The Next ASK CRYPTIC

[JacobFlowers]

Alright, we've seen plenty of battles space and ground. Enough combat!

We want to know more about THE OTHER facets of the game. Cryptic, can we now do a focus on exploration, or crafting, in game economy, or WHATEVER else you may have that will make this game FABULOUS.

Sure, I want fire my phasers! BUT NOT EVERY EPISODE. :-)

Diplomacy, Interactive Missions, Fleet Missions, Fleet Mechanics?

Who here wants to know more about STO other than the combat aspects?

[Rgoodfel]

So do you think if you title your post "Ask Cryptic" you will get the topic to be covered that you want? Good luck with that.

[Manta2015]

Carebear alert (lol j/k)

That video was indeed a tasty snack for those who like combat and PvP =)

Again, the UI really need to be finished before they're able to elaborate on exploration and scientific missions. It won't be for awhile, but I'd like to see updates on that too. If it's good enough, I'm gonna enjoy STO for all it's worth ~


-Manta-

[Swordopolis]

I too would like to hear more on the mechanics of Fleets and Houses, but I suspect those details are not yet concrete.

[JacobFlowers]

You won't call me a carebear when I'm sitting in my uber cruiser!!! ;-)

Nah, but seriously, every MMO has combat. Bra bra bra. I want to know what about STO will lend me a more diversified and interesting experience which sets it apart from the rest.

/puts on fanboi hat
I've always dreamed of roaming the stars you know.

And besides, I think I've heard enough people say they want to know WHAT ELSE is there beside firing our photon torpedoes. Man, if that is all STO is going to be ::yawn::

[Sorbek]

Carebear alert (lol j/k)

That video was indeed a tasty snack for those who like combat and PvP =)

Again, the UI really need to be finished before they're able to elaborate on exploration and scientific missions. It won't be for awhile, but I'd like to see updates on that too. If it's good enough, I'm gonna enjoy STO for all it's worth ~


-Manta-

Thing about us combat and PvP lovers..

Once we get some we want more...and I need more please!!!

[Admiral-Darren-Wright]

Yes,

Id love to see more on the building, possible mining, transporting, theres a lot more than the sheer escorts and tactical points if this game will truly decimate every other space mmo before it.

Theres been rumours of people being able to create ships, and sell them on the starbase market, or create weapons and ammo and harvest dilthuim and other key things needed in game.

Yes i have spend 4 years getting the big ships in EVE but i love Star Trek especially Voyager, i cant wait to get my self in this game.

Id love to see some things on Nubulas and the possible mining them for resources as well as astoroids etc.

Yes ill get trigger happy a lot, but we cant be trigger happy all the time or the game will disapoint to many.

[slingbladez]

I would like to know more about the Economy, Ground combat items/gear, How experience/leveling up in space and away missions work and how they relate to each other if at all.

[ExpendableCrewman]

I agree with you admiral england guy .... Tho I was PSYKD to see all the PEW PEW <especially with the ships> I REALLY want to know more about the crafting, trading , exploration, overall economy, and other areas of the game.

Now I know that cryptic is tryin to reach the majority of mmo audiences which is sadly the I PWNZD YOU! and PVP FTW!!! and Im so uber l33t with my uber l33t tier 8 raiding gear I got from my uber l33t guild when we ran uber l33t 25 man hard mode ulduar raid that YOU werent invited too!!! And these pplz need to know about the combat cuz thats the main kicker for em... but, dontcha think theres been enuff combat coverage? at least for a littel while??? let us nerds hear more about the actual STAR TREK aspect of the game.

[Admiral-Darren-Wright]

I agree with you admiral england guy .... Tho I was PSYKD to see all the PEW PEW <especially with the ships> I REALLY want to know more about the crafting, trading , exploration, overall economy, and other areas of the game.

Now I know that cryptic is tryin to reach the majority of mmo audiences which is sadly the I PWNZD YOU! and PVP FTW!!! and Im so uber l33t with my uber l33t tier 8 raiding gear I got from my uber l33t guild when we ran uber l33t 25 man hard mode ulduar raid that YOU werent invited too!!! And these pplz need to know about the combat cuz thats the main kicker for em... but, dontcha think theres been enuff combat coverage? at least for a littel while??? let us nerds hear more about the actual STAR TREK aspect of the game.

Nice gear in ulduar, i am yet to get it my self, yer well we well jsut hope they give us some more detail on non pvp action as were kinda pvp'd up at the moment

[CaptainQuirk]

I agree 100%.

If there is to be a healthy portion of combat, diplomacy, exploration, and science, we should be getting a healthy portion of coverage of all of them. Even if the devs must begin and end each article/post with

"This is what we're thinking of doing, but it may (and likely will) change before launch..."

So we know going in and coming out that whatever they say in between is not written in stone.

And you know? Who cares if some other MMO company decides to copy the idea? THEY won't have the Star Trek license. Everything in MMO development these days is so super secret, as if whatever they've got in mind is some sort of international security risk if it leaks. It's a freaking GAME. When things are kept so hush-hush and they aren't talked about until almost after the fact, the game launches with a lot of people saying, "If I knew it would be like this, I never would have bought the thing!"

