Colonization System: A Reward/Dil Sink/Exploration/Housing Bridge.

dragonkata81

I recently put up this idea on STOReddit, and in light of the growing chorus of requests for a more rewarding sink for players dilithium, I'd like to put up the proposal here for comment/consideration

The origonal post is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/3wwsoe/colonization_system_proposal/?

Apologies for the wall of text in advance, but this will take some explaining. Here we go!

The on-going discussion and requests for more ‘exploration’ elements in STO has been raging ever since the old Exploration Clusters were removed. While the Genesis system had its faults with mission generation, it was quite good at generating unique systems. While generating a fully-blown Exploration system is quite possibly beyond the time-constraints/budget/man-power of Cryptic at the moment, something that takes this generation ability of the Genesis System and builds on it could potentially prove to be a successful ‘stop-gap’ to this depth-lacking area of STO. A Colonization System, something at all three factions of STO would have equal interest in (to counter the whole ‘Exploration is a FED only thing’).

Firstly, Remove the Scan Area button (seriously, does anyone use this thing?) and replace it with the Colonization Tab. Another option would be to shove it in the Doffing tab, adding yet another tab in that list.

Colonization unlocks at Lvl 30. This provides a continued investment for players between unlocking DOFF’s at Lvl 10 and Admiralty at Lvl 50.

This new system is accessed via the current Colonization Nebula, potentially even Deep Space Borders.

Once in place, players gain access to Commence Long-Range Scans button. This could be either a player-controlled mini-game, or a RNG determined spin. My personal preference would be a player-controlled game, something like locking in three separate sensor sweeps on a ‘ping’ on the radar. The tighter the lock, the better the system becomes.

The ‘score’ or target of your scan determines the ‘level’ of the system. A poor score gives you a system unsuitable for habitation, but it does contain resources you can collect (either for personal R&D or Colony Development).

A good score gives you a system which is suitable for habitation, possessing average resources.

An epic score nets you a system suitable for habitation; good resources and a ‘defining feature’, something that makes this system stand out from the others.

Once locked, players are given the choice to warp to the system. This is where the Genesis RNG comes in, as it builds a random system, based on the tier (poor/good/epic) and variant.

System variants would be divided by class:

Strategic (Tac orientated)

Development (Sci)

Populous (Eng)

This base variant would provide a passive bonus to Colonization Scores; the player could still choose to make a Science oriented colony in a Tac system.

One possible amendment to Genesis would be the location of Colony development. Instead of placing them all planet-side, they could be developed in a broader range of places, such as gas-giant moons, large asteroids and even space stations.

Players who are lucky (or determined/skilled) enough to unlock an epic system would be granted a further system bonus, represented by a further RNG element on the map.

These could include:

Strategic- Micro-nebula (sensor masking/scrambling), element laced moon, natural cavern complexes.

Development- Anomaly (Could be Temporal, Fluidic, Worm-hole etc), neutron star observation, Alien Ruins.

Populous- Resource rich asteroid belt, heavy material deposits, rich agricultural soils, prime solar bandwidth.

These bonuses would make developing a colony of that particular type easier. (Reductions in that particular variant’s development costs/unlocking additional rewards as system develops)

Once the player warps into the system, they get a chance to look around and decide if they like it.

If they do, they can commence the ‘Founding’ action. This then allows the player to name the system and save it to the Colony menu. Clicking on each Colony will open a sub menu, containing that colony’s requests/tasks. (Linked in with Doffing and Admiralty, for those who prefer more pew-pew to development.)

Whilst Founding is taking place, Captains can take some preemptive actions to make starting their colony easier. (You could also assign these tasks to Doffs, but the returns would be less than doing it yourself).

Resource node discovery- These remain invisible until detected by a ship scanner/tricorder at close range, requiring the player to explore the map to find them all. These provide the necessary resources to develop your settlement, rather than provide R&D materials.

The more resources you find, the faster the colony develops (timer decrease on missions). So if you fly in all your resources from outside the system, it lacks the infrastructure necessary to quickly handle the new influx of materials.

