Suggestions for discussion.
posted on June 24th, 2009, 5:38 pm
hello everyone i'm new to this forum, and i have been playing this game for awhile, and i really enjoy the improvements that have been made over the original star trek armada 2. i myself was extremely annoyed with how crappy armada 2 was, so i was relieved to find this site! 
by playing the game, however, i have noticed certain factions in particular that seem, IMHO, to be needed. i have looked at most of the previous discussions on this forum and i must mention that part of this post involves the cardassians, once again. but before you judge, take a look at my ideas: any suggestions of your own are very much welcome. ok, here goes:
alright, as everyone is well aware, the star trek universe is far from perfect. things go wrong all the time, equipment malfunctions, and things generally happen that could not be planned for. what i am suggesting is that we incorporate this element of entropy (randomness) into the gameplay. here's what i have in mind;
there is a certain probability in any situation that something, however insignificant, will GO WRONG. hypothetically speaking, we could design the game such that certain random things will happen, say 5% of the time.
1) the ferengi could loot a mining station?
2) the orion syndicate could sabotage or steal something
3)the Maquis could attack
4)crystalline entity could attack
5)special weapons could misfire
6)when the transporters are in use, there could be a small percentage (5%) in which mirror universe ships could spontaneously appear on the map and attack stuff.
7)in the Borg collective, collective connections are paramount. i say that, if there's a relatively small amount of collective connections available, there could be a percentage (5%) that the borg ship in question could accidentally disconnect from the hive mind.
Also, i have a lot of ideas for more playable races. i have seen recent posts discussing the Iconians, Noxter, and Ciadans, and i honestly hate the idea, b/c:
A) the Iconians are presumed DEAD. they were mentioned only in a few episodes.
who are the Ciadans????
C) if the developers are to go to the trouble of making an organic race, why not just make Species 8472?? its logical.
here's what i propose:
A) Species 8472
Kazon
C) Son'a- dominion avatar
D) yes, i'm gonna say it- THE CARDASSIANS. (either as a dominion avatar or separate)(i will talk in more detail about the cardassians later in this post).
Now that that's out of the way, i think we should also consider trade and diplomacy having a larger role in this game. what i think should be done is this:
- there should be an option for building a trade station (only as federation, dominion, romulans, and klingons, and cardassians if they are included)
- this trading station could have features where you could purchase alien technology, buy supplies, and "set-up" a "field-headquarters" for the Ferengi Commerce Authority.
- the Ferengi Commerce authority would allow someone to hire mercenary Ferengi Marauders and increase the amount of resources each freighter could carry.
-Also, there should be a "Field Embassy" structure that could allow players to negotiate with each other during a game.
-after being built, one could 'request' or 'ask' another player to send a diplomat (for a fee). afterwards, treaties could then be negotiated, provided that both players have ambassadors from each other.
Next, i believe that there could be a new game mode, which i call "King of the Hill". i think that if a Empok Nor or Omega Particle map was designed, they would be such that a team would have to occupy "Empok Nor" or hold the Omega Particle for as long as possible to win the game. there is of course a time limit to the game, say 2 hours.
i really like to play Age of Empires (3) and i would like to bring in some suggestions from that game. in Age of Empires 3, there are 3 classes of units: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. i think the main point here is that each class has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, creating the need to have each and every type of unit available. with Fleet Ops, if one has a few Galaxy class ships, in the game they destroy Jem' Hadar attack shps quite easily. i think there should be 3 classes of ships in Fleet Ops as well:
Destroyers (scouts, small attack ships like the be'rel, the saber, and the Jem'Hadar attack ship)
Frigates (support ships, frigates, and escort vessels)
Capital ships (battleships, larger artillery ships)
- each one of these classes will be strong against another class. destroyers, for example, should be strong vs. capital ships, and capital ships should be strong vs. other capital ships and bases. frigates could be used as capital ship defense and whatnot.
in the Dominion War, the large Jem' Hadar battleships and Keldon class and Galor class vessels needed fire support from Hideki class ships and Jem' Hadar attack ships. the computer game Homeworld 2 is very similiar to this idea.
