Stuff to mix up the go scan/go kill mixtures.

I'll start:

#1: Transporter use.

Remember how much work it was for both Chekov and Scotty to lock onto complex moving images of Kirk, Spock, Pike, and Sulu? That stuff used to constantly happen on TOS, TNG, Voyager, DS9, the Motion Picture, and the the Voyage Home (There be whales here!).

We finally to see it though, in detail, when Chekov had to save Kirk & Sulu at Vulcan. Give us stuff like that. Simple, simple interface needed, but just imagine the fun.


#2: Precision flying.

Taking a nod again from things we've seen in the past, but I'll give two examples:

Piloting the Enterprise-E through that orbital array so precisely in Insurrection, and Sulu's driving of the Enterprise through Saturn's rings in the new film. Another mini game, but where we are drawn down into extremely specific and precise driving controls -- almost like a car game, but with our ships. Hot pursuit -- how many times did we see a ship getting chased through warp space, matching speeds? Show us that warp scale speedometer! Make us precisely (and very quickly) navigate through a dangerous asteroid field!

Simple UI needed: first person, WASD navigation, throttle, distance alerts, etc.



How could it tie together in an Episode?

Hit system.
Get mission objectives: Go rescue scientists from the planet.
The Undine have him.
Need to sneak in or they'll be killed.
Navigate through the mined asteroid field -- first person navigation. Fail? Restart.
Reach edge of asteroid field to transporter range-- beam down to outside of facility.
Save point.
Sneak--NOT fight--into the facility.
If you aggro, you've made contact. Restart at last save point.
You get in undetected. Save point.
Fight your way through; collect all the scientists.
Once you have them all, boss fight! You win! Save point.
Undine ships hit orbit--they've found you, and are trying to jam transporters.
Launch transporter mini-game, you have to get everyone out.
Save point on success.
Space battle versus Undine!
When you win, even more Undine arrive!
Launch precision flying again/run like hell in warp pursuit to reach reinforcements or simply get away.
Mission success!





Other possible mini-games:

#3: Three dimensional chess.
#4: Dabo.
#5: Paresces (sp) squares.


What other minigames could work that would be simple for mission or standalone use?

A Tribble Shoot.

Poker, Go, Terrace... basically any strategic board game would be cool.. even if it was never seen in Trek.

I'm trying to remember what game it was that had small mini-games for things like "bypass the security" or "fix the circuits." They were nothing more than pipe maze and soduku puzzles, but really broke up the monotony of playing monkey button press.

Would be something fun to add to STO, but add them in such a way that if you do them, you get a mission bonus. The too much in hurry crowd can skip them if they want.

That was Bioshock.

Why make them skippable? Just off the very top of my head:

The Naked Now, season 1 of TNG. Remember when Data had to rearrange the isolinear optical chips? That's a mini-game.

Stop the warp core meltdown-- there's another mini-game that we've seen ad nauseum in Trek.

These don't have to be complex, either. The best games aren't; look at checkers. Look at Tetris.



For anyone who has played ********, you know that quest to make the ultra-strong fruit booze in the heated still in Scholozar Basin? Where you have to enter the ingredients and fire the still at the right time? Hardly complex (and very easy after the first time) but imagine that simple sort of mechanic, almost Tetris-like, for warp core breaches:

Add anti-matter
Add matter
Increase magnetic containment
Decrease magnetic containment
Raise/lower power output
If all else fails, eject the sucker

All the options are irrelevant McGuffins, but you have to do each quickly (within 1-3 seconds) of when it flashes on-screen. Keep it up for $random 30-120 seconds or without missing x number, in which case you get a warp core breach and have to start over -- or you can eject early and start over if you think you've lost control.

Same mechanical process as making booze in WoW, essentially, but it completely breaks up the game flow for the better.

Here's an idea...

1) Maneuver your ship into position around the planet - This will involve fighting off quite a number of ships.

2) Maintain position, and begin firing upon the planet's surface - Again, fend off ship. And also regulate power to planetary weapon.

3) After sufficient damage is dealt to the planet, score a critical hit with a single missile - This would probably be a sensitive mouse exercise, with the ship shaking from external attack.

4) Maneuver away from the planet - This would mainly be a race against time, since the opponent ships should either be dead or leaving as well.


Then we get to watch Vulcan implode!

Or...

How about the VR game they had on TNG. The addictive one.

10 Get the disc into the cone.

20 If it goes in, you feel better about yourself.

30 goto 10

Because, invariably, there will be a large, vocal "you put peanut butter in my chocolate" crowd that will complain about the inclusion of an activity that severely slows down their progress.

Personally, I'd like to do them myself. I think making it a bonus if you do them and not a penalty if you skip over them is a win-win for both sides of the coin.

I would really like to play Dabo in Quark's Bar!!!