EXPANSION: STAR TREK ONLINE: STAR-CASTLE
My proposal for a future major expansion would be for the inclusion of player controlled star bases and space stations. For the purposes of making this proposal more than just a straightforward description I will plot it as a Question and Answer session as if Cryptic had already decided to implement this plan and how it would work. Once again, THIS IS NOT AS YET A REAL EXPANSION AND I AM NOT A CRYPTIC EMPLOYEE.
This Screenshot has been altered to reflect the possibilities of this expansion.
Q: What will be included in the new update?
A: Starcastle will now allow players to take control of space stations in the game, much in the same way you control your own starship. This expansion will also increase the maximum rank to Rear Admiral 10 adding five more levels of skill points.
Q: Will there be Klingon space stations?
A: Yes both factions will have access to this new feature.
Q: What if I don't purchase the expansion?
A: You may still visit other players on their stations but you will not receive the option of commanding one of your own.
Q: What exactly is a player controlled space station in STO?
A: A player controlled space station is a vessel, like a starship, that permanently orbits a planetary body. Every player controlled space station will orbit an inhabited planet in a system within their own factions area of control.
Q: How do I get a space station?
A: Once you purchase and install the expansion; Admiral Sulu will offer a new mission once you have a character that reaches the rank of Commander. If your character has already achieved that rank or higher the mission will be available immediately. If you choose to undertake this mission he will assign you to take command of a space station and will give you a deed for the station. You may turn in the deed at your faction's shipyard and determine what type of starbase you wish to command. Once selected the space station will be added to your starship's roster along with the name of the system where it is to be located. Once you visit that system you will be able to dock with it and take command.
Q: What happens to my starship while I'm in command of my station?
A: Your starship becomes deactivated and the space station becomes your active vessel. When you choose to leave your station, your starship becomes active once more and the station becomes an inactive vessel in your ships roster.
Q: What will I do on my station?
A: Space stations have their own missions. While in command you can undertake a variety of missions, some that are repeatable, some that are not. In theory a player may continue to achieve every rank from Commander to Admiral without ever leaving their station. Many players however will find that they will switch from time to time to get more variety from their playing experience. Some missions may require you to temporarily switch to your starship and leave the system to complete but once finished you can return and continue your space station command.
Q: What kinds of missions will there be?
A: There are missions of exploration and scientific research on the planet that the space station orbits, as well as the surrounding planets. There are tactical missions where you must hold off aggressive opponents and defend the planet your are entrusted to protect. There are also diplomatic missions where you must interact with the local species that inhabits the planet your assigned to.
Q: Can I PVP in my space station?
A: Yes! There will be exclusive PVP maps made available for players in both starships and space stations to fight against one another.
Q: Can I choose where my space station is located?
A: No. Every station is randomly assigned to a system within a specific sector block depending on what rank your player has attained when he or she is assigned the station. Every station is automatically assigned to an inhabited planet this cannot be avoided.
Q: What sector-blocks will player space stations be assigned to?
A: Those who receive a commission for a station at the Commander rank will be assigned to the Eta Eradani Sector Block. For those at the Captain rank, the Alpha-Centauri Sector Block. For those at the rank of Rear Admiral, the Beta Ursae Sector Block.
Q: Can I get a new station when I achieve a higher rank?
A: Yes. The general idea, although this is not mandatory, is that with every new rank you may revisit Admiral Sulu and be assigned a new space station with better features and that will be located in a new system.
Q: Can I move my space station?
A: Yes and No. You may NOT relocate your space station to a new star system but you can move it in the space environment. The controls for a space station are the same as a starship. You may increase or decrease the altitude from the planet that your station orbits. You may increase or decrease the speed at which your station orbits the planet below. You may change the direction of the orbit and the path of the orbit. You may also rotate your station on its axis in order to be more combat effective.
Q: What types of weapons will my station have?
A: Each type of station will have a variety of weapon slots, but essentially you use the exact same weapons as a starship possesses so you may interchange components from your own starship to your space station and back again.
Q: How many different kinds of space stations are there?
A: Nine. There is a space station that emphasizes all three of the main areas of specialty, science, tactical, and engineering. Science based stations are called 'Spacelabs' where cutting edge research takes place such as Regula One. Tactical based stations are called 'Starbases' and are strategically placed along the nuetral zones to defend an area. Engineering based stations are called 'Spacedocks' and are designed with large interiors to house ships for repair and refitting. There are also three ranks of space stations, Commander, Captain, Rear Admiral.
