As a veteran MMO gamer, I've come to look forward to various things in the titles I've played. Anniversaries of the games are usually fun events. And so are certain seasonal events. Halloween and winter events are almost universal across MMOs.
Right now across the MMO world, people are collecting random festive things, playing with virtual snow, and celebrating the season in their game of choice. In Champs, basically across the hall from STO, they have added to the misfit toys event from the previous year, adding some more action figures to collect, revamped the loot from the Clarence fight, and put in some new perks to collect with some new items like snowballs and mistletoe, even while they continue to work on converting the game to a F2P model.
I logged into Champs the other day and loved it, because the event there brings people together in the spirit of the season, and in the spirit of a MMO. People work together to take down the big evil teddy bear and that brings a whole flurry of social activity along with it. People give away various parts for action figures to help other people, without expecting anything in return, because 'tis the season!
I would have loved to do something to get a tree for a floor trophy for my ship, maybe get some lights for wall trophies! The Ferengi at Drozana and Quarks would have made a fortune catering to seasonal sensibilities with festive drinks and decorations. The KDF could have sung carols about Santa Claws, his sleigh pulled by targs, and his bag of bat'leths he delivers to honorable Klingon boys and girls. Heck, you could have just put Santa hats on the Borg.
But for STO its just another week, another month, with frustrated people complaining about the STFs and the Cstore. Any hint of a seasonal event is sorely missing from STO, and I have to say I'm genuinely disappointed. The winter events in other MMOs have always been a buzz of activity and socialization in the spirit of the season, twisted into something that is moderately in character for the respective game, and its sad to see that missing from STO.
I imagine the issue was discussed at Cryptic and eventually the decision was made to do nothing, but I say it was the wrong call. A lot of people probably don't know the difference, and wouldn't even expect it, as first time MMO gamers. I, for one, notice it is conspicuously missing.
See, this is getting into all sorts of areas of canon and fandom that will start no end of flames and debates over God-knows-what that will either end in a 30-page back and forth with no real progress or 10 pages and a lock from a visiting moderator.
The short version is Cryptic has no interest in "events" so long as the game isn't where they want it.
The canon explanation is that Gene was an atheist and kept religion out of Trek and that's how a lot of people think it should stay. (This doesn't rule out surrogate holidays like "Federation Day" or "Picard Day", but it eliminated anything with an even vaguely Earth-based religious connotation).
The only TOS reference to Christmas was the young female officer who asked Kirk if he remembered her from the Christmas party and Spock raising that Vulcan eyebrow to chastise him.
See, this is getting into all sorts of areas of canon and fandom that will start no end of flames and debates over God-knows-what that will either end in a 30-page back and forth with no real progress or 10 pages and a lock from a visiting moderator.
The short version is Cryptic has no interest in "events" so long as the game isn't where they want it.
The canon explanation is that Gene was an atheist and kept religion out of Trek and that's how a lot of people think it should stay. (This doesn't rule out surrogate holidays like "Federation Day" or "Picard Day", but it eliminated anything with an even vaguely Earth-based religious connotation).
Sorry.
agreed, religious holiday events should not be in STO ever. It would be completely uncanon of cryptic to add them to the game.
I don't feel like there's anything missing. A Human-centric holiday in a game based in space with alien cultures doesn't seem appropriate. It doesn't snow inside my ship, after all.
If they were going to do holiday events, they should dress them up as something else that is appropriate or canon in the Star Trek universe, like this.
I think in Generations you see Captain Picard in a fantasy Christmas in the Nexus... but that's about as close as you get. So I guess if they want to add Christmas next year, they could set it in the Nexus... or maybe by then they will have added holodecks and they let us run a Christmas program that gives us our own little Christmas instances where they won't bother other players who aren't into that sort of thing.
All the stuff that you see in the Champions Online Christmas event, snow, mistletoe, red hats with bobbles, trees and santa just wouldn't look right on Earth Spacedock. Now... if they let us beam down to Earth where Christmas stuff is going on, then that would be fine.
I'm guessing you missed the Christmas Eve party on ESD? We had close to 50 people on #8, every one dressed in Christmas colors, and dancing to the music of Subspace Radio. Of course there were contests and other fun things happening throughout, and it was a total blast.:D
Winter events in any other MMO have nothing to do with actual religion, arguably just like traditional Christmas has nothing to do with religion. This is especially true if you consider the winter solstice was important to many historical cultures, and is an actual astronomical event.
You want to get Trek? Then how about a history lesson about how that astronomical phenomenon was important in the history and evolution of certain earth cultures, and how the observance of that event itself evolved? I totally agree with fitting it to the Star Trek universe, but every MMO finds a way to fit it to their own universes.
Winter event has all sorts of possibilities to it beyond that. Cryptic and CBS could work together to invent various festivities for the various species of Star Trek that all "coincidentally" happen at the same time of year. Who wouldn't like to go to Vulcan and see the Vulcans doing something festive and appropriate for them? Then we could go to Andoria and see them doing something completely different and appropriate to Andorian culture. And Risans and Klingons could have their festivals on their planets, with Earth space dock dressed up in various Earthly cultural things.
And who wouldn't like to get some seasonal trophies for their ship?
It is an MMO, and all MMOs are doing this kind of thing right now, with events that fit their worlds, yet still celebrate the season. Star Trek has invented all kinds of rich cultures, and STO could have taken this opportunity to both explore and invent, and acknowledge a longstanding tradition of our own culture and of MMO culture. I'd certainly have been okay with it not involving anything resembling Christmasy stuff.
STO can be its own thing, but to do nothing whatsoever when everyone else is doing things is just wrong.
As I've mentioned several times before, we don't currently have any plans for an in-game holiday event.
Instead of spending lots of time working on an event that you'll only play for a few weeks out of the year, we're focusing our energy on continuing to improve the game you get to play year long.
Later on down the line, I'm sure we'll come up with some other holiday events, but those will most likely not be traditional "Holiday" events. As most current real world holidays simply don't make much sense in the STO setting.
Thanks,
Stormshade
Posted from another thread.
I'm glad they didn't do anything.
Now we don't have to wade through all the failthreads about why they're doing an event when x needs to be fixed, y hasn't been added, and Klingons blah blah blah.
I don't take Star Trek quite so seriously as other people do, and if it you take it seriously I point you in the direction of Threshold and send ye on your merry way.
MMOs are about having fun and enjoying things. If flying around in a Starship that looks like it came off the Grid, and one that's inexplicably running around in Borg-wear doesn't bother you in the slightest, then some other fun event stuff shouldn't either. But that's just me.
I don't celebrate christmas. don't believe in religions. don't care to be subjected to others beliefs. At the same time, if people want to celebrate something, even if I don't like it, nor want to see it or be subjected to it, I also don't have the right to force them not to enjoy whatever it is.
I can't say I missed it since I wasn't playing STO over the holidays and don't play other MMORPGs either, but I wouldn't mind a few holiday-themed missions...
I think a mission on a Rura Pentha or Andoria (both Ice Worlds) about helping to fix a industrial replicator for an old, bearded guy wearing red clothing so he can produce some stuff for people in need would be neat. As a trophy for the accolade, you get a Mark XVI Subspace Antenna, which happens to be a a green pyramid-shaped object with lots of blinking lights (TOS style?).
around here we celebrate federation day, captain picard day and the day the wells fell.
thats it!
seriously i do like events and would not have minded some sort of event now. it does not have to have anything to do with christamas or even mention or reference christmas in anyway other than it happens around christmas time,
but the devs have said at the moment they wont waste time doing something that will be gone in a couple of weeks. i can understand that at least for the moment until the game becomes more complete. maybe down the road we can start seeing events.
The canon explanation is that Gene was an atheist and kept religion out of Trek and that's how a lot of people think it should stay. (This doesn't rule out surrogate holidays like "Federation Day" or "Picard Day", but it eliminated anything with an even vaguely Earth-based religious connotation).
WRONG!!
You need to do some research. Look up a book called 'The Only Planet of Choice' there is a whole chapter about Gene's involvment with a group that worship the 'Council of 9'. The books authenticity has never been called into question by any member of the Roddenbury family and yes they are aware of it and what it says.
I do wish people would check their facts before posting statments that are untrue.
You need to do some research. Look up a book called 'The Only Planet of Choice' there is a whole chapter about Gene's involvment with a group that worship the 'Council of 9'. The books authenticity has never been called into question by any member of the Roddenbury family and yes they are aware of it and what it says.