True, someone is always going to take that position, but if developers were more open with their plans, and mature discussion is allowed to reveal flaws, then the quality of the end product will increase to the betterment of all.

[Admiral-Darren-Wright]

I agree 100%.

If there is to be a healthy portion of combat, diplomacy, exploration, and science, we should be getting a healthy portion of coverage of all of them. Even if the devs must begin and end each article/post with

"This is what we're thinking of doing, but it may (and likely will) change before launch..."

So we know going in and coming out that whatever they say in between is not written in stone.

And you know? Who cares if some other MMO company decides to copy the idea? THEY won't have the Star Trek license. Everything in MMO development these days is so super secret, as if whatever they've got in mind is some sort of international security risk if it leaks. It's a freaking GAME. When things are kept so hush-hush and they aren't talked about until almost after the fact, the game launches with a lot of people saying, "If I knew it would be like this, I never would have bought the thing!"

True, someone is always going to take that position, but if developers were more open with their plans, and mature discussion is allowed to reveal flaws, then the quality of the end product will increase to the betterment of all.

Crptic have said that they are aware there are non pvp people in game, so im sure they will be working on if they havent yet a large area of non lethal pvp roles.

Threads such as this one can only remind them that there needed in game by many people,

Lets just hope we all get aspects of the game we love no matter your interest :)

[Zepath]

Actually, I'd like to hear more about the other aspects of the game as well. I'm all for that combat and the exploration, but I'd like to know how its all glued together. If all I'm doing is blowing something up, or surveying the next of a 100,000 planets this game will get old real quick.

The only thing they have thrown out there (aside from a STO name and STO graphics) are BO's. After that this is starting to sound like a repeat of 100 Space Games I've already played over the last 30 years.

And BO's aren't that huge ... pets are, in the end, just pets. SW;G had them, and virtually every game since has had them. And personally while "changing" out skill sets is nice (that's what the BO's really offer) I see most of us using the same core BO's.

There is a glue that is required to make a game fun and successful. Its those things that make you want to log into the game when you really are in the mood to blow something up, or travel through your planet grind (and don't think exploration won't eventually become a grind, it will).

I call these the diversions of a game ...

1) Crafting
2) Farming
3) Incidental task awards (like kill 1000 elk or find a particular artifact)
4) Shopping Merchants and Auction Houses
5) Helping with a guild task
6) Mentoring a friend or guildie (requires mechanics so you can step down in level).

I want to hear more about their Captain's log.

I want to know more about the Starbases (cities) and why I would want to go there. You know everyone b***ed about Orgrimar and Iron Forge, but they offered a sense of community to WoW that has been missing in the games that have come since, that tried to avoid large congregation places.

I want to know if there is a serious crafting system in the game, or some joke like in Warhammer.

I want to know how they are going to make the game "not lonely" where the setting is indicatively lonely.

I want to know if we're using Latinum, Prestige, Credits, or some combination there of ... let come clean about that and end the endless debates here in these forums.

The bottom line is, we're close. 6 months, 8 months, whatever, we're close. I'm a customer who is shopping for a new MMO (Warhammer is dying, and I'm not going back to WoW) ... sell me on why I should be in the market for your game.

Space combat? I got that in Eve.

BO's? I was a Beast Master in SW;G.

Star Trek theme? Meh, nice, but it could still be lipstick on a pig.

Tell me how you're bringing it all together to make this the game I want to play, that I want to buy a lifetime membership to, that I'll be willing to over-look the MT's to play.

[Vorador]

There are still plenty of things about combat that have been left unanswered. I'd prefer those to be answered first before they talk about other stuff.

[Zepath]

There are still plenty of things about combat that have been left unanswered. I'd prefer those to be answered first before they talk about other stuff.

You have teams in these development houses.

There is a combat team.

There is a physics team.

There is a team working on the procedural generation.

There is a team that works on the crafting system.

There is a team that works on Star Bases (cities)

There is a team that works on the mission/quest system.

And it goes on and on ... usually 2 or 3 members to a team, sometimes only 1. But it doesn't matter ... we get 45 minutes of actual questions a week if we're lucky, and half that time is spent waiting for Zinc to type the response.

We're close enough in this game that someone in their PR department could start posting articles on the Web about the 'other' aspects of the game, aside from Combat, Exploration, and what graphic I'm going to be able to slap on my space avatar (ship).

[CaptainQuirk]

There are still plenty of things about combat that have been left unanswered. I'd prefer those to be answered first before they talk about other stuff.

What, pray tell, is wrong with them answering those as-yet-unanswered combat questions whilst simultaneously answering questions about other aspects of the game?

[Paulo999]

i think the only thing we all want to know is... Can we have an 8472 Bridge Officer? :O or anything 8472 ? :D

[JacobFlowers]

I agree with you admiral england guy .... Tho I was PSYKD to see all the PEW PEW <especially with the ships> I REALLY want to know more about the crafting, trading , exploration, overall economy, and other areas of the game.

