Starship shields, engines, and deflectors need better cosmetic effects other than texture animations

hyefather

I like the look of some of our shields especially the Nukara set but I don't think any set in the game compares to the Borg 3 piece set. Why? Because of the cosmetics it adds to a ship. I can't help but wonder why cryptic doesn't make more ship sets that do more than swap textures or change colors. Every set in the game has a strong point and the cosmetic added to the ship should represent that. What do you think.

asuran14

It really depends on the set to me, the maco for instance is not really made by another race with a drastically different mind set, compared to the adapted set that is borg largely in design which is quite different to human/klingon/romulan designs. Though i think the other big issue is that it would cost more time, labor, and money to nmake more cosmetic sets that do more than swap an change out patterns or colors, and add in that these sets are in game to be gotten without need to buy anything an it is a non-profit area that is nice to have. I would love to see them make the cosmetic changes an such of the many sets become linked not to if you have them equipped (deflector, shield, engine-wise), but linked more as an unlock in the starship customization officer like how the ground set's cosmetic looks are handled. Than add maybe in the c-store these more cosmetic heavy changing sets could be added as a second method of players being able to support the game without buy high priced ships they might not like. and also as a new revenue source for the game to look into. As said such cosmetic heavy changing sets would need vastly more time, developement, as well as money to design an impliment than the color/pattern changing ones we have, and so would need to be more appealing an able to find a way of off-setting that increased fund/labor/time investment.

davefenestrator

Nukara and Jem'Hadar sets both have good visuals.

I too would like to separate visuals from sets, so that if you own the set you unlock the "costume." With that system I'd also be happy to pay zen to buy other costumes not tied to owning any sets.

hyefather

davefenestrator wrote: »

Nukara and Jem'Hadar sets both have good visuals.

I too would like to separate visuals from sets, so that if you own the set you unlock the "costume." With that system I'd also be happy to pay zen to buy other costumes not tied to owning any sets.

Thats a great idea. Just like other F2P games (GW2 for example) where you can buy new costumes, colors and weapon buff visuals you could also buy cosmetics for your ship. Why hasn't this been done. It almsot seems like a given considering thats how most F2P games make revenue.

P.S. I was thinking this has already been done on a way, way lesser extent with the holo emitters. Though not the idea for visual cosmetic upgrades that I had in mind. It has to start somewhere.

taylor1701d

Well, one thing that has always crossed my mind, is why there isn't more cool looking ship pieces like the Borg defelector.
That's one item that significantly changes your ship look.
The others only have a small coloring effect which is....kinda lame in comparison.
I'd love to have other ship items that have as much of a visual impact as the Borg Deflector does.
Sadly that isn't the case.

Not mention, we could really use some new skins, and Ship Camo's.

davefenestrator

I forgot the Aegis set -- it's cool that it takes on your Fed or KDF faction colors. My Rom-KDF uses it with AP weapons for a Tron Warbird of Red Doom

I'd love to have other ship items that have as much of a visual impact as the Borg Deflector does.

Nukara has the web energy projection and Aegis has the rings projection, but yes more would be nice.

asuran14

Yeah i would love to see more heavy visual changing sets be done in the same vain of the borg set, and would want to see them done thru the c-store shop as a item you might be able to sell on the exchange. As i do believe such sets would need to have much more time, labor, and developement time to make, and so would need to have a c-store availibility to help fun them.

davefenestrator

Yes, I'm fine with Cryptic getting paid for this work -- C-Store is my preference, but I guess they could be a lock box item instead (or in addition, for "rare" costumes) so they "can hear profit in the wind."

mackbolan01

how about 125 zen to let us skin our ground weps to our preferences

shadowfirefly00

davefenestrator wrote: »

I too would like to separate visuals from sets, so that if you own the set you unlock the "costume." With that system I'd also be happy to pay zen to buy other costumes not tied to owning any sets.

