A large group of players are unhappy with lockboxes. Given recent legislation, maybe they're trying to get out in front of this trend and are adding new ways to monetize the game. That satisfies the "change the face of the game" criterion as well as the "make a large group of unhappy players happy" criterion.
'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 love it when people think that just because I'm a moderator, I don't have a right to or shouldn't express myself or my own opinion. And heaven forbid if I do, because it just doesn't "look good" to those people.
And my apologies, coldnapalm, I did indeed mistakenly attribute seaofsorrows' claim to you.
Still, I never said or implied that a no hasn't or couldn't change to a yes. I merely affirmed that there is evidence that supports that CBS has vetoed certain things. But I acknowledge that things could change at some point, as they have with such things as the T6 Constitution.
Also, while one might assume (presumably by virtue of my position) that I believe STO is perfect and love everything about it and that the devs can do no wrong, that is hardly case. I just don't vent my negativity on the forum.
A moderator does indeed have a right to and should post their opinion...about the game (or whatever the subject matter of the forum is). It is somewhat questionable to do so about users specifically...good or bad.
As for getting things mixed up...no problem there. That happens. And thank you for the apology.
The evidence we have of CBS vetoing stuff is from the devs themselves. If we don't believe the devs, the evidence while technically there is somewhat meaningless.
Actually, I think your views on the game itself is actually relatively fair. You do post some of the negatives and the positives. I don't doubt that you have a fair view of the game and it's state.
I don't know about that. Not trying to start anything but I would like to point out we used to have a moderator who didn't like the lesb*an klingons being included in a certain mission because he didn't want the possibility of his kids seeing it and he was removed as a moderator shortly after the backlash.
(Why the TRIBBLE is lesb*ans censored?)
And the Devs have said in the past CBS has vetoed stuff on many occasions, the thing is that its hard to find where they said those things. Like I remember one of the oldest things CBS said was no endgame Constitution class, but apparently Cryptic got around that with the promo packs but I can never find where the devs said that.
You don't play KDF, so your dismissal of those who do, is empty and worthless.
The existence of my KDF character disagrees with that notion. I also never dismissed those who do play KDF, only you, and not because you play KDF either. So unless you think you are the only person who plays KDF, you are wrong there also.
Hence, it (Factions in this game) doesn't do what the lead developer wants it to, ergo, BROKEN.
This is just a false argument in its entirety. Him wanting to make factions be able cross-faction team, and not being able to do so due to coding limitations doesn't mean they are broken. It means he can't implement all the ideas he wants for something. Your argument is like saying a mission is broken because they couldn't do some really big cinematic thing they originally wanted to do, so they instead did something less extravagant instead. That isn't what defines broken in any situation. The point of factions in STO is the same as factions in any game, to provide a unique starting experience and visuals to those that chose it. Factions in STO still very much work that way. Not taken in every direction the devs wanted yes, but not broken by any measure.
a ground-up rebuild of the game (aka the engine, that thing that forces them to HAVE a second faction) is absolutely a change that fits the direction of the story they've been telling for the last nine years, and it would most certainly change the face of the game.
Again, this isn't how game development works. Completely rebuilding the engine would mean completely remaking the game since the game's codes is built for the engine it is on now, and completely changing the engine means completely changing all the code that hooks into it.
Not to mention that what you are suggesting they do isn't what Cryptic wants to do in the first place. Getting rid of the cross faction teaming issues wouldn't necessitate getting rid of factions, nor has Cryptic ever suggested getting rid of factions. Factions would still very much exist in the game code, and the perks of factions, such as the unique story missions, ships, playable races, etc. etc. would still be the same as they are now. The only change they want to bring is one that allows FED and KDF to team up for TFOs and fleets and similar things, which is not the same as getting rid of factions entirely.
which would also let them put PvP out of its misery in a most efficient way, instead of the lingering-at-death's-door it's been doing for seven years, which would then in turn free them to tell the story they want to tell and make the kind of game they enjoy making.
I doubt they would ever get rid of PVP since it isn't as fundamentally broken, or needing of constant updates, as the Foundry was. And the existence of PVP has done nothing to limit the kind of game they want to make(which isn't the kind of game you keep saying they do) given that they have put no time into supporting it, thus, no time has been taken out of the kind of game they want to make.
which is completely different from "nobody can do it." People were doing it on the foundry with a fraction of the resources for years before it was removed.
No one in the Foundry had done anything I suggested, much less for years. The only thing the Foundry did was have authors place Easter eggs to find, which is not real exploration. Its about as much exploration as patrol missions are since no one directs you to those either.
challenging conflict with actual moral choices that aren't black-and-white obvious (or predecided for your character in the railroad) and player agency
So something that is not only the exact opposite of Trek, but the exact opposite of RPGs in general since the days of Baludr's Gate and Fallout?
Not to mention, as has already been pointed out to you before, the idea of "player agency" in an RPG, much less an MMORPG, is totally false and non-existent. What you propose would be a game that couldn't be developed outside of pulling a Mass Effect 3 where, no matter what you pick, they find some way to explain the same thing happening regardless, because the sheer number of choices would create so many branches that there would never be enough development time to make them all.
