According to Dstahl, the Foundry is in final testing and is on track to be released to Holodeck on Monday, March 28.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showpost.php?p=3452967&postcount=19
I haven't spent a lot of time yet thinking about the stories I want to tell. I only tried an early version of it on Tribble and it was too soon to tell what was going to be possible. Features I wanted weren't there yet.
With the inclusion of branching dialog and some of the other new features, this could be a huge boost for replayability. I can't wait to get in there and start tinkering with the release version!
So, what story do YOU want to tell?
Friday, March 25, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
STO Public Service Announcement
Just a reminder, there are three days left from today to claim your limited time FE reward for the "Cloaked Intentions" series. If you need that Reman Science Bridge Officer, get him while he's still interested in joining your crew.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
A Rear Admiral, Lower Half, By Any Other Name...
Before I get into my little rant, I'd like to point out that the latest Engineering Report is up on the STO website:
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=207260
I love the game, but there's one little annoyance that I can not shake. And that is how the game uses the character's name and rank in mission text.
The most visible and controversial evidence of this are players who have reached the exalted rank of Rear Admiral. The game assigns the proper formal ranks of "Rear Admiral, Lower Half" and "Rear Admiral, Upper Half". Unfortunately, there is no code that correctly interprets the informal verbal address of "Admiral". So instead of being "Admiral G'eek", I was for a time known in mission text as "Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek".
It would have been far worse if my character's full formal name had been in play; "Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek, Son of N'erd" is quite a mouthful in conversation. And very, very disruptive for immersion.
I understand the need in game for distinctive ranks, and that it is probably hard-coded all over the place. I'm not expecting that to change. The simple fix for the Rear Admiral annoyance is a simple substitution filter that applies only to mission text. The substitution itself is but a minor exercise. The game logic that would implement it might be far less simple, but I imagine it would be something achievable. At least in newer missions, if it couldn't be easily backported to old missions. But the problem goes beyond that, I'm afraid.
The game assumes a Western naming convention, for another thing. First name, Last name. There is little room for any creative parsing of a non-Western name.
The point I am getting at is that the game should have the right "tags". There should be a user-configurable tag for [PreferredName] that gets used pretty much everywhere and guarantees that the player will be addressed in the way that they expect. There should also be a user-configurable [FormalName] tag that insures that the player is addressed properly in a formal situation. Both tags should have reasonable defaults so that players only need to mess with them if their names are getting misparsed. [FormalRank] and [Informal Rank] would be determined by the game, allowing them to be precisely applied in mission text. Beyond that, there should be tags for [Faction], [Species] and [Gender] and various gender pronouns and game logic that allows them to be used in missions for mission text and for mission triggers.
Imagine the flexibility! The level of immersion that would be possible in both Cryptic-authored missions and in player-created Foundry missions!
Imagine a mission in a diplomatic setting, where the player is not only addressed by his Formal Rank and Formal Name in the appropriate situation but where one of the alien delegates might react angrily because of the player's Faction or Species!
Or to take a classic Trek example, it could be "Captain James T. Kirk" or "Captain Kirk" or just "Jim".
I know it's not happening in the near future. Cryptic has quite enough on their plate at the moment. But 'Never' is a poor solution to what appears to me to be an unfortunate and annoying limitation in the game.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=207260
I love the game, but there's one little annoyance that I can not shake. And that is how the game uses the character's name and rank in mission text.
The most visible and controversial evidence of this are players who have reached the exalted rank of Rear Admiral. The game assigns the proper formal ranks of "Rear Admiral, Lower Half" and "Rear Admiral, Upper Half". Unfortunately, there is no code that correctly interprets the informal verbal address of "Admiral". So instead of being "Admiral G'eek", I was for a time known in mission text as "Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek".
It would have been far worse if my character's full formal name had been in play; "Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek, Son of N'erd" is quite a mouthful in conversation. And very, very disruptive for immersion.
