Hello all, I wanted to introduce a series of video reviews that myself and Capt.PFDennis have been putting together for a few weeks now called BitesizeUGC, a subdivision of the bigger BroadcastUGC show.
The idea behind this show is that we select a "new" Foundry mission from the weekly "Featured" foundry list located on StarbaseUGC and review it based on the following four categories, each rated out of five stars:
These are great. They may just be the right length and format to cultivate interest in the foundry once all the new F2P players come wandering into ESD all wide eyed on shaky wee legs like newborn baby deer...:D
"What is the foundry?" they will ask...
..and we now have a link to post that will best represent it.
Should get this on facebook if it's not already..?
Like I said before, the guys at StarbaseUGC are doing a great job! I think that this new video reviews of missions are fantastic! Keep at the good job!
Thanks to all who support this new endeavor. It is our hope to bring a little something different to the many review formats that presently exist. We purposely do not give an overall rating, as Foundry authors ourselves, we understand that these missions are constantly evolving projects that may end up much differently than when we played them. As a matter of fact, we have been discussing the possibility of replaying missions that have already been reviewed, upon request by the authors, if they would like their project re-evaluated after applying fixes or changes based on the initial review. Let us know what you think. We greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Episode 3 of BitesizeUGC is out and available at http://www.starbaseugc.com and at http://youtu.be/Yc9AKVgSTzs This week we reviewed Mere Mortal Enemies by Pure_Big_Mad_Boat_Man. Please support STO's Foundry. Go and check it out.
Thanks for the great review! I really appreciate it
Just two bits of feedback from me as the author:
1) Some of the details are indeed very easy to find, but during the later stages of development of this mission I was getting concerned that it was way too wordy. The main puzzle (gathering information from people inside the city and then bluffing your way through dialogue with Klingon General B'neJ) is totally based on dialogue (a symptom of the fact that I spent the past 4 months working in Word writing dialogue all the times I couldn't work in the Foundry while it was offline and/or severely bugged). I was worried it was just too much dialogue. So I simplified it just prior to publishing, and highlighted some things to make them easier to find. The majority of players seem to think it's now pitched at the right level, although I do still get some reviews in-game complaining that information is buried and that it took the player 7 or 8 attempts to correctly navigate through the options in the General B'neJ dialogue.... so, as usual, it's impossible to please everyone!
2) I really wanted to tell this story of the ancient, powerful, extra-galactic race who give away advanced technology without any kind of non-intervention policy, because I thought it was a great idea and a good moral dilemma. I wrestled for a few months about whether or not it could fit into the established canon, and ultimately I decided it could! We have only ever visited the Polmar Ree once before, and that was 216 years ago... which is a long time ago - way before TNG/DS9/VOY and even way before TOS. So all the technology you saw in TOS and later series could have come from (or been influenced by) the Polmar Ree. As for why nobody ever mentioned the Polmar Ree on screen, well - how often do you in every day conversation talk about things that happened 216 years ago? Things that happened at the end of the 1700s? Not often, if ever, I'd imagine. So I figured it was OK to write this mission without violating the Trek canon
Thanks again for a great review guys!
(Sorry I wasn't in the chatroom as it was broadcast. I'm on vacation at the moment in Toronto and the hotel wi-fi just couldn't handle the live stream. I tried during the pre-show, but didn't manage to stay online very long. Booooo.)
Thanks for taking the time out to play and review 'Locally Untranslated', its much appreciated.
This was indeed my first mission on the Foundry and was something of a crash course in how to put a mission together, to say nothing of the Foundry's interesting little...nuances during creation, some of which had me tearing my hair out in places and cursing myself for not finding easier solutions for events, etc.
Here's a little inside info that might make you chuckle. To begin with, I had no idea there were invisible object assets you could use for triggers and interactions. So every Interact prompt in 'Locally Untranslated' which is not linked to a scenery object is actually keyed to multiple tribbles being buried in the floor at -3 Y axis. On certain initial playthroughs they would sometimes emerge through the scenery like a pathetic furry Jaws parody.
I've had something of an education playing some of my fellow Foundry users missions and I now have a far better appreciation for the effort that goes into making your own missions, especially with triggers, scenery and the like.
I freely admit I still don't have much of an idea where to pitch the difficulty of enemy encounters so they are fun and challenging. I try to make my missions available to all levels, but obviously this means if I want to use higher level enemy npcs (or the appearance of same) I have to re-skin the lower tier (Gorn, Klingons) which leads to some incongruous effects, like Borgs whipping out Bat'leths and waving disruptors around, things like that. However I've seen other users pull of the same thing with style so there must be ways and means.
Thanks for taking the time out to play and review 'Locally Untranslated', its much appreciated.
Here's a little inside info that might make you chuckle. To begin with, I had no idea there were invisible object assets you could use for triggers and interactions. So every Interact prompt in 'Locally Untranslated' which is not linked to a scenery object is actually keyed to multiple tribbles being buried in the floor at -3 Y axis. On certain initial playthroughs they would sometimes emerge through the scenery like a pathetic furry Jaws parody.
Don't feel bad. Everyone has done it. There was a time when there were no invisible objects, so people were using everything from volcanic flowers to martini glasses and bloodwine cups. Keep at it. You're off to a good start.
BitesizeUGC's Episode 11 is now available for viewing at http://youtu.be/zi0NCmTgyEk. This week we review Enemies of the Empire by Bazag. Go check it out.
