The helmsman steering a pirate ship in 'Sea of Thieves.' (Photo : YouTube/ Sea of Thieves)
"Scalebound" was recently canceled but there are still several notable Xbox One exclusives launching this year, one of them being "Sea of Thieves." The developers at Rare have released a new trailer which showcases the co-op mechanics and commentary from senior designers Shelley and Andrew Preston.
The gameplay footage in the trailer highlights how a pirate ship requires each crew member to work together. Every member of the team has a specific team and has to work in tandem with the others in order to properly sail the ship or find treasure when on land.
Shelley further explained in the video that they designed every mechanic to be social. The player steering the ship would not have access to the map. Instead, a different player would have to go down to the deck, look at the map and then shout directions to the captain.
Even with the two working together they would still not be able to commandeer and sail the ship properly. Shelley further stated that neither the helmsman nor the one at the map would be able to see obstacles in the water, such as rocks. This task will then fall to the person up in the crow's nest.
"Likewise, not all of the information is on the map either - the person on the wheel has some information and the person on the map has other information," PC Gamer quotes Andrew. "All the rocks and smaller nuances of the world design - you have to see them."
Proper communication and the distribution of roles also come into play when finding treasure on an island. The trailer showcases that only one pirate can hold the map and only a few others can carry the treasure chest. Others will have to huddle around or focus on protecting the crew of other pirates aiming to steal their loot.
"Sea of Thieves" will have a single player campaign. It is still unclear how these mechanics will work when a player has no one else to work with, Game Rant reported. It is possible that some of these mechanics will be simplified to work in tandem with AI teammates.
No specific launch date has yet been announced but it is scheduled to release this year. "Sea of Thieves" will be a cross-buy title and will use the Xbox Play Anywhere feature. The official co-op trailer can be viewed below:
