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A proposal to make the upcoming Wildlife beneficial to gameplay

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  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Wait? We are really getting wildlife in the game soon?

    That's awesome. Was justing thinking about this when playing the Alaaren mission and some others in Romulan space. There is all this great background music, but Cryptic could make it one better by adding indigenous wildlife and random chances to be attacked.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    I know the wildlife things has been floating about for a good while now, so hopefully they'll implement it in one form or another. Even if it's just to add a bit of atmosphere, that would be OK, but if they're going to do it I'd hope they take on board the ideas in this thread and build the wildlife model in such as way that the ideas can be implemented at a later date if necessary.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Lucky_13_X wrote:
    Wait? We are really getting wildlife in the game soon?

    That's awesome. Was justing thinking about this when playing the Alaaren mission and some others in Romulan space. There is all this great background music, but Cryptic could make it one better by adding indigenous wildlife and random chances to be attacked.

    No, this thread is only one of thousands other good ideas that "may" get much attention, so Cryptic will "eventually" implement it in STO "soon" (TM).

    But we should not give up to post our very needs to Cryptic. Hope dies last :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Interesting,
    We want it ! :cool:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Terral wrote:
    A Wildlife Encyclopedia

    Think of the opening narration - “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations...”

    Great idea. Hope it can get Implemented.
    Terral wrote:
    A player who wished to scan them would need to get close, without drawing too much attention to themselves, and then whip out the tricorder and make a scan. ...

    for most scans the player almost needs to be Standing on the target to get a scan to activate. That could be a problem with Wildlife Scans unless the range is increased by a lot. Yes???
    Terral wrote:
    Alternatively, I think it should be possible to stun the creature and do this, or even kill the wildlife if you feel so inclined (probably not gonna be big for Starfleet but definitely for the Klingons).

    Stun I could agree with, Kill Definately NOT, not even as Klingon, sincne that would Defeat the Go Out and Find New Life Idea. Find them just to kill them off???? If the animals are agressive, then I think the Klingons might Respect them too much to kill them, and it would go against the Fed Rules of Contact. (Just a personal opinion though)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    No, this thread is only one of thousands other good ideas that "may" get much attention, so Cryptic will "eventually" implement it in STO "soon" (TM).

    But we should not give up to post our very needs to Cryptic. Hope dies last :)

    Actually, the devs did start making wildlife (there's even a poll about it) but it was put on hold for some reason or another.

    As to whether or not it will be in a form like this thread's remains to be seen.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Perhaps the fact that it was put on hold is a good thing. At least it'll give the devs a chance to read this thread and try to build some of the requested features into the game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    Felderburg wrote: »
    Actually, the devs did start making wildlife (there's even a poll about it) but it was put on hold for some reason or another.

    As to whether or not it will be in a form like this thread's remains to be seen.
    I asked during the Tribble Test weekend when the devs were on; the answer I got was that they had created 3-4 batches (no idea how many animals that would be) and they would be appearing at some point in the "Season 3" timeframe. So the idea of wildlife on planets has not been abandoned, it just might be a month or two still. Which is fine with me, just wish I had a screenshot of it (seems I forgot to get the UI in the screenshot).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2010
    One possible use for the research would be to make available 1-shot buff/de-buff based upon the research of a certain animal or plant, or animal-plant combination. For example you finish your research of the Adult Capellan Powercat and discover that its has a bio-chemical makeup that makes it virtually impervious to stun. You then research and synthesize a 1-shot buff that makes you temporarily immune to stun-based attacks.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Terral wrote:
    I asked during the Tribble Test weekend when the devs were on; the answer I got was that they had created 3-4 batches (no idea how many animals that would be) and they would be appearing at some point in the "Season 3" timeframe. So the idea of wildlife on planets has not been abandoned, it just might be a month or two still. Which is fine with me, just wish I had a screenshot of it (seems I forgot to get the UI in the screenshot).

    What kind of wildlife is in the works right now? Is there a link to any existing information we could see?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Falsetto wrote: »
    What kind of wildlife is in the works right now? Is there a link to any existing information we could see?

    I think that so far, the sehlat is the only one anyone has seen, and that's available in the C Store for you to view (and purchase).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    You can't eat it though. Fail.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Streakfury wrote: »
    You can't eat it though. Fail.

