Id have rather made a separate thread for each of these issues, because a giant wall of text is hard to read. But that would feel like spamming, so I try to compromise with an easily readable layout.
After playing STO for 3 months (since open beta) and counting, it seems to me that most criticism boils down to only a few basic issues:
- Immersion (This doesnt feel like Star Trek!)
- Endgame Content (There is nothing to do!)
- Balance (Nerf Klingons! Nerf SNB!)
And thats about it. Most other topics (Klingons have no PvE content, Memory Alpha is useless, generic missions, etc.) fit into one of those categories. I now want to give my 2 cents to each of these points, and in conclusion suggest three updates that would address all of these problems at once.
Immersion
Now, this is maybe the most difficult point, because its so hard to grasp. Everybody has different opinions and thoughts how their Star Trek looks like. I believe there are two sides to this problem. One is related to graphics:
Sector Space
The sector space doesnt look much like anything we are used to from Star Trek. However, the layout and accessibility themselves are sound, and I am quite content with its functionality. Nevertheless, you can improve the existing sector maps a great deal without having to change the concept.
- Double sector maps in size so they seem bigger (possibly double traveling speed as well, so we dont have to travel longer)
- Increase transparency of the grid on the ground and the trading routes, or give us an option to turn them off (however I understand its purpose, so more transparency would be fine in my book)
- Current solar system models have to go, sorry. The stars shouldnt appear black from afar, there shouldnt be visible orbital rings (where you get stuck all the time). The pillars on which the systems rest should be removed as well.
- Give us the real warp effect from the shows. I am refering to the star-streaks, or whatever they are (e.g. I heard the hypothesis that they are particle bouncing off the deflector shield). I have seen similar effects in several missions (I think it was inside the Bajoran wormhole?), so I know it is possible. This is a must.
Miscellaneous
Several graphic issues that dont require a seperate group.
- Replace the standard NPC uniform with the latest from TNG. I understand you want to show some of your own work, but the current uniform you see on every NPC at Sol and beyond is too militaristic in my opinion. Replacing them with the TNG ones would add a lot to the Star Trek-look.
- Although this is already announced, I just want to confirm that the ship interiors will improve immersion by a thousandfold.
- Some weapons in ground-combat seem a bit too huge, especially assault weapons.
- The backgrounds in the NPC-dialog-window should be more diverse, and related to the location the NPC is actually in. When I am hailed by another ship, there should be a bridge (Romulan, Klingon, Fed, etc) in the background. When one of my BOs talks to me, his station and maybe my bridges viewing screen should be in the background.
- Replace Federation/Klingon Traffic Control with a message from one of our BOs (maybe one we can order to be the helmsman). Currently it feels like the Federation is permanently looking over my shoulder, which makes space appear incredibly small.
- Reduce the nebulae. While they are necessary in some places for orientation, and are beautiful to look at, you usually dont encounter them everywhere you go. Sol is a good candidate for a clear sky, because there are enough landmarks for orientation.
- Improve Sol/Earth. The Moon is too close to Earth, Earths texture should be improved a great deal, a more realistic approach for the Sun would be neat as well.
- Gorn / Nausicaan / Orion ships for the Klingon faction. But only for the corresponding species and aliens, in my opinion.
One is related to gameplay:
Diverse Missions
Currently, the exploration missions are very repetitive, and thus lack the experience of exploring something, because you have seen everything before. I am confident that your Genesis-thingie can produce countless interesting locations once you made up your mind about new mission designs.
- Diplomacy, First Contact, etc I understand you are already working on more non-combat missions, so I am not complaining here. I also think this was the main complaint about non-Fed gameplay.
- Career-specific missions. This is for roleplay and thus should enhance everyones immersion. Let engineers fix space stations, let scientists gather anomalous particles by modifying their deflector shield, whatever (possibly minigames). Not sure about tacticals.
- BO-specific missions. An interesting idea I read in another feedback thread. Depending on your BOs race, you can get specific missions revolving around that BO. Your Betazoid feels an intelligent species, your Vulcan has to get back to Vulcan for his PonFar, your Tellarite gets into an argument with another species ambassador, etc etc. Those might also take place aboard your ship once interiors are implemented. IMO the best idea for non-combat missions besides diplomacy/first contact.
Endgame Content
Big thing. I am looking forward to Season 2 for new sectors to explore and new episodes to play. But frankly, in the end, this is just buying you some time. What we need is content that can keep players busy forever, and I am certain than this can only be achieved by meaningful PvP.
Items
Currently, it is incredibly easy to get fully equipped with purple Mk X stuff. While this has also killed the market for green and blue items, there is little to no reason to get better gear. The PvE content doesnt require any specific equipment, which can be a good or a bad thing. Its nice that this makes the game friendly for casual players and doesnt require everyone to grind for the best stuff, but it also removes the incentive to play at all.
