After working the PAX booth for close to 30 hours straight, a fan came to the booth and very politely asked me if we would ever allow players to play "androids" - to which I said, "No way. You can't be an android!" and then went on to describe why that would be incredibly broken.
Looking a bit sad, then they asked if we would allow players to play EMHs, to which I responded "Sure, I don't see a problem with that."
Ever since then, the internal joke to any question having to do with androids is "NO WAY. YOU CAN'T BE AN ANDROID!"
So... this thread made me laugh and I wanted to come in here and say....
YOU CAN'T BE AN ANDROID!
(well at least until we make them available)
And it is my hope that if you DO make them available, they are available to ALL, not to just lifers or this or that group... I think it is time for perk items for this or that marketing plan to go away. I would also prefer that androids not be put on the C-Store. Instead, make it a fleet-only item. Make it where the fleet needs to have a dedicated cybernetics research lab, staffed with cybernetics researcher NPCs that can be "bought" from memory alpha with merrit points. The lab would need daily, weekly and monthly quotas of data processing (another use for data samples) for up to three months. Players who were members of the fleet prior to the start of the cycle, and contribute to the quotas, will unlock the android player "race", which will remain available only as long as the player maintains a character who is a member of that fleet.
Androids should have restrictions on them. For example, if any cyberneticist wishes to further the development of positronic neural net technology, then any artificial lifeform created as a result must have the same moral and ethical program overlay installed that is present in the higher functions of Captain Data, commanding officer of the U.S.S Enterprise, NCC-1701-E. Soanything that would step beyonf the bounds of the moral and ethical code that governed Data should be restricted.
Android characters should also have an extended formative period. Self awareness, intelligence and sentience do not just happen instantly.
Lifer reward would be fine, Vet reward is.....ok, but I have one request, make them Tac Officers, or at least let us choose, I already have a Liberated Borg Eng off and an EMH Sci off. But I don't have nor do I really plan to get the Gal-X :-p
No, the Lifers should not get anything substantial like this. They ALREADY have the Liberated Borg.
If the Android playable race or even Android BOs are released, they should be available to everybody.
As long as everyone who wants to play an android actually works for it in-game and not just pay some cryptic points in the store for it.
SOME things should require some actual gameplay to get. At least you can't get that ambassador's uniform until you've reached the highest rank in the diplomatic corps.
Also, is very un-canon. Hard canon dictates the only android that could be considered a character was the Soong-type B4, which in STO had a Spock-like revival and became Data.
So no. Even as an LTS, I will not like an android BOff.
And it is my hope that if you DO make them available, they are available to ALL, not to just lifers or this or that group... I think it is time for perk items for this or that marketing plan to go away. I would also prefer that androids not be put on the C-Store. Instead, make it a fleet-only item. Make it where the fleet needs to have a dedicated cybernetics research lab, staffed with cybernetics researcher NPCs that can be "bought" from memory alpha with merrit points. The lab would need daily, weekly and monthly quotas of data processing (another use for data samples) for up to three months. Players who were members of the fleet prior to the start of the cycle, and contribute to the quotas, will unlock the android player "race", which will remain available only as long as the player maintains a character who is a member of that fleet.
Androids should have restrictions on them. For example, if any cyberneticist wishes to further the development of positronic neural net technology, then any artificial lifeform created as a result must have the same moral and ethical program overlay installed that is present in the higher functions of Captain Data, commanding officer of the U.S.S Enterprise, NCC-1701-E. Soanything that would step beyonf the bounds of the moral and ethical code that governed Data should be restricted.
Android characters should also have an extended formative period. Self awareness, intelligence and sentience do not just happen instantly.
Okay I understand your point on not having something obtained to easily, but......... YOU'RE NO FUN!
Either expensive C-Store item with good stats & buffs, or lifer or veteran reward with the Veterans getting it after the 400 day mark.
As long as everyone who wants to play an android actually works for it in-game and not just pay some cryptic points in the store for it.
