Star Trek Online thread

[3 of 12]

So I found something while messing about in the character creator last night. I'm not sure if it's old news though but there's a Talaxian eyebrow setting for Pakleds.



Maybe we'll be seeing them in season 9?

[Tuskin38]

Some time during the launch year of STO they said they planned on adding Talaxians as a playable race but it never happened.

[Darkthunder]

New ship materials coming, for free

http://sto.perfectworld.com/blog/?p=1094401

And naturally, no clarification in the blog (or thus far, in the forums), as to which ships get the new materials, and which ships don't.

As you may be aware, certain ships are limited to only certain materials, while other ships have unique materials that are not available on the rest of the ships. Many have asked for the regular "Starfleet" materials (i.e Type 1, 2, 3 etc) for non-Starfleet ships such as the Andorians, the Atrox and the Vulcan. As of yet, no response if or when that may be made possible. And yes, Andorians and Vulcans are still just as much a part of Starfleet as us "Earthens", just that they tend to stick to their own designs (in STO anyways).

Also, for FED ships, the materials have always been plagued with a very bad looking deflector  (other than the Type 2 material, which is similar in style to the Galaxy class deflector). Again, many have asked for the deflector style to be separated from the hull style, but as of yet, no dice.

New materials is a welcome addition naturally. Just would be nice if Cryptic were less "Cryptic" in explaining how to obtain the new materials. Someone already asked "How do you reclaim a Fleet ship to get the new material", and Jamjamz (one of the ship artists) basically said "Fleet ships have their own fleet material". That's not what the question was, so he sidestepped that one.

[3 of 12]

Some time during the launch year of STO they said they planned on adding Talaxians as a playable race but it never happened.

Ah. Didn't know that lol

[Tuskin38]

Wouldn't make sense to give those non-standard designed ships Starfleet materials.

They would probably look horrible in them as well.

Also in the blog it says

"and added to all Starfleet ships"

[Darkthunder]

Wouldn't make sense to give those non-standard designed ships Starfleet materials.

They would probably look horrible in them as well.

Also in the blog it says

"and added to all Starfleet ships"

1. Why would it not make sense? An Andorian-designed ship is still a Starfleet ship, unless it's a rogue/privateer, and not part of Starfleet.

2. How do you know it what it would look like, without actually seeing them with the materials applied? Guess-work?

Canon supports the notion that an individual armed force (such as the Andorian Imperial Guard) becomes rolled into the larger Starfleet upon acceptance into the Federation. As the Andorians and Vulcans were part of the formation of the Federation, it's -possible- they were allowed to keep their individual military fleets, while simultaneously dedicating resources into the new Federation Starfleet. In this regard, we'll never know, as there is no canon to suggest otherwise.

What we do know however, is that there have been multiple ships in Starfleet manned by all-Vulcan crews. Standard Earth-based designs, or Vulcan-designs? We don't know, since we never saw them. And even if it's a Vulcan-design, why would it not be possible to apply similar hull materials to a non-Earth design?

3. "All Starfleet ships" sounds all fine and dandy. But then you realize how horribly messed up the system is in-game, where some ships have certain materials, some don't. Some ships can be discharged and reclaimed ad nauseum. Some can't. Fleet ships can't be reclaimed. Neither can lockbox ships. Does the blog go into detail on if these Fleet ships get the new materials as well? And if they don't, doesn't that kinda go contradictory to "all Starfleet ships" ?

[BarnesSFC]

1. Why would it not make sense? An Andorian-designed ship is still a Starfleet ship, unless it's a rogue/privateer, and not part of Starfleet.

2. How do you know it what it would look like, without actually seeing them with the materials applied? Guess-work?

Canon supports the notion that an individual armed force (such as the Andorian Imperial Guard) becomes rolled into the larger Starfleet upon acceptance into the Federation. As the Andorians and Vulcans were part of the formation of the Federation, it's -possible- they were allowed to keep their individual military fleets, while simultaneously dedicating resources into the new Federation Starfleet. In this regard, we'll never know, as there is no canon to suggest otherwise.

What we do know however, is that there have been multiple ships in Starfleet manned by all-Vulcan crews. Standard Earth-based designs, or Vulcan-designs? We don't know, since we never saw them. And even if it's a Vulcan-design, why would it not be possible to apply similar hull materials to a non-Earth design?

3. "All Starfleet ships" sounds all fine and dandy. But then you realize how horribly messed up the system is in-game, where some ships have certain materials, some don't. Some ships can be discharged and reclaimed ad nauseum. Some can't. Fleet ships can't be reclaimed. Neither can lockbox ships. Does the blog go into detail on if these Fleet ships get the new materials as well? And if they don't, doesn't that kinda go contradictory to "all Starfleet ships" ?

