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Storyline Quality Control

turbomagnusturbomagnus Member Posts: 3,479 Arc User
This is something that occurred to me after playing through the storyline with my Sci-Orion in Flight-Deck Cruisers and noticing a few things that seemed 'out of place'.

Is there someone on the Dev team that handles, for lack of a better term 'quality control' for the storyline mission?

I mean things like during the 'Cloaked Intentions/Freedom' arc, the Federation and KDF intelligence contacts talk about the Iconians engineering the war with the Undine... the problem with them doing that is the fact that discovery isn't made until the end of the Undine arc, which actually comes much later in the game, so at that point in time they wouldn't know about the Iconian involvement in the Undine activity.

Or the fact that you can play "Sphere of Influence" as soon as you hit level fifty, but you've only just unlocked the New Romulus Reputation System at that level, so it's entirely possible to play "SoI" without playing the New-Rom Rep missions that lead up to the actual discovery of the New Romulus Gateway...
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
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Comments

  • mimey2mimey2 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I think it is more a case of 'in the game-universe, time is passing'.

    For example, while a fresh level 50 might be starting Rom rep and able to do SoI, in the actual game-time, it's been awhile since all that stuff happened on New Romulus, so the focus has switched to the Sphere now.
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  • turbomagnusturbomagnus Member Posts: 3,479 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Even if I were to agree with that assesment - which I do not - that doesn't change the fact that even purely storyline (non-Rep system) missions like "Coliseum" mention events that don't happen until later storyline missions like "Fluid Dynamics".

    I understand this is a result of the 'Cloaked Intentions' FE series being made after "Fluid Dynamics" in this case, but when they put it earlier than "FD" in the episodes list, someone should've policed it to make sure nothing was out of place. Thus - Storyline Quality Control.
    "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
    ^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
  • kyeto13kyeto13 Member Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I kinda agree. There needs to be a few more locks in place to keep the storyline cohesive. At least so new players will have the chance to catch up with the rest of us. The Romulan/Sphere Arc for Feds is the most obvious one.

    Nimbus->Romulan Arc-> Reman FE-> New Romulus and Romulan Rep-> Sphere of Influence-> Dyson Rep.

    While I understand that at lvl 50, some of the content just needs to be available for everyone for gameplay and equality reasons. Not everyone is playing for the story and just wants to get the shinies.

    But... if the story advances due to the mechanics of a Reputation system, then I think the reputation systems should be locked out in sequential order. Thus, T5 Dyson implies that you have completed all the other reputations as well.

    At least this will cut down on the noobs asking WTH is going on and why X is doing Y to Z when Z died earlier.
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  • vocmcpvocmcp Member Posts: 1,134 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    The feeling I had throughout is that STO picks up on a lot of different story lines but doesn't really bring them anywhere. You're in the midst of a war with someone and suddenly all that doesn't matter anymore and all you do is take care of something else. That really bothered me to be honest. There's no wrap up in a way....
  • starswordcstarswordc Member Posts: 10,963 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Story quality control? If Cryptic had story quality control they would've rewritten the cross-faction storylines so they read like KDF missions instead of Starfleet.

    Of course, Cryptic never had much in the way of story cohesion to begin with. The Klingon War is the biggest offender by far: it just sorta sputters to a halt and never gets mentioned again after SPOILER the player kills B'Vat, and except for one mission in the Cardassian story arc they're working together every time you see the Klinks after that.

    And they need to account better for the fact that not everybody in Starfleet is a human and not everyone in the KDF is a Klingon. When I played "The 2800" it felt really stupid getting treated like an idiot on Bajor when my nose is just as crinkly as theirs. Likewise Vulcan characters doing that diplo mission on Vulcan. And every single KDF mission has you blathering on about today being a good day to die and so forth when exactly one of the faction's seven playable races is even likely to go for the Proud Warrior Race Guy schtick. (Maybe two if you play your Ferasan like the Kzinti from Star Fleet Battles.)
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  • ironphoenix113ironphoenix113 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Turbo, I think the primary reason for this is actually the order that the episodes were released to the public in. For instance: the Undine story missions were actually added to the game before the Cloaked Intentions featured episode series. As a result, they took place in the aftermath of the events of the Undine arc, when you discovered that it was in fact the Iconians who antagonized the Undine who then antagonized the Klingons.

    Same issue with Sphere of Influence. The T5 New Romulus rep was added prior to the addition of SoI and, by extension, the Dyson Sphere, and, as a result, takes place (chronologically) after the T5 New Romulus rep misson.

    Not saying that the missions couldn't be rewritten. Just discussing why they currently are the way they are
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  • turbomagnusturbomagnus Member Posts: 3,479 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I know, I even said that myself, I'm just stating my surprise that nobody on the Dev team took these factors into account when they moved the missions around in the 'level progression' storyline to their current positions.
    "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
    ^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
  • age03age03 Member Posts: 1,664 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I lost the storyline due to all of the rep projects that are here.
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  • ironphoenix113ironphoenix113 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I know, I even said that myself, I'm just stating my surprise that nobody on the Dev team took these factors into account when they moved the missions around in the 'level progression' storyline to their current positions.