SOME things should require some actual gameplay to get. At least you can't get that ambassador's uniform until you've reached the highest rank in the diplomatic corps.
I just want to point out that "earning" something in-game does not pay the bills for Cryptic to create new content.
Purchasing items at the C-Store with money we have "earned" out of game does pay for Cryptic to create new content.
Everything costs money. The Devs are not robots and have to eat (and support families who have to eat). They can not survive on your in-game EC or all the "hard work" one has put into playing this video game... Just not enough protien.
After working the PAX booth for close to 30 hours straight, a fan came to the booth and very politely asked me if we would ever allow players to play "androids" - to which I said, "No way. You can't be an android!" and then went on to describe why that would be incredibly broken.
Looking a bit sad, then they asked if we would allow players to play EMHs, to which I responded "Sure, I don't see a problem with that."
Ever since then, the internal joke to any question having to do with androids is "NO WAY. YOU CAN'T BE AN ANDROID!"
So... this thread made me laugh and I wanted to come in here and say....
YOU CAN'T BE AN ANDROID!
(well at least until we make them available)
I vote for playable Androids Fed race with a side of Android BO's I think we in the Android community need some love! I also like the idea of holo characters and both playable and BOs they should be able to be customizable with to look like any race and posses any skill set. ( similar to the alien option)
Oh and we need some love in the GM bug reports also
Could we not get a data? I mean Dr Soongs work was impressive and hard to be redone but not impossible as shown in Nemesis with the B4 unit. So it has to be possible to make more so why not.. its not like this game is cannon or anything. I mean really.. your already looken to bring the Enterprise J to the masses. :rolleyes:
I don't mind what method they use to trickle out the trinkets down the line, but I want everything anyone has ever been given when my financial investment exceeds that of the early adopters. Arguably, the importance of my monthly money is even more important twenty months on from launch. If I were the powers that be, I might just shift my attention to those whose money has not been captured yet. Hmm?
I just want to point out that "earning" something in-game does not pay the bills for Cryptic to create new content.
Purchasing items at the C-Store with money we have "earned" out of game does pay for Cryptic to create new content.
Everything costs money. The Devs are not robots and have to eat (and support families who have to eat). They can not survive on your in-game EC or all the "hard work" one has put into playing this video game... Just not enough protien.
I like the bonuses for us lifers; but I thought of something that could sweeten the deal. Create Android BOs for Vets. The Android would have Android-only skills and would take up one BO space (like humanoid BOs), but can be a ANY officer. So your Android could serve as a TO, EO, or SO depending on your need for that particular mission. But the skills would still need to be spent based on your desires (android only has so much memory). Androids can be respeced at anytime with a cost of 10% of the skill points (sort of like losing corrupted memory). That way androids are unique, but they aren't totaly superior.
I like the captain's table, but without something unique there is little incentive for me to visit it over Earth Spacedock. Add a few exclusive items, weapons, and consoles. Also, you could give us access to unique ship labels (ala Lifer Comm Badge).
Just a thought.
ya more lifer TRIBBLE cuz they have 230$ to 300$ to spend now they wont more and more and more
They may add Androids but it won't be just for lifers, cause every non-LTS person will freak out and in a month it would be available to everyone.
I'm pretty sure subscriptions pay for that.
Says the guy with the blue name like mine.
If subscriptions were such an awesome revenue source then why are some online games going from a subscription model to a F2P /w microtransactions?
Here are 3 examples: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord Of The Rings Online, and Global Agenda.
Also, do not forget that there is a staff to be paid for ther work, bandwidth and electricity costs, office lease payments and those costs, insurance, health insurance, phone costs, and all the various costs with running a business (pen and paper, ink, computers, printers, trash, cleaning services, etc..).
Needless to say, there are a lot of debts that must be paid before any profit is made.
Microtransactions provide additional revenue, above and beyond, the token $15 /mo that some of us pay (and others, like you and I, do not). This extra revenue can be invested in additional staff to create additional content above and beyond what you would normally get in a "subscription only" MMO... And the more content, the better.
