Given that the story and character of Star Trek are almost iconic, how will the story element be delivered? Will there be voiceovers or cut scenes?
Star Trek Online takes place about 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Voyager, in the year 2409. Many of the characters have retired, passed on or otherwise evolved. Certainly, some characters have very long lifespans, and many will have had children. Expect to see the descendants of some of your favorite characters, old enemies return and friends evolve. And definitely expect to visit familiar locations like Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, Deep Space 9, Qo'noS, Vulcan and many others, as well as strange and entirely new worlds.
I hate to be pedantic, but this question hasn't actually been answered. I'd like to see the answer: "how will the story element be delivered? Will there be voiceovers or cut scenes?"
There will probably be cut scenes at critical junctures in the campaign-type mode. But how would you work that into a PvP universe where it is a "free for all" and how would you trigger them? As in WoW and other MMO's , when you are "questing and grinding" you will have familiar regions. But, this is conjecture based on other MMORPGs.
PVP? EVE? GREF? Is there a legend I should be reading to understand these references? I don't play World of Warcraft so if these are common online gaming acronyms, keep in mind that some of us are new to the whole experience. That being said...
I like the fact that the statement has been made that while some races are not inherently evil that they have different value systems which will impact their interactions. As for two species in combat having a fair battle...I would expect it to come down to skill rather than physicality of weapons type.
PvP = Player vs. Player
PvE = Player vs. Environment
Grief = To intentionally cause another player to fail at an encounter through one's own actions. (IE, on a PvP type server, if someone is trying to accomplish a task, and another player comes in and does actions to disrupt the completion of that task, that would be griefing.)
So the pvp side of the game will be nearly based upon the basic pvp in Wow in the sense that you become open to it when you enter some parts of the map but not in all of the parts.?
I should point out that in any game I have played mmo any attempt to restrict pvp has never worked, largely because those that are pro pvp tend to complain so much to game designers that they change the game, this wont be the case in this game will it?
why will restricted pvp not work? in WoW it DOES work and it works great. You' ve got the option to go to arena, you can play battleground and also there is some open pvp in some areas. In my opinion this would be the best handling of pvp in sto because star trek never was a idea of a future where war can handle everything. War is used as the last possiblity when diplomacy does not work anymore. Similar to this idea pvp should be in sto in my opinion. There are save sectors with the presence of a lot federation ships where it is nearly impossible to be attacked and sectors where you can find a lot enemies and where you can be attacked behind every asteroid. Why not? For me this sounds great and funny.
Given that the story and character of Star Trek are almost iconic, how will the story element be delivered? Will there be voiceovers or cut scenes?
Star Trek Online takes place about 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis and Star Trek: Voyager, in the year 2409. Many of the characters have retired, passed on or otherwise evolved. Certainly, some characters have very long lifespans, and many will have had children. Expect to see the descendants of some of your favorite characters, old enemies return and friends evolve. And definitely expect to visit familiar locations like Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, Deep Space 9, Qo'noS, Vulcan and many others, as well as strange and entirely new worlds.
dont want to sound picky.. but... wheres the answer about the voiceovers n cutscenes? the other information in that answer is old news everyone knows through the other interviews.
WILL ther be borg playable.. and if so when will we be able to play them... also how will you deal with haveing a ship concered via bording.. will that ship fall under the command of the main bording caption. and if so will there be a cool down time till the ship functions like it would if it where under the orgianl owner??
I hope that theres a small game mechanic that encourages players to keep a log. Especially with the exploring aspect. If you think about it, All ship captains are in thier own ways, scientists and scientists keep logs. I think it would be cool to take information you gather on certain systems (be it information gathered from sensors, probes, away missions, ect) and "add info to log" this way, that player's faction will be rewarded by having exclusive knowledge of that system. Perhaps make all the data you gather from your sensor logs have a "Add this information to captain's log" function.
This way when you mention a particular system or scan file (marked with a stardate/time) It will show up in your log as a link to the sensor logs that you took.
Example:
Captain's Log Stardate 42347.whatever
We've discovered a new class M planet in the Devron System that we'ved decided to name "Eric 3"(link to data on Eric 3)
We've gathered extensive data on Eric 3's extremly active "Volcanic Activity" (link to ship's sensor log entry)
This would encourage players to keep a log AND give them a bonus for doing so! Not to mention adding a benifit to exploring.