Q: Can other players visit me on my space station? What about griefers?
A: Your space station and the planet it orbits exist in an instanced location. This means no one may inadvertently stumble into your system and meet you or harass you. But you can still team up with other players, or invite them in personally and have them enter into your instanced location. While there, they may dock and beam aboard to meet you face to face, or they may help participate in some of your missions.
Q: What about my bridge officers?
A: Your bridge officers automatically transfer into your space station just like when you take command of a new starship.
Q: Will I have a command center on the station like a starship bridge?
A: Yes. There will be several varieties of command centers available for you to choose from.
Q: Can I walk around the station?
A: This is dependent on interior environments. Currently the only interior environment that you have constant access to is your command center otherwise known as the Operations Center or "OPS". Some missions however may have you journey into instanced areas of your station until the mission is complete.
Q: Will I have access to Mail, the Exchange, or Banks?
A: Yes, but there will be no NPC vendors for you to buy commodities or other weapons or supplies from. The basic base features will be made available through consoles that you can interact with in your Operations center. These features will not be available during combat.
Q: Can I customize the look of my space station?
A: Yes. Like starships, each type of space station will have several choices of cosmetic alterations for you to choose from. These do not effect the overall performance of your station however.
Q: Can I customize the look of the planet that I'm assigned to?
A: Yes! Thanks to terraforming science you will be able to make some alterations to the look of the planet below. By interacting with the leader of the planet's inhabitants you will have several options of atmosphere, oceans, and land color to choose from.
Q: Can I customize the look of the inhabitants themselves?
A: Yes and No. You will not have fine tuned control over their appearance but by interacting with the leader of the planet's inhabitants you may convince them to leave and choose an alternate species to colonize it. Your choices will be limited however to races within your own faction. So Klingons for example may choose Gorn but may not choose Vulcans, and vice versa.
Q: Can I take a shuttlecraft out for a spin?
A: Sure! Every space station comes equipped with a shuttle that you may use to complete missions or just explore the space around your station. You may not leave the instance that your station exists in, and take it to Earth for example. Be aware: your station can not function without you, while piloting a shuttlecraft your station will be disabled and defensless.
Q: What about skills?
A: Most of the skills for a starship captain and crew easily translate into skills useful for a spacestation, even skills like Evasive manuevers which will increase the mobility of your station.
Q: What are the differences between a space station and a starship in terms of combat?
A: Stations have no slots for deflectors or engines. This is because all stations have a predetermined range of speed and a predetermined set of statistics for all science based skills depending on what type of station it is. Instead stations have four batteries of weapons, Fore, Aft, Port and Starboard. This allows all stations to have the ability to fire in any direction and prevent an enemy from reaching a 'blindspot'. Furthermore, stations have the capacity to have dual layered sheilds which allows them to face down multiple enemies despite their lack of agility. Space stations also have a unique passive ability called
independent torpedo launchers. This prevents one torpedo launcher from disabling another and allows a space station to fire multiple torpedos from different launchers with only the normal recharge time for each launcher.
Comments
not EVER going to happen. Not with this game anyway.
If you wanted a large ingame-community driven game with much dynamic content, you should have played sta wars galaxies with a character called something star-trek like.
maybe not a lot, but DS9 moved from orbiting bajor to right in front of the wormhole in the pilot, and at least one more time afterwards.
Not to be too harsh but DS9 had to stay in one place because it was guarding the wormhole. If you watched the show you'd know that. DS9 originally was assigned to orbit the planet Bajor, even back when it was under Cardassian control. The fact is, almost every major starbase or station in Star Trek has orbited a planet. Spacedock - ST.3 (search for spock)/ Spacestation Regula 1 - ST.2 (wrath of khan)/, not to mention all the various stations seen in all the episodes and trust me I own them all. K-7 was a notable exception.
I suppose you could call this a criticism although it's certainly not a constructive criticism and therefore makes it pretty pointless. When we talk about a starbase or space station moving, we're talking about it moving relative to one planet. If you had read the entire post you would also know that. I'm not advocating that it 'fly around' an entire solar system. They should orbit...look up that term on wikipedia please...ORBIT a planet. As any natural station does orbit a planet that means it moves, even when in stationary orbit it is in motion.
