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FE Immersion Let Down **spoilers**

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
So I just finished playing the latest FE and I enjoyed it. The sudden attack, fighting on the station, and then actually having to retreat and losing. It was a nice touch. I loved how the episode ended with that female vorta saying DS9 is ours. We're told that Bajor has been set up as the command station until they get DS9 back. That's awesome, could we actually be seeing in-game story affecting the game!

NOPE...complete let down. When have a loading screen to get to bajor to talk to a guy, who basically says "mroe coming soon" and then you warp out to another loading screen. Then I go right back to DS9 to trade in some STF gear. COME ON MAN. This would have been the perfect opportunity to wow your players, instead we get another ********** effort. What you should have done is this.......

When you warp into bajor you encounter a "battle group omega" type system with many fed/klingon ships preparing for battle. Just like in BGO different ships do different things (bank, exchange, mail) Make one of the ships have an interior that has an Engineer, Doctor, Tailor, ship master, STF store, consumable vendor (this you could copy and paste over to the real BGO). Then (here's the kicker) CLOSE DOWN DS9. Its been taken over by the dominion, why should we be allowed to go back. This FE is a 5 week long event, shut it down until we take DS9 back in the story. This could have been something really cool you could do, make the game change based on the story. What a great opportunity to do something awesome and different. Opportunity lost!
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Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Then (here's the kicker) CLOSE DOWN DS9. Its been taken over by the dominion, why should we be allowed to go back. This FE is a 5 week long event, shut it down until we take DS9 back in the story.

    that would severely break the game. there is far too much linked to the station in the way of story arcs, doff assignments and things of that nature to lock people out of it. its not practical

    and as for the 'cut and paste' stuff for the battlegroup.... first, its never, ever as easy as cutting and pasting anything. and second, why would you do that at all when their command post is essentially a planet? you wouldn't.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I agree with the OP, actually.

    Closing down a major hub for 5 weeks would really make people care! And notice! And it would make the universe feel more dynamic.

    It's probably too late... but what a cool thing this would have been.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Why can't you just not visit DS9 until you do the mission where we recapture it?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I agree with OP.

    Also, it didn't make sense that we passed a gun store and couldn't arm the diplomats (or that only a tactical guy could pick up a gun to give them).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Closing down the hub universally would be an awful idea.

    It'd be awesome, though, if they could do it for any character who has played the new episode through. I obviously don't know the technical issues behind doing this, since I don't work with STO code, but it would seem to me it might be as easy as "closing a door" to DS9 and opening a new one on Bajor. Copy/Pasting the relevant NPC's to the new zone might not be that hard, either.

    I imagine in reality it's not that simple, else I'd think they'd've done it. Or they might still plan to do it and just ddn't get it finished on time.

    Guess we'll find out.

    Anyway, iunno about you guys, but until I do retake the station, I'll personally be avoiding it. Easy personal step to preserve my own immersion.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I like the idea, unfortunately I do not see how it could reasonably be done. If you could not visit DS9 it would break a lot of Cryptic and foundry missions for five weeks.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Why can't you just not visit DS9 until you do the mission where we recapture it?

    because it is the only place in the game to gain access to the STF store/gear.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    jam062307 wrote: »
    because it is the only place in the game to gain access to the STF store/gear.

    It's also the only place to do a few Fed missions, most of which can't be just moved to a battle group. Sure, people could hit the skip button, but how is that less immersion breaking than just pretending you can't go to DS9, especially when later episodes will reference the earlier set in DS9 ones. Sure, make a battle group to duplicate the functionality of DS9, but don't close of DS9 so that no one can go there.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    It's no secret they have prepared a Bajor ground social zone. What I don't understand is, why they didn't open it up with this new FE? It would have been a perfect endcap to the mission. Finish the battle, escape to Bajor, and get that feeling of being forced into an unfamiliar situation (new ground social zone) to explore and settle in to while we contemplate how to retake DS9.

    They're going to have to bring it online anyway this coming week anyway (read the description for the next FE in the mission journal, it seems pretty obvious the next FE takes place on Bajor) so why not put it online now? You could easily move the STF vendor to the Bajor surface or elsewhere to keep access to that system. It should be a trivial amount of work to move those NPCs to a new map.

