The latest edition of the Stonewall Fleet magazine looks back at a busy twelve months of new content and systems updates in STO, and also interviews the STO Community Manager, Brandon ‘BranFlakes’ Felczer.

In the interview, Brandon is asked what’s been his biggest joy of 2012. This is his answer:

This one is really tough because everything I work on is exhilarating and brings so much joy. But, if I had to pick one, it would be heading up the return of the Spotlight on the Foundry feature, as well as the new in-game integration of it.

Click the image below to access the PDF version of the magazine.

Mission title: The Mayns of Balnar Moon
Author: @alimac30
Project ID: ST-HU34EAKM7
Faction: FED
Minimum rank required to play: Any rank
First published: 22 April 2012

Synopsis:

Five months ago, Balnar Moon was plunged into icy darkness as it began passing through the shadow of a gas giant. The ocean covering the moon’s entire surface froze solid and the only structure – a lonely Starfleet research platform – was left to a small team of caretakers. Now it’s time for Starfleet to return… but are the caretakers the only things waiting in the cold on Balnar Moon?

Notes:

• My third Foundry mission
• Takes around 60 minutes to play (depending on optional dialog)
• Story-based, single-player roleplay mission
• Mixture of story, investigation & ground combat
• Every map is a 100% custom build
• Read the blog of this mission’s creation in my Diary of a Founder at alimac30.wordpress.com

Hey all,

I’m continuing to blog my thoughts as I go about building stuff in the Foundry, with a focus on the creation of my next mission, The Mayns of Balnar Moon.

The latest installment is about characters, and details some of the thinking that’s gone into the characters I’m creating for Balnar Moon.

Check it out – though it does get a bit spoilery at times!

http://alimac30.wordpress.com

Ali
(alimac30)

Hey everyone,

I’ve added a tutorial on map transitions to Foundry 101, my series of Foundry tutorials for beginners.

The only thing you can’t manually insert into a mission’s storyline is a map transition… so how do you do it? This tutorial explains all, with a particular focus on the first map transition of a mission (the trickiest one to understand).

Link: foundry101.wordpress.com

Enjoy!

Ali

Hey everyone,

I’ve added two tutorials on objectives to Foundry 101, my series of Foundry tutorials for beginners.

foundry101.wordpress.com

Hey everyone,

To coincide with the launch of F2P, I’m publishing a series of Foundry tutorials that I’ve written, called Foundry 101. These are designed to be a basic, beginner’s guide to creating missions with the Foundry.

Check them out at foundry101.wordpress.com

I’ve been writing these for my fleet (Stonewall Fleet), and they’ve been featured in the fleet magazine.

Only three tutorials exist so far, but I will be writing more.

Feedback very much appreciated!

Ali

Star Trek Online’s acting Executive Producer Stephen D’Angelo has posted some promising news in his Season 5 Dev Diary #11:

We’re already at work on the design of Season 6, which is being targeted for a June release. So what’s on the short list of features being worked on? We’re looking at doing some major upgrades on some key parts of the game. Foundry, PvP, and crafting are scheduled to get significant improvements, and there should also be some new features such as a fleet advancement system. We’ll share more details later as Season 6 comes into better focus.

See:
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2755

Hey all.

I’ve started a blog, called ‘Diary of a Founder’, at http://alimac30.wordpress.com

Having just published my second Foundry mission, City of the Polmar Ree, I’m now going right back to the beginning of the mission-writing process and starting to create something else.

So I wanted to keep a record of my thoughts as I go about building a new mission… documenting what the creative process is like, warts and all, in my particular corner of the STO Foundry community.

I’m not sure anybody will be interested. But perhaps somebody, somewhere will appreciate the insight into the thought processes of this particular Founder. And I think a future version of me will appreciate it… a future me who would otherwise have forgotten how it felt to be fulfilling one of his life’s dreams by creating characters and stories in the Star Trek universe, how challenging it was, and how much fun it was.

So if want to know what I’m thinking as I build my next mission, go take a look.

Feedback is also, of course, very welcome

Ali

Mission title: City of the Polmar Ree
Author: @alimac30
Project ID: ST-HJGVZQCX
Faction: FED
Minimum rank required to play: Any rank

Synopsis:
Once every 216 years, every sentient species in the galaxy is invited to the extra-galactic space city of the ancient Polmar Ree. It’s been 216 years and the time of the Polmar Ree has come again. Most will go in peace… but in the shadows of an enemy faction, warriors plan a catastrophic attack. Wormholes are opening in every quadrant, starships are gathering, and your invitation has arrived…

Notes:

• Takes 60 – 90 minutes to play
• Story-heavy, roleplay mission
• Mixture of story, investigating, and some shooting
• Took four months to make
• Every map is a 100% custom build
• This is my second Foundry mission (the first being “The Spirits of Ramok Nor”)
• Brutally honest feedback greatly appreciated!

A patch for Holodeck today, but nothing new for the Foundry (at least according to the release notes).

However, the release notes do contain the following warning:

Known Issue:

• If you preview a ground map in the foundry and then try to get back to the editor it may crash.

This was a known issue on Tribble prior to this patch being pushed to Holodeck.

Release notes at: http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=227740

A futuristic transporter room.

I created this for my first Foundry mission, “The Spirits of Ramok Nor”.

To recreate:

• Use the “Trimble Federation Ship Interior” map template
• Add objects and set X, Y, Z and rotation variables according to the list in the following PDF file

Transporter room (PDF) – contains all X, Y, and Z values, along with rotation degrees.

Note: all Y values should be set relative to room floor.

The positive impact of the Foundry goes far beyond the UGC community and, arguably, even beyond the bounds of STO itself. There’s a ripple effect of benefit, and I only came to realise it fully after the events surrounding the Season 4 disaster and a fleet event this weekend.

continue reading…

Mission name: The Spirits of Ramok Nor

Author: alimac30

Project ID: ST-HI8UI4BLS

Faction: Federation

Level: Any level

Duration: Approx. 1 hour

Description:

Spirits are haunting an old Cardassian-built medical facility on Bajor. The terrified patients and staff fear the apparitions are the tormented souls of Bajorans tortured and killed at the facility during the Occupation. With the pain of Cardassian atrocities still raw after 50 years, Kai Kira has asked Starfleet to investigate…

Notes:

• This is NOT a Devidian mission
• Intended to be single-player
• Takes around an hour
• Much more of an investigation than a shoot-’em-up

Quotes from feedback received so far:

“Best mission I have played yet. The environments alone are just outstanding… 6 stars!” — @Captain_Revo

“Umm, wow! That played out just like an episode of Star Trek. Absolutely outstanding mission! Unbelievably good job with environments – the attention to detail is amazing. Easily one of the best missions in The Foundry. A must play!!” — @Captain.Hunter

“I’m not just saying this to be nice, I honestly think it’s the best user created mission I’ve played… Loved the story, the maps, the pace, everything… the most fun I’ve had in STO for ages.” — @Halish