(orbit is something that is not working in the game for now, no planet or Starbase spins or moves EVER.)
Can't be bothered with your Wall of Text though ^^
There is a lot of possibilities what Crypitc could do with Starbases (beyond *Social* hubs or better said Trading Stations)... but i would say let this game first evolve in something where they become usefull then just squashing them out only to "have it ingame".
Like making them Respawnpoints in Open PVP/PVE sectors and Fleetcontrolled or something, if they get attacked let me Transwarp there to Defend. etc.
Fleet owned stations = yes.
It's a nice idea but the game needs to move along by a good way before Cryptic should probably try implementing it.
What about players who don't belong to fleets?
The original idea with Perpetual was that ships would be controlled by groups not by singular individuals. We know now that paradigm simply would not work well because everyone wants to be in control. Likewise everyone is going to want to be in control of their own space station. Besides non-fleet or casual players sholdn't be left out of the experience.
Thank you Starglyte, that is exactly how I described it in my post!
You guys are going to wear me out if you don't at least read the post before you start disagreeing with it. I said that the stations would exist within an instanced location which only you and those you are either teamed with or invite may have access to. No one will inadvertently join in. Therefore, how would anyone know how many starbases there are at any given time? Furthermore, you COULD NOT have several in a single system, it would be impossible since they are all unique systems and since stations cannot travel outside their own system. The only way you would ever see more than one at a time would be on a PVP map.
Here's the question:
Q: Can other players visit me on my space station? What about griefers?
A: Your space station and the planet it orbits exist in an instanced location. This means no one may inadvertently stumble into your system and meet you or harass you. But you can still team up with other players, or invite them in personally and have them enter into your instanced location. While there, they may dock and beam aboard to meet you face to face, or they may help participate in some of your missions. In fact some space station missions are best when undertaken with the help of a few friends to help protect you from incoming enemies.
It's so strange that I actually answer all of these problems if people would just look up the appropriate question.
Here for those that may remember are the displays I made for starbases back in the old days.
Good idea though. But I would like the option to walk around on my spacestation.
It would be kind of neat to have a fleet station under attack and have the fleet all come in to defend its honor!
lol that's a fair criticism.
As for walking around, that's why I said it would be dependent on interiors. If Cryptic decided to put this expansion into effect it's possible they would have ship interiors already complete. If so then you would be able to walk around your station based on the same interior programing system.
If not however, then it would have to be limited just like i said until they did put interiors into the game, although it would be a combination of ship and station interiors.
In fanfiction I used to work on, the fleet I wrote about were all based at a starbase on the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Granted, things have changed since the whole Hobus incident, but it would still be great to but this kind of stuff into the game somehow...
I want my own Dysons Sphere. A solar system with 1000X the power of a Starbase. I also want trans warp conduits from one galaxy to another. And open PVP.
Crytic needs to start on this as soon as possible. I am however opposed to a death penalty for a Dysons Sphere.
Make it so!
i agree. Stations sound boring as hell, at least with a fleet there the possibilty of the thing being used consistantly. I would liken it to EvE's use of it, as they're destroyable and all that.
If the SB's were only used in territorial exchanges via PvP, i'd be for that. But as they aren't gonna be destroyable, i see no point.
Anyways heres what I thought might be a good way to add something like that:
For each sector (not sector block) there could be 2-3 Outposts fleets could try and get from each other, when you first see one its in a near on falling apart (few weapons, maybe a shield generator) so you have to build it up before it gets taken.
There could be afew decks:
Deck 1: OPS
Deck 2: a basic Promenade (limited vendors, maybe tailor too) plus good for PVP battles with maybe a Bar in the middle.
Deck 3: Some quarters, the mail system, bank, maybe the exchange and in the middle a sickbay (for the up coming death penalty).
Deck 4: Docking port, so maybe the ship select guy, limited ship part vendor and maybe a repair station (for the death penalty as well).
finally, Deck 5: Engineering, 4 big Fusion (not A/M) reactors to protect etc
For the tactical point of view, there will be 4 sides per Outpost to fix weapons and shields onto, 3 weapon slots and 1 sheild slot (DS9 had more then 1 sheild generator), but the loss of one of them means that side is exposed and enemy fleets could either bombard you or transport in.
