doffing is just way too fast. It honestly takes away my motivation to play dev content sometimes, when I know that I'll earn about the same xp with 5 minute now and again quick log in.
I didn't even bother with doffs until I got out of that miranda. From then on, I was just amazed. I would literally play one or two missions, and then it was time to get a new ship.
That's ridiculous. I was barely getting used to the new ship and then I got promoted.
They really need to tone down the doff xp or just take it out altogether.
Why anyone would ever spend actual $$$ on a mid level item or craft on a mid-level item or even grind for purples at mid level is beyond comprehension.
A MMO should take more than 10 hours to reach max level. At launch, it tooks much longer.
I know. It's nuts. Prior to Doffing none of my chars was higher than Captain. Now, largely thanks to Doffing, I have 9 VAs running around live on holodeck. One of which never does space missions because his ship gear sucks.
I don't know what the story will be, but a pvp race would be fun.
Oooh.... my brain is tingling..... PvP on Foundry maps! It'd alleviate the annoyance of having only a few arenas for players to fight in. Imagine doing a PvP battle in the Krios Prime ground map! 5 on 5 squad combat between players would be so far beyond fun on that map!!!!! (KDF, Krios Falling, it's one of the spotlights)
Foundry Arenas would be really simple, a single map, no enemies, and minimal objectives. If people decide yours sucks they'll just one star it and play a different one.
This humble proposal would add another use for the foundry AND make PvP more fun! Soo... with that in mind...
1) the foundry
2) PvP
3) the KDF
4) Romulans
#1 becomes even MORE important because it can be used to enhance 2,3, and 4.
This humble proposal would add another use for the foundry AND make PvP more fun! Soo... with that in mind...
1) the foundry
2) PvP
3) the KDF
4) Romulans
#1 becomes even MORE important because it can be used to enhance 2,3, and 4.
Well, they've told us that there is some additional tech that is tough. For me, it's pretty bizarre. I mean, my entire experience as a map builder was on games where all you could do is build a map and put CTF or DM spawn points for teams.
This really is the first type of modding I've done where I can tell a story. The fact that I can't make a simple deathmatch map seems very bizarre.
It should be very basic, but apparently the engine's PVP components are special.
I'll admit understanding where Dan is coming from with the KDF that its more or less you have to be a true fan of Klingon Lore to play it in most cases because the core attraction of the franchise is the federation above all else.
All I've ever really tried to ask for is the things I have seen in the series that could be made and there has never been any explanation like for instance if they tried and get vetoed by CBS on the fact of things like pain sticks, Mevak, Mek'leth, Knife of Kirom, Kut'luch, and D'k tahg just to name a few. Heck if there was a way to get a bundle of all those weapons in it and it was just per character I wouldn't care because it would be worth it to have all of those (Although the Knife of Kirom was just a special knife with kahless's blood on it so I wouldn't expect every warrior to be able to get one, but maybe as some kind of special KDF only STF based thing as a drop would be cool).
In most cases it has nothing to do with not being able to make a KDF character at level 1. The issue I hear most of the time is either there isn't as much it doesn't feel full as a faction compared the federation side or people have built up as many toons or more than I have that were federation so it doesn't seem plausible for someone all ante in one faction to start going to the other side. Regardless I had a chat with some people the other day and they know and faced the facts that even if we did get a lot of new things for the KDF its not going to change the issue. For people like me the more important thing is having what we know about the KDF in comparison to the Federation Lore is not that much more remaining. It basically boils down to ground weapons we've seen Klingons use and some heavy battle cruiser refits that are more tactical based and not copies of federation layouts. If that was added to the game I'd pretty much not have anything more to say on the topic itself.
Just to be a positive critic here going to reword/edit this to be more thoughtful too If this game was all about TOS I could see this federation war against the KDF having some merit but the basis of how Cryptic operates these rehashed missions for KDF content it would be more ideal fitting into what Star Trek is when they are seeking aid from the Klingons as allies. Thats how I see it anyways its like its written on the basis of being an ally but the story says both sides are enemies so its gotta be one or the other it cannot be both. As for keeping "Star Trek" in line with integrity and fun and all that jazz if its going to be the same pretty much just a suggestion to mesh the story with the alliance coming back together and the best bet for future factions is work it up after that to where you have the faction completed before you release it. To me the starting at level 20 is fine because the unlock thing makes sure you have the basic game structure down before you start a KDF character so it serves it purpose the way it is. I am just one that believes the atmosphere and story of the game needs to mesh right because right now its out of whack because the fed side of course has more content because of how much more there was because each show was based on majority of federation. The major thing thats missing of course from the KDF is the internal rivalry. There is the house of torg deal but then theres nothing on b'vat or really anything to do with the war other than attacking the area near mars.
I agree. CBS / Cryptic could even predetermine the overall storyline for - let's say - a Romulan faction. The best submitted foundry missions would then form the new story . I think almost all the elements for a complete KDF as well as a playable RSE are already there.
Genius ! Seriously !
It's time for some unconventional thinking ! Let's trail blaze and get this game going already.
So... in the spirit of Dan's idea to boost the KDF by adding Romulans and better understanding the perspective that KDF lore has a limited demographic appeal, I'm coming back to the idea that Trek often made its Klingon stories work by involving a human POV.
For example, when they did show us life aboard a Klingon ship, they made sure it was Riker who went and not Worf. When Worf had issues with the Klingons, his friends got involved. Some of those DS9 episodes had established human characters going undercover as Klingons.
Whereas in STO, showing Klingons from a strictly Klingon POV may only be appealing to a subset of Klingon fans when there might be others more interested in Klingons if they had more non-Klingon points of identification laced in.
So... With that in mind, what lore characters do you think Cryptic could get in game who could side with the Klingons, personally?
I think Dax is an easy one, especially if it's a new host. (And that CBS might well okay that as long as Cryptic doesn't get specific on Ezri's fate, including leaving open the possibility that somehow she survived having the symbiont removed.)
I think B'Elanna and Tom would be interesting because for B'Elanna to side with the Klingons would MEAN something and if she did, Tom would join her. Cryptic seems to use people with Torres' level of makeup pretty freely (Taris, Worf) and Tom would frankly look dramatically different, going from 35 or so to 65.
I'll toss a character out there who I doubt anybody else ever thought much about but who I've been thinking about for a Foundry mission: Sergei Rozhenko's child. Sergei had a pregnant wife from the culture he helped save on TNG. Because they're pre-industrial, the Federation might keep their distance from this person. They'd be about 40 and might seek aid from Uncle Worf if they knew that the Feds wouldn't help them.
I think Worf could be more dynamic and would like Kurn brought back.
It's important to fill out the KDF with "not the bad guy" characters. And it serves the same purpose Dan seems to be getting with adding KDF Romulans and making more Orion/Gorn missions WITHOUT necessarily making humans common.
*A* Romulan or human in the KDF makes more sense that opening the floodgates on RomulanS and humanS in the KDF. Instead of the total species unlock, even porting over just ONE staple character like Tomalak would be better. That's wild and implausible but it's easier to have a wild and implausible story with one NPC than to have armies of players who are visible every time you visit First City.
I mean, if you had ONE Romulan who, say, saved J'mpok's life and gave out somewhat Romulan feeling missions to Klingons, that would probably be better than unlocking the species wholesale. Because that could be seen as an appetizer, not a meal replacement.
A big thank you to everyone who has been participating in this poll and commenting in this thread. There have been some very compelling and thoughtful arguments for and against the various features listed in the poll.
