Explain to me how im supposed to find a way to enjoy this game when everything i like gets nerfed. Every avenue of profit is blocked by their greed. Dont think i havent noticed that eveything i do Is some how blocked. If you dont like the fact that players like myself can marketeer and grind out fortunes. Then turn the game off or higher somebody with a brain in you marketing and develepment departments. These tweaks you make dont make me take out my wallet. It makes me fight people paying you at every turn because you dont dererve it.
The constant incompitence in your leadership will lead this game to ruin when games like defiance and star citizen launch. Its been 3years get a grip on the marketing scams and start thinking about the morale of players.
Since you seem to block everything i do maybe you should stop watching from the shadows and ask me how to balance it instead of breaking it and creating outrage and quiting. I know you'll never do that because that would require you to give a TRIBBLE about your F2pers.
The thing is, everyone seems to keep focusing on stuffz, lootz, ferengi this and ferengi that...the whole idea behind the Foundry was for people to be able to share their ideas of an entertaining mission with other people. Its the somewhat sad state of MMOs where people care more about being Uber L33T and having all the stuffs vs actually finding a way to enjoy the game.
I suppose that for some, the part of being better than all others and having all the toys is their idea of fun. I just think in this whole argument that people are losing sight of actually trying to have fun and not 'what reward can I have or has been taken away'
Actually, the whole idea of the Foundry was so that Users could generate their own content. UGC stands for "User-Generated-Content. Now, I'm one author that has used the Foundry; masde two missions to date which when played in order comprise one complete story (and it is a story with dialogue, plot, etc.)...
BUT - that said, again, the Foundry was designed as a tool to allow Users/Players of Star Trek Online to generate content they want to play, and while that can and should include rich story content; there's also NO REASON why some users/players shouldn't be able to generate 'Grind' content similar to the Event content in the PVE Queues, as long as it is in line with the EULA and TOS of the Foundry and STO.
The Foundry wasn't just created for users to make one type of content - it was created so users could create whatever content they wanted to play, be that story focused content; or more reward focused content. There's not one 'right way' to use this UGC tool.
Again, I think those who believe funneling the Foundry into a more 'strict vision' will somehow get their story focused content more plays/reviews don't understand that those who just want to make use of the Foundry for the rewards it offers will never be interested in story focused content (be it made by Cryptic Devs, or Foundry authors) -m and in the end, if they can't get what they consider a good return for time invested in the Foundry, they'll just stop using the Foundry.
And while those who see the Foundry UGC tool as ONLY to be used for creation of story focused content may approve of that kind of situation, remember, Cryptic focuses development resources of systems that are used by the playerbase; so less people using the Foundry equals EVEN LESS incentive to devote Dev time and resources to improving the Foundry UGC tool.
I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't try to force one strct view on how a tool shoukd be used. Do your thing; and let others do their thing (and while exploits by EITHER 'side' should and will be closed/removed eventually), everyone should acknowledge the validity of any non-exploitable (as defined by Cryptic) content created for, and used by the STO playerbase - whether it be more story, or more reward focused.
I do think Cryptic would serve the Foundry community better by adding a Tabs that allow the author to chose which Tab he'd like a piece of content to appear in, and there shpould be a tab that contains and sorts through just such 'reward focused' and another that just sorts through 'story focused' -- and let the potential player of the Foundry decide what he wants to play in his STO session.
(And if Cryptic feels such a distinction/division of UGC content is 'bad' - come on guys - you already MAKE that distinction with your own Dev created content as - in the PvE queue interface - you have an entire column with graphics, showing the primary reward one can expect from playing various content. Unless you guys (and again I mean Cryptic) are yourselves going to make a hard/fast/system enforceable rule that the Foundry is ONLY for story focused content, give Foundry authors a way to categorize content that's easily used by player as well, and let all allowable types of content exist in STO the way your own story and reward focused content already does.
