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Season 8 Review/Feedback
hasukurobi
Member Posts: 1,421 Arc User
Warning: This review may contain spoilers... And possibly peanuts.
In general Season 8 did not have nearly the anticipation of previous seasons for me and perhaps for a number of others. I think this could to some degree be a good thing as it means that expectations were not really so high. However, despite some pitfalls and disappointments I would say that for me this season more of a positive and good change than a bad one. So now I will elaborate on the positive points and the negative.
First off we have a new Reputation. That is bad because it means more grind and more power creep with passives. It is good because it means new gear to try out and discover. It is GREAT because of the way it was designed. To all who helped design the new reputation system give yourselves a round of applause. It is SO much better than the others and it really is obvious you considered the different sort of players you have in this game when designing it. This reputation is streamlined, easy to obtain marks for, not nearly such a EC and Expertise Sink, and the new tokens really help. I desperately hope you intend to revamp the old Reputations to be like this new one.
We also have a new Fleet Holding... This is mostly a negative thing for me. Yet another thing my fleet has to work up that we simply do not have the resources for. Yet another thing mega fleets will have done ASAP. Yet more power creep. However, the two biggest annoyances for me are these:
1) Nothing about the Holding actually requires any interaction with the Sphere itself. That is: Like the Romulan Embassy you do not need Dyson Marks or anything you would get from the Sphere in order to progress the Holding which seems a bit incongruous.
2) The Veteran ships and some carriers finally have Fleet Versions... Stuck behind more tiers of fleet building in order to access. For the Carriers that is annoying but acceptable. For the Veteran ships it is a bit more Vexing. Obviously, you would need a Fleet Module or more to get access to them. Obviously, you would require a fleet and at least a Tier 1 Shipyard. However, having it stuck behind two tiers of upgrades is just annoying. Yes, us Lifers and other Vets will eventually get there but frankly I will not likely see any of these for a couple years at best and I know I am not alone. That is pretty sad considering that they will likely be heavily obsolete by then, assuming the game is still alive. (which I AM assuming BTW for all you Doom and Gloom folks)
We three new Space Que events. I sort of wish we could have had one ground one here but I can understand why the Devs probably figured that would be a waste of time. The Elachi Red Alert and Storming the Spire are both nice additions and fun to play. I like how you can help the teams close the gate in the prior and how some real strategy about how to place your forces makes a HUGE difference in the latter.
The Breech on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag. The Star Fox esque nature of it, in MANY respects for those who know, is fun but I am not sure how well it translates into STO. One of the biggest complaints I have is that there really needs to be a bit more indication of where to go and what to do. Here is what I mean:
When I first played this, and bear in mind I am usually rather good at navigation and figuring things out, I was a bit lost after defeating the outside of the ship. Eventually I found my way in but did not understand how to close the Hangars. I was looking for some control panel or to perhaps shoot something to knock the doors closed. Instead you need to sidle right up next to them which was not obvious with how close you need to be.
Next came the frustration that once that part was done I was told to face down a dreadnaught and while I could see an enemy through the door and wall I had no idea how to get to it. I searched around for some way to open that door in vain. Eventually I had one of my team mates leave in frustration at a seemingly broken mission. Then I realized a door had opened up behind us which was NOT obvious at all. An arrow or something here would really help considering you are past that spot when the force field falls. Even if my sensor scan pointed towards that spot it would have been a nice help.
Fighting the Dreadnaught was no big deal and I have no complaints there.
Then you deal with the small reactor cores and that part is likewise a bit confusing. At first it is hard to figure out what is going on. A little note here could be a nice touch. Something to mention that the core is being shuffled around or the like. However, I eventually got the gist of that.
Next the main core opens up. Again an arrow would be much appreciated because it is not always clear where to go as you are back tracking a little instead of going forward. This fight is fine and straightforward.
