[Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration

  • With the temporary removal of washed up items, many complaints have surfaced about the current state of player exploration. Beyond sight seeing and maybe some lore discovery, SoT does not offer the player much in return for exploring its beautiful landscapes, other than some washed up items on beaches (once that feature returns).

    I would like to offer a content suggestion that I think could change that: Pirate Tombs.


    Overview

    Each of the large islands present in SoT could contain a large labyrinth below them that serves as a Pirate Tomb. The islands that have a tomb could include (but are not limited to)

    • Smugglers Bay
    • Old Faithful Island
    • Lone Cove
    • Crescent Isle
    • Cannon Cove
    • Kraken's Fall
    • Wanderers Refuge
    • Plunder Valley
    • Crook's Hollow
    • Discover Ridge
    • Thieves Haven
    • Devil's Ridge

    The Pirate Tomb would contain multiple floors that are made up of puzzles/riddles that must be solved for the crew to progress through the tomb. These floors could also have traps in them as well.

    The Pirate Tomb would contain loot along the way and in the final chamber.

    A Pirate Captain would lie in wait for the crew to try and steal the treasure he/she wanted to take with them to the afterlife.


    Spawning a Pirate Tomb

    The idea is to promote exploration, so it makes no sense if these Pirate Tombs are always active because then players will know exactly where to go. Instead, the tombs should activate randomly, and give no worldly indication (unlike Skeleton Forts) that they are up. Players will simply stumble across them while exploring the larger islands.

    Exploring islands should reward the player

    It also makes no sense to have the entrance in one location, because players will simply check the same spot every time they pass an island. Instead, each island should have multiple locations where the tomb entrance can spawn. Each entrance on the island can lead to the same tomb, but the initial "door" location should vary. If we consider the entrance to look like the archway in the picture above, these could be added inside of caves, in the sides of rocks, etc.

    Entrance in rocks (red), in cave (yellow), underwater tunnel (orange). All connect to the same Pirate Tomb

    Furthermore, players should be able to be made aware of these tombs by talking to NPCs, or finding journals in the world. Tavern keepers can tell players when they have heard of a new tomb discovered nearby (but not give exact locations). NPCs at campfires can explain to players that they were on an expedition to explore a tomb before they got marooned. You get the idea.

    Taverns are a great place to get the latest scoop on recently discovered Pirate Tombs


    Progressing through the Pirate Tomb

    I was thinking that the Pirate Tomb would consist of multiple floors (3-5). Each floor is chosen randomly from a set of pre-made floors. With a large enough set of pre-floors each Tomb should feel decently unique when considering all of the floors together.

    The crown jewel of these tombs is that the floors all have puzzles/riddles that need to be solved before the players can advance to the next floor. I was hoping that the puzzle would resemble the types of puzzles seen in Uncharted, Golden Sun, Zelda, etc.

    An example from Uncharted of what a floor could look like

    The floors could also contain traps that, once activated, spawn a wave of skeletons that attack the players, or simple damage the players who activated it. It should be noted that the tomb floors are focused on exploration and puzzle solving so the waves don't necessarily have to have any special skeletons. Save the fighting for the burial chamber...

    To make the puzzles and floors more interesting, treasure should be available on each floor, that requires you to solve the puzzle a different way if you want to get to the next floor. Here's an example below (couldn't get a great picture)

    The player starts on the bottom left. The exit is to the top left, but a chest is on the ledge to the top right. The player must solve the puzzle two times to get both. From Golden Sun


    The Burial Chamber

    The whole idea of the Pirate Tomb is to make it to the burial chamber. Here, deceased Skeleton Captain will engage the player in battle after emerging from their coffin (all Skyrim draugr-like). For some possible fight mechanics suggestions, see my post on Ghost Ship Raids where I list several different skeleton fight mechanics.

    Some possible skeletons the players can fight in the burial chamber

    Defeating the Skeleton Captain will reward the crew with a cursed skull: Ancient Legend Skull. This skull will spawn skeletons around the player holding it while they are on land (not including outposts). Its turn in value is similar to the cursed chests (Chest of Sorrow and Chest of a Thousand Grogs).

    The skull should have distinct features that make it obvious it has a special effect

    In addition to the cursed skull, the burial chamber should have a random assortment of loot for the crew to pilfer. The amount of loot should be slightly less than a skull fort because there are treasures on the floors leading to the burial chamber.

