Summary: This is a good mission, especially for your first time developing one. The map designs are very well done and the story dialogue is very well written throughout. The battles are pretty easy throughout but still fun, despite the fact that I hate spiders. I would definitely recommend this mission to other players, albeit closer to 45 minutes long rather than your estimated 30 minutes.
The only real criticism I have of the story is that the murder of the Vulcan Seltok and the ships first officer are not really addressed in the mission wrap up. Without giving too much of the story away, I would recommend you address that issue with dialogue regarding the loss and the potential outcome for the murder of them based on what influences they were under at the time. Otherwise I felt the story was well written and the mission was a lot of fun to play.
One last quick thing is to address the excessive use of the fog and gas effects on a couple of the maps. I understand the feel of the map you were trying to achieve but they became more of a distraction rather than a element of the story. This does not mean you should completely remove all the gas and fog effects but consider cutting them down a little so the player can enjoy the map designs and battles you created a little more.
Below are some things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit.
Mission Description: The description is a good start but needs a little more story development. Your goal here is to draw the player in and make them want to click the "Hail" button. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant mission and follow-on dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "Sir, incoming Message from Admiral Ry'Valar" to read "Sir, incoming message from Admiral Ry'Valar".
-The "Admiral Ry'Valar" dialogue; consider changing the [OOC] dialogue at the bottom to [MissionInfo] dialogue. That will make it more recognizable as mission required information.
Mission Task: The initial mission task should have the start location for the first custom map. This will help your players find the starting point of your mission.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS: Scarlet Eye (near Kei system): This is a good map design with well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
S.S. Mindscape: This is a good map design with several easy battles and well written dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "They appear to be harmless for all I can say so far" to read "As far as I can tell they seem harmless".
-Consider changing "leave alone explain the abnormal environmental conditions" to read "let alone explain the abnormal environmental conditions".
-The fog and gas effects are a little overdone on this map. Consider reducing them a little more so the player can enjoy your map design and the combat.
-The post "Search Laboratory Computer" dialogue; consider changing "We must advance and locate the crew, they may still be in acute danger" to read "We must locate the crew; they may still be in danger".
-The post "Examine Bodies" dialogue; consider changing "they've been scavenging heavily on the bodies" to read "they've been feeding heavily on the bodies".
-The post "Go to Main Engineering" dialogue; consider changing "still enough to realize they had caught themselves quite a few containers of biological specimen" to read "still enough time to realize they had take several biological specimens in the containers they stole from the cargo bay".
-Consider changing "Worthless to them, and they probably thought it was a funny pull to beam the specimen back to my cargo bay" to read "Worthless to them, so they probably thought it would be funny to beam the specimens back to the cargo bay without the containers".
-Consider removing "Kept the spare containers, though" if you use the above dialogue recommendation.
-Consider changing "and trying to defend her specimen personally" to read "and trying to defend her specimens personally".
-Consider changing "I won't let this happen to Leyo, no matter at what cost" to read "I won't let that happen to Leyo, no matter the cost".
-Consider changing "For all I could spot" to read "From what I could see".
-The post "Defend Main Engineering" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], the Mindscape's transporter is active" to read "[Rank], the Mindscape's transporter have been activated".
Scarlet Eye Caverns: This is a good map design with some easy battles and one a little stronger. The story dialogue is well written. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The fog and gas effects are a little overdone on this map. Consider reducing them a little more so the player can enjoy your map design and the combat.
-Consider adding a respawn point deeper into the map for the last battle.
Scarlet Eye: This is a good map design with well written story dialogue that wraps up the mission nicely. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. You did a great job creating this mission, especially being your first try at it. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
FYI rating system is back up if you hadn't seen it already. Hope you've got time sometime to go back to mine and give me that 5 star.
Thanks again for doing the reviews, I'm actually picking up missions to do from these.
Thanks for the heads up. I noted that the rating system was up this morning and have started to go back in to give ratings to all the missions I've done that I could not leave ratings with before.
I am glad you found the mission reviews helpful and a guide to other good missions to play.
The item is "Grate - Generic Ship 01" it is 5X4X1 and might work to build steps and platforms.
Brian
It does kinda work. there is a small catch however. It's kinda small. Making a proper walk way out of it would prove quite difficult. I am gonna try looking for more flat objects to use in the future. This does seem like it would make decent stairs though.
It does kinda work. there is a small catch however. It's kinda small. Making a proper walk way out of it would prove quite difficult. I am gonna try looking for more flat objects to use in the future. This does seem like it would make decent stairs though.
I was thinking it would work better for steps rather than the consoles and other objects you currently use for this mission.
I think I have now caught up on all the ratings I was not able to enter while the rating system was down.
Thanks to everyone who authors missions. You make the game a much richer environment for the rest of the player's in the game. Keep up the good work.
Brian
I was thinking it would work better for steps rather than the consoles and other objects you currently use for this mission.
Brian
Yeah, for small staircases anyways. But the 14 meter monster staircase I'm using for Vorn5? Um.... I think I'll replace it with a giant ramp. I had to use 6 of those cube objects for it. A sideways giant ramp should work out ok. I'll decorate it with Borg junk to make it look like it belongs there.
Thanks a lot for taking the time for such a detailed review - particularly for the extensive feedback concerning the dialog. As English isn't my native language, there's probably always little details I'm missing or getting wrong(ish), and there's only so much a spellchecker can do. Thus, I found your suggestions very helpful. I assume I'll stick reasonably close to them.
I wasn't too sure about the of quantity fog either, so I see there's probably reason for some fine-tuning :rolleyes:.
Again, thanks for taking the time to review, and I'm glad you've had your bit of fun with the mission - even though you hate spiders .
Yeah, for small staircases anyways. But the 14 meter monster staircase I'm using for Vorn5? Um.... I think I'll replace it with a giant ramp. I had to use 6 of those cube objects for it. A sideways giant ramp should work out ok. I'll decorate it with Borg junk to make it look like it belongs there.
Thanks a lot for taking the time for such a detailed review - particularly for the extensive feedback concerning the dialog. As English isn't my native language, there's probably always little details I'm missing or getting wrong(ish), and there's only so much a spellchecker can do. Thus, I found your suggestions very helpful. I assume I'll stick reasonably close to them.
I wasn't too sure about the of quantity fog either, so I see there's probably reason for some fine-tuning :rolleyes:.
Again, thanks for taking the time to review, and I'm glad you've had your bit of fun with the mission - even though you hate spiders .
Glad I could help. I enjoyed the mission and I thought it was very creative. Well done!
Summary: This is a great concept for a mission and you have done a pretty good job with it so far, especially considering this is your first attempt at creating a mission. The overall length is more than an hour with the combination of battles and story dialogue. You may want to cut back some of the battles and interactions or create some "Skip Dialogue" options that will provide the player with a summary of what they need to know to complete the mission. Based on the number of spelling and grammatical errors I listed below I am going to guess English is not your primary language. You are still way ahead of me as I can only order beer and ask where the bathroom is in about 5 different languages. With that in mind I have spent extra time detailing specific recommendation for dialogue changes to help improve the mission. Your battle balancing is pretty good for having done this for the first time. The battles were tough but pretty well coordinated with assisting forces when needed.
Your use of the response button "Continue" was a little excessive for me. As I have always said there is a good place for this to be used but it is usually when the player is reading a log entry or something along those lines. In those cases there is no reason for the player to respond, but when a BOFF makes a report, or there is a statement made by an NPC that needs a response it should be made. Consider revisiting your response button choices to bring them more in line with the dialogue that precedes them. In addition to this I noted a number of times where dialogue strings could be combined to make the story flow more smoothly. The constant loop back to a "Talk to NPC" buttons can get a little tedious.
Below are some things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit. I hope this report helps you.
