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In the Shadow of MIDAS, Part 1
thegreendragoon1
Member Posts: 1,872 Arc User
Greetings everyone,
I'm pleased to announce the availability of my first foundry mission, "In the Shadow of MIDAS, Part 1." This is the first part of a 3 part arc. It's been out for a little while, but I wanted to wait to promote it here until I finished the trailer for it. I hope you all enjoy it.
NOTE: The mission should now be fully playable again. Due to the still unstable nature of the Foundry at the moment, please report any bugs you run across.
Play the Trailer for Part 1
Play the Teaser Trailer for Part 2
In the Shadow of MIDAS, Part 1
Faction/Level: Fed, Level 31+ (Commander)
Mission ID:
Length: 60 to 90 min.
Starting Location: Culver System in the Beta Ursa Sector Block
Description:
MIDAS, an experimental array once used to communicate with the U.S.S. Voyager while it was stranded in the Delta Quadrant. These days it's sending more than messages. You are called to discover the fate of two Federation starships that failed to return after venturing through an experimental wormhole to the other side of the galaxy. But in the far reaches of space, a darkness dwells and you may find that two lost ships are the least of your worries. Do you have what it takes to unravel the mystery and return home in one piece?
Faction/Level: Fed, Level 31+ (Commander)
Mission ID:
Length: 60 to 90 min.
Starting Location: Culver System in the Beta Ursa Sector Block
Description:
MIDAS, an experimental array once used to communicate with the U.S.S. Voyager while it was stranded in the Delta Quadrant. These days it's sending more than messages. You are called to discover the fate of two Federation starships that failed to return after venturing through an experimental wormhole to the other side of the galaxy. But in the far reaches of space, a darkness dwells and you may find that two lost ships are the least of your worries. Do you have what it takes to unravel the mystery and return home in one piece?
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"We are the Borg. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."
Sincerely,
The Cube Assimilating Your Ship Right Now
I will load up my commander level ship and try
Out the mission on my days off.
Saphire.. Science ground......Ko'el Romulan space Tac
Leva........Tactical ground.....Koj Romulan space Eng
JJ-Verse will never be Canon or considered Lore...It will always be JJ-Verse
Just wanted to let everyone know.
I'm still not sure that the Foundry is back 100% so if you run across any new bugs that I may have missed, please let me know here or via my in-game handle @greendragoon.
Thank you and enjoy.
Federation Mission - In the Shadow of MIDAS, Part 1
Author: greendragoon
Allegiance: Federation
Project ID: ST-HJ7NMF3PH
Report Start
Summary: This is an outstanding mission from the fantastic map designs, to the fun, balanced battles, through the excellent story dialogue. You did a fantastic job of drawing me into the story and keeping me riveted the whole time. I hardly noticed the mission length as I played through. I would highly recommend this mission to all players who love those elements in a mission.
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: This is a good and intriguing 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: This is a good initial task with a clear 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 no spelling or grammatical errors with this prompt.
MAPS:
MIDAS Array: This is a nice map design with well written story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Admiral's Office: This is a great map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Through the Wormhole: This is a fantastic map design with a good battle and excellent story dialogue. The wormhole, rift, and warp effects are outstanding. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-Consider changing the response button "Continue" to read "On screen".
-The post "Exit the Rift" dialogue; consider changing "We're traveled over 73,000 light years" to read "We've traveled over 73,000 light years".
System R1-997: This is a great map design with excellent story dialogue. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
Ruined City: The map design is fantastic, especially the entry to the fallen starship. The battles are well balanced and fun. The story dialogue is excellent. I noted no spelling or grammatical errors with this dialogue or any issues with the map.
U.S.S. Persephone: This is an outstanding map design with well balanced battles and excellent story dialogue. I noted a couple of items to consider changing:
-The post "Return to Transport Site" dialogue; consider changing "I know your star sailors" to read "I know you star sailors".
-The post "Set Off Incendiary Charges" dialogue; consider changing the response button "Continue" to read "Let's get out of here".
System R1-997: This is a nice map design with a good battle and well written story dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
-The warp effect you used for the warp out does not work very well. If possible I suggest you reorient the map so the ship approaches the warp out from the west and use the "WeatherStarStreaks East-West 01" effect you used on the "Through the Wormhole" map.
Ship Interior: This is an excellent map design with outstanding story dialogue. I noted one item to consider changing:
- I do not see it as a problem, but some players may mention a problem with a Vulcan using contractions. It's something to consider.