Then it is time to escape and this is where this mission really takes it in the nacelles. First, it is HARD to maneuver in big vessels in this mission to begin with. Second, again an arrow or glowing doorway rim or SOMETHING would be nice to indicate where you are supposed to go. Third, having that door down low is BAD... Why? Because you will not let us fly STRAIGHT DOWN which is a real problem if you expect us to get from around mid-height in that room down to the floor level fast when we have to spiral which can lead to getting caught on things and it is a nightmare in big ships. Lastly, there is simply not enough time to get out of that death trap for a lot of ships and a lot of setups. If the time limit was more forgiving I could probably even overlook the other issues but expecting us to realize where to go, get down there, and navigate that winding path in that short of time is a bit too much. I know some folks may be able to do it but many will not.
Then we have a new FE. Some complain about this and I know it is not exactly the Legend of Zelda or Metroid or something but honestly I found it quite good. I love the look of the Iconian complex with all the pillars. I loved the information you could get if you actually read the pillars. I enjoyed the walkways and the little puzzles. I thought the cut-scenes were interesting, the hero BOFFS were fun to play with, and the Voice Overs were refreshing and a major bonus. I do agree that all lines of dialogue should be spoken if possible though. If it is not worth saying then it is not worth reading. I fully understand the issues with paying for big voice talent but the in-house voice acting should not be so hard to fully implement. It was done before and I really like it in the Second Wave. So for me in total this new FE was a treat and well done. I would say that the folks who want to rip the Devs a new one over this FE are just Nuts.
We have a new enemy which is the Voth... This I have serious mixed feelings on. I see no reason why they should be an enemy even if we are perhaps working to solve that. I know they have their Doctrine which is a problem but I do not think it would require that they be immediately hostile towards us. I know negotiations would be tricky but the Federation has been able to negotiate their way through serious issues before. What is most vexing here is how we are not given any sort of example of diplomacy. If we tried to talk it over with them and they refused we should really have a bit of a cut-scene for that or some way to show that we at least really TRIED a diplomatic solution before both sides starting shooting each other. I know the Klingons would rush into battle but I do not feel that either the Federation nor the Voth would come to the immediate conclusion that the other side had to die and that there was no room for discussion. If a peaceful solution was attempted and in the end the Stubbornness of the Voth made it fall through and lead to fighting that could make sense but it would be nice to get to see that this is what happened.
Fighting the Voth in their ships is interesting. They are rather annoying and compete with the Tholians for the most annoying enemies with their heavy reliance on Science Abilities, Shields, and Cloak. However, they are not too much to handle and I agree with the idea that Al mentioned, in his STOKED Radio interview, that at least they force the players to focus on a different angle of battle because instead of just being overwhelmingly deadly they are instead extremely defensive. I think that is a worthwhile change up and does help make them play differently than everything else. The one complaint I have here is that the glow in this season is a bit off the charts. Even with Bloom down to 50 it is still so bright in many cases that I cannot see a thing thanks to all the Voth's glowy effects. A bit of a tone down there would be nice.
I also love the Dyson Sphere's atmospheric battles and things to do there. The capture points remind me of PvP and there are lot of things to see and explore. Some of the missions could use some better instruction and there are some bugs but I can overlook that. I also LOVE the fact that not only are there normal Duty Officer missions there but that by flying around you can find special ones... You know... It is kind of like you are... EXPLORING! :eek: So yes, to whomever thought that up I would say go further yet with that idea because it is a VERY good one and VERY Trek.
Fighting the Voth on the ground is challenging in some respects but not annoying like it can be with the Borg. I find the ground battle system to be excellent though I wish taking Artillery would mean that it worked for us instead of just shutting down. It would also be nice if instead of dropping command credits on the ground it was awarded as a number based on participation automatically. As I play Caitains I can easily get to the out-of-reach orbs that most lose out on but it is still a clunky system and invites some trolling. I also love how the Voth will actually man up and fight you in Melee instead of running away like everything but the Borg and some Klingons seem to.
However, the choice to include perhaps mind controlled cyberized Dinos is something that I cannot really side with. Again in that interview with STOKED Al mentions that he would imagine that the Voth would have brought the Flora and Fauna of Terra with them in their ship as they left. I find that dubious to say the least. The Voth are likely herbivores and would not have had any interest in bringing along those things that would EAT them. Also that is assuming a lot of room and a lot of tonnage on this original ship which is awfully presumptuous. It takes a lot of effort to get things into space and it is far more likely that if this was a somewhat hurried evacuation seeing the devastation that was coming that they would not have complicated it with such unnecessary things. Moreover the episode the Voth come from, Distant Origins, makes it abundantly clear that the Voth do not really have much knowledge of their home world. It is largely a mystery to them which suggests that in-fact they have very LITTLE ties to that information. This could possibly be because they destroyed that knowledge but for whatever reason it has come to be that they are unaware of Terra as their home.