Ok. i am just about done. here are a couple of last minute things to consider from each of the already present races before i talk about the Cardassians.
-Federation-
i think that there should be a Section 31 avatar. also, i think that the Oberth, New Orleans, Prometheus, Galaxy- X, Olympic, Equinox, Runabout, Dauntless, Incursion, and Constellation class ships should be substituted in instead of some of the other never seen ships.
also, going back to the Maquis, there could be a "Maquis Rebellion" feature only for Federation and/or Cardassians where all ships would turn into Maquis Raiders.
-Lastly, i think that Sovereign class ships should be a bit more powerful, and i also think that the Defiant should be MUCH MORE powerful (say, 100 offense, 75 defense, 32 system). however, there should only be a limit of 3 Defiant's that could be built.
-Klingons-
i think the Negh'Vars should be a bit more powerful
-Romulans-
i think it'd be a cool idea to have a Reman Avatar and a Tal' Shiar Avatar.
the Reman Avatar would allow construction of only ONE of Shinzon's Reman Warbird Scimitar. in exchange, regular warbirds (d'deridex) would not be able to be built. same with Tavara.
-Dominion-
Cardassian and Son'a Avatars????
i think the Jem' Hadar Attack ship's collision special weapon should be powerful enough to destroy a Galaxy class ship, since that's what happened in DS9.
Lastly, i think with much research, a Changeling infiltrator could be sent to a station to sabotage something. or steal it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
OK. the moment everybody i'm sure has been waiting for. i'm gonna bring up the Cardassians once again.
I understand the developer's intentions that the Cardassians are not a major race any more after the dominion war, however i still think they should be included because more people can associate and recognize the Cardassians then a race like the Iconians or the Noxter. They are also a favorite; EVERYBODY likes and wants to play as the bad guys. Seriously, who wouldn't want to see Dukat's "Military Transport" in action?! lol
i think if the Cardassians were to be included as a separate race, a special feature could be that their mining stations could be refitted to have heavy defenses and weapons like Terok Nor and Empok Nor. additionally, mining freighters could be refitted as troop transports and mining freighters themselves could have limited weaponry, just like in DS9. also, there could be Orbital weapons platforms, much like in the Chin'toka system. also, Asteroid sensor stations could be created, like in the Star Trek game Klingon Academy.
The military transport, Hideki, Galor, and Keldon class ships would included in the race, with Keldons and Galors being battleships and Hideki's as Jem' Hadar attack ship equivalent.
There could be 3 Avatars: The Obsidian Order, The Detapa Council, and Central Command.
The Obsidian Order.
the obsidian order avatar could have refits available for Galor and Keldon class ships to increase their speed and defensive systems. also, Keldon's would be able to cloak. the downside would be that construction of all ships would be more expensive and would take longer.
Detapa Council.
the Detapa Council should have an increased attributes to defensive and system stats, and Keldon production would be limited. in exchange, resources are mined 5% faster than that of any other race, and Research would be 10% less than normal.
Central Command.
some ideas are that Central Command would allow Military freighters to be refitted to be troop transports with extensive defensive shielding. additionally, Central Command Avatar would allow construction of 2 Dreadnought missiles, which would be powerful enough to destroy a Borg cube. Research would cost 10-15% more, howevever, and Keldon class production would again be limited.