Another cool option would be to have the choice of entering information in your personal log or your Ship's log. Naturally your ships log would be available for all in your faction to see where as your personal log could contain information you've learned that you wish to keep secret.
As a seasoned MMORPG player, (CoH and SWG), I believe that starting players off as a Captian of their own ship is a BIG leap. I have joined many Star Trek SIMMING groups, particulary on mIRC, and you start out as either an ensign or a Private, depending on your choice of Enlisted or Officer. You also start out in the Academy, a basic run trhough of commands ect. I would personally, not be interested in being a captian of my own ship, at first. I would like to be able to work your way though the ranks, earning you Rank through XP and Level Gaining. Just an idea.
As a seasoned MMORPG player, (CoH and SWG), I believe that starting players off as a Captian of their own ship is a BIG leap. I have joined many Star Trek SIMMING groups, particulary on mIRC, and you start out as either an ensign or a Private, depending on your choice of Enlisted or Officer. You also start out in the Academy, a basic run trhough of commands ect. I would personally, not be interested in being a captian of my own ship, at first. I would like to be able to work your way though the ranks, earning you Rank through XP and Level Gaining. Just an idea.
You should watch the webcast. In the webcast he mentioned the truism that in both the star trek universe and in the real world, you dont have to be a captain in rank in order to be called the captain of a vessel. You just need to be the superior officer. We see this in first contact when LT Cmdr Worf was captain of the defiant at the battle of sector 01.
When you start the game, you wont start as a captain in rank, you'll just be refurred to as the "captain" of your own, tiny ship. As you work up the ranks, you than get to "captain" (as a verb) larger ships with bigger crews.
You should watch the webcast. In the webcast he mentioned the truism that in both the star trek universe and in the real world, you dont have to be a captain in rank in order to be called the captain of a vessel. You just need to be the superior officer. We see this in first contact when LT Cmdr Worf was captain of the defiant at the battle of sector 01.
When you start the game, you wont start as a captain in rank, you'll just be refurred to as the "captain" of your own, tiny ship. As you work up the ranks, you than get to "captain" (as a verb) larger ships with bigger crews.
After watching the webcast as suggested (oops) i will revise my question. What rank do you start as, and what benifits does a Specialty give you for your captian? For example: Laura Ferron, my char, has a specialty in Tactical and Security. would she get benifits to combat on her ship, or against AI charicters, or other players? If in the event my Tactical or Security Officer is disabled, would she be able to command those aspects of her ship?
I would like to know if is just pc that is getting this mmo or will it be on them home consoles too. As well is the Q continium in here and if they are what role do they play would they give out tasks to prove our selves like on TNG or will they jus be for show
it is like that with eve part from in corp wars, and if someone just wants to attack you, they tank concord, thats the npcs that are meant to protect players from unlawful attack, some even just do it, if you have anything worth money in your cargo hold then have someone mainly their own alt to take anything that drops from your ship been as how their main ship gets destroyed by concord.
concords or resucing ships are so lame.. i am a eve player to but i cant wait till STAR TREK
still i like the unexploring space in deep tetor much beter for pvp so explorastion will be with more people in this case i hope
I got a question for you. In COH/CoV the PvP players have pretty much killed the game. Reason being is they get stuff nerfed to beyond useable. While NPC's stay they same. So a few guys with guns can pretty much kill what is post to be superman. So best way to really ask i think is.
Are you going to let PvP effect PvE gameplay pretty much?
Not everyone that will want to play this is wanting to PvP. I am in it to play Starfleet Captian with my friends. I been playing Pirates of Burning Sea lately and the game play is set up the best i seen.
O and when is closed beta starting? I am ready at any time and was signed up in orignal closed beta invite . So i been waiting on this a LONG time.
The Game Informer article mentions expansions to include races like Cardassians and ROmulanas. Are they expecting those to be full cost models (WoW) or free updates like CoX?
No more Klingons (or Gorns) on Federation ships, or will there still be exceptions?
(I am sort of tired of the WoW/EQ/Et Al. formulae where when you choose a race, you are forced not only to a faction, but even sometimes to a profession set.)
