Wow, a whole lot of Nopes! and after 6 months, everything that was "going to be addressed" or "looked at" or "being worked on" is still exactly the same. The only thing was an update to the cryovault, but that session claimed they'd already done it.
Sorry for the confusion. For Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?, as well as Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule? and Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8? I truncated, italicized, and updated the answer for those because the forums told me the post was too long. DB did actually follow through on those, so credit where credit is due.
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to post your questions for our first dev Q&A. Here are answers to some of the questions you submitted. We weren’t able to get to every question this time, but we did read them all, and we’re going to be experimenting with more ways to communicate with you going forward.
Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8?
A4: We're actively working on Episode 8. We can not give you a release date right now, but we plan to have it out in November (assuming there are no major issues that crop up).
Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule?
A18: We know this is a real problem for many players, and we've been working on a better way for you to be able to claim Starbase rewards. It's not going to be a quick change because of how Starbases are designed. The existing options (such as in-game mail reward delivery) wouldn't work for Starbases (we know, we tried it), so we need to update this system first. We are actively trying to solve this and should be fixed in our next client release.
Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?
A20: We’re actually working on a revamp of cryostasis to include better sorting functionality, and a few other requested changes. It’s still in design, so it won’t come out in the immediate future, but changes are coming.
See, this is why I think it's a waste of my time to ask any questions. She'll throw us whatever fluff she feels like, ignore any real questions, and all the promises will just be broken later anyways.
You are certainly not alone in those sentiments or thinking in that way, so the following is offered for perspective on those sentiments and those thoughts:
One thing which I think is relevant, is that the Planning fallacy cut's both ways. People tend to underestimate how long it will take for themselves to do something, and people will also tend drastically underestimate the amount of time, effort and resources that it will take for someone else to do something.
Additionally, and particularly to computer stuff, people seem to have what could be called a "Magic Pixel Fallacy", which exacerbates the planning fallacy, in which everyone thinks that everything is much easier to change or fix than it actually is. This is both because most people don't know how to program and aren't aware of what it takes to actually get something to work, but also that even among those who do know how to program, or think they do, they tend to ignore the specifics of the code they would actually have to work with in favor of estimating from a hypothetical, starting from scratch with infinite autonomy, sort of fictitious scenario.
Point being, things take more time than anyone would like them to, and whatever does get worked on, is at an opportunity cost to other projects and often creates a trajectory via path dependency which often makes other changes more difficult, where divergent.
The forums also have a huge signal to noise problem, in that there is rarely a clear consensus on what the player base wants, even among the vocal minority as represented here on the forums. Some things that the players want are in contradiction to each other, or divergent in trajectory. This creates an impossible task for the developers, in that someone, usually very vocally, will get upset when some version of their particular idea isn't what happened. Compound this with the prevalent volatility, assumption of malice, and distrust, and it's pretty clear how we get to where we are now.
Even where we do have broad consensus that there is a problem, such as with the honor rates and event rewards, very few have invested any time into understanding or working out how any of the proposed solutions might actually function within the existing game mechanics. Or considering how their particular idea, might or might not work, for players from across the spending and time investment spectrum. It's the whole problem of outrage being easy, and solutions being difficult, compounded by strong opinions and a predilection not to consider previous discussion on the matter before engaging in the conversation.
For whatever any of that is worth, I think it's important to make our voices heard, and utilize the communication channels we are offered. Let us not forget, what the outcome of cynicism and apathy are, however well founded.
We are all downstream from each other and ourselves, therefore choose to be relaxed and groovy. Consider participating in civil discourse, understanding the Tardigrade, and wandering with the Subspace Eddies.
Thanks for digging up the October Q&A, Xoiiku. I'm not going to ask a question this time around, but back then I asked about Episode 8...was the answer page edited? They originally said by the end of 2017 as I recall, but of course it got pushed back a few months. It's been out for awhile anyway so the answer is moot, but based on the italics Q4, Q18 and Q20 must have been edited as the features rolled out.
I want to ask: Gauntlet **tsk tsk** balls! What will you do about it?
