KnightX13's Compendium of Feature, Mechanic, and Content Requests

Environmental Movement and Interaction

With all that we are [will be] able to do as we explore the world of "Sea of Thieves", there are multiple ways that we could be interacting with the environment around us that would enhance not only the immersion for players, but also offer new opportunities to traverse or effect the world around us opening new possibilities or ways we experience the game.

A game that I often want to compare "Sea of Thieves" to is "Zelda: Breath of the Wild". The multiple mechanics available for character movement and layers of environmental mechanics woven in to an intuitive, subtle, and intricate system that feels natural and provides players with numerous choices and immersion in how they experience that world is something that I would love to see inspired within "Sea of Thieves". From climbing to diving, to how objects are effected by weather or the ability to pick up and carry objects or interact with switches, the world of "Sea of Thieves" is begging to be more interactive.

Stamina

Much like how we currently have a limited air supply when swimming under water, I hope that we eventually see a stamina mechanic implemented in the game that would limit our ability to run infinitely, jump constantly, carry chests for extended periods of time, or eventually climb in the game. Again, similar to your air supply, I don't think there should be a HUD element showing your stamina bar, but if you engaged in certain actions/activities, like sprinting, your character will start breathing heavily and making grunting or other sounds indicating strain or tiring, and eventually if you don't "rest" you are forced into a brief animation stun that makes you have to catch your breath/recover, making you vulnerable to damage or falling.

Clambering & Climbing

I feel that getting around the world of Sea of Thieves would be greatly improved by adding in a "clamber" mechanic to grab on to and pull yourself up ledges. This could be accomplished by pressing the jump button again when at a ledge, similar to Halo 5 or perhaps as shown in the video below for PUBG (if they were going to borrow the "GreatWater" (TM) tech from Sea of Thieves, why can't Rare borrow the character movement tech?), or while approaching low objects that could be vaulted over/through while sprinting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fezKaCu9_JY

Along with clambering, I would also appreciate a limited ability to climb certain surfaces like cliff faces, large rock formations, and certain buildings. This could and should be coupled with the stamina mechanic so that you wouldn't be able to climb all areas, and would greatly enhance the verticality of the game.

I think clambering and climbing would add to the experience of moving throughout the world in a more natural way and also allow for better traversal of the world opening up options for how you explore and engage others/NPC's or approach quests/objectives, whether that be trying to scale boulders or cliff ledges, or grab on to a dock/rock to pull yourself out of the water for a more vertical or even stealthy approach.

Diving

In addition to climbing cliffs, it seems only natural that jumping off of them should also be enhanced, a.k.a diving. What if jumping from a cliff (or any surface high enough) was context sensitive in that if you are running and hit the jump button (wouldn't work if you are standing still or simply walking), and were to land in water that you would automatically go into a dive animation (perhaps with a random outcome of a perfect dive, a cannonball, or a bellyflop), again like in Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Wildlife Notifications

In regards to disturbing wildlife as signs of "activity" I really liked what Evolve had for this exact mechanic - disturbed wildlife would act as alerts with visual and/or audio cues. And while this may work on the topside of an island, such as birds bursting above the trees or monkeys suddenly chattering noisily giving away player positions, this could also work in cave or even underwater systems with bats or fish.

Compass Locator for Crew Members

It has been suggested a few times that finding crew mates as they explore the island is very difficult, and something that is compounded even more with crews that don't use voice communication. So in order to enhance the "quality of life" of players, perhaps adding a "locator" mechanic for friends to the compass could be considered. It could function by having the compass have non-descript tick marks on it indicating the general location of crew mates. That way it wasn't part of the native HUD, still required you to use a tool, and while it might point you in the direction it doesn't give distance, elevation, or other obstructions in your path. I feel this is the best compromise as it would still require folks to coordinate and yet doesn't really break immersion.

Interactive Objects

While we have seen this on the ship with lanterns, in being able to turn them on or off, or the bell, it would be great to see more interactive objects in the world. For example: being able to pick up and carry barrels to use as counterweights for traps or levers; using the winch on Marauder's Arch to raise and lower the platform; boulders that can be pushed or rolled down a hill, or blown up with explosive barrels to reveal (or even block) cave entrances; bridges that can be raised or lowered via capstans; doors that can be opened and closed; campfires that can be used to cook food; spiderwebs or wooden barricades that block cave passages that need to be burned away or broken; polished "mirrors" in caves to reflect light to a designated location; trees that can be shaken to drop fruit; switches that reveal hidden doors or traps; and so much more. All of these allow for more complex puzzles and things to do in the world, and create opportunities for experimentation and cooperation, as well as adding to the sense of adventure of world. And for all the talk of this game being inspired by The Goonies, we need "booty traps".

