test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Romulans, UFP, & KDF -- A Question of Aesthetics
protogoth
Member Posts: 2,369 Arc User
Jolan'tru.
(Warning: Somewhat long and rambling.)
I'm at level 9 on my Romulan, and about to have to choose KDF or UFP for alliance purposes. This is a fact over which I am far from ecstatic, seeing as Bifurcation Fallacy has poisoned much of the thought of Western societies, and it would be nice to play a game with more than two flipping factions for a change (other than that somewhat primitive and teen-ridden browser game which shall not be named, aside from a brief offering of praise to the god Guthix for providing an authentic third option in that game).
My philosophical aversion to Black and White Thinking notwithstanding, I must, for the moment at least (not sure if this will ever be changed for the game, but one can hope), choose one or the other in this ridiculous False Dilemma. That being said, I have to admit that the choice for me boils down primarily (albeit not exclusively) to a question of aesthetics, and since this is the case, I felt that a separate thread from the already-extant "Which faction to choose - Pro / Cons" thread was justified (and searching through all the pages of Romulan Gameplay threads, as well as a use of the search feature, didn't help, apart from a somewhat lengthy discussion about the D7 and whether or not Romulans had warp drive in those days -- they most certainly did, no matter what anyone says, seeing as it's quite some distance from Vulcan to Dewa III, to name but one reason I make such an assertion), so here's that thread.
Caveat: I'm old enough to remember TOS when it was not in reruns, and young enough that I do not remember a time when it was not on the air (although TOS came out of Gene Roddenberry's fertile mind after I came out of my mother's womb), apart from the brief hiatus between the cancellation of the series and the beginning of the reruns, so I have a special fondness for TOS-era content.
Starfleet characters have a very nice assortment of uniforms and other attire from which to choose, as well as a wider palette of colors for attire. This is a factor in my aesthetic considerations.
The Fed TOS uniform, TOS dress uniform, TOS Mirror uniform, and formal wear are all very appealing (and I have all of these already, although why KDF toons cannot wear that formal wear is an unanswered question), but can a Romulan allied with the UFP wear any of those, or does such a character have some altered version thereof (and if so, what do these altered versions look like?), or can such a character not wear anything remotely like any of them?
I apparently cannot get the Romulan Commander's hairdo from "The Enterprise Incident," and have yet to ascertain whether or not I can get her off-duty robe. I am able to get an off-duty robe, but that black and white pattern on the robe she wore is something which is apparently unavailable, in any color combinations (I would be happy to be proven wrong on this robe question, as I really would like to have that robe).
The KDF does have the Orion attire that looks nice, but apart from that, there isn't much attire on the KDF side that is really desirable. What about an Orion battle bra and loincloth? Are those available to Romulan females who ally with the KDF?
Screenies of attire available to Romulans allied with both factions would be very welcome.
On the other hand, KDF ships are much nicer-looking on the whole than Starfleet vessels. I have the Romulan TOS uniform, and was hoping to be able to get a Romulan D7 to match (the Warbird from "Balance of Terror" is a very welcome ship, and I'm quite pleased that we got that, but my toons, like myself, are female, and the only female Romulan in TOS was in command of a Romulan D7). I'm told I can get a D7 if I ally with the KDF, but can I make it look like the Romulan D7 from "The Enterprise Incident" rather than a Klingon D7? Can I get one if I ally with the UFP? Is there a Romulan D7 available to Romulans regardless of which faction they ally with?
(Off-Topic comment: And while I'm on the subject of aesthetics, I would like to point out again that it's really past time for KDF players going to get more appearance options, as well as a wider palette of colors from which to choose. Fed toons can buy all sorts of things from the ZEN shop, attire-wise, but KDF toons are limited to two or three.)
(Warning: Somewhat long and rambling.)
I'm at level 9 on my Romulan, and about to have to choose KDF or UFP for alliance purposes. This is a fact over which I am far from ecstatic, seeing as Bifurcation Fallacy has poisoned much of the thought of Western societies, and it would be nice to play a game with more than two flipping factions for a change (other than that somewhat primitive and teen-ridden browser game which shall not be named, aside from a brief offering of praise to the god Guthix for providing an authentic third option in that game).
My philosophical aversion to Black and White Thinking notwithstanding, I must, for the moment at least (not sure if this will ever be changed for the game, but one can hope), choose one or the other in this ridiculous False Dilemma. That being said, I have to admit that the choice for me boils down primarily (albeit not exclusively) to a question of aesthetics, and since this is the case, I felt that a separate thread from the already-extant "Which faction to choose - Pro / Cons" thread was justified (and searching through all the pages of Romulan Gameplay threads, as well as a use of the search feature, didn't help, apart from a somewhat lengthy discussion about the D7 and whether or not Romulans had warp drive in those days -- they most certainly did, no matter what anyone says, seeing as it's quite some distance from Vulcan to Dewa III, to name but one reason I make such an assertion), so here's that thread.
