The easiest way to top this is to do it in 3 steps that have a clear vision:
1. Make it possible to have a Tal Shiar operative and play the opposite side of all the missions after getting to level 50, only make 1 out of each tier special for the Tal Shiar to break the monotony, however make it possible to have a Tal Shiar Starbase near the destroyed remains of old Romulus. Also release the Hirogen and the Elachi for Tal Shiar Bridge Officers. Lastly do this with the new level cap increase by the end of the year with all new missions for all factions. December 17 would be a perfect time since student will be out of school or close to it, and Christmas buying will feed the necessary optional expansion pack that follows the free update.
2. While One sounds like a doozie, number 2 could be put in it's place if Cryptic want more time to flesh out the Tal Shiar purpose and reasoning. This one involves fixing PVP by making the Klingon Omega Leonis Sector Block bases, Federation Sirius, Eta Eridani, and Regulus Sector Block bases, and the Iota Pavonis sector block bases attackable. This does not mean the WHOLE sector but the bases, and since KDF is so dead to most people they will have more options on where to attack while the Klingons only have to defend one home base. This will be a PVP action that does not interfere with normal use of the base but asks whether you want to enter the fleet action to defend or attack that base. This will happen once every 3 hours and will reward Ultra Rare gear that is only obtainable by the winning faction. These will be 10 vs. 10 space battles with NPCs to make it feel like a real battle and 1st-3rd place "extra" rewards will be obtainable.
Lastly, the Side that wins the overall faction battles will get a bonus Skill points, EC, drops (rare and very rare), and fleet marks for battles in those sectors. This is a good motivation for people to join Fleets in general and does not hurt the overall play for the game if people do not want to participate in Fleets or PVP. If Cryptic can muscle up the servers I would prefer the battles to be 15 vs. 15 or 20 vs. 20 without NPCs but this can be taxing on servers and computers so it is probably not possible. This will also coincide with a level cap increase that should happen in December if Cryptic went this route instead of suggestion # 1.
3. Last but definitely not least, release the Dominion and Cardassian factions together by only adding one sector block for the dominion that uses the Bajoran wormwhole to get to the Dominion sector of space keeping in line with cannon Star Trek universe. Make the story what you want, though making this group a little more aggressive would be nice instead of a nice broken Cardassian/Dominion group. Actually you could make this a desperate faction that have to suddenly defend against a shift in Borg tactics which target Federation allies instead of the Federation directly. Since the Federation is at war with the Klingons, they would not be able to assist the Cardassians/Dominion as much as they normally would. This would breed resentment and make set -up a True Way Faction that continues to gain power by finding anyway to defend their homeworld from the Borg, even by attacking the Federation and Klingons. This step should ONLY be done a year or two from now, because it requires alot of thought and planning, plus a WHOLE new set of ships equal to the LOR release we are getting today.
While these may seem more "complicated" than "easy", they lay out a clear plan of action for Cryptic to follow with many options. I hope many will read, comment, and expand upon these ideas as many have asked for similar updates since launch and very recently with the new expansion on the horizon.
Walls of text make it harder to read, I ramble a bit as well but I try to put in paragraph breaks. I did see what appears to be a paragraph separation, but no line break. It kind of forced me to skim a bit...
What your proposing is pretty much new games, it would take a decade or so to do all that. And while some games like SWG did slowly revamp their games in chapters into something better, it has yet to succeed minus WoW that changes a tiny chunk a year so you have to stand back and go "really this can't be the same game I played x years ago." In fact quite a few of those involve steps that people kind of want before they put new stuff in period, although this expansion proves they would rather put those off to make a new expansion look good; Cough cough, editable UI to escape the red HUD, and starting at level 1 for KDF.
Honestly, without throwing playable Borg and Borg ships in at some point...
(not that I'd want that)
How could there possibly be a way to top such a long awaited, highly anticipated free expansion such as the Romulans.
What would the next ideal expansion be for you in the next few years?
Bug Fixes?
Well, to be serious again.. I'd really love to see a major "Exploration Overhaul" including Tricorders with much more functionality and lots of adventure style missions with obstacles that could be solved in different ways (than just shooting). And on top of that.. an overhaul of the sector space (no borders for example) including much more planets that could be visited.. esp. the famous ones like Betazed, Trill, Ferenginar, ..
