On another thought...wouldn't separating bridges from interior decks make it easier to have customizable interior deck plans (created with the Foundry or something similar)?
If so, then 100% yes, add as many load screens as you want!
Opinions? Would you be ok with load screens between your bridge and your interior if it meant you could mix and match more freely?
yes 100%
i cant speak for others but my pc is quite fast and the loading time to my bridge is quick anyway so having another loading in between wouldn't make much difference.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
I'm not really sure what you mean by "highly specialized?"
The problem with this idea is the underlying structure for bridges/interiors.
When you click "Visit my brdige" or whatever, it takes you to another map. That map has the bridge you have selected on it. However, it also contains the full interior associated with that bridge. In the case of bridges that let you select multiple interiors, EACH AND EVERY one of those interiors is also copied onto that map. SO, ANY interior you want access to, has to be copied on to the bridge map. We cannot copy every interior onto every bridge map. This would make the bridge maps take FOREVER to load, and would bloat the game's file sizes significantly.
IMO, the only way you will ever get to pick your bridge and your interior independently, is if/when we do a full restructuring of bridge/interior maps, where they are completely separated. That would hypothetically allow you to use your say, intrepid interior with your Suliban bridge, etc. However, this also means you would get a load screen any time you went from your bridge to your interior, or vice versa. The problem is that that is a huge undertaking, and would need to be the focus of a full season, or more. Not that I think that it's impossible, just not planned in the short term.
Opinions? Would you be ok with load screens between your bridge and your interior if it meant you could mix and match more freely?
Yes, I could absolutely live with this, especially if it meant that programming time might go into other features of interiors, or at least people would be more willing to buy interiors since they could still use the bridge of their choice with them.
Howabout a more simplistic solution? The biggest thing about the bridge packs that makes them generally unsuitable to be used on ships for which they weren't intended, is the MSD. For example, I will definitely be buying the Voyager pack for the interior, but I'm currently flying an MVAM escort, which will no doubt be immersion breaking. Likewise, the healer or Olympic class interiors, which could be suitable for any number of science ships, all display the Olympic class MSD. As a short term solution, why not simply release a generic version of each bridge/interior pack that replaces the MSD generic console screens, eliminating that disconnect. The user could then select if they want the generic version or the class specific version of the bridge.
At the end of the day, I think that a season or half-season dedicated to bridges and interiors would be an amazing addition to the game. It's often suggested that interiors need something in them to do, to be a useful addition to the game, but I disagree. Shifting perspective to view the ship interiors as a player housing zone, I think that it could be highly marketable and profitable. Other MMOs have dedicated expansions or portions of their expansions to incorporate player housing, and I think that the same could be done here with quite a lot of success.
If it's one thing that I feel MMOers crave, it's a place in the virtual universe to call their own; one that they can decorate with different lighting, colours or other items from the Zen-store and one with trophies from their travels throughout the galaxy; a place to show their uniqueness, individuality and epicness to fleet mates and other players of the game. This is readily monetized in other MMOs and I think would be a fantastic addition to the business model in STO.
With starship interiors and fleet holdings currently being identical to one another no matter which fleet or ship you visit, there's virtually no outlet for player creativity in STO (save the tailor) at the present time, and I think an interior revamp, turning it into more of a player housing situation, would be something that's very warmly received, if introduced.
Elements of people's ideas so far could be introduced - for example, R&R buffs, or quicker recharge on R&D and DOFF assignments when logging out in your Captain's quarters, for example. It also has a 'buts in seats' component to it, in that I would go to the end of the galaxy and beyond... explore every hidden nook or complete every hardest PvE queue mission for the chance at getting that very rare item that I can turn into a trophy and put on display in my mess hall, as I suspect that many people would.
Hope my ideas help there, Taco... I would love to see this for STO
I think it's a waste of time and resources. There isn't anything to do on your ship that you can't do elsewhere. I like the new interior and all, but I would not want to waste a season updating interior maps of ships.
