Q&A with Admiral Prince April '18
Thank you for taking the time to participate in our April Q&A. There were some great questions, me and the team enjoyed reviewing them all. Below you will find the most frequent and most interesting ones, along with my reply.
Thank you for playing!
The STAR TREK TIMELINES Team
Will there be a rebalancing of older crew to accommodate the boost that newer crew have?
As the game has evolved and there is need for a wider range of crew, the crew stats themselves now have a wider range. We are not likely to rebalance old crew in the short term, but as we continue to revise features and add to the game, we will be looking for ways to make the older crew more relevant.
Can we see Spot, Porthos, or other pets in-game?
It’s something we’d like as well. We have a number of different ideas about how we might approach these requests, but haven’t yet narrowed down the best way to make this happen.
How do you decide what traits and stars a crew has, especially the more subjective traits?
For traits this is a multi-person, multi-step process. A designer proposes traits, often considering other versions of that character. These are reviewed by our community team, other designers, QA, people very familiar with the episode or character, etc.
The star-rating for crew is totally different, however. That process starts when we need a crew who is X number of stars or they need to fit Y narrative. At that point, the narrative designers make suggestions and then we go back and forth on who it should be, and what version of that character. We then debate over whether that version of them is valid for whatever star level. Sometimes, we base that on their role in the episode, or how beloved they are by fans, or how that version compares to other potential versions. This process has lots of different inputs and operates quite differently from our process for traits.
Will you be adding crew from the Kelvin-verse?
At this time, we are not looking to the Kelvin universe for inclusion in Timelines. We still have tons to cover from the Prime universe, especially as Discovery (and other upcoming projects) continue to provide new characters, species, and events.
Will you be adding more crew from TAS or TOS?
Yes, we will continue to add crew from all the canon series including TOS and TAS!
Not all of the main cast members have a 2-star crew, such as Deanna Troi. Do you have plans to add them in?
We will continue to add new variants of crew, but all characters may not have versions for all star ratings. That being said, we will continue to make new 2 star characters.
Will there be more chances to get Guinan and Locutus?
Yes, old gauntlet jackpot crew will show up in the game at some point. For instance, there has been a pack that featured Locutus. That wasn’t enough, so we are talking about what our preferred method for introducing them to a larger population of players should be. We won’t be making it so that the time and effort people spent getting these characters out of the gauntlet is trivialised. So, at the very least, those crew will experience a period of exclusivity even after they are removed from the gauntlet.
Are there changes considered for the Events schedule like shorter events, more reruns, and
more Mega-Event reruns?
We actually discuss this topic frequently. Right now, Star Trek Timelines is the only place where you can get a new Star Trek story almost every week. So just like a television series, there are reruns that come up, but people usually tune in for new episodes more than reruns. We love being a place where fans know they can count on new Star Trek stories being readily available to them, so we aren’t giving that up anytime soon. However, we are looking at what “shorter” events might mean for our players and the future of the game.
Is there any plan for a Fleet leaderboard, Fleet rewards, or an event where Fleets compete against each other?
Is there a plan? Yes!
Has it been implemented? Not yet!
Will it need to be rolled out in stages and tested along the way? You bet it will!
Is it coming soon? Probably not.
Will there be changes to the event rewards structure to give players more incentive to participate?
Participation in events is at an all time high. As such, we believe players are already highly attracted to the rewards and the events themselves. That being said, as we have a growing diversity amongst how long players have been in the game, we are looking at what we can do to make events more interesting across all levels of experience with STT.
When can we expect to see another expedition event?
So you haven’t seen a stand alone expedition event for quite a while. To be completely candid, there are two reasons for this. One, these are our most polarizing events. Two, they are by far the hardest and most time-intensive to make for developers. So, going forward expeditions will only appear in hybrid events as one of the phases. The next time you will see this is in the Mega-Event in June.
Are there any new dilemmas, rewards, or other changes coming to Voyages?
Yes, we are writing additions for Voyages, which will also see changes to rewards and new crew. These additions will likely all come at once so it may be some time before they are added.
Can we get bonuses for using the same faction crew or ships on missions? Such as Klingons on a Klingon ship, or Federation on Federation missions.
We have not explored this in any real depth as of yet. We’ll bring up the question with our design team at a later date.
Can you add the ability to trade crew/equipment in-game or at least within your fleet?
