Sea of Thieves

[NeMo_ET]

I played this game for a solid few hours and it wasn't the most fun I've ever had but it was pretty decent. Then I noticed none of my achievements popped and still haven't to this day. Made me lose interest real fast. Don't plan on starting over.

[Grim Reaper]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

Played an hour or two today solo. It's an absolute blast. Playing on the X, I have to say, sea of thieves has the best water effects in any game ever. It's stunning.

Gameplay wise they literally tell you nothing. You get to figure it all out on your own and it's a ton of fun. (Unless you start with the bug that doesn't let you equip anything. If that happens, kill your character. When you respawn you'll be fine.)

I can see it being very addicting to sail with friends. But that's the thing. With friends. I enjoyed my time solo, yes. But I couldn't imagine putting in the time the game requires to master most of its content by myself. Yes, you can do it all solo. But why would you want to?

How do I play Solo?

[dyne]

Originally Posted by Grim Reaper

How do I play Solo?

Pick a sloop and don't invite anybody. Problem is (for now) randoms can join you. They're updating it so you can set your party (in game, not chat) to invite only eventually.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by dyne

Pick a sloop and don't invite anybody. Problem is (for now) randoms can join you. They're updating it so you can set your party (in game, not chat) to invite only eventually.

I believe there is an option to play alone, and when you do, random people can't join. Yes, pick the Sloop (smaller boat) and then select the sail alone option. I have played a lot in solo mode and have never had anyone join but when I have played with friends as a group of four, once one friend leaves, then any random person can join.

[Kinsella5]

Originally Posted by NeMo_ET

I played this game for a solid few hours and it wasn't the most fun I've ever had but it was pretty decent. Then I noticed none of my achievements popped and still haven't to this day. Made me lose interest real fast. Don't plan on starting over.

There are issues with the game, one of them is the achievements. I unlocked some achievements on day one, but they didn't pop up. A week later I was playing and finally they started popping up on the screen so I believe you will get credit for them, its just delayed.

[dyne]

A 1.2GB update was recently released.

https://www.express.co.uk/entertainm...-ship-griefing

Note on Ferry of the Damned on how to scuttle your ship to remind players how to get out the respawn grief situation.

Blunderbuss nerfed, Eye of Reach increased.

30 minute warning before servers go down.

[dyne]

Here's the update.

https://www.seaofthieves.com/news/se...-content-plans

All extra content is free.

"Our first content update, The Hungering Deep, will release in May and bring with it a new AI threat to the world. Crews will have to work together to discover and defeat this threat as part of a unique event. We will also be introducing a number of new mechanics to assist players on this adventure, and there will be unique rewards that players can earn as part of this event. Beyond this, we will begin our weekly events programme during May, where we introduce new mechanics and give players fun new ways to play with weekly events and rewards.

In the summer months, we’ll debut two more content updates with Cursed Sails, which will include a new ship type, and Forsaken Shores, which will introduce players to a perilous new part of the world to explore. Similarly to The Hungering Deep, both of these updates will also include new gameplay mechanics for players, new AI threats to challenge and new unique rewards to claim.

As we’ve always said, we never wanted to do anything to separate our players, so we’re pleased to confirm that all content updates will be available to all our players, at no additional cost."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t83...ature=youtu.be

[dyne]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scx9...ature=youtu.be

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...oads-more-loot

Public and private crew settings should be in next weeks patch as well as two other smaller QoL updates. One is to not show your name when underwater to promote stealthy play (which is great as having an entire crew shoot at you while swimming up to a boat is no fun) and the other is to be able to hand resources to team mates.

Today's update 1.06 has brought in new Admiral, Bilge Rat, Sea Dog and Sovereign designs for clothes, weaponry and ship customisation. Merchant inventories will now vary by outpost, too.

More exciting - and far more attainable - is a new grog bottle sniper rifle (sorry, 'Eye of Reach'). You can get this for precisely one gold for the next two weeks to celebrate the game's one month anniversary.

Other changes in the patch mean skeleton cannon firing has become less annoyingly accurate (good), you'll respawn from the Ferry of the Damned quicker (great), and the sloop's ship bell has moved sides so you don't accidentally ring it while climbing the ladder (niche).

