Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server

@silver45872 ahoy! PVE servers is a topic of much discussion -- I'd recommend you do a search and read some of the earlier threads. Regarding what Rare has officially announced -- they have said that they want to implement "private servers," which could probably become de facto PVE servers. Not even a clue when that might happen though. Hope that helps! :)

@silver45872

Providing immunity is not something that should happen in this game, it is a PvEvP title and is set in a world where how you interact with others is all up to you and those others.

If you have difficulty escaping galleons and brigs, it means that you should become better at sailing and watching the horizon. Yes, this is even possible as a solo captain - which by the way is the hardest crew size to execute. Getting fed-up with being on your own and fully dependent on purely your own abilities? There is a Looking for Group system, Discord groups and the flawed Open Crew system (be willing to hop around till you find a decent crew, which isn't as bad if you are looking for a sloop buddy).

Sloops are fully capable of out maneuvering both of the larger ships, brigs being actually the hardest to beat and it all start out with being aware of your surroundings while having your sails and anchor up. Will you still lose from time to time? Yes, you most definitely will and each time you will be able to pin-point the exact moment you messed up (if you are honest to yourself). Therefore once you accumulate the amount of loot you don't feel comfortable losing anymore, you should be heading to an outpost.

Even when solo, it can pay off taking a risk from time to time and being friendly to form an alliance. Just play it smart, don't compromise your safety or don't have anything to lose.

I wish you the best of luck out there, take the moments that you get challenged and/or are defeated as a cautionary tale from which you can learn. Figure out what happened and which action of yours caused that opportunity to present itself to your enemies: Did I notice them on time, did I angle my sails correctly, did I defend my ladders, did I turn to soon, etc. #BeMorePirate

There a ton of posts out there of people unwilling to become better pirates and want to play without any player involvement, while they signed up for a multiplayer shared world experience.

Not to mention the implications of what trolls can do with immunity and the likes, but that has been discussed in so many other threads. If you want to read those, feel free to do a search on PvE, Passive mode and what not in the archives.

@cotu42 said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

There a ton of posts out there of people unwilling to become better pirates and want to play without any player involvement, while they signed up for a multiplayer shared world experience.

Couldn't put it better.

The game is intended to be played with a group. If you don't want to do that, you're handicapping yourself. That's the intention, it's supposed to not be easy to do everything by yourself, that's part of the game's core philosophy.

If open crews don't work out, there is always LFG and multiple discords to find people to play with.

I'm a solo slooper, partly because I'm a misanthrope and partly because my one experience with other players was...less than inspiring. One guy kept appearing and disappearing and another guy with a peg leg sat down in front of the wheel and kept me from seeing because he wanted to steer...on my ship!

But I've never gotten mad at someone robbing or killing me. That's the whole game. If you think about it, just digging up chests and fighting easily beaten skeletons would not make much of a game. Imagine a pirate movie where they're digging up treasure, and they have all the time in the world because no one is going to come after them or steal their loot. That would be one boring movie.

I understand just wanting to sail around and enjoy the beautiful graphics. And there are certain practices that make me wish my sloop was equipped with a cruise missile to hunt down and immolate the scurvy dogs who just spawn-sank me AND jumped in the water to kill me. But really, if a game is not to your liking, play another. Or design a sailing sim with hidden treasure bonus features. Don't ask for a special don't-hit-me flag so you can essentially play a different game than everyone else is. That's...not admirable, admiral.

@silver45872 said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

All I want to do is grind peacefully for missions to earn my Pirate Legend, but, it seems like any server, I keep getting interrupted by pirates in brigs or galleons who sink me, take what I have, and continue to BM me as my ship is sinking.

Here OP, I'm making some tutorial videos on how to prevent being attacked on the Sea of Thieves...

@kevininnyc said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

I'm a solo slooper, partly because I'm a misanthrope and partly because my one experience with other players was...less than inspiring. One guy kept appearing and disappearing and another guy with a peg leg sat down in front of the wheel and kept me from seeing because he wanted to steer...on my ship!

