You can find the answers to June's questions right here!
https://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1267209/june-2022-ask-the-devs-q-a-thread#latest
We realize that our forum community is diverse and spread across the globe, and that not everyone has an opportunity to take part in directly communicating with the developers via livestream. In an effort to extend communications between the forum community and the STO development team, we present the “Ask the Devs” Q&A thread!
Until the end of July, questions will be collected in this thread and then presented to our Community Manager. Questions will then be selected and answered right here on the forums.
Have a question concerning Star Trek Online?
Maybe you’d like some tips and tricks with certain gameplay elements? Or questions related to how the game is developed?
Let us know here!
Please note: If your question did not get answered in June, you may post it again, but it's unlikely it was missed. There is a probable reason the developers can't answer it. You may also use this thread to ask follow up questions from the previous thread, but please make new threads if you want to discuss the answers in detail.
EDIT: Removed the "concerns about the state of the game" and "suggestions for future development" lines because ya'll are right, suggestions most likely won't be answered, and "concerns" sounds more like sharing feedback than asking a question, which is not exactly what these threads are for.
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I ask because that's been the primary source of uniform frustration for me personally, for example I primarily purchased the 2022 Bundle with the intent to use the new Terran badge on a TNG Starfleet uniform to create a TNG era Terran, only to then discover that unlike the TOS Terran badge the new badge could only be used on Terran uniforms.
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I heard devs have been talking about possibly expanding endeavours in the future when enough player get near the cap. Have you considered or can you please consider instead of adding extra levels to current endeavours like increasing crit chance, instead filling in the gaps that have been missed. For example right now Carriers are the only core main ship type to not really be included, as in little to no benefit to the main part of the build. Can you consider hangar pet health, pet damage, pet flight speed, pet turn rate, mine flight speed, destructible torpedo flight speed and any other gaps over increasing current endeavours perks to higher power.
Personally I think Endeavours are one of the best things added to STO in years but it could go further. Have you thought about doing Epic endeavours. Kind of like the old raid STF's. Something like complete a themed run of Borg STF's within a timeframe, complete a TFO on Elite with a full group. Challenging endeavours that take more work and perhaps require team work. A lot of players like doing "tours" as in a Borg STF Tour.
Answer: Yes. We want the Guardian of Forever episode back, regardless of the risks and opportunity costs. I am pretty sure I speak on behalf of the entire community—but only on this one issue.
“Suggestions for consideration in future game development? Let us know here!”
But last month you said;
“ A question of ‘when are we getting [X item I'd like]’ or something that is a full on suggestion rather than a question is less likely to be answered, with the ‘when is [X item]’ questions unlikely to be answered at all.”
Does that mean that suggestions are welcomed but will not be responded to, because in that case this may not be the best place for suggestions. Although I suppose they are less likely to be read other places, so maybe it is still best to post them here?
And lastly, thanks bad moon and Kael for making this. It is nice to feel like we can raise questions and express our opinions about the game that we are fans of.
When the previous Klingon War missions were removed from the game during Age of Discovery, players were told the missions would be remastered and returned to the game. Do we have any idea when this might occur? The missions are necessary for the Federation story, and the story is weaker because it has been truncated, not to mention the loss of a mission with Leonard Nimoy’s voice over.
Executive Producer, Andre Emerson: We love these past missions and we want to take the time to bring them back into the fold, with a modern gaming sensibility. However, the amount of time that would need to be spent on these missions is the same as the amount of time we'd need to spend on new missions. I guess that begs the question - would fans accept a season that was just remastering of old content? What do you all think?
Why did you remove the content in the first place then if you've no plans for it??
I think it's supremely insulting to the players to remove content on the original 'promise' it was being remastered, then complaining about how long it would take, and asking if the players would accept it being remastered! Basically, we were lied to! Sorry Andre, please do what was originally planned. It is a HUGE chunk of Fed content that leaves them languishing way behind the amount of content that ROMs and KDFs have. It should have never been removed in the first place!!!
Most BOFF abilities can be set to auto on console, but only about half (feels like. I haven't counted them) of captain abilities and console clickies can. It'd be really nice to set all my hotkeys to captain abilities, then set all my Tac, Sci, and Eng abilities to auto.
An option to automatically claim dropped loot as EC or Salvage would also be the bomb diggity.
With regards to removing content; why would you? Some players really like the storylines and certain things stop making much sense with references to things that no longer exist. Not to mention leaving it in -even as is- would give players more to do and not as desperate for stuff to do for longer.
I'm with the sentiment that removing it for "remastering at a later date" only for it to never return, is a little bit shifty.
