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[PODCAST] Tribbles in Ecstasy Take 253: 'Tea Time!'

midniteshadow7midniteshadow7 Member Posts: 787 Arc User
Tribbles in Ecstasy Take 253: 'Tea Time!' has warped on to Holosuite Media, you can download and stream it from: http://holosuitemedia.com/tie253/

Down to a skeleton crew, the remaining couple of Brits sit down for a cuppa to discuss this week’s Star Trek news. In this episode we discuss Star Trek Online PC news, Star Trek Online Console news (0:24:01), Star Trek Timelines (0:40:05), Star Trek News (0:55:58), Star Trek Discovery (1:10:20), Conventions (1:39:02), Unofficial Productions (1:42:30), Community Feedback (2:23:14) and more!

Community Questions:
1. What balance changes would you like to see in Star Trek Online?
2. With the return of the gauntlet in Star Trek Timelines, do you feel there is enough, too little or too much to do in game?
3. What are thoughts on Star Trek Discovery now we know a little more on the casting?

Tribbles253.png

Comments

  • alex1geralex1ger Member Posts: 141 Arc User
    Good morning, tribbles.


    Community questions:


    1.) You know, I watched a few of Timberwolf's budget build videos and when I thought about how easy it is to get those items and how he (and the random team members) just smashed the timed optional... A random group with that kind of build (or worse) should not be able to finish a 15 minute timer in an "advanced" queue with 10 (or more) minutes to spare. Which brings me to a question I have asked before... Who is this game's target audience?
    If "advanced" queues are that easy to complete, is this game meant for "casuals"? But if it is meant to be that easy, why are there a billion buff/debuff symbols? Pretty much every other MMO out there decided to cut down on that kind of UI bloat. Even back in the dark days of raiding in World of Warcraft, I don't remember seeing THAT many buff/debuff symbols. It's basically impossible to keep track of all of them, so why bother in the first place?

    I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think Cryptic should take out the big axe and start chopping away. Cut all those buff and debuff symbols so that I can look at the status bar and know immediately what's happening.

    Apart from that, I did suggest "STO's awesome random Q!". My suggestion would be to have random space, random ground, random space advanced, random ground advanced. Rework the reward system to encourage players to queue for a random queue instead of a specific queue. Rework advanced so that budget builds like the ones Timberwolf is showcasing "can" achieve the "optionals", but make sure they don't just breeze through it. If they finish an "optional" 15 minute timer with 2-5 minutes to spare, well, that would sound more reasonable to me.
    If elite queues are supposed to be the most difficult content they "should" require a premade group and "could" even require the "holy trinity".

    And one last thing, Cryptic has this tendency of "balancing" the game by throwing more damage into the mix. I think it would be nice if they tried to make "utility abilities" more useful/necessary. This is probably the most difficult to implement, but hey, you wanted my opinion...


    2.) There is no second community question.


    3.) You know, I'm not gonna go into the casting choices but I will throw some "crazy theories" at you...
    When you talked about Discovery, MidNite stated that Voyager supposedly suffered from quite a bit of executive interference because it was meant to showcase... UPN? But Discovery would not suffer the same fate since it's on CBS All Access. Uhm... I do not agree with that assessment. Because it's pretty much the exact same situation. Discovery is MEANT to push CBS All-Access, so even though Netflix paid for the show, CBS WILL interfere to "ensure" All-Access's success.
    Just look at what we got so far. The ship was revealed, people reacted to it and a day or two after the reveal some official came out telling us how that was not the final model but a really early version. I might be wrong, but that did not sound like someone who's trying to defend their vision or even sell it to us. That sounded like someone who's trying to appease the "angry mob".
    Or the logo... remember the split delta and the material it was made of? The production trailer showed a reworked version that looked much more like the delta we're used to. Like I said, I didn't "like" the first logo, but I would have preferred it if they just stuck to their guns and tried to convince me of their "vision".

    And now a crazy theory... remember the "leak" you talked about? Yes, MidNite, "technically" that guy did not say that the picture was showing klingons. But I do agree with zombee. See, if you made a facebook post about how you just made the most amazing apple pie ever and then the picture attached to the post shows a strawberry cheesecake, people will ask you why the picture does not show the apple pie you were talking about...
    And since we're talking about implications... you mentioned some semi-official twitter account talking about "one less extra". You are usually the one who points out how companies like to keep quiet about things. This is one of those examples. They could have denied that that picture was real or just stayed quiet. This "semi-official" tweet "implies" that the picture was real without ever specifically confirming it. This whole deal seems rather fishy to me, so here's my theory... what if this was not a leak? What if they threw this picture out there (like the ship reveal and the logo) to test the waters and gather feedback?
    It gets people to talk, the "semi-official" tweet fuels the discussion and if push comes to shove CBS can just deny everything and "fire" whoever made that "semi-official" tweet. And remember, Netflix may have paid for the show, but CBS wants or rather NEEDS the show to be a success because it is meant to push All-Access. If I was a CBS executive, I would be keeping a close eye on the show.

    I guess we'll have to wait and see. I do not have a Netflix subscription right now and since the setting does not interest me that much, I am not sure when I'll get a chance to check it out.



    Feedback:


    DS9 documentary:
    The more I think about it, the less I like what's happening there. See, I don't doubt their legitimacy. I admit that I did not know that Adam Nimoy was an executive producer for Discovery. I knew that Rod Roddenberry had been hired as "a" producer, but thanks for letting me know about Adam Nimoy.
    The issue I have is more along the lines of... the whole legal kerfuffle around Axanar JUST ended and yet these people offer nothing but names. Axanar had a few names too and sorry, MidNite, WE may know that Ira Steven Behr showed up in the credits for DS9, but any slightly more casual fan will be more familiar with the actors (or rather their faces). These slightly more casual fans should not have to google these names to figure out if this is legit. The people who want your money should be more than willing to jump through an extra hoop, or two, to convince you that they are "the real deal". Especially after Axanar. But no, the "fans" just HAVE to throw their money at the screen...

    You like to point fingers at the people who are still willing to throw money at Axanar without looking at the facts. Okay, show me the facts in this case. We argued whether or not this (and "For the love of Spock") is for-profit or non-profit. I don't know and you don't know, either. But when in doubt I WILL err on the side of caution. I HAVE to assume that both were for-profit since none of the people behind the projects have offered anything to prove otherwise.
    Axanar may have lacked transparency, but where's the transparency in these cases? I don't see it. I doubt that they are gonna open their books, because nobody is asking. Well, maybe someone is, but definitely not enough people...

    And remember how I asked why CBS didn't sponsor this documentary or produce it themselves? The more I think about it, the more obvious it becomes. CBS can outsource all the work to the people behind these documentaries. And the fans just can't keep their wallets shut. There's no risk involved for CBS, but they get their fair share of the rewards. It is disgustingly easy for them, so why should they move a muscle? Let's face it, this takes the idea of crowdfunding and just twists it in the most sickening way possible.


    Kitbashes:
    I dislike their looks, but different folks, different strokes. For some reason some people like those aesthetics. This game jumped the shark with Agents of Yesterday anyway, so let them have their kitbashes. At least those abominations are more canon than an endgame TOS Connie...
    No, Cryptic, I will NEVER let that one slide. "Fun" is a very subjective thing and since you seem to believe that fun should know no boundaries, let the kitbash enthusiasts have fun, too! Their fun is not wrong!

    I mean, we know how few people play on the KDF side and how even fewer people play Gorn. But we just got T6 gorn ships. And I seem to remember talks about how every T5 ship should eventually get a T6 version, so one day we should get a T6 orion flight deck cruiser (that's their niche, so they probably won't get a full carrier). If the minorities within the (KDF) minority get their ships, the minorities within the (fed) majority certainly deserve to get their kitbashes and species-specific ships, too.
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