A universal ensign slot would be just what the doctor ordered for a Fleet Excelsior. That said, I don't think the eng ensign slot is as useless as some think of it. Sub-optimal, sure. Just not useless. An ensign tac or ensign sci would be better of course.
Now all we need is a bridge for it. Actually that should be really easy, take the Prometheus bridge pack and replace the MSD at the back with one for the Excelsior = instant sale from me.
*wipes away tears of joy* Fleet Excelsior...I've long dreamt of this day.
*looks at disgust at my Fleet Star Cruiser* Beat it! You've just been retired!
Ok, silliness aside, I'm pretty much walking on cloud 9 right now about all this. It'll be SO nice to have an Excel on par with the other fleet ships after so long.
I would love it if that Ensign Engineer was made into something else, a sci, tac, or uni. I don't care what. I'd like that change a lot, but I am used to the Ensign Engineer. Making it better would be icing on the cake, but something I don't need.
Heck, I am perfectly content with the console layout. Even if it'd gained another engineering or sci console, that still would've been perfectly a-ok to me. I can tank perfectly well enough with only 2 sci slots.
If I had to have one request: Let the Fleet Excelsior transwarp anywhere. I know both the RA and Fleet ones can go to Tau Dewa, which is great, but you do have to be level 50 to fly it, so there's no need to have any restrictions on it honestly (like being able to go to Borg space with it's transwarp).
It's all non-combat based in terms of it's special ability anyways. Plus I think the Tuffli can go to B'tran, why not like the Excelsior go to places like Gamma Orionis, Deferi, etc?
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
This is the second best thing I could ask for in STO. An ens sci would be nice, but Im just happy this is coming to fruition.
According to the Star Trek ship design manuals this class boast the most sturdy and reinforced space-frame on any class of starfleet vessels due to the anticipated stress of the prototype transwarp drive. Captian Scott was quoted as saying that the heavy duty space-frame was an "overkill" but this apperant overkill allowed this class to serve in active space duty long after its forseen lifespan. Also do to the bulk of this frame it was discovered that the original impulse drive design was severly under powered. This led to the refit and addition of 2 addtional drives in the saucer section as seen on the Enterprise-B. Captin Scott also wrote that the Excelsior class were the only ships in the fleet not held together by force fields and stembolts. The success and longetivity of this class owes it gratitude to the over-compinsation of the design engineers and failed experiment of the Transwarp Drive. (sources: Federation Ship Recognition Manual, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual.) Due to all this I think this class should have the highset hull points of any ship in the game. Also in the original Undiscovered Country script Sulu was doing a Sauser seperation drill when he recieved the trasnmission that Kirk was being charged with killing the chanslor. So I think that this class should have that feature as well. My 2 cents.
Fun read, but saucer separation would probably be game breaking.
I am looking at the fleet Excelsior and I was a little disappointed to see it was missing a universal ensign, the engineering ensign more or less goes to waste and could be used to far better effect in science, you cant say it was so that people can't have 4 tactical skills (Fleet Assault cruiser) but an ensign at science would MAKE the fleet Excelsior.
So Devs, if you would please be so kind as to make that change
So you want to turn a superior starship to uber ? humble request indeed....
"Cryptic Studio’s Jack Emmert (2010): Microtransactions are the biggest bunch of nonsense. I like paying one fee and not worrying about it – like my cellphone. The world’s biggest MMO isn’t item based, even though the black market item GDP is bigger than Russia … microtransactions make me want to die.”
Oh, sure, because the Enterprise B totally wasn't an Enterprise.
It was, but it was an older Enterprise, without an iconic Captain (as the Enterprise, anyway... the Excelsior itself did eventually get Sulu).
It's not that I don't like the Excelsior, it's that I don't understand why it should be better than the Sovereign... especially considering that it's also cheaper (2000 Z ship and 500 Z module rather than 2500 Z ship and 500 Z module), an older design, and requires a much lower tier shipyard (3 as opposed to 5 for the Fleet Sovereign... many larger fleets already have T3 shipyards, while I don't think any have T5). The only drawbacks it has (if you can call them that) are a higher cost if you don't have the C-Store version (though that's for a single character unlock anyway, and the Excelsior doesn't cost any more if you buy the C-Store version first), a different Boff seating (though that's debatable as to which one is better), is incompatible with the Riker Maneuver console (whoop-de-doo), and has a different power balance (though, again, it's debatable how much/if +5 Weapons is better than +5 Engine).
