Jump to content

Sign in to follow this  
boomervoncannon

Post your idea for how to make sailing less dull.

Recommended Posts

I mean if you wanna play solo maybe dont play a multiplayer game ???

6 hours ago, Sheepshooter said:

So that the Solo-Bob can never handle anything bigger than a sloop...?!?!
So he has to join a company to get Bobs for the other tasks on the bigger ships...
So he no longer is Solo-Bob...

I like it... not...!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, boomervoncannon said:

I'm inclined to say don't force the playstyle of needing more players to run a ship, but incentivize it. You may have found sailing a ship solo boring, but some players are solo players at heart, and while they may enjoy interacting with others in a massive game world, they may not want to team up with them. This is a long established and perfectly acceptable playstyle in MMO's going back decades. This player should still have the ability to use NPC's to solo their ships if they wish, but you make a good point that most things are more fun for most people if done together, so in some way it should be advantageous to have actual human players as crew.

This incentive exists already for at least one person other than the captain if the ship intends to engage in combat because at least one person is needed to do damage control. This is the role I fill when playing with my gaming buddy while she captains the ship and I enjoy it a great deal. Others might not enjoy it so much and there should be other roles for when the ship is merely sailing for other reasons than looking to fight. I think part of the inherent challenge from a developers point of view here is that on a sailing ship there are many tasks that need doing, the vast majority of them are tedious from a gamer's perspective. Do you as a player really want to spend hours swabbing the deck? On a real ship it would need to be done, but in a game this is the type of thing best left for NPC's.

I'm just saying as in life you cant do ANYTHING on your own. You have to work with others. so having some mindless NPC take over vital roles in sailing. doesn't seem intuitive to me. And as you said there are a ton of roles when it comes to sailing but most of them are indeed boring. But a good game designer would know how to make games more engaging and fun.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I like the new waterspouts, they are easy mode compared to how they were when the game first launched however, instead of them rolling in randomly like they do on any day  maybe have entire, bad weather days, and on those days you get the chance of storms, only? idk, do know its kinda annoying how the waterspout events seem to be attracted to multiple ships in an area or something.  Fog and storms at sea, I actually like and I think they need things that will force you to stay awake at the helm like they have but, as well, introduce some rewards for it too and new things that will reward you for staying alert at the helm every time you are sailing.  Random events that reward not just ones that punish.  🙂 Edit: maybe, if you are sailing your way through a storm, random items/bp  have a chance of falling on your deck?  When fog rolls in, chance encounter of a good thing like, lost ai crew for free(or a some with talents that can only be gotten during this)  that can be rescued or something mystical, could happen?

I was looking through my old screenshots and remembered the old waterspout spam where they would cluster up soo bad , even if you were alert and good at sailing you were get blasted through the entire thing.. least now you can dip and dodge your way through them easy enough. lol

oldstormsatlas.jpg

Edited by Liatni

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Avius said:

I'm just saying as in life you cant do ANYTHING on your own. You have to work with others. so having some mindless NPC take over vital roles in sailing. doesn't seem intuitive to me. And as you said there are a ton of roles when it comes to sailing but most of them are indeed boring. But a good game designer would know how to make games more engaging and fun.

Can't do ANYTHING in life on your own? Like what? I can do anything I want to, alone.  Solo play cannot be penalized, it is a perfectly acceptable way to play, even in a MMO.

 

Good thread, @Boomernoncannon.

Definitely no warp speed sailing, I've made my opinions clear on this before.  

Currents, trade winds? I can't see an issue with that. As was said earlier, the expanse of the game is a core parr of it, don't take that away.

I'm one of those that is fine with the sailing.  There is no need to sail more than 4 or 5 zones except by choice.  For whales or for maps. All resources can be found within 4 or 5 zones, except for some, Ironwood for example.

I feel this is and was designed to be a more hardcore game. Not a game of instant gratification. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, 8ball said:

Can't do ANYTHING in life on your own? Like what? I can do anything I want to, alone.  Solo play cannot be penalized, it is a perfectly acceptable way to play, even in a MMO.

 

Good thread, @Boomernoncannon.

Definitely no warp speed sailing, I've made my opinions clear on this before.  

Currents, trade winds? I can't see an issue with that. As was said earlier, the expanse of the game is a core parr of it, don't take that away.

I'm one of those that is fine with the sailing.  There is no need to sail more than 4 or 5 zones except by choice.  For whales or for maps. All resources can be found within 4 or 5 zones, except for some, Ironwood for example.