Empty Space: This is a great map design with fun battles and outstanding story dialogue. 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. The mission from start to finish is outstanding. I look forward to playing/reviewing more of your work in the future.
Brian
This critique report also filed 12/30/2012 on forum posting for: In depth mission reports upon request.
First off let me apologize for taking so long to respond. I actually just started a new job in another state and I only just got high speed internet set up at the new place. First off, let me say that the response I've gotten from everyone has been nothing short of awe inspiring. While I was in Internet exile, the mission passed 1000 reviews, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I think it's currently holding around 4.49/5. I want to give a huge thanks to everyone for the support and feedback.
That's the $1000 question, or the question I would have a $1000 if I got a dollar every time it was asked. Unfortunately I don't have a solid answer for that because I don't know. I can tell you that I have been working on it (or was before my move) and I plan to continue to do so. Right now I'd say it's about 40%-50% completed. That said this is something I work on in my spare time which I have less of now that I have a job again. I will continue to work on it and put as much care into it as part 1.
I've been occasionally posting screenshots on twitter from part 2 as I get things developed. Just to wet your appetite:
Jefferies Tube
Incoming Torpedo
Astrometrics
Deflector Control
Eidolon Core
I'm not really sure, there should have been an area marked out on your mini map. Was this shown, or was it missing? The target area is forward if you continued in the same direction you were going when you came out of the wormhole.
Hey, I loved part 1. And as I said in my review after playing it, this is the kind of stuff I wish Cryptic was churning out as staple material for STO - - it's just so very "Trek".
Really looking forward to see what you have in store for us in part 2. That said. I see in the post above that you have a link to a shot of a "Jeffese" tube. Actually the term is "Jefferies" tube - named after the highly talented Matt Jefferies who did much of the set, model, and prop work on The Original Series: http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Matt_Jefferies
Thought you might like a heads up on it before you start having people yell about it when the mission comes out. :P
Anyway, great stuff! Again, looking forward to part 2.
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
Thanks for your efforts.
I too eagerly await Part two, but agree that real life comes first.
I will probably run your mission again soon with my wife and daughter (my daughter is really enjoying playing Foundry missions; she and I both have characters leveling slowly entirely through Foundry missions).
I remember that summer clearly.
As strange as it sound, it's almost as hard for me to keep my mouth shut on what happens next. I want Part 2 to be done so I can tell you, but it still has a way to go before it's ready.
I had already read good reviews of this mission, but that trailer was well put together and gave me all the more reason to jump into it right now!
e: These are some good set designs / environments!
I like the story, too. Pretty enjoyable walking through the deserted city and then through the wrecked starship and trying to uncover both what's happened to the ship and to the world.
equal parts cynical and helpful
Changelog for Part 1 (2/2/13)
My goal is to eventually submit it for featuring, which if selected will prevent any further edits. So if you see remaining bugs/typos please pass them along.
I liked the premise even before realising where the main story would actually takes place. I liked how you utilised the MIDAS array, it shows that elements of Star Trek that can be considered important in a grander scope but usually only used for plot convenience in the actual shows and movies, DO still exist and because of this, they evolve and affect the wider world it's set in. Basically, it has consequence. Showing that the MIDAS array (something that should be considered an important development for Starfleet) is still in use and has grown for added functionality is a good example of this and in any case, I just like when elements of the lore not explored more in official material are done so here,so points for that.
A real good part of the mission is that it FELT Star Trek. Most of the time I go for high rated foundry missions and they are usually very good as well, but this one I got this feel the entire time. Travelling to the Delta Quadrant, searching for the missing ships, finding the abandoned planet and the crashed Persephone (sp?) and discovering how both met their fate felt like your slowly but surely piecing together a well crafted mystery yet still set in the Star Trek 'verse. With each discovery are more questions and the sense of dread gets higher with each increasingly worrying implication. Love that.
(Also love how most of the freighter remains in space are all headed away from the planet, gives a good ominous feel.)
The answers are also good, as they give a good balance between explaining in a way that anyone can understand, while still being complex and providing technobabble that fits in with Star Trek, but doesn't bog the story down.
What was also good was details such as how the crew on your ship were doing random jobs and talking with each other over various issues, yet it all still related in some way to the situation they were in and the background information you can collect on the missing ships before setting off to rescue them. Heck, the option of asking the crew if they actually want to go through with such a risky mission and an the fact that some of them actually do leave is especially good. Of course not everyone would want to risk their lives this badly! It's a nice touch which makes any part of the game, be it ships, stations or colonies just feel alive and three dimensional.
