Time chart to get items. Or how long will it take to get what?

System

I would like to outline how long I think it should take to get what types of items for ships or personnel items or whatever. I may forget to list stuff, but what I would really like to see in follow up posts is other peoples' time tables of what they would expect to do for what items.

A good average for cryptic would be good for them to determine how to gage pricing for items. Additionally there is a modest amount of concern about costs on tribble which I think most people feel is out of whack may be resolved in this thread.

I think a next level ship after leveling to the next command rank should just be free period, you put in all that effort leveling, congratulations here is a free ship like we are all used to.

Side-grade ships, bonus ships, etc. = 2 weeks, but 30 minutes a day of work.

Regular ships part of the leveling process but not bought when rank changed 2 days, 40 minutes of work each day
Ship Weapons=30 minutes each
Ship Consoles=10 minutes each
Ship Shields=25 minutes
Ship Deflector=10 minutes
Ship Engines=15 minutes

Ground Shields=1 Hour
Ground Armor=1 Hour
Ground Weapon=1 Hour
Ground Kits=1 Hour

I think if it were any more than that my A.D.D. will kick in and I'll just go play another game. I am not writing the guidelines here, actually the more people who add their expected limit for A.D.D. and item farming the better, STO will have one nice big average that helps them keep us interested in the game on a finely tuned scale.

*Edit Added*
SeijiTataki:Above good at low levels. One or two days per item or more at top tier.
Staalker:Free upgrade ship at each rank up.

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At low levels, this sort of time duration is fine, but as you get toward the end of the game, especially at the very end, this sort of timing is way too short.

Conceptually speaking, I can appreciate what you're saying, but also think that the game should require more time investment at the end of the game to get the gear at 'end game'. (Think of the same concept of other games where you have to do a couple instances or run some raids to get gear)

It should take maybe a day or two per-piece if not longer, since, presumably, once you get all the gear at 'end game', you now have the risk of no more reason to do anything else on that character except for 'fluff'.

That said, the current amount of grinding that seems is going to be required is a bit ridiculous.

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A new ship should be easy to get when you rank up. Why doesn't anyone pilot their lower level ships when they are 20 levels higher? Simply because the enemies will beat you senseless.

You can use the current KDF on Tribble as an example. You start with lower ship and equipment...completing missions to get the Dilithium you need to get a new ship is more than just difficult. I was getting killed by simply trash mobs in space and on the ground. My ships and equipment just didn't hold up.

Moving to the next tier ship is a very fundamental part of the game's balance. This is why you dont' see Commander players in PvP with Rear Admiral players. And why you die a lot if you try to fly ships that are Commander when you are Rear Admiral.

Ships are too important to the success of a player in this game to make them so difficult to obtain. Period.

If they want some kind of money sink, or some way to make silver players purchase ships...I guess they need to just put better versions of them in the C-Store. I hate to ever suggest that, I dislike pay to win...but I don't see any other way to do this.

I know one thing. If I am a gold player and I can't move smoothly from one rank to the next because of things like ore refining limits or the access to that ore...I won't be playing anymore. Cryptic can just enjoy my money and smirk.

Gold players should mean something to Cryptic...but so far it seems like they don't. I don't want the universe, or even the sun...but I do want some reason to think that being a gold player means something.

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I often use ships 20-levels higher than they were intended. I was doing it without any problems during the test. Was doing Captain level missions in the Saber escort, and only ever having problems with Mogai torpedo salvos if I wasn't properly keeping my shields up.

Is it easier if I use a higher level ship? Sure, it is. That's why I eventually switched up to the Defiant.

But you can do it, and it's very doable. It's just more difficult than it could be, if you just upgraded your ships.

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First off, you should not be a Captain or RA and still be in Romulan space. Yes we can fight in lower ships on tribble because the XP is turned up and we out lvl the mobs we are fighting. Im a captain almost a RA in the same place and most of the mobs are -10 to -8 lvls below me. Sure I can do that in a lower tier ship.

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If you're doing the patrols, they'll be a lower level than you.

I've only been doing Episodes - which are level scaling, and they are always 0 levels +/-.