I feel this is and was designed to be a more hardcore game. Not a game of instant gratification. 

Well, we have a saying. One hand cant clap.

Work, kids, sports and many other small and big examples. There are always other humans involved. And yeah, I do think solo play should get penalised. If you really were alone you'd go mad. Humans didn't reach the top of the food chain and dominate the planet by by being alone. They worked together. Simple natural selection, you belong to a group you survive you go off on your own, you die. Basic science.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
52 minutes ago, Avius said:

Well, we have a saying. One hand cant clap.

Work, kids, sports and many other small and big examples. There are always other humans involved. And yeah, I do think solo play should get penalised. If you really were alone you'd go mad. Humans didn't reach the top of the food chain and dominate the planet by by being alone. They worked together. Simple natural selection, you belong to a group you survive you go off on your own, you die. Basic science.

Playing solo does not mean alone. You have a singular point of view when it comes to life. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeh you rip into people who wanna play solo and then preach that humans must learn to get on if they wanna survive. Maybe that attitude is what makes people wanna play solo in the first place.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Avius said:

Well, we have a saying. One hand cant clap.

Work, kids, sports and many other small and big examples. There are always other humans involved. And yeah, I do think solo play should get penalised. If you really were alone you'd go mad. Humans didn't reach the top of the food chain and dominate the planet by by being alone. They worked together. Simple natural selection, you belong to a group you survive you go off on your own, you die. Basic science.

Are you really equating the survival of an entire species to a playstyle in a game?

The fact that many people have played MMO’s as solo players dating all the way back to the genre’s genesis with EQ without going mad is pretty much the only argument needed to show that your attempted analogy is flawed. Being isolated from all human contact can drive one mad, but playing an MMO solo is just a play style choice like pve vs pvp or preferring building to breeding as an activity. In an MMO game design should not revolve around solo play since the games by their nature are designed first and foremost with group play in mind, but neither should they be particularly penalized because of your arbitrary preferences as a player.

By the way, there is already a built in penalty for playing solo. Many hands make light work. Solo players aren’t (mostly) stupid. By and large they know this but forgo teamwork for perfectly valid gaming choice reasons.

Edited by boomervoncannon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Whitehawk said:

Yeh you rip into people who wanna play solo and then preach that humans must learn to get on if they wanna survive. Maybe that attitude is what makes people wanna play solo in the first place.

Rip into people??? Have I offended you with my words? Cause I dont see anything offensive. I am just sharing my thoughts

2 hours ago, 8ball said:

Playing solo does not mean alone. You have a singular point of view when it comes to life. 

Great argument! I love how you based my point of view on LIFE using three sentences that I said. Great Job mate. I applaud you

27 minutes ago, boomervoncannon said:

Are you really equating the survival of an entire species to a playstyle in a game?

The fact that many people have played MMO’s as solo players dating all the way back to the genre’s genesis with EQ without going mad is pretty much the only argument needed to show that your attempted analogy is flawed. Being isolated from all human contact can drive one mad, but playing an MMO solo is just a play style choice like pve vs pvp or preferring building to breeding as an activity. In an MMO game design should not revolve around solo play since the games by their nature are designed first and foremost with group play in mind, but neither should they be particularly penalized because of your arbitrary preferences as a player.

By the way, there is already a built in penalty for playing solo. Many hands make light work. Solo players aren’t (mostly) stupid. By and large they know this but forgo teamwork for perfectly valid gaming choice reasons.

"Are you really equating the survival of an entire species to a playstyle in a game?"

It's business. it's an income source for some people (devs who made it). And it's just an analogy, as you said. I dont mind solo play, I certainly played many games solo. But the way the game is designed doesnt really cater to solo players. That however doesnt mean they are not welcomed. As you said they will be playing with a handicap. Some people enjoy that I get it. 

Will that stop me from sharing my thoughts on the forums? No.

Should it stop you from disagreeing? No.

 

Anyway, we have digressed from my original idea of not letting NPCs take care of, in my opinion, the most fun activities you can do in the game. Shooting the cannons and handling the sails.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, Avius said:

I mean if you wanna play solo maybe dont play a multiplayer game ???

33 minutes ago, boomervoncannon said:

By the way, there is already a built in penalty for playing solo. Many hands make light work. Solo players aren’t (mostly) stupid. By and large they know this but forgo teamwork for perfectly valid gaming choice reasons.