    A SoT legend hideout concept art but it kind of works here too


    Please leave some comments with suggestions and feedback. If you liked this idea, please check out some of my other suggestions.

  • 46
    Posts
    27.5k
    Views
  • You have some great ideas in this post. My one concern is the random spawn of these tombs on many possible islands with a random entrance. It would be absolutely exhausting trying to find the way in when there could be so many possibilities and it's random. How often would these tombs change locations?

  • @xv-nizzo-vx That's a great question. I wasn't sure lol. I was hoping some people would comment and suggest how often they think they should change location, as well as if only 1 should ever be active at a time.

    Perhaps they don't change location until after they have been cleared? That also brings up the question of whether or not they should have a cooldown time like the skeleton fort.

    @PersonalC0ffee Thanks :)

  • @xcalypt0x My only concern would be that it will be next to impossible for solo players, or there will need to be at least 1 of your crew waiting on your ship. I say this because I know if you leave your ship unattended for a long time it will most likely get sunken, or stolen... I only mention the solo players because of the recent posts from them saying about the megaladon fight...
    Besides that, this is one of the most organized and well written posts I've seen on here!
    Also, I do think something like this would definitely be a ton of fun... But it would be disappointing to come out to a missing ship... Sure you could store the loot on the island and come back for it but that's always risky... s
    Still I can honestly say, it's an awesome idea!

  • @gu1tarpunk41 Thanks :) I was also going to mention puzzles that required more than one person to solve but I left that out because I remembered solo sloopers.

  • @gu1tarpunk41 I think we need to realize that this game is really not made for soloing

  • The random spawning part doesn't make any sense for a number of reasons. What would tie into the existing structure better is finding something washed up on the beach(or perhaps from a barmaid) that would start the instance. To encourage exploration, you could receive some cryptic clues that would cause you to try multiple locations, or conversely know the map extremely well already through previous exploration/mapping.

  • @xcalypt0x
    This is a really good idea. Really well thought out idea. The only problem i see is someone has to stay with the boat so you can leave with the treasure. And would miss out on all the fun.

  • @lucid-stew or going off this idea, you find a map or special shanty inscribed on some rock within the island that activates a new ability to play the tune or use the map to find said tomb, or maybe you need both map and tune/dance/whatever to activate the tomb. Something like would be awesome. Great post BTW OP.

  • I can tell alot of time n effort was put into this idea, i like it, idk if its exactly perfect but I support it 100%, would love to see how RARE’s take on this would turn out

  • @lucid-stew I don't see why the random spawning would be an issue. This would allow players to stumble across the tomb just by exploring the larger islands. People who are actively looking for the tombs can then engage with NPCs to try and locate nearby tombs. Journals on the smaller islands can point to tombs that have spawned as well so that people are still encouraged to search the smaller islands.

    Can you give some examples of the issues your are talking about so that I have some idea of what you mean?

    @SimplyButta Thanks!

    @NWO-Azcrack Yep, that's true. The best idea I could come up with is that when a player finds a treasure in one of the puzzles they could immediately start taking it back to the boat and the player on the boat would head into the tomb. The crew could constantly swap like this. This would have to implemented by the crew though and is not really a feature of the tomb itself.

  • This is a great idea! I am not concerned about solo players getting through it. Not everything has to be watered down enough to facilitate solo.

    One solution to the boat is to scuttle when you find it since a lingering boat might signal a tomb is up. Then, once the tomb is beaten, one player spawns on the boat and retrieves their crew and rewards. I realize this means if you die in the journey that you will not spawn nearby. Keep your boat nearby then. It is all about balancing risks and rewards.

  • I like the one life (kinda) idea, die whilst doing this and you go back to the ship and it takes ages to get back to where the rest of your crew is.

    Possible solution to ships being stolen if everyone is worried about it is to have the skeleton king become a human ghost at the end of it (you free'd his soul or something) and you can cash in there and then.

    He then disappears and the tomb resets in an hour or something.

    1 location at a time would be best, with the journals and NPC resetting to give different instructions once a new tomb is up

  • @ghostpaw Glad you like it :)

    I think you're right, it's just like another other time a crew might send all 4 people onto and island. You have to weigh it and decide.

    @wipe-nd-clean Interesting ideas. How long of a cooldown do you think should be between one tomb being cleared and the next one spawning?

  • @xcalypt0x maybe an hour? All journals and NPC script would need to be replaced so I',m not sure how long that would take?

  • Great idea.