I do wish people would check their facts before posting statments that are untrue.
hahaha! quite a funny bit of satire you have there.
*wipes tears away*
That's an argumentum ad ignorantiam, a logical fallacy. Not denying something isn't the same as agreeing with stuff. The fact I don't contradict "Elvis is with Alien" believers at every turn doesn't mean I agree with them, anymore than the Rodenberry family not discussing quackery makes them disagree less. NASA hasn't said the moon isn't made from aged swiss cheese but that doesn't mean NASA agrees with the swiss cheesers.
Bertrand Russel gave a great analogy, saying that belief that there's a teapot around Uranus, doesn't mean those who don't question you (or prove there isn't one yet) make it anymore true.
Lack of evidence does not equal proof of evidence.
You need to do some research. Look up a book called 'The Only Planet of Choice' there is a whole chapter about Gene's involvment with a group that worship the 'Council of 9'. The books authenticity has never been called into question by any member of the Roddenbury family and yes they are aware of it and what it says.
I do wish people would check their facts before posting statments that are untrue.
...why did you even bother? That doesn't invalidate anything I said. You're wasting your time. Whether or not he was an atheist, he did in fact try to keep Earth religion out of Star Trek. That much I know is fact, and that's the part that matters in this instance.
The only thing I see missing this time of year is the start of the next Weekly Episode cycle.
Just about every culture on Earth that figured out basic astronomy has a celebration of renewal in the darkest days of the year. Its always dark in space .
I know I'm in the minority here, but........I HATE CHRISTMAS!!!!!.........everywhere you go you see that stupid fat guy and his little helpers.......You CAN'T ESCAPE IT!!!! Every store, every street corner.....and it always seems to start in OCTOBER........so, It made me ecstatic that I could come to the 25th century and escape all that stuff. So, I just want to tell the devs........THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME FIND ONE SAFE HAVEN FROM THE JOLLY FAT DUDE.
I don't think large events are really necessary, but some holiday acknowledgements might be nice. The Federation is a large and diverse collection of species and individuals with a multitude of beliefs. It would not be so weird to go into an area and find various NPCs celebrating all kinds of holidays. Maybe run across the occasional Christmas tree, or even be able to set one up in your ship's lounge. And similar abilities with other holidays from the many different religions and belief systems.
I think there maybe some faction specific holiday/events that might be interesting, like Founder's Day for the Federation and maybe a Kahless day for the Klinks, and perhaps some tie in missions that would be interesting.
What other holidays exists where 40 year-old men ply children with candy and ask them to sit on their lap without Shopping Centers running a background check - all set to the sounds of really bad choral music?
Comments
The short version is Cryptic has no interest in "events" so long as the game isn't where they want it.
The canon explanation is that Gene was an atheist and kept religion out of Trek and that's how a lot of people think it should stay. (This doesn't rule out surrogate holidays like "Federation Day" or "Picard Day", but it eliminated anything with an even vaguely Earth-based religious connotation).
Sorry.
agreed, religious holiday events should not be in STO ever. It would be completely uncanon of cryptic to add them to the game.
If they were going to do holiday events, they should dress them up as something else that is appropriate or canon in the Star Trek universe, like this.
I think in Generations you see Captain Picard in a fantasy Christmas in the Nexus... but that's about as close as you get. So I guess if they want to add Christmas next year, they could set it in the Nexus... or maybe by then they will have added holodecks and they let us run a Christmas program that gives us our own little Christmas instances where they won't bother other players who aren't into that sort of thing.
All the stuff that you see in the Champions Online Christmas event, snow, mistletoe, red hats with bobbles, trees and santa just wouldn't look right on Earth Spacedock. Now... if they let us beam down to Earth where Christmas stuff is going on, then that would be fine.
I wished they would have showed that Christmas party on the POS episode. You know kirk tore his shirt somehow and kissed her.
How can you agree with me about something I never said? Not once did I utter "I think" in that post.
Honestly I'd post my opinions on it here if I didn't just post about how bad that would end up a little while ago.
