Exploration Part I

I did a post on general stuff that can be used for exploration. But what about specifics? Well, I narrowed it down to a few ideas. This is Part I of a 3-part series I'm doing in regards to the previous post.

The Preservers

The obelisk in TOS

The obelisk in-game

Spock being fascinated

My CPT...also being fascinated

Since The Preservers are already in game I figured that would be a good place to start. Reason being: they kept information on every possible topic. The game's take revolves around star charts and whatnot. One of them even becomes a trophy later. Anyhow, if we know of a civilization that has such advanced stellar cartography (much of which would still be relevant, despite physics), why wouldn't we study them an use some of them to help our process of exploring the galaxy?

Okay, I know the game timeline says the Deferi take over study and whatnot. But they also owe us a huge favor for saving their planet from the Breen and the Borg. So humor me for a moment.

So once we finish the Breen story, we could have an optional mission that involves returning to the obelisk. We would go back in, find a console (kinda like this one), and it would prompt us to go find a location somewhere out there. These locations would just be reused patrol planets, or just one big one with a lot to do:

Looks like a geological instability

Mmmm...Raw minerals.

When coming across variations in land, we could potentially mine them. Gasses, minerals, crystals, and whatever raw materials we need could literally be taken from the planets we visit. Yes, I know we still have the traditional mini-game. And I'm not saying it should be removed. I'm just thinking random floating particles never really made sense. Why not use the same mini-game and rewards on an actual piece of land? It would make more sense, and presumably, the rewards would match the formation they are attached to.

  

Another planet (or, perhaps, the same one) can have a cave system to study. There is so much potential in the caves of Risa that I'm using them as the example here.

What else can we do? Well, there isn't much emphasis on native flora in this game, so we could identify similar known flora on other planets, and isolate their main chemicals. Once that's done it can be determined if these plants are suitable for conversion to hypo meds, bio-fuels, or simple medical supplies.

I admit, I'd like to see a mention of hallucinogenic fungi for the simple fact that it would tie in to the ENT episode Strange New World. If nothing else, CPT Archer deserves a nod for his curiosity. In the process of examining it, we would come to the same conclusions as Dr. Phlox. That is, that not all of the native plant species are safe for consumption or use by humanoids.

The possibilities...

There is also a possibility of adding in a cave-dwelling species somewhere among the tunnels. There have been a few in Trek canon, and some similar species would be a welcome addition. It would be something along the lines of the beginning of Insurrection, but without the Asimovian undertones. We're on a planet studying it, its ecosystem, and its sentient species (the cave dwellers). They would look primitive because of their choice not to use technology, but we would find out later that they were descendants of a technological society that destroyed itself, or something similar. Hell, they wouldn't even have to live in the caves full-time. They could just have a city or temple hidden within the caves. Think Petra combined with the colony on Tau Cygna V.

These natives should have some sort of interactions...something simple like a ritual we can be a part of. I'm not thinking like the bullshit CPT Archer did to make amends for Porthos' pee (I'm pretty sure Scott Bakula resented having to, given how he played it). I would, however, be a bit more than CPT Picard's daily tea ritual. Something with a bonfire, in the woods, and people in traditional tribal garments. Our duties would involve gathering needed supplies, hunting animals for food, using a phaser to light the fire, or even building the mound the fire will be lit on (or all of the above?). A ritual challenge could work, too. A fight with their best warrior, a timed hunt for loot and quest items, or a footrace with their most accomplished runner. Then in the end, our character will be shown kneeling before the leader and triggering a cut scene of him telling us how great we are, and following it with an epic warrior's feast, complete with live music and scantily-clad women. That would be pretty awesome.

Anyway, we make first contact, earn some diplomacy xp, and some expertise. If the feast thing goes through, maybe we could have a unique consumable food, bound to character and whatnot. 

So we do all this stuff, we come back to the Preserver, and we get some dialogue about...their legacy living on through other species? I think it should eventually be pointed out that a shard of a piece of a star chart is on display at the Captain's Table. Well, maybe not really. Looks enough like it, though.

