Note to Authors, and would be players...

bcwhguderian1941 · December 2014

I have played many missions, and there is never enough room in the review Dialog Box to say
everything...

1) To all Authors. The time and care you put into your maps, locations, ships, aliens, and so
on is not lost on many of us. They are really, really good. Just never seem to have room
to note this in my reviews. So I take this moment to salute you.

2) To Authors. In the category selection where you check off space, ground, story, puzzel,
etc. What does "quarters" equate to? Do'nt tell me... the maps.

3) To all players looking to the Foundry. Remember that the missions simply displayed in the
UI are NOT all there is. There are many 100's more. To access these, try the
following...

a. Go to the Mission UI.
b. Select "Foundry".
c. Select "Browse All".
d. Select "Top Rated" (button is in the upper left corner of screen).
e. In the search window type a mission name (many of these titles can be found in the Main
Foundry Forum in a List that is upgraded by some industious Auhors), or type in "Key" words
such as "Exploration", "Archeology", "Diplomacy", "Investigation", etc.. You will be amazed at
what missions become available.

For players its important to remember that authors only have the tools that Cryptic/PWE has
provided. Most authors would prefer more, but they do the very best they can with the tools
available. This becomes important in regards to "bugs", or graphical limitations of which they
have no control. (also remember to "tip" the author when you enjoy the mission, its a great
incentive for them to do more missions

)

Oh well, I've babbled on enough. I'm sure some authors could add more to this. Just a rookies
contribution to some beloved authors.

BCW.

markhawkman · December 2014

2: "Quarters" is for non-mission projects where the goal is to make a cool looking set and nothing else.

thegreendragoon1 · December 2014

Thank you, I'm really glad you're enjoying the Foundry. I wish more realized it was there. Still, seeing people with whom our stories resonate is the best thank we could ask for.

drazursouthclaw · December 2014

EVERYONE: If you enjoyed a Foundry Mission, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send the author a quick ingame mail saying so - this will mean more to them than some review which they may never read (I stopped when I realized that people don't actually use that space for REVIEWING). I'd rather receive a 'your mission wasn't too bad I guess' than the paltry dil tips that Cryptic allow us, and I don't imagine I'm alone there.

OP: I would now like to comment on some of things you said in your very positive-spirited post. Please be aware that I am not attacking anyone at any stage. Also, I didn't just say that so that I can then just go on and attack people. I've thought carefully about how to put this stuff.

1) It's not lost on YOU and others like you. People like you are not the main users of Foundry missions (mine at least). Most people who use the Foundry missions nowadays are after quick rewarding blastfest, or outright exploits.

Back in the day, the Foundry was where all the ACTUAL Star Trek fans (I mean 'people who care about the lore' - nothing more and nothing less) would go to experience new stories.

As the game became more and more about money for the devs (and by extension, dil for the players), the incentive to experience Foundry missions came second to the rewards that they could offer. And this has ruined the entire Foundry thing for me personally. And I haven't seen anything from my favourite Foundry author in MONTHS.

Why bother spending 50+ hours on something that will get you a 1 star review (why is this system even still in place? It NEVER worked, and we all know it - even though those with 4-5 star missions may be mysteriously silent about it), because someone doesn't understand that you can't control the loot?

But like I said - Not everyone is like you. I wish they were, if that helps.

2) (answered by someone else above)

3) I have been trying for years now to think of a WORSE way for the Foundry to be set up with regards to new Foundry Missions. I honestly can't do it.

I have two missions for FED and KDF. They are BOTH called Predictable Holomission.They are only concerned with space combat, and only take place on one loaded map. I made them so I could test my ships, and maybe eventually use for the hourlies. They're not exploits, and you don't get a lot of help from NPCs so they're not grinders either.

The FED one, I can use for my hourlies. The KDF one I can't. Why not? Because it's still in 'review'.

(insert Fed/KDF bias rant HERE)

So, these are my possible options:
- suck it up
- spam zone chat asking people to play it
- make a video about it and post it in the Foundry Forums. I'm sure that'll magically work THIS time, even though it's not worked for me EVER BEFORE. /rolleyes
- ask my fleet to play it (probably the most reasonable option, even though I still feel like I'm selling watches to them)
- wait until Cryptic let us just publish maps (BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh man)
- sacrifice a goat to Cthulu

I've done ALL OF THOSE, MULTIPLE TIMES (except the last one, which I only added as a kind of reward for reading this far).

What is it? Am I not handsome enough? Do I have something in my teeth? Is it because I look like someone that stole something from you, foundry community? Is it because I made that rainbow ship on my first play session? HOW DID I IRK YOU SO?

What's that?

It's because you didn't even know, because all of the Foundry missions just blend into each other for non-Foundry authors, and the UI thinks it's still 1990?

