Hello, I hope this post finds everyone well. I have been playing the new captaincy update that has recently rolled out and I would like to provide some feedback as well as a list of changes that I believe would help improve the game. Overall, I think this is a good update. I am happy that the grind was reduced significantly in certain areas to ensure that people who really desire a certain trinket have access to it in due time.
Captaincy Changes/Additions
Trinkets should have the ability to swap between previously acquired tiers
Personally I enjoy the looks of the Treasured trinkets (Tier 3/Class 50) and am a little disheartened to learn that if I were to purchase the Cherished trinket (Tier 4/Class 100) I would lose the ability to use the previous tiers. The ability to customize is what truly brings out a pirate on the Sea of Thieves, so having the option to pick between tiers is always more favorable. Including a list of all trinket versions - like how holding down on a hand emoji give access to different skin tones - would definitely help resolve this issue I have. It also helps the achievement hunter side of me that has to decide between giving up the looks of a trinket for an achievement. Later down the line this new implementation could also pave way to different frames and or plaques to hold trinkets on (think of the frame of Merrick's painting in this recent adventure).
The map table in the ship should be customizable
From searching for that one island you can't seem to remember even existing before a minute ago to keeping an eye out for reapers or emissaries, the map table is one of the things seen the most during play time, so having the ability to change it much like the voyage/tall tale table would be a great addition. I'm more than happy receiving cosmetics that only affect the base of the table, not the map. Although seeing what the captain's log's cosmetics do to the pages borders, it would be nice to see what could be different.
Books used in tall tales can be used as captain's logbook cosmetic
I really like the designs of the tall tale books, especially the shores of gold tall tale with its gold foil and dark cover. My suggestion here is to give the ability for players to use these book covers for their captains log. Each book from the tall tales can be received by completing all of the commendations for their respective tall tale. This could add more incentive to complete the tall tales apart from the shores of gold curse.
Items Donated Pirate Milestone and Trinket
With donating being a part of the deeds and previous bilge rats adventures, I was surprised to see no milestones associated with donating items. I believe this playstyle is something that is done quite often so it would be nice to have a gift trinket or painting of giving to acquire from donating.
Hangable trinkets
This one is more of a future trinket type. The ability to hang wreaths and party streamers across the lining of your ship would help jolly up the festivities and further add to customizability.
Rewards for milestones should be shown via an image in Ship's log
For those only trying to get one specific trinket or those new to the game it should be clear what should be perused in order to acquire the desired cosmetic or trinket. An image of the trinket should be paired alongside milestones in a special rewards section so people going through the ship milestones can properly gauge whether or not they should pursue a certain playstyle to acquire a certain trinket. This image tie in can also extend to commendations as well as sometimes it is somewhat difficult to find the exact commendation needed to be able to purchase a piece of clothing. Overall I think this change would help newcomers as well as seasoned players as they have more insight on where to get certain items.
Quality of Life Improvements
Weapons, Cosmetics, and Tools can be favorited
Favoriting an item would allow for a special filter - much like how we are currently able to filter for flintlocks and blunderbusses - to be applied when searching for a cosmetic that will only allow for favorited items. With how many cosmetics there are in the game, it can be difficult sometimes to find exactly what you are looking for. It a scenario of combat, where each second is a matter of life or death, having the ability to quickly swap to a favorited weapon will help to find the right weapon of choice instead of a cosmetic that obscures parts of the screen that the player is not used to.
Savable costume sets
With love shown to our ships this recent update, it would be a shame for the pirates to be left out. Sometimes you want to change up your look without the fear of losing your old look. By saving a costume set, it either creates a new outfit in which to pick from or - under a new filter - the cosmetics are saved. Multiple costume sets can be saved allowing for different aspects of a pirate to be shown at a whim. This would help really bring out every pirates shade, allowing for the proper outfit for the proper emotion. This could then extend further into ships allowing for multiple ship looks to be preserved.
Pause and Play Shanties
Playing shanties is near an dear to a pirates voyage to-and-fro, but sometimes the best parts are cut short by a slight shift in the ship causing it to come barreling towards a rock. Through a setting in the accessibility settings, addition to the shanty radial, or a single right click of the mouse or trigger, players are given the choice to pick up where they left off allowing for the good times to never stop.
Improved Inventory Management in Barrels/Crates
The ability to move items around in barrels in crates is something that would help when strapped for time. Apart from the aesthetics of a managed inventory, having everything where you know it to be would greatly help in combat scenarios as one will pick up fireballs instead of cannonballs, and bananas instead of pineapples. Players can hold interact by click of the left mouse or button for controller, and drag the item to where they wish it to be. The item in that place would then be shifted to the side to give room for the new organized item.
Commodities Runs
Commodities should be color coded
Commodities are somewhat difficult to sort sometimes when the only difference between the types are the image. Where selling the right type to the right merchant matters, I feel that a good way to reinforce sorting is by color coding the commodity crates you can purchase at the merchant alliance. This would look similar to how firework crates now, as I assume they are the same model only painted black and red. This idea can extend to all the commodities as each commodity has a colored loot version you can acquire (Green for unrefined tea, red for silks, white for sugar, etc.). By adding a little paint to the crates this greatly improves visual tie ins with gameplay.
Interactive map for Commodity runs
Right now, the way to find which outpost you should set sail for is found in the inventories book to the left of every merchant. Through a text dialogue, you click one of the four biomes and hope that one of the outposts there wants what you bought. I feel that this can be improved with an interactive map or image. Each outpost merchant has a prop map with trade routes on it. This can changed into a map similar to those found in our ships and sea forts, but only allow it to show outposts. The way one can tell which commodity is sought after or has a surplus of can be determined through an image of the commodities mark - much like how tall tales appear on the map now. By zooming in, text is shown saying what is in surplus and what is sought after. This can then be further reinforced by making on the map surplus commodities green, and the sought after red. This would greatly improve the speed of commodity runs.
Miscellaneous Changes
Shipwreck Crest showing their names
This one is a small one. With captaincy bringing names to our own ships, a small detail could be to add shipwreck names to their own crests. As far as I am aware, shipwrecks are randomly located throughout a server, but they always have the same name. Adding a name to the crest would help with the immersion of the game.
Biome accurate schools of fish
Right now, there are only pondies and splashtails that form schools around sea posts, ponds, and the beaches of islands. It would be more aesthetically pleasing and more visually intuitive to have biome specific fish to be populated around their areas. Around a sea post in the devils roar you may find devil fish as well as splashtails, the shores of plenty populated with plentifins and so on. This is a small change that might help newcomers to the hunters call.
Possible bugs with captaincy now
It is currently impossible to acquire the "Provisions sold to Hunters call" and "Captained ships spotted" trinkets as their associated milestones do not exist.
Overall, these changes will greatly improve the time on the seas. These small things I feel really add up to a more enjoyable experience. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your time.