The Federation is still an equal opportunity employer?:p
Also, if we plan on having two accounts (my wife and I both want out own accounts to play at the same time), will this require us to purchase two seperate copies of the game?
during the speach on stage it was talked about customizing ships . this creates ownership and great goals to work for . i also have played eve and beta tested earth and beyond . i always like being able to add to my ship . but i hope there will not be to many limits as for upgrading hulls and weapons and also color . I am hoping we could also at some point add landing gear as seen in the movies . watching a large ship in a landing is just cool beyond belief. maybe it could also be a skill and a add on hard to get . i am sitting here playing wow just waiting my time out for this game . i have beta tested 3 games and i hope this will be my next long term home (ultima online1999-2007, lineage 2, earth and beyond , eve, wow,lineage, ) from what i understand guys since 1995 with windows 95 we star trek fans have been waiting for this day.
during the speach on stage it was talked about customizing ships . this creates ownership and great goals to work for . i also have played eve and beta tested earth and beyond . i always like being able to add to my ship . but i hope there will not be to many limits as for upgrading hulls and weapons and also color . I am hoping we could also at some point add landing gear as seen in the movies . watching a large ship in a landing is just cool beyond belief. maybe it could also be a skill and a add on hard to get . i am sitting here playing wow just waiting my time out for this game . i have beta tested 3 games and i hope this will be my next long term home (ultima online1999-2007, lineage 2, earth and beyond , eve, wow,lineage, ) from what i understand guys since 1995 with windows 95 we star trek fans have been waiting for this day.
If they did add landing gear to ships, it would be ships like the Intrepid Class. Mind you, the Galaxy class starships could land the saucer section, but that was a one way trip and could not be salvaged.
WILL ther be borg playable.. and if so when will we be able to play them... also how will you deal with haveing a ship concered via bording.. will that ship fall under the command of the main bording caption. and if so will there be a cool down time till the ship functions like it would if it where under the orgianl owner??
Figured I should throw my thoughts in with the PvP discussion. It's my first post so... hi ;P
I do want to touch bases with Lance first on his commentary towards PvP systems with MMOs such as EvE Online and World of Warcraft. I can understand where he comes from at a very core level. I played EvE Online for a few years as a pirate (sorry Lance, you probably wouldn't have liked me... ) and from my own subjective view, I very much enjoyed EvE's PvP system. I started playing that game as a miner, utilizing ships and devices to do nothing but try and make a bit of cash, and in those days I was getting hit pretty hard sometimes; however, after experiencing both sides of things I had to conclude that EvE does in fact have a decent PvP system. But if players die so easily in it from other players, then why is that?
When EvE Online's PvP system was developed, one of the more obvious underlying premises was the idea of "risk versus reward". Much like the developers' strategy towards building the game's economy (which is basically a textbook example of laissez faire), this PvP system was designed to create a situation where a non-combat pilot would be making an amount of money in proportion to how dangerous the process was. As a miner, I could bring in large amounts of low-end, low-cost materials without being in much danger (CONCORD (the ingame peacekeepers) cannot be tanked anymore Lance, so it's very difficult and far from profitable to target individuals in those areas of space 99.9% of the time... thank the maker eh?). These areas of space were called "high security space", and mechanics in the game DO allow PvP here... however, any attempt to initiate will likely result in a very shiny death from local peacekeeper NPCs, and your target getting away with nothing other than potentially soiled undergarments.
However, I wanted more. I could have made enough to easily support myself, but there was a strong allure there to make Even More Money (tm). So I headed to what in EvE is called "low security space". In low security space, the NPC peacekeepers are simply not there. There are still automated defense systems around travel gates and space stations that CAN be tanked with work, but not all PvP configurations allow for this (for example, I always preferred speed over durability due to my fighting style after I became a pirate, and since I couldn't evade fire from the defense systems I was unable to "camp" locations). From what I've just said, it's obvious that attempting to travel or work in these areas can be quite dangerous; however, if you're smart, you can make a ton of cash. I wasn't smart Beyond this, there was "frontier" or "null security space" where player factions could officially claim territory, build stations, and effectively run their faction "for real" within the game. Players were 100% responsible for their own security and safety.
So, why do I prefer this system?