[UPDATE:] Added a section below for Rope Swings.

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Weapon Variation

With the hope for/anticipation of other weapon types to eventually make it into the game, after all we can see several versions of harpoons on the outposts and an ax on the wall of the Smith's shop, there are a number of weapons that would be thematically appropriate as well as opportunities for those more "Rare"-inspired unusual weapons for frivolity and fun. Below represents a few different ways that weapon variation can be expanded upon within the game.

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Weapon Variation within Classes

The hope is that weapons will come in a wide variety of styles and designs, such that yours is "unique" enough to be noticeable to other players, and that can generate stories or desire to find your own. Your weapons, like your character and ship, are an extension of who you are. These are some examples from other games that would be great to see Sea of Thieves versions of:

In addition to this, the ability to have color variants or skins for each weapon (and not have to collect a gold, silver, rusted version, or red, green, blue, of each for example) that can be selected from the menu would be greatly appreciated and add to the uniqueness. This would be very important as some players may like the design of one item, but not like the finish (for example, I don't like gold as a color, but don't want to be either forced to have a gold weapon or forgo a weapon with a really cool design because it only comes in gold). This is something that Destiny 2 has been really good with for their weapon customization.

Additional Weapon Classes/Types

Muskatoon Rifle - (UPDATE - CONFIRMED) - used for longer range gunplay (single shot, long accurate trajectory with greater fall off after far distance, high damage, but with only 3 shots and a longer reload than the Blunderbuss)

Harpoon - long range melee weapon that has two forms of basic attack (RT to thrust, LT to sweep across), and a charged attack (hold RT to do an overhead downward smash)

Axe - short range, heavy melee weapon, used to break objects (doors/wooden barricades)

Knife - short range, light melee weapon, used for quick attacks

"Other" - these would be the more "fun" objects in the world that could be used as weapons (think bucket of vomit). We've all heard stories of the Sea of Thieves prototype having a fish that you could slap people with, that we'd love to see make it in to the game. Other ideas are a broom/mop, clubs, planks, paint brushes, empty bottles, or other brick-a-brack that players could come across.

Grenades

In addition to the weapon classes listed above, perhaps having different types of iron shell grenades or other throwable objects like potion bottles (as seen in the Enchantments shop) of "X" substance that can also do area-of-effect damage or cause status effects.

These effects could range from such as explosive, fire, toxic/poison, flash bang, or other "fun" types (bottled whirlwind or glue perhaps) would allow for area-of-effect damage, damage-over-time effects, or status effects and stuns depending on use. They would be thrown over an arching trajectory and such could be lobbed over walls or other environment objects, and used in various scenarios.

To prevent players from abusing them, they could be limited to only carrying two at any time (mixed between types) and for grenades specifically, they could also be on a fuse that like guns, you need to hold LT to light the fuse and then RT to throw, but if you wait too long they can go off in your hand.

Black Powder Kegs - (UPDATE - CONFIRMED)

These are more on an interactive object in the world, but for how they are most likely to be used I am including them under weapons.

The black powder kegs could exist in the world as a barrel that could be picked up and moved around much like a chest by pressing "X", but while carrying it you could press LT to light a fuse, and RT to tip on it's side and push/throw. After say 10 seconds it would then explode doing significant area-of-effect damage. Powder kegs could be used to blow up rocks blocking a cave passage, groups of enemies or bosses, or tossed over the side/back of a ship to attack pursuing ships or even the Kraken.

Ammo Types

With the primary guns utilizing projectiles, it would be awesome if we eventually could see different types of ammo be implemented for the different guns, adding new mechanics and ways to play. For example:

Blunderbuss

• Pellet Shot (current ammo type) = wide spread, lots of projectiles that do minimal damage individually but high damage collectively, with medium fall off over distance, can only carry 5 rounds
• Heavy Shot = large single ball, similar to but smaller than a cannon ball (think shotgun slug shot) that has a short trajectory range with quick fall off, but does high impact damage (could potentially damage a ship/structures), can only carry 3 rounds
• "Status Effect" Shot = potential for various ammo types that fall within similar parameters of short range, low trajectory, minimal to no damage, can only carry 3 at a time
  -- Smoke = fires a burst of smoke to create a cloud screen, reducing visibility, dissipates after 5 seconds
  -- Tar Shot = fires a large glob of tar that can stun/hold player/enemy in place for 3 seconds, or can also be shot on the ground as a trap and if stepped on also stuns the player/enemy for 3 seconds, disappears after 5 seconds (similar to vomit decal)

Flintlock

• Standard Shot (current ammo type) = single round with long trajectory and short fall off over distance, medium damage, can carry 5 rounds
• Flare Shot = single round that has a colored smoke trail that eventually bursts into a small puff of cloud, long trajectory with quick fall off, can only carry 3 rounds
• Ricochet Shot = single round that bounces off of surfaces up to 3 times, medium trajectory then decent fall off, medium to low damage that is reduced with every bounce, can only carry 3

Open to additional suggestions, but please make sure to consider how they balance across the following: number/type of projectiles/spread, trajectory distance and fall off, damage, and effect.