Keep in mind that neither the poll nor my comments should be treated as "the plan" for 2013. Due to the complexity of building an MMO, we have a pretty good idea of what we will be tackling in 2013 already, but having this dialog sheds light on the different opinions that exist within the player base. It also allows me to throw out ideas that we have discussed internally to see if you have a similar reaction.
At the end of the day, the STO team has a responsibility to Cryptic, CBS and Perfect World to ensure the sustained growth and health of this MMO. In addition to these goals, we also have a responsibility to the many players who have made STO their game of choice and to Star Trek fans to carry on the fine tradition of "Trek".
When it comes to the future, the decisions we make will be in everyone's best interest and will weigh all the various concerns and desires against the reality of where our game is at and where it is growing.
Reading through this thread reaffirms several constructive criticisms about STO and helps provide a baseline for our internal development discussions.
Examples:
The Foundry could be better integrated with the game. It could offer better rewards and fill content voids where they exist if Cryptic could adopt the missions and ensure they are integrated with the overal arch of the game.
PvP has suffered from a lack of development effort and could become a much more compelling aspect of STO gameplay. We are at war, and yet the PvP doesn't reflect the conflict in a meaningful way. Territorial gameplay or iPvP matches would go a long way towards improving this part of the game.
The KDF faction has a long history of trying to establish itself and has suffered greatly from the "What is it going to be" thrash. While there is a passionate contingent of KDF players at max level who want more KDF specific content, there is also a large number of players who pass on playing in the KDF because you cannot build a KDF character as your first. In either case, the KDF wants to feel established and have their own agenda in the game instead of always playing the "foil" to the Feds.
Similarly, there are many players who would like to play as a Romulan, but don't want that experience to be as simple as a "playable species". Playing a Romulan should mean your own story and agenda, your own ships, and your own experience. Given the games development history with the KDF, there is skepticism that a Romulan experience would be any better than what the KDF had shortly after launch. The fate of the Romulans is also a topic of debate. What has happened to them since Romulus was destroyed? Are they splintered? How many are left? Who's in charge? Any effort with the Romulans should start from a perspective of "Telling their Story" so that the design is fulfilling to fans.
While that is my personal synopsis of the hot topics, think about what it takes to run an MMO in today's highly competitive marketplace. Despite what some may think, we have a deliberate path and long term goals that we've been tracking quite well against. STO has not only survived but is thriving at a time when many MMOs have kicked or are about to kick the bucket. The STO community has been a big part of our success and has truly impacted both the development and health of this MMO.
As we move forward into Season 7 and then on towards 2013, the STO development team will be keeping all of these hot topics close to our heart so that we can ensure that the features we deliver in upcoming Seasons reflect the best decision of where the game needs to go next. You may not always agree with the priorities, but so far the game is benefiting from the path we are on and has never been healthier.
So please continue to discuss the game as it is and what it could and should be. We are listening and do find value in our dialog together.
If you don't mind, I'd also like to give a shout out to this amazing STO team. Since my return as EP last February, STO has been on a steady pace to deliver fun new content and address some of the top issues in the game.
As a reflection of what we've been able to accomplish, check out what we've done in the past 6 months:
Dominion Featured Episode Series
"Alpha" one-off KDF Episode
Dilithium Mining Event with new Minigame
KDF Federation Blockade Fleet Action
First Contact Day Event
Vault Shuttle Event
Ferasan Playable Species
Fleet Advancement Starbase System
New Starbase Fleet Events
Over 40 new ships
2 new Duty Officer Packs
Half a dozen new costumes
Ravamp of Defera Adventure Zone world missions
New Tholian Adventure Zone with two new boss battles
New Foundry features and assets
Lots of new loot
In the next 6 months we are working on the following:
New Personal Advancement System with Reputation based personal projects
New Embassy Fleet Holding with related projects and rewards
Several new 5 and 20 man Fleet Events some of which are cross-faction teamable
New Max Level Sector with Daily Patrols
New Romulan Colony "Adventure Zone" - our biggest to date - includes BOFF gameplay
Into the Hive STF - Finally fight the Borg Queen
New Ships including the Vesta class
New Duty Officer Pack
New Loot
New Foundry Spotlight feature
New Foundry assets
UI improvements including the Queues
Updated Winter Event
3 Year Anniversary Event
In addition to that, a small subset of the team have also been working on the ships, costumes, and consumables that appear in the C-Store. There are probably things that I even left out including bugs that we continually squash week to week, but the gist is, we are aggressively moving forward.
All together that is a healthy amount of new updates this awesome little team has delivered since we launched F2P . In 2013 will will deliver even more as we continue to staff up and train our new team members.
So while we may not be able to address the feature you voted for immediately, the goal is that everything on the poll list will be addressed in the future. It is only a matter of time before all of these systems get the development resources they need to move forward.
Thank you for taking the time to participate and communicate.
Thanks for your continued participation in this thread. I would however like to point out something seemingly obvious. You mentioned 4 "hot topic" issues:
1) the foundry
2) PvP
3) the KDF
4) Romulans
I think it is very important to realize that #1 can be used to solve #'s 3 & 4 if you listen to the suggestions that have already been discussed in this thread. Due to that fact, I think you seriously need to consider making that your top priority. Killing 3 birds with 1 stone is not something that should be ignored.
Yes and no,
I want a rich Romulan experience, which would require tools other than the foundry. While the Foundry could be used to supplement a fair number of Romulan missions, I still want some up to the quality of Doomsday.
As for the Romulan story, this is what I have been thinking for a while now.
You start as a member of a Romulan faction, fighting and subverting other factions while vying for control of the empire. As you progress your faction gets larger, finally gaining the manpower to face the Romulan-Icoian alliance. Toward the end of the storyline, (When a major patch is about to occur), you can have the Romulan-Icoian plan come to fruition. The restoration of Romulus utilizing a Space-Time shield to phase Romulus out of the past, a fraction of a second before the Hobus Super-Nova impacts it. This would work well with the story, as the Icoians are the only species to have the knowledge and the power to attempt a metaphasic space-time shield on a plantary scale.
Sollaf: Join date Sep 2009, Lifer. Disgruntled with the JHSS, my Bug feels less shiny now.
you Can Have The Romulan-icoian Plan Come To Fruition. The Restoration Of Romulus Utilizing A Space-time Shield To Phase Romulus Out Of The Past, A Fraction Of A Second Before The Hobus Super-nova Impacts It. This Would Work Well With The Story, As The Icoians Are The Only Species To Have The Knowledge And The Power To Attempt A Metaphasic Space-time Shield On A Plantary Scale.
This Is Frakking Cool!
Let us upgrade the Seleya Ceremonial Lirpa and Kri'stak Blade
The restoration of Romulus utilizing a Space-Time shield to phase Romulus out of the past, a fraction of a second before the Hobus Super-Nova impacts it. This would work well with the story, as the Icoians are the only species to have the knowledge and the power to attempt a metaphasic space-time shield on a plantary scale.
That is a very interesting concept, well thought up mate.
Support the Game by Supporting the KDF, equality and uniqueness for all factions!
I want a rich Romulan experience, which would require tools other than the foundry. While the Foundry could be used to supplement a fair number of Romulan missions, I still want some up to the quality of Doomsday.
As for the Romulan story, this is what I have been thinking for a while now.
You start as a member of a Romulan faction, fighting and subverting other factions while vying for control of the empire. As you progress your faction gets larger, finally gaining the manpower to face the Romulan-Icoian alliance. Toward the end of the storyline, (When a major patch is about to occur), you can have the Romulan-Icoian plan come to fruition. The restoration of Romulus utilizing a Space-Time shield to phase Romulus out of the past, a fraction of a second before the Hobus Super-Nova impacts it. This would work well with the story, as the Icoians are the only species to have the knowledge and the power to attempt a metaphasic space-time shield on a plantary scale.
or Q could just click their fingers and make everything alright again....:D
That is a very interesting concept, well thought up mate.