Caveat: I'm old enough to remember TOS when it was not in reruns, and young enough that I do not remember a time when it was not on the air (although TOS came out of Gene Roddenberry's fertile mind after I came out of my mother's womb), apart from the brief hiatus between the cancellation of the series and the beginning of the reruns, so I have a special fondness for TOS-era content.
Starfleet characters have a very nice assortment of uniforms and other attire from which to choose, as well as a wider palette of colors for attire. This is a factor in my aesthetic considerations.
The Fed TOS uniform, TOS dress uniform, TOS Mirror uniform, and formal wear are all very appealing (and I have all of these already, although why KDF toons cannot wear that formal wear is an unanswered question), but can a Romulan allied with the UFP wear any of those, or does such a character have some altered version thereof (and if so, what do these altered versions look like?), or can such a character not wear anything remotely like any of them?
I apparently cannot get the Romulan Commander's hairdo from "The Enterprise Incident," and have yet to ascertain whether or not I can get her off-duty robe. I am able to get an off-duty robe, but that black and white pattern on the robe she wore is something which is apparently unavailable, in any color combinations (I would be happy to be proven wrong on this robe question, as I really would like to have that robe).
The KDF does have the Orion attire that looks nice, but apart from that, there isn't much attire on the KDF side that is really desirable. What about an Orion battle bra and loincloth? Are those available to Romulan females who ally with the KDF?
Screenies of attire available to Romulans allied with both factions would be very welcome.
On the other hand, KDF ships are much nicer-looking on the whole than Starfleet vessels. I have the Romulan TOS uniform, and was hoping to be able to get a Romulan D7 to match (the Warbird from "Balance of Terror" is a very welcome ship, and I'm quite pleased that we got that, but my toons, like myself, are female, and the only female Romulan in TOS was in command of a Romulan D7). I'm told I can get a D7 if I ally with the KDF, but can I make it look like the Romulan D7 from "The Enterprise Incident" rather than a Klingon D7? Can I get one if I ally with the UFP? Is there a Romulan D7 available to Romulans regardless of which faction they ally with?
(Off-Topic comment: And while I'm on the subject of aesthetics, I would like to point out again that it's really past time for KDF players going to get more appearance options, as well as a wider palette of colors from which to choose. Fed toons can buy all sorts of things from the ZEN shop, attire-wise, but KDF toons are limited to two or three.)
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
If the OP is "tl;dr," here's the run-down:
I'm curious about ships and clothing options for Romulans.
I've stated explicitly which ship (the Romulan version of the D7 as seen in TOS episode "The Enterprise Incident") and which apparel (Fed TOS uniform, TOS dress uniform, TOS Mirror uniform, and formal wear; Orion battle bras and loincloths; off-duty robe / evening gown worn by the Romulan Commander in "The Enterprise Incident") I'm interested in knowing about.
My question has to do with faction alliance and availability of this ship and these clothing options, specifically, how faction alliance affects my options with regard to them (obviously, a KDF-allied Romulan will most likely not be able to wear anything like the Fed TOS uniform, TOS dress uniform, or TOS mirror universe uniform, just as a UFP-allied Romulan will most likely not be able to wear anything like the Orion battle bra and loincloth, but what about the formal wear?), whether they are available at all to Romulans allied with this or that faction, and what differences may be imposed on their looks (if they're even available to Romulans at all).
Costumes:
Ships:
Ann Manistee Traverse - Human Science ~~ Oken Miquat - Saurian Tactical
Exin Jor - Joined Trill Engineer ~~ Vartox - Romulan Science
Dn'Dok, son of Ladok - Klingon/Romulan Engineer ~~ Mosa M'ren-faa - Ferasan Tactical
Krushan Twinn - Orion Science
Thanks for the reply. I had been under the impression that Romulans got some variation on their allies' uniforms and such, but apparently they only get one choice, if that Dev blog post image shows the only things available (and ugh, they're ugly). I'm not sure why everyone can't use the formal wear (including KDF toons; the evening gowns would be really nice for Orion females). I'm very disappointed that I can't get the Romulan Commander's one-shoulder evening gown with that swirly pattern. All of this, if accurate, renders allying with the UFP pointless.
And there should be a Romulan D7 available to Romulans regardless of faction alliance, but seeing as the attire advantages available to Fed toons are apparently denied to Romulans if they ally with the UFP, that leaves only the D7 advantage, which means alliance with the KDF.
I was leaning that way anyway, for the following reasons:
* "Federation" is just a euphemism for "Empire," and the Klingons are at least honest about being imperialistic. While I personally detest imperialism OOC, IC there seems to be no real choice; that might be different if Romulans could have a faction of their own (but only if the New Romulan Republic were that faction, and even then, there's no guarantee that Republic won't devolve into Empire as it has so often in real-world history).
* I suspect that there's still a lot more Undine infiltration in the UFP and Starfleet than in the Klingon Empire and KDF.