Now I know that cryptic is tryin to reach the majority of mmo audiences which is sadly the I PWNZD YOU! and PVP FTW!!! and Im so uber l33t with my uber l33t tier 8 raiding gear I got from my uber l33t guild when we ran uber l33t 25 man hard mode ulduar raid that YOU werent invited too!!! And these pplz need to know about the combat cuz thats the main kicker for em... but, dontcha think theres been enuff combat coverage? at least for a littel while??? let us nerds hear more about the actual STAR TREK aspect of the game.

I am not so sure this applies to the majority of gamers anymore. So many people I talk to seem to be getting tired of the current models. Most people in WoW stay there because its one of the most stable games and is in the mainstream, but really are tired of its:

kill 20 rats because my cat is too lazy to do so
fedex this clumb of dirt to somebody in stormwind
escort this poor lady across the jungle
find 30 moth balls for me to make my delicious mothball soup

And then all of it is about l33t l33t l33t... which people are realizing it is nothing but a numbers/math game. People are wanting more than just standing around in shiny gear... it gets boring, we're all looking for a radical immersive change that dazzles, and makes us think. No more hand holding, no more loot centric stuff! Lets get creative!

[JacobFlowers]

I agree with you admiral england guy .... Tho I was PSYKD to see all the PEW PEW <especially with the ships> I REALLY want to know more about the crafting, trading , exploration, overall economy, and other areas of the game.

Now I know that cryptic is tryin to reach the majority of mmo audiences which is sadly the I PWNZD YOU! and PVP FTW!!! and Im so uber l33t with my uber l33t tier 8 raiding gear I got from my uber l33t guild when we ran uber l33t 25 man hard mode ulduar raid that YOU werent invited too!!! And these pplz need to know about the combat cuz thats the main kicker for em... but, dontcha think theres been enuff combat coverage? at least for a littel while??? let us nerds hear more about the actual STAR TREK aspect of the game.

Actually, I'd like to hear more about the other aspects of the game as well. I'm all for that combat and the exploration, but I'd like to know how its all glued together. If all I'm doing is blowing something up, or surveying the next of a 100,000 planets this game will get old real quick.

The only thing they have thrown out there (aside from a STO name and STO graphics) are BO's. After that this is starting to sound like a repeat of 100 Space Games I've already played over the last 30 years.

And BO's aren't that huge ... pets are, in the end, just pets. SW;G had them, and virtually every game since has had them. And personally while "changing" out skill sets is nice (that's what the BO's really offer) I see most of us using the same core BO's.

There is a glue that is required to make a game fun and successful. Its those things that make you want to log into the game when you really are in the mood to blow something up, or travel through your planet grind (and don't think exploration won't eventually become a grind, it will).

I call these the diversions of a game ...

1) Crafting
2) Farming
3) Incidental task awards (like kill 1000 elk or find a particular artifact)
4) Shopping Merchants and Auction Houses
5) Helping with a guild task
6) Mentoring a friend or guildie (requires mechanics so you can step down in level).

I want to hear more about their Captain's log.

I want to know more about the Starbases (cities) and why I would want to go there. You know everyone b***ed about Orgrimar and Iron Forge, but they offered a sense of community to WoW that has been missing in the games that have come since, that tried to avoid large congregation places.

I want to know if there is a serious crafting system in the game, or some joke like in Warhammer.

I want to know how they are going to make the game "not lonely" where the setting is indicatively lonely.

I want to know if we're using Latinum, Prestige, Credits, or some combination there of ... let come clean about that and end the endless debates here in these forums.

The bottom line is, we're close. 6 months, 8 months, whatever, we're close. I'm a customer who is shopping for a new MMO (Warhammer is dying, and I'm not going back to WoW) ... sell me on why I should be in the market for your game.

Space combat? I got that in Eve.

BO's? I was a Beast Master in SW;G.

Star Trek theme? Meh, nice, but it could still be lipstick on a pig.

Tell me how you're bringing it all together to make this the game I want to play, that I want to buy a lifetime membership to, that I'll be willing to over-look the MT's to play.



HERE HERE!!!!!!!!!!! I second all of this!!!!

and lesser note. I loved EVE, and I liked combat mechanics there, so vast and varied. But I always felt it could be made better. I hope STO isn't just SFC in disguise. We want EPIC! That is something EVE managed to attain and perhaps why it continues to draw people in despite its huge complexity.

on ANOTHER lesser note. I liked the COmplexity of EVE because it never hit you all at once. You never felt overwhelmed in the game. It was always a progression of digging deeper and deeper into the game that made it so worthwhile that I really appreciated.

I hope STO has massive amounts of gameplay depth (and I wonder if there needs to be sandbox elements to achieve this)

[billybob442]

Things I'd like to hear about :

Will there be systems for science, diplomacy & other non-combat missions?
What sort of economy are we looking at?
What kind of stats will a character have?
Player made species.. sure I know you can make them but what about particulars? How many abilities can they have? Are species abilities bought with a point system or do you just get X abilities... etc.
How deep is the crafting going to get?

