How many of you spend time in the exploration zones? I mean really
spend time, not just for farming the occasional samples, or just to do daily for dil?
Now I may be wrong about this, but I don't think the Exploration maps are being used properly, and I don't think people are visiting them enough for them to actually make them worth Cryptic's attention (they seem to agree, as the zones haven't gotten ANY attention since Season 2 apart from the occasional Exploit fix and the "Aid the planet nerf").
Another ongoing issue I see, is that with the PvE queue and transwarp abilities we have, use of sector space is limited once you are done with the story-line missions and/or have accumulated enough EC to use the mission transwarp function.
Let me emphasize that I am not purposing we remove them all together... After all, they MAY eventually find a solution to making them useful again.
BUT... The tech used is somewhat sound. I am speaking of the random encounters of cause.
Think back to TNG: One of the Enterprises main tasks was to explore the space bordering federation space, going into nebula and making contact with new species. This mostly happened in what equals the exploration zones we have today.
BUT, on occasion the Enterprise was also on patrol or exploration inside federation controlled space, or ran into previously unexplored anomalies and readings.
So: Why not use the tech that already exists in the game, and introduce it to regular sector space? Have the same types of random spawns, that you can head to scan and investigate.
Some of the current exploration missions are even reusable for this:
- Save the ship.
- Scan asteroid field anomalies.
- Regular anomaly scanning (not mission).
You can also add missions where you find some artifact that you have to salvage, with a variant where to have to defend it against scavengers, and missions alike.
Obviously, the frequency of appearances should be significantly less than what they are now, but it would bring back usefulness to sector space, once you are through with the missions.
This was just the irregular brain-TRIBBLE from me.
Don't look silly... Don't call it the "Z-Store/Zen Store"...
Let me put the rumors to rest: it's definitely still the C-Store (Cryptic Store) It just takes ZEN.
Like Duty Officers? Support effords to gather ideas
Comments
Exept, Klingons scanning anomalies? :eek: Feds and Romulans I can see doing that, but Klingons? Nope
Look at it the warrior way: Could an anomaly be converted into a weapon? Yes... You can weaponize pretty much everything.
Also the klingons DO need anomalies for crafting... Granted, not much use for that at this point, but eventually... who knows?
Good point. If they can weaponise it, GIVE ME NAOW!!
I'm in
*Klingons scan an anomaly*
Officer: There is a .02% phase variance!
Captain: .02%? Wonderful! We must celebrate!
*Captain plays music while the bridge crew gets up and does the chicken dance*
Although, canonically, keep in mind Klingons aren't Orcs, Gorn even less. Even though the KDF is, unlike Starfleet, the military arm of the empire, Klingons still need to conduct surveys just like Starfleet. They need ressources, new colonies and it's not wise to fly through space blindly in search for people to shoot - Klingons aren't supposed to work that way.
Even the Empire conducts scientific surveys.
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Great idea.
If they could introduce a "Exploration" option to the voting on foundry missions, they could be added to that list as well... say, if a mission has 25 votes on Exploration, it would automatically be added to list of missions for the exploring in the sector they start out in?
Granted there would be some problems with that, but still...
I am glad that they are removing them if they aren't planning on updating them because the load times on them are just stupid long. I'd much rather see more missions like we see in EA where we can help a cargo ship by providing medical assistance and defense or save deuterium tanks from True Way raiders.
I would however love to have some science/medical missions in federation space that has dilithium or other special rewards (like those handy deuterium tanks) for our ships or ground use inside federation space. It would liven things up a bit.
I like the Idea but I think that mission would have to match certain particular criteria to work as exploration mission.
What the exploration needs are lots of little self-contained stories; mini-episodes if you will. But Cryptic isn't likely within the next few years to have the manpower to completely revamp the system. But we do have the manpower to make tons of little missions that could be added to the system. Eventually we take out the random missions entirely. Obviously there is room for abuse, but the fact is we already rate and review the content and some foundry missions become spotlighted.
Just like a mission needs a certain number of requirements met before it becomes eligible for rewards, exploration missions would need a set of parameters. Then let the community crank out hundreds of them, and the ones which pass muster could be added to the exploration system, or to get back on the original topic, also implemented in sector space as random encounters.
To make this idea happen more quickly, there are certain types of exploration missions that hold up well and could be implemented in sector space. Protect the station/ship and enemy confrontation ones come to mind. Of course we could also add scan anomalies either in sector space or as part of the random encounters there.
Unfortunately, unless there is a way to make money from working on this system they probably will not work on it in favor of other things that will make them money. That's why I want the community to do much of the work for them.
Obviously. Exploration as a whole isn't being constructed to it's fullest capabilities. Because it can't yet be monetised, obviously. I fully expect an Exploration Reputation at some point.
It's a Catch-22 situation. If Cryptic put more effort into the content featured in the Exploration maps, people would probably use them more. Sometimes, they need to work on a basis of "if we build it, they will come" rather than their current business plan of "we won't build it until they come."
I do. It used to be, back in the day, the only thing I really did in the game. For quite some time.
Ideally, it would be great if Cryptic got more into refining the procedurally-generated content aspect of it, so the exploration missions are richer and more varied. But I guess that's unlikely to happen, if at all, for a long time.
In combination to with having deep space explorable
Known simply as -Maverick-
Klingons should Beware of Maverick.
Maverick loves a fight and tends to be victorious even as the underdog.
He has an aptitude for tactics,guerrilla warfare and security.
"United Federation of Planets"
12th Fleet - Intelligence Division "Khalija" - Alpha Group
Not on Current Assignment.-On Retirement leave at Leach Lake in Minnesota
Their engine won't allow for that.
Nope... This is true...
However, fly up to a sector border, and use the subspace jump... The area you can work with is before Tacos famous "jump-n-bump" becomes an issue HUGE. (Spend several hours a week ago flying outside the sector borders).