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Journal of the Wandering Falcon

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
"Captain's Log - Stardate 20100227.11: We're currently enroute to Starbase One for a few days of well earned rest and shore leave. We're scheduled to be refitted with some of the next generation of weapons arrays and shield generators. Once the yard dogs are finished with the refit we'll be taking on new personnel, and conducting structural integrity and equipment inspections while waiting for our movement orders from Admiral Quinn."


I purposely chose to wait until February 20th to start playing STO. I wanted to miss the lag, bugs and various problems that are typical of any MMO launch. Since then I've split my in-game time roughly 50/50 between soloing and teaming with several of my friends. While I've spent quite a bit of time playing, I haven't been burning through content. Much of my in-game time has been spent customizing my ship (an escort), customizing my captain and bridge officers, switching around and trying new kits and bridge officer skills, and even learning how to use the market. Because of this I've only gotten my one character, a tactical officer, to LCdr 6.


"Personal Log - Stardate 20100303.19: Where do I start? I've been so busy that I haven't made an entry in weeks. After the battle to repel the invasion at Starbase 24 I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. I can hardly believe it. Out of the academy for barely a year and I'm already a LCdr and the captain of an Ushaan class escort.

Lieutentant T'Sharn, my tactical officer on the Wismar, agreed to transfer with me when I took command of Gunslinger. She's been invaluable as my XO. She has a memory like a computer. I'm sure I would have been relieved of command for incompetence by now if not for her constantly reminding me of regulations and giving me tips straight from The Book. And she's always careful to do it when we're out of earshot of the others, talk about the perfect executive officer. And she's smoking hot, too bad she's vulcan.

Computer stop recording. Strike that last sentence and continue.

Shi'dog, my Andorian head of security, is quite the bulldog. I'm obviously young for my rank, and he wasn't with me on the Wismar, but he never questions my orders. Seeing him, an older and experienced officer, follow my orders without question does a lot to inspire confidence. I think in his own way he contributes as much to my success as captain as T'Sharn does."


What I think Cryptic got right in STO:
  1. Customization, of ships, captains and crew.
  2. Graphics, sounds, music and voice-overs (except the Guardian of Forever - man does that voice define horrible).
  3. Wide variety in mission types. Story arcs, random encounters, exploration missions. I've even received a few random distress calls.
  4. Scanners, both on the ground and in space. It's both helpful and immersive to be able to locate my mission objectives with my sensors or tricorder.

What I think Cryptic needs to fix:
  1. Those pop-up windows - constantly popping up in the middle of combat. Seriously, that's just stupid. At least let me stick them in the corner and have them stay there.
  2. Teaming and sharing missions is unnecessarily complicated.
  3. Small maps. Everything from sector space to ground missions gives the impression of moving around inside of a small box.
  4. Linear missions with no choice in how to resolve them. C'mon Cryptic, people have been asking you for branching mission arcs that allow choices since 2005.
  5. Still trying to hide the numbers. Players can see the numbers in Champions Online, why can't we see the numbers in STO?


"Captain's Log - Stardate 20100304.18: Our refit and inspections are complete. Our new orders from Admiral Quinn are to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Kirk in the Hiromi sector. Once there, we're to assist Captain Thelin with the completion of a classified mission. We're currently proceeding at Warp Factor 7.7 to the Kirk's last reported location.

Captain. We're receiving a distress call, it's from the Kirk sir.

Computer, end recording."


What I would do to improve STO:
  1. Allow me to stick that annoying pop-up window in the corner and have it stay there.
  2. Fix teaming so that others are side-kicked up the the team leader. No more having to fight against +9s or against -4s simply because my friends and I haven't all advanced at the same rate. Remember how sidekicking in City of Heroes allowed us to just all play together no matter what level we were? It's like Cryptic just forgot all about the single best feature of their first game.
  3. Cut out all of the ridiculous hoops to set a mission for the team. Allow the team leader to set the mission and allow everyone on the team will then see the mission no matter where they are.
  4. If I decide to beam down to Earth Stardock, just let me beam down. We don't need that beam down to mission screen popping up. I shouldn't have to wait for everyone else to click accept just so I can beam down to Earth Stardock. It isn't an away mission.
  5. The space and outdoor ground maps should be larger. More than once I've found myself wandering around outdoors and suddenly stopped by an invisible wall, only to realize that I've hit the edge of the map.
  6. Getting near a sector space wall shouldn't bring up a pop-up window. Contacting the wall should simply automatically warp me to the next sector. I don't know how many times I've seen a ship sliding at an angle down the sector map wall, its captain probably AFK. That just reinforces the feeling that we're flying around inside a tiny box and not really out in space. Besides, I'm supposed to be out here exploring the edge of the known space, and I get a call from Federation Traffic Control? What???
  7. While I'm at it, do all space maps really have to be full of asteroids? Can't at least some of the maps have different "terrain"? Comets, a planet or two, or sometimes just nothing? And how come it is that most of the time I can't even see the stars?
  8. Missions with choices. Branching story lines. I'm not saying that it will be easy, but STO should have them.
  9. And finally, enough with trying to hide the numbers. All skills should list their exact numbers, durations and what other skills they affect, which other skills affect them, and what specific equipment (shields or deflectors) and energy types (weapons or auxiliary) are involved.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    [*]Linear missions with no choice in how to resolve them. C'mon Cryptic, people have been asking you for branching mission arcs that allow choices since 2005.


