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Forums > Home› The Foundry for Star Trek Online› The Foundry for Star Trek Online - Discussion & Feedback

Disappointment in Foundry Spotlight Choices

warbird001warbird001 Member Posts: 246 Arc User
edited February 2013 in The Foundry for Star Trek Online - Discussion & Feedback
So who gets to decide which Foundry missions are spotlighted each month? Is Cryptic just choosing the more popular ones or is there some kind of criteria. I have noticed that Cryptic are only choosing missions that coincide with their timeline or interpretation of the Star Trek Universe. I think this is slightly unfair because there are a lot of Foundry missions that exist outside the timeline that STO has created.

What is made frustrating is that Cryptic do not even publish the criteria of what makes a "featured mission" or what they expect. Judging by some of the quality of the featured stuff, I would probably make a guess that the criteria is quite low.

More people with more controversial titles deserve the same recognition as the missions that Cryptic "cherry pick".
Post edited by warbird001 on
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Comments

  • brougham21brougham21 Member Posts: 12 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    warbird001 wrote: »
    So who gets to decide which Foundry missions are spotlighted each month? Is Cryptic just choosing the more popular ones or is there some kind of criteria. I have noticed that Cryptic are only choosing missions that coincide with their timeline or interpretation of the Star Trek Universe. I think this is slightly unfair because there are a lot of Foundry missions that exist outside the timeline that STO has created.

    What is made frustrating is that Cryptic do not even publish the criteria of what makes a "featured mission" or what they expect. Judging by some of the quality of the featured stuff, I would probably make a guess that the criteria is quite low.

    More people with more controversial titles deserve the same recognition as the missions that Cryptic "cherry pick".

    I couldnt agree more
  • chalpenchalpen Member Posts: 2,207 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    are you saying that the missions that they choose are not good?

    I don't play the fed ones but the ones for the kdf are all very good.
    Should I start posting again after all this time?
  • cptvanorcptvanor Member Posts: 274 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    First off I have to ask, is it even possible for you to make a post that doesn't somehow or another bash Cryptic and everything they do?
    warbird001 wrote: »
    I think this is slightly unfair because there are a lot of Foundry missions that exist outside the timeline that STO has created.

    Why in the world would they spotlight a mission that doesn't fit in with the STO Canon time line? The whole point of the foundry spotlight is to point out missions they think people should try out.

    Naturally they're going to pick ones that fit in to their story line and style, and not highlight the what-if types of missions, because those are outside the STO Canon.
    More people with more controversial titles deserve the same recognition as the missions that Cryptic "cherry pick".

    No in fact they don't deserve anything, other then the star rating that they're given and any Dilithium tips they get. This is true for all foundry missions, but is especially true of anything that you might call 'controversial'.
  • tsurutafan01tsurutafan01 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Until the Foundry has proper, actual, "remember when this was new 20 years ago" dialogue trees that let you build missions to multiple outcomes so that literally 100% of the text isn't superfluous "if you really want to, just jam F and you'll still win the mission", who cares?

    The actual combat portions of many of the Foundry missions are fine, but the way their system gimps writers from having anything to actually do is really annoying.

    "We are smart." - Grebnedlog

    Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
  • bareelbareel Member Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    tsurutafan01 wrote: »
    Until the Foundry has proper, actual, "remember when this was new 20 years ago" dialogue trees that let you build missions to multiple outcomes so that literally 100% of the text isn't superfluous "if you really want to, just jam F and you'll still win the mission", who cares?

    The actual combat portions of many of the Foundry missions are fine, but the way their system gimps writers from having anything to actually do is really annoying.

    This.

    It is sad the starcraft map editor had such an amazing trigger system and yet a game that prides itself upon UGC can't even come close.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited February 2013
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited February 2013
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  • pwebranflakespwebranflakes Member Posts: 7,741
    edited February 2013
    warbird001 wrote: »
    So who gets to decide which Foundry missions are spotlighted each month?

    I do :)
    warbird001 wrote: »
    Is Cryptic just choosing the more popular ones or is there some kind of criteria. I have noticed that Cryptic are only choosing missions that coincide with their timeline or interpretation of the Star Trek Universe. I think this is slightly unfair because there are a lot of Foundry missions that exist outside the timeline that STO has created.