Nice mythology with both the abandoned planet's original residents and our new enemies. The enemies in particular are very interesting and are very credible threat considering what they can do.
I liked how the character you meet, Kimala, acts, especially the part when you break the news over her brother. You don't really see that emotion in Cryptic missions. They usually say the equivalent of "oh that's a real shame, moving on." Maybe that's because they had to make the game from the ground up and have to remain neutral to please parental guardians but at least on foundry, things like this and sometimes heavier topics can at least be explored.
Sometimes some missions just fall short of feeling right even though everything in it is actually great quality work. I won't point fingers and call names but an example of this was a well rated mission that had a unique premise and I enjoyed greatly, but my character and BOFFs just kept ending each conversation in an exclamation mark and sometimes with a cheesy action one liner. Sort of pulled me out of the experience considering we were facing hordes of flesh eating monsters that had killed almost everyone in the location before I arrived to sort it out. That may be personal bias though.
And that, cliffhanger, good god that cliffhanger. I really, REALLY, want to see how everything continues. Seriously (yet sarcastically), I play my games a lot just as much for the story as for the gameplay and you've basically stranded my ship far from home. :eek:
I can't continue the rest of the main game with that! I need to know what happens! It wouldn't make sense for my admiral to be doing all the cardassian struggle missions while he's stranded at the other end of the Galaxy at the same time, that's just not physically possible! (cookie for whoever catches the reference.)
If I had to give a little constructive criticism, it is that the player character could be somewhat more emotional, but not to over-the-top levels such as exclaiming every sentence. A good, (if complex and time consuming) way of solving that is with branching dialogue which you've already implemented anyway. I guess it more options with different emotional tones (stoic, sarcasm, compassion, anger, trepidation, etc.) would cater to all groups, but I imagine this could end up being very time consuming to implement. If something like that just doesn't work, then just stick to your original formula, I'm sure not complaining.
So, yeah, there's my long, boring review. Really you don't need it, you've already got a good grasp of your story and how it unfolds. Just wanted to air my thoughts. Hope to see the next instalment soon!
On a side note, I played a similar mission involving my ship travelling to the Delta quadrant to rescue a few missing ships. Don't worry, its not a copy of this one but its also really good too. At this point my admiral and his crew have travelled to the Delta quadrant TWICE and succeeded in where Voyager failed. Namely in finding a quick way home without stranding all my crew and without consulting them first. Not that I hate Voyager, but I can see the complaints about it. Still, the concept of exploring more of the Delta Quadrant to see the parts where Voyager glossed over or didn't travel across, or even the parts it did to see how their presence affected the place is a very interesting idea to me. :P
The MIDAS array is one of those plot elements that I'm suprised hasn't shown up more often in the Foundry. As much as it was only used for communications on the show, the technical description used to described how the array did, what it did implied so many possibilities. Fun little side note, Admiral Richard Harkins is meant to be the son of Commander Peter Harkins who was Reg Barcley's superior on the show.
For me, especially with this mission, the maps have defined the story. The crashed ship was actually the first thing I build in the Foundry because I noticed that the wall reminded me of the lip of the Ent-D saucer. (I actually built the city around it later.) This led to the question how did the ship crash, which lead to the idea of it being attacked by one of it's own, which lead to what would cause a starship to turn like that. Everything was built out from there.
This was another one of those elements that I was just playing around with and it ends up defining a large chuck of the plot. I already new the planet was abandoned, but having the ships derelict half way through an evacuation defined the planet for me. And frankly gave me chills when the idea first came to me.
I grew up watching Geordi talking about the warp core. It's kind of ingrained. (You should see the condition of my copy of the TNG Technical Manual) I was a little unsure about actually listing out the ship log as I wasn't sure if people would get it. Also had to add a little to canon to get a radiation type that did everything I wanted. Thoron radiation came the closest and isn't generally potrayed as a particually dangerous form of radiation. The method of blocking it is pretty much my own invention, but nothing that contradicts canon.
The excursion to your ship interior was a late addition and mostly because I realized I still had a ton of exposition to go through to get you to the final scene. (Another thing I fretted about as it's a LOT of talking.) That said, I chose that map was designed as an achor to Part 2, so you'll see it again and things will have changed.
Glad you liked the choice at the beginning, you can actually choose not to accept the mission at wich point the door to the office locks and you're forced to either abandon the mission or let the Admiral know that you've reconsidered.
