[Mega Thread] - Balancing PvE and PvP to ensure a great experience for everyone pt3

@mri1ama At least you acknowledge that PvP players have no risk and yet can get rewarded and that PvE players get no benefit.

You may not see that as a problem. They didn't see it being a problem in the Dark Zone in The Division, either. The final step in the PvE there was to get to an extraction point which could be defended by PVP players. Eventually, almost everyone gave up on the PvE and the PVP'ers got bored. The only reason that game survived is that this only impacted the end game (at that time). Even with all of that extra content, they lost many of their non hardcore players over this issue. They ended up luring some of them back after making substantial changes to the game and the Dark Zone. This game doesn't have the extra content to have that flexibility.

What do you think is different here that this will lead to a different outcome?

@chitown-bear I mean u get the gold from the game just like u get it by completing voyages I don't know what u mean. They loose the reputation they were working for, this is what a penalty for competitive gamers is, loosing a certain rank, people know u were working for, in this case a black flag, that now u have to regain by winning battles without being sinked. Me and my crew were having loads of fun just from the fact that during that beta time we went like a 20/0 battle win ratio (we were doing a mix of pve and pvp just so it's clear) it would've been a penalty for us if we knew we lost something that showed everyone we are good, and the lone fact that someone beats us is already penalizing. This is how the mind of a competitive gamer works. It would be even more rewarding if there was a "highest bounties in the current session" list hanging in every outpost for example, call it "The most dangerous pirates", that would be awesome, and u disappearing from the list would be a penalty for hard PvPers.

@chitown-bear That's not what i'm saying at all, if you re-read I said "PvP" players and PvE players have the exact same risk.

You spent time getting the chest from the voyage, so you have to take it back to an outpost without getting stolen from

Pirate spends time fighting you to get your loot and then has to take it to an outpost without getting stolen from

I think the only problem here that I could possibly see, is if your ship gets sunk (not when it first spawns) you lose all the resources you had so you start with 0 cannon balls, maybe a few planks and banana's but thats it, so that you can't just go out and attack another ship right away, you have to gather up some more resources. (the planks and banana's are so you can go out and sail again without sinking right away because you have no planks)

Having now gone through 3 binge-weekends, I actually feel pretty comfortable in my PVP opinions :)
I think it's actually fine, with 1 minor tweak*.
For the record - I'm terrible with most weapons, so die a lot in 1 v 1 combat.

I've spent many hours solo and with a full crew. I've been attacked by people who couldn't hit the ocean with a cannonball, and a few ace cannoneers. (Is that even a word?) Sloops weren't a challenge, and we (mostly) left them alone unless they initiated combat (or we were out of cannonballs).

As small a player population as each game instance has, I think it's fairly balanced. If I'm solo and find myself in a mostly pvp-based instance, I simply leave and join another one. Spending a few minutes server hopping is easier than spending hours getting killed repeated by the same crew. The voyages are cheap enough that I don't mind abandoning them mid-voyage if it means smoother gameplay.

*The tweak I'd suggest is to make the sloop faster than a galleon only when it has full sails. This would give it the ability to out-run a galleon, but not make it faster during combat, therefore keeping combat still fairly balanced. Also, giving the galleon a single rear-mounted cannon (smaller, maybe?) would offer defense vs. the faster sloops who may be giving chase.

**If you're on a galleon and can't take on a sloop, then you need to work on team work, target practice, and maneuvering. A sloop can only fire a single cannon at a time, vs the 4 potential guns from the galleon, plus diving the work from repair/steering/guns is much easier with 4 than with 2.

I didn't have a horrible experience like some of you mates seem to have had. I say before we worry about splitting up the player base, let's wait for the release and get some real playtime in and see how your experience differs. It seems people either had a ton of problems being harassed or experienced very little. It's like any other game... You have good days and bad days.

Also, I wish people wouldn't compare sea of thieves to GTA V or suggest making it more like it. Grand Theft Auto is the most toxic and broken game I've played. I don't remember the last time I joined a lobby and it wasn't just jets and tanks blowing everyone up.

I think maybe some people have to accept the game isn't what they expected and not play and or adjust their ideas.
I sympathize.. I really do. I hate spending money on a game I don't enjoy <kingdom come>.

Hopefully you're future voyages are all you imagined! Goodbye friends