Instead of having Foundry player-made missions all be set in areas we already have, make it so that WE the players can also make exploration missions that the DEVELOPERS would constantly add into a growing sphere of mission we can call "The Organian Trail" (bad, bad pun). Basically I could see if a lot of players make Foundry missions focused on Exploration, we could see at least 5-10 great/average episodes a week that could be added to this Organian Trail, maybe more (I'm not sure about numbers since missions will have to go through some official board that will decide if they are up to par).
Missions would include (I hope) non-combat missions like in the show where you beam down and solve some problem or have diplomatic talks with a species (like in the old Spectrum Holobyte (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation_%E2%80%93_A_Final_Unity) and Interplay (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_25th_Anniversary_%281992_video_game%29) Star Trek adventure games) in addition to the standard fair of 'run and gun' type missions.
The point is, WE the players could take a part in turning Exploration into something amazing in STO, not just these stupid "boxes" we zone into and click on random missions to do.
I need to think further about how to incorporate these missions into a VIABLE exploration segment of STO. If anyone else wants to chime in, please do.
Comments
Since this is a video game, you don't want to upset people so this "sector" will be saved for the player so that he can get back to the regular game when he/she wants, and when she wants to get back to exploration he/she can get right back to this sector.
You can spend a lot of time in this sector, doing random missions (you could even have randomly generated "dailies" as well as the Foundry missions (randomly chosen from the growing list of player made missions). Once you "clear" the sector, you would get a small reward or something and can either return to your home base (ESD/DS9/D7/etc.) or decide to move forward and move further away from known space.
As you continue to "shift" sectors and move away from the Federation, you would find harder and harder missions (even normal missions would be 'tweaked' to be a little harder), and more player made Foundry missions, and again when you clear the sector you will earn a reward and get a choice to return to home base or continue further into unknown space, which would "tweak" the difficulty again.
Basically, the further out you get from known space the harder the game would get - but its your choice if you want to challenge yourself! All non-combat missions would stay obviously on one difficultly level, but it would be a random mix of non-combat and combat as you explore each sector.
Ideas to continue later...
Are you proposing having a set of foundry missions tagged as exploration-friendly in that they're unknown/non-canon species?
What then, prevents us from running into the "Jah-Wahs" little glowey-eyed fellers in brown cloaks with hoods looking to trade in technology?
I do have some answers for you:
A) YES - when you create a Foundry mission, right when you begin working on it you would click on a tab that would make it either a player made mission that you would find "inter-connected" with the rest of the game world, where you would link your mission to Admiral Quinn, other known NPC's etc, and the other option would be to make a mission that would be an "Organian Trail" mission i.e. an Exploration Mission, which would have NO CONTACT with known NPC's other then perhaps "hey, you got a subspace communication from Admiral Quinn about the race you are having talks with."
So there's no way you would accidentally have a mission out in deep space that would take you to Utopia Planetia since you would chose "Known Sectors" or "Exploration" before you begin work on your mission.
Do the sectors you explore in your idea get gradually more difficult (combat-wise) the more of them you choose to explore in a row without going back to spacedock? Or do they just get more difficult regardless? I was a little confused on that point. Overall its an interesting idea for utilizing the Foundry. I like it. If we do incorporate this the devs should create some new alien ship designs so we dont keep seeing the same familiar designs belonging to species we've never encountered before.
Those missions has to be randomly swithced, Space combat, space explore, diplomacy, ground combat, ground explore.
The further OUT from your resupply point (the spacedocks) you get, the harder the missions get. Since it's a video game you don't want to make it too hardcore, so the player can "leave" the Organian Trail whenever he wants and get back to it when he wants. Until he "cancels" his exploration mission he keeps on moving further away and into more difficult sectors (and better rewards).
Also, no one has to fear that their mission will be done one and never again, any "player" mission you find on your way through the Organian Trail would be available on the "holodeck" to do again.
Also, it shouldn't incorporate UGC only. I don't think there's too much of a problem with the Genesis engine than our own exhaustion with the mission types. I do think the map designers can figure out a better way to vary the missions by moving spawn locations for ships and including more types of diplomacy missions
The main one that came to mind is: Court Martial.
The Court Martial was seen a variety of times in Trek canon. "The Menagerie", "Court Martial", "Death Wish" all showed examples of a Starfleet legal hearing or Court Martial.
Often times, Senior Officers or Flag Officers were called to be part of the inquiry panel, as was the case with Captain Pike being added to the Panel for Spock's hearing in "The Menagerie."
So, using a similar mission format that was used for the Diplomacy mission at Bajor, where you are listening to and analyzing evidence to determine who was in the wrong between the two Cardassian Officers, one could create a Court Martial scenario for a mission, where the player is called to officiate over a Board of Inquiry / Court Martial - listen to the evidence, and issue a judgement.
And I don't see why this sort of mission couldn't become part of the Diplomacy system, and award Diplomacy points.
Now I just hope the Foundry will have some maps as well as furniture that can be used to create a hearing room, and some additional senior officers that can be seated at the table, as well as the defendant and plantiff tables.