But i am afraid because the answer gonna be: we believe based on our awesome metrics and analysis, and of course most importantly players response, gauntlet works per design
Thanks for digging up the October Q&A, Xoiiku. I'm not going to ask a question this time around, but back then I asked about Episode 8...was the answer page edited? They originally said by the end of 2017 as I recall, but of course it got pushed back a few months. It's been out for awhile anyway so the answer is moot, but based on the italics Q4, Q18 and Q20 must have been edited as the features rolled out.
Sorry for the confusion. For Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?, as well as Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule? and Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8? I truncated, italicized, and updated the answer for those because the forums told me the post was too long. DB did actually follow through on those, so credit where credit is due.
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to post your questions for our first dev Q&A. Here are answers to some of the questions you submitted. We weren’t able to get to every question this time, but we did read them all, and we’re going to be experimenting with more ways to communicate with you going forward.
Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8?
A4: We're actively working on Episode 8. We can not give you a release date right now, but we plan to have it out in November (assuming there are no major issues that crop up).
Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule?
A18: We know this is a real problem for many players, and we've been working on a better way for you to be able to claim Starbase rewards. It's not going to be a quick change because of how Starbases are designed. The existing options (such as in-game mail reward delivery) wouldn't work for Starbases (we know, we tried it), so we need to update this system first. We are actively trying to solve this and should be fixed in our next client release.
Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?
A20: We’re actually working on a revamp of cryostasis to include better sorting functionality, and a few other requested changes. It’s still in design, so it won’t come out in the immediate future, but changes are coming.
I hope that clears that bit up.
We are all downstream from each other and ourselves, therefore choose to be relaxed and groovy. Consider participating in civil discourse, understanding the Tardigrade, and wandering with the Subspace Eddies.
Thanks for digging up the October Q&A, Xoiiku. I'm not going to ask a question this time around, but back then I asked about Episode 8...was the answer page edited? They originally said by the end of 2017 as I recall, but of course it got pushed back a few months. It's been out for awhile anyway so the answer is moot, but based on the italics Q4, Q18 and Q20 must have been edited as the features rolled out.
Sorry for the confusion. For Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?, as well as Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule? and Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8? I truncated, italicized, and updated the answer for those because the forums told me the post was too long. DB did actually follow through on those, so credit where credit is due.
I want to thank all of you for taking the time to post your questions for our first dev Q&A. Here are answers to some of the questions you submitted. We weren’t able to get to every question this time, but we did read them all, and we’re going to be experimenting with more ways to communicate with you going forward.
Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8?
A4: We're actively working on Episode 8. We can not give you a release date right now, but we plan to have it out in November (assuming there are no major issues that crop up).
Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule?
A18: We know this is a real problem for many players, and we've been working on a better way for you to be able to claim Starbase rewards. It's not going to be a quick change because of how Starbases are designed. The existing options (such as in-game mail reward delivery) wouldn't work for Starbases (we know, we tried it), so we need to update this system first. We are actively trying to solve this and should be fixed in our next client release.
Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?
A20: We’re actually working on a revamp of cryostasis to include better sorting functionality, and a few other requested changes. It’s still in design, so it won’t come out in the immediate future, but changes are coming.
Category: Crew
Question: Will 1* crew ever have a purpose beyond the immortality achievement? Please give 1* crew a purpose!
They have a purpose, to get new players started off. Easy to obtain and level. After a certain point you don't need them so they are just for the vault. We don't need a whole slew of them, just enough augment a character set of the best and favorite cast and crew.
I asked if they're going to do something to make two-skill crew more useful.
This is a huge problem right now. When 2 skill crew are event rewards, I really find it hard to summon any interest unless they are a shuttle phenom. This is especially true of Legendaries who will take up a precious slot.
I should have asked for:
1. New cadet missions. Warping on them as well.
2. Combining single portals into a 10 pull.
3. Bonuses on faction missions for crew that ACTUALLY HAVE THE FACTION TRAIT!
4. A counter for replication remaining.
5. Not showing missions that can't be used to get items, or move them to the bottom of the list. Or actually list the missions that have the best drop rates first on the list.
That's just some for now.
