Ok, so I've played for about 3 weeks now including OB and so far I have seen almost next to nothing for non-combat related missions or content. I've gotten up to Lt Commander 5 and I have still yet to see any missions that have any serious content related to exploration, crafting, or trading.
The occasional missions where I have to scan a bunch of TRIBBLE is not what I call exploration. Its become abundantly clear so far that 95% of the missions involve blowing something up and the other 5% is just scanning some TRIBBLE or delivering stuff.
This game is definitely lacking non-combat related content! Where's the crafting, exploration, and trading? Where's the in depth content? I don't expect the game to be perfect or even finished on release but it would have been nice to see something other than one combat mission after another. I'm already bored with mashing my space bar to death.
I hope to god Cryptic releases something much more creative in its future patches because combat missions are getting old real quick.
the lack of junk collecting... err " crafting"... is refreshing
Maybe you don't like crafting? Fine if thats not your thing then PEW PEW until your hearts content. But to attract the widest audience Cryptic is going to have to work a little harder on the game content, because as it stands its pretty bare and really heavy on combat.
But I guess this shouldn't be a big surprise as all the previews on STO involved......(suspenseful pause)....COMBAT!
The exploration as it has been designed is in the game. That's what those "cluster" and "arm" missions are all about. The nature of what exploration in STO has been misinterpreted by a good many people. This misinterpretation revolves around what the Genesis System (the exploration "system", really is. The misconception is that Genesis is something players can use directly to create new planets to explore. This is wrong. The Genesis System is an in-house program Cryptic uses to generate planets for the exploration portion of the game. it is a tool for developers only.
Something missing from the exploration system as it has been envisioned is the ability to go back to systems you have already visited. There is supposed to be a way to enter the alpha-numeric code that identifies a system in some kind of UI interface that permits people to return to them of for that code to be used by another player completely. I have heard no word on when and if that system is supposed to be activated. there are only around 2500 systems in the encounter tables at this time. it might be that until that table is sufficiently expanded they will institute that system. Also, it is possible they are holding off on access to that system until they resolve the way fleet stations will be implemented (the implication is fleets will be able to use those systems to establish fleet stations).
The crafting, well, is not really crafting. In fact, unless someone told you it was supposed to be crafting you would never know. All that Memory Alpha biz is supposed to be crafting. There are a NUMBER of people rather miffed about this, myself included as well as my wife, who refuses to play until real crafting is instituted. The trading, that's the Exchange, which is also somewhat lacking...lacking real crafting, actually.
I know this is not really the answers you were looking for but at least this will give you something to grip onto and move about the forum and start becoming involved in a community effort to get these things activated or implemented.
What exactly would a member of Starfleet craft, or trade?
starfleet comes up with alot of inventions of their own. they could totally have multiple paths of crafting. Weapons, shields, engines and deflectors could all be made into separate paths.
Besides the obvious answer provided by the person just beneith you, who said crafting classes have to be in Starfleet?
ohhh so now its not just an additional junk collecting skill but a full blown class!
I say make all the "crafters" and other lazy bones play ferengi and they can run around scanning TRIBBLE and salvaging junk...
just dont put their trash in my loot table, force me tio HAVE to "craft" or in anyway be forced to need or buy their goods... cuz all they wanna do is put their over priced goods on the exchange and exploit dumber players for their gold.
What, exactly, do people want out of "exploration"? Just curious.
I agree, the exploration in this game is a little shallow...beam down, scan 4 things, beam back.
But without some conflict or heavy narrative how deep can it be. I've yet to hear any ideas from people who are dissapointed with the xploration.
And Exchange = Trading
My thoughts:
I'd love to be a non-Starfleet Federation citizen in a Star Trek universe. The Star Trek universe is rife with traders, explorers, brigands, and so on - everyone from Harry Mudd to the Grand Nagus understands commerce. I'd like to explore, find a planet, perhaps start a colony on Ceti Alpha 7. I'd like to be able to sign up with Starfleet, perhaps at a later time, after I'd developed my skills a bit longer. Or I could become a renowned scientist, perhaps working on positronic brains in an effort to construct a new form of sentience. Or a miner, trading dilithium or deuterium to anyone who stopped by.
I'd love to be a Starfleet officer in a Star Trek universe. They were required to, among other things, uphold the Prime Directive. I'd be leading an away team on a planet that's been contacted by the Klingons, on which a civil war has been started - my job is to drive the Klingons off planet while ensuring that neither Federation nor Klingon technology ended up in the hands of the locals.
I'd like to actually talk to something - anything, really. I don't have to talk with other members of Starfleet, except to run errands given to me by one-dimensional admirals. I don't have to talk with strange, new life forms. I don't have to talk with my enemies - heck, my ship's so intelligent it knows who my enemies are!
I'd love to be a petty Ferengi trader in a Star Trek universe. With the Rules of Acquisition as my guide, I'd lie, cheat, and stea...er, trade my way to a position of prominence on Ferengenar, perhaps even rivalling the Grand Nagus himself.
Instead, I'm a roaming thug, shooting anything that isn't part of my gang and taking anything I can find to sell to other folks doing exactly the same thing. No exploration, no discovery, no trading, no production, no variance, no surprises. I don't question, I don't talk, I don't think, I just point and shoot. I'm no deeper than the NPC bridge officers happily squirting fire foam on Klingons NPCs while I'm getting my TRIBBLE shot off with disruptor fire.
Maybe you don't like crafting? Fine if thats not your thing then PEW PEW until your hearts content. But to attract the widest audience Cryptic is going to have to work a little harder on the game content, because as it stands its pretty bare and really heavy on combat.