Yep thats it I just couldn't think of something to make the idea/concept go. Another idea would be to do the sling shot around the area it used to be to go back in time with a lock box time ship and correct the problem.
At this point I would accept any idea what so ever that would allow the RSE to be intact the way it once was because the story in this game trying to match it with the JJ prize movie just doesn't mesh well. If they could tie the Fed vs KDF war into that yeah that would work too the cross faction of KDF assisting the federation is a time honored theme in Star Trek but it just doesn't work with ok we are at war but we are just gonna have a tiny time out here to do this STF... OK?
Edit: One thing I was wondering tho he says all the things in the 6 months... So which of those many things does he have planned for season 7 and how much of it will litterally be pushed to seasons 9 and 10
A big thank you to everyone who has been participating in this poll and commenting in this thread. There have been some very compelling and thoughtful arguments for and against the various features listed in the poll.
Keep in mind that neither the poll nor my comments should be treated as "the plan" for 2013. Due to the complexity of building an MMO, we have a pretty good idea of what we will be tackling in 2013 already, but having this dialog sheds light on the different opinions that exist within the player base. It also allows me to throw out ideas that we have discussed internally to see if you have a similar reaction.
At the end of the day, the STO team has a responsibility to Cryptic, CBS and Perfect World to ensure the sustained growth and health of this MMO. In addition to these goals, we also have a responsibility to the many players who have made STO their game of choice and to Star Trek fans to carry on the fine tradition of "Trek".
When it comes to the future, the decisions we make will be in everyone's best interest and will weigh all the various concerns and desires against the reality of where our game is at and where it is growing.
Reading through this thread reaffirms several constructive criticisms about STO and helps provide a baseline for our internal development discussions.
Examples:
The Foundry could be better integrated with the game. It could offer better rewards and fill content voids where they exist if Cryptic could adopt the missions and ensure they are integrated with the overal arch of the game.
PvP has suffered from a lack of development effort and could become a much more compelling aspect of STO gameplay. We are at war, and yet the PvP doesn't reflect the conflict in a meaningful way. Territorial gameplay or iPvP matches would go a long way towards improving this part of the game.
The KDF faction has a long history of trying to establish itself and has suffered greatly from the "What is it going to be" thrash. While there is a passionate contingent of KDF players at max level who want more KDF specific content, there is also a large number of players who pass on playing in the KDF because you cannot build a KDF character as your first. In either case, the KDF wants to feel established and have their own agenda in the game instead of always playing the "foil" to the Feds.
Similarly, there are many players who would like to play as a Romulan, but don't want that experience to be as simple as a "playable species". Playing a Romulan should mean your own story and agenda, your own ships, and your own experience. Given the games development history with the KDF, there is skepticism that a Romulan experience would be any better than what the KDF had shortly after launch. The fate of the Romulans is also a topic of debate. What has happened to them since Romulus was destroyed? Are they splintered? How many are left? Who's in charge? Any effort with the Romulans should start from a perspective of "Telling their Story" so that the design is fulfilling to fans.
While that is my personal synopsis of the hot topics, think about what it takes to run an MMO in today's highly competitive marketplace. Despite what some may think, we have a deliberate path and long term goals that we've been tracking quite well against. STO has not only survived but is thriving at a time when many MMOs have kicked or are about to kick the bucket. The STO community has been a big part of our success and has truly impacted both the development and health of this MMO.
As we move forward into Season 7 and then on towards 2013, the STO development team will be keeping all of these hot topics close to our heart so that we can ensure that the features we deliver in upcoming Seasons reflect the best decision of where the game needs to go next. You may not always agree with the priorities, but so far the game is benefiting from the path we are on and has never been healthier.
So please continue to discuss the game as it is and what it could and should be. We are listening and do find value in our dialog together.
If you don't mind, I'd also like to give a shout out to this amazing STO team. Since my return as EP last February, STO has been on a steady pace to deliver fun new content and address some of the top issues in the game.
As a reflection of what we've been able to accomplish, check out what we've done in the past 6 months:
Dominion Featured Episode Series
"Alpha" one-off KDF Episode
Dilithium Mining Event with new Minigame
KDF Federation Blockade Fleet Action
First Contact Day Event
Vault Shuttle Event
Ferasan Playable Species
Fleet Advancement Starbase System
New Starbase Fleet Events
Over 40 new ships
2 new Duty Officer Packs
Half a dozen new costumes
Ravamp of Defera Adventure Zone world missions
New Tholian Adventure Zone with two new boss battles
New Foundry features and assets
Lots of new loot
In the next 6 months we are working on the following:
New Personal Advancement System with Reputation based personal projects
New Embassy Fleet Holding with related projects and rewards
Several new 5 and 20 man Fleet Events some of which are cross-faction teamable
New Max Level Sector with Daily Patrols
New Romulan Colony "Adventure Zone" - our biggest to date - includes BOFF gameplay
Into the Hive STF - Finally fight the Borg Queen
New Ships including the Vesta class
New Duty Officer Pack
New Loot
New Foundry Spotlight feature
New Foundry assets
UI improvements including the Queues
Updated Winter Event
3 Year Anniversary Event
In addition to that, a small subset of the team have also been working on the ships, costumes, and consumables that appear in the C-Store. There are probably things that I even left out including bugs that we continually squash week to week, but the gist is, we are aggressively moving forward.
All together that is a healthy amount of new updates this awesome little team has delivered since we launched F2P . In 2013 will will deliver even more as we continue to staff up and train our new team members.
So while we may not be able to address the feature you voted for immediately, the goal is that everything on the poll list will be addressed in the future. It is only a matter of time before all of these systems get the development resources they need to move forward.
Thank you for taking the time to participate and communicate.
Star Trek continues to shine thanks to you.
I'd like to finally weigh in on this discussion so far. As a f2p player who started aomost 9 months ago, I have seen this game grow, and I pretty much loved a majority of the changes that Cryptic has done. I've read over all 70 pages of this thread and would like to comment on some of the following topics that has been pointed out thus far.
First and foremost, we have the problem with the story as it is now. Anyone who plays Cloaked Intentions (which will be examined below in terms of converting such an arc into something playable for Romulans) will find out what happens to a certain Empress as the story progresses. Since the Romulan story ends there for the Federation side, We can only speculate what will happen to the Romulans. Season 7 is expected to finally continue where we left off, and also give some new insight into the state of the Romulan Empire. The fact that we have a missing leader means that to introduce the RSE now as a faction would really not be the best time.
Featured Series
Spectres: As this one stands now, you have the Klingons fighting True Way and Federation, and vice versa for the Federation in the first episode. To add this into the Romulans story progression would mean they'd have to go back and retcon both the KDF and Federation versions to include the Romulans appearing. I think it might be feasible, but would require a plausible explanation as to why the Romulans are there in Klingon space. This would also spill into the next few episodes as well, considering that we still have Romulans involved. In the end, I just see this being dropped out of the Romulan missions as it really doesn't involve them.
Cloaked Intentions: This one does have some minor problems that would have to be addressed, considering that as it stands now, all of the episodes for the most part have you against Romulans. What would need to happen is pretty much have you as though you were involved with a faction against Sela. However, this poses a problem as in the end of the arc, Sela is seen to be towed by an Iconian vessel through a gate. The disappearance of the head of state would be enough to throw the Empire into chaos again. Not the best when you consider what you need for a faction.