...Unless, of course, that was changed... Perhaps your ship interior should actually become an interesting and useful place to go. Like in, you know. Star Trek.
Later: WTF CRAPTIC!!!! so many load screens,you guys suck as programers, You SUCK!!! it takes forever to load onto a simple map I made!!!! I'm not logging in again ever until you fix this disaster of an update.
Don't waste your time Taco it's not worth it.
TRIBBLE those people.
lets face it there are some gamers who no matter what u do they complain, i mean look at the T6 intrepid i have known (well guessed) since before Dr even launched and people are now moaning like its a surprise.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
Tacofangs: I have an idea I'd like to float here, maybe just to get some ideas flowing. It's basically about doing some dynamic file-building. First, break down all ship interiors to a set of locations -- bridge, corridors (could be one 'location' for all, or more than one), mess hall, sickbay, engineering, quarters, etc. Each 'location' would have to 'fit' into certain parameters, and every ship would have the same set of locations (though some of these could essentially be loaded with 'null' maps if they don't exist on that ship.)
When you're in the ship customization/tailor, you would choose which element you want for each of these locations. There would obviously have to be some standardization in where exits/entrances to a given location were -- the entry to engineering might always have to be on the 'south' side of the room, for instance. Once that is done, the game would composite a map file by taking all of the player's choices and building a data file. So there would have to be a specific file structure determined for it -- a header that would identify all the elements incorporated, then each element in a specific, predetermined order -- and this file would be written to the player's drive. That would create a single map file to be used for his/her ship interior.
When another player is invited to visit an interior, their client would be passed the data for which elements are used for each location, and a file would have to be composited in this manner on the visiting player's system. This file could be kept for later use, making future visits faster, though it would have to check against the transmitted element list to be sure that no changes had been made since the last visit.
Maybe this is not feasible. Yet if you think about it a bit, a file is simply a collection of data ordered in a very specific way. If it could be defined such that a standard, modular format for the 'segments' of the file existed (each segment containing the data for one location element), perhaps this would be feasible. Just a thought, anyway. Certainly it would require some input and work from the coding/filesystem folks. In essence, it would be building a custom file/container format for the interior maps.
This isn't freekin bridge commander. There's no reason at all to even have bridges or other rooms on your ships other than for flavor. Please spend your valuable dev time actually fixing some broken game issues or creating content instead of this fools folly of creating more rooms to socialize in.
Opinions? Would you be ok with load screens between your bridge and your interior if it meant you could mix and match more freely?
Id be ok with loading between the bridge and the interior personally.
To me it wouldn't feel too far separated from the loading we get between other parts of other maps in the game.
"If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
I would be happy to have the load screen if it meant more interior customization. Especially if it meant more Romulan interiors. Their one and only interior is boring, and has nothing in anything but the bridge.
If it does end up begin the focus of a season, you guys could do awesome things like:
-Daily mission where you have training simulations for your crew. Things like anti-boarding simulations, or warp core overloads. You could then have special doff missions only available while you are doing that mission.
-STF that is started on one player's bridge, and actually uses that player's bridge and interior as the map for the STF. Have that player's Bridge Officers and active Duty officers actually appear in various places on the map.
-Have a race-against-time mission, where your ship is filling up with tribbles and you have to deal with them as your systems are eaten through by the cute little abominations.
-Have the cosmetic changes certain gear sets make to the outside of your ship, also effect your interior.
Doing those things would then also probably sell tons more interiors for you, then giving you the reason and funds to make more interiors.
Howabout a Season of Mission releases for the Holodeck? As much as Star Trek was about exploring "strange new Worlds", there was a significant portion of each series that told stories on the ship, and what better way to do that than making a story-arc of holodeck based missions for a season or as part of a season.
Since the missions would start on the holodeck of a person's ship, it would be a perfect opportunity to re-visit player bridges and perhaps re-design the bridge system as it currently is, to incorporate some of the amazing ideas already out there and giving it a player housing kind of feel while allowing for the customization many of us are seeking
Would you be ok with load screens between your bridge and your interior if it meant you could mix and match more freely?