As many have already mentioned, space is a very big place. It isn't like a country on a planet, where a single government can simply say "Okay, we're going to have police everywhere so nobody does anything mean to anyone else". Space is simply too large, and the drive for more of it seen by most everyone in the Star Trek universe only makes this a larger problem. In EvE, this underlying truth is exhibited well in the very PvP system it developed... and we all knew it, and were forced to realize it. Furthermore, it helped bring a bit of boredom out of the stereotypical "carebear" activities (which are vital to any MMO) in a sometimes scary and frustrating way. As a miner I was willing to accept that frustration; after all, It's Just a Game (tm). Furthermore, it allowed for what I call "true criminals" in a game. To understand my meaning behind this a bit more though is to really understand why people tend to target the defenseless.
As a pirate and admittedly quite the griefer in EvE Online, I got more than my fair share of hate (I did actually have to report some of the nastier things, but that's life). Most of it only indicated to me, however, that many players don't understand the motives behind such activities. Many griefers (not all, but most of us) are not really targeting a player for who they are; we're targeting them for what they have. Easy money; not a lot, but easy. Just like seeing the victim's end of this "risk versus reward" system, the criminals get the same exact dilemma; either don't make a lot of money but make it reliably by killing those much too weak to oppose you... or go up against someone with a chance, and potentially make a lot more if you win.
(A quick note to Lance and others with perceivably similar views: It's something that's very easily difficult to understand from a victim's perspective, and I get that. "Why did he attack me? I did nothing wrong and I'm not even worth that much, and I worked really hard for what I did have..." is a very common and very understandable reaction. I reacted that way too. But people are just going to want to go for what's easy for them sometimes, and they aren't really personally attacking you. In fact, they don't even care about you at all, just what you have at least, thats how it was in EvE).
So basically, I prefer this system because it allows for the near seamless preservation of a core game component we know as "suspension of disbelief". Yes, realism isn't everything; however, a successful application of it allows for incredible player immersion. I'm a proponent of an EvE-style PvP system for these reasons. Not to mention I think its fair.
What does this have to do with the original topic, and this upcoming game? Actually, a lot.
I can see where a zone-based PvP system makes sense, but I believe it has too many cons to be a permanent solution. Let's face it, PvP is easily one of the hardest things to tackle as a developer; it will seem even more than usual that, regardless of what you do, someone is going to hate it. Zoning is especially vulnerable here. Too many/large and the industrialists complain, too few/small and the PvPers get frustrated from lack of activity. The problem with the size and numbers, though they may be nice for the Star Trek universe, is somewhat simple to explain: Too large and players can't make any money or do anything they want without passing through a PvP area. Too small and it becomes too easy for players to avoid them regardless of activity, which makes PvPers upset due to a lack of preferred targets. Striking a balance that everyone can at least tolerate is incredibly difficult. Conversely, an EvE-style PvP system allows for both sides to technically get what they want, while providing an opportunity for unlawful players and groups to target those who choose to seek more than their share (and trust me when I say that some industrialists have no problem taking that risk if it means a lot more shinies).
I can also see the logic behind having PvP-dedication on certain servers but I believe this is an even worse solution. As I've explained above, many PvPers enjoy targeting the unwitting/unwilling/defenseless, and this is a core aspect of PvP whether we like it or not. Darwinism simply needs to be there; for it not to be detracts not only from the inherent realism the game should possess, but also the potential immersion of standard servers.
So I'm a strong proponent of EvE's PvP system. The first question I'd have to face if it were up to me, however, is how such an in-depth system from a game with a different universe could possibly be applied well to a game such as this one... and how it could be applied without detracting from the canon, etc.
I honestly don't have a full answer for that. I'm a fan of some of the series but I was never a "real trekkie" per se and I don't really think I know enough about the storylines, the universe in itself, etc to give specifics on things. However, I can say that having PvP based on general distance from safe areas other than specific zones would not only be more immersive and realistic, but also simply make things a little more exciting for folk. Say I'm a Bad Person (tm) of some sort and I want to try and attack that small ship leaving a starbase. I do it, and the local governing authority pretty much kicks my butt. Or if I try to do so enough, or even do so in areas monitored but not well enforced (such as the low security areas in EvE) I'm blackmarked and simply targeted on sight by the authorities in question, thereby providing additional protection to the defenseless who I would otherwise have an opportunity to target. It's a really rough set of ideas that would need to be balanced, applied properly, etc... I'm not offering some universally epic PvP system. But I do believe a system very similar to EvE's would work very well in this game, provided the appropriate mechanics were in place (same as any other system).