This also ignores that, as has been pointed out to by several people several times, the villains in STO all have motivations on reasoning for what they do beyond simple cartoon villainy power grabs. One of the things I like most about STO is that Cryptic has put time and effort into giving the villains some sort of reason for what they do beyond "dude power!" like so many other games do.
This isn't exactly true. SWTOR has managed to give player Agency in their Knights of the Eternal Throne Storyline. Many of your choices completely change how the story plays out in a few different ways. Hell you can even unlock a secret ending for the imperial Agent if your choices line up correctly
I never made this comment. I said PVP doesn't break, and need constant updating, like the Foundry did. Which is why the Foundry was axed, and why PVP is unlikely to be so.
I'm gonna have to weigh in on this too. At its core PvP is functioning normally, and has for years. The ONLY thing broken is balance, but that isn't the fault of PvP, but of the players and power creep. We've got the capability of vaporizing many NPCs, which actually have MUCH MORE HP than a player. So naturally you take that power into a PvP match what's gonna happen? Players getting oneshot. Because players figured out how to fight enemies with larger HP pools than other players.
Make a player go in with stock gear and no consoles, the only difference would be BOff abilities. But that would have to be a pre-arranged PvP match.
So PvP is actually functioning as intended. Its just the Player that is broken.
I never made this comment. I said PVP doesn't break, and need constant updating, like the Foundry did. Which is why the Foundry was axed, and why PVP is unlikely to be so.
I'm gonna have to weigh in on this too. At its core PvP is functioning normally, and has for years. The ONLY thing broken is balance, but that isn't the fault of PvP, but of the players and power creep. We've got the capability of vaporizing many NPCs, which actually have MUCH MORE HP than a player. So naturally you take that power into a PvP match what's gonna happen? Players getting oneshot. Because players figured out how to fight enemies with larger HP pools than other players.
Make a player go in with stock gear and no consoles, the only difference would be BOff abilities. But that would have to be a pre-arranged PvP match.
So PvP is actually functioning as intended. Its just the Player that is broken.
That's not really the fault of players but more the fault of the devs for giving up on balancing entirely. The devs inaction has cause the player part of Player versus player to be broken.
Though to be fair it was becoming increasingly difficult to balance everything the more Pve progressed towards significantly higher power levels. The problem could be the coding of the game made it difficult to seperate PVe and PVP as some games do, like SWTOR gear is completely different for PVE and PVP which makes it easier to balance, but I'm guessing as the games rushed development way back when it launched may have resulted in some cut corners with pvp code that could make it extremely difficult to try something like how SWTOR does things.
Here's the thing. The game is balaced... for PvE.
Balancing for both PvE and PvP are two different things. The system isn't broken just because it allows us to bring in our gear. It was designed for that from day one. The problem is that balance for PvP conflicts with balance for PvE. And we've had a long time to figure out how to fight things with a lot more HP than us. They have to walk a tightrope in order to keep things balanced. And lets face it, we're not playing STO for PvP. The majority of players are PvE. They try to balance for PvP, it negatively impacts PvE to a degree that can make it almost unplayable.
Will they come up with some new system? Maybe. But players are still responsible for themselves.
And frankly cold... you should probably step away from the forums for a bit. You're lashing out at anyone who doesn't agree with you with a rather high level of hostility.
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
Going off the interview it seemed like the change would be story based and I'm guessing that it will be the formation of the Galactic Union. We'll see a new galactic union uniform, new ships, new star bases an new tutorial. Maybe see the start of exploration into Andromeda.
or
we could see the Roms and KDF join the Federation
Your pain runs deep.
Let us explore it... together. Each man hides a secret pain. It must be exposed and reckoned with. It must be dragged from the darkness and forced into the light. Share your pain. Share your pain with me... and gain strength from the sharing.
We'll see a new galactic union uniform, new ships, new star bases an new tutorial.
I don't see it...
Maybe see the start of exploration into Andromeda.
This is possible as not only would it open the door to new stories, we do have the Iconian gates to get there.
we could see the Roms and KDF join the Federation
The way things are now... the Romulan Republic is still establishing itself as a power in the quadrant, and the Klingons may be on the brink of civil war thanks to J'Ula.
It could be anything and it's funny to see how people jump on this based on their own wishlist. From reading the thread so far I can see there are groups that advocate exploration, PvP, more mirror stuff, Borg plots among others.
IMO I hope really to end the mirror/DISCO stuff. It's just unending big nothing grind over and over again. From my own biased perspective (yes tbh) I really hope the new arc is based either on PvP or Borg story revamp. Anyways, I'm really glad that devs are investing so much more of their time in STO and hope it does last for a long time (even if a newer engine). Thanks for whatever is coming Devs!
This is me playing nice. I have no idea why people don't believe me when I tell them I am jerk.
