Probably not in the near future. I would love to build these, but making new melee weapons is very time consuming, both for the systems designers and for artists and animators. I'm not saying that we definitely will never see them, but I wouldn't expect a lot of new melee weapons in the near future.
I think if it was even just one new one we haven't seen in the game yet like say the mek'leth for a Klingon origin sword that would be a big step into showing that Cryptic's serious about improving the KDF. Pretty much just for starters you could even put it in the lobi store as a klingon item and give the feds the pulse cannon looking thing worf had in first contact as a worf first contact movie tribute deal or something like that. You guys could even call it the assimilate this special or something rofl.
Thanks for all the information in here. I was really holding out hope that the "Elite Fleet" stuff would be additional space and ground sets we could use on our toons and our BOFFs. It clearly looks like this sadly is not the case.
We already have a myriad of items that do not require intense grinding of any nature to complete 100% of the content in the game. Add to this the only creative solution thus far for "bad guys" is to add a special DMG modifier at the cost on another mod. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the necessity of all these toys and make something more useful out of them. I don't know, say if the systems where certain bad guys had definite "built-in" weaknesses that could be exploited by certain equipment could be expanded. I mean, why not a set of Phasers that had a modifier to disrupt the Borg's ability to assimilate (i.e. an assimilation debuff) or even "temporarily cut them off from the hive mind" make it so they were more confused. Things along those lines for the Breen, Tholians, Devidians, Federation, Romulans, Klingons, Undine, etc....
See creative things like that would make me want to say "I need to get these weapons I am going against Breen" rather than just look at the new toys and go meh.
We unlocked the Elite Ground weapons a few days ago, and we even advised our fleet mates not waste a single dilithium on them, they are beautiful but useless. And they are suppose to be the best. So, something is wrong here Cryptic.
We wanted these weapons to have cool and unique models - but every model takes time for an artist, and we can only generate so many at once. Rather than having every weapon type using the same models, we decided it would be more appropriate to use the most iconic weapon types for each faction for the time being and potentially put in "Elite" weapons for the other weapon types as rewards for other content at a later time.
So, to be clear for those that are wondering, the Elite ground energy weapon types *do* have unique models.
It looks like there's a bug with the stores right now. These are thematically intended to represent the most advanced Federation and Klingon technology, and as such only the Phasers were intended to be available to Federation, and only the Disruptors were intended to be available to Klingons. The current result is that Federation players have more weapon options than Klingon ones. I will be fixing this issue soon.
I realize that this means that we'll be cutting down the options available for Elite weapons for both sides a bit further. It's a tough decision, but ultimately, we'd rather not have Klingon technology in Federation hands and Federation technology in Klingon hands.
In order to soften the blow of removing the Disruptors from the Federation side and the Phasers from the Klingon side, I'm going to be adding in some Elite Fleet melee weapons. Klingon players will have access to new Batleths, and Federation players will be able to buy new Lirpas. These melee weapons won't have new models, but they will have new procs. I'll try to get some melee weapons with new models in the future.
I'm also adding some Advanced Fleet Lirpas and Batleths that will be available in the same way as other Advanced Fleet ground weapons. Federation will get Lirpas, Klingons will get Batleths.
The Elite Phaser's shield healing proc is very different from other weapon procs - it provides a bonus to the user's sustainability. It would be very easy to make the weapon a "must have" if we made the proc rate or shield restore too high. We didn't want these weapons to be vastly superior to Advanced weapons - you're effectively trading just a little bit of damage for a new proc. That said, I realize it the proc just doesn't come across as being as exciting as the Disruptor one, and as such, I'm going to be making some improvements to it soon.
Thanks for reporting that one of the Phasers has a Disruptor icon - I just fixed that internally.
[noparse]:([/noparse]
That kind of sucks then. I won't have an Elite Fleet weapon I want to use on either side when facing the Borg since I use faction specific Borg sets vs Borg (the Omega bonuses are meh to me; faction sets have their iconic energy type). It would be nice to either let Fed and KDF have access to both weapon types, or get out, say AP (since its fairly faction neutral) as a quick 2nd option.