- More diverse equipment. We need more bonuses aside from [Acc], [CrtH] and [CrtD] (taking weapons as an example). More equipment generates more viable builds, more possible tactics in PvP, enhances roleplay and immersion. E.g., there should be special bonuses only available at Memory Alpha.
- Better equipment for Marks of Valor. By completing the current Borg STFs, all you get for your marks are better weapons against Borg. So you can complete the STFs against Borg faster. To get more anti-Borg stuff. This is circular, which usually just works in a PvP environment where players are constantly competing with each other for better equipment (see below).
PvE Missions
The STFs are fine, for the purpose of organized raids. However, there are also other demographics who might like some endgame PvE.
- Persistant PvE Zones / Dungeons. Once there are more interesting items in game and there is an incentive to get them, you should be able to search for those in persistant PvE zones. The current Deep Space Encounter and Fleet Actions are not sufficient for this. These new PvE Zones should be solo-able, or you could bring a team along and play them just like an STF.
- More exploration missions. I already wrote about that under immersion (see above), however, there should also be a broader variety of combat missions while exploring clusters. Freeing hostages, capturing deliquents, etc. Those types of missions have already been done during patrols and episodes, it shouldnt be too difficult to implement some of them to explorations.
Meaningful PvP
This is probably the biggest issue that will keep people playing. Before I write down some of my ideas, I want to say that
we should first all agree that we need this, no matter how this system will look like in the end. We shouldnt quarrel about details from the beginning, because that might give Cryptic the idea that we are not sure what we want. We first have to show some common ground for the developers to notice this issue. Details can be discussed later. Nevertheless, some ideas:
- Faction vs Faction, not Fleet vs Fleet. Identifying yourself with your faction enhances roleplay and immersion, identifying yourself with your fleet promotes drama.
- War Zones in the Neutral Zones. This is an obvious setting.
- Conquer, Capture and Hold. This is the most reasonable mode to occupy systems (space) or bases (ground). There could also be combinations of both, where one team has to fight in space and one on the ground to achieve a common goal.
- Fixed times for these games to take place. Once or twice a week, for 1-2 hours maybe. Different instances with different times could be made, minding the different timezones. When the time is up, the system / base belongs to the faction that currently holds it, until the game starts again a few days later.
- The reward: Daily mission in that system / base. The daily part is important, because it limits the mission and thus gives an incentive to hold the system / base for a longer period. By completing this mission, you have the small chance to acquire a specific item that you can only get in this specific system / base.
- By combining the items from specific (or even all) systems / bases, you can create superior equipment. Maybe even through another mission that takes place in a special system / base that has to be taken as well.
- The Federation should have to defend more systems / bases because it has more borders to enemy territories. Although this only becomes important after more factions are implemented, I think we shouldnt neglect the fact that there are way more Fed players than Klingons, which would give a huge advantage to Feds in this environment. This has to be adressed one way or another.
- This mode is easily expandable. Either by adding new systems and bases, more missions for each system or by more possible items that can be created.
- Whoever can name the MMO I stole this setup from gets 1 million EC.
Comments
There are already a lot of threads about this, so I dont feel like going into detail here. However, it should be mentioned that there cannot be meaningful PvP before PvP itself is balanced.
Conclusion
Phew. What a wall of text. But this is the summary of 3 months playing as a Starfleet officer and a Klingon, engaging in forum discussion and crawling through dozens of rants, feedbacks and trollposts. I dont think I could have kept it any shorter.
So, among all my suggestions, I think there are 3 points that are not only vital to the success of STO, but will also increase everyones gaming experience by a lot.
#1 Balance PvP, make all skills, weapons, careers and ships viable, in PvP and PvE. I understand this is a huge task, but it is impossible to do some or a little balance. Everything has to be considered. However, I am aware that true balance will never be accomplished, or might not even desireable, because different ships and classes should excel in different roles. But keep the gaps as small as possible.
#2 Sector Space revision. While I think the layout itself is a good approach, Id like you to consider my proposed changes above. Why sector space? Because its a core part of the game, and I expect changes towards more immersion taking the biggest effects here.
#3 Gives us meaningful PvP. We need this soon. Season 3 should revolve around this, or if you want to introduce a new faction in Season 3, no later than Season 4.
I'm with you on the warp streaks in Sector Space. That woud greatly help immersion. Heck, I've seen warp streaks in Star Trek flash games and saw how they helped make it feel like the player was at warp.
I also dislike Starfleet looking over my shoulder. Not to mention that I'm sometimes not even in charge of my ship - bridge officers will take their own initiative such as contacting starfleet on their own. It's not just that; the game is full of aggravating instances when bridge officers go and do something on their own that I could've chosen to order them. I hate that!
Also: I know which MMO you are referring to.