Al also suggested that the Federation might use Dogs and the Klingons use Targs so the Voth should have some sort of pet likewise. However, I have yet to see the Federation using Dogs in the modern age. That concept is arcane at this point and no longer applies. The Klingons use Targs but the Klingons also use freakin' SWORDS. They are steeped in tradition and the old ways. The Voth's tradition began anew in space where pets are hard to care for and have and they act like a mostly highly sophisticated and technological people making this idea even more nonsensical. Moreover, as Herbivores the feeding of these Carnivores would likely be unpleasant. Maintaining a T-Rex would be a LOT of effort to have an obviously weak and vulnerable military asset when compared to a Machine. I would be fine with the idea that such things frighten the Voth and so they may make war machines that LOOK like a T-Rex. Also the art on the T-Rex itself is disturbingly Dino Rider's esque which makes it even more of a Rule of Cool Shark Jump.
I want it stated that I have nothing against the Voth being Dinos and being who they are according to Voyager because that IS CANON rather you like it or not. I find the idea that the Voth as described in Voyager could have existed to be interesting and considering the level of devastation our world has endured it IS fully possible an ancient civilization like theirs could have existed and been totally erased from time.
My last note on the Sphere is that while I am very dubious about the ways the walls seem to curve up and what you can see on the ground I otherwise love the artwork and environment of this place. It is massive, epic, and interesting. There are a lot of colors, good thematic adherence, and I cannot help but wonder what those little cities we see all over are like. The ground areas are sprawling and massive and keep their adherence to the theme while offering enough variety that everything does not look identical and boring.
Lastly we got a new Lock Box...
Still not fond of these things in the least. Not particularly thrilled that the Voth Science ship is a good one because its cost is just silly for anyone who figures that out. There are some great traits in this box, the best of all being the Orbital Devastation one that changes Orbital Strike. There are also some rather interesting new DOFFs and some okay weapons. I rather like the new ground gun and that is not so unreasonable in price. However, that is about all I will say about the Lock Box as Cryptic does a fine job of putting those in our face by themselves. :P
So overall I have to say that while my expectations were not that high for Season 8 that I have rather enjoyed it. I would say that in most respects it has been an improvement and a success despite some of its flaws and the doomsayers.
In general Season 8 did not have nearly the anticipation of previous seasons for me and perhaps for a number of others. I think this could to some degree be a good thing as it means that expectations were not really so high. However, despite some pitfalls and disappointments I would say that for me this season more of a positive and good change than a bad one. So now I will elaborate on the positive points and the negative.
First off we have a new Reputation. That is bad because it means more grind and more power creep with passives. It is good because it means new gear to try out and discover. It is GREAT because of the way it was designed. To all who helped design the new reputation system give yourselves a round of applause. It is SO much better than the others and it really is obvious you considered the different sort of players you have in this game when designing it. This reputation is streamlined, easy to obtain marks for, not nearly such a EC and Expertise Sink, and the new tokens really help. I desperately hope you intend to revamp the old Reputations to be like this new one.
We also have a new Fleet Holding... This is mostly a negative thing for me. Yet another thing my fleet has to work up that we simply do not have the resources for. Yet another thing mega fleets will have done ASAP. Yet more power creep. However, the two biggest annoyances for me are these:
1) Nothing about the Holding actually requires any interaction with the Sphere itself. That is: Like the Romulan Embassy you do not need Dyson Marks or anything you would get from the Sphere in order to progress the Holding which seems a bit incongruous.
