Here's my two cents with stuff that may have come up before:
Pick a room from the area that the player house/apartment/hole in the wall will be in. Empty it of props. Put in a grid system to place props. One on the floor, one on the walls, and maybe a point on the ceiling for a chandelier. Have us earn new props by playing the game and/or getting accolades. There are already tons of perfectly good props in the game, variation shouldn't be an issue. Find a good spot on the map to enter our dwelling. Have a nice view from the windows (if applicable). Charge something like 100 to 500 zen to own said dwelling (depending on location).
Final step: hope the devs are willing to do this.
With enough prop variety, I would make sure to return every little bit to update my sweet space bachelor pad.
It's a catch-22. Some players want "Sims in Space" and want to be able to customize their interiors the way they customize their uniforms. Some other players want missions that actually take place in the interiors as there is so much action that should be happening there.
The two options are mutually exclusive. Cryptic can't make both camps happy.
As it is, there are too many different interiors for them to support customization unless they charged heavily for it. You want to triple the cost of the ships in the C-Store to pay for that? And forego some other development work to make it happen?
That is the major disadvantage of ship interiors. There is simply far too many for them to do anything with them all. Players would throw a hissy fit if they deleted a lot of the interiors to make generic customizable ones.
But, they could make a new generic customizable interior and put that up as an option in addition to the existing non-customizable ones.
IIRC interior missions are already out of the question anyway, because that would require creating separate mission script for every interior map or something.
"Houses in different areas with completely unique themes," that's what (paid) subscribers get in Second Life too (those Linden homes are kinda crappy, though, but that's beside the point).
I think we can pretty much forget about full customizable player housing. But, as Second Life has shown, you don't really need 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.' it would suffice just to offer several themed homes; like, I dunno, Borg-style, (like a cute Borg Sphere on stelts); or Purely Fed, Rom, Ferengi, etc. Or that gorgeous apartment overlooking San Fransicso bay. Maybe like 6-10 themed homes, and they'd be done. I'm sure they'd sell/rent like crazy.
Which brings me to Barbie in Space, which is a *good* thing! Barbie in Space, or SIMS in Space, that ppl scoff on so, is actually the basis of why people play games like these at all: immersion (and, subsequently, the suspension of disbelief.) The more it resembles real life (or what 'real life' is supposed to be like in the future), the better. I really often miss having no place to go to that's really my own. Sure, there's the bridge, but they're all the same as everyone else's (and Trophies never really worked out, and some bridges don't even have a Captain's quarters). Even if I could pick a cosy home somewhere, chosen from several themes, in a self-chosen area too (multiple areas/planets/whatever would be a rather gratuitous addition, programming-wise, but be a great way to add choice to the matter), I'd already be very happy.
It's a catch-22. Some players want "Sims in Space" and want to be able to customize their interiors the way they customize their uniforms. Some other players want missions that actually take place in the interiors as there is so much action that should be happening there.
The two options are mutually exclusive. Cryptic can't make both camps happy.
As it is, there are too many different interiors for them to support customization unless they charged heavily for it. You want to triple the cost of the ships in the C-Store to pay for that? And forego some other development work to make it happen?
So the answer is to apparently do neither.
As it is now, there's no way they could ever have ship interior missions given the diversity of the ships that exist in the game without setting up missions on each specific style of interior - including all of the exotic ones - which will never happen. So I'd say that the chances of ship interior missions happening is pretty much right up there with us being able to fly out ships from the captains chair (I.E. Both are impossible to implement).
But really, the few missions that we have now that take place inside of ships all feature unique interiors that players don't have access to anyway, so I fail to see how this is an obstacle to customizable interiors.
As for "triple the cost", what I've suggested in previous posts is an à la carte approach. Ships come with a generic interior (as they do now), and they offer a separate modular interior in the C-store (or Dilithium store) that you can purchase parts for piece by piece, and only what you want. So yeah, it could end up being "triple the cost' if you buy everything but that's sort of the point to monetizing them in the first place - to make money off of them.
