Private Servers

@meltdown-666366 Would you agree to no progression?

This is a terrible idea. Pirate legends have spent hundreds of hours grinding their way through the levels and suddenly they'll see players getting to legend within a few weeks? I'm not one yet myself but Pirate Legend is supposed to feel unique/

@surveyorpete It's not that Rare doesn't want everyone to achieve pirate legend, but not everyone is going to put in the time and effort to become one. Eventually enough people will become pirate legends that Rare inserts another level above it for legends to work towards. It's the grind.

That would ruin the point of the game if you could change how much money and rep you get, you basically want this game to have servers like ark with the boosted stats, no thanks

Simple solution:

Just make progression server-exclusive.

@meltdown-666366 said in Private Servers:

(sigh) I thought that if I didn't say anything on this for awhile people might understand, but I guest not. for those of you who haven't figured it out, let me spell it out for you: SOME OF US DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GET TO PIRATE LEGEND IN A MONTH!!!! Also, you act like you wouldn't be able to leave the gold and rep multipliers the way they are now. Besides, no one would be forcing you to play on these private servers. Also if you're worried about your "non cheating grind to pirate legend" then don't turn anything in to the traders! This idea is supposed to allow people to play with multiple crews of friends to have and for people who can't get to pirate legend in a month and don't care about doing it the "right way" to actually achieve pirate legend, not for people to groan at it even though there are most likely other people who would enjoy this system. (Also if you answer with "Yeah, YOU." F@## off)

Why does everyone think you have to get to pirate legend in a month? If it takes you 2 months it takes you 2 months, if it takes you 3 months then so be it. If you want private servers fine, but no rewards of any kind. No rep, no gold.

The whole point of the game is to work towards it by also the danger of it being taken away from you. In all honesty I do not know why so many of the player base is still crying over PvP. Besides Forts and the betrayels from alliance, (Knew it was coming and they got rekt) there hasn't been that much PvP in my experience.

This game used to have ships hunting anyone and everyone, now I run into galleons and sloops who never engage and are off doing their own thing. PvP has been dying out slowly because of the timed events and people splitting their time and with a lot of the PvP'ers already pirate legend now all they do is grind those Athenas.

slowly builds wall for you to talk to Private servers with any type of reward is stupid towards the game and would just murder it completely.

I'll start with such a server system is a 'good idea'. I don't foresee it ever happening given the direction the game is being developed and I personally am fine with that. But it as a concept is solid and would be enjoyed by many, myself included despite having no interest in pushing for such a thing to be implemented.

I think the biggest hiccup is it takes what is pushed as a multiplayer/social experience and makes it too singleplayer. I do think it is important for a balance to be struck sooner or later though. With the addition of an alliance system as well as the repetition of the request some method for a multi-ship group of friends to load into a server together is needed/will be needed eventually.

The biggest fault I find in your argument towards such a thing is when you mention the value you have towards Pirate Legend as a status in your posts following the original. If I'm understanding correctly you in one post complain on not having the time to grind to legend but then in another mention you see no value in reaching legend. I agree with you on both points but in my mind those points together void the need for Private Servers in regards to Pirate Legend. I do not remotely have the time to reach Pirate Legend but I also don't care about it so therefore have no issue playing a normal server because...what difference does it make?

While I personally have no need for such a thing I can agree with your original post sentiment as a means to play with an extended group of friends. On that argument, as I initially mentioned, Rare needs to work some form of compromise out sooner or later be it an invite to server system or personalized servers.

@xultanis-dragon So weird me and my friend hunt via sloop all the time and I feel like we are the only ones. But this brings up a good point of making loot my dynamic. Our less aggressive players need to be brought into the idea of risk=reward, hence getting them to build their strategic pvp skill.

@meltdown-666366
I don't know if I would say your opinion doesn't matter. I think the amount of times a request gets made is a good indicator of it's popularity. It may get shot down again and again to some's displeasure but the fact that it keeps coming back up can't be ignored. The trick is at the end of the day the development of the game is out of our hands no matter how much Rare 'values the community'(Not to sound negative as I do believe they value the community but at the end of the day the first pass at content is what they want).

It's easy to argue against ideas that go against 'Rare's Vision' when all you have to do is say "it will never happen cause they said so". I say if you want to see a change then fight for it. I may not agree with this issue enough to back it but I do agree at the bigger picture that SoT seems to be leaning towards catering to those capable of commitment. If that's what it wants to be then so be it but that hardly seems to line up with my understanding of how they have marketed the game.