We have explored this option, but we do not have a plan to implement it any time soon. There is a lot of complexity, risk, and edge cases that would need to sorted out first.
Are there any plans to adjust how honor is earned or spent?
We’ve been making changes to how honor is earned and spent since we introduced the system last year. Our plan is to continue iterating on it, versus making dramatic changes.
When will you be updating the rewards in the Dabo wheel, so we don't keep seeing the same things?
There is no date for such a change at this time.
Will you implement a search for traits in missions? Like search for "Dominion" in mission while selecting the crew.
This is something we are planning to do, but it will likely be much later in the year.
Will existing Collections be expanded and will more Collections added?
Yes! We have a list of ideas for new collections, a list of ones that are almost ready to go, and a list of crew who are needed so we can get some collections added and others expanded. You will see both expansions of existing collections and new ones added in the future.
Thank you for playing!
The STAR TREK TIMELINES Team
Will there be a rebalancing of older crew to accommodate the boost that newer crew have?
As the game has evolved and there is need for a wider range of crew, the crew stats themselves now have a wider range. We are not likely to rebalance old crew in the short term, but as we continue to revise features and add to the game, we will be looking for ways to make the older crew more relevant.
Can we see Spot, Porthos, or other pets in-game?
It’s something we’d like as well. We have a number of different ideas about how we might approach these requests, but haven’t yet narrowed down the best way to make this happen.
How do you decide what traits and stars a crew has, especially the more subjective traits?
For traits this is a multi-person, multi-step process. A designer proposes traits, often considering other versions of that character. These are reviewed by our community team, other designers, QA, people very familiar with the episode or character, etc.
The star-rating for crew is totally different, however. That process starts when we need a crew who is X number of stars or they need to fit Y narrative. At that point, the narrative designers make suggestions and then we go back and forth on who it should be, and what version of that character. We then debate over whether that version of them is valid for whatever star level. Sometimes, we base that on their role in the episode, or how beloved they are by fans, or how that version compares to other potential versions. This process has lots of different inputs and operates quite differently from our process for traits.
Will you be adding crew from the Kelvin-verse?
At this time, we are not looking to the Kelvin universe for inclusion in Timelines. We still have tons to cover from the Prime universe, especially as Discovery (and other upcoming projects) continue to provide new characters, species, and events.
Will you be adding more crew from TAS or TOS?
Yes, we will continue to add crew from all the canon series including TOS and TAS!
Not all of the main cast members have a 2-star crew, such as Deanna Troi. Do you have plans to add them in?
We will continue to add new variants of crew, but all characters may not have versions for all star ratings. That being said, we will continue to make new 2 star characters.
Will there be more chances to get Guinan and Locutus?
Yes, old gauntlet jackpot crew will show up in the game at some point. For instance, there has been a pack that featured Locutus. That wasn’t enough, so we are talking about what our preferred method for introducing them to a larger population of players should be. We won’t be making it so that the time and effort people spent getting these characters out of the gauntlet is trivialised. So, at the very least, those crew will experience a period of exclusivity even after they are removed from the gauntlet.
Are there changes considered for the Events schedule like shorter events, more reruns, and
more Mega-Event reruns?
We actually discuss this topic frequently. Right now, Star Trek Timelines is the only place where you can get a new Star Trek story almost every week. So just like a television series, there are reruns that come up, but people usually tune in for new episodes more than reruns. We love being a place where fans know they can count on new Star Trek stories being readily available to them, so we aren’t giving that up anytime soon. However, we are looking at what “shorter” events might mean for our players and the future of the game.
Is there any plan for a Fleet leaderboard, Fleet rewards, or an event where Fleets compete against each other?
Is there a plan? Yes!
Has it been implemented? Not yet!
Will it need to be rolled out in stages and tested along the way? You bet it will!
Is it coming soon? Probably not.
Will there be changes to the event rewards structure to give players more incentive to participate?
Participation in events is at an all time high. As such, we believe players are already highly attracted to the rewards and the events themselves. That being said, as we have a growing diversity amongst how long players have been in the game, we are looking at what we can do to make events more interesting across all levels of experience with STT.
When can we expect to see another expedition event?
So you haven’t seen a stand alone expedition event for quite a while. To be completely candid, there are two reasons for this. One, these are our most polarizing events. Two, they are by far the hardest and most time-intensive to make for developers. So, going forward expeditions will only appear in hybrid events as one of the phases. The next time you will see this is in the Mega-Event in June.