For the personal, you will need 3 people to fully "man" your fleet station, 1 per role and each role can olny use the skills they are currently working on, so anyone working engineering can only use their Eng BO, anyone in Tactical can only use their Tac BOs and so on.
Even tho the member in Tactical will be the only one able to fire the weapons, the other members can pick out targets as well, so the station will be able to target 3 ships at once.
Engineering will be the only one able to control the power output of the reactors.
Other team members are either in their ships or on the station to defend it.
Oh and Fleet versions of equipment would cost more then the standard versions and can only be bought at hubs and you can only transport 5 parts per ship, a Station's version is much bigger then a ship's one.
To make Outposts easier to put in, they would all look alike when added, bugs fixed first, decor and painting later.
Something like that, only just thought about it all so prob have made something too over the top.
Also to the above, there was only 1 Dyson Sphere, and not even Star Fleet can build something on that scale, Borg maybe but not Star Fleet, and if you did make one, you wouldn't need any more for a very long time.
That made me lmao
I'm going to target phasers on this and I'm not intending all this specifically at you Lord of Pit so don't take it personally.
But I'm getting pretty sick and tired of this argument. I've written about five threads of new ideas lately and I've read dozens more from other players about how to add new content or improve this game and this argument is always there from someone.
"No no, wait until they (devs) fix A, add B, or improve C."
Frankly if we do that then this game will never really improve that much because some things will never be fixed to some peoples satisfaction, it will never improve in the right ways without making other people unhappy and everyone has their own idea about what needs to be added and in what order.
Some say that interiors need to be added, for others it working bridges, apparently some people said ambient creatures.
The point is that no one should make the argument that any idea be scrapped or passed over simply because "we have other things to do first". Why not just offer an oppinion about whether the idea is good or not, and why it is or why it isn't? Let the devs worry about getting it in their schedule. We're the customers, they're the suppliers. If enough people support an idea they'll put it in their schedule according to their own resources and time.
So I thank you Lord of Pit for your support of the idea but don't worry about the timing, let Cryptic handle that. They get paid to.
-Allow the player to have access to all his ships
-Keep the Starbase option ONLY for Rear Admirils and above
-Starbases are NOT called USS anything, they are assigned a number, e.g Starbase 22
-They should be heavily armed
-Allow other player characters to dock and beam over and provide them a standard facility to equip and resupply their ships.
-Allow a one time "tow" to a planet of your choice ONCE.
-Have access to Runabouts
Questions:
-What happens to the base once a player logs off?
-Will missions be able to be given out to lower rank characters?
-Will the Fed bank be accessable?
-Allow the player to have access to all his ships
(theoretically they would, or could I suppose, instead of just chosing one to switch to. This is a good idea)
-Keep the Starbase option ONLY for Rear Admirils and above
(I had considered originally just having the upper ranks of the Admiralty added, 2 more, which could then allow 3 tiers of starbases, 1 for Rear Admiral, 1 for Fleet Admiral, 1 for Admiral. Thus this expansion would be a high-end content add-on. It could still be just that and I'd support that idea just as much.)
-Starbases are NOT called USS anything, they are assigned a number, e.g Starbase 22
(You're absolutely right that is cannon. I don't think Cryptic will do that especially if they're player controlled though. Players will want to name them something, but it's still a good point.)
-They should be heavily armed (Already Included)
(Q: What are the differences between a space station and a starship in terms of combat?
A: A station is constantly anchored to a planetary body and therefore does not have free movement but movement relative to that body. You will also notice that stations have no slots for deflectors or engines. This is because all stations have a predetermined range of speed and a predetermined set of statistics for all science based skills depending on what type of station it is. Instead stations have four batteries of weapons, Fore, Aft, Port and Starboard. This allows all stations to have the ability to fire in any direction and prevent an enemy from reaching a 'blindspot'. Furthermore, stations have the capacity to have dual layered sheilds which allows them to face down multiple enemies despite their lack of agility. Space stations also have a unique passive ability called independent torpedo launchers. This prevents one torpedo launcher from disabling another and allows a space station to fire multiple torpedos from different launchers with only the normal recharge time for each launcher.)