Colony promotion- Funded by the Captain (an EC cost), boosts interest in the colony for a time period. (Provides an Increased Crit Chance to Colony missions). This could be actioned through Faction heads (Quinn, Jarok etc), as they approve the media release.

Establish trade contacts (provide additional resource generation). This can be done through the now defunct Outreach merchants, and their Klingon equivalents. There are even a few blank Romulan merchants at Central Command who could fill this role.

Once Founding complete, new mission is acquired from the Colony Tab- Escort Founding Convoy. A short 15-min mission, defending the convoy from enemy raiders (RNG/Sector generated- Fighting off the Voth in the Delta Quadrant for example). Fail to protect the convoy-have to retake the Founding mission as additional colonists are found/interest regenerated etc.

Upon arrival of convoy, construction of colony begins. System resource nodes reduce the costs of all colony requests, as they are more self sufficient. Additional resources can be sourced from Colonization systems, bought from Outreach merchants for EC, or even acquired from the C-store in packs like R&D Supplies.

Each faction has its own style of development- unique faction buildings, settler species etc. Now Romulans can build their own Starbases!

Colony development works in much the same way as Fleet Development, advancing in Tiers. Dilithium costs, resources, we all know the drill by now. A Fleet sized colony could also be introduced as a new Holding.

Completing a Tier provides unique rewards to the player. This could be virtually anything- unique mods, unique consoles, admiralty cards, unique doffs, costumes.

Developing an Epic level system can lead to a major breakthrough/reward. This could be things like new boff skills, ships, old lockbox items/episode items. Maybe even lobi, with the same chance as a lockbox level ship. Imagine being able to use your surplus dil for a chance at a Plasmonic Leech, Voth Bulwark or Wells Class.

These rewards could be earned through missions, which could be repeated the same way Admiralty ones are. Colonization could even provide another branch to be used in the Admiralty system.

I'll clarify here. Each Colony would have access to a certain number of Colony Assignment Slots based on their Tier. Players who are less inclined to get immersed in this system can just drop their doffs/ships onto the assignments and be done with it. Those who want to be more invested in their colony can chose to take missions themselves, assigning them to their own mission log.

These missions would provide greater rewards/colony advancement to the player, basically an additional reward for being invested in this area. Colony missions would constantly refresh, like Admiralty ones, allowing a player to spend hours in their own colony, helping it grow. These tasks could be as mundane as repairing a defense turret or collecting water samples, to investigating alien ruins and conducting detailed analysis of anomalies.

Colonies could even request aid in repelling an enemy assault, which could be anything from raiders to the Borg. Failing to repel an enemy could result in the colony taking extensive damage, requiring additional resources to repair, or even being destroyed entirely, in the case of the Borg. This possibility could give players pause about simply assigning every mission to their Admiralty fleet, as a failure could have real costs to the player.

Finally, allowing the players to add their own personal touch to the colonies. Using GPL, they can commission vanity developments, such as building holodecks, commissioning statues, creating fountains/parks, even building a personal monument. Including a Colony Administrators quarters with a few customizable selections could also help towards appeasing the ‘player housing’ crowd.

Obviously, this system would need to generate some income for Cryptic to justify developing it.

As already mentioned, Colonization packs available from the C-store.

Star-charts. These systems have already been identified; they just need an aspiring Captain to ‘explore this strange new world’. Contains a good system, with a percent chance of rewarding an Epic system.

Customization options. The ‘I’ve got a spare dollar/100zen’ item. Unlocks different ‘costumes’ for your colony, new visuals etc.

Colonization System Slots- Silver players start with 3, Gold players start with 6. Purchase a new slot each time to a pre-determined limit (20?)

And there we have it. An open ended system of constantly cycling missions, with no two holdings exactly the same. Rewards for investing, on par with Reputation/lockbox equipment for those who would rather explore the galaxy than shoot 'alien of the month'. And a funnel for surplus materials, dilithium, ec and GPL, producing WORTHWILE return for investment.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

solarwanderer

I like your idea. I see your wall of text and raise one of my own.

