List of News Articles - February Press Embargo Lifted

@fullmetaljakee

Can you put an enemy's pet in the BRIG of your ship??? Ransom paid or fight to retrieve?

That would be cool if they built this into the game.

@ethnine @Psych0-KnIghTrO
My take on the ship ownership from my reading of the articles so far, is that while you are building your pirate legend, then yes, you start with a new boat each time you log on. All your ship customisations will be available & can be added (the same as re equipping your characters clothes etc).
Once you reach 'Legendary' status then ship 'ownership' becomes a different story. They mention your ship gaining a reputation

Speaking of transportation, becoming a Legend offers another major perk - you get a legendary ship, a different model to the standard galleons and sloops. Rare won’t tell us the specifics of what this entails, or exactly how it works with a mixed crew, but Chapman provides a hint that “owning” a ship is entirely different after you become a Legend. “This is a whole other game type,” says Chapman. “The ship starts building reputation, the ship has access to things other ships don’t.” The idea is that when players see a legendary ship “it’s like seeing the Black Pearl.”

Taken from IGN Article

So as you are making your way through the ranks to becoming a legend, your ship isn't as important. Once you become a legend, it probably is a very important piece of the game!

@logansdadtoo It sounds like you won't actually be able to "own" a ship till after their first DLC a few months after release. So yeah, you will have access to different looking ships, but it will almost be like playing Titanfall 2, only you will have to re-equip yourself and your ship each and every time you play. Which is really head-scratching to me, but whatever Rare. And it doesn't sound like you own anything, you just have access to it. Ship ownership is something coming after release.

That is how I understood it at least. Rare could have done themselves a huge favor and just added ship ownership to their pirate game. It baffles me that this is even a issue for discussion.

@ethnine @KnifeLife
How long do you guys think it's going to take to reach legendary status?? I don't think it's going to be something you can 'grind' through in a couple of weeks. So even though it may not be in at launch, i don't think that is too much of a concern.
As for actually owning a ship from the outset, this would cause problems in itself. Everyone would want to use their own ship, so there would be a ton of sloops or single crewed galleons about! Yes, i know that ship customisation could also lead to disputes, but i think it would cause less headaches all round.
I'm looking at it this way, while your building your pirate legend, you're an unknown. Why would people want to sail on Your ship?
You are all aiming for the same goal 'legendary status', so you should all be deciding on what the ship looks like & should be more of a crew decision. Another thing would be the 'power' issue! You know, the 'this is my boat so you'll do what i want!' scenario.

Once you reach your legendary status, then it changes. Your ship becomes an indicator of your experience & wealth. Others will then beg to join Your crew & sail on Your ship!!
Other crews will want to attack & sink Your ship, what the consequences of this are we'll just have to wait & see.
I really like the sound of it, & it makes sense to me.
Not a pirate legend - can't afford a ship
pirate legend - loaded, can buy a lovely ship ;)

@logansdadtoo I imagine there's some one out there with a lot of time on their hands that will knock it out in a couple of weeks. Just like it took 2 weeks for someone to reach the center of the universe in No Mans Sky. For me though? It will likely be months haha!

The game seems extremely grindy, which I do not like. If I find myself getting bored I will stop playing for days or weeks at a time. If it becomes too repetitive I might stop playing all together. That is one of the reasons I am not purchasing right away, I want to see how this all plays out first. Then decide if the amount of entertainment time I would garner meets $60 price mark.

The way I look at it, there's nothing to keep me playing. I don't own my ship, I didn't even create my own character, the weapons and clothes I wear are the same as everyone else, and beards and tattoos I get are nothing new, and after 4 months everyone will have a legendary ship. I just do not see the draw. In Ark I am always trying to tame the next best dino. In Star Citizen, I am always saving up for the next best ship part for my ship. In Sea of Thieves I'm.......I honestly don't know?

Thanks for the links and the highlights! I'm bookmarking this thread for future reference.