And the same thing goes for us authors. we need to acknowledge multiple types of player content are valid in the Foundry and learn to co-exist in game as it were. In the end, let the playerbase that makes use of the Foundry have easier access to tools that allow them to find just the type of user-generated content they want to make use of. Forcing players to do one type or the other (again, unless Cryptic itself makes a clear unequivocal content policy announcement regarding the Foundry) would not be good for STO or the Foundry (IMO).
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
"Again, I think those who believe funneling the Foundry into a more 'strict vision' will somehow get their story focused content more plays/reviews don't understand that those who just want to make use of the Foundry for the rewards it offers will never be interested in story focused content (be it made by Cryptic Devs, or Foundry authors) -m and in the end, if they can't get what they consider a good return for time invested in the Foundry, they'll just stop using the Foundry."
I cannot agree more. All this nerfing will only lead to yet another batch of exploits. The best solution is a better menu for foundry missions so story content is easier to find.
A TIME TO SEARCH: ENTER MY FOUNDRY MISSION at the RISA SYSTEM Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
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.
You know, I will say this as a foundry author in support of the Bran and how he's run the spotlights and made the choices; I won't say he's infallible.
There have been a mission or two I've played on the list that, while okay and good, weren't as great as some missions I've played or found out of luck in the depths of the lists. I know he is limited in his choices by those authors who are willing to drop all editing rights to their missions and live with the results; but he can ask and go through the methods worked before to have them press the button if the idea didn't occur to him.
I agree with who said it that there have been some ones with crappy maps or that needed a bit more than one layer of polish. So, there are spotlight missions I don't think are all that great. But seeing the ratings of other players I tend to be vindicated in my views. Still, there is a list of great missions run in the mission forum subsections that I think he should crosscheck with here or there. That way he can find reviews or get a bit more of a player enjoyment aided shot.
I was playing my guitar and got to thinking as a foundry author what are the rewards for your time invested? I play with the foundry when i just really don't want to have to think to much and want to veg. ut compare that to playing an instrument in your leisure time where you are building on a skill that lasts a lifetime. What are the returns for poring hours into foundry projects? First MMO's are not forever they get shut down eventually second the menu system almost guarantees you will be way down on the list and will only get tens of plays.
Once again Cryptic decided to nerf the rewards. The result a different kind of grinder will be at the top of the list and people will still feel animosity towards foundry authors especially since some have struck out against the grinders. I don't think anything that has happened here has been good for the player base as a whole and more spotlights (like my staff picks idea) and a better menu system are what is really what is needed. I fully expect "exploit"
missions to continue being the top played missions and for animosity to continue in the foundry until Cryptic decides to change the way they deal with the problems.
A TIME TO SEARCH: ENTER MY FOUNDRY MISSION at the RISA SYSTEM Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
I'm entertained by the act of writing and building the missions. And I enjoy seeing people play them and (hopefully) be entertained by them. That's all the reward I need.
So i've decided to play some of the spotlighted missions recently, out of curiosity, and while some of them are impressive, some others are just meh, with a good idea but a poor use of the game mechanics and maps with very little work. Maybe it's just not good enough to my taste but maps are critical for immersion, and some spotlighted authors focused too much on dialogs and not enough on maps.
That's a minority but it's annoying. Because a mission isn't just about a story.
So i've decided to play some of the spotlighted missions recently, out of curiosity, and while some of them are impressive, some others are just meh, with a good idea but a poor use of the game mechanics and maps with very little work. Maybe it's just not good enough to my taste but maps are critical for immersion, and some spotlighted authors focused too much on dialogs and not enough on maps.
That's a minority but it's annoying. Because a mission isn't just about a story.
Yup i totally agree as the addage says the medium is the message Games are a format of entertainment just like film or tv is. If it isnt fun to play or for a game in this day in age if it isnt immersive is it really a video game?
A TIME TO SEARCH: ENTER MY FOUNDRY MISSION at the RISA SYSTEM Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
It is good to be back after my little hiatus which game me a little time to think about what I was going to say when I got back.