You see it going something like this:

1) Player hits level 30. Communication from [faction leadership], "We want you to examine some systems in [random exploration area] and report back your findings." Button "Long Range Scan" pops up on screen when you reach designated area. Pushing button causes player to start a mini-game (re-skinned dilithium mining game?) and the score determines what kind of system the player has found.
{Here, I would suggest going from 3 tiers to 6 tiers for the system. 1 being a "dead" system (no habitable world, but a few resources), 2 marginal (marginally habitable with few resources), 3 average, 4 good (M-class with better resources), 5 exceptional (M-class with the best resources), 6 epic (maybe double M-class planets for 2 colonies in 1 system, or in addition to your exceptional planet you have a couple of dilithium asteroids, maybe you find a wormhole that connects to your faction homeworld, whatever it is should be exceptional and memorable).}

2) "You have found a new system." The player can then warp into the system which reveals the tier of the system and generates the system for the player to explore. When the player warps out of the system, they choose to either keep the system or begin the process to find a new system.
{I recommend against tying colony types to a specific career. To me, this hampers the way people would think about the colony system. Perhaps tiers 4-6 generate more of a specific type of resource. Dilithium for example. Or R&D resources. Maybe more colonial resources. Just throwing it out there.}

3) If the player has kept the system, it is logged (probably) in the doff screen under a new tab "Colony". Under this tab new missions are listed (similar to the admiralty system) which the player can assign to ships (orbital survey, chart asteroid field, scan nearby nebula, etc.) or to doffs (planetary resource survey, investigate lifeform readings, flora/fauna catalog, etc.), or can do themselves, which loads the generated system (or a portion thereof) with a waypoint and some objectives to complete. All of which add to a "score" for the colony until a threshold is met.

4) When the 1st threshold is met, [faction leader] sends a message "Well done on finding a new habitable system. We've been tracking your progress and think the time has come to send out the first group of colonists. We do not know exactly what they could face on their journey, so we need you to escort them to their new world." Which could lead to a conflict with an opposing faction (i.e. Klingon for Federation, Elachi for Romulans, etc), a random faction (pirates, Hirogen, Borg, etc.), or no conflict at all (very unlikely). If the player fails the mission, the colonists die (get captured or whatever) and must then regather support for the colonization effort somehow. If the player succeeds, however,

5) "You have helped found a new colony." There are a handful of widely-spaced buildings on the planet that will become cities on this new world. Each city and the colony as a whole generates new missions are now available that can be accomplished like point 3 above. At each new threshold for each city, the player has new options for building (colony administration, agriculture, defense, mining, research, arts, etc.). As the colony meets its thresholds, it unlocks other assets (a small station, asteroid/planetary mining, a slip for ship repairs, etc.).
{I think having individual cities can provide specific benefits. The colony capitol (administration) can increase the amount of resources the colony generates based on the upgrades you give to it. Having a city dedicated to research can boost the amount of R&D resources you gather or provide a small boost to crafting. A mine could generate a small amount (no more than 5 of each) of common R&D resources per day or if you happen to have a dilithium asteroid, 10 dilithium per day. What have you. This is about the players being able to get specifically what we want out of this new asset.}

6) At some point, the colony becomes self-sustaining, meaning it doesn't require the player's direct input but will still generate missions that can be completed for various rewards and provide the player with other bonuses as well. The player can spend dilithium, lobi, latinum, or energy credits to customize the look of individual cities and system assets and the "feel" of the colony in general. The player has the ability to "administrate" several colonies at once, so they can customize to their heart's desire. And because the missions generated can be performed by doffs or ships, the player can be as hands-on/off as they desire.

Just my two cents.

jorantomalak

GASP!!!

