Sander233's characters V. Adm. Jesu LaRoca and Gen. Ssharki meet up on the pleasure planet paradise of Risa, amazed by the number of people complaining about "what a grind" it all is.
"Whaddaya think, Ssharki?" Jesu asks his hulking Gorn friend, as they watch a Reman zip by on the floater course. "Does that look like A GRIND to you?"
"Nope, that looks like fun! Hell, I'd do that just for kicks, and people are complaining about what, doing that twenty-five times? For a free ship? Are you freaking kidding me?"
"And the dance party?"
Ssharki sips his mai tai. "Beats the dance floor on your starbase, that's for sure. It's not as good as the snowman fight we had last winter, but hey, sure, I'll dance for trinkets." The Gorn scratches his bare chest. "I really don't understand Humans and their perception that anything you have to do more than once for a reward is a grind."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, take the Omega rep system for example. What did it take to get that up to tier five?"
"Not much. A couple of normal STF runs a day or one elite, even with a blown optional, got me enough marks to fill both daily rep projects and change."
Ssharki nodded. "Same here. And was that not fun?"
"Of course it was fun. I love killing Borg. Watching cubes explode never gets old."
"How about the Romulan Reputation?"
"Easiest thing in the world. You could fill that and get your gear in fifteen minutes a day without firing a shot."
"How's that?"
LaRoca removes his sunglasses and explaines. "Five minutes a day tagging epohhs, get that cycle going and you get four hundred marks every three-to-five days, easy-peasy. Then there's the Tau Dewa Sector Patrol - you know, the one that rewards sixty rom marks, or seventy-five during the twice-daily bonus mark event? You could hammer that out in half an hour just blasting ships from Narendra to Beta Thoridor - Tal Shiar, Klingon, Tholian, Gorn..."
Ssharki frowns.
"Or you could just park at Nequencia, and wheel and deal with the traders there five times in a row. Ten minutes, tops. Boom. 75 rom marks in the bag. That's the only real 'grind' as far as I can tell - just a bit of repetitive nothing, but again it's just fifteen minutes!"
"Well for my part, I just fed in all the marks I got breeding epohhs last winter." Ssharki takes another sip of his mai tai and asks "What about Nukara?"
"Even better. You got your Crystalline Entity, you got your Azure Nebula Rescue, you got your Vault Ensnared... all fun missions. Pick one, run it, take your Nukara marks, dump them in the rep project, done. Or go to Nukara Prime and kill spiders. That's still fun, right?"
"Hell yeah. I love stomping spiders."
"So we're agreed," Jesu says, replacing his shades as a lovely pair of Orions walks into view, "If you like killing Borg and spiders and have fifteen minutes a day to spare, the so-called 'rep grind' is no grind at all."
"That's the way I see it," Ssharki nods. "Same with fleet marks. There's a dozen different ways to get fleet marks, all fun."
"Well, fun if you like killing things or watching ships explode," Jesu says with a shrug. "Not everyone does, apparently."
"Well, even then, you can be a total peacenik and still contribute to your fleet. Officer of the Watch missions don't ask you to kill anybody, and you can turn in extra commendation XP for marks. Energy credits - you do Tour the Galaxy; the slowest ship out there can cut through four sector blocks four times in a row in an hour. With the right skills and gear, you can make two million ec, easy as walking. And dilithium? Mining, and Doffing. Open lockboxes for the rich mining claims, spend ten minutes in an EV suit, do it during the bonus hour and you've got 6,500 pieces of ore ready to refine. Get your DOffs going and you'll rake in enough to meet your daily quota."
LaRoca nods. "And if you don't mind killing people, ec and dilithium are even easier to come by. Heck, I make at least a million ec a day just selling off loot drops. And dilithium? I get that from exploration missions, STFs, fleet actions, PvP dailies, foundry content - all stuff I want to do anyway - and turning in excess rep marks if I somehow manage not to hit my refinery cap..."
Ssharki inhales the sweet salt air. "So the point is, this is a fun game that rewards you for having fun. The only so-called 'grind' in this game that can actually be considered to be just 'a grind' would be mining dilithium - ten minutes, big deal - or taking the easy track on Romulan rep, and again, fifteen minutes for a lot of marks."
"It's like the more boring content gives you bigger rewards by way of compensation," Jesu agrees. "And the really fun stuff, like foundry content and PvP, that's it's own reward. Whatever else you pick up from that is like a bonus!"
"So what are people complaining about?" Ssharki wonders.
Jesu LaRoca has no answer, and so he gives his friend a helpless shrug. They stare at the sun setting into the sea, and slowly tune out all of the gripers and whiners in the background.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Very fun read, and completely true. Heck you can even do something called NOT doing the same thing every day. Do a little doffing today, shoot alot of borg tomorrow...no one said you have to do these things.