I do apologize I misread your original post
Simple misunderstanding, no harm done.
holiday events are kinda lame anyway
You want to get Trek? Then how about a history lesson about how that astronomical phenomenon was important in the history and evolution of certain earth cultures, and how the observance of that event itself evolved? I totally agree with fitting it to the Star Trek universe, but every MMO finds a way to fit it to their own universes.
Winter event has all sorts of possibilities to it beyond that. Cryptic and CBS could work together to invent various festivities for the various species of Star Trek that all "coincidentally" happen at the same time of year. Who wouldn't like to go to Vulcan and see the Vulcans doing something festive and appropriate for them? Then we could go to Andoria and see them doing something completely different and appropriate to Andorian culture. And Risans and Klingons could have their festivals on their planets, with Earth space dock dressed up in various Earthly cultural things.
And who wouldn't like to get some seasonal trophies for their ship?
It is an MMO, and all MMOs are doing this kind of thing right now, with events that fit their worlds, yet still celebrate the season. Star Trek has invented all kinds of rich cultures, and STO could have taken this opportunity to both explore and invent, and acknowledge a longstanding tradition of our own culture and of MMO culture. I'd certainly have been okay with it not involving anything resembling Christmasy stuff.
STO can be its own thing, but to do nothing whatsoever when everyone else is doing things is just wrong.
Posted from another thread.
I'm glad they didn't do anything.
Now we don't have to wade through all the failthreads about why they're doing an event when x needs to be fixed, y hasn't been added, and Klingons blah blah blah.
So how exactly would having a Christmas event be non-canon again?
I don't take Star Trek quite so seriously as other people do, and if it you take it seriously I point you in the direction of Threshold and send ye on your merry way.
MMOs are about having fun and enjoying things. If flying around in a Starship that looks like it came off the Grid, and one that's inexplicably running around in Borg-wear doesn't bother you in the slightest, then some other fun event stuff shouldn't either. But that's just me.
So.. 'whatever'.
I think a mission on a Rura Pentha or Andoria (both Ice Worlds) about helping to fix a industrial replicator for an old, bearded guy wearing red clothing so he can produce some stuff for people in need would be neat. As a trophy for the accolade, you get a Mark XVI Subspace Antenna, which happens to be a a green pyramid-shaped object with lots of blinking lights (TOS style?).
Having a yearly, quadrant wide infection that needs a cure would be more desirable than "well, this is easter.... in SPACE!"
thats it!
seriously i do like events and would not have minded some sort of event now. it does not have to have anything to do with christamas or even mention or reference christmas in anyway other than it happens around christmas time,
but the devs have said at the moment they wont waste time doing something that will be gone in a couple of weeks. i can understand that at least for the moment until the game becomes more complete. maybe down the road we can start seeing events.
WRONG!!
You need to do some research. Look up a book called 'The Only Planet of Choice' there is a whole chapter about Gene's involvment with a group that worship the 'Council of 9'. The books authenticity has never been called into question by any member of the Roddenbury family and yes they are aware of it and what it says.
I do wish people would check their facts before posting statments that are untrue.
hahaha! quite a funny bit of satire you have there.
*wipes tears away*
That's an argumentum ad ignorantiam, a logical fallacy. Not denying something isn't the same as agreeing with stuff. The fact I don't contradict "Elvis is with Alien" believers at every turn doesn't mean I agree with them, anymore than the Rodenberry family not discussing quackery makes them disagree less. NASA hasn't said the moon isn't made from aged swiss cheese but that doesn't mean NASA agrees with the swiss cheesers.
Bertrand Russel gave a great analogy, saying that belief that there's a teapot around Uranus, doesn't mean those who don't question you (or prove there isn't one yet) make it anymore true.
Lack of evidence does not equal proof of evidence.
I get the joke, thanks
...why did you even bother? That doesn't invalidate anything I said. You're wasting your time. Whether or not he was an atheist, he did in fact try to keep Earth religion out of Star Trek. That much I know is fact, and that's the part that matters in this instance.
Just about every culture on Earth that figured out basic astronomy has a celebration of renewal in the darkest days of the year. Its always dark in space
I think there maybe some faction specific holiday/events that might be interesting, like Founder's Day for the Federation and maybe a Kahless day for the Klinks, and perhaps some tie in missions that would be interesting.
I see this as a low priority issue.
Happy Holidays!