This is a non option due to legal liability issues.
This is also a non option because you wouldn't make enough money to sustain it.
I don't know how many people have looked into the cost of video game development, but a single texture, from start to final pass as it ends up in-game, can cost several thousand dollars to make. Employing 3 people to constantly update the code for the Foundry would burn through that 500k in a heartbeat.
People said that flying in the air like birds in a heavy metal object weighting many tons "can't be done."
People said that clicking on a switch and light appears out of nowhere "can't be done".
People said that bringing a man to the moon and savely back "can't be done".
Things are always impossible, until someone does it.
Dr. Werner von Braun was asked by John F. Kennedy: "What is necessary to bring a man to the moon, and then savely back to Earth again?"
Von Braun's answer was:"The will to do it." PERIOD.
The WILL to do it.
Emply two or three new people, let them work on a Foundry 2.0 for the next two years. I doubt that the personal costs are beyond 100k per employer per year, maybe much less. In the meantime, the Foundry ship can generate even more income, and if necessary, release a second ship in two to three years.
This can absolutely be done. Necessary for it is only THE WILL TO DO IT.
A zero cost way for Cryptic to finance and expand the foundry
Whilst I'm severely disappointed in the decision to closedown the foundry, what bugs me more is only giving a months notice. That is what feels to me more of a kick in the teeth.
BUT if this means the Devs can spend more time on new content, I'm all for it.
Sadly that is not the case. It's not as if they had a team of 10 devs working flat out on the foundry, they had nobody. The only time any dev resources were used was when it broke after a major update, which was most updates last year. Then they had to spend time fixing it, but whilst it was up they invested no time in it at all, and any assets that were added were done by devs in their own free time. So closing this will have almost no impact to the rest of the game except a resource draw when it would have broken.
I get all that - already had that figured out. My point stands though, the Devs won't be diverting resources to fix it every time an update breaks it, which means they will be quicker with new content and general bug fixes.
***
It's not like the Foundry existed when the game first launched. Things change, and like most things in life you can't have your cake and eat it.
The foundry was launched in Jan 2011 and was in beta test from December 2010, so apart from the first 11 months it's been with us all the way.
Jack Emmert, 4/11/2010 to Eurogamer.net
"User-generated content has always been part of our strategic plan for years and years and years. Ultimately I'd like to have it in every game we do in one version or another."
That doesn't mean that Cryptic's developers will simply abandon Star Trek Online and Champions Online to the community though. "No, no," Emmert insisted. "We'll still continue making content. It's just that now you've got more content to choose from. You've got the stuff created by the developers as well as the stuff created by your friends, other people and so forth."
Make of that what you will.
Yes, the first year of the game we didn't have a Foundry to play with - then for 8 years we did, and now we don't. It's no different to any other change that has happened, such as the change to the crafting system, or the mission episodes being sorted into an actual order. Change happens in games like this. And this MMO has changed hands a few times. We can't keep holding them to the promises made when Atari made the game.
Kael has gone above and beyond his duty in explaining why this decision has been made. Yes, I get why you're angry - but dude, please stop lashing out at the rest of the community. You're a Foundry expert - your work is actually being saved, it will not be lost entirely. The Devs may some sort of plan, give them a chance.
My hubby codes for a living, he makes the base code/stuff like this for a living. If he's not being paid for it, and the community expects him to take it home and sort it in his own free time then yes, he would reach a point where he would say - "no more, I have a right to a life too!" The number of weekends he gives up... Yeah, his family (and Devs have them, some have partners and kids as well), get annoyed about his working a seven day week.
I'm not prepared to ask the Devs on this game to do that, and frankly no one else should either. How selfish do you have to be to expect someone to work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, but only get paid for five of those days, and only 8 hours in each of them? How many of you are willing to do that? How many of you with families and kids are willing to do that? I've watched the Ten Forword Weekly videos and (although it's easy to miss) a lot of the new game improvements and the like have come about because of Devs working on it in their own free time. We're lucky in that regards that some of them are willing to do that. But we can't expect it - or worse, demand it.
The Devs made a hard decision, but it is one that has been well thought out on their part. The peeps who own and run PWE/Cryptic are the ones who make the business decisions, and I guarantee you they are the ones who make all the decisions about the budget the Dev team has for working on STO.
