While I am sure these topics have been discussed at length before, I have found it difficult to find a thread discussing these suggestions recently. I would like to bring these topics back to light as I believe they are quite important to the gameplay of Sea of Thieves.
Crew Increments
The first suggestion is a very simple one, which is to increment crew sizes. And no I am not suggesting incrementing by a lot, at most I was thinking one additional crew member to each ship. As an example, the sloop would go from a 1-2 crew size to a 1-3, the Brig from 2-3 to 2-4, and the galleon from 3-4 to 3-5 with the performance of said ships adjusted accordingly. Obviously, this is a mere suggestion and Rare could decide that they would rather multiply crew sizes by a different factor if they were to ever do it. While the current crew sizes for each ship can be manageable at times, they can quickly become chaotic and unmanageable in times of battle. Arguments against larger crew sizes in the past were about the Galleon being too overpowered if it were to receive a larger crew size, but this is why each ship would receive an equal and balanced increment. I have always found it interesting that the amount of cannons on the ships outweighs the crew sizes. Although you could argue the additional cannons are good for alliances. After recently attempting an alliance I think it is safe to say I will refuse to do it ever again. This is because my crew and I assisted another ship in a fort battle only for them to backstab us and sink our ship while we were dead(I disagree with the ability to friendly fire upon alliance members). I think the alliance system could also use a rework due to issues like this, but that is a discussion for another day. Others would argue the additional cannons are useful for those who pre-load them and fire them sequentially. While this can sometimes work it is often inconsistent, unreliable, and just downright impractical. Incrementing crew sizes would allow for better management of cannons, repairs, sails, and the wheel. This suggestion would not only help in the functional side of things but would also really amplify ship battles and hand-to-hand combat. I know I am not the only one thinking that this could be a good compensation for the shutdown of the Arena mode. I believe PVP is just as important as the PVE aspect of the game (it is a pirate game after all).
New Ship(s)
I know for a fact that this topic has come up multiple times, but it no doubt has a relationship to increasing crew sizes. In my example with the sloop going to a 1-3 crew size, it would be wise to consider a smaller soloist ship if you will. Many have suggested this ship before, and I think it deserves some consideration. The functionality of this ship would take some brainstorming on Rare's part so that the game's balance is not skewed, but I think it could be doable. Aspects of this ship would include the lack of a crow's nest, the lack of an underbelly, small storage(one barrel per supply), fast maneuverability, and possibly a single cannon. These are just the beginning ideas of a ship this small, but it is a start. This may be difficult to implement, though, as a ship this small would be at an immediate disadvantage to any of the other ships(could be an opportunity for a soloist mode).
Larger Server Size
This is kind of a separate issue but could be tied in with the other two. I will say that I am a huge PVE fan and it is a portion of the game that I play more often than not. I also pursue PVP interactions quite often, and I have many times found it difficult to find other ships in the game. It feels like the ship cap and player cap are far too low for the size of the map. My friend group and I have spent countless hours sailing around looking for other ships to pursue. It is difficult for reapers to find any action. This may be a server merge issue, or maybe it is an issue with the balance between the ship cap and the map size. All I know is this issue has gotten progressively worse. A quick bandaid fix could be some sort of leaderboard or a new server merging system, as the current implementation feels primitive. While the addition of a leaderboard could impair the immersion, however, unknowingly being stuck in an empty server ruins said immersion. Surely there could be a way to implement a leaderboard-like hint that would allow you to gauge the player count in the server.
Thank you for reading thus far, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or concerns.
