Weekly episode update!

[BlueBard]

NOTE: Changed the title of this thread so all weekly updates can be discussed.

For those unfamiliar with this, Cryptic has the ambitious goal to produce a series of weekly episodes that lay out a new storyline playable by both Fed and Klingon factions.


"Cold Call"
Without giving away too many secrets, this first installment involves diplomatic relations with a race known as the Deferi and conflict with the Breen.  A new sector has been opened up that links to both Eta Eridani and to the Cardassian sector.  The mission is offered as soon as you enter the sector.  There is also a Deferi contact at Earth Spacedock.

I think we were half expecting these weekly episodes to be retreads of existing content.

Let me tell you, this is NOT a retread.  It is well-detailed, well-written so far, and the Breen are a challenging enemy.  This feels like an episode of TNG so far.

The Breen are not enemies that you simply walk over, like some of STO's ground combat.  They are challenging enough that I had to respawn, and I rarely ever need to respawn in PvE.

Space combat with the Breen is even harder.  I tried to solo this and was doing okay up until I had to defend the Deferi Ambassador's ship against a wolf-pack of Breen ships.  I'm still not sure how I'm going to solo that battle with my Sci/Sci Commander

[BlueBard]

I did it!

I respawned again, but I did it.

Spoiler

I decided to forget about shields, and to disregard the fighters from the carrier.  Instead, I switched to my weapons power setting and popped as many damage debuffs and hull heals I had as fast as I could.  Whenever the fighters showed up, I hit the carrier with Scramble Sensors.  The goal was to punch through the enemy shields rather than avoid being damaged.

It also didn't hurt that I was real close to the carrier when my ship detonated the first time. 

Great mission!  Looking forward to the next.

[BlueBard]

"Out In The Cold"

I finally had a chance to play through this week's installment yesterday, having sacrificed much sleep in the process.

The continuing saga of the Deferi/Breen conflict has the player responding to a distress call from a Deferi transport.  The transport is (unsuccessfully) hiding from the Breen in the trail of a comet, which is easily the coolest visual in the series thus far.  They were trying for a sensation of movement and it works well enough.  I would have liked to see a more colorful trail, though.

When I initially tried this one, I wound up auto-teaming with a VA... and the encounter scaled to his level (+13!).  I can't count how many times I died.  Something was one-shotting my shields and I couldn't keep up with the heals and buffs.  After we aborted, I tried it again solo and it was much, much better.

The reward for this mission (as seen when the mission is offered) is a Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo.  Not quite sure what it does yet.

The ground portion of this mission was visually interesting, but ultimately seemed too easy on Normal difficulty.

[BlueBard]

FYI, The Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo I mentioned in the previous update fires like a torpedo, but the payload is a mine cluster that does extra shield penetration.

Also, I have gotten around to completing the first installment as a Klingon.  The mission plays the same, but with different flavor text and of course being able to leverage typical Klingon firepower and maneuverability.  On the ground, my 'ginsu' bat'leth was my friend.  I assure you it rips through Breen almost as easily as Feds, but with the disadvantage of the holds and slows available to the Breen enemy.  I found myself switching back and forth between ranged attacks and melee more than usual.

Cold Comfort
The latest episode is completely diplomatic, but it is failable judging by some of the zone chat I observed.  Not sure exactly what the penalty of failure is, since I managed to complete it correctly.  The reward is a crate of 'snow tubers' which I gather are supposed to provide consumable protection from Breen cryo attacks, but I haven't figured out how to use them yet.

The diplomatic mission consists of two parts.  The first involves correctly treating two injured Deferi with the right medications.  As long as you carefully follow the interview dialog and pay attention to the description of the medications, this shouldn't be too difficult.

The second part involves the interrogation of a Breen prisoner.  I won't provide any spoilers, but this one seems trickier.  If you offend the Breen by asking the wrong question, you lose.

The mission provides a little more background information about what the Breen are trying to do and another piece of the puzzle is given though the mystery has yet to unfold.  Again, I am enjoying these weekly episodes!  Very Trek.

[BlueBard]

Little more second-hand information about the snow tubers...

The crate must be 'used', after which you get a stack of 10 (?) snow tubers.  These can be consumed directly as food and I believe they are supposed to buff against cold damage.

They can also be fed to a tribble, which will create a Breen Cryo-Tribble that supposedly provides a similar buff vs cold.  This is reported to work only with certain breeds of tribble.  'ric' and 'mat' are confirmed on the forums.  I'm in the process of trying to breed the tribble I need (figures, after I threw out a bunch I had banked).  The Breen Cryo-Tribble is unique; you can only possess one.

