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What will UGC be like for STO?
Cacaphony
Member Posts: 738
There is a poster in the STO forums that has some tremendous ideas and examples of those ideas. If UGC allows for the type of stuff this guy has discussed, I believe it will first... be higher quality than the content the devs push out, and will be a step in a better direction for this game.
System Exploration http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=2519295#post2519295
Ground Combat http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=153841#pos153841t
Territory Control http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=150499
and others. To see them all just click the links in his sig and they will take you to the respective forum thread.
What do you think about these ideas? Will something like this help the game? Do these ideas represent the path the game should have taken?
I would like this thread to be at least somewhat constructive and to discuss the pro's/con's these ideas bring to the table. This game has a LONG way to go in my opinion but perhaps it can be some of the more dedicated fans that can pave the way for the devs to follow.
Comments
While I understand the hope and asparation that this game suceed . Think for a second ? Why would or how could the UCG be better then the actual game ? Is it really possible , if it were it would be a huge embarassment to Cryptic . The other issue would the UCG user be given access to the neccessary tools to do this again , highly doubtful and unrealistic expectation. If these are such wonderful ideas , why is Cryptic not working the hardest they can to implement this. These are simple basic questions ?
It comes down to this , the amount of time and money required for a revamp of this magnitude is not possible , the coding and changes in gameplay required to necessitate this requires , basically a clean slate start. They've chosen their parameters for the game engine , what it can or can't do . That unfortunately is the problem.
I am still confused about how UGC will actually work in this game, and I realize it has been used in other games.
The regular game has plenty of bugs (I mean isnt the Season 3 supposed to be a bug fix?). And then they want to add additional content which will be bug filled (since I assume it is using the same game mechanics)? Or is Crptic adding some additional programming (which will be bug filled)?
Is the UGC meant for the general population and how will they monitor this? Don't kid yourself that something offesive to the general population couldn't be created.
AG-Vuk broguht up another good point in another thread. Where and how will this stuff be stored if meant for the general population?
The season 3 is apparently almost soley bug fixes and polish with one new feature instead of a couple/few. Im not entirely sure if it has been stated by a dev that the UGC will definatley be included in season as the feature, but that seems to be the general consensus on the sto forums.
I think anyone can create content and submit it, but what actually gets put into the game... im not sure how cryptic will determine what makes it through, or where it is stored for that matter. Cryptic hasnt yet really released much info about how this will work.
Thanks, I've read some really good ideas on the boards, but was unable to figure out how they would be implemented. I guess when Cryptic releases more info what can be done and can't will be revealed.
So far I've seen nothing in Cryptics history past or present that this is anything more then hype, unfortunately. Cryptic has never had or ever shown any propensity for inovation or risk taking. The game engine that they claim is all new is in actuality nothing more then an updated upgraded version of the CoX engine no matter what they claim. Cryptic took a game engine and shoe horned a game into it , whether it works or not. The consumer base so far are saying , it's not working.
Oh, I will not even try to debate what you have said here, as I find it to be true. Cryptic has just done a horrible job with this game, as many posters here and on the STO forums will attest to. Ive expressed my discontent many times and I will probably do so many more times still.
Im just hoping this UCG will have some decent potential to spice things up with different types of things to do. What I meant earlier about the most dedicated fans, is the ones that take the extra time to develop the discussions and follow up on the ideas they or the community has. Like Darren, or Leviathan 99 and others. I did not mean to imply the ones with the most trek knowledge as being the most dedicated.
Thank you for the clarification .
i scanned some of the linked posts, did not read in depth... they seem like great ideas.
i think it would be foolish of anyone to think that the original mission developers didnt use the tools at there disposal... and if that is the case i really dont understand how its even remotely possible for ugc to be better than what is in the game allready. im sure there are fans who can come up with better text.... but honestly if your like me... you dont even read the text. im sure there are great ideas out there for ground combat, exploration, crafting and pvp... but is any of that possible in the system that cryptic has created?
some of the ideas i cant see cryptic implementing, ie system exploration with actual planets, asteroids, stars on the map... each with there own names. this would be a massive step in the right direction, but after watching the half hearted, lazy way that cryptic made this game i really dont see them putting the resources into making stuff like this available for ugc.
i think ugc is a great idea, after the last 7 months of watching cryptics efforts to improve this game..... i do not beleive in the least that cryptic is capable of making this work.
if cryptic cant even make a functioning meaningful crafting system for there game, ask yourself if you think they can pull off something as complicated as giving players the tools to make interesting content. imo.. NOT POSSIBLE.
this is all said as if cryptic didnt have to get approval from cbs for whatever they want too add, and i doubt cbs is going to let cryptic do anything risky with how much damage they have allready done to the ip.
great ideas, great intentions..... dont see this working very well though, not without some sort of major overhaul of the entire game. we all know thats extremely unlikely.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
I think it would be a mistake to say "no one can really know what Star Trek is," because plenty of people do know. For example, everyone knows that the Federation shooting first and asking questions later and going in guns blazing without ever even attempting to communicate with the enemy is not Star Trek. Everyone knows that beaming down to a planet and murdering the inhabitants is not Star Trek. And everyone knows that obeying anh admiral's orders to commit genocide is not Star Trek. It isn't like it's some sort of mystery cult where you must read the sacred literature and try to plumb the meaning of what you're studying. The evidence is pretty clear on the screen there.
Even individual Star Trek series have their own unique themes (as well as the overriding themes of Trekl as a whole.) The Original Series was about social themes of the day, TNG was about exploration and good sci-fi themes, DS9 was more about war and the morality of war and the actions people do to try to do good in war.
Everyone can see these themes, and everyone can see where the Cryptic devs don't seem to understand these themes (or not care at all about them.) This is why people can make jokes like "we don't need a Terran Empire faction, we're already playing it," and raise objections to missions that simply don't fit in with Trek themes.
I honestly don't believe the devs do know what Star Trek is, everything I've seen convinces me that they are not Star Trek fans. They are simply milking a popular IP for profit, no more, and no less.
Please...
What does UGC stand for?
....and what is it?
UGC = User Generated Content.
It is possible that Cryptic will include user generated content tools in its season 3 content update. STO players can use these tools to create missions and submit them to be put into the game.
The links I have in my OP go to threads that demonstrate what some of the STO players have in mind to either make themselves or hopefully be made by the devs at some point in time.
Ok thanks Cacaphony.