I have thought long and hard about the problems with the Spotlight System and Cryptic pretty much confirmed my suspicions when they removed the Fleet Marks from the IOR daily and game the most amount of dilithium to "Spotlight Missions Only..."
So what is the point of the rest of us making missions? Because at the moment, I am not sure if the Foundry is nothing more then a promotion tool for future Cryptic mission developers? How can such a hopelessly biased system work?
I say biased because "ONE" person decides what is good and what is not. I ask this not to be rude but to ask the question? "What makes Branflakes the authority on Star Trek?" Branflakes, if you are reading this, that is NOT meant as an insult?
I understand that you are a game developer and what-not but the spotlight system has been badly designed from the word go. The biased of the system is pretty obvious and no offense but I am pretty sure I could easily beat any mod at Star Trek Trivia and so could a lot of others here.
You need to give the "Spotlight" power, if there actually needs to be one. (Although the Foundry did fine without it) over to the community who actually love and understand Star Trek enough to judge missions. Now considering that you removed the Fleet Marks which means less people who just want to game and grind and care not for story will be gone, you can now give the power to rate missions solely to the community?
Bran is NOT a dev. It's his job to do stuff like this.
Well no disrespect to him but "What makes him the authority on Star Trek?", does he know more then us hard core fans do? I would be interested to find out. I was a little dismayed to find out that Captain Geko did not know that the Dauntless from Hope and Fear was used again in "Azati Prime" as a canon Federation vessel at the Battle of Proycon V...
Somewhat concerning of our leaders... don't you think?
Considering it comes from Voyager I can forgive him not knowing something. Look, not every single person is going to be programmed with the minutia of every single dreadful and not episode ever made in the series or the dreadful and not books that exist as well. I will tell you this, based on what I have been seeing for a while, I dont know that this community represents the ideals of star trek, let alone can be expected to make choices that best influence the overall perceptions of the game.
Considering it comes from Voyager I can forgive him not knowing something. Look, not every single person is going to be programmed with the minutia of every single dreadful and not episode ever made in the series or the dreadful and not books that exist as well. I will tell you this, based on what I have been seeing for a while, I dont know that this community represents the ideals of star trek, let alone can be expected to make choices that best influence the overall perceptions of the game.
Then ultimately, are they the best person qualified to make those decisions? Because if somebody does not know about the subject matter, then are they really qualified to judge a players intentions?
My answer is no... because there are people out there more qualified to make that call in the actual player base.
Then ultimately, are they the best person qualified to make those decisions? Because if somebody does not know about the subject matter, then are they really qualified to judge a players intentions?
My answer is no... because there are people out there more qualified to make that call in the actual player base.
I say yes, the missions Brandon chooses may not always be absolutely correct in canon, but given that Star Trek Canon has holes big enough for two Odyssey class ships to fly through sideways and end to end anyway before the STO writers or the Foundry authors get involved, the absolute rigidity you seem to place on canon shouldn't be a requirement for being spotlighted anyway.
Brandon does however choose missions that are well made, well written and stick to the ideals of the faction they're written for.
I say yes, the missions Brandon chooses may not always be absolutely correct in canon, but given that Star Trek Canon has holes big enough for two Odyssey class ships to fly through sideways and end to end anyway before the STO writers or the Foundry authors get involved, the absolute rigidity you seem to place on canon shouldn't be a requirement for being spotlighted anyway.
Brandon does however choose missions that are well made, well written and stick to the ideals of the faction they're written for.
What constitutes well written or well made? My point is that everyone has different opinions... there are people that would consider Battleship Royal Rumble a good mission so why is his opinion more valid then anyone elses?
You don't need to get a spotlight for people to play your missions. Mine are buried somewhere under a huge pile and I'm still getting 2 or 3 reviews a day.
Then ultimately, are they the best person qualified to make those decisions? Because if somebody does not know about the subject matter, then are they really qualified to judge a players intentions?
My answer is no... because there are people out there more qualified to make that call in the actual player base.