But I guess this shouldn't be a big surprise as all the previews on STO involved......(suspenseful pause)....COMBAT!
Perhaps they don't want an audience that just goes around collecting stupid BS to make TRIBBLE items and charge people way more than the item is worth.
I would be in favor of a non-crafting secondary game.. I dunno, diplomacy or technology.. this is Cryptic's chance to make a whole new secondary MMO progression system that is NOT Crafting/collecting. I'd love to see a new, deep system for this. You've got a whole Bridge Crew to do stuff with. They could make entire non-combat stories/puzzles for your away team to enjoy.
ohhh so now its not just an additional junk collecting skill but a full blown class!
I say make all the "crafters" and other lazy bones play ferengi and they can run around scanning TRIBBLE and salvaging junk...
just dont put their trash in my loot table, force me tio HAVE to "craft" or in anyway be forced to need or buy their goods... cuz all they wanna do is put their over priced goods on the exchange and exploit dumber players for their gold.
"Lazy bones?" Depending on the game, it takes more work to be a successful crafter/trader than it does to be a PvPer.
I agree about not putting crafting resources into the loot tables. Because people like this poster would sell it on the Exchange for a thousand times what it's worth.
Comments
Maybe you don't like crafting? Fine if thats not your thing then PEW PEW until your hearts content. But to attract the widest audience Cryptic is going to have to work a little harder on the game content, because as it stands its pretty bare and really heavy on combat.
But I guess this shouldn't be a big surprise as all the previews on STO involved......(suspenseful pause)....COMBAT!
Something missing from the exploration system as it has been envisioned is the ability to go back to systems you have already visited. There is supposed to be a way to enter the alpha-numeric code that identifies a system in some kind of UI interface that permits people to return to them of for that code to be used by another player completely. I have heard no word on when and if that system is supposed to be activated. there are only around 2500 systems in the encounter tables at this time. it might be that until that table is sufficiently expanded they will institute that system. Also, it is possible they are holding off on access to that system until they resolve the way fleet stations will be implemented (the implication is fleets will be able to use those systems to establish fleet stations).
The crafting, well, is not really crafting. In fact, unless someone told you it was supposed to be crafting you would never know. All that Memory Alpha biz is supposed to be crafting. There are a NUMBER of people rather miffed about this, myself included as well as my wife, who refuses to play until real crafting is instituted. The trading, that's the Exchange, which is also somewhat lacking...lacking real crafting, actually.
I know this is not really the answers you were looking for but at least this will give you something to grip onto and move about the forum and start becoming involved in a community effort to get these things activated or implemented.
starfleet comes up with alot of inventions of their own. they could totally have multiple paths of crafting. Weapons, shields, engines and deflectors could all be made into separate paths.
Besides the obvious answer provided by the person just beneith you, who said crafting classes have to be in Starfleet?
ohhh so now its not just an additional junk collecting skill but a full blown class!
I say make all the "crafters" and other lazy bones play ferengi and they can run around scanning TRIBBLE and salvaging junk...
just dont put their trash in my loot table, force me tio HAVE to "craft" or in anyway be forced to need or buy their goods... cuz all they wanna do is put their over priced goods on the exchange and exploit dumber players for their gold.
I agree, the exploration in this game is a little shallow...beam down, scan 4 things, beam back.
But without some conflict or heavy narrative how deep can it be. I've yet to hear any ideas from people who are dissapointed with the xploration.
And Exchange = Trading
My thoughts:
I'd love to be a non-Starfleet Federation citizen in a Star Trek universe. The Star Trek universe is rife with traders, explorers, brigands, and so on - everyone from Harry Mudd to the Grand Nagus understands commerce. I'd like to explore, find a planet, perhaps start a colony on Ceti Alpha 7. I'd like to be able to sign up with Starfleet, perhaps at a later time, after I'd developed my skills a bit longer. Or I could become a renowned scientist, perhaps working on positronic brains in an effort to construct a new form of sentience. Or a miner, trading dilithium or deuterium to anyone who stopped by.
I'd love to be a Starfleet officer in a Star Trek universe. They were required to, among other things, uphold the Prime Directive. I'd be leading an away team on a planet that's been contacted by the Klingons, on which a civil war has been started - my job is to drive the Klingons off planet while ensuring that neither Federation nor Klingon technology ended up in the hands of the locals.
I'd like to actually talk to something - anything, really. I don't have to talk with other members of Starfleet, except to run errands given to me by one-dimensional admirals. I don't have to talk with strange, new life forms. I don't have to talk with my enemies - heck, my ship's so intelligent it knows who my enemies are!
I'd love to be a petty Ferengi trader in a Star Trek universe. With the Rules of Acquisition as my guide, I'd lie, cheat, and stea...er, trade my way to a position of prominence on Ferengenar, perhaps even rivalling the Grand Nagus himself.
Instead, I'm a roaming thug, shooting anything that isn't part of my gang and taking anything I can find to sell to other folks doing exactly the same thing. No exploration, no discovery, no trading, no production, no variance, no surprises. I don't question, I don't talk, I don't think, I just point and shoot. I'm no deeper than the NPC bridge officers happily squirting fire foam on Klingons NPCs while I'm getting my TRIBBLE shot off with disruptor fire.
Perhaps they don't want an audience that just goes around collecting stupid BS to make TRIBBLE items and charge people way more than the item is worth.
"Lazy bones?" Depending on the game, it takes more work to be a successful crafter/trader than it does to be a PvPer.
I agree about not putting crafting resources into the loot tables. Because people like this poster would sell it on the Exchange for a thousand times what it's worth.
In Mass Effect 2.
Especially in a game with 0 death penalty and no non consensual PVP. STO PVPers are just plain vanilla carebears.