    As to "breaking" things in-game, well that would serve to greatly add to the immersion and gravity of the events in the most recent FE. They could have even gone as far as simply disabling all Cardassian front missions for the time being, in light of these events. This kind of evolving game world thing is a powerful storytelling tool and only feasible in MMO online persistent worlds, so why waste such an obvious opportunity to capitalize on this mechanic? As opposed to having it be the way it is now, the new mission being simply a minor distraction and totally isolated side-story that for all intents and purposes "didn't actually happen". I guess joke's on us when we finish this series only to see the whole thing was a bad dream as our captains wake up in their ship quarters as the very final scene...

    I have to agree with the posters here saying that this was a major opportunity lost. Not just the immersion factor of losing DS9 but also the whole FE opener in general. This is the first fresh content in basically a year, and the first episodic content release that F2P players get to experience "as it happens". I think Cryptic really dropped the ball here in not putting forth an incredibly strong opening mission to really get people fired up and excited.

    Imagine what the response could have been had this first FE mission been on par with say "Coliseum" or "A Light in the Dark"? It probably would have worked to stem some of the (significant) negativity the community has expressed regarding their past (lack of) performance in running the game, and the obvious and prevalent monetization and "grindfesting" of nearly every game mechanic.

    People would have been fired up, excited to look to the future, and hoping for some real change. Instead we get a pretty run-of-the-mill episode, offset by the terrible in-game Galor spam, and no connection whatsoever between the new story event and the game world itself. It takes me back to the comments Chris made in that one episode of STO about when he hears D'Angelo speak. He doesn't get excited, is always let down, and does not look forward to the future. To me, I get the same feeling from this first FE installment. Hopefully it improves, but I can't help but continue to notice how much "hoping for future improvement" I have had to do regarding STO in the past months. When are we going to get there?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Darkjedi wrote: »
    I agree with the OP, actually.

    Closing down a major hub for 5 weeks would really make people care! And notice! And it would make the universe feel more dynamic.

    It's probably too late... but what a cool thing this would have been.

    It'd break leveling progression as a Fed as there are missions that use the social hub zone for their quests.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Darkjedi wrote: »
    I agree with the OP, actually.

    Closing down a major hub for 5 weeks would really make people care!
    Clearly you don't know the general MMO playerbase that well. The whining would far outweigh the praise.

    Just three words: WoW, Zombie Event
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I would agree to that if the series was finished. So you are fully capable to say "I either continue with the story arc to free DS9 or I don't". Right now the option is not given. You cannot continue with the series till all episodes are released.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    stararmy wrote: »
    I agree with OP.

    Also, it didn't make sense that we passed a gun store and couldn't arm the diplomats (or that only a tactical guy could pick up a gun to give them).

    I interpreted it as only a Tactical officer has the know-how to quickly instruct the diplomats (in the middle of a battle no less) in how to use a weapon that they may be unfamiliar with. The Andorian captain is the only one out of the four who would be familiar with handling a Starfleet-issue rifle, after all--the others are instead accustomed to the weapons issued by their own governments. Being able to pick up and use a weapon yourself is one thing, but teaching that skill in a hurry while under enemy fire is something else entirely.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    ChibiClari wrote: »
    I interpreted it as only a Tactical officer has the know-how to quickly instruct the diplomats (in the middle of a battle no less) in how to use a weapon that they may be unfamiliar with. The Andorian captain is the only one out of the four who would be familiar with handling a Starfleet-issue rifle, after all--the others are instead accustomed to the weapons issued by their own governments. Being able to pick up and use a weapon yourself is one thing, but teaching that skill in a hurry while under enemy fire is something else entirely.

    By the way, the Gorn ambassador seems to be quite happy without gun by playing hammer with the jem hadar being his nails :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Some posters have brought up a couple of good points that I never considered as far as level progression goes. And I will say, yeah you have a good point. But I would still argue to make this change. Suspend the cardassian story for the duration of the FE series release. We're only talking about 5 weeks here. And honestly, most players are already at level cap by the time they reach the cardassian story arc. Let them skip it and go play the borg sector, then they can double back in March. The FE is an event, make the game world feel that event on a grand scale. These FE should be pulling out all the stops.