    Do Vulcans... is that what... oh my.

    Unless you got it on a Klingon character...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Falsetto wrote: »
    What kind of wildlife is in the works right now? Is there a link to any existing information we could see?
    Kinda wish I had thought of this a few days ago for the "Ask Cryptic" of december, hahaha.
    Streakfury wrote: »
    You can't eat it though. Fail.
    I always thought it was strange how Klingons hunt Targs, keep Targs as pets, and eat Targs. Aren't a whole lot of animals in the real world that would fall into all three of those categories lol.

    I always took the Sehlat cub to be a "prototype" for wildlife, just for them to get an idea of how to design it and get a little behavior in.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Falsetto wrote: »
    What kind of wildlife is in the works right now? Is there a link to any existing information we could see?

    There is a Thread on this main Forum: "Want to know what Dev's are Working On?"

    Or a title close to that. Might have some info in that, I have not looked there lately myself, don't want to spoil the up coming surprises.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Here's an old 'work in progress' image of a Klingon Monster Dog, which will more than likely NOT look like that when it is finally implemented in game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Terral wrote:
    I've seen a few threads about the planetary wildlife recently, with several people of the opinion that it would be nothing but “eye candy” and is therefore a low priority addition. While I agree that there are certainly important things to work on, I don't believe that wildlife has to be a purely aesthetic change. I think it can be a big game changer not only in terms of benefits but as a new gameplay mode, something different that could still fall in the category of “noncombat” missions. Allow me to explain what I have in mind.

    A Wildlife Encyclopedia

    Think of the opening narration - “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations...” Well, we're exploring, and there are several new civilizations, but so far, the new life part has been pretty lacking. The planets we land on feel empty and lifeless most of the time, in spite of the trees. The obvious suggestion so far has been to add wildlife to the planets, and as far as we know this is on the table and being worked on. But, if all it's going to do is stand around and look pretty, it's no better than the trees. So what can we do with these animals to really spice up the worlds we visit?

    The answer is a wildlife Encyclopedia: A method of cataloging and collecting data on the animals we discover in our travels. The mechanism would be pretty simple. The wildlife would spawn as NPCs, wandering about the area and doing what they do. A player who wished to scan them would need to get close, without drawing too much attention to themselves, and then whip out the tricorder and make a scan. Alternatively, I think it should be possible to stun the creature and do this, or even kill the wildlife if you feel so inclined (probably not gonna be big for Starfleet but definitely for the Klingons). Having scanned it once would give some simple data about it – its name, a scientific/latin name, some basic measurements, etc. Subsequent scans of other individuals of the same species would lead to more details, possibly including habitat (I don't know how realistic this is for exploration cluster worlds, but I would assume there would have to be some degree of spawn control – we can't be seeing reptiles in snowy blizzard worlds for example), behavioral traits (Predatorial? Aggressively territorial? Timid? A pack animal or a solitary creature?), and most importantly, potential uses. Animals on Earth are frequently used in all sorts of medicines, manufacturing goods, and so on, so why wouldn't this be the case for alien creatures as well?


    This is just one possible scenario. It could just as easily be a creature that makes pearl-like objects which are of value to the Ferengi, or an animal with an unusual ability, like natural camouflage, that merits additional study. The possibilities for storylines in this manner are basically limitless, not to mention that a moving animal would be a lot more interesting than scanning 5 stationary cocoons. Additionally, to use the above example, the Rigelian Boar wouldn't be the only animal on the surface – you could also collect data on other creatures native to the planet while searching for the Boar. There could be accolades for the amount of species registered, and for the amount completely scanned. Something that I think would be more in line with the Klingon side of things is actually hunting and killing the animals, and using them for food items, or leather, or mounting/stuffing as a trophy on the wall. Hell, if we really want to get into it, I don't see why it might not be possible to capture some and use them as pets in the same manner as the Sehlat and Targ. Obviously not all animals are set up for that but it's something worth looking into.

    The benefits of wildlife don't even need to be that direct. With wildlife on the ground in combat missions, they could react to the presence of a character, be it player or enemy. If you need to get to a certain point, but there are lots of patrols walking around, what better way to get to the objective with minimal combat than by following the path of the animal herd? Or, if the animal's behavior is aggressively territorial, then perhaps you could draw it near to the enemy patrol and trick it into fighting for you. I can see all sorts of innovative ways to make use of a system like this.