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Harpoon Crossbow and Zipline, and Grappling Hook

With the ability to [man]cannon yourself from the ship, or stationary island cannons, the idea to create a zipline was reignited in my mind as another means of alternative traversal mechanics, like climbing and clambering. While this idea isn't necessarily original to the forums and suggested gameplay mechanics, I would like to resubmit it if you will with a bit of extrapolation on the concept. I'm including it in it's on section apart from weapons as functionally it is more of a tool.

But first, an entertaining primer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy1qPipCcx4

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Harpoon Gun

The basic premise is that of a heavy two-handed harpoon launcher/crossbow, with the harpoon attached to a rope (see video above), that when fired creates a zipline for players to utilize. For example, these:

Similar mechanics to the other weapons would be utilized, with LT to aim, RT to fire, however you would also then need to utilize the zipline by holding X, or release the rope by holding Y. The zipline of course would also need to be anchored first, also by holding the Y button before firing, and therefor could only be fired in proximity to say a tree, rock, ship mast or rail, or other structure, thereby also limiting its use.

Grapling Hook (or Gun)

Coupling this concept with vertical ascension through a grappling hook. A simple hook attached to a length of rope could be equip-able as an inventory tool, using the LT to aim and holding RT to start swinging the hook which upon release of RT also releases the hook. You could then press and hold "X" to start ascending, or Y to "release" the hook. If you were trying to grapple on to other player ships, or if say on a cliff face or fort wall and another player finds your hook, they could hold "Y" to "release" the hook (or simply cut it with their cutlass) as well forcing you to plummet to your doom.

Another option might be to also use the hook as a tool, and if you continue to hold LT after throwing the hook, or had held "Y" prior to throwing to anchor it, you then transition to "pulling" the rope instead of climbing. This could be used to capture boats or ships, or even large enemies effectively stunning/stabilizing them while a crew mate is now open to attack it (think in terms of grappling a large crab on its claw, or a Kraken tentacle, to hold it steady). Of course this would only last for a very limited time until the rope snaps, or is cut loose by an enemy player.

Just for fun, if to implement something a bit "fancier" than a simple rope and hook, there could also be a possible grapple gun:

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Similar mechanics can also be found in Battlefield: Hardline:

https://youtu.be/YkLCnOuaqsA?t=22s

https://youtu.be/V9873ncuyIo?t=26s

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Sword Mechanics

At the most basic form, I hope that sword mechanics are modified so that RT is the primary (heavy) attack, LT is a secondary attack (light) and not parry, and that you can still do a form of a charged attack by holding and releasing RT. Parry could perhaps be done by holding both RT and LT together as a defensive maneuver. By adding another attack, this allows for the possibility of combos as well as greater depth overall.

With the hope that more weapons will be added to the Sea of Thieves, that we also see a bit more variation to how they function and therefore interact - for example a rapier swings and is used very differently than a cutlass, and any sword is very different than say a harpoon or ax. It's all about finding that balance between power, speed, effects, and animations so that one isn't perceived as being overpowered compared to another.

For example:

Rapier - a rapier would be faster and used more for stabbing as opposed to swings, but deal less damage with each hit, and a "charged" attack wouldn't cause a knock-back but perhaps a quick flourish strike that applies a short damage over time bleed effect

Broadsword/wide blade Scimitar - that is a "heavier" sword that swings slower yet deals more damage, and it's charged attack allows you to break a parry/block

Cutlass (or saber) - a more "standard" sword, and the current default sword with [modified] current functions (see samples in the post above)

This also maintains that "rock-paper-scissors" balance so that one isn't always the better choice and allows players to choose a weapon more fitting to their playstyle as well as one that matches how they want their pirate to look.

Some players have asked for more complex fighting mechanics, such as seen For Honor, which I agree we need something more that what we have currently, and certainly having different types of sword classes will allow for that. However not knowing much about For Honor but after doing some research I certainly don't think we will or need to see something that complex, but perhaps that there is a middle ground in an ability to choose different "stances" or styles for how you fight with your sword through your character customization options. Again, they would need to be very limited and maintain that "rock-paper-scissors" balance, but slightly alter how you hold your sword, attack animations, and parry.

