I think there should be a hard limit on the progression of most commendations in Safer Seas, I think capping at around grade 3-4 depending on the commendation would be beneficial to help boost player longevity by not making the grind so quick. Most new players would never get to grade 3-4 through natural gameplay anyways, and it would only help enforce the idea that it's a mode for new players to get their bearings. Adding a cap on progression shouldn't affect anyone using safer seas and higher seas, and would only provide benefits, whereas not capping it might not bring forward as many benefits.
Although I do think some commendations are acceptable to be uncapped, such as the shrouded ghost, tall tale commendations, or umbra commendations.
Commendation Cap on Safer Seas
@sinjaming said in Commendation Cap on Safer Seas:
Most new players would never get to grade 3-4 through natural gameplay anyways, and it would only help enforce the idea that it's a mode for new players to get their bearings. Adding a cap on progression shouldn't affect anyone using safer seas and higher seas, and would only provide benefits, whereas not capping it might not bring forward as many benefits.
They've been very clear that the mode is for everyone, not just new players. The three other categories I recall being mentioned were people who want a 'casual' or 'chill' experience (and/or 'to explore' the game), Tall Tales, and/or to fish. Capping the progression of the available milestones (and plenty are already slated to be gated by the restrictions) would undermine that message.
@orloglausa does not allowing people to become pirate legend NOT undermine that messages? or doing a fort of the damned? or doing a fof? numerous moderators and community managers have stated its mainly for a chill mode for tall tales OR fishing, or for new players to get aquainted with the game. a "casual chill player" will not be achieving those commendations in a safer seas server, which just makes it pointless to allow for progression past grade 3 or 4.
@sinjaming agree, cap the commendations to lvl 3 or 4 for the original 3 factions...not for HC, let the people fish in peace, if they want to...
@sinjaming I kinda agree for some specific comms. Opening 100 vaults without learning where to best park to avoid line of sight, being able to do all shrine and treasury comms and merchant shipments with zero risk......yeah it just feels too much.
Tall tales and fishing I'm fine with
@hiradc i agree, fishing never has been a pvp risk or anything serious, considering you can fish quite a few types in the pirates life tall tales, i think all hunters call commendations should stay available but definitely stuff like 100 vaults or whatever should be capped at 3-4, i've got around 3000 non afk hours logged on the game atp, and just from casual gameplay im not even close to a lot of the longer grinds like that, so i highly doubt a new player would even reach grade 2 before they reach level 40
Personally I think that they are running with the formula that they think will work for their goals based on the data
and if it changes based on data down the road it'll be no different.
I really don't think design of safer seas goes much beyond that.
There are things where feedback has heavy influence and there are things where it's pretty much just an internal numbers/formula type of situation
While some players asked for removal of limitations on Safer Seas, others ask for even more limitations.
I personally think Safer Seas are fine as they are, 30% of gold and reputation without emmisaries is already punishing enough, on top of that level 40 is the cap on the trading companies except Reaper Bones and Athena which aren't even available there. Besides, no captained ships which means manually selling every piece of loot to each vendor. No guilds so the newest grind is never progressing. No FoTD, no FOF.
I think there are enough limitations that compensate the "risk free" aspect of safer seas.
And I want to say something, I've done a lot of Lost Shipments voyages where I never saw a single ship, so I don't think people should spread the idea that High Seas will be always full of risks that will guarantee a PvP encounter. Sometimes you never see a single mast on the horizon.I think Safer Seas are fine as they are. From 70k gold for a lost shipment to 8k because of lack of emmisary and then 70% reduction in gains, it seems there is enough incentive to go and do a lost shipment voyage in high seas because of how fast it is and low risk.
@wolfmanbush I am slightly worried about how reliant on data they are and how bad a representation insiders is of the general population after seeing that the imbalance of hourglass rep compared with pve is based on insiders data and rep averages
@hiradc said in Commendation Cap on Safer Seas:
@wolfmanbush I am slightly worried about how reliant on data they are and how bad a representation insiders is of the general population after seeing that the imbalance of hourglass rep compared with pvp is based on insiders data and rep averages
Oh I think there are many examples of things being implemented in a way that leaves a lot open for criticism over the years, as far as effect on the environment goes.
I just think they have their way and on stuff like this that is unlikely to change based on how veteran players feel about it. They have made changes that were considerate before of dedicated play/grind but a lot of it was very "deal with it" in design.
How Captaincy was implemented would be a big and recent example of that.
In this case I think safer seas will just be a lot less harsh on the environment and I think it'll settle in easier overall.
