Stahl's vision of an exploration revamp...

[Fleet Admiral E. Fortin]

Exploration, Dan's vision of what could be the next update I for one like this idea a lot hope it could be fine tuned with the Dilithium sink. Thoughts?



In this interview http://sto.perfectworld.com/news/?p=908891 dStahl says something about STO exploration going to be some sort of game inside the game (or the gateway).

I would like to point out, that I have no problems with thinking STOs Exploration system as some sort of ingame browsergame (just like the doff-system). I also would like to point out that real exploration is and always has been the cause to stay and invest time and money in STO.

Some things which would make exploration fun to me:

- it needs to be done (best) with fleet comrades
- there should also be a way to do it solo.
- it needs the possibility for players to go somewhere, no one has been before!
- it needs to be uncharted space - so it needs to be random generated
- uncharted space needs to be reseted and new generated from time to time (maybe every season).
- it needs to tie in with fleet starbases
- it needs to consume dilithium, so Cryptic can allocate man power to this project.

That`s how it could look like:
- there is a persistend wormhole generated for every player and/or every fleet with an exit in an outer sector of a new quadrant of space.
- from this point on you can send exploration ships into the sectors next to your sector.
- your fleet can claim a sector by building a starbase there
- there can be build (and upgraded) different starbases from different fleets - the sector always belongs to the starbase with highest rank.
- starbases should be open to solo players, so they can refill their ships there.
(- later: enemy starbases can be attacked, resulting in a asynchron defend-starbase scenario. If starbase is defeated it gets a debuff resulting in longer upgrade or build times.)
- moving in this quadrant costs fuel, which is dilithium.
- dilithium can only be refilled on starbases
- every exploration ship has a dilithium cap - cstore ships could have a higher cap
- raw dilithium can be found in this quadrant. dilithium in outer regions are more raw than the dilithium found deeper in this quadrant, so it needs to get refined multiple time until it is (consumable) dilithium
- raw dilithium can be mined by holding the sector, and building a mine. It needs to be refined in a refinery on a starbase.
- dilithium can be transported with cargo ships. So you can send them from your mining outpost to starbases and between starbases. cargo ships from cstore could have a higher cap.
- normal exploration and cargo ships needs to be build on a fleet owned shipyard.
- as a reward to going deeper into the quadrant there could be some rare resources, which could be used to craft new endgame gear, or some new title, new npcs (like colonists in doff)....etc.

-after one season of exploring the map is shuffled, some new sectors added, players with most sectors explored are going into some hall of fame, and everything starts again.

[xlxMAVERICxlx]

I don't trust that Stahl! Last time we gave her any trust, we lost Gemma, Half-Sack, and next thing you know, we're in Ireland killing one of the First 9. C'mon man!

EDIT: Oh wait! Wrong Stahl

[Wupteedo]

Just wish they would stop "developing" a while and fix/update old bugs. Yes, I know it not profitable, but really, how much effort could it be to fix known bugs that have been around for years; as per the stories I have read. Heck, hire a bunch of Pakistani teenagers (excellent code writers) for $3 a day.

[Dr. Collin McGee]

Wupteedo wrote:

Just wish they would stop "developing" a while and fix/update old bugs. Yes, I know it not profitable, but really, how much effort could it be to fix known bugs that have been around for years; as per the stories I have read. Heck, hire a bunch of Pakistani teenagers (excellent code writers) for $3 a day.

I worked for a website as support and developers have the attention span of a inebriated Irish Setter with ADHD. LOL My site, AutoExtra.com (swallowed by AutoTrader.com) was full of bugs and the dev team were sometimes tasked with killing the problems. They would get a full head of steam and BAM, a new bright, shiny concept would distract them and the bugs would go un-squashed. I used to equate it to watching a family moving brand new furniture into a burning house.

[Wupteedo]

Brilliant indeed, sir. Not the first time I have read similar comments about developers, but certainly the funniest.

Funny you should mention Irish Settlers. I have been living in Ireland for over now and have only seen one pair of old Irish Settlers and only one old Irish Wolfhound. However, lots of various types of hyped-up lap dog types. Out West, lots of sheep and Border Collies. Cheers!