Dilithium prices on doffgrinder on Tribble Server

portgazd

Hi there,

I'm sure I like doffing as much as the next trekker out there. but i've just been on the tribble test server and checked out the "doffgrinder" that uses 5 doffs of a lower quality and upgrades them into a new doff of a higher quality (just iterating in case anyone doesn't know what i'm rambling about).

Well they now have new dilithium prices to upgrade, and not the good kind.

common to uncommon: 600(specific race doff contact) and 500(personnel officer)
Uncommon to rare: 3000(specific) and 2500 (personnel officer)
Rare to V rare: 6000(specific race) and 5000(at personnel officer)

Also General recruitment packs now cost 1000 dilithium as well.

These changes are live on the Tribble Server. I just wanted to get the word out and wanted to know what your thoughts were to those that have not checked out the tribble server in game or in the forum notes

Regards,
PortgazD

reginamala78

Does grinding down (put in a green, get three white) cost dil, or still free?

portgazd

Grinding down is still free. Grinding up costs more, based on the rarity.

markhawkman

yeah the compactor is expensive now. But that's only really an issue if you use it a lot.

joxertm2

markhawkman wrote: »

yeah the compactor is expensive now. But that's only really an issue if you use it a lot.

Some perhaps don't use it a lot, but it's a disgrace after splitting doubles and triples of purple doffs from missions like instigate defection (Vukarno comes endlessly from there, right?) and then exchanging 5 of them for random purple doff... Very bad move from Cryptic. Very bad.

markhawkman

joxertm2 wrote: »

Some perhaps don't use it a lot, but it's a disgrace after splitting doubles and triples of purple doffs from missions like instigate defection (Vukarno comes endlessly from there, right?) and then exchanging 5 of them for random purple doff... Very bad move from Cryptic. Very bad.

How is it bad? I get that you liked it the way is was before, but.....

and don't bother with the argument about how it will make players unhappy. Any time anything in an MMO becomes more expensive, the players become unhappy.

joxertm2

It's very bad. I've posted a few times about the issue, but I'll say it again.

Because of free mailing system or critical miss on the non taxable exchange, currently players can grind doffs via alts on one acc or alts spread on several accs and gather them all on some toon they pet as "the main one". That had to be stopped, okay. Cryptic had to do something, ok. Not just because they're losing money with it (multiaccs get things for free too fast, no need to widen the roster since you can keep purple chefs/bartenders/etc on non-main toons, etc).

But by adding a dil price on basic recruiting processes, instead on doff selling/giveaway, in the end the only ones who'll get hurt are new players. Old players have (not all, but many) such roster that can, again totally free, be mailed to any new account they make and they still don't have to pay a single dil. New players don't have that luxury.

Another thing to add here is the doff box obtainable in the Zen store. The problem with that one (okay, a few of those in different packs) is that you don't know what you get in the box exactly, and you definetly know there is a high chance that for 200 or more Zen you won't get at least one purple doff. By hitting new players with dil costs, Cryptic hopes new players will spend real money on doff packs. But it just won't work that way. Assuming a new player buys a box, opens it and gets the stupid blue refugee inside (which is possible), tell me, will that same player buy the box again and practically spend his real money on something useless (yes it can be swapped with a rare asylum mission, but cmon, again there is no guarantee the result will be better than a blue civilian doff)? No.

The dil cost on basic recruiting assignments is a bad move, probably pressed by some noname manager who doesn't play the game at all and can't understand all aspects of doffing. Although it's used as a countermeasure to doffing abuse, in this form it's a simple design fail.

harrymonkley

The new dil prices would be OK if the outcome wasn't random. Submitting five rares and paying the personnel officer 5000 dil to give you a specific type of officer(e.g. deflector, security) would be fairer to the player, the new officer would still have random race & traits, but at least you would feel like you are getting an equitable deal. They could even have a headhunt mission with more expensive/selective inputs that would allow you to choose profession and race (mainly for minor species officers).