2800: This has once more the issue of where the Romulans fit into this series, since you see the Deferi, Klingons, Federation, and Cardassians all with representatives to the "Borg" conference. Given the borg would actually be a threat to the Romulans, They could just have the Captain be the representative for the Romulans, but they would need some kind of Doff chain to coincide with the ones Federation and KDF both have. The remainder of the episodes would probably be focused on having the Romulan being asked to help take back the station, reminded of the threat the Dominion posed.
Cold War: The Federation's goal for helping the Deferi was to help build and alliance with them. The Klingons saw them as a valued resource that they could gain their trust with if they helped chase off the breen. The Romulans would have the hardest time considering their history with other species. I honestly have no idea where they could go with this.
I'd like to end with a note considering the stance people seem to have with Cryptic and the lockboxes. It's been said by Cryptic that they would not have a Romulan lockbox, so the chances of seeing a D'deridex in a box is pretty much nil. So, there is a chance that we'll be able to see playable Romulan ships still in the future. We just have to give them some time to move things on the right track.
Edit: I do have one more thing to say in regards to some of the other cross faction stuff that we have in terms of in game, but I'll save that for another post.
There are some areas of the game that are so bad they need urgent care. KDF completeness needs to rank near the top, the crafting system is one of the worst I've seen in an MMO. The exploration missions are so copy/paste and nonsensical it takes away from the game, and the dilithium rewards force you into B'Tran.
Playable Romulans being high the list is so stupidly narrow sighted of people it isn't funny.
I'd like to finally weigh in on this discussion so far. As a f2p player who started aomost 9 months ago, I have seen this game grow, and I pretty much loved a majority of the changes that Cryptic has done. I've read over all 70 pages of this thread and would like to comment on some of the following topics that has been pointed out thus far.
First and foremost, we have the problem with the story as it is now. Anyone who plays Cloaked Intentions (which will be examined below in terms of converting such an arc into something playable for Romulans) will find out what happens to a certain Empress as the story progresses. Since the Romulan story ends there for the Federation side, We can only speculate what will happen to the Romulans. Season 7 is expected to finally continue where we left off, and also give some new insight into the state of the Romulan Empire. The fact that we have a missing leader means that to introduce the RSE now as a faction would really not be the best time.
Featured Series
Spectres: As this one stands now, you have the Klingons fighting True Way and Federation, and vice versa for the Federation in the first episode. To add this into the Romulans story progression would mean they'd have to go back and retcon both the KDF and Federation versions to include the Romulans appearing. I think it might be feasible, but would require a plausible explanation as to why the Romulans are there in Klingon space. This would also spill into the next few episodes as well, considering that we still have Romulans involved. In the end, I just see this being dropped out of the Romulan missions as it really doesn't involve them.
Cloaked Intentions: This one does have some minor problems that would have to be addressed, considering that as it stands now, all of the episodes for the most part have you against Romulans. What would need to happen is pretty much have you as though you were involved with a faction against Sela. However, this poses a problem as in the end of the arc, Sela is seen to be towed by an Iconian vessel through a gate. The disappearance of the head of state would be enough to throw the Empire into chaos again. Not the best when you consider what you need for a faction.
2800: This has once more the issue of where the Romulans fit into this series, since you see the Deferi, Klingons, Federation, and Cardassians all with representatives to the "Borg" conference. Given the borg would actually be a threat to the Romulans, They could just have the Captain be the representative for the Romulans, but they would need some kind of Doff chain to coincide with the ones Federation and KDF both have. The remainder of the episodes would probably be focused on having the Romulan being asked to help take back the station, reminded of the threat the Dominion posed.
Cold War: The Federation's goal for helping the Deferi was to help build and alliance with them. The Klingons saw them as a valued resource that they could gain their trust with if they helped chase off the breen. The Romulans would have the hardest time considering their history with other species. I honestly have no idea where they could go with this.
I'd like to end with a note considering the stance people seem to have with Cryptic and the lockboxes. It's been said by Cryptic that they would not have a Romulan lockbox, so the chances of seeing a D'deridex in a box is pretty much nil. So, there is a chance that we'll be able to see playable Romulan ships still in the future. We just have to give them some time to move things on the right track.
Edit: I do have one more thing to say in regards to some of the other cross faction stuff that we have in terms of in game, but I'll save that for another post.
Valid points to a few but heres where it may go with a few of those
Spectres: We may not see these episodes in a Romulan faction arc as they are already to enemys to contend with The True way and the KDF. However who's not to say that a romulan ship could not be cloaked and watching the battle and then picking damaged ship that is the victor (However for this to work they would need to stop the cloaks from dropping when someone speaks)
Cloaked Intentions: This one would be tricky would you be with Sela or against I think that will depend on what kind of RSE Cryptic/PWE want to portray your character I would like to be the character that sides with Sela as I wouldn't want the RSE to be allied with the federation or KDF.
2800
Now for this mission I agree completely. It would be simple to add either another seat for a Romulan maybe even as a impartial or as the romulan delegate. Doff Assignment may or may not be required as I personally never used that in mission as Doffs were on other assignments at the time.
Cold War
Now the cold war may be slightly different obviously the federation and KDF both have interest in the resources the deferi will offer. However maybe the romulans could have a mission where they use the war with there advantage maybe allying with the breen or attacking federation and KDF ships making them fight each other and then try and expand there empire in the deferi space after all the romulan empire space has gotten small compared to fed and KDF and cardassian space.
NO TO ARC
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I don't really agree with those who say that the Foundry can solve any issue. This isn't supposed to be a sect, right, "have faith in the Foundry and all your problems will vanish"?:D
Okay, let's be more serious now.
I don't believe the Foundry can solve any issue, because the Foundry can't have the editing levels the devs have. Okay, there is still room for great maps and good stories, but it doesn't mean that new game experiences shouldn't be added. That's why I'm in favor of adding some foundry episodes (not much) and more cryptic episodes added to the stotylines.
Heck! Cryptic episodes are more interesting to play, not because the stories are better, they are equal to Foundry episodes, but because every single new mission you add means new assets, new maps, very well balanced combat, and new ways to play the game. This is extremely important.
I'm not saying that the foundry content is inferior, but it can't replace genuine and new content. Of course, you could take several foundry eposides, but it has a limit, and TBH I fear it will be rquickly repetitive and boring if we see the same assets over and over. And no foundry author can make a decent featured episode. None of them, even if they can come up with a great story, can add new gameplay experience.
As an author myself (not the best one, but still), I enjoy finding the names of props that were used by other authors in their maps. "oh, the captivity device x is there", "oh, I know these candles", etc. I can easily imagine what a new player could think if he has the same thoughts: it's a cheap game developped by lazy devs. On the contrary, every single cryptic mission, including the worst ones, looks like a new game experience.
I love the foundry, but I strongly believe that it should remain "the foundry", something different which can't be mixed with regular content.
There are some areas of the game that are so bad they need urgent care. KDF completeness needs to rank near the top, the crafting system is one of the worst I've seen in an MMO. The exploration missions are so copy/paste and nonsensical it takes away from the game, and the dilithium rewards force you into B'Tran.
Playable Romulans being high the list is so stupidly narrow sighted of people it isn't funny.
I for one voted on KDF content but since we are not able see who voted for what but I bet the voter was fixed from the start as people may have multiple forum accounts so they voted for romulans. I find it interesting as they are only saying playable romulans and not a romulan faction
NO TO ARC
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I don't really agree with those who say that the Foundry can solve any issue. This isn't supposed to be a sect, right, "have faith in the Foundry and all your problems will vanish"?:D
Okay, let's be more serious now.