"We might get pretty singed at that range, but not as singed as they're going to get. Engage."
- Captain Six of Nine aka Ashley "Don't Call Me Ash" Campbell
-An indepth crafting system with specializations and salvage/disassembly system.
-Fully customizable ship interiors with a meaningful purpose to them.
-Being responsible for multiple ships under your command as an Admiral.
More attention to end-game. End-game has been pretty weak since launch.
I don't know if I would say those things would top LOR in terms of pure Trekie fanbody goodness, but they'd probably make me more likely to stick around after I hit 45 with the Romie.
A Dominion faction would be terrible, IF it was implemented in such a way that they had to be tied in with the Fed / KDF war. The Dominion have no horse in that race, so to speak. A True Way / Alpha Jem'Hadar "faction" might work, though.
A merc faction would also be cool.
But for me, exploration is really what would do it.
Fixing ship class balance
Fixing red alerts
Overhauling useless crafting
Fixing many longstanding bugs
Fixing crew mechanic
Fixing certain Boff abilities
Fixing ship roles (it's all about dps)
New STF's every few months instead of years
Elite STF versions of everything
Fixing item balance (most consoles are useless)
Fixing shield regen to make it worthwhile
...
i agree with this, especially the need for new STFs regularly. i would also like to see old style STFs that combine ground and space.
I say no more factions for a long time. very long time. Just do other things like tighten up pvp, pve, open up sector space. Add more story so we can move to 2410. Increase the level cap. Do stuff like that. Later, after this story line with the iconians is done have something happen like, the KDF enters a civil war with the races that have been enslaved by them or whatever you choose to call it.
The next big thing needs to be the Gamma Quadrant as a post-level 50 content Expansion. They need to let us go through the wormhole and experience new things with our 3 Factions. New end-game FEs, new STFs, new Patrols, and a focus on Exploration - and a true enemy for us all in the Dominion.
THIS RIGHT HERE^
Unfortunately the responses I have read from Cryptic on theses suggestions has been: "Meh, you have Foundry, make it yourself."
Exploration overhaul desperately needed. Foundry missions=/=Exploration. I hope any devs potentially reading this take it to heart. There is a thread chock full o' great ideas for exploration revamp.
Although I don't think my ideas are easy to implement, or even possible, I would like the following:
-Full galaxy available for exploration and sector ownership (allowing players to expand/loose their faction's influence)
-A diplomatic and economical system that would allow us to create alliances and eventually build a "self sustained" market. We would do projects, invest and develop "stuff". Help allies and trade favor for favor with long term goals in mind. This for the Federation. KDF could do it by conquest/intimidation. The Romulans one way or the other depending on alliance.
-More episode content.
-Special projects that would allow even greater ship costumization. You'd start with a few base templates and then research and develop your own ship design/project. We can customize ships by class, but this way we could use cross-class costumization and have nearly unique ships.
-Sending your owned ships on missions. Like DOff missions, but for your vessels. The outcome of the missions and hence the rewards would be in part dependent on the ship's build/characteritics.
-More level/character progression. Example: 20 levels between ranks instead of 10.
Sending your owned ships on missions. Like DOff missions, but for your vessels. The outcome of the missions and hence the rewards would be in part dependent on the ship's build/characteritics.
This sounds a lot like Starship Creator's "gameplay". I support this.
Wait did I miss something here? We had a launch today?
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
1). Expand UFP sector space. We only have a few key planets. We should have a ton more! We are the UFP for crying out loud!
2). Cardassian expansion pack - the Romulans are not the only Race/Empire to rebuild after destruction. The Cardassians lost the most during the Dominion war. Let's not forget about that.
3). Expand the galactic map. Ferengi Alliance, Breen Confederacy and other powers.....etc.
I've been grinning the whole day now that 21st is here
After a looong looong time I'm really excited about StarTrek Online... what makes it better is , its fresh on the heels of the In Darkness release
This.
There are a WIDE variety of Dominion allied species that could be looped in. The Founders would have to be HIGHLY restricted.
They'd be too dang powerful as a playable species.
Jem'Hadar could work.
Vorta would of course be on the list.