Use a photoshop to turn a Vulcan D'kyr, a Caitian Atrox, and a Kumari grey and tell me how it looks to you.

[Tuskin38]

Because of their design, they're not the standard Nacelles hull configuration, it wouldn't look right.

Just because they're starfleet, that doesn't mean they need to have the standard hull materials.

Use a photoshop to turn a Vulcan D'kyr, a Caitian Atrox, and a Kumari grey and tell me how it looks to you.

Photoshop isn't magic, it won't make it look like it would in game.

[Darkthunder]

Use a photoshop to turn a Vulcan D'kyr, a Caitian Atrox, and a Kumari grey and tell me how it looks to you.

Sheesh, that suggestion is so beyond dumb...

[captain_obvious]

Because of their design, they're not the standard Nacelles hull configuration, it wouldn't look right.

Just because they're starfleet, that doesn't mean they need to have the standard hull materials.

What the hell kind of logic is that? Strawman much?

I think they should give it a go.  It's not like they'd have to spend all that much money or server time to do it.  If it works, then people will use it, if not then they will end up just like a dozen (or more) other things in STO that have simply been abandoned.

[BarnesSFC]

What the hell kind of logic is that? Strawman much?

I think they should give it a go.  It's not like they'd have to spend all that much money or server time to do it.  If it works, then people will use it, if not then they will end up just like a dozen (or more) other things in STO that have simply been abandoned.

They're working on the expansion, new features, and Season 9 in April. Not to mention Mirror Event in March.

This was probably a "free time" thing the ship artists were kind enough to do. Geez. cut them some slack.

[captain_obvious]

They're working on the expansion, new features, and Season 9 in April. Not to mention Mirror Event in March.

This was probably a "free time" thing the ship artists were kind enough to do. Geez. cut them some slack.

It's a set of textures that was already in game.  If they lay the textures out in a standard way (and I suspect they do), then all the UV maps etc will line up just fine and the textures should work.  All they'd need to do is flag ships so that they can use the texture sets (or the textures sets so that they can be applied to ships)
That's hardly difficult work if the stuff is already in game and fits within conventions. 

[BarnesSFC]

It's a set of textures that was already in game.  If they lay the textures out in a standard way (and I suspect they do), then all the UV maps etc will line up just fine and the textures should work.  All they'd need to do is flag ships so that they can use the texture sets (or the textures sets so that they can be applied to ships)
That's hardly difficult work if the stuff is already in game and fits within conventions. 

It is hard work if you have to make sure the textures line up properly/make sense for the different ship configurations, and not to mention they modified the type 5 hull material for FEDs. It wasn't already ingame.

[captain_obvious]

It is hard work if you have to make sure the textures line up properly/make sense for the different ship configurations

Perhaps, but as the textures would all be laid out in the files the same way all they'd have to do it make sure the UV maps on the meshes are okay.  Which they would probably assume, given that all the other textures work just fine on those boats.

[FarShot]

I'd like to point out that some custom textures are custom for good reason.  Some of those special ships use the UV sectors for special things.  Though all the materials have their subparts grouped in the same location (deflectors all being in the same place, etc) they do vary.  For example, the darker section of most armor textures (the black armor on the Type 6/Odyssey skin for example) is the copper deflector in the TOS skin.  Applying the TOS skin to an NX for example has a really odd side effect - the entire saucer rim plus a deck becomes copper colored like the Connie deflector.

[Tuskin38]

Applying the TOS skin to an NX for example has a really odd side effect - the entire saucer rim plus a deck becomes copper colored like the Connie deflector.

How did you do that? You extracted the models/textures?

Also tribble patch, includes the updated 'type 5' material

http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=15161651#post15161651

[captain_obvious]

the entire saucer rim plus a deck becomes copper colored like the Connie deflector.

That sounds rather cool actually xD

[Tuskin38]

The Type 5 material does work on Fleet ships.

[Darkthunder]

And what about the "need to reclaim" to use texture? For example on Fleet or Lockbox ships (since it's hard to "reclaim" those)

[Tuskin38]

And what about the "need to reclaim" to use texture? For example on Fleet or Lockbox ships (since it's hard to "reclaim" those)

I've tested the Type 5 Starfleet Material on 2 fleet ships, one mirror universe ship and a couple C-Store ships, worked on all of them without having to re-claim anything.

The patch notes say "may need to be discharged and then reclaimed." so it is possible I don't have a ship that would have to be reclaimed.