    Would I be happier right now if Bajor was set up as the hub with the STF store, ect there. Yeah it's getting there, it would help my immersion. I wouldn't be forced to visit DS9 to use the STF store in the middle of this story arch. I could live with that. But I still think shutting down DS9 would be better. To us this is a real time event. For everyone who plays the game, the dominion has just taken over DS9, that should be what is concerned in cardassian space right now, I say suspend the story arch, shut down DS9 until this is all over. Yes it may temporarily break some missions, but I think that is a small price to pay.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    In theory I agree with the OP. It would be fantastic. And it's not like there aren't other hubs that could take up some of the slack. What about K7? Move some of the stuff over there temporarily. (Or permanently, since it would make it even MORE convenient for the Klingon players to access.)

    But that would require them to spend more work on content rather than spending most of their time coming up with ways to foist more lock-boxes and spam messages advertising same - which are totally immersion-breaking of this new FE BTW. (Not to mention just -barely- skirting the legality of the gambling laws in this country, if not stepping over the line.)

    It's a lovely idea. But it would require a company that actually cared about the IP rather than seeing it as a way to bilk the fans. (And I'm talking exclusively about PWE here. I think it's very likely that the people at Cryptic proper DO care about the IP and are fans themselves in large part. But their hands are tied by their bean-counting masters. Must be frustrating working there these days.)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Yeah. Given the futuristic weaponry and being unfamiliar with weapon settings (assuming that most Federation weapons have a setting other than "kill") it would take someone very good with weapons to teach someone else, while under fire, how to use a weapon without overloading it or something.

    As for DS9 being shut down, while I'd personally like it, it's a case of damned if you do or damned if you don't in terms of immersion.

    Assuming not all of the episodes from the Klingon Front to the Undine one takes place in like a day, it makes no sense why other people would be locked out of DS9 for the event (as in the timeline, so to speak, the events of The 2800 hasn't happened yet if they're stil in the earlier DS9 missions), and, and this is just me saying it without knowing anything of the coding of the game, it might be extremely difficult to specify specific lockouts aside from the faction-wide ones. it might be simple to do, it might not, I dunno.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I agree with your general idea...a lost moment to make something more grand. Would have been a major wake up call across the quadrants and in game play.

    Sadly, there is none to reflect that, cause there wasn't enough time to possiblely bring this about. If ever thought upon.

    As always, let this be another learning curve, when you have this stupendous event come into being. How far the effects reach must be pondered. How does everything change...were the proper resources avaiable to make this happen.

    The most lovely to see on a forum or a podcast or whatever medium to witness such a thing.

    Will be this....

    @*@)@)(@)@()@()@(@!!

    Everyone would know what has to be done...there be less talk and more doing.

    But alas, this a dream lastily...and dreams have a habit of coming true. One day.

    jam062307 wrote: »
    So I just finished playing the latest FE and I enjoyed it. The sudden attack, fighting on the station, and then actually having to retreat and losing. It was a nice touch. I loved how the episode ended with that female vorta saying DS9 is ours. We're told that Bajor has been set up as the command station until they get DS9 back. That's awesome, could we actually be seeing in-game story affecting the game!

    NOPE...complete let down. When have a loading screen to get to bajor to talk to a guy, who basically says "mroe coming soon" and then you warp out to another loading screen. Then I go right back to DS9 to trade in some STF gear. COME ON MAN. This would have been the perfect opportunity to wow your players, instead we get another ********** effort. What you should have done is this.......

    When you warp into bajor you encounter a "battle group omega" type system with many fed/klingon ships preparing for battle. Just like in BGO different ships do different things (bank, exchange, mail) Make one of the ships have an interior that has an Engineer, Doctor, Tailor, ship master, STF store, consumable vendor (this you could copy and paste over to the real BGO). Then (here's the kicker) CLOSE DOWN DS9. Its been taken over by the dominion, why should we be allowed to go back. This FE is a 5 week long event, shut it down until we take DS9 back in the story. This could have been something really cool you could do, make the game change based on the story. What a great opportunity to do something awesome and different. Opportunity lost!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way and was let down by the ending of the FE.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I'm with the OP here. Excellent mission, I thought it was great, but I was rather disappointed to see I could just beam back onto DS9 immediately afterwards. I understand the problems with closing it down for a few weeks, but it is such a missed opportunity to really make the game feel dynamic and alive.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Well, since Cryptic didn't bother, at least my characters are going to avoid DS9 until it's recaptured from their POV.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    See... This is why I thought they'd have made it so that the Jem'Hadar fleet gets repelled from DS9 and captures Bajor.