Though I would like to add one thing. We need a seashell collection minigame on Risa. It's the beach! Let us collect shiny seashells!
A curious post but it raises a lot of valid points. So many people complain about things in the game. Yeah there are some genuine things to complain about but some of the threads on this forum are ridiculous.
It's good to see a post that actually has some perspective. If you don't feel like playing or the grind is getting you down do something else. This game works better if you chip away a bit at a time. It's also better if you concentrate on having fun in-game. You don't have to spend all your time grinding towards a goal.
Very fun read, and completely true. Heck you can even do something called NOT doing the same thing every day. Do a little doffing today, shoot alot of borg tomorrow...no one said you have to do these things.
This is a valid point and the reason why I stopped doing the reps on my characters for a few days now and again. I'll get tier 5 in all reps eventually I don't have to alarm clock completing them.
This is a trend I've noticed for a while. People like to say things like grindcore, and heavy on the grind and things like that when the truth of it is you're doing the same things you were doing before you hit level cap, the rewards just don't always come as quick as a new level. And then because everyone else has done it, people think they have to do it as quickly or in the same way and they end up bringing undue stress on their own heads.
Personally, I'm a very structured person. I love logging in at night and doing the same set of missions (dili mining, explore strange new worlds + explore whatever sector I'm trying to get an accolade from, satellite repair, academy mid-term datachip quiz and then my rep stuff; tag eppohs, tau dewa sector patrol + radiation sampling from romulan satellites and tholian red alert and with the addition of Risa I do a race, hunt and dance once a day.) These are all pretty fun missions for me and I enjoy the repetition because it brings order to my life. But there is no need to do the same things over and over. There are so many options to get marks, dili, etc.
If you watch zone chat it kind of seems like more than half of these people aren't even enjoying the game. What with remarks like "what did cryptic break now" and then the constant grinding remarks. You'd think these people were working a job, or forced to play against their will.
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." Q Join the 44th Fleet. [FED and KDF] Apply Online: startrek.44thfleet.com
Just one observation to make... All those short, 15-30 minute tasks taken all together is not necessarily a short gaming session, especially when you factor in travel time, zoning, and the occasional lag or disconnect.
People who can log in daily for 2-3 or more hours at a time have it made. Those of us who can't, don't. And having Alts makes it both worse and better... Alts make it easier to park one toon in one spot to grind stuff... but for the things that aren't account-wide, each Alt is just that much more work.
I do Tour the Universe as often as I can. But it's not always available to do when I have time to do it. And it's not just four sector blocks. More like twelve. And there's something screwy with the event calendar... Last night, the event calendar said TtU started at 10:00. I started at 10:00, finished one run, started another run and the event ended on me well before 11:00. So no, I didn't get a full hour to keep repeating it. Don't know why.
Spent pretty much everything I earned on fleet project materials. Easy come, quickly gone.
So, I don't disagree that there's a lot to do and you can mostly make (slow) progress with the things you already want to do. But there's a grind alright.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
Sander233's characters V. Adm. Jesu LaRoca and Gen. Ssharki meet up on the pleasure planet paradise of Risa, amazed by the number of people complaining about "what a grind" it all is.
"Whaddaya think, Ssharki?" Jesu asks his hulking Gorn friend, as they watch a Reman zip by on the floater course. "Does that look like A GRIND to you?"
"Nope, that looks like fun! Hell, I'd do that just for kicks, and people are complaining about what, doing that twenty-five times? For a free ship? Are you freaking kidding me?"
"And the dance party?"
Ssharki sips his mai tai. "Beats the dance floor on your starbase, that's for sure. It's not as good as the snowman fight we had last winter, but hey, sure, I'll dance for trinkets." The Gorn scratches his bare chest. "I really don't understand Humans and their perception that anything you have to do more than once for a reward is a grind."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, take the Omega rep system for example. What did it take to get that up to tier five?"
"Not much. A couple of normal STF runs a day or one elite, even with a blown optional, got me enough marks to fill both daily rep projects and change."
Ssharki nodded. "Same here. And was that not fun?"
"Of course it was fun. I love killing Borg. Watching cubes explode never gets old."
"How about the Romulan Reputation?"
"Easiest thing in the world. You could fill that and get your gear in fifteen minutes a day without firing a shot."
"How's that?"
LaRoca removes his sunglasses and explaines. "Five minutes a day tagging epohhs, get that cycle going and you get four hundred marks every three-to-five days, easy-peasy. Then there's the Tau Dewa Sector Patrol - you know, the one that rewards sixty rom marks, or seventy-five during the twice-daily bonus mark event? You could hammer that out in half an hour just blasting ships from Narendra to Beta Thoridor - Tal Shiar, Klingon, Tholian, Gorn..."