Um.... you picked one of the most obscure bits of trivia in the history of Star Trek. I mean really.... it was seen in Azati prime for a matter of seconds..... I wouldn't have know if I hadn't read the memory alpha article.
What constitutes well written or well made? My point is that everyone has different opinions... there are people that would consider Battleship Royal Rumble a good mission so why is his opinion more valid then anyone elses?
The fact that Brandon is a paid employee of Cryptic/PWE, paid to design events and stuff like the Foundry spotlight which means that the Spotlight is his baby, he pushed to get it officially recognised in game beyond the bulletin, he sets the rules, and he has the absolute final decision on what makes the mission worthy of being a spotlight mission.
You know, the usual responsibilities that come with such power as to choose the spotlight missions.
The fact that Brandon is a paid employee of Cryptic/PWE, paid to design events and stuff like the Foundry spotlight which means that the Spotlight is his baby, he pushed to get it officially recognised in game beyond the bulletin, he sets the rules, and he has the absolute final decision on what makes the mission worthy of being a spotlight mission.
You know, the usual responsibilities that come with such power as to choose the spotlight missions.
Um, they were spotlighting Foundry missions back when Stormshade was the STO CM. It's not something Brandon came up with out of the blue per se.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Um, they were spotlighting Foundry missions back when Stormshade was the STO CM. It's not something Brandon came up with out of the blue per se.
I agree and I feel that its not needed because its promoting "elitism" to the Foundry and we have enough of that in PvP. Plus, everyone has different opinions about missions so why is it needed, especially if Cryptic are trying to rope you into playing it because they offer "MORE" rewards then standard Foundry missions.
So what is the point? Its a system full of individual bias and it really cannot be said otherwise.
The obscure bits are usually the best and most interesting parts, it what sets apart a true hardcore Star Trek fan from a normal casual fan.
Um, they were spotlighting Foundry missions back when Stormshade was the STO CM. It's not something Brandon came up with out of the blue per se.
Maybe so, but the Foundry Spotlight under Stormshade was just a way of bringing good missions too light. It's only under Brandon that the Spotlight has gained the extra rewards and recognition with a special page in the Foundry menu for them.
Maybe so, but the Foundry Spotlight under Stormshade was just a way of bringing good missions too light. It's only under Brandon that the Spotlight has gained the extra rewards and recognition with a special page in the Foundry menu for them.
Which essentially is wrong because its discriminatory towards authors and creates elitism within the Foundry rather then equality amongst authors.
Plus the standard criteria for what constitutes a "spotlight" mission from a normal mission changes due to Brandon's will...
Which essentially is wrong because its discriminatory towards authors and creates elitism within the Foundry rather then equality amongst authors.
So the Oscars are discriminatory to B-Movie Actors, writers and producers since only the top budgeted movies win Oscars.
The Hugo awards are discriminatory towards Fantasy authors since they're only awarded to Sci-Fi authors.
You've basically just said that because something doesn't fall within the rules of the competition it's being discriminated against. It's been clear from start of the Foundry Spotlight that it is an award for good mission design and story writing.
If you feel that other missions should be promoted above the ones Brandon has chosen make your case, right now though you're lashing out at Brandon and the people supporting Brandon because of something you feel is unfair when in reality it's actually far fairer than some other systems that have tried to use player votes to promote missions to be spotlight like.
CoX's Mission Architect got missions promoted after I believe 1000 votes with an average rating of 4.5+. The moment one got promoted hundreds of angry authors would jump on it and 1 star it until it no longer qualified for the promotion and got knocked back down.
There's also the fact that right now, to some of the Foundry authors who've been Spotlighted, the Spotlighting of their mission is more a curse than a blessing, because they can't update it as new tech is added to the Foundry and have a mission slot locked off which they don't currently get replaced.
But as always, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence for some people.
Maybe so, but the Foundry Spotlight under Stormshade was just a way of bringing good missions too light. It's only under Brandon that the Spotlight has gained the extra rewards and recognition with a special page in the Foundry menu for them.
So the Oscars are discriminatory to B-Movie Actors, writers and producers since only the top budgeted movies win Oscars.
