I understand that Rare doesn't want new players to be surrounded by others who are outright more powerful than them and I appreciate that design principle, but limiting progression to only cosmetics feels a bit like a cop-out. Instead, along with cosmetics, Rare can also implement a lateral progression system that lets players purchase new tools that solve the same problems but in different ways, each facilitating a different playstyle. These tools won't be strictly better than others but just work differently.
In other words, let players buy new ships/weapons/outfits/equipment that are better than the default ones in certain aspects but worse in others. Each option facilitates a different playstyle that can suit different players, without making them outrightly more powerful than others. Some examples below, though bear in mind some may sound a little unbalanced. Nontheless, their purpose is only to illustrate the point I'm trying to make and maybe inspire other interesting ideas.
Again, these are not concrete suggestions, only examples to better illustrate my point:
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A 'chaser' ship that has two frontal cannons and roped harpoon guns that can slow enemies down, but no side cannons and maybe lower health
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A merchant ship with fewer cannons but a more secure cargo that makes it difficult for enemies to steal your loot (can be a reinforced locked door that enemies would have to break through, iron chains that weigh the enemy down if they try to carry the chest, etc.)
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A 'rogue' ship that camouflages better at night, has better maneuverability and row-boats that can be used for stealthy boarding, but no cannons whatsoever
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A large explorer's ship that can take more hits and provides players diving bells to more easily explore deep ocean crevices, but is more sluggish to control
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A hunter's ship with a higher crow's nest and a map that highlights islands that have been recently visited by either players with high bounty or ships that cargo a lot of loot, but has masts that can easily be spotted in the distance and cannot store loot below deck.
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A costume that prevents skeletons from attacking the player, but makes them receive more damage from players and sharks
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A carving knife that can be used to harvest resources from sharks, but replaces the cutlass and deals less damage
The list can go on, but you probably got the idea by now.
What makes sandbox games great is their ability to allow players to tackle challenges in different ways. Not only would implementing more playstyles attract more players with different interests, but it would also allow veteran players to change up their tactics to keep the game refreshing and replayable.
TL;DR
A progression system doesn't have to make players stronger than others. Rather, it should let players change up their playstyles to play the same game but in their own preferred way. Let players spend gold on items/ships that are better in aspects that facilitate different playstyles (combative/stealthy/pve centric) but are worse in others to keep the game from being unbalanced to new players, which still aligns with Rare's design principle without having to focus solely on cosmetic upgrades.
PS: How can I change my name here? I just signed up using my Microsoft account and it assignmed me a random name that I can't seem to change.