Poll has been closed..... but I also want to ask these:
1. Do you guys feel players frustration?
I guess you guys do and thus you have this QnA session ... again... to calm players?
But nothing much has changed for the better. More miscommunication. More problems.
Game mechanic / RNG / Algorithm still **tsk tsk**
3. No offense to "player experience" team ... but what is their job?
We have complaints about this game mechanic. No developers can satisfy everyone of course... but Do anyone on STT actually play this game from player POV? We need testers that plays like players, not just black box testing.
3. How do you make this game more fun like an actual game instead of gambling/work?
4. Look like the biggest chunk of revenue is still from STT? How do you guys prioritize the development of STT vs the other games?
It would have done you no good. Who would care to answer such aggressive, condescending questions
Don't mean too... I just want honest answers for honest questions.
Any suggestion how to rewrite the questions so they don't sound aggressive or condescending?
Rephrased neutrally:
1. What new developments are planned to relieve player frustrations regarding player communication and game mechanics?
2. Is there anything in the works to alleviate the perceived differences between player experience and development experience?
3. Are there more features planned in the near future for the game that highlight more strategic gameplay?
4. How are development resources on STT versus DB's other new/current titles allocated?
EDIT: added 'and' to Q1.
Come join our fleet! We're a great social group that helps each other. You play the way you want to, participate as much as you want and if you want to be competitive, you can be! Check out our fleet ad. Run, don't walk, to Quark's Holosuite!
Immortalized: 140 x 5*, 221 x 4*, 74 x 3*, 47 x 2*, 27 x 1*
Rephrased neutrally:
1. What new developments are planned to relieve player frustrations regarding player communication game mechanics?
2. Is there anything in the works to alleviate the perceived differences between player experience and development experience?
3. Are there more features planned in the near future for the game that highlight more strategic gameplay?
4. How are development resources on STT versus DB's other new/current titles allocated?
I like the rephrased questions...
But they don’t show the gravity of the problems
And perhaps people would ask that way 6 months into the game, but not when players have been playing for ~2.
Yeah, that's the hard part... It's hard to stress the importance without seeming angry or aggressive, which probably just gets your question deleted... They will most likely just broadly categorize the general theme of the question and tally the numbers... then respond to the most frequent ones...
Come join our fleet! We're a great social group that helps each other. You play the way you want to, participate as much as you want and if you want to be competitive, you can be! Check out our fleet ad. Run, don't walk, to Quark's Holosuite!
Immortalized: 140 x 5*, 221 x 4*, 74 x 3*, 47 x 2*, 27 x 1*
So, recently many of us submitted questions to DB in the hope that they would be answered.
My expectation is that broadly most questions were asked.
I thought I'd just try and categorize some of the areas of the game that might merit straightforward questions.
Missions: Are we getting another chapter, either a Chapter 9, or something like the Klingon missions?
Shuttles: Are there any plans to introduce more factions?
Arena: Are there plans to make ships more central to the game? Are there plans for an Arena revamp?
Gauntlet: Gauntlet is stale, has been for a while. Any plans to make any changes?
Voyages: Any plans to update or expand Voyages?
Events: Any idea when a new event type will be pioneered?
Collections and Achievements: Will these be expanded?
These are likely the central areas of concern for players, though I am sure there were many other types of questions. Should we expect DB to address this basic set of queries? As I wrote them I realised they are all game architecture questions, essentially work on keeping the game evolving and interesting, are these the types of questions people asked or have I missed something important?
I think looking at previous Q&As maybe in the old forums might shed more light on what to expect. Of course past performance does not guarantee future returns.....
You sir are ambitious to say the least if you expect answers to these.
My core assumption was, that given enough questions, that they would broadly be normally distributed around these central themes.
Why wouldn't we expect even vague answers to basic questions? I'm sure I'm not the only one slowly losing interest in the game, it is important that they innovate continually if they want to maintain long term interest. Is a Q&A not intended to specifically address people's expectations of the future, to give us some interest on what is to come?
So, recently many of us submitted questions to DB in the hope that they would be answered.
My expectation is that broadly most questions were asked.
I thought I'd just try and categorize some of the areas of the game that might merit straightforward questions.