Tacofangs, I'm going to approach this from a slightly different angle but ultimately wind up in the same place.
As matters stand currently, there are essentially 3 decks to every ship.
Bridge
Crew Deck
Engineering Deck
The fact that when you beam aboard ANY ship you do so directly onto the Bridge instead of into the Transporter Room (or Shuttle Bay? :rolleyes:) is simply an "anomaly" brought about by legacy design decisions made in the past. Which is perhaps a longwinded way of saying perhaps what you ought to be doing is changing Visit Bridge to being more properly Visit Starship Interior.
Ideally, what you'd want in the Starship Appearance Editor is a way to choose the "type" for each of your 3 decks, such that each deck is its own map. You'd have loading screens between them when using Turbolifts (opportunity for sound FX!). If you're EXCESSIVELY clever you'd be able to do what looks like a "seamless" teleport from one map to another.
Doors close
Turbolift movement sound FX play until zone load + teleport to new location completes
Turbolift deceleration sound FX play and doors open onto new deck
So rather than throwing up a splash screen, like a usual zone load, instead you've just got a tiny "box" the Player is trapped in until the transition is complete. And better yet, the turbolift design can be something that is "common" for all decks so you don't wind up with thematic mismatches. This would then let you "hide" the zone loading from the Player(s).
If you could, in effect, "decouple" the 3 decks from each other like that, you'd have a far easier time developing new interiors since you'd be able to make them in smaller pieces. You could do a new Engineering Deck without having to also make a new Crew Deck to go with it, because you could mix'n'match the results. In other words, as environmental artists, you'd be "freer" to make stuff in more manageable chunks.
I certainly wouldn't mind additional loading screens when transitioning between decks in ship interiors, if it means improved customisability, etc.
That being said, I'd like to echo other forumites' sentiments in that updated interior cosmetics / customisation wait until ship interiors become more relevant to gameplay (e.g. having featured episodes based on a player's own ship interior, more things to do etc.)
However, rest assured that unlike certain individuals such as v*****e**, I wouldn't go nuts and add full Bridge Commander-style flying-from-the-bridge.
Laws of thermodynamics as applied to life: 0 - You must play the game. 1 - You can't win. 2 - You can't break even. 3 - You can't quit.
Ideally, what you'd want in the Starship Appearance Editor is a way to choose the "type" for each of your 3 decks, such that each deck is its own map. You'd have loading screens between them when using Turbolifts (opportunity for sound FX!). If you're EXCESSIVELY clever you'd be able to do what looks like a "seamless" teleport from one map to another.
Doors close
Turbolift movement sound FX play until zone load + teleport to new location completes
Turbolift deceleration sound FX play and doors open onto new deck
So rather than throwing up a splash screen, like a usual zone load, instead you've just got a tiny "box" the Player is trapped in until the transition is complete. And better yet, the turbolift design can be something that is "common" for all decks so you don't wind up with thematic mismatches. This would then let you "hide" the zone loading from the Player(s).
If you could, in effect, "decouple" the 3 decks from each other like that, you'd have a far easier time developing new interiors since you'd be able to make them in smaller pieces. You could do a new Engineering Deck without having to also make a new Crew Deck to go with it, because you could mix'n'match the results. In other words, as environmental artists, you'd be "freer" to make stuff in more manageable chunks.
Unfortunately, from what I observe of STO over the years it is really difficult to do a seamless move from between maps. The nature of this is because STO unloads your character between every map and reloads your character data in a new map (some observes this especially when bits of your captain "beams" up first, like my captain's eyebrows and skirt). This is what allows STO to have your character go from a ground map to a space map. It literally checks each time you change maps. Your "captain" character is also the same entity as your "ship" which is why we can't fly our ships from our captain's seat. They just can't exist independently of each other.
You can see this when the game bugs out during intense lag and your ship is traveling around ESD. Can this be changed? Maybe. But it falls under the same realm as the fact that NPCs on your bridge "beam" into their positions when spawned.