That kind of sucks then. I won't have an Elite Fleet weapon I want to use on either side when facing the Borg since I use faction specific Borg sets vs Borg (the Omega bonuses are meh to me; faction sets have their iconic energy type). It would be nice to either let Fed and KDF have access to both weapon types, or get out, say AP (since its fairly faction neutral) as a quick 2nd option.
The way omega is setup it appears by design that its meant to be useful or more so than maco/khg when the whole team is using the omega set. As an individual its not that great unless its not borg pve usage.
I find this just a sign that dev time was short and those were left out of laziness.
In defense on archon and anyone he may work with thats been working on stuff with him I would figure or possibly by himself in a lot of matters I can say this for have been playing a shade under 2 years here... He's done more for melee as a speaking figure on whats been done with melee than anyone has ever bothered to do before. So laziness I don't think is a very good word to describe the work this individual has done. It's a work in progress but my view on it is melee plays a large factor in KDF ground abilities because just about every race only skills benefits from it in a major way as well as a lot of the ones we get to pick from. Pretty much all he was saying is that there was a little problem and he practically stated that things that were removed were to protect the integrity of both factions which is something I have not seen a lot in the past year coming from the devs so there really isn't any merit in claiming this individual is in any way lazy
Also Archon hasn't even been here long as far as I can tell seems like not long ago was introducing himself on the forums and has made some of the biggest positive impacts i've seen in the game in a long long time.
I'm going to be adding in some Elite Fleet melee weapons. Klingon players will have access to new Batleths, ..... These melee weapons won't have new models, ..... I'll try to get some melee weapons with new models in the future.
it is not part of the Klingon Honor Guard Set, but apparently was intended to be at some point (or it would not be on the Screenshots AND the Artwork)
anyway, i would love to get my hands on that visual and it seems it has gone unused in the End.
Unless it is reserved for something else you might want to grab that existing Art Asset and all that is left would be to make a new Lirpa for the Feds (which imho isn't that important).
If the plan is to take out Phasers from the Klingon Elite list and Disruptors from the Feds and then throw in a melee weapon... Why not add in an energy weapon both sides use in common? Like perhaps Antiproton, or Tetryon as an EXAMPLE? (We've got Phased Tets, I know. I reiterate that its an example)
Probably not in the near future. I would love to build these, but making new melee weapons is very time consuming, both for the systems designers and for artists and animators. I'm not saying that we definitely will never see them, but I wouldn't expect a lot of new melee weapons in the near future.
Hello Archon, and thank you for addressing the thread; some input from a dev is a highly-sought thing.
I understand what you mean behind the workload for new melee weapons, possibly due to the bear-down on Season 7 content that must be going right now. I'd just like to add another consideration:
Since the Elite energy weapons we are being offered were chosen largely by a story-based faction authenticity (the best weapon tech for Starfleet/KDF officers the faction has to offer), would we really be using Lirpas? Why not Falchions or something else? Even the shock batons that the MACOs aboard Enterprise used?
The Bat'leths for KDF officers are understandable as a traditional Klingon battle weapon, but Lirpas? How many non-Vulcan Starfleet officers carry ceremonial Lirpas, much less combat-ready Lirpas? Would a Starfleet officer be prepping for battle and thinking to themselves "Hang on, let me grab my Giant Vulcan Doomspoon...for close encounters". Why not something smaller, more compact?
We like the Lirpa for its fan-service appeal from TOS but seriously it never really was a Starfleet weapon. It's a traditional Vulcan war instrument used for ceremonies. Additionally, I don't speak for everyone but plenty of us kinda don't like to wield Lirpas. See the Doomspoon reference. It's unwieldy and clunky and only the Nanopulse variant has much redeeming quality, yet it seems to be the 'special' go-to melee weapon for Starfleet. Should not some other weapon, if it has to be offered alongside choice faction weapon technology, be appropriate as a Starfleet weapon?
