Yeah I didn't set out to get all crazy-claws, my bad. It's just that there are some things about this here trek game that are so far off base that I sometimes outlay a lot of passion about it.
Oh, I completely understand. I'm very much the same way when it comes to Trek. And probably evident in a few of my posts, not just here but elsewhere in the forums.
Sadly, things like this happen when you translate an IP into the MMO medium. Gameplay trumps everything else- that's why crew regenerates rather having you go to a starbase after every mission (or worse, sit derelict since you bit off more than you could chew and got your entire crew killed).
Additionally, Trek canon becomes an issue as well- battle cloaks are for Klingons and Romulans. Feds had very few examples and by treaty weren't supposed to have them. That isn't Cryptic, that is the shows. What is canon also changes between shows (and how fans perceive it)- some fans bemoan the prevalence of shooting over diplomacy that they see as the critical to Trek, yet somehow forget Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer destroyed a heck of a lot of ships (and lives) in there careers, that much of DS9 was devoted to the Dominion War, and most of the movies ended with explosions rather than handshakes. And don't get me started on ship design- yes there are guidelines, but the IP itself violated its own guidelines several times. I personally don't mind the Cryptic designs. As for a 120 yr old ship being more powerful than a new one- you think it's silly, yet a large number of fans absolutely want a tier 5 Connie and are mad Cryptic won't give it to them.
A MMO is designed to appeal to as many people as possible. While Cryptic wants to appeal to Trek fans, Trek fans aren't enough to keep the game alive. Some things get sacrificed for broader appeal- any MMO with a known IP has this issue (see Lord of the Rings Online and Star Wars Galaxies). I get the sense Cryptic really tries to be as Trek as possible within that constraint, rather than SOE which just gave up on sticking with canon in Galaxies.
I could accept your explanation for the Federation equipment in Romulan hands but what about the Borg or the Hirogen or the pirates that also use them? The bottom line and the truth is no one from Cryptic has a clue what those props look like and thus could not have rendered a graphical illustration of them.
How about having realistic crew injuries/deaths? Like 2 or 3 per battle, not hundreds.
If one faction can cloak/warp out of battle, then all factions should be able to. The factor of which player wins should be heavily based on player skill, gimping one side intentionally and contrary to canon is not the correct approach, MMO or not.
I'm not opposed to a tier 5 what ever...hell, I'd have liked it if Nissan came out with a new Z that looked identical to the 1996 version but with new technology so I can certainly appreciate Starfleet doing the same.. I do take issue when that ship has better technology than a newer ship. At a minimum, they should be the same. Call it a "skin" for the games sake if it pleases you.
I can recall many battle scenes with the Enterprise D, the Defiant and Voyager where the ship was out gunned or damaged to heavily to remain in the battle and so they warp out....and the Defiant "battle cloaked" all the time...and I do mean...ALL THE TIME.
They warned me off of the CO forums too, but that didn't stop me. Still had people coming by at least once a week saying something to the effect of, "Damn Dawg! You really stepped in it this time!"
I don't like being insulted, but I do like hearing what you guys think/like/hate/want, and I want to give you what you want. It's just not always feasible.
The game is in the state it's in, and nothing we can do will alter the past. But hopefully I can help shape the future.
They warned me off of the CO forums too, but that didn't stop me. Still had people coming by at least once a week saying something to the effect of, "Damn Dawg! You really stepped in it this time!"
I don't like being insulted, but I do like hearing what you guys think/like/hate/want, and I want to give you what you want. It's just not always feasible.
The game is in the state it's in, and nothing we can do will alter the past. But hopefully I can help shape the future.
:::gets in DeLorean:::
I am glad to hear that you have a pretty thick hide for many reasons. Just one of which is that you seem to want to openly communicate with us and I greatly appreciate that.
As for the state of the game, you have to realize that since the beginning we have had the likes of Craig Z and Dstahl preaching in podcasts and interviews how much they are excited and how many great things are in the pipe. Although I do not doubt their enthusiasm and love of the franchise and game, there are many people who are more than disappointed with the serious lack of progress to get us down that pipe. Right now it seems that the pipe is seriously clogged and not even nuclear strength Drain-O will help clear it to many peoples expectations.
That being said, I am a lifer and have the luxury of riding it out to see where we end up without loosing anything along the way. There are many who do not have that luxury though who have a limited entertainment budget, or have been jaded to the point of never coming back. When I started way back at launch, I met a great group of people. there was close to 100 of us in a fleet. Now there is just me. So you can see why I am tending to be very skeptical.