The Eidolon are my attempt to come up with an enemy as imposing as the Borg were when they were first shown in Q-Who. I love that episode because it made the very composed crew of the Enterprise go, "Oh TRIBBLE!" In fact the ending of Part 1 was very much an attempt to replicate the end of that episode. (Spoiler: Q is not going to save you this time.) Really though, the Eidolon are not a purely original creation. They are actually inspired by the Enterprise episode, The Crossing, although I kicked the idea up a notch.
Don't make the mistake though of thinking the Eidolon are just a one dimentional enemy. You'll be learning more about them in Part 2.
Writing for charachers is hard. In fact it's something I struggle with. Kimala was my attempt to really break past that. It took several revisions of her dialog to get her to her current state. The scene with her turning the tables on Damok was almost accidental as I felt it was silly for her to sit there during the fight and I could only make her fight with Fed weapons. I pleased with how she turned out as she is both vulnerable and strong.
Sometimes some missions just fall short of feeling right even though everything in it is actually great quality work. I won't point fingers and call names but an example of this was a well rated mission that had a unique premise and I enjoyed greatly, but my character and BOFFs just kept ending each conversation in an exclamation mark and sometimes with a cheesy action one liner. Sort of pulled me out of the experience considering we were facing hordes of flesh eating monsters that had killed almost everyone in the location before I arrived to sort it out. That may be personal bias though.
Not going to say that I haven't played my share of immersion breaking missions, or even a few stinkers, but even with the rough ones, you can see glimpses of what Star Trek means to different authors which (I think) is a neat thing. Plus, you occasionally come across perviously undiscovered gems which is a incredible experience.
That said, if you're looking some good missions, I believe Kirkfat maintains a list of decent missions here: http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=286621
Ah the cliffhanger, this is one of those things people have loved or hated. As it happens, in earlier drafts of my mission, I had the player immediatly return to the MIDAS array after going through the wormhole and give the Admiral a full briefing. The mission would then be your captain reaccounting all that happened. The problem was that it made the mission that much longer and the passage of time element was really, really confusing. Plus, lets face it, the cliffhanger wouldn't have been as cool if you already knew your ship had made it back.
Yeah, player emotion is a tough nut to crack and one of the great Foundry debates of our time. Obviously not knowing anything about who the captain is (even their gender) makes it dificult to write for. Bridge officers are even harder. (I only can pull based on carreer and ship/away team.) I mostly tried to follow a softer/harder approach to conversational choices. (I'm curious if anyone tried to leave Kimala on the dying planet.) Still this was my first attempt and there is room for improvement. I'm probably going to expand this further in future parts. Maybe a passive, emotional, harsh approach.
The least I could do since you to the time to play my long, boring mission (it's been called that. :P) Seriously, though I really enjoy hearing your thoughts and it's good encouragement for me to hurry up and finish part 2.
Funny enough, it's never actually stated that you're in the Delta Quadrant, only near the border between the Delta and Gama Quadrants which puts you on the literal opposite side of the Galaxy. Still I've discovered that "Sent Across the Galaxy/Universe" and "Threat to the Federation" are very much tropes in the Foundry. But, eh, what can you do.
Just wanted to make a bug reported loving the story so far but after activating the forcefield on the probe i cant interact with it anymore and scan it which means i cant continue
I assume this was on Tribble? Cryptic was kind enough to port my mission, along with a number of others, over to Tribble for testing. A known change the the Foundry with Legacy of Romulus (CrypticFrost made it sound like it might be a bug) was that it is no longer possible to interact with NPCs/Objects through a solid object. I've made a change to the Tribble copy so that this should now be completable.
This also allowed me to preemptively fix this on Holodeck before the Foundry was taken down. Once the Foundry returns on Holodeck, I hope you'll give it another try.
I played the mission just yesterday and had to notice that the forcefield problem still appears. There is no way to rescan the probe in the Lab. I played the mission twice and tried for over an hour but no chance.
I hope it will work again soon, the mission was really brilliant to that point and I am more then curious to see how it ends
Thanks for your good work.
Yeah, there's a known bug right now that's preventing any interaction across a collision. Hopefully Cryptic can get it fixed along with a few others.
UPDATE: CrypticFrost just mentioned that the bug that's causing this has a fix in the pipe. I'll post here when the mission is playable again.
I have no idea how much work this is but I also do not have any guess when cryptic will provide solutions.
I am just impatient to play this missions