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Why my gameplay progression stalled (and why I hate Doomsday Machine)

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
I haven't been playing my tactical Captain on Tribble of late, despite my having incentive to go to level 51. The reason why?

My next story mission is Doomsday Machine.

No offense to Gozer, but I hate the Doomsday Machine reboot more than I dislike any mission in the game. The mission includes many original elements that makes it interesting to other people, but I find it tedious and unfun. I recall it had bugs which certainly don't make me look forward to going through it again (played it twice so far)... but more importantly, I always considered it discouraging to find that I could not defeat the Doomsday Machine without dying due to its warp core explosion, no matter what I tried to escape it.

To summarize, this is what I do not like about the mission:
  • The bugs (i.e.: my uniform not showing properly in cutscenes).
  • That ship-death is mandatory after vanquishing the Doomsday Machine (since it is impossible to escape the blast radius of its destruction).
  • That I cannot use my ship for the mission, and rather use a Bird of Prey (some thought it was really cool - for me, it makes it less personal, less me)
With the first two points mostly resolved, I could kind of stomach it. But with them as they all, I have way too much respect for myself to condemn myself to the drudge of taking an hour to get past it. No way. I won't ever do it again, even if it means that I cannot storywise advance any alts of mine past this point.

I find the F2P changes demoralizing already for the most part... and my going to have to complete Doomsday Machine tops it off. It breaks my desire to advance through the game.

There are ways this can be addressed to.

You could, of course, solve the two first issues I listed (the third being personal pickyness).

Or, you could allow story missions to be skipped.

Or... you could create storyarcs. For example, the first front has a Klingon-Undine storyarc that goes from the mission on P'Jem to when you fight that huge Undine ship in 'Stop the Signal'. Then you get missions that concern Regulus-sector/Gorns. Then there's the Devidians. And finally, the B'Vat arc which includes Doomsday Device.

And you could make sure that other fronts are accessible at certain ranks, so to allow a player the freedom of leaving his character in the front they'd like (since story missions scale in level now).

I see the benefits of the new mission UI, but its restrictions make me honestly prefer the way it was before.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I've run Doomsday Machine 4 times now on Tribble, and, to be frank, have not seen the issues that you a mentioning. Cut scenes have shown my uniform properly, and I have not run across any other notable bugs, and I only died once to the Doomsday Machine's explosion, and that time I was very close to it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    The only annoying part for me was having to turn over the ship at the end.

    At the end of the mission they use the threat of an attack? When we just stomped them? I would gladly fight the Klingon armada to keep the ship.

    It's cannon. Kirk got to keep one in Startrek III and IV... and besides its a low tier bop.

    Please let us have the option to give the Klingon's the finger and keep the bird.

    Damn the torpedo's, I want the bop!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I'm in the midst of the cardassian/mirror universe episodes and I have slowed to a crawl. It seems everything else I need to do requires me to have access to the borg center and I am not there yet even though I am level 51. So I SLOOOWWLY am grinding my way up the mission ranks. It's discouraging.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    Ran into various problem with bugs combined with the forced mission progression myself (had to do "Mine Enemy" 3 times thanks to bugs and "Frozen" was so buggy it did not even let me abort the mission!) but interestingly enough not with this particular mission.
    Seems like everyone gets to have his very own personal "fun" with this forced progression.:(
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    While I agree that the ability to skip missions may be useful, even if it is 'spend x dilithium to advance anyway but we dont recommend it' I dont think this mission even needs considering for that. As for being killed by the warp core explosion, you are in a Tier 1 ship surrounded by powerful enemies.. what are you doing less than 9km away from it anyhow?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    The only annoying part for me was having to turn over the ship at the end.

    At the end of the mission they use the threat of an attack? When we just stomped them? I would gladly fight the Klingon armada to keep the ship.

    It's cannon. Kirk got to keep one in Startrek III and IV... and besides its a low tier bop.

    Please let us have the option to give the Klingon's the finger and keep the bird.

    Damn the torpedo's, I want the bop!

    On one of the KDF missions you steal a runabout and don't get to keep it at the end of the mission.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    mindmage wrote: »
    On one of the KDF missions you steal a runabout and don't get to keep it at the end of the mission.

    Agree. You should get to keep the shuttle as one of the possible mission rewards.

    Neither of these would be particularly usefull for combat but would add some fun to the game. A low tier bop and a shuttle. No threat for either. But it would add something to do for giggles.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    Zoberraz wrote: »
    To summarize, this is what I do not like about the mission:
    • The bugs (i.e.: my uniform not showing properly in cutscenes).
    • That ship-death is mandatory after vanquishing the Doomsday Machine (since it is impossible to escape the blast radius of its destruction).
    • That I cannot use my ship for the mission, and rather use a Bird of Prey (some thought it was really cool - for me, it makes it less personal, less me)
    With the first two points mostly resolved, I could kind of stomach it. But with them as they all, I have way too much respect for myself to condemn myself to the drudge of taking an hour to get past it. No way. I won't ever do it again, even if it means that I cannot storywise advance any alts of mine past this point.

    Not sure why you would say this. It's perfectly simple to get away. I've never lost a ship in this mission once....
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    It's pretty easy to be within 10 kilometers of the Doomsday Machine while you line up your shots - especially considering you don't get to fire weapons if you're not in range, and the Hargh'peng launchers are very much weapons to be fired within 10 klicks. In fact, the Bird of Prey needing to have its torpedo launcher absolutely face the front makes it pretty easy to close distance - especially when dodging the huge beam with the lame TOS sound effect is best done by moving toward the sides of the Machine's front.