    Nope; I've featured missions that include those that many have not played, as well as some that are well known. This last one was a KDF mission and had less than 40 reviews when it went up for featuring. It was suggested by various members of the community, I played through it, found it to be amazing, and reached out to the author. The missions that get picked do not have to coincide with STO's timeline or interpretation. If you've played through every single spotlighted mission on this list (http://sto.perfectworld.com/about/foundry/foundry-spotlight), you'd know this to not be the case.
    warbird001 wrote: »
    What is made frustrating is that Cryptic do not even publish the criteria of what makes a "featured mission" or what they expect. Judging by some of the quality of the featured stuff, I would probably make a guess that the criteria is quite low.

    There is no criteria, per se, other than "was this mission amazing, did it impress me, and do I think all players should play it?" and "does it not break the EULA?". I take suggestions from the community (forums, twitter, podcasts, facebook, etc.), play through the missions, and reach out to the authors.
    warbird001 wrote: »
    More people with more controversial titles deserve the same recognition as the missions that Cryptic "cherry pick".

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Cheers,

    Brandon =/\=
  • jengozjengoz Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    warbird001 wrote: »
    So who gets to decide which Foundry missions are spotlighted each month? Is Cryptic just choosing the more popular ones or is there some kind of criteria. I have noticed that Cryptic are only choosing missions that coincide with their timeline or interpretation of the Star Trek Universe. I think this is slightly unfair because there are a lot of Foundry missions that exist outside the timeline that STO has created.

    What is made frustrating is that Cryptic do not even publish the criteria of what makes a "featured mission" or what they expect. Judging by some of the quality of the featured stuff, I would probably make a guess that the criteria is quite low.

    More people with more controversial titles deserve the same recognition as the missions that Cryptic "cherry pick".

    Some buddies in my fleet where wondering/ ******** about who picks the spotlights this weekend. It seems that the same few authors are getting picked to be spotlighted over and over. Not that they don?t have good stuff. But a few guys in my fleet have some really good stuff too and spent a lot of time working on their missions. They have submitted them to be spotlighted. But no one plays their missions. They told me they were giving up on making missions because they felt they were not a part of Brandflake ?s clique and would not be able to get their spotlighted.
    "Star Trek Online is powered by the most abundant resource in the galaxy . . . Gullibility"
  • mazikenmaziken Member Posts: 132 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I've only played a handful of the Federation spotlights, but all of the KDF spotlights; and they are all great work. The ones I have played are certainly worthy of being spotlighted. I'm not sure why you feel they don't deserve to be spotlighted. Did you feel the dialog wasn't up to par? Or maybe it was the combat? I'm curious. I also echo the previous posters in that I don't think a mission that isn't feasible in the current STO timeline should be nominated as a spotlight mission. The spotlights should be a nice fit to the current timeline and should be seen as extensions to the existing missions that Cryptic has in-place.
  • pwebranflakespwebranflakes Member Posts: 7,741
    edited February 2013
    jengoz wrote: »
    Some buddies in my fleet where wondering/ ******** about who picks the spotlights this weekend. It seems that the same few authors are getting picked to be spotlighted over and over. Not that they don?t have good stuff. But a few guys in my fleet have some really good stuff too and spent a lot of time working on their missions. They have submitted them to be spotlighted. But no one plays their missions. They told me they were giving up on making missions because they felt they were not a part of Brandflake ?s clique and would not be able to get their spotlighted.

    There are only a couple authors that have had more than one mission featured; I really try to avoid this, but some missions are just too good to not feature. There are also plenty of authors on the spotlight list I linked above that are not well known in the community. I really do look for new and upcoming authors and missions to spotlight.

    Cheers,

    Brandon =/\=
  • castsbugccastsbugc Member Posts: 830 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    jengoz wrote: »
    Some buddies in my fleet where wondering/ ******** about who picks the spotlights this weekend. It seems that the same few authors are getting picked to be spotlighted over and over. Not that they don?t have good stuff. But a few guys in my fleet have some really good stuff too and spent a lot of time working on their missions. They have submitted them to be spotlighted. But no one plays their missions. They told me they were giving up on making missions because they felt they were not a part of Brandflake ?s clique and would not be able to get their spotlighted.

    Then cut out the middleman and outright go 'hey Brandon, give this a whirl and see if it would work :)' Heck, what are the names of these missions anyways?
  • denizenvidenizenvi Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    jengoz wrote: »
    Some buddies in my fleet where wondering/ ******** about who picks the spotlights this weekend. It seems that the same few authors are getting picked to be spotlighted over and over. Not that they don?t have good stuff. But a few guys in my fleet have some really good stuff too and spent a lot of time working on their missions. They have submitted them to be spotlighted. But no one plays their missions. They told me they were giving up on making missions because they felt they were not a part of Brandflake ?s clique and would not be able to get their spotlighted.