If subscriptions were such an awesome revenue source then why are some online games going from a subscription model to a F2P /w microtransactions?
Here are 3 examples: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord Of The Rings Online, and Global Agenda.
Also, do not forget that there is a staff to be paid for ther work, bandwidth and electricity costs, office lease payments and those costs, insurance, health insurance, phone costs, and all the various costs with running a business (pen and paper, ink, computers, printers, trash, cleaning services, etc..).
Needless to say, there are a lot of debts that must be paid before any profit is made.
Microtransactions provide additional revenue, above and beyond, the token $15 /mo that some of us pay (and others, like you and I, do not). This extra revenue can be invested in additional staff to create additional content above and beyond what you would normally get in a "subscription only" MMO... And the more content, the better.
I don't mind F2P with MTs. I mean it's not really my cup of tea, but I can understand the theory conceptually.
STO isn't F2P with MTs. It is P2P with MTs. So now we're paying box price just to get in the door, a monthly sub to keep the lights on, and then MTs on top of that to get actual content? Cost of the hobby is escalating pretty fast here, and that raises a lot of concerns about if the returns are worth the price.
I don't mind F2P with MTs. I mean it's not really my cup of tea, but I can understand the theory conceptually.
STO isn't F2P with MTs. It is P2P with MTs. So now we're paying box price just to get in the door, a monthly sub to keep the lights on, and then MTs on top of that to get actual content? Cost of the hobby is escalating pretty fast here, and that raises a lot of concerns about if the returns are worth the price.
It is like paying the cover charge to get in to a bar then paying for the drinks and the girl goes home with somebody else. Well at least you got a good buzz, and her ugly friend isn't looking nearly as ugly as when you first arrived.
Getting back on topic here, I totally support the android thing, with a few modifications.
First I LOVE the idea that you have to build your android. It should be faily canon that stable, superior and independent Soong-type androids (like Data) are EXTREMELY difficult to construct. However, there's nothing wrong with being able to construct a SIMPLE-type Soong android that could perhaps be the resultof the research the Soong Foundation and Data have done together. At this point, the android is really no better than a regular BO. Then, as you level up your simple Soong android and add in research from Memory Alpha, (and perhaps construct better posotronic components there in mini-games), your Soong-type android starts unlocking upper-level Soong android traits like superhuman strength and agility, superior versions of tactical/science/engineering skills (depending on what specialty you chose for him/her), and eventually, emotions (perhaps this is a very sought-after passive trait that boosts ship morale, which in turn gives fairly large boosts to your ship stats while he/she is equipped and gives equal boosts to your away team BOs when he/she is a part of that away team).
Again, building an android like this would be very difficult and time-consuming, as well as consume a lot of skill points and resources. But in the end it would be really, really worth it.
I don't mind F2P with MTs. I mean it's not really my cup of tea, but I can understand the theory conceptually.
STO isn't F2P with MTs. It is P2P with MTs. So now we're paying box price just to get in the door, a monthly sub to keep the lights on, and then MTs on top of that to get actual content? Cost of the hobby is escalating pretty fast here, and that raises a lot of concerns about if the returns are worth the price.
Though I liked the bar analogy better.....
Nothing in the C-Store is "necessary" to play the game. You can go fron Ensign to RA5, at least twice, without having to pay anything extra in the store. The whole game is there for everyone to play.. No missions or zones are locked out, PvP and PvE are open for eveyone, and there is no restriction on STFs or dailies.
The subscriptions go towards bug fixes, operating costs, and some additional content. Bonus fluff in the C-Store cost Cryptic additional time and resources to create.. Therefore it is appropriate for Cryptic to try to recoup capital for those resources used for optional fluff items which are not necessary (but fun) in the main game, no?
This extra revenue can be invested in additional staff to create additional content above and beyond what you would normally get in a "subscription only" MMO... And the more content, the better.
Which postulates that we are actually getting "more" than a normal sub MMO, because there is the C-Store. My experience has largely been that the C-Store pays for more things...in the C-Store.
