From what I’ve seen you do quests to earn gold for 3 factions which then gives you cosmetic items. But is that it? If the progression system is purely based on cosmetics I don’t see this game lasting very long past launch.
I have high hopes for this game but I hope there’s something to keep players coming back for more.
What do you guys think/ have you heard of different kind of rewards ? Ex. different weapons/ ship upgrades, maybe even some gear upgrades ?
It depends on what you mean by 'upgrades'. It's going to have horizontal progression, so the only way in which one item will be 'better' than another is cosmetically, which is obviously subjective.
As for the reason to play? Personally I'd say it's to have fun. Yes there'll be outfits and skins to acquire along with many other bits and bobs that will testify to your accomplishments, but above all it's about having unpredictable adventures and enjoying yourself doing it.
@xcaptainjonny Hey, there! All that we've seen so far is based on alpha footage and what Rare has released. Even so, this game is very fun! The most fun comes from running a ship with your friends or even compete strangers, building a bond, and making your own pirate story! This game lives on the idea that fun should be made by the players, not necessarily by a linear story line. That said, there is more to come. Try the beta out for yourself and find out!
@xcaptainjonny For me, it is the social aspect of this game that will keep me coming back for more, the pirating is just an added bonus! Nah but in all seriousness, the game creates such a fantastic fun and charming environment you will find yourself lost in it all.
For me personally its the unique interactions you get in the world,no two ecounters are ever the same for me. So my answer is its the players that makes the game worth coming back to.
Im not one for cosmetics, i prefer to strip to my pantaloons and be done with it. But the stories and encounters are ever changing and unique. :)
@tre-oni I’ve only seen gameplay so that’s the perspective I have. But from what people are saying in these comments, it doesn’t seem like the progression is an issue😊
As with any game, the reason to play is what you make of it. With Sea of Thieves, their (seemingly) main focus is to play with friends to build your own story and become a notorious pirate. The social aspect is a strong one but the story one is weak (if present at all). I'm not saying this is a bad thing (and this coming from an introvert whose favorite genre is rpg), and I AM a bit skeptical on how long this game will hold me; but I am hopeful that I'll make some new friends via the game and at the very least it will be a 'platform' to just hangout with friends.
Rare has hinted that 'becoming legend' is just the start, so maybe we will get some kind of story arc later...and I mean later than launch.
I think the main reason to play will be to poison the seas and raise hell. Being the evilest possible pirate you can be. Killing everyone on sight, then doing it again and again and again and again.
They keep saying that you need to become a pirate legend, well if that means Getting some cosmetic PvE gear, then that’s not legend.
Legend would be people running at the sight of your crew, making people give you loot just so you don’t attack them over and over. Forcing people out of parts of the world. Oh it will be glorious!
@roughmonkey0 hopefully I'll never see you in game, lol.
What you describe is not legend, it's infamy. Legend describes positive notoriety not just negative :)
@xcaptainjonny Rare's been a bit tight-lipped about mechanical rewards and whatnot beyond cosmetic customizations, so it's hard to say with certainty. I know the player base is at least hoping for mechanical variety.
That said, I don't know where the idea that cosmetics only games don't have success. Team Fortress, PUBG, Left 4 Dead, and MOBA's in general either have cosmetics only, or no long term progression at all, and they function just fine. If the core gameplay is fun enough, and offers enough variety that every experience has a uniqueness to it, it should do just fine maintaining a playerbase.
@xcaptainjonny you'll find out tomorrow.
Game is ridiculously fun. Get some friends together, chat in game chat rather than party. You'll have a blast
To me, it all comes down to enjoying playing a game for the 'soft' rewards that it will give- stories to share, memories to keep and laughs to be had. An enormous draw to this game for me is that it isn't a game to be 'beaten', to nab all the gear and 'level up' in...
Rare keep mentioning the 'even playing field'. No player is better than another coming out of the starting blocks. No player or team will dominate due to having more or better gear.
Anything you do earn will change the cosmetic appearance of your equipment, but not its function.
