Controversial ideas
in Make It So!
1. Get rid of characters that are all powerful.
Q's - Caretakers - Apollo
None of them make any sense as player characters. Fine to have them as part of the game as obstacles and plotpoints... but are you telling us that a character with power over time and space or the ability to grab starships and move people lightyears with a thought has to now be equipped and sit as part of a crew with a diplomacy and engineering rating? Why did that happen?
2. Creature characters
same point here. Is Mother Horta given command duties and assigned a post? It was a creature that burrowed and protected her eggs. How is that a crew member?
3. fix the star rating system so it matches the character
and writer Jake Sisko isn't more powerful than OST spock
It's too late to fix the star rating system- and the superpowered beings issue and the creatures that have started to show up because of the "pay to win" aspect of the game... (Some people pay a lot of money for pictures of characters with numbers next to them). and to have that removed would be too much upheaval.... but the game would be better. so do it anyway
I did try to bring up the idea of NO-STAR characters to cover characters that can't be crew- Cats Children-Creatures and such... but can work with crew. it's a better way to keep all of starTrek in the game without it getting too far removed.
Q's - Caretakers - Apollo
None of them make any sense as player characters. Fine to have them as part of the game as obstacles and plotpoints... but are you telling us that a character with power over time and space or the ability to grab starships and move people lightyears with a thought has to now be equipped and sit as part of a crew with a diplomacy and engineering rating? Why did that happen?
2. Creature characters
same point here. Is Mother Horta given command duties and assigned a post? It was a creature that burrowed and protected her eggs. How is that a crew member?
3. fix the star rating system so it matches the character
and writer Jake Sisko isn't more powerful than OST spock
It's too late to fix the star rating system- and the superpowered beings issue and the creatures that have started to show up because of the "pay to win" aspect of the game... (Some people pay a lot of money for pictures of characters with numbers next to them). and to have that removed would be too much upheaval.... but the game would be better. so do it anyway
I did try to bring up the idea of NO-STAR characters to cover characters that can't be crew- Cats Children-Creatures and such... but can work with crew. it's a better way to keep all of starTrek in the game without it getting too far removed.
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Comments
After chasing Guinan and not getting her, I don't even want Caretaker (except for his stats, of course, but those stats could have been added to any other "normal" character). I airlocked my Horta right away as I could't look at that lump of rock, regardless of its stats. I can't even imagine sending it on a mission, it doesn't make any sense. What's next? 4* Porthos??
It feels weirdly enough to see Janeway working side by side with Borg Queen on my voyages or when Locutus wins the poetry contest (wtf?).
This is the same reason why I stopped playing STO, it follows the canon more or less and it has good storyline but then it became nothing but grind festival.
Still, I wish that you posted this in The Bridge sub-forum as it definitely deserves a discussion.
Second, why wouldn’t all powerful beings participate in such activities? Q certainly would. Apollo wasn’t truly all powerful and neither was the Caretaker, nor really even Q for that matter. They all had limits, and again, it doesn’t matter because essentially they’re just game pieces or collectible cards.
As for creatures, I can see that applying in some cases but as for the Mother Horta I have to say you’re dead wrong. She was proven to be sentient. Just because an alien isn’t humanoid doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent. Also, the Horta didn’t use any noticeable tools or tech but they were well aware of what it was, as seen by the Mother Horta knowing exactly what piece of equipment to sabotage and how.
Finally, with the star system being a bit broken and out of order, yes, I agree to a point, but that ship has sailed. I really don’t think Morn should be more powerful than Enterprise D Picard, but it is what it is. Again, we all take this stuff a little too seriously sometimes and that’s ok, well, sometimes, but it’s best to remember, as horribly glib as this seems, that it is just a game after all.
It is a game, but a bit more logic wouldn't hurt. Star Trek TV series was also meant to be a source of fun and amusement but it brought quite a lot more to it. It taught many of us about social issues and tolerance either directly or in between the lines. That's why it has so many fans around the world and it means so much to lot of people. I watched TNG first time as a teenager and today I watch it together with my kid. And I'm not religious zealot about it but personally I'm kind of sad seeing ST franchise being ruthlessly trivialized to just a source of fun with absolutely nothing more to it, just like everything else nowadays.