2) The Veteran ships and some carriers finally have Fleet Versions... Stuck behind more tiers of fleet building in order to access. For the Carriers that is annoying but acceptable. For the Veteran ships it is a bit more Vexing. Obviously, you would need a Fleet Module or more to get access to them. Obviously, you would require a fleet and at least a Tier 1 Shipyard. However, having it stuck behind two tiers of upgrades is just annoying. Yes, us Lifers and other Vets will eventually get there but frankly I will not likely see any of these for a couple years at best and I know I am not alone. That is pretty sad considering that they will likely be heavily obsolete by then, assuming the game is still alive. (which I AM assuming BTW for all you Doom and Gloom folks)
We three new Space Que events. I sort of wish we could have had one ground one here but I can understand why the Devs probably figured that would be a waste of time. The Elachi Red Alert and Storming the Spire are both nice additions and fun to play. I like how you can help the teams close the gate in the prior and how some real strategy about how to place your forces makes a HUGE difference in the latter.
The Breech on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag. The Star Fox esque nature of it, in MANY respects for those who know, is fun but I am not sure how well it translates into STO. One of the biggest complaints I have is that there really needs to be a bit more indication of where to go and what to do. Here is what I mean:
When I first played this, and bear in mind I am usually rather good at navigation and figuring things out, I was a bit lost after defeating the outside of the ship. Eventually I found my way in but did not understand how to close the Hangars. I was looking for some control panel or to perhaps shoot something to knock the doors closed. Instead you need to sidle right up next to them which was not obvious with how close you need to be.
Next came the frustration that once that part was done I was told to face down a dreadnaught and while I could see an enemy through the door and wall I had no idea how to get to it. I searched around for some way to open that door in vain. Eventually I had one of my team mates leave in frustration at a seemingly broken mission. Then I realized a door had opened up behind us which was NOT obvious at all. An arrow or something here would really help considering you are past that spot when the force field falls. Even if my sensor scan pointed towards that spot it would have been a nice help.
Fighting the Dreadnaught was no big deal and I have no complaints there.
Then you deal with the small reactor cores and that part is likewise a bit confusing. At first it is hard to figure out what is going on. A little note here could be a nice touch. Something to mention that the core is being shuffled around or the like. However, I eventually got the gist of that.
Next the main core opens up. Again an arrow would be much appreciated because it is not always clear where to go as you are back tracking a little instead of going forward. This fight is fine and straightforward.
Then it is time to escape and this is where this mission really takes it in the nacelles. First, it is HARD to maneuver in big vessels in this mission to begin with. Second, again an arrow or glowing doorway rim or SOMETHING would be nice to indicate where you are supposed to go. Third, having that door down low is BAD... Why? Because you will not let us fly STRAIGHT DOWN which is a real problem if you expect us to get from around mid-height in that room down to the floor level fast when we have to spiral which can lead to getting caught on things and it is a nightmare in big ships. Lastly, there is simply not enough time to get out of that death trap for a lot of ships and a lot of setups. If the time limit was more forgiving I could probably even overlook the other issues but expecting us to realize where to go, get down there, and navigate that winding path in that short of time is a bit too much. I know some folks may be able to do it but many will not.
Then we have a new FE. Some complain about this and I know it is not exactly the Legend of Zelda or Metroid or something but honestly I found it quite good. I love the look of the Iconian complex with all the pillars. I loved the information you could get if you actually read the pillars. I enjoyed the walkways and the little puzzles. I thought the cut-scenes were interesting, the hero BOFFS were fun to play with, and the Voice Overs were refreshing and a major bonus. I do agree that all lines of dialogue should be spoken if possible though. If it is not worth saying then it is not worth reading. I fully understand the issues with paying for big voice talent but the in-house voice acting should not be so hard to fully implement. It was done before and I really like it in the Second Wave. So for me in total this new FE was a treat and well done. I would say that the folks who want to rip the Devs a new one over this FE are just Nuts.
We have a new enemy which is the Voth... This I have serious mixed feelings on. I see no reason why they should be an enemy even if we are perhaps working to solve that. I know they have their Doctrine which is a problem but I do not think it would require that they be immediately hostile towards us. I know negotiations would be tricky but the Federation has been able to negotiate their way through serious issues before. What is most vexing here is how we are not given any sort of example of diplomacy. If we tried to talk it over with them and they refused we should really have a bit of a cut-scene for that or some way to show that we at least really TRIED a diplomatic solution before both sides starting shooting each other. I know the Klingons would rush into battle but I do not feel that either the Federation nor the Voth would come to the immediate conclusion that the other side had to die and that there was no room for discussion. If a peaceful solution was attempted and in the end the Stubbornness of the Voth made it fall through and lead to fighting that could make sense but it would be nice to get to see that this is what happened.