Mission Description: This is a very detailed description. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and is about to invade Arcadia" to read "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and are about to invade Arcadia"
-Consider changing "You, the captain of your ship, is assigned to help with the defense force" to read "You are assigned to aid the planetary defense forces".
-Consider changing "When a horrible evil strikes, Arcadia is in question of protection" to read "When things go wrong the Arcadians start to doubt the Federations resolve".
-Consider changing "Their questioning, could become a great war larger than the current Klingon War" to read "The Arcadian doubts could lead to a larger war that would dwarf the current war with the Klingons".
-Consider deleting "Join the quest of destinies in the first episode of Fate".
-The warning regarding the BOFFs getting stuck; if you tested it in the Foundry map pathing is not fully implemented until the mission is published. If it continues to be a problem after publishing then examine the location where the BOFFs get stuck and fix it.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "When they hitted that mark, they became a independent government" to read "When they reached that level they became declared themselves an independent government.
-Consider changing "They just got a new federation starbase, Starbase 228" to read "A new Federation Starbase, designation 228, was just completed".
-Consider changing "Recently, Klingon ships were sighted in a direction the the Maeiwski System We believe they will attack" to read "Intelligence reports a Klingon fleet was heading in the direction of the Maeiwski System. We believe they intend to attack".
-Consider changing "Your mission is to link with the Arcadian Defense Fleet" to read "Your mission is to link up with the Arcadian Defense Forces".
Mission Task: The initial mission task should have the start location for the first custom map. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider changing the response button "Lets not make Arcadia wait so long" to read "Let's not make Arcadia wait so long".
MAPS: Arcadia: This is a good map design with several fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The "Tell me about the Arcadian Defense Force" dialogue; consider changing "Others are imported from starfleet" to read "Others are imported from Starfleet"
-Use of the response button "Continue". I noted it used several times throughout the mission. From this point I will note it on the maps and cover it in my summary.
-The "Tell me more about Arcadia" dialogue; consider adding a "." at the end of "and cities".
-The "Oman" dialogue; consider changing "Look like the Klingons are about to bring a tough fight" to read "The Klingons are almost here and it looks like they have come for a fight".
-Consider changing "From the ships sensors, I predict about 3 waves" to read "My readings indicate 3 separate waves inbound".
-Consider changing the response button "Doesn't seem much" to read "Doesn't seem like much".
-Consider changing "It would be helpfuk to get into position" to read "It would be helpful to get into position".
-The post "Defeat First Wave" dialogue; consider changing "It looks like its a joint operation" to read "It looks like it's a joint operation".
-The post "Defeat Third Wave" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], I have new orders" to read "[Rank], I have new orders for you".
-Consider changing "Some of the patrol ships I sent never got back" to read "Several of the patrol ships I sent out never came back".
-Consider changing "Those ships were the ones that informed me of this" to read "They were the ones that gave us the heads up on the inbound Klingon ships".
-Consider changing "Let me inform you, the last transmission from them said Plasma" to read "The last transmission we received from them only said "Plasma" then they were cut off".
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with a tough battle. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "we should go closer" to read "we will need to get closer".
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing all dialogue and objects spelling of "satelite" to read "satellite".
-The post "Defeat the Borg" dialogue; consider changing "Those Probes cloaked in" to read "Those Probes came in cloaked".
-Consider changing "I have nerver seen a cloaking Borg starship" to read "I have never seen a cloaking Borg starship".
-The "Talk to the U.S.S. Black Mesa" dialogue; consider changing "Every ship in the Borg and my fleet was destroyed" to read "The Borg destroyed my entire fleet".
-Consider changing "Before my ship was targeted, I serperated the fore and after section of the ship" to read "My drive section was severely damaged so I had to separate from it".
-Consider changing "Every single crew member got in the saucer, but the Borg got in the saucer" to read "I was able to evacuate my entire crew to the saucer before separating, but the Borg took advantage of our shields being down and boarded us".
-Consider changing "now we are under heavy assault" to read "Now we are under attack and need your help immediately". If you use this recommendation then delete "We need you here".
-Consider deleting the dialogue and response button for "What do you want me to do". Then move the "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to the end of the " to the "What happened here" dialogue string.
-Consider changing "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help defend the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]".
-Consider changing the response button "Don't leave without me" to read "Energize".
U.S.S. Black Mesa: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted several items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "The Officer's location is in your map captain" to read "Captain we need to find the Commanding Officer". Most players know to refer to the map for locations of storyline NPC and object interactions.
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The "Talk to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Borg took every single part of the ship except this area" to read "The Borg have taken almost every part of the ship except this area".
-Consider changing "Some of my troops have engaged the Borg alone" to read "My crew have engaged the Borg but are barely holding on"
-Consider changing "You should attack the Borg" to read "With your help I think we can wipe the Borg infestation out". If you use this recommendation then delete "Some of my troops would help".
-The ship dialogue; consider changing "You might feel shaking in there" to read "We will do our best to keep them off you until you finish clearing the Borg".
-Consider removing some of the debris from the far end of the map. It adds nothing to the story and serves to trap BOFFs.
-The post "Defeat Borg Squadrons" dialogue; consider changing "We should go back to the officer" to read "We should report back to the Commanding Officer".
-The "Go back to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Thank you for your assistance. you should beam up to your ship" to read "Thanks for your help, I think we can take it from here".
-Consider changing "Surrender your vessel, and prepare to be boarded" to read "Resistance is futile".
-Consider changing the response button "Get off this line freak" to read "We will see about that".
-Consider changing "Borg beam signatures detected" to read "Borg transporter signatures detected".
-The "Talk with the Commanding Officer Again" dialogue; consider changing "It seems like they have placed a counter-offensive" to read "It appears as though they have started a counter-offensive".
-Consider changing "Go talk with my Engineering Officer for that" to read "My Engineering Officer can help you with that".
-The "Talk with Lieutenant Engineering Officer" dialogue; consider moving the "Any way to stop this" dialogue string under the "Do you know what is happening" dialogue string and delete it as a separate dialogue string. There is no value added to the story by having two separate choices here.
-Consider changing "The have planted a jamming device in this ship, which prevents you to communicate or beam to your ship" to read "They have planted a jamming device aboard this ship, which interfere with communications and transporters".
-If you combine the dialogue strings into one you will need to change the entire first paragraph starting with "First of all" and ending with "have been disabled". The entire dialogue string could be changed to read; "To overcome the jamming you will need to destroy the Borg jamming devices. The Borg also disabled the transporters. You will then need to redirect power from the engines and shields in order to restore transporters. Once you have done that you will be able to transport to your ship".
-If you do not combine the dialogue strings then consider using the changes above in place of what you are using currently.
-Consider changing "The ship will be destroyed if its targeted by the Borg" to read "The ship will be destroyed if it's targeted by the Borg".
-Consider changing "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship to protect us at all costs" to read "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship and tell them to protect us at all costs".
-The post "Destroy the Jamming Device" dialogue pops up as Borg drones beam in so the player cannot read the entire dialogue until they have defeated them. This distracts from the story. Consider making the dialogue something that must be triggered after the "Destroy the Jamming Device" task is completed. This will allow the player to read the dialogue after defeating the Borg reinforcements.
-Consider changing the tasks "Disable Shield Systems" and "Disable Engine Systems" to read "Reroute power from Shield Systems" and Reroute power from Engine Systems".
-The task for the player to "Report to the Lieutenant Engineering Officer" by returning to her location seems to be unnecessary for the story. Consider triggering the dialogue with the Lieutenant Engineering Officer after the Engines and Shields are disabled.
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but need a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Plot point to consider; the initial dialogue states that "communications were damaged beyond repair" yet after the distress signal is sent we receive communications from the Black Mesa and another ship. Consider changing that line to "long range communications are offline".