Ssharki frowns.
"Or you could just park at Nequencia, and wheel and deal with the traders there five times in a row. Ten minutes, tops. Boom. 75 rom marks in the bag. That's the only real 'grind' as far as I can tell - just a bit of repetitive nothing, but again it's just fifteen minutes!"
"Well for my part, I just fed in all the marks I got breeding epohhs last winter." Ssharki takes another sip of his mai tai and asks "What about Nukara?"
"Even better. You got your Crystalline Entity, you got your Azure Nebula Rescue, you got your Vault Ensnared... all fun missions. Pick one, run it, take your Nukara marks, dump them in the rep project, done. Or go to Nukara Prime and kill spiders. That's still fun, right?"
"Hell yeah. I love stomping spiders."
"So we're agreed," Jesu says, replacing his shades as a lovely pair of Orions walks into view, "If you like killing Borg and spiders and have fifteen minutes a day to spare, the so-called 'rep grind' is no grind at all."
"That's the way I see it," Ssharki nods. "Same with fleet marks. There's a dozen different ways to get fleet marks, all fun."
"Well, fun if you like killing things or watching ships explode," Jesu says with a shrug. "Not everyone does, apparently."
"Well, even then, you can be a total peacenik and still contribute to your fleet. Officer of the Watch missions don't ask you to kill anybody, and you can turn in extra commendation XP for marks. Energy credits - you do Tour the Galaxy; the slowest ship out there can cut through four sector blocks four times in a row in an hour. With the right skills and gear, you can make two million ec, easy as walking. And dilithium? Mining, and Doffing. Open lockboxes for the rich mining claims, spend ten minutes in an EV suit, do it during the bonus hour and you've got 6,500 pieces of ore ready to refine. Get your DOffs going and you'll rake in enough to meet your daily quota."
LaRoca nods. "And if you don't mind killing people, ec and dilithium are even easier to come by. Heck, I make at least a million ec a day just selling off loot drops. And dilithium? I get that from exploration missions, STFs, fleet actions, PvP dailies, foundry content - all stuff I want to do anyway - and turning in excess rep marks if I somehow manage not to hit my refinery cap..."
Ssharki inhales the sweet salt air. "So the point is, this is a fun game that rewards you for having fun. The only so-called 'grind' in this game that can actually be considered to be just 'a grind' would be mining dilithium - ten minutes, big deal - or taking the easy track on Romulan rep, and again, fifteen minutes for a lot of marks."
"It's like the more boring content gives you bigger rewards by way of compensation," Jesu agrees. "And the really fun stuff, like foundry content and PvP, that's it's own reward. Whatever else you pick up from that is like a bonus!"
"So what are people complaining about?" Ssharki wonders.
Jesu LaRoca has no answer, and so he gives his friend a helpless shrug. They stare at the sun setting into the sea, and slowly tune out all of the gripers and whiners in the background.
Umm this is NOT Information on the Gorn... as you said
Having done quite a bit of research on the Gorn (see link in sig) I can tell you categorically that Gorn females do not posses mammary glands. (And the Saurians really, really should not.)
it lead me here.... so if cna... tell me where to ge tthis info really on the Gorn
R'tolves Will Spread Thier Peace and Will Prevail Over the Hostiles Who Dare Hurt Such A Isolationist Consitutional Monarchy!
Umm this is NOT Information on the Gorn... as you said
Having done quite a bit of research on the Gorn (see link in sig) I can tell you categorically that Gorn females do not posses mammary glands. (And the Saurians really, really should not.)
it lead me here.... so if cna... tell me where to ge tthis info really on the Gorn
Sorry, I think I made the post you're referring to like a month or so ago - should I be flattered or frightened that your reaching that far back to look up my posts? :P I've changed my sig a few times since then...
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
"So what are people complaining about?" Ssharki wonders.
Have you added up all the little 10 minutes here , 15 minutes there bits ?
'Cause if you add them all up , you're looking at a few hours of gameplay every day for a couple of months at least .
(3 Reps + Starbase)
For those who don't have that time for STO and log in less frequently -- to whom it does not take 2 months to grind out a Reputation but a lot longer -- to those it looks like a grind .
They (and not only they) see it as being forced into a gaming pattern for a long time if you want the Rep's completed .
Not QQ-ing (I've done most of my Reps -- and it was a heap of work on multiple toons) , just stating the truth as other ppl see it , and I for one think their POV is as valid as your own .
I've heard the "it's easy" and "you're doing it wrong" too many times to believe it , and while I appreciate your "guide" style post , you ruined it in the end and came across as just one more post whining about the perceived whiners .
They stare at the sun setting into the sea, and slowly tune out all of the gripers and whiners in the background.