2 hours ago, 8ball said:

Playing solo does not mean alone.

 

Perhaps Avius is a little brutal in his presentation. I would have used the metaphor that I enjoy jerking off, but it is soo much more fun with a suitable partner to assist me. However I believe his sentiment is in the right place. I was personally appalled when I found out about the extent of the NPC crew. The necessity to have other people, real people, that have to work together for tasks of all sizes is a core component of an MMO. Everyone should realize this doesn't exactly feel like other MMOs, and a big part of that is due to the fact that NPCs make it so you don't need other people for 99% of all things in this game. I consider this a mechanical flaw in the game. I get that it is needed to assist defense while you are offline, but holy hell, what a cop out. 

Here's my problem, they create an incentive to NOT use real people....because the NPCs are better than real people. Imagine having 5 people below deck shooting cannons, and how accurate they will be compared to NPCs on auto fire against say, a SoTD. The NPCs are crack shots and fire in sync as fast as possible. The NPCs should never be preferable to live people. I for one would be perfectly fine with removing NPCs from the game entirely in an attempt to foster more of a multiplayer aspect to the game. I LOVED having my mates in Sea of Thieves work cannons, sails or helm. It puts more of an emphasis on skill and teamwork over who found better god damn BPs.

I also don't believe removing them would be a penalty to solo players. This is supposed to be an MMORPG after all. Group play should have as much incentive as possible. The Galleon should absolutely be something that a group can use to much greater effect than a solo person simply due to its nature. As a solo I can still sail a brig on my own, but I wouldn't be very good at combat. Doesn't this sounds like it is how it should be, as opposed to how it is now.

Let's not forget my hairy palmed friends, there IS a setting for solo palyer's, and nothing said here about the MMO side would, or is intended to,  affect that in theory. This is not to even mention private servers.

Boomer, I was gunna say something about how an incentive to play in a group is not the same thing as a disincentive to play solo. However as I read it back out loud I realized I was being retarded.

8Ball, bro, read your sentence out loud. Playing solo is literally the definition of playing alone.

 

-CS

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

NPCs actually have worse range and reload on cannons, compared to people. It's an issue in pvp, shoreline defences with NPCS not only get out stat'd by ships, they get out ranged by people. Also, these days I find their aim has less hax. I do remember those days of large cannons on deck and NPCs autoaim at render distance through the fog, but can't remember the last time I saw that happen recently.

I play solo, but not really by choice as the only other 4 people I played with are not able to play anymore (real life things, new jobs, babies, etc) if you took away my NPCS i would cry.

edit: If my crewmembers did join me on a ship, I would make an NPC walk the plank, and I do see why people say they want NPCs to not have the ability to do everything. At the same time, I really love that NPCs can do everything and do what they're told.

Also, fog and waterspouts are cool, I live in tundra and the fog is always fun. However, I just wish the waterspouts didn't auto aim, and the fog was less blinding at times (fog is an issue from ark and it's sort of better in Atlas but there is still times that you get blinded)

Edited by eeeceee

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Some people remain single in real life, that doesn't mean they want to go outside and find the whole world empty. some people play solo in mmo's the same way, they like solo gaming but also enjoy the chat and company of others from time to time with no commitment issues. But as for npc's, I'd much rather sail with real people for all the obvious reasons, chat, initiative etc. But sometimes being in a company can be a pain in the ane, especially when arguments break out or sulking starts. So I do see the point in both solo and group play.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 I have an amazing idea that will change the way you transport items from server to server Island to Island.

 What if I could have a ship dock that is a transport so I would click on it create it and set a location server Island to go to loaded up with all the resources then click Send and this ship will appear at the other Island at a set time like 2 hours 4 hours and you'll have 24 hours to unload it before the ship leaves but you'll have to have a dock on the other Island also for this special ship you would not have to drive it it would just transport things for you.

Edited by Ne01011

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Avius said:

Rip into people??? Have I offended you with my words? Cause I dont see anything offensive. I am just sharing my thoughts

Great argument! I love how you based my point of view on LIFE using three sentences that I said. Great Job mate. I applaud you

"Are you really equating the survival of an entire species to a playstyle in a game?"

It's business. it's an income source for some people (devs who made it). And it's just an analogy, as you said. I dont mind solo play, I certainly played many games solo. But the way the game is designed doesnt really cater to solo players. That however doesnt mean they are not welcomed. As you said they will be playing with a handicap. Some people enjoy that I get it. 

