Walking

[MajorD]

The new picture (http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen_032709_01.jpg) and the path up the slop in it got me thinking, how fast will we walk or run on planetary surfaces?

In city of heroes, running is really slow, just about realistically slow, if I'm not mistaken. You have to have travel powers to get anywhere in a decent amount of time that isn't painful. It's true of other MMO's, isn't it? I remember reading that there won't be transporters or shuttles used in planetary environments, only for getting there in the first place.

So, will the maps be really small, or will walking take up the majority of our time on away missions?

[jbarker82]

Well, the ground action is meant to be fast paced, 'run and gun' style gameplay so it could be that walking around on a planet or whatever could be a little faster than you think. I guess you can't have them going too fast otherwise it would be unrealistic. I guess your character will jog about the place as you move but I wouldn't expect them to move any faster than say, a character in WoW might move with their own two leggies.

[USS_Parallax]

What? City of Heroes is realistic? Realistic is walking. Those City of Hero guys and other MMOs are either at a brisk job or a fast run that they can keep up forever without getting tired. Realistically we should make pace through a world like 4 times slower or more. But that's boring. Lets sprint everywhere!

[Loekii]

With transporter technology, and the amount of walking we saw in the Series, I would say that most walking will be curtailed.

I see 'walking' to be limited to basic areas -- ie towns, buildings, starbases, and exploring instances. I certainly do not expect to be 'running' from town to town ala WoW.

For example, if the Away Group beams down into a small compound, and the episode leads to a mining facility about a mile away, I fully expect to see the Transporter employed, or have a shuttle craft or other vehicle (transition sequence of course -- we do not control or 'drive' the vehicle) be the mechanic to transport the Group to the Mining Facility.

As a game mechanic, I would like to see Walking be the default, and have a 'Sprint' ability to 'run'. Thus toons will walk most of the time -- instead of running like we see in WoW, EQ2, etc.

[OddjobXL]

Whatever they do I'd like to see a 'toggle' for a walk option if it isn't the default mode. Otherwise I'm resigned but casual about how this is handled. Folks like to get around fast so they'll run mostly. People who walk are practically advertising they're roleplayers. That's why the walk toggle is important. Having to hold down a 'shift' key to walk everywhere can be annoying. Just let me 'caps lock' to whatever mode suits my current needs.

Not too sure what the scale will be for "Away Team" adventures or starbases where socializing can happen. Some might be pretty tight but I wouldn't be surprised to see some exploration-type missions take up a little real estate so there's something to actually, well, explore!

[UA_Fleet_Admiral]

A toggle would be nice between walking and running, especially when you are on your ship or at a station, would look silly to run from the bar to the office all the time...lol :cool:

[marscentral]

I'm hoping there's "site to site" transport for the big distances. I don't think a full on sprint is good for the medium distance, but I don't think beaming everywhere is right either. The movies have introduced a couple of land vehicles (like that bike in the trailer, that would be awesome), but they come with a lot of extra design work and would change the nature of missions so much that they might not be worth it. Perhaps fast jogs and transporters are the best way.

[Loekii]

A toggle would be nice between walking and running, especially when you are on your ship or at a station, would look silly to run from the bar to the office all the time...lol :cool:

I would actually prefer to see 'Running' be something that required you to 'hold' down a key - or to be simply be restricted to a 'Sprint' ability on a cooldown.

So the default mode = Walking, but if you want to Run, you have to hold down a Key (sort of like GearsOfWar2).

Now obviously, people don't want to waste time walking, so the Devs would need to design Ground Content so that walking does not take too long.

For example, if you take Orgamir in WoW. All the stuff is spread out across a large area, so everyone runs to cut down the travel time. If that distance was reduced so that walking did not feel like a time sink, there would be no reason to run. So instead of making DS9 so big that players feel they need to run from Quarks to Command, Cryptic needs to lay it out so that you can walk in a short time.

In short, design a layout where walking does not take away from the fun of the game.

Walking would also reflect the Star Trek Series more, because we almost never see people running from place to place.

[Elta_and_Zletha]

I would expect it to be a little jog as well, like Captain.Unknown mentioned.
However, I would think that beaming down would be limited to one spot, until you made your way to a different "important" spot on the map, and you would unlock another beam down spot.

Kinda think of it like WoW, that you have to run to a new town or city in order to be able to fly there with the mounts.

But basically, I'm sure there can be a toggle to walk/jog.

[OddjobXL]

I agree with you Loekii but my experience is that too many players will feel inconvenienced, no matter how far they have to walk, if they have to walk. It's psychological. "It goes to 11." They'll always be able to get somewhere faster if they can run no matter how close that place is.

If your idea is accepted Cryptic will see all kinds of complaints. But not from me. I'm all for it. However, the "pick battles you can win" side of my brain tells me this isn't a good place to dig in.

[doh123]

I dunno... running might be disabled altogether...

I've seen episodes where the ship is about to blow up.. and they just have to get to some place in time to shut something down to save everyone.. and the timer is ticking.. and it shows them just walking down the corridor... I think i'd be running my butt off

[Loekii]

I dunno... running might be disabled altogether...

I've seen episodes where the ship is about to blow up.. and they just have to get to some place in time to shut something down to save everyone.. and the timer is ticking.. and it shows them just walking down the corridor... I think i'd be running my butt off

I don't recall that video.

