CONTENTS
1 - The Concept
2 - What Would These Entail?
3 - Why They Should be Added
4 - Important Note
THE CONCEPT
Epics would be a new type of voyage which revolves around small stories or 'missions' in a more directed manner than the normal voyage types. These 'Epics' would involve the player recieving a mission or storyline from a character/journal/discovery, similar to the short stories which have accompanied DLC - but with a wealth of differences.
These would be permanent and not time limited to allow anyone to experience them at any time. They would also be limited by lore and stories available and thus would be limited in number, tailored by the devs and be a full-on experience whilst still trying to capture the free and non-scripted nature of the game; much like MMO side-quests.
WHAT WOULD THESE ENTAIL?
These would involve a variety of scenarios and would be based around the lore of the 'Sea of Thieves'. Our heroic and curious pirates would follow a trail of discovery in order to unravel the mysteries of the world.
Along the way, our pirates would find treasure, interesting journals, trade goods as well as encountering sea monsters, skeleton captains and more enemies and boss type enemies as they are added to the game.
These voyages would also reap rewards for for all three trading companies as you would be doing 'missions' involving all three.
WHY THEY SHOULD BE ADDED
Firstly, I have been thinking it is a shame that new pirates will eternally miss out on old stories. This would give new players an introduction to, not only the game and how it works, but the lore and setting of the game. One of these epics could even be tutorial based. This would also introduce them to the trading companies and their backstories.
On top of this, it would give those already playing an opportunity to learn more about the world. I feel that more knowledge of where you are and what you are doing gives people a greater sense of purpose and excitement.
Secondly, these could have some scripted sections - such as being ambushed or partaking in an outpost siege defence - which could ensure that more players have the opportunity to experience some of the great and epic moments which can occur in the 'Sea of Thieves'. However, emergent moments should certainly remain throughout these 'Epics' to ensure the core feeling of the game is retained.
Thirdly, this could be used as an opportunity to push players into discovering more of the world such as caves, lagoons and other interesting places which they may otherwise miss.
Lastly, this would give rare a great opportunity to re-introduce and keep lovable characters such as Merrick in action!
IMPORTANT NOTE
As I said previously, these should be based on discovery and uncovering the past, and not progressing a story. This would retain the feeling of the game that it is about YOUR story. This will give players the opportunity to understand and learn about the world and it's history in epic, new and interesting ways and NOT lead them through a story ark.
Thank you for taking the time to read this!