In other words, making these visuals 'live' in the ship tailor (much as stuff like the TFO battledress resides in the character tailor)? hyefather is correct in noting that this would seem a slam-dunk idea.

mackbolan01 wrote: »

how about 125 zen to let us skin our ground weps to our preferences

Aside from Guild Wars 2, I would point out that Path of Exile has lots of fun with this. Sort-of related would be an addition to the crafting system effectively divorcing weapon model from energy type. So, for example, if you like using phasers but prefer the tetryon weapon models, you'd be able to have your cake as well as eat it.

lordsteve1

Just allowing us to equip visuals without having the kit on the ship would be good news. Make it like the armours for ground whereby once you own it you unlock a costume for the ship.

That would please a lot of people!

deleroux

I don't think every set needs to have as many distinct features as the Borg set. It's fine that some sets do little more than altering the ship's material, and give it new shield/engine particle effects, although in some cases even these could use a littler more distinction. Some sets don't even do this much, which is truly disappointing to me. But I would like such distinct aesthetic features to be more common than they currently are for sets.

Where aesthetics are concerned, ship customization should rival that of character customization, which is currently not the case. I like the idea of ship set 'costumes' being unlocked much like character set costumes are.

asuran14

An idea for the ship customization opton if you gave us a drop-down menu to chose the different sets with a catagory for structural changes (IE the borg set's structural changes an additions, even the borg console kinda), and having one for the aesthetics change like color-swapping/patterns/textures it would be nice as than we could mix an match alittle bit more giving more distiction (if possible), such as like you have for the pattern an parts being used on your ship. Maybe allow us to mix-match set visuals based on parts, like if you prefer the remen shield visual on all bu maybe your pylons an engines which you prefer the romulan design more, or maybe you like the borg set's structural changes, but prefer the look of the breen set's shield/engine/deflector visual cosmetic changes.

lianthelia

Why do they need it? I don't recall the episodes where ships deflectors were popping out all kinds of effects when not being used...I don't remember any Fed ships with Grey, Blue, and Yellow colored hull and nacelles...pretty sure I've never seen a ship exhausting fire or frost from their impulse engines.

So no...I don't really see why we need more...they add effects with most new set items...so we don't need more.

deleroux

lianthelia wrote: »

Why do they need it? I don't recall the episodes where ships deflectors were popping out all kinds of effects when not being used...I don't remember any Fed ships with Grey, Blue, and Yellow colored hull and nacelles...pretty sure I've never seen a ship exhausting fire or frost from their impulse engines.

So no...I don't really see why we need more...they add effects with most new set items...so we don't need more.

What's your point? There's a lot of things in game that you don't see in the movies or television series. What difference does that make?

asuran14

Why we need them? Because this is a game played by many players that like that kind of cosmetic options in the game they are playing. Though i would say it would be nice to have a toggle option to not show such visuals on ships from your perspective if you want a more authentic star trek experince. It is the same as asking why do we need a star trek game/mmo anyway? because player want to play in the setting, and many of them like to have cosmetic things to make themselves more unqiue an interesting than someone that is just using a stock ship. Also atleast on the side of more structural an vanity cosmetic changes it can be another source of revenue that could be tapped with less of a pull of funds to do it.

johnnymo1

A Vanity slot would be cool on not only ships, but characters and bridge officers as well

dalolorn

shadowfirefly00 wrote: »

mackbolan01 wrote: »

how about 125 zen to let us skin our ground weps to our preferences

Aside from Guild Wars 2, I would point out that Path of Exile has lots of fun with this. Sort-of related would be an addition to the crafting system effectively divorcing weapon model from energy type. So, for example, if you like using phasers but prefer the tetryon weapon models, you'd be able to have your cake as well as eat it.

Well, that is canonically viable to a degree - in Endgame, Korath modified a Cardassian disruptor to emit a nadion burst (which technically makes it a phaser - not a very big leap, that ), so some degree of modification is possible.