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Interview a Dev: CaptainGeko
pwebranflakes
Member Posts: 7,741
In this edition of "Interview a Dev," Lead Designer Al "CaptainGeko" Rivera has answered questions that were submitted by players earlier in the month.
Link to the interview.
Link to the interview.
Post edited by pwebranflakes on
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No new Galaxy
New KDF ship pushed to 2014
No new customization for KDF ships
Fleet Ar'Kif eventually
Non-Rom C-store sets eventually
Maybe a new gimmick for Cruisers/Sci Ships
Tanking and Science is fine
STO isn't Tac focused
Maybe new boff powers
No T6 ships
They're dubious about Rom/Reman traits being nuts
Did I miss anything?
I think you caught it well.
Shame on the KDF stuff, I would like some more character outfit options too, not just for the ships. Maybe in 2015?
Language has nuance and meaning based on context, making your list both right and terribly misleading or needlessly inflammatory at the same time, though not terribly surprising considering who made the post. :rolleyes:
And a lot of the usual nice Jedi Mind Tricks: everything is all right, you don't need a new KDF ship this year, those are the Galaxys you were looking for.
Aside from that, no KDF love, no new outfits either (aside from Romulan)?
Eek how long do we have to wait for things that used to come monthly in the past?
"My take as Lead Designer is that the problem is not significant"
So glad I've stopped playing already. When the lead designer doesn't feel that 2/3 of classes in the game are pointless it is past time to find a new game.
This post has been edited to remove content which violates the Perfect World Entertainment Community Rules and Policies. ~BranFlakes
If I could choose just one thing from that interview to emphasize, it would be the considerable advantage that the Romulan faction gets due to its bridge officer traits. While Al's response was carefully and neutrally worded, I sincerely hope that the devs will address the problem.
And by address the problem, I don't mean simply nerf the Romulan traits. There's nothing wrong with them per se; the issue is that no other faction can stack them so reliably, coupled with the dearth of other excellent BOFF trait options. Efficiency and Leadership really only get you so far.
The best solution I've seen so far would be something along the lines of what dontdrunkimshoot suggested here. Balance the Romulan traits by giving a large number of other viable options to all BOFF races.
Thanks again, Al. And thanks to those who made the interview questions.
This would both be far for Fed and KDF and not unfair to Roms since they have access to Fed/KDF BOFFs.
One thing that bugs me is that it sounds like we are still not any closer to a practical fix for the Gal-X.
LTS, here since...when did this game launch again?
Nice post,put a big smile on this mans face
All that is nice.. but, anything to do with those ships that is not the same and repetitive grinding missions?
Yea.. I know.. meybe I should go to Btran and explore the galaxy..........
But.. WE HAVE SHIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPS!!!one111one111!!!!!
Some one said new ship? I WANT A NEW SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIP!!!one11!!
Division Hispana
www.divisionhispana.com
I totally agree...I quit playing about 2 months ago. I still come by and get a good laugh out of these DEV's comments and blogs.
This so called "lead designer" is answering these questions with some seriously flawed logic. The customer, in this case, the customers are always right...the lead designer needs to listen to the majority of the community, not his own wants and desires. This is the sole reason this game will not make it past 2014.
seriously, who let the crazy person decide the game is fine?
Do you even Science Bro?
Thanks for your time and answers Geko.
Answer regarding Fleet ships was particularly disappointing, as he just boiled it down to "Fleet Ar'Kif coming soon(tm)". That's cute, but what about Fleet Atrox, Fleet Guramba, Fleet Kar'Fi, Fleet Marauder, Fleet D'Kyr and many others? When can we expect those and what are the reasons they're not already in the game, considering how long ago their C-Store versions were released?
Also, dismissing the dps/tactical superiority by saing that "I can see many cruisers and science vessels flying around" is plain silly. I really hope this whole new mechanic for cruisers is gonna be groundbreaking, because in its current state the game really is Escorts Online...
I'm honestly disappointed. I like Geko, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't seem to really care about most of the stuff people are concerned about. And he doesn't do a particuarly good job at hiding that its money that matters most when it comes to decission making.
Considering the last Ask Cryptic that gave even remotely illuminative answers was over a year ago, rage at the facts in the answers isn't anywhere near the top of the charts on why the feature got dropped.
I'm reserving judgement on the "interview a dev" format until Cryptic plays it's cards. If they take the feedback and reactions from this piece (regardless of whether I agree or disagree, I do appreciate Gecko giving at least some insight into where his position is) and actually try to have a constructive conversation that can lead to some manner of resolution, it's going to be for the better.
