Have you ever wanted to create your own Star Trek episode or story? If so, then the Foundry could be your new best friend! If you are not sure what the Foundry is, check out this previous Guest Blog entry.If you play Star Trek Online, you may already be familiar with the Foundry, STO's User Generated Content (UGC) creation tool. However, many can feel overwhelmed from the moment they launch the editor.Hi, I'm CerberusFilms, Producer and Co-Host on PrimetimeUGC and a long-time contributor to StarbaseUGC.com. We strive to help people of all abilities and experience levels achieve everything they have ever dreamed of creating using this incredible UGC toolset.This is why PrimetimeUGC, Cerberus Films and StarbaseUGC are partnering up with Cryptic Studios to deliver the Foundry Authors Academy.What is the Foundry Authors Academy (FAA)?The FAA consists of a series of live-streamed video events spread over six weeks. The goal is to bring people into the Foundry, play with the toolset and share their own stories with the other players. The Academy 'classes' will guide users from the very first moment they press the "Create Content" button, on through to more advanced editing tricks and techniques.Week 1 (Saturday the 23rd of March) – Join experienced Foundry authors in a live streamed Q&A session as they guide you through how to create a Foundry mission and listen to as well as see the various design methodologies used. No question is a stupid question, not even "Where's Sulu?"! (well.. maybe that one)Week 2 (Saturday the 6th of April) – Building on the previous weeks experience, attendees for this 'lecture' will have the opportunity to speak directly to experienced Foundry authors in a smaller group setting; allowing them to follow along with individual authors and ask questions. Week 3 (Saturday the 20th of April) – It's Competition Time! You've seen how it's done, you've asked your questions, now it is “Kobayashi Maru” time. On the Friday before, April 19th, participating authors will be provided a brief from which to create your missions. Participants will then have twenty-four hours to build a mission from scratch. During the final three hours of the competition PrimetimeUGC will be livestreaming the event, featuring special guests, including authors from the community, podcasters and maybe even a Developer or two. Once time has elapsed, PrimetimeUGC's guests will go forth and play the published missions in small groups. You'll be able to watch each of the groups and listen to their feedback as they play on individual livestreams. They'll rate the mission based on various criteria, and after they have all been played the scores will be tallied and awards given for different categories. The winners will receive prizes provided by Cryptic and generous community members. The winning missions will also be honoured by the Foundry Spotlight*. We are aiming to make these fun, informative and accessible events for everyone; so, whether you have never touched the game before or you're a seasoned STF veteran, come along. You never know… you might just enjoy it.For more details on the events, including provisional starting times, please bookmark this thread on the STO forums, or keep an eye out on StarbaseUGC.com.I can't wait to see you all there!CerberusFilmsTwitter - @Primetime_UGC and @StarbaseUGC*Must meet certain criteria.