Will that stop me from sharing my thoughts on the forums? No.

Should it stop you from disagreeing? No.

 

Anyway, we have digressed from my original idea of not letting NPCs take care of, in my opinion, the most fun activities you can do in the game. Shooting the cannons and handling the sails.

I only disagreed because you specifically endorsed penalizing solo play. As a general rule of game development, penalizing anything that doesn't negatively impact your game is a poor business decision. The vast majority of the time, incentivizing what you would prefer players to do is a better choice than penalizing player choice that doesn't directly negatively impact others. So from a business perspective I would say penalizing solo play is also not the way to go, while incentivizing teaming in an MMO probably is. When you give players options that let them control their play experience, that creates agency for the player. Games that do well often succeed in maximizing player agency, games that do poorly often minimize it, all other factors being equal.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Chucksteak said:

 

Perhaps Avius is a little brutal in his presentation. I would have used the metaphor that I enjoy jerking off, but it is soo much more fun with a suitable partner to assist me. However I believe his sentiment is in the right place. I was personally appalled when I found out about the extent of the NPC crew. The necessity to have other people, real people, that have to work together for tasks of all sizes is a core component of an MMO. Everyone should realize this doesn't exactly feel like other MMOs, and a big part of that is due to the fact that NPCs make it so you don't need other people for 99% of all things in this game. I consider this a mechanical flaw in the game. I get that it is needed to assist defense while you are offline, but holy hell, what a cop out. 

Here's my problem, they create an incentive to NOT use real people....because the NPCs are better than real people. Imagine having 5 people below deck shooting cannons, and how accurate they will be compared to NPCs on auto fire against say, a SoTD. The NPCs are crack shots and fire in sync as fast as possible. The NPCs should never be preferable to live people. I for one would be perfectly fine with removing NPCs from the game entirely in an attempt to foster more of a multiplayer aspect to the game. I LOVED having my mates in Sea of Thieves work cannons, sails or helm. It puts more of an emphasis on skill and teamwork over who found better god damn BPs.

I also don't believe removing them would be a penalty to solo players. This is supposed to be an MMORPG after all. Group play should have as much incentive as possible. The Galleon should absolutely be something that a group can use to much greater effect than a solo person simply due to its nature. As a solo I can still sail a brig on my own, but I wouldn't be very good at combat. Doesn't this sounds like it is how it should be, as opposed to how it is now.

Let's not forget my hairy palmed friends, there IS a setting for solo palyer's, and nothing said here about the MMO side would, or is intended to,  affect that in theory. This is not to even mention private servers.

Boomer, I was gunna say something about how an incentive to play in a group is not the same thing as a disincentive to play solo. However as I read it back out loud I realized I was being retarded.

8Ball, bro, read your sentence out loud. Playing solo is literally the definition of playing alone.

 

-CS

 

You bring up a great point. NPC's are currently the better option for cannons and sails even if players would prefer to play with each other. I've never understood why Atlas NPC's had the same stat values as players when they largely aren't doing the things players are. Revamping NPC stats so they were more relevant to the roles NPC's typically have would make more sense, but while doing that revamp, NPC's need to be made less perfect out of the box at those key roles, because you are dead on about how this creates a disincentive for players to play together. I'd favor NPC's that were slow but passable out of the box at cannons and sails, but had stats that let them improve at these things as you leveled them, with the goal of being worse at it than the average player, instead of AI perfect.

Regarding catching yourself before typing something foolish, I swear I have never ever done that. Every thought comes out of my head perfect and pristine. I totally do not ever start to type something, look at it, decide it's completely wrong and change my mind before hitting submit.

Nope.

Never.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
50 minutes ago, Ne01011 said:

 I have an amazing idea that will change the way you transport items from server to server Island to Island.

 What if I could have a ship dock that is a transport so I would click on it create it and set a location server Island to go to loaded up with all the resources then click Send and this ship will appear at the other Island at a set time like 2 hours 4 hours and you'll have 24 hours to unload it before the ship leaves but you'll have to have a dock on the other Island also for this special ship you would not have to drive it it would just transport things for you.