Member since November 2009... I think. (UFP) Ragnar
The fact that when you beam aboard ANY ship you do so directly onto the Bridge instead of into the Transporter Room
Hehe, my favorite thing is when you're in sector space and "Leave bridge"...... what? Am I really asking my crew to jettison me into space or what lol...
Also, put daily missions into bridges and interiors please. Kicking Neelix's TRIBBLE every 20 hours, fight a batleth match with a mutineer crewman, or crack some random Tal-shiar intel, or anything... these very fine bridges need some gameplay and show off...
Would it be possible for ship interior turbolifts to become Foundry mission doors?
This would mean a mission requires a certain type of ship interior to continue. But if we knew this in advance, we could use the appropriate ship interior in The Foundry.
Someday, if we ever got the ability to have optional tracks, we could design a mission to have a branch for each type of ship interior. But it would guarantee the interior we use is a match for the ship type.
I've seen a number of posts to the effect of, "I would like to see ship interior customization, but feel it's only worthwhile if we have more to do -- like ship-board missions."
I don't want to be a downer, but people don't seem to understand that these goals are, in essence, pretty much mutually exclusive.
In general, given that the devs aren't going to get the resources to totally re-write the game engine anytime soon, and assuming they actually get the resources to do -anything- more with ship interiors, which is not assured, it's highly likely that they could either make interiors more customizable OR make them more interactive. Those are pretty much polar opposites. If you want shipboard missions, then the only way I can see ever getting them would be if interiors would all be standardized and made -more static-. Only after such standardization would the maps all be consistent enough that missions could be created upon them that would work for all players reliably.
On the other hand, they might be able to work in some manner of further customization, but once done, it would preclude ever staging any missions inside the ship, as each ship would be configured differently and they couldn't design a mission that would account for all the variations in layouts.
So really, to be realistic, I think you need to ask yourself what you'd rather see: More customization, or more functionality? Expecting them together -- as much as I'd love it, I'm pretty sure it's simply not going to happen.
That's not to say that you couldn't perhaps have improved interiors that could host missions. Look at the TOS, Belfast and now the Voyager interiors -- they have fixed sizes, no small, medium or large choices. They are tied to a single bridge. But they're of a much higher quality than any of the other more 'modular' interiors that came before. So perhaps high-quality, non-customizable interiors may be an option and perhaps they would even allow for future shipboard missions, if there were a measure of standardization.
On the flip side, maybe they could improve the customization, but if that route is taken, expect interiors to be solely for RP and playing out whatever stories we can think up in our heads, as actual mission mechanics won't be able to adapt to players' choice layouts.
Of course, this is all speculation. Tacofangs never implied, to my knowledge, that there'd ever be a chance of things developing into shipboard missions or anything like that. But what I'm trying to do is to encourage a 'long view' perspective on this. If we say we want to break up maps to allow for greater customization, we need to realize that we're also moving that much further away from any possibility of missions aboard ships, rather than closer.
Howabout a Season of Mission releases for the Holodeck? As much as Star Trek was about exploring "strange new Worlds", there was a significant portion of each series that told stories on the ship, and what better way to do that than making a story-arc of holodeck based missions for a season or as part of a season.
Since the missions would start on the holodeck of a person's ship, it would be a perfect opportunity to re-visit player bridges and perhaps re-design the bridge system as it currently is, to incorporate some of the amazing ideas already out there and giving it a player housing kind of feel while allowing for the customization many of us are seeking
IMO a refocus on the ship interior would be a very fitting thing for STO, but I think it would have to come as more than just few story missions since those are easily consumed and left to sit aside and occasionally grind.
That isn't to say that we couldn't have those IF we got a proper interior revamp, but in order to justify the effort (and ensure that we continue to spend SOME time inside) I think the focus should be on a functional interior revamp that FIRST provides a compelling space for missions of various kinds to later take place.
