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The following contains feedback and suggestions for Sea of Thieves. Many of which have already been touched upon by great minds here on the official forum.
As a game developer myself but more importantly a player experiencing this game for the first time, I will gladly admit to having stumbled upon a beautiful and well-executed game. A game with great potential that deserves to be seen and experienced by everyone. A game I am devoted to and know have many great things to come.
I would love you hear your thoughts on this.
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ENVIRONMENT
Whether it’d be a storm with high tide or a fog with low visibility, these environmental phenomena will put you and your crew mate’s lifes at risk, calling for immediate life-changing decisions and communication in order to get your ship and its cargo out safely.
With the Kraken, the storm and the occasional encounter with other players constantly being a threat, we stay alert at all times, keeping a close eye on the horizon. This is what adds thrill and excitement to the experience. And why more environmental elements should be added. Here are a few examples, all of which would be randomly generated:
Fog
Huge areas suddenly appearing at sea. Not always in the storm - mostly in calm waters - making it impossible to look more than a ship’s length wide. Here rocks are easily missed due to low visibility, so communication is key. The fog can be a powerful tool in a PvP situation, should you wish to escape a pursuing ship or perhaps turn the fight around by getting a greater angle.
While in the fog, all sound is swallowed, disorienting anyone who dares enter, for instance making it hard to tell where cannons are being shut from.
Maelstrom
Having two opposing currents meet and forming a maelstrom at sea would be the ultimate threat. A proper handle of the ship and its sails is crucial to getting out alive, and why communication would be a major player in such instance.
Covering a rather large area, this phenomenon would be amongst the rarer occurrences.
Waterspout
An intense columnar vortex that spawns randomly at sea. Not nearly as powerful as the maelstrom or the storm, but it carries enough power to damage a ship, should it get too close.
Storm tidal wave
While being caught in the storm can serve as a challenge due to lower visibility, heavy rain, a broken compass and the occasional lightning strike - adding strain to your ship’s durability - it takes a lot more to sink it. To survive the storm, one simply needs patience.
Adding one or multiple tidal waves will turn the storm into a tactical challenge that requires concentration and communication above all. One must constantly be on the lookout for the waves, as direction is key. The only way to survive the wave, is for your ship to face it directly. Failing to do so, will cause several holes in your ship, giving you very little time to repair.
WILDLIFE & ENEMY NPCS
Wildlife plays a huge part in creating life and atmosphere, and adds a more diverse and unique experience to the game. Certain animals are used for specific quests while others simply serve as a way to add life to the otherwise lonely islands. Some are hostile while others are neutral and will not attack you. So much of this game is about the ocean; adding fish, whales and corals, will not only encourage players to explore underneath the surface, but will also allow for fishing and hunting.
The list could include animals such as:
Neutral
Monkeys
Turtles
Pigs
Chickens
Parrots
Dolphins
Whales
Hostile
Alligators
Panthers
Snakes
Sharks
Komodo dragons
Spiders
Eels
Merfolk
Skeletons
Sea serpents
The list of course goes on.
SHIP SELECTIONS
Adding a larger variety of ship types will give the players the option to control and personalize their experience, whilst adding more diversity to the game. Different team sizes should mean multiple options. Allowing players to define their play-style based upon tactical decisions such as technique and strategy.
Sloop (1-2 players)
The sloop is the smallest ship available to players. With its two cannons and one sail, it suits the solo venturer, but allows a total of up to two players. The ship is perfect for maneuvering small islands and outmaneuvering bigger ships, however, in close combat, this is the weakest of them all.
Junk (2-3 players)
Allowing a minimum of two players and a maximum of three, this smaller sized ship holds four cannons and two sails. It has a higher difficulty level than the sloop but is superior when it comes to speed.
Frigate (3-4 players)
The frigate is a perfect suit for a team of three to four players, looking for a ship that is both fast and serves well in combat. It holds a total of six cannons and two sails, making it slightly faster than the junk, but heavier and slower to maneuver due to its larger size.
Galleon (4-5 players)
As one of the largest ships, the galleon allows four to five players on board. Additionally, it holds eight cannons and three sails. It is slower than the frigate - both in speed and maneuverability - with a higher difficulty level - but is by far more lethal on the battlefield.
Man O’ War (5-6 players)
The Man O’ War is the largest, most dangerous ship available to players. It allows a minimum of five players and a maximum of six. In total it holds twelve cannons and three large sails. Like the galleon, the Man O’ War is a war ship much slower than any of the other ships and much more difficult to control. However, once properly managed, this ship will leave nothing but destruction in its path.
SAILING HAZARDS
Adding to the danger of being at sea, more sailing hazards would make the stakes even higher. Other than your ship occasionally taking in water due to weather conditions or cannonballs, other hazards could include:
Breaking masts
A mast breaking due to strong winds during a storm or if hit directly by a cannonball. A broken mast will require two wooden planks to repair and takes longer time than a regular repair. However, the process can be sped up depending on the amount of people repairing it. The ship will not take in water or sink, but the sail will be out of order until fully repaired.
FLAG SIGNALATION
Locating another ship on the horizon is terrifying for one reason alone. You have no way of knowing their intention as they approach. Are they about to attack? Are they trying to communicate or simply looking to parlay?
With the flag signalation, players have a way of communicating from a distance. Players can choose to signal a surrender or a truce. They can stay neutral or claim to be friendly. It can be used in all honesty or as a way to outplay and take advantage of those who choose to trust in the wrong pirates.
Black flag
Signals hostility - a thirst for combat.
White flag
Signals a wish for surrender or truce.
No flag
Generic. No intention of signalling anything.
