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Ask Cryptic: March 2012

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited March 2012 in Galactic News Network [PC]
In this brand-new edition of Ask Cryptic, Executive Producer Dan Stahl delivers answers to player submitted questions.


Link to the news article.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I missed these and im glad ask cryptic is back!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Still no ETA(not even a year) on KDF development. What a shame.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Nice to have Dan's humour back in rare form.

    Was hoping for an "I'm here to help!" on a couple of those questions. :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Alot of great answers...

    However one thing of note, is alot of "We'll reveal more as we get closer..." and "We don't have a date for that yet..." etc. Basically, Dstahl tells us that things are coming, but no firm plan on WHEN.
    Q: (AdmiralKirk1701) Are we going to see more ships from the shows and movies make their debut in STO, or is it just Refit ships that are going to be made now?

    Dstahl: We definitely have more ships from the show planned. Our goal is to get every possible ship from the shows into the game, so long as it makes sense (i.e. isn’t silly) and jives with CBS.

    The first statement by Dstahl to this question, sort-of clashes with the second statement. "Our goal is to get every possible ship from the shows into the game", yes this part sounds great. Still waiting on the Ambassador Class, or the "Wolf 359 ships". However "so long as it makes sense (i.e isn't silly)" clashes with the concept, since STO is littered with ENT, TOS and TMP-era ships. Ships which shouldn't be around 100 years in the future (or more). Miranda and Excelsior I'll sort-of forgive, since they are rather long-lasting. But NX-Classes and TOS Constitutions? Those ships are 250-150 years old. I realize some people want to fly their favorite ships, but COME ON!!!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Good replies to our questions! I'm so very glad that our questions are being answered! :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    In regard to the question (and answer) about playable Cardassians....

    Well, right now it is possible to play a Klingon in the Federation (though it is not possible to play a human in the KDF). I wonder why the thought of Cardassians and Romulans in both existing factions is such a "taboo".

    While I would find KDF Romulans a little odd, given the "warm" feelings the Klingons and Romulans share, I could see some aggressive Remans join the KDF to blow up their former oppressors.

    Cardassians would work for both factions, either the reformed Cardassian for the Federation or the warlike remnant of older days for the KDF.

    Right now it seems rather unlikely that the KDF gets a signicant content boost, which puts these two species and their factions.... well, we have them when we travel with actual space ships I suppose. :p
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Still no ETA(not even a year) on KDF development. What a shame.

    I doubt they're going to give a date, any dates they give out tend to be used against them if they're unable to meet them (regardless of reasons).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I've so missed these reports.

    Excellent, as always, and the difficult questions were not ignored.

    Many thanks. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    That was refreshing! Glad to hear things are chugging along, though the 2 FE series limit was somewhat glossed over. Still, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I doubt they're going to give a date, any dates they give out tend to be used against them if they're unable to meet them (regardless of reasons).

    An ETA is not necessarily a specific date, it can simply be a time frame. For example, he mentioned we'd see the Tholians in 2012. They wont even give a year for the KDF, which is just sad.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Our goal is to challenge Fleets to accomplish major objectives that will help define and differentiate Fleets from one another.

    How will fleets "differentiate" themselves from each other? Other than making their base look different from other fleets'?
    Whether or not we do more Feature Episodes, we need to have a steady pipeline of new content.

    That's true, but... you don't really say what the content will be. I want more missions! They don't need cutscenes or voiceovers or whatever, just give me something to play (in fact I would say that all the fancy stuff of FEs just makes them take too long to produce).
    The expectation is that we want to improve PvP and resolve some of the frustrating elements in the existing maps. Whether that means overhauling existing maps or making new ones is still TBD, but we have resources committed to this effort.

    Well that's nice, but it sounds like you're just going to be revamping current maps / game modes. I want more stuff to do, not the same old same old, even if the same old is shinier and works better. Add PvP to the Fleet additions, or add territory control, or something!
    In the near future you are going be seeing both new Bridge Officer and playable Captain Species. While I’m not at liberty to spoil what these are yet, it’s on the schedule.

    That's exciting!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Q: (CiprianP) When are you going to address the Elite STF loot table issue? Even if Gozer said it isn’t broken, there is a very big discrepancy between the time and enemies we face in the normal version versus the time and enemies in the elite version when it comes to the loot we get.