Alternate question: permanent ground patrols when? During the initial revamp, it was stated that ground patrols would be a thing, yet we've only gotten one so far, and it's only available a few weeks out of the year.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Are there any plans to address the huge amount of VFX that happens in a space battle in game? After twelve years of adding awesome looking powers, we’ve reached the point where it’s very difficult to see what’s going on amongst all of the flashing lights, space tornadoes, etc. The ability to limit the amount of VFX we’re seeing would be greatly appreciated.
Associate Art Director, Thomas Marrone: This is a really complicated issue. At one point we discussed really streamlining the VFX from powers and using a unified language (shield buffs always look like this, damage buffs always look like this, etc) but the cost of retrofitting that on existing powers meant it was a wildly expansive project. (in this case, "cost" means sunk time - all of this would have to be done on each individual power out of the hundreds we have in in game.) - Kael Also, one of the neat parts of getting a new ship is getting a console that looks really cool when you activate it. There's been a lot of discussions on this one, and they'll probably keep ongoing until we find a solution that doesn't also remove the coolness of your own powers, and also lets you know what powers your teammates are using.
I get your point, but does the VFX REALLY have to be a space twister consuming 2/3 of the screen? reduce the size and transparency.. that's what we are asking for. maybe reduce the VFX to the size of the target, and if it's an AOE, a circle indicating the area of effect.
Do you have a list of power or trait ideas on interesting effects and anomalies from the canon shows and movies when you design a new ship and its console or power, or does the ability usually develop organically with the ship? Did anyone comb through all the episodes and write down special technobabble terms that could be reused for later? Or is just "nerd" knowledge acquired through countless of rewatches?
Once upon a time, the decision to make a ship C-Store or lockbox/promo material seemed more to be based on lore - if it's justified to be avaialble in the early 25th century Captain of its faction, it goes to the C-Store, otherwise it becomes a lockbox ship. That hasn't been the case for a long time, obviously. But what is the deciding factor for you now? Just an estimate or guess on the expected demand, or is there some internal guideline?
Or is there no further reason to keep doing them each day (for those of us who only do them for the Perk points and find the other rewards to be lackluster)? Should we just skip Endeavors until you raise the cap?
I was sure you were wrong, but after checking on a character I made this year I've found that you are indeed correct, the breadcrumb mission that leads to the Deferi arc seems to have been completely removed, making those missions and their rewards completely inaccessible on characters that haven't done that mission. So that would be a good question for the devs imo, why was the breadcrumb quest removed when the arc itself is still in-game?
Executive Producer, Andre Emerson: We love these past missions and we want to take the time to bring them back into the fold, with a modern gaming sensibility. However, the amount of time that would need to be spent on these missions is the same as the amount of time we'd need to spend on new missions. I guess that begs the question - would fans accept a season that was just remastering of old content? What do you all think?
I believe y'all are misunderstanding the answer, as I admittedly did on my first read through. I asked for clarification and got it. Those missions are being remastered as time allows and will return. Development on the ongoing storyline continues, though.
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Cheers for the response Badmoon. The problem with Andre's answer, which I really should have highlighted, is that he made it sound like they'd never remastered episodes before, when they'd done it with the ROM and KDF missions aleady.
A good way to frame the question might be whether those missions are keyed to accolades and if so whether those accolades are some of the ones that do not seem to trigger reliably.
Maybe it's just a Fed issue (only checked a Fed), idk, but the Deferi breadcrumb mission isn't there for me. Specters and Lost Dominion are, but not the Cold War mission that's supposed to be available from Admiral Quinn.
Edit: I just went through my most recent characters from each faction, and only the Fed does not have Cold War available. My most recent Klingon, Jem'Hadar, and Romulan, all of which I know never did the Deferi arc on, have it available, so maybe this one should be moved to the bug reports instead? @rattler2
Whay are these episodes locked away in this manner? Nixie wants to play a cold based avatar, but that avatar has to play the entire content without the build? where is the logic in that? it's like saying you want to drive a jaguar to work every day, but before you can do that, you have to drive a ford taurus to work until you retire.
Once a player has played through the content on any avatar, other avatars should not have to jump through any gotchas. If I want to start a new toon and after the tutorial, I SHOULD be able to play Cold war, Specters, and so forth. Just because that content is not pertinent to the current main arc, it is clearly available.
Do not rely on a poll here on twitter or reddit or whatever. put the poll on the splash screen. Once per handle so it can't be manipulated. ask the question and have a yes no button. that way there is no question on what the playerbase wants.