Missions: Are we getting another chapter, either a Chapter 9, or something like the Klingon missions?
Shuttles: Are there any plans to introduce more factions?
Arena: Are there plans to make ships more central to the game? Are there plans for an Arena revamp?
Gauntlet: Gauntlet is stale, has been for a while. Any plans to make any changes?
Voyages: Any plans to update or expand Voyages?
Events: Any idea when a new event type will be pioneered?
Collections and Achievements: Will these be expanded?
These are likely the central areas of concern for players, though I am sure there were many other types of questions. Should we expect DB to address this basic set of queries? As I wrote them I realised they are all game architecture questions, essentially work on keeping the game evolving and interesting, are these the types of questions people asked or have I missed something important?
My last reply seems to have been swallowed into the Aether when threads were merged. I'll try to retype:
Missions: I think this is anyone's guess. I haven't seen any 'ghost' missions appearing, but there's always the Gargan belt thing from forever ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement either way on this.
Shuttles: Prince explicitly said last time there were no plans for new factions. I would be surprised if that stance was to change. I think it's more likely they use this space to address the recent shuttle failures issue.
Arena: This seems like a 'forgotten feature' of sorts. It wasn't addressed in the last Q&A. While they've introduced new ships at a higher rate, lately, I wouldn't expect to see an update here.
Gauntlet: Prince indicated they were looking into ways to spice up the gauntlet last time. Nothing further has been announced, so it wouldn't be surprised to see a followup on the original question.
Voyage: I wouldn't expect to see much announced on this front. Voyage specific crew is still fairly new, so I doubt we'll see much movement here.
Events: I would be disappointed to NOT see an update here. Prince's original comment was that something should be released in the "near future". They also mentioned that they were looking into new event types. If there's one place I'm expecting a splashy announcement, it's here.
Collections/Achievements: I wouldn't be surprised if we get the tepid "something is coming!" treatment on this subject. Collections were JUST introduced, they won't announce any specifics for expansion yet if they bother to mention them at all. Achievements have been slowly augmented. I could go either way on them.
Missions: I think this is anyone's guess. I haven't seen any 'ghost' missions appearing, but there's always the Gargan belt thing from forever ago. I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement either way on this.
Shuttles: Prince explicitly said last time there were no plans for new factions. I would be surprised if that stance was to change. I think it's more likely they use this space to address the recent shuttle failures issue.
Arena: This seems like a 'forgotten feature' of sorts. It wasn't addressed in the last Q&A. While they've introduced new ships at a higher rate, lately, I wouldn't expect to see an update here.
Gauntlet: Prince indicated they were looking into ways to spice up the gauntlet last time. Nothing further has been announced, so it wouldn't be surprised to see a followup on the original question.
Voyage: I wouldn't expect to see much announced on this front. Voyage specific crew is still fairly new, so I doubt we'll see much movement here.
Events: I would be disappointed to NOT see an update here. Prince's original comment was that something should be released in the "near future". They also mentioned that they were looking into new event types. If there's one place I'm expecting a splashy announcement, it's here.
Collections/Achievements: I wouldn't be surprised if we get the tepid "something is coming!" treatment on this subject. Collections were JUST introduced, they won't announce any specifics for expansion yet if they bother to mention them at all. Achievements have been slowly augmented. I could go either way on them.
I would be bothered if there is nothing on Voyages. To me, this is now the core of the game and the main way in which many of us evaluate crew.
My hope is that we get some hint of something entirely new, a mechanic revisited or at the very least a new event.