You say, 'but is that it?' Well no, it's not...
If all you want to do is find stuff and get 'levelled up' then yes, this will feel like a very unrewarding, two-dimensional game, and possibly isn't the right game for you... But, if you want to explore the world and take it all in, if you want to smile as you discover something new and exciting, and then share it with your crewmates, then SoTs most certainly will deliver in spades for you.
I think that all of this focus on rewards, and stuff, and beating the game and other players is missing the point a bit. Perhaps the focus should be less on the 'winning' and more on the 'wonder' of SoT... Finding out what's out there... Exploring, finding, and sharing that experience in a socially-driven game... A lot of the complaining, to me, comes from people who want to fit a square peg into a round hole because they want a competitively- driven game...
What will keep players coming back for more? Different things for different people! SoT's flavour might not be to all people's tastes, but that's how it goes! After the beta some people will decry the whole game for X or Y or Z, or all of them together, but another player will praise it for the exact same reasons...
I didn't play the alpha, I came to this game only recently, in the new year. I've watched every video I can and read every word I can also find. I'm excited to finally have a go tomorrow. Will I enjoy it, I certainly hope so! Will I reserve my whole judgement until 20th March & full release, again yes!
We won't get the whole experience for the next 5 days- otherwise why have a full release in two months? Will we get new stuff? Hopefully- Rare want data and feedback on newly implemented game content, I'm sure- and they want to build what was in the alpha experience for everyone that's gone through that.
I'll be sad if people blast SoT for what they get or don't get over the next 5 days and throw in the towel before we've even got a full product, but it will happen. Wait until March 20th to stick the knives in fully, if that's your persuasion...
Or, go into the game with an open mind, and play it as Rare has always intended- as a 'pirate's adventure playground' full of fun, exploration, story and adventure...
I can't wait...
@coffeeart687098
Well said!
The reason this game is the way it is, is to dissuade people from being toxic. It won't completely prevent it, and the game is heavily PvP oriented, but mindless killing really doesn't get anyone anywhere. Especially since there is a level playing field as far as mechanics/stats that sort of thing. There's no real advantage aside from your own skill. So if you troll people, don't expect not to be treated in kind! Eventually someone will get the upper hand over you, give you a taste of your own medicine.
This game focuses heavily on teamwork, social interaction, and light hearted gameplay. Its not what someone would call a 'hardcore' pvp game.
That being said, even games where levels and stats are important, a lot of the rewards for pvp are just cosmetic proof of your advancement. Armor/skins, mounts, weapons, titles, achievements...etc. So really its not all that different, except you don't get an advantage, like more health, more damage, or anything over someone who just spawned in for the first time, aside from knowing the controls. lol
@void-presence said in Whats The Reason To Play ??:
@roughmonkey0 hopefully I'll never see you in game, lol.
What you describe is not legend, it's infamy. Legend describes positive notoriety not just negative :)
Positive notoriety is in the eye of the beholder. When playing with hardcore PvP players the acts I discribed are the positive reinforcement they will be looking for.
You can not build a open world PvP game and except everyone to be on the good side. Without evil you have no good.
In any open world PvP game I have ever played, it might start out all friendly but then the game splits into two groups.
Group 1: the guys that are honest with themselves and kill everyone.
Group 2: the guys that think they are the white knights by killing people they think are out to kill everyone.
In both cases you just have everyone killing everyone. At lest group one knows it is just all for fun killing everyone. Group 2 will feel like they are doing the better good as white knights.
Kind of sound like the crusades??
It does not mater what side you pick, the mouse or the cat. Both sides will have to kill or be killed.
Also remember it only takes a few cats in the house to kill all the mice.
@xcaptainjonny Keep in mind that they are still going to work on this after launch, and they will be listening to the community. Another thing to keep in mind is that Rare is keeping a decent amount of information away from us. This game is gonna be pretty big, we haven't even seen the half of it (Maybe unless you have been in testing or a pioneer and can play the beat at this time). And yeah, this game is all about look. That really is not a bad thing, this game is not designed to have better skill levels and everything involving that topic. Do a bit of research as well, that'll help a lot :)
@roughmonkey0
You miss a 3rd case; people who will actively avoid (violently) engaging other crews. NOT everyone is out to kill others, for whatever motive. Sure it's an open-world game, but that doesn't mean it's a PVP game. There have been several threads about how to approach other crews with good intentions.