* Although I kind of like the idea of Reunification between Romulans and Vulcans, I doubt that will happen any time soon (in-game or in any future Star Trek movie or television series), so allying with the UFP would probably be moot in that regard.
* The UFP delegates to the discussions on Khitomer didn't inspire me with confidence; the Vulcan betrays her thinly-veiled emotionalism (a major source of the prejudices she displays), marking her as hypocritical, and the Human seems intent on forcing reunification (or maybe he's just naive or blinded by idealism). The Klingon delegates, on the other hand, are much less abrasive.
Also the Klingon Omega set is one of the most unique sets in the game, the helmet alone is worth the price of admission.
You do not, however, have access to any of the Orion pieces (or Gorn, Nausican..etc.) Bridge officers being the exception, of course. ...They may use whatever uniform pieces that their species may use. Conversely, they may not use Romulan outfits.
Example, my Orion bridge officer has access to any Orion or KDF pieces, but not any of the Rom, or Rom/KDF pieces.
The biggest drawback to allying with the KDF is that the colour palettes are a mess.
With the KDF pieces, you're still limited to the drab palette (which kinda makes sense, I guess.) Though some Rom pieces that previously had a broader colour palette will then be limited to the KDF palette, or at least a more limited one. Some pieces will be unaffected.
Sound confusing? ..That's because it is. The palette options for Rom/KDF read like an Abbott & Costello routine.
As for the Rom/Feds... My only experience with them was from the beta. As far as I could tell, your fashion choices were a bit more limited. (with the exception of colour palettes).
I was unable to select most of the standard Starfleet options, and none of the special costume packs (ex., Mirror Universe, Formal Wear, Open Jackets, etc.).
So unless things have changed since the Beta, KDF seems to give you slightly more outfit choices.
I went with the KDF alliance only because it made more sense from a role play perspective since the Romulans and KDF have a history of alliances (albeit a tarnished history with various conflicts).
I was reminded of that episode from TNG where Worf finds that Romulan prison camp with Klingon prisoners and all the Romulans and Klingons are wearing "hybrid" uniforms that mix elements of Romulan uniforms and Klingon uniforms.
The only major problem that still exists with the Romulan uniforms (other than numerous clipping issues) is the color pallet. I'm hoping that the devs just switch it over so that ALL items have access to the full color pallet so we won't keep running into problems where two parts of a uniform that are supposed to have matching colors don't match.
Don't believe the lies in this forum. I am NOT an ARC user. I play STO on Steam or not at all.
My Romulan chose Feds to a couple of reasons:
1. I doubt that Klingons would ever accept Romulans in an equal partnership, especially after what we've done to them in Khitomer. I doubt that a couple of close partnerships would ever heal the wounds between Romulans and Klingons.
2. Romulans are in some ways superior to Klingons as they have Battle Cloak on every single ship they fly and enjoy higher stats and consoles on their ships, unlike the BoPs to the Klingons, which rely on their battle cloak and speed to destroy their enemies, something that Romulans are capable of exceeding.
3. I can get the prized Klink consoles for ECs if I side with Feds.
4. The heightened relations between Romulans and Feds, illustrated with Nemesis and STO (Don't know where exactly), would come to a realization when we ally with the Feds, although on less than equal terms for us
5. The Federation would support more with our efforts than the Klingons, as they do support equality and democracy for all races, although I do agree it's an empire of some sort, but at least it's more fair and modern compared to the Klingon Empire.
The Federation and Klinks do have pros and cons on either side, but my Romulan would rather opt for the power that could better support and help the Romulan people and help preserve the republicanism of the Romulan Republic, rather than leading the Romulan Republic back to an oppressive empire or a vassal state under the Klingon Empire's influence.
and i have a costume based question for the thread, does anyone know if the winter coats from the Winter Event last year will work with a Romulan character?
and as for the costume options, it is high time the KDF got some more, we have one...one!! zen store option (the pieces of the kdf academy outfit)
the rest are tied into the lobi store, which makes them exponentially more expensive.
considering for one lockbox key you get around 4-10 zen with a lockbox key costing 125 zen and the least costly kdf costume piece costing 100 lobi, that comes to at best 10 keys, or 1,250 zen...plus the piece, which is the warrior skirt in the lobi store, is only unlocked on one captain not every kdf toon....extremely unfair practices right there.
Hey, girl.
I don't have any of the coats on my KDF character, so I can't answer that.
But I think there are two KDF appearance options in the ZEN shop, the other one being the mercenary costume (it shows it there for me, anyway, not that I find it desirable, but that' a personal aesthetic preference, and I suspect that some people would like it).
Still, it is a little one-sided to allow Fed players such a wide assortment of appearance options (even without ZEN) while basically ignoring KDF players. And I'm not entirely certain, but I think Romulans only get one (or at least only one that's desirable, that being the TOS-era uniform).