Cryptic CEO Phil Frazier Talks to the Community on the Future of Star Trek Online

Cryptic Studios CEO Phil Frazier speaks about Cryptic's games moving to DECA and their future.
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0:00 - Star Trek Online Roadmap
14:43 - Other Point from the Q&A with Phil Frazier
24:40 - this bothered me

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Music:

#StarTrekOnline #CrypticStudios #DECA #STO #GXA #news

[beartech]

Stu, I've been in IT for my entire professional life, short of a few food service job when I was 15-20. What the CEO said about the Dev is 100% my life. Loyalty is dead. There is no loyalty. I'm a mercenary and my employer is a client. Nothing more, nothing less. Do I wish things were different? Yeah of course I do. The reality of Tech is that you are a resource, and even if you are the best resource the company has, if they can replace you with someone cheaper, they will. So its my responsibility to be flexible, like he said "learning other engines ect ect ect". Its the nature of IT jobs.

The upside, is I have no expectation of loyalty so I give none in return. The second I see another opportunity, more money, better benefits, better shifts, better location, ect ect ect. I'm gone. Sometimes I don't even give 2 weeks. Because I have been let go/contract terminated out of nowhere. Why should I give "Them" the same benefit.

Just my 2 cents.

[armsman]

In the end, for any of the actors 99% of the time it comes down to money and if it fits into their schedule. the sticking point will always be "How much is DECCA willing to spend..." as well as "How much is CBS willing to assist in brokering..." which has happened with a few of those actors in the past. As for Cryptic ships appearing in PCARD - that was ENTIRELY due to Terry Matalis when he took over production during S2 of PICARD. He just saw the game had A LOT of 24th century ships already made and HE reached out to Cryptic. As for Cryptic 'caring more about the Star Trek IP..." - please. Yes, many of them are Star Trek fans ; but that doesn't mean the people working at DECCA suddenly aren't Star Trek fans as well.

And sorry as someone who followed the development of this game since the perpetual days, Al Rivera was one of the worst Devs who was part of the Team. Hell, he threw his boss under the bus during S4 and claimed "he doesn't really know what's going on..." WRT the release of the revamped First City. There's a reason he was never made EP on STO, ever. In the interviews he gave, he always inflated his role and put his foot in his mouth. then there's "Delta Rising is the BEST STO Expansion EVER!...and the Player LOVE IT!" and also "STO has TOO MUCH content..." <--- Both things are things he said.

As for game Companies having 'loyalty to their employees" - please? Are you THAT naive? Take a LOOK at the game industry. Look AT Blizzard/Activision and Microsoft or EA. In the end it's ALL about the money. Always has been and always will. The games industry HAS ALWAYS been volatile, and the people working at Cryptic knew this when they got into the industry. (And as someone who's worked IN the IT industry for nearly 30 years; yeah ANY company that claims "we care about our employees" is more often than no, paying lip service. Glad that where I'm at and will finish my career at ununionized. And yes, Unions have their issues too, but in the end, I feel we've gotten better deals and working conditions because of it. No Corporate entity is 'your friend'. ) As for some of the Cryptic Devs, I'm sure DECCA is saying "If you want to work for us, it has to be during German (Central European Time) business hours which translates to 1:00 AM to 9:00 AM California time, and even if the money is the same or close to it, many may not want to work such a shift on a regular basis.

So yeah, nothing the Cryptic CEO said struck me as anymore callous than ANY OTHETR Game Development company is. It's all a FOR PROFIT business and that's the bottom line across the Industry. I honestly think that IF Decca decides to keep the game going, it'll be a BETTER game because if anything, Cryptic management sems to have gotten very complacent WRT the game itself. They were/are 'set in there ways', so no I don't mind see some 'new blood' take the reigns.

If it does go south as a result...oh well, as someone who's been playing since STO Closed Beta in 2009 - it'll have been a fun 15-20 years (depending on if/when in the future either Paramount or DECCA decide to sunset STO.