In the 6 months since release, there have been:
6 new species
1 formerly restricted species
6 new ship models
1 formerly restricted ship model
1 totally new ship
9 bridge packs
2 new emote packs
2 previously restricted emotes
4 previously restricted uniforms
5 other pieces of previously restricted "stuff"
released for extra money in the C-Store.
Giving the benefit of the doubt and looking all the way to Season 2 release and assuming no more C-Store additions before then, we have gotten for basic price (box+sub):
2 major updates (with the first spread across 3 chunks), that largely bring the game up to what was promised over development before release
1 previously restricted uniform
0 new species
3 new ships
That largely matches the mid-life update cycle of their first MMO (before it got sold and started having MTs beyond the re-release perks for people who didn't want to go out and buy a new box), and is actually slower than the first few post-release major updates City of Heroes had.
To be fair, it's not particularly slower or more lacking than the update cycle of a purely sub MMO (discussions of the quality of initial release aside), but it is certainly no faster or more expansive, either. I am just failing to see any evidence that the C-Store benefits the production of anything other than more things to be added to the C-Store.
Admittedly, Jonbre is right, and this is veering rather off topic, beyond a tangential connection.
Which postulates that we are actually getting "more" than a normal sub MMO, because there is the C-Store. My experience has largely been that the C-Store pays for more things...in the C-Store.
In the 6 months since release, there have been:
6 new species
1 formerly restricted species
6 new ship models
1 formerly restricted ship model
1 totally new ship
9 bridge packs
2 new emote packs
2 previously restricted emotes
4 previously restricted uniforms
5 other pieces of previously restricted "stuff"
released for extra money in the C-Store.
Giving the benefit of the doubt and looking all the way to Season 2 release and assuming no more C-Store additions before then, we have gotten for basic price (box+sub):
2 major updates (with the first spread across 3 chunks), that largely bring the game up to what was promised over development before release
1 previously restricted uniform
0 new species
3 new ships
That largely matches the mid-life update cycle of their first MMO (before it got sold and started having MTs beyond the re-release perks for people who didn't want to go out and buy a new box), and is actually slower than the first few post-release major updates City of Heroes had.
To be fair, it's not particularly slower or more lacking than the update cycle of a purely sub MMO (discussions of the quality of initial release aside), but it is certainly no faster or more expansive, either. I am just failing to see any evidence that the C-Store benefits the production of anything other than more things to be added to the C-Store.
Admittedly, Jonbre is right, and this is veering rather off topic, beyond a tangential connection.
Don't forget the whole Death Penalty and Injury System which was free, and took time from their planned schedule to design, program, and create art for.
Perhaps we would have had more free content in the same time span if they hadn't done that?
Star Trek Online - The only MMO to add in a death penalty as a "feature".
Getting back on topic here, I totally support the android thing, with a few modifications.
First I LOVE the idea that you have to build your android. It should be faily canon that stable, superior and independent Soong-type androids (like Data) are EXTREMELY difficult to construct. However, there's nothing wrong with being able to construct a SIMPLE-type Soong android that could perhaps be the resultof the research the Soong Foundation and Data have done together. At this point, the android is really no better than a regular BO. Then, as you level up your simple Soong android and add in research from Memory Alpha, (and perhaps construct better posotronic components there in mini-games), your Soong-type android starts unlocking upper-level Soong android traits like superhuman strength and agility, superior versions of tactical/science/engineering skills (depending on what specialty you chose for him/her), and eventually, emotions (perhaps this is a very sought-after passive trait that boosts ship morale, which in turn gives fairly large boosts to your ship stats while he/she is equipped and gives equal boosts to your away team BOs when he/she is a part of that away team).
Again, building an android like this would be very difficult and time-consuming, as well as consume a lot of skill points and resources. But in the end it would be really, really worth it.
What do you all think??
I like the general concept, but I think the while the android may be roughly equal to a standard BO, that certain areas should be somewhat less than a typical BO. Certain skills or special abilities like intuition should be beyond the android completely.
