For Cryptic: A Suggestion Regarding the May Update

ztempest

Maybe this is too late...but here it is.

Very simple -- between now and May, every Cryptic Dev, programmer, or writer involved with Klingon content for the May update should be required to play a Klingon character, every day, in PvE and PvP. They can do it under assumed names...just play one, and see what the faction is like from the INSIDE. Maybe I am wrong on this, but it is my impression that few, if any Cryptic Devs have a Klingon character as their "main". Even Mr. Stahl, who at one time I think promoted himself as a champion for Klingon issues talked in a recent STOked interview that he is a Defiant captain, and how much the new Kumari (Andorian) is growing on him...suggesting that he spends a lot of his time on the Fed side of the game...

I challenge you to play the ships you have designed for us in situations you never tested them in. Look at the options we have been given, and the selections that the faction has available...play a Klingon SCI character and look at what is available at endgame for that class...and compare that to the Feds. Play the missions through...you won't have to worry about it being a time sink, there just is not that much there LOL.

Then contrast that with your breadth of experience with the Federation characters you have.

If the May update really is a major Klingon step forward...then play a Klingon, day in, day out, before you take that step...that would make the difference between taking a step off of a cliff into disaster...or a step forward on a solid path to progress.

But...like I said, it is likely too late...

snoggymack22

ztempest wrote: »

Very simple -- between now and May, every Cryptic Dev, programmer, or writer involved with Klingon content for the May update

Going on past updates, this should be easy to implement. A grand total of 0 developers would be required to do as you suggest. Thus matching the number of developers "ivnolved" with Klingon content for the May update.

bitemepwe

I support the Op's idea and would love to get in on that action.

zipagat

I would love for Dstahl and the other devs to have to spend time on the KDF side to see how bleak it really is compared to the feds. But yeah I refuse to believe that they are actually working on anything for us in the May update until I see it in patch notes.

captainbmoney

I remember on the Launch of Season 4 Dstahl used his Gorn and was on for countless hours helping KDF characters who were stuck in the Challenge Hall in Qo'Nos. good times. I haven't seen him on there since.

ztempest

captainbmoney wrote: »

I remember on the Launch of Season 4 Dstahl used his Gorn and was on for countless hours helping KDF characters who were stuck in the Challenge Hall in Qo'Nos. good times. I haven't seen him on there since.

Look...if that happened (I did not witness it) then I salute Dstahl for the effort...but to be pragmatic about this, such things are completely worthless -- an empty gesture -- for the following reasons...

1. That was then, this is now. You are talking about a one-time event that occurred literally years ago. Season 4 was a very, very long time ago, and the game is totally different now.

2. Giving advice and helping other players is NOT what I want him -- or any other Dev who is in-game and working a Klingon character -- to do. I want them to go in and actually play the game as Klingon...in fact, I would like to see them play ONLY Klingon for the next two months and not touch their Feds. Give them a solid dose of what the hardcore Klingon players are dealing with day in and day out. See how short the story arc really is...go up against Feds in their shiney new ships in PvP...be that Lieutenant General KDF Science officer who has to choose between attempting to get a lockbox ship...or the Fleet Varanus, which is practically the same as the non-fleet version and which brings pretty much NOTHING new to the table, because there ARE NO OTHER OPTIONS!

3. I don't even want to know if they are in-game. I would prefer that they use non-identifying handles -- and just be another Klingon player.

Once again...if DStahl did that in season 4, then my hat is off to him...but that is not the point of this exercise -- and such gestures are meaningless in terms of learning exactly what is wrong with the KDF faction...

And yes, I do realize the possibility that all of this talk about KDF content in the May Update could well be a smokescreen...and that we might not be getting anything of real value at all...I hope that is not the case, but as one person put it in either this thread or another -- I will believe it for certain when I see it in the patch notes.

daveyny

I'm not sure I see the logic in this...

What makes you think They don't already realize, that playing a Klingon toon isn't as rewarding as playing a Fed one?

These forums have been aglow for ages now (pretty much since opening day) with the posts of KDF players complaining about how "Un-Fun" the faction is.

We've even had posts from Dstahl himself admitting as much, on many an occasion.

Personally, I'd much rather have Them 'working' on adding stuff to the game on a daily basis, rather than wasting time playing it.

Your post is a lovely attempt to rouse the KDF troops around here, but hardly a logical request.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from believing what you will, but I can't see Cryptic destroying what little good-will They have left, by attempting to once again overstate the facts.

Despite the disaster of last weeks patch, they don't really want to pizz-off the player base on a continuing basis.

(I attribute last weeks poor decision to the fact that They are so caught up in getting the next major update finished, that They forgot that WE can't see the forest through the trees...
They can see the whole picture, it didn't dawn on Them that we don't have the prescience to realize that what They are doing will eventually improve the game. We 'play' on a day-to-day basis, while They see things in a much grander scale.
They simply forgot to see things as we do.)

ztempest

daveyny wrote: »

I'm not sure I see the logic in this...

What makes you think They don't already realize, that playing a Klingon toon isn't as rewarding as playing a Fed one?

These forums have been aglow for ages now (pretty much since opening day) with the posts of KDF players complaining about how "Un-Fun" the faction is.

We've even had posts from Dstahl himself admitting as much, on many an occasion.

Personally, I'd much rather have Them 'working' on adding stuff to the game on a daily basis, rather than wasting time playing it.

Your post is a lovely attempt to rouse the KDF troops around here, but hardly a logical request.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from believing what you will, but I can't see Cryptic destroying what little good-will They have left, by attempting to once again overstate the facts.