-Allow other player characters to dock and beam over and provide them a standard facility to equip and resupply their ships. (Already Included)
(Q: Can other players visit me on my space station? What about griefers?
A: Your space station and the planet it orbits exist in an instanced location. This means no one may inadvertently stumble into your system and meet you or harass you. But you can still team up with other players, or invite them in personally and have them enter into your instanced location. While there, they may dock and beam aboard to meet you face to face, or they may help participate in some of your missions. In fact some space station missions are best when undertaken with the help of a few friends to help protect you from incoming enemies.)
-Allow a one time "tow" to a planet of your choice ONCE.
(This isn't what I described but I do think it makes sense. Perhaps a tow to another sector grid would be a good option to have, sort of like having a respec. You get one free for each advance in rank or you can purchase them from the C-Store. I like it!)
-Have access to Runabouts (Already included)
(Q: Can I take a shuttlecraft out for a spin?
A: Sure! Every space station comes equipped with a shuttle that you may use to complete missions or just explore the space around your station. You may not leave the instance that your station exists in, and take it to Earth for example. Be aware: your station can not function without you, while piloting a shuttlecraft your station will be disabled and defensless.)
Questions:
-What happens to the base once a player logs off?
(Good question! Because your station is just like a vessel, it and the instance it exists in cease to exist until you relog back in.)
-Will missions be able to be given out to lower rank characters?
(Missions will be given to the player that is in control of the station itself. If you team with other players they may share in the mission like any other but the rewards and credits go to that player and that player alone unless otherwise specifically stated. Having said that, let me say that it would be a great idea if starbase missions were designed to have seperate rewards for additional players. That would help encourage others to help starbase players complete their missions and encourage more team play!)
-Will the Fed bank be accessable? Already Answered
Q: Will I have access to Mail, the Exchange, or Banks?
A: Yes, but there will be no NPC vendors for you to buy commodities or other weapons or supplies from. The basic base features will be made available through consoles that you can interact with in your Operations center. These features will not be available during combat.
Thanks for the questions and the ideas Rook.
How does a Starbase gain access to new consoles and weapons?
With Starships, obviously, they are out in combat and get them in salvage after a battle or buy them from vendors or the exchange. Starbases could possibly "request" a merchant ship to come to them with supplies.
Not to mention if the Starbases were given interiors like the STO bases do, that could open up a new faction in the game and traders could petition starbase commanders for rights to operate their business on their starbases' public areas.
I'm already getting the feeling that there's no way that STO could support coding for something that ambitious, but maybe it is with enough working around with the game code...
I think what you're referring to is what most people have in mind when they talk about having a 'Fleet Owned/Controlled' starbase which may be the direction the devs go in. In that case they probably would include the features you're talking about.
What I'm talking about are player controlled starbases where one person and one person only calls the shots. That being the case it's highly unlkely the devs would allow any one player that much control over things that affect so many others. Unless the others are NPC's like you describe.
I second that. At the starbase there could be a BIG fleet bank...and stuff.
Well, why can't independent players who don't or can't play in a fleet also have the ability to set up a starbase? I hear so many people complaining about lack of endgame content, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't have the time to set my clocks around when other players are going to log into the game so we can form a fleet, so why penalize us for not simply making the "build a starbase" option for everybody?
I hope I don't come across as whiny, and I know that technically this is a multiplayer game, but we all know a majority of the missions are laid out as single player content. So it would be a shame to turn a good number of players away if STO ever introduced Starbases but only made them available to fleets.
I know, I agree with your last post that's why I tried to invent a system where single players basically control their own starbases. In my oppinion controlling a station should be no different than controlling a starship. Both vessels have lots of people onboard but let's face it someone has to call all the shots.
There aren't many people who are willing to pay to play a game where they just get told what to do by other players, be it onboard a ship or a starbase or in a fleet. We have real life for that.
So the only real solution as I see it is exactly what Cryptic did which is give every player complete control over their own ship. My solution is exactly the same, give each player complete control over your own space station. This puts the idea of starbases and stations right in check with everything else we've seen.
I've come up with an idea that I think would better suit those individuals who want a more collective structure for their fleets and I'll make a big post on this thread about it tommorow night hopefully when I have more time.
But as for starbases and space stations I think it'll have to essentially be just a larger, heavily armed, different mission type, anchored, version of a starship. Completely controlled by one player.