Are there any new dilemmas, rewards, or other changes coming to Voyages?
Yes, we are writing additions for Voyages, which will also see changes to rewards and new crew. These additions will likely all come at once so it may be some time before they are added.
Can we get bonuses for using the same faction crew or ships on missions? Such as Klingons on a Klingon ship, or Federation on Federation missions.
We have not explored this in any real depth as of yet. We’ll bring up the question with our design team at a later date.
Can you add the ability to trade crew/equipment in-game or at least within your fleet?
We have explored this option, but we do not have a plan to implement it any time soon. There is a lot of complexity, risk, and edge cases that would need to sorted out first.
Are there any plans to adjust how honor is earned or spent?
We’ve been making changes to how honor is earned and spent since we introduced the system last year. Our plan is to continue iterating on it, versus making dramatic changes.
When will you be updating the rewards in the Dabo wheel, so we don't keep seeing the same things?
There is no date for such a change at this time.
Will you implement a search for traits in missions? Like search for "Dominion" in mission while selecting the crew.
This is something we are planning to do, but it will likely be much later in the year.
Will existing Collections be expanded and will more Collections added?
Yes! We have a list of ideas for new collections, a list of ones that are almost ready to go, and a list of crew who are needed so we can get some collections added and others expanded. You will see both expansions of existing collections and new ones added in the future.
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Comments
Are there any plans for new Episodes/Distress Calls and when could we expect them?
Yes, we are working on more, but I don’t have a date for you right now. We are also working with CBS to figure out how we might develop a new persistent story arc that is similar to a distress call but also expands over time. Once we figure out the expanding distress call concept, we will be able to get closer to releasing new traditional distress call and episodes.
What are some of the new features/systems we can expect to see this year?
We’re happy to say that there is a new event type coming soon! (Some of you may remember I mentioned it last December.) There is also going to be a modification to the scanning feature later this year. You will see new persistent story content. There will be significant changes coming for ship abilities, which is going to shake up the Arena also later in the year. However, depending on how they shake out, some of those may come in early 2019.
Are there Borg or other Factions coming in the future?
Not anytime soon. Adding/changing factions is quite an undertaking. Right now, we are trying to figure out how we would do it without causing issues or derailing our content development plans. When we find the answer, we will decide how we want to move forward on that.
Do you have any plans to ever update cadet missions in terms of rewards and crew restrictions to allow for more variety?
We do have plans to change cadet challenges eventually. Somewhere between making additional ones and completely overhauling the thing, there is an answer. We haven’t decided how far we want to go with it yet, but we do plan to update it.
Will there be an easier way to acquire starbase items (specifically holo-emitters)?
The pace at which Fleets currently upgrade their starbase rooms shows that the system for acquiring starbase items is working though it may be challenging. As a result of that reality, it is unlikely we will change this situation in the near future. However, we are discussing possible changes to starbase donations, including the long-awaited permanent solution to maxing out Starbases.
Can you improve/update Gauntlet rewards?
The Gauntlet is one of those features that is on our list to revamp. When that happens, changes will be made to much of the system including the rewards. There is no date for this overhaul yet, but we have been collecting feedback on it and are working out what we want to change on the next pass.
Will there ever be a rework of the Gauntlet and the Arena to encourage greater diversity of crew?
Yes, there will be rework on both of these systems. The first thing that impacts the Arena will actually be a change to ships this summer which will shake some things up. We’ll have more details on that later. After that, there will be changes to Gauntlet, but the timeframe there is not set.
What ships can we expect in the future?
The highly requested Miranda-Class and the U.S.S. Reliant are coming soon along with some otherworldly ships like the Jem’Hadar Battleship and a Breen design.
Will there ever be a way to outright buy ships instead of packs?
Each time we release a ship in packs, we then make an offer where you can outright buy the ship (though not fully upgraded). We may or may not continue with that pattern. Ships will get added into the premium portal pulls, and Arena rewards, and Dabo after varying lengths of time.
Will there ever be an event around ships?
Yes, yes, there will. Very soon.
Will we ever get the Enterprise-E, Enterprise-A, Enterprise-D, Enterprise Refit, Excelsior Class ships?
Definitely some of these, maybe not all of them.