[dyne]

https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/23/17...d-up-expansion

Official Hungering Deep trailer (doesn't show much).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VeJ...ature=youtu.be

New developer blog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAmr...ature=youtu.be

A new campaign: We now know that the Hungering Deep has a story campaign with the first real “character” of the game, centered around a quest to uncover the secrets of the Hungering Deep. This is a first step for Sea of Thieves; while the outposts are full of characters who have basic conversation trees or vendor stocks, they’re not really characters and they don’t offer quests beyond the option to buy randomly generated voyages.

Exclusive cosmetics: There will be time-limited rewards and cosmetics available during the Hungering Deep, with the developers keeping an eye on how many players are able to unlock the goodies.

Persistent content: When the campaign ends, the new AI threat and supporting infrastructure will remain in the world. This will be the standard for future expansions; while playing at launch can get you some excellent stuff and the ability to pursue the in-game quest, the world will be forever changed by the expansion.

Weekly events incoming: The Sea of Thieves developers split into three teams, with one on each expansion pack. The Hungering Deep team are now done with their content, and will be moving into weekly events. There is no information on what those events are — presumably the devs will remain on deck until the Hungering Deep is completely ironed out and free of bugs — but the first expansion’s release heralds a significant bit of manpower being freed up within Rare to work on new things.

Finally starting to get some tangible improvements.

[dyne]

More info.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...tent-expansion

According to Rare, its "medium-sized" Hungering Deep update (compared to those due later this year) consists of two distinct parts: there's the quest-like limited-time campaign event, and a bunch of new items and features which will remain in the game permanently.

The permanent stuff comes in the form of the new drum instrument, the new Speaking Trumpet (enabling crews to be heard at a distance and to "find other crews on the same voyage"), plus customisable flags for the top of your ship, so that you might signal your intentions from afar. Additionally, there are new personal customisation options in the form of tattoos and scars, plus, of course, the new (probably megalodon-like) AI threat.

The time-limited campaign, meanwhile, "leads from the outpost taverns to lonely, forgotten isles, piecing together the tale of Merrick the bard and his brush with hungering horror. Those who can find him and untangle his groggy recollection of events can join the hunt for his nemesis - and reap the rewards!". This element of the update includes a number of goodies which can only be earned as part of the limited-time event: the Hungering Tattoo Set, special scars, a unique figurehead, sails and hull, and a unique drum and Speaking Trumpet variant.

[dyne]

Here's a rundown of all scheduled content announced so far.

https://www.polygon.com/2018/6/25/17...ansion-e3-2018

Recently added:

1. Megalodons have infested the ocean. They can attack at any time, including during a kraken fight. The megalodons of Sea of Thieves have different personalities — some are shy and will flee after a shot, and others will chase you relentlessly.

2. Players have access to a yelling trumpet that lets them communicate with other players from a long distance. The yelling trumpet, along with the Hungering Deep campaign, have led to an overall far friendlier ocean.

3. Flags allow pirates to declare their intent, which deepen the pool of social interactions. A friendly rainbow flag shows that you’re willing to party, while a Jolly Roger is nearly always a sure sign of upcoming murder.

4. Weekly events have kicked off, which allow players to collect doubloons for limited-time unlockables. Sea of Thieves’ first event was all about finding skeleton thrones and cooperating with other crews to claim them, and the next event will be about gunpowder barrel-toting skeletons and offer new, spooky, skeletal weapon skins.

Upcoming:

CURSED SAILS

Skeleton ships are coming with Cursed Sails. We can expect a campaign, similar to The Hungering Deep, that takes players through the new content and has them face off against skeleton ships. AI ships should make the seas more deadly, especially since they have cursed ammo that can drop anchors or make crews drunk. Players will be able to access their own cursed ammo to unleash on other players, although that loot won’t carry over between sessions; everyone will still enter a game at the same power level.

Finally, a three-man ship is coming. The brigantine will have two masts, two sails and two decks, and will be a slightly more maneuverable galleon that lacks the sloop’s unique’s strengths. A three-man crew on a galleon up against a four-man galleon will be at a disadvantage, so the brigantine will allow dedicated three-person crews to remain competitive without needing to recruit randoms through open crews.