I don't believe you. Everything you've said in this thread seems perfectly reasonable and accurate to me at least... and possibly to other forum users passively reading this thread as well.
Why am I passively reading this thread? I think the OP did a good thing by providing an interesting precis of highlights from the latest podcast and thanked him for it on page 1.
That's where things end. Inviting commentary on what aspect(s) of the game might be changing in relation to Al Rivera's comments could very well be a positive thing that could allow one to speculate or dream a bit.
But unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. When any speculation or dreams posted don't meet a (imho) somewhat rigorous, exacting, and inflexible set of criteria all I'd really be doing by posting is to paint a large target on my head to invite a response telling me how wrong I am in so many ways.
Quite the trap. I'll leave this thread to those with the time and temperament for lengthy debates over something that's already been decided anyways.
Comments
God emperor Wesley Crusher from the Mirror universe? That would be epic!
I want them to go full TAS and add the Kzinti
Yes, I know they can't, but I re-watched the Slaver episode the other day and it was fun.
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 don't know about that. Not trying to start anything but I would like to point out we used to have a moderator who didn't like the lesb*an klingons being included in a certain mission because he didn't want the possibility of his kids seeing it and he was removed as a moderator shortly after the backlash.
(Why the TRIBBLE is lesb*ans censored?)
And the Devs have said in the past CBS has vetoed stuff on many occasions, the thing is that its hard to find where they said those things. Like I remember one of the oldest things CBS said was no endgame Constitution class, but apparently Cryptic got around that with the promo packs but I can never find where the devs said that.
This isn't exactly true. SWTOR has managed to give player Agency in their Knights of the Eternal Throne Storyline. Many of your choices completely change how the story plays out in a few different ways. Hell you can even unlock a secret ending for the imperial Agent if your choices line up correctly
I'm gonna have to weigh in on this too. At its core PvP is functioning normally, and has for years. The ONLY thing broken is balance, but that isn't the fault of PvP, but of the players and power creep. We've got the capability of vaporizing many NPCs, which actually have MUCH MORE HP than a player. So naturally you take that power into a PvP match what's gonna happen? Players getting oneshot. Because players figured out how to fight enemies with larger HP pools than other players.
Make a player go in with stock gear and no consoles, the only difference would be BOff abilities. But that would have to be a pre-arranged PvP match.
So PvP is actually functioning as intended. Its just the Player that is broken.
That's not really the fault of players but more the fault of the devs for giving up on balancing entirely. The devs inaction has cause the player part of Player versus player to be broken.
Though to be fair it was becoming increasingly difficult to balance everything the more Pve progressed towards significantly higher power levels. The problem could be the coding of the game made it difficult to seperate PVe and PVP as some games do, like SWTOR gear is completely different for PVE and PVP which makes it easier to balance, but I'm guessing as the games rushed development way back when it launched may have resulted in some cut corners with pvp code that could make it extremely difficult to try something like how SWTOR does things.
Balancing for both PvE and PvP are two different things. The system isn't broken just because it allows us to bring in our gear. It was designed for that from day one. The problem is that balance for PvP conflicts with balance for PvE. And we've had a long time to figure out how to fight things with a lot more HP than us. They have to walk a tightrope in order to keep things balanced. And lets face it, we're not playing STO for PvP. The majority of players are PvE. They try to balance for PvP, it negatively impacts PvE to a degree that can make it almost unplayable.
Will they come up with some new system? Maybe. But players are still responsible for themselves.
And frankly cold... you should probably step away from the forums for a bit. You're lashing out at anyone who doesn't agree with you with a rather high level of hostility.
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or
we could see the Roms and KDF join the Federation
Let us explore it... together. Each man hides a secret pain. It must be exposed and reckoned with. It must be dragged from the darkness and forced into the light. Share your pain. Share your pain with me... and gain strength from the sharing.
This is possible as not only would it open the door to new stories, we do have the Iconian gates to get there.
The way things are now... the Romulan Republic is still establishing itself as a power in the quadrant, and the Klingons may be on the brink of civil war thanks to J'Ula.
IMO I hope really to end the mirror/DISCO stuff. It's just unending big nothing grind over and over again. From my own biased perspective (yes tbh) I really hope the new arc is based either on PvP or Borg story revamp. Anyways, I'm really glad that devs are investing so much more of their time in STO and hope it does last for a long time (even if a newer engine). Thanks for whatever is coming Devs!
Original STO beta tester.
Why am I passively reading this thread? I think the OP did a good thing by providing an interesting precis of highlights from the latest podcast and thanked him for it on page 1.
That's where things end. Inviting commentary on what aspect(s) of the game might be changing in relation to Al Rivera's comments could very well be a positive thing that could allow one to speculate or dream a bit.
But unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. When any speculation or dreams posted don't meet a (imho) somewhat rigorous, exacting, and inflexible set of criteria all I'd really be doing by posting is to paint a large target on my head to invite a response telling me how wrong I am in so many ways.
Quite the trap. I'll leave this thread to those with the time and temperament for lengthy debates over something that's already been decided anyways.