This reply is funny, because the support missions haven't been taken away at all, as well as the fact that you can still go to the opposing faction's sector via completion of Surface Tension.
Why is there such a need to look for ways that Cryptic is TRIBBLE you over when there just isn't any there? It's mind-boggling.
They are there, but only in a limited fashion. You can no longer take DH cluster assignments, including support. You will only have the one chance to take assignments from the sector interact. Dept heads are an integral feature of doffing, this is now GONE with S9.5 in clusters. See an assignment you might want to share via bridge invite? Kiss that goodbye as well. Not just supports, chain partials are another huge loss. This change slows down all progression because the assignments are no longer there via DH or bridge. There are at least two long standing channels in the game that rely on these features, they are both endangered now.
I appreciate your desire to stay positive, but if you really knew how doffing worked, there is no way you would say what you just did.
That's kind of what got me started. I was determined to demonstrate that a completely non-combat diplomacy mission could be fun and interesting. And that it could feel more like Star Trek than some epic space battle.
As much as I LOVE epic battles.... (seriously, Devil's Choice is my favorite mission in STO) It's also fun to walk around and talk to people sometimes.
Did the episode involve diplomacy in some way? Yes.
And that's what was asked for.
the actual focus of the episode was Picard's misadventures in the holodeck.In case you forgot... the T'Kon ep was centered around the crew of the Ent-D fighting a bunch of Ferengi who wanted to take the planet for themselves. The diplomacy part came after the Portal awakened and was largely an accident.
Woah. The Last Outpost was my example of an EXPLORATION episode. Not diplomacy.
let me just start out by saying that I both understand and even support the removal of the star clusters from STO, for all the reasons outlined in the announcement article. The cluster maps themselves are kinda meaningless, the random mission text is usually either laughably inappropriate or just kind of non-sequitur and I will not miss about half the cluster content at all; Especially the running from computer console to computer console in an empty map ones.
But...
Having said that, what I will miss is the short format, random critter buster missions. As a longtime veteran of the game I have spent a lot of time out in the B'tran Cluster looking for a quick fix of random combat. I like that they're short (usually about 10 min) and that they're always a little different each time you go. Admittedly one Borg buster mission is much like the next, but its also never exactly the same either. I like that the scenery changes, and the layouts of the mob placements are always a little different, and sometimes the mobs are Undine or Hirogen or one of the random cluster aliens.
Now, I love the foundry, but that is something that the foundry just doesn't do. Most Foundry missions are both fairly long, (at least half an hour, and usually much longer) and pretty involved. This is not a complaint mind you. I love a good foundry mission, but sometimes I'm just not looking to get involved in a ten part epic story. I just want to go fight something. I know there are Foundry Farms that kinda fit the bill, but that's not quite the same thing either. I tend to get bored easily with foundry farms. I rarely run one more than once, even if I like it, It tends to loose its interest for me the second or third time around. The thing I like about the cluster combats is that your never quite sure who your up against until your facing off with them.
So I guess what I'm saying here is this. I don't mind if you take the clusters out the game, but I hope that you (the Devs) will put some thought into finding a new home for the short format random combat missions, because that is something that I will definitely miss.
I guess it is a bit of a problem for Foundry authors (other those that make "grinders") to create a very short mission - since they have limited slots, and most foundry authors want to tell a story.
Maybe, one day (I still hope that day is Expansion 2, but that may be a vain hope) we'll see some randomly generated mission along those lines - with better tech, so that fewer missions are bugged or broken in some way, and less dumb story texts.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
I guess it is a bit of a problem for Foundry authors (other those that make "grinders") to create a very short mission - since they have limited slots, and most foundry authors want to tell a story.
Maybe, one day (I still hope that day is Expansion 2, but that may be a vain hope) we'll see some randomly generated mission along those lines - with better tech, so that fewer missions are bugged or broken in some way, and less dumb story texts.
the only glimmer of hope is that from what I can gather they are not actually taking the clusters out just making it that you wont be able to enter them and play the missions, this gives hope that they are in the proses or at least the planning stages of introducing new exciting missions for us and maybe a different format for the whole overall cluster experience.
hopefully at that time we can also continue on our quest to complete the unfinished accolades also.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
let me just start out by saying that I both understand and even support the removal of the star clusters from STO, for all the reasons outlined in the announcement article.
You support then the suggestion that people got lost in these large squares of pixels? That players couldn't exit the clusters by pushing the same button they push to exit any other map? You actually believe people were confused by this stuff and had no idea how to get out of the clusters or their maps? But could do so on all other content?
I guess I was thinking less literally than that. I just mean that I think the cluster maps themselves are pretty lackluster and flying around checking to see if all the little points are in fact star systems or just misplaced bits of data or mineral fragments is kind of absurd. I also see that much of the existing cluster content is frankly pretty bad. These are the points I agree with, and I do see them as valid problems.
the only glimmer of hope is that from what I can gather they are not actually taking the clusters out just making it that you wont be able to enter them and play the missions,
AdjudicatorHawk cited download size also as one of the reasons to take them out - that suggets to me they will be removed completely.
And I don't think there is any use in keeping them unavaialble but in the game. If they want to fix them on a large scale, thousands of missions would need to be looked into and revamped. Season 9 allowed them to revamp what - 4 missions? Exploration missions appear to be in the thousands. There is no magic button that turns Borg's 3d dynasties into something sensible, or that identifies all floors that BOs fall through, or identifies enemy spawn points out of the player's sensor reach.