    Dstahl: While Gozer has looked into this and the system is working as designed, we are evaluating the loot given out in the STFs and determining if and when we are going to make an update to address this. You may see an update to this after the Featured Series ends.
    Then the system IS designed so that people can go 100s of STF runs without any tech drops?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Some interesting if cagey responses. i think all of us basically want to hear firm(ish) dates and numbers. Ie 4 FE series a year and klingons stuff by late 2012 etc etc, and in the past thats not worked out too well with them missing dates and times and people then raging their heads off.

    still it would be nice to have a rough idea about FE and klingons and what they can expect. being cautious, which they now seem to be is probably better in the long run but its difficult to take when it was so open before.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    The first statement by Dstahl to this question, sort-of clashes with the second statement. "Our goal is to get every possible ship from the shows into the game", yes this part sounds great. Still waiting on the Ambassador Class, or the "Wolf 359 ships". However "so long as it makes sense (i.e isn't silly)" clashes with the concept, since STO is littered with ENT, TOS and TMP-era ships. Ships which shouldn't be around 100 years in the future (or more). Miranda and Excelsior I'll sort-of forgive, since they are rather long-lasting. But NX-Classes and TOS Constitutions? Those ships are 250-150 years old. I realize some people want to fly their favorite ships, but COME ON!!!

    I think in hindsight the older ships; NX, TOS Connie, etc. should have been added as permanent holo-projectors, rather than regular flyable ships.

    Ambassador class I think should be added as a skin for the T3 Excelsior, seeing as most people only want the Ambassador in game for aesthetic and Enterprise continuity.

    They should reopen the polls again, get numbers on what ships people what to see the most. This time though get more people involved by advertising the polls on the the homepage and in the launcher.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Some interesting if cagey responses. i think all of us basically want to hear firm(ish) dates and numbers. Ie 4 FE series a year and klingons stuff by late 2012 etc etc, and in the past thats not worked out too well with them missing dates and times and people then raging their heads off.

    still it would be nice to have a rough idea about FE and klingons and what they can expect. being cautious, which they now seem to be is probably better in the long run but its difficult to take when it was so open before.

    I dont think anyone(well most people anyway) are asking for a set date, just an estimate. A year, for Q's sake. There is a difference between being cautious and not wanting to set deadlines you cant meet and not even being willing to give a projection. I mean, we're talking about 1/2 of the game's factions here, and the problem that must be solved before any future factions can be added. Its a pretty significant issue.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I thought I had a valid question about the imbalance between escorts and the other ship types in STFs, wish it hadn't been ignored :mad:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I doubt they're going to give a date, any dates they give out tend to be used against them if they're unable to meet them (regardless of reasons).

    I doubt they even working on them. Which is likely why they did not answer any of the KDF questions.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    I dont think anyone(well most people anyway) are asking for a set date, just an estimate. A year, for Q's sake. There is a difference between being cautious and not wanting to set deadlines you cant meant and not even being willing to give a projection. I mean, we're talking about 1/2 of the game's factions here, and the problem that must be solved before any future factions can be added. Its a pretty significant issue.

    Heck I did not even ask for any date. I just ask what the future plans for KDF was. Listing areas I like to see improvement.

    I get the feeling the KDF is the Third rail of STO
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    It sounds like playable Romulans and Cardassians are coming to a grab bag near you. It also looks like the Jem'Hadar boff we were thinking would be the final reward for the current FEs might also include a playable Jem'Hadar captain.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Shakkar wrote: »
    It sounds like playable Romulans and Cardassians are coming to a grab bag near you. It also looks like the Jem'Hadar boff we were thinking would be the final reward for the current FEs might also include a playable Jem'Hadar captain.

    Nothing sounds like Cardassians or Romulans from grab-bags, he said they are reserved for their factions (though those will probably never see the light of day.) :o
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    An ETA is not necessarily a specific date, it can simply be a time frame. For example, he mentioned we'd see the Tholians in 2012. They wont even give a year for the KDF, which is just sad.

    The problem is, the Tholians can be accomplished with a 5 FEs, maybe less.

    "Filling out the KDF faction" isn't as clear cut. How do you want Cryptic to do it? By quantity or quality?

    Everyone has their own definition of what they consider content. Cryptic has theirs, you have yours, and I have mine. How much is enough content? Again everyone has their own definition.

    They could go the same method as the Fed faction, shorter missions in arcs with patrols thrown in, or do you want a game play style from the KDF faction that differentiates its from levelling a Fed character?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    The problem is, the Tholians can be accomplished with a 5 FEs, maybe less.

    "Filling out the KDF faction" isn't as clear cut. How do you want Cryptic to do it? By quantity or quality?

    Everyone has their own definition of what they consider content. Cryptic has theirs, you have yours, and I have mine. How much is enough content? Again everyone has their own definition.

    They could go the same method as the Fed faction, shorter missions in arcs with patrols thrown in, or do you want a game play style from the KDF faction that differentiates its from levelling a Fed character?

    this comment +1
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Still no ETA(not even a year) on KDF development. What a shame.

    I agree. I don't expect to see the KDF update at all this year. I won't be terribly surprised if they don't do any development on it at all this year. I'm not trying to be a pessimist. This is just my opinion based on the statements made by the Devs. The KDF update has also been described as being on the table for 2012, something they would like to do in 2012, something that Cryptic was in discussions with PWE about as they figured out their plans for the year, etc.