..."So we're agreed," Jesu says, replacing his shades as a lovely pair of Orions walks into view, "If you like killing Borg and spiders and have fifteen minutes a day to spare, the so-called 'rep grind' is no grind at all."
...Ssharki inhales the sweet salt air. "So the point is, this is a fun game that rewards you for having fun... So what are people complaining about?" Ssharki wonders...
Sander233, that is a brilliant post! Well written, entertaining, and oh so true!
Personally... I enjoy playing STFs. I enjoy running Crystalline Entity. I enjoy flying my Floater around tracks in the sky or from point-to-point, trying to perfect my time. I enjoy playing Star Trek Onilne.
These are entertaining "gaming" experiences.
*IF* you like playing STO, then play it, and the "grind" isn't a grind.
If playing the game is a chore for you, then maybe STO isn't for you.
>shrug<
:cool:
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.
Comments
Though I would like to add one thing. We need a seashell collection minigame on Risa. It's the beach! Let us collect shiny seashells!
DeltaFox
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
It's good to see a post that actually has some perspective. If you don't feel like playing or the grind is getting you down do something else. This game works better if you chip away a bit at a time. It's also better if you concentrate on having fun in-game. You don't have to spend all your time grinding towards a goal.
This is a valid point and the reason why I stopped doing the reps on my characters for a few days now and again. I'll get tier 5 in all reps eventually I don't have to alarm clock completing them.
What more needs to be said.
Personally, I'm a very structured person. I love logging in at night and doing the same set of missions (dili mining, explore strange new worlds + explore whatever sector I'm trying to get an accolade from, satellite repair, academy mid-term datachip quiz and then my rep stuff; tag eppohs, tau dewa sector patrol + radiation sampling from romulan satellites and tholian red alert and with the addition of Risa I do a race, hunt and dance once a day.) These are all pretty fun missions for me and I enjoy the repetition because it brings order to my life. But there is no need to do the same things over and over. There are so many options to get marks, dili, etc.
If you watch zone chat it kind of seems like more than half of these people aren't even enjoying the game. What with remarks like "what did cryptic break now" and then the constant grinding remarks. You'd think these people were working a job, or forced to play against their will.
Join the 44th Fleet. [FED and KDF] Apply Online: startrek.44thfleet.com
People who can log in daily for 2-3 or more hours at a time have it made. Those of us who can't, don't. And having Alts makes it both worse and better... Alts make it easier to park one toon in one spot to grind stuff... but for the things that aren't account-wide, each Alt is just that much more work.
I do Tour the Universe as often as I can. But it's not always available to do when I have time to do it. And it's not just four sector blocks. More like twelve. And there's something screwy with the event calendar... Last night, the event calendar said TtU started at 10:00. I started at 10:00, finished one run, started another run and the event ended on me well before 11:00. So no, I didn't get a full hour to keep repeating it. Don't know why.
Spent pretty much everything I earned on fleet project materials. Easy come, quickly gone.
So, I don't disagree that there's a lot to do and you can mostly make (slow) progress with the things you already want to do. But there's a grind alright.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
Umm this is NOT Information on the Gorn... as you said
Having done quite a bit of research on the Gorn (see link in sig) I can tell you categorically that Gorn females do not posses mammary glands. (And the Saurians really, really should not.)
it lead me here.... so if cna... tell me where to ge tthis info really on the Gorn
Sorry, I think I made the post you're referring to like a month or so ago - should I be flattered or frightened that your reaching that far back to look up my posts? :P I've changed my sig a few times since then...
I think THIS is what you're looking for, buddy...
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Have you added up all the little 10 minutes here , 15 minutes there bits ?
'Cause if you add them all up , you're looking at a few hours of gameplay every day for a couple of months at least .
(3 Reps + Starbase)
For those who don't have that time for STO and log in less frequently -- to whom it does not take 2 months to grind out a Reputation but a lot longer -- to those it looks like a grind .
They (and not only they) see it as being forced into a gaming pattern for a long time if you want the Rep's completed .
Not QQ-ing (I've done most of my Reps -- and it was a heap of work on multiple toons) , just stating the truth as other ppl see it , and I for one think their POV is as valid as your own .
I've heard the "it's easy" and "you're doing it wrong" too many times to believe it , and while I appreciate your "guide" style post , you ruined it in the end and came across as just one more post whining about the perceived whiners .
See ?
Personally... I enjoy playing STFs. I enjoy running Crystalline Entity. I enjoy flying my Floater around tracks in the sky or from point-to-point, trying to perfect my time. I enjoy playing Star Trek Onilne.
These are entertaining "gaming" experiences.
*IF* you like playing STO, then play it, and the "grind" isn't a grind.
If playing the game is a chore for you, then maybe STO isn't for you.
>shrug<
:cool:
You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Playing STO since Feb 2010.