    For the record, I would include tribbles, the Sehlat and the Targ in the wildlife database also, probably as starter entries. I'd also include space-borne creatures, such as the Crystalline Entity and the Gekli from fluidic space. The easiest places to implement this kind of thing in the beginning are probably the social planets, like Andoria, Vulcan, and Risa. Once you've got the hang of it, you can move on to collecting data in your regular missions. I'd probably do a tutorial-type mission on at least one of those worlds just as a way to introduce players to the system and how it works.

    That's about all I have for now. Suggestions? Thoughts? Opinions? One last thing I'd like to say is that for most of the MMOs I've played I would never have bothered with something like this, but I really think the STO devs are open to good ideas so I'm willing to give it a shot. Hope someone gets to see it.


    err u wanna complete yer pokedex?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Karvashio wrote: »
    err u wanna complete yer pokedex?

    I wanna be the very best
    Like no one ever was
    To catch them is my real test
    To train them is my cause
    I will travel across the land
    Searching far and wide
    Teach Pokemon to understand
    The power that's inside
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all--
    It's you and me
    I know it's my destiny
    Pokemon!
    Ooooh, you're my best friend
    In a world we must defend
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all--
    Our hearts so true
    Our courage will pull us through
    You teach me and I'll teach you
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Yeeaa.
    Every challenge along the way
    With courage I can face
    I will battle everyday
    To claim my rightful place
    Come with me the time is right
    There's no better team
    Arm in arm we'll win the fight
    It's always been our dream
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all--
    It's you and me
    I know it's my destiny
    Pokemon!
    Ooooh, you're my best friend
    In a world we must defend
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all--
    Our hearts so true
    Our courage will pull us through
    You teach me and I'll teach you
    Pokemon!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Gotta catch 'em all!
    Yeeeaa!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Martok42 wrote: »
    /signed


    and you should get accolades for cataloging all animals! Maybe Klingons can have various hunts... ;)

    Now THAT is what I am talking about! You can have a whole SERIES of 'hunter' missions for trophies! DEAD SERIOUS! Imagine a mini game, but that was unlimited in potential and well... not so 'mini'.

    You go to a contact on lets say Drozana station about a legendary creature that is terrorizing the local colonists, but no one can get a good look at it. Your job 'as a Klingon' is to go find this creature and end it's miserable life. So you go to planet so-and-so, beam down and listen to colonist rumors about where the creature may be, what it's tracks look like, yadda yadda... after some searching you come across it's lair. You then have like 3 options, you can hunt the creature with:
    Cunning (Set a trap, mines or something)
    Skill (Blast it!)
    Strength (BATl'LETH!!!)

    Then you turn in the body to the local colonists, get your reward (Can be similar to aid the planet, where you get a 'mystery crate') and they sing songs of your greatness! WOO! Then you go back to your contact on Drozana and he has another hunt for you... so on and so on.

    Now THAT would be a fun little diversion for us Klingons!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    The OPs wall of text is exactly the kind of thing I want to be able to do in this MMO.
    I like everything about it. The encyclopedia, which has the capacity to be a never-ending mission because it would be relatively simple to add in new creatures with every patch. Also the suggested mission with the plague..
    With the already existing content this would make for a varied and interesting experience playing STO.

    And with all the great ideas output every other week by inspired members of the playerbase, Star Trek Online wouldn´t become boring anytime soon. Provided the devs can keep up. ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Alecto wrote: »
    Here's an old 'work in progress' image of a Klingon Monster Dog, which will more than likely NOT look like that when it is finally implemented in game.
    Nice. Now can't you just picture them wandering the landscape? Sneaking up to scan them? Getting a little too close and triggering a territorial defense?
    Karvashio wrote: »
    err u wanna complete yer pokedex?
    .... The concept of cataloging the monsters in RPGs far predates Pokemon and is present in numerous MMORPGs even today. Regardless of that, the key to Pokemon is that you're catching them and forcing them to fight each other, and all we're doing is collecting data on them, like, I don't know... a real Biologist? STO is probably one of the only games where you could collect information on creatures that you aren't slaughtering by the hundreds, so I say all for it. And if you do want to slaughter them by the hundred, that's what Klingons are for.
    Now THAT is what I am talking about! You can have a whole SERIES of 'hunter' missions for trophies! DEAD SERIOUS! Imagine a mini game, but that was unlimited in potential and well... not so 'mini'.

