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Let's discuss the Romulan Faction concept. . .

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  • leviathan99#2867 leviathan99 Member Posts: 7,747 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    bitemepwe wrote: »
    Its where I do not understand his idea for the split.
    Is Dan only designing STO to appeal to the existing Star Trek Fans playing and not trying to design STO to bring in other F2P players (Star Trek fan or not) with options for gameplay choices and a good backstory?

    Growing may not be a huge incentive.

    Like I said, he may have been told, "We'll get your team up to 40. Your current numbers support that with lockboxes included. After that, though, we're not going to dramatically increase reinvestment. Work with what you have and build your goals around that rather than chasing growth."
  • sernonserculionsernonserculion Member Posts: 749 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    If the team do not have the resources to do it right/fully, it would be correct to not make the Romulan faction playable. Would appreciate them as much as anyone else, but not at the expense of ending up with more that in reality plays out as less.

    That's at least a more Vulcan way of looking at it. The Romulan in me still have these strange urges that can never be quite subdued. Ahhh... the joys of internal conflict, makes you feel alive! ;)

    ---
  • centersolacecentersolace Member Posts: 11,178 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    teleon22 wrote: »
    Really? Yet 30% and growing think otherwise. That is nearly 1/3 of the population. If the price is done right on access to the Romulan Faction... they can expect to bring in a lot of sales on its making.

    How it affects the game... will be determined in how much of the Romulan added Content involves the Federation Faction and Klingon Faction... If they were smart, by adding a Romulan Faction they could create content for both the KDF and Federation at the same time in the way of missions that involve those two factions along with the Romulan Faction.

    But... anyway... I just disagree with you and your lack of vision to what could be done.

    1/3 the population of the forums. Less than a tenth of the playerbase regularly visit the forums. Less that 30% have even viewed the forums at all. Also, if people really wanted to, they could make other accounts and vote more than once. I have the sneaking suspicion that may be the case here. That would put your 30% at about 15%-20% in actuality.

    You are right, quite a few would play a Romulan Faction, but according to my fuzzy napkin math, less that 5% of the total playerbase is actually demanding one.

    Also, no matter how much a new faction could add, it wouldn't nearly make up for what it would take away. That's not a lack of vision. That's being realistic.
  • leviathan99#2867 leviathan99 Member Posts: 7,747 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    If the team do not have the resources to do it right/fully, it would be correct to not make the Romulan faction playable. Would appreciate them as much as anyone else, but not at the expense of ending up with more that in reality plays out as less.

    That's at least a more Vulcan way of looking at it. The Romulan in me still have these strange urges that can never be quite subdued. Ahhh... the joys of internal conflict, makes you feel alive! ;)

    ---

    Now the next question is whether playing a Romulan defector would make sense.

    I think it COULD.

    Frankly, I think it would make MORE sense as an unlock for completing the Romulan Embassy and getting reputation high enough, all of which would involve indirect monetization. And if they needed direct monetization in there, add in that you have to supply the Romulans with a Fleet Ship Module.

    That way, if you're going to have defectors in the Federation and KDF, they'd make more game sense than a flat C-Store purchase.
  • meltypantsmeltypants Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    1/3 the population of the forums. Less than a tenth of the playerbase regularly visit the forums. Less that 30% have even viewed the forums at all. Also, if people really wanted to, they could make other accounts and vote more than once. I have the sneaking suspicion that may be the case here. That would put your 30% at about 15%-20% in actuality.

    You are right, quite a few would play a Romulan Faction, but according to my fuzzy napkin math, less that 5% of the total playerbase is actually demanding one.

    Also, no matter how much a new faction could add, it wouldn't nearly make up for what it would take away. That's not a lack of vision. That's being realistic.

    And this is the reason I think they should do in game or Launcher polls. That way they actually get a feel for what the playing community wants, not just what is on the forums.

    Forums are good for general feedback but if they want an answer to what people want them to focus development time on they should ask the largest sample size they can get.
  • theultimatextheultimatex Member Posts: 489 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    I said it before in the old forums and I will say it again in the new forums.

    To add some Romulan content easily without needing to make fully new environments and a lot of mission content, while you work on the "good stuff". Cryptic just needs to have someone or hire someone(namely me :D ) to take the existing episode missions for Feds & Klingons including the Patrol system mission content and present it from the Romulan side before the Feds or Klingons got there and kicked around their recently overthrown planetside colony, locally harrassed civilations or underhanded business dealings. That way it would tied together the missions you remember doing on the Fed side, and you can feel greater meaning with missions you have accomplished when you possibly unlock the Romulan content at the Fed Captain level. This assumes Cryptic has no time to make full 1 to 50 content and takes the short route like they did with the Klingons.


