It's just bad game design honestly. Rare either needs to commit to player created world events or don't.
Personally, I'm hugely in favor of player created world events, but since all the events just converge on the same old tactics of wait until the event is done, sink them, and profit, everyone is disheartened on both ends of the spectrum.
Players who would do these voyages the most, i.e. PvE players feel betrayed that the newest, best voyages have giant beacons at the end that might lead to them losing all the work they put in. So they will become discouraged from doing these. Risk is fine, I'm all in favor of risk/reward, but they don't feel rewarded at all for being the ones to actually do the voyage, might as well just steal them when you see them.
Players who would do these voyages the least, but steal the most, i.e. PvP players will get bored waiting for people to do these events, i.e. like waiting for someone to do the FoF, will get bored waiting and hiding for it to finish, and might even get nothing at all if they do attack before it is completed since the voyage can be canceled.
So it will be a toss-up, sometimes these voyages will have nobody attacking, other times, everyone. But that means these voyages will basically never feel compelling or offer the right risk/reward because sometimes it will be too easy with no attacking ships, and other times way too frustrating with constant ships. I think it's sad that basically everything in the game can be described this way. Here was a chance to make something different. And sure, the actual voyage and event itself is novel, but the destination feels all too familiar. It is half-baked, and reflects on Rare's desire to appease both crowds, but not execute on either.
Rare really needs to start making events that encourages everyone to participate if they want a cut of gold. Then once everyone has a little something on their ship, let them fight it out if they choose to stay to try and get more.
But they keep making events where everything good comes at the very end, and usually, it is too risky to let any other ships be in the vicinity. Poor game design because it really oversimplifies what is otherwise an excellent sandbox game. The best type of events would almost be a king of the hill type where loot is proportional to the amount of time / waves you finish while at the event, similar to how flameheart loot drops throughout, and which there is enough to do and a large enough area that ships can coexist within the event. Then PvP and PvE prowess are both rewarded, and there is some strategy with how and when you attack other vessels. Flameheart did this better than any other event, and I hope it will return with even better mechanics that lean in further on world events which encourage a kind of "uneasy cooperation."