I'd be fine with it being as good as the Fleet Sovereign, but it being better despite being easier to obtain and $5 cheaper to unlock for multiple characters while being supposedly at the same ship tier is a bit unfair.
If the Fleet Galaxy can't have a universal ensign, then all your puny demands for a universal ensign on the fleet Excelsior can safely be flushed down the toilet where those demands belong.
I wouldn't mind if the Fleet Galaxy was a god ship if I could have uni ensign or ensign science, there is afterall canon reasoning for the Gal to have a uni slot and for the Excel to have an ensign at science.
If the Fleet Galaxy can't have a universal ensign, then all your puny demands for a universal ensign on the fleet Excelsior can safely be flushed down the toilet where those demands belong.
No need to be rude.
The Fleet Negh'var gains an ensign universal, so giving the fleet Galaxy the same wouldn't be a problem IMO. The two ships are roughly on par with each other, and this would keep that true.
But just keep in mind that all three show ships: Galaxy, Intrepid, and Defiant are all the 'pure' ships of their class, having 8 spots for them. Cmdr, Lt. Cmdr, and Ensign. If they c hange one, people will complain about wanting all 3 to be changed (even more than they do now).
Still, an ensign anything would be preferable on the Fleet Gal and Fleet Excelsior compared to the third engineer. Doesn't HAVE to be universal though.
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
I just ponied up the 2000 zen to buy the excelsior refit to replace the sad Galaxy class cruiser I was using for my Engineer (I could never understand why it just wouldn't turn). I'm happy I spent the money and even more excited now at the prospect of a Tier 3 Fleet Excelsior!
Also in the original Undiscovered Country script Sulu was doing a Sauser seperation drill when he recieved the trasnmission that Kirk was being charged with killing the chanslor. So I think that this class should have that feature as well. My 2 cents.
All multi-hull (Constitution class configs, ect.) Federation ships could seperate their hulls. This is why they were constructed like that instead of a more efficient single hull (Miranda class configs, ect.), so that the primary hull could serve as an emergency lifeboat in the event of a disaster with the warp drive/reactors (as seen in ST: Gen). However, this effectively destroyed the ship, as the two could not rejoin outside of a shipyard. The Galaxy class were innovative in being able to seperate and rejoin without assistance, though the usefulness of this was questionable.
Thus, to use modern naval example, performing what amounts to a life-boat drill does not translate to the ability to launch amphibious craft. What you were observing is what any Captain would do to keep the crew ready for a worst-case scenerio, and I don't see it as justification that any ship but the Galaxy or Odyssey classes should have this ability.
That aside, I am eagerly awaiting the day my Excelsior comes out of the recent yard period with some new improvements!
So can someone who's checked it out on Tribble let me know what the main advantages of the Fleet Excelsior are over the C-Store Excelsior Retrofit, and what the requirements are to get it? That's what I'm flying now, and I'm loathe to part with it, but a proper tier 5 Excelsior would be about the only ship currently available that would tempt me.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
This character is why I don't play my Romulan any more. Tovan Khev is NOT my BFF! Get him off my bridge!
So can someone who's checked it out on Tribble let me know what the main advantages of the Fleet Excelsior are over the C-Store Excelsior Retrofit, and what the requirements are to get it? That's what I'm flying now, and I'm loathe to part with it, but a proper tier 5 Excelsior would be about the only ship currently available that would tempt me.
If you own the C-store Excelsior, that alone means you will only need to pay 1 module for it to start.
Aside from that, it has 42,900 base hull, 1.1 shield modifier (to compare, the shields are slightly weaker than the Odyssey, but has a bit more hull), gains a tactical console, but aside from that, all the other things are exactly the same.
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
They give you this outdated piece of ugly garbage (my opinion, HATE the excels appearance), and turn it into a monster cruiser, that if I looked at it right has 11 consoles??? dafuq??
And they do this all before we get our fleet assault cruiser?? REALLY???
AND they make it better than the Odyssey in all ways? Welp, g-bye to the Odyssey.
Oh wells.
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once.
2. You failed to point out that the worst thing about this ship is that it makes the Fleet Exploration Cruiser even more worthy of being towed away as garbage.