If instead they stick their stick their fingers in their ears and hum really loud, it won't be. There's an opportunity to fix some things here. Don't waste it Cryptic.
But I'm happy the more interesting questions got chosen (wasn't expecting that).
The only positives I see is the seeming work being done on the new 'mechanic' for cruisers as well as science vessels and new mission objectives in Season 8 better completed with not only escorts (I'm not too trusting of this).
Toi'Va, Ti'vath, Toivia, Ty'Vris, Tia Vex, Toi'Virth: Add Tier 6 KDF Carrier and Raider.
Tae'Va, T'Vaya, To'Var, Tevra, T'Vira, To'Vrak: Give us Asylums for Romulans.
Don't make ARC mandatory! Keep it optional only!
This was one area in which I found myself strongly disagreeing with Al.
For the overwhelming majority of the PvE content in STO, I can more rapidly and efficiently complete it using a properly equipped and skilled escort on a tactical captain. Particularly a Romulan tactical captain. From my perspective, that is the issue that needs to be examined. And that goes way beyond just the way the ships are designed or the way captain powers are apportioned.
I agree that Al either dodged or misunderstood the question a little bit when he answered by noting the number of non-escorts flying around. Yes, that's very true... but that wasn't the crux of the question. Yes, it's perfectly possible to build a solid cruiser or a good science ship. But ultimately, the PvE content available is almost always dependent on efficiently dealing damage. In that arena, escorts rule the roost.
That would be fine if cruisers and science vessels were equally efficient in another arena. But as things stand, a well-built escort is every bit as resilient as a cruiser through speed and resists. And a well-built escort can, through maneuverability and various powers, control and confuse as well as a science ship. There's a flexibility and power in escorts that isn't quite matched by the other types of vessel. As things stand, cruisers and science vessels generally don't have an area at which they alone can excel... but escorts do. This is an issue in PvE and particularly in PvP.
To be fair, Al did say that they were investigating the addition of new mechanics for science ships and cruisers, and new powers for all bridge officers/captains. I'm highly optimistic that this could remedy the situation.
Ultimately, I'm glad for Al's willingness to answer some of our questions, even if I see things a little differently than he does.
I'm aware of all that - I was pointing out that he didn't even seem to realize that the Ody and Bort even got an update in his response. As lead designer, you would think he would know what has actually gone into the game recently - especially when answering a Q&A about the subject.
1) Be pulled aside and quietly told not to do that again?
2) Receive a slap on the wrist and disappear for a few days?
3) Be taken into a back room, beaten to a pulp, and disappear for a month or two?
4) Become a figment of people's imagination as every mention of my existence was purged and I was never seen from again?
[CaptainGeko] We are strongly considering giving older ships a second look to see if any of them need some love. We have a couple in mind, but I don't want to share which ones yet in case the list changes. But, to be clear, I'm talking about older ships, not the Odyssey or Bortasqu. We are happy with those, although we may consider new set bonuses for them.
Awesome start, right? I mean, really - that's a pretty good start.
[CaptainGeko] We have talked about this quite a bit, and, exactly as you described in the question, we are planning on adding more set bonuses to ships. Since there are so many ships, we will probably release a few at a time.
Wow, this is going pretty well, am I right?
[CaptainGeko] We could sell a 3-ship Galaxy pack that would include the T4 Galaxy Refit, the T5 Galaxy Retrofit and the Galaxy Dreadnought, or even possibly the T5 Galaxy Retrofit, the Galaxy Dreadnought and a new variant ? though, there is no plan for either at this moment in time. We have considered bundling retrofits and refits. Perhaps as we introduce set bonuses.
Makes sense...makes sense, right?
[CaptainGeko] Not exactly. We have considered allowing users to purchase Bridge Officer seating and ship slot options for their ships, but this would require a significant amount of new tech. Even though it is a lot of work, we do think it is worth it, but it?s too early to say exactly that that would mean for players.
Been discussed quite a bit in the past...
[CaptainGeko] Unlikely. Making all players ship purchases obsolete would be something we would want to avoid. Possible alternatives would be (and I'm just brainstorming now): A level cap increase to characters only; allow players to level up any T5 ship ? either with time or Zen; or maybe something completely different.
Again, been discussed in the past...
[CaptainGeko] There is a new T5 Klingon ship planned. It?s actually already designed and partly made. We had hoped on releasing it before the end of the year, but that may not be practical anymore. The ship artists are feverishly working on some epic Voth ships and other Season 8 content at the moment. I prefer not to speculate at this time when the new Klingon ship will be done, but it?s in the works.
Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] We recently were discussing this. We have started to evaluate Klingon Raiders and we will determine soon whether any tuning is needed.
Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] It isn't effective to release too many ships at once ? especially competing ships. Typically, we release fleet versions of ships sometime after the C-store version is released. Presumably, this question is regarding the Ar'Kif. Eventually, a Fleet version will be made available, but I would rather not speculate on the exact date.
Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] The Corsair and the Scourge currently have no customization options and are only available in the C-store and Fleet Store, and I do not anticipate any new costume options for those ships in the near future. As for the B'rel, we will have to look into it and see if there is something that needs attention.
Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] We are aware of the reports and are looking into the validity of these claims.
OMFG, Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] I don't know if I would agree that the vast majority of ships that are released "scream DPS and Tactical", though it should be no surprise they are popular. We are currently working on a new mechanic for Cruisers (and related Battlecruisers and Flight Deck Cruisers), as well as Science Vessels. I can't give you any details at this time, but you may see something soon.
OMFG, Trollololol...
[CaptainGeko] I don't personally agree with this statement and feel it is hyperbole to say "science abilities are useless and the tanking role is obsolete". At the same time, I completely acknowledge that many players prefer DPS builds over control or tanking builds ? that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. But I feel this is usually the opinion of hard core and dedicated players. Hard core players will always find the most optimal build.
There are few ways to address this: make everything else better; nerf Escorts (oh the horror!); offer gameplay objectives that only certain classes can achieve; offer new gameplay mechanics to other classes to make them tactically interesting, or change the entire game to satisfy more traditional Tank/Support/DPS MMO gameplay. Any change will either have no significant effect on the perceived value of Escorts, or it could possibly just shift the ?flavor of the week. ?
My take as Lead Designer is that the problem is not significant. Stop off at any social hub or sector space and there are plenty of cruisers, carriers and science vessels that players fly. Now, that all being said, I don't deny the effectiveness of Escorts, and I'm not saying we are not interested in offering new options. As mentioned above, we are currently looking into a possible new mechanic for Cruisers and Science Vessels, as well as new Bridge Officer power options for all professions. Also, some of the new Content in Season 8 has objectives that are better completed by different ship classes. But I don't believe any of these changes will significantly change ship roles in STO ? our goal is to just keep things fresh and fun.
Remember those "I've got a headache this big!" commercials? After the /facepalm reading that...yeah.
Its sounds like Cryptic gave up.
How many years has "Star Trek: Online" been running? Three? Four?
What is the average lifespan of a MMO? Five?
Color me interested about the possible new mechanic for cruisers and sci. Not S8, I'm guessing?
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
All that is true, but there is another side to that coin - Cryptic LOVES to backpedal on updates that generate a lot of commotion in the forums.
The simplest solution to making cruisers more viable is to just change the damage curve of the enemies so that the improved shield multiplier of Sci ships and the higher hull strength of cruisers come into play more. It's not quite that simple, but in essence the easiest way to make it work is to make the low shield multiplier and hull ratings of the escorts be more of a liability than they are now. Because those stats don't actually factor in that heavily now, they would probably have to be tweaked on existing sci and cruiser ships to be higher so that a couple consoles could not make up the difference, but I think in the end it would be worth it. Another option would be to make the larger crew complements and/or the loss of your crew during a fight play more of a factor; say, if your entire crew bar is red, your power levels drop or your weapons cycle slower, so if you are an escort and you pull aggro you will more quickly lose effectiveness vs a cruiser or sci ship, making the tanking and control roles more vital. Once again, this would require some pretty major engine changes but it would be a way to solve the issue.
However, any major change like that is going to cause a massive sh**storm in the forums as people who have munchkin-ized their builds see the post and start complaining about how they will be worthless now (often before even giving it a try), and Cryptic will back down and reverse the change before it even hits the live servers. This game has a very serious issue with vocal players who refuse to accept any changes to the game that would require them to change the way they play even a little, and devs who are afraid to force them to make said changes. Until Cryptic decides to grow a backbone and be willing to alienate some player for the sake of making the game more interesting and fun for everyone else, things won't change.
IMO, that's a ridiculous inference. Nothing Geko said can be construed as "we're all done after this".
Most of what he said amounts to either "we're working on something I can't tell you about" or "that's not something we're planning to do right now", with a heavy dose of "we're working really hard on S8 and that's our priority".
When they stop putting new stuff on the C-Store, stop releasing content of any kind, and only run deep sales on what they already have, then maybe it's time to worry. Otherwise, I'm getting really tired of all of the knee-jerk gloom and doom {word redacted due to forum rules}.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek