Systemic issues with PVP v PVE design

@bennick323 unfortunately they are going to stick with the game as PvPvE and not have just PvP or PvE. They talk about adding custom servers but I believe that is only really for streamers that want to make custom content. Not that I think its bad I just really do not think that it will attract others due to game progression that will be halted in that mode. It may be popular at the start but I believe it will dwindle down to that low % of players using it.

They don't need to separate servers, have safe modes, or any of that type of stuff. Rare and Microsoft need to have a "Pirate's Life" sized update in terms of server stability and hit-reg elimination.

Just last night I had a duo crew best me after one got onboard and killed me due to hit reg (sniped him on the ladder, managed to hit a sword swing, should be 100 damage right?!, nope, sniper hit didn't count)

After a long black screen respawn (not a fault on my end, game is installed on an m.2 drive, I have an i7 6 series processor and plenty of DDR4 ram, most respawns take ~1.2 seconds historically) and at the end of it hearing my mast fall to deal with besides the anchor being down, I respawn and kill the enemy who boarded but it was too late at that point.

After some back and forth messages post-fight, I was told to fight more and I would "get better." Sadly it is in Rare and Microsoft's court for me to get any better in those situations really.

Bottom line, the reason some don't fight a larger crew is indeed them knowing their skill is far too low to even hope for a decent fight. The reason the rest choose to run and sell is due to a massive amount of server issues (hit reg/backtrack, rubber banding (I have gigabit fiber and a hard wired cat6 network for crying out loud and am still usually 60 ping spiking to 270+), interaction bug (happened to me the night before, literally couldn't use any interactable spot on ships) which all play a much larger part than they should in PvP outcomes. I would honestly be okay if they redirected money for the last two seasons of the year to tackle these issues with more permanent fixes and bring back that 6 ship/24 player cap.

But it's a PIRATE GAME, BRO, WHY DON'T YOU GET GUD?" This is besides the point.

It’s not about getting good, the point is you need to know the game what what it was designed for. Pvevp, mixed world, shared world.
Risk=reward.

As a non programmer, game designer etc. I’m just a simple gamer who enjoys the game for what it is. Everyone has started the game fresh and new before, and over time we have learned about the game. The dos and don’t.

Why can’t others do the same? This isn’t the last game out there that follows this formula. Learn and practice. And just play the game

I can't even find people to steal from dude.

@bennick323 Definitely can empathize with the sentiment you are feeling. Sometimes, ships just seem to obstruct the critical path without reason, or head straight to you on sight. There really could be some events that are better designed to accommodate more than one ship so it doesn't become constant PvP.

But I think it is just a string of bad luck, and when that happens, sometimes you have to be ready to abandon your voyage and do something different.

Merchant Manifest voyages as an example can be very hit or miss. Sometimes bugs cause it to not be as rewarding, and other times, players sitting at outposts for long times prevent me from safely visiting the shipwreck nearby and completing. But learning what your crew's "conflict tolerance" is will help you avoid wasting time on something you won't be able to finish and turn in. It helps to always have a backup plan for something else you can do in the meantime to make money while your destination is occupied or ships are nearby.

I think this is the reason there are so many smaller loot opportunities now. Sea Forts, Treasuries, Shrines, Merchant Cargo, Maps you can pick up from the quest board, tall tales can all be done without canceling your voyage.

Whether any of those things are worth it is really up to your preference. I don't personally do the majority of those things I listed because more often, it seems that ships will flee from me if I just confidently stroll right where I need to go. But sometimes, I don't do that if I have a lot to lose.

But even with all those caveats, Manifest voyages are still some of the most lucrative and low risk voyages you can undertake, so long as you recognize when it is just "one of those times" it isn't gonna work out.

To me, Sea of Thieves has always been a social game, even more than it is a shooter or even a Pirate sandbox game. Sometimes, I will check the server to see what emissaries are being flown so that I can decide to fly the same one. That way, if I run into players who are extremely distrustful and will attack on sight to protect their loot, there is a chance I can convince them it is in our mutual best interest to alliance instead and keep our distance. They are probably just as fearful as I usually am that someone is going to steal their loot. Diplomacy and learning how to approach other ships before they get it in their head you are there to threaten them is critical, especially if you are slooping and want to avoid conflict.

That all being said, I've been there where you are, more so when running sloop than anything else because it is just so slow and you can't choose to run for long if you do want to avoid conflict. This is one area I feel Rare has failed in terms of design, but maybe there are others.

And because of that, I do agree that certain design elements need a second look, and could really benefit from your perspective.
What do you think Rare should do to help players be a bit more practical / deliberate with when they choose to engage in PvP?

I refer you to [https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q2uOdTVFiIQ?start=553&end=569](Joe Neat).

As others have said, there's a strong element of risk vs reward. You make more money and rep with an emissary flag, but you become a bigger target from reapers. If you don't spend time checking the horizon, maybe you'll get your voyages done a hair quicker, but you won't see the galleon stalking you. A healthy sense of paranoia will get you far in this game. You can start out with small voyages and no emissary flag to learn the basics, but to truly be great at the game, you must learn to judge the risks you can and cannot take.

Play on xbox/controller preferred. 😅

Hello there, seems like you are venting a bit as some of the points you make seem challenging in terms of believability. Specifically it just seems like a stretch that for 3 day in a row you had other players coming for you every 5 minutes. Not sure what I can tell you but to continue playing as the chances of the encounter you present seems extreme of what is usual in the game. There are multiple days where I go without other players attacking. This illogical reasoning is further proven by the fact that you state "There is no such thing as a good day anymore", that every server is bad, and that you get attacked at emissary lvl 1 from the get go or instantly. The main feeling I get from your topic is that it was based on emotion, and I may imply that you were in some way defeated as people don't usually tend to complain about winning.

With that said, there are some small specks of criticism that I can agree with. Mainly, the fact that portal hopping tall tales is an exploitation of game mechanics. Perhaps the only exploit that should currently be allowed is the sword lunge exploit, which in that case should just be made an actual in game mechanic by transferring all the exploits abilities to the original sword lunge. Anywho, going back to the tall tale portal exploit, I can not agree with the devs when they allow such a "shady" use of in game mechanics, that is, a game mechanic that has a hidden aspect that is achieved through the gamer or player "jumping through hoops"