understand the thoughts behind a sloop only server (mostly because I was in the same mindset a few weeks ago) but now after watching the walkthroughs, tutorials, etc. I feel pretty confident about slooping alone and know other people would too - just takes some learning by watching, learning by doing, and learning by failing. The other thing one could do is make the crew an open crew to meet new people or search for somebody on here that wants to join up. Duo Sloopers can be a dangerous bunch if you communicate well and kinda know what you're doing. For that reason, I don't think it's necessary to make servers dedicated to just sloops, especially not for fellow solo sloopers.

This sounds look a good idea but...

I am against it because it would split the playerbase. Seeing a ship on the Horizon just brings life to the Seas.

@draun25 said in Solo player Servers?:

Solo is the hard mode of this game. You are not ment to play by yourself. Your ment to jump onto random crews until you have a good crew you like to play with.

Or acquired the skills and experience to manage by yourself, which is normal to struggle with when being brand new to the game.

Unfortunately this is something that some sailors dont understand. The games balance is based on the player skill. Everyone has the same stuff and the same abilities. There us nothing different between a new sailor and a pirate legend except time and pretty. Solo is the hard mode of this game. You are not ment to play by yourself. Your ment to jump onto random crews until you have a good crew you like to play with.

@jwwyd said in Solo player Servers?:

@bloodybil Think many are missing the point the OP is trying to make, he wants Solo player sercvers as in servers that only allow sloops with 1 or 2 people on it. So the only ships and crews you see are those that are crewed by 1 or 2 people at most, not galleons or brigs.

You are right, the person I was replying to has been using the same argument in favor of private/PVE servers, and I my reply was more directed towards him than the OP.

As for solo sloop servers, I wouldn't really advocate splitting the adventure mode population any further, the game was always balanced around teamwork, and the solo option added on top without being the main focus of it. Doesn't mean it can be enjoyable, but it sure should remain challenging.

The game is special because you never know what the motivations of another ship are. That's one of the main reasons Arena has never been as popular as adventure. The mystery is gone. Everyone knows what every other crew is there for.

In terms of being on a server with only other ships that have the same number of crew. That's not on the cards I think. Each server has up to 6 other crews. Not exactly 6 every time. Sometimes it's just you and one other ship. Sometimes it's full. That adds to the replayability. You never know who is on a server, what sort of ships they'll be sailing or what they are planning to do. If you take out too many of the random elements the game will get boring. You need the randomness to stop the game getting stale. If you're at a level where you struggle to fight other ships, then you still have loads of room to learn and develop your playstyle. If you're at a level where you aren't bothered by those challenges then you need the random elements like varied ship and crew sizes to keep the game interesting.

If everything became too routine then I think they'd lose more players due to the lack of randomness than they'd retain because they didn't want to fight larger crews.

Splitting the playerbase even further makes it more difficult for them to balance their servers appropriately too. They use code to ensure the frequency of player encounters is where they want it to be. They've changed it in the past and the seas became spicier. This means that it is something that they can and do adjust, and none of us knows the full details behind it. I wouldn't be in favour of messing with stuff we don't understand, especially when there are better ways to get around the issues the OP has raised, like playing in crews and joining groups so that you always have people to play with.

Playing solo is a choice you make. Not something that the game itself ever forces you to do.

@jwwyd said in Solo player Servers?:

@bloodybil Think many are missing the point the OP is trying to make, he wants Solo player sercvers as in servers that only allow sloops with 1 or 2 people on it. So the only ships and crews you see are those that are crewed by 1 or 2 people at most, not galleons or brigs.

This would be an even bigger nightmare. At least if you're up against a brig or galleon, you have better options to get away. As a solo sloop, I don't fear galleons or brigs nearly as much as I do duo sloops.

@bloodybil Think many are missing the point the OP is trying to make, he wants Solo player sercvers as in servers that only allow sloops with 1 or 2 people on it. So the only ships and crews you see are those that are crewed by 1 or 2 people at most, not galleons or brigs.

As a mainly solo player, leaning heavily on the PvE side, I can tell you this game needs the threat of PvP to keep it interesting.

It's seeing those sails on the horizon and watching them, calculating the risk they pose and adjusting your plans on the fly that really keeps me engaged. You get better at spotting them over time, and better at avoiding them, if that's what you need to do.

The Reaper's Bones has helped a lot in this regard, it makes it even easier to spot PvP-centric players and assess the risk they pose.

While I can understand the want for a game like Sea of Thieves with a true singleplayer experience, that's not Sea of Thieves. The game is built around social interactions.

I've said it before, but I would absolutely love if Rare used this tech (waves and such), or gave it to another MS studio, and built a co-op RPG based on the world and lore. Wind Waker springs to mind as well. But, again, that's not this game or the developers' vision.

Fun Fact (most of know): the original working title for the game was Sea of Blood, but they softened it a little because it was a bit much for a "family friendly" game and emphasised the PvP too much.

@bloodybil without risks ? not when i'm online for sneaking in other's ships

i dont get it the whole time,crews should be balanced ,the ships are balanced but not the crewsize,its just frustrating when someone boards you and it can happen when u circle around a galleon ,you cant even watch the ladders all the time cause u have to shot cannons angle raising lowering the sails all by yourself sure a weak crew is easy to keg but if u have experienced players it will be hard,yesterday i was happy sinking a sloop after 15 minutes just to get a galleon crew chasing me 10 minutes later,its a fact its not balanced ,why we have mixed server? cause its fun for bigger crews to keep them playing?i think a lot people who played solo left the game forever