There's a lot to like here, and I mean a lot. But first, I just have to ask: why was this paper-thin story so important that you had to restrict the faction to Jem'Hadar? Now that I've played it for myself, and seen for myself that this "insight into being an engineered soldier" amounts to very little, the decision just seems all the more baffling to me.
So anyway, right, feedback. I quite honestly spent the majority of the mission going "WHEEEE THIS IS FUN". It's well-paced, the dialogue is great, and seeing this battle from another side is a delight. It helps, of course, that this is the beginning of a brand new faction, and one which -- so far -- is ridiculously fun to play. My only real complaint about the mission itself is that the ally choice is awfully abrupt; I would have liked to be able to speak to Fed and KDF representatives (like Romulans do) to at least give my choice some more flavor and RP value.
One more thing: the default weapon and boff loadout on the Jem'Hadar starter ship is awful, and made fighting those Idran swarmers way harder and more annoying than it needed to be. Maybe look at changing that before release?
Upon entering the Scylla and Charybdis space portion I was immediately bombarded by overlapping VO from Martok and Odo as well as swarmers disrupting my ability to hear the briefing and Rene's awesome voice over.
Please consider "halting" the mission then continuing it after the briefing is completed.
Echoing what kirimuffin said before, the starter set up for the JHAS needs a bit of work. Also, would it be possible to halt the mission after you first get into your ship, with a prompt or something, that way you can clean up the HUD and rearrange the trays, should you wish to?
Great mission to start. Had a NPC non-spawn issue at the landing pad with the prisoners charging and had to log out and back in to get it going again.
"Is this gonna be a stand-up fight or another bug hunt?"
LOVED THE HURQ!! Little bit of Alien terror in there to boot!! YES!!!!!!
"You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
1) I love the new animations in this mission and generally. It is really refreshing to have a bit more facial expression and variety to the characters.
2) Given they have it in their training scenarios, I'm genuinely interested if the Dominion is secretly holding onto Alpha POWs still!
3) Correct me if I'm wrong but [elderjemmy]'Rex hasn't had his past explained within this mission?
4) When you go to the ship selectors on the Dominion ship, the door to the right didn't work when I was trying to leave, but it did when I returned from the opposite direction.
5) Given we have at least 4 different "swarmer" mobs, and we have 2 of those within in one mission now, can we get some explanation on the Idran Swarmer origin? Or them renamed? There is a slightly implication here (if you hadn't played 2800 certainly) that the two Swarmers are the same.
6) No Dominion faction hub? Or just not yet?
7) When we first arrive at Bajor, I can't see any Alliance ships in the fight, and none in tight around DS9.
8) That faction choice at the end is weird. There is no prior warning, no explanation as to why, the Feds and Klingons haven't even agreed to it yet. It should really be kicked out of this mission and maybe put as a breadcrumb-style mission right after (beam aboard the flagship and explained that they *intend* to ally you with a faction as *a gesture of good faith* or something, and explain why you etc.).
8a) It certainly seems weirder when you learn in the next episode that the Dominion only has a single fleet left. Why do we only learn this at the summit? - I was a bit lost as to why there were Gamma refugees on the station when we had arrived to help the Alliance, not the other way around. We could do with something in this mission that explains that the Dominion is losing the war.
My only real complaint about the mission itself is that the ally choice is awfully abrupt; I would have liked to be able to speak to Fed and KDF representatives (like Romulans do) to at least give my choice some more flavor and RP value.
I agree there's a problem with faction alliance choice. It *is* abrupt. And having played VIL's first all-factions mission, its doesn't make sense from a story perspective. The other factions haven't agreed to an alliance, yet. Now, I suggest that Odo (or maybe Lorris, since she may be easier for you to get back -- indeed, I don't think her dialogue is voiced in game, yet, so there may be time to adjust her lines) says something like "We are planning to form an alliance with the Alpha Quadrant powers. As a part of this alliance, we intend to send Jem'Hadar to work with their militaries." [Doesn't matter what Starfleet is, she can call it a military.] "Would you prefer to work with the Federation or the Klingon Empire?" That way, the choice is made in game, but the story still makes sense.
This is nothing major however it does irritate me. After you finish the holodeck simulation and you have to go to Weyoun and he tells you to talk to Loriss 4 however the text as he is talking just says Loriss. The only other sad thing is that the faction decision is abrupt, short and didn't really make sense as it seems that you just have to choose just because. Other than that the mission was so much fun
I feel like the introductory mission needs to be split into pieces. Having one long mission is fine when you have plenty of free time, but some of us have real life stuff that doesn't allow us to sit and do that. That one mission could probably stand to be about 3 shorter missions, IMO.
Comments
So anyway, right, feedback. I quite honestly spent the majority of the mission going "WHEEEE THIS IS FUN". It's well-paced, the dialogue is great, and seeing this battle from another side is a delight. It helps, of course, that this is the beginning of a brand new faction, and one which -- so far -- is ridiculously fun to play. My only real complaint about the mission itself is that the ally choice is awfully abrupt; I would have liked to be able to speak to Fed and KDF representatives (like Romulans do) to at least give my choice some more flavor and RP value.
One more thing: the default weapon and boff loadout on the Jem'Hadar starter ship is awful, and made fighting those Idran swarmers way harder and more annoying than it needed to be. Maybe look at changing that before release?
Please consider "halting" the mission then continuing it after the briefing is completed.
Tim
"Is this gonna be a stand-up fight or another bug hunt?"
LOVED THE HURQ!! Little bit of Alien terror in there to boot!! YES!!!!!!
2) Given they have it in their training scenarios, I'm genuinely interested if the Dominion is secretly holding onto Alpha POWs still!
3) Correct me if I'm wrong but [elderjemmy]'Rex hasn't had his past explained within this mission?
4) When you go to the ship selectors on the Dominion ship, the door to the right didn't work when I was trying to leave, but it did when I returned from the opposite direction.
5) Given we have at least 4 different "swarmer" mobs, and we have 2 of those within in one mission now, can we get some explanation on the Idran Swarmer origin? Or them renamed? There is a slightly implication here (if you hadn't played 2800 certainly) that the two Swarmers are the same.
6) No Dominion faction hub? Or just not yet?
7) When we first arrive at Bajor, I can't see any Alliance ships in the fight, and none in tight around DS9.
8) That faction choice at the end is weird. There is no prior warning, no explanation as to why, the Feds and Klingons haven't even agreed to it yet. It should really be kicked out of this mission and maybe put as a breadcrumb-style mission right after (beam aboard the flagship and explained that they *intend* to ally you with a faction as *a gesture of good faith* or something, and explain why you etc.).
8a) It certainly seems weirder when you learn in the next episode that the Dominion only has a single fleet left. Why do we only learn this at the summit? - I was a bit lost as to why there were Gamma refugees on the station when we had arrived to help the Alliance, not the other way around. We could do with something in this mission that explains that the Dominion is losing the war.
I agree there's a problem with faction alliance choice. It *is* abrupt. And having played VIL's first all-factions mission, its doesn't make sense from a story perspective. The other factions haven't agreed to an alliance, yet. Now, I suggest that Odo (or maybe Lorris, since she may be easier for you to get back -- indeed, I don't think her dialogue is voiced in game, yet, so there may be time to adjust her lines) says something like "We are planning to form an alliance with the Alpha Quadrant powers. As a part of this alliance, we intend to send Jem'Hadar to work with their militaries." [Doesn't matter what Starfleet is, she can call it a military.] "Would you prefer to work with the Federation or the Klingon Empire?" That way, the choice is made in game, but the story still makes sense.