Lol. Can we please fix matchmaking?

Ah yes that feeling when your on the same wavelength as the rest of your crew? Ever felt that? It's like the ship is one, under one command. You think something, and ur crew is already doing it. I love that feeling, but they are rare to come by. Many old salts have left the game, and replaced by fresh new faces but dry as a bone. A lot more frequent are the tedious days spent sailing a ship that lags in command inputs more than the lagging of internet connectivity on a stormy night. "Drop the anchor!" … Bunch of poker faces followed by a crash, and oh yes, finally! anchor has dropped!... but the ship is already filled to the brim with water, and now we are all going down.

Anoying as it is for the OP.
I reckon lots of boatswains play on open crew. The more experienced tend to have a crew together nowadays. And will not use open crews.

Best thing to do is find a crew of like minded people.
Even if they fix the matchmaking to be crewed with "same" experience as u (basicly just same level, dont say they have skill they just had lots of time).

As for the mixture of experience in a open crew there is a pro element aswell not just con. Imagine the new boatswain gets in with a PL. They can get a crashcourse, understand game and do good voyages. If they only be tied up with other boatswains.... well they probably never ever make it out of port :D

@scraping-static I'm fine the way it is. I have played enough that I have built up a friends list, I also have the option to use Discord to find experienced crew.

Sometimes I just jump in random open games. I don't mind helping new players, the game isn't that complicated and when you give them directions most pick it up rather fast. I have met new players that turned about to be really good players. Helping new players for me also helps this game developing more people to play and the more players we have the more successful the game will become which I will love because Ienjoy the game and want to continue to see it to grow.

Just my 2 coins.

I fear you confuse throwing random people on a pile and picking 2-3 or 4 together for a ship with Matchmaking.

I compare this to LFG/LFD in MMO's, you're going to get a few people together and you're going to do content. Want to do high end content or want to be assured of a competent group of people? I'd advise you to join a guild.

Sadly there are no such things as guilds in sea of thieves (yet).
Best thing that's equivelent is X-box groups and Discord.

Like it's been said by many before me, the more experienced players have a fixed crew and don't sail in open crew. I love joining open crew from time to time, dress myself up as a sailor and see the types of people there. Sometimes I even drop an Athena's voyage (secretly, they won't know it's me) and get it done too by the sheer fact that I'll teach the newer players the ropes and persist in stead of just dropping out at the first sighn of trouble.

@scraping-static This is silly. There are matchmaking options, you just don’t want to use them.

Given that Level is only an indication of time spent grinding and not an indication of actual skill, matchmaking based on that is pointless. And, now that there are people with two or three toons, level is even less an indication of skill.

If you’re having dreams about it, I’d suggest a break.

Matchmaking!, We don't need no stinking Matchmaking! No really there's no such a thing.

I thought Matchmaking was there to cover up the time it took to find 4 people for a Galleon and 3 on a Brig and 2 for a Sloop, certainly saying nothing of matching levels.....Most of the time Matchmaking still puts you on a boat short the requisite number of players to fill it, and then it finds the one who eat crayons first.

Wow, got a bit of feedback to my original post. I appreciate everyone’s input. I’d like to respond to each one but I don’t know how to compress multiple responses into one post. In general as a response, I will say this - no there isn’t matchmaking, and being this isn’t a team vs team game, I get that. But I mean something to level out the crews you get put onto. It makes no sense for me as an experienced player to constantly be with people who don’t know what they are doing.

I will directly respond to @Bran-the-Ent though.

No, there aren’t matchmaking options. I don’t consider 3rd party methods of finding competent teams matchmaking. I’ve used lfg plenty of times. In fact, majority of my friends are from lfg for SoT, but they don’t play anymore. I’m serious, none of them. At this point in the games life, and my standing in terms of stats and progression, I’d like to slow down and simply jump into a match and casually play with a good crew. Level may not indicate skill, but it indicates experience. Someone literally still learning how to pull out a banana isn’t nearly as good of a team mate as someone who has been playing long.

And if you wanna go there about grinders not being good, I grinded. And I have excellent skills. All the time I put into the game, I know the ins and outs of everything.

@scraping-static Microsoft isn't a third party is it? You have to be logged into Xbox Live in order to play anyway. But, even if it is considered third party, it is a means of matchmaking. You simply don't like or want to use it.