Oh holy wall of text i bow to thy greatness , thy monolithic status confirmed O.O

grayfoxjames

Can you imagine the rage that would take place if you were writing this and accidentally hit the back button and lost it all

snoggymack22

Interesting and fun idea. Was worth the time to read. Thanks for that.

cbrjwrr

I like it.

nepsthen

Sounds great. Might look more indepth later, but seems like a good start. A constant EC sink is needed to ensure some exchange prices don't get out of hand. They could create an interface for the colony similar to how the fleet interface works now once a colony is established. Maybe have an RNG away or space mission daily to help support your colony, with an option to use diplomacy or intimidation (marauding) to help complete it without going full murderhobo. A door on the colony map would lead to the player housing map. I don't see getting lobi or plasmonic leeches from the system, however. Cryptic likes their money too much. Past episode rewards, or event items, maybe, but that's a stretch as well.

There would probably be some RNG for the system quality, with higher chances of better quality the more colonies you complete. Once you finish one, you scan again and start a new one. Colonies would only produce a limited amount of resources to promote progression. Maybe have the ability to do a oneway transfer of doffs from your roster to the colony pool to help progression of passive missions. This would be different from the "sacrificing" of common doffs to fleet projects in that it's essentially another doff pool that you can't get your people out of once committed since they're reassigned to colony management.

Building skins would reflect player background, but be all in the same place per colony type to save map designer headaches and what would become a flood of "How does the foundry work" questions. There of could would be several flavors of colony maps in order to show what class of planet it is. Buildings would also improve in size/quality/bits and pieces as progress is made, either at the overall colony level or the sub level.

Borg invasions, Maquis raiders, etc. would definitely spice things up. As much as I would love to have player raids on opposing faction colonies, it probably won't happen due to the game engine and how easy the AI is to defeat. A doff vs doff type mission might fly, though, to even the playing field a bit, with limiting it to 1-5x per day, with a colony only able to be attacked once per day. Winner would gain resources, and loser lose progression from their current project(s) or even progression levels.

peterconnorfirst

I like your idea very much OP however I’m strictly against more Dil sinks!

With fleets and quality upgrades of gears we basically have an infinite sink. If, for some reason, the majority does not go for it and thereby renders those sinks not working new ideas are likely not to work as well.

dragonkata81

The problem with the Fleet dil sinks is that:

a- they don't reward enough for player investment. Short of lobi, dil is the most valuable resource in game and parting with it needs to be just as rewarding.

b- a large number of Fleets, especially older, well established ones, are finished. Some have even completed secondary Fleets, some have even filled entire Armadas. That's potentially a lot of players now grinding and sitting/coverting dil into zen.

To give an example, my own Fleet has about 4 active players left. We are also less than 3 years old. We have a T4 Starbase, T3 Mine, T3 Embassy, T2 Spire and T2 Lab. At our current rate of dilthium contributions, we will finish our Fleet holdings either late this year or early next, depending on how much Season 11.5 throws a spanner in the works.

Then what? We've unlocked everything. We've upgraded everything. Do we do it all again, grinding away at something we've already done? Or do we look elsewhere, invest our dilithium, our time/money, in other systems.

That's what this system is meant to provide, anothet avenue for players to immerse themselves in and be rewarded for it. No walls, no exclusions, no DPS OR GTFO, just the player and STO's RNG engine.

samt1996

I think an improved sensor mechanic would be nice, properly specced builds could see important information about scanned enemies like armor, powers used, resistances, power levels etc. But I also like your use for it as well.

It looks like a very fun mini game almost like a personal fleet holding and reputation system combined. This would especially be good for more solo minded players and could even grant access to some nice equipment to incentivise using it although the focus should be on having fun, not grinding for shinnies.

lordgyor

I use the scan area alot. I do like the colonization idea, but don't mess with my scan area button please

dragonkata81

I completely understand the use of the button, I was simply trying to find a suitable location on the current HUD at the time.

In my experience, most players use the keyboard command (default v)for scanning, rather than the HUD button. However, everyone has their own layouts they are familiar with.

Something I'd be less certain about is cramming another menu into the DOFF tab. It's pretty crowded already.

stobg2015

I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Genesis system was. It was never an "on-the-fly" map generator. Genesis created about 3000 static maps, the only thing random about it was which one you ended up at.

As such, no such system exists to be enhanced by this proposal. It would have to be created from scratch.

dragonkata81

3000 would be a good starting point though, that's 3000 less maps you need to generate. Although I'll admit the ground maps would definately need some work.