These could vary from more traditional like Fencer (side stance with embellished swings, think Dread Pirate Roberts), Dueler (standard), and Broadsword styles (slightly hunched, 3/4 body position, with "power" swings) , with each favoring the corresponding type of sword listed above. You could have others that are more or less for "show", such as a Fool's stance (think the drunken wobble of Jack Sparrow), Kenjutsu (think more formal Samurai, as we have see concept art for katana style swords), or Brawler (think more aggressive and exaggerated swings). Perhaps instead of making these something that is selectable that they are automatic based on the sword class you are carrying.

As an added detail, each stance or style could come with additional character animation sets such as facial expressions other body movements when holding, swinging, or moving with a sword that act as "tells" so that other players can quickly identify what stance you are employing and if they need to alter how they should adapt accordingly (so you shuffle step instead of walking forward regularly, or have that "arrgh" mouth expression or the "aloof" gaze when swinging.

Are any of these necessary....no. Could they add to how you play your adventure and tell your pirate story...absolutely.

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Merperson Call

Many players have expressed a desire to change how mermaids spawn when you are away from your ship. For example, players have discussed the strategic disadvantage that mermaids create when you are either swimming toward an enemy ship or alone on an island and trying to be inconspicuous, but the smoke signal flare alerts other players that you are nearby.

The change proposed by @Pikaaroon and I is that a new item/tool be introduced that allows you to "call" the merperson at will (with certain proximity or time restrictions in place similar to the merperson's current spawn requirements) as opposed to having them spawn automatically. This item/tool could be a conch shell horn (see below) and be part of the player's inventory (permanent or assignable). This would fit within the mythology of merpeople, while also providing a bit more strategic control over when and where a merperson would spawn.

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Control Map - Recommendation/Speculation

I've been playing with the idea of an "ideal" control layout that looks at the current control setup, what functions we need to accommodate currently and in the future, and diversity and ease of use. Using controls inspired from other games like The Division, Destiny, and many others, and trying to find a balance to complexity and quick options, this is what I've come up with as my proposed configuration:

Version 4 (updated Nov. 22, 2017)

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A quick glossary:

• Weapon = item used for offense, such as sword, flintlock, blunderbuss, or possibly grenade
• Tool = item used for utility, such as a shovel, compass, lantern, map, Quest Object, etc.
• "Quest Object" = quest item that can be held and used to interact with environment, such as a key, map stone (think the doubloon from The Goonies when they hold it up and look through it to align landmarks), idol, special gem, etc.
• Item = "consumable" resource item that can be used, such as health potions/bandages, food, mug, wooden planks, or cannon balls.
• Emote = physical action or vocal call out made by the player character, such as waving, pointing, surrendering, taunting, or doing the Truffle Shuffle or some form of jig.

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Other thoughts on this are:

• For this to make work effectively, I propose that Tools and Items be differentiated and consolidated/reorganized into a "tiered" radial menu, as outlined below.
• The hope is that we will have the ability to clamber/climb environmental objects, as well as be able to crouch/slide during movement.
• Items and weapons would/could have secondary functions, such as aiming down sites for guns, or heavy/light attacks with a sword, or turning a lantern on or off, or changing the song of an instrument, etc.
• In addition to quest maps/riddles/bounties, I am assuming that more complex quests will have objects that need to be found and are required in some way to complete the quest.
• I am assuming that Pets will be in the game, if not at launch then in the future.
• In addition to Non-verbal Communication I believe having a "Ping/Callout" function that was similar to what was used in Evolve, where you could ping the monster or environment to call out dangers, would be useful. This could be paired with another form of in-game/non-verbal (but different than the text ones currently) communications, and that are different than emotes, that are contextually aware based on the object your are looking at. For example:
  ~ If in the crows nest, and you ping an island in the distance, your character points and then shouts "land ho!"
  ~ If you ping an enemy ship or creature, your character points and shouts "Arragh" or whistles.
• If the "Ping/Callout" mechanic isn't implemented as Emotes and Non-Verbal Comms do overlap with that, then clicking the RS should be a basic melee (or shove option if you are holding something). Otherwise melee could be RS/LS for each hand when not holding anything.
• With the consolidation of various radial menus for Items and Tools in the tiered one below, the Right D-pad button is freed up for potential future use.

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Radial Menu Revision

The the ever importance of consolidated, intuitive radial menus for inventory management and selection. Instead of multiple inventory pages for Tools and Items, I propose that there could be one primary radial with subcategories, that when selected open a radial sub-menu. This would especially be useful to consolidate primary functions that might have immediate need into one radial, increasing efficiency and the ability to navigate/quick "select" while also reducing the need to take your thumb off the LS to open the D-pad radial in an active engagement as previously suggested.