    Man, I need to seriously just take a week's vacation and just make these missions myself. Is it difficult or does it exist in Foundry to load an Episode mission and then edit that mission, replacing NPCs ships and the like to your heart's content? Or is that coming with the Neverwinter Nights Foundry update post their launch?
  • lunarisylunarisy Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Fed > PvE

    Klink > PvP

    Rom > Playing Sim Planet

    Unlike Cardassian who cant field their military out side self defense, Rommulans still can. They also have cool delta quadrant tech like Borg and Hirogen.

    Their story should focused more on rebuilding their empire after Sela disappearance. You start at lv 40 and their ship selection similar to fed than klink, their 3 main ship are Mungai (heavy escort), Warbird (heavy cruiser), Raptor (sci vessel) got +1 front weapon slot but -2 rear slot.
  • theultimatextheultimatex Member Posts: 489 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    meltypants wrote: »
    And this is the reason I think they should do in game or Launcher polls. That way they actually get a feel for what the playing community wants, not just what is on the forums.

    Forums are good for general feedback but if they want an answer to what people want them to focus development time on they should ask the largest sample size they can get.

    I agree. Make use of that Bulletin Board for more than just Foundry. PLEASE Cryptic!
  • theultimatextheultimatex Member Posts: 489 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Growing may not be a huge incentive.

    Like I said, he may have been told, "We'll get your team up to 40. Your current numbers support that with lockboxes included. After that, though, we're not going to dramatically increase reinvestment. Work with what you have and build your goals around that rather than chasing growth."

    You sir, have a Magnificent signature!
  • theultimatextheultimatex Member Posts: 489 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    My contribution to this discussion is that Romulan, Cardassian and the like should be a faction unlock at Fed level 30. No less, lets have them have meaning to flying around as one to start with.
  • sernonserculionsernonserculion Member Posts: 749 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Agreed. An in-game vote regarding this matter would be... educational.

    Knowledge is power. :)

    Besides, that would leave out the forums vs. live environment line of arguments. It would be worth it just to remove that component of the debate.

    The truth is what it is, ready to embrace it. ;)

    ---
  • centersolacecentersolace Member Posts: 11,178 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    meltypants wrote: »
    And this is the reason I think they should do in game or Launcher polls. That way they actually get a feel for what the playing community wants, not just what is on the forums.

    Forums are good for general feedback but if they want an answer to what people want them to focus development time on they should ask the largest sample size they can get.

    Agreed. Forum polls are at worst grossly inaccurate, and at best highly biased. This would get a far more accurate (and larger) sample size. They even have a way to do it! (That poor neglected bulletin board. :()

    Even if the desire for a Rommie faction is the overwhelming majority (which I doubt) I don't think it should be added. Right now at least. STO is barely two and a half years old, we still have a lot of growing pains to go through, and this game is still very unstable.

    Updates are a complete shot in the dark, particularly content updates, bugs are hilariously unpredictable, Endgame is mostly static challenges meant to be ground, Half the ships are unusable at endgame, stats are buffed and nerfed all the time, an entire faction is unfinished.... throwing a faction sized wrench into the mix would make a mess no one will want to clean up.

    Things need to be scheduled, stuff needs to be completed/redone, KDF needs to be filled out, once we get there however, we could reasonably add all kinds of stuff, including a Romulan faction.

    But we have a long way to go. :(
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    I don't see how the game would be significantly different between adding the Romulans as a separate mini-faction or adding Romulan renegades who join either the KDF or Starfleet.

    Romulan 'renegades' I suppose can share a DOFF system, Star Base system, use ships to fill out their options, and use 'special consoles' of the faction they've joined up with. But they can't say they have "playable Romulans" without having Romulan ships and outfits and ships will be the big development point. Also they wouldn't have to do anything unusual with the PVP queue's.

    A Romulan only base, like a small space station outside of Rator or a Tal'Shiar base in Alpha Centauri would be so useful in making sure Romulan ships are only sold to Romulan players that it would happen regardless of the direction they go.