They are more likely to build Genesis 2 and just create completely new content.
You support then the suggestion that people got lost in these large squares of pixels? That players couldn't exit the clusters by pushing the same button they push to exit any other map? You actually believe people were confused by this stuff and had no idea how to get out of the clusters or their maps? But could do so on all other content?
Spoken like someone that has never see normal people struggling with user interfaces in a usability study.
It's not pretty.
There are plenty of people that are really not good at figuring out what button does what.
Pretty much every mission has a final prompt at the end that lets you warp out. So no need to use the warp out button then.
Exploration Clusters look pretty much like mostly Sector Block maps. ANd you can't use Warp Out in Sector Blocks. Enough people will figure that the Warp-Out button couldn't possibly work here either. (Even if it's just there).
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
I guess I was thinking less literally than that. I just mean that I think the cluster maps themselves are pretty lackluster and flying around checking to see if all the little points are in fact star systems or just misplaced bits of data or mineral fragments is kind of absurd. I also see that much of the existing cluster content is frankly pretty bad. These are the points I agree with, and I do see them as valid problems.
D.G.
The three reasons cited for removing these were:
1- Players getting lost in the maps.
2- Quality of the missions. (Which is a whole other debate. I mean you criticize these missions for being shallow, yet have no problemo running the same STF how many hundreds of times? What is the story for Infected? When was the last time you noticed the story?)
3- Download size.
So you agreed with one of the three points, but the other two?
Spoken like someone that has never see normal people struggling with user interfaces in a usability study.
It's not pretty.
No. You misunderstand. What I'm saying is to enter and leave this content you use the exact same buttons you use for all other content. You use the button in the top lefthand corner of your map circle. It's the same button you use to get out of all the other maps you enter when doing content in this game.
It's how you leave.
And if the player is able to utilize that button on all the other content, then they can use it here. Which is why the explanation given is pure fancy and whimsy delivered by the developers and the only players who actually buy it are the ones that don't do this content, else we'd all realize what it is that's being sold here. Big stinky cheese. Lindberger.
No one's having problems exiting these maps because it's the same exit button for all the other maps.
This isn't about having trouble using an interface. If a player couldn't get out of a cluster map, they wouldn't have gotten to it in the first place because they'd have never gotten out of the first map they beamed into as the game began. The tutorial.
Exploration Clusters look pretty much like mostly Sector Block maps. ANd you can't use Warp Out in Sector Blocks. Enough people will figure that the Warp-Out button couldn't possibly work here either. (Even if it's just there).
Yes you can warp out of every map in a cluster. And you can warp out of every cluster. One click.
Supports do remain in game. But you'll have only one out of two current chances at getting them (without the DH possibility) AND to top it off, you lose bridge inviting capacity.
AND you lose 3/6 main Cadrassian space maps with some of the better chains and assignements in them.
AND KDF loses some Marauding Contraband producing assignements only present in clusters. Each rewarded 2 (5 on Critical) contraband and despite taking 6 hours, it was a useful additional income.
This is a nerf to doffing, they just refuse to acknowledge that. Whether it's been ignorance or 'ill will' towards players generating profits, no idea. However them not reacting to any of the doffing feedback would seem to point to the latter.
(And I haven't even touched on how the new doff UI slows down doffing.)
TOIVA, Toi Vaxx, Toia Vix, Toveg, T'vritha, To Vrax: Bring in the Allegiance class. Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider. Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Fair enough, I will agree that I misspoke. Perhaps I don't agree with all the reasons in the article.
I personally will not miss either flying around the cluster map scanning random points in space or the non-combat star cluster missions though. Honestly I tend to avoid them when I'm in B'tran anyway. When I see my science officer's smiling face telling me about anomalous readings, or strange energy signatures, I usually just hit the "warp" button and keep on looking.
I will also say that as far as your point about running the STF's over and over I also tend to agree. I really mostly only run those when I'm grouped up with friends who want to play them because it does get a bit monotonous to play the same missions over and over.
This is in fact my whole point. Its why I'm arguing for a new venue for random combat missions. I find that they break up the monotony of repeating the same old missions quite nicely, and I would hate to see them lost entirely.
I have a sneaking suspicion that we may be on the same side of this argument. I wouldn't keep flying out to B'tran if there wasn't something I enjoyed doing out there, but I also think that there's a lot of dead weight in the clusters that I don't mind seeing get trimmed away.
Fair enough, I will agree that I misspoke. Perhaps I don't agree with all the reasons in the article.
I personally will not miss either flying around the cluster map scanning random points in space or the non-combat star cluster missions though. Honestly I tend to avoid them when I'm in B'tran anyway. When I see my science officer's smiling face telling me about anomalous readings, or strange energy signatures, I usually just hit the "warp" button and keep on looking. I will also say that as far as your point about running the STF's over and over I also tend to agree. I really mostly only run those when I'm grouped up with friends who want to play them because it does get a bit monotonous to play the same missions over and over.
This is in fact my whole point. Its why I'm arguing for a new venue for random combat missions. I find that they break up the monotony of repeating the same old missions quite nicely, and I would hate to see them lost entirely.
D.G.
Dont let this guy bully you into bowing to his points.