That's Part I. Part II is coming soon...

Star Clusters

Okay, I know I was supposed to do DS9, but I scrapped it in favor of something to replace the now lost Exploration Clusters. Pics will be limited, as I had to run around in game to find things that kinda sorta match what I'm talking about. I also wanted it to be relevant to current content, rather than using the old/outdated/gone forever stuff.

SO to start, I feel like Star Trek has always had an emphasis on exploration as a whole. Captain Kirk started it when he said he was on a mission to "explore strange new worlds." That statement was later repeated by CPT Picard and CPT Archer. Also, CPT Janeway might have done the most in the way of exploring compared to any other captain, all things considered. So the removal of exploration comes as a reminder of how far STO has strayed from its core influence. My goal for this post is to return exploration to the game in a way that works mechanically and (kinda) makes sense.

So first, where should the game play host to this "Exploration" thing?

The most obvious place to put exploration missions would be on the other side of the wormhole. Even the post-DS9 timeline sees the Gamma Quadrant as the great unknown. Remember also that the end of DS9 gave us a treaty that ended the war with the Dominion. Meaning they (and other Gamma Quadrant species) aren't likely to shoot Federation ships on sight. So why not start there? They're all cut scene happy these days, so I think they could throw in a few cool effects and adjustments while inside. Then when we get there we'll be ready to start running around. It could be as simple as keeping the planets that already exist and just accessing them from the wormhole and calling it the Gamma Quadrant. Hell, they could put anything from listening posts to holographic Bugships in there to mess with us. The most important thing is that there are random unknown planets and systems. That would be the incentive needed to go look at them. Rewards here can be the same as previously, or just XP and appropriate special XP. They could also put in unique DOff missions like in Dyson space. Seems possible.

Exploration areas (clusters, planets, etc.) Could also be sprinkled around like the old patrol planets. When approached, they would be entered as any other mission-based system. But instead of traditional patrols, I would break them into two different categories:

• First, space exploration. This would be along the lines of scanning stuff, but more interesting. It would involve the Stellar Cartography and Astrometrics departments. The main goal would be to chart and identify stellar objects and phenomena in the area. Discoveries would be simple, like types and ages of stars, types of energy being released by said stars, types and sizes of planets and whether they can support life (if so on what order), other random things, like comets, moons, previously undiscovered materials, and other spacey things. I would even go further and make it possible to study black holes, but not get too close. Maybe even throw a nod to Dr. Stephen Hawking and separate the event horizon from the apparent horizon. The possibilities here are literally limitless.

• Second, obviously, away teams. First the planet is identified as whatever class and precautions are taken as needed (EV suits or jackets or what have). Upon beaming down, again we'd mostly be scanning. But there would be more to it than exiting windows. There would be caves like Risa with interactive plants and animals to fight and identify. The weather would vary like the old patrol planets, and rain or heat or snow would actually influence the mission (like if it's snowing we'd have to find shelter in a cave). Medicinal plants (and drugs) could be gathered from the surface and converted into hypos or commodities. In the case of EV suit planets samples of things can be taken for study, much as they are for New Romulus. Again, the possibilities are infinite.

The end of this mission (or set of mini-missions, or what have) would be about what an accomplished scientist the captain is and whatnot. The actual reward would really depend on how it is set up. If it's just random planets (like the old mission) I would settle for XP and skill points, with a daily or one time DIL reward. If it's a big mission with and entire sector block or the universe as we know it, I would imagine a large one time DIL reward and a unique console would be great. The console, of course, would give something like a bonus to perception in combat, or extend the range of sensors.

Notice how none of the above involved sentient life? I did that on purpose. The majority of exploration we have and had in this game is/was based on first contact, or killing enemy aliens. I've always thought that we need something more close to home, like NASA today. They haven't yet found life outside Earth, but that doesn't mean they never will. Similarly I feel like we should explore planets that either can't support life, or are teaming with non-sentient life. We shouldn't assume we can communicate with the native species of every planet we encounter, or that every planet has life forms we can interact with.