Sooooooo, your suggestion is that we should take the sailing part out of the sailing/pirate game? I mean Atlas is already a pirate game in theory that has no actual piracy in it, so why not? Let's just get rid of the sailing bit too and we can all roast marshmellows at Realist's place and sing camp songs and ride around on some of these new tames that make no florfing sense and look like someone's bad acid trip.  While we're at it we could build a huge sign with enormous letters as big as a galleon's mainmast for the benefit of anyone foolish enough to actually build and sail a ship for no discernible purpose that says:

WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

 

Edited by boomervoncannon

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 I think you misunderstood what I was saying having a way to transport resources from an already established Island to another already established Island.  also you would only be able to make one of these ducks not a bunch.  how do you get around in Atlas to find resources you sail 2 Islands to find them once found you farm build a dock pile up the resources send the ship on its way. Then you have to get on the water and look for more you're still sailing it's just taking the transportation and the weight issue out of the equation.

 you would still need to sail to point A to point B, you would still need to sail to find resources.  you would still need to sell a lot for almost everything the game requires everything that requires resource transportation from your Island to another one of your Islands would be handled by a ship that you would create, which you would need to sail to get the resources also to make.

Having marshmallow Siri roast on a fire would be amazing too..

Edited by Ne01011

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, Ne01011 said:

 I think you misunderstood what I was saying having a way to transport resources from an already established Island to another already established Island.  also you would only be able to make one of these ducks not a bunch.  how do you get around in Atlas to find resources you sail 2 Islands to find them once found you farm build a dock pile up the resources send the ship on its way. Then you have to get on the water and look for more you're still sailing it's just taking the transportation and the weight issue out of the equation.

 you would still need to sail to point A to point B, you would still need to sail to find resources.  you would still need to sell a lot for almost everything the game requires everything that requires resource transportation from your Island to another one of your Islands would be handled by a ship that you would create, which you would need to sail to get the resources also to make.

Having marshmallow Siri roast on a fire would be amazing too..

It's always possible I misunderstood, so let me clarify my understanding: What you would propose would reduce the need for a player to actually do the sailing to transport materials back and forth, so long as it is between already explored islands where at least one of them has pre built dock. As you clarified this would not reduce the need to build the ship, but would also add the need to build the dock. But the goal of your proposal is to reduce the need for players to sail back and forth to deliver materials, have I correctly understood your suggestion?

If that is the case, my previous response stands. Since Atlas has not been billed as a shipyard simulator but rather a pirate fantasy game, my objection is based around the idea that solutions should make sailing more interesting, not solve the problem of tedious sailing by reducing sailing overall. Additionally, your proposal is problematic within the pvp realm of the game. Will the ships you propose be attackable by other players? If so, then the reality would very likely be that no one in pvp would use them because they would prove to vulnerable to attack (game developers have historically rarely made any such attackable transportation mechanic stronger than actual player protection could likely provide). If these ships were not attackable by other players, they arguably server as a mechanic which short circuits what is presently the only possible scenario in either pvp or pve where actual piracy can take place, as pvp players would forgo the risk of shipping their own materials to use the mechanic.

Ultimately this idea seems likely to reduce sailing in what is supposed to be a sailing oriented game. I realize it might come from a very well intentioned place of attempting to reduce tedium, but I am of the opinion that if you can't make sailing more interesting, Atlas is doomed anyway, so simply reducing theamount of sailing instead of focusing on making it more interesting isn't within that context desirable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, Ne01011 said:

 I think you misunderstood what I was saying having a way to transport resources from an already established Island to another already established Island.  also you would only be able to make one of these ducks not a bunch.  how do you get around in Atlas to find resources you sail 2 Islands to find them once found you farm build a dock pile up the resources send the ship on its way. Then you have to get on the water and look for more you're still sailing it's just taking the transportation and the weight issue out of the equation.

 you would still need to sail to point A to point B, you would still need to sail to find resources.  you would still need to sell a lot for almost everything the game requires everything that requires resource transportation from your Island to another one of your Islands would be handled by a ship that you would create, which you would need to sail to get the resources also to make.

Having marshmallow Siri roast on a fire would be amazing too..

Yeah, Boomer is being nice. Your idea has clearly not been thought out very well. You removed any ability to be a pirate. You made it so no ship will ever be worth pirating as they are all only empty discovery ships. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you play PvE and as such probably don't understand how the game was intended to play out.

You need to build things with different resources. They put different resources in different locations. 