As a side note, the Breen shock baton, Klingon mek'leth and d'ktahg dagger are already in the game, modeled. The animations for the NPCs that use these weapons seem to work for them just fine. Crude, but workable. I am but an armchair viewer but on my end it looks like a chunk of the heavy lifting has been done right there for those.
As another side note: Zerobang's got a point on the unused Former-KHG Bat'leth.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010 "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
I'm not pulling the Advanced ones off the store, just the Elite ones.
Im sorry Mr Dev, but what part of 'you are rendering our Maco gear useless if we buy elite phaser guns' do you not flipping understand?
Feds DO NOT WANT to give up ther Maco sets and KDF DO NOT WANT to give up their HKG gear, do you not see that?
Unless you make full elite sets with similar benefits NO ONE will be buying these weapons aside from the few lifeless members who have more FC/Dil than sense.
At least tell us if you are gonna put Elite Tach/Pol/AntiP guns in instead?
Please realise you are teetering on the edge of an EPIC FAIL atm!!!!!
Looking for a great fleet, then try the UFP/House of Kular, visit ufplanets.comfor more infoA forum post should be like a woman's skirt, long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to keep things interesting.
Holy cripes on toast, everybody's so freakin' angry over a game.
More on point: I too would like to see the Tsunkatse Falchion as an available melee weapon (it's what my KDF character uses). Perhaps as a cross-faction melee choice? After all, Tsunkatse was from the Delta quadrant and very much cross-species...
Admittedly, it will take me a number of years to get my little one-and-a-half man fleet to the point where I can obtain those, but still.
OK. So having read the posts from others that are at Engie T3, it looks like Adv and Elite weapons should have been reversed. Advanced weapons should have had limited choice and dps that was only a bit over standard, and used the common artwork like it does. Elite should have all the choices Advanced has, plus the unique artwork we see in the Quartmaster area, and first in class dps. The way it has been done is akin to bait and switch and borderline dishonest. If this is how it was intended from the start, you should have laid out in specifics what would be available at each engineering level, like you did with the shipyards.
OK. So having read the posts from others that are at Engie T3, it looks like Adv and Elite weapons should have been reversed. ... The way it has been done is akin to bait and switch and borderline dishonest. If this is how it was intended from the start, you should have laid out in specifics what would be available at each engineering level, like you did with the shipyards.
The thing is, as was explained by Archon, I understand why there's so few. It's easier to just plop another model of an existing weapon with stats that don't rock the boat down into the game in larger numbers. However it seems their aim is to make Elite weapons special beyond just giving it a new combination of existing procs. What we wound up with, in whatever limited time they had allotted to it, are the current fare of Elite weapons that passed muster enough to be released with their new procs and models. Procs and models which had to be tested to work properly and in some manner of game balance.
Making more that aren't just super-vamped Advanced weapons are going to take them time and, as always, Cryptic is glutted with things to do. So it seems they gave us what they had out now with the intention of expanding later. That's how I read it with Archon's response in corroboration with what Stahl has said about Fleet bases being an expandable system for the future like the DOff system.
So don't be too quick to label it a bait and switch just because we got tons of easy copypasta guns first and the fewer, somewhat handcrafted ones second. Yeah, I want more variety too (I'm not going to be using those Elite weapons alongside a MACO Battle Rifle or HG Pulse), but I also would think it keen to have something that stands out and feels worth earning aside from just another high-mark gun.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010 "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
On ground combat weapons, Crit is king. I am guessing they are aware of DMG being the "throwaway" modifier, much like the reason that most Mirror ships and lockbox ships are sci ships or cruisers and NOT escorts.
[KB3] on Melee weapons?!?! = SUPER MEGA UBER HAHAHA FAIL!!!!
Why the heck would anyone want to kick back someone in the midst of melee? (I the game, at last) You just need to run back to them! Total pain in the rear.
Comments
I think if it was even just one new one we haven't seen in the game yet like say the mek'leth for a Klingon origin sword that would be a big step into showing that Cryptic's serious about improving the KDF. Pretty much just for starters you could even put it in the lobi store as a klingon item and give the feds the pulse cannon looking thing worf had in first contact as a worf first contact movie tribute deal or something like that. You guys could even call it the assimilate this special or something rofl.