    Regardless, I've found that scoring the final hit - with foreknowledge that I've died before and absolutely trying my best to not stick around - leaves insufficient time to hit evasive maneuver and make the fast about face needed to dart away. I kid you not. After playing this game for two years, I can reasonably assure my peers that I know how to get the hell out of dodge. Despite that, the Doomsday Machine's warp core explosion happens much more quickly, and spells the end of a fully shielded 90 to 100% hull Bird of Prey that has Brace for Impact on.

    I mean, it's fine if I'm making the blunder of sticking around. But I don't think it is when the players first priority - regardless of the proximity he starts at (I don't know how -you- do it considering I feel it is impossible, and I'm not using that word lightly). This goes beyond Learn-2-Play. I was well aware of the dangers of the warp core explosion the first time I played the reboot and it did me in. The second time, it still did me in despite me being more than ready to flee.

    Hence my perception that it is mandatory to die, as it is impossible to escape. I'm not calling the rest of you liar, but this is fact enough in my head for me not to understand how you accomplish the impossible.

    It renders the end-mission text ("Wow, it's incredible you survived this") quite ironic too. Ironic enough for me not to want to do this mission again.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I run with full engine power for the last battle with the Doomsday Machine and I don't fight any other ships. I died the first time I ran the remastered mission but not since. I'm usually hurt pretty bad but I survive. Fire the torp, turn left or right before it even hits and pop Evasive. That's worked for me.

    Best of luck.


    Z
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    Yep, I expect I will end up doing the same myself.

    We are being forced to play the game Cryptics way in a number of areas, and this is one of them. I am not in favour of forced episode progression.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I tend to run this mjission with 25 weapons/50 shields/100 engines/25 aux. You want speed more than anything and shields are secondary... you have no need for weapons or aux as neither affect torpedoes and you really shouldn't be attacked by anything else or need to use anything aux dependent.

    Simply solution to avoid the warp core death breach of the Doomsday machine. Fight from 9-11km out in front of the doomsday device. If your beyond 10km the doomsday machine can't hurt you. After it attacks, move in fire off a torpedo from 9-10KM out and then circle around to get back out of range before it blasts again. Rinse and repeat and Doomsday is dead and you aren't.

    Basically you fire one torpedo between each of its blasts, when your not firing your torpedo you want to be 10.1km away from the machine but in front of it so after it blasts with you out of range, you move forward and fire torpedo down its throat, and then get back into safe range to away cooldown and next blast. (hence 9-11km for the entire fight.)

    If you don't like this pattern for the entire fight, you can fight up close for the first 4 torpedos (each torpedo takes 20% of it's hull) and then for hte last torpedo fire it from 9km-10km out.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I think maybe one of the reasons some of us find the mission pretty straightforward is that we have played KDF for so long.

    When you get used to BoP's you learn all kinds of tricks in trying to keep its paper thin hull intact.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    zordar wrote: »
    IFire the torp, turn left or right before it even hits and pop Evasive. That's worked for me.

    And if you are fast you can actually manage 2 shots before running for cover. :)

    I love the mission because it's one of the few where you really feel like you are fighting against a dangerous foe. B'Ger is just annoying torpedo spam.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I don't like flying that BoP either. I think it's okay in the final part against the Doomsday Device, but the part where you fight around the satellite platforms is annoying to me, especially since you're flying a Tier 1 BoP against enemies leveled to around your tier. It's not that it's hard, but it's tedious. I lack the firepower I am accustomed to.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    Well I can emphasize why people dislike that mission.... I feel like I did run it about 100 times when the Hagh'peng still was awsome... but stop playing because of that?

    I mean sure... the holographic stuff doesnt work (mostly in teams) but that has absolutley no influence to anything beside the visuals.
    Sure its anoying to blow up almost each time with the doomsday machine (its not impossible but hard to avoid) but... well 10 secods... respawn button... problem solved...

    Its, with the time, an anoying mission but its... unlike others... not bugged in a way that you cant complete it! That reman mission in Hobus system or fire caves are far more anoying, by the way.

    So take a breathe, work through it and done.
    If that was the biggest issue in STO I wouldnt even think of TOR^^
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    the ONLY time i have ever run into "uniform not displaying" is when i played as a liberated borg.

    and the explosion thing is kinda iffy... either you were too close to start with in that you couldn't Evasive away after launching the torp, or you were almost dead to begin with. i find Brace for impact + evasive maneuvers usually saves my skin, but the doomsday machine does seem to give off a massive amount of damage when it explodes.

    as for not being able to use your own ship it explains in the story why you cant. those satellites you disable during the mission would have disabled your ship as soon as you got into the system.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I too have a problem with the forced progression. I do not mind that the stories in each particular story arch is locked but, to force the ENTIRE experience in a particular order, is just militaristic. Also, the featured episodes should NOT be a part of the progression. My character is a LT COM and just finished the Dividian arch. In it, I was getting MK III and MK IV drops / rewards. Then I get to the Kuva Magh and I am back to getting the MK II gear. That is just wrong. Missions should only be lock if one mission feeds directly from another.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    I think the loot should scale with you. If you're a VA doing the dividian, then you get VA loot. It's another thing I hate about being locked in. Crappy low level loot.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited November 2011
    funny i didnt have a problem avoiding the doomsday machine attcks or explosion. my biggest problem was getting pounced on by the klingons while i was doing it. since im sure its operator error 8P its not a big deal. but they are the only ones who kept killing me.
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