Why authors choose to start a mission NOT from sector space?

guljarol

As in the title: I'm curious. Why do authors choose a mission to begin in the Transporter Room on Qo'nos, or some console on ESD, or a similar place, instead of just a planetary system.

From a player's perspective (at least -- this player's ): I'm less inclined to play a mission if it starts not in a system/nebula (as in: I must beam down (at least one or two map changes), get there, find something, and then start a mission), especially if I hardly ever beam down to that place.​​

gurluas

Most of those can be legacy missions who were made prior to the ability to start missions in sector space.

castsbugc

Some of it comes from massing around a social hub where people are, that way you can get them to play it. There are often times that if a person has to fly out to the far end of the alpha quadrant in order to start a mission, they would rather go wait in a queue instead. As was previously stated, it also used to be we just didnt have doors, in fact we still don't have doors for certain major systems, which gives authors a sad still.

guljarol

gurluas wrote: »

Most of those can be legacy missions who were made prior to the ability to start missions in sector space.

That certainly answers the question for older missions.

castsbugc wrote: »

Some of it comes from massing around a social hub where people are, that way you can get them to play it. There are often times that if a person has to fly out to the far end of the alpha quadrant in order to start a mission, they would rather go wait in a queue instead. As was previously stated, it also used to be we just didnt have doors, in fact we still don't have doors for certain major systems, which gives authors a sad still.

Hmm. Perhaps. I, for one, don't feel like going all the way to ESD or Qo'nos (regions I'm hardly ever nearby) to enter the system, beam down, look for something glowy, to start a mission. I'm a lot more likely to just go to the other end of the map, and start a mission without all the hassle in between.
But maybe that's just me.

Thanks for the answers ​​

starswordc

Just depends on the story I'm telling.

"Bait and Switch" starts with you being rotated off the front lines of the Klingon War and posted to the sector fleet based at DS9 as a breather, so you start by reporting to the admiral in charge on the social map, then head out on patrol. The actual plot happens later from you being in the right place at the right time, much like TNG used exploration as a lead-in rather than the actual plot. (Yes, I went there.)

"The Hydra's Head" (unpublished), by contrast, has you given a specific assignment. You have to pick up supplies at a CDF base to deliver to one of their colonies, so I don't use any social maps because everything has to be custom-built: I can't very well make a convincing Cardassian-held Nor-class station with the DS9 social map.

adverbero

I recall a time when a seemingly large proportion started Missions at the Transporter Console on Earth Space dock, very dull, I like taking my ship out to places, and it always felt weird to be thrown out of the mission into ESD when i had just been out in Cardassian Space.

My guess is people liked to put their mission in that location because it became the defacto place to get quickies and such

Personally i try to keep it contextual to the story needs and my map design ability, just starswordc said above

guljarol

When a story demands it, it makes sense, of course. Going to, say, DS9 to talk to someone, pick something up, and then continue is already part of a story.

But I saw many missions that say "Go to the transporter room on Qo'nos", and when I'm there I get a "Go to Blablah System", and the next map takes me to my ship. The transporter room, its console, and the whole trip is not part of the story.

But those could be missions from before doors in sector space, so not really a choice on an author's part. I get it now.​​

markhawkman

Also there are some where the destination isn't on the map at all.

guljarol

You can also make that up

"Report to Vulcan for debriefing"

Arrive to Vulcan. Read the "debriefing". And the next map is a made-up system to which you "warp".​​

thegreendragoon1

Prior to the Foundry Top 3 system being introduced, there was a theory running around that having your mission close to the social hubs made them more convenient and therefore more likely to be played. I personally didn't agree with this assessment, but many did.

Since the Top 3 system was introduced, there's been more incentive to place your mission among the stars as it provides free advertising. However, many authors will abandon their missions after publishing them (either because they have newer projects their working on, or because they've since moved on from the Foundry/game.)

As others have pointed out, sometimes a mission takes place at a location that doesn't have a convenient Foundry door.