    (on a related note, who all remembers that Klingon tactical officer who snuck onto earth space dock and bought himself a science vessel during Beta?)
  • daan2006daan2006 Member Posts: 5,346 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    I don't see how the game would be significantly different between adding the Romulans as a separate mini-faction or adding Romulan renegades who join either the KDF or Starfleet.

    you my friend dont know or understand romulan to say that
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    swimwear off risa not fixed
    system Lord Baal is dead
    macronius wrote: »
    This! Their ability to outdo their own failures is quite impressive. If only this power could be harnessed for good.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    bluegeek wrote: »
    I think that we are going to have to accept that STO can't introduce every species as a full and independent faction. On the other hand, Romulans deserve to have a playable faction of some kind.

    I don't like the notion of bundling Romulans/Cardassians/etc as sub-factions under either the Federation or the KDF.

    An idea that's rolling around in my head is that Cryptic could create a third, species-neutral faction that contains all of the other sub-factions in the game. These sub-factions could be "allied" as far as PvE goes, or possibly leverage some form of the Reputation system that Cryptic is developing. It might be possible that the Reputation system could be used to make distinctions between them and to define their relationships to each other and to the main two factions.

    The neutral faction could possibly contain all kinds of sub-factions that don't fit into the main factions, like:

    Romulan Loyalists
    Romulan Separatists
    Reman Separatists
    Cardassian Loyalists
    Cardassian Separatists
    Breen
    Hirogen
    Gorn Separatists
    Ferengi Alliance
    Mercenaries (Mixed-Species)
    Etc.

    The neutral factions could share some common content and unlock species-specific content (like Romulan or Cardassian ships) through the Reputation system. A new neutral character could have one of the sub-factions already unlocked, so that a Romulan character can start out with a Romulan ship. More Reputation-unlockable content could be added over time.

    Using the Reputation system, it might even be feasible to unlock features from one or both of the main factions. This could allow a neutral character to enter the Klingon home sector, or to play through missions normally restricted to Federation characters, and more.

    Any content that the Reputation system can't provide, like Romulan-themed missions, could potentially be handled with Foundry missions.

    I know there are people who will strongly disagree with this proposal. But I think something like this is the only way Cryptic could reasonably accomodate more than 2-3 factions in the game. This could be flexible enough to satisfy most wishes for introducing new factions into the game over time.

    I like it. Developing a reputation system seems like alot of work and an entirely new mechanic being introduced strikes me as a tad unlikely, but... I like it. I particularly like that it's expandable into other races or factions.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    daan2006 wrote: »
    you my friend dont know or understand romulan to say that

    How do I respond to this.... I could point out that, in canon, there's a movement to reconcile Romulans and Vulcans. I could point out, in game canon, a Romulan colony already attempted to join the Federation. I could point out that enough Romulans blame Vulcan for the destruction of Romulus that they'd be angry enough to try anything to strike back. I could point out that the Duras family, that would be Chancellor Jem'Pok's family, have had profitable dealings with the Romulans in the past.

    No, I won't do any of those things. I'll just smile enigmatically, it is the Romulan way.
  • daan2006daan2006 Member Posts: 5,346 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    How do I respond to this.... I could point out that, in canon, there's a movement to reconcile Romulans and Vulcans. I could point out, in game canon, a Romulan colony already attempted to join the Federation. I could point out that enough Romulans blame Vulcan for the destruction of Romulus that they'd be angry enough to try anything to strike back. I could point out that the Duras family, that would be Chancellor Jem'Pok's family, have had profitable dealings with the Romulans in the past.

    No, I won't do any of those things. I'll just smile enigmatically, it is the Romulan way.

    Duras family lol romulans would have said dun any thing to put them in a civil war for what best way to conquer them as said you dont know or understand them
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    swimwear off risa not fixed
    system Lord Baal is dead
    macronius wrote: »
    This! Their ability to outdo their own failures is quite impressive. If only this power could be harnessed for good.
  • tancrediivtancrediiv Member Posts: 728 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    bitemepwe wrote: »
    The Undine, Borg and Iconians are why we are at war. The Undine have subverted the Federation and thats why are at war with the Romulans, The Iconians sent the Borg it seems to attack everyone and seem to be helping the RSE in part. We KDF are at war with the fedration becuase of our atack on the Gorn and our retaking of once Romulan systems. Its an action the UFP condemned.

