This encounter is not tuned very well for the level you are at. It is getting updated and balanced a bit. We agree that while probably not a challenge for most experienced players, it will destroy new players who are new to this type of gameplay.
I think it's also a factor that, while space combat gets a decent tutorial (more or less, and there are bugs with that - the cloak description is wildly wrong and power levels are unexplained), ground combat is very "here's a gun, aim it away from you, good luck" without explaining secondary firing, targeting, kit powers, devices, shields and healing, rezzing, etc. (Never mind shooter mode. Or all the foibles and quirks of STO's ground combat.)
I actually have done it with a Tac and Sci: the difference between Target Optic's self-buff (only multiplying the PC's damage) versus Tricorder Scan's debuff (multiplying everyone's damage) was very noticeable when it came to dropping the commander. That's not necessarily something that's easily tuned without a long look at ground powers.
I would say its too hard for newbies.....this and that mother ship thing.
Once I took a minute and dealt with some tactics... like shooting the mines and the drone it was way easier.
What I dont want to see gone is their ability to jump. Seriously that was one of the best moments in this game in a long time when the Commander jumped up to where I had taken cover. I like stuff like that in hard encounters rather than getting DPS' too quick
I tend to agree that for someone who hasn't played the game all that much, it was a bit over the top. As an experienced player, I had to work positioning and flanking maneuvers (which they do brief mention at that point).
I think on live it wouldn't be hard at all, but there I'll be able to twink out my characters with crafted kits, better weapons and shields from the exchange, and using flanking and positioning, it would be much easier.
But using just what the game gave me to that point (ie untwinked) it was a bit more difficult then I think it should be.
I think a tooltip needs to be put into the Mother ship as well, simply like we have with some of the earlier Fed missions of "This is a really good time to concider putting power to shields". Twinked out, I can ignore the tooltip, but for new players, that may not be a bad time to introduce them to that.
Another thing that could help. When I was given my first kit, I was given the Chronoton Mine one (been a long time since I played an engineer). Although I do like the mines allot, for a first tier kit that might be one of the worst to receive. Perhaps allow the player to select the kit we use, or give us all four, and let your player's play with them. The credits are MUCH needed, as I got next to no weapons drops. At the very worse, those can be sold and personal batteries can be bought.
The Sci kit is pretty terrible as well. We could be given Tachyon Haromonic, or Medical Tricorder, or nearly any other level 1 kit... instead we get Sonic somethingerother... which is a PBAoE... ouch...
And now imagine you are new to STO, just got your first ground kit, don't have any shield batteries, no one told you how to rez your BOs and the only Tholians you know are the mooks you killed right before him.^^
Yeah, I don't think you could expect a newbie to deal with that, and as a sci it's pretty danged difficult seeing as the sonic pulse is next to useless.
Same with the Elachi cruiser battle in the Crateris episode...I only won that thing after getting the idea to kill all of the Tal Shiar so I could sic the allied warbirds on that thing along with my own attacks. A newbie would probably give up in frustration.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
One suggestion I have is to use this encounter as an opportunity to explain some tactics, such as positioning your BOs in flanking positions and using the terrain as cover pulling the commander away from the weaker enemies.
I think it should be kept to a level that makes a new player realize there are some basic tactics that should be applied in the game to help get through difficult encounters.
That's not to say the encounter can't be tuned, but rather than try to keep it consistent with the other encounters, try using it as a learning experience.
I managed to get through him after respawning a couple times on Elite and while he does hit hard there's plenty of opportunity to draw him away while your BOs hammer on the little guys. One thing I'd like to see more is opportunities to not only play with your BOs but to use them in strategic ways. I find they listen a lot better than other players when it comes to taking orders
Comments
I think it's also a factor that, while space combat gets a decent tutorial (more or less, and there are bugs with that - the cloak description is wildly wrong and power levels are unexplained), ground combat is very "here's a gun, aim it away from you, good luck" without explaining secondary firing, targeting, kit powers, devices, shields and healing, rezzing, etc. (Never mind shooter mode. Or all the foibles and quirks of STO's ground combat.)
I actually have done it with a Tac and Sci: the difference between Target Optic's self-buff (only multiplying the PC's damage) versus Tricorder Scan's debuff (multiplying everyone's damage) was very noticeable when it came to dropping the commander. That's not necessarily something that's easily tuned without a long look at ground powers.
Once I took a minute and dealt with some tactics... like shooting the mines and the drone it was way easier.
What I dont want to see gone is their ability to jump. Seriously that was one of the best moments in this game in a long time when the Commander jumped up to where I had taken cover. I like stuff like that in hard encounters rather than getting DPS' too quick
I think on live it wouldn't be hard at all, but there I'll be able to twink out my characters with crafted kits, better weapons and shields from the exchange, and using flanking and positioning, it would be much easier.
But using just what the game gave me to that point (ie untwinked) it was a bit more difficult then I think it should be.
I think a tooltip needs to be put into the Mother ship as well, simply like we have with some of the earlier Fed missions of "This is a really good time to concider putting power to shields". Twinked out, I can ignore the tooltip, but for new players, that may not be a bad time to introduce them to that.
The Sci kit is pretty terrible as well. We could be given Tachyon Haromonic, or Medical Tricorder, or nearly any other level 1 kit... instead we get Sonic somethingerother... which is a PBAoE... ouch...
Yeah, I don't think you could expect a newbie to deal with that, and as a sci it's pretty danged difficult seeing as the sonic pulse is next to useless.
Same with the Elachi cruiser battle in the Crateris episode...I only won that thing after getting the idea to kill all of the Tal Shiar so I could sic the allied warbirds on that thing along with my own attacks. A newbie would probably give up in frustration.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Your BOs are suicidal see raging rad cloud around thol comader...run into rad cloud and die.
See device on ground that say "DO NOT PICK ME UP" your BOs pick it up and die one by one lol
But seriously they need to drop the thol commander or just make it a fight against the thol commander no other NPC no wave of attacks.
This is to hard for novice players
I think it should be kept to a level that makes a new player realize there are some basic tactics that should be applied in the game to help get through difficult encounters.
That's not to say the encounter can't be tuned, but rather than try to keep it consistent with the other encounters, try using it as a learning experience.
I managed to get through him after respawning a couple times on Elite and while he does hit hard there's plenty of opportunity to draw him away while your BOs hammer on the little guys. One thing I'd like to see more is opportunities to not only play with your BOs but to use them in strategic ways. I find they listen a lot better than other players when it comes to taking orders
Captain Ariel Trueheart Department of Temporal Investigations
U.S.S. Valkyrie - NCC 991701
=/\= ================================= =/\=