Hearthstone / Scroll Of Recall

[slycherrychunks]

So if you get trapped somewhere, no matter where you are in the universe - you will always have the option to be transported back to your home base.

This ability doesnt currently fit in with our understanding of the technology in Star Trek - transporters have a ltd range and other drawbacks. But it is something that will have to be in the game to stop players from getting stuck.

So how do you think it will be imlplemented?

[Cormoran]

well something that gets you unstuck doesn't really need an ingame explanation, otherwise you'd have to explain why/how someone got stuck ingame aswell. getting stuck in areas is usually the result of a glitch or unforseen level design, so the illusion is already shattered. so long as it fixes you up is all i'd be worried about.

[dragoluna]

In one of TNG episode there was a sort of subspace teleport able to teleport in a wide range:rolleyes:

[keozen]

An unstick command to get people unstuck due to game glitches is REQUIRED. A Hearthstone type device ala WOW isn't required at all, it's just lazyness. All i would suggest is that they incorporate a way to choose the starbase you regen at (to some degree) when you die, just in case you stray into an area that you can't handle.

[Rivo]

30 years alot has happened the Range of transporters could be greatly increased, so too could the MAXIMUM warp factor

[CS001]

Ships would have self-destruct capability. If you got really stuck or lost, that'd be the easiest way to get back to a base.

Though it depends what penalties having your ship destroyed would cause whether or not that should be the only way provided to get out in the case of a glitch or bug.

But if you get too far away from civilised space or lost completely of your own fault, I'd say you deserve to have to destroy your own ship to get back.

[Wireman]

Kal Ort Por! Engage!

[lumpking69]

why not just warp back home ?

[STOZone]

I would think if you die on a planet, you'll just respwn on your ship since it's orbiting said planet.

If your ship is blown up, that's a completely different beast. It'll be an area where gameplay should take precedence over canon.

As far as a "recall" ability back to your home base, I'm 100% in favor of that, too, even though it goes against canon. When logging off for the night, you always want to get put back at your starbase/home planet/wherever, without having to sit there and wait to arrive.

Again, I know it goes completely and totally against canon, but it is good gameplay, which should take precedence in this instance. If you don't like, don't use it.

[knix]

There is no need for a hearthstone type mechanism in STO. Earth and Beyond didn't have one, and it worked just fine.

Some way for a group to quickly gather together at some location is essential however. Earth and beyond had an ability like the WoW portal available to one of the classes that would open a wormhole from anywhere to a fixed location in the galaxy. As you leveled up, you could spend skill points to open up more locations, up to a maximum of seven. It also had a class with a summon ability like the warlocks in WoW, though as far as I can remember, it only worked if the target and the summoner was in the same sector. Also, if you got incapacitated, you had the option of either getting a tow to a starbase or waiting for another player to jump-start you.

[DanTheBanjoman]

There is no need for a hearthstone type mechanism in STO. Earth and Beyond didn't have one, and it worked just fine.

Some way for a group to quickly gather together at some location is essential however. Earth and beyond had an ability like the WoW portal available to one of the classes that would open a wormhole from anywhere to a fixed location in the galaxy. As you leveled up, you could spend skill points to open up more locations, up to a maximum of seven. It also had a class with a summon ability like the warlocks in WoW, though as far as I can remember, it only worked if the target and the summoner was in the same sector. Also, if you got incapacitated, you had the option of either getting a tow to a starbase or waiting for another player to jump-start you.

Some high end ship that could generate a wormhole would be nice to move forces around. They should not be easy to get though, since moving your fleet from A to B near instantly would be a huge tactical advantage when at war.
For instant, it should cost a considerable amount of energy to create a worm hole, and only one ship could pass through at a time. Recharging should take a few minutes at least.
Either way, the option would be great if not too overpowered.

[k.mpok]

I think we should/could be alright as long as there is good ingame CS/GM support.


As for the port to your party thing I disagree as once you start making things insta-port you make the world you play in seem even smaller. I mean how much faster do you guys need to get to be able to play, your already getting portal/transwarp gates.

[DrAmyWeaver]

Also, if you got incapacitated, you had the option of either getting a tow to a starbase or waiting for another player to jump-start you.

...which is why I'm building and training a rescue combat fleet.... :D

Seriously, short of fitting an Infinite Improbability Drive or an Omega-13 type time rewinder, I'm not sure how you get round this in-game.

[Wireman]

When you first explore a sector, it's exciting. Fresh. New. When you come back a few times, it's still exciting and now you're starting to be a little salty and knowing the lay of the land. Six months from now, making the same long trip over the same often traveled road is painful and boring.