    [*]Cut out all of the ridiculous hoops to set a mission for the team. Allow the team leader to set the mission and allow everyone on the team will then see the mission no matter where they are.
    .[/LIST][/B]

    Loved the Captains log intro and agree whole-heartedly with these two items.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    What an entertaining post, I enjoyed every word - and I endorse your suggestions.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    good post, peregrine. Good to see you around :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    "Captain's Log - Stardate 20100309.11: Our passenger is now aboard and we have left Starbase 39. I cannot discuss the mission as it has been classified Top Secret, Compartmentalized. I think we're all just glad to be off doing something again. Since being reassigned to the Alpha Centauri fleet under Admiral T'nae, we've spent the last few weeks patrolling the Sierra system. I know that patrolling the major systems and starbases is vitally important, but quite frankly flying around in system is just mind-numbingly boring.

    Classified orders attached to this log entry."

    I've read a lot of complaints about this particular mission on the forums. People complained about being ordered to gun down a bunch of unarmed scientists. Perhaps I am thick and just missed something, or perhaps the mission was changed and said change didn't make it into the patch notes. When I did this mission all of the scientists were armed and fought back. We're assigned to undertake a covert operation against a nation that we're not currently at war with, but we've fought at least one war with them in the past and they are not our allies. So I guess that I just don't understand what the objection is.

    Yes it seemed a bit suspicious when my Chief Medical Officer pointed out that the supplies that we were finding were merely standard medical supplies, but just because every room doesn't have "suspicious medical supplies/equipment" doesn't mean that the next room won't have them. In fact the only real problem that I had with this mission was that Admiral Zelle followed me around in dress uniform, doing nothing while we were being shot at. If she's supposed to be this high ranking covert operative then she should have also been involved in the combat.

    Bugs I've noticed:
    1. In options Enable Rumble will not turned stay off.
    2. Vulcan Bridge Officers have Nerve Pinch, and never use it.
    3. When beaming down with multiple PCs, it shows the Bridge Officers by name and has a down arrow for a drop down menu, but that arrow is greyed out so we can't pick our bridge officers from the beam down window.
    4. Bridge Officers will happily walk into a plasma grenade fire patch and camp there until dead.
    5. Devidian Portals run when you hit them with plasma grenades. The graphic for the portal remains in place, but the thing that you aim at runs away, and you end up shooting at an invisible point that is on fire.
    6. Is Science Team broken? I keep getting held by Romulans, Science Team is the only one of my powers that's not greyed out, but when I use it it does... nothing. My understanding is that it is supposed to break holds, it currently does not.
    7. The description for Beam Target Shields II says that it has a chance to take the target's shields offline. It doesn't. Ever.


    "Transcript from Hearing 137482 - Stardate 20100310.09:
    [Vice Admiral Dougherty]: This is Vice Admiral Johnathon Dougherty, Starfleet security, lead investigator on this incident. Please be seated Commander. State your name, rank and assignment for the record.

    [Lieutentant Commander Falcone]: Yes sir. Lieutenant Commander Gunther Falcone. Captain of the U.S.S. Gunslinger, NCC 975684. Currently assigned to the Alpha Centurai fleet under Admiral T'nae.

    [RAdr Dougherty]: Please begin your report Commander, and remember that the board has full security clearance in this matter.

    [LCdr Falcone]: Yes sir. On Stardate 20100309.08, Admiral T'nae ordered me to report to Admiral Zelle, and to carry out an assignment that I would receive from her. I reported to her office as ordered.

    Admiral Zelle showed me her authorization to conduct a Top Secret mission against the Romulans. It seems they had a secret research facility set up in the Vendor system.