For example:

The primary LB radial for Tools and Items could perhaps still be divided into 8 sections, with the 4 major categories (Tools, Items/Resources, Consumables, and Instruments) on the top half, with maybe up to 5 sub-radial "slots" in each for items that can be "stored", and then the other bottom 4 sections be provided for your "favorite/most frequently used" items from any category for quick selection and these be the ones that when you tap the LB you cycle through.

I also feel that weapons should have their own quick cycle and radial menu on RB, and not the "Y" button, which allows for all four face buttons (ABXY) to be "action" buttons and the LB/RB buttons to be "menu" buttons. This also allows players the ability to hold more than 3 weapon types and classes, and allows you the option to pull out a specific weapon without having to cycle (though that too is still an option) for faster reactions.

With the Radial Sub-Menu system, inventory could be managed from the Primary Inventory screen in the menu options, and players could assign exactly what Items, Tools, or Weapons are in each slot of the category sub-radials, deciding what they want to carry on them or think they might need. Additionally, they can also select from the Tools, Items and Consumables what their four "favorite" might be and assign those as well, for quick selection and cycling.

Overall, this gives players greater control and fidelity over what they want to use at a given moment, and greatly expands the complexity of options while retaining the simplicity of a intuitive user interface.

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Emotes

Another feature and mechanic long discussed and desired here on the forums are Emotes. You cannot have a shared world game without emotes, and a great example of how they can be implemented can be see from The Division. The original version was a simple emote radial mapped to the D-pad, but gave you 6-options:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfTJsxYwxQ

Eventually this was expanded to have different types of emotes that were organized by category, and could be assigned to the 6 slots in the emote radial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjSzngSef7U

This is the system that would be best for Sea of Thieves, allowing players a variety of choice and customization, with opportunities to collect and unlock new variants as they progress.

And if I said it once, I've said it a thousand times, but here it is again, there had better be a "Truffle Shuffle" emote.

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Pets

Pets have been discussed since the earliest days of the forum.
What is a pirate without their parrot or monkey? We've seen art assets and in-game footage of a cat and parrot on the ship, so we know that they are at least in the works.
Personally, I want a crab, just to be different.

In addition to what may be considered "standard" pets, like a dog, cat, parrot, rat, or monkey, I'd like to see some more non-traditional or even more rare fantastical pets that can be found or caught as well, such as the aforementioned crab, lizard, tortoise, snake, octopus, or squirrel that looks remarkably like Conker.

Regardless, I would hope that pets could come in a variety of "skins/breeds" as well for customization, so that we don't all have the same dog, parrot, or monkey. From a m***y mutt to a prim lap dog, a red macaw to a toucan, or a capuchin monkey to a lemur or marmoset.

While I think pets should be purely cosmetic/social, it would be interesting if they had special secret "interactions" or "notifications" that we could learn about or discover, but otherwise have a minimal impact on the game.

For example, a dog that can "sniff out" treasure and help reveal a chest location by digging or pointing, but only if you are already in the near specific area and just haven't found it yet (might be hard to code, but essentially a geo-location timer that if you are standing in X area for Y length of time without a chest being opened, the dog starts pointing or digging at it's location). Or a parrot that starts to "sing" along when you play an instrument. Or a monkey that occasionally "pickpockets" a gold coin or two from a crew member, other player, or NPC in social areas, or throws his s**t at someone. Just something to be different or otherwise make you laugh (and wonder did that really just do that) when it happens.

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Shared World Map

In regards to the world map, it is my hope that the map found on the ship isn't fully revealed from the start, but one that is uncovered and pieced together through the shared experience of the crew.

Perhaps instead of just having the map be "revealed" or "not", having layers to what is revealed and the level of detail also be increased if more crew (or if a particular crew member has spent a great deal of time in a particular area) have been to and explored those areas of the map that are hidden.

So for example, the map starts out blank. As you explore more of the map is revealed, but in rough outlines and sketches. The longer you spend in a region and more experienced you become, and as you crew with others and explore more regions, more of the map is sketched out, and those areas of shared exploration are given more detail.

Another variant of this would be that crew members can either contribute to, or chose not to, enhance the map of each ship they are on. Perhaps even further details can be added like landmarks, notable quest/monster/NPC locations, etc. Players can choose how much information and detail to share by going to the map on a ship, and when you first interact with it you can select what you want to share - outline of regions explored, names and locations of islands and landmarks, NPC and enemy/monster/quest locations, and a slider for the level of detail from rough to fine. That way if you are more experienced it allows you to share that information, but you can also opt out or be asked to share less or more detail as desired by your crew if playing with other more experienced or new players accordingly.