I don't believe the Foundry can solve any issue, because the Foundry can't have the editing levels the devs have. Okay, there is still room for great maps and good stories, but it doesn't mean that new game experiences shouldn't be added. That's why I'm in favor of adding some foundry episodes (not much) and more cryptic episodes added to the stotylines.
Heck! Cryptic episodes are more interesting to play, not because the stories are better, they are equal to Foundry episodes, but because every single new mission you add means new assets, new maps, very well balanced combat, and new ways to play the game. This is extremely important.
I'm not saying that the foundry content is inferior, but it can't replace genuine and new content. Of course, you could take several foundry eposides, but it has a limit, and TBH I fear it will be rquickly repetitive and boring if we see the same assets over and over. And no foundry author can make a decent featured episode. None of them, even if they can come up with a great story, can add new gameplay experience.
As an author myself (not the best one, but still), I enjoy finding the names of props that were used by other authors in their maps. "oh, the captivity device x is there", "oh, I know these candles", etc. I can easily imagine what a new player could think if he has the same thoughts: it's a cheap game developped by lazy devs. On the contrary, every single cryptic mission, including the worst ones, looks like a new game experience.
I love the foundry, but I strongly believe that it should remain "the foundry", something different which can't be mixed with regular content.
I've noticed that, but I've partly seen it in cryptic maps too. However they seem to have lots more toys to play with. That could be partially remedied by adding new Foundry assets. Actually that's apaprently already in the works. Some comments by the devs have indicated that Foundry maps have inherent differences from non-foundry. Though the specifics would apparently only makes sense to a programmer, cryptic maps apparently are a single cohesive whole, while foundry maps are compartmentalized with the seperate objects each being handled seperately. I can only imagine what other sorts of behind the scenes coding is part of it. But setting player states appears to be part of it. PvP maps are coded differently so that the players are either red team or blue team for the battle. Foundry doesn't currently support that.
Honestly, one tool I'd like to have in foundry is x and Z rotation. Currently objects can only be rotated around their y axis.
I for one voted on KDF content but since we are not able see who voted for what but I bet the voter was fixed from the start as people may have multiple forum accounts so they voted for romulans. I find it interesting as they are only saying playable romulans and not a romulan faction
look thats all possible but keep an open mind. there could be 1 klingon voter with over 600 accounts aswell.... crazy but possible. so that kinda talk of the romulan voters have been voting more than once could also be said for the klingon content voters. fairs fair
Valid points to a few but heres where it may go with a few of those
Spectres: We may not see these episodes in a Romulan faction arc as they are already to enemys to contend with The True way and the KDF. However who's not to say that a romulan ship could not be cloaked and watching the battle and then picking damaged ship that is the victor (However for this to work they would need to stop the cloaks from dropping when someone speaks)
Cloaked Intentions: This one would be tricky would you be with Sela or against I think that will depend on what kind of RSE Cryptic/PWE want to portray your character I would like to be the character that sides with Sela as I wouldn't want the RSE to be allied with the federation or KDF.
2800
Now for this mission I agree completely. It would be simple to add either another seat for a Romulan maybe even as a impartial or as the romulan delegate. Doff Assignment may or may not be required as I personally never used that in mission as Doffs were on other assignments at the time.
Cold War
Now the cold war may be slightly different obviously the federation and KDF both have interest in the resources the deferi will offer. However maybe the romulans could have a mission where they use the war with there advantage maybe allying with the breen or attacking federation and KDF ships making them fight each other and then try and expand there empire in the deferi space after all the romulan empire space has gotten small compared to fed and KDF and cardassian space.
Spectres: i mostly agree with this but i think it should be a last minute thing. and the crew recommendations can be turned into a mini dialog to avoid the cloak going down, then after the fight it continues where it is left off. but who will represent the wayward romulan intelligence agent?
the rest of it can be a redress for the romulans.
Cloaked Intentions: it can be easy, Sela can be made a renegade of the romulan empire by colluding with unidentified forces behind the senates back. so you can have the authority to chase her down and try get the reman's back on side as well.
2800: giving a romulan a seat, preferably a senator, can be useful besides the KDF gorn representative and captain kurland, most romulan senators have had at least some experience serving the empire in the military, so another defender can be helpful. make sure to add some barbs between the KDF and romulans though.
I do not agree that romulans alone should try to take back the station though, romulans rarely give up territory they seize.
Cold War: redress it for the romulans, have a contact like a high level senator or consul on hand, like the same capacity with the klingon leader and federation ambassador. but the romulans should be made the outsider as a new contact trying to gain favor like the federation, but romulans always have another reason which should also be played out as well.
Just because more KDF isn't number #1 in the poll doesn't make it broken, it's a ligitamate poll and the people want playable Romulans above all else including me, that's priority.
Spectres: i mostly agree with this but i think it should be a last minute thing. and the crew recommendations can be turned into a mini dialog to avoid the cloak going down, then after the fight it continues where it is left off. but who will represent the wayward romulan intelligence agent?
the rest of it can be a redress for the romulans.
Cloaked Intentions: it can be easy, Sela can be made a renegade of the romulan empire by colluding with unidentified forces behind the senates back. so you can have the authority to chase her down and try get the reman's back on side as well.
2800: giving a romulan a seat, preferably a senator, can be useful besides the KDF gorn representative and captain kurland, most romulan senators have had at least some experience serving the empire in the military, so another defender can be helpful. make sure to add some barbs between the KDF and romulans though.
I do not agree that romulans alone should try to take back the station though, romulans rarely give up territory they seize.
Cold War: redress it for the romulans, have a contact like a high level senator or consul on hand, like the same capacity with the klingon leader and federation ambassador. but the romulans should be made the outsider as a new contact trying to gain favor like the federation, but romulans always have another reason which should also be played out as well.
Cold War: If the Romulans need an ulterior motive make it learning about the Preservers. Let's face it, ulterior motives that obvious just make sense.
2800: for the fleet stuff.... maybe just say that the Romulan fleet is too far away and that the Feds will help? But instead of having Kurland show up in the Oddy have a Romulan equivalent appear.
Which reminds me... what would a Romulan counterpart to the Odyssey be? I'm thinking a D'Deridex variant myself. It's just so.... romulan.
I want a rich Romulan experience, which would require tools other than the foundry. While the Foundry could be used to supplement a fair number of Romulan missions, I still want some up to the quality of Doomsday.
What I personally envision is that when/if a Rom faction is added, it will have the equivalent of a FE that is all Rom story based missions, to "introduce" players to the faction. After that, I can only hope that the foundry will have developed to the point where it can take the reigns and allow players to fully level and be rewarded as if they were playing official missions.
Cold War: If the Romulans need an ulterior motive make it learning about the Preservers. Let's face it, ulterior motives that obvious just make sense.
2800: for the fleet stuff.... maybe just say that the Romulan fleet is too far away and that the Feds will help? But instead of having Kurland show up in the Oddy have a Romulan equivalent appear.
Which reminds me... what would a Romulan counterpart to the Odyssey be? I'm thinking a D'Deridex variant myself. It's just so.... romulan.
I'd rather wonder what the romulans would say seeing a breen, jem'hadar, reman, klingon and human wondering around on one of their ship, especially the klingon!
but as for the ulterior motive, maybe something like undermining the efforts of the klingons efforts by sabotaging scripture by the preservers? or leaving klingon weapons fire on a few innocent deferi ships from a captured BoP, which is quickly destroyed by a federation starship when hails fail, then claim they both did it when the evidence comes to light. that would be an a-typical romulan motive.