Oh for goodness sake, COME ON! See the Gal for what she is, she's a fleet support vessel, EVERY fleet needs one, why not make it the slowest thing is space? she is far from garbage, it's just built with a different purpose, the Excelsior was built to provide front line support (supplement escort DPS) the Gal was designed to keep everything alive with little to no effort (or do the Excels job if a tac is in the chair). (All design observations made upon in game design, canon is not relevant in this situation)
I don't see why you can't see the Gal for what she is: Very good at it's designed purpose.
Anyway, rant over, lets not turn this into an Excel vs Gal thread please.
well put a tac in her and suddenly she'll keep up with some of the more DPS based cruisers.
alternatively of course you could set her up with loads of forward firepower (DBBs) and stick around 3-5 km (to give room to keep on target) and give her BO and she'll pummel most things to death and back.
That was Cryptic's idiotic vision, not mine. As a player, I wasn't consulted. I wasn't asked what my favourite hero ship of the most successful Trek series should become in this game. That was foisted on me by a bunch of guys whose decisions are not intrinsically correct.
"I'm sorry, Captain. You are upset the Starfleet Engineering Corps didn't consult you about your opinions on your new Command before they designed her? Hmm. Well, I have to say I'm shocked, truely shocked, that an Officer under my leadership was put in charge of a ship that didn't meet their expert standards in starship engineering. Especially after all that trouble we went through to give you the option to -elect- to command her. Why, I've never heard of such a thing ever happening!
"Would you like some tea? Maybe a little nap before noon?"
- Admiral replying to a subordinate about their problems.
I'd personally like to see more weapon hardpoints on all Cruiser models. Using a DBB on a Galaxy or Excelsior looks odd with the beams firing from the outermost point of the Saucer, compared to the Regent and Odyssey where the have the beams firing from the front of the Saucer.
Now compare the Aft Beam Array of the Odyssey, firing from the Nacells and the Excelsior with all beams firing ftom a single spot, compred to the Regent, firing from the rear of the hull in what actually looks like a proper gun battery.
Other then that, yay new ships. My Engi will probably own both a Fleet Excelsior and Fleet Regent.
Comments
Now all we need is a bridge for it. Actually that should be really easy, take the Prometheus bridge pack and replace the MSD at the back with one for the Excelsior = instant sale from me.
*looks at disgust at my Fleet Star Cruiser* Beat it! You've just been retired!
Ok, silliness aside, I'm pretty much walking on cloud 9 right now about all this. It'll be SO nice to have an Excel on par with the other fleet ships after so long.
I would love it if that Ensign Engineer was made into something else, a sci, tac, or uni. I don't care what. I'd like that change a lot, but I am used to the Ensign Engineer. Making it better would be icing on the cake, but something I don't need.
Heck, I am perfectly content with the console layout. Even if it'd gained another engineering or sci console, that still would've been perfectly a-ok to me. I can tank perfectly well enough with only 2 sci slots.
If I had to have one request: Let the Fleet Excelsior transwarp anywhere. I know both the RA and Fleet ones can go to Tau Dewa, which is great, but you do have to be level 50 to fly it, so there's no need to have any restrictions on it honestly (like being able to go to Borg space with it's transwarp).
It's all non-combat based in terms of it's special ability anyways. Plus I think the Tuffli can go to B'tran, why not like the Excelsior go to places like Gamma Orionis, Deferi, etc?
Fun read, but saucer separation would probably be game breaking.
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So you want to turn a superior starship to uber ?
It was, but it was an older Enterprise, without an iconic Captain (as the Enterprise, anyway... the Excelsior itself did eventually get Sulu).
It's not that I don't like the Excelsior, it's that I don't understand why it should be better than the Sovereign... especially considering that it's also cheaper (2000 Z ship and 500 Z module rather than 2500 Z ship and 500 Z module), an older design, and requires a much lower tier shipyard (3 as opposed to 5 for the Fleet Sovereign... many larger fleets already have T3 shipyards, while I don't think any have T5). The only drawbacks it has (if you can call them that) are a higher cost if you don't have the C-Store version (though that's for a single character unlock anyway, and the Excelsior doesn't cost any more if you buy the C-Store version first), a different Boff seating (though that's debatable as to which one is better), is incompatible with the Riker Maneuver console (whoop-de-doo), and has a different power balance (though, again, it's debatable how much/if +5 Weapons is better than +5 Engine).
I'd be fine with it being as good as the Fleet Sovereign, but it being better despite being easier to obtain and $5 cheaper to unlock for multiple characters while being supposedly at the same ship tier is a bit unfair.