Sure, some new players may want to have everything "revealed" and that's OK. But that is only something that is saved to the shared crew as your own personal experience is what enables what you are able to share and see on your ship. So unless you have truly traveled "everywhere" and experienced "everything", you'd never have a fully revealed and detailed map yourself.

I also believe that we should be able to add/remove stamps to the map (and only on the map and not in the HUD) for places-of-interest, a la Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Assassin's Creed: Origins, setting destination way points, objectives, or notable locations for danger or loot.

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Quest Maps

On a somewhat related note, I would also prefer if the quest treasure maps were "hand drawn" and not replicas of the world map, and that they didn't have the grids on them. Not overly simple, and with enough detail to identify landmarks and minor environmental variances, but not full color layouts that precisely match the island. Something like these:

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Character Identification

As someone who advocated for the "white" name display instead of "red", I feel that this helps quickly identify non-crew members in a more neutral way so that the first instinct isn't to see "red" and assume hostility. However, with that said, I would love and very much prefer if name displays were dynamic and that they changed color based on actions. For example, they appear "white"/neutral unless an act of aggression is committed, such as firing on your ship with a cannonball, etc., at which point the color changes from "white" to "orange"/threatening, to eventual "red"/enemy for directly attacking with a sword or other weapon and/or killing a fellow crew member. Best example of this is the player interactions in the "Dark Zone" as found in The Division.

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Clans/Guilds

Regarding potential player formed guilds/clans, will this be supported in game outside of the Faction/Alliance systems, for example, Destiny 2 has a decent clan system, as it has almost zero impact on the "day to day" game.....

Form a clan, get to create a clan emblem and flag, and then members contribute to your clan's ranking and prestige by doing notable tasks and objectives like you would ordinarily, like strikes, boss kills, quests, public events.

You have a daily and weekly cap that you can contribute to, and as your clan levels there is an NPC that gives rewards like gear, weapons, and shaders, and as far as I can tell so far, that's it.

Only other benefit is from the Roster menu when you form a fireteam, there is a section that tells you when members of your clan are online and in game for quick invites, much like the friends section.

Could easily do something like that in SoT to start (completing Voyages and bounties, defeating the Kraken, sinking other ships, earning gold, etc. adding to your clan's prestige, which unlocks clan rewards from an NPC like gear or ship liveries), and then eventually build it into something more robust like clan battles and fort control or dedicated clan campaigns down the line.

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Crew Management

As it stands now, the only form of crew management currently is the option to "quick crew" from the lobby, and to vote someone to the brig if they are "misbehaving" and hope they quit out. I do not want this to be the only method to form crews as it not only can it be abused, but breaks immersion and wastes time as well having to back out and reload any time you want to join or invite other players. Drop in/out co-op has been an standard practice in gaming since Borderlands, is available in some form in other open/shared world games like Destiny or GTA: Online, and needs to be implemented in Sea of Thieves. I would be shocked if Rare didn't account for this in someway, and it would be a huge oversight if they didn't.

I look at games like The Division which has such a great and fluid system in place for joining friends in the same game, forming/disbanding teams (crews), and encountering others (the "Dark Zone") that could be neutral or hostile and options available to party up or engage, and to me at least, it just makes sense to borrow these mechanics for Sea of Thieves as they would also fit naturally with the feel of the world. Players will not want to have to back out of the game and abandon a quest, just to pick-up a friend that just got online.

Being able to come across those "neutral" players, and form a crew naturally in game for a while, and then split off and go about your separate - all without leaving the world and going back to the lobby - ways just makes sense . Otherwise, you might as well just make every other player your enemy again by default. Sure, there could be an option in the main menu/game lobby to matchmake or "quick crew", but there also needs to be an option to toggle your crew as "private" or "public", and crew size should be something that can be adaptable or flexible based on need/opportunity, and not something that needs to be decided when you launch the game. But it needs to be available "in-game" and not only from the game lobby. Forming your own crew, or having the ability to designate a crew "captain" (party leader) that can control the public/privacy toggles suggested above, and that can remove unwanted players from a crew if need be is also highly needed, and again can be very unobtrusive and a modeled after/inspired by similar systems in other games like those listed above.

Same with being able to select what size ship you want. There is no reason why we should only be selecting ship/crew size from the lobby, before we even form crews. If I was with a 4-person crew, we should have the option of going to the Shipwright and either selecting a galleon to spawn, or 2 sloops.

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Custom Flags & Emblems

Player customization and personal identification is going to be key to this game, and apart from our characters and ships, they best way to do this will be through a customizable flag and emblem/sigil.