The Hugo awards are discriminatory towards Fantasy authors since they're only awarded to Sci-Fi authors.
You've basically just said that because something doesn't fall within the rules of the competition it's being discriminated against. It's been clear from start of the Foundry Spotlight that it is an award for good mission design and story writing.
If you feel that other missions should be promoted above the ones Brandon has chosen make your case, right now though you're lashing out at Brandon and the people supporting Brandon because of something you feel is unfair when in reality it's actually far fairer than some other systems that have tried to use player votes to promote missions to be spotlight like.
CoX's Mission Architect got missions promoted after I believe 1000 votes with an average rating of 4.5+. The moment one got promoted hundreds of angry authors would jump on it and 1 star it until it no longer qualified for the promotion and got knocked back down.
There's also the fact that right now, to some of the Foundry authors who've been Spotlighted, the Spotlighting of their mission is more a curse than a blessing, because they can't update it as new tech is added to the Foundry and have a mission slot locked off which they don't currently get replaced.
But as always, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence for some people.
I am not lashing out and this is not the Oscars, despite the fact that the same thing happens and people that don't deserve awards usually get them, the same as people who don't deserve to be famous and rich usually are...
cough Katie Price cough...
That is beside the point, and do not accuse me of bashing Brandon because I do not know the guy personally so I cannot comment. However it is the way the system seems, with several of the "favorite" authors get promoted multiple times while the rest of us fall by the wayside since our contributions to the foundry are not wanted or overlooked.
Promoting one mission over another is not fair, not if exactly equal thought and development time has been put into it. Brandon cannot simply play ALL the missions on the Foundry, that's impossible so the system is not fair and is biased.
Saying I'm attacking Brandon is not negating that fact... it makes it all the more prevalent because you cannot come back with a reasonable defense.
I am not lashing out and this is not the Oscars, despite the fact that the same thing happens and people that don't deserve awards usually get them, the same as people who don't deserve to be famous and rich usually are...
cough Katie Price cough...
But this is the Foundry Equivilant of the Oscars which is the point I was making.
That is beside the point, and do not accuse me of bashing Brandon because I do not know the guy personally so I cannot comment. However it is the way the system seems, with several of the "favorite" authors get promoted multiple times while the rest of us fall by the wayside since our contributions to the foundry are not wanted or overlooked.
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.
I wanted to get some numerical data on the Foundry spotlight winners and saw that of the 34 spotlighted missions so far, there's only been 3 duplicate authors (for each of them to have 2 episodes: Captain_Revo, drkfrontiers, and soriedem). Considering half the spotlight episodes are KDF, note that those 3 authors have 5 of their 6 spotlight missions for KDF -- which I'm confident has fewer episodes in general to pick from and thus a high quality mission has an easier chance of standing out.
So that's 34 episodes for 31 people. I think BranFlakes has been more than fair in getting a wide range of different authors.
So my congratulations to Aavarius, AdmiralMurphy, Alen_de_jour, Alimac30, Bazag, Capt.PFDennis, Captain_Revo, Castomodean, CheRoj, Darren_Kitlor, DenizenVI, drkfrontiers, Drogyn1701, Duke-of-Rock, Evil70th, Galactrix, Havraha, HippieJohn, Kirkfat, Maziken, Meth_Shadowstorm, milesredria, mygod_itsfullofstars, Netherblood, RachelGarrett, RogueEnterprise, Seancy8512, soriedem, Tiuz, woghd, and XR-377 for being spotlighted and best of luck to those who wish to get spotlighted in the future.
Promoting one mission over another is not fair, not if exactly equal thought and development time has been put into it. Brandon cannot simply play ALL the missions on the Foundry, that's impossible so the system is not fair and is biased.
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 agree and I feel that its not needed because its promoting "elitism" to the Foundry and we have enough of that in PvP. Plus, everyone has different opinions about missions so why is it needed, especially if Cryptic are trying to rope you into playing it because they offer "MORE" rewards then standard Foundry missions.