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Twitter:
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I wouldn't mind if the Fleet Galaxy was a god ship if I could have uni ensign or ensign science, there is afterall canon reasoning for the Gal to have a uni slot and for the Excel to have an ensign at science.
Rear Admiral , Engineering Division
U.S.S. Sheffield N.C.C. 92016
No need to be rude.
The Fleet Negh'var gains an ensign universal, so giving the fleet Galaxy the same wouldn't be a problem IMO. The two ships are roughly on par with each other, and this would keep that true.
But just keep in mind that all three show ships: Galaxy, Intrepid, and Defiant are all the 'pure' ships of their class, having 8 spots for them. Cmdr, Lt. Cmdr, and Ensign. If they c hange one, people will complain about wanting all 3 to be changed (even more than they do now).
Still, an ensign anything would be preferable on the Fleet Gal and Fleet Excelsior compared to the third engineer. Doesn't HAVE to be universal though.
All multi-hull (Constitution class configs, ect.) Federation ships could seperate their hulls. This is why they were constructed like that instead of a more efficient single hull (Miranda class configs, ect.), so that the primary hull could serve as an emergency lifeboat in the event of a disaster with the warp drive/reactors (as seen in ST: Gen). However, this effectively destroyed the ship, as the two could not rejoin outside of a shipyard. The Galaxy class were innovative in being able to seperate and rejoin without assistance, though the usefulness of this was questionable.
Thus, to use modern naval example, performing what amounts to a life-boat drill does not translate to the ability to launch amphibious craft. What you were observing is what any Captain would do to keep the crew ready for a worst-case scenerio, and I don't see it as justification that any ship but the Galaxy or Odyssey classes should have this ability.
That aside, I am eagerly awaiting the day my Excelsior comes out of the recent yard period with some new improvements!
This character is why I don't play my Romulan any more. Tovan Khev is NOT my BFF! Get him off my bridge!
The advantages are hull health (better than the Oddy), shield boost and 4th Tac console. all she needs is a different ensign proff
If you own the C-store Excelsior, that alone means you will only need to pay 1 module for it to start.
Aside from that, it has 42,900 base hull, 1.1 shield modifier (to compare, the shields are slightly weaker than the Odyssey, but has a bit more hull), gains a tactical console, but aside from that, all the other things are exactly the same.
It also needs a fleet with a tier 3 shipyard.
They give you this outdated piece of ugly garbage (my opinion, HATE the excels appearance), and turn it into a monster cruiser, that if I looked at it right has 11 consoles??? dafuq??
And they do this all before we get our fleet assault cruiser?? REALLY???
AND they make it better than the Odyssey in all ways? Welp, g-bye to the Odyssey.
Oh wells.
My guess is no.
No. Just new fleet material.
Oh for goodness sake, COME ON! See the Gal for what she is, she's a fleet support vessel, EVERY fleet needs one, why not make it the slowest thing is space? she is far from garbage, it's just built with a different purpose, the Excelsior was built to provide front line support (supplement escort DPS) the Gal was designed to keep everything alive with little to no effort (or do the Excels job if a tac is in the chair). (All design observations made upon in game design, canon is not relevant in this situation)
I don't see why you can't see the Gal for what she is: Very good at it's designed purpose.
Anyway, rant over, lets not turn this into an Excel vs Gal thread please.
alternatively of course you could set her up with loads of forward firepower (DBBs) and stick around 3-5 km (to give room to keep on target) and give her BO and she'll pummel most things to death and back.
Just a couple of ideas
"I'm sorry, Captain. You are upset the Starfleet Engineering Corps didn't consult you about your opinions on your new Command before they designed her? Hmm. Well, I have to say I'm shocked, truely shocked, that an Officer under my leadership was put in charge of a ship that didn't meet their expert standards in starship engineering. Especially after all that trouble we went through to give you the option to -elect- to command her. Why, I've never heard of such a thing ever happening!
"Would you like some tea? Maybe a little nap before noon?"
- Admiral replying to a subordinate about their problems.
LTS, here since...when did this game launch again?
Now compare the Aft Beam Array of the Odyssey, firing from the Nacells and the Excelsior with all beams firing ftom a single spot, compred to the Regent, firing from the rear of the hull in what actually looks like a proper gun battery.
Other then that, yay new ships. My Engi will probably own both a Fleet Excelsior and Fleet Regent.
Eeyup, I'm not sure if I want to give up my fleet Nova for it though... that'll be a tough one... I love the cute little thing