Fighting the Voth in their ships is interesting. They are rather annoying and compete with the Tholians for the most annoying enemies with their heavy reliance on Science Abilities, Shields, and Cloak. However, they are not too much to handle and I agree with the idea that Al mentioned, in his STOKED Radio interview, that at least they force the players to focus on a different angle of battle because instead of just being overwhelmingly deadly they are instead extremely defensive. I think that is a worthwhile change up and does help make them play differently than everything else. The one complaint I have here is that the glow in this season is a bit off the charts. Even with Bloom down to 50 it is still so bright in many cases that I cannot see a thing thanks to all the Voth's glowy effects. A bit of a tone down there would be nice.
I also love the Dyson Sphere's atmospheric battles and things to do there. The capture points remind me of PvP and there are lot of things to see and explore. Some of the missions could use some better instruction and there are some bugs but I can overlook that. I also LOVE the fact that not only are there normal Duty Officer missions there but that by flying around you can find special ones... You know... It is kind of like you are... EXPLORING! :eek: So yes, to whomever thought that up I would say go further yet with that idea because it is a VERY good one and VERY Trek.
Fighting the Voth on the ground is challenging in some respects but not annoying like it can be with the Borg. I find the ground battle system to be excellent though I wish taking Artillery would mean that it worked for us instead of just shutting down. It would also be nice if instead of dropping command credits on the ground it was awarded as a number based on participation automatically. As I play Caitains I can easily get to the out-of-reach orbs that most lose out on but it is still a clunky system and invites some trolling. I also love how the Voth will actually man up and fight you in Melee instead of running away like everything but the Borg and some Klingons seem to.
However, the choice to include perhaps mind controlled cyberized Dinos is something that I cannot really side with. Again in that interview with STOKED Al mentions that he would imagine that the Voth would have brought the Flora and Fauna of Terra with them in their ship as they left. I find that dubious to say the least. The Voth are likely herbivores and would not have had any interest in bringing along those things that would EAT them. Also that is assuming a lot of room and a lot of tonnage on this original ship which is awfully presumptuous. It takes a lot of effort to get things into space and it is far more likely that if this was a somewhat hurried evacuation seeing the devastation that was coming that they would not have complicated it with such unnecessary things. Moreover the episode the Voth come from, Distant Origins, makes it abundantly clear that the Voth do not really have much knowledge of their home world. It is largely a mystery to them which suggests that in-fact they have very LITTLE ties to that information. This could possibly be because they destroyed that knowledge but for whatever reason it has come to be that they are unaware of Terra as their home.
Al also suggested that the Federation might use Dogs and the Klingons use Targs so the Voth should have some sort of pet likewise. However, I have yet to see the Federation using Dogs in the modern age. That concept is arcane at this point and no longer applies. The Klingons use Targs but the Klingons also use freakin' SWORDS. They are steeped in tradition and the old ways. The Voth's tradition began anew in space where pets are hard to care for and have and they act like a mostly highly sophisticated and technological people making this idea even more nonsensical. Moreover, as Herbivores the feeding of these Carnivores would likely be unpleasant. Maintaining a T-Rex would be a LOT of effort to have an obviously weak and vulnerable military asset when compared to a Machine. I would be fine with the idea that such things frighten the Voth and so they may make war machines that LOOK like a T-Rex. Also the art on the T-Rex itself is disturbingly Dino Rider's esque which makes it even more of a Rule of Cool Shark Jump.
I want it stated that I have nothing against the Voth being Dinos and being who they are according to Voyager because that IS CANON rather you like it or not. I find the idea that the Voth as described in Voyager could have existed to be interesting and considering the level of devastation our world has endured it IS fully possible an ancient civilization like theirs could have existed and been totally erased from time.