I'm really hoping they have something that is not as simple as the emblem selection in say Halo where you are limited only to predetermined ones (which may be fine to start with but it needs to be more robust), but I understand the concern from having something as expansive as the one from Battlefield or For Honor that has custom editing tools, as it could be abused to create either inappropriate content or images that break from the immersion of the world and its aesthetic.

Looking at the video below of the Diablo 3 banner creation tool,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncuUJfnyWVI&

I honestly feel that this would fit perfectly within the Sea of Thieves world if the sigils or emblems were similar (a.k.a. "wonkified") to those that we have already seen, like those used on apparel outside the game.

And essentially anything that could also appear as a tattoo could also appear as a flag emblem as the art assets would be the same.

This system is intuitive, easy to utilize, thematically appropriate, has enough depth that chances for two players having the same flag and emblem is limited, and can be expanded through earned/unlocked/purchased world assets to expand options.

As long as they give us the in-game art assets and a level of personal customization, I'd be very happy and not worried about running the risk of someone having the same emblem/flag as I have, and like others have said helps to add to your personal story within the world and be identified as your "Pirate Legend". At a minimum, even if we aren't able to create our own flag, with the hopeful addition of creating guilds in game we should have the ability to create a custom flag for our guild.

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Social Hub - Port

The idea of a hub city or main Port has been discussed in several areas on the forum, and one I think players really want. However, I don't think we will see this implemented with launch though who knows what may come post-launch. If enough players get behind the idea I'm sure Rare will take notice.

While some players have expressed a desire to make Outposts safe-zones, I think this would detract from the intention of the game world being what it is. Another way to do it without having it exist "in-world" but still feel that it is part of the narrative, would be having a social hub Port city that serves as a separate instance much like "The Tower" in Destiny. The Port could hold much more players than the game world, and over time new Ports could be added with different themes and styles, from the traditional Caribbean colony/fort town, to secret pirate haven. Ports would be a great central gathering place for players to socialize, share stories, participate in events, and more.

You could choose to load in to the Port from the main game menu (or just quick load into the "Sea of Thieves" at an outpost like we do now), and it provides a place to socialize with other players, form crews, talk to NPC's and gain quests/voyages/bounties/etc., or outfit your character and ship.

The Port could also have sections of mini-games that also function as a "tutorial" of sorts for newer players to test game mechanics and learn how they function. For example: a capstan in the town square that raises and lowers an anchor; or a mast with a sail near a mill of sorts that allows players to experiment with catching wind and adjusting sails, and what happens when other players try to work together or against you; or cannons setup on a wall with with target buoys in the bay to aim at; and so much more.

Then when you are ready to set sail you head to the Docks and load your ship and choose your starting region/outpost within the "Sea of Thieves", and then set forth into the world after a brief loading screen/animation and appear at an outpost/island (again, much like we currently have seen/experienced). To return, you could sail to the edge of the world map where you might be presented with the option to "Return to Port" or try to continue on through the Devil's Sea. This would fit within the narrative that the "Sea of Thieves" exists in game as a destination that we travel to as well.

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Item Trading

One small mechanic that is noticeably absent from the game, is the ability to give other players, particularly crew mates, items and resources such as bananas, cannon balls, or even gold. Being able to give a crew mate an extra banana if they are out and need to heal up during a quest, or a friend just short of the gold to buy an certain item, is essential to the cooperation needed for the game.

Eventually as loot is expanded beyond just gold, and with the hope that there are individual loot streams from quest/objective rewards, being able to trade items received to give to a friend/crew mate that you were playing with at the time the reward was received and within a set time frame, such as if I don't need a certain wardrobe item like a hat that dropped, but they they have been trying to get, I could give it to them.

This could be taken even further where you could eventually gift items to other players via some form of in-game exchange system, where you could place certain items in a chest that a friend can receive either directly or that was left at a secure NPC vendor. This same NPC vendor could also be used to pick up game rewards or other loot caches received from external sources like Xbox Live Codes. Again, games like Destiny and The Division have methods of doing this.

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Mini-Games

Yet another feature that players have been asking for since the beginning, are mini-games, particularly "Liar's Dice" for it's simplicity and thematic appropriateness (and which appears to be coming if the dice on the counter in one of the new shops is a clue). Opportunities for social interactions through casual mini-games can only increase a player's immersion, while potentially offering opportunities for progression as well. Whether they are played in a tavern at an outpost, on-board a ship, or in a potential Port, mini-games will be fun little diversions to the world at large.

Apart from "Liar's Dice", Bone Ace could be a fun card game as well, however I'd prefer something a bit more inspired/unique..

