Depending on your perspective Player Interaction in this game has been a big plus for me. Solo slooping has its rewards but where this game really comes alive is having a big Galleon with a full crew and trying to co-ordinate the most basic of tasks.
Unfortunately, when it comes to finding a crew I am limited in my options and the only in-game way is by rolling a set of dice and ending up with randoms the experience of which can be summarized by:
"How do I captain?!"
Drops anchor every time there is a slight crew disagreement
Plays gangsta rap over mic
Mom screaming at kids in background
In short, I'd have more fun clawing my own eyes out with a copy of "Good Housekeeping" the essential magazine for the modern 1850's woman.
My other options are the various 3rd party sites like Discord in which there is a screening process but that screen is for you, and any mention that I typically play Solo or have been playing for just over a month and I am kicked to the curb in favor of someone already a Pirate Legend, screamed at for not immediately adjusting the sails the second I load in or get blacklisted as an "afk'er" for that one time I had to go p.
Basically, there are limitations and the reliance of Discord where there is already an option for open crew in game seems more like an oversight, a slap of flextape over the hole, and a "we'll deal with that later" kind of job.
What I propose, for your ridicule and amusement, is a 'Looking for a Crew' lounge, this would be an in-game large tavern-style building accessible from the main menu but on its own separate server and act as a social hub where players can talk, scream, throw things, get drunk, and buy stuff from the vendors.
More importantly, like an actual Pirates Tavern, it would be a place where people can meet prospective crew, form groups, and doors would be available to those players to all leave together as a crew or visit each other's personal hideouts (when and if they are implemented).
There are two problems I can see with this, firstly this tavern would have to be on a server that could handle between 32-64 players, and the tavern itself big enough to hold all those players without it becoming too crowded.
It might be better if said tavern was more like a small town or pirate city.
The second and most important problem would be the immediate requirement to implement a system in which you can easily identify who is talking and mute them quickly, for obvious reasons.
Extension options for this new social region would be a slow roll out of updates to it including new social features, such as a 'fistfight' arena where players fight bare chest with only their fist, player housing (in the form of hideouts), and clan halls (special social taverns specifically for in-game clans or whatever piraty thing you want to call them, Covern....council...parliament? I dunno).