And given the interactions needed, yes this whole system would need to be built from the ground up, whats more important is the systems depth and longevity.

STO is full of 'closed' systems and 'exclusive' systems. Reputation is a closed system, Fleets are a closed/exclusive system. Closed systems eventually end, which leave the player looking for something new to do. And at the moment, there is very little, if anything, that appeals to a broader Trek audience/hasn't been played to death. Without anything to break the grind/keep interest, players get bored/frustrated and leave.

STO need more content that isn't locked away behind a membership/artifical barrier (i.e DPS numbers), is rewarding for player investment and is open enough that both focused and non-focused players can invest in it.

There are simply too many factions of players out there that are being ignored by the current DPS-focus of development, players who would invest more in the game if there was more to interest them.

fluffymoof

This kind of reminds me of the old Birth of the Federation game. I LOVED that game. Build your civilization, trade with others, bring them into your fold, etc etc.

It'd be interesting to add that element if it can be made to work.

dragonkata81

Trade is something I hadn't considered. Back before the Admiralty system went live, I was considering a proposal that reintroduced traders to the Sector Space map. They'd roam from planet to planet, and depending on where they were, they'd have a variety of things to sell, from VR crafting mats to discounted resources like warp coils.

Something like that could still be introduced, say Traders dropping in on an increasing % chance as the colony develops. This would give new players with no Admiralty power a chance to access things like Salvaged Tech or a rare VR mat.

Cryptic could even run an event, once or twice a year, where the Lobi Consortium comes visiting. They might commission the player to recover some tech from nearby the colony, in exchange for a few lobi. You could also introduce a 'refund' mechanic, returning lobi items you may no longer find useful, earning back a portion of your lobi investment.

stobg2015

Given that the game has historically had lots of performance issues, I think trying to add a procedural map generator on top of everything else is a bad idea. We've had that conversation before, so I won't dwell on it.

I think a better notion is a connected series of dynamic maps with features that are unlocked through campaign gameplay and project completion and some randomized events that constitute your own private holding and adventure zone. The exploration maps would be common to every player, but what they unlock and when is up to them and unique to them. In that respect, the maps would be no different than the visual upgrades we unlock in the fleet holding system. It would be easier for Cryptic to maintain a few quality maps than 3000+ substandard ones or to fix bugs when a procedural system accidentally builds something horrible.

STO needs a campaign system anyway and exploration/colonization is essentially a form of campaign. I think it's within Cryptic's abilities to piece together and release. There's no reason why a set of dynamic maps couldn't contain many of the features being suggested in this and other threads, and no strong reason why they have to be generated on the fly.

dragonkata81

I agree that taking things to the level of something like Fallout 4's Settlement system would be too much to ask for. Colony development would need to be limited to probably just a few layouts, for ease of repair as you said.

You could have a Tac/Strategic layout for example, placing more emphasis on listening posts, guard towers, prison complexes etc. This would be different to the Sci/Development layout.

I disagree however on the limited system development and on the drain placed upon the servers. I doubt this system would place any more drain upon the server than the Foundry (how many thousands of missions all being loaded from that database at once?)

You could have fixed points of reference, like base layout and facility location, but the 'skins' they are placed in would need to be varied enough to keep player interest/investment. Too many clones and we end up with the colony equivelent of B:FAW cookie-cutters.

stobg2015

dragonkata81 wrote: »

I disagree however on the limited system development and on the drain placed upon the servers. I doubt this system would place any more drain upon the server than the Foundry (how many thousands of missions all being loaded from that database at once?)

You could have fixed points of reference, like base layout and facility location, but the 'skins' they are placed in would need to be varied enough to keep player interest/investment. Too many clones and we end up with the colony equivelent of B:FAW cookie-cutters.

A good Foundry mission with lots of map customizations takes hours and hours and hours to build. But in the end they're just objects overlaid on a map that Cryptic created and loading that predefined object data takes hardly any time at all in the scheme of things. There's no real processing power involved beyond retrieving the data. Even so, there is a cost to extensive customizations and you can see it when you try to run the most complex Foundry maps. That's just a small taste of how much a procedurally-generated map would affect gameplay. But I'm not going to keep beating that dead horse because it's the wrong horse.