Your ship? The ship is that of the entire crew, you are all equals (read the pirate code). It is also his ship! Now, I don't think he should be obnoxious over the fact that you are steering, but still the fact that you claim it to be yours is wrong.

There is nothing wrong with being a solo, but please don't think because you opened up the crew, that by definition makes you the captain. If there is a captain it is because their crew supports them and designated them that position, as without the trust and support of your crew a captain, you are not.

Also, maybe you don't want to base the whole crew concept on a singular event? The crew experience just like the solo one can be very rewarding in their own ways, while being quite different due to the ships we call home. To be honest I think you are missing out on a part of the experience the game has to offer. I for one sail on all ship sizes in all crews from 1 to 4 man. Though in the end, play as you want and enjoy the seas.

@cotu42 what I'm hearing is "Make sure you only play solo, because that's the only way for YOUR ship to be YOUR ship." But thanks for clearing that up. I thought he was behaving like a lunatic, but really he was just acting like a spoiled child.

@kevininnyc maybe you should consider using the word our when playing in a team? Be nice to each other and share? Work together and chill out, no need to be possessive. Talk to each other and organize? Man it even helps if everyone pitches in where it is needed and is based on who is closest, instead of just having one person dictate or rigid role distribution. It is called teamwork and being in a crew.

Btw. You were acting as entitled and as much as a spoiled child as he was. I bet if you asked him, he would also state why is this guy hogging the steering wheel on MY ship.

@kevininnyc said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

@cotu42 what I'm hearing is "Make sure you only play solo, because that's the only way for YOUR ship to be YOUR ship." But thanks for clearing that up. I thought he was behaving like a lunatic, but really he was just acting like a spoiled child.

lol - If I crewed up with you I'd dump all of your treasure in the ocean.

Here, I made another short video.
As in the description, these aren't exactly the most hair-raising of encounters, but they demonstrate that the sloop is not helpless.
I'll start recording my play sessions to get some real chase footage.

no offence but that is a terrible idea. if you think about it for 10 seconds im sure you can figure out why lol. my suggestion for you is to just play open crew

@Silver45872

All I want to do is grind peacefully for missions to earn my Pirate Legend, but, it seems like any server, I keep getting interrupted by pirates in brigs or galleons who sink me, take what I have, and continue to BM me as my ship is sinking.
I get it, it's called Sea of Thieves, it's a PvP game as well as a PvE, but it seems slightly unfair that one pirate in a sloop has to fight off a full crew on a brig or a galleon, and it is making me feel more hopeless in the game whenever I see a ship at all.

It doesn't sound like you get it though. I don't say this to be rude, but you have the choice every time you play to crew up. The tools are all available to use, either it be Discord or the Xbox LFG. An honest question, can you really call yourself a Pirate Legend if you've never defended your loot? You've purchased a multiplayer game, yet don't want to play with people, isn't that counter productive?

I hate playing solo, I enjoy playing with other people, it’s how I’ve made some amazing friends and built a good crew that way. I also feel you will level up a lot quicker and perhaps have a much better experience once you’ve found yourself a good crew , some are better at cannons than other so you use each players including your own skills to an advantage. I’ve heard rumours they will be implementing a private server, I know it’s one of those not everyone agrees on but I too would love a private server for those days you can’t be bothered to fight other players. :D

@goedecke-michel

It was sarcasm, dude. I was playing the role of a salty carebear.

@silver45872 Man I need to crew with you because since the DG nerf PVPers are far and few. Running around with my reapers flag up, nothing for hours. I now have to engage if I want to pvp, use to be the other way around.

@silver45872 said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

Hi there!
Nowadays, I spend my time alone on a sloop because my friends have lost interest in SoT and I can't find cooperation in open lobbies like I used to.
All I want to do is grind peacefully for missions to earn my Pirate Legend, but, it seems like any server, I keep getting interrupted by pirates in brigs or galleons who sink me, take what I have, and continue to BM me as my ship is sinking.