I put it to the community that MANY of the recent Cryptic missions would not ever get out of the review stage. Seriously, really think about that.

Don't get me wrong: I love the latest stuff. Hell, I loved ALL THE STUFF - the first time I played it. But do most of the community feel the same? Would it get past the review stage? Or would they get 'poor loot, 1 star' or 'nobody will play this for that long, 1 star' or 'Klingons don't speak like that, 1 star'?

***

When I first tried to make stuff, I couldn't believe the restrictions in the Foundry. Now, 3 years later, I'm actively disgusted by them still being there.

Do you know it took me 3 hours to correctly place the correct part of a character inside the correct part of the correct rock, the other day? You do now. Maybe that means I suck at Foundry stuff. But I put it to you that something so simple should be...well...simple. And it should NOT take 3 damn hours to do.

And you can't test a lot of stuff without running the mission - THIS is where most of the so-called 'creative' time goes - waiting for the damn map to load, so you can see if that thing that you moved by .0001 is where you want it now, or if that NPC is disappearing when you told him to, or if that NPC battleship group will be there when you want it to this time. And it's not. So you try it again. And again. And again. I estimate that I was only actually in the editor for 1.5 hours of that time. That's not acceptable to me as a creator OR as a gamer.

I salute all the Foundry makers who take their craft seriously, because I no longer have the time nor patience required to do anything of any real merit.

I will happily keep doing my stupid little joke ones - because I am SICK TO DEATH of being forced to rewrite around the Foundry's limitations - and then when you DO FINALLY get your stuff onto the 'market', Little Johhny Space Captain just says 'DERPADERP the loot was bad, 1 star' and you think: "All that time, I could have been learning how to make cheese, or how to swear in other languages, or invented a new type of imaginary fish."

Please let me say that you're a top person for posting this, and that I would like to believe you. It means more to me as sometime-Foundry author than a 1 star review from some non-specific Foundry user, because it took actual effort for you to write this.

kirksplat · December 2014

drazursouthclaw wrote: »

snip...

Drazursouthclaw,

I've been making a lot of the same points for years. A lot of us have. The only real way to get plays is to get a spotlight. Given that we don't have many spotlights these days, well... that is just the icing on it.

We are all frustrated with the state of the UI and the lack of support (when it comes to programmers and the UI).

At some point, self-promotion is kind of meaningless if the ingame UI doesn't help. But that is the state of things.

There are some other things to try. If you hang out in the starbaseugc chat, you'll find a lot of fellow authors who will gladly help your mission get out of the review stage. Many of them are also podcast hosts, so your mission might make it to podcast reviews or twitter networks.

You can also write a blog post for your mission at Starbaseugc. Nobody really does that anymore, because it doesn't seem to generate many plays, but it will get other authors to notice the mission and appreciate that somebody is still promoting their mission there.

Nevertheless, probably the only way for any of our missions to suddenly appear in a static list of top-rated is to have a large number of plays with high reviews. Even if all the stars align, you'll probably need a spotlight to appear in the top-rated list... or you'll need a very efficient loot grinder.

Except for a few newer spotlights and some accolade grinders, that top-rated list hasn't changed much in a year.

captainhunter1 · December 2014

Not having new missions easily seen/accessed is absolutely strangling the Foundry.

I'll bet 90% of the players in the game don't have a clue there are more than Spotlights and the 50 Top Rated missions available for play.

It has to be one of the most discouraging things as a new author to pour your heart into a mission and then never see it get any plays.

New material/content is the lifeblood of any MMO. The current Foundry UI has got to go! Give new missions a category of their own, instead of being 'buried' behind a hidden drop down menu AND a terrible 50 missions only limitation!! (see link below

)

intrinsical · January 2015

One of the easiest and best thing you can do when you have played a good foundry mission is simply to tell others about it. We foundry authors put in all our love and hard work into foundry missions simply because we like others to have a good time and enjoy themselves. Knowing that many people have enjoyed my mission is the best possible reward. So spread it to your friends, fleet mates. Even strangers in ESD, Qo'nos, DS9, Drozana or wherever you are.

bcwhguderian1941 · January 2015

intrinsical wrote: »

One of the easiest and best thing you can do when you have played a good foundry mission is simply to tell others about it. We foundry authors put in all our love and hard work into foundry missions simply because we like others to have a good time and enjoy themselves. Knowing that many people have enjoyed my mission is the best possible reward. So spread it to your friends, fleet mates. Even strangers in ESD, Qo'nos, DS9, Drozana or wherever you are.

For what its worth, I advocate for the Foundry at every opportunity. Be it In Game, Fleet,
or Forum. As you folks have talent that I do not, I really try to steer folks to "taste" your
cooking.

BCW.

Note to Authors, and would be players...

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