  • @wipe-nd-clean Well programmatically updating the NPCs chat and removing journals from the world can be done almost instantaneously.

    @Merlin-MAV-K Thanks :)

  • @aristonsparta said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    @gu1tarpunk41 I think we need to realize that this game is really not made for soloing

    Totally agreed, that's why I mentioned that I only brought it up because I have seen others bring it up in regards to other topics... But it will still be bad to leave a crewmate behind and miss all the fun just to have to babysit the boat...

  • @gu1tarpunk41 I can definitely understand that concern but if this type of feature was ever actually being considered for being added to the game I would hope that someone having to watch the boat wouldn't be the reason new content didn't get added in lol.

  • @xcalypt0x said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    @gu1tarpunk41 I can definitely understand that concern but if this type of feature was ever actually being considered for being added to the game I would hope that someone having to watch the boat wouldn't be the reason new content didn't get added in lol.

    Oh no, I agree. I was just for lack of a better term playing devil's advocate. I want this added and hopefully that wouldn't hold anything back. I mostly posted it to maybe get someone to come up with a solution to it.

    I'm sure others wouldn't agree (which is fine) , but maybe implement a key type of system. Inside the first room you find a lock and key. You use said key to lock your anchor so that it cannot be raised (they would have to also make the lock visible on the anchor so that any other crews boarding it can tell). A one time use item that would make it so if you parked your boat behind rocks or something people couldn't just crash it. Sure, they could sink it. But then you would be able to come back knowing their ship isn't 100 percent secured... Just a little incentive not to sink the ship to take over what the first crew started. That way after you finish it you can check the island for other ships and have at least some piece of mind that there is a chance that your ship is still ok. Idk, I'm just brainstorming... Probably a bad idea, but would at least give you some security while you are underground...

  • @xcalypt0x Great suggestion, suggested something similar, and way less detailed, a long time ago. Could be a new Tomb Raiding trading company, where you turn in the trinkets and relics for gold and XP. the teples, tombs, ruins, and dungeons could have poisoness traps and chambers that fills with water, till you can solve the puzzles. I don't know if they need to be that big, just 2 to 3 puzzles and a chamber at the end, with a boss and lot of loot, the key is that there's a reason to explore all islands, and that there's variety to the puzzles!

  • @xcalypt0x said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    @lucid-stew I don't see why the random spawning would be an issue. This would allow players to stumble across the tomb just by exploring the larger islands. People who are actively looking for the tombs can then engage with NPCs to try and locate nearby tombs. Journals on the smaller islands can point to tombs that have spawned as well so that people are still encouraged to search the smaller islands.

    A few issues off the top of my head:

    1. You're dedicating precious resources to something that potentially no one is interacting with.
    2. If they start randomly, then they presumably stop randomly?, and that sounds really frustrating if one decides to do so when you're 9/10ths done. If this is not the case, how does one end that hasn't been completed?
    3. Along the same lines as 2, you'll need overlap because what if someone is already doing one and is nearly finished? Does that mean you're going to have multiple instances(again resources), or that everything respawns in an instance for each crew, or that everyone but the first crew is just screwed?
  • @lucid-stew said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    @xcalypt0x said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    @lucid-stew I don't see why the random spawning would be an issue. This would allow players to stumble across the tomb just by exploring the larger islands. People who are actively looking for the tombs can then engage with NPCs to try and locate nearby tombs. Journals on the smaller islands can point to tombs that have spawned as well so that people are still encouraged to search the smaller islands.

    A few issues off the top of my head:

    1. You're dedicating precious resources to something that potentially no one is interacting with.
    2. If they start randomly, then they presumably stop randomly?, and that sounds really frustrating if one decides to do so when you're 9/10ths done. If this is not the case, how does one end that hasn't been completed?
    3. Along the same lines as 2, you'll need overlap because what if someone is already doing one and is nearly finished? Does that mean you're going to have multiple instances(again resources), or that everything respawns in an instance for each crew, or that everyone but the first crew is just screwed?

    Thanks for the feedback.

    For #1, if no one is interacting with it (assuming only one is ever active at a time) I wouldn't think the resource drain would be that bad. If it is constructed with pieces of pre-made floors the server only has to remember the current door/entrance location, the floors that were chosen, and what treasure spawned inside. Perhaps I am missing something though?

    Regarding #2, no, I wasn't planning on them stopping randomly. They would persist until cleared (the Captain is defeated in the burial chamber) just like strongholds currently do. Then they could end the same way a stronghold knows to eventually close the vault after being cleared. If someone for some reason is inside when the tomb goes away they just get teleported back to the ship.