For the same reason I don't consider ST Discovery as real ST successor even though I can watch it and truly enjoy it, but just as another sci-fi saga.
Anyway, I don't expect OP's concerns to be taken seriously or even considered by DB. That's never going to happen but that's not the reason why we can't rant about it.
Indeed: DB is not even going to consider these, hm... "suggestions"?
But if ranting a bit makes people feel better, why not! Plus, maybe someone at DE will chuckle while quickly browsing this thread.
I agree with your assessment. I like to look at it all this way though, we have to maintain a bit of a mental balance with all this media. All the series were what you say and more but we should still realize that unfortunately, a lot of this won’t be brought over into what is essentially a mobile game. I guess that what I’m overall trying to say, and I think you’ve already come to this conclusion yourself, as somewhat horrible as it may be, is that you must lower your expectations. Lol. Sorry.
I already did, otherwise I wouldn't be playing this game.
Still, from time to time, I indulge myself with a joy of rant just so I can maintain my mental balance
Hey now... Morn is the unsung hero of the Dominion War! If it weren't for Morn, Sisko would have never rushed to get to DS9 and stop the Jem'Hadar armada from entering the Alpha Quadrant. It would have been a totally different outcome, the Federation may have even lost the war. If anything, Morn is deserving of more stars, not less!
Joking aside, I wrestled with the idea of the TNG crew being 2*, and TOS crew being a mix of 1* and 2*, back when the game launched, but on the upside this has meant that entry level players can have familiar faces from the get-go rather than a number one-off guest characters like Melora Pazlar or adult Naomi Wildman. So from a design point of view, it does make sense to feel like you start with something familiar but still have something big to work towards.
Granted, two years in I don't know which variant of Burnham or Janeway would aspire him/her to actively work towards. It's been an interesting two years.
1. Voyage.
2. Have fun. If something isn't fun, don't do it.
3. Only pursue characters I care about.
4. Contribute to the fleet.
5. No more spending beyond monthly cards.
6. Have fun.
7. Voyage.
8. Have fun!
You have to admit that the only reason any of us are here or playing the game is that we are really into Star Trek. I rewatched to entire run because of this game. That is the draw and we all noticed the attention to detain that made us realize that DisruptorBeam wasn't taking it lightly either. all the devices ships planets uniforms sounds storylines and dialog details made us stay and give them a chance. They've put a ton into this because they knew that this audience would walk away if it was lousy. To have this forum and then at this point dismissively say "it's just a game" is odd. We know that. It's just a movie and it's just a TV show... but if they ask how to improve something why not suggest a real improvement rather than "can we have another button?" I knew it wasn't going to go too far (hence controversial). But maybe its a suggestion for another version of the game when this one dies down or if they grow... A full computer version (if cell phone games aren't destroying the advancement of gaming...)
maybe...
Totally addicted to my phone...I ,well gotta go got a text
I understand the need to sometimes rant about things and about how many of us invest a lot of time and energy into this software. My point of saying that “it is just a game” as I implied, is not to make light of any of that, but to try and help mentally center anyone reading this thread and getting frustrated as you yourself have obviously been. I just want to help remind you that it’s a thing used for fun, so try to be more mellow in your moments of anger and irritation. I understand those impulses well and have been guilty many a time of going on and on about small, seemingly insignificant details. Likely, that’s just part of who we are personality wise. I just want to say that it’s a good thing to try and step back and not be so obsessive, grim, critical, or nitpicky. It’s also good to be all those thing as well. To each their own, and I am sincerely sorry if I offended you in any way. You’re right in many parts of your assessment but I’m trying to be realistic which is why I’ve said what I did, especially the part about lowering your expectations, lol.
Hope this help and doesn’t rule anyone up too much. Peace and long life. 🖖