Combining this with the other existing random mechanics for doff aquisition (cultural exchanges, asylum) would give players more choice.

It takes 125 whites to make one purple,

25 X 500 for converting white to green = 12,500 for 25 greens

5x 2500 to convert greens to blues = 12,500 for 5 blues

5000 to convert the blues to one random purple, making the total cost of the process 30,000 dilithium for a single random outcome.

I don't see how that isn't ridiculously excessive by any standard.

joxertm2

Harry that's something everyone would love to see. I hope devs will see your idea and implement it in the game before the next season as it's awsome.

rodentmaster

joxertm your entire post was full of BS to the point I stopped reading halfway through.

In no way shape or form was Cryptic "losing money" and dilithium is not money. Get over yourself. This doesn't stop sharing. This stops even SOLO grinding. This stops doffs, period. From the new players ranking up, to the 1000 day vets. This stops it, and along with it it stops fleet progress.

It's a bad move in every conceivable way. They are adding it as an intentional punishment, a bottleneck, because they want to make game an ungodly GRIND. This will be a game breaking "feature" if implemented as such.

drkfrontiers

rodentmaster wrote: »

joxertm your entire post was full of BS to the point I stopped reading halfway through.

In no way shape or form was Cryptic "losing money" and dilithium is not money. Get over yourself. This doesn't stop sharing. This stops even SOLO grinding. This stops doffs, period. From the new players ranking up, to the 1000 day vets. This stops it, and along with it it stops fleet progress.

It's a bad move in every conceivable way. They are adding it as an intentional punishment, a bottleneck, because they want to make game an ungodly GRIND. This will be a game breaking "feature" if implemented as such.

I have to concur with this sentiment.

Its a very bad move.

wolfpack12c

It's supply and demand. They are increasing the demands of dil. Limiting the amount and ways to get it I.e. STF's so they are lowering the supply. What is this goon to do... Ill tell you for the people younger and less bussniss inclined. It will make the ex rate of dil to zen drop the same way it did when s6 hit. Now it's going to be 100 dil to 1 zen and they might even get rid of the line on it so you can sell it at 25 dil to 1 zen. It's going to make them money people are going to buy zen to buy dil so they are the only one winning in the end.

joxertm2

rodentmaster wrote: »

joxertm your entire post was full of BS to the point I stopped reading halfway through.

Sorry I stopped reading your post after such first sentence, sorry, I simply tend to ignore ppl who talk that way.

I wish you fun with the game.

snipe048

This sucks leave the prices how they are, or no one will use this feature.

zorbane

snipe048 wrote: »

This sucks leave the prices how they are, or no one will use this feature.

I think it did need some sort of price point (right now its virtually free) but the cost on tribble is way too high.

markhawkman

zorbane wrote: »

I think it did need some sort of price point (right now its virtually free) but the cost on tribble is way too high.

Yeah, I have to agree. Halving it seems about right.

dalolorn

rodentmaster wrote: »

joxertm your entire post was full of BS to the point I stopped reading halfway through.

In no way shape or form was Cryptic "losing money" and dilithium is not money. Get over yourself. This doesn't stop sharing. This stops even SOLO grinding. This stops doffs, period. From the new players ranking up, to the 1000 day vets. This stops it, and along with it it stops fleet progress.
It's a bad move in every conceivable way. They are adding it as an intentional punishment, a bottleneck, because they want to make game an ungodly GRIND. This will be a game breaking "feature" if implemented as such.

Ok, I can't listen to this any longer. IT. ONLY. SLOWS. THINGS. DOWN!!!!!!

How did you get your doffs before the doffgrinder came around!?

And let's not forget you still have access to specialized recruitment (cultural exchanges, career-specific cadres), not to mention the fact that there are far more ways of getting doffs now than there were back then. THE SKY IS NOT FALLING FOR DOFFS, AND IT'S ONLY DELAYING THE STARBASES!

carl103

I think it did need some sort of price point (right now its virtually free) but the cost on tribble is way too high.

