test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
A Player Challenge, and a reminder of past times.
trennan
Member Posts: 2,839 Arc User
As a challenge, I have just thought of a way to see how things truly differ between what once was, and what is.
First of, to set some rules. Since this will require making a new character.
Rule 1: May only use 9 traits total, 10 traits for Alien Generated characters. These may be split between ground and space.
Rule 2: May only use up to T5 ships.
Rule 3: May only use up to VR Mk XII gear.
Rule 4: May use the Skill Tree
Rule 5: Cannot use Starship, Reputation, or Active traits.
Rule 6: Cannot use Specializations.
Rule 7: Cannot use scaling starships, i.e no T6 ships, since they're all going to scaling with level.
Rule 8: May not use any Specialization, Lockbox, Special Career R&D, or Event Kit Modules.
The trait split means, you may split the total number of traits between ground and space, i.e. 4 ground and 5 space traits, for a total of 9. Or 5 ground and 5 space, for a total of 10, for alien generator characters.
With these rules, it's effectively setting the character to what we originally had. A T5 ship being the same thing as the promotion ship you get at level 40.
Avoiding the Reputation Traits and Specializations is also easy. Do not work on reputations, and do not put any points into specializations. This is why I said it would require a new character, it's the only way to keep from activating the specializations, since we can't turn them off.
Perk points from Endeavors, not much we can do here, except let it happen. Since the only way to avoid having any of these is to start a new account. Which is a viable option to this as well, but that will be up to the player.
There with that, a character is set to what we had prior to the Fleet System and Legacy of Romulus. Albeit, a bit stronger due to the perk points we can't do anything about. This will help new player get to know what we had to deal with long ago. Older players can enjoy the nostalgia of it. Both can also get a real good look at the then and now of the game. This will also be a good reminder of how overpowered a player has become with all the powercreep.
This is for fun only. If you're interested in it, by all means go with it. If you're not, well, I expect we'll hear how much you don't like it in the following comments.
Edit: Had to add Rule 8.
First of, to set some rules. Since this will require making a new character.
Rule 1: May only use 9 traits total, 10 traits for Alien Generated characters. These may be split between ground and space.
Rule 2: May only use up to T5 ships.
Rule 3: May only use up to VR Mk XII gear.
Rule 4: May use the Skill Tree
Rule 5: Cannot use Starship, Reputation, or Active traits.
Rule 6: Cannot use Specializations.
Rule 7: Cannot use scaling starships, i.e no T6 ships, since they're all going to scaling with level.
Rule 8: May not use any Specialization, Lockbox, Special Career R&D, or Event Kit Modules.
The trait split means, you may split the total number of traits between ground and space, i.e. 4 ground and 5 space traits, for a total of 9. Or 5 ground and 5 space, for a total of 10, for alien generator characters.
With these rules, it's effectively setting the character to what we originally had. A T5 ship being the same thing as the promotion ship you get at level 40.
Avoiding the Reputation Traits and Specializations is also easy. Do not work on reputations, and do not put any points into specializations. This is why I said it would require a new character, it's the only way to keep from activating the specializations, since we can't turn them off.
Perk points from Endeavors, not much we can do here, except let it happen. Since the only way to avoid having any of these is to start a new account. Which is a viable option to this as well, but that will be up to the player.
There with that, a character is set to what we had prior to the Fleet System and Legacy of Romulus. Albeit, a bit stronger due to the perk points we can't do anything about. This will help new player get to know what we had to deal with long ago. Older players can enjoy the nostalgia of it. Both can also get a real good look at the then and now of the game. This will also be a good reminder of how overpowered a player has become with all the powercreep.
This is for fun only. If you're interested in it, by all means go with it. If you're not, well, I expect we'll hear how much you don't like it in the following comments.
Edit: Had to add Rule 8.
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
If your character only has some specializations filled out, you can switch to ones with no points or 1 point. I guess this won't work for mixed content story episodes, but you can also try picking the wrong specializations (space for ground mission, ground for space mission).
That would work. But, it also opens up the ability of the specialization. Which... reminds me. Have to add another rule here.
Rule 8; May not use any Specialization, Lockbox, Special Career R&D, or Event Kit Modules.