Sure, one may say 'why play a pirate game;' well, to each their own :)
@manofsteeldrago The issue with the approach "let's release the game now, and then upgrade it" is that once people will play and the game won't meet their expectations, they most likely will never come back and a 10-year plan GaaS will be gone. There are so many amazing games that failed at launch and never got back up, despite huge amount of content added later on.
I understand everyone's enthusiasm on this topic about how fun the game is to them with the content presented in alpha, but I also understand the OP. I'm a big fan of SoT and Rare, but I gotta admit they're playing a very dangerous game right now. SoT is very fun but the content from what we've seen can't compare to other big titles like let's say Witcher, where the budget just for voice acting and mocap was probably higher than the whole development of Sot. Yet, the price is $60, that's why some are on the fence. If the Alpha/Beta has 80% of the game in it, I would expect Rare to release tons of meaningful FREE DLC to justify the price (Not some skins etc, but real game enriching content).
@xcaptainjonny I would think of this game as one that is so different in narrative, that there is no linear approach (other than voyages). What you put in is what you get out of it, and it relies on your sense of adventure and own guidance most of the time. I find that really immersive! There is a fun factor in exploration, and to make your own story.
Of course there are several upgrades you can do, bounty hunting, treasure finding, sailing, fighting ships, partying with ships, shooting yourself out of a cannon, etc. For me, I am happy that it allows you to explore, and that there are different experiences literally for every player.
@void-presence said in Whats The Reason To Play ??:
@roughmonkey0
You miss a 3rd case; people who will actively avoid (violently) engaging other crews. NOT everyone is out to kill others, for whatever motive. Sure it's an open-world game, but that doesn't mean it's a PVP game. There have been several threads about how to approach other crews with good intentions.
Sure, one may say 'why play a pirate game;' well, to each their own :)
Oh I count on people trying not to fight. Killing people that don’t want it is even funnier :)
The 3rd group become the 2nd group fast enough.
I’m going to love to use these friendly tactics to lure players close to the ship. Flash my lights, “Hey, let’s hang out, want to do a friendly boat race?”
Then bam!!! “Oh, it hurts so bad... we just wanted to be friends.” Slice throut!
Everyone will fall into the “fool me once, then shame on you. But fool me twice... shame on me” Group.
After getting your “booty” handed to you a few times. You will become less trusting of the world around you. As mentioned before, it only takes a few cats to clear out a house of mice.
It’s all fun and games till people start killing you for their own enjoyment.
During the alpha I literally made 20 or so new gaming friends. Over both Xbox and PC. Really happy about the PC ones cause now I got people to play games on steam with. If anything I’d say the friends you can make while being on a virtual boat is enough to come back.
Also, I keep seeing this damned question everywhere! “But what’s gonna bring me back for more” The f**k do you mean by that? All you do in a CoD game is point and shoot. You can get different weapons and mods and colors by grinding your days away by pointing and shooting. Just like how I upgraded to a blunderbuss in Sea of thieves after I grinded my day away. No one likes to grind but people do it to get the items they want. Seeing as this is a rare game that is pirate based with supernatural walking skeletons and sea monsters I bet there is gonna be a number of cool rewards you can get for a grind. Which is days of gameplay. Mario games are literally just running and jumping but no one asks “what’s gonna bring me back for more running and jumping?”wanna know why? Cause it’s just a fun game. If a game is just fun isn’t that reason enough? In my opinion there is no game in the world that should “keep you coming back for more” or have “a reason to play” like it has to be some life changing thing if you were to go out and buy a copy of the game. It’s just a fun game, especially if you’re a social person just looking for a good time. In my five days I got to play on alpha it was hard to put the controller down.