I've never disagreed that some increase wouldn't be a bad idea, just that the tribble move is way too far the other way. It's between a 30 and a 50 fold increase. IMHO 50/250/1000 would be fine. Still cheap enough to upgrind whites to greens, (which makes shoving everything through the embassy's pracical), and if you need to upgrade a few spare greens to blues, or you have a bunch of bad blues you'd like to upgrind to purples, you can, it just won't be a pittance to do it.

The current prices on tribble though are so far beyond resonable that they make it unusable, even without the other dilithium sinks we have.

recksracer

portgazd wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm sure I like doffing as much as the next trekker out there. but i've just been on the tribble test server and checked out the "doffgrinder" that uses 5 doffs of a lower quality and upgrades them into a new doff of a higher quality (just iterating in case anyone doesn't know what i'm rambling about).

Well they now have new dilithium prices to upgrade, and not the good kind.

common to uncommon: 600(specific race doff contact) and 500(personnel officer)
Uncommon to rare: 3000(specific) and 2500 (personnel officer)
Rare to V rare: 6000(specific race) and 5000(at personnel officer)

Also General recruitment packs now cost 1000 dilithium as well.

These changes are live on the Tribble Server. I just wanted to get the word out and wanted to know what your thoughts were to those that have not checked out the tribble server in game or in the forum notes

Regards,
PortgazD

Honestly I see no point in using the upgrinder ever again.

Selling the blue doffs on the exchange and buying the purple doff yopu want is the only way to go now.

They really crapped the bed on this one. They think people will use 10 times more dil, but you'd have to be pretty bad at math to pay 5k/ 5 doffs for a totally random purple.

Even those horrid enough at math that do use it will probably figure out thier mistake after a dozen unwanted doffs.

harryquinn

recksracer wrote: »

Honestly I see no point in using the upgrinder ever again.

Selling the blue doffs on the exchange and buying the purple doff yopu want is the only way to go now.

They really crapped the bed on this one. They think people will use 10 times more dil, but you'd have to be pretty bad at math to pay 5k/ 5 doffs for a totally random purple.

Even those horrid enough at math that do use it will probably figure out thier mistake after a dozen unwanted doffs.

And who in their right mind, after reading all this, would go out and BUY blue DOffs on the exchange after knowing that they would pay a double price to try and convert them up? Face it. After these changes come into play the only DOffs that will be worth anything on the market would be those that are A) used directly in Starbase production or already purple quality. Blue DOffs will only be really useful for players who are just starting out.

chakitty

I have to agree with the vast majority of people on this, the prices are way too high. The dil price on the doff packs will hurt those that get the doff packs, sell them on the exchange, and buy contraband for the Fed contraband mission, something that I believe was intended to happen. The prices can go up some, that's fine, but leave the doff packs alone.

notapwefan

I guess if you have blue doffs now then exchange them with purple while you can.
PWE will change this but when they will realize it then it will be either too late and/or they recovered their investment + profit. Then their will be a vague note of apology followed by a system to grind even more :P

izdubar6

These artificial dilithium barriers are perfect and brings the DOFF system in line with all the other less popular systems in the game. Too many people were doing nothing but DOFFing, now they will have to grind events like everyone else to make any progress in the game. I love it!

recksracer

harryquinn wrote: »

And who in their right mind, after reading all this, would go out and BUY blue DOffs on the exchange after knowing that they would pay a double price to try and convert them up? Face it. After these changes come into play the only DOffs that will be worth anything on the market would be those that are A) used directly in Starbase production or already purple quality. Blue DOffs will only be really useful for players who are just starting out.

Blue doffs will still have value because thy can be downgraded. It won't be a lot, but it will contribute to the purchase of a purple doff.

violadan

izdubar6 wrote: »

These artificial dilithium barriers are perfect and brings the DOFF system in line with all the other less popular systems in the game. Too many people were doing nothing but DOFFing, now they will have to grind events like everyone else to make any progress in the game. I love it!

