The more we’ve seen of Sea of Thieves, the clearer it’s become that the simple act of playing it will be fun. Its mix of gentle action and almost hardcore seafaring (seriously, you try manning a galleon with three people who don’t know how sails work) is immediately engaging and, more importantly, hilarious.
But what bookends that moment-to-moment play has remained resolutely mysterious since the game’s announcement – how does Sea of Thieves begin, what’s the story, and what are we working towards? After visiting Rare and talking to several of the game’s developers and producers, finally we have some answers.
Let’s begin at the beginning. Sea of Thieves will open with you choosing your pirate. “Choosing” is a deliberate choice of words – this isn’t character customisation. Rare’s made a purposeful decision not to include slider-filled menus. Instead, you begin in a tavern, with eight procedurally-generated pirates to inspect. They’re created based on twenty different parameters – everything from age, to body shape, to overall ‘wonkiness’ (essentially, how asymmetrical they are) – leading to a “practically infinite” number of variations. If you don’t like the 8 you’re shown, you can regenerate another 8 as many times as you like until you find a favourite.
Sea of Thieves is often bandied about as an exclusive to Xbox One, but it’s only a console exclusive; the seafaring pirate game is also coming to PC. Following earlier technical tests, official system requirements and recommended specs have been shared, and they truly run the gamut.
Microsoft and developer Rare have shared a wide range of possible specs for running Sea of Thieves on PC. What it describes as the minimum requirements involve running the game at 720p and 30 FPS. Doing so requires an Intel Q9450 or AMD Phenom II X6 and 4 GB of RAM. It also divides up the suggested video cards into “GPU” and “modern GPU” categories; the former calls for a 1 GB GTX 650 or AMD Radeon 7750, while the “modern” cards start with a GTX 1030 or R7 450. Unusually, we also get a hard drive speed suggestion too; you’ll need 60 GB free on a 5,400 RPM drive.
From there, the specs scale up to the recommended level of 1080p and 60 FPS, which requires an i5 4960 or FX 8150, 8 GB of RAM, and a GTX 1060 or RX 470 (for modern GPUs), and a 7,200 RPM hard drive. The highest end provides the necessary specs to run the game at 4K and 60 FPS: an i7 4790 or Ryzen 5 1600, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1080 TI or RX Vega 64, and an SSD.
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There are also requirements outlined for a slightly…lesser experience. Rare previously promised Sea of Thieves support for 540p with a 15 FPS lock. In this list of specs, we see the necessary hardware to run the game at 540p and 30 FPS with the minimum graphics setting, which is dubbed “Cursed.” For this, you’ll need an Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200 or Iris 540, 4 GB of RAM, and integrated graphics. And, like all other specs, 60 GB of hard drive space and DirectX 11 support are still required.
Before going to visit Rare, the British studio behind Xbox One‘s first big exclusive of the year, I wasn’t really sure what you do in Sea of Thieves. It’s a pirate game, sure, but what does that mean, exactly? It seems obvious now, but of course the answer is: you act like a pirate. You take on quests to retrieve loot or kill a skeleton captain and then proceed to sail a ship, look out for enemy boats, fix leaks, bail water out, position the sails, lower or raise the anchor, and shoot cannons.
As it turns out, that’s all really fun. Playing in a team of four, I enjoyed swapping between those roles, communicating with my crewmates to navigate the sea or if we spotted an opposition ship in the distance. The entertainment comes from the role-playing, the coordination, and the satisfaction of knowing that skeleton captain’s skull lies on the floor beneath you because your crew attacked his fortress together. You can do whatever you wish, and go in any direction you want, and it’s enjoyable to see what hilarity ensues from those decisions.
For Rare, this sensation of making your own fun was very much intentional. “That happened because we give you a great degree of mechanical freedom,” says Sea of Thieves’ design director, Mike Chapman. “You’ve got a ship that’s not gonna sail itself; it’s just a piece of wood. You are the ship: you are a person on a ship and you must work together to sail it and then you’ve got these tools that you can use in different ways. Like the gunpowder kegs [which can be used to blow up enemy ships, for example], like [randomly] finding a merchant message in a bottle that leads you on a different adventure. All of these things are deliberate in terms of the freedom they give players because when you put multiple players in the same world doing the same thing, you get all these incredible scenarios.”