• Going out of Left Field for a moment. But what if we had a mission where the new life form we encounter is a virus? It would force us to take sides on a moral issue--kill it and save the infected host, or let it live and sacrifice the host to science. Such viruses (or microbes, if you prefer) have existed in Trek -- most notably infecting LaForge and Archer, respectively. Granted, the one in game wouldn't need to have a transformative nature. But the idea is the same. Do you save an entire species, or cause its extinction? It would be fascinating if we had both options in game and a different outcome for each.

The other obvious option for location for exploration would be to simply create a massive expanse. Defera has its own sector block, so why not make one of a bunch of random star systems? It actually worked well for ENT (I mean in diversity and options). Just one section of the map for all the associated missions (much like the wormhole idea above). We have seen the Xindi in one form or another. It would be great if we had access to their now-obliterated homeworld (like Hobus) and some various planets they inhabit. We could even have a chain of missions that involve making contact with each of the Xindi species and a mention of the Avians.

Speaking of Content...

I understand that any revamp of exploration will have to go by the template of the old system. So I took it upon myself to take the older methods and expand upon them. Hopefully these will make sense as I go through them.

Personally, I never liked how the actual missions were randomized. Different planets should have different purposes. For example, M-Class planets host sentient life and can be limited to Aid the Planet missions, First Contact, or other types of diplomacy. Planets that don't support life would be specific to research, or possibly battle if it is found to be in a strategic location. I know, however, the devs aren't concerned with that. IF they ever redo exploration, it will likely be VERY similar to the original. So the following list is based heavily on that system.

• Option 1: scientific research, including scanning in space, looking or things on ground, identifying substances with shipboard doohickeys, and the like. This would be all about dry sciences and focus primarily on mouse clicks and window prompts.

• Option 2: humanitarian aid, like providing commodities, scanning people for diseases, administering medicine, and creating antigens. All of these exist in game already.

• Option 3: BATTLE! Or, more specifically, taking Federation territories back from enemies, assisting Federation-aligned species in defending (or retaking) their own planet, and retrieving Federation technology from hostile species. (Or maybe even stealing the original Delta Flyer...)

• Option 4: Diplomacy in the form of first contact, negotiating peace treaties, and similar things that involve sitting at a table and talking about stuff. More mouse clicks and window prompts.

• Other options I'd like to see: black holes, super novas, the Nexus, the Galactic Core that blocked the path to Shangrala, the unknown 2-D beings, the planet created by Q (complete with the never-identified soldier aliens), The creature that emerged from the Enterprise-D, the Gekli, the jellyfish, Boreth (and lots of caves to go with it), Kataan (or what's left of it), and the planet the archive came from. These just came off the top of my head. I'm bound to come up with others.

So there you have it. My take on the loss of Exploration Clusters. I hope it didn't suck.

Thoughts on Captain Archer

I have come to the conclusion that he's a homicidal sociopath with multiple personalities (one is a spoiled 6 year old girl, one is a kill-happy ex-army ranger with combat PTSD, and the other sexually frustrated wannabe college jock). It's hard to be more complicated or have more depth than that.

Forum's Down. Again.

Pics.

Initially, this was the screen I got.

I can't log in at the moment. Looks like I'm not the only one.

Website Error

ARC login error

For a second I thought I missed something.

I checked Twitter, Facebook and the usual places, but I haven't found any info. I don't know yet if this is unscheduled maintenance or a sudden crash.

Holodeck/Holosuite

**First, I have to apologize for the lack of game-based pics. There aren't a whole lot of holodecks around and they pretty much all look the same. I don't like repeating myself and whatnot, so try to work with me here. I also apologize for the delay in the update, as well as this not being my best post ever. I'll come back and do some edits as soon as my head is clear. Thanx.

Holodeck. The term immediately brings a million different ideas and images to mind. Holodecks (and holosuites) have been an integral part of Star Trek since their introduction in TNG. Sadly, STO hasn't used them to their full potential. In this post, I will explore was of incorporating in into the game without breaking it. I'll be using the terms holodeck and holosuite interchangeably to avoid being redundant. I know -decks are generally on ships and -suites are generally stationary (on space stations, presumably in vacation facilities, or privately owned). I'm just trying to keep it interesting here.