On the one hand, you have parts of the arc that take place on (for instance) the new FED/ROM/KDF/Generic Alien (to cover off-faction ships) large interior (and to chime in, I'd be fine with a loading screen between bridge and ship IF there was some reason why I'd want to spend time in the lower decks). On the other, you have smaller repeatable missions similar to those you find at a fleet base, embassy, or on Kobali Prime. Complete a task directly associated with captaining a ship (operations, science projects, security, crew discipline and management, trade, planning, diplomacy, and of course the unexpected) and get a mark/dil payout (perhaps with other small material rewards related to the mission, more similar to what you get out of doffing.)
I think the key things would be to A. make sure that there is some writing involved, B. make sure there's a good amount variety, and C. make sure that variety includes mission type and length. Holodeck combat training to first contact negotiations. You might even open it up to the foundry (Holodeck programs with an inaugural Dixon Hill novel).
Dammit cryptic make this happen!
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
I would be willing to sit through longer load times if it meant we had access to more interior customization.
I also want to mention that I'd love to see the old default ship interior lower decks replaced with the maps from the remastered Fed tutorial.
Also, given the fact that the Constitution interior and Defiant interior can be used on any Fed ship (even when it doesn't make sense), I hope someday the Odyssey/Aquarius bridge will be available for use on any Fed ship as well (if the ship is purchased on that account).
In the immortal words of Captain Sisko: "It may not be what you believe, but that doesn't make it wrong."
Don't believe the lies in this forum. I am NOT an ARC user. I play STO on Steam or not at all.
As a Role Player, I wouldn't mind waiting for a load time if it ment I got better ship interiors its a real pain to wonder around an interior that looks like a shopping mall Make them more realistic, I don't need to have a mix and match interior, just better ones that we have now. make em a little more interactive, like a view screen that can change view? computer that interact when you walk past them, BOFF's that walk around from station to station. also, personal trophy's would be cool. all you have to do is make a Pool of gear, and then pop them up for Dil/Zen (I wont speak for everyone, but I don't mind paying a little Dil/Zen for a little personal touch to my Captains cabin, crew deck etc ...
A pool table, card table and like such things would be cool, Common Taco, give me a reason to invite my Fleet over for some down time - even a home brew kit/still could be a laugh, a Large screen TV on the crew deck with some fancy future rugby game on ...
I usually fly a Marauder, been a busy trader and all, and always though the interior of such a fine ship was rather (sorry to say) insulting. it reminds me of an old cigar bar for the 60's - and is (like most, if not all) the ship interiors is in much need of some tlc ... in fact, pretty much all the lock box ships and some Zen ships (Rom Scim) only have 1 room - time for a update
I read that you would have to make something like this a season? well, why not? you could split it into half seasons like 8 and 8.5 - Work on some interiors for the first release, then a new DS9 revamp for the second ...
**Sorry, English not my first language - apologise for grammar etc ...
***P.S Taco, love the new Club 47, the NPCs walking around was a awesome touch, along with the new dance card
Honestly, I'd just like to be able to slot any bridge I've bought or unlocked on any ship I own.
Maybe that would break some sacred rule like the cross faction uniforms on boffs, but really, It's my ship and my bridge and no one is ever going to see it but me and the people I invite there.
...sorry, bit off topic. Increased loading times would be tolerable for more interior customization. As it stands, it's already completely optional.
Comments
If so, then 100% yes, add as many load screens as you want!
yes 100%
i cant speak for others but my pc is quite fast and the loading time to my bridge is quick anyway so having another loading in between wouldn't make much difference.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
Yes, I could absolutely live with this, especially if it meant that programming time might go into other features of interiors, or at least people would be more willing to buy interiors since they could still use the bridge of their choice with them.
At the end of the day, I think that a season or half-season dedicated to bridges and interiors would be an amazing addition to the game. It's often suggested that interiors need something in them to do, to be a useful addition to the game, but I disagree. Shifting perspective to view the ship interiors as a player housing zone, I think that it could be highly marketable and profitable. Other MMOs have dedicated expansions or portions of their expansions to incorporate player housing, and I think that the same could be done here with quite a lot of success.