And that money would go to support further development of this as well as all aspects of the game.
I'd love an option to customise my admiral's quarters, a few wall racks to put things like accolade trophies and model ships would be very nice.
As it is I've got to put my weapon collection/trophies on public display in the mess hall.
"The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
Hi,
I've long time wanted better ship interiors, so just some ideas/comment thoughts from me.
Ships -
Interiors defiantly need some spit and polish. The Small, Medium, and Large options all look like shopping malls and is an embarrassment to Star Trek. Someone before mentioned more rooms like a Armoury etc, that's wicked idea. My Away team are not the same as my bridge crew. My away team are 4 highly trained Caitain commandos (Grit, Mace, Nasa and Rise) wearing the best armour and weapons on offer in the game today. I only get to "show them off" when I'm planet side in a combat zone, but how cool would it be to wonder into a ready room/armoury and see this elite team prepping for the next mission.
If Cryptic really wanted to spoil us then perhaps each class of ship could have a themed room, Sci ship has a Sci lab, Tac ship has mission Tac room, Eng ship has .... what ever Eng ships have? Walk in Hanger. better 10 forward for those large interiors, better warp core rooms (engineering)
The Voyager bridge and interior was definitely a step in the right direction, though this was ship specific - More of this stuff just adapted to cover all ships (not just one)
customizing (if any) should be keep to the absolute basics. I don't need matching carpet, walls, pillows, drape's and tea set onto of a captains desk with oak wood finish, my ship is a tool, not a house. though it would be cool to display one of my Risan surf boards, or having separate bank type slot to store my pets. Would be cool if while in the bank you could "activate" a pet and them running around interacting with each other.
Player housing -
for me, this is where the real fun would be, my own beach house on a private island on Risa, Yes please. while I'm stationed at DS9 awaiting order, my own cabin, yes please. Ski cabin on Andoria, Yes. secluded cave on Cait, Yes. An apartment on Bajor yes to all of this stuff.
But again, customization doesn't have to be anywhere near the level SWTOR has, but just enough to give it my own stamp of uniqueness. A standard template, with some ability to change the basics, seats/tables/wall hangings - that kind of stuff, Maybe some ability to place items where you like, perhaps something like DCUO has?
I would pay money (and lots) to have the above, or any other number of good Ideas in this discussion. Thank you to the OP for bringing this up.
I'm a space Barbie, I make no apology for this. I do apologise for the poor spelling and grammar, I never went to school so pretty much taught myself to read and write (god bless spell check) so please bear with me on that front.
Comments
Pick a room from the area that the player house/apartment/hole in the wall will be in. Empty it of props. Put in a grid system to place props. One on the floor, one on the walls, and maybe a point on the ceiling for a chandelier. Have us earn new props by playing the game and/or getting accolades. There are already tons of perfectly good props in the game, variation shouldn't be an issue. Find a good spot on the map to enter our dwelling. Have a nice view from the windows (if applicable). Charge something like 100 to 500 zen to own said dwelling (depending on location).
Final step: hope the devs are willing to do this.
With enough prop variety, I would make sure to return every little bit to update my sweet space bachelor pad.
But, they could make a new generic customizable interior and put that up as an option in addition to the existing non-customizable ones.
IIRC interior missions are already out of the question anyway, because that would require creating separate mission script for every interior map or something.
"Houses in different areas with completely unique themes," that's what (paid) subscribers get in Second Life too (those Linden homes are kinda crappy, though, but that's beside the point).
I think we can pretty much forget about full customizable player housing. But, as Second Life has shown, you don't really need 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.' it would suffice just to offer several themed homes; like, I dunno, Borg-style, (like a cute Borg Sphere on stelts); or Purely Fed, Rom, Ferengi, etc. Or that gorgeous apartment overlooking San Fransicso bay. Maybe like 6-10 themed homes, and they'd be done. I'm sure they'd sell/rent like crazy.
