Deliberate content, instead of random content

System · May 2010

Well this isnt meant to be just another complain/moan/whine-post. I wanna make a statement about what I would like to see added and therefore I have to say what is missing to me at present.

I bought STO a while ago, played it for...let's say 10 days and then I decided to take a "hiatus" and to come back at a later point to see what has become of STO. Well since the time of my "departure" - approximatelly 3 monthes ago - some improvements have been made, but the stuff I wanna see still doesn't exist.

What I mean is, at first glance you feel like in paradise as a Star Trek fan, since you actually get the impression that this "Star Trek universe" has been lawfully reproduced in this game. All the planets are there, ready for you to vist. And of course you actually do try to visit all these places you always wanted to experience in an mmo, but suddenly the dream is over. You beam down on the first planet and there you actually find nothing. At best there are some "generic" appearing humanoids who tell you:"This is the place..." But in essence there is nothing. On Andoria there are just a couple of blue skinned, antenna bearing, bipedal mobs in the middle of an ice and snow desert doing nothing. Just standing around. No buildings, no sites to visit, nothing to do there, just a snow white square that has to stand in for an entire planet. Same on Vulcan and other places. You created a pretty big, pretty empty game-world. These places where I have to go to get things going are mostly randomly created at the time I show up. I have to occupy myself with "exploring" some star clusters and nebulas I realy give a heck about. I have to visit planets with alphanumeric names to do a ground-mission. Sorry, I'm not disappointed about the content. I'm merely disillusioned about how much content is lacking in this game.

I hoped for some quests which are specific for the special place you visit. On Andoria it could be a story arc on which you become a member of the honor legion of the imperial guard, or something like that. Or perhaps a survival training in the ice fields. Whatever. On Vulcan it could be about mastering the teachings of Surak. A quest chain without combat at all. There are infinite possibilities, it's not all that hard.

Archived Post · May 2010

I played in the fountain on Vulcan, and swam in the Ocean on Risa..... well I technically walked in the Ocean on Risa, and stood in the fountain on Vulcan, but it was fun...who am I kidding... it wasnt fun.:mad: "Beam me up Scotty"

Archived Post · May 2010

LOL I totally understand you guys.....

I explored EVERYWHERE on Vulcan.....Even found the small group of students way off behind a rock on the far far side of the map. U guys find them ?

I also "Walked" the ocean of Risa.....Im so very very Disappointed in the graphics of water....Its like colored Air...there is no water splashes, no water like graphics at all.....its just....there.

Small details are the most important!!!

Archived Post · May 2010

Well, the Risa in STO doesn't deserve to bear the name. It has no atmosphere. It suffers from the same issue that P'Jem has to sustain as well. Somehow nothing seems quite right. There is no common theme that is shared among all implemented set pieces. Things simply do not add up. The plants, the "mobs", the structures, everything seems out of place. The whole scene just does not convey congruence within itself. If I had to recognize a quality that is very prominent in these spots, I would claim that it is entropy.

Another example is Qo'nos. It doesn't really feel klingon. It actually does not even "feel" anyhow. There are different examples about how the place could be looking and they all have this atmosphere about them, that is sorely missing here. Why? Because everything looks the same. Every corner looks like the next, every pillar, every computer, every seat and they do not fit together. Tables are either too large or too small. The furniture as a whole is way to small for the rooms and the spots they are placed in. If you place the same chair in an extremely large hall, you placed in a small chamber before, the whole thing can not feel right. The generic appearance kills its spirit.

Have you recognized the building you are in on Qo'nos has no real center? Most rooms actually do not really have a central spot. People, machines, furnitures, everything seems to be placed in a very arbitrary pattern. There is no real reason why this computer is in this spot and why a certain guy, who's selling specific goods stands in a spot across the room.

Archived Post · May 2010

Aristan wrote:

Well, the Risa in STO doesn't deserve to bear the name. It has no atmosphere. It suffers from the same issue that P'Jem has to sustain as well. Somehow nothing seems quite right. There is no common theme that is shared among all implemented set pieces. Things simply do not add up. The plants, the "mobs", the structures, everything seems out of place. The whole scene just does not convey congruence within itself. If I had to recognize a quality that is very prominent in these spots, I would claim that it is entropy.

