This week, we discuss the spotlight along with our thoughts of Star Trek Into Darkness! Then we review The Tangled Webs We Weave.

Mission Title : Waiting for the Light

Author : @Kirkfat

Faction : Federation

Level Requirement : 31+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

Mining Outpost 47 is requesting your assistance. What you discover may have far-reaching implications.

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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Mission Title : Alpha Flight

Author : @RemairTamec

Faction : Federation

Level Requirements : 31+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

You have been selected for the prestigious Alpha Flight course, the Federation’s most elite pilot training program. Drawn from around the Federation and its allies, Alpha Flight pushes the quadrant’s best pilots to their limits. As stakes rise, egos clash and safety protocols are pushed to the wayside, you realize not everyone is cut out for the course, and only a handful will graduate to receive the golden wings. Will you be another dropout, a line on a memorial plaque, or will you meet the challenge and prove that you are the best pilot the Federation has to offer?

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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We survived the server outages to bring you Foundry news for the week and a review of Hero of the Empire!

Mission Title : You Don’t Know When It’s Real

Author : @Chipertuesday

Faction : Federation

Level Requirements : 31+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

After a tough mission in which you cooperated with the Enterprise-F, you and your crew go back to earth for a shore leave. Since you have no specific plan for the holiday, when your bridge officers invite you to join a hologram small craft racing game, you accept their offer. It was all enjoyable at first, but then it goes wrong and you suddenly realize that you are now in something more than a simulation…

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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Mission Title : Protector

Author : @terinvorta

Faction : Federation

Level Requirement : 31+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

A temporal anomaly has appeared on the edge of Sector 001, broadcasting a distress call. Your mission? Find and save the originator of the distress call. But all is not as it appears…

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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Mission Title : Inner Space

Author : @rsmudger / @rickysmith1

Faction : Federation

Level Requirement : 31+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

A huge Zone of Darkness has been detected deep within Cardassian Space on a direct course that intercepts many highly populated planets from Cardassia Prime to New Romulas.

It is so vast it shifts the gravity-well of local stars and can block out all sensor readings in and around entire star systems.

Visual recordings of the engulfed star have revealed there IS a body at the center of this veil and several Cardassian ships have gone missing attempting to intercept it.

Now Starfleet has made it ‘your turn’ to face this Goliath, What lies at the center of this blackness, why is it destroying life and are you ready to go where no man has gone before?

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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Editor’s note: This review is the first in a series of Foundry Challenge reviews. Please encourage Rellim to continue with his review series.

Mission Title : Beneath the Skin

Author : @P_Sutherland

Faction : Federation

Level Requirement : 16+

Requirements : Shuttle Based Mission

Introduction:

While your ship is in port being repaired and upgraded. Starfleet wants you to re-chart a system inside the Delta Volanis Cluster. The last ship to visit the system was a colony freighter in 2398. Since then the Federation colony has received few guests. Head into the Delta Volanis Cluster to begin your mission. A routine assignment. What could go wrong?

This review has spoilers; if you do not want spoilers then do not continue to read this review.

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In this week’s episode we’ll cover the week’s news as there’s been another Foundry reward change to crush the latest exploit. Then we review Depths of Nukara Prime.

Tune in for some quick Foundry News and a review of the final part of Captain Revo’s Klingon series, Into the Nightmare!

The Foundry Files team this episode will review Infiltration Point.

A new “Choose My Adventure” series at Massively led Eliot Lefebvre to explore two Foundry missions.  In this case, he played Galactrix’s “The Syndicate Extraction” and RogueEnterprise’s “First Cause, Then Effect.”  Check out his article here, and leave some feedback.

Personally, I’m disappointed that readers voted to send him back to official story content, which he found disappointing for compelling reasons.  Read his follow-up article here.

Some recent experiences got me thinking about “Drive-by’s” …those pernicious “1″ votes that people get on their missions. Now it must be said that “Drive-by” ratings are like blackholes, every sector has at least one, and while they all stink…they happen nonetheless, or as they say on Vulcan, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.”

Plus some people are just obnoxious Tellarites.

Anyway, this brought me to examine the 1 votes of the Spotlight and Top 32 missions to determine what mission creators should reasonably expect from the dreaded “Drive-by” ratings.

Below I’ll use the following nomenclature:
“O” = Number of One (1) votes for a mission
“P” = Number of Plays for a mission (minimum of 10)
“OP” = Ratio of O per P, a higher OP is better than a low OP.

First, the FED side.