-Consider changing "The satelite we saw should be able to send the distress signal" to read "We should be able to use the satellite to send the distress signal".
-Consider changing the task "Program the Satelite to send a Message" to read "Program the Satellite to send the Distress Call".
-The post "Program the Satelite to send a Message" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], our power to the shields and engines are restored" to read "[Rank], we have restored power to engines and shields".
-Plot point to consider; the Black Mesa is destroyed during the battle. Once the Borg ships are destroyed in the final battle the U.S.S. Tranquility states "I got the Black Mesa". You should consider having the Black Mesa sit out the fight by making it an NPC contact. You can say they were hit in the first volley by the Borg and their propulsion has been knocked out.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing the task "Go Closer" to read "Get Closer".
-The "Hail the A.D.S. Faithful" dialogue; consider changing the response button "That is... a shame" to read "If we had only been here sooner".
-The post "Defeat the Borg Cube" dialogue; consider changing "Borg started to warp that" to read "The Borg started to warp in after that".
-Consider changing the response button "I missed out in all the fun" to read "What do you need me to do sir". Then delete the dialogue that followed that response button. It is not funny and it distracts from the serious nature of the story.
-Consider deleting the entire dialogue starting with "I'm going to" and ending with "lowered". Then remove the "Static Interference" effect as it adds nothing to the story and if the player get's turned around in the fighting it makes it harder to find the station without the maps. It is more annoying than anything else.
Starbase 228: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs some work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "[MissionInfo]Battle the Borg out of the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Drive the Borg from the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]"
-Consider combining the Transporter Chief dialogue into one dialogue string.
-Consider changing "Thank you for coming soon" to read "Thank you for your help". If you combine the dialogue strings you can change the response button "Continue" to read "Where is the Starbase Commander". Then you would follow with the dialogue string indicating the location of the base commander.
-I am not sure where to begin with the negotiations dialogue. The dialogue and responses seem a little disoriented. There is no clear path to pursue the negotiation so the player is forced to click random series of buttons until they find the right combination. Consider adding the Away Team Science BOFF input on the approach to take with the Arcadian Ambassador. Otherwise the player is blindly poking at buttons until they get the right combination. At this point I will not try to break down any spelling or grammatical errors in this series or dialogue strings.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The post "Scan Portal" dialogue; consider changing the response button "Let's show them what the Federation is" to read "Let's show them what the Federation is made of".
-The post "Destroy the Borg Cubes" dialogue; consider changing "No matter, Arcadians are now in question" to read "The Arcadians have a decision to make".
-Consider changing "or break away into the Klingon Empire" to read "or break away, and join the Klingon Empire".
-Consider deleting "I need you to come back soon".
-Consider changing "For now, it's the Arcadian's decision" to read "It's up to the Arcadian's now".
-Consider changing "In other news" to read "At least there is some good news".
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. Do not be discouraged by the length of this report or the issues I have identified in it. Considering this is the first time you have created a mission it has a great story and has a lot of potential to be a great mission with some improvements. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
This is my first attempt, and sadly due to the limitations of the foundry, there was much I just could not accomplish.
What I did do, I hope you enjoy!
Here are some hints to help you get the most from the episode:
Not everything is as it seems. Explore the maps, you may well stumble onto an unexpected side-arc. Alternative scenarios and choices play an important of the storyline, but to achieve this, I was unable to include it in the main storyline. Before rushing through the "main" story arc, listen to what the NPC's are telling you. They could be giving you clues of what to do next!
I wish I could reward the players in some way for completing tasks, but alas simply knowing that you saved the day will have to suffice!
Notes:
If there is one thing more than anything I would like to see included in the Foundry tool, it would be the ability to include side-arc missions, and special rewards for individual tasks. Did I mention more assets?
Summary: This is a great concept for a mission and you have done a pretty good job with it so far, especially considering this is your first attempt at creating a mission. The overall length is more than an hour with the combination of battles and story dialogue. You may want to cut back some of the battles and interactions or create some "Skip Dialogue" options that will provide the player with a summary of what they need to know to complete the mission. Based on the number of spelling and grammatical errors I listed below I am going to guess English is not your primary language. You are still way ahead of me as I can only order beer and ask where the bathroom is in about 5 different languages. With that in mind I have spent extra time detailing specific recommendation for dialogue changes to help improve the mission. Your battle balancing is pretty good for having done this for the first time. The battles were tough but pretty well coordinated with assisting forces when needed.
Your use of the response button "Continue" was a little excessive for me. As I have always said there is a good place for this to be used but it is usually when the player is reading a log entry or something along those lines. In those cases there is no reason for the player to respond, but when a BOFF makes a report, or there is a statement made by an NPC that needs a response it should be made. Consider revisiting your response button choices to bring them more in line with the dialogue that precedes them. In addition to this I noted a number of times where dialogue strings could be combined to make the story flow more smoothly. The constant loop back to a "Talk to NPC" buttons can get a little tedious.
Below are some things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit. I hope this report helps you.
Mission Description: This is a very detailed description. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and is about to invade Arcadia" to read "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and are about to invade Arcadia"
-Consider changing "You, the captain of your ship, is assigned to help with the defense force" to read "You are assigned to aid the planetary defense forces".
-Consider changing "When a horrible evil strikes, Arcadia is in question of protection" to read "When things go wrong the Arcadians start to doubt the Federations resolve".
-Consider changing "Their questioning, could become a great war larger than the current Klingon War" to read "The Arcadian doubts could lead to a larger war that would dwarf the current war with the Klingons".
-Consider deleting "Join the quest of destinies in the first episode of Fate".
-The warning regarding the BOFFs getting stuck; if you tested it in the Foundry map pathing is not fully implemented until the mission is published. If it continues to be a problem after publishing then examine the location where the BOFFs get stuck and fix it.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "When they hitted that mark, they became a independent government" to read "When they reached that level they became declared themselves an independent government.
-Consider changing "They just got a new federation starbase, Starbase 228" to read "A new Federation Starbase, designation 228, was just completed".
-Consider changing "Recently, Klingon ships were sighted in a direction the the Maeiwski System We believe they will attack" to read "Intelligence reports a Klingon fleet was heading in the direction of the Maeiwski System. We believe they intend to attack".
-Consider changing "Your mission is to link with the Arcadian Defense Fleet" to read "Your mission is to link up with the Arcadian Defense Forces".
Mission Task: The initial mission task should have the start location for the first custom map. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider changing the response button "Lets not make Arcadia wait so long" to read "Let's not make Arcadia wait so long".
MAPS: Arcadia: This is a good map design with several fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The "Tell me about the Arcadian Defense Force" dialogue; consider changing "Others are imported from starfleet" to read "Others are imported from Starfleet"
-Use of the response button "Continue". I noted it used several times throughout the mission. From this point I will note it on the maps and cover it in my summary.
-The "Tell me more about Arcadia" dialogue; consider adding a "." at the end of "and cities".
-The "Oman" dialogue; consider changing "Look like the Klingons are about to bring a tough fight" to read "The Klingons are almost here and it looks like they have come for a fight".
-Consider changing "From the ships sensors, I predict about 3 waves" to read "My readings indicate 3 separate waves inbound".
-Consider changing the response button "Doesn't seem much" to read "Doesn't seem like much".
-Consider changing "It would be helpfuk to get into position" to read "It would be helpful to get into position".
-The post "Defeat First Wave" dialogue; consider changing "It looks like its a joint operation" to read "It looks like it's a joint operation".
-The post "Defeat Third Wave" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], I have new orders" to read "[Rank], I have new orders for you".
-Consider changing "Some of the patrol ships I sent never got back" to read "Several of the patrol ships I sent out never came back".
-Consider changing "Those ships were the ones that informed me of this" to read "They were the ones that gave us the heads up on the inbound Klingon ships".