After reading many comments I have to agree that the best order would be something like:
1.) Foundry
2.) KDF
3.) Romulan
4.) PvP
Personally I want Romulans to be on first place but for the general health of the game an other order would be better.
I still believe that PvP can be fixed but not expanded without more players / more factions to play. The foundry and the almost unlimited number of missions that can be created are the key to make all factions feel vivid. Solving issue 1 to 3 could improve issue 4 automatically.
The friend system is STO is great (based on your account name and not character name). You notice this when compared to other MMOs. Was reminded to these when I played SWTOR and was trying to add twinks of a friend to me buddy-list. IMHO all MMOs should use a similar system. I never had any problems staying in contact with my friends and it is normal for me to switch side from Fed to KDF or vice versa if a friend is online. Because of this I personnally can not see any fragmentation by adding more factions.
With UGC STO could get a huge number of playable missions in a comparatively short time. Missions ( or "stories" told ) could be generated by authors out of the STO community. Only Cryptic can tell us how the main story line will progress. But UGC content can deliever the bulk of small stories with standard foundry tools. Like a weekly episode, but Cryptic delievers the central theme & new fancy mission stuff. A reward system developed by Cryptic on defined parameters could offer an incentive.
Without reward there would always be the question "why play a foundry mission" ? If you can enjoy the stories told in foundry missions this is not a problem for you. But what if you can't ?
With the current leveling speed we do not need many missions to hit max level. For endgame we currently need mainly STF-currencies, fleet marks and dilithium. Those can only be gained by fixed repeatable missions. Can the needed endgame resources be brought in line with normal or even foundry missions ?
If a wide range of missions is a goal for Cryptic after all.
[QUOTE=thetruthurts;5625841]By that logic they should remove the Doff system, since it has even less votes than PvP.[/QUOTE]
Right let me just clarify I didn't mean to imply that this survey should be representative of all the things that need work in STO I was addressing the fact that in the past pvp has not been very popular you may remember a survey that Cryptic apparently commissioned stated that pvp was one of the most unpopular activities that players liked to do in STO.
Shortly after that Gozer wrote a very frank post about the state of the pvp system and there was that little interest in it they could pull it from the game and it would not hurt it he went on to state this was backed up by their own server data. So on that basis alone pvp should be taken out of the game since the pole seems to indicate that clearly its not that popular among some people who voted that is in this pole.
Gozer also mentioned that at the end of the day they are a business and therefore they have to make decisions about where to allocate resources in STO and I looking at it from the same stand point I completely agree it would be much better to take those same resources instead of wasting them on the pvp system and invest them in other areas of development that will benefit the game more in the long term.
The other side of it is Cryptic will have a budget of X amount of money to spend on various things in STO and the tough question has to be asked is pvp really worth it I don't think it is and on that basis alone for me anyway it should be taken out. Personally if I want a pvp experience I go and play COD Black Ops :P lol
i really dont understand the hate for the red ui, sure if all your used to is starring at blue it might be a bit harsh for a minute, but you get used to it quick
I have to say I gave it a fair go over an hour and my eyes were hurting and I ended up with a slight headache lol
Hey, its fine to express your opinion on what you'd like to be improved, but there are also players, which still DO play PvP and actually like it. And there are also players that WISH PvP would become better.
I think its a bit selfish to say pvp should be removed all together, and it adds nothing to the discussion but hate.
First off let me just say if pvp were really that popular then their own server data wouldn't back this up and therefore I would not have a basis for a logical argument, bad news is I do have a basis. Gozer himself was really frank about the current state of pvp. To say its selfish for me to say pvp it adds nothing to the game is erroneous since it doesn't I was expressing an opinion that Gozer it would seem shared as well before he left.
The fact that pvp only had him working it should tell you that at the time and even now its not high on their list of things to do. I was also looking at it from a business stand point where decisions with regard to where resources will be allocated have to be made and clearly pvp is not one of them it seems at the moment at least.
I make no apologise for being brutally honest about it at the end of the day STO is a business and thats the bottom line here, if you had carefully read what I had written I said its better to invest those resources in having a better and more stable game.
Those things would add way value in the long term than a dying pvp system which is not fun or interesting at all I have more fun in pvp on COD Black Ops than I do in STO. Also if the so called folks who you claim love pvp so much why did they not vote in the poll for it then? This is assuming of course they participated in the poll lol.
Like you I love pvp too but when its poorly executed and its not fun at all then tough questions need to be asked as to whether or not is really worth investing large amounts of time and resources into this.
Comments
Foundry Arenas would be really simple, a single map, no enemies, and minimal objectives. If people decide yours sucks they'll just one star it and play a different one.
This humble proposal would add another use for the foundry AND make PvP more fun! Soo... with that in mind...
1) the foundry
2) PvP
3) the KDF
4) Romulans
#1 becomes even MORE important because it can be used to enhance 2,3, and 4.
My character Tsin'xing
Well, they've told us that there is some additional tech that is tough. For me, it's pretty bizarre. I mean, my entire experience as a map builder was on games where all you could do is build a map and put CTF or DM spawn points for teams.
This really is the first type of modding I've done where I can tell a story. The fact that I can't make a simple deathmatch map seems very bizarre.
It should be very basic, but apparently the engine's PVP components are special.
All I've ever really tried to ask for is the things I have seen in the series that could be made and there has never been any explanation like for instance if they tried and get vetoed by CBS on the fact of things like pain sticks, Mevak, Mek'leth, Knife of Kirom, Kut'luch, and D'k tahg just to name a few. Heck if there was a way to get a bundle of all those weapons in it and it was just per character I wouldn't care because it would be worth it to have all of those (Although the Knife of Kirom was just a special knife with kahless's blood on it so I wouldn't expect every warrior to be able to get one, but maybe as some kind of special KDF only STF based thing as a drop would be cool).
In most cases it has nothing to do with not being able to make a KDF character at level 1. The issue I hear most of the time is either there isn't as much it doesn't feel full as a faction compared the federation side or people have built up as many toons or more than I have that were federation so it doesn't seem plausible for someone all ante in one faction to start going to the other side. Regardless I had a chat with some people the other day and they know and faced the facts that even if we did get a lot of new things for the KDF its not going to change the issue. For people like me the more important thing is having what we know about the KDF in comparison to the Federation Lore is not that much more remaining. It basically boils down to ground weapons we've seen Klingons use and some heavy battle cruiser refits that are more tactical based and not copies of federation layouts. If that was added to the game I'd pretty much not have anything more to say on the topic itself.
Just to be a positive critic here going to reword/edit this to be more thoughtful too
Genius ! Seriously !
It's time for some unconventional thinking ! Let's trail blaze and get this game going already.
For example, when they did show us life aboard a Klingon ship, they made sure it was Riker who went and not Worf. When Worf had issues with the Klingons, his friends got involved. Some of those DS9 episodes had established human characters going undercover as Klingons.
Whereas in STO, showing Klingons from a strictly Klingon POV may only be appealing to a subset of Klingon fans when there might be others more interested in Klingons if they had more non-Klingon points of identification laced in.
So... With that in mind, what lore characters do you think Cryptic could get in game who could side with the Klingons, personally?
I think Dax is an easy one, especially if it's a new host. (And that CBS might well okay that as long as Cryptic doesn't get specific on Ezri's fate, including leaving open the possibility that somehow she survived having the symbiont removed.)
I think B'Elanna and Tom would be interesting because for B'Elanna to side with the Klingons would MEAN something and if she did, Tom would join her. Cryptic seems to use people with Torres' level of makeup pretty freely (Taris, Worf) and Tom would frankly look dramatically different, going from 35 or so to 65.