Thoughts, comments, threats to my personal wellbeing?
Ask Cryptic returns with answers on story, space, psionics, society, ships and logs. Thanks very much to our development team for taking time out of their busy schedules to answer these!
As we looked closely at the IP and built our story, we realized there were certain truisms we needed to honor. The Federation is an idealistic society that seeks to better themselves and others. It is a fundamental part of Gene Roddenberry's vision the future will be brighter. Other societies like the Klingon Empire or the Romulans are not evil, but they are different. They are motivated by different values and handle situations very differently than the Federation.
im new to this type of game and i was wondering a few things
1. will you beable to land on pretty much any any planet? if so can you travel around the whole thing?
2. can you go around killling people and thier ships anywhare?
3. do you have lots of hand weapon options in this game, or is it mainly a ship fighting game?
4. how big can the ships get and how many weapons can they hold?
5. how are we going to beable to control are huge ships control, weapons, and shields?
I like that you're making space a vast area, but keeping it fun and playable is a big plus as well.
Starships are massive and I'm sure hoping that you can keep that promise alive that they'll be massive in-game and to scale with smaller ships. The larger classes truly should dwarf the smaller classes. So many games that's not the case.
Log entries...woot!
That's been a question I've had ever since I learned about STO when PE had it. How are they going to make current-era players keep in line with the future ideals set forth by Gene Rodenberry (mainly ref to Federation players here). It seems that so many do not hold these ideals he has set in ST to their own everyday ideals. How do you make someone in game terms stay in line with that?
Examples: A Federation ship (read: player) is on patrol (doing a mission) and a urgent distress call comes in from a merchant vessel in trouble. Does the real life player do what a Federation captain should do? How is that policed? If the player ignores the distress call (out of ignorance of Star Trek or just pure greed to finish his earlier mission), that would have the most SEVERE of consequences to a captain of Starfleet. How does Cryptic manage this? I guess we'll find out someday!
Does anyone else remember watching Star Trek when it was on during Prime Time on NBC? Of course, most people were watching it on black and white TV's a the time and the second youngest in the family was designated as the remote control, while the youngest was the auxiliary antenna. Yep - in those days you had to get up to change the channel. Remember that noise? Chunk Chunk Chunk. Oh UHF? Ratatatatatatatata That's back when phones had cords and actual dials. (My kids have never seen a dial phone - isn't that weird?)
OK. PVP. I think that if you beat someone in PVP combat, that you should be allowed to salvage what's left of the ship. Ideally, you would use combat methods which would not entirely destroy your opponent but bleed off his energy and destroy critical systems to the point where you could tow him in. In contrast, in a war situation (PVE) you would want to destroy your enemy and move to the next objective.
I am guessing that Energy will be the essence of combat. Each ship probably generates so much energy and as Captain you need to decide where it goes. (I wonder if we'll be able to play Orion ships?) This concept was used heavily in the game Star Fleet Battles and ended up with a very logical and workable system.
In most combat situations ships need to slow down to sub-light for meaningful combat since if you are going beyond light speed, you are limited pretty much to a straight line. I am not sure what Einstien would say if you fired a light based weapon forward when you travel at the speed of light. I am pretty sure that the weapon would end up behind you since at warp speed you can't actually traverse through all of the space, but a bent facsimile, unless your space warp extended ahead of the ship. Again though, you would be limited to a straight line.
The concept of multiple dimensions is common in the star trek universe, and fortunately it lends itself perfectly well to the actual mechanics of MMPOG. Each dimension could easily be its' own zone or set of zones. What a great setting for an MMPOG setting - you can use extra dimensions to change story lines, explore what-if's and who knows what else.
I love the idea of star ship combat, but if I am on a planet and I hear of a ship approaching at high warp - I am just getting the hell out of there.
Comments
I hate to be pedantic, but this question hasn't actually been answered. I'd like to see the answer: "how will the story element be delivered? Will there be voiceovers or cut scenes?"