    You go to a contact on lets say Drozana station about a legendary creature that is terrorizing the local colonists, but no one can get a good look at it. Your job 'as a Klingon' is to go find this creature and end it's miserable life.

    Now THAT would be a fun little diversion for us Klingons!
    I think this is the great flexibility of a system like this. you can have things as tiny as mice or as large as an elephant. Look no further than the most recent star trek movie to see how big and dangerous some of these creatures could be. (I realize there are some issues with acquiring those creatures in particular, but that doesn't mean there can't be creatures like that.) There's plenty of reason for Klingons to catalog data as well - after all, a good warrior knows his enemy, right?
    Flexomatic wrote: »
    I like everything about it. The encyclopedia, which has the capacity to be a never-ending mission because it would be relatively simple to add in new creatures with every patch. Also the suggested mission with the plague..
    That's probably a big reason why I'm so on it as well, it's something to do that doesn't have to end. We've got an even bigger universe to play in than a lot of MMOs, so there's plenty of room for these animals to exist in. If they're feeling ambitious, these creatures don't even have to live on earth-like planets. Imagine a mission into the upper atmosphere of a gas giant (most likely in your ship, of course) where you discover some gaseous creatures. Lightweight jellyfish-like animals that float on the wind currents and subsist off of biological material in the atmosphere. There's really no limit to what a creative dev could do in this situation.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Terral wrote:
    STO is probably one of the only games where you could collect information on creatures that you aren't slaughtering by the hundreds, so I say all for it.

    Brilliant. This right here is reason enough. (Beyond Good & Evil also had a cataloging feature, by the way)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Terral wrote:
    [...]

    That's probably a big reason why I'm so on it as well, it's something to do that doesn't have to end. We've got an even bigger universe to play in than a lot of MMOs, so there's plenty of room for these animals to exist in. If they're feeling ambitious, these creatures don't even have to live on earth-like planets. Imagine a mission into the upper atmosphere of a gas giant (most likely in your ship, of course) where you discover some gaseous creatures. Lightweight jellyfish-like animals that float on the wind currents and subsist off of biological material in the atmosphere. There's really no limit to what a creative dev could do in this situation.

    Or an inspired player for that matter, let's hope they build the foundry on a modular design of sorts so it can be expanded to make it possible to design these missions too. For the purpose of spicing them up a little, maybe make an old academy rival appear in his science ship and challenging you to a little time trial. Complete the scans before he does, or something like that.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    The animated series had zoo's in two different episodes, the animals from there could be used.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Alecto wrote: »
    Here's an old 'work in progress' image of a Klingon Monster Dog, which will more than likely NOT look like that when it is finally implemented in game.

    Wow, that is pretty cool, regardless.

    The great thing about a game based in space is that the wildlife can take almost any form. That's really exciting.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    With the Foundry in Open Beta now, it's possible to check out some of the existing animals. There's quite a few different models already. Interestingly enough, it seems like a lot of the mechanics you'd need to pull off a wildlife encyclopedia are in game already (Neutral wandering herds of creatures, for example) and some i didn't think of (IE, Targs of various states of growth). Pretty good news because this means it wouldn't take nearly as much work as I initially thought to implement this. I'd recommend anyone interested in this concept go check out the creatures on Tribble's foundry.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    What part of foundry would the creatures be?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    schipani wrote:
    What part of foundry would the creatures be?
    They're listed under both NPC contacts and groups, with the faction "Animal". Groups mostly being herds of a single species. Also the ranks listed beside them correspond to growth stages, so a "Captain" level Targ is seen in game as a "Mature Targ".
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Good idea.
    But it still comes down to scanners. From the beginning they should of made a detailed system for scanning. Scanning is the base of all exploring. There should be diferent types of scanners, long range short range. There should be many upgrades to it too. If you encounter a life form and you do not have the right scanner, well you are out of luck, you better go try to find or build the right one.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Terral wrote:
    They're listed under both NPC contacts and groups, with the faction "Animal". Groups mostly being herds of a single species. Also the ranks listed beside them correspond to growth stages, so a "Captain" level Targ is seen in game as a "Mature Targ".

    Any chance you could post some images?
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