Why Sea of Thieves Deserves a True Character Creator

  • Hammertox
    Rogue
    Insider

    Deep Personalization

    A character creator would allow for deeper, more meaningful personalization. Players could not only choose their physical appearance in great detail but also refine their character to better reflect their identity or personal play style. This would increase immersion and the emotional connection players have with their pirate avatar.

    Diversity and Inclusion

    A comprehensive character creation system would offer more options for representing various body types, skin tones, hairstyles, and facial features. This would allow for greater inclusion and give all players the opportunity to see themselves represented in the game, thereby promoting a more welcoming and diverse playing space.

    Creative Expression

    Character customization is a form of creative expression. By allowing players to create their own pirate, Sea of Thieves would open the door to endless unique combinations, encouraging players to be creative and share their creations with the community. This would enrich the gameplay experience and stimulate community engagement.

    Competitive Edge

    In an increasingly competitive gaming landscape, offering a detailed character creator could give Sea of Thieves a distinct advantage over other games. It could attract new players and retain the interest of existing ones, all drawn by the promise of creating and personalizing their own legendary pirate.

    Storytelling and Role-Play

    An improved character creator would enrich the storytelling and role-play aspect of Sea of Thieves. Players could create characters with unique backstories, influencing how they play and interact with the world and other players. This would add an extra layer of depth and satisfaction to the game.

    In conclusion, integrating a true character creator into Sea of Thieves would offer a multitude of benefits, from deep personalization and inclusion to creative expression and enhanced storytelling. It would represent a significant step forward for the game, reinforcing its commitment to an immersive and welcoming experience for all players.

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  • BurnBacon
    Champion
    Insider

    And thus 2 things.

    1. Everyone will look alike.
    2. We are starting to cross the border between, RL and Gaming.
  • WolfManbush
    Legend

    It's one of those things that might not happen but if it did happen it would largely be supported and appreciated by the community.

    6 years in and an environment that has changed throughout those years I don't see any point in opposing it as I think that there are more pros than cons in current SoT than pre-captaincy.

    As far as "worth the resources?" goes, there are very few changes that would be relevant to most people as this one would be, so overall it would have to be considered worth the resources (if they decide to do it) just based on it being something that would improve QoL/opportunity for mass amounts of players.

  • ThaGoochiestMan
    Master
    Insider

    I agree.

    There are already many things that can turn off players or give them the impression that this game "isn't for them," and IMO the character creator (the entry point for new players) should absolutely not contribute to that.

    It seems like it would just make pretty obvious business sense, and if the community of players is diverse you would assume that there would be just as much diversity among characters, regardless of customization-options.

    It's just strange that as most every other game is giving players more and more character-customization options, SoT has been steadfast in their commitment to doing the opposite. Gotta respect that I guess.

  • Olde Grim Jack
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    I played this game when it was first released and absolutely HATED Sea of Thieves because of the terrible character creation. I didn't play for YEARS because I hated the character creation so much and was hoping they'd fix it before I came back, it was such a turn off to me. I felt no connection to my avatar like I did in every single other MMO I've ever played.

    The gameplay in this game is unmatched, but your first impression of the game is the awful character customization, which many take as a bad omen for what's to come and aren't willing to play without some hardcore convincing and peer pressure from other friends. Like seriously, there have been TENS OF THOUSANDS of players who have bought this game, spent an hour trying to select a decent pirate and ended up rage-quitting and or refunding the game out of aggravation.

    And for what? Because SOME of the devs are scared people are going to make their pirates 'too beautiful'? I assure you, in other pirate games I've played, just as many people make hideous characters on purpose as they do beautiful characters. This sort of thing balances itself out, all you need to do is give more power and freedom to the hands of the players and they will be happier for it.

    Seriously, I'm a HUGE fan of both online open world sandboxes and pirates. This game spoke to me on such a deep level, it's everything I've ever wanted except for the HORRIBLE avatar selection which literally had me raging and s**t-talking on this game for 5 YEARS before I decided to give it another try. All the devs need to know.. regardless of their ideals and personal artistic vision.. those things are all completely irrelevant regarding this subject because the this game has the worst character creation of any game I've ever played and this game's entire reward system is BASED ON COSMETICS AND PLAYER CUSTOMIZATION. What.. the..hell.. are.. they.. thinking..?