If it's one thing that I feel MMOers crave, it's a place in the virtual universe to call their own; one that they can decorate with different lighting, colours or other items from the Zen-store and one with trophies from their travels throughout the galaxy; a place to show their uniqueness, individuality and epicness to fleet mates and other players of the game. This is readily monetized in other MMOs and I think would be a fantastic addition to the business model in STO.
With starship interiors and fleet holdings currently being identical to one another no matter which fleet or ship you visit, there's virtually no outlet for player creativity in STO (save the tailor) at the present time, and I think an interior revamp, turning it into more of a player housing situation, would be something that's very warmly received, if introduced.
Elements of people's ideas so far could be introduced - for example, R&R buffs, or quicker recharge on R&D and DOFF assignments when logging out in your Captain's quarters, for example. It also has a 'buts in seats' component to it, in that I would go to the end of the galaxy and beyond... explore every hidden nook or complete every hardest PvE queue mission for the chance at getting that very rare item that I can turn into a trophy and put on display in my mess hall, as I suspect that many people would.
Hope my ideas help there, Taco... I would love to see this for STO
...Unless, of course, that was changed... Perhaps your ship interior should actually become an interesting and useful place to go. Like in, you know. Star Trek.
TRIBBLE those people.
lets face it there are some gamers who no matter what u do they complain, i mean look at the T6 intrepid i have known (well guessed) since before Dr even launched and people are now moaning like its a surprise.
"It appears we have lost our sex appeal, captain."- Tuvok
When you're in the ship customization/tailor, you would choose which element you want for each of these locations. There would obviously have to be some standardization in where exits/entrances to a given location were -- the entry to engineering might always have to be on the 'south' side of the room, for instance. Once that is done, the game would composite a map file by taking all of the player's choices and building a data file. So there would have to be a specific file structure determined for it -- a header that would identify all the elements incorporated, then each element in a specific, predetermined order -- and this file would be written to the player's drive. That would create a single map file to be used for his/her ship interior.
When another player is invited to visit an interior, their client would be passed the data for which elements are used for each location, and a file would have to be composited in this manner on the visiting player's system. This file could be kept for later use, making future visits faster, though it would have to check against the transmitted element list to be sure that no changes had been made since the last visit.
Maybe this is not feasible. Yet if you think about it a bit, a file is simply a collection of data ordered in a very specific way. If it could be defined such that a standard, modular format for the 'segments' of the file existed (each segment containing the data for one location element), perhaps this would be feasible. Just a thought, anyway. Certainly it would require some input and work from the coding/filesystem folks. In essence, it would be building a custom file/container format for the interior maps.
We come in peace, SHOOT TO KILL!
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
Id be ok with loading between the bridge and the interior personally.
To me it wouldn't feel too far separated from the loading we get between other parts of other maps in the game.
"If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
If it does end up begin the focus of a season, you guys could do awesome things like:
-Daily mission where you have training simulations for your crew. Things like anti-boarding simulations, or warp core overloads. You could then have special doff missions only available while you are doing that mission.
-STF that is started on one player's bridge, and actually uses that player's bridge and interior as the map for the STF. Have that player's Bridge Officers and active Duty officers actually appear in various places on the map.
-Have a race-against-time mission, where your ship is filling up with tribbles and you have to deal with them as your systems are eaten through by the cute little abominations.
-Have the cosmetic changes certain gear sets make to the outside of your ship, also effect your interior.
Doing those things would then also probably sell tons more interiors for you, then giving you the reason and funds to make more interiors.
Since the missions would start on the holodeck of a person's ship, it would be a perfect opportunity to re-visit player bridges and perhaps re-design the bridge system as it currently is, to incorporate some of the amazing ideas already out there and giving it a player housing kind of feel while allowing for the customization many of us are seeking
Tacofangs, I'm going to approach this from a slightly different angle but ultimately wind up in the same place.
As matters stand currently, there are essentially 3 decks to every ship.