"Peacefully grinding to Pirate Legend" is not what this game is about and frankly this mentality is what drives a game like Sea of Thieves into the ground. The title of Pirate Legend is usually a player who has earned his or her loot while encountering all types of players in the great big shared world.

You signed up for the multiplayer/anything goes experience, so I'm not really sure why you want it to be something other than what you bought. It was never shipped or advertised to you as a game where you'd have the ability to grind rep and gold without worrying about other players. Don't buy apples and expect them to turn into oranges.

I get it, it's called Sea of Thieves, it's a PvP game as well as a PvE, but it seems slightly unfair that one pirate in a sloop has to fight off a full crew on a brig or a galleon, and it is making me feel more hopeless in the game whenever I see a ship at all.

Again, the game is not supposed to be a single player loot gathering experience. Its about having a crew and encountering other crews. Solo play is an option and is really only recommended once you have enough experience and knowledge to adapt to the more difficult nature of solo play in Sea of Thieves.

If you're not at that point then I highly recommend using the official Sea of Thieves Discord. There are plenty of pirates on every night searching for people to play with.

Proposition: A Passive "mode," where players could raise a certain sail or flag and be immune to enemy player damage, but be unable to inflict damage back, or a strictly PvE server (Which I realize is highly unlikely for either solution)
Thanks for taking time to read this. Cheers!

I can never support a suggestion like this, I personally feel like its a step in a completely wrong and different direction for Sea of Thieves.

Besides, I think Rare said themselves a while back that there would never be safe zones or PvE servers. There will be private servers eventually for the sake of people with lots of friends playing Sea of Thieves to be able to set up races and other player invented activities, but I don't really think you'll ever get a place to peacefully grind gold and rep because private servers will more than likely be designed so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

@chronodusk said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

@silver45872 said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:
but I don't really think you'll ever get a place to peacefully grind gold and rep because private servers will more than likely be designed so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Let's hope so. If private servers were implemented with all of the gold/rep/achievement rewards, it would harm the game. I'm sure Rare already knows this.

@chronodusk said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

"Peacefully grinding to Pirate Legend" is not what this game is about

Word.

@vin-delanos

Absolutely, I agree with the intention of setting up a place for people with many friends to play around in the world together.

I DO NOT agree with setting up a function that enables players to invent their own safe zones and PvE grind servers.

@silver45872 Grinding peacefully doesn't fit the Sea of Thieves concept. This isn't Sea of Scavengers. It's unfortunate that you feel the game gets in the way of your progressing in the game.

A multiplayer player shared world does not have to equal a Battle Royale, shooter looter, or any other kill player kill online video game. A few players will post there cannot be other modes. Rare is implementing another mode so that is no longer a valid argument.

Some players say others cannot play with in a safe zone. What they actually mean is players cannot play without them having the ability to best them in PvP. Some players say it is not fair. Not even an argument. There is nothing to gain, earn, or win in Sea of Thieves but cosmetics. There is no advantage to be had over other players. The last argument is there is no risk. Again what they mean is you would not be there for them to possibly kill, sink your ship, and steal your loot.

The naysayers fear this most because many, at least half and possibly the majority would prefer a more Coop PvE experience. Especially with the hostility, toxicity, and trolling that fills the sea under the guise “I am only being a pirate.” Now that there is actually content in the game there is an element of risk without other players. Other players are not the only threat. Many are not even threats at all other than their negative behavior and actions.

Since Rare is adding a condensed can soup mode called the Arena which is to promote more PvP by narrowing down the sea, they could easily implement a PvP mode. Let’s call it the Alliance.

