Deeper voyages!
I want to go on a legendary voyage instead of collecting multiple differently coloured chickens all day. But how can such deep voyages be created?
- Make the subject of the mission feel more important
- Create more complex voyages with plot twists
1) Credibly important missions
I don't care so much if somebody needs two chickens and a pig. I care for stories that have an actual impact on somebody. Slaying skeletons and delivering whispering skulls is nice and all. But without any functional difference to anybody (except for the money), the initial fascination wears off way too fast. Who cares if I defeat a generic skeleton on a generic island for no reason at all. Instead, there should be at least narrative consequences (even if it's not game over if I fail a mission, it should feel important).
At least for more expensive missions I'd like a sense of urgency, coming with the story around a mission and consequences for success/failure.
2) Stories with plot twists
I'd love to go on voyages that tell a suprising story with plot twists. I want to experience a pirate story that surprises and challenges me and makes the world feel alive and deep.
The currently generated missions can be used as a basis for more complex stories.
For example, a merchant asks us to deliver a specific object from a location X to an outpost. So far, so normal. Arriving at location X, we find that the object is magically bound to a boulder and can only be acquired after performing some sort of ritual. For the ritual we require the skull of a ghost pirate captain. This way, at the beginning of the voyage, we'll never know what will happen: will it be a straight-forward delivery? Will we be intercepted by a ghost ship? Will an obstacle be thrown into our way that we have to overcome?
Quick turns, standard voyages and legendary voyages
Depending on whether the player wants a simple mission or something more complex, there could be different types of voyages ("quick turn", "standard voyage", "legend"). Quick turns would be just a single mission with a low chance for surprises. Standard voyages would start the same but would contain one or two suprising plot twists. Legends would guarantee to unfold into a larger story with multiple twists and turns.
There also could be a "surprise-me" type of voyage where the complexity is a surprise itself.
Sounds difficult to implement. Here's a suggestion for a basic approach:
https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/42184/deep-mission-generator-and-other-suggestions