It has also been reported that there is a Ferengi vendor on Deferi which will at certain times sell items obtained from Breen salvage.  After you complete 'Cold Call' there is a chance that you can  buy more Cryo Grenades, but I have yet to see confirmation that anyone has actually managed to buy them.  Ditto on buying snow tubers after completing 'Cold Comfort'.

There is also an active poll on the STO forums (as of yesterday) asking which enemy faction we'd like to see in a weekly episode.  Go vote!!!

[BlueBard]

I owe a couple of updates, I guess...

The quick update is, the weekly series has now concluded.  Better hurry up and finish it if you want the Purple-y reward for completing the series during its' original run.

After all, you don't want to miss out on the

Spoiler

Breen Tactical Officer!

Very, very cool.  Trust me.

[BlueBard]

Two updates for the price of one!

(Okay, actually one is just a week late...)

Cold Case

The premise of this episode is that you, the player, are racing the Breen to collect the pieces of the star map leading to the fabled Preserver Archive.

The good news is, this episode contains puzzles, space combat, and ground combat.

The less-good news is that the reward for this episode is underwhelming, to say the least.

I forget the name of it, offhand, but what it does is --

Spoiler

You cast it on other players and momentarily freeze them in place.  This is supposed to be a visual effect/animation only and does not actually hold or root the victim.

I guess it will come in handy when winter rolls around.

Cold Storage

Now that you've gathered the pieces of the star map, the location of the Preserver Archive is revealed.  Or at least the planet upon which it lies.  First you have to fight your way through squabbling squadrons.  Then on the surface, you have to scan artifacts to uncover the entrance to the Archive while also defeating Breen soldiers.  The ending includes a minor puzzle, a startling revelation (the Archive isn't what you might think it is), and a decent boss fight.

The mission reward is a cryogenic ranged ground weapon.  Haven't used it yet, so I can't comment on it.  The super-special series reward I have already revealed above.  Time is running out to get that one!

In Other News...

The antagonists for the next weekly series have been revealed: the ghostly, energy-vampiric Devidians.

Also, I have successfully bred up a Breen Cryo Tribble.  If anyone wants to know how to do it, let me know.

[BlueBard]

The first episode of the Devidian series has launched: Skirmish

First, the non-spoilery stuff --

Along with the series launch, Drozana Station has gotten an overhaul, at least on the outside.  Looks like an actual space station now, instead of a mining outpost.  Also, you occasionally see Devidians flitting through Drozana Station, though they do not attack and don't seem to be targetable.

The Devidians have also gotten an overhaul, in both appearance and in powers.  The special effect for a hold-type power they have is really cool looking, and another cool effect is a sort of rippling of the air around them from time to time.  I think this is tied to some power, but haven't figured out what yet.

One downside of this first mission is that it crashes my laptop upon exiting.  I've run it twice, once as a Klingon and once as a Fed and it's crashed both times.  I am not the only one, judging from posts in the forums.  When I re-enter STO, it runs an integrity check on the files.  Very annoying.  I'm reluctant to run it again unless this issue is fixed, whatever it is.

The special reward for this mission is a defensive device called a Subspace Field Modulator.  The bad news here is that it's going to take up a device slot on your ship.  In addition to its' other effects, it also apparently makes you more vulnerable to a damage type that is not currently in-game.  Only time will tell how great a reward this will turn out to be.

I may post more on this later.  Overall it's a cool mission, very Trek, though not very difficult except at the end.

[BlueBard]

"Spin The Wheel"

You gotta love a mission that lets you play Dabo

This week's mission is not too difficult.  As with some of the Breen missions, this one revolves around solving a puzzle.  In this case, rerouting power through systems in Drozana Station.  You have to make six consecutive connections in the correct order.  As far as I know there is only one correct solution.  It's not too hard if you collect all of the 'clues' first.

There's no fighting whatsoever.  The plot is okay, but this is probably one of the weaker of the weeklies I've played in that respect.  It would have been better with more intrigue... and more Dabo!

It does set you up for fighting Devidians, since the reward is a special ground weapon which should give you an advantage in coming episodes.  How you ultimately get the weapon is the biggest difference between Fed and Klingon play; Feds go to Deep Space K-9 to complete while Klingons go to Ganalda, and the background behind the weapon is faction-appropriate.  Neither station is that far away from Drozana, so the runaround factor is not irritatingly high.

Completing the mission also unlocks a special consumable available from any bartender at Drozana: Comet Cocktails.  I spotted a message on the zone that suggests you can breed a special tribble with it.  I'll try it and report back.

The real point of this mission is to build suspense and advance the story as the mysterious comet draws closer to Drozana and the inevitable showdown with the Devidians.  In that respect, it works.