1.) When I first got into the game I myself got confused as to which way was out before realizing I could use the Warp Out Option on my UI...Of course it didnt take me but one time to realize this but it happened. Im not shocked at all that others, and possibly many others, have experienced this and to a worse degree. The Cluster Maps imitate a fog most of the time or in other cases give no visible reference to where you are. This can cause a lot of confusion for someone that struggles with such things. Atleast in regular Sector Space you will find the same points of reference where you last left them. You will not be able to do the same with Clusters. When you reload back out of a mission. Theres no telling if youre facing the same direction or not because the environment has and continues to change. I myself am more then able to find my way with just one look at a map in real life but Im more than aware of the reasons why the Clusters can cause confusion. Everything someone uses to ascertain their location is non-existant with in the Clusters.
2.) The Missions are simply pitiful. The only time I actually enjoyed myself in the Clusters was when Id stumble on a Particle Farming Mission. Beyond that I found no enjoyment of those areas and always felt they were an embarrassing reminder that STO didnt get off to the great start that it should have. Im personally glad theyre getting around to dumping these areas. Especially since some of them have been in locations that Star Trek Fans have known to be well-established sectors with star systems and locales seen in the shows and movies. It just made no sense that those areas would be so poorly explored when they were within eyeshot of Sol.
3.) Download size. If they can reduce the download size without effecting significant and well used Content. Great. I would not be surprised if Clusters were abandoned and forgotten after the missions that sent people there.
If people wish for some variety to be introduced in face of this content removal. They should get together and ask for random events to be introduced in Sector Space.
At different times as youre flying through a sector on your way to Sol or to Tau Dewa you receive a Distress Call. Or your Science Officer interrupts you to inform you of a strange reading on sensors. Maybe a new species migrated to a nearby star and attacks you for invading space that its declared its own in full disregard for it being in the middle of Federation Space?
Plenty of ways of making this games universe come to life without the need of such a taxing and failed Genesis Engine.
Great idea... I (and a few others) have said as much on here.
To solve the hooking problem that some have mentioned, so you aren't pulled to Vulcan while in Regulus block... add tags to Foundry missions. Authors can tag locations into their stories, and the cluster hooks can pull appropriate stories from these tags.
I mean, there are specific Doff missions tied to specific sectors. Why not Foundry as well?
In that case, I can already foresee a problem- balancing. Delta Volanis would almost definitely get the lion's share, the Rolor Nebula would also get a large chunk because of how close it is to DS9, and the other clusters would suffer, so there would need to be some mechanism to make sure the other areas don't die from attrition- either because it's dropped to the same 3 to 5 missions available at each star cluster, or it looks for generic enough locations that it could be dropped into any of the available star clusters.
1.) When I first got into the game I myself got confused as to which way was out before realizing I could use the Warp Out Option on my UI...Of course it didnt take me but one time to realize this but it happened. Im not shocked at all that others, and possibly many others, have experienced this and to a worse degree.
What would be that worse degree? The warp out button works. It's right there in the UI. And you found out.
The Cluster Maps imitate a fog most of the time or in other cases give no visible reference to where you are.
No they don't. They use the same map mechanics of every other map in the game. To find points of interest, you use your tricorder/scanner, just like you do in every other map. As you are taught in the tutorial.
Especially since some of them have been in locations that Star Trek Fans have known to be well-established sectors with star systems and locales seen in the shows and movies. It just made no sense that those areas would be so poorly explored when they were within eyeshot of Sol.
Nothing is within eyeshot of Sol. The nearest cluster, Delta Volanis is further away from Sol than Vulcan. It's just a nebula, which means sensors don't penetrate it very well, which means it's still being explored.
I know you're probably too new to have really caught on to the lore behind it. And much of the game's lore has also been removed. But yeah, Delta Volanis only looks close to Sol because the scale is off. That's no good reason to remove it. The same problem occurs with shuttles and other smaller vessels who are off in terms of size compared to bigger ships. Like the Defiant. Should the Defiant be removed because it's too large compared to the Galaxy?
3.) Download size. If they can reduce the download size without effecting significant and well used Content.
This is the biggest lie of all put out by the development team. I'm sorry you bought into it. But your patching and download times won't be made more efficient with 9.5.
If people wish for some variety to be introduced in face of this content removal. They should get together and ask for random events to be introduced in Sector Space.
Sector Space already is filled with content. Patrols and Enemy contacts.
"Exploring" known sector space though flies in the face of the concept. I mean you just got done criticizing the game for having Delta Volanis within eyeshot of the Sol system, but you now advocate putting exploration right smack in the middle of Q'onos and Vulcan and Bajor?
Luckily the devs aren't going to try that. They're just instead lumping this into the Foundry, and letting the players do what they want with it all. No muss, no fuss. Just perfectly removed content, so you can continue right on your railed path of story arc missions for 3 to 5 days till you hit 50 and start repeating the Borg STFs ad nauseum.
1- Players getting lost in the maps.
2- Quality of the missions. (Which is a whole other debate. I mean you criticize these missions for being shallow, yet have no problemo running the same STF how many hundreds of times? What is the story for Infected? When was the last time you noticed the story?)
3- Download size.
So you agreed with one of the three points, but the other two?