    Tell them to share their missions with the broader community. Any author can make an account on StarbaseUGC.com and then post about their mission. There are foundry podcasts, too, that they could email about their missions.

    How to get one's mission 'out there' isn't obvious, but there are plenty of options. Commiserating about how you're 'not part of the clique', on the other hand, doesn't help at all.
    Take a look at my Foundry missions!

    Conjoined    , Re-emergence, and . . .

    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • drkfrontiersdrkfrontiers Member Posts: 2,477 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    It's pretty sad where I find myself.

    My recent Spotlight took me over 8 months to complete the 5-part series, and nearly a month of editing the video. I spent hundreds of hours working on the script, and the idea.

    I did this because I truly love what it is that the Foundry allows me to do, when I am taking a break from PvP.

    I must say, as a member of the STO community, I am downright horrified at the number of threatening and abusive mails I have been receiving through You Tube, insulting me personally and my effort. Fortunately I have received numerous letters of appreciation from You Tube for my promotion of STO, and they were kind enough to block the accounts from further abuse.

    I am saddened to hear this.

    Reviews NEVER deserve to be an insult. Ever.
  • westx211westx211 Member Posts: 42,332 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Are you guys even listening to what Brandon is saying? No offense intended but it seems like you're ignoring him.
    Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.
  • warbird001warbird001 Member Posts: 246 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    pwebranflakes wrote: »
    I do :)



    Nope; I've featured missions that include those that many have not played, as well as some that are well known. This last one was a KDF mission and had less than 40 reviews when it went up for featuring. It was suggested by various members of the community, I played through it, found it to be amazing, and reached out to the author. The missions that get picked do not have to coincide with STO's timeline or interpretation. If you've played through every single spotlighted mission on this list (http://sto.perfectworld.com/about/foundry/foundry-spotlight), you'd know this to not be the case.



    There is no criteria, per se, other than "was this mission amazing, did it impress me, and do I think all players should play it?" and "does it not break the EULA?". I take suggestions from the community (forums, twitter, podcasts, facebook, etc.), play through the missions, and reach out to the authors.



    Thanks for the feedback.

    Cheers,

    Brandon =/\=

    Oh wow, an actual response... I do feel lucky. Yes, I have over eight missions btw and constantly reviewed for spelling and grammatical errors and canon accuracy which is something that even STO doesn't do very well but that's besides the point.

    I don't feel sorry for people who get negative comments because if they cannot make something to a standard that upholds Star Trek then they shouldn't do it at all.

    I just feel that what is the point of making things if people are only going to stick to well known authors or missions like "easy money" that actually abuse what the foundry was made for.
  • drogyn1701drogyn1701 Member Posts: 3,606 Media Corps
    edited February 2013
    jengoz wrote: »
    Some buddies in my fleet where wondering/ ******** about who picks the spotlights this weekend. It seems that the same few authors are getting picked to be spotlighted over and over. Not that they don?t have good stuff. But a few guys in my fleet have some really good stuff too and spent a lot of time working on their missions. They have submitted them to be spotlighted. But no one plays their missions. They told me they were giving up on making missions because they felt they were not a part of Brandflake ?s clique and would not be able to get their spotlighted.

    Please post the names of these missions or link to a me a post where I can find them. I've just started up a podcast where we talk about missions (mini-reviews) and I'd love to highlight missions that have not gotten much recognition yet.
    The Foundry Roundtable live Saturdays at 7:30PM EST/4:30PM PST on twitch.tv/thefoundryroundtable
  • warbird001warbird001 Member Posts: 246 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    drogyn1701 wrote: »
    Please post the names of these missions or link to a me a post where I can find them. I've just started up a podcast where we talk about missions (mini-reviews) and I'd love to highlight missions that have not gotten much recognition yet.

    Kudos to that idea mate, I think its great to get some of the lesser known authors some recognition as well because sometimes you feel like you make these things and people only play the spotlighted or popular ones or ones that abuse what the Foundry was created for.

    My point is, not just one person is qualified to decide which mission makes the list or not because just because that one person dislikes a mission, doesn't mean somebody else will not. It would be better to have a "second opinion" on what makes a "spotlight" mission.
  • brougham21brougham21 Member Posts: 12 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    warbird001 wrote: »
    Oh wow, an actual response... I do feel lucky. Yes, I have over eight missions btw and constantly reviewed for spelling and grammatical errors and canon accuracy which is something that even STO doesn't do very well but that's besides the point.