    We went to the Vendor system, and against my recommendation Admiral Zelle chose to beam down with the away team. We entered the Romulan base and engaged the base's security forces almost immediately. After subduing the Romulan security forces, my Chief Medical Officer examined the medical supplies and equipment while my First Officer scanned the Romulan computers for information.

    My First Officer, Lieutenant T'Sharn, reported to Admiral Zelle and myself that the Romulans here were researching a way to detect Undine infiltrators. Upon hearing this Admiral Zelle transformed into a large trisymetrical creature, which I presume to be the Undine's natural form. It thanked us for our help and then attacked us.

    My officers and men reacted quickly, and despite the surprise attack were able to degrade the Undine's personal shield. The creature appears to be immune to the phaser stun setting and heavily resistant even to the higher settings. Before we could subdue the Undine that had been impersonating Admiral Zelle, it beamed away.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: So the Undine that was impersonating Admiral Zelle escaped, Commander?

    [LCdr Falcone]: Yes sir.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: Please continue.

    [LCdr Falcone]: Yes sir. We avoided a squadron of Romulan Warbirds that I believe was responding to our invasion of their base, and warped out of the system. We went back to Starbase 39 at maximum warp. Since I did not know if any of the other Starfleet personnel on Starbase 39 had also been compromised by the Undine, I did not contact Admiral T'nae to report the incident.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: And what did you do when you reached Starbase 39?

    [LCdr Falcone]: Once there I initiated protocol Uniform Indigo, as required by regulations. I ordered the Starfleet ships in the area to halt all civilian traffic. I then beamed security teams backed up by our marine contingent onboard Starbase 39. They examined all personnel on Starbase 39 with hand tricorders, but we found no other Undine infiltrators. After the scans on Stabase 39 were complete, and the civilian ships were cleared as well, I lifted protocol Uniform Indigo, and reported to Admiral T'nae.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: And what did you say to Admiral T'nae?

    [LCdr Falcone]: Because of the classified nature of the mission I did not give her the details, and Admiral T'nae did not ask for further information. I told her only that we had discovered that Admiral Zelle had in fact been an Undine impostor and that that was the reason why I had initiated protocol Uniform Indigo. The Admiral said that she was going to report this incident directly to Starfleet Command, and ordered me to remain onboard Starbase 39 until she received further instructions.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: Do you have anything else to add Commander?

    [LCdr Falcone]: Just that thanks to my Chief Medical Officer, we now have a set of tricorder readings that will enable us to detect Undine infiltrators. Because of this Starfleet Security should be able to detect and arrest other Undine infiltrators. I intend to recommend her for a commendation for her courage and quick thinking under fire.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: So noted. Thank you Commander. You are dismissed.

    [LCdr Falcone]: Yes sir. Thank you sir.

    [RAdm Dougherty]: Computer, append the Commander's classified mission brief to this transcript and end recording."

    Thoughts that I've had and things that I'd change:
    1. That mission dialogue window really really really needs to stop popping up right in the middle of my screen during combat. No really!
    2. I'm ok with Cryptic adding a death penalty to the game, but before they do that something has to be done to stop the NPCs from camping the spawn point. I've done a lot of Deep Space Encounter missions, and very often I'll zone in and be immediately fired upon by 20 or more enemies who are camping the spawn point. And I can't see what's happening because I can't get that mission dialogue window off my screen fast enough!
    3. Fire Extinguisher is really neat, but useless. It won't put out the fire patches from plasma grenades. It should.
    4. In Earth Stardock, while buying or selling from the NPC stores or the Exchange, the wandering NPCs will veer way out of their way to bump into me and push me around and force their way between me and the NPC store person. And I don't mean once in awhile, I mean a dozen or so times a minute. It's great that Stardock has wandering NPCs to make it feel occupied and busy, but they really need to quit acting like heat-seeking missiles.
    5. Ground Combat really fun - but waaaaaaaaaaay too easy. I get that this isn't supposed to be an FPS, but having to shoot an enemy a dozen or more times with my uber powerful state of the art weapon is ridiculous. Even worse, it's boring. The fact that the enemies can barely damage my personal shield isn't fun either. God Mode is boring.
    6. Planets should also have flaura. Animals and/or civilians. Doing a ground mission in an occupied city would be great. Running around shooting Klingons while panicked civilians keep jumping out of our way would be great fun.
    7. My Sniper Rifle only has a range of 30 meters. What? It's the 25th Century and my SNIPER RIFLE only has a range of 30 meters? C'mon!
    8. And finally, that mission dialogue window really really really needs to quit popping up right in the middle of my screen during combat. No, seriously!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited May 2010
    Check your in-box PF.
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