    The fault for why the war makes little sense is not the backstory that puts it inplace, but the fact that the war has not been given any attention in STO by the Dev team.
    Heck, we KDF are at war with the feds and the only way a player would know this is to read the Path to 2409, our faction play has little PvE to explain it.
    The Feds have a much better attempt at following the fed/war/undine involved storyline but even thier missions do little to tell the player why the war exists.
    One came close though to revealing the Undine subversion of Star Fleet (the mission where as a fed you kill a bunch of innocent Romulan scientist) but it hit a lot a flack from the playerbase as being "anti-fed" in nature and for not allowing the player the option of refusing the order.

    All in all the fault for the confusing Fed/KDF war falls on Cryptic for not elaborating on it properly as part of the games backstory.

    What I would like them see is finally finish the KDF/Fed war/Undine subversion to its endgame level by allowing the player to play through it as they progress up the ranks. Give the player time and ability to uncover the Undine plot for themselves and realize the danger. It could culminate in a series of Undine STFs and would make the co-operation between the KDF and feds at endgame make more sense instead being forced as it is now.

    Well thought and well said. I want to see this happen.

    Player and forumite formerly known as FEELTHETHUNDER

    Expatriot Might Characters in EXILE
  • azurianstarazurianstar Member Posts: 6,985 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    I could point out that the Duras family, that would be Chancellor Jem'Pok's family, have had profitable dealings with the Romulans in the past.

    J'mpok isn't a member of the House of Duras, he's the leader of his own house. He's friend to the House of Torg who raised Jar'od (the son of Lursa), and the House of Torg deals with the Romulans.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    daan2006 wrote: »
    Duras family lol romulans would have said dun any thing to put them in a civil war for what best way to conquer them as said you dont know or understand them

    Smiling sweetly to their face, and stabbing them in the back is the core of Romulan diplomacy. But you're a fool if you think that means we can't like them, we have reason to respect the strength of our neighbors and if we can turn one neighbor to our will to avenge the attacks done by our other neighbors, we will.

    Even before the Hobus Super Nova we were the smallest of the three major powers in our quadrant, but the most feared. We allied ourselves with the Klingons when we needed ships to defend ourselves from the Federation. And when the Klingons let themselves get complacent and tamed by the Federation, we struck them a blow that they still remember to this day. Now that they're off the Federation's leash we can deal with them again. Or not. They invaded us and we broke their fleet and sent them back to instead try their luck with the Federation.

    But you are wrong, Romulans wouldn't have said or done anything to put the Klingons in a civil war, we'd have only said clever things, and we'd have only done effective things, to draw them into a civil war because Romulans are smarter than you. It's silly that you think you know them well enough to lecture others.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    J'mpok isn't a member of the House of Duras, he's the leader of his own house. He's friend to the House of Torg who raised Jar'od (the son of Lursa), and the House of Torg deals with the Romulans.

    Ah yes, I see that you're correct. Fine by me, either way there are plot threads that connect the KDF to the Romulans. This is not some crazy idea floating around completely in a vacuum.
  • daan2006daan2006 Member Posts: 5,346 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    Smiling sweetly to their face, and stabbing them in the back is the core of Romulan diplomacy. But you're a fool if you think that means we can't like them, we have reason to respect the strength of our neighbors and if we can turn one neighbor to our will to avenge the attacks done by our other neighbors, we will.

    Even before the Hobus Super Nova we were the smallest of the three major powers in our quadrant, but the most feared. We allied ourselves with the Klingons when we needed ships to defend ourselves from the Federation. And when the Klingons let themselves get complacent and tamed by the Federation, we struck them a blow that they still remember to this day. Now that they're off the Federation's leash we can deal with them again. Or not. They invaded us and we broke their fleet and sent them back to instead try their luck with the Federation.

    But you are wrong, Romulans wouldn't have said or done anything to put the Klingons in a civil war, we'd have only said clever things, and we'd have only done effective things, to draw them into a civil war because Romulans are smarter than you. It's silly that you think you know them well enough to lecture others.

    funny i know them more well then you think for look at my sigature and also do you forget when picard stop them romulans with a blockade how fast Sela truned her back on them??????? again show i know and understand them better
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    swimwear off risa not fixed
    system Lord Baal is dead
    macronius wrote: »
    This! Their ability to outdo their own failures is quite impressive. If only this power could be harnessed for good.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    daan2006 wrote: »
    funny i know them more well then you think for look at my sigature and also do you forget when picard stop them romulans with a blockade how fast Sela truned her back on them??????? again show i know and understand them better