Thank you, I made myself laugh when I read it back:)
I like the general concept, but I think the while the android may be roughly equal to a standard BO, that certain areas should be somewhat less than a typical BO. Certain skills or special abilities like intuition should be beyond the android completely.
Until you get the emotion chip. ;-)
I think the real counter to keep in mind (and it was the counter in the Decipher trading card game) is that soong-type androids have an off switch.
If we could get another skill tree down the line, I think it would be nice to be able to choose between some basic skills like mechanical aptitude (which could include knowing how to deactivate a construct, hologram or android), field medicine, poisons, advanced communications (blocking enemy transmissions for reinforcements which might, say, despawn other enemy groups on the map)... Stuff that people from every branch may have picked up as a skill.
My one suggestion would be to have this type of advancement come from a form other than skill points as people already tend to neglect ground for space or space for ground. (IMHO, ground and space should use separate types of skill points to insure everyone is invested in both.)
Don't forget the whole Death Penalty and Injury System which was free, and took time from their planned schedule to design, program, and create art for.
Perhaps we would have had more free content in the same time span if they hadn't done that?
Star Trek Online - The only MMO to add in a death penalty as a "feature".
Actually, a death penalty was discussed and promised many times over beta. It was yet another feature that slipped for release, not something that "took time from their planned schedule." And it was not "free." It was part of the sub price that people paid over the months until it was released.
The difficulty setting was an actual new feature, but unless they did something vastly different from City of Heroes on the back end, all it does is add an extra interface layer between you and the bit of code that automatically scales each instance, which lets you "lie" about your level/group size. Upping the difficulty just tweaks a variable so that the game thinks you're a higher level and/or a bigger team and generates the appropriate enemies based on the already existing parameters. Not massively complicated.
Though some of the bugs that arose out of the whole thing hint that they may have indeed done something different.
Actually, a death penalty was discussed and promised many times over beta. It was yet another feature that slipped for release, not something that "took time from their planned schedule." And it was not "free." It was part of the sub price that people paid over the months until it was released.
The difficulty setting was an actual new feature, but unless they did something vastly different from City of Heroes on the back end, all it does is add an extra interface layer between you and the bit of code that automatically scales each instance, which lets you "lie" about your level/group size. Upping the difficulty just tweaks a variable so that the game thinks you're a higher level and/or a bigger team and generates the appropriate enemies based on the already existing parameters. Not massively complicated.
Though some of the bugs that arose out of the whole thing hint that they may have indeed done something different.
Having been in both CB and OB and been a vocal part of most all the DP threads I never once saw Cryptic promise "many times" (or even once) that it was a definate part of the game, or even considered part of the game. In fact, they never posted once on it that I can recall till after February 2010.
In CB there were the 5 blue colored bars for crew at first, like Champs had stars. Then they changed it to little men and had an idea about having to replace them at an NPC at DS9 (orignally for EC, then merits, then the NPC was removed in mid-open beta).
There was nothing else ever mentioned by Cryptic (not that they talked about the crew and replacements at all either) and the game released without any penalties. There were many player to player discussions... But no yellow names posted in them.. Ever, that I can recall (except for moderator edits and warnings).
It was all the player discussions of OB and post-launch that they considered doing anything at all.. And the first mention by any of Cryptic was when Zinc gave an interview on 18 February 2010 and said they were discussing it.
Cryptic never polled anyone on it and never asked about it in their first survey (for Cryptic points) either (the missing questions are on pricing and overall score). Though the only known player run poll on the forums showed around 40% pro DP and 60% anti DP.
And... Though subs were paid during the development.. It was "free" compared to having to purchase it for additional cash from the C-Store.
Either way it took up a month or two of develpoment time and resources and delayed their original planned schedule.
Ironically, all the most vocal proponents of the Death Penalty never play any more that I can see.. Or at least have not been on in a couple months.. Not a one. Oh well.
Here is a good audio interview back then with Jack Emmert - http://thebigfreaks.com/?p=263 - The DP part starts just after 38 minutes. - And right after that Jack talks about why they are doing the C-Store.