Matt, no one doubts you could do what you say you could do. Instead of leaping on the forum, you should have contacted PWE/Cryptic and spoke direct to them. Maybe something could have come of that. I am sorry for you, I enjoyed the content you created. But after reading you're statement... Have some dignity.
For now, I'm leaving this... Toxic conversation. Once again, a few people have reacted without looking at all the information, and a few others have got the tin-foil out to make new hats. But I'd like to end on a high again, and thank the Devs for all the hard work they do, and for all the free time they do give up to add stuff to the game. The bulk of us do appreciate your hard work. Keep on rocking guys 'n gals :-)
People ask how long have I been playing STO - well the answer is simple: I have been here since the beginning. I just haven't always had a lot to say.
Five final weeks, to play on maps such as The Dungeon(KDF nightclub with a borg theme), Orion House of Wonders, and the really fun missions Honor of Ferasans, Honor of Orions, and Honor of the Empire...Along with Heroes of the Empire...
I really enjoyed the Foundry missions I played. Not for grind, but for story or atmosphere. I met and made friends via the Foundry, and had something to help with stories for my roleplaying fleet. I really doubt that the drip of episodes along with the bloat of ships and gambleboxes from Cryptic is going to measure up to what they are shutting down in the game. UGC and choices/freedom.
I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but I'm feeling that my fun is wrong, and being taken away. Not the first time with this game, but I'm going to have to learn my lesson fast. Haven't felt it this hard since the tailor was clamped down on, or City of Heroes/City of Villains, Warhammer Online, and Shadowrun Chronicles were shut down.
I vote with my wallet that this is the next step in poor/bad choices by higher ups. I won't reward when this goes into effect. What I will do however, is get on the horn with friends in game, and pile everyone into most likely instances of The Dungeon(KDF) for a final drink, cigarette, dance, and farewell to the Foundry. *sighs* Hey, it could be worse, right? Fleets and holdings could be the next to get the haircut that divorces head and shoulders. Or PvP.
I'm probably going to get "the eye of the referee" on me for this, but somewhere, at some time, leadership failed.
Response to moderated post redacted. -- WingedHussar
Post edited by wingedhussar#7584 on
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
The last post on the outside of the Thread does not match with the one above. Looks like there is an 'Unmutual'.
'But to be logical is not to be right', and 'nothing' on God's earth could ever 'make it' right!'
Judge Dan Haywood
'As l speak now, the words are forming in my head.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
It's been a while since I've signed into the game. Not out of any particular problem, just that I jump from game to game for lengthy periods of time. And I spent a ton of time in the game a couple of years ago when I personally was having a rough time in life, and enjoyed it immensely.
But a big thing I enjoyed was RP, emerging myself in a character and being part of the Star Trek universe for a few hours at a time. And Foundry maps were a not insignificant part of that. Including my own RP maps, or even just quick settings I'd make for a wicked screenshot to go with a 'captain's log' post for whatever RP fleet I happened to be with at the time.
I'm very concerned to see the Foundry go. Because while only under 40% of players use the Foundry, that sub-40% represents some of the most dedicated fans of the game. The Foundry might not in itself be a revenue generator. But dropping it will most definitely push some of the most active players out of the game. And that's where the revenue will fall.
And I'm really, really saddened to this this happen.
I'm very concerned to see the Foundry go. Because while only under 40% of players use the Foundry, that sub-40% represents some of the most dedicated fans of the game. The Foundry might not in itself be a revenue generator. But dropping it will most definitely push some of the most active players out of the game. And that's where the revenue will fall.
That portion of the community is also interacting with the wider population, bringing an appreciation for the game, it's deeper setting (untapped by Cryptic, they can only do so much), and the community along with it. The Foundry was inherently constructive (baked into the mechanics, design, and limitations) and that had a monumental influence on the interactions between Foundry authors and players. Folks have commented a lot recently about how positive/constructive the STO community has been, and in particular the Foundry community (Kael's words.) That's not inherent to the internet or those groups dedicated to Star Trek. That's a function of game design influencing player psychology. Cryptic had it right with this system.
The Foundry was a powerful tool to foster positive community interactions, with <40% of the population being directly affected by it (even as limited as the search features were). I hope Cryptic's thinking about how they systematically adjust for its loss. Their content and systems will need to do more to build constructive and creative community interactions.
