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Star Trek Online: Interview With Executive Producer Dan Stahl Discussing Upcoming "Foundry" Player Content Creation System
Wednesday, 02 March 2011 14:53 | 
Written by Joseph Boyer | 
After a busy start to the new year, a new season in Star Trek Online (Season 3), and the 1-year anniversary celebration, we finally had the opportunity to pose some questions with Executive Producer Dan Stahl about the upcoming "Foundry" system, which plans to bring the major addition of player-created content to the Star Trek Online universe.
Some current players of Star Trek Online may already know this, but the "Foundry" system (which allows players to create their own missions with a set of pre-defined locations and components) has been on the test realm for a couple months now. While few MMORPG's have yet to incorporate this player-created content type of system, it is almost always a welcome addition and allows players and fans to really show their creativity while adding immense additional content to the game. And how many Trek fans out there haven't dreamed up their own episodes or written bits of fan fiction?
If you are one of those people, then the "Foundry" system is what you've been waiting for. After some time checking it out for ourselves, we found some questions coming to mind as well as with other players who have been participating in the testing. So we decided to contact Cryptic and see if we could get some useful information for everyone who is either testing the current system or looking forward to what it will bring to the game once it finally gets patched in. Here is what Dan had to say:
Q. What exactly IS "The Foundry" system?
The Foundry is a mission creation toolset that allows you to create your own Star Trek episodes that take place in the Star Trek Online universe. Unlike MOD tools where you upload files and create your own assets, the Foundry instead gives you access to game assets and locations in STO, allowing you to put together a storyline mission that other players may play and complete.
The Foundry tool is integrated with the game client, so no additional download is needed. When you start the game client there is an option to either play STO or log into the Foundry and create content.
Q. Will all players have access to the tools, or is there a certain level requirement you must meet before you can use them?
All subscribers will have access to the Foundry tool. Demo and trial accounts may play content, but will not be allowed to create content.
Q. Can players incorporate ANY of the content from the main game (models, locations, enemies, etc.) or is there a limited amount of available material?
Players may use any asset that we have tagged as valid for use in the Foundry. For the most part we want to make available as much as possible. In addition, players can use the costume creator to make their own NPCs.
Q. Are there plans to continue adding available content to The Foundry's available assets, say those used in the ongoing "Episode" content and its regular releases?
By using our tagging system, anytime we add new assets to the game, we can make those assets available to the Foundry as well. This means that if we introduce a cool new enemy such as the Tholians in a future feature episode, players using the Foundry will also gain access to the Tholians once the series completes.
Q. Do players need to choose the level or level range of their mission(s), or are they determined in another way?
The level requirement of the mission is determined by multiple factors including the enemies selected or the location of the mission. This prevents players from making level 1 missions featuring the very powerful and deadly Undine for example.
Q. Can the creator of a mission restrict access to their creation, say only allowing members of their fleet to enter?
Once a Foundry mission is published, it becomes public for all players. However, players can send links to their mission or use search filters to find specific missions that they want to share.
Q. Is there a maximum number of missions each account is able to create?
Each account will have a maximum number of “Projects” that can be published at any given time. The final number is still TBD.
Q. Are there other limitations, such as overall "length" or duration of the missions?
Each Project is given a storyline “budget” that allows them to put a maximum number of locations, enemies, npcs, etc., into the mission. This prevents players from making missions that never end, and also helps keep the episodes playable.
Q. How is experience gain determined in player-made mission scenarios, and is there a "mission completion" exp reward?
Basic rewards are assigned for the mission based on several behind the scenes factors such as mission length, number of enemies etc, but great care is given to ensure that players do not have a way to abuse this system and for the most part, are entirely removed from any decision regarding what rewards players will get from their mission. The STO development team will instead provide specific rewards for missions we want to highlight.
Q. Can the creator of the mission designate specific rewards, such as items, or are they randomly decided by the server?
We do not allow Foundry creators to have any say over rewards at this time. Once the system matures and we feel there is a valid way to introduce rewards, we will do so. In the meantime, we plan to offer something like a repeatable STO dev team created missions that says “Go play 2 Foundry missions today and get X reward”.
Q. Will either the players or creators be able to receive new rewards, accolades, etc. specific to The Foundry system?
We are investigating options to reward Foundry creators for their work, but nothing that I can talk about at this time.
This next question is a long one, and requires a little back-story:
Q. There are not many AAA MMORPG's that currently have a system like "The Foundry" in place. However, City of Heroes did create a similar tool with their "Architect" expansion. One of the early issues that plagued that system (and may have completely upset the balance of the gameplay in some players' opinions) was the rampant "farming" missions that were created. While this borders on being a cheat or exploit, it was in fact done with the very tools presented by the developers. What is Cryptic doing to ensure the stability of the overall gameplay and to prevent that sort of cheating or exploit from taking hold of the new system?
For the most part, we are focusing efforts on ensuring that players do not have much say over the rewards given for their missions and by presenting a budget for what is allowed to be in the mission, it ensures that missions must adhere to some basic guidelines. Add in our peer review process and the fact that players can flag missions they feel are abusive and we hope to prevent the issues you suggest.
Q. Will the missions be moderated by staff or is it going to be up to players to report inappropriate or "cheat-attempting" content?
Due to the sheer volume of Foundry missions, we will be using a peer-review monitoring system similar to what YouTube or other submission sites use to both pre-screen content as well as pull offensive content.
Q. Can players incorporate information, characters, etc. from ANY of the Star Trek franchise, or are there only certain areas that are acceptable (due to IP licencing, for example)? Can players create a "Data" or "Kirk" NPC to bring some extra flare to their missions?
Players must adhere to a Terms of Use when creating a Foundry mission that has been set forth by CBS and Cryptic Studios. This will detail what is fair use and what is not available for use. While I’m not an expert on character image rights, the language will be clear as to what is considered permissible and what is not. For the most part, players will be able to reference characters from the show, but will not be at liberty to create likenesses of actors.
Q. Will there be ways for players to rate, comment, and/or recommend specific missions to their in-game friends and fleet members?
Absolutely. We feel the ratings process and comments section is vital to ensuring that players are able to find the best Foundry content.. Once you have played a mission, you will be able to rate it, leave comments, and even send your friends the mission link so that they can play it as well. We also hope to allow players to search for specific missions.
Q. The Foundry is currently in a "beta" state on the test server. Are there any plans as of yet as to when it is expected to put into a patch for the live server?
We are going into our final round of Beta testing with our v.1 update. This update contains many features requested by our Beta Testers. Once that update has had a chance to go through trials on the TRIBBLE test server, we plan to open the Beta up on our live HOLODECK server and make the tools available for anyone to use. Our tentative date for the Foundry being on HOLODECK is sometime in March.
Thanks for the great questions. We look forward to playing the missions you’ll create with the Foundry!
We will continue to follow the progress as the system moves closer to its final stage, so keep an eye out for upcoming updates. If you would like to learn more about Star Trek Online or sign up for a free trial, you can visit the official website HERE.
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