I support Androids, but as a Vet reward, or in-game shop item (restricted to one per char)
Though I have a few issues:
1. Androids are complex. It's much simpler to have Holograthic officers (only consume processing power and energy)
2. Data/ex B4 are the only android life left (Soongs widow is not mentioned since TNG series)
BTW, all lifers get:
1. Liberated Borg Species (which won't be added to C-Store...it won't be, will it, Cryptic?)
2. "Career Officer" forum and in-game title
3. Access to Captains Table.
4. No further fees to pay.
Comments
And it is my hope that if you DO make them available, they are available to ALL, not to just lifers or this or that group... I think it is time for perk items for this or that marketing plan to go away. I would also prefer that androids not be put on the C-Store. Instead, make it a fleet-only item. Make it where the fleet needs to have a dedicated cybernetics research lab, staffed with cybernetics researcher NPCs that can be "bought" from memory alpha with merrit points. The lab would need daily, weekly and monthly quotas of data processing (another use for data samples) for up to three months. Players who were members of the fleet prior to the start of the cycle, and contribute to the quotas, will unlock the android player "race", which will remain available only as long as the player maintains a character who is a member of that fleet.
Androids should have restrictions on them. For example, if any cyberneticist wishes to further the development of positronic neural net technology, then any artificial lifeform created as a result must have the same moral and ethical program overlay installed that is present in the higher functions of Captain Data, commanding officer of the U.S.S Enterprise, NCC-1701-E. Soanything that would step beyonf the bounds of the moral and ethical code that governed Data should be restricted.
Android characters should also have an extended formative period. Self awareness, intelligence and sentience do not just happen instantly.
No, the Lifers should not get anything substantial like this. They ALREADY have the Liberated Borg.
If the Android playable race or even Android BOs are released, they should be available to everybody.
As long as everyone who wants to play an android actually works for it in-game and not just pay some cryptic points in the store for it.
SOME things should require some actual gameplay to get. At least you can't get that ambassador's uniform until you've reached the highest rank in the diplomatic corps.
Also, is very un-canon. Hard canon dictates the only android that could be considered a character was the Soong-type B4, which in STO had a Spock-like revival and became Data.
So no. Even as an LTS, I will not like an android BOff.
I just cant seem to get upset about a thing like this......
android yes: yay....new stuff ingame is always cool
android no: oh well....didnt really matter, got lots of other toons.
either way is OK with me.
"You are a crappy captain!"
"I will teleport off the ship into space the next time you sleep."
"How did you as an Engisn get to be Captain so quickly. Are they that desperate?"
Okay I understand your point on not having something obtained to easily, but......... YOU'RE NO FUN!
Either expensive C-Store item with good stats & buffs, or lifer or veteran reward with the Veterans getting it after the 400 day mark.
I just want to point out that "earning" something in-game does not pay the bills for Cryptic to create new content.
Purchasing items at the C-Store with money we have "earned" out of game does pay for Cryptic to create new content.
Everything costs money. The Devs are not robots and have to eat (and support families who have to eat). They can not survive on your in-game EC or all the "hard work" one has put into playing this video game... Just not enough protien.
I vote for playable Androids Fed race with a side of Android BO's I think we in the Android community need some love! I also like the idea of holo characters and both playable and BOs they should be able to be customizable with to look like any race and posses any skill set. ( similar to the alien option)
Oh and we need some love in the GM bug reports also
Think RoboCop, Think Terminator! :eek: :eek: Run For the hills or have the ship fire several orbital strikes!
I'm pretty sure subscriptions pay for that.
Android, Blind, Charm, Cold Dwelling, Engineered Clone, Engineered Soldier, Haggler, Hunter, Lobes for Business, Pacify, Photonic Lifeform, Project Image, Psychic Blast, Shroud, Tactician.
ya more lifer TRIBBLE cuz they have 230$ to 300$ to spend now they wont more and more and more
Says the guy with the blue name like mine.