@captain-surgee
You comparing something like sea of thieves to the Witcher is absolutely ridiculous. CD Projekt is the most beloved game company out there. They know that they spend tons of money making the game absolutely fantastic just to dish you out free DLC for every one of their games. You just can’t compare that to a company making games like banjo kazooie, battletoads and conkers bad fur day where the main goal is fun not how enriching the voice acting is.
@ever-reddy The stories you make while playing this with friends or random people will become the game. A bit like EVE Online in a way. Purely its for the fun and the thrill of the chase for other pirates or for that lush gold!
It's up to you how you play. It's your story, your adventure.
@captain-surgee I understand you view on the topic, but many of feel as if there is enough content to keep us happy. Putting it rather bluntly perhaps this isn't the game for you? I enjoy the concept of having an even playing field where you don't need to spend intense hours getting high level gear just so you can participate in all the events that the game has to offer personally.
There are many games out there varying in how they're set up. No game is going to be perfect and its all dependant on how they chose to proceed.
There is also a lot of features that haven't been added to the game, which they mention in their podcasts which can be found on YouTube. They want to keep some stuff hidden from us until the game is released so you don't feel as if you've already played everything the game has to offer.
Although nothing alike, GTAV is a good example of how expandable a game is, with new a huge amount of content being added for free. But no one can be certain if they will add paid expansions or add more content for free. What ever the case, I am quite excited for what is yet to come.
@jollysaintknick I'm not comparing games. I'm comparing the budget and the price. That has nothing to do with the type of the game it is.
@manofsteeldrago The even playing field is my favorite thing. I love the concept. I just wish the sandbox had more stuff in it. Co-op was already reduced by some new game decisions to make it easier. Amazing feature of showing the map to the other person is now pretty much useless, because everyone have the map, so as soon as you get close to the island you'll see everyone just jumping out and racing to the treasure. Nights are not as dark anymore, so holding a lamp while your buddy digs or looks at the map (map is somehow very bright, at night as well) is not needed anymore as well. All I want is as many co-op and social activities as possible. Bring back 1 map (only the person that owns the quest should have it), make nights dark again so the lamp can be used in co-op gameplay, add some social activities like card games, shooting range with scoreboard etc, large chests that require 2 people to carry to encourage co-op. This kind of stuff. I couldn't care less about missions :), just a better sandbox.
@captain-surgee I can see what your saying, but since I have been playing I have quite enjoyed the game and how its set up. Guess it comes down to a difference of opinion and expectations.
I still end up holding up my lamp at night to help others find features and dig points. However I don't think it would be possible to have 2 players carry a chest simultaneously as you wouldn't be able to control the direction people would travel. I like the idea, but I can't see it being possible.
As for card games and such, like I say they haven't introduced a lot of features to the game. Apparently the beta will introduce more that the alpha, then the full game will introduce even more features. Keep your eyes peeled as you may find what your looking for in the future. I can't really judge for now, like I say, it's still early days.
@labarge28 Name one cosmetics-only game that is actually in a comparable genre to SoT. The most important point is that sessions are not match-based like a sport, where there's a beginning and then a victory for one team. Every cosmetics-only game you can think of will fall into that category because there is also the implicit goal of winning games and improving your W/L. SoT isn't Overwatch, Counter Strike, Halo, or League of Legends. It is an open world game that persists between sessions. To my knowledge, there has never been a game in this kind of open world, multiplayer genre that survives without vertical progression, extreme amounts of horizontal progression, or large amounts of upkeep mechanics. SoT currently doesn't have any of that going for it.
@jollysaintknick Nope, I don't. What's already in SoT is pretty awesome (that water and ship!), but it looks more to me like a $30 purchase no matter how fun it is. Matters not anymore. After reading it will be releasing with game pass day 1, I don't care about it anymore, hehe. I guess everyone who is on the fence should just get the gamepass. Amazing move by MS.
@manofsteeldrago
Very good move. The game pass did wonders for Halo 5. This is gonna be massive for SoT as well.