Just so you post trolls understand, I am not talking to you or for you, I speak for the many who have left the game that I know and that I still have contact with in other games.
Keep up the open communication line Tumerboy, it is appreciated by me and am sure some others.
I are a lifer as well. And I plan to be for as long as possible. And hell, in all honesty, no matter how heated things are and how rawer I am in a thread, I'm actually a little giddy when I see a developer respond to a thread I'm involved in or even more, one I start. This comes from years and years of playing other MMO's where the GMs and Developers were an elusive bunch who were crabby if you ever dragged them out of their hole.
The fact that you haven't banned me for being rawer at you makes me smile. Though, I'm sure you understand where all that rawer comes from.
When one views the star trek series, one may note a profound lack of combat when it is compared with this game. Never once have I heard O'Brien (I use O'Brien because this game is so heavily slanted toward iconic findings in DS9) request common unreplicateable materials to get something done. Dilithium was not commonly, if ever, used as a currency. Federation energy credits would be highly unlikely to be accepted outside the federation. Latinum was the coveted currency of the galaxy, and it had use. On many occasions alien races were shown that had more than 4 appendages, or in some cases less... I could go on and on.
Can we maybe work on some of this before work resumes on the foundry (Which really should be worked into a shipboard holodeck system, COME ON)? Please, do 1 thing that makes sense.
Did you ever see Picard have to give a replicator 20 energy credits for his many cups of hot earl grey tea :rolleyes:
They warned me off of the CO forums too, but that didn't stop me. Still had people coming by at least once a week saying something to the effect of, "Damn Dawg! You really stepped in it this time!"
I don't like being insulted, but I do like hearing what you guys think/like/hate/want, and I want to give you what you want. It's just not always feasible.
The game is in the state it's in, and nothing we can do will alter the past. But hopefully I can help shape the future.
:::gets in DeLorean:::
For what it's worth I love the vast majority of what STO is. I don't play the STFs because i'm not into grind, I'll probably "buy" most of the rD I need because I only want to play dailies when i want to and not to hit some daily number of ore to refine.
My number 1 "gripe" is that we need more content, and by content I mean missions, stories, FEs, not repeatable dailies that don't advance a storyline.
For a lot of the other "gripes" mentioned in this thread, I'm not so attached to canon that a romulan using a fed tricorder bothers me. For the multiple solutions to finishing a mission, I just don't think people understand that what may be easy to impliment in a RPG simply won't work in an MMO. Just my two cents.
P.S. I think it's great that you continue dialoging on tough issues. You take the heat and respond honestly and directly, please don't stop doing this, we need more of it. And never take it personally. My boss at an ISP that will remain unnamed had a poster in his office; "It's not your fault... It IS your problem." Keep trying to come up with solutions and even if they don't all make the mark, I think the vast majority of the community will applaud the effort.
For a service provider to find this statement truthful is disappointing given the likelihood said provider created said problem. As is the case with STO's problems and its provider, Cyrptic.
For a service provider to find this statement truthful is disappointing given the likelihood said provider created said problem. As is the case with STO's problems and its provider, Cyrptic.
No, the provider may be at fault, this statement was for the tech support - or call center - division. We have no control over outages or poor installations, but we do have the responsibility of fixing it. I think you misinterpreted the meaning.
No, the provider may be at fault, this statement was for the tech support - or call center - division. We have no control over outages or poor installations, but we do have the responsibility of fixing it. I think you misinterpreted the meaning.
I don't like being insulted, but I do like hearing what you guys think/like/hate/want, and I want to give you what you want. It's just not always feasible.
The game is in the state it's in, and nothing we can do will alter the past. But hopefully I can help shape the future.
:::gets in DeLorean:::
determined_clap.gif
VERY commendable of you, and please spread the word to the "fora scardycats" that usually the reason foras degenerate into a so called cesspit is because people feel like they aren´t listened to.
As for the OP, sorry but you´re wrong on every account.
The future of this Trek experience here is to GET ON WITH THE WARS!
Meaning to survive the onslaught of the dominant species of about 3 of the 4 quadrants in this Galaxy and assorted neighboring realities/universes. :rolleyes:
Cryptic´s current main future goal should be to make this "slightly" ridiculous n-front war believably survivable.
So that it doesn´t feel like your typical MMO experience that just wants to mask it´s lack of ideas with hiding behind higher level mobs that do the same but just look different for difference sake.
Or even DON`T make it survivable!
