The Romulan Republic storyline is a prequel to the events of the Romulan FE series and the establishment of New Romulus.
So at the time that the player chooses a faction, it makes sense and does not "extend the war" any more than it already has. Both factions embassies do not get established on New Romulus until after the Romulan exclusive storyline concludes and now you'll get to see how and why that happened.
At the end of Cutting the Cord we see Sela taken by the Iconians and both factions now realize there is more going on.
During the New Romulan Reputation is when we realize there is an Iconian gateway.
So by the time the Romulan Republic player gets to max level and experiences all of this, they will be caught up to the current state of the war and puts all factions at the same point for the upcoming episodes and seasons where we can now have everyone on equal footing to say "why are we fighting each other?" and reveal some of the bigger threats in the galaxy. These are events that take place AFTER everything we've already seen, these are episodes and stories that take place before and during the lead up to the events where we learn about the bigger threats. The Romulans backstory and the discovery of the gate on New Romulus will now provide much more story to what needs to happen next.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them." -Thomas Marrone
The Romulan Republic storyline is a prequel to the events of the Romulan FE series and the establishment of New Romulus.
So at the time that the player chooses a faction, it makes sense and does not "extend the war" any more than it already has. Both factions embassies do not get established on New Romulus until after the Romulan exclusive storyline concludes and now you'll get to see how and why that happened.
Explain to me how it makes sense that a people who are "too few to fight among themselves" would choose to KILL EACH OTHER for foreign patrons?
I really want to know.
At the end of Cutting the Cord we see Sela taken by the Iconians and both factions now realize there is more going on.
During the New Romulan Reputation is when we realize there is an Iconian gateway on New Romulus and that there is a lot more history here than we may have realized.
So by the time the Romulan Republic player gets to max level and experiences all of this, they will be caught up to the current state of the war and puts all factions at the same point for the upcoming episodes and seasons where we can now have everyone on equal footing to say "why are we fighting each other?" and reveal some of the bigger threats in the galaxy. These are events that take place AFTER everything we've already seen, these are episodes and stories that take place before and during the lead up to the events where we learn about the bigger threats. The Romulans backstory and the discovery of the gate on New Romulus will now provide much more story to what needs to happen next.
So can we have an official cease fire? Please? Move on to 2410?
The Romulan Republic storyline is a prequel to the events of the Romulan FE series and the establishment of New Romulus.
So at the time that the player chooses a faction, it makes sense and does not "extend the war" any more than it already has. Both factions embassies do not get established on New Romulus until after the Romulan exclusive storyline concludes and now you'll get to see how and why that happened.
At the end of Cutting the Cord we see Sela taken by the Iconians and both factions now realize there is more going on.
During the New Romulan Reputation is when we realize there is an Iconian gateway on New Romulus and that there is a lot more history here than we may have realized.
So by the time the Romulan Republic player gets to max level and experiences all of this, they will be caught up to the current state of the war and puts all factions at the same point for the upcoming episodes and seasons where we can now have everyone on equal footing to say "why are we fighting each other?" and reveal some of the bigger threats in the galaxy. These are events that take place AFTER everything we've already seen, these are episodes and stories that take place before and during the lead up to the events where we learn about the bigger threats. The Romulans backstory and the discovery of the gate on New Romulus will now provide much more story to what needs to happen next.
Dan, what if we refuse to choose between helping either faction? does character progression stop? can we simply not continue playing until we choose?
I can not for the life of me understand why I would want to put effort into either a Federation or Klingon fleet or Starbase when I should instead focus on my fellow Romulan survivors.
The Romulan Republic storyline is a prequel to the events of the Romulan FE series and the establishment of New Romulus.
So at the time that the player chooses a faction, it makes sense and does not "extend the war" any more than it already has. Both factions embassies do not get established on New Romulus until after the Romulan exclusive storyline concludes and now you'll get to see how and why that happened.
At the end of Cutting the Cord we see Sela taken by the Iconians and both factions now realize there is more going on.
During the New Romulan Reputation is when we realize there is an Iconian gateway on New Romulus and that there is a lot more history here than we may have realized.