I'm very serious about my weapons
We already have a myriad of items that do not require intense grinding of any nature to complete 100% of the content in the game. Add to this the only creative solution thus far for "bad guys" is to add a special DMG modifier at the cost on another mod. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the necessity of all these toys and make something more useful out of them. I don't know, say if the systems where certain bad guys had definite "built-in" weaknesses that could be exploited by certain equipment could be expanded. I mean, why not a set of Phasers that had a modifier to disrupt the Borg's ability to assimilate (i.e. an assimilation debuff) or even "temporarily cut them off from the hive mind" make it so they were more confused. Things along those lines for the Breen, Tholians, Devidians, Federation, Romulans, Klingons, Undine, etc....
See creative things like that would make me want to say "I need to get these weapons I am going against Breen" rather than just look at the new toys and go meh.
Division Hispana
www.divisionhispana.com
That kind of sucks then. I won't have an Elite Fleet weapon I want to use on either side when facing the Borg since I use faction specific Borg sets vs Borg (the Omega bonuses are meh to me; faction sets have their iconic energy type). It would be nice to either let Fed and KDF have access to both weapon types, or get out, say AP (since its fairly faction neutral) as a quick 2nd option.
The way omega is setup it appears by design that its meant to be useful or more so than maco/khg when the whole team is using the omega set. As an individual its not that great unless its not borg pve usage.
PLEASE PLEASE add Falchions!
While i can understand what was written about the weapons.
WHY ARE THERE NO CHOICES IN ARMORS?
I find this just a sign that dev time was short and those were left out of laziness.
Why can we not have the elite ground armor with +melee damage like the advanced. You don't need a new model for that
In defense on archon and anyone he may work with thats been working on stuff with him I would figure or possibly by himself in a lot of matters I can say this for have been playing a shade under 2 years here... He's done more for melee as a speaking figure on whats been done with melee than anyone has ever bothered to do before. So laziness I don't think is a very good word to describe the work this individual has done. It's a work in progress but my view on it is melee plays a large factor in KDF ground abilities because just about every race only skills benefits from it in a major way as well as a lot of the ones we get to pick from. Pretty much all he was saying is that there was a little problem and he practically stated that things that were removed were to protect the integrity of both factions which is something I have not seen a lot in the past year coming from the devs so there really isn't any merit in claiming this individual is in any way lazy
Also Archon hasn't even been here long as far as I can tell seems like not long ago was introducing himself on the forums and has made some of the biggest positive impacts i've seen in the game in a long long time.
uuuuuuuhm Bro...? BRO!
what up with this one?
https://picasaweb.google.com/107690288451082557730/StarTrekOnlineArtwork#5693437579484453586
https://picasaweb.google.com/107690288451082557730/StarTrekOnlineArtwork#5712736184033611186
https://picasaweb.google.com/107690288451082557730/StarTrekOnlineArtwork#5765711025748294066
it is not part of the Klingon Honor Guard Set, but apparently was intended to be at some point (or it would not be on the Screenshots AND the Artwork)
anyway, i would love to get my hands on that visual and it seems it has gone unused in the End.
Unless it is reserved for something else you might want to grab that existing Art Asset and all that is left would be to make a new Lirpa for the Feds (which imho isn't that important).
Hello Archon, and thank you for addressing the thread; some input from a dev is a highly-sought thing.
I understand what you mean behind the workload for new melee weapons, possibly due to the bear-down on Season 7 content that must be going right now. I'd just like to add another consideration:
Since the Elite energy weapons we are being offered were chosen largely by a story-based faction authenticity (the best weapon tech for Starfleet/KDF officers the faction has to offer), would we really be using Lirpas? Why not Falchions or something else? Even the shock batons that the MACOs aboard Enterprise used?
The Bat'leths for KDF officers are understandable as a traditional Klingon battle weapon, but Lirpas? How many non-Vulcan Starfleet officers carry ceremonial Lirpas, much less combat-ready Lirpas? Would a Starfleet officer be prepping for battle and thinking to themselves "Hang on, let me grab my Giant Vulcan Doomspoon...for close encounters". Why not something smaller, more compact?
