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Ask Cryptic: September 2011

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited September 2011 in Galactic News Network [PC]
Star Trek Online's Executive Producer, Dan Stahl, checks in with answers to your questions about free-to-play and more in this month's Ask Cryptic.

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  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    sweet read :D and i perfectly understand the level-25 move for the klingons, it was to make sure any klingon player could play at the more interesting levels, at least unto more content was added, along with the KDF tutorial

    still, can't wait for all this stuff :D man i wish i could make time go faster...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    EVA suits aye ?

    are we going to be jumping out of shuttles with paracutes with the goal of trying to land of a weapon of mass destruction ? :O
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Swet nice good answers... Cant wait for the F2P to start.:)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    EV Suits? EV suits! :D I wonder if this means a planet with no atmosphere, or a hostile atmophere, or walking about on a ship hull, or ... :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    I love those Extremely Vulcan suits they are nice!!!!:)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    *sigh* Basically "All the things we've been needing to add to the KDF like ship costumes and outfits that you've all been lacking, will soon be available, in the C-store."
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    So when will the F2P beta likely start? Also, will it be invite only, or can anyone join in?

    *raises hand* Pick me! Pick me!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    : Basically, we no longer plan to sell playable species when we go F2P (and will most likely stop selling them prior as well). Premium playable species such as Liberated Borg, Caitians, Klingon Fed, and Joined Trill will not be sold but will instead remain premium rewards for either lifetime membership, veteran rewards, or unlocked via some other in game mechanism. In addition, some species such as Fed Ferengi, Rigelian, Tellarite, and Pakled will become free additional default species. If we introduce new species in the future, they will most likely be tied to unlocking some achievement or special reward in game, but the details are TBD.

    More a curiousity than anything else, but I don't see a reason for this. It always seemed to me that additional playable species were a great thing to sell in the C-Store. What am I missing?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Brigadoom wrote:
    EV Suits? EV suits! :D I wonder if this means a planet with no atmosphere, or a hostile atmophere, or walking about on a ship hull, or ... :D

    WOW, whatever they're gonna be used for, it's bound to look amazing
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    My impressions concerning the recent Ask Cryptic
    Q: N.Bridger: Could you give us more information about the skilltree revamp?

    A: In order to make space skills more applicable to all builds, we will be removing skills that currently apply only to a specific ship class or energy type and replacing them with more accessible skills such as +Dam or +Turn Rate, etc. This will address the issue where some skill paths only apply to very specific builds or ship classes. Now all space skills will offer some benefit to every player who chooses them. We will be testing this on our F2P Test Server in the upcoming months where players will be able to see the changes first hand. Players who have points in the removed skills will receive a free respec.

    Okay, I'm just gonna say it. This is sexy as hell.
    Q: Jermbot: If the F2P news hadn't been leaked, when would you have publicly unveiled said plan? Can we get a Romulan Material skin for our ships? Something green and sexy to tide us over until "beyond season 5" gets here?

    A: Our intent was to announce F2P when we did earlier this week. We are reserving the ability to fly Romulan ships or ships that look like Romulan warbirds until we can allow players to play as Romulans. That said, we are discussing ways to get this onto our schedule and looking at all possibilities to get Romulans into the game.

    He answered my question! *squeeeeee* And this makes some hidden 'gold subscriber bonus on par with Freeform" much less likely. On the other hand, I've decided to take "we are discussing ways to get this onto our schedule" as a literal declaration of their intent to give me what I really really want as quickly as possible.
    Q: Tricksterbro: Can you offer us a few plot spoilers on Feature Episodes? Just to whet our appetites?

    A: How about EV Suits?

    Q: whamhammer: Can subscribers get ponies when the game goes F2P????

    A: Be careful what you ask for! I’ve heard that Ponies is the name of a rare and deadly disease on the planet Spar’Kelhorz.

    Damn, talk about ending on a high note. EV suits? I wonder if that's going to come with some low gravity mechanic....
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Q: Tricksterbro: Can you offer us a few plot spoilers on Feature Episodes? Just to whet our appetites?

    A: How about EV Suits?

    Maybe Tricksterbro should have worded it to include the words "and mention something you've not mentioned or hinted towards in the past few Ask Cryptics"?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    random dune reference ftw
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    A: The best advice for this is to continue to monitor the Engineering Reports which details what content is being worked on and gives an idea what is coming. We do plan to get new content in front of our players with the F2P launch which was noted to be before the end of the year. As far as new content goes, the Borg Red Alerts were just released a week ago. Work progresses on the DS9 Feature Episode Series and we still have plenty of STF and Borg invasion content in the works. The only thing that we are discussing is whether to make this content available earlier by putting it all on the test server so that current players can at least enjoy the content before F2P launch.

    So... no new FE or other Content and only the Borg Ground Invasion and "revamps" of FIVE Missions before the end of the year... or did I miss something there?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Well.. a few more firmer dates than just 'eventually' so that's cool. We're basically, it looks like, looking at F2P sometime before the end of the year along with the next FE and the DOff system. And 2012 for the next big thing, it seems.

    If I had remembered to ask a question, I'd have asked if there was any sort of roadmap by quarter for STO development, but I can see where that'd be something they don't want to share.

    EAs and Ask Cryptics are allways appreciated, even if we get really exhausted not hearing any even soft dates. (Though after all that's happened, I can see why they don't give those out, either.)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Q: whamhammer: Can subscribers get ponies when the game goes F2P????

    A: Be careful what you ask for! I’ve heard that Ponies is the name of a rare and deadly disease on the planet Spar’Kelhorz.

    Dan, as much as I love WoW...I think I love you more, heh. I think I also have a quote for my signature.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    dstahl wrote:
    I’ve heard that Ponies is the name of a rare and deadly disease on the planet Spar’Kelhorz.