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
Star Trek Online Volunteer Community Moderator and Resident She-Wolf
Community Moderators are Unpaid Volunteers and NOT Employees of Gearbox/Cryptic
Views and Opinions May Not Reflect the Views and Opinions of Gearbox/Cryptic
> @baddmoonrizin said:
> Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
It’s from Ambassador Kael, so please stop moaning about it...
I could also quote more generally from my missions that fell on the main FED story path (with the top 3 system) and from my Foundry spotlight that many in the community took part in the Foundry. It's not a point up for debate that the system mattered to a significant portion of the community, the game will be worse for its passing, and there isn't anything set to replace the Foundry and the influence its had on the population. There is a gap now in the social dynamics which have helped make this community what it is. Even if some folks here didn't play the Foundry themselves, they've benefited indirectly from the effect its had on their fellow players.
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
It's sad to see another thing going from the game without anything new to look for but sadly not unexpected. I understand that it's hard to keep legacy software going but with the recent trend they've only taken stuff out with hardly giving anything back to keep players occupied. And it worries me for the future.
They have a core team working on their eco system which is being utilize by all their games so I wouldn't be surprised if their aren't even fulltime STO devs. This would also explain why it would take so long to implement new features in the game. Look at how long it took to get the fill all button for the rep. Or when they asked for feedback why people didn't like the random tfo's, and their was some good feedback but I don't think we have seen anything ingame.
On the other side it was stated that their games are doing well. What I don't understand if it's doing so well why couldn't a new developer being hired. Or used the time to develop something new if they wanted to focus on new tech. Maybe it's doing well enough for their current expensive/income. But that would mean that they couldn't grow any further. Instead they would only become smaller because an older game will see more people leave than join. And their other titles aren't the youngest anymore either. So content will become less over time. Which I believe we're already seing. Look at the discovery operations pack, a lot of people complained about the steep prices for the amount of content.
That said I don't think the game will leave anytime soon but I do think that the future will depend on how good their new mmo, magic the gathering, will perform.
This is obvious my speculation after seeing Kael's latest stream and reading a bit between the lines. I might as well be completely wrong but it currently doesn't take away my fear for the future.
So, the question is "What changed?". Why is content being cut and thinned out (i.e. "streamlined")? The Foundry isn't the first example of this over the last year, just the biggest instance to date. Is the talk of a smaller team at Cryptic accurate? Is it a different business model or new direction? Have the code monkeys milked all that they could out of the legacy coding? These are just a few of the questions on my mind.
I don't think they've 'shrunk' the STO team per se - it's more that they didn't EXPAND it when they made the PS4 and XBox ports. <--- these two things are probably the driving force behind all the new focus on the removal of PC legacy code. they want to have a 'base' codebase that pretty much works across all 3 platforms (PC, PS4, XBox) so that it only takes minimal time to convert a PC feature into one also usable on the PS4 and XBox versions. Hell, that was the main reason for the recent graphical lighting system overhaul - they wanted one uniform system that would work easily between all these platforms.
So, yeah, the expansion of the STO game itself to 2 more platforms beyond PC (something Cryptic thought would never be possible BTW - although thy did look at the possibility of it when initialing developing Champions Online in 2006-2008; but abandoned the idea); means that the STO team that was working on ONE version of the game, is now working instead on 3 versions of the same game; and even though they're trying to unify the base code as much as possible, each platform has it's quirks taht the one team must constantly look into and fix as they update the game overall.
(And yes, Never Winter is in the exact same situation as it's spread across the same 3 platforms.)
Plus they have the "Magic: The Gathering" project they're working on - and I'm sure as a new product in development it has priority and they probably pull Devs from STO and NW to assist occasionally to meet an internal development milestone.
(And yes, I know Cryptic runs Champions Online too - but with that game in perpetual maintenance mode; I'd say that team has 3 people at most; and they just make the occasional new CO C-Store item.)
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
> @baddmoonrizin said:
> Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
It’s from Ambassador Kael, so please stop moaning about it...
Oh, yeah? Where? Because I asked him personally, and he pointed me to the P1 podcast where I get this quote:
"We have the stats on the people who use the Foundry and it's not an insignificant amount. It's not 100% of the player base. It's not even, you know, 70 or 60 percent of the player base. But it's not a tiny number either."