No. You misunderstand. What I'm saying is to enter and leave this content you use the exact same buttons you use for all other content. You use the button in the top lefthand corner of your map circle. It's the same button you use to get out of all the other maps you enter when doing content in this game.
It's how you leave.
And if the player is able to utilize that button on all the other content, then they can use it here. Which is why the explanation given is pure fancy and whimsy delivered by the developers and the only players who actually buy it are the ones that don't do this content, else we'd all realize what it is that's being sold here. Big stinky cheese. Lindberger.
No one's having problems exiting these maps because it's the same exit button for all the other maps.
And as I said - you don't leave Sector Blocks like that. And you don't have to leave missions like that, because every mission has a final "Warp Out" prompt.
People can find a button labeled with a folder sign and the name of a folder they are in, and not realize that this is the button to change the folder. This is an actual, real world example from my personal experience as software developer.
Not to mention that we don't even know if the problems of this people is finding the button, or finding the mission they need to do do get the "end mission prompt" they may be expecting, or whatever else they are expecting. Or whether they are even stucked in the cluster itself, or in a mission, where they don't want to leave - they want to find out how to continue a mission where the BOs have fallen on the floor or where they are supposed to kill 5 ships but can't detect any beyond the first one they fought, because those enemies spawn outside their sensor range.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Also, for the fine folks out there who are defending Cryptic's characterization of this content as being too simplistic and boring, I believe this post sums up how hypocritical Cryptic's development team really is.
Hmm... What's not "up to the quality of current content" about exploration?
Let's do a comparison...
Current content:
Spacebar spam
Piloting
"F" spam
Exploration:
Pressing of various buttons depending upon the mission.
"F" spam
Walking/piloting
Aiming (if anyone does this at all)
in rare cases minigames
Wait a sec... Exploration has 2 more criteria than current content... So that's why it's not up to current standards it takes a more thinking...
It's just a huge joke, and it's on the players. I'm so very sorry that some of you can't really see what's happening here.
But as time goes by they will finally get around to removing something you DO like.
Maybe it'll be a uniform you like. A ship. Some trait you worked for. Something. It will happen. I hope you're as nonchalant then as you are now.
Whether it's been ignorance or 'ill will' towards players generating profits, no idea. However them not reacting to any of the doffing feedback would seem to point to the latter.
(And I haven't even touched on how the new doff UI slows down doffing.)
It's ignorance. Across the board many of the decisions being made right now run counter to the direction of the game's first 3 plus years because the people piloting the ship are not the people who'd been there the whole time and so they are not really that well versed in what happened to get to this point.
Crafting revamp demonstrates that.
Traits revamp demonstrates that.
The DOFFing issues here demonstrate that.
Removing access to the Genesis system and closing memory alpha and not even thinking about the Diplomacy system ...
It all points to the big picture people not really being familiar with the details.
They see a forest, but don't really know much about the trees.
When Stahl talked about issues with the Genesis system, he was speaking from hands on experience. He helped put it together into the game during alpha.
The people who did much of that work back in the day, they're not here anymore.
And so there's just not a lot of experience with the game, and that's why things like this keep happening.
They just don't realize the impact on all the little details when they go and do something.
Which would be fine, if they were actually responsive about it. Instead they're tight lipped and just trudge forward like a wrecking ball not really doing much of anything with the feedback they get.
And so things get worse instead of better.
Ignorance has a solution. Willful ignorance, not so much.
Also, for the fine folks out there who are defending Cryptic's characterization of this content as being too simplistic and boring, I believe this post sums up how hypocritical Cryptic's development team really is.
It's just a huge joke, and it's on the players. I'm so very sorry that some of you can't really see what's happening here.
But as time goes by they will finally get around to removing something you DO like.
Maybe it'll be a uniform you like. A ship. Some trait you worked for. Something. It will happen. I hope you're as nonchalant then as you are now.
What is really happening here, in your opinion?
Accroding to you, Cryptic is basically removing content for no reason what so ever, and is creating lies to explain it away.
But what is the point? Why do they remove it? Just to spite you and ruin your day? Does the Chinese government forbid exploration missions?
The content is already there. If it allows to much dilithium gains via dailies, they could just remove those dailies. If it granted too much crafting mats, they could remove the crafting mats there.
But they chose to eradicate them completely.
Why do you think they do it, if there is no possible way the "official" reasons are completely made up?
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
While we are removing part of the game, we hope that this improves the overall quality of STO. In the end we aim to make Star Trek Online something youre excited to be playing every week.
Ok. That sentence alone says it all.
How can a sane person write that with a straight face?
At this point I don't care any more if I'm banned here or not.
There are 2 explanations for that and ONLY those:
1. They are sabotaging that game on purpose
2. They are mentally disabled.
No other possible explanation.
Thats also the only explanations for leaving a person like D'Angelo in charge. The way he dismantles and destroys the game step by step, a game I really like, really makes me angry.
At this point I'm actually hoping for him to have a lethal car accident or worst, he just SOMEHOW has to get his incompetent hands of this game.
DS9 is a dead social zone. It's likely next on the chopping block.
