I hope a dev reads this and finds it interesting!
I was playing and suddenly an idea came to me that would make a future weekly series very interesting: What if instead of making it a common enemy make the enemy of the series the opposing faction?
-Basically you would have a storyline where in the first 4 episodes the Fed players they have to fight Klingons (or use diplomacy in some cases), and Klingons fight feds. This can be normal missions vs AI opponents.
-But then, in the last episode, the story revolves around completing an objective in an open PVP zone like Kerrat where you have to achieve the objective before the other faction to finish the episode. Then after the episode is over a new open PVP zone is created in that system where the mission took place. This last mission can serve as a tutorial for this new open PVP zone so that afterwards players can jump in the system and try to do the objectives. Ive read a lot quite a few players have asked for zones like these so you (Cryptic) could incorporate some of those ideas into this mission. Using a survey to ask for ideas would be useful, too.
-This new PVP system (gaining the daily mission too) could serve as the series reward.
-I realize doing a final weekly mission as an arena PVP zone might not work out (since you would have to queue up and wait for enemy faction team to fill up in order to do the mission) but a zone like Kerrat does not have that limitation so therefore this should be plausible.
Does this idea sound good? (Am asking the forum in general here

) Or do you (Cryptic) have already something similar planned?

EDIT: Im going to add this here since people keep misinterperting this idea as a ''ALL MISSIONS MUST BE LIKE THIS IN THE FUTURE'' thing. Its not. I never said make every new mission like this. I just said make 1 mission have the pvp element in it while still having an objectice-based pve (like kerrat) and later it would unlock that new zone for a daily. Never said it has to be only a pvp solution. Never said all missions have to be pvp. Never said there cant be a non pvp solution.
-And there is no reason why this mission could not be like an optional 5th or 6th mission that could add some more finality to a 4th or 5th pve mission. For example, if the last pve mission ended with ''gj captain. the enemy location has been determined and they will be ambushed and asked to surrender//be destroyed. Would you like to participate in the task force or continue with your other missions?'' then the people can do the mission with the pvp elements in it, or they could simply not do it. The only difference would then be they would not unlock the daily for this new mission, or the pvp zone for it. This is just one of many possible ways to do this mission.
Comments
Not to mention the lack of immersion. I don't want the future of the Federation to rely on a battle between heroic Starfleet officer, and a fearsome Klingon General named . . . ."D0CTR-BUTTZ@PEWPEW420SMOKE."
You say that because Klingons tend to win PVP more. That should eventually be balanced out with a future updates. As for the immersion: simply maintain the enemies ships names hidden. That should keep it a mystery as to whom you fought
You could apply the same logic to the people who did not like being forced to fly through rings to travel to the past during the last mission
Though, Dan recently mention the destruction of the earth space dock being a theme in several things. WOuldn't it be cool to see a special edition series that told this story, and involved pvp as well as some of the fleet action stuff he talked about. Like making it a huge event.
None the less good idea. I hope to see it one day.
Yeah thats more like it
Yeah, I hear that. I mean I wouldn't want all series to do this anyways, but one everyone in a while would be a nice twist.
Well again, it doesn't have to be a feature in every single series. And as other pointed out, it could be optional with other means of resolving the mission.
What if it's PvP Story content? (like protecting convoys from KDF attacks - and it's just a daily).
We wouldn't want this game feeling massive or multiplayer.
I like the cut of your jib.
As for the OP, i agree with you.
Nobody except PvPers care who wins at PVP.
MOST Feds are:
1) Not PvPers
2) Not specced for PVP
3) Not geared for PVP
4) Not practiced in PvP
5) Not interested in PVP
6) Not friggin' PVPers
So, this idea, if done as a weekly, automatically excludes most of the playerbase.
That's not to say it can't be done, but it shouldn't be a weekly. Maybe a new daily, or something, but not part of the main story. That's for everyone to enjoy.
That pretty much covers my feelings on the matter.
So what your saying is that 1 mission done once means it excludes the player base? Then people who dislike ground combat are excluded from most of the weekly episodes so far lol. Or people who who WANT pvp are excluded too. If you dont like playing against real players then you just do the mission once to get the rewards unlocked and move on. Same as how you would do the exploration missions to get the emblems, even if it means grinding through boring missions.
Lets have a weekly series that only human feddies can partake in. All other aliens cant do it.
Lets have a weekly series for cruiser captains only. If your a science or escort driver...you'll just have to wait for the next one.