If subscriptions were such an awesome revenue source then why are some online games going from a subscription model to a F2P /w microtransactions?
Here are 3 examples: Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord Of The Rings Online, and Global Agenda.
Also, do not forget that there is a staff to be paid for ther work, bandwidth and electricity costs, office lease payments and those costs, insurance, health insurance, phone costs, and all the various costs with running a business (pen and paper, ink, computers, printers, trash, cleaning services, etc..).
Needless to say, there are a lot of debts that must be paid before any profit is made.
Microtransactions provide additional revenue, above and beyond, the token $15 /mo that some of us pay (and others, like you and I, do not). This extra revenue can be invested in additional staff to create additional content above and beyond what you would normally get in a "subscription only" MMO... And the more content, the better.
I don't mind F2P with MTs. I mean it's not really my cup of tea, but I can understand the theory conceptually.
STO isn't F2P with MTs. It is P2P with MTs. So now we're paying box price just to get in the door, a monthly sub to keep the lights on, and then MTs on top of that to get actual content? Cost of the hobby is escalating pretty fast here, and that raises a lot of concerns about if the returns are worth the price.
It is like paying the cover charge to get in to a bar then paying for the drinks and the girl goes home with somebody else. Well at least you got a good buzz, and her ugly friend isn't looking nearly as ugly as when you first arrived.
First I LOVE the idea that you have to build your android. It should be faily canon that stable, superior and independent Soong-type androids (like Data) are EXTREMELY difficult to construct. However, there's nothing wrong with being able to construct a SIMPLE-type Soong android that could perhaps be the resultof the research the Soong Foundation and Data have done together. At this point, the android is really no better than a regular BO. Then, as you level up your simple Soong android and add in research from Memory Alpha, (and perhaps construct better posotronic components there in mini-games), your Soong-type android starts unlocking upper-level Soong android traits like superhuman strength and agility, superior versions of tactical/science/engineering skills (depending on what specialty you chose for him/her), and eventually, emotions (perhaps this is a very sought-after passive trait that boosts ship morale, which in turn gives fairly large boosts to your ship stats while he/she is equipped and gives equal boosts to your away team BOs when he/she is a part of that away team).
Again, building an android like this would be very difficult and time-consuming, as well as consume a lot of skill points and resources. But in the end it would be really, really worth it.
What do you all think??
Though I liked the bar analogy better.....
Nothing in the C-Store is "necessary" to play the game. You can go fron Ensign to RA5, at least twice, without having to pay anything extra in the store. The whole game is there for everyone to play.. No missions or zones are locked out, PvP and PvE are open for eveyone, and there is no restriction on STFs or dailies.
The subscriptions go towards bug fixes, operating costs, and some additional content. Bonus fluff in the C-Store cost Cryptic additional time and resources to create.. Therefore it is appropriate for Cryptic to try to recoup capital for those resources used for optional fluff items which are not necessary (but fun) in the main game, no?
I think microtransactions are the future of MMOs.
Which postulates that we are actually getting "more" than a normal sub MMO, because there is the C-Store. My experience has largely been that the C-Store pays for more things...in the C-Store.
In the 6 months since release, there have been:
- 6 new species
- 1 formerly restricted species
- 6 new ship models
- 1 formerly restricted ship model
- 1 totally new ship
- 9 bridge packs
- 2 new emote packs
- 2 previously restricted emotes
- 4 previously restricted uniforms
- 5 other pieces of previously restricted "stuff"
released for extra money in the C-Store.Giving the benefit of the doubt and looking all the way to Season 2 release and assuming no more C-Store additions before then, we have gotten for basic price (box+sub):
That largely matches the mid-life update cycle of their first MMO (before it got sold and started having MTs beyond the re-release perks for people who didn't want to go out and buy a new box), and is actually slower than the first few post-release major updates City of Heroes had.
To be fair, it's not particularly slower or more lacking than the update cycle of a purely sub MMO (discussions of the quality of initial release aside), but it is certainly no faster or more expansive, either. I am just failing to see any evidence that the C-Store benefits the production of anything other than more things to be added to the C-Store.
