First off, I should provide the disclaimer that I haven't read through this forum and may not be taking full advantage of all social options available.
A while back SoT made a great step up in adding the "WAVE" emote, to let players link up. Kudos! Also, each instance of play allows a player to meet up to 3 new fellow sailors and potentially encounter almost 20 players, which is amazing!
I believe that there is a trend in the online gaming world, to shy away from becoming the babysitters for online chat communities. People can use them disruptively, to voice their pains unrelated to the game or may use the venue to harass people.
What company would want to babysit dysfunctional relationships that will inevitably crop up among their players? I couldn't imagine doing it.
That said, I have had trouble finding players on SoT to sail the high seas with again. I have had better luck meeting up with STEAM players, by far, after a good game.
SoT developers should consider a good venue for players to link up.
This game is perfectly designed for friends to play together!
I enjoy Sea of Thieves but I have two real friends who play and I rarely encounter people and play with them again, even if I have made them a friend.
There must be a better way to program the game to make connection easier.
That said, I understand that SoT is not an every- day game for everyone. Sometimes we should expect to meet a player who might might not log in for a week or two.
I really don't know the best solution and I hope that other members of the forum have better ideas.
My proposals:
Connect with Steam and other gaming platforms to expand connections between players.
When we log in, before play starts, there is an option to visit "The Long Hall" or some other appropriately named chat venue. Even if you can't find your fiends from previous games, maybe you can find a person who is interested in going on the same kind of adventure that you are.
I think getting more players to play together would align with the vision. If my idea isn't perfect, I hope it inspires a better idea!