You have to go find and harvest these resources. Someone can attempt to pirate your ship (RISK)

You might decide to build a base here if its a better location. (REWARD)

Then you have to take them back to your base, or one way or another get all resources in 1 location. Someone can pirate your ship WITH the resources (RISK)

Now you can build what you wanted to. (REWARD)

Its called a Risk/Reward system.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

npc on swivels, dont need to aim and dont miss.. the moment something comes into range BAM, dead. (top deck ones can one shot ai on other ships or players boarding a ship, often, that way)  I think this is an example of what the devs meant by changing the way AI work and the "missing" bit?

I would actually like an setting on the wheel for them to Only attack wildlife that is attacking you/yourbuild/tames.. like the beasts have the settings to passive, aggressive and -> neutral . right now, npc on weapons only are passive or aggressive. unless I am missing something here 😛 attack my target would be interesting too. heh

Edited by Liatni

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Want to make sailing less dull in PvP?  More ships at sea.  This can be done a million different ways.  The easiest is more people playing the game meaning more congested seas and more chances at encounters.  After that I have seen lots of ideas worth exploring like getting rid of ship levels.  Just differentiate ships based on modules used like Eve.  Make it easier to build a ship.  Those are good starting points. 

After that you can add more content as needed.  I honestly hate the idea of making ships faster.  They are already pretty fast.  I can set sail going north and end up back at my island in a little over 4 hours.  I did his with a schooner making a Powerstone run on the far side of the map and the wind made it easier to get home just heading the same direction so I circumnavigated the glove.  This world needs to remain huge and have areas out of the way for most otherwise even 10k people will be waaaaaaaaaaaay to crowded.  I doubt we'll ever see 40k like they advertised, but 10k would be a good number and the world needs to remain huge to do this. 

Edited by DocHolliday

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, DocHolliday said:

Make it easier to build a ship.  

Please dont... we are almost at the point were they could just give us the spawn command for ships... making them cheaper still gets them out at sea...  still too easy to sink them anchored... hell it is still too easy to sink them with ship cannons, which is not how it worked in RL (hard to sink a ship with cannon balls, but good for disabling the crew). Why should anyone pirate a ship when it is easier to sink and loot it...? Why should anyone risk a ship if sinking a guaranty...?

Make them more expensive... make the crew the thing you disable... make pirating ships finally an option...

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 9/3/2019 at 4:28 PM, Avius said:

Rip into people??? Have I offended you with my words? Cause I dont see anything offensive. I am just sharing my thoughts

Great argument! I love how you based my point of view on LIFE using three sentences that I said. Great Job mate. I applaud you

"Are you really equating the survival of an entire species to a playstyle in a game?"

It's business. it's an income source for some people (devs who made it). And it's just an analogy, as you said. I dont mind solo play, I certainly played many games solo. But the way the game is designed doesnt really cater to solo players. That however doesnt mean they are not welcomed. As you said they will be playing with a handicap. Some people enjoy that I get it. 

Will that stop me from sharing my thoughts on the forums? No.

Should it stop you from disagreeing? No.

 

Anyway, we have digressed from my original idea of not letting NPCs take care of, in my opinion, the most fun activities you can do in the game. Shooting the cannons and handling the sails.

Hey, you brought up life and your singular view. Would you rather I assume or base my thought on what you actually stated.  

 

On 9/3/2019 at 4:50 PM, Chucksteak said:

 

Perhaps Avius is a little brutal in his presentation. I would have used the metaphor that I enjoy jerking off, but it is soo much more fun with a suitable partner to assist me. However I believe his sentiment is in the right place. I was personally appalled when I found out about the extent of the NPC crew. The necessity to have other people, real people, that have to work together for tasks of all sizes is a core component of an MMO. Everyone should realize this doesn't exactly feel like other MMOs, and a big part of that is due to the fact that NPCs make it so you don't need other people for 99% of all things in this game. I consider this a mechanical flaw in the game. I get that it is needed to assist defense while you are offline, but holy hell, what a cop out. 

Here's my problem, they create an incentive to NOT use real people....because the NPCs are better than real people. Imagine having 5 people below deck shooting cannons, and how accurate they will be compared to NPCs on auto fire against say, a SoTD. The NPCs are crack shots and fire in sync as fast as possible. The NPCs should never be preferable to live people. I for one would be perfectly fine with removing NPCs from the game entirely in an attempt to foster more of a multiplayer aspect to the game. I LOVED having my mates in Sea of Thieves work cannons, sails or helm. It puts more of an emphasis on skill and teamwork over who found better god damn BPs.