- Bridge
- Crew Deck
- Engineering Deck
The fact that when you beam aboard ANY ship you do so directly onto the Bridge instead of into the Transporter Room (or Shuttle Bay? :rolleyes:) is simply an "anomaly" brought about by legacy design decisions made in the past. Which is perhaps a longwinded way of saying perhaps what you ought to be doing is changing Visit Bridge to being more properly Visit Starship Interior.Ideally, what you'd want in the Starship Appearance Editor is a way to choose the "type" for each of your 3 decks, such that each deck is its own map. You'd have loading screens between them when using Turbolifts (opportunity for sound FX!). If you're EXCESSIVELY clever you'd be able to do what looks like a "seamless" teleport from one map to another.
- Doors close
- Turbolift movement sound FX play until zone load + teleport to new location completes
- Turbolift deceleration sound FX play and doors open onto new deck
So rather than throwing up a splash screen, like a usual zone load, instead you've just got a tiny "box" the Player is trapped in until the transition is complete. And better yet, the turbolift design can be something that is "common" for all decks so you don't wind up with thematic mismatches. This would then let you "hide" the zone loading from the Player(s).If you could, in effect, "decouple" the 3 decks from each other like that, you'd have a far easier time developing new interiors since you'd be able to make them in smaller pieces. You could do a new Engineering Deck without having to also make a new Crew Deck to go with it, because you could mix'n'match the results. In other words, as environmental artists, you'd be "freer" to make stuff in more manageable chunks.
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
That being said, I'd like to echo other forumites' sentiments in that updated interior cosmetics / customisation wait until ship interiors become more relevant to gameplay (e.g. having featured episodes based on a player's own ship interior, more things to do etc.)
However, rest assured that unlike certain individuals such as v*****e**, I wouldn't go nuts and add full Bridge Commander-style flying-from-the-bridge.
Unfortunately, from what I observe of STO over the years it is really difficult to do a seamless move from between maps. The nature of this is because STO unloads your character between every map and reloads your character data in a new map (some observes this especially when bits of your captain "beams" up first, like my captain's eyebrows and skirt). This is what allows STO to have your character go from a ground map to a space map. It literally checks each time you change maps. Your "captain" character is also the same entity as your "ship" which is why we can't fly our ships from our captain's seat. They just can't exist independently of each other.
You can see this when the game bugs out during intense lag and your ship is traveling around ESD. Can this be changed? Maybe. But it falls under the same realm as the fact that NPCs on your bridge "beam" into their positions when spawned.
(UFP) Ragnar
Hehe, my favorite thing is when you're in sector space and "Leave bridge"...... what? Am I really asking my crew to jettison me into space or what lol...
Also, put daily missions into bridges and interiors please. Kicking Neelix's TRIBBLE every 20 hours, fight a batleth match with a mutineer crewman, or crack some random Tal-shiar intel, or anything... these very fine bridges need some gameplay and show off...
This would mean a mission requires a certain type of ship interior to continue. But if we knew this in advance, we could use the appropriate ship interior in The Foundry.
Someday, if we ever got the ability to have optional tracks, we could design a mission to have a branch for each type of ship interior. But it would guarantee the interior we use is a match for the ship type.
I don't want to be a downer, but people don't seem to understand that these goals are, in essence, pretty much mutually exclusive.
In general, given that the devs aren't going to get the resources to totally re-write the game engine anytime soon, and assuming they actually get the resources to do -anything- more with ship interiors, which is not assured, it's highly likely that they could either make interiors more customizable OR make them more interactive. Those are pretty much polar opposites. If you want shipboard missions, then the only way I can see ever getting them would be if interiors would all be standardized and made -more static-. Only after such standardization would the maps all be consistent enough that missions could be created upon them that would work for all players reliably.
On the other hand, they might be able to work in some manner of further customization, but once done, it would preclude ever staging any missions inside the ship, as each ship would be configured differently and they couldn't design a mission that would account for all the variations in layouts.
So really, to be realistic, I think you need to ask yourself what you'd rather see: More customization, or more functionality? Expecting them together -- as much as I'd love it, I'm pretty sure it's simply not going to happen.