I'll toss a character out there who I doubt anybody else ever thought much about but who I've been thinking about for a Foundry mission: Sergei Rozhenko's child. Sergei had a pregnant wife from the culture he helped save on TNG. Because they're pre-industrial, the Federation might keep their distance from this person. They'd be about 40 and might seek aid from Uncle Worf if they knew that the Feds wouldn't help them.
I think Worf could be more dynamic and would like Kurn brought back.
It's important to fill out the KDF with "not the bad guy" characters. And it serves the same purpose Dan seems to be getting with adding KDF Romulans and making more Orion/Gorn missions WITHOUT necessarily making humans common.
*A* Romulan or human in the KDF makes more sense that opening the floodgates on RomulanS and humanS in the KDF. Instead of the total species unlock, even porting over just ONE staple character like Tomalak would be better. That's wild and implausible but it's easier to have a wild and implausible story with one NPC than to have armies of players who are visible every time you visit First City.
I mean, if you had ONE Romulan who, say, saved J'mpok's life and gave out somewhat Romulan feeling missions to Klingons, that would probably be better than unlocking the species wholesale. Because that could be seen as an appetizer, not a meal replacement.
(sorry all caps)
Yes and no,
I want a rich Romulan experience, which would require tools other than the foundry. While the Foundry could be used to supplement a fair number of Romulan missions, I still want some up to the quality of Doomsday.
As for the Romulan story, this is what I have been thinking for a while now.
You start as a member of a Romulan faction, fighting and subverting other factions while vying for control of the empire. As you progress your faction gets larger, finally gaining the manpower to face the Romulan-Icoian alliance. Toward the end of the storyline, (When a major patch is about to occur), you can have the Romulan-Icoian plan come to fruition. The restoration of Romulus utilizing a Space-Time shield to phase Romulus out of the past, a fraction of a second before the Hobus Super-Nova impacts it. This would work well with the story, as the Icoians are the only species to have the knowledge and the power to attempt a metaphasic space-time shield on a plantary scale.
"New" ships... most of which are old ships with upped stats
This Is Frakking Cool!
Let us upgrade the Seleya Ceremonial Lirpa and Kri'stak Blade
That is a very interesting concept, well thought up mate.
or Q could just click their fingers and make everything alright again....:D
Yep thats it I just couldn't think of something to make the idea/concept go. Another idea would be to do the sling shot around the area it used to be to go back in time with a lock box time ship and correct the problem.
At this point I would accept any idea what so ever that would allow the RSE to be intact the way it once was because the story in this game trying to match it with the JJ prize movie just doesn't mesh well. If they could tie the Fed vs KDF war into that yeah that would work too the cross faction of KDF assisting the federation is a time honored theme in Star Trek but it just doesn't work with ok we are at war but we are just gonna have a tiny time out here to do this STF... OK?
Edit: One thing I was wondering tho he says all the things in the 6 months... So which of those many things does he have planned for season 7 and how much of it will litterally be pushed to seasons 9 and 10
I'd like to finally weigh in on this discussion so far. As a f2p player who started aomost 9 months ago, I have seen this game grow, and I pretty much loved a majority of the changes that Cryptic has done. I've read over all 70 pages of this thread and would like to comment on some of the following topics that has been pointed out thus far.
First and foremost, we have the problem with the story as it is now. Anyone who plays Cloaked Intentions (which will be examined below in terms of converting such an arc into something playable for Romulans) will find out what happens to a certain Empress as the story progresses. Since the Romulan story ends there for the Federation side, We can only speculate what will happen to the Romulans. Season 7 is expected to finally continue where we left off, and also give some new insight into the state of the Romulan Empire. The fact that we have a missing leader means that to introduce the RSE now as a faction would really not be the best time.
Featured Series
Spectres: As this one stands now, you have the Klingons fighting True Way and Federation, and vice versa for the Federation in the first episode. To add this into the Romulans story progression would mean they'd have to go back and retcon both the KDF and Federation versions to include the Romulans appearing. I think it might be feasible, but would require a plausible explanation as to why the Romulans are there in Klingon space. This would also spill into the next few episodes as well, considering that we still have Romulans involved. In the end, I just see this being dropped out of the Romulan missions as it really doesn't involve them.
Cloaked Intentions: This one does have some minor problems that would have to be addressed, considering that as it stands now, all of the episodes for the most part have you against Romulans. What would need to happen is pretty much have you as though you were involved with a faction against Sela. However, this poses a problem as in the end of the arc, Sela is seen to be towed by an Iconian vessel through a gate. The disappearance of the head of state would be enough to throw the Empire into chaos again. Not the best when you consider what you need for a faction.
2800: This has once more the issue of where the Romulans fit into this series, since you see the Deferi, Klingons, Federation, and Cardassians all with representatives to the "Borg" conference. Given the borg would actually be a threat to the Romulans, They could just have the Captain be the representative for the Romulans, but they would need some kind of Doff chain to coincide with the ones Federation and KDF both have. The remainder of the episodes would probably be focused on having the Romulan being asked to help take back the station, reminded of the threat the Dominion posed.
Cold War: The Federation's goal for helping the Deferi was to help build and alliance with them. The Klingons saw them as a valued resource that they could gain their trust with if they helped chase off the breen. The Romulans would have the hardest time considering their history with other species. I honestly have no idea where they could go with this.
I'd like to end with a note considering the stance people seem to have with Cryptic and the lockboxes. It's been said by Cryptic that they would not have a Romulan lockbox, so the chances of seeing a D'deridex in a box is pretty much nil. So, there is a chance that we'll be able to see playable Romulan ships still in the future. We just have to give them some time to move things on the right track.
Edit: I do have one more thing to say in regards to some of the other cross faction stuff that we have in terms of in game, but I'll save that for another post.
There are some areas of the game that are so bad they need urgent care. KDF completeness needs to rank near the top, the crafting system is one of the worst I've seen in an MMO. The exploration missions are so copy/paste and nonsensical it takes away from the game, and the dilithium rewards force you into B'Tran.
Playable Romulans being high the list is so stupidly narrow sighted of people it isn't funny.
Completed Starbase, Embassy, Mine, Spire and No Win Scenario
Nothing to do anymore.
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Valid points to a few but heres where it may go with a few of those
Spectres: We may not see these episodes in a Romulan faction arc as they are already to enemys to contend with The True way and the KDF. However who's not to say that a romulan ship could not be cloaked and watching the battle and then picking damaged ship that is the victor (However for this to work they would need to stop the cloaks from dropping when someone speaks)
Cloaked Intentions: This one would be tricky would you be with Sela or against I think that will depend on what kind of RSE Cryptic/PWE want to portray your character I would like to be the character that sides with Sela as I wouldn't want the RSE to be allied with the federation or KDF.
2800
Now for this mission I agree completely. It would be simple to add either another seat for a Romulan maybe even as a impartial or as the romulan delegate. Doff Assignment may or may not be required as I personally never used that in mission as Doffs were on other assignments at the time.
Cold War
Now the cold war may be slightly different obviously the federation and KDF both have interest in the resources the deferi will offer. However maybe the romulans could have a mission where they use the war with there advantage maybe allying with the breen or attacking federation and KDF ships making them fight each other and then try and expand there empire in the deferi space after all the romulan empire space has gotten small compared to fed and KDF and cardassian space.
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Okay, let's be more serious now.
I don't believe the Foundry can solve any issue, because the Foundry can't have the editing levels the devs have. Okay, there is still room for great maps and good stories, but it doesn't mean that new game experiences shouldn't be added. That's why I'm in favor of adding some foundry episodes (not much) and more cryptic episodes added to the stotylines.