My take is that randomization is not enough. An exploration campaign -- a new world -- needs its own carefully crafted story. This is not "Civilization: The Star Trek Edition" or "Sim City: The Next Generation". The game wasn't designed to work like that and it never will.

What this game is, is a visual medium for interactive storytelling. If we let Cryptic do what they do best, they can create amazing places for us to kind-of explore. New Romulus is a step in the right direction, a rich environment that both allows us to do what we want and also has an overall story that unfolds through progression. It's a bit too big and too busy for our purposes, but it's got a lot of the right elements. It's unique and it's cohesive precisely because it's built around a story and it works because it builds on Cryptic's strengths as a developer. The Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zones are also good examples of an environment built around a story.

I'm not suggesting that they create a whole new map similar to New Romulus. I think we need to scale down our expectations in some ways and raise them in others. I want to see them take the things they already know how to do and apply them to an Exploration zone that feels like you're helping to set up a growing colony world with its own unique story and events.

dragonkata81

See, you're already falling back into the trap of a closed system.

A Exploration Campaign world, as you currently propose, will at some point end. The campaign will be done, the reward earnt, the player bored...and we are back to the current situation.

The colony development should be a story unto itself. A player should be able to tell another player of how they saved their world from utter annihilation at the hands of the Borg, or claimed a rare resource from an alien ruin, or show off the console they wrangled from the hands of the Lobi Consortium.

Linear storytelling is all well and good for the main campaign, but it doesn't add depth to the game. The STO we have right now is as broad as the Pacific, but has the depth of a paddling pool. Limiting a player to just a single colony with a single story only puts a drop in the proverbial bucket.

The two areas you highlighted, Dyson Zone and New Romulus, enhance their depth with fixed locations and cutscenes. This could easily be rolled out to more locations, (Vulcan, Bajor, Korvat all spring to mind), adding further exploration and depth to a players dealings in the universe.

solarwanderer

dragonkata81 wrote: »

Linear storytelling is all well and good for the main campaign, but it doesn't add depth to the game.

What if you use the storytelling to introduce us to the colony? Let's say Cryptic comes up with 10-12 story lines about how the planet is discovered. A behind the scenes roll determines which story you will experience. The story would basically walk you through discovering the system, gathering info (a la "The Search for New Romulus"), escorting the aspiring colonists, and getting the colony up and running. The story would "end" a short amount of time after the founding of the colony with the rest being handled similarly to the OP.

solarwanderer

Having slept on the idea in my previous post, I think a better way would be for the story to be about the player, not the colony. Like having the player explore a region of space that was surveyed during the early days of the Fed?KE/RSE but due to time/money/conflict was not fully explored or colonized. That could potentially be a long-running campaign and leave each colony to have all manner of shenanigans, as well as giving each faction's command a reason to base one of their flag officers in this region.

johnnymo1

Awesome Idea! unfortunately I doubt that the dev team would be able to dedicate the time to it, it would be a massive project similar to star ship interiors.

dragonkata81

Any revamp of Exploration would be a massive project, but it would be one worth investing in.

Right now STO has a serious retention problem, large swathes of players either log on for the new content, burn through it and leave, or log on for 5 mins, doff/admiralty, switch characters/log off. There is simply nothing for these players to be currently invested in.

To head off the next swathe of 'But...But...STF! DEEPS!' arguement...STF's, in their current form, are a broken, disengaging, under-rewarding, antique lump of content. This disconnect (and the anti-AFK system which doesn't catch AFK'ers, usually the new player who is playing the map for the first time) combined with the closed system approach actively discourages players from using them. So with the majority of the supposed 'end game' content empty, what is there to keep a new player interested, and in Cryptic's case, investing?

There are, IMO, vast swathes of the game that need a massive overhaul in order to bring them in-line with the modern MMO environment. Exploration is already marked for revamp, and if done correctly, would keep players around whilst other tweaks are made.