I don’t expect this take to go over well but I feel as a new player it needs to be said. The skill gap in this game is absurd and I can see why. I bought this game about two weeks ago and have played a few hours a day since. I can feel myself getting better but I still am getting slaughtered to the point that I don’t want to play anymore. I understand that PVP is part of the game and when it’s evenly matched I love it. It is tons of fun. But in the few weeks I’ve played I have had maybe two skill matched fights and been absolutely decimated by sweats more times than I can count. I don’t see myself ever getting to that level just because it’s not even fun to try at this point. My crew and I can’t even do PVE anymore bc the second we actually complete it we get intercepted on the way to the port. I don’t care about the in game cash I just want to have fun in an otherwise beautiful game. Skill based matchmaking seriously needs to be added to the game.
Skill based matchmaking
@glancingboat900 You're in luck! There will be custom servers where you can't grind out any cash, rep, e.t.c but you can still have fun with your friends. They are currently being tested by streamers and will eventually be released for everyone.
there isn't any way to accurately gauge skills and intent in a game like this
there are people that play thousands of hours and are generally not skilled at combat or strategy in combat
there are fpsers that are skilled in a few dayssome days are decent and some days are more frustrating than others
just a take the good with the bad type of situation in a shared adventure environment like this where everyone gets to do what they want, just not always win at it
anyone that values gold and treasure can just sell often and improve at the basics while avoiding arrogance and can avoid sweats most of the time.
Minimizing losses is how non sweats win.
I've made hundreds of millions and been in thousands and thousands of fights and still get dominated sometimes, sometimes many times in a row over 2 or 3 days. Never matters when I get dominated in combat, why?
Put in the effort and adapted with strategy and never assumed I was safe. Sold when I wanted gold and made choices that made sense, losing a fight doesn't matter at all when effort is put into strategy and minimizing the losses.Avoid the world events at your stage. Waste of time and too much risk if there isn't efficiency.
People can get rich doing shipwreck voyages or vaults with minimal risk
sink skelly sloops
avoid large islands
don't stay in one spot too long
you can limit tucking and ambushes nearly entirely by avoiding large island activities and staying in one spot too long
sell sell sell sellConsistency is a powerful attribute. a little bit consistently goes further than a lotta bit inconsistently.
I'm proof you can do it. I lost every single fight I ever had for a long time in the beginning. Stick with it, build the skills, build confidence but don't let it become arrogance. Take less risks now and build a foundation and then slowly start taking on more. It's not a pretty process but it's an effective one. You will be fine if you commit to it. You will lose fights and that will never change but you can work towards piracy where it doesn't need to matter more than a couple minutes of frustration, then move forward, always forward.
@glancingboat900
Instead of trying to win a fight, have you tried to avoid it ?
Turn in at another outpost, do a rowboat play, work on your crew's sailing skills while trying to get away in a chase ?@glancingboat900 said in Skill based matchmaking:
@el-spaniardchi very happy to hear that! How does that work and will it be accessible on Xbox?
It's basically a server where you can handpick how many people/ships can be on it, and who can play on said server. Works like normal game, except there's no absolutely progression. You still can do world events, hoard loot on your boat e.t.c. Just no gold or Rep or Emissary value. I believe you can still play on them with all the cosmetics you got from the normal game. I assume they will be accessible on Xbox, although I can't confirm it. Hopefully either a mod or someone else will be able to link you to the post, as I can't find it.
@lem0n-curry yes thank you for your response! For me it is less about the constant losses in fights and more about the fact that an even fight is tons of fun! The most I have enjoyed this game is coming across a new crew like my own. I just wish that this was more common as it would allow for players to get better at the game as opposed to being frustrated and quitting before they get the chance to experience the game fully. Cheers!
@wolfmanbush thank you for the response! I want to stick with it as the highs in this game have been incredible. I will try to minimize the potential for lows even more so than I already am.
@glancingboat900
I didn't mean for your crew to run from every fight :).As a solo, I try to avoid other ships as much as possible, but in a crew we take on others more, either in defense or as attackers.
We try to play smart and not get into a large fight in which we know we'll probably loose or where we have things to lose and have nothing to gain.Fights that are on the edge and can go either way are the most fun IMHO.
However, there are crews out there that just go for the win and in the easiest way possible; if there were skill based servers, there would be ways around them (start a crew with a new alt account and then invite experienced PvP-minded people). Thus you either will encounter those of even skill and very high skill "sweats", instead a possible mix of everyone. Probably a worse experience than you have now.
@glancingboat900 said in Skill based matchmaking:
@wolfmanbush thank you for the response! I want to stick with it as the highs in this game have been incredible. I will try to minimize the potential for lows even more so than I already am.
Something valuable to keep in mind that world events are mixed loot so unless someone is running reapers (which you aren't ready for yet) it actually makes more sense to work for a faction rather than world event with an emissary
Because of how emissaries give bonuses you might as well grind vaults as a gold hoarder (as an example) because all the loot involved will be for your emissary which is more bonus than selling just a portion of an event to that faction for the bonus.
It's quicker and less risky to focus on a faction and items that are related to that faction. In the end it's not as fancy but it's efficient
Keep higher value items separate from the pile. Sell that stuff first it minimizes loss at the outpost during an ambush.
Don't hide loot. If you get sunk you get sunk and if people are hostile they are hostile. Hiding random loot doesn't actually change that or help you. You want to sell as fast as possible and not slow down that processand I wouldn't get caught up in any of the narratives about cosmetics and ship related stuff when it comes to pvp and other players.