So by the time the Romulan Republic player gets to max level and experiences all of this, they will be caught up to the current state of the war and puts all factions at the same point for the upcoming episodes and seasons where we can now have everyone on equal footing to say "why are we fighting each other?" and reveal some of the bigger threats in the galaxy. These aren't events that take place AFTER everything we've already seen, these are episodes and stories that take place BEFORE and during the lead up to the events where we learn about the bigger threats. The Romulans backstory and the discovery of the gate on New Romulus will now provide much more story to what needs to happen next.
I genuinely hope you are implying a future end to the KDF-Fed war. If so.. thank God.
♪ I'm going around not in circles but in spirographs.
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
I have some mixed feelings about the idea of the Romulan faction being "graphed" onto the Feds/KDF.
On one hand, I wish they could have been separate, full faction. One that had it's own story line that didn't require them to ally with either Fed/KDF. As a third-wheel, with their keen interests in espionage and intrigue, the Roms could have been a very thrilling storyline acting as a foil to both the other factions. Not to mention, I would have loved to play a Tal Shiar or otherwise been part of the RSE, instead of the RR.
I had the feeling that with the loss of their homeworld, the Romulans were in a sort of Civil War amongst themselves struggling over power and their future. I didn't think they would just be fighting amongst themselves as pawns in the Fed/KDF war.
Speaking of, I have to admit, as an End-Game, mostly-Fed player, I really don't feel like I'm at war with the KDF at all. I see KDF ships all the time all over the universe, I see KDF captains walking around DS9 and Mol'Rihan. My primary source of play, STFs, are fought with my supposed enemy, not against them. >shrug<
Still, not yet knowing what LoR is going to bring in May, it's impossible to judge WHAT the storyline will be, or where it will go in the future, so I'm not terribly disappointed by the Romulan "mini" faction.
Also, and on the other hand, I see some practical benefits of the shared resources.
Despite it's increase in dev-count, Cryptic is still a relatively small company. It seems to me having a mixed Romulan faction means there will be some recycling of existing game stuffs (missions, gear, c-store goodies, etc.) and future output will more easily be able to be shared. This is smart utilization of resources, they get more buck out of their dev time.
While I can feel for those that might want to regrind Rom-Dedicated Fleet Holdings (you crazy lunatics ), but speaking for myself? I'm quite sick of the grind in this game. I'm no fool to say it's going away, but I'm happy to be able to shop at the stores me and my fleets have already unlocked. It's nice that my existing efforts won't have been wasted, and future efforts can continue to improve what we have!
Finally, any "disappointment" I might have, is easily lost amongst the "new shinies" coming with LoR: Customizable HUDs, new ships, re-/new-traits system, etc.
I for one am still really looking forward to the launch of LoR!
One question I have, I think others have mentioned, will Fed/KDF Fleet Max Size be increased to include our new Romulan bretheren?
Edit to add: The above was written before I'd read dstahl's posts here and here.
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
I wanted to be on a GREEN faction. Very disapointed by this news. Now I have to tell my friends that were coming back to STO that its not a real faction.
The Romulan Republic storyline is a prequel to the events of the Romulan FE series and the establishment of New Romulus.
I actually quite like this - and in fact, it's the first news I've had that's gotten me tempted to roll a Romulan character because the story interests me.
But what I won't be doing is playing that character past the unique Romulan content because I already have 3 characters - 2 KDF and 1 Fed - and I have no intention of playing the same old KDF/Fed missions again with a Romulan - and I have no intention of grinding out Omega and Romulan (and now, Tholian) Rep on a fourth character to play the same end-game STFs/PvP/Epohh-tagging.
If we all and up in the same place, doing the same end-game missions and belonging to the same two factions - why not just add Romulans as a species to Fed/KDF and create those backstory missions at end-game?
Then everyone can enjoy them - Human, Klingon, Romulan - and all the other races.
Explain to me how it makes sense that a people who are "too few to fight among themselves" would choose to KILL EACH OTHER for foreign patrons?
First, Star Trek Online is a video game and a product, as much as we'd like to be a TV series. So sometimes we have to make decisions that are good for the game and what we feel is best for the business. So if we want to continue to have new factions in the game, this is how the game is designed to do it. We can evolve that over time, but that is our decision.
Second, Romulans remain neutral to each other. The only time you kill other Romulan players is in PVP and we have yet to introduce our goals and plans for PvP, but are placing a stake in the ground that this is 2 faction pvp game, with most pvp happening in the game now being Fed vs Fed which is in and of itself bizarro but it exists because it is fun and the queues are faster. Again we are game.