PvP = Player vs. Player
PvE = Player vs. Environment
Grief = To intentionally cause another player to fail at an encounter through one's own actions. (IE, on a PvP type server, if someone is trying to accomplish a task, and another player comes in and does actions to disrupt the completion of that task, that would be griefing.)
why will restricted pvp not work? in WoW it DOES work and it works great. You' ve got the option to go to arena, you can play battleground and also there is some open pvp in some areas. In my opinion this would be the best handling of pvp in sto because star trek never was a idea of a future where war can handle everything. War is used as the last possiblity when diplomacy does not work anymore. Similar to this idea pvp should be in sto in my opinion. There are save sectors with the presence of a lot federation ships where it is nearly impossible to be attacked and sectors where you can find a lot enemies and where you can be attacked behind every asteroid. Why not? For me this sounds great and funny.
This way when you mention a particular system or scan file (marked with a stardate/time) It will show up in your log as a link to the sensor logs that you took.
Example:
Captain's Log Stardate 42347.whatever
We've discovered a new class M planet in the Devron System that we'ved decided to name "Eric 3"(link to data on Eric 3)
We've gathered extensive data on Eric 3's extremly active "Volcanic Activity" (link to ship's sensor log entry)
This would encourage players to keep a log AND give them a bonus for doing so! Not to mention adding a benifit to exploring.
Another cool option would be to have the choice of entering information in your personal log or your Ship's log. Naturally your ships log would be available for all in your faction to see where as your personal log could contain information you've learned that you wish to keep secret.
Whatdyall think?
You should watch the webcast. In the webcast he mentioned the truism that in both the star trek universe and in the real world, you dont have to be a captain in rank in order to be called the captain of a vessel. You just need to be the superior officer. We see this in first contact when LT Cmdr Worf was captain of the defiant at the battle of sector 01.
When you start the game, you wont start as a captain in rank, you'll just be refurred to as the "captain" of your own, tiny ship. As you work up the ranks, you than get to "captain" (as a verb) larger ships with bigger crews.
After watching the webcast as suggested (oops) i will revise my question. What rank do you start as, and what benifits does a Specialty give you for your captian? For example: Laura Ferron, my char, has a specialty in Tactical and Security. would she get benifits to combat on her ship, or against AI charicters, or other players? If in the event my Tactical or Security Officer is disabled, would she be able to command those aspects of her ship?
So far, this looks great, can't wait to play.
Can I act some on my on will?
For example Kirk stole the Enterprise.
If yes how far can I go?
When should this game come out?
concords or resucing ships are so lame.. i am a eve player to but i cant wait till STAR TREK
still i like the unexploring space in deep tetor much beter for pvp so explorastion will be with more people in this case i hope
Are you going to let PvP effect PvE gameplay pretty much?
Not everyone that will want to play this is wanting to PvP. I am in it to play Starfleet Captian with my friends. I been playing Pirates of Burning Sea lately and the game play is set up the best i seen.
O and when is closed beta starting? I am ready at any time and was signed up in orignal closed beta invite . So i been waiting on this a LONG time.
(I am sort of tired of the WoW/EQ/Et Al. formulae where when you choose a race, you are forced not only to a faction, but even sometimes to a profession set.)
The Federation is still an equal opportunity employer?:p
If they did add landing gear to ships, it would be ships like the Intrepid Class. Mind you, the Galaxy class starships could land the saucer section, but that was a one way trip and could not be salvaged.
I doubt the Borg will be a playable faction.
I do want to touch bases with Lance first on his commentary towards PvP systems with MMOs such as EvE Online and World of Warcraft. I can understand where he comes from at a very core level. I played EvE Online for a few years as a pirate (sorry Lance, you probably wouldn't have liked me...
When EvE Online's PvP system was developed, one of the more obvious underlying premises was the idea of "risk versus reward". Much like the developers' strategy towards building the game's economy (which is basically a textbook example of laissez faire), this PvP system was designed to create a situation where a non-combat pilot would be making an amount of money in proportion to how dangerous the process was. As a miner, I could bring in large amounts of low-end, low-cost materials without being in much danger (CONCORD (the ingame peacekeepers) cannot be tanked anymore Lance, so it's very difficult and far from profitable to target individuals in those areas of space 99.9% of the time... thank the maker eh?). These areas of space were called "high security space", and mechanics in the game DO allow PvP here... however, any attempt to initiate will likely result in a very shiny death from local peacekeeper NPCs, and your target getting away with nothing other than potentially soiled undergarments.