Granted, 40% is less than "70 or 60 percent", but 40% isn't a number that I've been able to find so far. Since the number has been a point of contention within this thread, which falls under my purview as moderator to quell, that's why I'm asking about it. If someone can point me to where the 40% number actually comes from, then I'll let it be, as long as it stops being an issue to argue over. So, buttercup, cite your source or sit down.
Star Trek Online Volunteer Community Moderator and Resident She-Wolf
Community Moderators are Unpaid Volunteers and NOT Employees of Gearbox/Cryptic
Views and Opinions May Not Reflect the Views and Opinions of Gearbox/Cryptic
'But to be logical is not to be right', and 'nothing' on God's earth could ever 'make it' right!'
Judge Dan Haywood
'As l speak now, the words are forming in my head.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
I'm not as salty about this as most other people because - while I was glad to kinda-sorta bring my own stories to life with this system - it's been so broken for so long that I've more or less forgotten it was even there, or at least I've vaguely remembered "oh yeah, I did a thing or two 5-6 years ago". Which is not to belittle the considerable time and effort that certain people and groups put into making their stories and sharing them with us. But the fact remains that the Foundry has been on the back burner for so long when compared to...just about everything else, honestly, that this should not come as a shock. It's a disappointment, to be sure, but it's not a shock.
With respect to those who are "voting with their wallets" because Cryptic is removing a "core component" of this game, I have never considered the Foundry a "core component" of this game. Ever. It's nice to make your own missions, yeah, but when it's all said and done, the Foundry was a diversion - for us, and in a lot of ways for them, too. I remember when the Foundry was first announced, and the reaction that *I* recall was rather cynical: "We work so they don't have to." Now it's going away, and there's this huge uproar. At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I find this kind of amusing.
You know what the "core components" are? The C-Store. The Exchange. The Dilithium Exchange. STFs, or TFOs, or whatever they're called lately. The reputation system. And now endeavors. Grind and buy, buy and grind. Because that's how MMOs work, and while I would love to be optimistic, at the end of the day, Star Trek Online is an MMO. Grindy repetition and microtransactions are virtually the law of the land now. So be prepared for disappointment, but don't let it come as a shock. Because it's not, really.
> @baddmoonrizin said:
> Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
It’s from Ambassador Kael, so please stop moaning about it...
Oh, yeah? Where? Because I asked him personally, and he pointed me to the P1 podcast where I get this quote:
"We have the stats on the people who use the Foundry and it's not an insignificant amount. It's not 100% of the player base. It's not even, you know, 70 or 60 percent of the player base. But it's not a tiny number either."
Granted, 40% is less than "70 or 60 percent", but 40% isn't a number that I've been able to find so far. Since the number has been a point of contention within this thread, which falls under my purview as moderator to quell, that's why I'm asking about it. If someone can point me to where the 40% number actually comes from, then I'll let it be, as long as it stops being an issue to argue over. So, buttercup, cite your source or sit down.
This might be getting closest to a DOOOM and gloom thread after all.
Might be time to shut down this thread? Lots of emotional anger in here. After all this is just a game folks...If you don't like something nobody is forcing anyone into anything. I have been long enough here to see the doom and gloom when this game went F2P, Dead of PvP and Delta rising (gosh loved those signature postings) among other stuff that served to evolve this game.
Maybe is time to chill out, take a walk in the real world and worry about where things go into perspective. Just saying just a bunch of projected pixels not worth building a life around it. You can quote me on that one.
Maybe is time to chill out, take a walk in the real world and worry about where things go into perspective. Just saying just a bunch of projected pixels not worth building a life around it. You can quote me on that one.
QFT
-AoP- Warrior's Blood (KDF Armada) / -AoP- Qu' raD qulbo'Degh / -AoP- ProjectPhoenix Join Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Maybe is time to chill out, take a walk in the real world and worry about where things go into perspective. Just saying just a bunch of projected pixels not worth building a life around it. You can quote me on that one.
I will, because it's TRIBBLE. Relationships, lives, and marriages have the foundry to thank for their existence today. It has shaped peoples lives not because of pixels but of the social connections its fostered and the people it's brought together.
