Why did the Devs create Salvage to use for re-engineering gear?

darpink

It seems odd to me that the Devs created a whole new resource to use for re-engineering gear. I mean, why didn't they use the otherwise useless Gold Pressed Latinum instead of creating the ability to "Salvage" items?
In the Star Trek Universe there isn't much, maybe nothing, as valuable as Gold Pressed Latinum. The Devs need to be reminded of this, it seems they don't know. We have very little to choose from when it comes to spending our GPL. Ship holograms are fairly useless in my opinion and do not cost a whole heck of a lot. Plus we have the Ferengi Admirlity that rewards a ton of GPL. I have toons in the game that currently have upwards of 10 million GPL and I can't do anything with it that helps me in any way. Cosmetics are unimportant.
I just don't understand this at all. They could have very easily made the re-engineering cost GPL instead of creating a whole new resource.
So, since they really dropped the ball on that, how about introduce some USEFUL stuff that we can buy with the millions of GPL most of us now have that is just collecting dust.

gradii

GPL isnt valuable like dilithium is as in being USEFUL, its valuable to those who desire extra commodities as an exchange medium. Money is less valuable at least in the federation than it is to us in real life becuase of post scarcity.

darpink

gradii wrote: »

GPL isnt valuable like dilithium is as in being USEFUL, its valuable to those who desire extra commodities as an exchange medium. Money is less valuable at least in the federation than it is to us in real life becuase of post scarcity.

Thanks but that doesn't answer the question at all lol, it doesn't even address the topic.

I just don't get why the Devs didn't use GPL as a resource required to re-engineer our gear instead of creating a new resource, salvage.

tobywitczak

darpink wrote: »

It seems odd to me that the Devs created a whole new resource to use for re-engineering gear. I mean, why didn't they use the otherwise useless Gold Pressed Latinum instead of creating the ability to "Salvage" items?
In the Star Trek Universe there isn't much, maybe nothing, as valuable as Gold Pressed Latinum. The Devs need to be reminded of this, it seems they don't know. We have very little to choose from when it comes to spending our GPL. Ship holograms are fairly useless in my opinion and do not cost a whole heck of a lot. Plus we have the Ferengi Admirlity that rewards a ton of GPL. I have toons in the game that currently have upwards of 10 million GPL and I can't do anything with it that helps me in any way. Cosmetics are unimportant.
I just don't understand this at all. They could have very easily made the re-engineering cost GPL instead of creating a whole new resource.
So, since they really dropped the ball on that, how about introduce some USEFUL stuff that we can buy with the millions of GPL most of us now have that is just collecting dust.

Officially it was added as a way to get people to grab item drops in game

darpink

tobywitczak wrote: »

Officially it was added as a way to get people to grab item drops in game

That makes sense, but honestly if they wanted more players to pick up the loot drops then all they would need to do is make the loot drops worth picking up. Most of the gear we get in those loot drops are basic, MkX -MkXI and of white or green quality. Even in advanced difficulty missions.
Using GPL instead of Salvage for the re-engineering would make more sense and increasing the Mk level and quality of the loot drops would help with getting more players to pick those items up instead of leaving them floating in space.
Thanks for the response!

arionisa

By introducing a new resource, salvage, to be used with a new function, reengineering, they put all players on a level playing field. All players, from the newb that just started to the one that's been here since launch all started with the exact same amount of salvage, zero. Also, unlike GPL, salvage is readily available from almost level1, whereas GPL, unless specifically farmed for, is only easily acquired at higher levels.

Adding a new function that required a commodity that long term players already have tons of and that new players have little to no access to would just rocket the older players even further ahead, with even more new players giving up in despair at the massive grind needed to even try to be competitive.

Long term players still have a massive advantage due to reengineering also requiring Dilithium, which remains in "short supply" for new/low level characters, but at least reengineering is available to low level players, unlike most other new(ish) things that have been added to the game over the years.

leemwatson

GPL can't be used a salvage simply because it's a currency, not a component of equipment. It would not make any sense in any universe to use GPL. It's Gold encased liquid latinum. Sure the gold could be stripped and used in circuitry, but that's about it.

darpink

leemwatson wrote: »

GPL can't be used a salvage simply because it's a currency, not a component of equipment. It would not make any sense in any universe to use GPL. It's Gold encased liquid latinum. Sure the gold could be stripped and used in circuitry, but that's about it.

Things don't have to make sense in a game. But it would have been much easier than creating a whole new resource. And, the components don't actually exist in a "real world" sense, they are fictional pieces created in a game and are not real components that we can touch and feel and actually build with....and I know what GPL is. Sure would be nice to have something useful to buy with all of the GPL most players now have.

darpink

arionisa wrote: »

Long term players still have a massive advantage due to reengineering also requiring Dilithium, which remains in "short supply" for new/low level characters, but at least reengineering is available to low level players, unlike most other new(ish) things that have been added to the game over the years.

Makes no sense. Why would low level players reengineer low level gear? That's a waste of resources. And where is this advantage that long time players have? Very few do any pvp, so I guess you mean that the long time players kill npc's faster so that means they have an advantage? And why shouldn't the players that have spent hours upon hours building their characters , ships and gear have an advantage? They've earned it. New players want the stuff veteran players have busted their butts for to be given to them and not have to work for it.

themadprofessor

When you reengineer something, you are literally taking it apart, swapping out components with other components you have on hand (where the salvage comes in), messing with settings, and putting it back together again in the field. It's a trial and error process, which is why sometimes it takes more salvage to get the desired effect. Every time you roll the dice, in game you are taking it apart, messing with it some more, and putting it back together again. Sometimes you get lucky the first time, sometimes you have to keep trying. This is basically jerry-rigging.

revanantmorituri

ruinthefun wrote: »

Except that's not really true: Salvage is just a directly-EC-derived currency, and you can directly convert EC into salvage by either buying stuff and then savaging it or savaging things instead of vendoring them. It's basically a wholly unnecessary currency.

Actually, I assume this is a secondary benefit for the devs: the more loot that is turned into salvage rather than vendored, the less EC gets into the game. The more EC that is turned into loot that is turned into salvage, the less EC is in the game. And in any older game, one of the issues with the in-game economy is that there is too much currency in player hands when compared to vendor prices.