All well...to each their own. Best of Luck to you~

@meltdown-666366 said in Private Servers:

You realize the grind to the title of pirate legend, is just that. Pirate legend doesn't offer you anything new except cosmetics. Anything else? No. and most of us don't have the time (or want to waste the time for a unicorn to put on the front of their ship) which is why as one of those people, would like this idea, not cause I'm lazy. But because there's no incentive to be pirate legend other than to be one. Also, what if you could raise the difficulty of the A.I. on these servers. Would that make you happy? No? (I actually don't know, I'm assuming no) Then here's an idea: DON'T PLAY ON THEM!

No I will not play on them you are correct. Here's my question for you then, we'll get to the part where you left your argument completely void with that comment about grinding for pirate legend being a waste of time, but my question is what is the key difference between a private server vs regular server? Everything takes the same amount of time. You still have to "grind" for pirate legend. The 1000+ hour grind for pirate legend is still there, so the only thing I can come up with is that you actually do want to get pirate legend. Not that you want that sense of accomplishment. You just want that medal without having to done any of the work for it. Like having the ability to click on a whole list of achievements without having to do them because lets face it, if you don't have the time to grind for anything, why spend time grinding for achievements or commendations right?

@meltdown-666366 said in Private Servers:

@john-hatter I respect on that note. As for why I said grinding for pirate legend is waste of time for me (it is, for me at least) is simply to ask @Xultanis-Dragon why he felt he needed to defend title you earn after wasting 1000+ hours of your life on a video game to get an in game title that got you nothing in game in the long run. I will continue playing the game, I just see no reason the grind for pirate legend has to be so long. That's the secondary reason why I was hoping this would succeed. Unfortunately, some people don't want it to. Don't know why, they're not really saying anything other than they don't like and they think its stupid. I think they should come up with a better reason than that but obviously my opinions don't matter.

I'm trying to find where I defended being a Pirate Legend in my earlier post. I can not seem to find an instance of that. I think what you are mixing up is that I said that why rush the process at all? Also this is where I bring in your comment about Pirate Legend being worthless.

You seem to say that grinding for Pirate Legend is a waste of time, yet you want a way to make it "easier" to grind for it? Maybe if you argue harder about how much you don't really want to be Pirate Legend I might believe you. However, when you make requests so that it can be easier, maybe thou doth protest too much? I mean lets face it if you don't have the time, then you don't have the time. Just be honest, you got attacked and the first thing you did was make a post online about how a private server would help when in truth you were just mad at being ganked.

I don't care if you play solo because you can't find other people to play with. There are so many avenues to find other people to play with, those doing actual athena quests and fort hopping, which help level you up incredibly.

It took me from March till June to get to Pirate Legend. So your argument of not having time to get to Pirate Legend in 1 month is stupid. There is not a time limit and you do not have to rush it. It took me 4 months.

Was it hard to do? no
Did people attack me a lot? BIG TIME
Did I fight for almost every fort I went to? Pretty much all of them, only lost 5.

This is me defending Pirate Legend. Its something that marks a milestone in this game and shouldn't be made to be convenient.

How does everyone who suggests server separation or private servers do not understand how tremendously damaging it would be to this game. The posters only think about themselves while in a vague attempt try and defend their idea by saying how it would help other players and the game. Forgetting how it will affect the game in the long run. Forgetting how it would affect the server population overall, how it would affect new players who would be intimated by joining an "open" server and instead decide to play on a private one. Try to think ahead and I mean that in the kindest way possible. Try to think a week from implementation and how it will change 2 weeks from then, a month from then, 2 months, 3 months, a year. I have experience in a lot of different genres of games and have played a lot of different games. I'm old enough that I was around at the start of those games so I see how the communities evolves from changes and how they react. Your idea is not a good one for this type of game.

Half of the experience of this game is PvP. Whether or not you experience it a lot or a little, it is always a part of the game. Remove it and you remove a huge portion of the games content.

@greekginger said in Private Servers:

@xultanis-dragon So weird me and my friend hunt via sloop all the time and I feel like we are the only ones. But this brings up a good point of making loot my dynamic. Our less aggressive players need to be brought into the idea of risk=reward, hence getting them to build their strategic pvp skill.

Dude I'll be honest with you I haven't see much PvP at all. The only PvP I get is like you, getting on a sloop and hunting galleons. Even then though I met with "Hey man we are friendly, we don't have anything, friendly friendly" Like ALL the time. There was a time where I would be like...."oh hey a ship in the distance I wonder if they saw me.......yup they are turning around time for some fun"

@xultanis-dragon I could not have said it better. You hit on every point I have been thinking while going through this thread. Watering down titles and stripping away threats would tank this game. The acheivements either mean something or they don’t. It is funny to read someone’s argument that an achievement is pointless but at the same time they want it bad enough to request the game is upended to make it ridiculously easy to reach.

