Mission Title: Contamination
Author: Evil70th
Project ID: ST-HOM98JB5K
Allegiance: Federation
Level: 16+
Description: The Federation Science Directorate has a rogue scientist on its hands. Doctor Klausen, of the Gavin IV Anthropological Study, has decided to interfere in the pre-warp culture on the planet and must be stopped. Admiral Quinn has recommended you to help Doctor Joanne Marbles, Director of Anthropology, Federation Science Directorate, in resolving this incident. Will you help the Federation?
Authors Notes: This mission is heavy on story dialog with a Skip Dialog option that gives you a summary of the information. Oh and I think I avoided using Contiue as a response button throughout.

There is some task based ground combat and a lot of optional ground combat on some of the maps. The optional combat is not recommended as it will add time to the overall length of the mission.
Estimated length:
60 - 90 minutes with full dialog.
30 - 45 with "Skip Dialog" option.
Hope you enjoy the mission and I look forward to your comments.
Thanks
Brian
Comments
My only nitpicks were that the humour seemed more 'Stargate' than 'Star Trek' (but that's personal preference). You may want to put a respawn point after blowing up the armoury - the following battle can be a bit challenging on higher difficulties as the three groups are close together.
Very nice map designs and the characters were well fleshed out. Could very easily be the 'A' plot of an actual episode. Good job!
Thanks for the review. I am glad you enjoyed the story and maps. I'm glad I was able to employ a twist in the Klingon connection that wasn't what you predicted.
I am add a second respawn to the the armory map as I finish typing this response. It should be set shortly after this posts. I alos spread out the last few enemy engagments so they don't all come down on the player at once. Hopefully...
I'll also take a look at my dialog again to see if I can Trek up the humor a bit.
Spike1790: (5 Stars)
There was a lot of reading, but the text was interesting. I recommend it even if you do not enjoy reading due to the fact you can skip over most of it. The idea of the first contact cultural contamination was an interesting one. It was really good.
Thank you for the review.
PatriotsHeart07: (5 Stars)
Mean while, the Fetakari research assistant sits down at his kitchen table with a hot up of coffee. He opens his brief case and takes out his PADD to study the alien tech research he brought home from the lab to work on in comfort...
This one made me laugh out loud! Thanks for the review.
Stylsy: (4 Stars)
A great mission with a solid plot and great map design.
Thank you for the review.
Two others left (3 Stars) but no comment. One of those was while I was testing it despite the description, which asked that it was in testing and do not play or rate. So I an happy it got a 3 even in testing.
Thanks to everyone who has played it and reviewed it for me. All constructive feedback is welcome.
Brian
These are not critical points, just my subjective feelings:
The end of the conference was a bit blurry. I was thinking for a while how to talk to them then I checked the map. I'd use a more direct approach like Dismissed!, or That is all, you may leave now! or something.
The sci officer was a bit too militant. I usually imagine them as Hoshi from ST-E or Daniel Jackson from SG1. Scientists who are not military by heart.
Drop the sandwitch and add a mug to the replicator for heightened immersion.
I'd try to add an alternate way to sneak in without fight.
Example: add a rock or two next to the fence, but make it too high to reach. Then a trigger something like "cut it short with a phaser" then spawn off the top rock or move the rock Y -2 lower. Then you can use it to jump in.
Same thing in the building. An optional non-combat way:
Move the opfor from the corridor and add a triggerable door to the conference room. If the door is triggered then spawn up the enemy NPCs.
But add a somewhat hidden trigger onto one of the machine in the next room with a text like "Drop an anesthezine canister into the air shaft". If that is triggered then the original door would get spawned out and a new door without the enemy NPC trigger would be up along several lying in face NPCs in the room. Then you can enter without a fight.
The grass is used as the trigger, that is good, but the canisters were placed at very different spots afterward. I'd use 1x1x1 rock debris just below the surface (Y: -0.5). The hovering tooltips would still show and you could place them to the correct canister spawn spots.
A finding like that should be guarded much better. Maybe toss in a few guard towers with personell and "dogs" standing around.
The guys at the tents should be there from the begining. I was looking in that direction and they appeared out of thin air.
If the players happened to deal with them earlier then you could just use an alternate dialog path or drop the warning prompt alltogether.
Maybe use beam in instead of plant. Those thing are huge.
The last engagement was OK on Advanced. My shield went down but survived.
The very last dialog prompt was nice and all but I felt that it broke the immersion somehow.
Im glad you enjoyed the mission and the story.
I thought about adding Doctor Marbles saying something like Well we dont want to keep you Captain or something along those lines. Ill take another look at it and see if I can come up with a better end.