In the Alliance PvE threats would be turned up. Skull forts would stay in the core game which is now going to be called Adventure. Players would sail in an alliance of pirates sailing against the skellies and other threats out on the sea and islands. A separate PvE Coop faction would grant rep just like the PvP faction will do in the Arena. Players could bring back the rep from the faction in the Arena or Alliance to go with rep from two of the factions in Adventure, like they are going to allow with just a PvP faction to reach Pirate Legend. Pirate Legend is earned through Adventure where the game continues past both modes.

The Hungering Deep majorly changed the sea to a more cooperative, PvE experience. It was what players where looking for most when they purchased the game. It is what most are still sailing for. Rare has said multiple times that the idea was not to just kill other players all the time. A portion of Sea of Thieves wants to keep the game locked that way regardless. Mostly because of games like Fortnite, PUBG, and now Apex.

The best future for Sea of Thieves is more of what most players have been seeking and want. What you are asking for is not too far from it. Most players have fun sailing around with family and friends doing voyages, taking forts, sinking skellie ships, digging up treasure, and hunting sea monsters.

They want pets, fishing, and cooking. The want more story based adventures. They want more ways to interact and play together with their family and friends in game. They want to be the captain of their ship. They want dolphins and whales swimming by their ships. They want to chase after crabs on the islands. They want a giant crab to hunt together. They want voyages from the Ferryman and to fight ghosts. They want potions. They want more and better clothes. They want Order of Souls magic. They want to bury treasure. They want alliances where players are actually allies. They want to send messages between ships. They want to change their ship at the shipwright. They want to join the same server with family and friends with their own ship and crew. They want to decorate their ships with trophies. They want to dock and launch their ship behind a waterfall at their own private hideout. Players want a sea full of family and friends to be more pirate without being victims to the toxicity of open crews that just locks the toxicity in the brig.

Sea of Thieves is a game with a major identity crisis. It is a game sailing with a new mode in one direction when many, if not most, others want to go together in the opposite direction. Search the forums. Read the lists of ideas from the community. More players want way more than just another game to kill players over and over or see a gamertag on yet another ladder.

You are not alone. You are not wrong. Do not feel like you are or get told that. Sea of Thieves would be a bigger, happier place if some stop trying to keep it only for their personal satisfaction without allowing the sea to be open to all players. Especially more open to what most want and the game can do best.

@x-crowheart-x

Without knowing more about Athena, we can't say it will be totally devoid of PvE. I certainly hope there are skeletons on the islands, at the very least. Then it would truly be a condensed version of the game which is more focused on PvP. But, you can't reach become a Pirate Legend simply by playing the Arena mode. You have to participate in the current Adventure mode.

As someone who doesn't engage in much PvP, but someone who enjoys the thrill that comes with sailing the seas with the risk of loss to theft, I don't feel there should be a purely PvE mode. There is an ecosystem to this game. Folks do PvE which puts loot on the seas with a risk that it could be stolen - loot is not truly yours until it's turned in for reward. Adding a purely PvE mode puts that ecosystem out of balance. While the Arena mode may ease the "toxicity" - a term often used simply because a theft occurs, a PvE mode still runs counter to the concept of the game.

@bran-the-ent

Good reply sir. I completely understand your point of view. I would prefer no mods at all myself. Just add more to the game and let us pirates make it whatever way the wind blows us towards.

The idea of a PvE mode as I mentioned would be a lot tougher PvE experience. Meaner storms, badder skellies, hungrier sea monsters, hotter volcanoes, etc. all threatening to take back the loot to the bottom of the sea. Just one faction path to bring players back to the core game to become a legend and everyone play on together from there. The two separate modes would allow players to seek more of what they feel like, but they cannot progress or experience the full Sea of Thieves without everyone sailing together in the core game on the grand adventure.

I do not consider sinking other players or stealing loot toxic either. Both are just two possibilities in a game on many. Stealing loot is actually a small one in the greater way things play out sailing. It is the intentions that can be behind it and the other behavior that unfortunately can come with it. I think we will have to see what the Arena will actually do to dilute the true toxicity in Adventure. It will definitely mean that the Arena will end up with high levels of toxicity. Also, the Arena will undoubtedly more many players claiming the game is unfair or cheating.