I also don't believe removing them would be a penalty to solo players. This is supposed to be an MMORPG after all. Group play should have as much incentive as possible. The Galleon should absolutely be something that a group can use to much greater effect than a solo person simply due to its nature. As a solo I can still sail a brig on my own, but I wouldn't be very good at combat. Doesn't this sounds like it is how it should be, as opposed to how it is now.

Let's not forget my hairy palmed friends, there IS a setting for solo palyer's, and nothing said here about the MMO side would, or is intended to,  affect that in theory. This is not to even mention private servers.

Boomer, I was gunna say something about how an incentive to play in a group is not the same thing as a disincentive to play solo. However as I read it back out loud I realized I was being retarded.

8Ball, bro, read your sentence out loud. Playing solo is literally the definition of playing alone.

 

-CS

 

Wrong, playing solo does not mean alone. See, in an MMO, you can interact with other people, ally up, work together when needed, trade, etc.

As far as NPC's, they are a necessity. I prefer sailing with others in my company however, how many companies can crew a fully equipped galleon?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
20 hours ago, Sheepshooter said:

Please dont... we are almost at the point were they could just give us the spawn command for ships... making them cheaper still gets them out at sea...  still too easy to sink them anchored... hell it is still too easy to sink them with ship cannons, which is not how it worked in RL (hard to sink a ship with cannon balls, but good for disabling the crew). Why should anyone pirate a ship when it is easier to sink and loot it...? Why should anyone risk a ship if sinking a guaranty...?

Make them more expensive... make the crew the thing you disable... make pirating ships finally an option...

The harder you make ships to build the less you'll see at sea because people will not want to lose them.  They have already stated part of the roadmap they want people at sea and making ships more accessible is part of that strategy. 

 

If they can find a way to make boarding and capturing ships much much easier I am willing to listen.  At this time I don't see them doing this. 

Edited by DocHolliday
  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In short, I like the sailing speed as is, for almost everything but the longer journeys.

1. The suggestions to have jet streams like the RL golf stream is excellent. It should add enough speed to make the detour worthwhile. It should also make any type of encounter or interaction virtually impossible. It could be further enhanced by a tacking mode that could be called 'sleek' ... extra speed at the price of some extra decay? Also, maybe NOT allow fast travel to and from a ship on a jetstream or one that is in a cooldown after coming out of it.

2. The wind used to be predictable when you went from one quadrant to the next. That consistency might or might not be gone, but it was essential to the immersion and vital to planning. The same is true for timeofday.

3. As a crewmember the longer voyages are an opportunity to converse more, but honestly most of the time we hopped over to the galleon when needed and kept doing usefull stuff until the time was right. A two man crew while travelling was sufficient for every situation.
Making the travel time more interesting for a passenger would require an actual mini-game (not the micro-game that only irritates). Fishing was a good attempt. The dancing-and-singing offers another opportunity but only for those that have invested in that branch.
Map studies, course plotting or journal interactions would all be thematicly correct.
Doing something with the NPCs might be the more interesting option: why not have boxing matches or throw darts or play cards ... and when I say 'or' I mean 'and'. Once we get 'mating' in game this whole matter might become obsolete but let's assume it will be as uninteresting as the animal mating. You could still make it a requirement to create offspring while sailing. (That would not make sense to me but it would be one more reason to sail.)

4. The fog on sea is rubbish. In RL it does not happen. The visual effect like the cold front happens, but fog reaquires windstill conditions. Anyway it sucks to have to stop so often. If you want to keep that, please introduce a form of radar as a skill.
For landmasses the sextant buff provides the equivalent of radar in foggy wheather, but for other ships we are blind.

5. Please add the danger of having too much sail with respect to the amount of wind. Let us capsize. Let us break masts or tear sails. Give us another reason to invest in better masts.

6. Please implement the 'deliver to location X' solution in Atlas that Ark Extinction added with similar obstacles and vulnerabilities. It would  be different than in Ark as we would have to calculate when the packages would fall down to the ground and plan for it. Also there might be extra skills involved in being able to send and being able to track and being able to spy/spot/shoot down?

7. It's also a fantasy game. I (reluctantly) accept we can sail backwards and make way straight into the wind (by imagening we have motors). So why not go one step further and allow a magic caster to create a bubble around a ship that lets it sail under an other-worldly wind (like the SoTD do). It could be a singular cast, not impacting combat only longer trajectories.

8. Give us competences that can ONLY be achieved through sailing. Make it worthwhile to be an experienced sailor both on and off the ship.

Edited by wandelaar
  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...