    Yes, your signature is bright, shiny, and displays your motives and allegiance for all the world to see. That is how I know that you know nothing of the Romulans.
  • daan2006daan2006 Member Posts: 5,346 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    Yes, your signature is bright, shiny, and displays your motives and allegiance for all the world to see. That is how I know that you know nothing of the Romulans.

    funny tell that to the few in my fleet that says i do :) but we can go like this all night i have no job dont need one so i have till the end of time do you ?
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    swimwear off risa not fixed
    system Lord Baal is dead
    macronius wrote: »
    This! Their ability to outdo their own failures is quite impressive. If only this power could be harnessed for good.
  • jermbotjermbot Member Posts: 801 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    daan2006 wrote: »
    funny tell that to the few in my fleet that says i do :) but we can go like this all night i have no job dont need one so i have till the end of time do you ?

    No, I rather think I can stop talking right now and after what you've just said, I will have won.
  • daan2006daan2006 Member Posts: 5,346 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    No, I rather think I can stop talking right now and after what you've just said, I will have won.

    ya if it helps you sleep at night i will let ya think that ;)
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    swimwear off risa not fixed
    system Lord Baal is dead
    macronius wrote: »
    This! Their ability to outdo their own failures is quite impressive. If only this power could be harnessed for good.
  • travelingmastertravelingmaster Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    Well, given that a lot of the playerbase seems intent on treating this game like an RPG (no talking or communicating, apparent inability to work in teams, etc), an in-game poll might not be a whole lot better.
    My PvP toon is Krov, of The House of Snoo. Beware of my Hegh'ta of doom.
  • radaikofromulusradaikofromulus Member Posts: 164 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    scififan78 wrote: »
    Ships would be pretty much free reign as we only ever seen four Romulan ships on screen (Bird of Prey, D'deridex, Mogai, and the Romulan Shuttle).

    To be accurate the onscreen Romulan ships are these:

    Bird of Prey (Enterprise)
    Bird of Prey (TOS)
    D-7 (TOS)

    D'Deridex Class Warbird (TNG Onward)
    Romulan Scout (TNG)
    Romulan Science Ship (TNG: "The Next Phase")
    Romulan Shuttle (DS9)

    Norexan Class Warbird[Commonly mislabeled "Valdore Class] (ST: Nemesis)

    The Scimitar was an unspecified class warship of Reman design.
  • aelrhianaaelrhiana Member Posts: 285 Arc User
    edited September 2012
    I think they need their own faction, none of this "mini-faction" nonsense that I keep hearing about. How would it even make sense to play as a Romulan for 5 levels, and then switch to either the Federation or the Klingon side? Yes, there is espionage possibilities...perhaps even one or two traitors out there, but forcing everyone to have to choose a side to permenantly align with...? I really can't see that many Romulans becoming defectors. I don't see any way to believably write that sort of story...of a Romulan joining the ranks of Starfleet or the KDF, and then having it ring true for the hundreds of Romulans that are likely to be created.

    I agree with what a few have said: About how they need to be a more stealthy/infiltrator type faction.

    Some of what they have already done for the Romulans doesn't make terribly much sense, and I think they should rectify that with a decent playable faction.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • adon333adon333 Member Posts: 304
    edited September 2012
    jermbot wrote: »
    Ah yes, I see that you're correct. Fine by me, either way there are plot threads that connect the KDF to the Romulans. This is not some crazy idea floating around completely in a vacuum.

    Actually, yeah, it is. The Romulans and Klingons have been at WAR longer, more often and much more vehemently with each other much more so than either of them have ever been with the federation. THOSE are the only plot threads connecting Romulans and Klingons.

    The only time they have ever shared a mutual/temporary and partial allegiance was waaaay back in the day when Rommies gave them an outmoded no longer viable cloaking device for the secret of the infamous Klingon D-7 battlecruiser design. <and this was only due to the fact that Romulans space faring tech. was falling behind development wise and they had no choice> Any other time Romulans and Klingons knew anything other than war, it was due to the Romulans sabotaging Klingon economy, military, etc. <See ALL OF TNG>

    Romulans and Klingons HATE each other. The only time Romulans are not in total war with Klingons is when they are both in a "cold war" with each other. Its in all the movies, books, and shows, its all right there just look it up if you dont believe me.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]


    Yeah, that's right.
This discussion has been closed.