Admittedly, Jonbre is right, and this is veering rather off topic, beyond a tangential connection.
Don't forget the whole Death Penalty and Injury System which was free, and took time from their planned schedule to design, program, and create art for.
Perhaps we would have had more free content in the same time span if they hadn't done that?
Star Trek Online - The only MMO to add in a death penalty as a "feature".
I like the general concept, but I think the while the android may be roughly equal to a standard BO, that certain areas should be somewhat less than a typical BO. Certain skills or special abilities like intuition should be beyond the android completely.
Until you get the emotion chip. ;-)
I think the real counter to keep in mind (and it was the counter in the Decipher trading card game) is that soong-type androids have an off switch.
If we could get another skill tree down the line, I think it would be nice to be able to choose between some basic skills like mechanical aptitude (which could include knowing how to deactivate a construct, hologram or android), field medicine, poisons, advanced communications (blocking enemy transmissions for reinforcements which might, say, despawn other enemy groups on the map)... Stuff that people from every branch may have picked up as a skill.
My one suggestion would be to have this type of advancement come from a form other than skill points as people already tend to neglect ground for space or space for ground. (IMHO, ground and space should use separate types of skill points to insure everyone is invested in both.)
Actually, a death penalty was discussed and promised many times over beta. It was yet another feature that slipped for release, not something that "took time from their planned schedule." And it was not "free." It was part of the sub price that people paid over the months until it was released.
The difficulty setting was an actual new feature, but unless they did something vastly different from City of Heroes on the back end, all it does is add an extra interface layer between you and the bit of code that automatically scales each instance, which lets you "lie" about your level/group size. Upping the difficulty just tweaks a variable so that the game thinks you're a higher level and/or a bigger team and generates the appropriate enemies based on the already existing parameters. Not massively complicated.
Though some of the bugs that arose out of the whole thing hint that they may have indeed done something different.
Having been in both CB and OB and been a vocal part of most all the DP threads I never once saw Cryptic promise "many times" (or even once) that it was a definate part of the game, or even considered part of the game. In fact, they never posted once on it that I can recall till after February 2010.
In CB there were the 5 blue colored bars for crew at first, like Champs had stars. Then they changed it to little men and had an idea about having to replace them at an NPC at DS9 (orignally for EC, then merits, then the NPC was removed in mid-open beta).
There was nothing else ever mentioned by Cryptic (not that they talked about the crew and replacements at all either) and the game released without any penalties. There were many player to player discussions... But no yellow names posted in them.. Ever, that I can recall (except for moderator edits and warnings).
It was all the player discussions of OB and post-launch that they considered doing anything at all.. And the first mention by any of Cryptic was when Zinc gave an interview on 18 February 2010 and said they were discussing it.
Cryptic never polled anyone on it and never asked about it in their first survey (for Cryptic points) either (the missing questions are on pricing and overall score). Though the only known player run poll on the forums showed around 40% pro DP and 60% anti DP.
And... Though subs were paid during the development.. It was "free" compared to having to purchase it for additional cash from the C-Store.
Either way it took up a month or two of develpoment time and resources and delayed their original planned schedule.
Ironically, all the most vocal proponents of the Death Penalty never play any more that I can see.. Or at least have not been on in a couple months.. Not a one. Oh well.
Here is a good audio interview back then with Jack Emmert - http://thebigfreaks.com/?p=263 - The DP part starts just after 38 minutes. - And right after that Jack talks about why they are doing the C-Store.
Edit - Added in links and corrected a date.
Though I have a few issues:
1. Androids are complex. It's much simpler to have Holograthic officers (only consume processing power and energy)
2. Data/ex B4 are the only android life left (Soongs widow is not mentioned since TNG series)
BTW, all lifers get:
1. Liberated Borg Species (which won't be added to C-Store...it won't be, will it, Cryptic?)
2. "Career Officer" forum and in-game title
3. Access to Captains Table.
4. No further fees to pay.