Heck! Cryptic episodes are more interesting to play, not because the stories are better, they are equal to Foundry episodes, but because every single new mission you add means new assets, new maps, very well balanced combat, and new ways to play the game. This is extremely important.
I'm not saying that the foundry content is inferior, but it can't replace genuine and new content. Of course, you could take several foundry eposides, but it has a limit, and TBH I fear it will be rquickly repetitive and boring if we see the same assets over and over. And no foundry author can make a decent featured episode. None of them, even if they can come up with a great story, can add new gameplay experience.
As an author myself (not the best one, but still), I enjoy finding the names of props that were used by other authors in their maps. "oh, the captivity device x is there", "oh, I know these candles", etc. I can easily imagine what a new player could think if he has the same thoughts: it's a cheap game developped by lazy devs. On the contrary, every single cryptic mission, including the worst ones, looks like a new game experience.
I love the foundry, but I strongly believe that it should remain "the foundry", something different which can't be mixed with regular content.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
I for one voted on KDF content but since we are not able see who voted for what but I bet the voter was fixed from the start as people may have multiple forum accounts so they voted for romulans. I find it interesting as they are only saying playable romulans and not a romulan faction
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
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Honestly, one tool I'd like to have in foundry is x and Z rotation. Currently objects can only be rotated around their y axis.
My character Tsin'xing
look thats all possible but keep an open mind. there could be 1 klingon voter with over 600 accounts aswell.... crazy but possible. so that kinda talk of the romulan voters have been voting more than once could also be said for the klingon content voters. fairs fair
Spectres: i mostly agree with this but i think it should be a last minute thing. and the crew recommendations can be turned into a mini dialog to avoid the cloak going down, then after the fight it continues where it is left off. but who will represent the wayward romulan intelligence agent?
the rest of it can be a redress for the romulans.
Cloaked Intentions: it can be easy, Sela can be made a renegade of the romulan empire by colluding with unidentified forces behind the senates back. so you can have the authority to chase her down and try get the reman's back on side as well.
2800: giving a romulan a seat, preferably a senator, can be useful besides the KDF gorn representative and captain kurland, most romulan senators have had at least some experience serving the empire in the military, so another defender can be helpful. make sure to add some barbs between the KDF and romulans though.
I do not agree that romulans alone should try to take back the station though, romulans rarely give up territory they seize.
Cold War: redress it for the romulans, have a contact like a high level senator or consul on hand, like the same capacity with the klingon leader and federation ambassador. but the romulans should be made the outsider as a new contact trying to gain favor like the federation, but romulans always have another reason which should also be played out as well.
2800: for the fleet stuff.... maybe just say that the Romulan fleet is too far away and that the Feds will help? But instead of having Kurland show up in the Oddy have a Romulan equivalent appear.
Which reminds me... what would a Romulan counterpart to the Odyssey be? I'm thinking a D'Deridex variant myself. It's just so.... romulan.
My character Tsin'xing
What I personally envision is that when/if a Rom faction is added, it will have the equivalent of a FE that is all Rom story based missions, to "introduce" players to the faction. After that, I can only hope that the foundry will have developed to the point where it can take the reigns and allow players to fully level and be rewarded as if they were playing official missions.
I'd rather wonder what the romulans would say seeing a breen, jem'hadar, reman, klingon and human wondering around on one of their ship, especially the klingon!
but as for the ulterior motive, maybe something like undermining the efforts of the klingons efforts by sabotaging scripture by the preservers? or leaving klingon weapons fire on a few innocent deferi ships from a captured BoP, which is quickly destroyed by a federation starship when hails fail, then claim they both did it when the evidence comes to light. that would be an a-typical romulan motive.
After reading many comments I have to agree that the best order would be something like:
1.) Foundry
2.) KDF
3.) Romulan
4.) PvP
Personally I want Romulans to be on first place but for the general health of the game an other order would be better.
I still believe that PvP can be fixed but not expanded without more players / more factions to play. The foundry and the almost unlimited number of missions that can be created are the key to make all factions feel vivid. Solving issue 1 to 3 could improve issue 4 automatically.
The friend system is STO is great (based on your account name and not character name). You notice this when compared to other MMOs. Was reminded to these when I played SWTOR and was trying to add twinks of a friend to me buddy-list. IMHO all MMOs should use a similar system. I never had any problems staying in contact with my friends and it is normal for me to switch side from Fed to KDF or vice versa if a friend is online. Because of this I personnally can not see any fragmentation by adding more factions.
With UGC STO could get a huge number of playable missions in a comparatively short time. Missions ( or "stories" told ) could be generated by authors out of the STO community. Only Cryptic can tell us how the main story line will progress. But UGC content can deliever the bulk of small stories with standard foundry tools. Like a weekly episode, but Cryptic delievers the central theme & new fancy mission stuff. A reward system developed by Cryptic on defined parameters could offer an incentive.
Without reward there would always be the question "why play a foundry mission" ? If you can enjoy the stories told in foundry missions this is not a problem for you. But what if you can't ?
With the current leveling speed we do not need many missions to hit max level. For endgame we currently need mainly STF-currencies, fleet marks and dilithium. Those can only be gained by fixed repeatable missions. Can the needed endgame resources be brought in line with normal or even foundry missions ?
If a wide range of missions is a goal for Cryptic after all.
Right let me just clarify I didn't mean to imply that this survey should be representative of all the things that need work in STO I was addressing the fact that in the past pvp has not been very popular you may remember a survey that Cryptic apparently commissioned stated that pvp was one of the most unpopular activities that players liked to do in STO.
Shortly after that Gozer wrote a very frank post about the state of the pvp system and there was that little interest in it they could pull it from the game and it would not hurt it he went on to state this was backed up by their own server data. So on that basis alone pvp should be taken out of the game since the pole seems to indicate that clearly its not that popular among some people who voted that is in this pole.
Gozer also mentioned that at the end of the day they are a business and therefore they have to make decisions about where to allocate resources in STO and I looking at it from the same stand point I completely agree it would be much better to take those same resources instead of wasting them on the pvp system and invest them in other areas of development that will benefit the game more in the long term.
The other side of it is Cryptic will have a budget of X amount of money to spend on various things in STO and the tough question has to be asked is pvp really worth it I don't think it is and on that basis alone for me anyway it should be taken out. Personally if I want a pvp experience I go and play COD Black Ops :P lol
I have to say I gave it a fair go over an hour and my eyes were hurting and I ended up with a slight headache
First off let me just say if pvp were really that popular then their own server data wouldn't back this up and therefore I would not have a basis for a logical argument, bad news is I do have a basis. Gozer himself was really frank about the current state of pvp. To say its selfish for me to say pvp it adds nothing to the game is erroneous since it doesn't I was expressing an opinion that Gozer it would seem shared as well before he left.
The fact that pvp only had him working it should tell you that at the time and even now its not high on their list of things to do. I was also looking at it from a business stand point where decisions with regard to where resources will be allocated have to be made and clearly pvp is not one of them it seems at the moment at least.
I make no apologise for being brutally honest about it at the end of the day STO is a business and thats the bottom line here, if you had carefully read what I had written I said its better to invest those resources in having a better and more stable game.
Those things would add way value in the long term than a dying pvp system which is not fun or interesting at all I have more fun in pvp on COD Black Ops than I do in STO. Also if the so called folks who you claim love pvp so much why did they not vote in the poll for it then? This is assuming of course they participated in the poll lol.
Like you I love pvp too but when its poorly executed and its not fun at all then tough questions need to be asked as to whether or not is really worth investing large amounts of time and resources into this.