Another example is Qo'nos. It doesn't really feel klingon. It actually does not even "feel" anyhow. There are different examples about how the place could be looking and they all have this atmosphere about them, that is sorely missing here. Why? Because everything looks the same. Every corner looks like the next, every pillar, every computer, every seat and they do not fit together. Tables are either too large or too small. The furniture as a whole is way to small for the rooms and the spots they are placed in. If you place the same chair in an extremely large hall, you placed in a small chamber before, the whole thing can not feel right. The generic appearance kills its spirit.

Have you recognized the building you are in on Qo'nos has no real center? Most rooms actually do not really have a central spot. People, machines, furnitures, everything seems to be placed in a very arbitrary pattern. There is no real reason why this computer is in this spot and why a certain guy, who's selling specific goods stands in a spot across the room.

I hereby volunteer my services as map-maker/level designer. I've done a few for Far Cry2 and Crysis and really enjoy all of the tiny details that you can put in. I wonder if Cryptic's map editor is similar? At least to Crysis, in regards to the tools/map building UI...

Archived Post · June 2010

Aristan wrote:

I hoped for some quests which are specific for the special place you visit. On Andoria it could be a story arc on which you become a member of the honor legion of the imperial guard, or something like that. Or perhaps a survival training in the ice fields. Whatever. On Vulcan it could be about mastering the teachings of Surak. A quest chain without combat at all. There are infinite possibilities, it's not all that hard.

I agree whole heartedly. I'd love to travel to Risa, book some sort of "holiday" for my toon and get a momento of my stay. maybe with some of the friends I've made online. Or maybe even with some of my bridge officers. (I've grown rather fond of some of the one's I've had since day one!)
Maybe be able to have the ability to take a group picture with my crew while on vacation. Keep it as a wallpaper, or decorate some future cabin with it.

I'd love to go to Vulcan, take on a challenge with some of the students there and walk away with a special accolade, like the "Kolinahr" ritual or something.
My toon's a Vulcan, maybe he could visit his house and his family...... Maybe buy a house and family there...................
There could be a mission just for Vulcan players who undergo "Pon Far' and HAVE to return home to complete some sort of personal business............

Perhaps in a future update............someday, far, far in the future

Archived Post · June 2010

Oh I'm totally in for voluntary map making! Any game with a map editor, and it takes a maximum of 3 weeks until I stop playing and dedicate my existance to map making.

P'Jem is actually not that bad. Sure, a bit thin spread, those buildings, but it has... a mission! *gasp*
I really want missions on homeworlds, too. And if it is only 'deliver item A to character B' - if I can go to a real city, with NPCs, maybe some vendors, that's fine for a start. In Star Trek, 90 % of the away missions are... beaming down to a city, village, facility of some sort and interact with locals. Even Voyager in mainly uncharted space, more explore populated planets than random empty rocks. Nothing wrong with doing that every now and then, but not all the time.

Another observation: Populated planets (those with mobs) barely have buildings, while abandoned planets where I scan 5 artifacts or noncorporal alpha plane... have houses. Maybe the random mobs could just go to these planets after I fixed the artifacts or scanned the window panes, and live in these houses...

Archived Post · June 2010

Well a couple of minutes ago I cancelled my subscription. I just can not stand the monotony of the current game-play.

Archived Post · June 2010

This is something that bothers me as well. Playing through most of the levels up until the DS-9 based so far, and I haven't seen anything that even remotely remind's me of Star Trek other than the names and the ship's. Most of the dialogue is rather generic and seem's to be the same for every mission.

I'm not knocking the game itself, just the lack of immersion within the actual 'story' world's of the canon.

I also understand that in 2 year's it's hard to get everything added and to be able to have it 100% ready to go live. Cryptic did a great job with what they to work with, now they need to get to filling out the worlds that are already there.;)

Deliberate content, instead of random content

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