My last note on the Sphere is that while I am very dubious about the ways the walls seem to curve up and what you can see on the ground I otherwise love the artwork and environment of this place. It is massive, epic, and interesting. There are a lot of colors, good thematic adherence, and I cannot help but wonder what those little cities we see all over are like. The ground areas are sprawling and massive and keep their adherence to the theme while offering enough variety that everything does not look identical and boring.
Lastly we got a new Lock Box...
Still not fond of these things in the least. Not particularly thrilled that the Voth Science ship is a good one because its cost is just silly for anyone who figures that out. There are some great traits in this box, the best of all being the Orbital Devastation one that changes Orbital Strike. There are also some rather interesting new DOFFs and some okay weapons. I rather like the new ground gun and that is not so unreasonable in price. However, that is about all I will say about the Lock Box as Cryptic does a fine job of putting those in our face by themselves. :PSo overall I have to say that while my expectations were not that high for Season 8 that I have rather enjoyed it. I would say that in most respects it has been an improvement and a success despite some of its flaws and the doomsayers.
Post edited by hasukurobi on
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Comments
But with the new Fleet holding, I agree. Small fleets have it bad because they are stuck again in an endless grind, while Large Fleets will have this done by Christmas. And it's even worse as KDF since the PvE queues are dead, even during the Bonus Event so it's impossible to even work on the new fleet holding as KDF. That's why some players are leaving the game.
Really wish Cryptic cared about small fleets, instead of catering to the large ones.
-- What passes for a mission series this season doesn't even bother to hide the fact that it's a tutorial for how the zone works.
-- Starfleet is acting even less like Starfleet than usual, and there's barely even a handwave given for the Federation's abject failure at any diplomacy whatsoever.
-- The Romulan Republic, the space equivalent of a Third World country that didn't even exist a year ago in-universe, now somehow has enough forces that they can afford to spearhead a major international military campaign on the other side of the galaxy.
-- The Klingons are supposed to be at war with the Federation, but Cryptic apparently forgot that part of their own story a long time ago because they work together for most of the game. Cryptic, do you want them to be at war, or do you want them to make peace? **** or get off the pot.
-- Yes, there are bits of lore scattered around the ground zone. But it's not exactly convenient to go looking for them when you've got a dozen of the aforementioned random one-shot species from VOY shooting at your TRIBBLE, and I dislike ground combat in this game anyway. Yes, there's this side-story with a Voth scientist as you complete the new rep. But unlike the Romulan rep side-story it's completely uninteractive and so far he's been a complete Captain Obvious (everything he's told me I figured out on my own weeks ago).
-- The laser-headed dinosaurs are completely idiotic from every angle and the idiot who came up with them needs to smoke less weed.
I place a very high premium on having a story actually make sense, and quite frankly the story justification for the entire season 8 scenario is complete garbage. Was Cryptic's entire writing team drunk the entire development period, or did Cryptic just blow the whole budget on art (I'll grant the place is pretty) and forget to actually pay them?
P.S. "The Breach", while fun for the most part (trying to deal with the atmospheric friction and figuring out where the slipstreams are is a pain in the TRIBBLE), is a complete ripoff of Return of the Jedi. I feel more like Lando Calrissian playing that than I do a Starfleet captain.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
I assume by the first part of your reply that you do not believe that Enterprise was Canon. However, I do not blame you for that belief.
There IS more story given from completing parts of the Rep but I do have to agree that switching to the Voth is a bit anticlimactic.
Omega Particles do not destabilize Subspace until they go critical and explode which they have not yet done.
I COMPLETELY agree about the Klingons. They joined with us against the Borg, Tholians, Tal'Shiar, and now the Voth... Just get over it already. There is no evidence that we are at war with them. Maybe we are not "Allies" with them but that is different from being "At War" with them.
It was not weed he was smoking lol.
I agree with this part!
I understand you want KDF and ROM to be part of the sphere.., but then you have to add a episode/story about KDF and FED becoming friends again (which BTW I think is a mistake). Have KDF and FED still in war.. and allow each faction be able to shoot KDF or FED depending on which faction you belong as well as the dinos and Voth. I would have made the battlezone becoming FED or KDF after taking over the zone. So we have three faction overtake. I get why you are not willing to have KDF to their own.. since there is maybe not enough KDF players,.. still!