The major issue would be the three ships already out in the universe.
The Attack ship IS the back bone of the DOminion fleet. A mass release would be chaotic.
The two carriers could in theory be pulled from the boxes and lobi store and made C-store.
Those who already have them would gain the ability to reclaim them, those who have neither now have a way to get them that wouldn't involve almost pure chance.
I would prefer the Cardies and the Dominion to be separate factions, And we know they lament having released the Galor since that will make harder to make a unique Cardassian faction.
I had this idea last night, so I decided to share it and see what you guys think.
How about a "ship reputation" system? Meaning, the more you use a given ship and the more missions and content you would do with it the more points you would earn. These points could be used to develop unique (yet they can not become OP) buffs to the ship.
I believe this could improve the "trek feel" of a ship and crew on a mission.
Cardassian faction would be my ideal "expansion" in a year or so's time.
+1.
I would have preferred the Cardassians as the focus of a playable race and expansion, but with the time they had and background STO are building it makes sense, and is a good expansion imo.
I just wonder when there will be an Undine or Dominion Reputation system.
There are a WIDE variety of Dominion allied species that could be looped in. The Founders would have to be HIGHLY restricted.
They'd be too dang powerful as a playable species.
Jem'Hadar could work.
Vorta would of course be on the list.
The major issue would be the three ships already out in the universe.
The Attack ship IS the back bone of the DOminion fleet. A mass release would be chaotic.
The two carriers could in theory be pulled from the boxes and lobi store and made C-store.
Those who already have them would gain the ability to reclaim them, those who have neither now have a way to get them that wouldn't involve almost pure chance.
This goes back to why I think Cryptic had to make Romulans "the good guys" and why I think most future factions should be lumped into a single non-aligned faction with unique level 1-5 tutorials.
You can play, for example, a Vorta. But by the end of the tutorial, you're disavowed by the Dominion. You can play a Cardassian but wind up outside the Detapa Council's divided Cardassia.
Many tutorials. By level 5, you're in a bar on a Nimbus type world.
From there, you have a common experience that uses a large pool of non-KDF/Rom/Fed ships. You choose an ally at level 10 like the Romulans.
This allows them to sculpt you, morally, into the type of character who could logically participate in STFs, FEs, and FAs. It also allows them to cut characters off from hard to manage power sources or imbalancing gameplay advantages such as the Founders or the Borg Collective.
I mean, heck, you could have one tutorial where you're a Q.
By the end, you're stripped of your powers and species faction affiliation and are in a bar on Dessica II or Farius Prime. You assemble a ragtag crew and by level 10 are commanding an independent ship.
Comments
Walls of text make it harder to read, I ramble a bit as well but I try to put in paragraph breaks. I did see what appears to be a paragraph separation, but no line break. It kind of forced me to skim a bit...
What your proposing is pretty much new games, it would take a decade or so to do all that. And while some games like SWG did slowly revamp their games in chapters into something better, it has yet to succeed minus WoW that changes a tiny chunk a year so you have to stand back and go "really this can't be the same game I played x years ago." In fact quite a few of those involve steps that people kind of want before they put new stuff in period, although this expansion proves they would rather put those off to make a new expansion look good; Cough cough, editable UI to escape the red HUD, and starting at level 1 for KDF.
Bug Fixes?
Well, to be serious again.. I'd really love to see a major "Exploration Overhaul" including Tricorders with much more functionality and lots of adventure style missions with obstacles that could be solved in different ways (than just shooting). And on top of that.. an overhaul of the sector space (no borders for example) including much more planets that could be visited.. esp. the famous ones like Betazed, Trill, Ferenginar, ..
Every ship needs one.
-Fully customizable ship interiors with a meaningful purpose to them.
-Being responsible for multiple ships under your command as an Admiral.
More attention to end-game. End-game has been pretty weak since launch.
I don't know if I would say those things would top LOR in terms of pure Trekie fanbody goodness, but they'd probably make me more likely to stick around after I hit 45 with the Romie.
Romulan Praetorian Guard
A merc faction would also be cool.
But for me, exploration is really what would do it.
...LTS gives access to playable Liberated Borg.
Which wouldn't be a problem, if STO wasn't a loading screen fest.
i agree with this, especially the need for new STFs regularly. i would also like to see old style STFs that combine ground and space.