PS:
I suggest you confine them to the brig until further notice. Insubordination like that can cost your ship in battle!
sto = star trek. it suffers from a fundamental design flaw, where by you cannot go anywhere you want to go in space, and are limited to fully mapped out shoe boxes.
so no matter what they put in the game, it'll get old very fast. because the overall reason we should be playing, does not exist.
so no matter what they put in the game, it'll get old very fast. because the overall reason we should be playing, does not exist"
lol
i agree. they should do away with everything in sector space
show the map like a blob galaxy that expands as you fly around and if you see something it gets marked
except for a like sol or something
then have no invisible walls- have it like when your at a planet and it says your going nowhere and fake the viewer out
really just delete stuff
and if people like the map it comes up like 3d (sector space as is) on your viewscreen like in "generations"
I'd really like to comment on what you are saying, but unfortunately, I can't quite grasp your complaint. I take it you don't like the current concept of sector space? Do you care to explain?
What OP proposed is lowering Tactical damage while giving them more survivability. I don't see that as a nerf. And it's something I'm 100% for. It might make me switch back to Escort.
Thanks! I like the detailed discussion in your thread, I hope Cryptic takes a look there. I think I adressed most of the topics in the first post of your thread as well, more or less. The same suggestions pop up again and again, so I'm confident the Devs will notice them eventually.
I am sorry if I gave the impression that I want Klingons nerfed. This is not the case.
When I said "Balance (Nerf Klingons! Nerf SNB!)", it was intended as a fictional quote to summarize the criticism concerning PvP balance.
I am playing a Klingon myself, and after the recent change to FBP, I did not notice any severe discrepancy between the two factions.
They definitely notice!
Glad you liked it, hope you don't mind, since most folks won't visit the other thread but might be interested in immersion, I've reposted #279 below since you inspired it:
I like how the author broke it up into two sections, graphics and game-play. Both are important, although I suspect I'm more forgiving of the over sized bridges than I am of a Federation mission that is contrary to a Federation feel (e.g., murdering bar patrons in a bar fight, attacking first). I certainly can't argue with any of the things they listed, primarily because everyone will have different ideas as to what's most important to them (e.g., I'm sure Worf feels a big gun is a must
Now, few people I suspect would like to be called Role-Players these days, but really that's what immersion is about - that when you play your character, for a brief time, you live in their world and experience things through their eyes.
I suspect, because there are so many trekkers out there, people expected STO to take the MMO world by storm because they want to be immersed in the Star Trek IP. Those who were probably most willing to "jump into" a character were the Klingons. Certainly, on that fated black-Monday when they learned there would be no Klingon Adventures at launch, they made themselves loudly heard.
As far as I know, there are no hard and fast rules for what makes something immersive. In many ways, it's a personal experience, something you bring to the table. But, the conditions have to be right. In other MMOs I usually have quite a few characters, but the ones that get played are the ones that "speak to me". So, it's a combination of me, the MMO universe, the character, and the character's background. Some games, like Dragon Age, force these on you (since there are several types though its easy to find one you like) and it can be effective at first, but that feeling fades once you get further from the start.
The good news is that those people are still out there, still want that result. So, really understanding what immersion is in the Star Trek world is probably one of the most important topics there is for Cryptic/STO.
Klingons have it a bit easier for immersion as there's less diversity. Immersion for Klingons means being steeped in a religious warrior culture that has strict social rules. Which you can choose to embrace (e.g., Worf) or subvert to your own ends (e.g., Duras). When you click the Cloak button on your ship and the attack music plays, tell me it doesn't yet stir the Klingon Heart in your soul?
Similarly, being Vulcan or Andorian is fairly clear. But, Cryptic didn't make a race specific game as so many MMOs. Instead its faction based - so missions are KDF or Federation. None of which can be tailored easily to a specific race's belief system. So, I suspect immersion into your main character is very hard to do unless you have a strong affinity for that character to begin with.
In addition to your character, there is the universe around you (which consists of things like space, weapons, the ship), your crew, and your missions. We can take a good cue from the TV shows on all of these things. For example, in the shows there was always a social dynamic between the bridge officers. This gave them all personalities. Currently your bridge crew feels like cardboard. They are most alive the first time you dress them up. From there, it's all down hill. But, that doesn't mean Cryptic couldn't play with your bridge officers to help with the immersion. For example, a Ferengi might quote a rule of acquisition in a given situation (Dragon Age constantly has banter between group members and that trick keeps those characters alive in your mind).
Long I know, but that's my two cents on immersion. What are yours?
We seem to be on similar pages. I created a thread Monday that covers similar (but slightly different) territory.
Would you like to team up? I've never been one for doing things for the solo-xp.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=156742
Anyways, let me know - if you have any ideas that need mock-ups or if I can contribute mine. I can do a slick presentation, if you'd like.