CONTENT SUGGESTION ! FIXED SEA CURRENTS

  • Sokween
    Rogue
    Insider

    Hello !

    I am writing this discussion thread in order to share my opinion and point of view with those wishing to participate, thank you for remaining courteous, everyone can have their opinion, you just need to know how to reconcile everyone's words.

    Obviously I do not expect a response with great consideration towards "RARE" but I am entitled to hope for a reading all the same.

    Let's come to the point, it's been several months since I did not relaunch the game, due to personal circumstances, but what really did not motivate me to relaunch it since, is mainly the resentment of a small lack necessary to realize it maritime although as a whole fairly well transcribed.

    You will also note that I have only briefly kept abreast of updates in this time frame, and so this suggestion may already be relevant. Having said that after a brief keyword research I have every reason to believe this is not the case.

    The suggestion is therefore the following, among all the marine content present, in my opinion, one of the major elements is missing for a good immersion in the game.

    - The addition of fixed sea currents

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    As you already know, it can sometimes be quite confusing to sail against the wind, you end up raising the sails and not moving forward. This must remain the case in certain cases, as there are areas of flat calm on Earth. However our planet Earth is also traversed by more or less strong marine currents of which the various ships and boats use them in order to save their fuel and / or travel time. Its currents are for the most part existing thanks to the winds (I am not going to do any science here but you will find many studies on the internet).

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    There are two types :

    - Surface marine currents
    - Deep sea currents

    You will find on this website earth.nullschool.net (update every 3 hours), the winds on Earth which by friction on the surface of the water generates its same currents and all this thanks to our star. It’s awesome.

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    They also allow many other things but which would not be essential in a game like the one SoTs is in my opinion of course.

    - One can easily graft other additions to its latest such as maelstroms and cyclones among the storms already semi-present in the game as well as various additional weather hazards related to its latest.

    That will be all for me, I decided to stop there.
    I have many other ideas but after all, a community is present in order to expand my expectations, or on the contrary not to wish them.

    Please note that I am not English and have done the best I can to be understood, so please be indulgent.

    Know that other games just as promising, see even some of them in the world rankings of MMOs have used and exploit sea currents. And this has always been very well received by the community of these for the most part. However, I would not mention any here but if you want to see how to get an additional overview do not hesitate to contact me, you will be able to expand your video searches.

    Yours truly.

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  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    First, let me start by saying, your post is written up in a wonderfully easy to understand way, and with lots of detail!

    But sadly, I can summarize why this probably won't happen in just a couple of short words:
    GAME BALANCE.

    The game isn't meant to be a realistic sailing simulator and isn't in a lot of ways, because it sacrifices that in favor of game balance. That might not seem like a good thing, but I assure you that it is, because it helps make the game far more accessible for more pirates upon the seas.

    Furthermore, according to the lore, the Sea of Thieves is supposedly hidden somewhere in the Carribean, so if we were to use said currents, well, we'd probably be mired in the Bermuda Triangle or something with no ability to sail at all... Where would the fun be in that?

  • KattTruewalker
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder
    Deckhand

    @sokween

    Ahoy there and thanks for posting such a well researched idea.

    I've stolen your link to the ocean currents webpage!

    Moving on to your idea, I've often thought it might be interesting to include localised currents, tides or more widespread features like this.

    I don't know if you're aware of a couple of things already, that when you're sailing east to west the steering of the ship will pull to the south in the direction of the prevailing waves? I'm not sure if this is intended as a type of current effect or not, but you do still need to keep the sails lowered.

    Somewhere like the Wilds would be a great location, perhaps around the smaller islands like Black Sand Atoll, even Marauder's Arch.

    I also know that someone tracked down the possible real world location of Sea of Thieves from information on the loading screens.

    As you can see, it's located within the Caribbean which lies at the tail end of the North Equatorial current.

  • Sokween
    Rogue
    Insider

    @galactic-geek

    Thank you,

    For the first point that you raise, it may indeed be considers, but it should not be the major actor in the implementation one day or another of the suggestion that I have drafted. If however it is.

    Regarding the second point, we are therefore in a fictitious universe until proof to the contrary, both in its creation and the rules which are in play. It is easily possible to extrapolate the fact that including oceanic currents which operate from the same way but not being identical to those we have on Earth is possible?

    Do you stay in your positions as well?

  • Sokween
    Rogue
    Insider

    @katttruewalker

    @sokween

    I don't know if you're aware of a couple of things already, that when you're sailing east to west the steering of the ship will pull to the south in the direction of the prevailing waves? I'm not sure if this is intended as a type of current effect or not, but you do still need to keep the sails lowered.

    The effect you describe is either an unwanted choice of the developers for technical reasons, or an intended choice to derive from an effect resembling the "Coriolis Effect" that we have on Earth, due to the Earth's rotation.

  • Prescafatty
    Captain
    Insider

    @sokween I like this idea. To @Galactic-Geek's point, introducing a new mechanic like this would probably favor more advanced players, who have time to learn and master a new mechanic, making it easier for them to hunt down new players.

    I wonder if instead of deep-sea currents, the game might utilize tidal currents instead? These would manifest as currents around certain island clusters and bays, providing speed boosts or nerfs as you entered and left land, depending on the time of day. This may have less of an impact on new players.

    I do like the additional element that currents (both tidal and deep-sea) would add, though.

  • RedwoodTheElf
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    how about a very localized current effect that swirls around certain events, like a volcanic eruption causing an outward current (very slow) or making a whirlpool-like current when the Kraken rises, pulling ships clockwise towards the center, instead of just having the ink slow ships to a crawl (meaning you would need to steer away from the center) and putting a Kraken body at the center that can bite at your ship if it gets too close, like a Meg style bite attack.

  • Bronzeinquiztor
    Marauder
    Insider

    @prescafatty I like this idea too. Just think of how much more fun sailing would be with more mechanics like this. People often say sailing is dull over great distances and that's why there are things like skelly ships and the meg. But I like the idea of it being more interesting without added pve threats. Maybe it would take time to learn but that's part of the fun. Besides that, once mastered you feel like a true master of the sea.

  • LimbicFanatic
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    @sokween

    Although there are no active currents as you describe in the game, there is something similar that many people aren't aware of; consistent wave patterns.

    Regardless of the wind's current direction, all the waves in Sea of Thieves flow in a south-easterly direction. This means that you will experience the most turbulence and get knocked off course more easily if you're sailing NW.

    Hope that fact further enriched the game world in your mind...

  • Prescafatty
    Captain
    Insider

    @redwoodtheelf

    how about a very localized current effect that swirls around certain events.

    I mean, if this is technically feasible, then absolutely. Seems like a no-brainer and would add an entirely new strategic layer to PVE sailing. I love it and hope Rare sees this.

  • LimbicFanatic
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    @sokween

    Your initial post and followup responses demonstrate that you have a deep understanding of this topic, so I have to ask: how do you know so much about the Earth's currents and weather patterns?

    Are you a sailor or meteorologist in real life?

  • Sokween
    Rogue
    Insider

    @limbicfanatic

    Well no profession, although in possession of a navigation license on the high seas and a 35ft sailboat.

    However, the fact of navigation obliges you to keep yourself informed of the weather forecast on your trip and / or your travel forecasts. And effects related to it.

    But anyone with a minimum of desire, research, and logic can learn this kind of information.

  • Sokween
    Rogue
    Insider

    UP

    I allow myself a little up to restore visibility for a short time.

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