-Consider changing "Let me inform you, the last transmission from them said Plasma" to read "The last transmission we received from them only said "Plasma" then they were cut off".
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with a tough battle. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "we should go closer" to read "we will need to get closer".
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing all dialogue and objects spelling of "satelite" to read "satellite".
-The post "Defeat the Borg" dialogue; consider changing "Those Probes cloaked in" to read "Those Probes came in cloaked".
-Consider changing "I have nerver seen a cloaking Borg starship" to read "I have never seen a cloaking Borg starship".
-The "Talk to the U.S.S. Black Mesa" dialogue; consider changing "Every ship in the Borg and my fleet was destroyed" to read "The Borg destroyed my entire fleet".
-Consider changing "Before my ship was targeted, I serperated the fore and after section of the ship" to read "My drive section was severely damaged so I had to separate from it".
-Consider changing "Every single crew member got in the saucer, but the Borg got in the saucer" to read "I was able to evacuate my entire crew to the saucer before separating, but the Borg took advantage of our shields being down and boarded us".
-Consider changing "now we are under heavy assault" to read "Now we are under attack and need your help immediately". If you use this recommendation then delete "We need you here".
-Consider deleting the dialogue and response button for "What do you want me to do". Then move the "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to the end of the " to the "What happened here" dialogue string.
-Consider changing "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help defend the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]".
-Consider changing the response button "Don't leave without me" to read "Energize".
U.S.S. Black Mesa: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted several items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "The Officer's location is in your map captain" to read "Captain we need to find the Commanding Officer". Most players know to refer to the map for locations of storyline NPC and object interactions.
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The "Talk to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Borg took every single part of the ship except this area" to read "The Borg have taken almost every part of the ship except this area".
-Consider changing "Some of my troops have engaged the Borg alone" to read "My crew have engaged the Borg but are barely holding on"
-Consider changing "You should attack the Borg" to read "With your help I think we can wipe the Borg infestation out". If you use this recommendation then delete "Some of my troops would help".
-The ship dialogue; consider changing "You might feel shaking in there" to read "We will do our best to keep them off you until you finish clearing the Borg".
-Consider removing some of the debris from the far end of the map. It adds nothing to the story and serves to trap BOFFs.
-The post "Defeat Borg Squadrons" dialogue; consider changing "We should go back to the officer" to read "We should report back to the Commanding Officer".
-The "Go back to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Thank you for your assistance. you should beam up to your ship" to read "Thanks for your help, I think we can take it from here".
-Consider changing "Surrender your vessel, and prepare to be boarded" to read "Resistance is futile".
-Consider changing the response button "Get off this line freak" to read "We will see about that".
-Consider changing "Borg beam signatures detected" to read "Borg transporter signatures detected".
-The "Talk with the Commanding Officer Again" dialogue; consider changing "It seems like they have placed a counter-offensive" to read "It appears as though they have started a counter-offensive".
-Consider changing "Go talk with my Engineering Officer for that" to read "My Engineering Officer can help you with that".
-The "Talk with Lieutenant Engineering Officer" dialogue; consider moving the "Any way to stop this" dialogue string under the "Do you know what is happening" dialogue string and delete it as a separate dialogue string. There is no value added to the story by having two separate choices here.
-Consider changing "The have planted a jamming device in this ship, which prevents you to communicate or beam to your ship" to read "They have planted a jamming device aboard this ship, which interfere with communications and transporters".
-If you combine the dialogue strings into one you will need to change the entire first paragraph starting with "First of all" and ending with "have been disabled". The entire dialogue string could be changed to read; "To overcome the jamming you will need to destroy the Borg jamming devices. The Borg also disabled the transporters. You will then need to redirect power from the engines and shields in order to restore transporters. Once you have done that you will be able to transport to your ship".
-If you do not combine the dialogue strings then consider using the changes above in place of what you are using currently.
-Consider changing "The ship will be destroyed if its targeted by the Borg" to read "The ship will be destroyed if it's targeted by the Borg".
-Consider changing "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship to protect us at all costs" to read "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship and tell them to protect us at all costs".
-The post "Destroy the Jamming Device" dialogue pops up as Borg drones beam in so the player cannot read the entire dialogue until they have defeated them. This distracts from the story. Consider making the dialogue something that must be triggered after the "Destroy the Jamming Device" task is completed. This will allow the player to read the dialogue after defeating the Borg reinforcements.
-Consider changing the tasks "Disable Shield Systems" and "Disable Engine Systems" to read "Reroute power from Shield Systems" and Reroute power from Engine Systems".
-The task for the player to "Report to the Lieutenant Engineering Officer" by returning to her location seems to be unnecessary for the story. Consider triggering the dialogue with the Lieutenant Engineering Officer after the Engines and Shields are disabled.
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but need a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Plot point to consider; the initial dialogue states that "communications were damaged beyond repair" yet after the distress signal is sent we receive communications from the Black Mesa and another ship. Consider changing that line to "long range communications are offline".
-Consider changing "The satelite we saw should be able to send the distress signal" to read "We should be able to use the satellite to send the distress signal".
-Consider changing the task "Program the Satelite to send a Message" to read "Program the Satellite to send the Distress Call".
-The post "Program the Satelite to send a Message" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], our power to the shields and engines are restored" to read "[Rank], we have restored power to engines and shields".
-Plot point to consider; the Black Mesa is destroyed during the battle. Once the Borg ships are destroyed in the final battle the U.S.S. Tranquility states "I got the Black Mesa". You should consider having the Black Mesa sit out the fight by making it an NPC contact. You can say they were hit in the first volley by the Borg and their propulsion has been knocked out.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing the task "Go Closer" to read "Get Closer".
-The "Hail the A.D.S. Faithful" dialogue; consider changing the response button "That is... a shame" to read "If we had only been here sooner".
-The post "Defeat the Borg Cube" dialogue; consider changing "Borg started to warp that" to read "The Borg started to warp in after that".
-Consider changing the response button "I missed out in all the fun" to read "What do you need me to do sir". Then delete the dialogue that followed that response button. It is not funny and it distracts from the serious nature of the story.
-Consider deleting the entire dialogue starting with "I'm going to" and ending with "lowered". Then remove the "Static Interference" effect as it adds nothing to the story and if the player get's turned around in the fighting it makes it harder to find the station without the maps. It is more annoying than anything else.
Starbase 228: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs some work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "[MissionInfo]Battle the Borg out of the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Drive the Borg from the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]"
-Consider combining the Transporter Chief dialogue into one dialogue string.
-Consider changing "Thank you for coming soon" to read "Thank you for your help". If you combine the dialogue strings you can change the response button "Continue" to read "Where is the Starbase Commander". Then you would follow with the dialogue string indicating the location of the base commander.
-I am not sure where to begin with the negotiations dialogue. The dialogue and responses seem a little disoriented. There is no clear path to pursue the negotiation so the player is forced to click random series of buttons until they find the right combination. Consider adding the Away Team Science BOFF input on the approach to take with the Arcadian Ambassador. Otherwise the player is blindly poking at buttons until they get the right combination. At this point I will not try to break down any spelling or grammatical errors in this series or dialogue strings.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The post "Scan Portal" dialogue; consider changing the response button "Let's show them what the Federation is" to read "Let's show them what the Federation is made of".
-The post "Destroy the Borg Cubes" dialogue; consider changing "No matter, Arcadians are now in question" to read "The Arcadians have a decision to make".
-Consider changing "or break away into the Klingon Empire" to read "or break away, and join the Klingon Empire".
-Consider deleting "I need you to come back soon".
-Consider changing "For now, it's the Arcadian's decision" to read "It's up to the Arcadian's now".
-Consider changing "In other news" to read "At least there is some good news".