Looks familiar...

I'll start with Nog. Okay, he isn't officially named, but you can actually find him at the Academy fiddling with the holoprogramming sequencers. It isn't clear in this pic, but this is a Ferengi Engineering cadet. It's a nice little Easter Egg.


Entrance

"Computer--ARCH!"

Looks a lot like Voyager's holodecks, doesn't it?

The entrances are clearly marked. And inside is nothing more than a gigantic creative void left unfilled by our beloved dev monsters.The door is screaming something is missing here, yet remains completely silent. It's contradictory and confusing, given the versatility of such a feature.

Hallway

There are, in fact, several Holodecks in the hall gathering space dust. Inside, nothing happens, aside from Nog's near-constant rewiring. The wall controls do nothing and are not interactive. Nog isn't interactive. Worst of all, the last time these particular holodecks were used was when Worf was giving away his sash. And even then all he did was stand there and talk. There was no mission.

Useless control pad

Helluva likeness. Link here.

Fortunately there is a mission that uses the holodeck. Well, more like a holosuite. Of Bajor has several training sims in the Train for Combat Against the Dominion Ground Forces section. This brings to mind another training-based holoprogram: Insurrection Alpha. My thought is that this idea can be adapted to simulate a mutiny on a starfleet ship. Such actions are all but unheard of (besides the Pegasis. And Voyager. And the Equinox. And the Enterprise. And the Enterprise. And the ISS Enterprise. Did I mention [almost] the Enterprise?).

Another thought is to have plants in the crew. I'm talking X-Files Lone Gunmen conspiracy theories. Basically, they would be trained as Starfleet officers, Academy graduates, the whole nine. They could even be born enemy species and cosmetically or genetically altered to look like friendly species (Dominion genetic engineering, perhaps?). But then the time comes to execute their mission and they commit their own type of mutiny. I know, it sounds a lot like Seska. I took most of it out of real life events. Trek does a lot of this, while it seems the game really doesn't. Such a story would be as compelling as Tuvok's failed training sim. Hell, it might even make a decent feature episode. Think about it: the most knowledgeable officers are the ones who have been there and done that. Say the story has several lower ranking officers who happened to be assigned to the same ship at the same time to complete a specific mission (which involves incapacitating or killing the captain and whatnot)? It sounds unlikely, but it HAS happened, and we all remember it. Hell, Trek isn't even new to such things--look at Commander Archer (and the other Hoshi Sato, for that matter). The game needs more realistic storylines, and the holodeck would make a perfect excuse. It was designed for training purposes, and doesn't really influence the main arc.

They know your real name. AND where you live.

So what else can the holodeck be used for?

Let's continue the training idea. It seems the best way to avoid violating the LoR thing STO has going on. I'm of the mind that the feature episodes should be unique and standalone, while the main arc should be continuous and seperate. The last few episodes haven't exactly been that way. Even the Dyson content has some weird connection to LoR. Yes, I rolled my eyes, too. Among other things. But enough of my bitching. On to the fun stuff.

• Melee Combat: To start with, swordplay is often practiced in holosuites. Firstborn, Blood Oath, New Ground, Sons of Mogh and other examples come to mind quickly. In game, these sets can be used in the tutorial as instruction for melee combos. Given that ALL weapons have at least one or two melee moves, it would be smart to have someplace to practice. This could be as simple as an automated holosim like we had in the Academy Event, or be as immersive as a personal trainer with a weapons locker that brings up a list of generic weapons.

• Shooting Gallery: A phaser range would be AWESOME. We would get practice in both standard targeting and shooter mode. Other targets could be integrated for grenades and misc weapons (like the Ferengi Energy Whip, Tholian Crystals, and such). Best of all, it's holographic. Read: not real. So we could conceivably try out various unowned weapons without actually keeping them. This would be useful for testing new character builds and trait respecs.

