Charting Sea of Thieves' future with the game's creators

Sea of Thieves is an interesting game. Role sandbox, part multiplayer complimentary-for-all, it aims to be an unforgettable pirate adventure that revolves around role player-crafted stories.

With no levels to grind and no powers to upgrade, Bounding main of Thieves' unique focus on purely corrective rewards and physical, intersecting gameplay mechanics has proven itself to be polarizing. Stunning visuals and explosive ship combat aside, in that location's non a peachy deal to actually practice in Sea of Thieves — if you're not into role player interaction, that is. Sea of Thieves has always been almost the journeying, rather than the destination. But with the Ceremony Update expected on April 30, 2022, the game's creator Rare is ready to debut some major new features to beef up the depth of its globe.

We defenseless up with Studio Atomic number 82 Craig Duncan and Game Manager Mike Chapman to discuss Sea of Thieves' ambitious "Alpine Tales" narrative quest organisation, the new role player versus player Arena, and much, much more than.

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That Sea of Thieves special sauce

Sitting downwardly with Rare is always a pleasant experience, and the studio and its staff ooze passion. Although Bounding main of Thieves enjoys a lot of love from its fans, the inclusion of stories players tin complete by themselves, or in a crew of upward to 4 friends, is clearly meant to address some long-continuing criticism nearly the lack of structured gameplay in Sea of Thieves' dynamic earth. Duncan noted to u.s.a. that Tall Tales is the culmination of everything the studio has learned and absorbed about how stories should play out in Sea of Thieves.

"I think for us, we knew from the alphas and betas that we had something special with Sea of Thieves," Duncan said. "The 'special' with Body of water of Thieves is yous never know what'southward going to happen when you go out and hazard. That aspect is really important. We've always wrestled with the idea of having a narrative, while keeping that emergent gameplay. The Hungering Deep − that was our first run at a crafted story. In some ways it worked, in some ways it didn't. Cursed Sails allowed united states to try something a picayune different again, with a story taking place over a number of weeks. Tall Tales is a culmination of what we've learned with those earlier attempts, forth with all the new gameplay tools."

In our hands-on with Alpine Tales, nosotros spelunked in aboriginal ruins, braved deadly Indiana Jones-mode traps, and uncovered lost wrecks. Along the fashion, the game besides offered diverse books, besides every bit professional NPC voiceovers to add together further context to the story. Information technology's all about calculation depth, without impeding the open up world, connected dynamism, said Mike Chapman. "Nosotros aim for Sea of Thieves to be about the journeying, rather than the destination. In improver to that, Tall Tales is a way to explain some of that background behind the world. We accept an opportunity to explicate why that island is named the way it is, why that shipwreck is there. Nosotros want to allow people to roleplay and get lost in the game, getting immersed. Tall Tales, and Arena as well, are most giving players new means to experience the world."

In addition to new story elements, the Anniversary Update adds new fishing and cooking mechanics. With up to 50 fish to hunt down and itemize, it gives players something to collect beyond cosmetics for the first fourth dimension, which stands at odds with some other connected games like Destiny and The Division, which throw piles of loot at players in attempts to keep them hooked. I asked the pair if Rare's mission to buck industry trends and focus on physical systems and emergent gameplay makes the game difficult to market and build new features for.

"The thing I'yard virtually proud of in Bounding main of Thieves, even from the simplest mechanic, to something incredibly circuitous, we never want to just rip mechanics out of other games," said Chapman. "We try to translate them into the Sea of Thieves world. Tall Tales for instance, won't be a crafted feel y'all can experience in other games. Our pets feature is a proficient feel. We take them on internal servers right now with testers, and through that feedback, nosotros've decided to filibuster them. We want them to feel like they take that Sea of Thieves deviation. So that they react to the world in a dynamic way. Pets are admittedly still on the way."