    How could such a great game have such a MAJOR design flaw for an entire decade straight? Blows my freakin' mind like nothing else.

  • D3ADST1CK
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    I think the claims that adding more character customization would create an influx of sales or that the current IPG turns people off enough to not even play are wildly overstated.

    If they want to change it, that's cool but I suspect they are fine with it as-is.

  • Hammertox
    Rogue
    Insider

    @burnbacon

    It obviously depends on the options that the developer decides to incorporate. True self-expression comes with a wide range of choices: body types, everything that the current random generator offers should be included and much more. It's not just about aesthetically pleasing options. Some players might want to have a menacing look, others to embody an old crumbly figure who has lost all his teeth. There will be those who continue to choose corpulent characters, etc. It's also important to be able to truly choose one's ethnicity for those who wish to identify a bit more, with more diversified skin colors better representing different ethnicities, etc.

  • GameGlarb
    Seafarer

    @burnbacon i don’t really see how not being able to customize your character how you want is “better” because some people might choose a similar look. “Repetition” is in my opinion a weak argument against a full character creator.

  • Blue Sfumato
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @gameglarb said in Why Sea of Thieves Deserves a True Character Creator:

    I don’t really see how not being able to customize your character how you want is “better” because some people might choose a similar look. “Repetition” is in my opinion a weak argument against a full character creator.

    The suggestions board on this forum is basically a form of entertainment for some people (me included). If you look over the posting history for the past 6 months it is the same 10-15 people baiting new users into argumnets at the expense of the moderators. It took me a while to figure it out. The unfortunate part is that it drives people away and gives them a bad impression of the community. As much grief as I give Look Behind You, I would not moderate this community for any sum of money ever.

  • BurnBacon
    Champion
    Insider

    Let try another look.

    This would increase immersion and the emotional connection players have with their pirate avatar.

    Who is this directed at? You are the pirate. How they look or appear should be less of a concern, seeing you never really directly view your own Pirate. And I frankly never hear anyone say "Hey Nice looking pirate. Looks like you if you were a pirate"

    A comprehensive character creation system would offer more options for representing various body types, skin tones, hairstyles, and facial features.

    That why we have millions of Cosmetics from clothes, Hair and beards. Besides body shape, you can pretty much change your pirare to suit how you want them to be.

    By allowing players to create their own pirate, Sea of Thieves would open the door to endless unique combinations

    No. I would see a lot of Pirates dressed as Jack Sparrow, look like there favorite Streamer, or worse...Skinny, dark skin and all dark clothes. (Perfect tucker) so do speak. It wont be Unique.
    We already have "endless combinations" by result of being random.

    This would enrich the gameplay experience and stimulate community engagement.

    I wish people would explain these small details. How would this improve the experience or community? Who is this working toward? Beauty police?

    offering a detailed character creator could give Sea of Thieves a distinct advantage over other games.

    Or be like every other game out there that has exactly what everyone seems to want. Messy slider avatar creator.
    No creator from any game is "perfect" and always lacks. But at least SoT has it randomly created pirates and no 2 pirates look alike.

    An improved character creator would enrich the storytelling and role-play aspect of Sea of Thieves. Players could create characters with unique backstories, influencing how they play and interact with the world and other players.

    I can already do this by simply Saying so. That is the freedom of storytelling and roleplaying. Dont need no fancy way to dress or creation of myself. Say your a pirate who has 1 eye and however it was lost, why they have the Gold curse and how come they are super fat. ^_^

    integrating a true character creator into Sea of Thieves would offer a multitude of benefits

    Have yet to name one that actual benefits the need.

    It would represent a significant step forward for the game, reinforcing its commitment to an immersive and welcoming experience for all players.