So what is the point? Its a system full of individual bias and it really cannot be said otherwise.
The obscure bits are usually the best and most interesting parts, it what sets apart a true hardcore Star Trek fan from a normal casual fan.
Ultimately, "good" and "bad" in a creative context are a matter of opinion.
Equality is an illusion. It'll never happen because players are free to choose not to play a mission. It doesn't really matter why they don't.
I agree with Bluedarky. Spotlights are about recognizing things that are better than average. trying to force equality into consideration is futile. The point of Spotlights is that it's inherently inequal.
Comments
The constant incompitence in your leadership will lead this game to ruin when games like defiance and star citizen launch. Its been 3years get a grip on the marketing scams and start thinking about the morale of players.
Since you seem to block everything i do maybe you should stop watching from the shadows and ask me how to balance it instead of breaking it and creating outrage and quiting. I know you'll never do that because that would require you to give a TRIBBLE about your F2pers.
Actually, the whole idea of the Foundry was so that Users could generate their own content. UGC stands for "User-Generated-Content. Now, I'm one author that has used the Foundry; masde two missions to date which when played in order comprise one complete story (and it is a story with dialogue, plot, etc.)...
BUT - that said, again, the Foundry was designed as a tool to allow Users/Players of Star Trek Online to generate content they want to play, and while that can and should include rich story content; there's also NO REASON why some users/players shouldn't be able to generate 'Grind' content similar to the Event content in the PVE Queues, as long as it is in line with the EULA and TOS of the Foundry and STO.
The Foundry wasn't just created for users to make one type of content - it was created so users could create whatever content they wanted to play, be that story focused content; or more reward focused content. There's not one 'right way' to use this UGC tool.
Again, I think those who believe funneling the Foundry into a more 'strict vision' will somehow get their story focused content more plays/reviews don't understand that those who just want to make use of the Foundry for the rewards it offers will never be interested in story focused content (be it made by Cryptic Devs, or Foundry authors) -m and in the end, if they can't get what they consider a good return for time invested in the Foundry, they'll just stop using the Foundry.
And while those who see the Foundry UGC tool as ONLY to be used for creation of story focused content may approve of that kind of situation, remember, Cryptic focuses development resources of systems that are used by the playerbase; so less people using the Foundry equals EVEN LESS incentive to devote Dev time and resources to improving the Foundry UGC tool.
I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't try to force one strct view on how a tool shoukd be used. Do your thing; and let others do their thing (and while exploits by EITHER 'side' should and will be closed/removed eventually), everyone should acknowledge the validity of any non-exploitable (as defined by Cryptic) content created for, and used by the STO playerbase - whether it be more story, or more reward focused.
I do think Cryptic would serve the Foundry community better by adding a Tabs that allow the author to chose which Tab he'd like a piece of content to appear in, and there shpould be a tab that contains and sorts through just such 'reward focused' and another that just sorts through 'story focused' -- and let the potential player of the Foundry decide what he wants to play in his STO session.
(And if Cryptic feels such a distinction/division of UGC content is 'bad' - come on guys - you already MAKE that distinction with your own Dev created content as - in the PvE queue interface - you have an entire column with graphics, showing the primary reward one can expect from playing various content. Unless you guys (and again I mean Cryptic) are yourselves going to make a hard/fast/system enforceable rule that the Foundry is ONLY for story focused content, give Foundry authors a way to categorize content that's easily used by player as well, and let all allowable types of content exist in STO the way your own story and reward focused content already does.
And the same thing goes for us authors. we need to acknowledge multiple types of player content are valid in the Foundry and learn to co-exist in game as it were. In the end, let the playerbase that makes use of the Foundry have easier access to tools that allow them to find just the type of user-generated content they want to make use of. Forcing players to do one type or the other (again, unless Cryptic itself makes a clear unequivocal content policy announcement regarding the Foundry) would not be good for STO or the Foundry (IMO).