A Matter of Honor

• Space Combat: Like the above mentioned shooting gallery, a simulated space range would be a great way to learn how to effectively fight in space (possibly making PUGging less unpleasant). Maneuvering, use of powers, and timing attacks could all be in play here. This can even include shuttle training, like Titan's Turn and the Kolvoord Starburst. Testing builds and BOff slotting would happen here. Again, not all of the items would be currently owned, but they be despawned upon ending the program.

     **On a side note, I realize there would be a considerably long list of weapons, consoles, ships, and such to be added here. Thing is, it's all there in the foundry. A similar system could be employed to minimize the work by the devs. It may not be as easy as it sounds, but it would be far from impossible to add. I'm betting a good portion of the coding can be copied and pasted.

What about playtime? There is almost no end to the ways the holosuites were used to escape the stresses of Starfleet (and non-starfleet) life.

• Sports: Fencing, raquetball and anbo-jyutsu could all be used as mini-games. I mentioned this in my Academy post, so I won't be repeating it here. I would add others, like hoverball, velocity, and perresies squares. Given that most of these were not well developed in screen, they are essentially open-ended. The mini-game itself could function with or without a popup window. Most of these involve a ball, and they all require some type of movement. It could work if there was some combination of movement and melee. Again, this is all holographic. None of it would have to be precisely accurate. The outfits could be mission-only, and possibly used as rewards. Some representation of non-work activities would be great. It would also serve to tie the game closer to the TV universe.

I doubt we'd be able to cheat...

• Space Alien Sexuality: Okay, I get that it's a family show, so to speak. I'm not saying we need explicitly pornographic imagery here. I wouldn't even go as far as God of War. I would, however, make mention of LaForge's creepy holorelationship with Dr. Leigh Brahms. And Barclay's implied-to-be-weird holofantasies. What about Nog's "favorite holoprogram?" Then there was pretty much the entire crew of Voyager. Remember Tuvok's Pon'Farr? I also remember multiple instances of bat'leth foreplay between Dax and Worf (not to mention Worf and Troi taking a "stimulating" walk on the beach...). OH, and didn't Commander Tucker get knocked up in a holodeck? Yeah, safe bet the holodecks could use a touch of romance somewhere, even if only implied.

"This isn't what it looks like, I swear!"

• Intense Therapy: Remember Schisms? Well, we have counselor DOffs and a DOff mission called "Recover Repressed Memories" from a refugee. I'm thinking it would be great if these were all combined into one mission. Say we get to Earth (or someplace) and recieve an urgent mission to pick up a local refugee. This person would have information that would help catch a criminal (name the crime). The problem is, being a refugee, the person is so traumatized that he (or she) can't remember the person, place, or thing clearly. It's so bad that a mind meld yielded nothing of value. All we have to go on are fleeting images. So then the ship's science officer says we should take the refugee to the holodeck. We'll keep things simple and go to the Academy. Once there, the person would give vague descriptions and we would have to choose the best answer. If the end result is the noun in question, we finish the mission. If not, it restarts. This is basically what I mean. The actual mechanic would be similar to part of Night of the Comet where we have to make a nerve tonic according to specifications. The big difference would be vague hints (which would require critical thinking) rather than asking someone for the answers.

• Access the the library computer: One thing this game needs is a central archive. We could then tie it to the holoemitters currently in use and use it to visually extrapolate data (not Data). This has happened more than once, namely in TNG and Voyager. I would like to see something like the forensic crime TV stuff that's popular now. Think about this: LaForge actually used holography for crime scene reconstruction. We could have some sort of puzzle, hidden in plain sight, based on this idea. There's a murder on, say, New Romulus, and the dead guy was important somehow. So our mission is to take the info given to us by some official and create a hologram. Once constructed, we'll have to use visual cues, either stationary or in motion, to answer questions the official (quest giver) is asking. Each one would just be listed as an objective and checked off like normal. Okay, so it isn't really the real world. But it is a genre we're all familiar with and can get into.

Tell me this is not the library computer...