Orion pirates faction.
You may find that the number of people that would consider Romulans a "long awaited" feature to be less than you think it is.
THIS RIGHT HERE^
Unfortunately the responses I have read from Cryptic on theses suggestions has been: "Meh, you have Foundry, make it yourself."
Exploration overhaul desperately needed. Foundry missions=/=Exploration. I hope any devs potentially reading this take it to heart. There is a thread chock full o' great ideas for exploration revamp.
-Full galaxy available for exploration and sector ownership (allowing players to expand/loose their faction's influence)
-A diplomatic and economical system that would allow us to create alliances and eventually build a "self sustained" market. We would do projects, invest and develop "stuff". Help allies and trade favor for favor with long term goals in mind. This for the Federation. KDF could do it by conquest/intimidation. The Romulans one way or the other depending on alliance.
-More episode content.
-Special projects that would allow even greater ship costumization. You'd start with a few base templates and then research and develop your own ship design/project. We can customize ships by class, but this way we could use cross-class costumization and have nearly unique ships.
-Sending your owned ships on missions. Like DOff missions, but for your vessels. The outcome of the missions and hence the rewards would be in part dependent on the ship's build/characteritics.
-More level/character progression. Example: 20 levels between ranks instead of 10.
This sounds a lot like Starship Creator's "gameplay". I support this.
- Judge Aaron Satie
Have the server down for 2 days instead of 1?
The night is still young...
I'd put a healthy sum of zen on the bet that there will be more extended maintenance tomorrow.
1). Expand UFP sector space. We only have a few key planets. We should have a ton more! We are the UFP for crying out loud!
2). Cardassian expansion pack - the Romulans are not the only Race/Empire to rebuild after destruction. The Cardassians lost the most during the Dominion war. Let's not forget about that.
3). Expand the galactic map. Ferengi Alliance, Breen Confederacy and other powers.....etc.
This.
There are a WIDE variety of Dominion allied species that could be looped in. The Founders would have to be HIGHLY restricted.
They'd be too dang powerful as a playable species.
Jem'Hadar could work.
Vorta would of course be on the list.
The major issue would be the three ships already out in the universe.
The Attack ship IS the back bone of the DOminion fleet. A mass release would be chaotic.
The two carriers could in theory be pulled from the boxes and lobi store and made C-store.
Those who already have them would gain the ability to reclaim them, those who have neither now have a way to get them that wouldn't involve almost pure chance.
I like cats :cool:.
UGC Campaign: The Coldblooded Scrolls
How about a "ship reputation" system? Meaning, the more you use a given ship and the more missions and content you would do with it the more points you would earn. These points could be used to develop unique (yet they can not become OP) buffs to the ship.
I believe this could improve the "trek feel" of a ship and crew on a mission.
+1.
I would have preferred the Cardassians as the focus of a playable race and expansion, but with the time they had and background STO are building it makes sense, and is a good expansion imo.
I just wonder when there will be an Undine or Dominion Reputation system.
The Tholians are the next playable faction. I mean, we got Romulan rep, then Romulan faction, and now we have a Tholian-related rep.
This goes back to why I think Cryptic had to make Romulans "the good guys" and why I think most future factions should be lumped into a single non-aligned faction with unique level 1-5 tutorials.
You can play, for example, a Vorta. But by the end of the tutorial, you're disavowed by the Dominion. You can play a Cardassian but wind up outside the Detapa Council's divided Cardassia.
Many tutorials. By level 5, you're in a bar on a Nimbus type world.
I'd probably go with Farius Prime or Dessica II.
From there, you have a common experience that uses a large pool of non-KDF/Rom/Fed ships. You choose an ally at level 10 like the Romulans.
This allows them to sculpt you, morally, into the type of character who could logically participate in STFs, FEs, and FAs. It also allows them to cut characters off from hard to manage power sources or imbalancing gameplay advantages such as the Founders or the Borg Collective.
I mean, heck, you could have one tutorial where you're a Q.
By the end, you're stripped of your powers and species faction affiliation and are in a bar on Dessica II or Farius Prime. You assemble a ragtag crew and by level 10 are commanding an independent ship.