I understand the need in game for distinctive ranks, and that it is probably hard-coded all over the place. I'm not expecting that to change. The simple fix for the Rear Admiral annoyance is a simple substitution filter that applies only to mission text. The substitution itself is but a minor exercise. The game logic that would implement it might be far less simple, but I imagine it would be something achievable. At least in newer missions, if it couldn't be easily backported to old missions. But the problem goes beyond that, I'm afraid.
The game assumes a Western naming convention, for another thing. First name, Last name. There is little room for any creative parsing of a non-Western name.
The point I am getting at is that the game should have the right "tags". There should be a user-configurable tag for [PreferredName] that gets used pretty much everywhere and guarantees that the player will be addressed in the way that they expect. There should also be a user-configurable [FormalName] tag that insures that the player is addressed properly in a formal situation. Both tags should have reasonable defaults so that players only need to mess with them if their names are getting misparsed. [FormalRank] and [Informal Rank] would be determined by the game, allowing them to be precisely applied in mission text. Beyond that, there should be tags for [Faction], [Species] and [Gender] and various gender pronouns and game logic that allows them to be used in missions for mission text and for mission triggers.
Imagine the flexibility! The level of immersion that would be possible in both Cryptic-authored missions and in player-created Foundry missions!
Imagine a mission in a diplomatic setting, where the player is not only addressed by his Formal Rank and Formal Name in the appropriate situation but where one of the alien delegates might react angrily because of the player's Faction or Species!
Or to take a classic Trek example, it could be "Captain James T. Kirk" or "Captain Kirk" or just "Jim".
I know it's not happening in the near future. Cryptic has quite enough on their plate at the moment. But 'Never' is a poor solution to what appears to me to be an unfortunate and annoying limitation in the game.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Show of hands: Who wants to be Assimilated?
I follow the official STO boards as often as I can, and one recurring theme that I see popping up from time to time is the suggestion from players that the Borg STF's should be available for solo players.
What part of "Task Force" is unclear here? In every other MMO that uses the term, it means "Content intended for team play". Cryptic continues to reiterate that STF's will never be revised for solo play. And though I tend to play solo most of the time, I have no problem with this.
One of the main reasons for this pro-solo sentiment is the exclusive Borg set. Can't get it any other way, and I fully agree that there should be an exclusive reward for the Borg STF's. Cryptic has suggested that there will eventually be other sets, hopefully some obtainable outside of an STF, and I think this will satisfy many players who --
The concern I have revolves around Endgame content. There is a story that solo players are missing out on. It would be nice if there were other, complimentary missions available at that level that helped to fill in some of the blanks and had different rewards. Even at Vice Admiral, players want something to DO that isn't mindless grind.
Someday, I hope I can get together with members of my Fleet and we can tame the STF beasties at least once in our fictional careers. Cryptic has promised a difficulty slider for the STF's and this should help ease the concerns that they are PUG team-wipe train wrecks; missions to be avoided as a waste of time for those who aren't experienced team players.
What do you think? Will more sets fill in the demand? Will more single-player Endgame content help? Will the difficulty slider for STF's end the debate once and for all?
What part of "Task Force" is unclear here? In every other MMO that uses the term, it means "Content intended for team play". Cryptic continues to reiterate that STF's will never be revised for solo play. And though I tend to play solo most of the time, I have no problem with this.
One of the main reasons for this pro-solo sentiment is the exclusive Borg set. Can't get it any other way, and I fully agree that there should be an exclusive reward for the Borg STF's. Cryptic has suggested that there will eventually be other sets, hopefully some obtainable outside of an STF, and I think this will satisfy many players who --
- Can't or won't play an STF and,
- Can't or won't craft the Aegis set at Memory-Alpha.
The concern I have revolves around Endgame content. There is a story that solo players are missing out on. It would be nice if there were other, complimentary missions available at that level that helped to fill in some of the blanks and had different rewards. Even at Vice Admiral, players want something to DO that isn't mindless grind.
Someday, I hope I can get together with members of my Fleet and we can tame the STF beasties at least once in our fictional careers. Cryptic has promised a difficulty slider for the STF's and this should help ease the concerns that they are PUG team-wipe train wrecks; missions to be avoided as a waste of time for those who aren't experienced team players.