[navarre13]

Just adding my voice to the masses asking for information on anything other then Combat!

I would like to see an even spread of announcements for the various parts of the game. Something to interest everyone if you will. Sure, combat is always there and sometimes unavoidable, but I certainly hope it's not all there is and want to know what my other choices are.

I especially want to know more about how Fleets (ie: guilds) will work in this game. Will there be added features/benefits from being in a guild? Will it be more then just a glorified chat room and title over my character's head? This is a place where I've seen most games give the smallest amount of thought and resources. And yet, having a good guild is what makes the game the most enjoyable for many people. I want it to mean something in game other then a global chat channel.

I'd also like to see more on the exploration and diplomacy side. It certainly has been hinted at that Cryptic was looking into this. And, it wouldn't be Star Trek without it. Calm some fears potential players might have that this will not be dropped by the curb and ignored in favor of the same old same old MMO muck.

I'm all ears! :D

[JacobFlowers]

I'd also like to know about fleets, particularly how the community will be fostered and developed. I wonder about this because much of STO will be instanced.

[fractaleye]

Like others in this thread, I'm interested in more combat info, but I'm really interested in the other points. Most have already been listed here, but here's my current little wish list:


Fleet mechanics and organization
Genesis System and sharing data with others
OOG (Out of Game) tie-ins/options (fleet/ST:O sites utilities and data)
Bridge Officers, Career Paths, and Faction Reputation mechanics
Kits, their effects, setups, and restrictions/availability


Those, along with a little more info on the ground and space combat, are what I'm most curious about atm.

[Nestro]

Please Cryptic give us more information about exploration and non-combat related science/crafting abilities.
Also i want to know where the difference in the carrierpath is in space (while not using any kits).

Thank you in advance!

[JacobFlowers]

bump. why? so more people can voice their specific questions or concerns.

Anyway, judging from a lot of other active threads on the forums, I'd say the whole lot of us are getting quite antsy. With all those new articles posted by other sites, we've all ::sighed:: and thought to ourselves "nothing new. same ol', same ol".

Dear lovely, wonderful cryptic, give me something to read during my lunch break tomorrow. Anyone else?

[andrewprofit]

Carebear alert (lol j/k)

That video was indeed a tasty snack for those who like combat and PvP =)

Again, the UI really need to be finished before they're able to elaborate on exploration and scientific missions. It won't be for awhile, but I'd like to see updates on that too. If it's good enough, I'm gonna enjoy STO for all it's worth ~


-Manta-

Hey those carebears had some wicked chest mounted enegry beam weaponry.

[Kriss]

I want to know EXACTLY how they plan to implement FvF with all these shards they want to use.

I also want to know how they can claim this is a MMO when in fact separating the player base using infinite shards does the exact opposite. You won't be seeing people at systems you 'discover' because it is instanced. you won't be seeing anyone while dong missions because they are instanced. You won't see anyone when doing just about anything except sitting in a "social hub" because just about everything in the game is instanced. Please explain how this fosters a "society" in their game!

And just in general, why are they so obsessed with instances at all?

[ransomwk]

YES!!! It's supposed to be "STAR TREK"....so where's the "TREK"?!?!?!?!?


I suppose we'll have to wait though, the big wigs are all on industry tours. Maybe they'll schedule something with us forum goers after they get back from PAX.

[MyOwnSling]

I heard something about exploration content coming along nicely in a dev twitter. I would enjoy a small bit of elaboration on this comment.

[CaptainFreeFall]

Please Cryptic give us more information about exploration and non-combat related science/crafting abilities.
Also i want to know where the difference in the carrierpath is in space (while not using any kits).

Thank you in advance!

Exactly what he said.

[jblancato]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

[CptCody]

trekkies can be so hard to please sometimes.

[Commander_Nate]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

/Butters_Voice

Oh no! OH GEEZ!

/End_Butters_Voice

[ransomwk]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

If I may ask, what is the current focus?


Maybe a hint? Something to help us direct and focus our questions.

[CaptainQuirk]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

Oh come ON!

You guys are approaching closed beta testing of this game. How close do you have to be before you actually start talking about the non-combat aspect? Whether you are focusing on it or not is beside the point. You gave hints and whispers about the combat aspect while it was still just a plan. So now that you've shown it off, and are about to let people try it out for themselves, I think you can start throwing the other half of the community a bone.

Unless the truth is that STO's launch will only include space and ground combat with social interaction available on starbase hubs. It's not like talking about your plans for non-combat content is going to spoil things for us... Unless those elements are being designed to be so unremarkable at launch that if we knew about it now, we'd make a summary judgment and arbitrarily stop playing the game.

I think that you just don't want to talk about it because you know that it would end up sparking a debate that you're just going to declare as a forbidden topic just like you did with player crews and personal starship interiors.