Hmmm. I never really looked at it like that but that is a good point. Ill take a look at it again and see if I can soften it up a bit.
Good point. I thought about putting something like that in the machine but just didnt. Ill take another look.
The combat avoidance angle is a good idea. Maybe instead of a rock I could put a series of crates near the wall. Id have to get rid of the actual Engage Enemy task, but that isnt that hard. I will play with this a little more and see what I can come up with.
Ill look at that too. I used the grass because it seemed least intrusive. Ive been watching kirkfats videos on creating triggers and things like that. I really would love to do some of the maps like you did with the Demon Planet Adventure version. That was fun and the way you created different endings depending on what you did was awesome. I played it three times just to make sure I hadnt seen something wrong. Your mission and kirkfats videos have given me the basic tools and encouragement to give it a shot. For example make so for the player that decides to go off and engage townspeople they get a special reprimand for making it worse or something like that. I wont make those particular changes until Ive mastered that technique. Thanks for the inspiration and information from your both.
This is a good idea. Ill try to work that in as well.
Ill do that too. Good point.
I was doing it similar to the way Id seen it done in Cryptic and other community missions. You make a good point though so perhaps do a tricorder animation as indicating to the ship where to beam the charges. Then change the dialog regarding the Planting of charges to Mark the spot and beam in the charges. Ill take a look at that.
Thanks. I had the groups standing a little closer together and no respawn point. Based on other feedback I received I added the respawn point. I also thought it might be better if the player could engage them one at a time so I moved them further apart. They are not a high level group as I didnt want them pulling out specialized weapons that would give away who they were with the skins on them.
Ill consider removing it.
Well again thanks for the feedback and suggestions. As I always say it helps to have someone not creating the mission look at it. They will often see things we are too close to see.
Brian
I haven't been to the Forums for a bit, but I'll get to playing your mission by this weekend. Looking forward
to playing it.
Duke-of-Rock
I just played your new mission and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for creating it. It gave off a very classic (TOS or TNG) vibe to me.
There were a couple of things I noticed that I thought I'd pass along.
In the database you look into when you're at warp, you use the term "star date." I've always seen it as one word rather than two.
In what I think is Dr. Bennett's final dialogue box when you're in orbit around the planet, she says "as possible" twice in subsequent sentences. There's nothing grammatically wrong with that, of course, and people actually do talk that way sometimes, but it's always bothered me reading it. I might be totally alone on that one.
I got the impression that J'arpak (I hope I'm getting that name right--I was scribbling as I played and I can't completely decipher my note) was Vulcan. But in an early dialogue box during the first conversation with him he uses a number of contractions. That struck me as a little odd, unless he's really not Vulcan.
When I was sneaking into the installation to get the Dr. and had to engage the groups of guards at the entrance, I started pulling a lot of civilians into the fight. I was using an engineer-heavy away team with lots of turrets and drones, which do have a tendency to let fights spiral out of control. I also noticed my Boffs firing through walls to get at those nasty civilians. Not sure what to do about this, if anything, since part of it isn't under your control. Someone with a different set up than me might have done fine and the shooting-through-walls thing is not your doing at all.
Just before changing maps to the depot, there are subsequent dialogue boxes that both contain the phrase "Captain, we're ready to beam the away team near the Fekara weapons depot..." One is a regular dialogue box. The other is a map transition dialogue.
Now this contains something of a spoiler, so I'll hide the next bit. I wondered if the revelation that the original contamination came from a crashed ship could have been hyped up a little. It seemed to get dropped kinda suddenly by one of my Boffs, without a real sense of discovery. Here was this big mystery, and it got cleared up like that. I don't have any good ideas here, but I was kinda hoping for a bigger reveal.
All these details aside, it was a great mission and a lot of fun to play.
Thanks. I'm looking forward to your feedback.
Brian
Thanks. That was the feel I was kind of going after. Sort of the borderline arrogant Captain except the Captain and team of BOFFs really are that good.
Ive played/reviewed a few missions that are really well done except I always felt a little insulted by the apparent ignorance of my character in the mission. So I thought Id go in the opposite direction. Perhaps a little too far?
Thats a good point. I didnt really think about it. It probably happened as I wrote the script in Word it found that as a spelling error and I didnt think to check it on STO or the web. I couldve done a Google search and it wouldve solved that right then. So the short answer is; Ill fix it.
This is another excellent point. Since returning to school to get my degree Ive written countless essays so youd think Id know better. Ill take another look at it and see how it reads. It is possible I missed it too. If the all mighty Word didnt catch it I probably ignored it.