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. Do not be discouraged by the length of this report or the issues I have identified in it. Considering this is the first time you have created a mission it has a great story and has a lot of potential to be a great mission with some improvements. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
Thanks for the review! You're expertise and notes helped me know that I must start looking for ways to make missions flow better .
Kurland Here Kurland Here This is Kurland Kurland Kurland Here Kurland, Do you copy?
This is my first attempt, and sadly due to the limitations of the foundry, there was much I just could not accomplish.
What I did do, I hope you enjoy!
Here are some hints to help you get the most from the episode:
Not everything is as it seems. Explore the maps, you may well stumble onto an unexpected side-arc. Alternative scenarios and choices play an important of the storyline, but to achieve this, I was unable to include it in the main storyline. Before rushing through the "main" story arc, listen to what the NPC's are telling you. They could be giving you clues of what to do next!
I wish I could reward the players in some way for completing tasks, but alas simply knowing that you saved the day will have to suffice!
Notes:
If there is one thing more than anything I would like to see included in the Foundry tool, it would be the ability to include side-arc missions, and special rewards for individual tasks. Did I mention more assets?
Hi drkfrontiers,
Thanks for the review request. You are up in the queue next and I hope to get to you tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
This is my first attempt, and sadly due to the limitations of the foundry, there was much I just could not accomplish.
What I did do, I hope you enjoy!
Here are some hints to help you get the most from the episode:
Not everything is as it seems. Explore the maps, you may well stumble onto an unexpected side-arc. Alternative scenarios and choices play an important of the storyline, but to achieve this, I was unable to include it in the main storyline. Before rushing through the "main" story arc, listen to what the NPC's are telling you. They could be giving you clues of what to do next!
I wish I could reward the players in some way for completing tasks, but alas simply knowing that you saved the day will have to suffice!
Notes:
If there is one thing more than anything I would like to see included in the Foundry tool, it would be the ability to include side-arc missions, and special rewards for individual tasks. Did I mention more assets?
Summary: This is a great mission with good map design, glorious battles, and excellent story dialogue throughout. Your story drew me in and kept me thoroughly riveted all the way through. If as you say this is your first mission, then I must say you did a fantastic job in creating it. I would highly recommend this mission to all players who love a good Klingon story with several glorious battles and an excellent story.
Below are a couple of items I noted while playing the mission. I wanted to let you know about them. None of them are show stoppers or impede it in anyway.
Mission Description: This is a good description. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue.
Mission Task: I noted the location of the first custom map from your description but you should add it to the initial mission task. You want to make sure the player can find where to start. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS: House of Sepich: This is a good map design with a fun battle and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Departure from Qo'noS: This is a good map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider placing the spawn point closer to the Qo'noS Orbital Command. The distance seemed unnecessary to the story.
Somewhere in the B'Moth Sector: This is a good map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider adding a "Skip Puzzle" button or something along those lines. Puzzles can be interesting for some and not for others.
Abandoned Doqcha Station: This is a great map design with glorious battles and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
B'Moth Sector: This is an excellent map design with glorious battles and well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Qo'noS: This is a good map design with very well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Gila IV: This is a good map design with well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
The Imperial Residence on Gila IV: This is a great map design with glorious battles and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Battle of Gila IV: This is a great map design with several glorious battles and well written dialogue. This is a good wrap up to an epic mission. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. You did a great job developing this mission. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future. Keep up the great work.
Brian
I have placed a link to this posting in the old post. I have also requested the community manger close the old "Archived Post" to prevent people from publishing there. Hopefully they will shut it down soon. This post is also to bump this one above the old one.
So things have slowed down a little bit in the reviews area since the new season was released. I have been using the light review requests to work on my own missions and learning some of the new features in the Foundry. I have been updating my older missions and am developing a new project.
Thanks to all the authors out there who are trying to make the STO environment a richer place to play. Keep up the great work.
Brian
O Evil One, I am pleased to report that remastering of "Ghosts of War, Part II" is now complete.
Mission Name: Ghosts of War, Part II
Author: NCC-89471
Minimum Level: 31+
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST-HI6PMJ2Y8
Estimated Mission Length: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Method of Report Delivery: Post to this thread
Please note that Part II has been redesigned as a shuttle mission (though truth be told, only the new first map really requires a shuttle, as the ground maps remain the heart of the story).
Investigate the disappearance of the Klingon freighter Gort'Cha.
Hey trekkie,
Thanks for the request. Sorry for the late response, work has been keeping me pretty busy lately. You are at the top of the queue. I hope to get to your mission tomorrow night, or Friday at the latest.
O Evil One, I am pleased to report that remastering of "Ghosts of War, Part II" is now complete.
Mission Name: Ghosts of War, Part II
Author: NCC-89471
Minimum Level: 31+
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST-HI6PMJ2Y8
Estimated Mission Length: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Method of Report Delivery: Post to this thread
Please note that Part II has been redesigned as a shuttle mission (though truth be told, only the new first map really requires a shuttle, as the ground maps remain the heart of the story).
Hey pax,
Welcome back to the queue and thanks for the request. You are number 2 in the queue behind trekkie. I hope to get started on the queue tomorrow night or Friday at the latest.
OOH! I just remembered something... I made a KDF mission on Tribble. it shouldn't be hard to find. There's only about 8 of them on the entire server. Anyways, I called it Sehlat Barbecue.
Investigate the disappearance of the Klingon freighter Gort'Cha.
Klingon Mission - Wreck of the Gort'Cha
Author: trekkie1994
Allegiance: Klingon
Project ID: ST-HHBXZ4IAU
Report Start
Summary: This is a nice, simple, and short investigation mission with a lot of potential. The map design is good but there needs to be more to the story, perhaps a battle or a more in depth investigation of the incident. Something that draws the player in and keeps them interested. A mission does not have to be long to be interesting, but it does need more of a story if nothing else.
Below are a couple of things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit.
Mission Description: You need a little more story to draw the player in and make them want to click "Hail". I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider changing "rescue any survivors, Q'Pla" to read "rescue any survivors, Qapla' ".
Mission Task: Consider putting the start location for the first custom map in the initial mission task. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS: Boreth System I: This is a simple map design with well written story dialogue. The story needs more development. Perhaps a battle or two and some initial dialogue upon entry to the map. I noted one item to consider changing:
-The post "Search for the Gort'Cha" dialogue; consider changing "We've debris field straight ahead of our position, sir" to read "Sir, sensors have detected a debris field directly ahead of our current position".
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. This is a good start with a lot of potential. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
OOH! I just remembered something... I made a KDF mission on Tribble. it shouldn't be hard to find. There's only about 8 of them on the entire server. Anyways, I called it Sehlat Barbecue.
Is this a mission that is available on the regular server? I do not have an account on Tribble.
Is this a mission that is available on the regular server? I do not have an account on Tribble.
Brian
Ooohh... 'fraid not. There's a major disconnect between Holodeck and Tribble in that regard. It was a kinda simple mission but I don't have a kdf foundry char on holodeck yet. I might recreate Emani (my tribble KDF foundry char) for this purpose though.
Comments
Sorry I did not get to your mission today but I ended up going to work at 5:30am and just now got home. I will get to it first thing in the morning.
Brian
Thanks again for doing the reviews, I'm actually picking up missions to do from these.
Federation Mission - Mindcrawlers
Author: k668
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST-HMSZD9EED
Report Start
Summary: This is a good mission, especially for your first time developing one. The map designs are very well done and the story dialogue is very well written throughout. The battles are pretty easy throughout but still fun, despite the fact that I hate spiders.
The only real criticism I have of the story is that the murder of the Vulcan Seltok and the ships first officer are not really addressed in the mission wrap up. Without giving too much of the story away, I would recommend you address that issue with dialogue regarding the loss and the potential outcome for the murder of them based on what influences they were under at the time. Otherwise I felt the story was well written and the mission was a lot of fun to play.
