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maninblack017
Member Posts: 152 Arc User
Hello, Captains.
I'm currently working on the conclusion to the Uprising series and I've run into a bit of a dilemma here. I may be over-thinking it, but I figured this would be the best place to ask for advice.
With Acts I, II, and III, I took great lengths to keeping them open for captains of all skill levels. But admittedly, I don't know if this is merely a cosmetic thing or if it impacts difficulty.
For example, at the end of Act I - Off The Grid, you face off against the bad guy's "dreadnought". It was supposed to be a difficult battle, however, I re-skinned a Klingon ship (the toughest ship I could find without it defaulting to "Map will be restricted to Levels 31 and higher") and the result was a Galaxy-class ship fighting with Klingon weaponry and a not-so-tough fight.
If I had used one of the "Level 31 and higher" enemies, would it have made for a tougher battle for the player? Or would it have just changed the weaponry of the enemy ship without increasing difficulty? I am under the impression that the game automatically scales the enemy relative to the player's skill level. But I can't imagine that a Borg Cube would be scaled evenly with a Klingon Bird of Prey?
The reason I bring this up is because with Act IV, it is the final chapter of the series. I want certain levels of difficulty in areas if available, but I don't want to alienate a portion of players by restricting it to Level 31 and higher. So that brings up other questions. Is the portion of players Level 30 and lower large enough for me to be concerned about? I want my missions open for the majority of players out there. Would it be taboo to suddenly make Act IV a "31 and higher" mission when the first three missions aren't?
Another aspect I'm looking at is this: There are going to be moments where you will be fighting against ground forces comprised of former Starfleet officers. Having them as re-skinned Klingons makes for some strange-looking battles when they start releasing Targs after you. I figured that re-skinned Mirror Universe mobs would basically fit the bill, but that brings up the Level 31 and Higher issue.
So I'm looking for advice here, authors. What are your thoughts and/or experiences on this matter? I appreciate any feedback you can give. Thank you.
I'm currently working on the conclusion to the Uprising series and I've run into a bit of a dilemma here. I may be over-thinking it, but I figured this would be the best place to ask for advice.
With Acts I, II, and III, I took great lengths to keeping them open for captains of all skill levels. But admittedly, I don't know if this is merely a cosmetic thing or if it impacts difficulty.
For example, at the end of Act I - Off The Grid, you face off against the bad guy's "dreadnought". It was supposed to be a difficult battle, however, I re-skinned a Klingon ship (the toughest ship I could find without it defaulting to "Map will be restricted to Levels 31 and higher") and the result was a Galaxy-class ship fighting with Klingon weaponry and a not-so-tough fight.
If I had used one of the "Level 31 and higher" enemies, would it have made for a tougher battle for the player? Or would it have just changed the weaponry of the enemy ship without increasing difficulty? I am under the impression that the game automatically scales the enemy relative to the player's skill level. But I can't imagine that a Borg Cube would be scaled evenly with a Klingon Bird of Prey?
The reason I bring this up is because with Act IV, it is the final chapter of the series. I want certain levels of difficulty in areas if available, but I don't want to alienate a portion of players by restricting it to Level 31 and higher. So that brings up other questions. Is the portion of players Level 30 and lower large enough for me to be concerned about? I want my missions open for the majority of players out there. Would it be taboo to suddenly make Act IV a "31 and higher" mission when the first three missions aren't?
Another aspect I'm looking at is this: There are going to be moments where you will be fighting against ground forces comprised of former Starfleet officers. Having them as re-skinned Klingons makes for some strange-looking battles when they start releasing Targs after you. I figured that re-skinned Mirror Universe mobs would basically fit the bill, but that brings up the Level 31 and Higher issue.
So I'm looking for advice here, authors. What are your thoughts and/or experiences on this matter? I appreciate any feedback you can give. Thank you.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"The time has come to see the world as it is." - Captain James T. Kirk
Twitter - @SDVargo
"The time has come to see the world as it is." - Captain James T. Kirk
Twitter - @SDVargo
Post edited by maninblack017 on
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I'd say that, unless someone is intentionally rolling a new toon, they'll be lvl 31+ if they know about the Foundry and they know how to find your missions with a custom search.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
As the OP mentioned, trying to get around level restrictions by reskinning low-level mobs as higher-level mobs can result in odd behavior. There was one mission I've played (can't remember the title or author) that has Romulan ships reskinned as Borg ships. This cause the ships to move funny (especially the cubes, which tilt to one side while turning). It also fails to take into account that when reskinned ships are destroyed, they typically revert to their regular appearance - and associated destruction effect. (Since when do Borg ships use singularity drives?) Another mission I've played went the other way, reskinning Borg mobs as something else, thus treating the player to the sight of a destroyed ship suddenly transforming into a much larger field of floating Borg cube wreckage for no apparent reason.
My Foundry missions | My STO Wiki page | My Twitter home page
"The time has come to see the world as it is." - Captain James T. Kirk
Twitter - @SDVargo
You're welcome!