Level is not necessarily an indicator of skill or competence. And, since it is possible to have multiple toons, level is not an indicator of player experience.

@blindnev said in Lol. Can we please fix matchmaking?:

@weakdexx said in Lol. Can we please fix matchmaking?:

As for the mixture of experience in a open crew there is a pro element aswell not just con. Imagine the new boatswain gets in with a PL. They can get a crashcourse, understand game and do good voyages. If they only be tied up with other boatswains.... well they probably never ever make it out of port :D

The problem is that it only benefits the new player. I doubt all the experienced players that use open crew do it because they feel like teaching others how to play, every single time.
The big question in this situation is if that player will actually listen or communicate in the first place.

If the game grouped new players with each other, then they could learn how to play together, instead of forcing someone to babysit them. If they can't figure out how to leave the outpost then maybe they are not ready to play with others yet. This is a game that relies on team play.
When I started playing, it was together with my friend on a sloop. We were both clueless and learned the game together. That's what new players should do.

I believe the game really does need a better tutorial as well. Having someone go on his own and learn how to play while being in an open crew affects everyone else.

I don't mind showing others how to do things and answer questions. I always try to be helpful. The problem starts when you find yourself controlling a galleon by yourself while everyone else is just standing there without helping, and it doesn't matter how much you explain.
One, two, three times? Sure. 90% of games with open crews? No thanks.

As for LFG and Discord. Yes, these are the best (and you could even say the only) solutions.
I just think that having to rely on making a premade group, in order to be with others that know how to play, have a microphone/keyboard, or even for just completing a single voyage, is a bit silly.

I rather just launch the game, tick a box that requires a mic, my level range and find a crew, instead of having to go to discord each time to make a group/invite players and use the horrible xbox app...
I'll gladly wait a bit longer in queue for that.

That is not entirely true mate. If a PL joins the boatswains u can actually complete their missions. Quick completion of easy voyages. They still count toward commendation. Easier gaining them. Same goes for the low level items. If u rank up high the changes are SLIM finding castaway or foul bounty skulls. Joining boatswains will make u gain these commendations quicker.

Than about the big question. This has nothing to do with the level u get paired with. There are higher rank pirates even PL's who dont communicate. Dont listen and just go and about to annoy their own crew.

That being said.

Yes there needs to be a better tutorial.

Yes it is annoying if they do nothing. It happens even in my standard crew. They all have mic, keyboard and are PL's. Again thats not just boatswains.

And yes LFG and Discord or even FB is the way to go. Or be lucky with random and find a like-minded to crew up for your future voyages. It's how i found my raiding crew all tru open crews.

@blindnev

Ey man! dont get me wrong. Yes please do add it. It solves lots of problems.

I just wanted to show a diffrent view on the matter as in my opinion there are reasons as a PL to play with new players. Thats all.

@khaifx said in Lol. Can we please fix matchmaking?:

@red0demon0 said in Lol. Can we please fix matchmaking?:

Ah yes that feeling when your on the same wavelength as the rest of your crew? Ever felt that? It's like the ship is one, under one command. You think something, and ur crew is already doing it. I love that feeling, but they are rare to come by. Many old salts have left the game, and replaced by fresh new faces but dry as a bone. A lot more frequent are the tedious days spent sailing a ship that lags in command inputs more than the lagging of internet connectivity on a stormy night. "Drop the anchor!" … Bunch of poker faces followed by a crash, and oh yes, finally! anchor has dropped!... but the ship is already filled to the brim with water, and now we are all going down.

Then stop speeding head first into an island using the drop anchor method to swing it around at the last second. Instead, raise your sails, curb your speed and pull alongside it. Then drop your anchor... matey.

I think you missed the whole point of my comment. You see, it doesn't matter if you tell your crew to drop anchor or lower sails, because they won't do it. Not even if you explain it to them, they just stare t you with "poker faces". It is literally like the lag of internet connection. Sometimes it feels like a complete disconnect. Not that I mind it lol, I just leave the session, or let the ship sink. I was just being silly with my comment. I've been playing long enough to know how to do it and when to perfectly stop the ship, but when you tell someone to do something, and you put your trust in them, and nothing happens, well... that's time wasted on waiting, and valuable time required to raise those sails. Now the ship is too close to object in question to raise sails and slow down. Full speed ahead and you need to drop anchor, which is bothersome if successful and if not because you can't reach it well, too bad.