• Celebrations: In First Contact we got to see Worf get promoted (despite the obvious). They're all out in a wooden sailing ship and they do the ritual hazing. I think we should have a similar experience upon reaching max rank. It would be simple -- we would go on board a wooden ship (or even a lightship) and the admiral presiding would say some things and a formation would appear, and the dog and pony show would happen. And at then end we would be officially pinned Vice Admiral. We have a stateroom on ESD -- why not use the same set there and do the ritual in the holodeck? 

• Entertainment: The ideas for this one are mostly developed already. This would be more immersion than actual unique story telling, just to be fair. Captain Proton, LaForge's imagionary girlfriend, and Dixon Hill are great ideas for missions. I'm not gonna go down the list, but I will say canon not lacking in ideas. Well, maybe TOS, but I'll give CPT Kirk a pass. I would really like the see a Cardassian version of 007, or Data's version of Sherlock Holmes, but those are all copyrighted (thus why there was only one 007 episode). Anyhow, at least one of these would be welcome. I'm just asking for some representation of the random WTF type stuff we occasionally saw on TV.

• Mindtrip: Okay, Frame of Mind didn't take place on a holodeck. But, for our purposes, we could do something similar. Future Imperfect would serve as a template. (Supposedly) enemies kidnap our character. We'll blame the Tal Shiar here, but the True Way, Orion Syndicate, or any other bad guy we already have would do, so long as it isn't the Borg. Story would be something simple yet awesome. They try to extract intel by tossing us into a holosim based on our own memories (these, of course, would be taken from past story missions). Throughout the mission we have to find out who's the friend and who's the enemy. In the end we escape and the final battle would be fighting our captors in that creepy lab. Maybe even a few unfinished holograms, like in Homeward and Insurrection would add to the confusion and give it away. There wouldn't be a lot of new material for this one, as everything is supposed to be real. It would just have to be written well to be pulled off.

So, as usual, I have random cool pics that I don't want going to waste. Also as usual, I expect to have random afterthoughts on this one. I'll do it when I come up with some.

Can I help you, gentlemen?

I'm SO ready to be done with this semester...

Starfleet Academy

As promised, this is a long one. With that in mind, I broke it into sections to make it more digestible. I'm skipping the orbital view here because there pretty much isn't one, unless you want me to needlessly post a pic of a bunch of ships docked at ESD. So I'm fast forwarding to the ground stuff.

San Francisco

We all know Starfleet Academy is based in San Francisco. There's this beautiful view of the city from one of the memorial plaques. The one pictured is the one for George and Gracie. You can't see it in the screenshot, but there are animated shuttles coming and going along the Golden Gate Bridge.

"It doesn't look that much different." -- Sulu

Boothby

One of the most striking features of the entire place is this huge tree...

Shouldn't there be a bench, or a chair, or someplace to sit?

Sorry for the pic of Q. I couldn't conceal him as effectively as it would seem.

This is obviously the tree CPT Picard spoke of when he told stories about Boothby. While he is mentioned in one of the plaques, I feel like Boothby deserves more than that. CPT Picard's respect was not something to be taken lightly. The way I see it, we should have a holographic Boothby that we can talk to. He could answer questions about the Academy, some of its history and training, and notable officers he would have known. He could also go into his grounds keeping, talking about how he hated bug killers and such. He could offer directions around the place. The whole thing, of course, would be done in the voice and character of Boothby, grumpy old man, father figure, and nice guy alike. Not a mission, just something cool.

The Buildings

Notice how there are several buildings here. Presumably one of these buildings is Starfleet Medical. It isn't labeled or mentioned, but we have to assume it's in here somewhere. There also isn't any clearly defined entrance or exit. It leads me to wonder if beaming and shuttle travel are the only ways of getting into the place. That would also imply that this is not really a training academy, but a military compound...yeah, I'm not going there.

Take a good look at the above pic. Upon running around a while it becomes clear something is missing. That's right -- turbolifts. ALL the buildings have multiple stories, yet we only have access to the ground floor. It wouldn't be hard to fill the space. We have DOffs of every major specialty. One would assume they were trained here. So why not have labs and areas relating to their specialties?