It's funny that people think just because the giant behemoth of Exploration is getting removed, that Cryptic will be removing stuff left and right. Cryptic stated their reasons for its removal, and the reasons do not apply to most stuff in STO. The particular combination of size, newbie unfriendliness and low quality is what killed exploration. Most stuff in this game - even if it's just as bad or worse - just lacks the size. If it needs fixing, the fix can definitely wait, but when it is the turn to be fixed, it will also be manageable. (I think the only exception to that may be PvP, I don't see any manageable fixes possible there. But PvP isn't big, and hardly affects new players...)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
"Across the board many of the decisions being made right now run counter to the direction of the game's first 3 plus years because the people piloting the ship are not the people who'd been there the whole time and so they are not really that well versed in what happened to get to this point."
While I am not going to "ditto" this per se, it had been something I had privately speculated on. What I actually had in mind was an MBA coming in and doing to STO what happened to the TV series "Andromeda", because of ROI.
I can only say that both Paramount and CBS have an interest in making sure a Star Trek property remains Star Trek in tone, as well as making sure folks are treated in accordance with their values (I think CBS would especially keen on this one, esp. if high school kids are involved), and both can be motivated to action if the right action agent appears. For if a Star Trek game become nothing but a generic MMORG and loses the feel of Star Trek, then my guess is that rather than face a devaluement of the intellectual property, the owners will find someone willing to treat it properly, esp. if they are appealed to in the right way, by the right individual.
However, we are nowhere near that point yet. I do have concerns for the future but see no great devaluement at present. My guess is Cryptic is just getting started on figuring out it's long-term growth and STEWARDSHIP plan for STO, that it is a truism that "no plan survives contact with the enemy", so I by no means assume anything as far as the future or Cryptic, and presume they wish to only build on what has made the product a playing success so far. Nevertheless, there a few things that do and will always irritate me, and are principles I consider important enough to bring up.
For example, when I try to pay *my* money for something, and my cookie setting is good enough for Amazon, it is good enough for Cryptic. Period. I.hope.we.all.agree. Yes?
Now, on to something different. If *I* was in charge of future plans, and looking for ways to maintain enthusiasm as well as expand the user base, one thing that pops in my head is the Total War precedent, where using the same era edition (Rome, Medieval, Empire) they had different eras within the era--Vikings, Alexander, Napoleon, etc. They also had strategic options. Along those lines, what STO should do is:
1.) The Original Series Universe Expansion (with full-on Klingon/Fed fighting). Would not require much diddling with maps (though presumably smaller, but then the ships would be slower (Warp 7)). This also removes the "melt cubes ships running around in same STF as stock ships", by resetting things to a less powerful base. Would also satisfy the call for playable Constitution/Ktinga/D-7 ships. We all know the IP exists, because I pretty much know (or think I do) where ARC got the original "this is how things should fly" code and skins from (and thank you for removing some of the dorked up aero-based pitch and yaw rates, and I knew they were aero-based (I presume CFD) because I was working on a flight test technique project at the time). Logon for the Expansion 'verse would be same as for getting to Tribble or Redshirt.
2.) Klingon/Gorn War. Before they become BFFs, their was a minor little matter of an invasion. Good place for a strategic campaign.
3.) Dominion War. Self-explanatory.
Just some random thoughts, in my belief that there are ways to improve revenue/ROI that actually relate to a product provided.
Is it really needed to publicly wish a personal tragedy on someone just to remove them from the Dev Team? Have we allowed ourselves to be come this obsessed with STO?
I cannot help but disappointed here. That someone whose opinion I respected, until now, would go this far as a way to make their point.
A six year old boy and his starship. Living the dream.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: While I would LOVE more exploration missions in STO, the system as-is is a low-quality embarrassment.
Better would have the near-Earth clusters and areas closer to civilized space be humanitarian relief efforts, investigations of strange occurrences, and diplomatic missions; sort of like the Tau Dewa sector patrol for each cluster, with a random generator choosing a mission from a list of options for each system. Each cluster would have a different list with different specifics in the art, dialogue, and enemies (if any), so that if you got bored with a particular set of missions you could just go to another cluster.
This could be heavily tied to Diplomacy commendation xp, with big rewards of, say, 1,000 diplomacy XP and 1440 dil for doing 3 missions in a cluster daily.
The B'tran cluster and other "frontier" clusters could have First Contact missions and similar missions instead.
Comments
They are there, but only in a limited fashion. You can no longer take DH cluster assignments, including support. You will only have the one chance to take assignments from the sector interact. Dept heads are an integral feature of doffing, this is now GONE with S9.5 in clusters. See an assignment you might want to share via bridge invite? Kiss that goodbye as well. Not just supports, chain partials are another huge loss. This change slows down all progression because the assignments are no longer there via DH or bridge. There are at least two long standing channels in the game that rely on these features, they are both endangered now.
I appreciate your desire to stay positive, but if you really knew how doffing worked, there is no way you would say what you just did.
My character Tsin'xing
And that's what was asked for.
Woah. The Last Outpost was my example of an EXPLORATION episode. Not diplomacy.
But...
Having said that, what I will miss is the short format, random critter buster missions. As a longtime veteran of the game I have spent a lot of time out in the B'tran Cluster looking for a quick fix of random combat. I like that they're short (usually about 10 min) and that they're always a little different each time you go. Admittedly one Borg buster mission is much like the next, but its also never exactly the same either. I like that the scenery changes, and the layouts of the mob placements are always a little different, and sometimes the mobs are Undine or Hirogen or one of the random cluster aliens.