    And then the Najor ground hub would only unlock for people who completed the entire series.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I was totally underwhelmed by the episode.

    THe trailer was totally cool, but all the video footage in the episode was just awful. I mean there was one bit where DS9 kept appearing and disappearing.

    I feel that they spent more time on the trailer footage than on the actual game footage.

    The story was entertaining but extremely short, compared to all the other Feature Episodes, it just wasn't quite there. You would have thought after almost a year that it would have been something amazing.

    I know it was only the first episode, but really, you can only do a couple of these a year?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I simply don't visit DS9 until it is retaken...

    Why should they set up tailors, STF Gear merchants etc. on Bajor (Storywise)?
    So for the next Weeks I will not get STF Gear... well... no loss for me...

    And closing it down for everyone will not make people care, it will just **** them off...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Avoiding Ds9 as well. Shame we don't have Bajor to Rp on until the station is retaken.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    jam062307 wrote: »
    I loved how the episode ended with that female vorta saying DS9 is ours.

    What they didn't tell you was that I left a signed Monta Ellis basketball in the conference room and the Vorta asked her Jem'Hadar assassin what it meant and his reply was "It means he'll be back? To dunk on you?"

    ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    Everyone isn't at the same point in the game. So closing it down = bad move People keep forgetting that the storyline is a personal one. Yes we all do it, but it is still focused at YOU and you alone being the 'Golden Boy/Girl' You see other people but so far as the story goes they are extras in your story, you do all the saving and critical things, and from their point of view YOU are the extra and they are the 'Golden Boy/Girl'
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    CapnBludd wrote: »
    Everyone isn't at the same point in the game. So closing it down = bad move People keep forgetting that the storyline is a personal one. Yes we all do it, but it is still focused at YOU and you alone being the 'Golden Boy/Girl' You see other people but so far as the story goes they are extras in your story, you do all the saving and critical things, and from their point of view YOU are the extra and they are the 'Golden Boy/Girl'

    It is not difficult to have a flag turned on for every player that finished the story.

    Not globaling closing DS9 but for everyone who did the mission, moving every one to a new place.

    But hey, this was the greatest mission ever!!!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    CapnBludd wrote: »
    Everyone isn't at the same point in the game. So closing it down = bad move People keep forgetting that the storyline is a personal one. Yes we all do it, but it is still focused at YOU and you alone being the 'Golden Boy/Girl' You see other people but so far as the story goes they are extras in your story, you do all the saving and critical things, and from their point of view YOU are the extra and they are the 'Golden Boy/Girl'

    The OP wasn't talking about who the 'Golden Child' is, just commenting that it would have been brilliant if the devs had made it feel like this new series being launched into the game really did have an impact.

    There were ways they could have circumvented DS9 during the story missions. Besides a few contacts, iirc, not much actual mission content takes place there.

    Even if they didn't want to do this, there were ways they could have done it. After all, they do seem to love their sharding technologies, don't they? Set a couple of conditions on people's characters - Whether or not they are currently working on the Cardassian story arcs, a flag to say if they have done the new episode or not, that sort of thing - then have them sent to either BU#1 (where those who have either not done the new episode or those who are working on the Cardassian arc go), or sent to BU#2+ where DS9 is closed down and most major services have been moved to Bajor. I'd also step up the Borg attacks in these instances, since we are focussed on defending against Jem'Hadar, so more Borg are slipping through the defences.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2012
    I'm not sure if it was a bug or not, but DS9 actually disappeared for me for a while. It came back after a few moments, but it I was excited for a little while. Then, I was like, oh TRIBBLE!

    I'm roleplaying that its still gone, so I'm not visiting DS9 at least until we get it back.
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