What do you think? Will more sets fill in the demand? Will more single-player Endgame content help? Will the difficulty slider for STF's end the debate once and for all?
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Romulans...
They're obviously going to be the next faction in the game, but what does that actually mean? There's been a lot of talk about them being fractured, that there could be a civil war, and even that there could be sides that lean towards the Federation and the Klingon Empire (though I honestly don't see that happening without some huge event to do away with centuries of hate and distrust). For the faction itself, though, I think certain things need to be considered:
1. The home base (akin to Qo'nos or Earth Space Dock). For me this absolutely HAS to be something like Romulus. Losing that planet, as much as it helped the storyline and the like, was a loss to the Star Trek universe, and honestly, playing a game as a Romulan and not being able to visit some grand Romulan City (akin to the planet from "Cutting the Cord", though with more) would be something that would hurt. People are still clamouring to this day for Earth to be included, and I honestly believe it's a necessity.
2. The races. I'm a perfectionist that will only have a Klingon crew on a Klingon ship (and once we get more PVE content, will have a Gorn ship with Gorn crew and so on), and as such with the Romulans will most likely be the same route. That said, three starting races does seem a tad small. The Romulans, Remans and Hirogen are great, but I can't help feeling that they could do with a little more just for variety's sake.
3. The ships. For me, this is the most important part of the entire thing. Yes, obviously we'll get the D'deridex (T5 cruiser hopefully), and the Mogai (T5 escort), but what of the others? Yes, we'll get the Hunter Escort (Hirogen ship), and the Bird of Prey, but there are still going to be massive holes in the tiers. To that end, I'd like to see the ships used in TNG episodes like "The Defector", "The Next Phase", and the shuttle seen in the DS9 episode "In The Pale Moonglight". If we get those added to what's in the game already, I think we'll be fine.
4. The Eras. People are going to want their TOS ship patterns and their TNG/DS9 uniforms and weapons (though thankfully as of the latest series, we have the disruptor), and my bet is that Cryptic will of course use the C-Store for such things.
5. The missions. By no means the least important part of the whole thing, people are going to want missions involving subterfuge and sneaking around rather than diplomacy or blunt force. Thankfully Cryptic being Star Trek fans themselves means that the odds are good for such a thing.
That's how I feel about the Romulans as they are: There's a good foundation already laid, and as long as the Klingons get their content issues sorted during the year, there should be little to no problem getting the Romulans out in to the game, and their faction, if it's even half as good as people are hoping, will make a lot of people very happy.
Links:
The Defector - Romulan Scout Ship
The Next Phase - Romulan Science Vessel
^ As you can see, both ships are quite similar, so a tier one ship might be the answer for those designs.
In The Pale Moonlight - Romulan shuttle
1. The home base (akin to Qo'nos or Earth Space Dock). For me this absolutely HAS to be something like Romulus. Losing that planet, as much as it helped the storyline and the like, was a loss to the Star Trek universe, and honestly, playing a game as a Romulan and not being able to visit some grand Romulan City (akin to the planet from "Cutting the Cord", though with more) would be something that would hurt. People are still clamouring to this day for Earth to be included, and I honestly believe it's a necessity.
2. The races. I'm a perfectionist that will only have a Klingon crew on a Klingon ship (and once we get more PVE content, will have a Gorn ship with Gorn crew and so on), and as such with the Romulans will most likely be the same route. That said, three starting races does seem a tad small. The Romulans, Remans and Hirogen are great, but I can't help feeling that they could do with a little more just for variety's sake.
3. The ships. For me, this is the most important part of the entire thing. Yes, obviously we'll get the D'deridex (T5 cruiser hopefully), and the Mogai (T5 escort), but what of the others? Yes, we'll get the Hunter Escort (Hirogen ship), and the Bird of Prey, but there are still going to be massive holes in the tiers. To that end, I'd like to see the ships used in TNG episodes like "The Defector", "The Next Phase", and the shuttle seen in the DS9 episode "In The Pale Moonglight". If we get those added to what's in the game already, I think we'll be fine.