    Or Step back. From everyone looking different to a group of friends all dressed and looking alike.
    In the end, it has a hidden meaning behind it and request without stepping on toes.

    If you make the "perfect pirate" that looks the way you always want it. Why would you ever buy a Potion to change it?
    So far, a lot of pirates do buy the potion to change there Look, over and over again. That be $$ lose.

  • Gavaroc the Red
    Sailor

    @blue-sfumato said in Why Sea of Thieves Deserves a True Character Creator:

    The suggestions board on this forum is basically a form of entertainment for some people (me included). If you look over the posting history for the past 6 months it is the same 10-15 people baiting new users into argumnets at the expense of the moderators. It took me a while to figure it out. The unfortunate part is that it drives people away and gives them a bad impression of the community. As much grief as I give Look Behind You, I would not moderate this community for any sum of money ever.

    I -adore- the fact that right after you posted this we get a giant multi-paragraph point-by-point quoting-spree argument post from the same guy I've seen in like ten of these topics, always arguing against the suggestion in great detail at every possible level. But hey, I'm new here, for all I know there's a secret commendation where if you do this on 1,000 topics you get a 'HUZZAH THE STATUS QUO!' flag for your ship. Maybe a "Defender Of The Way Things Are" title

    For what it's worth, I, a player of the game, also vouch for this suggestion: Character-Creators Good, Counter-Arguments Silly. I will not be taking questions at this time.

  • OtherFanboy
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    @hammertox naaaa there so much charm in our goober lot of pirates I've had mine since day one and wouldn't change him for nothing shoot I rarely change his outfit at this point

  • Gavaroc the Red
    Sailor

    Okay I can't resist, I will do a TEENY TINY argue, as a treat -

    Plenty of folks wouldn't change, and good for them! But its very silly to 'no' an idea just because you wouldn't personally go for it. xD

    Let people have things when those things don't affect you! A hypothetical character creator change wouldn't suddenly prompt everybody to redo their existing pirates, that'd be madness.

  • D3ADST1CK
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    @gavaroc-the-red said in Why Sea of Thieves Deserves a True Character Creator:

    Okay I can't resist, I will do a TEENY TINY argue, as a treat -

    Plenty of folks wouldn't change, and good for them! But its very silly to 'no' an idea just because you wouldn't personally go for it. xD

    Let people have things when those things don't affect you! A hypothetical character creator change wouldn't suddenly prompt everybody to redo their existing pirates, that'd be madness.

    The thinking is more that Rare, who have had problems keeping up with scheduled content updates over the last year and a half shouldn't divert resources towards something that doesn't affect gameplay at all. If they have time to do that and keep delivering seasonal content that's awesome. If we get a "Character Creator" season that I'll never use, that seems like a waste to me.

    The only time it would have made sense to do it, if Rare thought it was an issue or needed to be improved, would have been now before the huge influx of new PS5 players show up. It doesn't seem like it's on their radar at all.

  • Gavaroc the Red
    Sailor

    Well that's good news - if you don't think it's on their radar, then people asking for it shouldn't worry you!

  • D3ADST1CK
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    @gavaroc-the-red Explaining the reality of why they haven't changed the character creator in 6 years shouldn't bother anyone either, but here we are.

  • ValkyriSlays
    Rogue

    I would buy so many cosmetics if my character wasn't awful. Every time I try it on, I go "nope, no point."

  • Hammertox
    Rogue
    Insider

    Following many discussions, I would like to suggest the following improvement: a filter for the character creator. This would maintain the element of randomness while allowing players to lock in certain aspects. The filter could enforce or exclude specific character traits—let's leave it to Rare to decide the specifics. For example, the filter could be used to request only female or male characters, or only elderly characters, or to choose an ethnic origin, etc. The filter could lock in one, two, or three traits.

    In the case of three traits (which seems like a good maximum), one could choose, for example, a character who is elderly, muscular, and of a specific ethnic background. This approach would offer a balance between the game's existing randomness and the players' desire for more personalization.

  • AlienMagi
    Captain
    Insider

    @burnbacon said in Why Sea of Thieves Deserves a True Character Creator:

    And thus 2 things.