However, I wanted more. I could have made enough to easily support myself, but there was a strong allure there to make Even More Money (tm). So I headed to what in EvE is called "low security space". In low security space, the NPC peacekeepers are simply not there. There are still automated defense systems around travel gates and space stations that CAN be tanked with work, but not all PvP configurations allow for this (for example, I always preferred speed over durability due to my fighting style after I became a pirate, and since I couldn't evade fire from the defense systems I was unable to "camp" locations). From what I've just said, it's obvious that attempting to travel or work in these areas can be quite dangerous; however, if you're smart, you can make a ton of cash. I wasn't smart
So, why do I prefer this system?
As many have already mentioned, space is a very big place. It isn't like a country on a planet, where a single government can simply say "Okay, we're going to have police everywhere so nobody does anything mean to anyone else". Space is simply too large, and the drive for more of it seen by most everyone in the Star Trek universe only makes this a larger problem. In EvE, this underlying truth is exhibited well in the very PvP system it developed... and we all knew it, and were forced to realize it. Furthermore, it helped bring a bit of boredom out of the stereotypical "carebear" activities (which are vital to any MMO) in a sometimes scary and frustrating way. As a miner I was willing to accept that frustration; after all, It's Just a Game (tm). Furthermore, it allowed for what I call "true criminals" in a game. To understand my meaning behind this a bit more though is to really understand why people tend to target the defenseless.
As a pirate and admittedly quite the griefer in EvE Online, I got more than my fair share of hate (I did actually have to report some of the nastier things, but that's life). Most of it only indicated to me, however, that many players don't understand the motives behind such activities. Many griefers (not all, but most of us) are not really targeting a player for who they are; we're targeting them for what they have. Easy money; not a lot, but easy. Just like seeing the victim's end of this "risk versus reward" system, the criminals get the same exact dilemma; either don't make a lot of money but make it reliably by killing those much too weak to oppose you... or go up against someone with a chance, and potentially make a lot more if you win.
(A quick note to Lance and others with perceivably similar views: It's something that's very easily difficult to understand from a victim's perspective, and I get that. "Why did he attack me? I did nothing wrong and I'm not even worth that much, and I worked really hard for what I did have..." is a very common and very understandable reaction. I reacted that way too. But people are just going to want to go for what's easy for them sometimes, and they aren't really personally attacking you. In fact, they don't even care about you at all, just what you have at least, thats how it was in EvE).
So basically, I prefer this system because it allows for the near seamless preservation of a core game component we know as "suspension of disbelief". Yes, realism isn't everything; however, a successful application of it allows for incredible player immersion. I'm a proponent of an EvE-style PvP system for these reasons. Not to mention I think its fair.
What does this have to do with the original topic, and this upcoming game? Actually, a lot.
I can see where a zone-based PvP system makes sense, but I believe it has too many cons to be a permanent solution. Let's face it, PvP is easily one of the hardest things to tackle as a developer; it will seem even more than usual that, regardless of what you do, someone is going to hate it. Zoning is especially vulnerable here. Too many/large and the industrialists complain, too few/small and the PvPers get frustrated from lack of activity. The problem with the size and numbers, though they may be nice for the Star Trek universe, is somewhat simple to explain: Too large and players can't make any money or do anything they want without passing through a PvP area. Too small and it becomes too easy for players to avoid them regardless of activity, which makes PvPers upset due to a lack of preferred targets. Striking a balance that everyone can at least tolerate is incredibly difficult. Conversely, an EvE-style PvP system allows for both sides to technically get what they want, while providing an opportunity for unlawful players and groups to target those who choose to seek more than their share (and trust me when I say that some industrialists have no problem taking that risk if it means a lot more shinies).
I can also see the logic behind having PvP-dedication on certain servers but I believe this is an even worse solution. As I've explained above, many PvPers enjoy targeting the unwitting/unwilling/defenseless, and this is a core aspect of PvP whether we like it or not. Darwinism simply needs to be there; for it not to be detracts not only from the inherent realism the game should possess, but also the potential immersion of standard servers.