FED Spotlight Missions had an average O of 236 over an average of 9951 P, for an OP of 42.
The Top 32 FED Missions had an average O of 18 over an average of 1068 P, for an OP of 59.
The combined averages were O/P/OP 127/5510/43.

The mean OP for Spotlight missions was 43 with a standard deviation of 16.
The mean OP for Top32 missions was 48 with a standard deviation of 25.

If the scores are normally distributed, approx. 68% of the population of missions will fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean, and 95% of the population within 2 standard deviations.

This allows us to class the OP ratings of the two categories of FED missions (Top32/Spotlight…they cannot be evaluated directly because they are effectively to different samples, the Spotlight missions obviously receiving far more “attention” per mission)

For non-spotlight FED missions, if your mission has an OP within the bounds of 23 to 73, you are receiving a normal amount of Drive-By ratings. If you are below 23 you are receiving a higher than normal amount and if your OP lands between 74 and 98 you are doing well above average. If you are above 98 you can safely consider your mission a resounding success with the player base.

By comparison, FED Spotlight missions are clearly held to a higher standard by the player base. The lower end of average is fairly equitable with non-spotlight missions, but the upper band is significantly lower, for a range of 27 to 59. Additionally, the data is tight enough that a “well below average” band comes into existence with OP’s of 11 or lower. The well above average band for Spotlight missions sits between 59 and 75, but interestingly enough none of the existing Spotlight missions falls within the outer most “excellent” band above 75.

You can really see how much harsher the upper band is if you find the differences between the Top32 and Spotlight missions for each band:

Top32-Spotlight = Differences
98-75 = 23 points
73-59 = 14 points
48-43 = 5 points
23-27 = 4 points
0-11 = 11 points

These differences will become more interesting as we move on to the Klingon side of the missions.

The Klingon Side

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This week, we cover some new foundry news as well as the upcoming release of the Romulan Faction to Star Trek Online! Ooiue then gives his thoughts of Neverwinter! Then, after some Quick Tips on improving the re-playability of you mission, we review Revo’s mission, “The Prisoner, and then end with a discussion of what the Foundry needs to do to prepare for the Romulan faction.

This week with a new intro and segment bumps, we discuss how the Foundry incorporates with Neverwinter. Then, after Quick Tips we review the Hunter Killer by Captain_Revo and ending with a discussion of the 5 star rating system in the Foundry.

Also, episodes should start becoming available for audio download on iTunes. You can search for Foundry Files, and you’ll find them listed under STOked Radio.

This week, we talk a bit about the various developer interviews this week as well as some other things in our news segment. Then after some space and ground combat quick tips, we discuss Crouching Ty’Gokor Hidden Demon.

Zero Interview

Geko Interview

• Mission Title:  Infected Ground Training
• Author:  Body_Surfer
• Project ID:  ST-HJ3MIXF4A
• Allegience:  Fed
• Level:  41+
• Starting Location:  Weapons Vendor at Earth Space Dock

Author’s Description:    This mission is designed to give a player a good understanding of how to play Infected Groud (Manus) and earn the optional objective. 

Overview:

A very well built tutorial for the Infected ground mission. It serves to educate the player preparing to start into the realm of one of the oldest and most popular STF (Special Task Force) missions available in the game. It enables the player to learn how to achieve the optional objectives and go into the mission with the knowledge needed to work successfully with a team and accomplish the goals required to complete the mission.

Format:

This scenario utilizes the correct maps for the Infected mission. It correctly leads you through the chambers explaining each step along the way and prepares you for the next step as you advance. A perfectly formatted tutorial for the Infected Ground scenario.

Locations:

The maps in this story are precise for the mission. They are not overly designed to cloud the tutorial, but perfectly executed to lead you through the training.

Summary:

This is indeed the best tutorial I have played in the list of Foundry missions. It takes the time to explain each step without a large amount of reading. For anyone beginning to play the Infected Ground STF mission, this is a must play. It will make a player well prepared to complete the mission and enjoy the optional objectives. A definite must to avoid going into the scenario blindly, as it can be difficult if not executed properly. An absolute complete package for the training on the Infected Ground STF.

My Rating:   5 Stars

This week, we cover some Foundry News with a discussion of what a Romulan Faction could mean for STO and the Foundry. Then after quick tips, we review Grazorak City!

This is our 20th episode, and to make it more special, we have a Neverwinter exclusive.

We spoke with Zeke Sparks, Lead Designer, and Rob Overmeyer, Executive Producer.

There are also, not 1, but 2 mission reviews this time around.

This week, we cover the changes to the reward system, quick tips on how to get over the hurdle of Foundry Limitations, and review Avenging Resolution.