    Ah, my mistake :o Really should learn to read the entire thread before posting.
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  • nikkojtnikkojt Member Posts: 372 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    starswordc wrote: »

    And they need to account better for the fact that not everybody in Starfleet is a human and not everyone in the KDF is a Klingon. When I played "The 2800" it felt really stupid getting treated like an idiot on Bajor when my nose is just as crinkly as theirs. Likewise Vulcan characters doing that diplo mission on Vulcan. And every single KDF mission has you blathering on about today being a good day to die and so forth when exactly one of the faction's seven playable races is even likely to go for the Proud Warrior Race Guy schtick. (Maybe two if you play your Ferasan like the Kzinti from Star Fleet Battles.)

    So much this. My main is a Bajoran, and doing the Hathon optional where you talk down the "Bajor for Bajorans" guy I really wanted just grab him by the neck and go "I AM A BAJORAN. I AM NOT TRYING TO STEAL YOUR PLANET BECAUSE IT IS ALREADY MINE."

    Also, that one earlier in the arc where you have to get the kanar for the Cardassian ambassador. There needed to be a "slap him for daring to ask that of a Bajoran" option.


    More generally, Hakeev's appearance really seems wedged-in to the Fed storyline. As far as a Fed's concerned, he doesn't exist - until Nimbus. On Nimbus, it's suddenly "oh, while we're here we can catch Hakeev!" and everyone knows who he is and cares about it.
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  • maskedmarvel1maskedmarvel1 Member Posts: 119 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Actually you cant do sphere of influence when you hit level 50 as I just found out when I tried to start the dyson rep with my new level 50 admiral, to do the dyson rep you first have to do sphere of influence which is now at the very end of all the story missions and since my character is only on night of the comet it has a very long way to go before I can start doing the dyson reputation.
  • stofskstofsk Member Posts: 1,744 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Actually you cant do sphere of influence when you hit level 50 as I just found out when I tried to start the dyson rep with my new level 50 admiral, to do the dyson rep you first have to do sphere of influence which is now at the very end of all the story missions and since my character is only on night of the comet it has a very long way to go before I can start doing the dyson reputation.
    Uh, I've started on the Dyson rep and I haven't done Sphere of Influence yet.
  • maskedmarvel1maskedmarvel1 Member Posts: 119 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    But are you using a newly made character or are you just using dyson marks that you got from the winter event epohh's, you cant get to the dyson sphere itself without first doing sphere of influence and that's no longer an episode on its own .
  • stofskstofsk Member Posts: 1,744 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    No it's not a newly made character. I can queue the Breach and Storming the Spire through the PVE queue and I haven't done either the mission Sphere of Influence or visited the dyson sphere itself.
  • turbomagnusturbomagnus Member Posts: 3,479 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    1. The first few weeks, you had to visit the Sphere first, then they changed it so that it unlocked completely like the other Reps when you hit level fifty (My semi-retired Fed-Tac-VA had to go to the Sphere when I used him to check out the Rep system, but my new Orion-Sci-LtGen could just spend the Dyson Marks he had accumulated through Solanae Tribble petting without having to check in with the DJC.)

    2. Yes, the rep system can be unlocked when you reach level fifty even if you haven't played the storyline. Aforementioned Fed-Tac-VA reached that level through DOffing, Foundry missions and Explore Star Cluster missions, so he has access to the Rep systems despite not reaching the end of the storyline.

    If you look in the 'Episodes' tab under the Journal ('J' Key), you'll see that under 'normal' storyline progression, "Sphere of Influence" is gated to unlock when you've both completed or skipped "Fluid Dynamics" and reached a certain level. Most of the storyline missions have a 'minimum level' requirement. That's what I'm referring to when I say "You have to be level 50 to play Sphere of Influence, which takes place chronologically after the Rom Rep missions, but you only just unlock the Rep System at that level."

    3. You can enter Queues and gain marks before the Rep systems are open (except for level-gated locations like the DIZ, Nukara and New Romulus Adventure Zones). I've actually equipped newly-made characters with Nukara or Solanae Tribbles and started them earning Nukara and Dyson marks during the tutorials...
    "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
    ^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
  • thedoctorblueboxthedoctorbluebox Member Posts: 749 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    I agree with this, the storyline has become criss crossed and non-linear now. For new players, it is probably very confusing! I wish they'd take that into account when writing the stories.

    Second, slightly different, but still related, I'm still mad they reduced the storyline impact of the STFs by splitting them up as they did. There use to be a cohesive linear storyline between Infected, Cure and then Khitomer that brought things full circle. Now, there is basically no storyline to the STFs, ask a new player what the storyline of the STFs are and they will say: "what storyline?" I don't get removing that experience.
  • exa12exa12 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    its annoying, the 2800 + breen FEs are in pretty much the right place, but the Devidian series needs to go back to after the romulan front for FEDs as that is where you are introduced to them and it is treated like a big surprise, and Cloaked intentions needs to be moved to after the undine front for everyone


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  • sandormen123sandormen123 Member Posts: 862 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Yeah, i recall how strange it was first getting New Romulus, going through that in all awesomeness, and then experience LoR, where I suddenly had to explore and discover New Romulus. In retrospect, the Elachi war is 'old news'. The tholians is a much newer threat, even if the tholians were introduced, before/with Nukara, as a footnote to the whole New Romulus. For a new player it is easier to follow the 'plotline' (where appliccable). But for players keeping pace with the development, we need to turn a blind eye to lack of streamlining the story(/ies).
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  • starblade7starblade7 Member Posts: 169 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    Each mission should really be assigned a fixed stardate so that all missions can be played in correct chronological order, if so desired.
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