So I'm a strong proponent of EvE's PvP system. The first question I'd have to face if it were up to me, however, is how such an in-depth system from a game with a different universe could possibly be applied well to a game such as this one... and how it could be applied without detracting from the canon, etc.
I honestly don't have a full answer for that. I'm a fan of some of the series but I was never a "real trekkie" per se and I don't really think I know enough about the storylines, the universe in itself, etc to give specifics on things. However, I can say that having PvP based on general distance from safe areas other than specific zones would not only be more immersive and realistic, but also simply make things a little more exciting for folk. Say I'm a Bad Person (tm) of some sort and I want to try and attack that small ship leaving a starbase. I do it, and the local governing authority pretty much kicks my butt. Or if I try to do so enough, or even do so in areas monitored but not well enforced (such as the low security areas in EvE) I'm blackmarked and simply targeted on sight by the authorities in question, thereby providing additional protection to the defenseless who I would otherwise have an opportunity to target. It's a really rough set of ideas that would need to be balanced, applied properly, etc... I'm not offering some universally epic PvP system. But I do believe a system very similar to EvE's would work very well in this game, provided the appropriate mechanics were in place (same as any other system).
Thoughts, comments, threats to my personal wellbeing?
im new to this type of game and i was wondering a few things
1. will you beable to land on pretty much any any planet? if so can you travel around the whole thing?
2. can you go around killling people and thier ships anywhare?
3. do you have lots of hand weapon options in this game, or is it mainly a ship fighting game?
4. how big can the ships get and how many weapons can they hold?
5. how are we going to beable to control are huge ships control, weapons, and shields?
I like that you're making space a vast area, but keeping it fun and playable is a big plus as well.
Starships are massive and I'm sure hoping that you can keep that promise alive that they'll be massive in-game and to scale with smaller ships. The larger classes truly should dwarf the smaller classes. So many games that's not the case.
Log entries...woot!
That's been a question I've had ever since I learned about STO when PE had it. How are they going to make current-era players keep in line with the future ideals set forth by Gene Rodenberry (mainly ref to Federation players here). It seems that so many do not hold these ideals he has set in ST to their own everyday ideals. How do you make someone in game terms stay in line with that?
Examples: A Federation ship (read: player) is on patrol (doing a mission) and a urgent distress call comes in from a merchant vessel in trouble. Does the real life player do what a Federation captain should do? How is that policed? If the player ignores the distress call (out of ignorance of Star Trek or just pure greed to finish his earlier mission), that would have the most SEVERE of consequences to a captain of Starfleet. How does Cryptic manage this? I guess we'll find out someday!
OK. PVP. I think that if you beat someone in PVP combat, that you should be allowed to salvage what's left of the ship. Ideally, you would use combat methods which would not entirely destroy your opponent but bleed off his energy and destroy critical systems to the point where you could tow him in. In contrast, in a war situation (PVE) you would want to destroy your enemy and move to the next objective.
I am guessing that Energy will be the essence of combat. Each ship probably generates so much energy and as Captain you need to decide where it goes. (I wonder if we'll be able to play Orion ships?) This concept was used heavily in the game Star Fleet Battles and ended up with a very logical and workable system.
In most combat situations ships need to slow down to sub-light for meaningful combat since if you are going beyond light speed, you are limited pretty much to a straight line. I am not sure what Einstien would say if you fired a light based weapon forward when you travel at the speed of light. I am pretty sure that the weapon would end up behind you since at warp speed you can't actually traverse through all of the space, but a bent facsimile, unless your space warp extended ahead of the ship. Again though, you would be limited to a straight line.
The concept of multiple dimensions is common in the star trek universe, and fortunately it lends itself perfectly well to the actual mechanics of MMPOG. Each dimension could easily be its' own zone or set of zones. What a great setting for an MMPOG setting - you can use extra dimensions to change story lines, explore what-if's and who knows what else.
I love the idea of star ship combat, but if I am on a planet and I hear of a ship approaching at high warp - I am just getting the hell out of there.
If I could choose any race -I think I'll pick Q.
the nebula
the promethus
the nx
the delta flyer
the galaxy
and alots more and they need to make it fast time and slow so u can go and kill the kazon and things like that