[RTTingle]

Try the Cav or Dea tribbles with the Comet Cocktails...

... I also get a kick out of how the reward for the lastest weekly acts like a Ghostbusters proton thrower... which considering the aliens, is well --- appropriate. 


---RTT

[BlueBard]

What Lies Beneath

This episode gets some mixed reviews from me, but overall it was very well done and incorporated some new 'stuff' to keep it fresh.

Due to the nature of the episode, with a horror/murder-mystery feel, I will refrain from making any unspoilered comments that would ruin the effect.  All I will say is that they succeeded in making this a truly creepy episode

Spoiler

Early in the mission, you have the ability to pick up a floating 'flashlight'.  It's supposed to be equipped in a device slot.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get this to work.  It's no big deal, since you aren't supposed to be able to keep it and anecdotal information from other players says it didn't work that well anyway.

But I really needed it.  The bowels of Drozana Station are DARK.  If your graphics are low-end, like on my laptop, you're going to decide whether you want to see or whether you want good performance.  I had to temporarily adjust the in-game graphics settings.

The proton weapon you get in the previous episode proved tricky to work with.  You only get the extra damage on Devidians when they're phase-shifted, which left me trying to switch back and forth between my weapons and frequently getting the timing wrong.

The final room was HARD.  I got wiped three times before I could finish it and I am not looking forward to repeating this with my alts.  There are a lot of Devidians, including a boss-type that tore into me and my away team.  This is after I completed my optional Science objectives (more on that later) that should have given me an advantage.  I might have missed some important detail that would have made that work for me, I'm not sure.

All of that said, the storyline and gameplay was AWESOME.  They really succeeded in making it creepy.  The creepy disembodied voice of insanity was a particularly good touch.  The game experience has different optional objectives depending on your class (Sci, Eng, Tac).  I hear that the Tac types can enable turret weapons to help them.  Science officers are supposed to be able to trigger some sort of disruptive pulse in the core.  Dunno about Engineers.  These optional objectives are another really nice touch, and I look forward to seeing more of that kind of thing in the future.

[BlueBard]

Everything Old is New Again

This mission is a bit buggy at the moment, but paradoxically it is also very good overall.  And there is an appearance by a TOS character, courtesy of a bit of time travel.

The Bad:

- There is some bug preventing many people from completing the mission, at least the first time around.  My guess is that it has something to do with how you complete the mission.  I had to run the second part twice.
- It is possible to earn DXP for this mission if you are a Fed, but you may not figure out how to avoid all combat with Starfleet personnel.  I didn't.  
- One part of the mission involves a puzzle that doesn't complete the first time around even when you get it right.  (But I was able to intentionally fail it, then get it the second time.)
- The mission reward isn't that great.

That's about all, really.

The Good:
- It's one huge puzzle, worthy of Trek.  Actually, it's a series of puzzles and some of them may require true guile as opposed to run-here-click-there.  Actual thought is required, unless you really like exhaustively trying all of the options.
- At least theoretically, Feds can complete this mission via non-violent methods.  (Well, except for the Devidians.)  Or you can try to blast your way through it, either way.
- The mission plays differently for KDF, and that's a good thing.
- It really feels like you're running around in a 23rd century (TOS) Federation space station, IMO.
- You get to talk to

Spoiler

"Bones" McCoy

- You get Accolades for completing the mission non-violently if you're a Fed, and for using guile, cunning, and strength if you're KDF.  (or so the forum says, but since its' confirmed by Devs I don't doubt it.  I didn't manage to earn one either way).
- It involves Time Travel, and it does so in a (relatively) believable way, especially for Feds.
- Great story!

[BlueBard]

Reserved space for whenever I get around to completing and reviewing the second series.

[BlueBard]

The third Featured Episode series has begun!

The Vault

Cryptic has done it again and created a very good episode worthy of Trek!

This series features the Romulans and Remans.  I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but this was awesome to play.

First, you get a free pilotable shuttle right off the bat.  You'll need it to play the mission.  The premise is that a small craft can slip in unnoticed where a starship would be detected immediately.  You can also use a purchased Danube class runabout, or you can buy a Delta Flyer from the C-Store.  The Delta Flyer is basically the pinnacle of the shuttle class ships.

Once in the Hakkonen system, you need to evade detection.  Each officer class has a unique optional way to do this.  In the case of my Engineering captain, I was able to shove a chunk of asteroid toward the Vault and follow in its' wake.

Once you're inside the Vault, you need to figure out how to get further in.  I won't spoil anything here except to say that it is a mix of puzzle and combat.  The interior of this massive space station is absolutely gorgeous and fully three-dimensional.  I was tempted to just fly around and explore everything.