I'd actually expect you to die more often then back in the day with the current level 65's scaling, though not as bad as before they dialed it back a few weeks ago. The Devs deliberately balanced the damage for higher than Mk XII gear and scaling-hull ships, for post level 60 play.
Replace any reputation or fleet gear such as space or weapon sets with Mk XII VR gear hanging around, grab an old set of account bound Mk XII [Acc] [CrtH] [CrtD] beams or cannons, slot specializations that don't have any points into them (they're not on unless you have at least one point in them). Replace any special ship consoles and kit mods with conventional one's as well as follow the rest of your guidelines. Haven't done much in the way of perk points as of yet.
Go for initial test drive in pug CSA and detonate tread lightly? Did I miss anything that actually requires spinning up a new toon? What about the many mission provided space and ground sets that have come up since LOR? Are active duty doffs allowed?
Interesting concept.
- Leveling: Only story missions & Duty Officers can be used. (Remember that admiralty didn't exist until Season 11)
- Ending at Level 50, otherwise, it's not authentic. (15 levels have been in the game since LoR).
1. That's post-Delta Rising. Until Season 8 we had only 4 traits total (just like boffs do) and 1-3 of them were preset by race, except for custom aliens that could choose all 4. And none of them were changeable at all after character creation. On the other hand, there has never been any requirement to split them between space and ground (except for the preset race traits), and many people did pick all space or had separate toons for all space and all ground if they really wanted to minmax.
History of the Trait page on the wiki reveans how many default race traits each race has. Since the race traits are now slotless and automatically on, there is no need to actually slot them. But for the authentic experience, subtract them from your number of selectable traits.
https://sto.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Trait&oldid=102655
8. Kit modules of any kind were introduced in Season 9. Before that kits had a preset list of abilities. The history of the wiki Kit page contains the possible combinetions you'd be allowed to use (if in rather hard to understand format).
https://sto.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Kit&oldid=101413
Also it's max 4 kit modules and probably no kit frame either, since kits did not provide stat bonuses back then.
I didn't bounce back to those two things. Like perk points, the extra traits, the kit frame, and the one extra kit module, is a way to minimally balance things against the scaling and level cap. But this is also why I added in the restriction of a maximum of VR Mk XII. I remember the old kit frames. I still have all 3 tactical, and 2 science Mk X kits from the Omega store back then.
But for those players willing to do so, limiting themselves in this manner will be up to them.
You are right though. I used the word must, when I should've used the may, when talking about the trait split. I'll have to edit that.
I also expect, that for those that try this, once they cross the level 50 mark and the scaling truly begins. There will be some suggestions on some minimal balancing to be done. Which mean 1-50 is the primary version of this. Then we'll have to take a look at post level 50, to see how to balance it out a bit better, but maintain the challenge itself.
Despite not being one of the players rooting for the Empire and wanting the RSE as a playable faction, I always want Cryptic to retcon it to "legacy of treachourous Romulans", so we could talk about LotR here ...
You honestly shouldn't be fighting anything after the Borg arc in episodes, either, and recall that Undine from back before early-2013 were pushovers compared to what they are now, both in space and on the ground. If you get to level 55, you should also definitely stop, as the enemy hull and damage scaling past then is really noticeable.
I mean, if we're going for an authentic pre-Season Six experience, or as close as we can approximate.
Delta Rising for 51-60, Victory is Life for 61-65.
Here I'm thinking, for the 51-60 range, allow them to hop into a T5-U. Then for 60+ a T6. If we go this route, still holding to some of the challenge, the T6 would have to be, can only use the ship trait of the ship you're currently using, and maybe Mk XIII gear But, still holding most of the powercreep out.
I mean, doing so on your current account, you're already stronger than we were back then, due to the perk points.
Part of the premise to this, is to experience a version of what once was. However, a part is also to survive it, which will help a lot of players out in how to play better.
It's a challenge I actually kind of ran into during the Iconian war. I had come back from a break, had gone to do Step Between the Stars and had forgot the ship at the end resets your traits. So I ended up playing through with like 2 space traits and 2 ground traits, all the way to the end of the Iconian war, in the level 40 promotion patrol escort.
For folk doing this challenge on alts I'd suggest that they disable autohail (if they haven't already) as the unlocking of all arcs will cause a bombardment of npc's pestering you to go off and do their missions.