I know i wrote a novel and that i brought up a lot of controversial ideas, but i would really appreciate some feedback. thanks for hearing me out
by playing the game, however, i have noticed certain factions in particular that seem, IMHO, to be needed. i have looked at most of the previous discussions on this forum and i must mention that part of this post involves the cardassians, once again. but before you judge, take a look at my ideas: any suggestions of your own are very much welcome. ok, here goes:alright, as everyone is well aware, the star trek universe is far from perfect. things go wrong all the time, equipment malfunctions, and things generally happen that could not be planned for. what i am suggesting is that we incorporate this element of entropy (randomness) into the gameplay. here's what i have in mind;
there is a certain probability in any situation that something, however insignificant, will GO WRONG. hypothetically speaking, we could design the game such that certain random things will happen, say 5% of the time.
1) the ferengi could loot a mining station?
2) the orion syndicate could sabotage or steal something
3)the Maquis could attack
4)crystalline entity could attack
5)special weapons could misfire
6)when the transporters are in use, there could be a small percentage (5%) in which mirror universe ships could spontaneously appear on the map and attack stuff.
7)in the Borg collective, collective connections are paramount. i say that, if there's a relatively small amount of collective connections available, there could be a percentage (5%) that the borg ship in question could accidentally disconnect from the hive mind.
Also, i have a lot of ideas for more playable races. i have seen recent posts discussing the Iconians, Noxter, and Ciadans, and i honestly hate the idea, b/c:
A) the Iconians are presumed DEAD. they were mentioned only in a few episodes.
who are the Ciadans???? C) if the developers are to go to the trouble of making an organic race, why not just make Species 8472?? its logical.
here's what i propose:
A) Species 8472
KazonC) Son'a- dominion avatar
D) yes, i'm gonna say it- THE CARDASSIANS. (either as a dominion avatar or separate)(i will talk in more detail about the cardassians later in this post).
Now that that's out of the way, i think we should also consider trade and diplomacy having a larger role in this game. what i think should be done is this:
- there should be an option for building a trade station (only as federation, dominion, romulans, and klingons, and cardassians if they are included)
- this trading station could have features where you could purchase alien technology, buy supplies, and "set-up" a "field-headquarters" for the Ferengi Commerce Authority.
- the Ferengi Commerce authority would allow someone to hire mercenary Ferengi Marauders and increase the amount of resources each freighter could carry.
-Also, there should be a "Field Embassy" structure that could allow players to negotiate with each other during a game.
-after being built, one could 'request' or 'ask' another player to send a diplomat (for a fee). afterwards, treaties could then be negotiated, provided that both players have ambassadors from each other.
Next, i believe that there could be a new game mode, which i call "King of the Hill". i think that if a Empok Nor or Omega Particle map was designed, they would be such that a team would have to occupy "Empok Nor" or hold the Omega Particle for as long as possible to win the game. there is of course a time limit to the game, say 2 hours.
i really like to play Age of Empires (3) and i would like to bring in some suggestions from that game. in Age of Empires 3, there are 3 classes of units: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. i think the main point here is that each class has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, creating the need to have each and every type of unit available. with Fleet Ops, if one has a few Galaxy class ships, in the game they destroy Jem' Hadar attack shps quite easily. i think there should be 3 classes of ships in Fleet Ops as well:
Destroyers (scouts, small attack ships like the be'rel, the saber, and the Jem'Hadar attack ship)
Frigates (support ships, frigates, and escort vessels)
Capital ships (battleships, larger artillery ships)
- each one of these classes will be strong against another class. destroyers, for example, should be strong vs. capital ships, and capital ships should be strong vs. other capital ships and bases. frigates could be used as capital ship defense and whatnot.
in the Dominion War, the large Jem' Hadar battleships and Keldon class and Galor class vessels needed fire support from Hideki class ships and Jem' Hadar attack ships. the computer game Homeworld 2 is very similiar to this idea.
Ok. i am just about done. here are a couple of last minute things to consider from each of the already present races before i talk about the Cardassians.
-Federation-
i think that there should be a Section 31 avatar. also, i think that the Oberth, New Orleans, Prometheus, Galaxy- X, Olympic, Equinox, Runabout, Dauntless, Incursion, and Constellation class ships should be substituted in instead of some of the other never seen ships.
also, going back to the Maquis, there could be a "Maquis Rebellion" feature only for Federation and/or Cardassians where all ships would turn into Maquis Raiders.
