G'day! I'm here to propose another 5 changes I think would only prove as all positives towards the game!
Let's start with...
1. Devils Roar Update, reignite the flame
The Devils Roar had a bit of attention fairly recently with the adventure Herald of the Flame taking place within it, as someone who now spends 90% of their time in the Devils Roar I can't help but feel a bit... excluded, when it comes to smaller or profitable activities. Yes, Ashen Vaults are very profitable but somewhat force me into a longer session than I desire sometimes.
Sea forts and Siren Shrines would fix this problem. Not only are they visually appealing in the rest of the environments, but combined with the absolutely STUNNING visuals of the Devils Roar could be both absolute eye candy AND provide newer modern content to an old forgotten zone. While the biome is significantly smaller, we could still fit easily one sea fort, siren shrine, and siren treasury.
It would also be nice to get emissary quests and Legend of the Veil voyages updated to be able to take place in the Roar.
2. Pirate Encyclopedia
Alright, look, I get that pirates were not massive fans of reading if they were able to back in the day, but in modern times if people lack the capability to have some basic common sense, they usually have the capability to read, and that's important to make the most of where we can.
As pirates explore this expansive sandbox Rare has provided us, many will find themselves lost, confused or otherwise wondering what some things are, so as they expand their horizons, they expand their knowledge. Add a "Manual" of sorts to the menus, and the ability to "INSPECT" objects and icons in the world. Holding a button on a new object, icon, or location could present a short cinematic and a notification to inform the player that the inspected thing has been documented to the Pirate Encyclopedia. This will present further deep information, allowing players to learn everything this game has to offer without having to go on a wild goose chase across social media or wiki pages.
Very often I see people asking "what's this icon" and show something on the map or a siren shrine. Most commonly I see Reaper chests/bounties, FOTD/FOF keys, and now more recently Champion ships representing Athenas or Reapers.
Inspecting an object could offer new information such as:
Name
Sketch (for visual recognition)
Any story/lore (if applicable, otherwise a short description)
Gold value (Only for loot) (When sold, could show the highest/lowest known to YOUR pirate/crew so people can compare estimates and luck)
Drop sources (Only for loot)(unlock as discovered, encouraging further exploration)
This can expand to any number of things. Locations, map markers, islands, loot, fish, cursed cannonballs, fireworks, etc.
3. Map Fog
No no not the white fog we all know (and some like me, love), but this shroud over the map. This game is an AMAZING game for exploration, so make the most of it: encourage new players to look around, explore, and make them feel like they're discovering these abandoned, unexplored islands for the first time in decades since the Ancients. Map markers of course would still pierce through the fog, such as reaper chests, FOF, FOTD, and all of those kinda things, just to make sure new players aren't left completely in the dark.
4. Favouriting cosmetics
Pretty self-explanatory, favourite cosmetics to have them appear at the top of the cosmetic lists.
I would also say once again to add cosmetic presets but I am aware that they have mentioned they're working on those, so instead I provide my encouragement and excitement to the devs instead.
5. Captura mode (inspired by Warframe)
I'm quite a fan of Warframe, just over a thousand hours, I can't deny I've spent a fair chunk of time wandering around in "Captura" mode, a free-cam, screenshot, fashion-frame, exploration space. No enemies, no HUD, no limits.
I cannot stress enough how much I need this in SoT. This game has one of the most appealing and unique art styles I've seen in modern video games, but yet here we are without anything more than a hotkey to turn my HUD off.
Purchase discovered island scenes for 250k-1.5mil gold (depending on size, 5 mil for Shores of Gold), unlock them to access in a Custom Server style private mode with access to that island only, freecam, options for weather and time, and private invite options to players to take shots with your friends or for SoTshot. This would not only be amazing for balancing SoTshot to everyone who plays the game instead of everyone who knows someone to get access to a custom server, but also for people who are really into fashion or just taking screenshots for fun.
That's about all I have for now thanks for having a read if you made it this far, welcome to feedback!
Bonus one I just remembered; put common solutions to connection errors in the game itself. If someone is getting lavenderbeard consistently they're not going to know what to do without going all the way to discord and making an account and joining the server etc etc otherwise they're gonna be stuck not being able to get into the game because it keeps on until you fix it yourself.
