you suppose that the creation of a social experience and the creation of an experience where there are lots unique of things to do within that social space are somehow at odds with one another or nearly impossible to create. Or at best, that we should give Rare a pass here for their $60, very shallow game that has a good social foundation...just because it has said foundation.
No. I disagree strongly and I believe that the game will need more than 5 non-threatening enemy types to give it the kind of longevity that I think people wanted and hoped for from the game. There is no excuse for launching a full-priced game that has such limited things to do and so few ways in which to do them. There is no excuse for this game to have ZERO risk involved in virtually anything you do. The worst thing that can happen here is someone stealing your cargo. Literally nothing else matters. There is no sense of value. No sense of risk. No sense of loss. Everything just respawns. Coupled with demonstrably poor combat in all circumstances (from dumb AI to disappointing weapons to laughable PvP outside of role play), it's just a sandbox game that has no shortage of potential and a very visible inability to meet any of that potential for now. And so people will call it out.
Characterizing complaints as people wanting single-player experiences fails to understand the nature of the concerns. People want things to do with friends that are fun, dynamic, that have risk, that provide enough challenge to actually demand coordination among said friends. Things that result in a story to tell, not just about the fun you had with your friends, but the challenge that was overcome to reach it. And of course, people want the kind of customization you'd expect for a game of this sort. I would have expected no less than several hundred possible ship configurations such that it becomes unlikely that you'll ever see a ship quite like yours as you gain more gold and prestige. Things like that.
Until then, the game will remain short of what I would consider mostly main stream expectations or hopes for the product. Until it at least reaches a form that approximates that, it will be a $60 early access game.
Great post. If Sea of Thieves was multiplatform, I doubt so many people would be defending a $60 game with so little content, regardless of the social aspect. I can play Rocket League, Fortnite, Destiny, GTA and plenty of other multiplayer games and have fun with my friends. That isn't the issue. It's the game part of the game that people have issue with.