Now, I love the foundry, but that is something that the foundry just doesn't do. Most Foundry missions are both fairly long, (at least half an hour, and usually much longer) and pretty involved. This is not a complaint mind you. I love a good foundry mission, but sometimes I'm just not looking to get involved in a ten part epic story. I just want to go fight something. I know there are Foundry Farms that kinda fit the bill, but that's not quite the same thing either. I tend to get bored easily with foundry farms. I rarely run one more than once, even if I like it, It tends to loose its interest for me the second or third time around. The thing I like about the cluster combats is that your never quite sure who your up against until your facing off with them.
So I guess what I'm saying here is this. I don't mind if you take the clusters out the game, but I hope that you (the Devs) will put some thought into finding a new home for the short format random combat missions, because that is something that I will definitely miss.
D.G.
Maybe, one day (I still hope that day is Expansion 2, but that may be a vain hope) we'll see some randomly generated mission along those lines - with better tech, so that fewer missions are bugged or broken in some way, and less dumb story texts.
the only glimmer of hope is that from what I can gather they are not actually taking the clusters out just making it that you wont be able to enter them and play the missions, this gives hope that they are in the proses or at least the planning stages of introducing new exciting missions for us and maybe a different format for the whole overall cluster experience.
hopefully at that time we can also continue on our quest to complete the unfinished accolades also.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
You support then the suggestion that people got lost in these large squares of pixels? That players couldn't exit the clusters by pushing the same button they push to exit any other map? You actually believe people were confused by this stuff and had no idea how to get out of the clusters or their maps? But could do so on all other content?
I guess I was thinking less literally than that. I just mean that I think the cluster maps themselves are pretty lackluster and flying around checking to see if all the little points are in fact star systems or just misplaced bits of data or mineral fragments is kind of absurd. I also see that much of the existing cluster content is frankly pretty bad. These are the points I agree with, and I do see them as valid problems.
D.G.
And I don't think there is any use in keeping them unavaialble but in the game. If they want to fix them on a large scale, thousands of missions would need to be looked into and revamped. Season 9 allowed them to revamp what - 4 missions? Exploration missions appear to be in the thousands. There is no magic button that turns Borg's 3d dynasties into something sensible, or that identifies all floors that BOs fall through, or identifies enemy spawn points out of the player's sensor reach.
They are more likely to build Genesis 2 and just create completely new content.
Spoken like someone that has never see normal people struggling with user interfaces in a usability study.
It's not pretty.
There are plenty of people that are really not good at figuring out what button does what.
Pretty much every mission has a final prompt at the end that lets you warp out. So no need to use the warp out button then.
Exploration Clusters look pretty much like mostly Sector Block maps. ANd you can't use Warp Out in Sector Blocks. Enough people will figure that the Warp-Out button couldn't possibly work here either. (Even if it's just there).
The three reasons cited for removing these were:
1- Players getting lost in the maps.
2- Quality of the missions. (Which is a whole other debate. I mean you criticize these missions for being shallow, yet have no problemo running the same STF how many hundreds of times? What is the story for Infected? When was the last time you noticed the story?)
3- Download size.
So you agreed with one of the three points, but the other two?
No. You misunderstand. What I'm saying is to enter and leave this content you use the exact same buttons you use for all other content. You use the button in the top lefthand corner of your map circle. It's the same button you use to get out of all the other maps you enter when doing content in this game.
It's how you leave.
And if the player is able to utilize that button on all the other content, then they can use it here. Which is why the explanation given is pure fancy and whimsy delivered by the developers and the only players who actually buy it are the ones that don't do this content, else we'd all realize what it is that's being sold here. Big stinky cheese. Lindberger.
No one's having problems exiting these maps because it's the same exit button for all the other maps.
This isn't about having trouble using an interface. If a player couldn't get out of a cluster map, they wouldn't have gotten to it in the first place because they'd have never gotten out of the first map they beamed into as the game began. The tutorial.
Yes you can warp out of every map in a cluster. And you can warp out of every cluster. One click.
AND you lose 3/6 main Cadrassian space maps with some of the better chains and assignements in them.
AND KDF loses some Marauding Contraband producing assignements only present in clusters. Each rewarded 2 (5 on Critical) contraband and despite taking 6 hours, it was a useful additional income.
This is a nerf to doffing, they just refuse to acknowledge that. Whether it's been ignorance or 'ill will' towards players generating profits, no idea. However them not reacting to any of the doffing feedback would seem to point to the latter.
(And I haven't even touched on how the new doff UI slows down doffing.)
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
Fair enough, I will agree that I misspoke. Perhaps I don't agree with all the reasons in the article.
I personally will not miss either flying around the cluster map scanning random points in space or the non-combat star cluster missions though. Honestly I tend to avoid them when I'm in B'tran anyway. When I see my science officer's smiling face telling me about anomalous readings, or strange energy signatures, I usually just hit the "warp" button and keep on looking.
I will also say that as far as your point about running the STF's over and over I also tend to agree. I really mostly only run those when I'm grouped up with friends who want to play them because it does get a bit monotonous to play the same missions over and over.
This is in fact my whole point. Its why I'm arguing for a new venue for random combat missions. I find that they break up the monotony of repeating the same old missions quite nicely, and I would hate to see them lost entirely.
I have a sneaking suspicion that we may be on the same side of this argument. I wouldn't keep flying out to B'tran if there wasn't something I enjoyed doing out there, but I also think that there's a lot of dead weight in the clusters that I don't mind seeing get trimmed away.