When Romulans choose an ally, it means that during specific episodes in the exlusive Romulan storyline, there may be the enemy of your ally in the mission and you might have to fight them to achieve your Romulan goals. For example, if you are a Romulan allied with Klingon, you may have to shoot a few Feds to get what you want. For the most part, we do this for variety and to play up the fact that in the past Romulans have fought both.
Dan, what if we refuse to choose between helping either faction? does character progression stop? can we simply not continue playing until we choose?
This choice must be made else you'll be stuck in the story with no access to the rest of the game. You could rerun the first 10 levels over and over again to get xp, but you'll miss the rest of the Romulan story if you do that.
Again, this isn't about you helping the other faction as much as it is the other faction helping you. New Romulans are just getting started and their homeworld with a fancy Iconian gateway on it is in between Fed and KDF space. Both allies wouldn't mind getting their hands on it and that has a part to play in the Romulan Republic prequal storyline. The Feds and KDF are both convinced that if the New Romulans want to survive, they need their faction's support and not to trust the other faction.
Wait... players will choose which side in FED/KDF war they take but in Republic they stay neutral to one to other? In the morning they co-work in rebuilding Republic and afternoon they shot one to other in the name of Federation or Klingon Empire? It's only me or anybody else see it hilarious?
What's hilarious (but in a bad bad way) is that most of the cheerleaders in this thread don't see it this way .
Oh I'm sure Cryptic's story line will make your 'choice' to be a dramatic one , as you will be making your choice 'for the future of the Romulan people' -- but that too won't hide the truth in the quote above . :cool:
I wanted to be on a GREEN faction. Very disapointed by this news. Now I have to tell my friends that were coming back to STO that its not a real faction.
I have to do the exact same thing. when I tell them they have to join fed or kdf I doubt they will bother logging in. they will say sorry wazza we'll stick with TOR because that sounds a bit rubbish. i'm sure they will use different words but I don't want to get my post deleted lol
Firstly i'd like to say well donea nd thanks for your hardwork in bringing a third faction, but i have 1 burning question,
Will romulans have Fleet ships UNIQUE to romulans, IE Fleet d'deridex fleet Mogai etc etc, While its great not haviing to grind Another starbase, plus having the option for access to Klink/fed ships, I, and i suspect a large amount of us will also, prefer Romulan Fleet ships for romulans, so while they are allied to which ever faction, they are also Unique in the ships they can bring.
The one thing that bothers me is that why was it all hyped out to be a third faction?
There would be nothing wrong with a Pandaria style subfaction , but why were we not told this?
I'm sure a lot of outrage would have been prevented.
Because it is a faction. Choosing an ally is for your benefit, so that you gain access to their ships and their gear in addition to your exclusive faction based items.
Unlike your reference of Pandaran in WOW, Romulans have their own exclusive new ship class and combat mechanic, their own exclusive storyline and episodes, their own exclusive costumes, ther own exclusive ship costumes, and a leveling experience that is very similar to what the Feds had a launch prior to all the Feature Episode Series and not limited to just the 1-10 "starting area" like Pandaran are. Romulans have far more exlusive content than that, and the fact that we then give you all of the stuff from your chosen ally gives you twice as much which is the "best of two worlds" idea.
The only non-exclusive content that the Romulans play are the Feature Episode series (which are designed to be playable by any faction) and end game content which is also designed to be played by any faction. If you don't want to go play your allies missions after you've finished your exclusive storyline, then don't go play them. You can play without them. If you want the exclusive gear from Starbases, STFS, Reps, etc, then you'll have to play the missions that grant them just like everyone else. You aren't any different than the existing factions in that regard.
First, Star Trek Online is a video game and a product, as much as we'd like to be a TV series. So sometimes we have to make decisions that are good for the game and what we feel is best for the business. So if we want to continue to have new factions in the game, this is how the game is designed to do it. We can evolve that over time, but that is our decision.
econd, Romulans remain neutral to each other. The only time you kill other Romulan players is in PVP and we have yet to introduce our goals and plans for PvP, but are placing a stake in the ground that this is 2 faction pvp game, with most pvp happening in the game now being Fed vs Fed which is in and of itself bizarro but it exists because it is fun and the queues are faster. Again we are game.
That's not a new faction, that's a new race with race-exclusive ships.
Also it's been a while since I've heard the "it's just a video game" excuse.
