Okay, so I completely understand that this is intended to be a multiplayer game, and I'm all for that. But there are times when I like playing games by myself. Especially in this game where I can just said around and worry about myself. I think the solo ship is fine, it's speedy enough where you can escape from most encounters. My issues always arose when getting to an outpost. Here I am with a handful of chests that I'm to turn in. Then I see there are others in a group on this island. And people in the world are jerks, in game and real life. I'm only ever gonna get one turned in because I'm completely outnumbered. The respawn takes forever, and by that time they're on your ship. It's inevitable you're going to die again, and again. To me, that's not fun or fair. It's my fault for not scoping it out beforehand and moving to a different outpost I guess. There's nothing to stop people from sitting around outposts like vultures waiting for people to come in. It's a pirate game, I'm well aware of that, but I feel like that's how the meta of the game will turn out unless something is done about it. If it were me, outposts would need to become safe zones. Any chest you collected is tied to you, no one else can grab them, only environmental damage can be done to you or your ship, like driving it into shore. Multiplayer or no, I don't think I'd keep my pre-order unless a change like this occurs. I'm not going to spend an hour plus out on the ocean having spent all my gold on getting voyages to not get enough back turning in one chest because people are hanging out at the outposts waiting to gank people bringing back chests.
Solo play help
Scope out the out post on your approach. Using your telescope makes it even easier now. If you are not happy with what you see, keep sailing. Or anchor out at sea and watch if they leave. There are many out posts. If you're afraid of being attacked then don't land on an island where other ships already anchored. :) Also IMO i wouldnt have more than 2 chests on your ship if playing solo.
@macdon6794 Like @Lostscotman said, lots of planning. I think a big thing for solo players is patience. If you see an outpost is filled with people, move on to the next one. If you see a ship in the distance, veer off a bit more so you are not in range and turn off your lights. Perhaps you only travel long distances in the dark? It's definitely different than playing with a crew of four in a big ship.
@ionei-falcon Yeah, I mentioned that I should've scoped it out before anchoring. I'll admit to messing that up. I also shouldn't have been carrying more than a couple chests as well. Got caught in the a longer voyage and just kept cruising. Although I very easily could've taken different measures to turn in those chests, I'll still stand by what I said. I'm not sure how large the map will be in the full game and how many outpost they'll have, but I feel like it could very easily turn into groups of people hanging out at the outposts and just waiting until you get close to strike. If it were to be out at sea or on a different island, I'd be all for whatever happens. I get that that's kind of the point of the game. I'm learning from my mistakes and adjusting my strategies, it's just a suggestion is all. Love how the game looks and I love the concept from what the beta has offered. For me, I'm kind of at a wait and see how things turn out. The way it is now, if I were playing with my buddies, I think it's great. I don't want to take anything away from the devs or anyone, or do mean this in a negative way but if it's not fun for me multiplayer and solo it more than likely isn't a game for me. Maybe the outposts don't have to be safe zones, but I feel at the least the respawn timer should be less for a solo queued player. By the time I respawned, got immediately killed, respawned again everything and everyone was gone. That's my feedback from my experiences so far, as I get better I might see it differently. Only played a couple hours each with a group of four and then solo, so still got a lot of time yet to learn, adjust and re-evaluate.
Forum members disagree on whether outposts should be safe zones, but it's a balance issue Rare is aware of. I'm a solo explorer too, and I usually avoid players at outposts.
It's easier to judge another crew's intention if they are sailing because you can see if they turn to chase you or not. But there was one time another sloop chased me for nearly an hour and it turned out he just needed help!
The only way to see if other pirates are gung-ho PvP or neighborly is to take risks. It's not uncommon to be outnumbered but left your treasure if you approach with a musical instrument or grog to signal your intent. But if a crew kills you, you will know to watch out for that crew the rest of the session.
PvP and PvE players never mix harmoniously, but Sea of Thieves does it better than most. This game can be very different from one session to another just because of who you are set in the world with. It's not always a struggle for solo players. Sometimes you might even miss being chased! But campers are always a pain.
@macdon6794 Ahoy there, there is a thread here which contains a lot of very useful hints and tips for solo sailors, collected from all those who have taken part in testing during the last year or so.
@macdon6794 I understand where you are coming from perfectly. This is an issue that is quite lively right now. I have not had a problem with the outposts yet myself, but I figure it is a matter of time. The best thing solo players can do is stay away from each other and hope everyone stays away from us.
Wow, I just realized how sad that sounded and I wrote it with a smile on my face... I think I need to get out more...