D.G.
Dont let this guy bully you into bowing to his points.
1.) When I first got into the game I myself got confused as to which way was out before realizing I could use the Warp Out Option on my UI...Of course it didnt take me but one time to realize this but it happened. Im not shocked at all that others, and possibly many others, have experienced this and to a worse degree. The Cluster Maps imitate a fog most of the time or in other cases give no visible reference to where you are. This can cause a lot of confusion for someone that struggles with such things. Atleast in regular Sector Space you will find the same points of reference where you last left them. You will not be able to do the same with Clusters. When you reload back out of a mission. Theres no telling if youre facing the same direction or not because the environment has and continues to change. I myself am more then able to find my way with just one look at a map in real life but Im more than aware of the reasons why the Clusters can cause confusion. Everything someone uses to ascertain their location is non-existant with in the Clusters.
2.) The Missions are simply pitiful. The only time I actually enjoyed myself in the Clusters was when Id stumble on a Particle Farming Mission. Beyond that I found no enjoyment of those areas and always felt they were an embarrassing reminder that STO didnt get off to the great start that it should have. Im personally glad theyre getting around to dumping these areas. Especially since some of them have been in locations that Star Trek Fans have known to be well-established sectors with star systems and locales seen in the shows and movies. It just made no sense that those areas would be so poorly explored when they were within eyeshot of Sol.
3.) Download size. If they can reduce the download size without effecting significant and well used Content. Great. I would not be surprised if Clusters were abandoned and forgotten after the missions that sent people there.
If people wish for some variety to be introduced in face of this content removal. They should get together and ask for random events to be introduced in Sector Space.
At different times as youre flying through a sector on your way to Sol or to Tau Dewa you receive a Distress Call. Or your Science Officer interrupts you to inform you of a strange reading on sensors. Maybe a new species migrated to a nearby star and attacks you for invading space that its declared its own in full disregard for it being in the middle of Federation Space?
Plenty of ways of making this games universe come to life without the need of such a taxing and failed Genesis Engine.
In that case, I can already foresee a problem- balancing. Delta Volanis would almost definitely get the lion's share, the Rolor Nebula would also get a large chunk because of how close it is to DS9, and the other clusters would suffer, so there would need to be some mechanism to make sure the other areas don't die from attrition- either because it's dropped to the same 3 to 5 missions available at each star cluster, or it looks for generic enough locations that it could be dropped into any of the available star clusters.
When they do something good I will praise them with enough praise that they will grow use to being praise until they do something idiotic again.
What would be that worse degree? The warp out button works. It's right there in the UI. And you found out.
No they don't. They use the same map mechanics of every other map in the game. To find points of interest, you use your tricorder/scanner, just like you do in every other map. As you are taught in the tutorial.
Nothing is within eyeshot of Sol. The nearest cluster, Delta Volanis is further away from Sol than Vulcan. It's just a nebula, which means sensors don't penetrate it very well, which means it's still being explored.
I know you're probably too new to have really caught on to the lore behind it. And much of the game's lore has also been removed. But yeah, Delta Volanis only looks close to Sol because the scale is off. That's no good reason to remove it. The same problem occurs with shuttles and other smaller vessels who are off in terms of size compared to bigger ships. Like the Defiant. Should the Defiant be removed because it's too large compared to the Galaxy?
This is the biggest lie of all put out by the development team. I'm sorry you bought into it. But your patching and download times won't be made more efficient with 9.5.
Sector Space already is filled with content. Patrols and Enemy contacts.
"Exploring" known sector space though flies in the face of the concept. I mean you just got done criticizing the game for having Delta Volanis within eyeshot of the Sol system, but you now advocate putting exploration right smack in the middle of Q'onos and Vulcan and Bajor?
Luckily the devs aren't going to try that. They're just instead lumping this into the Foundry, and letting the players do what they want with it all. No muss, no fuss. Just perfectly removed content, so you can continue right on your railed path of story arc missions for 3 to 5 days till you hit 50 and start repeating the Borg STFs ad nauseum.
Enjoy!
People can find a button labeled with a folder sign and the name of a folder they are in, and not realize that this is the button to change the folder. This is an actual, real world example from my personal experience as software developer.
Not to mention that we don't even know if the problems of this people is finding the button, or finding the mission they need to do do get the "end mission prompt" they may be expecting, or whatever else they are expecting. Or whether they are even stucked in the cluster itself, or in a mission, where they don't want to leave - they want to find out how to continue a mission where the BOs have fallen on the floor or where they are supposed to kill 5 ships but can't detect any beyond the first one they fought, because those enemies spawn outside their sensor range.
It's just a huge joke, and it's on the players. I'm so very sorry that some of you can't really see what's happening here.
But as time goes by they will finally get around to removing something you DO like.
Maybe it'll be a uniform you like. A ship. Some trait you worked for. Something. It will happen. I hope you're as nonchalant then as you are now.
Anything else is too work intensive and they don't have the time, budget or resources to devote to such an extensive project.
DS9 is a dead social zone. It's likely next on the chopping block.
It's ignorance. Across the board many of the decisions being made right now run counter to the direction of the game's first 3 plus years because the people piloting the ship are not the people who'd been there the whole time and so they are not really that well versed in what happened to get to this point.