Use what you like, it doesn't matter. Cosmetics don't make you safer. Decorate how you want, wear what you want, enjoy that part of the game, no reason buy into (this means this or that means that) just enjoy stuff, it's not gonna hurt/help you to any significant degree or matter much. Whatever you like is what you like and that works just fine.he skill gap in this game is absurd and I can see why
There Skill in this game? I have never seen any player I would call "Skilled"
It all random chance and knowledgeable encounters. Ive come across new players, and I can tell you some are quick learners or flat out lucky as they missed the keg in the water, but I end up hitting it :P Or they get those shots off with timed cannon fire/chainshots.
Then I have my days where I can do anything because of reasons.My crew and I can’t even do PVE anymore bc the second we actually complete it we get intercepted on the way to the port.
What would you say if a Skeleton Ship spawned and sank you all the time? Would you be upset about that as well or would that fall under your lack of skill?
In the end, no matter what any player here says. There.Is.No.Skill. Required to play this game.
@glancingboat900 skill basee matchmaking? Ok...how would the game do that? How would the game know if someone is more or less skilled?
@glancingboat900
You shouldn’t care about loot, the meta is pvp and the only way to get better is to throw yourself into it without fear. Gold is worthless. Fight others every chance you get and you losses will slowly become consistent victories. I know some people want to just pve but rare has shown they didn’t care so get good or get sunk.@wolfmanbush said in Skill based matchmaking:
there isn't any way to accurately gauge skills and intent in a game like this
there are people that play thousands of hours and are generally not skilled at combat or strategy in combat
there are fpsers that are skilled in a few dayssome days are decent and some days are more frustrating than others
just a take the good with the bad type of situation in a shared adventure environment like this where everyone gets to do what they want, just not always win at it
anyone that values gold and treasure can just sell often and improve at the basics while avoiding arrogance and can avoid sweats most of the time.
Minimizing losses is how non sweats win.
I've made hundreds of millions and been in thousands and thousands of fights and still get dominated sometimes, sometimes many times in a row over 2 or 3 days. Never matters when I get dominated in combat, why?
Put in the effort and adapted with strategy and never assumed I was safe. Sold when I wanted gold and made choices that made sense, losing a fight doesn't matter at all when effort is put into strategy and minimizing the losses.Avoid the world events at your stage. Waste of time and too much risk if there isn't efficiency.
People can get rich doing shipwreck voyages or vaults with minimal risk
sink skelly sloops
avoid large islands
don't stay in one spot too long
you can limit tucking and ambushes nearly entirely by avoiding large island activities and staying in one spot too long
sell sell sell sellConsistency is a powerful attribute. a little bit consistently goes further than a lotta bit inconsistently.
I'm proof you can do it. I lost every single fight I ever had for a long time in the beginning. Stick with it, build the skills, build confidence but don't let it become arrogance. Take less risks now and build a foundation and then slowly start taking on more. It's not a pretty process but it's an effective one. You will be fine if you commit to it. You will lose fights and that will never change but you can work towards piracy where it doesn't need to matter more than a couple minutes of frustration, then move forward, always forward.
👏
@scurvywoof said in Skill based matchmaking:
I don’t think skill based match making would work in SoT. It’s just not possible to judge everyone’s skill. Plus, alt accounts would really ruin skill based matchmaking.
Yeah, that very thing ruins matchmaking for me in orher games, like in Halo Infinite, Rocket League, and others...
Skill Based Matchmaking wouldn't change anything, if you have 1€ on your pocket you just can create a new Gamepass acc, play Sot on your smurf and keep stomping newbies.
And that Will make servers feel more empty than now, because the top skill brackets Will be empy due to pro players tired of facing everytine the same enemies and playing with tournament mindset, sometimes you just want to Chill sailing islands or get some easy Reaper 5 flag sinking people with less skill, that is how Sot works.
I am not a pro, but I've learned a lot in this last 2 Months of full arena Gameplay, what happens if I decide to create a new acc and get matched against you? The same than now, probably you Will sunk and I Will get your loot anyways. SBMM is not the way to keep new players on the Game, I know is hard, but is how the Game works for everyone, you sunk untill you start sinking onthers
The problem with the concept of skill-based matchmaking is that the only relevant statistics that could be used across the entirety of the player base would be hours played and/or miles sailed...and even those would be a pretty poor way of doing matchmaking.
I've yet to hear anyone come up with a halfway decent means by which to do skill-based matchmaking in SoT.
@sweetsandman said in Skill based matchmaking:
The problem with the concept of skill-based matchmaking is that the only relevant statistics that could be used across the entirety of the player base would be hours played and/or miles sailed...and even those would be a pretty poor way of doing matchmaking.
I've yet to hear anyone come up with a halfway decent means by which to do skill-based matchmaking in SoT.
You can't even do it without heavily restricting how players start games. It would need to become like Arena, where you can't start a ship without having a minimum required crew and then you would not be allowed to invite players to an in-progress game. This is only way SBMM works, because otherwise you just start a game with a low skill account to get seeded into an easy server and then invite your high skill accounts.
It would make just getting a game started a nightmare.
@d3adst1ck You're absolutely right. The only way to address that would be to take "averages" of the crew's "skill" and force server merges if people join/leave and their "average" is in another "bracket"...and this is a terrible way of addressing it for a ton of reasons.
All-in-all, SBMM won't (can't) come to SoT in any meaningful way. There's just no good way of doing it.