I love STO, I really do. However, I find thi statement difficult to reason with as I do a lot of doffing and less actual time-intensive playing because I simply don't have as much time as others might to do the grind events. I'm a LTS and I really wish I had more time to play, but that's why I enjoy doffing so much and the fact that I can use the upgrinder to improve my doffs makes me very happy. This business of making the process so much more expensive really hinders the time that I do have to enjoy the game. I hate it!

markhawkman

violadan wrote: »

I love STO, I really do. However, I find thi statement difficult to reason with as I do a lot of doffing and less actual time-intensive playing because I simply don't have as much time as others might to do the grind events. I'm a LTS and I really wish I had more time to play, but that's why I enjoy doffing so much and the fact that I can use the upgrinder to improve my doffs makes me very happy. This business of making the process so much more expensive really hinders the time that I do have to enjoy the game. I hate it!

the good news is that unless you use the blue>purple compactor several times a week, it's not gonna have a huge impact.

bluegeek

I'm torn, really.

I'm very tempted to just turn in most of my greens before this goes live and get as many purples as I can... but then I'm afraid that I'll need them for Starbases or for the Embassy.

What I'm not going to do is pay that much Dilithium to use the doffgrinder. Not unless they markedly increase the number of ways Dilithium can be earned, along with modest increases in how much you can earn.

If they take the umph out of DOFFing, I might just go find something else to do. In STO, I mean.

rodentmaster

Funny, my most recent post in this thread was deleted entirely.


This ends doff conversion, from the ground up. Period. Not only was it hard to work your way up when you're solo-ing it, trying to just get yourself enough doffs to run basic missions, but now you can't do that OR help out your fleet projects. From lower ranks trying to equip themselves with good doffs (after a year I still don't even have a majority of purples!) to every already-established player trying to contribute to base projects that require thousands of doffs per tier.

If you need to break out microscopes and micrometers to measure the speed of something, it is effectively stopped.

This effectively stops gameplay in many key areas, not the least of which is diplo/marauder xp to unlock transwarp destinations, or to unlock emergency holographic doffs in replicator, etc.

This is a game killer, as currently modeled on tribble.

chakitty

rodentmaster wrote: »

Funny, my most recent post in this thread was deleted entirely.


This ends doff conversion, from the ground up. Period. Not only was it hard to work your way up when you're solo-ing it, trying to just get yourself enough doffs to run basic missions, but now you can't do that OR help out your fleet projects. From lower ranks trying to equip themselves with good doffs (after a year I still don't even have a majority of purples!) to every already-established player trying to contribute to base projects that require thousands of doffs per tier.

If you need to break out microscopes and micrometers to measure the speed of something, it is effectively stopped.

This effectively stops gameplay in many key areas, not the least of which is diplo/marauder xp to unlock transwarp destinations, or to unlock emergency holographic doffs in replicator, etc.

This is a game killer, as currently modeled on tribble.

You're absolutely right. As I've said, the dil 'tax' on the doffs will slow down so many things so much that they will all but completely stop moving at all. Knock a zero off the end of the prices and while it'd be unpleasant and unpopular, it'd at least be more managable.

markhawkman

chakitty wrote: »

You're absolutely right. As I've said, the dil 'tax' on the doffs will slow down so many things so much that they will all but completely stop moving at all. Knock a zero off the end of the prices and while it'd be unpleasant and unpopular, it'd at least be more managable.

that would leave them where they already are....

dalolorn

chakitty wrote: »

You're absolutely right. As I've said, the dil 'tax' on the doffs will slow down so many things so much that they will all but completely stop moving at all. Knock a zero off the end of the prices and while it'd be unpleasant and unpopular, it'd at least be more managable.

Actually, he's absolutely wrong, and you're absolutely wrong in supporting his statement for reasons stated in several of my posts throughout this month. The only thing being hurt here is the viability of fleet advancement, while the doff system is merely being VIRTUALLY (because you CAN pay if you want to, not to mention a higher number of doff recruitment missions) returned to how it started. Nothing more, nothing less.