Player contribution part I

zang3tsu1992

I’m trying to make a constructive ideas to improve sto. In order to do that I need help to make this idea as detailed as possible so that basically cryptic only need to do fine tuning and coding.
I’m going to split my ideas in various parts. I’m going to start with the basic idea which hopefully will grow out to be something cryptic can use and will use.

Problems:

1) The resource sink has increased while awards has decreased. I’m not against a resource sink if it needs be, but I want something in return, basically people need to want to give it.

2) Sto should be a multiplayer game, but it’s more like a single player game with multiplayer options.

Missions: are single player, can be done with other people, but personally I don’t do that too often.
PvP: let’s leave that for another topic. It exists, but is meh.
PvE: has its own problems so let’s leave that for another topic.
Zones: has the same problems like PvE and I’m going to leave it for another topic.

3) Player just exist in the game with no real contribution to the story, basically the story is already set and can’t be changed by player actions. Player decisions doesn’t alter the outcome of the game or even the missions. Al decisions lead to the same outcome.

4) Player career has basically no direct function other than some miner mission input and some career specific traits and abilities.

I think I found a way to solve a part of these four problems with one solution. Other ideas that I have can also aid in these problems.

Player contribution:
My idea is player contributing to projects and if filled then an object(machine, starbase, ship, satellite,..) or group of people(engineers, security, scientist,…) will be placed where crytic specified its location. This is global and every player can contribute to these projects.
However there is a time limit in a sense that an event will happen. Regardless if you build everything in time or not will impact in the event. Because these object of groups of people will aid you in some way. Like people can give certain items to make the event easier or security comes with you to aid you. Objects like ships or starbase will aid in defence. If they don’t exist then player will have to do without this aid. Also building have functionality, like communication to Starfleet, a transwarp conduit for factions to send aid. Satellites that protect you have to deal with let’s say a particle storm. If you didn’t manage to build it then you will gain no certain buff or items and will suffer some debuffs.
These events is an idea for another part.

Contributing will give some rewards and completing it will give buff, items or aid.
When completed new players can contribute for repairs and gain rewards that way.
Now for the resources needed, player can do missions.
Engineers: craft items.
Scientists: gather samples.
Tactical: do the security.

Some items can be found only in certain areas and need multiple people for different careers to get them.

Example:
Now with the addition of the delta quadrant there are some options.
This quadrant being less then friendly and largely unknown, and with the treat of the voth, vaudwaar, borg, undine, inconians, we can militarise it. Meaning crytic design the buildings and specify its location, let’s say a starbase, then the player community needs to build it. When successful that starbase will aid in the future event that some species will try to invade the alpha quadrant. When failed in time then the players will have no aid and can possibly lose. This event is another idea I have, but will be another part.
However some species will attack it even under construction.

This way player will actually contribute for having functionality and have fun doing it.
Any thoughts?

boosbc

It sounds like a plan. Another idea would be to have a real battleground, where players can battle it out. Fight for spacestations, in spacestations or on the ground and really earn ground on the maps. That would be nice too.

tigercatgirl

Why not use titles to influence the game?

We all get to pick a title. A group has a leader. The game know this, and so could use the title. Does the title "this far no farther" make the borg more aggresive to yoru group if your leader is wearing that title?

The only way I could see the players influencing the game would be to put some sort of counter on a story mission. You would have to make the mission have more than one ending, and even though it may reward the same thing to all players. The developers could then use the data for future releases.
You could test this out in the foundry, as those people will put it to good use. They could even be the testers before it is used in the game.

I think STO uses "C" for a programming language. If that is the case then you can create global variables that can be assigned to characters that can be used in story missions to bring up specific responses from NPC's. I used to do this in Neverwinter nights game so I know its possible and people love it. You could be insulted because of your race. All sorts of different things can take place many which do nothing really in the game, but they do mean something to players experience. Think how this would help if your playing a female rom faction captain, and Torvan falls in love with you and so now that is why you cannot get rid of that boff! LOL It doesn't effect the game really, but does in a way explain why you are forced to keep him. Or for male captains he is that young tag along, follower you can never get rid of, or you have to keep him because you owe someone a favor and your honor bound to keep him.
I can see how even little things like this could be a bonus to the game as a whole.