Of course, you do have objectives to accomplish in Sea of Thieves–it’s just up to you whether you actually aim for them. Sure, you can go and find that one specific pig and keep it alive on the journey back–one of the game’s three existing factions will task you with retrieving rare creatures and maintaining their health for the duration of your voyage–or you can ignore any quests and just chill out. Simply sailing around the game’s colorful oceans, hanging out with friends, is an equally enjoyable experience, and the world will distract you with emergent mechanics such as the aforementioned messages in bottles or public events on distant islands that draw other players to their shores.
A shared world, public events, and live content all made me, at least, recall Bungie’s Destiny, which has a similar structure–the ability to jump into a squad with friends and explore a beautiful world, engaging in missions if you want to. However, while Destiny and Destiny 2 have strikes, raids, a story campaign, and a combat-focused Crucible, Sea of Thieves appears to contain no extra modes as yet. After the game’s recent beta, some fans were left concerned that the final version would be too light on content to maintain any sort of significant longevity, and it’s a concern I share. Specifically, I wonder whether the game’s weapons and gear will offer enough depth to keep me coming back after more than a few hours. Using in-game currency, you can purchase new guns and clothing–among other items–but there are no stat advantages to be gained from buying more expensive pieces. You can obtain different types of weapon, such as the shotgun or sniper rifle, but within those categories there are no mechanical differences between the first shotgun available to you and the last. “The compass never gets more powerful,” says Chapman. “A compass is just a compass. A pistol is just a pistol. You’ll need to grow as a player as you face these high level challenges.”
Sea Of Thieves – Player Progression System Detailed Trailer
Rather than acquiring more powerful weapons and thicker armor, Rare’s idea of growth is experienced players growing to know Sea of Thieves’ map more closely, so they’ll have the advantage over other sailors when it comes to acquiring treasure fastest and escaping unscathed. The developer intends to support the game post-launch with additional content–it even said it views Sea of Thieves as a 10-year project–though it’s not sharing whether that will be in the form of distinct expansions or sequels.
Chapman did say that much of the game’s live content will be for those who reach Sea of Thieves’ endgame, which he calls becoming a “Pirate Legend.” Becoming a Pirate Legend grants you access to an exclusive location in the world called the Tavern of Legends, the home of NPCs who will spread the word of in-game “rumors” such as any additional trading companies coming soon, or “new ways to play.” Pirate Legends can also take part in exclusive missions called Legendary Voyages–the most challenging missions in the game–and choose to share those quests with their non-Legend friends, if they wish.
Interacting with friends and strangers is key to Sea of Thieves–so much so that Rare says it is constantly adjusting the size of its world to ensure you spot another ship every 15-30 mins, precisely–and doing so magnifies everything that’s great about Sea of Thieves. Whoever’s in the Crow’s Nest tells the rest of their team they’ve spotted an enemy, at which point the four of you must decide whether to run or engage, which direction to steer in, who’s going to shoot, and whether to board the enemy ship, as well as ascertain whether the enemy have any stealable loot, among other things. “It’s a game that celebrates soft skills, how you talk together, how you relate to each other,” says Chapman. “It’s gonna be different based on who’s playing and who’s in the crew.” Of course, the best moment is when you all, inevitably, fail; seeing a shipmate clinging on to a sinking ship with three human enemies attacking him is hilarious.
Interactions with other players are amazing, but I fear they may also be required for Sea of Thieves to be fun. Although I didn’t get to try it, a smaller ship is available for those who prefer to play by themselves, but that’s not going to help when a crew of four strangers are attacking you head on. If your friends don’t buy the game, you could of course team up with random people on the internet, but relying on strangers hidden behind Gamertags rarely promises consistent fun.
Sea of Thieves makes performing each role of a pirate team so fun that it undoubtedly has the potential to become a multiplayer favorite. But given so much of its depth and base enjoyment is reliant on having a good group around you, I worry for anyone planning to set sail alone.
Paddington director Paul King may helm the new Willy Wonka film for Warner Bros.
Entertainment Weekly reports King is in final talks with the studio to take on the project, which will be a reimagining of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Harry Potter and Paddington producer David Heyman is developing the film with Warner Bros. in the hopes of starting a franchise.