-Lastly, i think that Sovereign class ships should be a bit more powerful, and i also think that the Defiant should be MUCH MORE powerful (say, 100 offense, 75 defense, 32 system). however, there should only be a limit of 3 Defiant's that could be built.
-Klingons-
i think the Negh'Vars should be a bit more powerful
-Romulans-
i think it'd be a cool idea to have a Reman Avatar and a Tal' Shiar Avatar.
the Reman Avatar would allow construction of only ONE of Shinzon's Reman Warbird Scimitar. in exchange, regular warbirds (d'deridex) would not be able to be built. same with Tavara.
-Dominion-
Cardassian and Son'a Avatars????
i think the Jem' Hadar Attack ship's collision special weapon should be powerful enough to destroy a Galaxy class ship, since that's what happened in DS9.
Lastly, i think with much research, a Changeling infiltrator could be sent to a station to sabotage something. or steal it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
OK. the moment everybody i'm sure has been waiting for. i'm gonna bring up the Cardassians once again.
I understand the developer's intentions that the Cardassians are not a major race any more after the dominion war, however i still think they should be included because more people can associate and recognize the Cardassians then a race like the Iconians or the Noxter. They are also a favorite; EVERYBODY likes and wants to play as the bad guys. Seriously, who wouldn't want to see Dukat's "Military Transport" in action?! lol
i think if the Cardassians were to be included as a separate race, a special feature could be that their mining stations could be refitted to have heavy defenses and weapons like Terok Nor and Empok Nor. additionally, mining freighters could be refitted as troop transports and mining freighters themselves could have limited weaponry, just like in DS9. also, there could be Orbital weapons platforms, much like in the Chin'toka system. also, Asteroid sensor stations could be created, like in the Star Trek game Klingon Academy.
The military transport, Hideki, Galor, and Keldon class ships would included in the race, with Keldons and Galors being battleships and Hideki's as Jem' Hadar attack ship equivalent.
There could be 3 Avatars: The Obsidian Order, The Detapa Council, and Central Command.
The Obsidian Order.
the obsidian order avatar could have refits available for Galor and Keldon class ships to increase their speed and defensive systems. also, Keldon's would be able to cloak. the downside would be that construction of all ships would be more expensive and would take longer.
Detapa Council.
the Detapa Council should have an increased attributes to defensive and system stats, and Keldon production would be limited. in exchange, resources are mined 5% faster than that of any other race, and Research would be 10% less than normal.
Central Command.
some ideas are that Central Command would allow Military freighters to be refitted to be troop transports with extensive defensive shielding. additionally, Central Command Avatar would allow construction of 2 Dreadnought missiles, which would be powerful enough to destroy a Borg cube. Research would cost 10-15% more, howevever, and Keldon class production would again be limited.
I know i wrote a novel and that i brought up a lot of controversial ideas, but i would really appreciate some feedback. thanks for hearing me out
posted on June 24th, 2009, 5:47 pm
Last edited by Zebh on June 25th, 2009, 8:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
posted on June 24th, 2009, 5:49 pm
hmm actually i always liked the idea of seeing the iconians mainly because they were never seen before that allows the devs to put in some of their own imaginations..
and just because ships like the galaxy x are canon that doesnt make them better looking, i really like ships like the remoore
but i like your ideas iof different game modes =)
sry for my bad english ^^
and just because ships like the galaxy x are canon that doesnt make them better looking, i really like ships like the remoore
but i like your ideas iof different game modes =)
sry for my bad english ^^
posted on June 24th, 2009, 5:50 pm
great collection of ideas, if the admins and creators see this they may see potential in it. Nice... 
posted on June 24th, 2009, 6:01 pm
To address your (large) post I'll go one by one:
Although the "random events" type situation would be neat, it is also very un-RTS like. Random factors can cause all sorts of problems (crates are the closest thing to this that I'd want implemented... even those have some major problems) because they are random and not player controled. If you are having a close match and you lose just because suddenly some ships popped out of nowhere and destroyed a few of your ships--you'd be pissed. If this feature were brought in, it should come with a disable/enable box, just like NPC's as for certain games it would be fun, but others it would probably be downright infuriating.