SHIP CUSTOMIZATION
Ship hulls, figureheads & sails
The option of customizing your ship’s hull, figurehead and sails are among one of the many great features the game has to offer. An expansion of store inventories to include a wider variety of skin options would be a great addition, giving players more options to customize their ships making it feel more like their own. To unlock different skins, players can either purchase using gold or earn through achievements and reputation, or by finding rare blueprints throughout the open world.
Sail or flag customization could also work as with many tabards in other games, allowing players to choose between a variety of different icons and colors to create a unique and more personalized sail much like a banner or a tabard.
Interior customization
Decorate your ship’s cabin with interior you have either purchased or collected throughout your many voyages. Take a screenshot of a beautiful sunset or one with your drunk crew mates and frame it on your cabin’s walls.
Cannons
Choosing unique cannon styles is another way for players to fully customize their ship. Whether it be choosing the color or design, this will surely make the ship feel more like their own.
Additional ship features:
Visible anchors
When dropped, anchors should be visible, allowing other players to know when a ship is anchored.
Boarding hooks
Boarding hooks can be used when pursuing an enemy ship. They are difficult to land, but once connected to another ship, the player will be able to climb the rope like a ladder. Enemies will be able to counter it by manually clicking the hook. Should they succeed, players currently climbing the rope will fall into the ocean.
CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION
As with ship customization, being able to create a unique and personalized character, plays such a major role in this game. Deciding who your pirate is - whether it be an old, retired pirate or a young aspiring admiral - it’s all part of the experience - and nothing is more boring than running around looking like everyone else.
Outfits
The store should contain a larger amount of outfit options. (Obviously they are already working on this) More jackets, more hats, more shoes etc. For further customization, swatches would prove a powerful tool that would allow players to further customize their characters, changing the colors of specific item pieces. Certain outfits as well as colors will be obtained by gold, reputation, quest rewards or achievement completion or perhaps even gathered in the open world through random finds and chests.
Tattoos
Tattoos would be another unique way to further customize your character. Like clothing and hairstyles, tattoos would be available in stores by either purchasing them using gold, completing quests or achievements or by gaining enough reputation with a faction. An example would be defeating the Kraken and thereby completing the achievement, unlocking a Kraken tattoo.
Hairstyles & beards
More options mean more motivation and thus more reason to venture out in search of gold and reputation. It adds more drive and fun to the game. As with the tattoos and outfits, the store should offer more different and unique hairstyles and beards, while allowing players to change the color.
Jewelry
Jewelry is another fun way to give your character a unique look. Obtaining jewelry would work in the same way as with clothing, hairstyles, tattoos and beards; through gold, reputation or achievements.
Additional character features:
Instruments
Adding more unique instruments, allowing players to master both drums, lutes, fiddles and flutes.
Emotes
Emotes are an enjoyable addition to the game, allowing players to interact in different ways. Adding sound to the various emotes would make them even more fun and enjoyable. This also allows for character voice customization.
QUEST VARIATIONS
The three trading companies currently in play are The Gold Hoarders, The Order of Souls and The Alliance Merchant, each with their individual agenda and each with individual quest types. Adding additional types of quests gives the player a less repetitive and a more purposeful experience, allowing the player to make their own decisions based upon personal preferences. The following consists of existing quest types as well as new suggestions:
Kill quests
Defeat a total of twelve golden skeletons or perhaps slay ten sharks. Defeat specific bosses located around the map, or help extinguish the threat of enemies overrunning the islands by clearing out camps or forts.
Delivery quests
Deliver a crate of rare spices or perhaps a barrel of gunpowder to another island. Choose carefully where you place your quest item on your ship, as other players may steal them and sell in exchange for gold. Maybe you and your crew is entrusted with a prisoner that has to be handed over to a different island.
Gathering quests
Gather five rare flowers from different islands, collect ten shark teeth by killing sharks, or skeleton bones from the different skeletons that roam the islands. Perhaps someone seeks their family heirloom that has long been forgotten on a sunken ship.
Treasure hunting quests
Find the hidden treasure buried deep beneath by following a set of clues given to you. As with quest items, these treasures should be stored carefully and always kept an eye on, as they too are worth a great deal to enemy players.
Exploration quests
These types of quests will send you across the map, force you to venture into dark caverns, dive deep below the surface or climb the tallest peak. They are simply exploration quests that allows you to experience the world and specific points of interest while being rewarded.
Rescue quests
Through the spyglass you spot something on the horizon. It is a stranded person, either drowning at sea, lost on an island or stuck on a shipwreck. Choosing to help will start a rescue quest. These rescue quests can also be obtained at an outpost where you are send off to look for a survivor and bring them home.
Daily challenge
As an addition, players may complete a specific challenge only once a day. This challenge will by definition offer a larger reward than regular quests as a result of its higher difficulty level. The type of quests differs from day to day - whether it be by the Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls or the Alliance Merchant.
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS
Royal Navy faction
An opposing faction working towards ending piracy, with NPC ships to sink for loot and cities to raid.
Capital of Sea of Thieves
A large city that allows for player interaction and socializing. A city that much like the outposts, has districts and representatives from all three trading companies. Additionally, the city has multiple inns, barber shops, tattoo shops, houses, posters containing daily challenges, as well as clothing and weapon stores.
PvP Bounty system
A bounty system that rewards and encourages PvP gameplay.
Minigames
Flipping the coin etc.
Achievement tracker
A menu in-game to track your current achievement progression.
Professions & crafting
Breath timer
A bar that tracks your breath under water.
Third person
An option to play as third person, allowing players to see their character and all its hard-earned loot and cosmetics.
Respawn timer
Extend the respawn timer per death, preventing players from constantly coming back after multiple deaths.
Knowing some of these suggestions are of less importance than others, I strongly believe they would add even more to an already wonderful game. Keep up the good work, Rare!
Best regards