Despite the disaster of last weeks patch, they don't really want to pizz-off the player base on a continuing basis.

(I attribute last weeks poor decision to the fact that They are so caught up in getting the next major update finished, that They forgot that WE can't see the forest through the trees...
They can see the whole picture, it didn't dawn on Them that we don't have the prescience to realize that what They are doing will eventually improve the game. We 'play' on a day-to-day basis, while They see things in a much grander scale.
They simply forgot to see things as we do.)

Not being disrespectful in any way, but I think you missed the point of this exercise.

In short -- knowing something intellectually as fact is far different from experiencing it.

The same is true for practically ANY life situation, and the same concept can be applied to any problem or issue -- you may know something is wrong, perhaps even fully understand WHY it is wrong or broken...but until you actually get down into the dirt and experience it...you really don't know.

The truth is in your post, above. You are absolutely correct in that Cryptic does in fact know that there are issues with the KDF faction. They have admited as such. So...they have intellectual awareness of the broken issues surrounding the KDF...but have they experienced it firsthand? I believe that knowing about it, and experiencing it firsthand makes a difference. You stated that the forums are ablaze with the issues, and that Cryptic is aware...but yet does not fix it - the reason why is simple -- the forum posters experience the problems first-hand and deal with them on a daily basis...Cryptic devs do not, even though they "know" about the problems.

As far as playing the game vs. creating content - i.e. time management...let me ask you this -- what is the logic behind creating content for something when you have little to no idea how what you are creating content for really works in reality? It is this thinking that gets us the broken issues you even alluded to above -- the patch -- and it is also part of exercising good judgment -- if the guys who make content for the game don't play it, then how do they know that their content won't marry up with what the player base expects from the game? Another example -- the entire Bortas fiasco. On paper, the ships look great! But because the creators have little to no understanding of the Klingon player base, or the types of vessels that exemplify what it is to be Klingon, they were a complete disaster in that in terms of ship design, they basically were sub-par, and as part of the Klingon ship stable, they really do not fit.

Besides...most of these guys DO play the game...it is just that most of them play on the Federation side, or so I believe. Even DStahl self-identified himself as a Defiant captain, and that he is starting to really like the Kumari. How could he say that if he is not playing?

blagorm

ztempest wrote: »

Maybe this is too late...but here it is.

Very simple -- between now and May, every Cryptic Dev, programmer, or writer involved with Klingon content for the May update should be required to play a Klingon character, every day, in PvE and PvP. They can do it under assumed names...just play one, and see what the faction is like from the INSIDE. Maybe I am wrong on this, but it is my impression that few, if any Cryptic Devs have a Klingon character as their "main". Even Mr. Stahl, who at one time I think promoted himself as a champion for Klingon issues talked in a recent STOked interview that he is a Defiant captain, and how much the new Kumari (Andorian) is growing on him...suggesting that he spends a lot of his time on the Fed side of the game...

I challenge you to play the ships you have designed for us in situations you never tested them in. Look at the options we have been given, and the selections that the faction has available...play a Klingon SCI character and look at what is available at endgame for that class...and compare that to the Feds. Play the missions through...you won't have to worry about it being a time sink, there just is not that much there LOL.

Then contrast that with your breadth of experience with the Federation characters you have.

If the May update really is a major Klingon step forward...then play a Klingon, day in, day out, before you take that step...that would make the difference between taking a step off of a cliff into disaster...or a step forward on a solid path to progress.

But...like I said, it is likely too late...

Speak It My Friend! I Totaly agree they should "look" into our faction more. Who knows... I would love a Gorn Rebelion (with GOrn Characters able to be in/ any character) when they have more money from making us more!!!

blagorm

daveyny wrote: »

I'm not sure I see the logic in this...

What makes you think They don't already realize, that playing a Klingon toon isn't as rewarding as playing a Fed one?

These forums have been aglow for ages now (pretty much since opening day) with the posts of KDF players complaining about how "Un-Fun" the faction is.

We've even had posts from Dstahl himself admitting as much, on many an occasion.

Personally, I'd much rather have Them 'working' on adding stuff to the game on a daily basis, rather than wasting time playing it.

Your post is a lovely attempt to rouse the KDF troops around here, but hardly a logical request.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from believing what you will, but I can't see Cryptic destroying what little good-will They have left, by attempting to once again overstate the facts.

Despite the disaster of last weeks patch, they don't really want to pizz-off the player base on a continuing basis.

(I attribute last weeks poor decision to the fact that They are so caught up in getting the next major update finished, that They forgot that WE can't see the forest through the trees...
They can see the whole picture, it didn't dawn on Them that we don't have the prescience to realize that what They are doing will eventually improve the game. We 'play' on a day-to-day basis, while They see things in a much grander scale.
They simply forgot to see things as we do.)

Dont stay out in the cold... your copper blood can freeze Vulcan... then you will be mine to eat. (lol)

On a more serious note I really do hope they see our crys are logical.. for the KDF does need work.. they just need motivation for people to pay. Really.. No New= -$$$-

twg042370

So you want them to feel the sads like you do so they'll throw aside whatever they have planned and give you everything on your Christmas list.

dova25

I agree with the idea that each staff member implied in design or decision regarding of new kdf ships should play kdf side.
Great actors do that before the actually perform a role.
Human mind has two sides one is intellectual and one is emotional.It is one thing is to understand by stat's and it is other thing to feel it first hand.Only by living the joy's and the frustration's of kdf somebody will have the full understanding of the kdf experience.

vitzh

I have a better solution, make them play Klingon Academy. Then they'll get a grasp of what Klingons are about and what content they need. As well as get a few pointers on good story telling.