To OP, If your not enjoying your journey to Pirate Legend why play at all? Grinding is wasting time.

You are not being very clear on why you want Private Servers and what you would like within the server.

No PvP?
Boosted Voyage/treasure amounts?

@meltdown-666366 Because it would quickly create a drain that leaves behind almost purely PVP. Why? Many players will seek out the most efficient way to reach their goals. Want rep and gold? Create a private server and grind away. What does this leave on the public servers? A more aggressive bunch of players with nothing to risk. Will everyone move to private servers? Not at first, but those who do not will experience progressively more hostile seas until they too give in. Once they do give in and move to private, they will be bored out of their skulls because the game does not have the PVE content to sustain interest in it. This is not an MMORPG. The game becomes a shallow grind. Before the private servers, each ship was a gamble. They may be willing to work with you or against you. After the servers, the odds are much higher they will be hostile. They will be faced with two poor choices, (1) work towards goals while facing a lot of resistance than intended on public servers, or (2) grind away on a private server in a safe space. Players who enjoy PVP will find it very unlikely the ships they sink have anything of value since players working on gathering treasure were pressured to move to private servers. At that point, those of us who enjoyed the game’s blend of PVP and PVE will move to something else. Also, any rank or achievement looses its impact since most will assume you reached PL and so on in a grindy safe server. Claiming adding private servers only impacts the player(s) who decide to use them means ignoring the greater social context and impact this would have to the community. Look at how dramatically just adding a few trivial cooperative commendations has been. A 50% reduction in PVP. Private servers would be result in a major shift long term. If they do provide private servers that allow you can earn gold and rep then the game will be toast before long.

@meltdown-666366 said in Private Servers:

@ghostpaw You are contradicting what you were saying. First you were worried that there would be no PvP, now you're worried there'll be too much of it? My god, make up your damn minds!!

Take down the intensity. You are just not grasping what we are trying explain. Where did I suggest there would be no PVP on the public servers? I am saying it is much more balanced now than it would be not long after players are pushed to progress gold and rep on private servers. After that, public servers will very heavy on PVP. Reread my post. This is not an all or nothing deal. PVP and PVE in the game exist together on a spectrum. I have faith you will grasp the nuance soon if you do not already understand it.

@meltdown-666366

Alright I'm going to do this as cordial as possible and I am asking you as a player to remove all emotions or personal bias for what I'm about to ask. Also please realize how the game is different from other online games entirely. This is a different type of online gaming, so use this game as the basis not any others.

What do you believe will happen to the game in the long run with private servers?

For instance I know for a fact that what will happen is that a bunch of new players after implementation will go straight to private servers, why? 2 reasons which are completely understandable "Hey I'm just starting this game I want to learn how to play first." and then there is the PvE mentality "I don't like to PvP at all so I don't want to ever play on a public server."

Now because of those reactions on new players what we will end up is with this "Hey I'm really bored with this game because theres nothing to do. This game is stupid." or there is the "Well maybe going into the public server is better. No it isn't I just spent 5 hours collecting loot but some griefer just sank me and took all MY loot. This game is stupid."

There is a huge disparity with private servers that most players will not leave them after starting them. When they do leave they will more than likely be chased back into it because they will not understand the blood thirsty world of the game. That just because they dug it up, does not mean it belongs to them. That even though they did the whole raid someone can and will sink them and take the loot. Then they will get mad and leave. What makes this different than what is already happening? New players learn from the start that there are certain precautions they have to take towards this game and those lessons are easily to swallow at the beginning than later.

Next is with the server population overall. Public servers will be dead entirely. Any new event that Rare releases or content people will run straight to their private servers to do them in peace and because Rare is doing this weekly there is little chance of the servers being populated. I myself would love for Rare to leave like a 2 week window between releases so I can have time to level up my Athenas. I work almost all week and what days I do have off I have to spend doing the events or helping others do them. I haven't been able to do an Athenas since thrones.

Please think of the longevity of this game and what is best for the game. Not for you. You do not need to rush to Pirate Legend. Who doesn't have 9 months to play this game? Are you suggesting that sooner or later you will hop to other games that you are waiting to be released? If so then go play those instead.

There are certain things that need to be in the game for this game to succeed in the long run. Your private servers is the completely opposite and would kill it.