If you want to minimize that, fine. But I will absolutely call that out.
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
This might be getting closest to a DOOOM and gloom thread after all.
Might be time to shut down this thread? Lots of emotional anger in here. After all this is just a game folks...If you don't like something nobody is forcing anyone into anything. I have been long enough here to see the doom and gloom when this game went F2P, Dead of PvP and Delta rising (gosh loved those signature postings) among other stuff that served to evolve this game.
Maybe is time to chill out, take a walk in the real world and worry about where things go into perspective. Just saying just a bunch of projected pixels not worth building a life around it. You can quote me on that one.
Well, people are emotional about this change and they sometimes need to vent. We're ok with allowing them to do that within forum rules.
Star Trek Online Volunteer Community Moderator and Resident She-Wolf
Community Moderators are Unpaid Volunteers and NOT Employees of Gearbox/Cryptic
Views and Opinions May Not Reflect the Views and Opinions of Gearbox/Cryptic
> @baddmoonrizin said:
> Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
It’s from Ambassador Kael, so please stop moaning about it...
Oh, yeah? Where? Because I asked him personally, and he pointed me to the P1 podcast where I get this quote:
"We have the stats on the people who use the Foundry and it's not an insignificant amount. It's not 100% of the player base. It's not even, you know, 70 or 60 percent of the player base. But it's not a tiny number either."
Granted, 40% is less than "70 or 60 percent", but 40% isn't a number that I've been able to find so far. Since the number has been a point of contention within this thread, which falls under my purview as moderator to quell, that's why I'm asking about it. If someone can point me to where the 40% number actually comes from, then I'll let it be, as long as it stops being an issue to argue over. So, buttercup, cite your source or sit down.
I think I'm among the first to point to that number, so I will try to source it.
Comments
People said that flying in the air like birds in a heavy metal object weighting many tons "can't be done."
People said that clicking on a switch and light appears out of nowhere "can't be done".
People said that bringing a man to the moon and savely back "can't be done".
Things are always impossible, until someone does it.
Dr. Werner von Braun was asked by John F. Kennedy: "What is necessary to bring a man to the moon, and then savely back to Earth again?"
Von Braun's answer was:"The will to do it." PERIOD.
The WILL to do it.
Emply two or three new people, let them work on a Foundry 2.0 for the next two years. I doubt that the personal costs are beyond 100k per employer per year, maybe much less. In the meantime, the Foundry ship can generate even more income, and if necessary, release a second ship in two to three years.
This can absolutely be done. Necessary for it is only THE WILL TO DO IT.
https://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/discussion/1247522/foundry-sunset-april-11th-2019/p15
Look at my post about a Foundry Ship
BRING BACK THE FOUNDRY!
Yes, the first year of the game we didn't have a Foundry to play with - then for 8 years we did, and now we don't. It's no different to any other change that has happened, such as the change to the crafting system, or the mission episodes being sorted into an actual order. Change happens in games like this. And this MMO has changed hands a few times. We can't keep holding them to the promises made when Atari made the game.
Kael has gone above and beyond his duty in explaining why this decision has been made. Yes, I get why you're angry - but dude, please stop lashing out at the rest of the community. You're a Foundry expert - your work is actually being saved, it will not be lost entirely. The Devs may some sort of plan, give them a chance.
My hubby codes for a living, he makes the base code/stuff like this for a living. If he's not being paid for it, and the community expects him to take it home and sort it in his own free time then yes, he would reach a point where he would say - "no more, I have a right to a life too!" The number of weekends he gives up... Yeah, his family (and Devs have them, some have partners and kids as well), get annoyed about his working a seven day week.
I'm not prepared to ask the Devs on this game to do that, and frankly no one else should either. How selfish do you have to be to expect someone to work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, but only get paid for five of those days, and only 8 hours in each of them? How many of you are willing to do that? How many of you with families and kids are willing to do that? I've watched the Ten Forword Weekly videos and (although it's easy to miss) a lot of the new game improvements and the like have come about because of Devs working on it in their own free time. We're lucky in that regards that some of them are willing to do that. But we can't expect it - or worse, demand it.
The Devs made a hard decision, but it is one that has been well thought out on their part. The peeps who own and run PWE/Cryptic are the ones who make the business decisions, and I guarantee you they are the ones who make all the decisions about the budget the Dev team has for working on STO.