4. The Eras. People are going to want their TOS ship patterns and their TNG/DS9 uniforms and weapons (though thankfully as of the latest series, we have the disruptor), and my bet is that Cryptic will of course use the C-Store for such things.
5. The missions. By no means the least important part of the whole thing, people are going to want missions involving subterfuge and sneaking around rather than diplomacy or blunt force. Thankfully Cryptic being Star Trek fans themselves means that the odds are good for such a thing.
That's how I feel about the Romulans as they are: There's a good foundation already laid, and as long as the Klingons get their content issues sorted during the year, there should be little to no problem getting the Romulans out in to the game, and their faction, if it's even half as good as people are hoping, will make a lot of people very happy.
Links:
The Defector - Romulan Scout Ship
The Next Phase - Romulan Science Vessel
^ As you can see, both ships are quite similar, so a tier one ship might be the answer for those designs.
In The Pale Moonlight - Romulan shuttle
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I want an Exocomp!
The thought has been nagging at me for days... I want a pet Exocomp!
I'm geeked with the idea that I could have one of those floating along behind me wherever I went.
Even better if it were a defensive pet... one that could 'fix' your equipment malfunctions, or something.
Who else wants an Exocomp?!
I'm geeked with the idea that I could have one of those floating along behind me wherever I went.
Even better if it were a defensive pet... one that could 'fix' your equipment malfunctions, or something.
Who else wants an Exocomp?!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Featured Episode: Series 3, Part 5 "Cutting The Cord"
I had a chance to play through the latest Featured Episode in the "Cloaked Intentions" series, "Cutting The Cord". There was a lot to like in this new episode, and a few new twists and gimmicks.
The first part of the mission is basically to blast your way into orbit over the Tal Shiar base. This was probably the most boring part. It was both too easy and too time-consuming as a solo mission. More enemy ships and fewer enemy space turrets would have been better, I think.
One of the new gimmicks is a "virtual path guide" that basically shows you which way you're supposed to go. This was a neat gimmick, and I hope they port that feature over to the Foundry for use by players. The three dimensional nature of the map was very nice and added to the experience.
I also liked the ability to call in an "Orbital Strike", even though it's mostly just a couple of cutscenes.
The respawning mobs (both Romulan enemies and Reman allies) were another interesting feature that I hope gets into the Foundry.
I won't spoil the story, but it's not bad. Like some others, I am puzzled over the decision to involve Empress Sela in the final space battle and the outcome. I suppose we'll find out in a future FE.
Briefly touching on the rewards, I suspect that the tractor mines are not going to be a popular weapon, at least not if you're on the receiving end. Most people didn't want another Bridge Officer, but I'm geeked that it was a Science Officer.
So, what did you like or dislike about this episode? What did you think of the series as a whole? Leave your comments here!
The first part of the mission is basically to blast your way into orbit over the Tal Shiar base. This was probably the most boring part. It was both too easy and too time-consuming as a solo mission. More enemy ships and fewer enemy space turrets would have been better, I think.
One of the new gimmicks is a "virtual path guide" that basically shows you which way you're supposed to go. This was a neat gimmick, and I hope they port that feature over to the Foundry for use by players. The three dimensional nature of the map was very nice and added to the experience.
I also liked the ability to call in an "Orbital Strike", even though it's mostly just a couple of cutscenes.
The respawning mobs (both Romulan enemies and Reman allies) were another interesting feature that I hope gets into the Foundry.
I won't spoil the story, but it's not bad. Like some others, I am puzzled over the decision to involve Empress Sela in the final space battle and the outcome. I suppose we'll find out in a future FE.
Briefly touching on the rewards, I suspect that the tractor mines are not going to be a popular weapon, at least not if you're on the receiving end. Most people didn't want another Bridge Officer, but I'm geeked that it was a Science Officer.
So, what did you like or dislike about this episode? What did you think of the series as a whole? Leave your comments here!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Commentary on "Ask Cryptic, March 2011"
So, the latest "Ask Cryptic" is up, where the Executive Producer for Star Trek Online answers questions from players.