The reward for completing the episode is a small wing of Scorpion Fighters.  The description says it's a consumable device.  I haven't used it yet, so I don't know what that entails; presumably it's a one-shot fighter summons.

[BlueBard]

By the by... I have discovered that a Breen Transphasic Mine Torpedo fits very nicely on a shuttle and is just about instant death to a swarm of scorpion fighters.

It's too easy, really, but I can't help but get a kick out of seeing those mines home in and annihilate the fighters.  Even if they're cloaked, if they're in range they get whacked.

[BlueBard]

Mine Enemy

The Cryptic team continues to hit homeruns with these Featured Episodes.  "Mine Enemy" is a good mix of puzzle, combat, and diplomacy.  In its' own way, it's nearly as awesome as "The Vault".

The premise is that you are following up on leads about the Remans' targets, which leads you to a Romulan mining operation that is being exploited by a particularly obnoxious Ferengi.  But before you get that far, you're attacked by some familiar ships looking for a grudge match.

Once the space combat is out of the way, you finally land on the target planet.  The environmentals of the mining colony are absolutely great.  Swirling dust, oppressed Romulan miners, and dilapidated buildings add to the atmosphere.  You start out by trying to help the miners and discover what's going on.

There are class-specific objectives relative to helping the miners.  The two I experienced were for Science and Engineering officers.

Further on into the mission, there are diplomatic options available to officers who have pursued diplomatic ranks.  My Ambassador was able to successfully avoid killing some of the Romulans due to diplomacy, while my Attache was not quite up to the task.

I will not spoil all of the surprises, but one bit does bear mentioning.  There are Horta on this planet, but you don't get to meet one unless you bypass the obvious objective and explore deeper into the mine.  There is an accolade for doing so.

One of the rewards for this mission is a non-combat Horta Hatchling pet.

The best thing about these featured episodes is that you can see some of the advanced techniques that Cryptic is building into its' missions.  They continue to improve the functionality that will allow them to create really notable missions.

[Lionheart]

I'm going to have to run The Vault again solo just to get a feel for it. My wife and I ran it together the first night and were not impressed. It just didn't have the flow or story hooks during the mission that either the Breen or Devidian series did. It was less clear what our options were going in.

We made a mistake at the end when the baddie dialogue popped up. It didn't hit us that this was branching dialogue, and we chose different options. My choice led to an attack while she was still reading. That really is not set up well for team play in that regard.

There just seemed to be a number of facets during the mission that were unclear. I'm not talking about the mysteries and problem-solving like the devidian series had, just a lack of information to make good decisions from. We never felt immersed in the story. Overall, we didn't enjoy The Vault that much, whereas we really enjoyed the Breen and Devidian series.

The concept of the vault out the outset during the mission briefing was good, but once the mission actually started, it seemed a bit disjointed. I did like the sequence after leaving the Vault (not to give spoilers).

[Lionheart]

Having played The Vault through solo now, I still think it's my least favorite of the weekly episode sets. I like the voiceovers and the story setup, but once inside it's lacking. The puzzles are okay, but not on par with the Devidian series. The escape sequence left me feeling annoyed, even though I made it through all right. The final battle was fun.

There were nice tidbits throughout, but where the other two series had story cohesion throughout each episode, it just seemed to be missing while flying around in The Vault. I found myself kind of bored; that didn't happen with the first two series. There are other standard stories in the game I enjoyed far more than The Vault.

The underlying story concept is excellent; the execution and immersion factor were lacking for me.

[BlueBard]

There were a number of reasons why I liked The Vault.  The visuals were simply outstanding for the most part.  There were glitches, yes (like the vault doors that opened but didn't open).

The first time I played, it was with an Engineering officer.  The whole follow the asteroid thing was really cool.

And once I discovered that I could put my Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo on my runabout... well!

I can see where click-thru, teams, and optional objectives don't mix well.  Cryptic should investigate ways of relieving some of those issues.  On the other hand, we should get used to the idea that we're on a team and we need to realize that our team mates may have options that we don't have.

A thought occurs to me that one "fix" would be to have all of the option buttons available for the whole team appear for every player, but greyed out for players who can't actually use that option.  It would make clear that you have team mates who have different options than you do.

But the branching dialog in that mission was purely for flavor, anyway.  The outcome remains the same... Obisek tries to have your shuttle blown to atoms one way or the other and this makes some sense in regard to the plot.  On the other hand, it also does not quite make sense that Obisek is willing to talk peacefully later on (in the 3rd mission).

Speaking of featured episodes, I have played thru the 3rd one once.  I hope to run it one or two more times before I comment on it.  Right now, I'd have to say that it was just 'okay'.