As this is a sharded server anyway it should be possible to have people in instances depending on level.
Lets say all peeps at current level cap get an event the shows the feds are defeated mirror universe style. Now everyone off those get a new VA 2nd grade "lvl51" cap and end up in a exclusive VAII51+ only version of the current galaxy.
Instead of hunting every last Fedship down the victors are busy fighting each other and the Borg, effectively forgetting to stomp out the smoldering ruins of the Federation.
A nice foundation for a "back from the ashes" scenario.
VERY commendable of you, and please spread the word to the "fora scardycats" that usually the reason foras degenerate into a so called cesspit is because people feel like they aren´t listened to.
As for the OP, sorry but you´re wrong on every account.
The future of this Trek experience here is to GET ON WITH THE WARS!
Meaning to survive the onslaught of the dominant species of about 3 of the 4 quadrants in this Galaxy and assorted neighboring realities/universes. :rolleyes:
Cryptic´s current main future goal should be to make this "slightly" ridiculous n-front war believably survivable.
So that it doesn´t feel like your typical MMO experience that just wants to mask it´s lack of ideas with hiding behind higher level mobs that do the same but just look different for difference sake.
Or even DON`T make it survivable!
As this is a sharded server anyway it should be possible to have people in instances depending on level.
Lets say all peeps at current level cap get an event the shows the feds are defeated mirror universe style. Now everyone off those get a new VA 2nd grade "lvl51" cap and end up in a exclusive VAII51+ only version of the current galaxy.
Instead of hunting every last Fedship down the victors are busy fighting each other and the Borg, effectively forgetting to stomp out the smoldering ruins of the Federation.
A nice foundation for a "back from the ashes" scenario.
You probably don't even need to shard.
You can probably have something like "Phasing" from WoW only tie it to level instead of quest progress so that someone teamed with a lower level who is matching their level sees the low level version.
Consider: when your camera is near a source of sound effects, you hear them. Music can be different based on camera position. Likewise, a camera inside a nebula will see all of space differently.
Go to sector space partway between DS9 and the Badlands. Scroll your camera way back into the badlands cloud and you'll see DS9 displayed inside the Badlands sky effect.
Ie. some effects are clientside. Likewise, cinematics are clientside.
So, for example, two people could conceivably see different people as the Klingon chancellor, which could allow, say, a story about J'mpok being replaced by having him "recostumed" clientside or by having players not appear to other players on certain parts of the same map, including altered terrain geometry.
It's a tech hurdle but one for which the basis of addressing already exists in the engine.
I wonder if they themselves would subscribe to STO... and for how long.
Wow! that was an excellent post... and you really nailed the point home with that last bit.
Very well said on all counts and echos my sentiments for the game precisely.
I'm not here because MMO game play mechanics are the pinnacle of gaming bliss... but because I enjoy boldly going where no man has gone before. Here's hoping the team starts focusing on more Trekocity!
I'm not here because MMO game play mechanics are the pinnacle of gaming bliss... but because I enjoy boldly going where no man has gone before. Here's hoping the team starts focusing on more Trekocity!
There are Foundry missions out there that fill like TREK more than some of the official content that has cutscenes and voiceovers and gimmicky gameplay elements. TREK is about the writing and the mission design not just gameplay.
There are Foundry missions out there that fill like TREK more than some of the official content that has cutscenes and voiceovers and gimmicky gameplay elements. TREK is about the writing and the mission design not just gameplay.
But Cryptic is the one being paid.
That underscores which party is charged with the task of providing content.
I have recently come back to the game after a long time off. I left because personally I wasn't getting what I considered value for my monthly subscripion dollar.
F2P has me back. This time around I am, at this point, only doing space missions if I can help it. The ground missions are just too, well, lacking is the diplomatic term I will use.
However, when I am in space, looking at my ship, I am sucked right back into the game again. The current content is all new to me, more or less, so I am not jaded, but I can see that it will get repetitive (more borg STFs anyone? ) after a while.
In all honesty, there is nothing wrong with STO that some good story writers and plot continuity people couldn't fix. Take Mass Effect as an example. Their "game mechanics" are not that different in many ways, lots of stuff to blow up, ground combat that is too short ranged, etc... What sets ME apart from other titles is the depth of the plot and the very good writing of it, coupled with offering a couple different ways to attack a problem.
Offering choices in problem sloving should not be terribly difficult, good writers are another matter, however.
I will be sticking with the game to see how the future pans out. The Star Trek universe has been a part of me since that first episode aired so long ago, I can't see it leaving me now.