Videogames have long since proven themselves as mediums for effective and consistent storytelling.
Yes, even in an MMO. I play for characterisation, and you have a fundamentally broken character motivation here.
Whether one chooses to pvp or not, and I personally don't, the fact is that we're supposed to believe that - instead of banding together, Romulans are going to sell themselves to their sworn enemies and fight for their causes. Versimilitude is toast, and again don't give me "it's just a game".
If that's really your attitude then why have a plot at all? Let's just have random ships from the entire Trek universe shoot at each other in a giant unrestricted melee.
When Romulans choose an ally, it means that during specific episodes in the exlusive Romulan storyline, there may be the enemy of your ally in the mission and you might have to fight them to achieve your Romulan goals. For example, if you are a Romulan allied with Klingon, you may have to shoot a few Feds to get what you want. For the most part, we do this for variety and to play up the fact that in the past Romulans have fought both.
Yes they've fought both, but never FOR the other. That's my fundamental objection.
This choice must be made else you'll be stuck in the story with no access to the rest of the game. You could rerun the first 10 levels over and over again to get xp, but you'll miss the rest of the Romulan story if you do that.
Again, this isn't about you helping the other faction as much as it is the other faction helping you. New Romulans are just getting started and their homeworld with a fancy Iconian gateway on it is in between Fed and KDF space. Both allies wouldn't mind getting their hands on it and that has a part to play in the Romulan Republic prequal storyline. The Feds and KDF are both convinced that if the New Romulans want to survive, they need their faction's support and not to trust the other faction.
Well really, tell me. Why must we be New Romulans? They do not carry the spirit of the Romulans from the show and are frankly uninteresting compared to the Star Empire.
Because it is a faction. Choosing an ally is for your benefit, so that you gain access to their ships and their gear in addition to your exclusive faction based items.
Unlike your reference of Pandaran in WOW, Romulans have their own exclusive new ship class and combat mechanic, their own exclusive storyline and episodes, their own exclusive costumes, ther own exclusive ship costumes, and a leveling experience that is very similar to what the Feds had a launch prior to all the Feature Episode Series and not limited to just the 1-10 "starting area" like Pandaran are. Romulans have far more exlusive content than that, and the fact that we then give you all of the stuff from your chosen ally gives you twice as much which is the "best of two worlds" idea.
And it has to be asked: What did you do to fill out the 1-20 Klingon game?
♪ I'm going around not in circles but in spirographs.
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
Because it is a faction. Choosing an ally is for your benefit, so that you gain access to their ships and their gear in addition to your exclusive faction based items.
Unlike your reference of Pandaran in WOW, Romulans have their own exclusive new ship class and combat mechanic, their own exclusive storyline and episodes, their own exclusive costumes, ther own exclusive ship costumes, and a leveling experience that is very similar to what the Feds had a launch prior to all the Feature Episode Series and not limited to just the 1-10 "starting area" like Pandaran are. Romulans have far more exlusive content than that, and the fact that we then give you all of the stuff from your chosen ally gives you twice as much which is the "best of two worlds" idea.
if we have are own ships as we are meant to be our own faction, why would we need access to fed ship or kdf ships? or am I confused on this point.
This choice must be made else you'll be stuck in the story with no access to the rest of the game. You could rerun the first 10 levels over and over again to get xp, but you'll miss the rest of the Romulan story if you do that.
Again, this isn't about you helping the other faction as much as it is the other faction helping you. New Romulans are just getting started and their homeworld with a fancy Iconian gateway on it is in between Fed and KDF space. Both allies wouldn't mind getting their hands on it and that has a part to play in the Romulan Republic prequal storyline. The Feds and KDF are both convinced that if the New Romulans want to survive, they need their faction's support and not to trust the other faction.
Thank you for being so candid. I am just so afraid that if I ally with the KDF then when time comes for the Romulans to stand alone, proud and tall that they will still be around wanting favors because they helped me before.
I am just repelled by the idea that I can not remain neutral between the two, or let them court me with some type of Fed. VS Kdf. reputation system, like the Light side VS Dark side of the Starwars game.
Geez folks... Stop your nitpicking and whining and just be happy that we're all getting new content! Personally speaking, I'm more than happy with waiting to see how this all plays out through the story, from the release of LoR, to future season releases!