Body of water of Thieves and online exposure

Sea of Thieves enjoys fairly good for you viewing figures on Twitch, occasionally exploding when some of the platform's biggest streamers fancy a bit of piracy. It made me wonder if Rare feels any pressure to create game features that are inherently watchable, owing to the ascension of streaming platforms equally a way to marketplace games − especially some of the more unique multiplayer ones. Duncan noted that creating games that tread new water is par for the class for Rare, given the studio's history. "I think new IP, if you look at Rare's Deoxyribonucleic acid and history, we've created new IP that accept defied genres in the by. I think being role of Xbox Game Studios, existence part of a studio that isn't afraid to try something new, is really important to our civilization. I retrieve that'southward why streaming, YouTube, and social media have been really important to Sea of Thieves. Our game isn't really about a feature list on the back of a box, it's about those experiences. Going on social media and seeing a prune of a story someone has had, being shared or streamed. We have 430 million views of YouTube content for Sea of Thieves, story after story. Withal well I can explain Body of water of Thieves to you lot, everyone's view is ultimately those shared stories. I think that'south what makes our game then watchable."

Ane aspect of Sea of Thieves' Anniversary update that could help stream viewership jump upward again is the addition of the new Arena mode, which grants prospective pirates quick 24-infinitesimal matches for loot and celebrity. Five teams of 4 compete on a smaller ocean, consummate with all of Bounding main of Thieves' tools (even the upcoming fishing characteristic), battling it out to top the leader lath when the match ends by killing players, sinking ships, and handing in loot.

The complexity and chaos of Arena may lend itself well to organized tournaments, given the high skill ceiling required for optimally crewing ships, outplaying others, and collaboratively navigating the environment. With the renewed focus on combat with Arena, I wondered if Rare was going to amend the feel of its systems, which were a pain point critically when the game launched. Could Sea of Thieves become an esport? Never say never, says Chapman.

"We've tweaked some gainsay mechanics for Loonshit, and those that have been forth for the ride volition remember some of the other tweaks we've done, similar removing the double gun exploit. With Arena beingness competitive, information technology puts a bigger focus on it. That said, they are pirates, they're non marines. Information technology'south not Call of Duty or Halo. Y'all are a cranky quondam pirate with a rusty cutlass. Our game isn't about combat dominance, even Loonshit is nigh crew interaction and succeeding together. That said, we'll still look at tweaking the combat, for sure."

"The interaction in the Loonshit is going to be incredible to spotter. The difference makers won't necessarily be those in combat. It might be those looking out from the crow's nest with the spyglass, someone steering the send, those soft skills we're talking virtually. It's not just about combat domination using swords and guns, it is near how you piece of work together as a crew, and the crew that works together with the best tactics, with the best strategy, volition always come out on top. We'll get content into players hands, reflect on it, get feedback, and have that guide our on-going plans. Is there a world where we could host tournaments in the hereafter? Absolutely."

On top of streaming platforms, with Halo heading to Steam subsequently this year in the form of a staggered roll out of The Master Chief Collection, yous have to wonder if other Microsoft franchises could follow suit. Killer Instinct is already there, might Sea of Thieves would benefit from the added exposure of Steam too? Not for the time being, at least, says Duncan. "I think for the states, nosotros've had practiced success on the Windows x Microsoft Store. Obviously, Body of water of Thieves is on Xbox Live, it plays on the Microsoft platform. For the states, everybody being able to play together is the well-nigh important matter for us. That was our design vision from the start. If that works well for Halo, we'll watch how that works and how it plays out. There are no plans to do it right now."

Cheers to Craig and Mike for joining us!

After a bit of a rocky get-go, Body of water of Thieves seems to be sailing smoothen waters lately, enjoying salubrious monthly active users and very promising upcoming content.

The Sea of Thieves Anniversary Update arrives for free on Apr 30, 2022. You can grab Bounding main of Thieves for $60, or via Xbox Game Pass for a $x per calendar month subscription.

Seas in peril

Sea of Thieves

Go on an adventure.

Body of water of Thieves is an incredible multiplayer sandbox experience that favors the gamers who dearest player interaction. Sharpen your cutlass, plunder all the gold, upgrade your ship, and go a legend.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/sea-thieves-anniversary-update-interview

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