Rear Admiral ElAurens, Task Force Three
Commanding NCC 94023 USS Takao, Excelsior re-fit.
Comments
Oh, I completely understand. I'm very much the same way when it comes to Trek. And probably evident in a few of my posts, not just here but elsewhere in the forums.
*giggles*
I don't think they have a rabid catgirl in those movies, Sir. Yet that is.
I could accept your explanation for the Federation equipment in Romulan hands but what about the Borg or the Hirogen or the pirates that also use them? The bottom line and the truth is no one from Cryptic has a clue what those props look like and thus could not have rendered a graphical illustration of them.
How about having realistic crew injuries/deaths? Like 2 or 3 per battle, not hundreds.
If one faction can cloak/warp out of battle, then all factions should be able to. The factor of which player wins should be heavily based on player skill, gimping one side intentionally and contrary to canon is not the correct approach, MMO or not.
I'm not opposed to a tier 5 what ever...hell, I'd have liked it if Nissan came out with a new Z that looked identical to the 1996 version but with new technology so I can certainly appreciate Starfleet doing the same.. I do take issue when that ship has better technology than a newer ship. At a minimum, they should be the same. Call it a "skin" for the games sake if it pleases you.
I can recall many battle scenes with the Enterprise D, the Defiant and Voyager where the ship was out gunned or damaged to heavily to remain in the battle and so they warp out....and the Defiant "battle cloaked" all the time...and I do mean...ALL THE TIME.
They warned me off of the CO forums too, but that didn't stop me. Still had people coming by at least once a week saying something to the effect of, "Damn Dawg! You really stepped in it this time!"
I don't like being insulted, but I do like hearing what you guys think/like/hate/want, and I want to give you what you want. It's just not always feasible.
The game is in the state it's in, and nothing we can do will alter the past. But hopefully I can help shape the future.
:::gets in DeLorean:::
You know that Mr. Fusions are not very "Green"... Just sayin
If Tumerboy is here now, who is going to make me new hideouts for my CO heroes? HMMM???
ETA: "Mr Fusion" was my first CO character :P
...very green...
I am glad to hear that you have a pretty thick hide for many reasons. Just one of which is that you seem to want to openly communicate with us and I greatly appreciate that.
As for the state of the game, you have to realize that since the beginning we have had the likes of Craig Z and Dstahl preaching in podcasts and interviews how much they are excited and how many great things are in the pipe. Although I do not doubt their enthusiasm and love of the franchise and game, there are many people who are more than disappointed with the serious lack of progress to get us down that pipe. Right now it seems that the pipe is seriously clogged and not even nuclear strength Drain-O will help clear it to many peoples expectations.
That being said, I am a lifer and have the luxury of riding it out to see where we end up without loosing anything along the way. There are many who do not have that luxury though who have a limited entertainment budget, or have been jaded to the point of never coming back. When I started way back at launch, I met a great group of people. there was close to 100 of us in a fleet. Now there is just me. So you can see why I am tending to be very skeptical.
Just so you post trolls understand, I am not talking to you or for you, I speak for the many who have left the game that I know and that I still have contact with in other games.
Keep up the open communication line Tumerboy, it is appreciated by me and am sure some others.
I believe CO still has A_N_U_B_I_S, who is also an environment artist.
*leaves the game*
He speaks for me! Yay!
Sorry, yeah.
I are a lifer as well. And I plan to be for as long as possible. And hell, in all honesty, no matter how heated things are and how rawer I am in a thread, I'm actually a little giddy when I see a developer respond to a thread I'm involved in or even more, one I start. This comes from years and years of playing other MMO's where the GMs and Developers were an elusive bunch who were crabby if you ever dragged them out of their hole.
The fact that you haven't banned me for being rawer at you makes me smile. Though, I'm sure you understand where all that rawer comes from.
Hey, I was right too. From the CO boards...
Did you ever see Picard have to give a replicator 20 energy credits for his many cups of hot earl grey tea :rolleyes:
They were auto-deducted. :-)
For what it's worth I love the vast majority of what STO is. I don't play the STFs because i'm not into grind, I'll probably "buy" most of the rD I need because I only want to play dailies when i want to and not to hit some daily number of ore to refine.
My number 1 "gripe" is that we need more content, and by content I mean missions, stories, FEs, not repeatable dailies that don't advance a storyline.