One last quick thing is to address the excessive use of the fog and gas effects on a couple of the maps. I understand the feel of the map you were trying to achieve but they became more of a distraction rather than a element of the story. This does not mean you should completely remove all the gas and fog effects but consider cutting them down a little so the player can enjoy the map designs and battles you created a little more.
Below are some things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit.
Mission Description: The description is a good start but needs a little more story development. Your goal here is to draw the player in and make them want to click the "Hail" button. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant mission and follow-on dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "Sir, incoming Message from Admiral Ry'Valar" to read "Sir, incoming message from Admiral Ry'Valar".
-The "Admiral Ry'Valar" dialogue; consider changing the [OOC] dialogue at the bottom to [MissionInfo] dialogue. That will make it more recognizable as mission required information.
Mission Task: The initial mission task should have the start location for the first custom map. This will help your players find the starting point of your mission.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS:
Scarlet Eye (near Kei system): This is a good map design with well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
S.S. Mindscape: This is a good map design with several easy battles and well written dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "They appear to be harmless for all I can say so far" to read "As far as I can tell they seem harmless".
-Consider changing "leave alone explain the abnormal environmental conditions" to read "let alone explain the abnormal environmental conditions".
-The fog and gas effects are a little overdone on this map. Consider reducing them a little more so the player can enjoy your map design and the combat.
-The post "Search Laboratory Computer" dialogue; consider changing "We must advance and locate the crew, they may still be in acute danger" to read "We must locate the crew; they may still be in danger".
-The post "Examine Bodies" dialogue; consider changing "they've been scavenging heavily on the bodies" to read "they've been feeding heavily on the bodies".
-The post "Go to Main Engineering" dialogue; consider changing "still enough to realize they had caught themselves quite a few containers of biological specimen" to read "still enough time to realize they had take several biological specimens in the containers they stole from the cargo bay".
-Consider changing "Worthless to them, and they probably thought it was a funny pull to beam the specimen back to my cargo bay" to read "Worthless to them, so they probably thought it would be funny to beam the specimens back to the cargo bay without the containers".
-Consider removing "Kept the spare containers, though" if you use the above dialogue recommendation.
-Consider changing "and trying to defend her specimen personally" to read "and trying to defend her specimens personally".
-Consider changing "I won't let this happen to Leyo, no matter at what cost" to read "I won't let that happen to Leyo, no matter the cost".
-Consider changing "For all I could spot" to read "From what I could see".
-The post "Defend Main Engineering" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], the Mindscape's transporter is active" to read "[Rank], the Mindscape's transporter have been activated".
Scarlet Eye Caverns: This is a good map design with some easy battles and one a little stronger. The story dialogue is well written. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The fog and gas effects are a little overdone on this map. Consider reducing them a little more so the player can enjoy your map design and the combat.
-Consider adding a respawn point deeper into the map for the last battle.
Scarlet Eye: This is a good map design with well written story dialogue that wraps up the mission nicely. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. You did a great job creating this mission, especially being your first try at it. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
This critique report also filed 08/18/2012 on forum posting for: Mindcrawlers - a medium-length Starfleet mission
Thanks for the heads up. I noted that the rating system was up this morning and have started to go back in to give ratings to all the missions I've done that I could not leave ratings with before.
I am glad you found the mission reviews helpful and a guide to other good missions to play.
Thanks again for authoring,
Brian
My character Tsin'xing
I was thinking it would work better for steps rather than the consoles and other objects you currently use for this mission.
Brian
Thanks to everyone who authors missions. You make the game a much richer environment for the rest of the player's in the game. Keep up the good work.
Brian
My character Tsin'xing
Thanks a lot for taking the time for such a detailed review - particularly for the extensive feedback concerning the dialog. As English isn't my native language, there's probably always little details I'm missing or getting wrong(ish), and there's only so much a spellchecker can do. Thus, I found your suggestions very helpful. I assume I'll stick reasonably close to them.
I wasn't too sure about the of quantity fog either, so I see there's probably reason for some fine-tuning :rolleyes:.
Again, thanks for taking the time to review, and I'm glad you've had your bit of fun with the mission - even though you hate spiders
I have a mission, but it is my first published one. I would like to have a review just to know if I have beginner's luck.
Thank you
Mission Name: (Fate: Arcadia)
Author: (xxxseadog117xxx)
Minimum Level: (41+)
Allegiance: (Federation)
Project ID: ST-(HUN4G6NDY)
Estimated Mission Length: (1 hour)
Method of Report Delivery: (Forum Post)
That will work well I'm sure.
Brian
Glad I could help.
Thanks for authroing,
Brian
Hi seadog,
Thanks for the review request. I should be able to get your mission done in the morning.
Thanks for authoring,
Brian
Federation Mission - Fate: Arcadia
Author: xxxseadog117xxx
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST- HUN4G6NDY
Report Start
Summary: This is a great concept for a mission and you have done a pretty good job with it so far, especially considering this is your first attempt at creating a mission. The overall length is more than an hour with the combination of battles and story dialogue. You may want to cut back some of the battles and interactions or create some "Skip Dialogue" options that will provide the player with a summary of what they need to know to complete the mission. Based on the number of spelling and grammatical errors I listed below I am going to guess English is not your primary language. You are still way ahead of me as I can only order beer and ask where the bathroom is in about 5 different languages.
Your use of the response button "Continue" was a little excessive for me. As I have always said there is a good place for this to be used but it is usually when the player is reading a log entry or something along those lines. In those cases there is no reason for the player to respond, but when a BOFF makes a report, or there is a statement made by an NPC that needs a response it should be made. Consider revisiting your response button choices to bring them more in line with the dialogue that precedes them. In addition to this I noted a number of times where dialogue strings could be combined to make the story flow more smoothly. The constant loop back to a "Talk to NPC" buttons can get a little tedious.
Below are some things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit. I hope this report helps you.
Mission Description: This is a very detailed description. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and is about to invade Arcadia" to read "Now Klingons are advancing in the Neutral Zone and are about to invade Arcadia"
-Consider changing "You, the captain of your ship, is assigned to help with the defense force" to read "You are assigned to aid the planetary defense forces".
-Consider changing "When a horrible evil strikes, Arcadia is in question of protection" to read "When things go wrong the Arcadians start to doubt the Federations resolve".
-Consider changing "Their questioning, could become a great war larger than the current Klingon War" to read "The Arcadian doubts could lead to a larger war that would dwarf the current war with the Klingons".
-Consider deleting "Join the quest of destinies in the first episode of Fate".
-The warning regarding the BOFFs getting stuck; if you tested it in the Foundry map pathing is not fully implemented until the mission is published. If it continues to be a problem after publishing then examine the location where the BOFFs get stuck and fix it.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing "When they hitted that mark, they became a independent government" to read "When they reached that level they became declared themselves an independent government.
-Consider changing "They just got a new federation starbase, Starbase 228" to read "A new Federation Starbase, designation 228, was just completed".
-Consider changing "Recently, Klingon ships were sighted in a direction the the Maeiwski System We believe they will attack" to read "Intelligence reports a Klingon fleet was heading in the direction of the Maeiwski System. We believe they intend to attack".
-Consider changing "Your mission is to link with the Arcadian Defense Fleet" to read "Your mission is to link up with the Arcadian Defense Forces".
Mission Task: The initial mission task should have the start location for the first custom map. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider changing the response button "Lets not make Arcadia wait so long" to read "Let's not make Arcadia wait so long".
MAPS:
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The "Tell me about the Arcadian Defense Force" dialogue; consider changing "Others are imported from starfleet" to read "Others are imported from Starfleet"
-Use of the response button "Continue". I noted it used several times throughout the mission. From this point I will note it on the maps and cover it in my summary.