Cryptic haven't ruled out a possible addition of Romulan starbases etc. Where the Romulan faction could eventually band together and break away from their Fed or KDF allies to once again become a true power of the galaxy once again and stand apart on their own feet. Maybe by that time, the true enemy to all factions (undine or iconians or whatever) will have been exposed and realised by all factions and it will go from there? Maybe even the Fed, Klingon war will end? Who knows?
Just be happy with this new content people and sit tight and see where the story takes us.
Geez folks... Stop your nitpicking and whining and just be happy that we're all getting new content! Personally speaking, I'm more than happy with waiting to see how this all plays out through the story, from the release of LoR, to future season releases!
Cryptic haven't ruled out a possible addition of Romulan starbases etc. Where the Romulan faction could eventually band together and break away from their Fed or KDF allies to once again become a true power of the galaxy once again and stand apart on their own feet. Maybe by that time, the true enemy to all factions (undine or iconians or whatever) will have been exposed and realised by all factions and it will go from there? Maybe even the Fed, Klingon war will end? Who knows?
Just be happy with this new content people and sit tight and see where the story takes us.
That's my 2 EC's for now... Over and Out!
I haven't seen them rule out the possible addition of a Dalek invasion either, that doesn't mean it will happen.
I was fully supportive of the new content before this, however limited it may have been. But this, THIS is the antithesis of what any Romulan supporter wanted.
I'm sorry, but I will not support new content just for the sake of being new content.
It's all well and good that Romulan players will be stuck in the past catching up and asked to join a fleet that's in the present. While I find it silly, it's conceivable that Romulans would suddenly want to join the KDF or FEDs for some reason that will be revealed.
So by the time the Romulan Republic player gets to max level and experiences all of this, they will be caught up to the current state of the war and puts all factions at the same point for the upcoming episodes and seasons where we can now have everyone on equal footing to say "why are we fighting each other?"
You are asking us to make a permanent choice for the purposes of storyline while we are leveling, and you acknowledge that when we're done leveling we're going to know choosing sides is now pointless.
That seems extremely short-sighted and really sounds like you guys just shoe-horned that in to make us join one of the other factions instead of creating an actual faction. You made it fit the story but you didn't make it fit the game. Why are we forced into making a choice that will seem pointless for the majority of our gameplay time (max level) based on story happening in the past during the short period of leveling.
It works in Mists of Pandaria (and lets not pretend that's not what this is) because that gameplay/story decision is happening in the present and affects the future.
Romulans will forever be Refugees because they were forced to pick a side during a war that we all know is now pointless. It'd be silly of us to expect that we'll go back to a proper Romulan faction after that. How could we even expect that?
if we have are own ships as we are meant to be our own faction, why would we need access to fed ship or kdf ships? or am I confused on this point.
^ So am I, even if we have just a few ships and the rest are the faction-less lockbox ships I think that would be much more preferable to becoming part of the opposing factions.
I mean, Starfleet said that the Klingons had 50 years of life left after Praxis was destroyed, and really after the hype died down they were not phased. Even with the Homeworld gone, we Romulans have harassed the compressed singularity, tamed borg technology, perfected the cloak...surely we are not so weak that we need THAT much help. If we are left to our own devices can we not excel in our own right?
I would tell the KDF and Feds, dont give us YOUR ships and weapons, give us the supplies to build OUR OWN ships and weapons if you want to study the Gateway.
Cryptic haven't ruled out a possible addition of Romulan starbases etc. Where the Romulan faction could eventually band together and break away from their Fed or KDF allies to once again become a true power of the galaxy once again and stand apart on their own feet. Maybe by that time, the true enemy to all factions (undine or iconians or whatever) will have been exposed and realised by all factions and it will go from there? Maybe even the Fed, Klingon war will end? Who knows?
Did you miss the part where Mr. Stahl said they were putting down stakes about it being a two-faction game?
I realize there are limitations on video games and was expecting news that would be disappointing regarding the Romulans, but so far their reasoning sounds like "we wanted to half-TRIBBLE it".
I mean, come on. The general consensus is that "Dark Age of Camelot" has some of the, if not the, best PvP in a large part due to there being three factions. Three true factions would've been a way to make STO stand-out from the pack of two-faction games. This was a missed opportunity. Not to mention not feeling like a true faction when your character just gets sublimated to another side. There's a difference between "ally" and "vassal".