I don't like that this tutorial of the zones are put up as a featured episode mission. They should be separate and NOT advertised as a MISSION. That feels just lazy,.. and you get disappointed since you think its missions as the missions you play as you level up. Please place the tutorial elsewhere.
Other than that I pretty much agree with what was written by the review. Except I don't like the space adventure zone. I don't think it feels like exploration and will probably do zero space. The ground battlezone is quite fun.
ships in an atmosphere,
Shoot dinosaurs on the ground,
New story line.....nope,
New fleet holding and more grind,
New rep with even more grind,
New powers and consules to make PvE even easier,
All the above:(
New rep support system, nice addition,
But all this doesn't matter as since S8 launch I get 30 minutes max before my game textures curupt and it becomes unplayable.:mad:
Join The Space Invaders,..... Federation and KDF fleets.
I just wish there was quicker way to earn Dilthlum without buying or spending all day in search of.
Total Fleet marks earn, probably needs to be boosted for all events and missions.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
I love what STO done with Season 8 opening with Worf, Iconian and Dyson Sphere cannon-story tie-ins (TNG: "Schisms" S6E05, TNG: "Contagion" S2E11, DS9: "To the Death" S4E22, TNG: "Relics" S6E04).
STO was pushing for some reason about the Omega particle, when they could have tied in the Iconian and Elachi and wrap it up to make a conclusion of working together.
The New Romulans, is a bore of running around and as like the Dyson Space. They need to add a mystery detective story element. Tomb Raider, Omikron, Deux, Sherlock Holmes! Because like in music we have to have an arch and a release (which MMOs don't really do that because the game goes on forever). But we're talking about Star Trek storyline and the bases of Cowboys and Sherlock Holmes (i.e. Enterprise and ST Generations). Collecting data needs to sum up to solving a problem with good narration.
For example, Cardassian Struggle: Second Wave - Boldly They Rode, extends the story of DS9. I finally get a vision from the prophets, "A hand that stays closed its not a hand." Which makes sense why the prophets have to release the dominion fleet lost in the wormhole. A perfect example of opening the book again and putting it to a close.
I like the Dyson ground, but I wish there was a fully developed extended storyline from VOY S3E23 "Distant Origin." There is no explanation if the Voth have claims of this territory/expanse. And the whole verbage that comes with Voth; Distant Origin Theory, Voth Doctrine, Ministry of Elders, Nekrit Expanse and there's no Star Trek judiciary trail.
It took some looking, but Quarra/Quarren were briefly mentioned in STO: Sphere of Influence, VOY S7E15 "Workforce", S7E16 "Workforce, Part II"
I was listening around Priority One Podcast 150th Anniversary Episode, I would like to take back how I didn't see any Voth storyline... I just found out the cut scenes are within the Tier Reputation system (or... YouTube.)
--Gameplay (mechanics, bug fixes, rewards, new content): B-. Battlezone is excellent, space zone is good but not great, and bug fixes took longer than a lot of us would prefer.
--Story: D-. Here is where you dropped the ball. Guys, we need more than one FE for this. The sphere mission series is basically a set of new dailies. We have no backstory for the war with the Voth (it would've been seriously helpful to have a mission post-Sphere of Influence where we could enter the sphere and meet the Voth, or at least have some backstory for the war), negotiations seem to have not even been considered, and the effects of the last two seasons on the Fed-Klingon war are ignored. This can and should be MUCH better.
--New items and ships: A-. Voth ships are meh, but Bulwark is great and new battlecruisers pwn. Good job overall.
--Graphics: A+. Here you guys really hit it. The Sphere is frankly beautiful and awe-inspiring. Tremendous job.
--Themes/quality of enemies: A-. As much as I wanted Iconians, you guys did a great job with the Voth. They seem to have read the Evil Overlord List (with the exception of the prohibition on face-concealing visors), and they are tough without being instakill (once you have some gear, at least. Before you have endgame lootz, you're toast if you try to solo battlezone). Also, the laser dinosaurs are silly but very Trek, in a TOS way.
--Overall grade: B. Has some major issues, but overall a solid expansion.