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NPCs addressing our characters - replace RANK tag with TITLE tag
captainhunter1
Member Posts: 1,627 Arc User
Hi Dev team!
Say, any chance we'll see the much wanted <title> tag replace the <rank> tag in NPC dialogs when addressing us?
I sure would like the option to chose something other than rank for them to address us by. Using the existing <title> coding seems like the easiest way to do it. Here's only a partial list:
Hello Advocate
Hello Agent
Hello Ambassador
Hello Attache
Hello Chief Engineer (and Chief Science Officer, and Chief Medical Officer)
Hello Consul
Hello Detective
Hello Doctor
Hello Envoy
Hello Lieutenant, or Commander, or Captain, or Admiral (and EVERY other rank)
Hello MACO Team Specialist
Hello Omega Force Veteran
Hello Scientist
Hello Technician
Hello Temporal Ambassador
Again, all Ranks are on the <title> list, so for those who want them they are still available.
With the <title> system, YOU chose what NPCs address you as - it isn't random. I think having the above choices (yes, even Moist or Torpedo Target etc., for those crazy enough to pick them) is a VAST improvement over, 'Hello Vice Admiral' ad nauseum, regardless of the clothes I wear or my character's backstory.
Thanks!
Say, any chance we'll see the much wanted <title> tag replace the <rank> tag in NPC dialogs when addressing us?
I sure would like the option to chose something other than rank for them to address us by. Using the existing <title> coding seems like the easiest way to do it. Here's only a partial list:
Hello Advocate
Hello Agent
Hello Ambassador
Hello Attache
Hello Chief Engineer (and Chief Science Officer, and Chief Medical Officer)
Hello Consul
Hello Detective
Hello Doctor
Hello Envoy
Hello Lieutenant, or Commander, or Captain, or Admiral (and EVERY other rank)
Hello MACO Team Specialist
Hello Omega Force Veteran
Hello Scientist
Hello Technician
Hello Temporal Ambassador
Again, all Ranks are on the <title> list, so for those who want them they are still available.
With the <title> system, YOU chose what NPCs address you as - it isn't random. I think having the above choices (yes, even Moist or Torpedo Target etc., for those crazy enough to pick them) is a VAST improvement over, 'Hello Vice Admiral' ad nauseum, regardless of the clothes I wear or my character's backstory.
Thanks!
My consolidated list of game improvements for STO:
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
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I would greatly appreciate this.
Yep, covered in the OP.
It helps if you read the entire post.
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
That being said, good luck. You have as much of a chance of "them" removing the useless [pvptrash] mods from the game, finding a renovated Cardassian arc, or seeing bigfoot.
In the old ESD, when you clicked an NPC, it would greet you using your rank, and that text was visible to everyone around you in NPC chat. Not sure the new ESD has this feature, but I just wanted to point out that there are (or used to be) instances where the way NPCs refer to you is not only visible to yourself.
On the OP though, code-wise, I'd rather make the rank selectable than going through the hassle of whitelisting proper titles.
STO Screenshot Archive
Presumably, you could still use the rank tag in your foundry missions even if Cryptic NPC text used title. Or just type in "captain" by yourself.
Instead of clicking on the <rank> option in the Editor, you simply type "Captain" into your dialog in the same place.
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
My Rommies always think then: "This silly Fed/Klingon/Gorn/whatever doesn't even know what my rank is. What a moron!"
I don't think the current mechanics would allow to satisfy everybody. It would be nice if we could choose which rank we want to use, but we can't.
Aye, the system isn't perfect. Sadly we can't read peoples minds and tailor our Foundry missions for each person.
I can see you are concerned replacing <rank> with <title> would become more 'restrictive' for Foundry authors. I'm not sure I see this. Currently the <rank> tag forces the nomenclature 'Admiral' on 90% of the playerbase. Where as a <title> tag would have a character addressed by whatever THEY want their character addressed as; be that "Doctor", "Ensign", "Lieutenant Commander", "Maco Specialist", or yes, even "Moist" (as stupid as that would be - it was the player's choice to be called that)
As a Foundry author myself, if there was a part of a dialog I absolutely wanted to make sure I addressed the player's character by their military rank, I would simply use the term "Captain" as it is the universal catch-all for every character's position in the game. Now, this certainly isn't perfect - as Romulans and Klingons should be called Commander in the same position - but at least with the <title> system in place, a Romulan or Klingon character could choose to really be called "Commander", instead of being forced to be called "Admiral" or "Dahar Master" over and over.
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
My personal one is: I use my toons titles so they fit their personality. I still would like to be addressed by rank, after all, this is a military and there is proper protocol. Being called "Torpedo Target" would break that for me, being forced to change my title to reflect my rank would be disappointing.
And while I see that we are special after saving the universe almost constantly more or less single handedly, many people would be willing to address us by an "honorific" rather than by protocol if they do refer to us. Especially those we have fought alongside with us and probably shared a Kanar or Earl Grey Tea with us afterwards where we got to first name terms quite quickly. But some won't. Tuvok won't. Quinn won't. I have my doubts about D'Tan or J'mpok. Although the latter probably would.
So I would think it to be best to be able to make a distinction by toon - unfortunately the solution with the most work for devs. But if being offered being addressed by rank or by title, I would prefer rank, so the status quo.
The OP is suggesting replacing instances of the rank tag in NPC text with the title tag. It's addressed to the "dev team," which I understand as meaning it refers to official NPC text, not foundry content. It also does not suggest the rank tag be removed.
Perhaps a modified, selectable <rank> tag in the Foundry in addition to a <title> tag would work. Although I see a lot of confusion by authors on which to use, because the title system includes all ranks already. It seems like it overly complicates the system, unless ranks were removed from the title system so they were a completely separate case.
I really can't see people complaining that the NPCs are addressing them by a title of their OWN choosing.
How is someone going to complain if they choose Doctor or Ambassador or whatever, and the NPC says, "We need to destroy that enemy group Doctor, lead us in." As opposed to, "We need to destroy that enemy group Admiral, lead us in." Even, "We need to destroy that enemy group Torpedo Target, lead us in." shouldn't draw any complaints - if that's what the player themselves have chosen to be called.
I'm looking for the cheapest, easiest fix for a broken address system - because that seems the only way it will ever be done. And the cheapest, easiest way to do it currently is to use the existing <title> tag and replace the mandatory <rank> tag.
Is it a perfect solution? No. Is it better than what we have? Heck yeah!
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
Why would all that effort be required? A simple "replace" command like in MS Word would swap out all '<rank>' entries with '<title>' in every dialog through the entire game. Job done.
...of course, that's making the HUGE assumption that such a common command is built into the game code/engine.
arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1203368/pve-content-a-list-of-gamewide-polishing-pass-suggestions
There is already a system in place for selecting your title that allows people to do that and more. It should be used instead of wasting time coding redundant systems.
And nobody is suggesting Cryptic edit everyone's foundry missions or force them to use the title tag. Cryptic should use title where possible and foundry authors can use whatever they want.