So you keep your focus on combat. You go ahead and keep tweaking it and adding functionality to it. It will start suffering from feature creep, and everything else is going to feel like a lesser priority thrown in at the last minute as an appeasement ploy. Be a straight shooter with us and just tell us what we can expect from your game? Forget the competition. Even if they take a page from your book, they don't have the Star Trek license. And odds are the competition has already infiltrated you via the CO beta test. And we know that you're using the same technology for both CO and STO. So if they learn about one, they will have learn about the other along with it.

All a portion of us is asking for is that you start talking about other parts of the game. So what if you don't have video footage? Just let us know what you're planning. Please...

[MattTreck]

Oye its there game they can talk about what they want when they want.

Whether closed beta is 2 months from now or 2 days.

[Zepath]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

Aren't focusing on what Rekhan? Because 90% of the time "Not focusing on that" really means "We haven't even started work on that."

It wasn't us that brought up these systems ... it was Jack and Zinc ... we're just talking about what they said.

Half, maybe more, of the people in these forums aren't here for combat.

At some point, it would be nice to get some details ... or just let us know to move on, because this is just a combat centric game.

[Bigwig]

Oh come ON!

You guys are approaching closed beta testing of this game. How close do you have to be before you actually start talking about the non-combat aspect? Whether you are focusing on it or not is beside the point. You gave hints and whispers about the combat aspect while it was still just a plan. So now that you've shown it off, and are about to let people try it out for themselves, I think you can start throwing the other half of the community a bone.

Unless the truth is that STO's launch will only include space and ground combat with social interaction available on starbase hubs. It's not like talking about your plans for non-combat content is going to spoil things for us... Unless those elements are being designed to be so unremarkable at launch that if we knew about it now, we'd make a summary judgment and arbitrarily stop playing the game.

I think that you just don't want to talk about it because you know that it would end up sparking a debate that you're just going to declare as a forbidden topic just like you did with player crews and personal starship interiors.

So you keep your focus on combat. You go ahead and keep tweaking it and adding functionality to it. It will start suffering from feature creep, and everything else is going to feel like a lesser priority thrown in at the last minute as an appeasement ploy. Be a straight shooter with us and just tell us what we can expect from your game? Forget the competition. Even if they take a page from your book, they don't have the Star Trek license. And odds are the competition has already infiltrated you via the CO beta test. And we know that you're using the same technology for both CO and STO. So if they learn about one, they will have learn about the other along with it.

All a portion of us is asking for is that you start talking about other parts of the game. So what if you don't have video footage? Just let us know what you're planning. Please...

Very well said and im sick and tired of Cryptic's devious behaviour, what do you have to hide? We are BORED of your combat talks, we are BORED of your ask cryptics, we are BORED of your 'meet the team' we are BORED of one screen-shot a week. You have two community managers so where's the damn content? We're not idiots. Stop treating us like fools. Shed some light on you're damn game because so far, its Star Trek: Legacy 2.

[CaptainQuirk]

Oye its there game they can talk about what they want when they want.

Whether closed beta is 2 months from now or 2 days.

Of course it's their game. That's the whole point. They've got the license. They're calling the shots. I'm not asking that they open it up for debate. I'm asking that they tell us what they are planning. They're treating it like some sort of national security secret. But it's just a game. A game that a LOT of people won't bother to play regardless of what they do. But a lot of people make up the non-combat audience in MMOs. I'm even willing to estimate that 50% of the entire player base will regularly engage in non-combat activities if the MMO in question offers them. And just a reminder that the participating members of an MMO's forums do not accurately represent the actual post-launch player base.

And if you combat nuts here feel threatened by us noncombat nuts, as if Cryptic giving us a little attention will somehow detract from your ability to blow stuff up, just wait until the wider world of MMO players hits these forums. You'll get people screaming about how they can't convert a cargo hold into an on-board greenhouse and grow their own food so they can cook virtual meals. Or they'll scream about something even more off-the-wall.

Oh, and halfo of the initial surge of members will disappear within three months, as these will just be people whose trial accounts will have expired and they will have decided not to actually subscribe. Not because the game sucks, but because they are Cryptic's target audience: MMO fans but not necessarily trek fans. They bounce from game to game never settling for very long.

So yeah... We so-called carebears are actually the advance guard of what is to come when the game goes live. I think Cryptic is going to be caught off guard and discover that what works for a super hero game won't fly for a sci fi game based on an IP that has even its most die-hard fans divided on issues.

So yeah... Talking about the non-combat aspects of this game a little bit would be a good thing for Cryptic to do...

[ibby1kanobi]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

Denied....This means either it's not fleshed out, or they aren't focusing on it right now.

[Nestro]

I think the time has come to speak about noncombat content. I dont think that everything you have shown to us is of final state. Want to speak about Gnomes? I think you really would just serve yourself best, if you listen to your community from time to time. We dont want pictures. We want to be assured that there is a solid concept behind noncombat content! If you cant talk about it, then this implies to me you should not release STO in 2010, because as far as i know, you need a concept before you hack the code. To be honest, i was hyped by the combat vids too, but the positiv feeling is allready fading away. Combat is not what will keep me playing. If i want humans vs. bad aliens i play Quake Wars Enemy Territory without monthly fees.

