Everyone is telling me how STFs are scary and PUGs keep TRIBBLE up the missions but in actual fact a lot of players DO read the awesome community made STF guides and do post helpful advise if one has a good sense to ask for targeting data before joining missions.
So here's to the goodness of the STO PUG community, that is awesome enough for me to justify taking a weekend to record these:
My First STF - Video Log
Comments
However I have experienced first hand that one entirely misinformed person in an STF PUG can ruin the mission.
I recall one instance where someone blew a generators on both sides in Infected. Thus spawning what feel like dozens of spheres. One person left, and there was not enough at that point to defeat all those spheres. Everyone wound up leaving.
Blowing a single cube in Cure elite also spells disaster more often than not. Many times I have been in a cure PUG that has FAILED the entire mission. No rewards. Period. It's one thing to fail the optional, it's quite another to lose 30 minutes of playtime to nothing but a blue deflector dish you might have picked up.
I usually will not run an Elite STF without at least two other people from my fleet with me.
PUGs are a variable that cannot be measured. Some are GREAT. I've completed the optional before with a PUG with MINUTES to spare on Elite, killed Donatra in 2 minutes last night. She only cloaked once. But then there are others where it's just complete fail. No exaggeration or pun intended.
With that being said, I'm all for educating people. I will offer recruitment to people we pickup in STFs who are not in a fleet and help them work they're way to getting the most out of their STF experience. Thus improving the quality of life for everyone.
That only happened to you once? Lucky! :rolleyes:
^ THIS is the sort of Fleet attitude I'd like to see more. We know the limitations of PUGs but we also know how to make "things" work and how to mentor newer players to become powerful team players in their own right.
That's why I am always positive about my PUG experience. Some are TRIBBLE yes but face it, a lot of people won't know how to do a proper Elite run without first watching how it can fail utterly.
I have also encountered pre-made groups on some kind of voice chat but the command and control is all screwed up as one moment people were defending the Kang, the next moment everyone left it undefended. While I had to do most of the major DPS work as their ships appeared to do Mark 8 levels of damage. But again I was fine with that because by end-match I did illustrate how to demolish the shipyards on Cure without leaving the Kang unprotected and their next (with proper tactical priority and some [borg] weapons) was great.
As Hikaru Sulu said for one of the SFC game intros, Adversity Breeds Innovation.
I let my PUGs TRIBBLE up if they want; I also run with Fleets that are new and do not have Elite STF capability. I don't mind when they show me epic fails, because without them, where would I start wtih coaching?
I don't aim to spend my STO time with "the Elites". I enjoy myself joining the most social/casual groups and making them into a close-knit band of fighters. That said, once you know what to expect and what to do to save the day, and how to approach PUGs and show them the way to victory...
It ain't that bad. Never once am I left to die, never once have I failed to send a blue/green beam over in times of need.
ps; For the record, to date, Angry Tribbles has given me one of the best first impressions in terms of Fleet recruitment related enquiries. But, I insist present company of redheads with similar ancestry is the best company for me!
Sometimes I don't even bother about optionals - effort and willingness to learn is what defines the STF experience; so are seeing, like last week's Cardassian fleet training session, people fighting not just with the Borg but less than proper computer hardware but trying their best to contribute.
Hence my policy to run an STF with no less than 2 other fleetmates.
Drastically lowers the odds of there being that ONE person, who's gonna ruin it all.
Optimally, we'll run with four of us. Leaving room for one extra person to come in. And potentially join us in our quest for the holy grail.
Just as it is in reality command and control methods are adapted to the situation and playerbase at hand; aligning personal goals to a joint objective is far more effective than merely expecting compliance (and inevitably never getting such in a PUG.)
TFR ESTF Academy