FORSAKEN SHORES

With the mix of threats described above, the starting map will be getting a little chaotic. Here’s where Forsaken Shores comes in: The map will expand to include Devil’s Roar, a volcanic region. Entering Devil’s Roar will always be a choice; players cannot spawn there. This is convenient, as Devil’s Roar volcanoes will erupt and cause massive damage to ships.

In order to navigate these strange waters, a rowboat will be added to the game. The rowboat will be a massive game changer; it can be used to facilitate boarding, quickly loot forts before opponents can return, and players can even stack it with gunpowder barrels to create a deadly surprise for enemies.

BEYOND SEPTEMBER

The developers have no shortage of ideas, and four developer teams means that there’ll be a constantly rotating set of expansions. There’s no shortage of enemy types, especially because Sea of Thieves primarily deals with the mythical. Giant crabs, ghosts, sirens... there’s plenty of material to mine from the greater pirate mythos. The next unannounced expansion is said to be in the works by The Hungering Deep team, although we have no details as of yet.

Microtransactions will also come to the game after enough free content has arrived. The idea is to flesh out cosmetics, such as ship mastheads, through a microtransaction shop, Rare said.

Sea of Thieves has a surprising amount of lore, mostly hidden outside of the game via avenues like comic books. Campaigns will be more lore-heavy, focused on stories like that of “Merry” Merrick and his missing legs, but scaled up with the amount of development time going into each expansion.

Pretty aggressive release schedule and besides the cosmetic microtransactions, it's all free.

[dyne]

Pretty sad that Rare has <250 employees and 4 teams churning out free content at a good clip while Bungie has over 750 (as of 2016) and drips out paid content. Also sad that Bungie outsources their PC version while as far as I can tell Rare handles their PC version in house.

[Steelmaker]

Originally Posted by dyne

Pretty sad that Rare has <250 employees and 4 teams churning out free content at a good clip while Bungie has over 750 (as of 2016) and drips out paid content. Also sad that Bungie outsources their PC version while as far as I can tell Rare handles their PC version in house.

Yeah but unlike Snooze of Thieves, Destiny is actually fun to play.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by Steelmaker

Yeah but unlike Snooze of Thieves, Destiny is actually fun to play.

While I'd argue that (as Destiny bores me to tears, bullet sponge enemies, bad RNG, yay), the point still stands.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by dyne

While I'd argue that (as Destiny bores me to tears, bullet sponge enemies, bad RNG, yay), the point still stands.

The point will stand if Rare is releasing content in three years. Right now it's debatable that this content was either finished, or close to it, at launch, and if there will be anything worthwhile in the years to come.

[dyne]

Cursed Sails coming July 31st.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us6D...ature=youtu.be

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...te-and-trailer

Cursed Sails brings significant additions to Rare's swashbuckling multiplayer pirate adventure, some of which the developer has shared in its latest blog post. Top of the list is a new roaming AI threat in the form of "fortress-like" ghost ships manned by literal skeleton crews - which, judging by the new trailer below, will haunt the Sea of Thieves by bursting up from the depths of the ocean, ready to unleash hell.

Elsewhere, Cursed Sails introduces a third ship type to Sea of Thieves; Galleons and Sloops are now joined by the new Brigantine, which is specifically designed to comfortably accommodate crews of up to three people. Additionally, the update will bring a new Alliance system, which, Rare says, "encourages the formation of fleets united under a single cause, ready to tackle greater challenges and share the rewards."

"Many long-time wanderers on the Sea of Thieves will remember Salty," the tale goes, "one of the first entrepreneurs to set up shop at an Outpost. He informs the Pirate Times that after many months spent seeking a 'killer' item to sell, he's found something special that will surprise new and old customers alike. Salty even has a new business partner, but is keeping details quiet until it's time to make a splash."

Could this be related to the strange affliction that, as fans recently spotted, seems to have befallen Golden Sands' merchant Wanda? And might it have something to do with the influx of mysterious, deadly mermaid statues in the current Sunken Curse limited-time event?

Cursed Sails is the second of six major content updates planned for 2018, with the next, Forsaken Shores, scheduled to arrive in September. It sounds like we'll get a few more specifics as Cursed Sails' July 31st launch approaches.