For example, an Astrometrics Scientist would have an Astrometrics Lab. A Photonic Studies Scientist would have a lab like Data's. A Botanist would have a mini-arboretum. None of this would have to be interactive (though it would be cool if they gave us DOff assignments). It would just add to the cool factor and make this map look like a place of learning.

Another thing worth mentioning -- there are no identifiable dorms! There are so many cadets on the map (more on this later) but nowhere for them to live. While it is conceivable that transporter technology makes planetary travel irrelevant, I don't think it's likely. Joseph Sisko said that when his son went to the academy he expected him to transport every night for dinner and return to the dorm. So it would make sense to have some sort of living quarters here.

I've had this thought that a random mini-mission could revolve around the cadets here. It would require talking and running around, but it would give a bit of character to the place. The only real reward would probably be diplomacy, and maybe a small amount of expertise.

• First, something happens between two or three cadets (think college--it can be anything trivial).
• Your character has to talk to both parties and find out what happened.
• Predictably, one would return to the first cadet and decide what to do about it.
• There should be an option at this point -- involve the dean or not.
• If you report to the dean, that will effectively end the mission. Later (on a different visit) you can check in with the same cadet somewhere else on campus to find out disciplinary action was taken.
• If you don't involve the dean, you have to try to work things out yourself. This would go in the obvious, back and forth way with right and wrong answers. The end result is either you resolve the situation or you don't. Upon visiting the cadet later, you find out if he's still talking to the others involved and whatnot. 

There also needs to be a gym for the security officers to train. This would be a great way to incorporate hand-to-hand and melee combos in game. The current tutorial doesn't really explain them. There needs to be a place to practice. Hell, this could even be used as a place to try out new weapons with a sparring partner. Speaking of the tutorial, it would be nice if we got a class ring costume piece for finishing it.

• A gym could be used for sports-based minigames. For example, simplified versions of fencing, racquetball, and anbo-jyutsu could be used for expertise and EC. Tournaments could be held as a daily PvP-type mission with DIL as a reward.
• It would also be cool to have a storage locker (similar to the one below) inside the gym. The instructor will say, "choose your weapon," and you'll have to go to the locker to get it. Just a little touch, but it would be great.

Storage locker used in the tutorial

Inside the main building, there is a huge corridor. It contains numerous doors and an implied turbolift, but none of it is functional. Cadets just walk up and down the hall and talk near doors and walls. No one goes in or out. Why not put in desks and a guy in front teaching something? Of course, the uniform would indicate (or imply) the type of training being done. It could even be on a loop -- it would just create the illusion of this being an academic institution.

WTF hallway

The hallway ends with a prominent door. I assume it's either a turbolift or the entrance to something that requires a load screen. I can only wonder what it could lead to. I like to think it's the transporter to and from the dorms. Maybe it's the secret entrance to Red Squad's secret underground military headquarters? We may never know. Would be nice if it actually did something.

The NPC Population

It's been mentioned that there are a number of purposeless NPCs on this map. It kinda gives me flashbacks of Defera, actually. The behaviors are identical -- randomly walking to and from nowhere, stopping to scan nothing important and moving on, never stopping to sit down anywhere. Okay, the last one didn't apply to Defera as that planet has NOTHING to sit on in any area.

One would assume these NPCs would at least be doing something class related. But...no. They aren't. They're just a bunch of reskinned Deferi zombies. I'm really not sure what can be done to make them look more like Starfleet Cadets, aside from the aforementioned classroom and specialty area ideas. If we had different buildings for them to wander, I would think their uniforms would mostly match up. For example, the medical school would be populated with mostly medical cadets, but the odd security or engineering guy would pop up from time to time. It makes sense since everyone has to take basic first aid and field medicine courses. Little things like that would really add to the ambiance.

Going to class or walking past the room?

Where are they all coming from?

At least they move with a sense of purpose...