What are the policys for improving customer service on ticket reports. And what steps are you currently taking to improve them
Long wait times
Canned responses
Crap compensation,like 100merits, 10 faction tranmsions on issues were you drop a lot of money just to be blown off or ignored
Gotten so bad I no longer even bother send reports in because it feels like a complete waste of my time, so I spend way less money and just counting playing a broke game that no one seem to care if its broke or if you spend money on it
What are the policys for improving customer service on ticket reports. And what steps are you currently taking to improve them
Long wait times
Canned responses
Crap compensation,like 100merits, 10 faction tranmsions on issues were you drop a lot of money just to be blown off or ignored
Gotten so bad I no longer even bother send reports in because it feels like a complete waste of my time, so I spend way less money and just counting playing a broke game that no one seem to care if its broke or if you spend money on it
TBH CS always responds to my email within a day or 2 except when they had that mirror picard gate. I think they are the best part of DB personell
What are the policys for improving customer service on ticket reports. And what steps are you currently taking to improve them
Long wait times
Canned responses
Crap compensation,like 100merits, 10 faction tranmsions on issues were you drop a lot of money just to be blown off or ignored
Gotten so bad I no longer even bother send reports in because it feels like a complete waste of my time, so I spend way less money and just counting playing a broke game that no one seem to care if its broke or if you spend money on it
TBH CS always responds to my email within a day or 2 except when they had that mirror picard gate. I think they are the best part of DB personell
Comments
9RS fleet is recruiting, PM me for more information!
Sorry for the confusion. For Q20: When will we get a Cryostasis update?, as well as Q18: Can you fix it so I can claim Starbase rewards on my schedule? and Q4: What's the ETA/status for episode 8? I truncated, italicized, and updated the answer for those because the forums told me the post was too long. DB did actually follow through on those, so credit where credit is due.
Here are the full answers from October Timelines Q&A.
I hope that clears that bit up.
You are certainly not alone in those sentiments or thinking in that way, so the following is offered for perspective on those sentiments and those thoughts:
One thing which I think is relevant, is that the Planning fallacy cut's both ways. People tend to underestimate how long it will take for themselves to do something, and people will also tend drastically underestimate the amount of time, effort and resources that it will take for someone else to do something.
Additionally, and particularly to computer stuff, people seem to have what could be called a "Magic Pixel Fallacy", which exacerbates the planning fallacy, in which everyone thinks that everything is much easier to change or fix than it actually is. This is both because most people don't know how to program and aren't aware of what it takes to actually get something to work, but also that even among those who do know how to program, or think they do, they tend to ignore the specifics of the code they would actually have to work with in favor of estimating from a hypothetical, starting from scratch with infinite autonomy, sort of fictitious scenario.
Point being, things take more time than anyone would like them to, and whatever does get worked on, is at an opportunity cost to other projects and often creates a trajectory via path dependency which often makes other changes more difficult, where divergent.
The forums also have a huge signal to noise problem, in that there is rarely a clear consensus on what the player base wants, even among the vocal minority as represented here on the forums. Some things that the players want are in contradiction to each other, or divergent in trajectory. This creates an impossible task for the developers, in that someone, usually very vocally, will get upset when some version of their particular idea isn't what happened. Compound this with the prevalent volatility, assumption of malice, and distrust, and it's pretty clear how we get to where we are now.
Even where we do have broad consensus that there is a problem, such as with the honor rates and event rewards, very few have invested any time into understanding or working out how any of the proposed solutions might actually function within the existing game mechanics. Or considering how their particular idea, might or might not work, for players from across the spending and time investment spectrum. It's the whole problem of outrage being easy, and solutions being difficult, compounded by strong opinions and a predilection not to consider previous discussion on the matter before engaging in the conversation.
For whatever any of that is worth, I think it's important to make our voices heard, and utilize the communication channels we are offered. Let us not forget, what the outcome of cynicism and apathy are, however well founded.
Consider participating in civil discourse, understanding the Tardigrade, and wandering with the Subspace Eddies.
But i am afraid because the answer gonna be: we believe based on our awesome metrics and analysis, and of course most importantly players response, gauntlet works per design
Sorry for the confusion x2, see below or above
Consider participating in civil discourse, understanding the Tardigrade, and wandering with the Subspace Eddies.
TY. Guess I skimmed past it.
They have a purpose, to get new players started off. Easy to obtain and level. After a certain point you don't need them so they are just for the vault. We don't need a whole slew of them, just enough augment a character set of the best and favorite cast and crew.
This is a huge problem right now. When 2 skill crew are event rewards, I really find it hard to summon any interest unless they are a shuttle phenom. This is especially true of Legendaries who will take up a precious slot.