It turns into bad gameplay. It hurts the game, people want to have fun. After initially exploring a place it continually loses the appeal. Long runs through nothingness were horrible in SWG. They were even bad in WoW where the world wasn't all that big.

Some way to quickly travel large distances and meet up with your friends easily and often is crucial to keep people having fun and playing. Turning a game into a traveling borefest is a sure way to start driving people away and needlessly making the game a chore to play.

Some method of easily grouping and having fun together needs to be included, canon or not.

[k.mpok]

When you first explore a sector, it's exciting. Fresh. New. When you come back a few times, it's still exciting and now you're starting to be a little salty and knowing the lay of the land. Six months from now, making the same long trip over the same often traveled road is painful and boring.

It turns into bad gameplay. It hurts the game, people want to have fun. After initially exploring a place it continually loses the appeal. Long runs through nothingness were horrible in SWG. They were even bad in WoW where the world wasn't all that big.

Some way to quickly travel large distances and meet up with your friends easily and often is crucial to keep people having fun and playing. Turning a game into a traveling borefest is a sure way to start driving people away and needlessly making the game a chore to play.

Some method of easily grouping and having fun together needs to be included, canon or not.

I disagree. I mean back in the days of EQ Kith Forest never got old to me. It all depends on whats going on or happening in that area when you go thru. For example a unique idea would be to having randomly spawning nebula/ion storms (one trip its clear yet the next an ion storm has formed). I say you can have the trip as long as it is interesting.

[KidBang]

An unstick command to get people unstuck due to game glitches is REQUIRED. A Hearthstone type device ala WOW isn't required at all, it's just lazyness. All i would suggest is that they incorporate a way to choose the starbase you regen at (to some degree) when you die, just in case you stray into an area that you can't handle.

Having played WoW and done the ridiculously slow long on foot treks back home from missions, it's not laziness, it's neccessary. I don't see it as an issue in a universe with warp and transwarp travel :)

[Jezebel1669]

I agree with Lumpking69, why not just tell the helm officer to head for the nearest Starbase, wave your hand and say "Make it so"? Some kind of autopilot which would just skip you to the base rather than you actually having to fly all that way back yourself, a bit like in WoW when traveling between Kalimor and the Eastern Kingdoms or in Wing Commander when traveling between waypoints.

[NeedsMoreShatner]

I suppose it largely depends on a couple of things. The primary reason most people take advantage of the hearthstone in WoW is due to the rested XP bonus you get when logging off in an inn. Will STO have something similar?

If XP isn't an issue, it depends on what warp travel is like. Is it like a flight path in WoW where you have to wait a few minutes to reach your destination? Is it like a portal that instantly jumps you to your destination?

I think it would be a good idea from a gameplay perspective to have that holy-crap-i-have-to-log-off-NOW button. I tend to imagine the warp travel in STO being much like a gryphon ride in WoW (i.e. non-instantaneous). The only "canonical" explanation I can think of for a hearthstone effect in STO consists of each ship have an emergency transwarp drive that can only be activated once every few hours or something to a set of predetermined coordinates. It would work the same way and you'd still normally have quite a bit of travel time.

[bitgolem]

If you're in your ship, you can just warp to whereever you want to be, and if you're not, you can call to be beamed up from whereever you are to your ship, since it's going to be in orbit of whatever planet you're on. so I don't see much point in this game. Although I can say it was a feature I enjoyed in WoW and EQ.

[Jezebel1669]

Although I can say it was a feature I enjoyed in WoW and EQ.I preferred to walk, you could pick up a few extra points of XP or even some ingrediants or materials on your travels.

[STOZone]

I preferred to walk, you could pick up a few extra points of XP or even some ingrediants or materials on your travels.

During normal play, that's fine and dandy, and I agree with you. What we're asking is should there be some sort of "Oh-my-god-it's-2am-and-i-have-to-work-in-6-hours" log-off feature, that puts you back at your starbase, so you don't have to wait to log off in un-friendly terrirtory.

Remember, it can be limited to once an hour, or once every 4 hours, to limit abuse.

[bitgolem]

Oh-my-god-it's-2am-and-i-have-to-work-in-6-hours.

That falls under the heading of "I'm an adult and I've done something irresponsible and now have to pay the piper."

[NeedsMoreShatner]

That falls under the heading of "I'm an adult and I've done something irresponsible and now have to pay the piper."

Does having a sudden family emergency or an unexpected phone call that demands your attention or a pet on fire fall under that heading too?

Not saying to have insty-travel to anywhere all the time. We just need a way to get to a safe location immediately (with a cooldown of course), in case of a sudden need to log off.

[STOZone]

That falls under the heading of "I'm an adult and I've done something irresponsible and now have to pay the piper."