    :D You, sir, have just won the Intertubes for an hour. Excellent way to end the Ask Cryptic, heh.

    Anyhoo, I'm kind of looking forward to the transition to F2P, especially since the two things I'm most interested in (Doff system and the return of the Featured Episodes) are tied into it. I surely wouldn't turn away an invite to the F2P beta. (Okay, sorry about that; shameless begging finished.)

    I'm also a big fan of LionheartVI's question about visiting older ships/museums. I'm really looking forward to some lore missions about them. Oh, and account-wide bank? Why, yes, please! :)

    Looking forward to (hopefully) seeing most/all of the stuff mentioned in this Ask Cryptic. I am curious, though, about this month's/October's (planned) Season 4.1 update. Is it mainly going to consist of Gozer's updated STFs (and maybe the Borg ground invasion events), or will we be getting other shineys as well? *cough* Klingon Academy *cough*

    Thanks again for the article!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    I'm concerned with what appears to be some backpedalling on launch dates for the next FE series. In the last engineering report, this was to be "Late October". Now the official word is, "When F2P happens, whenever that is -- we hope before the end of the year".
    EB
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    EV suits!!!

    Finally, I asked if EV suits would be in game before STO was released, because not every planet can be M-Class and walking on the deck plating like in First Contact would be awesome. I'm glad to hear this will be in game!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Sounds like F2P beta can open as soon as this Month or early October, if they expect to add in the next FE on the beta shard around the end of Oct.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    This was by far one of the best ask cryptic in a long time thanks dan. And I want to say thanks to all of the team at cryptic on a job well done, I for one am looking forward at F2P.

    Have No Fear! Cohas is here!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    So with the KDF starting around 18+ does this mean that I will have to repeat all the currant content on my KDF Lt Commander y that I have allready repeated? Oh Well I guess Ill just wait till they have complete KDF content to finnish Lvling him anymore.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    InvaderGUI wrote: »
    So with the KDF starting around 18+ does this mean that I will have to repeat all the currant content on my KDF Lt Commander y that I have allready repeated? Oh Well I guess Ill just wait till they have complete KDF content to finnish Lvling him anymore.

    From what I heard - correct me if I'm wrong, if anyone else has a better grasp on it than I - anyone who's under the new "starting level" for KDF will get boosted up.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    In the future, we are discussing something similar to a Klingon “expansion” that would backfill levels 0-20 with a Klingon tutorial and enough episode missions so that they would (finally) be on par with Fed PVE. At that time we would finally allow players to create a Klingon at level 1 as their first character. The time frame for this is sometime in 2012, but we are in initial discussions with Perfect World about our schedules and it will be a while before I can share specifics.

    Not a paid expansion I hope.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    The skill revamp sounds REALLY REALLY good.

    I hope it goes live... well yesterday... thats something needet for A LONG WHILE now.


    Keeping the "character only purchase" for slots is, on the other hand, a shame..
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Not a paid expansion I hope.

    No kidding. At the very least it should be inculded with a Gold account, and not Silver.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Q: whamhammer: Can subscribers get ponies when the game goes F2P????

    A: Be careful what you ask for! I’ve heard that Ponies is the name of a rare and deadly disease on the planet Spar’Kelhorz.

    I'm sorry, but you answered this, instead of mine..? Why? Where's the justice!!

    lol

    But with my track record, my question will never get answered it will just show up in the game or c-store. :p
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    very lame VERY LAME. NO answers just questions. how soon is SOON. A week ... 2 weeks a month. went will see the beta f2p. why must we wait for f2p for all this stuff. we have been loyal to the game for a long time... why not start rolling out stuff now. ..... like the doff system now we have to wait for f2p. i hate to say this i ready do.... but lies we have been on a content drought for months lets get the ball rolling. THIS q and a was lame. i hope gets better. because this is depressing.


    i love sto i love sto please dont kill it
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    The change to the KDF, as I read what is listed in the ask cryptic, is a bad change. Removing the low levels affects PVP. And it bottlenecks the population.

    And it also shoves the actual work needed to fix the KDF off into a nebulous future that, as we all have seen with schedules the past year+ ... isn't very promising.

    Definitely not a fan of what you all have in store for the Klingon faction.

    It needs a lot of work to fix it up proper. And all that's being done is it's being shoved off to the back burner ... again.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    Stahl's interview a while back described slightly EV suits, and the Gamma quadrent are in the Ds9 weekly series coming. Something to do with the "lost fleet" that the wormhole aliens made vanish coming back.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited September 2011
    "A while back I posted that I’m considering opening up crafting to your ship interior so that you don’t need to travel back to Memory Alpha to make an item. In addition, one of the interior rooms we have on our to-do list is a Shuttle-bay where you could see the shuttles you own (in ground scale) and launch them from your ship interior. That said, we don’t expect to add functions like Banking or Exchange to ship interiors as we do want people to socialize even if it means everyone going to ESD to buy a new costume. STO is a very solo heavy mmo so any time we can put your around other players, we want to do so."

    A valid point. However, I would argue that, when you force a player to travel all the way from (insert name of sector block here) to (insert name of base here) simply in order to (insert name of base-exclusive task here) you are neither presenting us with challenging game play nor helping us to socialize. With apologies for my bluntness, you are just wasting our time. I know that we have both transwarp drive and quantum slipstream, but both of those abilities punish players with cool-down times that seem only to try to make us feel bad for not wanting our time wasted. If the goal is for players to socialize, then how about a crafting base and a fully functional starbase in each sector block? I can only speak for myself, but I am always in a much more social mood when I'm not being made to hurry up and wait. ;)
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