I would actually like to see 'running' disabled, and simply have a 'SPRINT' ability for those times you need that extra burst.

[Skelly]

I think games tend to make walking to slow, so if you speed up walking above say swg's speed, but not as fast as the run, then it would be more benifical. SWG's walk speed was like a old man with a bad hip trying to cross the cantina.

[Strandberg]

There should be on-site transporting at will - also I remember picard rolling in a high-tec jeep at one point. They should have added futuristic and or alien vehicles, maybe hoverboards of some type

[X113phantom]

If they want big planets that you can explore there needs to be some options like a map that has points of interest that you can beam to or some kind of vehicle to get to places faster like the Argo dune buggy or one of those bikes that the police officer had in the trailer for the new movie.

[Strandberg]

You'd imagine Starfleet coming up with a few inventions during wartime too eh

Reminds you of Doom 3 where the super hightech society didn't have the capacity to attach a flashlight to their guns in pitch dark lmao

[MajorD]

Thanks, Loekii, I think I know how they'll do it now. They'll probably have small areas, like sets, and when you reach a certain point, it will switch scenes to another set, skipping all the walking. That way, you only need to walk a few hundred feet where ever you are and they can put in little cinematographic pans and music transitions.

[CrisNavarro]

Walking would also reflect the Star Trek Series more, because we almost never see people running from place to place.


Sadly this is true, even when they SHOULD be running.

What's that? Crewman Random is being eaten alive on deck four? Send a security detail, fast! Tell them to walk BRISKLY.

[Loekii]

Thanks, Loekii, I think I know how they'll do it now. They'll probably have small areas, like sets, and when you reach a certain point, it will switch scenes to another set, skipping all the walking. That way, you only need to walk a few hundred feet where ever you are and they can put in little cinematographic pans and music transitions.

That is more or less how I expect it to work out.

I mean I really hope they don't put in 'time sinks' like we see in standard Fantasy MMO --- all that travel from Point A to Point B is by design to be a form of 'Time Sink'. However, seeing how the main source of travel in STO is 'Starship', there is no need to create worlds where you need to travel across the 'Barrens' for the most part.

Instead you arrive at 'Stormwind', then 'Beam' over to Westfall, then Beam over to the Deadmines, instead of having to 'run' all the way there.

[MajorD]

That is more or less how I expect it to work out.

I mean I really hope they don't put in 'time sinks' like we see in standard Fantasy MMO --- all that travel from Point A to Point B is by design to be a form of 'Time Sink'. However, seeing how the main source of travel in STO is 'Starship', there is no need to create worlds where you need to travel across the 'Barrens' for the most part.

Instead you arrive at 'Stormwind', then 'Beam' over to Westfall, then Beam over to the Deadmines, instead of having to 'run' all the way there.
Yeah, there was a comic strip a while back poking fun at that. In it, some guy describes some quest to find some amulet in the traditional long winded manner, you have to go through the swamp of pain, up the hill of sarrow, until you reach the cave in the mountain. The Trek guy goes, "Right, amulet, mountain" *beamoutfwoosh**beaminwoosh*, "Here's the amulet." You can't have missions like that in STO, and if they do it by having minerals in the rocks stopping transporters, then they're just being lazy, using some of the worst aspects of Trek as an excuse. Work with the technology and use it, not against it.

[OrabIbo]

I'd say walking would purely be used for RP'ers. It's about the only time I see anybody walk, when there is a run option available. Aside from getting around tight spaces and narrow corridors.

Which to that affect, I would like to see MMO's use walking in environments more effectively. I would like to see areas, where you are forced to walk to maintain more control over your character. Like walking along narrow precipices, walking along catwalks, or needing to walk to escourt a diplomat to protect them. Because we all know, diplomats don't run ;) lol At max speed they have a brisk walk! lol

Point being, Star Trek, has story elements, that make teleporting a valid way for getting around. The only time it's not used, is when doing so would cause a persons health to be in danger. This is when we see them use shuttles and vehicles, or walking. So, walking definately needs some sort of excuse to happen in Star Trek. Otherwise everybody will just run or teleport everywhere!

I see planet environments being very small. If we want lots of places to explore, and hundreds of planet environments. Then small environments is almost a must! Star Trek is about exploring Space, and seeing strange new worlds. Not spending year long expeditions on planets! hehe.

[auutumn]

I'm slightly interested in knowing if a planet's gravity will have an effect on moving around as I think it should. I also strongly presume that if players are able to walk outside their ships, that they don't run and bounce around like normal. If we're lucky enough at any point in the game to have surface transports then I hope they employ physics when running around the surface.

[MajorD]

I'm slightly interested in knowing if a planet's gravity will have an effect on moving around as I think it should. I also strongly presume that if players are able to walk outside their ships, that they don't run and bounce around like normal. If we're lucky enough at any point in the game to have surface transports then I hope they employ physics when running around the surface.
Oh! A mission where we walk around on the hull of our ship!:D

All places in Star Trek seem to have gravity close enough to Earth's that there is never a noticeable difference in people's step. However, I would love some low gravity environments, and a high gravity one could be interesting if they explore the problems that can happen. Even a fall by someone in their prime could result in a broken hip.