It's our first review from the Klingon side of STO.
Due to various holiday obligations, there will be no BitesizeUGC this week. RogueEnterprise and I would like to extend our best wishes to our viewers and their families for a safe and joyous holiday. We will be back next week at our regular time and place.
There is no BroadcastUGC being aired tonight, so we bring you the new BitesizeUGC, independently on Youtube. The subject of our review in "Lineasge" by Captain_Revo. Enjoy. We did. http://youtu.be/27YkYTkO8Uo
Episode 13 of BitesizeUGC is now up! Check out our review of "A Warrior's Honor" by Joe_King here!
Hey, thank you for the review! I just want everyone to know I have updated "A Warrior's Honor" and I'm looking forward to some feedback, even if you hate it! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my mission!
This was my first real Foundry mission and I learned a lot during the process. Since I wrote this one, I've been playing other Foundry missions and picking up tips and tricks for improving the stories that I want to tell.
The toughest part of the Foundry, from what I can tell, is actually getting people to play and rate your missions after making them! That's why I really appreciate the work you guys do in getting information out to players about what they should check out in the Foundry.
Comments
Straight to the point, informative, short and entertaining.
Keep them coming!
"What is the foundry?" they will ask...
..and we now have a link to post that will best represent it.
Should get this on facebook if it's not already..?
Be sure to check out the mission, now available on Holodeck!
See the three-minute video review here.
See the episode here!
Let us know about any feedback you might have.
Hey Rogue and Dennis,
Thanks for the great review! I really appreciate it
Just two bits of feedback from me as the author:
1) Some of the details are indeed very easy to find, but during the later stages of development of this mission I was getting concerned that it was way too wordy. The main puzzle (gathering information from people inside the city and then bluffing your way through dialogue with Klingon General B'neJ) is totally based on dialogue (a symptom of the fact that I spent the past 4 months working in Word writing dialogue all the times I couldn't work in the Foundry while it was offline and/or severely bugged). I was worried it was just too much dialogue. So I simplified it just prior to publishing, and highlighted some things to make them easier to find. The majority of players seem to think it's now pitched at the right level, although I do still get some reviews in-game complaining that information is buried and that it took the player 7 or 8 attempts to correctly navigate through the options in the General B'neJ dialogue.... so, as usual, it's impossible to please everyone!
2) I really wanted to tell this story of the ancient, powerful, extra-galactic race who give away advanced technology without any kind of non-intervention policy, because I thought it was a great idea and a good moral dilemma. I wrestled for a few months about whether or not it could fit into the established canon, and ultimately I decided it could! We have only ever visited the Polmar Ree once before, and that was 216 years ago... which is a long time ago - way before TNG/DS9/VOY and even way before TOS. So all the technology you saw in TOS and later series could have come from (or been influenced by) the Polmar Ree. As for why nobody ever mentioned the Polmar Ree on screen, well - how often do you in every day conversation talk about things that happened 216 years ago? Things that happened at the end of the 1700s? Not often, if ever, I'd imagine. So I figured it was OK to write this mission without violating the Trek canon
Thanks again for a great review guys!
(Sorry I wasn't in the chatroom as it was broadcast. I'm on vacation at the moment in Toronto and the hotel wi-fi just couldn't handle the live stream. I tried during the pre-show, but didn't manage to stay online very long. Booooo.)
Cheers,
Ali
See the review here!
This was indeed my first mission on the Foundry and was something of a crash course in how to put a mission together, to say nothing of the Foundry's interesting little...nuances during creation, some of which had me tearing my hair out in places and cursing myself for not finding easier solutions for events, etc.
Here's a little inside info that might make you chuckle. To begin with, I had no idea there were invisible object assets you could use for triggers and interactions. So every Interact prompt in 'Locally Untranslated' which is not linked to a scenery object is actually keyed to multiple tribbles being buried in the floor at -3 Y axis. On certain initial playthroughs they would sometimes emerge through the scenery like a pathetic furry Jaws parody.
I've had something of an education playing some of my fellow Foundry users missions and I now have a far better appreciation for the effort that goes into making your own missions, especially with triggers, scenery and the like.
I freely admit I still don't have much of an idea where to pitch the difficulty of enemy encounters so they are fun and challenging. I try to make my missions available to all levels, but obviously this means if I want to use higher level enemy npcs (or the appearance of same) I have to re-skin the lower tier (Gorn, Klingons) which leads to some incongruous effects, like Borgs whipping out Bat'leths and waving disruptors around, things like that. However I've seen other users pull of the same thing with style so there must be ways and means.
Still something of a learning curve.
Thanks again,
-Ogremerc
See our review here!
Don't feel bad. Everyone has done it. There was a time when there were no invisible objects, so people were using everything from volcanic flowers to martini glasses and bloodwine cups. Keep at it. You're off to a good start.
Check it out here!
It's our first review from the Klingon side of STO.
Happy Holidays.
Hey, thank you for the review! I just want everyone to know I have updated "A Warrior's Honor" and I'm looking forward to some feedback, even if you hate it! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my mission!
This was my first real Foundry mission and I learned a lot during the process. Since I wrote this one, I've been playing other Foundry missions and picking up tips and tricks for improving the stories that I want to tell.
The toughest part of the Foundry, from what I can tell, is actually getting people to play and rate your missions after making them! That's why I really appreciate the work you guys do in getting information out to players about what they should check out in the Foundry.
Thanks again!:)