Matt, no one doubts you could do what you say you could do. Instead of leaping on the forum, you should have contacted PWE/Cryptic and spoke direct to them. Maybe something could have come of that. I am sorry for you, I enjoyed the content you created. But after reading you're statement... Have some dignity.
For now, I'm leaving this... Toxic conversation. Once again, a few people have reacted without looking at all the information, and a few others have got the tin-foil out to make new hats. But I'd like to end on a high again, and thank the Devs for all the hard work they do, and for all the free time they do give up to add stuff to the game. The bulk of us do appreciate your hard work. Keep on rocking guys 'n gals :-)
I really enjoyed the Foundry missions I played. Not for grind, but for story or atmosphere. I met and made friends via the Foundry, and had something to help with stories for my roleplaying fleet. I really doubt that the drip of episodes along with the bloat of ships and gambleboxes from Cryptic is going to measure up to what they are shutting down in the game. UGC and choices/freedom.
I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but I'm feeling that my fun is wrong, and being taken away. Not the first time with this game, but I'm going to have to learn my lesson fast. Haven't felt it this hard since the tailor was clamped down on, or City of Heroes/City of Villains, Warhammer Online, and Shadowrun Chronicles were shut down.
I vote with my wallet that this is the next step in poor/bad choices by higher ups. I won't reward when this goes into effect. What I will do however, is get on the horn with friends in game, and pile everyone into most likely instances of The Dungeon(KDF) for a final drink, cigarette, dance, and farewell to the Foundry. *sighs* Hey, it could be worse, right? Fleets and holdings could be the next to get the haircut that divorces head and shoulders. Or PvP.
I'm probably going to get "the eye of the referee" on me for this, but somewhere, at some time, leadership failed.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
But a big thing I enjoyed was RP, emerging myself in a character and being part of the Star Trek universe for a few hours at a time. And Foundry maps were a not insignificant part of that. Including my own RP maps, or even just quick settings I'd make for a wicked screenshot to go with a 'captain's log' post for whatever RP fleet I happened to be with at the time.
I'm very concerned to see the Foundry go. Because while only under 40% of players use the Foundry, that sub-40% represents some of the most dedicated fans of the game. The Foundry might not in itself be a revenue generator. But dropping it will most definitely push some of the most active players out of the game. And that's where the revenue will fall.
And I'm really, really saddened to this this happen.
That portion of the community is also interacting with the wider population, bringing an appreciation for the game, it's deeper setting (untapped by Cryptic, they can only do so much), and the community along with it. The Foundry was inherently constructive (baked into the mechanics, design, and limitations) and that had a monumental influence on the interactions between Foundry authors and players. Folks have commented a lot recently about how positive/constructive the STO community has been, and in particular the Foundry community (Kael's words.) That's not inherent to the internet or those groups dedicated to Star Trek. That's a function of game design influencing player psychology. Cryptic had it right with this system.
The Foundry was a powerful tool to foster positive community interactions, with <40% of the population being directly affected by it (even as limited as the search features were). I hope Cryptic's thinking about how they systematically adjust for its loss. Their content and systems will need to do more to build constructive and creative community interactions.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
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> Where in the heck does this 40% keep coming from??
It’s from Ambassador Kael, so please stop moaning about it...
I could also quote more generally from my missions that fell on the main FED story path (with the top 3 system) and from my Foundry spotlight that many in the community took part in the Foundry. It's not a point up for debate that the system mattered to a significant portion of the community, the game will be worse for its passing, and there isn't anything set to replace the Foundry and the influence its had on the population. There is a gap now in the social dynamics which have helped make this community what it is. Even if some folks here didn't play the Foundry themselves, they've benefited indirectly from the effect its had on their fellow players.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
They have a core team working on their eco system which is being utilize by all their games so I wouldn't be surprised if their aren't even fulltime STO devs. This would also explain why it would take so long to implement new features in the game. Look at how long it took to get the fill all button for the rep. Or when they asked for feedback why people didn't like the random tfo's, and their was some good feedback but I don't think we have seen anything ingame.
