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Gecko's word on new factions
somtaawkhar
Member Posts: 10,222 Arc User
Taken from a transcription on reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/4qv852/geko_says_kelvin_faction_is_possible/d4w87uc
Thoughts/opinions?
https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/4qv852/geko_says_kelvin_faction_is_possible/d4w87uc
"Yes we will probably do new factions in the future - not any time soon - but I am certain that we will explore other factions in the future, but no, they will probably, uh, it is extremely unlikely that we will do standalone factions that are their own thing. It's just way too expensive, it splits up the player base way too much. We would never be able to make enough content for it, we'd never be able to catch up. Inevitably what we'd have to do is what we end up having to do for the Klingons where at some point you just end up doing the same content that the other factions do but we have alternate dialog a little bit for them."
"Because we just can't make enough content. We've already got a situation where a small percentage of the population play Klingon and a small percentage play Romulan and a large percentage play Federation. If we throw in another faction, whatever that faction might be, would be splitting it up even more. And then I have to build all the ships for them. So right now we build ships, we have to build each one of those for each faction but inevitably build more for Federation because a lot more people play that. Well if I have another faction how am I going to support that faction with starships? It's completely and utterly unsustainable. So any new faction that joins the game in the future would have their own kind of personal experience, but then at some point will join back in to the existing factions."
"Legacy of Romulus is the same sort of thing. You start out as a Romulan, and you have your own personal Romulan story, your Romulan ships, and then you pick allegience to one of the primary factions."
"So if we did Cardassians it might be something like that. Whatever faction that might be. There's a good handful of species we might leverage."
"I've hinted at things like, oh we might do Cardassians, we might do Borg, we might do Jem'hadar. Now maybe we'll do Kelvin Timeline faction. I don't know. All those things are certain realistic possibilities. Maybe we'll do a Ferengi one. Those are all realistic. Those are the ones that make most sense to leverage. Would we do a separate Bajoran faction? Probably not, we just have them rolled into Federation, would we do a Hierarchy faction? Kobali? Probably not, it's not going to be all that attractive to a large number of people. But if we do them we will look for things that are really attractive to people, where people say 'I really want to see what that experience is like.' But it won't always be new factions, Delta Rising wasn't a new faction."
Thoughts/opinions?
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Comments
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
I hope he is just talking out of his butt on that.
I don't think anyone can realistically expect any full factions. There basically are none in the first place. The KDF started with no faction story, and later they added some story missions and faction-agnostic stories. The Romulans got their own starter story, and then you move into faction-agnostic stories.
I think any new faction could use this model pretty well. I wouldn't even mind if they did it even shorter than KDF or RR - 6-10 missions, and then you join the "Delta Alliance" or whatever. Just enough to tell a story that is unique for that faction and give it some flavor, so you feel what being part of that faction is about.
Still waiting to be able to use forum titles
Means there's hope I can get a Pakled faction someday?
AWWWW YISSSSS!
with the romulan faction I felt it was substantial enough to deserve being classed as a faction even though we eventually had to choose fed or kdf to side with but with the ToS I just don't see enough substance to class it that way and by the sound of it any future faction added will suffer from the same lack of substance.
when I talk of substance I am not only referring to story missions but to things that you have after the story's are played like unique free level up ships as well as c-store ships, free unique uniform choices you can select from and certain areas of the game that can only be accessed by the faction in question like new romulan command and the flotilla that roms have.
in fact I would say that as far as I am concerned if this is the way its going to be in the future I would rather they stayed away from making new factions and just stuck to concentrating their efforts on high quality story missions instead.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Really. Since when did two mercenary races, a bunch of quasi-matriarchal "power behind the throne" green people, and lizards thankful for the rescue from the oppression of a shapeshifting rulership that all run around screaming "for the honor and glory of the house" on the top of their lungs not come from a "melting pot" atmosphere.
Even if said "melting pot" is built more like a pressure cooker where the Klingon in Charge dictates that all members of the KDF must assimilate to Klingon thinking, because they've never been all about "cultural diversity"...
And did I mention that those are just the "free" options. One can "buy into" being what, two or three "federation expatriot" races - Joined Trill & human, maybe Ferengi - or "buy into" being an evil cat - that also all run around with thoughts of "honor and glory for the house" instead of just trying to figure out how to "stick it to the man" back home in the "Festeration"...
So, why go through all the "hastle" of actually "building a faction-ish shell" for anyone else? I mean a whole new tutorial, "special" story arc, full set of C-store T1-5 ships & T6 variants of same and animations is an "awful lot of work" that's keeping the Cardassians, Borg, Dominion/Jem'Hadar, etc. from being "highly playable" right now. Write them as the "centerpiece" of a story arc or three, lob their ships into the "main" shipyard (much like the Temporal Line's getting/gotten dropped into the Fed's yards), write up their trait list and "approved tailor parts lists" - and introduce away...
And if the "uproar" of using a lot of the "militaristic" races to "pad" KDF playership is too rough, there's already precedent set by the "Feddie Loving Klingons" to rack up C-store sales...
To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
I would say that a Kelvin Universe faction would be infringing too much on the Kelvin Universe movies. So the creators of the Kelvin Universe movies would have to dictate what happens in a Kelvin Universe faction. Any additions to the Kelvin Universe faction would have to go through them first.
However, we have already infringed on the Kelvin Universe with the T'laru Intel Carrier Warbird. It is a Kelvin Universe ship that was created by Cryptic. So somewhere in the Kelvin Universe, we have these ships that might show up in future movies or TV series.
that would be awesome but not likely. dominion is problemtic though, cause klingon have a thing about shape shifters. see: klingon war arc. but cardassians could work if done right.. mostly need some kind of major threat to invoke needing demons to fight devils. actually the Fek'Ihri/Hur'q make a good excuse. panicked cardassian shows saying the empires oldest enemies have returned, klingon wouldn't question it at least not tell the had a chance to check for themselves.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
A Pakled Faction? Will you make it Go?
Unite all the factions under a single Alphabetagammadelta Defense Strikeinitiative Allianceforce Countercommand Coalition for all you care.
A Star Trek Online with playable Cardassians/Dominion/Borg Cooperative/whatever is better than a Star Trek Online without.
Even if I end up thinking your execution of said design is errornous, I won't ever say that a more diverse list of playable factions is somehow a bad thing for the game.
Fewer content for non-Feds, fine, but at least allow the same quality of artwork as that given to Feds, and fill in the glaring gaps in ship classes, including a T6 KDF Carrier, and more faction-specific missions for Roms and KDF but that Feds can also play with modified dialogues.
BUT they could do more to promote other sides as well.
I have 17 toons - most of them KDF, but I have more ships on FED side than KDF - not that I use them. But getting Intel pack and temporal pack I got more FED ships than KDF. And all other cross faction packs were equal.
Storyline is - with the exception of a few missions - pretty much the same. Feds have more missions though. So if you joined the game - which faction will you Chose? The one with lesser uniforms/ships and missions and Support (remember how Long the KDF taylor was bugged?) ? or the Mainstream one?
Suggestion: next recruitment Event do a KDF one. Get more Players to join and Play through the KDF storyline. Maybe some Players will discover that living with honour and blood wine is fun.
I'd love to see playable Cardassians. They add flavour to the game. Plus you can do a Romulan split - Pro Dominion and pro Cardassia = one sides with Feds other with KDF.
KDF: 2 tacs, 2 engs, 3 scis
KDF Roms: 3 tacs, 1 eng, 1 scis
FED: 2 tacs, 1 eng, 2 scis
TOS: 1 tac
all on T5 rep (up to temporal)
all have mastered Intel tree (and some more specs Points)
highest DPS: 60.982
Or better yet -- a Gorn faction. Or an Orion faction. Or a Suliban faction that joins the Republic.
Pretty much how I feel, at this point. Yes, I'm disappointed that the TOS faction isn't more than it is, but given a choice between having this as a "micro-faction" and not having it at all, I'd much rather have it. So if that's the only way we're going to get new factions, I say, bring it on.
As for the 'not many people play KDF and RR' argument: you may say that it's selffulfilling prophecy, or circular logic, it's also apperently a fact that we'll have to deal with. If they say they can't maintain multiple independent factions, I'm inclined to believe them.
Which is acceptable in my opinion. New playable species for existing factions and new factions that eventually 'merge' with the others with regard to storyline, it's at least something and I would be happy if they kept adding (mini-)factions in this manner.
cause we keep hoping we can break up the fed part of the fanbase. so they'll be forced to do their jobs correctly... that may just be me though.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
Or maybe a Co-Op Borg faction, with the above Gamma quadrant expansion.
My only concern with a Borg faction is wouldn't it devalue the LTS playable Liberated Borg?
Just a side note: when your starting a brand spanking new character you watch an intro narrated by Leonard Nimoy. When he talking about the current political powers at play in the quadrant he specifically mentions "The Dominion is rebuilding their fleet". It sounds like a foreshadowing of a Dominion faction....in Leonard Nimoys voice no less. So that can tell the future and we can keep his VO as something still relevant in game.
^this
I agree but geko would never allow it as he hates non-feds. I have something here that describes what geko and this whole federation favoritism is. It is from Star Trek 6 The Undiscovered Country.
- Chekov: We do believe that all planets have a sovereign claim to inalienable human rights.
- Azetbur: 'In-alien...' If you could only hear yourselves. 'Human rights.' Why, even the very name is racist. (full quote)
A more practical way to move forward would be to examine the question of how the existing factions can be merged in the future. The more the three factions work together against common threats, the less sense the artificial faction barrier game mechanic makes. There's code for faction changes already in the game, in the way Romulan characters develop after the Khitomer mission at or around level 10; there's no reason why there couldn't some day be an endgame level expansion mission that integrates Federation, Romulan, and KDF players into a proper Alliance. From that point forward in the story arcs, no one need be excluded from subsequent mission and ship design. It seems to me that the work to make this happen would be worth it in the long run, since afterward all design efforts would be spent on the unified faction and its NPC enemies.
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