For a lot of the other "gripes" mentioned in this thread, I'm not so attached to canon that a romulan using a fed tricorder bothers me. For the multiple solutions to finishing a mission, I just don't think people understand that what may be easy to impliment in a RPG simply won't work in an MMO. Just my two cents.
P.S. I think it's great that you continue dialoging on tough issues. You take the heat and respond honestly and directly, please don't stop doing this, we need more of it. And never take it personally. My boss at an ISP that will remain unnamed had a poster in his office; "It's not your fault... It IS your problem." Keep trying to come up with solutions and even if they don't all make the mark, I think the vast majority of the community will applaud the effort.
WoW.
For a service provider to find this statement truthful is disappointing given the likelihood said provider created said problem. As is the case with STO's problems and its provider, Cyrptic.
No, the provider may be at fault, this statement was for the tech support - or call center - division. We have no control over outages or poor installations, but we do have the responsibility of fixing it. I think you misinterpreted the meaning.
In that context, I agree with the statement.
VERY commendable of you, and please spread the word to the "fora scardycats" that usually the reason foras degenerate into a so called cesspit is because people feel like they aren´t listened to.
As for the OP, sorry but you´re wrong on every account.
The future of this Trek experience here is to GET ON WITH THE WARS!
Meaning to survive the onslaught of the dominant species of about 3 of the 4 quadrants in this Galaxy and assorted neighboring realities/universes. :rolleyes:
Cryptic´s current main future goal should be to make this "slightly" ridiculous n-front war believably survivable.
So that it doesn´t feel like your typical MMO experience that just wants to mask it´s lack of ideas with hiding behind higher level mobs that do the same but just look different for difference sake.
Or even DON`T make it survivable!
As this is a sharded server anyway it should be possible to have people in instances depending on level.
Lets say all peeps at current level cap get an event the shows the feds are defeated mirror universe style. Now everyone off those get a new VA 2nd grade "lvl51" cap and end up in a exclusive VAII51+ only version of the current galaxy.
Instead of hunting every last Fedship down the victors are busy fighting each other and the Borg, effectively forgetting to stomp out the smoldering ruins of the Federation.
A nice foundation for a "back from the ashes" scenario.
You probably don't even need to shard.
You can probably have something like "Phasing" from WoW only tie it to level instead of quest progress so that someone teamed with a lower level who is matching their level sees the low level version.
Consider: when your camera is near a source of sound effects, you hear them. Music can be different based on camera position. Likewise, a camera inside a nebula will see all of space differently.
Go to sector space partway between DS9 and the Badlands. Scroll your camera way back into the badlands cloud and you'll see DS9 displayed inside the Badlands sky effect.
Ie. some effects are clientside. Likewise, cinematics are clientside.
So, for example, two people could conceivably see different people as the Klingon chancellor, which could allow, say, a story about J'mpok being replaced by having him "recostumed" clientside or by having players not appear to other players on certain parts of the same map, including altered terrain geometry.
It's a tech hurdle but one for which the basis of addressing already exists in the engine.
Wow! that was an excellent post... and you really nailed the point home with that last bit.
Very well said on all counts and echos my sentiments for the game precisely.
I'm not here because MMO game play mechanics are the pinnacle of gaming bliss... but because I enjoy boldly going where no man has gone before. Here's hoping the team starts focusing on more Trekocity!
But Cryptic is the one being paid.
That underscores which party is charged with the task of providing content.
I have recently come back to the game after a long time off. I left because personally I wasn't getting what I considered value for my monthly subscripion dollar.
F2P has me back. This time around I am, at this point, only doing space missions if I can help it. The ground missions are just too, well, lacking is the diplomatic term I will use.
However, when I am in space, looking at my ship, I am sucked right back into the game again. The current content is all new to me, more or less, so I am not jaded, but I can see that it will get repetitive (more borg STFs anyone? ) after a while.
In all honesty, there is nothing wrong with STO that some good story writers and plot continuity people couldn't fix. Take Mass Effect as an example. Their "game mechanics" are not that different in many ways, lots of stuff to blow up, ground combat that is too short ranged, etc... What sets ME apart from other titles is the depth of the plot and the very good writing of it, coupled with offering a couple different ways to attack a problem.
Offering choices in problem sloving should not be terribly difficult, good writers are another matter, however.
I will be sticking with the game to see how the future pans out. The Star Trek universe has been a part of me since that first episode aired so long ago, I can't see it leaving me now.
Rear Admiral ElAurens, Task Force Three
Commanding NCC 94023 USS Takao, Excelsior re-fit.