I would hope it would fall under the heading of "This game is damn fun to play, I didn't realize what time it was", but it's more likely that you're right :)

[Jezebel1669]

What we're asking is should there be some sort of "Oh-my-god-it's-2am-and-i-have-to-work-in-6-hours" log-off feature, that puts you back at your starbase, so you don't have to wait to log off in un-friendly terrirtory.That really depends on what effect being offline in unfriendly territory might be. If you end up coming back to find your ship and crew are now nothing but a cloud of expanding elemental particles with a few scattered lifepods then I completely agree with you, but if logging off just puts your entire vessel into stasis unaffected by surrounding events then I don't see you'd need it.

[CaptainQuirk]

If on a planet, call for emergency beam-out. You are transported to your ship.

If on the ship, order the helmsman to "Get us outa here!". Your ship jumps to warp and emerges at the nearest starbase. Like if you are in the Badlands, "Get us outa here!" will warp you to DS9.

This should only be available once per hour and it should always work.

[NeedsMoreShatner]

That really depends on what effect being offline in unfriendly territory might be. If you end up coming back to find your ship and crew are now nothing but a cloud of expanding elemental particles with a few scattered lifepods then I completely agree with you, but if logging off just puts your entire vessel into stasis unaffected by surrounding events then I don't see you'd need it.

True. If "dying" (for lack of a better word), doesn't profoundly impact you, the need would be lessened. But it would still be a convenient feature.

[Jezebel1669]

If on a planet, call for emergency beam-out. You are transported to your ship.

If on the ship, order the helmsman to "Get us outa here!". Your ship jumps to warp and emerges at the nearest starbase. Like if you are in the Badlands, "Get us outa here!" will warp you to DS9.Yeah, no need for some fancy invention when a simple solution would do just as well.

True. If "dying" (for lack of a better word), doesn't profoundly impact you, the need would be lessened. But it would still be a convenient feature.Do we really need convenient? Isn't part of the fun the fact we have to struggle and plan our actions at least a little rather than just pushing a button and having the work done for us?

[QWho]

I would think if you die on a planet, you'll just respwn on your ship since it's orbiting said planet.

If your ship is blown up, that's a completely different beast. It'll be an area where gameplay should take precedence over canon.

As far as a "recall" ability back to your home base, I'm 100% in favor of that, too, even though it goes against canon. When logging off for the night, you always want to get put back at your starbase/home planet/wherever, without having to sit there and wait to arrive.

Again, I know it goes completely and totally against canon, but it is good gameplay, which should take precedence in this instance. If you don't like, don't use it.

Well said.
Game play in this case should be a priority imo. I am a big fan of the canon but for me to enjoy my time in any game it has to be enjoyable first and foremost.

[STOZone]

But it would still be a convenient feature.

I have an extra flame-retardant suit if you end up needing it.

However, I completely agree with you. Sometimes fun is about getting to the next thing as quickly as possible.

I think the feature should be there, and if you want to use it, then use it. If not, then don't. Freedom is the name of the game, and the more options players have, the better the overall game experience will be.

[kellyc7c@hotmail.com]

In WoW there was a benefit to going back to the Inn before logging off. If there isn't something similar in Star Trek Online, what's the point of having some sort of 'hearth stone’? I don't know about the rest of you but I'd want to start in the same place I was before I logged off so I could carry on with what I was doing straight away.

Charlie

[phazah]

with the discussion about if you are "dead" on the planet, i think you should respawn either at a point on the planet, or on your ship. if your ship is defeated but not destroyed, either wait for repairs to at least get warp engines online to get to nearest base or click the AAA (Andorian Arse-covering Association) button to come out and tow your ship back to the nearest base at a cost(loss of prestige and/or xp....
and if your ship gets destroyed, your crew is in a "life-pod" in transporter stasis(kinda how they found scotty in TNG) and the AAA gets the pod and brings it to the base for you to be reformed.....

now the "hearthstone" issue, in theory you should be always be no more than an hour away from TWC Base(TransWarp Conduit) if youre in exploring mode, so the conduit should be able to open a wormhole from the TWC base to your ship and you park your ship at the base. these wormholes can only be opened in space that has been explore, so no wormhole out to unexplored space but once youve done the dirty work, they can do it...

hey cryptic.. i am available for freelance work :)
*ducks*

[Brenelael]

I would actually like to see something like they had in Lineage II used in this case. Their /unstuck command would transport you to the nearest town but there was a catch to it. It took like 5-10 full minutes for the command to *cast* which kept people from abusing it. This would allow the feature but would also deter those that would use it as a 'go to town free' type of deal. Please no magic rocks in this game. That just wouldn't be Star Trek at all.

Bren