Which brings me to Barbie in Space, which is a *good* thing! Barbie in Space, or SIMS in Space, that ppl scoff on so, is actually the basis of why people play games like these at all: immersion (and, subsequently, the suspension of disbelief.) The more it resembles real life (or what 'real life' is supposed to be like in the future), the better. I really often miss having no place to go to that's really my own. Sure, there's the bridge, but they're all the same as everyone else's (and Trophies never really worked out, and some bridges don't even have a Captain's quarters). Even if I could pick a cosy home somewhere, chosen from several themes, in a self-chosen area too (multiple areas/planets/whatever would be a rather gratuitous addition, programming-wise, but be a great way to add choice to the matter), I'd already be very happy.
So the answer is to apparently do neither.
As it is now, there's no way they could ever have ship interior missions given the diversity of the ships that exist in the game without setting up missions on each specific style of interior - including all of the exotic ones - which will never happen. So I'd say that the chances of ship interior missions happening is pretty much right up there with us being able to fly out ships from the captains chair (I.E. Both are impossible to implement).
But really, the few missions that we have now that take place inside of ships all feature unique interiors that players don't have access to anyway, so I fail to see how this is an obstacle to customizable interiors.
As for "triple the cost", what I've suggested in previous posts is an à la carte approach. Ships come with a generic interior (as they do now), and they offer a separate modular interior in the C-store (or Dilithium store) that you can purchase parts for piece by piece, and only what you want. So yeah, it could end up being "triple the cost' if you buy everything but that's sort of the point to monetizing them in the first place - to make money off of them.
And that money would go to support further development of this as well as all aspects of the game.
As it is I've got to put my weapon collection/trophies on public display in the mess hall.
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
I've long time wanted better ship interiors, so just some ideas/comment thoughts from me.
Ships -
Interiors defiantly need some spit and polish. The Small, Medium, and Large options all look like shopping malls and is an embarrassment to Star Trek. Someone before mentioned more rooms like a Armoury etc, that's wicked idea. My Away team are not the same as my bridge crew. My away team are 4 highly trained Caitain commandos (Grit, Mace, Nasa and Rise) wearing the best armour and weapons on offer in the game today. I only get to "show them off" when I'm planet side in a combat zone, but how cool would it be to wonder into a ready room/armoury and see this elite team prepping for the next mission.
If Cryptic really wanted to spoil us then perhaps each class of ship could have a themed room, Sci ship has a Sci lab, Tac ship has mission Tac room, Eng ship has .... what ever Eng ships have? Walk in Hanger. better 10 forward for those large interiors, better warp core rooms (engineering)
The Voyager bridge and interior was definitely a step in the right direction, though this was ship specific - More of this stuff just adapted to cover all ships (not just one)
customizing (if any) should be keep to the absolute basics. I don't need matching carpet, walls, pillows, drape's and tea set onto of a captains desk with oak wood finish, my ship is a tool, not a house. though it would be cool to display one of my Risan surf boards, or having separate bank type slot to store my pets. Would be cool if while in the bank you could "activate" a pet and them running around interacting with each other.
Player housing -
for me, this is where the real fun would be, my own beach house on a private island on Risa, Yes please. while I'm stationed at DS9 awaiting order, my own cabin, yes please. Ski cabin on Andoria, Yes. secluded cave on Cait, Yes. An apartment on Bajor yes to all of this stuff.
But again, customization doesn't have to be anywhere near the level SWTOR has, but just enough to give it my own stamp of uniqueness. A standard template, with some ability to change the basics, seats/tables/wall hangings - that kind of stuff, Maybe some ability to place items where you like, perhaps something like DCUO has?
I would pay money (and lots) to have the above, or any other number of good Ideas in this discussion. Thank you to the OP for bringing this up.
I'm a space Barbie, I make no apology for this. I do apologise for the poor spelling and grammar, I never went to school so pretty much taught myself to read and write (god bless spell check) so please bear with me on that front.
My thoughts, thanks for reading.