[dyne]

The DLC released so far was not finished, or close to it, at launch.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articl...thieves-afloat

Since launch, Sea of Thieves has received two content expansions in a bid to keep the game fresh and retain players for longer. The first, The Hungering Deep, arrived at the end of May - an achievement Chapman is most proud of given the team behind it only had two months of development time, some of which was taken up by fixing launch bugs.

Hoping to keep the 6-8 week content delivery.

Forsaken Shores makes for three expansions within six months of launch, and this puts Rare very much on course to achieve its goal of new content every six to eight weeks. That's a surprisingly high cadence for an online game, but one Chapman believes will ensure players never tire of Sea of Thieves.

Behind the scenes, it means each team is getting longer to work on their next expansion, but from the player's perspective a meaty new update is released every six to eight weeks.

Teams rotate from finishing one dlc to starting another.

Each release is being handled by a separate team, with four teams working in parallel. The Hungering Deep crew, hampered by their two-month window, has been working since that launch on the update that will follow Forsaken Shores. The Cursed Sails team is now working on the expansion after that, and the recently formed fourth team will release its first content update by the end of the year.

Timed events help mitigate stagnation between dlc.

Behind the scenes, it means each team is getting longer to work on their next expansion, but from the player's perspective a meaty new update is released every six to eight weeks. In addition to this, there are the regular Bilge Rat Adventures: limited time in-game events that add new challenges for players, such as the hard-to-find skeleton thrones. These two-week events help avoid stagnation between expansions, and the combination of both will be expanded upon in Sea of Thieves' second year.

Six expansions by year end.

All in all, this means Rare's online pirate game will have six hefty expansions, plus a few features added through the regular events, by the end of the year - an impressive feat compared to the likes of Destiny, where new expansions are only release once or twice a year.

Expansions will be free for the forseeable future. Monitization will come but they don't want to charge for dlc and fragment the player base so there will be another way.

While Rare acknowledges some form of monetisation may need to be introduced at some point, if only to help fund this intensive ongoing development schedule, it's determined to avoid the mistakes made by past online titles.

"We will never charge for those content releases, because that would segregate our players," says Chapman. "We took decisions around never having power progression in the game - you might have it within a session, if someone finds a gunpowder keg or other weapons in the world - because otherwise you'd reach the stage where certain people couldn't play together. You'd have this weird thing of having to keep up with your friends, maybe feeling like you were being left behind. That will never happen in Sea of Thieves. So the idea of having to buy an expansion in order to play with your friends - we'd never do that.

"We won't step on the shoes of the gameplay, we won't segregate our players, we certainly never would do pay-to-win. It would be around something that players love, and a way for them to keep enjoying the content."

"Traditionally, you see a huge spike at the start and then a managed decline until there's nothing. The idea was to keep this community engaged, so there's always something to go and earn, and these regular content releases. As long as players are loving the game - which they are - and as long as they keep coming back, we'll keep making content."

Sounds like they're committed.

[dyne]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...content-update

Forsaken Shores coming Sept 19th.

As part of today's Inside Xbox livestream, Rare has detailed Sea of Thieves' upcoming Forsaken Shores content update, which is coming to Xbox One and PC on September 19th.

Forsaken Shores' most significant addition is its perilous new biome, known as the Dev's Roar. Pirates brave enough to explore this deadly stretch of ocean will find islands positively quaking with volcanic activity. As you explore the new area, volcanic eruptions are a constant risk, and you'll need to use the environment wisely to escape their ire.

Caves might offer some respite, but you'll still need to deal with falling rocks and steaming geysers, and even the ocean itself can prove deadly, as the water becomes superheated during eruptions. Thankfully, Sea of Thieves is also introducing new rowboats, which makes it easier to traverse the Devil's Roar, and get your treasure back to you ship, without fear of getting your toes incinerated.

Today's Inside Xbox livestream featured a whole bunch of footage of the new Devil's Roar region, which I'll add to this story as soon as its available separately.

Elsewhere, Forsaken Shores will introduce a new form of Merchant Alliance quest, known as Cargo Runs. Unlike current merchant missions, which task you with locating items out at sea to deliver them elsewhere, Cargo Runs simply task you with transporting a set of items from one NPC (presumably an Outpost merchant) to another location.