Every time you kill a player or sink a ship, 9 times out of 10 you will be called toxic or a cheater. We get called toxic and cheaters most often when fighting back and taking back loot when others players started it in the first place. Even getting private messages and invited to chat to tell you that more personally.

If players learned how to be better players in game and people out of game that understood healthy ways of experiencing competition and good sportsmanship, we all would have a much better experience in games like Sea of Thieves. We would not even need mods at all.

@x-crowheart-x said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

Every time you kill a player or sink a ship, 9 times out of 10 you will be called toxic or a cheater. We get called toxic and cheaters most often when fighting back and taking back loot when others players started it in the first place. Even getting private messages and invited to chat to tell you that more personally.

If players learned how to be better players in game and people out of game that understood healthy ways of experiencing competition and good sportsmanship, we all would have a much better experience in games like Sea of Thieves. We would not even need mods at all.

I know right? I have received so much more insults and trash talk from sore losers who got sunk than from any of the crews who directly attacked me.

When I sink people now, I get on the speaking horn and say "Sorry, the wheel made us do it!" to try making them feel better :P

@x-crowheart-x I just think Sea of Thieves isn't what it is intended to be without the potential for thievery. Arena, at least, keeps that concept (though, intensifies it). If someone could explain how a PvE mode fits the concept of theft inherent in the game, I'd listen, but I haven't heard an argument there. At some point, the game just isn't the same game anymore - and a purely PvE experience crosses that line, in my opinion.

@vin-delanos said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

@chronodusk said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:

@silver45872 said in Sloops & Idea for a "passive" ship mode or server:
but I don't really think you'll ever get a place to peacefully grind gold and rep because private servers will more than likely be designed so this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Let's hope so. If private servers were implemented with all of the gold/rep/achievement rewards, it would harm the game. I'm sure Rare already knows this.

Not trying to argue here, but how exactly would someone grinding rep without risk harm the game? Another person's rep has no impact on you or how you play, so why does it matter? Who cares?
Just curious on that opinion, I really don't get it.

@bran-the-ent

Well you have the much harder sea, monsters, and other things in the environment trying to take a.k.a. "steal" it back. Loot sinks faster. Have to work harder, faster, even together to survive and get rewarded. Survival in a PvE world would be expected to be a difficult, but still a fun challenge.

Rare could also implement new threats for the PvE mode, in addition to making the current ones a lot tougher, that would cause a great risk of losing loot. That would be the point in a PvE mode. The world around you is the challenge and threat. Maybe they could even get the game to a point later on to have skellies steal chests and skulls back. Even board player ships. It is not necessary though to get that specific on what the world around pirates could possible do to "thieve" things back the pirates greedily think they can sail away with. They game can be challenging without the threat of players if Rare made it that way.

@x-crowheart-x

First things first: I am a Nay sayer to this: same mode remove Piracy and a very strong believer in it.

This is not out of motivation to 'best' you in PvP as you state. I am an aggressive pirate, I do enjoy a good scrap, however I am also a social pirate. It is all based on my mood, the way you approach me (silent, talkative, swearing) , where in the world are we (outpost, random island, cloud event). By adding an identical PvE mode (aka just disable player contact) or depriving me of the ability to interact with you through a passive flag disrupts my ability to have a mysterious and unpredictable social engagement which by far is the most pleasurable aspect of this game for me personally. Be it slicing each other to the ferryman, bombarding each other with cannonballs or raising a grog, dancing and sharing voyages.

It also makes the world less diverse, as people that would be friendly and not fighters would primarily reside on these servers, where I am not. Cause let us be frank, why would they risk things if they can do the exact same thing safe and sound without the risk of players stealing it. They aren't really into PvP anyway (at all or just for that session), while our interaction might have ended up in an alliance it is just not worth the risk and they can hit Pirate Legend in their comfort. If they feel like PvP they can hit the Arena for direct satisfaction once it is here or hit the Adventure mode... making the adventure mode even more ruthless.