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2323
I understand he can't answer everybody's questions. There were over 1000 posts in the question thread! But I can't help thinking that he really did some cherry picking for short questions that could be answered easily. Hint for future installments: Make sure your question is only one or two sentences long.
Still, there were a few interesting tidbits in there.
Which answers interested you the most? Post your comments here!
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2323
I understand he can't answer everybody's questions. There were over 1000 posts in the question thread! But I can't help thinking that he really did some cherry picking for short questions that could be answered easily. Hint for future installments: Make sure your question is only one or two sentences long.
Still, there were a few interesting tidbits in there.
A: We are working closely with the Champions Online team on a big update for interiors that will allow players much more control over what is displayed and available on their ship interior. We don’t have a solid eta for this, but it is something that both of our teams are developing as a cool new feature that will greatly improve ship interiors.
A: We have long term plans to allow Player Run Starbases to be “staffed” by extra officers you have. We are also looking into increasing storage so that you can have more potential candidates in the wings.
A: We have created a system map for each planet in the Sol system, and where appropriate we have also added stations and other sites that are expected to be there such as Utopia Planetia at Mars and Jupiter Station at Jupiter. You will have a navigation option that will ask you which planet you want to visit and it will transfer you there.Other notable things which were mentioned were that Featured Episode replay is being looked at for March or April, new kits are in the works, and another Science vessel (the Oberth) is planned for April or May.
Which answers interested you the most? Post your comments here!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Top Ten Features I Want To See In Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online is a great game. It has caused my inner Trekkie to bloom and rekindled my interest in all of the Star Trek lore. The game is sure to grow and add new features. These are the ones I really want to see in the next two years.
1. Romulan Faction
Ok, this one's a no-brainer. Everybody wants this. A third Trek faction could potentially alter the dynamic of the entire game, particularly if Territory Control zones are ever added. Plus Romulans are cool.
2. Exploration Maps Without Inconsistencies
Ever visited an uninhabited planet with colony buildings on it? I have. The worst, though, was one where I was told I had to hide from the natives so we wouldn't contaminate their development and the whole freaking landscape had been Borgified. I don't think the Prime Directive applies. Plus the buried and otherwise inaccessible data anomalies drive me nuts.
"Lieutenant, hand me a shovel."
3. Diplomatic Exchange Bridge Officers I'd Actually Want
When you diplo-grind your way up to full Ambassador, you are supposed to get your pick of bridge officer candidates from the opposing faction. What you get to choose from are a bunch of common, average BO's ... nearly all of which are completely inferior to the candidates you have sitting around doing nothing because you can only use so many Tactical officers. Currently, the only real use for this is to indulge geek fantasies of having an Orion Love Slave ... which I don't. These DXO's should be Rare with Improved/Superior racial traits and Tier III skills.
4. Personnel Bank for Fleets
Trading and training Bridge Officers is too difficult under the current system. Fleets especially ought to have the ability to reassign BO's (and later on Duty Officers) with ease. One way to do this would be to give fleets a special Personnel Bank to facilitate this.
5. Call Me Admiral
When my Vulcan character was a Rear Admiral (Lower Half) it was extremely annoying to have Non-Player Characters addressing him like "You're our best hope, Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek". I don't think the average Starfleet command officer should talk like an obsessive-compulsive idiot who can't figure out to call him just "Admiral" like in the real world. In addition to this, I wish we could have more leeway to customize how we're addressed by NPC's in general. His real name is supposed to be "G'eek, Son of N'erd" but I had to change it. "Rear Admiral, Lower Half Son of N'erd" was just too much to deal with.
6. Customized Kits Or On-The-Fly Kit Swapping
The only options a Player Captain has on Ground missions are:
While I'm on the subject of customization, I'd also love to see the ability to customize other equipment abilities as well.
7. Retrofitted Ships
Over the course of a career, your character gets to fly a number of different ships. But, there's no going back to fly your favorite because it's underpowered for your current rank. The ability to retrofit your old ships to make them relatively useful again would be a real boon.