In relation to Ciadan, Noxter, and Iconians: try running a search for the features. Fleet Operations is based of a RPG that Optec created, so the races that are in it stem from that. That said, although more races might be added, those three races above are going to be in regardless. The Iconians are not dead--far from it in the Dev teams game
Trade stations have been discussed extensively: I have no idea if there are any plans to implement them. However, NPC's will be in later and give you access to special ships etc, so look out for that :whistling:
Game modes and exclusive themed maps will eventually be coming, just give it time. Redmanmark is going to be releasing a mod for FO of sorts that will give a themed map later... and Optec stated that he was going to do something similar.
As Zebh stated, FO already has classes and specific "rules" for units. If you'd like more info, take a look at the stickied strategy guide in the Strategy Subforum.
Section 31 will not be in. An avatar for Starfleet Intelligence however will be. There is another mod of FO that is in the works that will include Section 31 to wet your appetite.
I don't like the Maquis idea, but that might just be because I wasn't the greatest fan of DS9 and I don't think it should define FO considering it is set after the Dominion War--not during it.
The Federation will be getting a redo soon enough. I don't suspect you'll be seeing a Defiant with those ridiculous stats though (since when was the Defiant able to take out a Cube anyway--remember First Contact??)
The Scimitar is out: however, Sela will be making a return at some point... and can't remember about the Remans (I think maybe as mercenaries)
A Son'a avatar is planned for the Dominion. Cardassians will not be in as a Dominion ally as they are not part of the Dominion in the game/RPG.
The A-20 Attack Destroyer can already 3 shot a Galaxy. Anymore would be overpowered. Please do not compare the show to the game as that would be inordinately unbalanced (ooo look, a Sovereign can take out a Sphere with 4 quantum torpedoes!~)
Not to be rude, but once again, remember this is based of an RPG for the Dev teams enjoyment. We are spectators and suggestors, not implementers. If the Devs want the Cardies in (who will make a return as an NPC, and much much later on as a race I think) they have already decided.
Although the "random events" type situation would be neat, it is also very un-RTS like. Random factors can cause all sorts of problems (crates are the closest thing to this that I'd want implemented... even those have some major problems) because they are random and not player controled. If you are having a close match and you lose just because suddenly some ships popped out of nowhere and destroyed a few of your ships--you'd be pissed. If this feature were brought in, it should come with a disable/enable box, just like NPC's as for certain games it would be fun, but others it would probably be downright infuriating.
In relation to Ciadan, Noxter, and Iconians: try running a search for the features. Fleet Operations is based of a RPG that Optec created, so the races that are in it stem from that. That said, although more races might be added, those three races above are going to be in regardless. The Iconians are not dead--far from it in the Dev teams game
Trade stations have been discussed extensively: I have no idea if there are any plans to implement them. However, NPC's will be in later and give you access to special ships etc, so look out for that :whistling:
Game modes and exclusive themed maps will eventually be coming, just give it time. Redmanmark is going to be releasing a mod for FO of sorts that will give a themed map later... and Optec stated that he was going to do something similar.
As Zebh stated, FO already has classes and specific "rules" for units. If you'd like more info, take a look at the stickied strategy guide in the Strategy Subforum.
Section 31 will not be in. An avatar for Starfleet Intelligence however will be. There is another mod of FO that is in the works that will include Section 31 to wet your appetite.
I don't like the Maquis idea, but that might just be because I wasn't the greatest fan of DS9 and I don't think it should define FO considering it is set after the Dominion War--not during it.