    My view has been, with each FE they release, they'll feel that they have one less KDF mission to develop. Their view appears to be that one mission per level is sufficient. Therefore, we may never actually see a KDF update because they believe the FEs fill in the mission gap for the KDF. The problem with that is, while the FEs are nice, they always seem to be built from a Starfleet point of view, and then they are altered to fit a KDF point of view. Sometimes it works, but often the Starfleet pov shines through. If they continue to go this route, I'd like to see them do some FEs that are designed from the KDF pov and then modified to fit the Federation.

    My other complaint and concern is that they haven't been really consistent about what the update will be. I think it was StormShade that said the KDF will be a full fledged faction. However, nobody has defined what that will mean. That leaves the players to define it and set expectations. This is something different than "filling in levels 1-20." Dstahl's recent statements in one of the podcasts seem to be backing away from the idea of the KDF becomeing a "full fledged faction" or an equal faction, and they seem to be more in line with what he said under his previous tenure as EP, which was that he tries to do something for the KDF when he could, but he had a limited budget and time, and therefore, he had to get the most bang for his buck by releasing content that everyone could play (nevermind that they remastered two Federation only missions during that time period).

    This is nitpicky, but in the past couple of weeks, Cryptic has had two Federation themed addtions to the C-Store (the DS9 pack and the Yellowstone shuttle). While the DS9 pack had weapons and some DOffs that could be used by Klingon players, the whole pack could be used by Federation characters. An upcoming C-Store release will have flagship variants for both factions, but that is followed up by a Galaxy class ship pack that appears to be Federation only. Again, it doesn't appear that they are trying to provide for the factions equally here.

    It may be my faulty perception, but it appears that Cryptic has decided that it is sufficient now that the KDF has enough content to level from 20-50, and that the KDF faction can sink or swim with that. I think most people believe that if the KDF has any hope to attract more players and reduce the discrepency between the factions, then it has to be a full faction that starts at level 1 with its own tutorial and does not require someone to play a Federation character to level 20 first. They keep asking us to be patient, because they can't just snap their fingers and produce new Klingion content. I get that. However, it is frustrating to see the KDF constantly set aside in order to fulfill other goals.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    The problem is, the Tholians can be accomplished with a 5 FEs, maybe less.

    "Filling out the KDF faction" isn't as clear cut. How do you want Cryptic to do it? By quantity or quality?

    Everyone has their own definition of what they consider content. Cryptic has theirs, you have yours, and I have mine. How much is enough content? Again everyone has their own definition.

    They could go the same method as the Fed faction, shorter missions in arcs with patrols thrown in, or do you want a game play style from the KDF faction that differentiates its from levelling a Fed character?

    We dont have to speculate, because they already gave us their definition a long time ago. Essentially it is being able to fully level without grinding(aka same content over and over again). And yes, that obviously takes time. So figure out how much content is needed and at least give us a rough time frame. 2013, for example. Either way they need to get this figured out and stop constantly putting it off or it will never be resolved and there will never be other factions added.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    We dont have to speculate, because they already gave us their definition a long time ago. Essentially it is being able to level without grinding(aka same thing over and over again). And yes, that obviously takes time. So figure out how much content is needed and at least give us a rough time frame. 2013, for example. Either way they need to get this figured out and stop constantly putting it off or it will never be resolved and there will never be other factions added.

    Obviously they have so much stuff to do that it would be hard to focus on KDF content..... but evading any solid answers to the issue isn´t going to help either. :o
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Snip

    I think the "silly" part refers not only to Starfleet ships but all sorts of ships. Think of freaky ships, imaginary, such. Gomtuu could be in-game playable, but not a Gekli, for example. :cool:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    An ETA is not necessarily a specific date, it can simply be a time frame. For example, he mentioned we'd see the Tholians in 2012. They wont even give a year for the KDF, which is just sad.

    Look at it this way- every time they've given a hard deadline for the KDF something has come up and they've had to put it off. This way, they can work on it without the stress of a deadline and outcries if they miss it. We'll just end up being surprised when they bring the KDF up to speed.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Sprint01 wrote:
    Look at it this way- every time they've given a hard deadline for the KDF something has come up and they've had to put it off. This way, they can work on it without the stress of a deadline and outcries if they miss it. We'll just end up being surprised when they bring the KDF up to speed.

    But it seems they are not even working on it right now. And it´s a lot of work that has to be done. :o
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    Sprint01 wrote:
    Look at it this way- every time they've given a hard deadline for the KDF something has come up and they've had to put it off.

    I didnt say anything about a hard deadline.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2012
    MinosOne wrote:
    snip

    just so you know they have said, in podcasts and tweets they have nearly finished one unique klingon episode and will release it some time after the current FE series. I would guess sometime in april.

    when will they more make after that, no idea. im not even sure they know at this point.
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