The contractions will be removed for the Vulcans across the board.
If I put up an invisible wall too but then I was trying to leave the option open for the player, if they were in the mood to fight they could. I am also going to add Pendra80s suggestion about removing the engagement of the guards as a mission task and giving the player the option to sneak over the wall instead. That might add a level of interests to the game.
Ill take a look and remove any duplicate dialogs that may be in the mission.
Without giving it away either, in retrospect I see your point about this. Ill take another look at it and see if I can flesh it out a little more.
Thanks for playing the mission and I am glad you enjoyed. I really appreciate the constructive feedback. I will be working all these suggestions into the mission tonight and tomorrow.
Thanks again
Brian
Thanks for the great feedback.
Brian
-Updated the Stardate references to the correct spelling/usage.
-Changed some of the maps adding optional mission triggers and elements to give the player the option to avoid combat on some of the maps. Im working on the later maps in the mission as well.
-Added optional entry method for getting into the military compound on one of the maps. Im working on changing the later maps in the mission as well.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Brian
Minor thing: the skip dialogue options, though I didn't use them, could do without the snarkyness (plots bore me etc.) a neutral [Skip dialogue] would suffice.
Excellent work, thank you very much for creating it. Looking forward to further missions from you.
Thanks for the review and feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the mission and the story. The mission optional features was something I've picked up as I've done my mission reviews of other authors work. The work of Pendra80 on his mission, along with his feedback, and the tutorial the kirkfat provided on Starbase UGC were all very helpful in developing those aspects of my mission.
As for the snarkyness of my "Skip Dialog" feature it is intended to be a little light hearted fun on my part, but I can see your point. I will consider changing those "Plot's bore me" buttons.
Thanks again for the review and feedback. It is really appreciated.
Brian
The 'witty' comments from my Captain were spot on, it's how she'd talk. This is of course always a bit risky, everyone sees their captain differently, so what works great for me, might not for others. I truly enjoyed her comments though, the way you set them up work perfectly for me. The briefing part where I make a joke and the Vulcan got confused... awesome, made me smile
Also, the 'Rosswell' solution was a great idea and well executed.
I did search for your name in the foundry, but this one seems to be the only mission I could find. I do sincerely hope you are planning on making more, because I really like your style (and wit).
Thanks again for making the game better!
Thanks a lot. I really enjoyed making it. The lessons Ive learned along the way have really helped. I try to pass what Ive learned on to other authors too. It makes the community stronger as a whole.
I wrote it with my character in mind as well. Ive played many missions that made me feel more like a passenger rather than the Captain. They were still great stories and missions but I like to write as if there is a reason the player was made Captain. Its great to have smart BOFFs but hopefully they got that way because of the influence of the Captain. You are right about the writing being risky as it may not appeal to some players, but the style just feels more like all the Captains from the series. There was always a tone self confidence in their ability to get the mission done. To me that is what a good Captain needs to succeed. I also like making the player smile at the wit or the wisdom in a dialog or the way an element of the mission flows. Thanks so much for the compliment and I am really glad you enjoyed yourself. That is my ultimate goal.
Thanks. As I wrote the story script I felt it would make an interesting storyline to draw a parallel with something most people, at least in the STO community, have heard of. Im glad you liked it.
I have done a 2 part Klingon mission and I am developing more scripts to create more missions on both sides. Between work and school it can get a little hectic but I look at playing STO as a fun way to leave those concerns behind.
Thank you so much for the review and follow up comment. It makes my day to entertain and enrich the community, which is why I also do my in depth reviews. My hope is to help other authors perfect their stories which strengthen the community as a whole.
Thanks again,
Brian
I have recently been given the job of posting Foundry reviews on StabaseUGC.com and found yours to be a perfect mission to start off with. You have done so much reviewing missions for the Foundry community it seemed fitting. I took some screenshots I'd like to post and won't post any spoilers in my reviews. I'd like to, however, with your permission, like to post my reviews with a small mini-ad depicting some of the mission screenies. I won't do this without the authors permission, so if you would like, I can make it and send it to you via e-mail prior to posting it to see if it meets your approval. If this sounds good to you, e-mail me in game with an out of game e-mail address I can send it to and when I finish it, I will send it on for your review. I plan on posting my reviews once a week on Wednesday, so I will have it to you by today or tomorrow to see if you like the idea. My in game e-mail is @Duke-of-Rock so let me know as soon as you can. I'll check this forum post as well to hear your thoughts. It should give your mission a bump of notariety by being reviewed on the starbaseugc website as well.