The Federation will be getting a redo soon enough. I don't suspect you'll be seeing a Defiant with those ridiculous stats though (since when was the Defiant able to take out a Cube anyway--remember First Contact??)
The Scimitar is out: however, Sela will be making a return at some point... and can't remember about the Remans (I think maybe as mercenaries)
A Son'a avatar is planned for the Dominion. Cardassians will not be in as a Dominion ally as they are not part of the Dominion in the game/RPG.
The A-20 Attack Destroyer can already 3 shot a Galaxy. Anymore would be overpowered. Please do not compare the show to the game as that would be inordinately unbalanced (ooo look, a Sovereign can take out a Sphere with 4 quantum torpedoes!~)
Not to be rude, but once again, remember this is based of an RPG for the Dev teams enjoyment. We are spectators and suggestors, not implementers. If the Devs want the Cardies in (who will make a return as an NPC, and much much later on as a race I think) they have already decided.
posted on June 24th, 2009, 9:46 pm
posted on June 25th, 2009, 2:25 am
thanks for all the feedback guys! i just hope the developers like some of these ideas as well.
posted on June 25th, 2009, 3:44 am
Welcome to the forums, bassman750!
To add to your list of things that could go wrong, I suggest Holodeck malfunctions. Every so often you should lose crew who got stuck in a holodeck accident, and you can bet they don't all end up as well as they did on the Enterprise. So every now and then 10 people should die, with an alert that says, "Some of your crew members were walking in a holographic forest when it malfunctioned and couldn't find their way out. They died." It would be hilarious! I mean, every 8th episode of pretty much all the star trek series is about a holodeck malfunction. Holodecks have proven more dangerous than a Romulan plot, more periless than an encounter with the Borg. We need to see more holodeck accidents, me thinks. 
To add to your list of things that could go wrong, I suggest Holodeck malfunctions. Every so often you should lose crew who got stuck in a holodeck accident, and you can bet they don't all end up as well as they did on the Enterprise.
So every now and then 10 people should die, with an alert that says, "Some of your crew members were walking in a holographic forest when it malfunctioned and couldn't find their way out. They died." It would be hilarious! I mean, every 8th episode of pretty much all the star trek series is about a holodeck malfunction. Holodecks have proven more dangerous than a Romulan plot, more periless than an encounter with the Borg. We need to see more holodeck accidents, me thinks. posted on June 25th, 2009, 1:08 pm
*facepalm*
posted on June 25th, 2009, 1:14 pm
How about this? Every hour or so some accident on a ship or station occurs. Like:
"Plasma Conduict Rupture occured", or "Antimatter containment feild failure" or something liek that that either causes heavy damage or destroys the ship. Damaging nebulas would increase the chance of being the unlucky ship.
We could also have it where if two enemy ships come to close they can scratch each others hull! Than debris would fly everywhere!
"Plasma Conduict Rupture occured", or "Antimatter containment feild failure" or something liek that that either causes heavy damage or destroys the ship. Damaging nebulas would increase the chance of being the unlucky ship.
We could also have it where if two enemy ships come to close they can scratch each others hull! Than debris would fly everywhere!
posted on June 25th, 2009, 9:49 pm
posted on June 25th, 2009, 10:51 pm
RYDERSTORM wrote:You know what...Id like to see weather phenomna In fleet ops...I dont know if it could be done but say things like plasma storms, Ion storms, Comets, Asteroid storms...I know we have nebulas that can damage ships but I think having some astral phenomena that roam the map would be cool....Though I do admit that Im having a hard time figuring how it would be implemented into the game without ditracting or adversely impacting the the balance of the game.
There would need to be some way to defend against it. Imagine being killed off early game by the astronomical equivalent of a bit of rain
posted on June 26th, 2009, 1:38 am
posted on June 26th, 2009, 3:58 am
posted on June 26th, 2009, 8:21 pm
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