Now, your Alliance PvE mode is a completely different type of idea. It is something maybe worth discussing (though I don't think this is the thread for it), as I agree with you since the Arena I am far more open to other concepts. They however should offer a different type of experience. A cooperative mode between all the ships on the server, taking on huge Raid like difficult PvE threats... oh my god would I play that so often as an old school raider. Hard, multi-ship coordinated PvE where all the pirates in the world are working to a common goal, defeating a variety of creatures, an invasion of skeleton ships, etc. It could even have different facets like first spread out to solve the riddles on different places in the world in order to find pieces of a lost treasure that combined can lure one of the major threats out there to the specified location of the world and join forces to take them out. Have that give you reputation in a new faction, number 5: The Guardians of the Seas. Resulting in that even if you just doing Arena and Alliance mode you would still need to level up at least 1 faction in adventure mode to hit legend. Choose not to engage in one of the two other modes, Adventure has 2 other factions to replace it with.

Now PvE only mode concepts I can get behind. should be around multi-ship coordination, just like the Hungering deep as you mentioned. It provides new and exciting ways, with coordinated battles and cooperation between multi-crews that cannot be expect to be seen or demanded in Adventure or Arena mode. That is something completely different than the cries for: Give me adventure mode without PvP.... so please don't confuse people saying nay to threads like this, to always be some crazed PvP nuts that just want to keep easy prey in their adventure mode to beat to a pulp on sight.

@cotu42

I know you get it. I think most of us can really enjoy the PvP and do not want it to go completely away. Sorry to make you or others feel the way you do not. Was not singling anyone out. We all just want more of all the things the Sea of Thieves can offer. I may start a thread and discussion about a good viable PvE mode that most of us could get behind and support.

Glad you mentioned the riddles. Forgot that players want more riddles, puzzles, and traps. More underwater adventures too. Temples, clams, ship graveyards, seaweed monsters, etc. That is the point. Players want more of what the game can beautifully offer, but is not giving more of what you like and wish most. Hopefully, the future of Sea of Thieves will take us all on a voyage where we all end up with exactly what we want to sail for most.

@x-crowheart-x I love PvP, I really do and my crew is there to adhere to that. However, I also love the casual friendly nature the game sometimes can offer. The social aspect of playing solo or when I am just in a jolly mood and while being boarded and shot by an aggressive team asking people: Yohoho, why so aggressive today? 8/10 times I will still have to battle them, but those 2 are very precious to me where you hear a: Euhm.... because we want your loot/be on this island? and the likes response.

My issues with PvE and Passive mode is actually more based in protecting the social, friendly side of the game over the PvP end. It is why I have less objections of moving PvP to its own little instant gratification version like the Arena. And yes people in Adventure mode will still, steal, plunder and spawn kill you. Though if just having a good fight is what they are after they will head to the Arena, allowing more friendly, sneaky, backstabbing, weird social interactions to happen. Take away the most passive and the people just in the mood to grind and what is left are the sneaky, backstabbers, the people in the mood for PvP (cause they PvE somewhere else) and the people that want to have it all without compromise (which is the minority for sure).

Btw. I took no personal offense of your post, did not feel singled out so no hard feelings at all. Just stating those type of things like they just want to best us in PvP amplifies the feeling of the PvE crowed that the opposition are all PvP crazed bloodthirsty maniacs out to get them, which is actually just a extremely small section of the population to begin with.

The world is more diverse than that and wanted to make clear why more average pirates actually say no. A lot of us are open for more ideas, if it is a compliment the game and makes it better. We just don't want the multi-mode to just wipe out the soul and core experience of the Adventure mode. It should still remain the main game mode in a lot of peoples mind.