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
I cannot agree more. All this nerfing will only lead to yet another batch of exploits. The best solution is a better menu for foundry missions so story content is easier to find.
Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
^^^^^This^^^^^^^^
My Foundry Missions:
The Wave Empire Series: http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=279751
There have been a mission or two I've played on the list that, while okay and good, weren't as great as some missions I've played or found out of luck in the depths of the lists. I know he is limited in his choices by those authors who are willing to drop all editing rights to their missions and live with the results; but he can ask and go through the methods worked before to have them press the button if the idea didn't occur to him.
I agree with who said it that there have been some ones with crappy maps or that needed a bit more than one layer of polish. So, there are spotlight missions I don't think are all that great. But seeing the ratings of other players I tend to be vindicated in my views. Still, there is a list of great missions run in the mission forum subsections that I think he should crosscheck with here or there. That way he can find reviews or get a bit more of a player enjoyment aided shot.
Once again Cryptic decided to nerf the rewards. The result a different kind of grinder will be at the top of the list and people will still feel animosity towards foundry authors especially since some have struck out against the grinders. I don't think anything that has happened here has been good for the player base as a whole and more spotlights (like my staff picks idea) and a better menu system are what is really what is needed. I fully expect "exploit"
missions to continue being the top played missions and for animosity to continue in the foundry until Cryptic decides to change the way they deal with the problems.
Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
That's a minority but it's annoying. Because a mission isn't just about a story.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
Yup i totally agree as the addage says the medium is the message Games are a format of entertainment just like film or tv is. If it isnt fun to play or for a game in this day in age if it isnt immersive is it really a video game?
Parallels: my second mission for Fed aligned Romulans.
I have thought long and hard about the problems with the Spotlight System and Cryptic pretty much confirmed my suspicions when they removed the Fleet Marks from the IOR daily and game the most amount of dilithium to "Spotlight Missions Only..."
So what is the point of the rest of us making missions? Because at the moment, I am not sure if the Foundry is nothing more then a promotion tool for future Cryptic mission developers? How can such a hopelessly biased system work?
I say biased because "ONE" person decides what is good and what is not. I ask this not to be rude but to ask the question? "What makes Branflakes the authority on Star Trek?" Branflakes, if you are reading this, that is NOT meant as an insult?
I understand that you are a game developer and what-not but the spotlight system has been badly designed from the word go. The biased of the system is pretty obvious and no offense but I am pretty sure I could easily beat any mod at Star Trek Trivia and so could a lot of others here.
You need to give the "Spotlight" power, if there actually needs to be one. (Although the Foundry did fine without it) over to the community who actually love and understand Star Trek enough to judge missions. Now considering that you removed the Fleet Marks which means less people who just want to game and grind and care not for story will be gone, you can now give the power to rate missions solely to the community?
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Well no disrespect to him but "What makes him the authority on Star Trek?", does he know more then us hard core fans do? I would be interested to find out. I was a little dismayed to find out that Captain Geko did not know that the Dauntless from Hope and Fear was used again in "Azati Prime" as a canon Federation vessel at the Battle of Proycon V...
Somewhat concerning of our leaders... don't you think?
Then ultimately, are they the best person qualified to make those decisions? Because if somebody does not know about the subject matter, then are they really qualified to judge a players intentions?
My answer is no... because there are people out there more qualified to make that call in the actual player base.
I say yes, the missions Brandon chooses may not always be absolutely correct in canon, but given that Star Trek Canon has holes big enough for two Odyssey class ships to fly through sideways and end to end anyway before the STO writers or the Foundry authors get involved, the absolute rigidity you seem to place on canon shouldn't be a requirement for being spotlighted anyway.
Brandon does however choose missions that are well made, well written and stick to the ideals of the faction they're written for.
What constitutes well written or well made? My point is that everyone has different opinions... there are people that would consider Battleship Royal Rumble a good mission so why is his opinion more valid then anyone elses?