Then there's this:

I'm not sure if it's a practical joke from a college-educated dev, or a really strange coincidence. If you haven't been in college, you'll have LOTS of lines to look forward to. I swear I spend as much time waiting for stuff as I do trying to forget I'm actually in class. It's probably not true, but it certainly seems like it. They're all waiting in line for a guy at the desk that says and does NOTHING. The only other possibility is that the dev behind this monstrosity was a government worker of some kind and hated working with the public. Such a person would constantly have to fight urges to randomly kill people and redecorate the walls with their entrails. I can only imagine. 

We need more of these little personal touches in game.

Starfleet Medical

Ah, Starfleet Medical. The famous, the infamous. Question is, where is it? I've gone over this already, so let's ignore that the game seems to think it doesn't exist.

Fast forward to it actually being there. Inside all the instructors would wear blue. Their lectures (as described previously) would involve anatomic diagrams and medical tricorders. Ideally, there would be a teaching hospital on grounds, but a few rooms with patients inside would suffice. The main goal here is to create something that resembles a medical school.

As far as missions go, we could have a chain. Or, possibly different wards or rooms with readable tags. I can see those rooms with windows that doctors used to us way back when to study psychiatric patients. But, in this case, they would actually be studying the progress of these diseases and how they effect the patient. Okay, sounds B-Horror movie-ish (especially if the zombie Vulcans are involved). I think something like this would be cool. And it would also make mention of diseases in game (and possibly also the people who discovered and/or cured them). Perhaps an accolade could be given for reading all of them, much as there is for the memorial plaques.

• Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome stands out because it was engineered. We could have a mission that involves such mircomanipulation to create a vaccine against an alien virus.
• Speaking of Barclay's Disease -- how about Holo-transference Dementia Syndrome? This one could even be done in the context of Quark's holosuites (DS9 is coming later).
• Bendii Syndrome was known for being uncommon and not well studied. It would be interesting if there were Vulcans making use of the facilities here for their research. The "mission," of course, would mostly be talking to them and possibly handing them instruments and equipment.
• Iversons Disease Was similar to Progeria in that it caused rapid aging and loss of motor skills as it progressed, so some mention or mission of researching it would help tie the game to the real world. It would also demonstrate that, even in the future, sometimes genetic mutations can't be prevented. That humanity is essential to medicine, and to Starfleet as a whole. Well, it was supposed to be. Not going there...
• Irumodic Syndrome, or human senility, is another one worthy of mention. no matter we try, we can't keep our heads forever.
• Given CPT Archer's behavior, one might wonder if he had Multiple Personality Disorder. 
• Nanoprobe Virus simply must be mentioned somewhere. The Borg are an active threat in game and it would make sense.

The list goes on and on. It could also involve drugs like Cordrazine and Tri-ox Compound. I'm pretty sure I've made my point.

On a side note, it would be pretty cool if there was an NPC named Crusher somewhere. Just saying.

Random afterthoughts

Just a place holder...I suspect I'll have a few. Always do.

In Unrelated News

I keep getting this error message when I try to post to the forum.

I'm not entirely sure what it means. The forums have already had their maintenance period (or so they claimed). I have to wonder if they've blacklisted my IP for saying I can do better than PWE. I wouldn't put it beyond them.

I tried again, and was directed to the screen above. Looked to me like they were still undergoing maintenance.

Then finally can this one. I finally got in. That is, I was able to view the forum. So I went to my CP and was given the message above. It would seem the devs are. indeed, aware of the issue. No telling how long it will take them to unfuck it.

Okay, so I got bored and checked the forum server status. It appears to be up but locked out. Weird much, especially since they should be finished with whatever it was they were doing.

So now on Twitter they're saying they're doing another hour of work...and some were saying it was running slow. No word on who, or what the issue is. Just more waiting. Go PWE.

And now they claim to have reopened the forums 15 minutes (give or take) ago, but it isn't true. People are even saying so. No word yet on if they're still looking into it.

Anyway, for the moment I'm unable to post anything to the forums. So no updates for a while. Unless, of course, you come directly here instead.

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