Lets have one thats federation only as well. After all the klinks should be used to missing out at this point. I cant see any complaints with that.
And if you can get any one of these to happen without so much as a single protest. Then and only then. will you get me to agree to a series with PVP. Because that by default will exclude PVEers from the missions.
As I said in my post it would be only the last mission (so people who dont like PVP just have to do the mission once to finish the series). Its the same as having to do a ground combat mission to get the Devidians done when you dont like to do ground combat. So the whole series would not be PVP: only the final mission and then it unlocks the special PVP zone and daily as rewards you can OPTIONALY do. Besides if its done like kerrat, for example, you could finish the mission without having to even fight the Klingons. Thats just an example though.
Also, if done correctly, doing the PVP part could be entertaining even to those who dont like PVP. Most of the Devidian series took place in ground and it was super fun and engaging even though ground is usually less fun than space.
Fine, my argument still stands.
But to remove any biases lets just swap out PVP for any of my other examples. Would you still back this idea if the final mission was open for cruiser only? Or only for human fed captains?
If the idea fails when those subgroups are excluded. Why then would you feel it would work for only your own subgroup of choice?
You're acting as if playing a PVP mission is a sin lol. Have you never done Kerrat or any PVP mission at least once to gain emblems or marks of honor and such?. Because that used to be the only way to gain the currency needed to buy the purples. People would play the mission to get the rewards and enjoy the ending, and if its done right it would be fun regardless if you have to do an objective during a pvp battle.
You forget that the purpose of the weekly's is to have everyone that wants to play them be able to play them. Everyone can pvp; but not everyone has various alts. So your proposal of it being Engineer only or Fed only would not be the same situation as having 1 pvp mission.
But even if they did do a mission for Engineer only I would still play it. Why? Because its a welcome addition to have specific objectives to do then just grinding around. An engineer only mission would have engineer specific objectives that would make it very interesting. But thats another story.
The point is that this is NOT exclusive because it follows the same logic as having all-ground combat missions as we have seen during other weekly missions: everyone can do them but you have the choice to do it or not. Same thing with PVP. And, again, if done correctly the mission would be fun even for non-pvpers.
PS - As another person pointed out: this is an MMO. And this is Star Trek. Even Picard had to get his hands dirty and do some combat to get a mission done. Any starship captain should be prepared for this eventuality. Resistance is futile!
First of all. Purple level gear has always been available without PVP. With the exception of the capx3 shield. And even that has been fixed to make PVEers happy.
But for the sake of argument. lets assume that everyone who wants emblems HAS to farm then in PVP. Its not a situation any PVPer wants. Forced PVP is not PVP at all. its a line up or empty targets that either do nothing, evade, or refuse to fight back.
The motivation becomes to farm, to earn the badges, not to compete. This idea of yours would be no different. Youd simply end up with an endless line of people playing ducks in a shooting gallery. Getting the ordeal over with as quickly as possible to simply move on and get the reward.
This is not something that will make PVP better. or cause PVEers to suddenly convert to competitive PVPers.
^ This
Not much else needs to be said. Forced PVP isn't a good thing. Perhaps make it an optional component to the weekly episodes, but not the only solution.
For one, I don't want to have to wait in some queue for a Klingon or another Fed to do the mission to that point so I can continue. It's ridiculously impractical.
For another, I hate PvP. People like me shouldn't be forced to PvP just to progress a plot.
I don't mean to harp too bad. It's not like your idea is a bad one, just... monumentally impractical. It simply wouldn't work.
Geez whats the point of posting in these forums if most of the people are going to troll it without fully understanding the idea first or thinking about it, and instead just they post their hatred for something. And you wonder why some things don't get fixed in the game... I agree that you might see this as forced PVP, but you arent taking in consideration that the mission could be FUN and very engaging. After all whats the point of adding new updates and content that change or add a little spice to things if you are so biased you wont give it a chance?
Great. Then let's just remove PvP from the scenario entirely since so many people hate it.
Because theres already dozens and dozens of missions like that already? The PVP is there to make it more interesting not to completely replace every new mission with PVP from now until the end of times.
Plus Ive talked to lots of people and read about similar ideas and people supporting them. So saying a few trolls equals everyone is too general.
Couldnt find a better example? Because we all know Kerrat is such a sinning haven of excellent PVP fights and spotsmanship.
Its a cesspool of farmers and gankers and even die hard PVPers acknowledge it as a place best avoided. But thanks for the example. Because we can now all clearly see what unwelcome PVP episodes will be like.