Foundry Mission Database
Check out my Foundry missions:
Standalone - The Great Escape - The Galaxy's Fair - Purity I: Of Denial - Return to Oblivion
Untitled Series - Duritanium Man - The Improbable Bulk - Commander Rihan
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well made: it doesn't have an obviously horrible level design.
Granted spotlights are more than just that, but you get the idea.
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The fact that Brandon is a paid employee of Cryptic/PWE, paid to design events and stuff like the Foundry spotlight which means that the Spotlight is his baby, he pushed to get it officially recognised in game beyond the bulletin, he sets the rules, and he has the absolute final decision on what makes the mission worthy of being a spotlight mission.
You know, the usual responsibilities that come with such power as to choose the spotlight missions.
Um, they were spotlighting Foundry missions back when Stormshade was the STO CM. It's not something Brandon came up with out of the blue per se.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
I agree and I feel that its not needed because its promoting "elitism" to the Foundry and we have enough of that in PvP. Plus, everyone has different opinions about missions so why is it needed, especially if Cryptic are trying to rope you into playing it because they offer "MORE" rewards then standard Foundry missions.
So what is the point? Its a system full of individual bias and it really cannot be said otherwise.
The obscure bits are usually the best and most interesting parts, it what sets apart a true hardcore Star Trek fan from a normal casual fan.
Maybe so, but the Foundry Spotlight under Stormshade was just a way of bringing good missions too light. It's only under Brandon that the Spotlight has gained the extra rewards and recognition with a special page in the Foundry menu for them.
Which essentially is wrong because its discriminatory towards authors and creates elitism within the Foundry rather then equality amongst authors.
Plus the standard criteria for what constitutes a "spotlight" mission from a normal mission changes due to Brandon's will...
The Foundry was a much better tool without it...
So the Oscars are discriminatory to B-Movie Actors, writers and producers since only the top budgeted movies win Oscars.
The Hugo awards are discriminatory towards Fantasy authors since they're only awarded to Sci-Fi authors.
You've basically just said that because something doesn't fall within the rules of the competition it's being discriminated against. It's been clear from start of the Foundry Spotlight that it is an award for good mission design and story writing.
If you feel that other missions should be promoted above the ones Brandon has chosen make your case, right now though you're lashing out at Brandon and the people supporting Brandon because of something you feel is unfair when in reality it's actually far fairer than some other systems that have tried to use player votes to promote missions to be spotlight like.
CoX's Mission Architect got missions promoted after I believe 1000 votes with an average rating of 4.5+. The moment one got promoted hundreds of angry authors would jump on it and 1 star it until it no longer qualified for the promotion and got knocked back down.
There's also the fact that right now, to some of the Foundry authors who've been Spotlighted, the Spotlighting of their mission is more a curse than a blessing, because they can't update it as new tech is added to the Foundry and have a mission slot locked off which they don't currently get replaced.
But as always, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence for some people.
We asked for that as a community.
I am not lashing out and this is not the Oscars, despite the fact that the same thing happens and people that don't deserve awards usually get them, the same as people who don't deserve to be famous and rich usually are...
cough Katie Price cough...
That is beside the point, and do not accuse me of bashing Brandon because I do not know the guy personally so I cannot comment. However it is the way the system seems, with several of the "favorite" authors get promoted multiple times while the rest of us fall by the wayside since our contributions to the foundry are not wanted or overlooked.
Promoting one mission over another is not fair, not if exactly equal thought and development time has been put into it. Brandon cannot simply play ALL the missions on the Foundry, that's impossible so the system is not fair and is biased.
Saying I'm attacking Brandon is not negating that fact... it makes it all the more prevalent because you cannot come back with a reasonable defense.
But this is the Foundry Equivilant of the Oscars which is the point I was making.
I don't need to negotiate with you over most of the points you just made, other people did it for me earlier in the thread.
Equality is an illusion. It'll never happen because players are free to choose not to play a mission. It doesn't really matter why they don't.
I agree with Bluedarky. Spotlights are about recognizing things that are better than average. trying to force equality into consideration is futile. The point of Spotlights is that it's inherently inequal.
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