1. New cadet missions. Warping on them as well.
2. Combining single portals into a 10 pull.
3. Bonuses on faction missions for crew that ACTUALLY HAVE THE FACTION TRAIT!
4. A counter for replication remaining.
5. Not showing missions that can't be used to get items, or move them to the bottom of the list. Or actually list the missions that have the best drop rates first on the list.
That's just some for now.
1. Do you guys feel players frustration?
I guess you guys do and thus you have this QnA session ... again... to calm players?
But nothing much has changed for the better. More miscommunication. More problems.
Game mechanic / RNG / Algorithm still **tsk tsk**
3. No offense to "player experience" team ... but what is their job?
We have complaints about this game mechanic. No developers can satisfy everyone of course... but Do anyone on STT actually play this game from player POV? We need testers that plays like players, not just black box testing.
3. How do you make this game more fun like an actual game instead of gambling/work?
4. Look like the biggest chunk of revenue is still from STT? How do you guys prioritize the development of STT vs the other games?
Don't mean too... I just want honest answers for honest questions.
Any suggestion how to rewrite the questions so they don't sound aggressive or condescending?
1. What new developments are planned to relieve player frustrations regarding player communication and game mechanics?
2. Is there anything in the works to alleviate the perceived differences between player experience and development experience?
3. Are there more features planned in the near future for the game that highlight more strategic gameplay?
4. How are development resources on STT versus DB's other new/current titles allocated?
EDIT: added 'and' to Q1.
Immortalized: 140 x 5*, 221 x 4*, 74 x 3*, 47 x 2*, 27 x 1*
I like the rephrased questions...
But they don’t show the gravity of the problems
And perhaps people would ask that way 6 months into the game, but not when players have been playing for ~2.
But whatever works and get the result/answer
Immortalized: 140 x 5*, 221 x 4*, 74 x 3*, 47 x 2*, 27 x 1*
My expectation is that broadly most questions were asked.
I thought I'd just try and categorize some of the areas of the game that might merit straightforward questions.
Missions: Are we getting another chapter, either a Chapter 9, or something like the Klingon missions?
Shuttles: Are there any plans to introduce more factions?
Arena: Are there plans to make ships more central to the game? Are there plans for an Arena revamp?
Gauntlet: Gauntlet is stale, has been for a while. Any plans to make any changes?
Voyages: Any plans to update or expand Voyages?
Events: Any idea when a new event type will be pioneered?
Collections and Achievements: Will these be expanded?
These are likely the central areas of concern for players, though I am sure there were many other types of questions. Should we expect DB to address this basic set of queries? As I wrote them I realised they are all game architecture questions, essentially work on keeping the game evolving and interesting, are these the types of questions people asked or have I missed something important?
My core assumption was, that given enough questions, that they would broadly be normally distributed around these central themes.
Why wouldn't we expect even vague answers to basic questions? I'm sure I'm not the only one slowly losing interest in the game, it is important that they innovate continually if they want to maintain long term interest. Is a Q&A not intended to specifically address people's expectations of the future, to give us some interest on what is to come?
My last reply seems to have been swallowed into the Aether when threads were merged. I'll try to retype:
From the October Q&A (https://forum.disruptorbeam.com/stt/discussion/comment/8833)
I would be bothered if there is nothing on Voyages. To me, this is now the core of the game and the main way in which many of us evaluate crew.
My hope is that we get some hint of something entirely new, a mechanic revisited or at the very least a new event.
What are the policys for improving customer service on ticket reports. And what steps are you currently taking to improve them
Long wait times
Canned responses
Crap compensation,like 100merits, 10 faction tranmsions on issues were you drop a lot of money just to be blown off or ignored
Gotten so bad I no longer even bother send reports in because it feels like a complete waste of my time, so I spend way less money and just counting playing a broke game that no one seem to care if its broke or if you spend money on it
(Of course this wrong and this has to stop... or both)
TBH CS always responds to my email within a day or 2 except when they had that mirror picard gate. I think they are the best part of DB personell
But maybe response time because of VP level?
Nope I'm a lvl 14x5 about now