    I don't feel sorry for people who get negative comments because if they cannot make something to a standard that upholds Star Trek then they shouldn't do it at all.

    I just feel that what is the point of making things if people are only going to stick to well known authors or missions like "easy money" that actually abuse what the foundry was made for.
    What we need is More canon not just "Star Trek Onlines" Canon Example: More Planets, more Systems, more Places to visit, yada yada yada
  • warbird001warbird001 Member Posts: 246 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    brougham21 wrote: »
    What we need is More canon not just "Star Trek Onlines" Canon Example: More Planets, more Systems, more Places to visit, yada yada yada

    Well actually, all the missions I have made "Warbird1988" are cannon correct and in following to the actually Star Trek Universe and not just the one that Cryptic has developed.
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited February 2013
    This content has been removed.
  • warbird001warbird001 Member Posts: 246 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    newplayerguy7 wrote: »
    Okay my friend. I'm going to try them this afternoon when I actually have time to play them.

    Looking forward to seeing what you've done. They better impress me - lol.

    (But seriously - I'll try to give to some good feedback on them - for good or bad. I hope I can seriously come back here and say, "Hey Brandon - -spotlight these!" :))

    Well thank you, I'm not saying mine are the best. This was not even supposed to be a discussion about my foundry missions. I simply want more authors who produce more controversial and ground-breaking work to be spotlighted because they deserve the recognition.
  • UnknownUnknown
    edited February 2013
    This content has been removed.
  • zeuxidemus001zeuxidemus001 Member Posts: 3,357 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Would be nice for ppl like myself that are not really good in the story righting department to put in the highlights of the mission I would like to make and then some ability to hand it off at that point to people who are to say are *better at it* :D
  • izdubar2izdubar2 Member Posts: 43 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    For a long time, probably too long, the Foundry has been ignored by a majority of the playerbase, so it really only had a small cloister of devotees, until it recently became a viable part of the game. Selection was limited for a long time.

    I'm sure as more authors dare to press the publish button and inflict upon themselves fabulous comments and comments on par with Youtube trolls, the selection will move on to other people and talents.
    How MMO companies reach for the stars: "And as far as Season 7 being "grindy" - welcome to the MMORPG genre."
  • pendra3780pendra3780 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    tsurutafan01 wrote: »
    Until the Foundry has proper, actual, "remember when this was new 20 years ago" dialogue trees that let you build missions to multiple outcomes so that literally 100% of the text isn't superfluous "if you really want to, just jam F and you'll still win the mission", who cares?

    The actual combat portions of many of the Foundry missions are fine, but the way their system gimps writers from having anything to actually do is really annoying.

    The foundry had such missions, at least 3 I know of. People thought they were not fun.
  • markhawkmanmarkhawkman Member Posts: 35,236 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    Yeah, Pendra should know, he wrote one of them....

    One issue is that it's confusing to play missions like that. The game doesn't display them quite right....

    Also, you have to actually remember what the mission objectives are. In linear missions, you can simply look in the mission display thing, not here.
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  • betawatcherbetawatcher Member Posts: 2 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    cptvanor wrote: »
    FWhy in the world would they spotlight a mission that doesn't fit in with the STO Canon time line? The whole point of the foundry spotlight is to point out missions they think people should try out.

    Naturally they're going to pick ones that fit in to their story line and style, and not highlight the what-if types of missions, because those are outside the STO Canon.

    As Branflakes explains, you are completely wrong:

    http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=7997091#post7997091
  • oldlordskull73oldlordskull73 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    I quite enjoy the missions that Brandon has selected...and I think he is doing a great job of showcasing them for us.

    My only problem is.....trying to hold his chia pet hostage in order to force him to play my three-hour long mission. :P
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • diogene0diogene0 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    maziken wrote: »
    I've only played a handful of the Federation spotlights, but all of the KDF spotlights; and they are all great work. The ones I have played are certainly worthy of being spotlighted. I'm not sure why you feel they don't deserve to be spotlighted. Did you feel the dialog wasn't up to par? Or maybe it was the combat? I'm curious. I also echo the previous posters in that I don't think a mission that isn't feasible in the current STO timeline should be nominated as a spotlight mission. The spotlights should be a nice fit to the current timeline and should be seen as extensions to the existing missions that Cryptic has in-place.

    The only workaround i found is participating to challenges to get the chance to get a spotlight. This is currently the only way to make yourself known if you're not a part of the "clique". :P
    Lenny Barre, lvl 60 DC. 18k.
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