This is very disappointing. Reading on the site about the new Romulan faction actually made me decide to return to the game after leaving it a long time ago, but now to my unpleasant surprise I read they are actually not a separate faction, but just a species with its own quests and ships that has to join either the Feds or the Klingons.:( It just goes completely against the xenophobic nature of the Romulans.
Saying it isn't a faction is like saying the Federation and Klingons weren't factions before Season 6. I'm not sure when Starbases became the litmus test for faction-hood, but it's kind of silly.
Comments
Thanks for the clarification.
"Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
-Thomas Marrone
Explain to me how it makes sense that a people who are "too few to fight among themselves" would choose to KILL EACH OTHER for foreign patrons?
I really want to know.
So can we have an official cease fire? Please? Move on to 2410?
Dan, what if we refuse to choose between helping either faction? does character progression stop? can we simply not continue playing until we choose?
I can not for the life of me understand why I would want to put effort into either a Federation or Klingon fleet or Starbase when I should instead focus on my fellow Romulan survivors.
I genuinely hope you are implying a future end to the KDF-Fed war. If so.. thank God.
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
The cynic in me says he's just attempting to justify extending the current malaise in perpetuity.
We shall see though..
I have some mixed feelings about the idea of the Romulan faction being "graphed" onto the Feds/KDF.
On one hand, I wish they could have been separate, full faction. One that had it's own story line that didn't require them to ally with either Fed/KDF. As a third-wheel, with their keen interests in espionage and intrigue, the Roms could have been a very thrilling storyline acting as a foil to both the other factions. Not to mention, I would have loved to play a Tal Shiar or otherwise been part of the RSE, instead of the RR.
I had the feeling that with the loss of their homeworld, the Romulans were in a sort of Civil War amongst themselves struggling over power and their future. I didn't think they would just be fighting amongst themselves as pawns in the Fed/KDF war.
Speaking of, I have to admit, as an End-Game, mostly-Fed player, I really don't feel like I'm at war with the KDF at all. I see KDF ships all the time all over the universe, I see KDF captains walking around DS9 and Mol'Rihan. My primary source of play, STFs, are fought with my supposed enemy, not against them. >shrug<
Still, not yet knowing what LoR is going to bring in May, it's impossible to judge WHAT the storyline will be, or where it will go in the future, so I'm not terribly disappointed by the Romulan "mini" faction.
Also, and on the other hand, I see some practical benefits of the shared resources.
Despite it's increase in dev-count, Cryptic is still a relatively small company. It seems to me having a mixed Romulan faction means there will be some recycling of existing game stuffs (missions, gear, c-store goodies, etc.) and future output will more easily be able to be shared. This is smart utilization of resources, they get more buck out of their dev time.
While I can feel for those that might want to regrind Rom-Dedicated Fleet Holdings (you crazy lunatics
Finally, any "disappointment" I might have, is easily lost amongst the "new shinies" coming with LoR: Customizable HUDs, new ships, re-/new-traits system, etc.
I for one am still really looking forward to the launch of LoR!
One question I have, I think others have mentioned, will Fed/KDF Fleet Max Size be increased to include our new Romulan bretheren?
Edit to add: The above was written before I'd read dstahl's posts here and here.
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
I actually quite like this - and in fact, it's the first news I've had that's gotten me tempted to roll a Romulan character because the story interests me.
But what I won't be doing is playing that character past the unique Romulan content because I already have 3 characters - 2 KDF and 1 Fed - and I have no intention of playing the same old KDF/Fed missions again with a Romulan - and I have no intention of grinding out Omega and Romulan (and now, Tholian) Rep on a fourth character to play the same end-game STFs/PvP/Epohh-tagging.
If we all and up in the same place, doing the same end-game missions and belonging to the same two factions - why not just add Romulans as a species to Fed/KDF and create those backstory missions at end-game?
Then everyone can enjoy them - Human, Klingon, Romulan - and all the other races.
First, Star Trek Online is a video game and a product, as much as we'd like to be a TV series. So sometimes we have to make decisions that are good for the game and what we feel is best for the business. So if we want to continue to have new factions in the game, this is how the game is designed to do it. We can evolve that over time, but that is our decision.
Second, Romulans remain neutral to each other. The only time you kill other Romulan players is in PVP and we have yet to introduce our goals and plans for PvP, but are placing a stake in the ground that this is 2 faction pvp game, with most pvp happening in the game now being Fed vs Fed which is in and of itself bizarro but it exists because it is fun and the queues are faster. Again we are game.