[KODudna]

Gosh, you guys can be rude. I think, if you are upset about the state of STO or the state of it's information flow or whatever, take a break from the forums. Play a game that's already out for a while. Come back after Pax is over and see what information they release there.

I think some people in this community have the wrong paradigm. Remember, to Cryptic this is a product and a business venture, to us, its just a game. Not the other way around.

Have a nice day now. :D

(Flame on, i've said my piece and not coming back in this thread. Enjoy!)

[Flatfingers]

We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

Fascinating.

So which is better? Obliquely dismissive comments that might or might not mean that non-combat content will play a meaningful role in this game? Or straight-up "we don't want your kind around here" remarks like this one:

"This group needs to stop thinking of STO as the uber Star Trek simulator and come to terms with the idea that this is a game."
-- Daron Stinnett, producer of Star Trek Online for Perpetual Entertainment, November 22, 2006 at StarTrek-Online.net

--Flatfingers

[The_Padre]

Fascinating.

So which is better? Obliquely dismissive comments that might or might not mean that non-combat content will play a meaningful role in this game? Or straight-up "we don't want your kind around here" remarks like this one:


-- Daron Stinnett, producer of Star Trek Online for Perpetual Entertainment, November 22, 2006 at StarTrek-Online.net

--Flatfingers

I'm guessing you missed this one then:

"Correct, we're making a game, not a space sim. The idea here is to replicate the Star Trek experience, not replicate the Star Trek universe." (http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=726306#post726306)

[Rota]

I'm guessing you missed this one then:

"Correct, we're making a game, not a space sim. The idea here is to replicate the Star Trek experience, not replicate the Star Trek universe." (http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=726306#post726306)

well since the trek experience is about 30% combat and most conflicts are solved with diplomacy or technology, then I look forward to the trek experience.

Maybe the combat scenes of trek are what you enjoy most, but don't pretend that roddenbery's trek universe is one filled with combat. Filled with conflict, yes. Combat, no.

I know people are going to quote higher numbers. but how many times was there a minor skirmish of combat with an enemy that was eventually resolved with diplomacy. The conflict's correct resolution was not one of combat even if the episode had one combat scene in it.

[Sunborn]

I am for Cryptic releasing some more information. But more then that I would prefer them to, perhaps, use a softer hand when they can not do so.

Originally Posted by Rekhan
We're not focusing on that right now. As we move along, we'll cover other topics.

Could have been delivered with a bit more empathy. Something like, 'Thanks for letting us know what you would like to see from us. Unfortunately we are not really focusing on that bit of content in our PR cycle right now, but we will get to them as we move along.' I guess just showing some empathy and understanding would have been nice though.

I guess I'm just saying that there are better ways to handle a subject you are not comfortable with, Cryptic. People like to know that their concerns matter, at least marginally.

[jblancato]

I am for Cryptic releasing some more information. But more then that I would prefer them to, perhaps, use a softer hand when they can not do so.



Could have been delivered with a bit more empathy. Something like, 'Thanks for letting us know what you would like to see from us. Unfortunately we are not really focusing on that bit of content in our PR cycle right now, but we will get to them as we move along.' I guess just showing some empathy and understanding would have been nice though.

I guess I'm just saying that there are better ways to handle a subject you are not comfortable with, Cryptic. People like to know that their concerns matter, at least marginally.

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.

I quote a hero of mine: Winston Wolf, from Pulp Fiction:
If I'm curt with you it's because time is a factor. I think fast, I talk fast and I need you guys to act fast if you wanna get out of this.

:p

[slingbladez]

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.

I quote a hero of mine: Winston Wolf, from Pulp Fiction:


:p

Ya i'm hoping at PAX and the week after things will start to pick up after the madness at CO has subsided,

[Draconianknight]

I also would like to see some additional information. Actually I would really love to get some conformation about the server questions. Will it be single server with massive instancing or multiple servers with limited instances. Or some combo in between? I also have questions about competitive PvE. And how our actions will affect the game flow if there is massive instancing?
The combat info has been great and I know you guys are slamed. But anticipation and guess work are driving some of us nuts. I wish I could make it to PAX but RL commitments make that impossible. Tell you what thouugh
Los Gatos is not that bad of a drive. If I come knocking on our front door can I have a sneak peak???!!!:cool:

[Flatfingers]

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.

Fair enough. I'm not sure I'd agree that much light was shed, but I understand what it means to be busy.

Hope the CO launch is going well!

--Flatfingers

[CaptainQuirk]

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.

It's all good. It'll all be even better when more info about STO beyond combat stuff is revealed.

[Kriss]

Very well said and im sick and tired of Cryptic's devious behaviour, what do you have to hide? We are BORED of your combat talks, we are BORED of your ask cryptics, we are BORED of your 'meet the team' we are BORED of one screen-shot a week. You have two community managers so where's the damn content? We're not idiots. Stop treating us like fools. Shed some light on you're damn game because so far, its Star Trek: Legacy 2.