8. Exocomp Pets
I want my own Exocomp floating along behind me and using certain Engineering abilities to help me out (regenerate my personal shields, remove mechanical debuffs, etc).
9. In-Game Databank
It's the 23rd century, right? I'm surrounded by databanks, but they don't tell me a darn thing about the planet I'm on, Klingon customs, etc. Why can't we have an in-game databank/encyclopedia? Sure, I can go to http://www.memory-alpha.org/, but a subset of information in-game and at your fingertips would be better.
10. Ship Interior Missions
Because some of the TV episodes that had things going on right there on the Enterprise were the coolest of all.
What do you want to see? Leave your comments here!
1. Romulan Faction
Ok, this one's a no-brainer. Everybody wants this. A third Trek faction could potentially alter the dynamic of the entire game, particularly if Territory Control zones are ever added. Plus Romulans are cool.
2. Exploration Maps Without Inconsistencies
Ever visited an uninhabited planet with colony buildings on it? I have. The worst, though, was one where I was told I had to hide from the natives so we wouldn't contaminate their development and the whole freaking landscape had been Borgified. I don't think the Prime Directive applies. Plus the buried and otherwise inaccessible data anomalies drive me nuts.
"Lieutenant, hand me a shovel."
3. Diplomatic Exchange Bridge Officers I'd Actually Want
When you diplo-grind your way up to full Ambassador, you are supposed to get your pick of bridge officer candidates from the opposing faction. What you get to choose from are a bunch of common, average BO's ... nearly all of which are completely inferior to the candidates you have sitting around doing nothing because you can only use so many Tactical officers. Currently, the only real use for this is to indulge geek fantasies of having an Orion Love Slave ... which I don't. These DXO's should be Rare with Improved/Superior racial traits and Tier III skills.
4. Personnel Bank for Fleets
Trading and training Bridge Officers is too difficult under the current system. Fleets especially ought to have the ability to reassign BO's (and later on Duty Officers) with ease. One way to do this would be to give fleets a special Personnel Bank to facilitate this.
5. Call Me Admiral
When my Vulcan character was a Rear Admiral (Lower Half) it was extremely annoying to have Non-Player Characters addressing him like "You're our best hope, Rear Admiral, Lower Half G'eek". I don't think the average Starfleet command officer should talk like an obsessive-compulsive idiot who can't figure out to call him just "Admiral" like in the real world. In addition to this, I wish we could have more leeway to customize how we're addressed by NPC's in general. His real name is supposed to be "G'eek, Son of N'erd" but I had to change it. "Rear Admiral, Lower Half Son of N'erd" was just too much to deal with.
6. Customized Kits Or On-The-Fly Kit Swapping
The only options a Player Captain has on Ground missions are:
- Which two weapons to equip?
- Which four Bridge Officers to take?
- Which kit to equip (for special class-related abilities)?
While I'm on the subject of customization, I'd also love to see the ability to customize other equipment abilities as well.
7. Retrofitted Ships
Over the course of a career, your character gets to fly a number of different ships. But, there's no going back to fly your favorite because it's underpowered for your current rank. The ability to retrofit your old ships to make them relatively useful again would be a real boon.
8. Exocomp Pets
I want my own Exocomp floating along behind me and using certain Engineering abilities to help me out (regenerate my personal shields, remove mechanical debuffs, etc).
9. In-Game Databank
It's the 23rd century, right? I'm surrounded by databanks, but they don't tell me a darn thing about the planet I'm on, Klingon customs, etc. Why can't we have an in-game databank/encyclopedia? Sure, I can go to http://www.memory-alpha.org/, but a subset of information in-game and at your fingertips would be better.
10. Ship Interior Missions
Because some of the TV episodes that had things going on right there on the Enterprise were the coolest of all.
What do you want to see? Leave your comments here!
We Are Project Management (A Borgism)
We are Project Management.
You will be assimilated on schedule.
Your resources will be added to our own.
Your technological distinctiveness is irrelevant.
Deviation from the project is futile.
You will be assimilated on schedule.
Your resources will be added to our own.
Your technological distinctiveness is irrelevant.
Deviation from the project is futile.
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