[Primal-Rage]

PREDICTION: Aetherians are mirrior universe iconians

[harmonyjones]

Oh come on. Something (sci destroyers) not being optimal, or even "great" doesn't make it useless. Only useless for your endgame runs. Everyone else will love it though.

[Ionotron]

I am quite sure the reason why we haven't heard anything from DECA is that the company won't allow their employees to do so. Such a takeover is very turbulent, no one knows what is already set in stone and what is subject to change. Most of the hired people are probably still learning what they got themselves into. I think its pretty normal that DECA won't talk to the community for 3-6 months about anything. The risks are just too high. They don't want their flagship in troubled waters.

[harmonyjones]

It's weird how many people hate the Dyson ships. When I first joined the game that Dyson season was the new season and I loved those designs! Very distinct. I really look forward to seeing the T6 version :)

[harmonyjones]

Mirror Iconians... that might be interesting. I loved that story arc. It was amazing. I remember first loading into the Iconian world after the initial space battle. I was like WOW, this is BEAUTIFUL!

"Thank you for striking this accord." **Floop!**

Sorry for all the comments I'm leaving! :D

[tharryn]

For the most part, I'm still trying to absorb everything from last night's stream, including the ongoing process of DECA and Cryptic's symbiotic relationship taking place.
It was definitely a lot to take in, and like you... I hope we don't lose of of the people that have made this game as amazing as they have over it's tenure.

[mrdimented]

Cryptic should do a "so long and thanks for all the fish" bundle. It should be epic...but use your imagination as to what should be in it.

[fragrancefree]

Season 32 - The Season of the Whale Probe. 🐋🐋

[mikeward]

It’s about time we got a re-species / re-gender token.

They’ve said it’s too hard in the past but it’s only a question of labour hours not technical ability, since all they would need to do is copy a players non-species stats over to a new character in the background.

1. Read original character file
2. Strip out species specific info (species traits)
3. Create a new character as the desired species/gender.
4. Apply the non-species stats to new character.
5. Copy name from old character
6. Rename old character
7. Rename new character.

As for cosmetics and costumes; we know it’s possible to port these from species to species and even across factions, thanks to the save file editor STO Academy made, and also costume hacks other players have found.

[nunya]

One thing that I wonder about, is the linking of accounts to Steam, Steele, Epic, Arc, etc. Will we still be able to get freebies from those other companies?

[koppadasao]

I hope STO won't be so Cryptic with Deca games

[SkrapMetal]

you know with all this mirror stuff i am still waiting on a Mirror faction for the player creation.

[harmonyjones]

I wonder how badly or how well Mudd bundles sell. Like how much of a money maker they are for the devs. Because if they're good money makers, I really can't see them ever introducing a token to unlock a premium ship accountwide. Mudd's market already performs that function. Releasing that token would cause a huge, HUGE reduction in Mudd sales. Right? Or have I missed something?

[antarfodoh]

I was rather impressed with Phil's honest and frank replies. My biggest concerns with the stream were that he didn't seem to have a clue who you were, or how to pronounce more than one Trek species 😂

[shorthp]

It would have been nice if Deca had someone sit in on this

[BluegrassGeek]

I have to disagree with your point at 24:40. Phil Frazier is taking that stance BECAUSE people never know if they're going to be able to keep their jobs. Studios close, projects get cancelled, companies get bought out. He's describing the reality of game development, it's better to encourage developers to move around and build their portfolio, than hyper-focus on one skill that may not be useful when your job just goes away. It does suck that people can lose their job at any moment, but what Phil's doing is acknowledging that reality, and using it as a teaching moment for up-and-coming developers: diversify your skills, so you've always got something to look good when you need a new job. It's not a lack of empathy, it's Phil trying to help developers prepare for the reality of this career choice.

[nunya]

A captain retrain token, to change discipline would not surprise me. Characters have all changed career paths in the shows, and it would be interesting in the game.

[harmonyjones]

What was the ship that Jaylah lived on and was repairing? That ancient Federation ship. Maybe it's that one?