And their devious behavior is actually surprising you? You're not surprised by the actions of a company whose sole interest is getting into your wallet? No.....not trying to milk you of every buck then can all the while not telling you a damn thing of interest. That certainly can't be! /end of ironic irony

Welcome to the world of the REAL gaming industry folks. Where they only tell you what they want to release because they are afraid to death that people won;t like the other aspects because they suck to no end.

I'll give you a couple of examples. Jump Gate Evolution and Black Prophecy. JGE...they have been spouting the same literal crap for 6 months. Saying the same thing in the same paragraphs with the worlds moved here and there. No videos, the same old screen-shots of the same old crap.

The same with BP. You get a monthly update that gives you absolutely NO info about the game itself. You get these little...behind the scenes things that don't tell you a damn thing about the game. And they have been saying for 4 months they are ready to go into beta, they just need a publisher. But refuse to give their audience ANY info about their game.

Well, you can add STO to the list now. Sure, they give us Dev chats...... bout the same stuff time after time after time. Three dev chats and counting for ground combat....Is ground combat the only thing STO is going to have that it needs three times gone over? I certainly hope not!

You notice that over the last two to three months that ALL they have ever talked about or shown is combat. This is StarTrek. Only combat? You're serious, right?

The reason they wont tell you about it is that it probably sucks. They don't even need to have it finished. They can fill in their public as they are doing it. Maybe not with specifics but certainly not acting like its not even there.

These companies are as bad as politicians nowadays. Deny deny deny and if its not public knowledge act as if it doesn't even exist.

[JacobFlowers]

I want to know EXACTLY how they plan to implement FvF with all these shards they want to use.

I also want to know how they can claim this is a MMO when in fact separating the player base using infinite shards does the exact opposite. You won't be seeing people at systems you 'discover' because it is instanced. you won't be seeing anyone while dong missions because they are instanced. You won't see anyone when doing just about anything except sitting in a "social hub" because just about everything in the game is instanced. Please explain how this fosters a "society" in their game!

And just in general, why are they so obsessed with instances at all?

These are good observations. As for your last question... it may be from previous experience in the company's history. It was part of their game culture in CoX, nearly every mission was instanced. Perhaps they thought it worked as a successful strategy, or they are trying to soften STO so as to be acceptable for carebears. And lastly, it may simply be technological limitations.

If they are using the same engine that they used for CoX, then that tech is at least 8 years old. Not sure how much it can grow and expand within the amount of time allotted for release.



So you keep your focus on combat. You go ahead and keep tweaking it and adding functionality to it. It will start suffering from feature creep, and everything else is going to feel like a lesser priority thrown in at the last minute as an appeasement ploy. Be a straight shooter with us and just tell us what we can expect from your game? Forget the competition. Even if they take a page from your book, they don't have the Star Trek license. And odds are the competition has already infiltrated you via the CO beta test. And we know that you're using the same technology for both CO and STO. So if they learn about one, they will have learn about the other along with it.

All a portion of us is asking for is that you start talking about other parts of the game. So what if you don't have video footage? Just let us know what you're planning. Please...

/agree

And their devious behavior is actually surprising you? You're not surprised by the actions of a company whose sole interest is getting into your wallet? No.....not trying to milk you of every buck then can all the while not telling you a damn thing of interest. That certainly can't be! /end of ironic irony

Welcome to the world of the REAL gaming industry folks. Where they only tell you what they want to release because they are afraid to death that people won;t like the other aspects because they suck to no end.

I'll give you a couple of examples. Jump Gate Evolution and Black Prophecy. JGE...they have been spouting the same literal crap for 6 months. Saying the same thing in the same paragraphs with the worlds moved here and there. No videos, the same old screen-shots of the same old crap.

The same with BP. You get a monthly update that gives you absolutely NO info about the game itself. You get these little...behind the scenes things that don't tell you a damn thing about the game. And they have been saying for 4 months they are ready to go into beta, they just need a publisher. But refuse to give their audience ANY info about their game.

Well, you can add STO to the list now. Sure, they give us Dev chats...... bout the same stuff time after time after time. Three dev chats and counting for ground combat....Is ground combat the only thing STO is going to have that it needs three times gone over? I certainly hope not!

You notice that over the last two to three months that ALL they have ever talked about or shown is combat. This is StarTrek. Only combat? You're serious, right?

The reason they wont tell you about it is that it probably sucks. They don't even need to have it finished. They can fill in their public as they are doing it. Maybe not with specifics but certainly not acting like its not even there.

These companies are as bad as politicians nowadays. Deny deny deny and if its not public knowledge act as if it doesn't even exist.

While I have many of the same concerns as you, I'll play devil's advocate. Maybe there is some super secret successful marketing tactic behind their current PR strategy.

On the other hand however, they may simply be short staffed. Either way, I think the tension on the forums lately has reached a certain level where I'm hoping we can get some responses from them. I posted an open letter to rekhan recently and I hope I don't get bannned, eeeeeck!