The biggest news to me are the skeletal fort events. That sounds like a great community event and forts have a clearer purpose now. If nothing else, it's cause for crews to gather in cooperation occasionally, though there will undoubtedly be thieving too.

At least one more trading company coming after launch is great news! That will refresh the game for all players and make the world more dynamic.

The method of character selection sounds alright to me. But because the choice is permanent, the player should have a bit more control. Filters are one possible addition. But more importantly Rare should add a lock function to keep a liked candidate in the mix while re-rolling the other possibilities. Otherwise, the player can lose a good option while hoping for a better one.

It's still not entirely clear what is available at launch and what isn't. Is there ship customization before becoming a legendary Captain a few months after launch? The clothing shop will not be available at launch? They haven't said the kraken will be available at launch or afterward either. That needs to be clarified. Frankly, if there is no customization progression at launch, then they are launching too soon. But it's too late to change that.

I didn't expect pets so soon. And I certainly didn't expect all the cool options for interaction! Definitely, cannons were made for monkeys. I hope they also interact with boom barrels and with chickens, snakes, and pigs.

A lot to talk about!

@ethnine The content will be enough for me at launch. But because of the game-as-service model Sea of Thieves was always sure to be a better game a year after launch, and better a year after that, and so on if the community remains friendly. The best time to jump in will depend on each gamer's playstyle and preferences.

Even as a more bare experience, I liken Sea of Thieves to shooting pool/billiards at a bar/pub with friends. It's designed foremost to be a social experience. So in co-op you are enjoying the company of friends as much as you are enjoying the game. In co-op, the game is a prop. It's like beer -- lubrication for fun.

@starquest said in List of News Articles - February Press Embargo Lifted:

@hallower1980

Ships will still get customization at launch but your whole crew decides how it will look as a team. Legendary ships get legendary customization options. So layers i suppose. It sounds cool to me :)

Yeah, Rare definitely distinguished between legendary and pre-legendary ship customization. But I'd like to hear more about the customization before becoming a Pirate Legend.

A Pirate Legend won't have to sail alone, so presumably crews at that point still share a ship and choose customization options together. That's why I'm not 100% sure ship customization begins before that post-launch update.

@hallower1980 said in List of News Articles - February Press Embargo Lifted:

@ethnine The content will be enough for me at launch. But because of the game-as-service model Sea of Thieves was always sure to be a better game a year after launch, and better a year after that, and so on if the community remains friendly. The best time to jump in will depend on each gamer's playstyle and preferences.

Even as a more bare experience, I liken Sea of Thieves to shooting pool/billiards at a bar/pub with friends. It's designed foremost to be a social experience. So in co-op you are enjoying the company of friends as much as you are enjoying the game. In co-op, the game is a prop. It's like beer -- lubrication for fun.

Ah, see I have an issue with this. The game has to be more than a social experiment to be entertaining to me. Just like Ark wouldn't be much fun if you didn't have the ability to tame animals. Every sandbox video game has to have a carrot on a stick, otherwise the player-base gets bored. We saw this in games like Rust or Eve Online. Where the loyal player-base stuck around for ages, but the average new player only lasted a short while before abandoning the game.

Using your beer reference, Sea of Thieves is kind of like a Bud Lite. There's no rich malty contents to it, there's no real feeling of ownership in what you're drinking, and you don't feel extremely proud to be drinking it at all. Its very middle of the road, and safe. Sure if you could spice it up a little, add in some flavor here and there, and make it your own, it could be pretty good. But you can't you're stuck with what you've been given.

Maybe I went too deep there. Anyhow, I think there's been loads of potential in Sea of Thieves, and time will tell if it will truly come into its own. But I am a resounding skeptic, and feel like Rare is making things harder on themselves than they need to be. The fact ship ownership, or the lack there of, is even a issue at all blows my mind. When Rare simply could have let players choose who's captain, and who's ship they would take out. Which they admit you will ultimately be able to do....only later....in a DLC....a few months after release.

Okay, this eases my mind:

Q: Speaking of red sails – ship customization, pirate customization, and so on, will it be there for launch?

A: Tons of customization at launch.