Crafting revamp demonstrates that.
Traits revamp demonstrates that.
The DOFFing issues here demonstrate that.
Removing access to the Genesis system and closing memory alpha and not even thinking about the Diplomacy system ...
It all points to the big picture people not really being familiar with the details.
They see a forest, but don't really know much about the trees.
When Stahl talked about issues with the Genesis system, he was speaking from hands on experience. He helped put it together into the game during alpha.
The people who did much of that work back in the day, they're not here anymore.
And so there's just not a lot of experience with the game, and that's why things like this keep happening.
They just don't realize the impact on all the little details when they go and do something.
Which would be fine, if they were actually responsive about it. Instead they're tight lipped and just trudge forward like a wrecking ball not really doing much of anything with the feedback they get.
And so things get worse instead of better.
Ignorance has a solution. Willful ignorance, not so much.
Accroding to you, Cryptic is basically removing content for no reason what so ever, and is creating lies to explain it away.
But what is the point? Why do they remove it? Just to spite you and ruin your day? Does the Chinese government forbid exploration missions?
The content is already there. If it allows to much dilithium gains via dailies, they could just remove those dailies. If it granted too much crafting mats, they could remove the crafting mats there.
But they chose to eradicate them completely.
Why do you think they do it, if there is no possible way the "official" reasons are completely made up?
Ok. That sentence alone says it all.
How can a sane person write that with a straight face?
At this point I don't care any more if I'm banned here or not.
There are 2 explanations for that and ONLY those:
1. They are sabotaging that game on purpose
2. They are mentally disabled.
No other possible explanation.
Thats also the only explanations for leaving a person like D'Angelo in charge. The way he dismantles and destroys the game step by step, a game I really like, really makes me angry.
At this point I'm actually hoping for him to have a lethal car accident or worst, he just SOMEHOW has to get his incompetent hands of this game.
Why assume this? Do you have proof they are thinking of doing this. Or is this just scare mongering?
While I am not going to "ditto" this per se, it had been something I had privately speculated on. What I actually had in mind was an MBA coming in and doing to STO what happened to the TV series "Andromeda", because of ROI.
I can only say that both Paramount and CBS have an interest in making sure a Star Trek property remains Star Trek in tone, as well as making sure folks are treated in accordance with their values (I think CBS would especially keen on this one, esp. if high school kids are involved), and both can be motivated to action if the right action agent appears. For if a Star Trek game become nothing but a generic MMORG and loses the feel of Star Trek, then my guess is that rather than face a devaluement of the intellectual property, the owners will find someone willing to treat it properly, esp. if they are appealed to in the right way, by the right individual.
However, we are nowhere near that point yet. I do have concerns for the future but see no great devaluement at present. My guess is Cryptic is just getting started on figuring out it's long-term growth and STEWARDSHIP plan for STO, that it is a truism that "no plan survives contact with the enemy", so I by no means assume anything as far as the future or Cryptic, and presume they wish to only build on what has made the product a playing success so far. Nevertheless, there a few things that do and will always irritate me, and are principles I consider important enough to bring up.
For example, when I try to pay *my* money for something, and my cookie setting is good enough for Amazon, it is good enough for Cryptic. Period. I.hope.we.all.agree. Yes?
Now, on to something different. If *I* was in charge of future plans, and looking for ways to maintain enthusiasm as well as expand the user base, one thing that pops in my head is the Total War precedent, where using the same era edition (Rome, Medieval, Empire) they had different eras within the era--Vikings, Alexander, Napoleon, etc. They also had strategic options. Along those lines, what STO should do is:
1.) The Original Series Universe Expansion (with full-on Klingon/Fed fighting). Would not require much diddling with maps (though presumably smaller, but then the ships would be slower (Warp 7)). This also removes the "melt cubes ships running around in same STF as stock ships", by resetting things to a less powerful base. Would also satisfy the call for playable Constitution/Ktinga/D-7 ships. We all know the IP exists, because I pretty much know (or think I do) where ARC got the original "this is how things should fly" code and skins from (and thank you for removing some of the dorked up aero-based pitch and yaw rates, and I knew they were aero-based (I presume CFD) because I was working on a flight test technique project at the time). Logon for the Expansion 'verse would be same as for getting to Tribble or Redshirt.
2.) Klingon/Gorn War. Before they become BFFs, their was a minor little matter of an invasion. Good place for a strategic campaign.
3.) Dominion War. Self-explanatory.
Just some random thoughts, in my belief that there are ways to improve revenue/ROI that actually relate to a product provided.
I cannot help but disappointed here. That someone whose opinion I respected, until now, would go this far as a way to make their point.
Better would have the near-Earth clusters and areas closer to civilized space be humanitarian relief efforts, investigations of strange occurrences, and diplomatic missions; sort of like the Tau Dewa sector patrol for each cluster, with a random generator choosing a mission from a list of options for each system. Each cluster would have a different list with different specifics in the art, dialogue, and enemies (if any), so that if you got bored with a particular set of missions you could just go to another cluster.
This could be heavily tied to Diplomacy commendation xp, with big rewards of, say, 1,000 diplomacy XP and 1440 dil for doing 3 missions in a cluster daily.
The B'tran cluster and other "frontier" clusters could have First Contact missions and similar missions instead.
Thoughts, anyone?