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Exploration Cluster Thoughts

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
I apologize if any of these have been mentioned before in previous incarnations, but I did some searches and came up with nothing so here goes;

I know the Devs have mentioned a desire to improve exploration clusters in the future, and as I was buzzing about one of said clusters gathering data for research I was stricken by 3 thoughts.

1; Make the clusters bigger, up to the size of a sector block.
Just being able to fly farther and be more spread out might help make the place feel more expansive.
Adding random occurrences of those amazing new nebulae wouldn't hurt either.

2; Make Planetary systems appear as stars, and anomalies appear as anomalies.
Each anomaly type would have one to three visuals associated with it (Alien artifacts for example would have derelict unidentified ships and derelict ancient stations)

3; Create Stellar Events.
Allow me to elaborate as this is my pet idea from the bunch, and number 2 has probably been discussed anyways.

A Stellar event would be something spectacular like the birth or death of a star or black hole, the formation of a nebula etc etc etc.
They would randomly occur at certain locations in exploration clusters. They would be fairly rare, but not ridiculously so.

When one occurs everyone who is within a certain range, say 1/4th the cluster's length of the event, would receive a report from their science officer about the event occurring.

Once the Event begins a new exploration system is generated at that location with an appropriate mini graphic.
It will have a countdown bar lasting from 20 to 30 seconds above it.

If a player gets there before the bar runs out and enters the system they can witness the event in progress.
Their reward for doing so is one to three random rare particle traces and between 40 and 100 research skill.

There is no limit on how many players can enter the system and witness the event.
They may stay as long as they like, but after the 20 to 30 seconds are up in the cluster no one else may enter the event system.

If you enter the event system before the timer runs out, like say at 24 of 25 seconds, and arrive in the system itself after the timer is out you still collect on the reward.
Teammates can still follow a team-member into the system even after the entry timer has ended and collect on the reward.

If a whole team enters the system before time runs out the team has a %chance to gain an extra % of research skill and more rare traces. (Because "the whole team participated in the research effort")

When you enter the stellar event system you will be placed in an instance of it based on your set difficulty level along with any other players there of the same level.

The higher difficulty levels cause a certain element of danger to be added to the system, such as radiation damage over time, or a blast-wave you might have to outrun.

On elite there is even a chance the event will somehow just plain kill you any way you slice it.

The flip-side of this is that the higher the difficulty level the greater the reward.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    I like your idea about making the cluster larger.


    Stahl mentioned somewhere that they are doing your suggetion #2

    One thing also, Stahl mentions in the Trek Radio interview posted on STOs main page, that the foundry will be used for exploration missions. I recommend giving that interview a listen. A few other nice exploration
    Facts in there.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    I like your idea about making the cluster larger. .

    I dont. When Im ready to leave a cluster I dont want to have to spend several minutes heading towards the exit.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    I dont. When Im ready to leave a cluster I dont want to have to spend several minutes heading towards the exit.

    The clusters already have a warp out feature. You don't have to fly to the exit as it is. Don't see why this wouldn't remain.

    Larger map would make the area more shall we say "explorable". Not sure if it's possible with this engine. But IMO it'd be nice if the sector was maybe double the size in depth. As in raising the cieling and lowering the floor.

    I'd also like to see some of the nebula sectors be more jazzed up. Don't get me wrong. I loooooove the new sector Space look and feel. But the exoration sectors should feel alien and new.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    The clusters already have a warp out feature. You don't have to fly to the exit as it is. Don't see why this wouldn't remain.

    I hate being a dumass!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    I hate being a dumass!

    Hehe I've always liked that one. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    I do like the idea about making the clusters larger. Considering that the population isn't that big right now, the competition is quite fierce already, especially when you have dorks who come from behind you because their ship is faster just to steal it before you get there.

    A couple of additions.
    1. In a system that has two tiers of data samples, it would be better to have a 50/50 spread. People get fed up of 1 anomoly in a system of 4 giving us both tiers and the rest only giving us the lower tier.

    Ie: After farming for 50 data samples of tier 5, I couldn't go to B'tran Cluster since I can't use the transwarp conduit to Gamma Orionis yet. I was only able to farm at the Zenas Expanse. 195 each of all 3 tier 4 samples and over 7 hours later, I finally got 50 of each of the tier 5. That's around 75/25.

    2. Give us regions where certain rare traces are found more readily than in others. I have been searching for Anyon for 3 days and have had 1 drop in 35 hours of farming. I have enough of the others drop to supply the whole of starfleet for a week in that time. Rare is one thing but practically non existant is another. There are 10 exploration zones to find anomolies, I am sure that 3 traces in each one drop more commonly than others would make it possible to go to a particular zone to find more occurrences of a certain trace with all traces dropping commonly in the top zone (B'Tran Cluster in the case of feds).