I don't think Sea of Thieves needs a collectible card game as robust as "Gwent", but something along the lines of "Triple Triad" could easily be modified and themed to fit Sea of Thieves due to it's simplicity and ease to "pick-up-and-play". Cards could be collected from enemies, NPC's, random quest or loot rewards, or win them from other players). And cards could represent any thing from the game, particularly enemies and weapons, and be used to create your own deck to play against other players or NPC's. This allows for a minimal progression system while offer players another item series to adventure for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu12O7vQj44

But my hope is something like that would come as part of a future update.

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Diverse Enemy Types

While we all currently have seen and are anticipating even greater diversity within the enemy skeleton AI:

https://images.nowloading.co/images/c_limit,q_auto:good,w_600/jdazv6x3ipimd3zo9olj/the-microsoft-e3-2016-booth-in-pictures.jpg

and the narrative is that these skeletons are former pirates that were exploring the Sea of Thieves (but what killed them?).

In addition to the skeletons, we also know that within the ocean we have the sharks and eventual Kraken.

However for some time players have long expressed the desire and need to see even greater "bio"diversity among the possible enemies that we will encounter throughout the world of Sea of Thieves.

This spectral character was showcased at one of the expos, without any sort of back story:

Is it some new NPC, or an enemy (a sea witch of some kind)? And is that a buoy or marker that it appears at or is drawn to?

Found throughout the islands are multiple wall paintings depicting all manner of creatures, from sharks and rays to beetles, birds, and giant crabs, as well as a number of large boar-like skulls found throughout the world:
http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/SeaofThieves/Sea-of-Thieves_altar_4k.jpg

Will these become actual enemies that we can encounter and engage with? If so, when and how will these be implemented and offer new tactics to overcome.

One type of new enemy class that I hope to see are large crabs of varying designs, that due to their hard shells are mostly impervious to basic physical attacks (swords and firearms), and the only way to defeat them is to flip them over with your shovel to expose their vulnerable underside.

Something like these from Monster Hunter albeit a lot smaller (about the size of a chest)

Or how about the real world coconut crab for inspiration:
https://www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/2017/02/main/articles/020217_SM_coconut-crab_main.jpg

These crabs could be found on the beaches or emerge from the surf in small swarms, particularly as you are heading back to your ship with treasure in hand.

Or how about that boar skull - could this be similar to what it looks like alive:

with a difficult to counter charged attack and that it can be stunned or distracted by playing music first?

Or how about a giant carnivorous plant that is both a hidden environmental trap and deadly enemy that shoots poisonous barbs, similar to that seen in the original movie Jumanji?

Just imagine, walking through the jungle while reading a map, and suddenly your caught in the grip or "mouth" of a large man-eating plant, and the only way to escape is to hack at it with your sword or have a crewmate free you (like those environmental traps found in the game Evolve).

Beyond just these more "common" enemy types, the potential for mini-boss or even boss enemies and monsters such as; the skeleton captains that we have already seen; the aforementioned spectral "witch" above; the coming kraken.

How about a hulking skeleton that carries a cannon for a weapon, or a parrot-creature that relates to the wall paintings (and provides a new dynamic with a flying enemy type).

There are so many possibilities and I'm confident and hopeful that we will see more than just skeletons, sharks and krakens implemented, and hopefully sooner than later for many.

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Rope Swing

Again, while not an idea original to just me, adding a rope swing to the game, the ships in particular, would further add new ways to interact with and traverse the environment.

On the ships, this could possibly be done by having a rope tied to one of the yardarms and attached to the ladder going up the main mast to the crows nest (or adding ladders to the other masts that go about a 1/3 of the way up and end at the swing rope), and that you could interact with while climbing. Once you grab hold, you could look/aim to where you want to swing, and after pressing the jump button the rope would swing you out and you'd have to hit the jump button again to release it, allowing for inertia and skill to hopefully land where you want.

This would be a great way to try to board other ships, or be a middle option between simply jumping overboard versus man-cannoning to reaching shore from your ship. And because there would be some skill involved with aiming and timing for proper release, this could have some hilarious outcomes.

Apart from ships, random ropes/vines could also be staged throughout the islands as ways either get from one ledge to another, traverse gaps/pits in caves, or swing off a cliff and back out toward your ship.

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Saved for Future Ideas

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@jediknightxiii This is like my ultimate wish list for Sea of Thieves, fantastic job and a really comprehensive overview of many of the things the Community has discussed!

@xsmartalecx That is why my suggestion for a social hub would be for it to exist as it's own zone/world.

With the recently revealed Progression video, it looks like we will be getting the rifle, and explosive barrels. Woohoo!

Having been asked by several members if this thread could be shared with the wider community, and with the Closed Beta having launched, I was given the "OK" to move this topic to the General category as none of its contents violate the NDA. I hope that folks find it useful and that it promotes ideas and discussions on the potential of what Sea of Thieves may/could offer.