When Romulans choose an ally, it means that during specific episodes in the exlusive Romulan storyline, there may be the enemy of your ally in the mission and you might have to fight them to achieve your Romulan goals. For example, if you are a Romulan allied with Klingon, you may have to shoot a few Feds to get what you want. For the most part, we do this for variety and to play up the fact that in the past Romulans have fought both.
This choice must be made else you'll be stuck in the story with no access to the rest of the game. You could rerun the first 10 levels over and over again to get xp, but you'll miss the rest of the Romulan story if you do that.
Again, this isn't about you helping the other faction as much as it is the other faction helping you. New Romulans are just getting started and their homeworld with a fancy Iconian gateway on it is in between Fed and KDF space. Both allies wouldn't mind getting their hands on it and that has a part to play in the Romulan Republic prequal storyline. The Feds and KDF are both convinced that if the New Romulans want to survive, they need their faction's support and not to trust the other faction.
What's hilarious (but in a bad bad way) is that most of the cheerleaders in this thread don't see it this way .
Oh I'm sure Cryptic's story line will make your 'choice' to be a dramatic one , as you will be making your choice 'for the future of the Romulan people' -- but that too won't hide the truth in the quote above . :cool:
There would be nothing wrong with a Pandaria style subfaction , but why were we not told this?
I'm sure a lot of outrage would have been prevented.
I have to do the exact same thing. when I tell them they have to join fed or kdf I doubt they will bother logging in. they will say sorry wazza we'll stick with TOR because that sounds a bit rubbish. i'm sure they will use different words but I don't want to get my post deleted lol
It's good for marketing. Cryptic wants new players - they don't care so much about the ones they have right now.
Sorry if that sounds cynical but that's how these things work.
Will romulans have Fleet ships UNIQUE to romulans, IE Fleet d'deridex fleet Mogai etc etc, While its great not haviing to grind Another starbase, plus having the option for access to Klink/fed ships, I, and i suspect a large amount of us will also, prefer Romulan Fleet ships for romulans, so while they are allied to which ever faction, they are also Unique in the ships they can bring.
@Mad-Larkin
Fleet: http://www.unrepentantgaming.com
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Because it is a faction. Choosing an ally is for your benefit, so that you gain access to their ships and their gear in addition to your exclusive faction based items.
Unlike your reference of Pandaran in WOW, Romulans have their own exclusive new ship class and combat mechanic, their own exclusive storyline and episodes, their own exclusive costumes, ther own exclusive ship costumes, and a leveling experience that is very similar to what the Feds had a launch prior to all the Feature Episode Series and not limited to just the 1-10 "starting area" like Pandaran are. Romulans have far more exlusive content than that, and the fact that we then give you all of the stuff from your chosen ally gives you twice as much which is the "best of two worlds" idea.
The only non-exclusive content that the Romulans play are the Feature Episode series (which are designed to be playable by any faction) and end game content which is also designed to be played by any faction. If you don't want to go play your allies missions after you've finished your exclusive storyline, then don't go play them. You can play without them. If you want the exclusive gear from Starbases, STFS, Reps, etc, then you'll have to play the missions that grant them just like everyone else. You aren't any different than the existing factions in that regard.
That's not a new faction, that's a new race with race-exclusive ships.
Also it's been a while since I've heard the "it's just a video game" excuse.
Videogames have long since proven themselves as mediums for effective and consistent storytelling.
Yes, even in an MMO. I play for characterisation, and you have a fundamentally broken character motivation here.
Whether one chooses to pvp or not, and I personally don't, the fact is that we're supposed to believe that - instead of banding together, Romulans are going to sell themselves to their sworn enemies and fight for their causes. Versimilitude is toast, and again don't give me "it's just a game".
If that's really your attitude then why have a plot at all? Let's just have random ships from the entire Trek universe shoot at each other in a giant unrestricted melee.
Yes they've fought both, but never FOR the other. That's my fundamental objection.
Well really, tell me. Why must we be New Romulans? They do not carry the spirit of the Romulans from the show and are frankly uninteresting compared to the Star Empire.
And it has to be asked: What did you do to fill out the 1-20 Klingon game?