    Apart from that, not sure whether I like the stellar event idea or not. You are kept busy enough farming already so I'll keep my view open on that one. However:-
    Teammates can still follow a team-member into the system even after the entry timer has ended and collect on the reward.
    Not sure about this as it could be exploited. My fleet mate sees it, teams me up (along with half the fleet) and enters and waits for me (us). I could be 15 minutes or more across the other side of the galaxy from the event. Make it +10 seconds maybe, after that even a teammate can't enter.

    No reasearch skill though, it's already too easy to max it out. I maxed it by the time I was Leuitenant 7 and have had a set of Aegis gear in the bank waiting for me to get to Rear Admiral since it was introduced.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    This is a good post.

    I would love to see them implement #2. I can't be the only one who has no desire to craft and would avoid the anomalies if they were obvious.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    the best thing they could do with exploration missions is to have more variety of missions (I like idea #3) but i do not think they will ever amount to anything until you give people a reason to do them:

    a) Improve the crafting system with areas of research specialties tied to char class but with the ability to only max out a branch of the crafting tree.
    b) Give acces to Deep Space for those who get all the different explore accolades.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Bolderine wrote:

    2. Give us regions where certain rare traces are found more readily than in others. I have been searching for Anyon for 3 days and have had 1 drop in 35 hours of farming. I have enough of the others drop to supply the whole of starfleet for a week in that time. Rare is one thing but practically non existant is another. There are 10 exploration zones to find anomolies, I am sure that 3 traces in each one drop more commonly than others would make it possible to go to a particular zone to find more occurrences of a certain trace with all traces dropping commonly in the top zone (B'Tran Cluster in the case of feds).

    Maybe. These items are supposed to be rare and random. You'll get em with enough patients.

    However, this might be a good time to suggest again the reverse engineering skill. Maybe reverse engineering certain items could give a chance at rare traces. The whole reverse engineering idea I feel would fit well into sto. White to green items give various anomalous data samples while blue-purple have the chance of rare traces in addition to normal data samples.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    The clusters already have a warp out feature. You don't have to fly to the exit as it is. Don't see why this wouldn't remain.

    Larger map would make the area more shall we say "explorable". Not sure if it's possible with this engine. But IMO it'd be nice if the sector was maybe double the size in depth. As in raising the cieling and lowering the floor.

    I'd also like to see some of the nebula sectors be more jazzed up. Don't get me wrong. I loooooove the new sector Space look and feel. But the exoration sectors should feel alien and new.

    I agree with your ideas, but I do have to point out that some clusters do NOT have the warp out button active. It's pretty annoying when you're in one of them.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Felderburg wrote: »
    I agree with your ideas, but I do have to point out that some clusters do NOT have the warp out button active. It's pretty annoying when you're in one of them.

    Okay, well leave those ones small and increase the size of the ones with the warp-out ability! Hehe

    I wonder though if those sectors are supposed to have that option and it's just a bug. I'd submit it as such.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    Maybe. These items are supposed to be rare and random. You'll get em with enough patients.

    However, this might be a good time to suggest again the reverse engineering skill. Maybe reverse engineering certain items could give a chance at rare traces. The whole reverse engineering idea I feel would fit well into sto. White to green items give various anomalous data samples while blue-purple have the chance of rare traces in addition to normal data samples.

    I didn't mean that they should be less rare but instead of any one of 10 random types that could drop, it's limited to the main 3 with a much lower chance of the others dropping. That means there is more chance of getting Anyon for example in Delta Voltanis than in any of the other clusters. The rate at which the rare traces drop overall is still the same.

    Reverse engineering is okay as long as the RNG isn't too severe. It should be a 33% chance of getting a rare since the item is expensive to start with. If selling the item or recycling it for EC to buy rares from the exchange is more efficient, why bother to reverse engineer at all?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited December 2010
    Bolderine wrote:
    If selling the item or recycling it for EC to buy rares from the exchange is more efficient, why bother to reverse engineer at all?

    A. It might be a fun new thing to do.

    B. Just as you could say "if you can just buy anomalous data in the exchange then why farm it." Reverse engineering would be a great way to recycle your drops or bop gear you're not going to use and some blue items just are not worth anything. Buying items is the quick way. And just like saving time buying anomalous data the quick way is usually more expensive.

    C. Reverse engineering could have other useful assets. For example they could add "unknown tech" items in game. Reverse engineering these would give a chance to learn what the item is and as a result learn a new craftable item.
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