When Cryptic Studios thinks about Star Trek Online a year post-release, they’re not sure what they’ll see. Content in the long-term is not being planned.
In a recent interview, I asked STO associate producer Velasquez a simple, but complicated question: when he thinks about STO a year post-release, what does he see? How about three years? A decade?
Their crystal ball isn’t broken or battered -- it just isn’t necessary. The studio plans to lean on the MMO’s players in decisions concerning later content rather than stuffing all their Tribbles in one basket.
“Right now, honestly, we’re focused on launch and what follows,” he told me via e-mail. “Making a long-term plan is great, but so much of what we do will be determined by our fans and users that much of the plan won’t be applicable.”
“So, we’re obligated to take a wait-and-see approach if only so that we can better appease our player base,” he continued. “Why bother planning out ten or even one year’s worth of work if the first thing out of everyone’s mouth is going to be, ‘Don’t do that?’”
Additional content is coming, but Cryptic isn't ready to talk about what it is.
“We’re definitely going to be adding content across the board. Nothing we can really delve into, though.”
Contest:
1:30 PM on 12.23.2009
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I just hope they have enough to launch to bring out more, because MMOs make or break with their launch content.
However an in-game "KHAAAN!!" Emote is enough to cement my preorder. Whether I stay after the free month is another matter.
Players arent designers because most of us simply have other jobs or hobbies than making games. That doesnt mean that the players are any more "wrong" about a game idea than the developers are.
In fact most developers are programmers or graphics artists, with only a few handful of people actually thinking up and deciding upon gameplay stuff. These are normal real mortal people.
In what way exactly, are the ideas that sprout from their minds any better than the ideas of 100.000 loyal fans who have been playing games for 10+ years and knows what works and doesnt work?
If you need an example of developers who dont know what they are doing, look at Dawn of War 2 or C&C4, or the changes that killed Star Wars Galaxies. I rest my case.
Agree with evrything you said. The changes made to DoW2 in particular really annoyed me. As far as interesting content for this game goes, I'm really hoping that the exploration aspect of the game is well fleshed out. I'm way more excited about cruising around the unexplored portions of the galaxy and finding new planets than I am about space battles or pvp.