However, the difficulty lies in the nature of the items you're asked to shift around the seas. Bottles of rum, for instance, are extremely delicate - and if they're damaged in transit (during a battle for instance), they'll drop in resale value. Similarly, you might be asked to move expensive cloth which can't get wet, so you'll want to avoid rain or a leaky boat, and plants which, conversely, do require water. Of course, nefarious players can thwart merchants' deliveries by deliberately tampering with goods that they find.

Rounding off today's Sea of Thieves' news, Rare announced that Cursed Crews is the next Bilge Rat Adventure, due to arrive next week once the current Cursed Sails campaign is over. Cursed Crews will finally let players get their hands on the cursed cannonballs currently used by skeleton fleets - which do everything from blocking supply barrels on a ship to causing everyone to dane (dance?) - and an upgraded inventory system is coming to support the additions.

Also incoming is a new Reaper's Mark flag which, rather brilliantly, highlights your ship's position on everyone's map. You could use this to summon boats to your position if you're looking to form an alliance, but it's likely handiest for those hunting for a fight.

Sea of Thieves' Forsaken Shores content update, the third of six big updates planned for 2018, comes to PC and Xbox One on September 19th - which, coincidentally enough, is International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

[dyne]

I can start talking about this stuff again (even though nobody here seems to play) now that it's public.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...hrouded-spoils

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbd2...ature=youtu.be

As Sea of Thieves' current Foresaken Shores campaign begins to wind down, Rare has shared first details on Shrouded Spoils - the next major content expansion for its multiplayer piratical adventure, due to arrive in November.

Neate did reveal that it brings expanded ship customisation options - enabling players to change the likes of the wheel, cannons, and capstan - alongside unique Commendations and goals for those that have reached Pirate Legend status.

Shrouded Spoils' most significant addition though, as revealed so far at least, comes in the form of billowing fog - a new emergent weather type that can sweep across islands or oceans at any time.

A ship's crow's nest will suddenly be far more useful, being the only way to get a clearer view of your surroundings when the fog rolls in.

According to Neate, Rare will be sharing more details on Shrouded Sails very soon. And for those eager to learn what else the future holds, it will be unveiling the next major content update to follow Shrouded Sails on November 10th, during Microsoft's X018 event. This, says Neate, is a big one, and brings "a real change" to the Sea of Thieves experience.

Before all of that, however, comes the previously teased Festival of the Damned event - a Halloween-inspired limited-time Bilge Rat Adventure that, as shown in the newly revealed trailer above, introduces new coloured ship lanterns as a simple new mechanic, spooky face paint, and other seasonally appropriate odds and sods.

The Festival of the Damned begins on October 31st, meaning you've less than a week to finish up Foresaken Shores' campaign quest and grab its selection of limited-time cosmetics. Foresaken Shores' big content additions - including the stunning Devil's Roar biome and rowboats - will remain as permanent additions.

[dyne]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ing-next-month

Sea of Thieves is one today, don't you know, and, to celebrate, Rare has unveiled the multiplayer pirate adventure's next big free content expansion. It's called the Anniversary Update, and it's coming on April 30th.

Prior to today's reveal, Rare has referred to the expansion as a "mega update" and, based on today's reveals, that seems entirely apt. The Anniversary Update is split into two main segments - the new standalone PvP-focussed Arena mode, and a sizeable update for the core Adventure mode, known as Tall Tales: Shores of Gold - with plenty going on in both.

Observant sorts watching the trailer the trailer below will no doubt notice that fishing very much appears to be in (both on boat and on land), and Rare's accompanying Anniversary Update webpage explains that this, along with cooking, is part of the new Hunter's Call Trading Company, offering special rewards and a new path toward Pirate Legend.

And on that subject, seafaring combat will be getting some major enhancements in the form of location-specific damage for ships - with well-aimed cannonballs apparently able to destroy a rival boat's mast, wheel, or capstan.

And we're still not done! The Molten Sands Fortress is now active in the Devil's Roar, meaning that fearless players can take on the Skull Fort challenge in the shadow of a rampaging volcano, plus the previously promised Mercenary cosmetics are now available for purchase.

Today's update also brings mouse, keyboard, and chatpad support to Xbox One and, finally, Rare notes that eagle-eyed players might spot some suspicious building activity around the mysterious arch at the centre of the map.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRbT...ature=youtu.be