    Regard #3, I was thinking one shared for a tomb instance for all crews on the server (again just like strongholds). So essentially, it would be first come first serve. We could discuss whether there should be more than one up at a time or if the cooldown should be low so that other crews have the potential to find them easily as well. @wipe-nd-clean said he thought it would be best if only one was up at a time. I'm all ears.

  • @xcalypt0x said in [Suggestion] Pirate Tombs - A way to reward exploration:

    Regard #3, I was thinking one shared for a tomb instance for all crews on the server (again just like strongholds). So essentially, it would be first come first serve. We could discuss whether there should be more than one up at a time or if the cooldown should be low so that other crews have the potential to find them easily as well. @wipe-nd-clean said he thought it would be best if only one was up at a time. I'm all ears.

    I think the main issue with the way you've conceptualized it is that it's essentially a pirate fort with no active indicator that you can get "stuck" in. I would consider the reasons a pirate fort has an indicator, and why when one ends nothing special needs to happen to players that didn't complete it.


    This is why I was suggesting that there be an activation of some sort, so that at least SOMEONE knows its happening. Might be cool if a notification is posted randomly at a tavern somewhere, that way more than one crew could find it.


    As far as getting trapped goes, it would probably be far better if there were a one-way escape tunnel rather than people simply being ejected. That would also allow "loser" crews to explore the tomb and also possibly collect stuff the "winner" crew didn't find. That would also allow the instance to end for all intents and purposes. With those two combined, you eliminate the frustration of having a instance closed on you, and you also open the possibility of running multiple instances without wasting resources on an instance no one is running.


    This brings to mind another potential pitfall: there's a reason games evolved to include UI mini-maps, which isn't something you're going to find in SoT.

  • Like your idea.

    Switch your random to “a random tavern keep, or random book, or random item” tells you about a tomb nearby. This way you have multiple avenues of discovering it, it’s not so random that could cause programming issues, but still random how you find it and what door opens. You can even expand this by having an item found ON the island that directs you to a tomb on the island. This way it has that promotion of exploring you wanted.

    For solo players, since I seem to majority do that, I don’t think it poses any more risk than me doing a fort. My ship could be sunk. Got that. I already take that risk constantly and find ways around it. Hence solo being more challenging. So don’t limit puzzles to co-op ones but absolutely add traps and puzzles to progress

    Otherwise this is a great idea I hope the devs paid attention to. Could be a lot of fun with a lot of replay value.

  • I love your idea, it's funny, I was actually thinking of adding something like this to my boyage overhaul page. It would be great if caves functioned kind of like huge dungeons, with some heavy environmental story telling involved, booty, traps, dark areas where a lantern is a must or you risk falling to an early death, under water fighting and exploration, etc...

  • @red0demon0 Yeah feel free to add it to your page and modify the idea any way you want to :)

  • @xcalypt0x

    Well thought out concept, you’ve got my vote

  • @xcalypt0x

    I would like to also suggest one at Mermaids Hideaway with large submerged sections to swim through.

  • Just coming across this.

    Probably one of the best thought out and explained request I’ve seen so far on here.

    I’d never be able to do it solo though as my worry about the Sloop being sunk would go sky high....and I’m okay with that! It would finally make me crew up more and stop being so anti-social ha!

  • This exactly what I'd be looking for. However may be a bit complex for Rare. I am not saying that they couldnt do it but given their current track record, it may take more then they are willing to give. Still, great idea I am for anything that puts more character and lore into the game.

  • @aristonsparta Actually I think that is false. If the game is not designed for solo play then why offer that option. I almost exclusively play solo. I am successful and I am entertained. Like most MMOs the developers need to take into account the solo player, otherwise don't offer that option. I also think RRe has taken that into account.

  • @xcalypt0x Take my upvote good sir

  • @braxkedren I think the best option for solo players would be to let their sloop sail on autopilot away from the island and do 1 floor at a time and after each floor bring any treasure that was on it out of the tomb and hide it somewhere on the island. Then once the whole thing is done retrieve your ship and pick up your loot.

    But yeah, it is designed more for a team.

  • @xcalypt0x I’d be fine if it’s not designed for solo but not impossible (kind of like the Meg Sloop Solo). It would get me out of my shell and actually into crewing up for it.

46
Posts
27.5k
Views
1 out of 46