    1. Everyone will look alike.
    2. We are starting to cross the border between, RL and Gaming.

    Your arguments have been debunked over 100 times in other threads on this topic and you ran and ignored all of them. I dont think anyone is taking your copypasta seriously anymore.

  • Selgewick
    Master

    I actually like Random Pirate Generator. It's more Fun and Interesting, then Building yer own "Perfect Pirate".

  • Olde Grim Jack
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    @hammertox That's literally the least they could do, and it would save hours and hours of time and a ton of frustration during avatar selection. I don't think the player customization potion is nearly as profitable as they think it is, and I can almost guarantee that it actually discourages players from investing further into cosmetics within this game, especially with the time it takes to select a decent pirate. It may be monetarily very cheap, but it's expensive in time; especially to casual weekend, or after work/school players.

    Most cases:

    • People want to jump into the game to play with friends
    • They rush the avatar selection
    • They have fun, but don't like their ugly pirate very much
    • They now don't think it's wise to invest real money on their ugly pirate
    • They don't think it's worth the real money, but mainly they can't afford the time to spend hours looking to select the perfect avatar, especially when their friends are rushing them to start playing
    • They continue to not invest money into their pirate appearance

    Some cases.. if they truly end up falling in love with the game..

    • They break down and buy the $1.50 potion appearance potion
    • They spend a very frustrating hour looking for a decent pirate
    • They get angry and settle for an OK pirate
    • They still can't justify purchasing emporium clothing for their OK pirate
    • Best case scenario.. they only purchase the few costume cosmetics that entirely cover their pirate's ugly face.
  • Captain Fatroll
    Seafarer
    Insider

    I agree with this, but I kinda like how it is now because there are no pirates that look exactly the same, plus you'll be super happy once you find that one pirate that you like. It's kinda like real life, you can really choose how you'll look once your born

  • Soul514y3r
    Seafarer

    Is it only me who did not know how the pirate selector worked and got a perfect pirate (for me) within 2 minutes?

  • whalelordgames
    Master
    Insider

    I rolled for 4 hours to get my pirate. I think instead of a full fledged customization there should be sliders when randomly generating, such as gender, hero/villain, and young/old. Here is a link to a thread exactly about how the pirates are randomly generated, they just have to give people more control.

  • Lena Pyro
    Castaway

    I truly don't understand those that argue "well, pirates are supposed to be ugly and rough looking!!!" Have we not seen the same NPC's that Rare has created? Especially the females? How are we going to argue that pirates aren't supposed to be pretty, but then have NPCs like Belle, Larinna, Madame Olga, etc.?

    Additionally, when it comes to "well, then everyone's pirates are gonna look the same," this is just not true depending on how Rare tackles character creation. Take Baldur's Gate 3, Sims, Bioware games, Cyberpunk 2077, Black Desert Online, etc. for example: there are endless combinations to make a truly unique character. The character creator just needs to have a wide variety of sliders, presets, ability to edit everything from cheekbones, jawline, bridge of the nose, etc. There just is no excuse to have limited character creators anymore and thus no reason to think everyone's pirate is gonna look the same/too similar.

    I agree with what someone said about how is a game based on grinding to get cosmetics and look cool not going to allow you to start with a good base/fully customize your character?

    At the very least, what they have now could be modified so that you can at least select gender/body type and race to make it easier to roll for something you like. It also wouldn't hurt to change up how you roll, as currently the animation to do so only makes the process that much longer, not to mention having to spin the circle around to view them all.

    OH, and an option to view the character in numerous settings, turn off expressions, rotate, zoom in, etc. I find often that I select a pirate I think might be okay and can't actually fully inspect them due to the expressions/poses, and then they look totally different in the lighting and settings of the game too.

  • Lena Pyro
    Castaway

    @lena-pyro Another idea would be to, when people favorite a pirate, the generator starts spitting out pirates with similar features/builds but still changing things up to better help players narrow down the look they want for their pirate.

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    Deckhand

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