On the other side it was stated that their games are doing well. What I don't understand if it's doing so well why couldn't a new developer being hired. Or used the time to develop something new if they wanted to focus on new tech. Maybe it's doing well enough for their current expensive/income. But that would mean that they couldn't grow any further. Instead they would only become smaller because an older game will see more people leave than join. And their other titles aren't the youngest anymore either. So content will become less over time. Which I believe we're already seing. Look at the discovery operations pack, a lot of people complained about the steep prices for the amount of content.
That said I don't think the game will leave anytime soon but I do think that the future will depend on how good their new mmo, magic the gathering, will perform.
This is obvious my speculation after seeing Kael's latest stream and reading a bit between the lines. I might as well be completely wrong but it currently doesn't take away my fear for the future.
Not the sort of thing to say to a mod. I think for your own interest you should edit your reply.
So, yeah, the expansion of the STO game itself to 2 more platforms beyond PC (something Cryptic thought would never be possible BTW - although thy did look at the possibility of it when initialing developing Champions Online in 2006-2008; but abandoned the idea); means that the STO team that was working on ONE version of the game, is now working instead on 3 versions of the same game; and even though they're trying to unify the base code as much as possible, each platform has it's quirks taht the one team must constantly look into and fix as they update the game overall.
(And yes, Never Winter is in the exact same situation as it's spread across the same 3 platforms.)
Plus they have the "Magic: The Gathering" project they're working on - and I'm sure as a new product in development it has priority and they probably pull Devs from STO and NW to assist occasionally to meet an internal development milestone.
(And yes, I know Cryptic runs Champions Online too - but with that game in perpetual maintenance mode; I'd say that team has 3 people at most; and they just make the occasional new CO C-Store item.)
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Oh, yeah? Where? Because I asked him personally, and he pointed me to the P1 podcast where I get this quote:
"We have the stats on the people who use the Foundry and it's not an insignificant amount. It's not 100% of the player base. It's not even, you know, 70 or 60 percent of the player base. But it's not a tiny number either."
Granted, 40% is less than "70 or 60 percent", but 40% isn't a number that I've been able to find so far. Since the number has been a point of contention within this thread, which falls under my purview as moderator to quell, that's why I'm asking about it. If someone can point me to where the 40% number actually comes from, then I'll let it be, as long as it stops being an issue to argue over. So, buttercup, cite your source or sit down.
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l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
With respect to those who are "voting with their wallets" because Cryptic is removing a "core component" of this game, I have never considered the Foundry a "core component" of this game. Ever. It's nice to make your own missions, yeah, but when it's all said and done, the Foundry was a diversion - for us, and in a lot of ways for them, too. I remember when the Foundry was first announced, and the reaction that *I* recall was rather cynical: "We work so they don't have to." Now it's going away, and there's this huge uproar. At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I find this kind of amusing.
You know what the "core components" are? The C-Store. The Exchange. The Dilithium Exchange. STFs, or TFOs, or whatever they're called lately. The reputation system. And now endeavors. Grind and buy, buy and grind. Because that's how MMOs work, and while I would love to be optimistic, at the end of the day, Star Trek Online is an MMO. Grindy repetition and microtransactions are virtually the law of the land now. So be prepared for disappointment, but don't let it come as a shock. Because it's not, really.
"There's No Way Like Poway!"
Real Join Date: October 2010
BMR I've not found it either
Original STO beta tester.
Might be time to shut down this thread? Lots of emotional anger in here. After all this is just a game folks...If you don't like something nobody is forcing anyone into anything. I have been long enough here to see the doom and gloom when this game went F2P, Dead of PvP and Delta rising (gosh loved those signature postings) among other stuff that served to evolve this game.
Maybe is time to chill out, take a walk in the real world and worry about where things go into perspective. Just saying just a bunch of projected pixels not worth building a life around it. You can quote me on that one.
Original STO beta tester.
QFT
Join Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Original STO beta tester.
I will, because it's TRIBBLE. Relationships, lives, and marriages have the foundry to thank for their existence today. It has shaped peoples lives not because of pixels but of the social connections its fostered and the people it's brought together.
If you want to minimize that, fine. But I will absolutely call that out.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Well, people are emotional about this change and they sometimes need to vent. We're ok with allowing them to do that within forum rules.
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I think I'm among the first to point to that number, so I will try to source it.