I look forward to your thoughts.
Duke-of-Rock aka: Craig
Thanks Duke,
I would be honored to be your inaugural review for StabaseUGC.com. I sent you an in game email with the info you requested and with my formal permission to exercise your judgment in what to include in your review. To also make it official here as well, you have my permission to publish this mission Contamination with the screenshots and information you feel are needed to conduct your review properly.
Also I wanted to let you know that I added several elements which I outlined in the in game email I sent you, that I felt would enhance the mission experience. Thanks to some feedback I received from Pendra80 and the tutorial I found on StabaseUGC.com by Kirkfat which showed me how to make certain mission objectives optional and have consequences for not doing certain ones. Based on the STO review feedback I have received since implementing those changes Id say it was a popular thing to do. Unfortunately I think I was updating the elements on Saturday while I think you were reviewing the mission.
Again I want to thank you for the honor of being your inaugural review.
Brian
Just a note to announce my first review is now posted at http://starbaseugc.com/ .
It was an honor to do Brian's (Evil70th) new mission and I enjoyed it thoroughly. He has since updated
it, but I think my review will still fit the bill as far as the mission. A fine job Brian, It was an honor to be
able to do my first review for your newest creation, as you have done so much for other foundry authors.
Well done.
Craig aka: Duke-of-Rock
I just read your review of my mission and wanted to say thank you so much. That is a great review and I think you captured it without giving anything away.
Thanks and I appreciate the review very much,
Brian
We're going to do Contamination on BroadcastUGC this week.
Would you like to come and join us on the show?
We try to start 2pm PST Sunday.
Noted several bottles hanging in the air. Just replace them with 10ft invisible area or invisible walls.
The invisible area has a huge trigger radius but you can pass through it like it is not there at all. The invisible walls are blocking, however they have smaller trigger radius. (we really need an invisible area 1ft)
You can localize the trigger effect if you elevate a 10ft invisible wall to maybe 3-4m above or below ground. That will not block but can still trigger.
About the forest map, I think you misunderstud me. I didn't opt for more mobs to have more combat. Those mobs should be posted on the perimeter some distance away. So in this sense, they would be only part of the set not actual enemy to defeat. The logic behind it that they are securing the perimeter so noone could enter or leave but they don't deploy inside. Apart from a patrol or two.
Wow! I'd be happy to be there. What do I need to do?
Thanks
Brian
Thanks. I made all the battles optional, or trigger able depending on the map. I also corrected a few errors in the dialog and toned down the snarky response to the skip dialog. Basically I removed the Plots bore me from the main skip dialog.
I couldnt see the bottles at all but I did take the one that triggers the enemy engagement and lowered it a little more. It still appears to trigger correctly. I will toy with the invisible wall idea you suggested over the next few days.
I think I got it exactly as you described it now. I moved all the guards out to the perimeter and changed references in the dialog to them appropriately. I also fixed the Research Facility map. All the fights there are completely optional except the last enemy engagement.
Thanks again for your feedback. Youve helped me immensely and Ive learned a lot.
Brian
Just get me your Skype name.
You can do so via in-game mail or email to broadcastugc@starbaseugc.com
Thanks. I've set it up and should be ready for Sunday.
Brian
Okay... So when I turned on the "Show high detailed objects" I now see the bottles and the grass. I'll be fixing all those elements.
Thanks again,
Brian
I noted from the montage Duke-of-Rock did for his review of this mission there was meadow grass growing in the middle of the duck blind base. I am working on moving the base to an area of the map that does not have grass growing in the middle of the base. I hope to have that done this evening.
Thank you both.
Brian
Thanks in advance,
Brian
I was thinking about the end fight. You may want to up the mobs a little. I jumped on the whole group and they couldn't even get close. BTW what kind of mobs you use, orion?
I just noticed that they are next to a trench. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but it would make a great war scene. Put them into the trench in a line, facing toward the city. Then drop down 2-3 layers of sleeping bags (+0.3 elevation/layer). Or just make a few machine gun pits and make them kneel there.
Something like this: www.sto-advanced.com/screenshot_2012-03-02-05-30-07.jpg
Also noted that the bottles are gone and the plating points are placed very accurately. Nice.
Thanks for the additional feedback and it took a little playing with to move the bottles and still get the same effect out of them. Also appreciate tip on the city walls. That is a good trick. I'll do that tomorrow and I'll look at creating the battle gun pits. I actually used Romulans, I didn't think about the Orion's. I might change them up to that. It would probably lower the player level requirement too.
Thanks again for all the help.
Brian