[Rota]

While I have many of the same concerns as you, I'll play devil's advocate. Maybe there is some super secret successful marketing tactic behind their current PR strategy.

On the other hand however, they may simply be short staffed. Either way, I think the tension on the forums lately has reached a certain level where I'm hoping we can get some responses from them. I posted an open letter to rekhan recently and I hope I don't get bannned, eeeeeck!

I gotta agree the tension here is palpable. I could cut it with a butter knife. I think a lovely release of info from Cryptic would be a massive relief. and I don't mean one or two new announcements. I mean an absolute deluge if "this" and "that" and more of "those" being in the game.

Sure the forums would flood of arguments of whether or not each feature is good or bad or whatever. But at least the "we don't know" would be out of the air on a lot of things.

[Sunborn]

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.


I appreciate it very much that you have come back on to say this, sorry it took me so long to notice. Thank you. Your response means quite a lot to me, and shows you care about us.

[Bigwig]

Sorry if I came across as overly brisk. I didn't mean to sound dismissive; we're just super busy over here with the Champs launch, and I wanted to say something in this thread to shed some light on the issue, rather than say nothing at all and leave you guys wondering.

I quote a hero of mine: Winston Wolf, from Pulp Fiction:


:p

Not entirely sure about the 'shedding light' part, but thanks for acknowledging you're briskness.

[Isengardtom]

Let me ask some of you this people : If they give us all the info on every aspect of the game now; while the game is at least 6 months away, what would you do after you analyzed this info for a few weeks?

I'll tell you what : many would lose interest, because there is nothing more to tell/find out. And losing interest results in more and more whining.

Just be a little patient. Many aspects of the game are still in progress/development, so it's only natural they don't give out all the info yet. If they do and they decide to change some stuff later, the wouldn't hear the end of it.

And please people : Rekhan already apologized. Quite frankly, I think it's low and even cowardly to kick someone when he's down.

/end rant

[Bigwig]

Let me ask some of you this people : If they give us all the info on every aspect of the game now; while the game is at least 6 months away, what would you do after you analyzed this info for a few weeks?

I'll tell you what : many would lose interest, because there is nothing more to tell/find out. And losing interest results in more and more whining.

You'd have a point, if we hadn't all lost interest already. Thats the thing. There's about the same 10 posters here every day. I used to make a thread and it'd be pages back the next day. Now'a days you see the same threads still sitting on the front page of the forum for days. No-one comes here any-more because nothing new ever happens. It's mainly us loyal/die-hard's left at the moment until they start giving us something fresh.

[Weatherlight]

I agree with posters above, I actually like to see that Cryptic is reading this and a short, even brisk, answer is better then no answer.

I just think that the start of this post is important to many looking for the game. All these discussions about instances, game flow, RP and player interactivity would be lesser if we would have something more concrete on none combat issues.

I am playing CO right now and it is actually a really nice GAME, but it falls short of anything else then just a nice game.

Please do not do CTRL-C CO then CTRL-V STO ...

[Galv]

I'm shocked by this thread, everyone wants more info about STO, but you could atleast give them some slack until PAX (only 2 days away) and CO are out of way.

[CaptainQuirk]

I'm shocked by this thread, everyone wants more info about STO, but you could atleast give them some slack until PAX (only 2 days away) and CO are out of way.

This is normal... Every MMO I have followed while in development gets to a stage where the devs talk about one aspect too much and not at all about other aspects that those hanging on their every word want to pull their hair out. They consistantly say things like, "That's awesome and all, but what about [insert feature here]?" to which the typical "We're not focused on that right now" response is given.

Because the community cannot see how everything is supposed to fit together, when just one aspect remains a central focus, as far as many are concerned, that's all the game has to offer. And by refusing to discuss even the concepts behind the other aspects creates the appearance for a lot of people that little or no real though has been given to those aspects. And for a lot of people these aspects are the make-or-break elements of the game.

Also, some developers may consider "feature-x" to be a secondary gameplay aspect. But there is always a subset within their game's community that considers it to be the only gameplay aspect that matters to them.

And as an old boss of mine was fond of saying, "perception is reality".

Let us just do a little reverse psychology here. Let's say that all Cryptic has talked about or shown thus far had to do with crafting. How would the general combat crowd be perceiving the game? How would the PvP crowd be perceiving it? I think that we all know the answer, deep down.

[JacobFlowers]

I agree with posters above, I actually like to see that Cryptic is reading this and a short, even brisk, answer is better then no answer.

I just think that the start of this post is important to many looking for the game. All these discussions about instances, game flow, RP and player interactivity would be lesser if we would have something more concrete on none combat issues.

I am playing CO right now and it is actually a really nice GAME, but it falls short of anything else then just a nice game.

Please do not do CTRL-C CO then CTRL-V STO ...

Could you elaborate a little more on your impressions of CO. What do you mean it is a great GAME, but falls short of anything else... could you explain a bit?