We like the Lirpa for its fan-service appeal from TOS but seriously it never really was a Starfleet weapon. It's a traditional Vulcan war instrument used for ceremonies. Additionally, I don't speak for everyone but plenty of us kinda don't like to wield Lirpas. See the Doomspoon reference. It's unwieldy and clunky and only the Nanopulse variant has much redeeming quality, yet it seems to be the 'special' go-to melee weapon for Starfleet. Should not some other weapon, if it has to be offered alongside choice faction weapon technology, be appropriate as a Starfleet weapon?
As a side note, the Breen shock baton, Klingon mek'leth and d'ktahg dagger are already in the game, modeled. The animations for the NPCs that use these weapons seem to work for them just fine. Crude, but workable. I am but an armchair viewer but on my end it looks like a chunk of the heavy lifting has been done right there for those.
As another side note: Zerobang's got a point on the unused Former-KHG Bat'leth.
The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010
"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
NO Elite Disruptor Sniper Rifle ?!
instead
3x Elite High Density PHASER Rifle but with Disruptor Icons... ?!
3x Elite Phaser Pulswave
3x Elite Phaser Blast Assault
plz fix asap
kthxbye
Yeeeaahhhh, gonna have to do something about that..
Granted my secondary KDF fleet likely won't see Tier III until 2014, but it would be nice to know that we are not contributing towards an error.
I will stay optimistic and assume the faction offerings will be brought into proper parity though.
The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010
"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
Im sorry Mr Dev, but what part of 'you are rendering our Maco gear useless if we buy elite phaser guns' do you not flipping understand?
Feds DO NOT WANT to give up ther Maco sets and KDF DO NOT WANT to give up their HKG gear, do you not see that?
Unless you make full elite sets with similar benefits NO ONE will be buying these weapons aside from the few lifeless members who have more FC/Dil than sense.
At least tell us if you are gonna put Elite Tach/Pol/AntiP guns in instead?
Please realise you are teetering on the edge of an EPIC FAIL atm!!!!!
A forum post should be like a woman's skirt, long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to keep things interesting.
More on point: I too would like to see the Tsunkatse Falchion as an available melee weapon (it's what my KDF character uses). Perhaps as a cross-faction melee choice? After all, Tsunkatse was from the Delta quadrant and very much cross-species...
Admittedly, it will take me a number of years to get my little one-and-a-half man fleet to the point where I can obtain those, but still.
The thing is, as was explained by Archon, I understand why there's so few. It's easier to just plop another model of an existing weapon with stats that don't rock the boat down into the game in larger numbers. However it seems their aim is to make Elite weapons special beyond just giving it a new combination of existing procs. What we wound up with, in whatever limited time they had allotted to it, are the current fare of Elite weapons that passed muster enough to be released with their new procs and models. Procs and models which had to be tested to work properly and in some manner of game balance.
Making more that aren't just super-vamped Advanced weapons are going to take them time and, as always, Cryptic is glutted with things to do. So it seems they gave us what they had out now with the intention of expanding later. That's how I read it with Archon's response in corroboration with what Stahl has said about Fleet bases being an expandable system for the future like the DOff system.
So don't be too quick to label it a bait and switch just because we got tons of easy copypasta guns first and the fewer, somewhat handcrafted ones second. Yeah, I want more variety too (I'm not going to be using those Elite weapons alongside a MACO Battle Rifle or HG Pulse), but I also would think it keen to have something that stands out and feels worth earning aside from just another high-mark gun.
The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010
"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
On ground combat weapons, Crit is king. I am guessing they are aware of DMG being the "throwaway" modifier, much like the reason that most Mirror ships and lockbox ships are sci ships or cruisers and NOT escorts.
[KB3] on Melee weapons?!?! = SUPER MEGA UBER HAHAHA FAIL!!!!
Why the heck would anyone want to kick back someone in the midst of melee? (I the game, at last) You just need to run back to them! Total pain in the rear.