That's not to say that you couldn't perhaps have improved interiors that could host missions. Look at the TOS, Belfast and now the Voyager interiors -- they have fixed sizes, no small, medium or large choices. They are tied to a single bridge. But they're of a much higher quality than any of the other more 'modular' interiors that came before. So perhaps high-quality, non-customizable interiors may be an option and perhaps they would even allow for future shipboard missions, if there were a measure of standardization.
On the flip side, maybe they could improve the customization, but if that route is taken, expect interiors to be solely for RP and playing out whatever stories we can think up in our heads, as actual mission mechanics won't be able to adapt to players' choice layouts.
Of course, this is all speculation. Tacofangs never implied, to my knowledge, that there'd ever be a chance of things developing into shipboard missions or anything like that. But what I'm trying to do is to encourage a 'long view' perspective on this. If we say we want to break up maps to allow for greater customization, we need to realize that we're also moving that much further away from any possibility of missions aboard ships, rather than closer.
IMO a refocus on the ship interior would be a very fitting thing for STO, but I think it would have to come as more than just few story missions since those are easily consumed and left to sit aside and occasionally grind.
That isn't to say that we couldn't have those IF we got a proper interior revamp, but in order to justify the effort (and ensure that we continue to spend SOME time inside) I think the focus should be on a functional interior revamp that FIRST provides a compelling space for missions of various kinds to later take place.
On the one hand, you have parts of the arc that take place on (for instance) the new FED/ROM/KDF/Generic Alien (to cover off-faction ships) large interior (and to chime in, I'd be fine with a loading screen between bridge and ship IF there was some reason why I'd want to spend time in the lower decks). On the other, you have smaller repeatable missions similar to those you find at a fleet base, embassy, or on Kobali Prime. Complete a task directly associated with captaining a ship (operations, science projects, security, crew discipline and management, trade, planning, diplomacy, and of course the unexpected) and get a mark/dil payout (perhaps with other small material rewards related to the mission, more similar to what you get out of doffing.)
I think the key things would be to A. make sure that there is some writing involved, B. make sure there's a good amount variety, and C. make sure that variety includes mission type and length. Holodeck combat training to first contact negotiations. You might even open it up to the foundry (Holodeck programs with an inaugural Dixon Hill novel).
Dammit cryptic make this happen!
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
I would be willing to sit through longer load times if it meant we had access to more interior customization.
I also want to mention that I'd love to see the old default ship interior lower decks replaced with the maps from the remastered Fed tutorial.
Also, given the fact that the Constitution interior and Defiant interior can be used on any Fed ship (even when it doesn't make sense), I hope someday the Odyssey/Aquarius bridge will be available for use on any Fed ship as well (if the ship is purchased on that account).
Don't believe the lies in this forum. I am NOT an ARC user. I play STO on Steam or not at all.
As a Role Player, I wouldn't mind waiting for a load time if it ment I got better ship interiors
A pool table, card table and like such things would be cool, Common Taco, give me a reason to invite my Fleet over for some down time
I usually fly a Marauder, been a busy trader and all, and always though the interior of such a fine ship was rather (sorry to say) insulting. it reminds me of an old cigar bar for the 60's - and is (like most, if not all) the ship interiors is in much need of some tlc ... in fact, pretty much all the lock box ships and some Zen ships (Rom Scim) only have 1 room - time for a update
I read that you would have to make something like this a season? well, why not? you could split it into half seasons like 8 and 8.5 - Work on some interiors for the first release, then a new DS9 revamp for the second ...
**Sorry, English not my first language - apologise for grammar etc ...
***P.S Taco, love the new Club 47, the NPCs walking around was a awesome touch, along with the new dance card
Maybe that would break some sacred rule like the cross faction uniforms on boffs, but really, It's my ship and my bridge and no one is ever going to see it but me and the people I invite there.
...sorry, bit off topic. Increased loading times would be tolerable for more interior customization. As it stands, it's already completely optional.