It's pretty much this hard to keep just one timeline intact. ♪
if we have are own ships as we are meant to be our own faction, why would we need access to fed ship or kdf ships? or am I confused on this point.
Thank you for being so candid. I am just so afraid that if I ally with the KDF then when time comes for the Romulans to stand alone, proud and tall that they will still be around wanting favors because they helped me before.
I am just repelled by the idea that I can not remain neutral between the two, or let them court me with some type of Fed. VS Kdf. reputation system, like the Light side VS Dark side of the Starwars game.
And when the countdown hit zero we were all led to believe it was going to happen but now your saying no?
Im not confident this game is going to expand beyond 2 factions seems like cryptic is dragging their collective heels about it.
I dont even know why i should continue playing or believe anything that cryptic has to say
Heres a question why should i even continue to play after being mislead like this
Or even better why log back in when nothing is really going to change.
Cryptic haven't ruled out a possible addition of Romulan starbases etc. Where the Romulan faction could eventually band together and break away from their Fed or KDF allies to once again become a true power of the galaxy once again and stand apart on their own feet. Maybe by that time, the true enemy to all factions (undine or iconians or whatever) will have been exposed and realised by all factions and it will go from there? Maybe even the Fed, Klingon war will end? Who knows?
Just be happy with this new content people and sit tight and see where the story takes us.
That's my 2 EC's for now... Over and Out!
I too feel mislead.
The teasers, the initial backstory we were given, and then this.
I feel deeply disappointed. What happened to March Beneath the Raptor's Wings?
I haven't seen them rule out the possible addition of a Dalek invasion either, that doesn't mean it will happen.
I was fully supportive of the new content before this, however limited it may have been. But this, THIS is the antithesis of what any Romulan supporter wanted.
I'm sorry, but I will not support new content just for the sake of being new content.
It's all well and good that Romulan players will be stuck in the past catching up and asked to join a fleet that's in the present. While I find it silly, it's conceivable that Romulans would suddenly want to join the KDF or FEDs for some reason that will be revealed.
The problem is this:
You are asking us to make a permanent choice for the purposes of storyline while we are leveling, and you acknowledge that when we're done leveling we're going to know choosing sides is now pointless.
That seems extremely short-sighted and really sounds like you guys just shoe-horned that in to make us join one of the other factions instead of creating an actual faction. You made it fit the story but you didn't make it fit the game. Why are we forced into making a choice that will seem pointless for the majority of our gameplay time (max level) based on story happening in the past during the short period of leveling.
It works in Mists of Pandaria (and lets not pretend that's not what this is) because that gameplay/story decision is happening in the present and affects the future.
Romulans will forever be Refugees because they were forced to pick a side during a war that we all know is now pointless. It'd be silly of us to expect that we'll go back to a proper Romulan faction after that. How could we even expect that?
This doesn't make very much sense to me at all.
^ So am I, even if we have just a few ships and the rest are the faction-less lockbox ships I think that would be much more preferable to becoming part of the opposing factions.
I mean, Starfleet said that the Klingons had 50 years of life left after Praxis was destroyed, and really after the hype died down they were not phased. Even with the Homeworld gone, we Romulans have harassed the compressed singularity, tamed borg technology, perfected the cloak...surely we are not so weak that we need THAT much help. If we are left to our own devices can we not excel in our own right?
I would tell the KDF and Feds, dont give us YOUR ships and weapons, give us the supplies to build OUR OWN ships and weapons if you want to study the Gateway.
Did you miss the part where Mr. Stahl said they were putting down stakes about it being a two-faction game?
I realize there are limitations on video games and was expecting news that would be disappointing regarding the Romulans, but so far their reasoning sounds like "we wanted to half-TRIBBLE it".
I mean, come on. The general consensus is that "Dark Age of Camelot" has some of the, if not the, best PvP in a large part due to there being three factions. Three true factions would've been a way to make STO stand-out from the pack of two-faction games. This was a missed opportunity. Not to mention not feeling like a true faction when your character just gets sublimated to another side. There's a difference between "ally" and "vassal".
Aid in leading the Romulan Star Empire back to its former greatness.
Join the Romulan Praetorian Guard and teach those epohh loving hippies what it means to be a true Romulan!
Saying it isn't a faction is like saying the Federation and Klingons weren't factions before Season 6. I'm not sure when Starbases became the litmus test for faction-hood, but it's kind of silly.