-The "Tell me more about Arcadia" dialogue; consider adding a "." at the end of "and cities".
-The "Oman" dialogue; consider changing "Look like the Klingons are about to bring a tough fight" to read "The Klingons are almost here and it looks like they have come for a fight".
-Consider changing "From the ships sensors, I predict about 3 waves" to read "My readings indicate 3 separate waves inbound".
-Consider changing the response button "Doesn't seem much" to read "Doesn't seem like much".
-Consider changing "It would be helpfuk to get into position" to read "It would be helpful to get into position".
-The post "Defeat First Wave" dialogue; consider changing "It looks like its a joint operation" to read "It looks like it's a joint operation".
-The post "Defeat Third Wave" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], I have new orders" to read "[Rank], I have new orders for you".
-Consider changing "Some of the patrol ships I sent never got back" to read "Several of the patrol ships I sent out never came back".
-Consider changing "Those ships were the ones that informed me of this" to read "They were the ones that gave us the heads up on the inbound Klingon ships".
-Consider changing "Let me inform you, the last transmission from them said Plasma" to read "The last transmission we received from them only said "Plasma" then they were cut off".
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with a tough battle. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "we should go closer" to read "we will need to get closer".
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing all dialogue and objects spelling of "satelite" to read "satellite".
-The post "Defeat the Borg" dialogue; consider changing "Those Probes cloaked in" to read "Those Probes came in cloaked".
-Consider changing "I have nerver seen a cloaking Borg starship" to read "I have never seen a cloaking Borg starship".
-The "Talk to the U.S.S. Black Mesa" dialogue; consider changing "Every ship in the Borg and my fleet was destroyed" to read "The Borg destroyed my entire fleet".
-Consider changing "Before my ship was targeted, I serperated the fore and after section of the ship" to read "My drive section was severely damaged so I had to separate from it".
-Consider changing "Every single crew member got in the saucer, but the Borg got in the saucer" to read "I was able to evacuate my entire crew to the saucer before separating, but the Borg took advantage of our shields being down and boarded us".
-Consider changing "now we are under heavy assault" to read "Now we are under attack and need your help immediately". If you use this recommendation then delete "We need you here".
-Consider deleting the dialogue and response button for "What do you want me to do". Then move the "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to the end of the " to the "What happened here" dialogue string.
-Consider changing "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help the defense of the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Beam in and help defend the Black Mesa[/MissionInfo]".
-Consider changing the response button "Don't leave without me" to read "Energize".
U.S.S. Black Mesa: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted several items to consider changing:
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "The Officer's location is in your map captain" to read "Captain we need to find the Commanding Officer". Most players know to refer to the map for locations of storyline NPC and object interactions.
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The "Talk to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Borg took every single part of the ship except this area" to read "The Borg have taken almost every part of the ship except this area".
-Consider changing "Some of my troops have engaged the Borg alone" to read "My crew have engaged the Borg but are barely holding on"
-Consider changing "You should attack the Borg" to read "With your help I think we can wipe the Borg infestation out". If you use this recommendation then delete "Some of my troops would help".
-The ship dialogue; consider changing "You might feel shaking in there" to read "We will do our best to keep them off you until you finish clearing the Borg".
-Consider removing some of the debris from the far end of the map. It adds nothing to the story and serves to trap BOFFs.
-The post "Defeat Borg Squadrons" dialogue; consider changing "We should go back to the officer" to read "We should report back to the Commanding Officer".
-The "Go back to the Commanding Officer" dialogue; consider changing "Thank you for your assistance. you should beam up to your ship" to read "Thanks for your help, I think we can take it from here".
-Consider changing "Surrender your vessel, and prepare to be boarded" to read "Resistance is futile".
-Consider changing the response button "Get off this line freak" to read "We will see about that".
-Consider changing "Borg beam signatures detected" to read "Borg transporter signatures detected".
-The "Talk with the Commanding Officer Again" dialogue; consider changing "It seems like they have placed a counter-offensive" to read "It appears as though they have started a counter-offensive".
-Consider changing "Go talk with my Engineering Officer for that" to read "My Engineering Officer can help you with that".
-The "Talk with Lieutenant Engineering Officer" dialogue; consider moving the "Any way to stop this" dialogue string under the "Do you know what is happening" dialogue string and delete it as a separate dialogue string. There is no value added to the story by having two separate choices here.
-Consider changing "The have planted a jamming device in this ship, which prevents you to communicate or beam to your ship" to read "They have planted a jamming device aboard this ship, which interfere with communications and transporters".
-If you combine the dialogue strings into one you will need to change the entire first paragraph starting with "First of all" and ending with "have been disabled". The entire dialogue string could be changed to read; "To overcome the jamming you will need to destroy the Borg jamming devices. The Borg also disabled the transporters. You will then need to redirect power from the engines and shields in order to restore transporters. Once you have done that you will be able to transport to your ship".
-If you do not combine the dialogue strings then consider using the changes above in place of what you are using currently.
-Consider changing "The ship will be destroyed if its targeted by the Borg" to read "The ship will be destroyed if it's targeted by the Borg".
-Consider changing "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship to protect us at all costs" to read "Once the jamming device is destroyed, contact your ship and tell them to protect us at all costs".
-The post "Destroy the Jamming Device" dialogue pops up as Borg drones beam in so the player cannot read the entire dialogue until they have defeated them. This distracts from the story. Consider making the dialogue something that must be triggered after the "Destroy the Jamming Device" task is completed. This will allow the player to read the dialogue after defeating the Borg reinforcements.
-Consider changing the tasks "Disable Shield Systems" and "Disable Engine Systems" to read "Reroute power from Shield Systems" and Reroute power from Engine Systems".
-The task for the player to "Report to the Lieutenant Engineering Officer" by returning to her location seems to be unnecessary for the story. Consider triggering the dialogue with the Lieutenant Engineering Officer after the Engines and Shields are disabled.
Maiewski V: This is a good map design with several tough battles. The story dialogue is good but need a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Plot point to consider; the initial dialogue states that "communications were damaged beyond repair" yet after the distress signal is sent we receive communications from the Black Mesa and another ship. Consider changing that line to "long range communications are offline".
-Consider changing "The satelite we saw should be able to send the distress signal" to read "We should be able to use the satellite to send the distress signal".
-Consider changing the task "Program the Satelite to send a Message" to read "Program the Satellite to send the Distress Call".
-The post "Program the Satelite to send a Message" dialogue; consider changing "[Rank], our power to the shields and engines are restored" to read "[Rank], we have restored power to engines and shields".
-Plot point to consider; the Black Mesa is destroyed during the battle. Once the Borg ships are destroyed in the final battle the U.S.S. Tranquility states "I got the Black Mesa". You should consider having the Black Mesa sit out the fight by making it an NPC contact. You can say they were hit in the first volley by the Borg and their propulsion has been knocked out.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-Consider changing the task "Go Closer" to read "Get Closer".
-The "Hail the A.D.S. Faithful" dialogue; consider changing the response button "That is... a shame" to read "If we had only been here sooner".
-The post "Defeat the Borg Cube" dialogue; consider changing "Borg started to warp that" to read "The Borg started to warp in after that".
-Consider changing the response button "I missed out in all the fun" to read "What do you need me to do sir". Then delete the dialogue that followed that response button. It is not funny and it distracts from the serious nature of the story.
-Consider deleting the entire dialogue starting with "I'm going to" and ending with "lowered". Then remove the "Static Interference" effect as it adds nothing to the story and if the player get's turned around in the fighting it makes it harder to find the station without the maps. It is more annoying than anything else.