King would direct from a script by Simon Rich. The story will be set before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, following Willy Wonka in his early adventures prior to meeting Charlie.
This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Star Trek: Discovery. It will also have a lot of dates extrapolated from conjecture and from Star Trek ancillary publications. We Trekkies love this stuff.
After 15 episodes, a lot of angst, a good deal of death and violence, some genetic manipulation, and a visit to a parallel universe, Star Trek: Discovery has closed out its first season. And while the season’s final episode wasn’t the first part of a two-part cliffhanger (a long-running Star Trek tradition), it did end with a final and unexpected surprise. As the USS Discovery is heading to Vulcan to pick up its new captain, they are approached by another Starfleet vessel which has issued a distress signal. The makers of the show probably took a great deal of delight in tantalizing the audience with their dramatic reveal; there’s a brief, incomplete close-up of the incoming ship’s call letters: NCC-17_ _.
Australia and New Zealand esports has a huge helping of exciting news this week — as well as some cracking highlights. In the CSGO, Tainted Minds managed to extend their undefeated streak in the ESEA MDL. In League of Legends the OPL finally has a clear leader thanks to a showdown between Order and the Dire Wolves. Elsewhere LPL opened launched their Esports Broadcast Studio in Auckland, and two OCE PUBG teams have secured spots in separate overseas competitions.
Be sure to head over and check out the rest of the esports hub! Remember you can email tips to me [email protected] or you can just click to send me an email. If you want, you can tweet suggestions at me as well, my twitter is down the bottom of this article.
Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of deals on Xbox Live, and there are some solid offers to be had across Xbox One and Xbox 360. Starting with Xbox One, the newest Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: WWII, is on sale for one of the first times since release. Right now, you can get it for $39, which is 35 percent off its normal $60 price.
Go to Major Nelson’s blog to see a full rundown of this week’s Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals, including country-specific price points and more. The offers, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership, are good through February 19.
A state of the art esports studio has been opened at Auckland’s Sky Tower, thanks to a partnership between LetsPlay.Live and the SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
LPL Studios features both PC and Console Booths
With dedicated PC and console booths, commentary and analysis desks and the aim to broadcast in 4K or HD, the launch of LPL Studios is a big step for Australasian esports.
Every year, the developers of Sony’s MLB The Show franchise come up with new elements to add to the game to make the professional baseball sim even more authentic. One of the new additions for MLB The Show 18 is rain delays. Yes. Rain delays.
As explained in the video below, MLB The Show 18 will have “more diverse” atmospheric effects, including fog and better-looking rain. We’re not sure of all the details yet, as only a few seconds were dedicated to rain in the video. Presumably, if it’s raining too hard, the umpires will call a rain delay, just as it would happen in real life. When this happens, you’ll have to decide if you want to leave in your current pitcher or warm up a fresh arm. This is the same managerial challenge that MLB managers must make in real-world games.
As for what will happen during the rain delay, we can’t imagine you’ll have to sit around and actually wait for the fictional weather to clear. In real life, rain delays can last for hours, so naturally, players and fans get into all manner of hijinks during the downtime. We can only hope that MLB The Show developer Sony San Diego incorporates some of this frivolity into the game, though that remains to be seen. In real life, the umpires can choose to cancel a game if the rain persists and reschedule for a later date, though we can’t imagine that would ever happen in the game.
Another new element for MLB The Show 18 is a batting stance creator that lets you control things like hand positioning and bat-wiggle, along with the placement of your hips, front elbow, and hands. Also, there are now home run celebration animations that correspond to how much the home run meant to the result of the game. As explained in the video, a home run that wins a game is completely different in emotion than one that happens during a blowout. Additionally, there are more team-specific celebration animations in MLB The Show 18, including the dancing Chicago Cubs pitchers.
In other news, Sony recently showed off MLB The Show 18’s revamped create-a-player features, including the custom batting stances and more. Check out GameSpot’s in-depth video here (and embedded above) to get a full rundown of what’s new this year.
MLB The Show launches exclusively for PS4 on March 27, though if you pre-order you can start playing on March 23. The 2018 MLB season begins on March 29. In all seriousness, Sony’s MLB The Show franchise is the leading baseball sim, and the addition of rain delays is a further step towards realism that fans may welcome and appreciate.
