Bump for retractable ladders

There is literally no way to beat other ships, especially bigger ones, without boarding. Guard your ladders to the best of your ability, even though it is harder now with boarding making almost no noise.

There are literally PvP modes that players who are tryhards can go enjoy themselves in.

The retractable ladders suggestion has been proposed dozens of times, so it's not "just me having one bad experience".

What's the point of all these specialty cannonballs if I never get to use them? I don't think I've EVER gotten to enjoy a PvP encounter as a ship battle. It's ALWAYS me just getting shot in the back of the head by someone who somehow teleported themselves onto my ship despite their ship still being a mile away.

The ship to ship combat is so fun, while the hand-to-hand combat is a janky mess. I'm not suggesting we remove the ability to board, I just want it stop it from being the easiest thing so that it's immediately the first strategy the enemy does. Make them EARN their boarding by ramming my ship and jumping on or firing themselves out of the cannon or something. (Or sneaking on while I had my guard down and left the ladders hanging).

And if making ladders retractable makes sinking each other's ships more difficult because of the speed at which players can repair holes and bail out water, then simply add another mechanic or two for this as well - like maybe a specialty-cannonball that players always have that's on a 2 minute cooldown (which you can also gather more of) that stops a boat from being able to bail out water for 30 seconds or something.

Like I would love the PvP experience in adventure mode if using the specialty cannonballs was the main way of getting the upperhand. And if instead some battles end up being a war of supplies, that's still more fun than just try-hard who mastered the janky hand-to-hand combat just spawn killing me over and over.

Like I want to see another player on the Horizon and get that adrenaline rush of "Ahh!, should we fight or flight?? We've got some cool cannonballs and the ship to ship combat is fun... let's go for it!" With the anticipation that it's going to be a ton of fun on our boat trying to not get sunk or sniped or crash etc. Instead, when we see an enemy boat on the horizon, it's a HUGE eyeroll. Like instead of getting excited, we all feel the opposite. Just the "welp, at least we had fun while it lasted. Keep an eye on the ladders I gues- Oh they're already on board and I'm dead. sigh"

I understand that most people who are on a Sea of Thieves forum are probably the really dedicated players who have hundreds of hours in this game and spend time watching youtube videos on how to "get good" at it, so to you people you might think I'm just whining.
But I'm trying to speak up for all us players who join the adventure mode of a fun pirate-boat game and are tired of the experience getting ruined by players having no trouble at all climbing up onto our boats and spawn killing us.

Keep the ladders as normal in PvP modes or something. Let adventure mode players engage in more exciting form of PvP that actually relies on using your boat sometimes. Please!

Saw on another post an idea for the battles that are an "attrition war of supplies" that could also be good to throw in to help balance having retractable ladders:

*** Diminishing repairs.** The first time you repair a hole, it repairs to 100%. The second time you repair, the hole repairs to 95%, but there's still a little water getting in. The third time, it repairs to 90%, etc. Stay in the battle long enough and no amount of bailing will bring you back.

^ That's their idea, but perhaps instead of the "percent it repairs" it could just be that each subsequent repair takes longer to do.

Repair the hole the first time takes 5 seconds. Second time, 8 seconds. Third time, 12 seconds. etc.
So if one boat is better at getting in hits, then they are quickly getting a huge upper-hand.

@jj-h816

I agree that boarding is a valid strat. I just thinks it's a poor feature that it's the first strat to take in every fight.

Like how I imagine a pirate battle on the ocean should go:

Two boats see each other, when they engage in combat, there is aback and forth of cannonfire. Both ships are struggling to maintain steering, firing, repairing, bailing, sniping, etc.
Then, eventually one boat gets close enough for the players to jump from one deck to the other and board the ship! Some hand to hand combat ensues.
Eventually one boat wins! (And it will almost never be mine, but at least I would get to have fun while getting sunk)

Instead, right now it's "Two boats see eachother. You run to your ladders to make sure no one is climbing up them. At some point a player climbs on board anyways and shoots you in the back of the head. They've played this game for 500 hours now. You have no chance of spawning in."
Woo... pirate game... so thrilling...

.

The first scenario sounds WAY more fun. And it makes use of so many more game mechanics and features. You even actually get to use your specialty cannonballs.
The second scenario is just trying to navigate janky hand-to-hand combat against someone who uses their free time to watch youtube videos about how to get good at video games like some sweaty loser.

And if retractable ladders makes it so "running away" is too easy (because there isn't someone teleporting onto your boat to drop your anchor for you), then I think that can be addressed with some other features too. Like introducing new consumables or flying the Reaper Flag or whatever to make your boat go slightly faster.

If your hunting other players, you should be able to hunt them.
If you're the prey for other players, that shouldn't mean just getting spawn killed on your boat over and over.

There needs to be a little bit of actual boat-to-boat gameplay, and the only way to encourage that is to make it slightly more difficult for an enemy player to board your ship.

Retractable ladders is such a simple and healthy way of doing this.

@electro226 said in Bump for retractable ladders:

I don't know how many players like me are left, but I play this game like once every three weeks just to sail around and have fun with a friend.

I like the concept of pirates stealing from each other resulting in open world PvP.
...
But god dang is it just an eye roll when another player's ship comes after us.

"I like the concept of PVP, I just don't like it when the PVP comes for me."

Somebody who plays just once every three weeks just to sail around for fun with a friend, wants to dictate how PvP should be conducted.

It just seems to me that people would rather change the mechanics of the game because they can’t be bothered to learn how to fight.

I have said many times that I am absolutely dog at PvP. I always get beaten. But do I break down in tears every time and start to demand Rare change certain aspects of PvP? No. I just try to learn from these experiences and git gud. It’s a shame others can’t admit they were beaten by a sweat somebody who bettered them in a battle.

Why don’t we take PvP out altogether and replace the ships with Interflora delivery boats so that we can hand flowers out to each other?

@pumpa-cat

Because nobody likes delivering plants Pumpa!!! I'd rather deliver a snake than try and navigate with that big green leaf in my face!

@lordqulex said in Bump for retractable ladders:

@pumpa-cat

Because nobody likes delivering plants Pumpa!!! I'd rather deliver a snake than try and navigate with that big green leaf in my face!

That’s a fair point. I hate transporting those leafy plants. I can never see where I’m going. 🤣

@capn-lucky5984 said in Bump for retractable ladders:

I will admit this has a few issues with PvP, as some people have pointed out. But there’s one other issue.

What if you roll up your ladder and jump onto an island? You’ll have to swim a mile to grab a mermaid.

However, if there were more methods to board than there are now, this would be a pretty good idea. With the limited options for boarders now, though, I’ll have to pass.
-Cap’n Lucky

I think they could add the mechanic from tall tales to the ladder. (Granted it's would be a LARGE effort to do, but its doable.) Roll it up mechanic like a sail, and from the water you can cut a rope and it will fall. That way a boarder will have to cut a rope, wait the fraction of a moment for it to fall, then you can climb it. There's your way to get up if you get off at an island.