Starbase 228: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs some work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The initial dialogue; consider changing "[MissionInfo]Battle the Borg out of the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]" to read "[MissionInfo]Drive the Borg from the Transporter Room[/MissionInfo]"
-Consider combining the Transporter Chief dialogue into one dialogue string.
-Consider changing "Thank you for coming soon" to read "Thank you for your help". If you combine the dialogue strings you can change the response button "Continue" to read "Where is the Starbase Commander". Then you would follow with the dialogue string indicating the location of the base commander.
-I am not sure where to begin with the negotiations dialogue. The dialogue and responses seem a little disoriented. There is no clear path to pursue the negotiation so the player is forced to click random series of buttons until they find the right combination. Consider adding the Away Team Science BOFF input on the approach to take with the Arcadian Ambassador. Otherwise the player is blindly poking at buttons until they get the right combination. At this point I will not try to break down any spelling or grammatical errors in this series or dialogue strings.
Arcadia: This is a good map design with several tough but fun battles. The story dialogue is good but needs a little work. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Use of the response button "Continue".
-The post "Scan Portal" dialogue; consider changing the response button "Let's show them what the Federation is" to read "Let's show them what the Federation is made of".
-The post "Destroy the Borg Cubes" dialogue; consider changing "No matter, Arcadians are now in question" to read "The Arcadians have a decision to make".
-Consider changing "or break away into the Klingon Empire" to read "or break away, and join the Klingon Empire".
-Consider deleting "I need you to come back soon".
-Consider changing "For now, it's the Arcadian's decision" to read "It's up to the Arcadian's now".
-Consider changing "In other news" to read "At least there is some good news".
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. Do not be discouraged by the length of this report or the issues I have identified in it. Considering this is the first time you have created a mission it has a great story and has a lot of potential to be a great mission with some improvements. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
CLICK HERE to watch the trailer!
This is my first attempt, and sadly due to the limitations of the foundry, there was much I just could not accomplish.
What I did do, I hope you enjoy!
Here are some hints to help you get the most from the episode:
Not everything is as it seems. Explore the maps, you may well stumble onto an unexpected side-arc. Alternative scenarios and choices play an important of the storyline, but to achieve this, I was unable to include it in the main storyline. Before rushing through the "main" story arc, listen to what the NPC's are telling you. They could be giving you clues of what to do next!
I wish I could reward the players in some way for completing tasks, but alas simply knowing that you saved the day will have to suffice!
Notes:
If there is one thing more than anything I would like to see included in the Foundry tool, it would be the ability to include side-arc missions, and special rewards for individual tasks. Did I mention more assets?
Thanks for the review! You're expertise and notes helped me know that I must start looking for ways to make missions flow better
Hi drkfrontiers,
Thanks for the review request. You are up in the queue next and I hope to get to you tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
Thanks for authoring,
Brian
As always I am glad I was able to help.
Thanks for authoring,
Brian
Klingon Mission - Stray Dogs
Author: drkfrontiers
Allegiance: Klingon
Project ID: ST-HD74U4ZHP
Report Start
Summary: This is a great mission with good map design, glorious battles, and excellent story dialogue throughout. Your story drew me in and kept me thoroughly riveted all the way through. If as you say this is your first mission, then I must say you did a fantastic job in creating it. I would highly recommend this mission to all players who love a good Klingon story with several glorious battles and an excellent story.
Below are a couple of items I noted while playing the mission. I wanted to let you know about them. None of them are show stoppers or impede it in anyway.
Mission Description: This is a good description. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue.
Mission Task: I noted the location of the first custom map from your description but you should add it to the initial mission task. You want to make sure the player can find where to start. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS:
House of Sepich: This is a good map design with a fun battle and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Departure from Qo'noS: This is a good map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider placing the spawn point closer to the Qo'noS Orbital Command. The distance seemed unnecessary to the story.
Somewhere in the B'Moth Sector: This is a good map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider adding a "Skip Puzzle" button or something along those lines. Puzzles can be interesting for some and not for others.
Abandoned Doqcha Station: This is a great map design with glorious battles and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
B'Moth Sector: This is an excellent map design with glorious battles and well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Qo'noS: This is a good map design with very well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Gila IV: This is a good map design with well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
The Imperial Residence on Gila IV: This is a great map design with glorious battles and excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Battle of Gila IV: This is a great map design with several glorious battles and well written dialogue. This is a good wrap up to an epic mission. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. You did a great job developing this mission. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future. Keep up the great work.
Brian
This critique report also filed 08/23/2012 on forum posting for: @drkfrontiers Stray Dogs.
I have placed a link to this posting in the old post. I have also requested the community manger close the old "Archived Post" to prevent people from publishing there. Hopefully they will shut it down soon. This post is also to bump this one above the old one.
So things have slowed down a little bit in the reviews area since the new season was released. I have been using the light review requests to work on my own missions and learning some of the new features in the Foundry. I have been updating my older missions and am developing a new project.
Thanks to all the authors out there who are trying to make the STO environment a richer place to play. Keep up the great work.
Brian
Wreck of the Gort'Cha
trekkie1994
any level
KDF
Investigate the disappearance of the Klingon freighter Gort'Cha.
Author: trekkie1994
Project ID: ST-HHBXZ4IAU
Faction: KDF
Player level: any level
Investigate the disappearance of the Klingon freighter Gort'Cha.
Mission Name: Ghosts of War, Part II
Author: NCC-89471
Minimum Level: 31+
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST-HI6PMJ2Y8
Estimated Mission Length: 45 minutes - 1 hour
Method of Report Delivery: Post to this thread
Please note that Part II has been redesigned as a shuttle mission (though truth be told, only the new first map really requires a shuttle, as the ground maps remain the heart of the story).
My Foundry missions | My STO Wiki page | My Twitter home page
Hey trekkie,
Thanks for the request. Sorry for the late response, work has been keeping me pretty busy lately. You are at the top of the queue. I hope to get to your mission tomorrow night, or Friday at the latest.
Thanks for authoring,
Brian
Hey pax,
Welcome back to the queue and thanks for the request. You are number 2 in the queue behind trekkie. I hope to get started on the queue tomorrow night or Friday at the latest.
Thanks for authoring,
Brian
My character Tsin'xing
Klingon Mission - Wreck of the Gort'Cha
Author: trekkie1994
Allegiance: Klingon
Project ID: ST-HHBXZ4IAU
Report Start
Summary: This is a nice, simple, and short investigation mission with a lot of potential. The map design is good but there needs to be more to the story, perhaps a battle or a more in depth investigation of the incident. Something that draws the player in and keeps them interested. A mission does not have to be long to be interesting, but it does need more of a story if nothing else.
Below are a couple of things I noted while playing the mission that I wanted to let you know about. Everything in this write up should be seen as suggestions on ways I felt you could improve certain elements of the mission. They are yours to do with as you see fit.
Mission Description: You need a little more story to draw the player in and make them want to click "Hail". I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this description.
Grant Mission Dialogue: This is a good grant dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
-Consider changing "rescue any survivors, Q'Pla" to read "rescue any survivors, Qapla' ".
Mission Task: Consider putting the start location for the first custom map in the initial mission task. I noted no spelling errors with this task.
Mission Entry Prompt: This is a good use of the prompt. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS:
Boreth System I: This is a simple map design with well written story dialogue. The story needs more development. Perhaps a battle or two and some initial dialogue upon entry to the map. I noted one item to consider changing:
-The post "Search for the Gort'Cha" dialogue; consider changing "We've debris field straight ahead of our position, sir" to read "Sir, sensors have detected a debris field directly ahead of our current position".
End Report
Thanks again for authoring and for giving me the chance to review your work. This is a good start with a lot of potential. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
Is this a mission that is available on the regular server? I do not have an account on Tribble.
Brian
My character Tsin'xing