I consider myself an ordinary player, because I'm F2P, not rich, don't make more than a mil a day onn average an have the responsabilities of leading a fleet and caring for my personal game needs like reputation system. All those daily project expenses eat up a sizable portion of my game income and I sympathize with what ordinary players go through because I go through much of the same.
At this very moment, there is a party going on at DS9 attended by some of the rich P2P players in a large fleet. They don't care or concern themselves with the problems of ordinary players, but I do, because I am one of you. How therefore do we solve the burden of keeping our game going as F2P'rs? The Dev I spoke to offered one hint: he said, "Players will have to adapt." In that I agree. We either adapt or have to stop playing the game as interestedly as we have. Here are some solutions for players who find themselves in the squeeze:
1) Cut spending. Alot of items in the exchange are posted by players looking to make a profit. Don't give them that profit. If you need an item, look for ways to get it at the source. With a little extra work, you can usually get an item for free.
2) Sell your items. If you have items that you've been saving and you don't need, sell them. Regular players may not buy them, but rich players might, the less ec in their pocket, the more ec in yours.
3) Go on a budget. Guess what: the same methods that keep you out of debt in the real world work on STO! Chart on paper your daily rep and fleet expenses and anything else you spend on. Then chart your incomes. Cut corners where necessary and devise a plan on paper that leaves you with ec in your pocket at the end of the day. It can be done, trust me.
4) Start Saving. This is really hard for some players. Once you get a few mil in your pocket, you feel the need to spend it. Bad idea. Save your ec, treat it like if it was real money, because you know what? Either it came from zen that you bought or you made it in game, that ec is worth real money. Players paid for the ec at some point, many still do, and you know what they say about money: it's precious. if you make money off the exchange by selling something, save it. If you sell items to Lessa and get ec, save it. Save all the ec you make until you're absolutely certain you need an item.
5) Don't buy in uncertainty or on the spur of a moment. This is self explanatory, and I've heard alot of players who buy something and are disappointed because they thought it would be something else. Be certain of what you're buying BEFORE you buy it. use stowiki.org and search engines to find info on items.
Solutions for the game:
Cryptic may want to ease up on the ec crunch sooner or later, which I personally would welcome since I'm going to weather some tough times meanwhile. There are a few ways to do it:
1) Introduce one or more other missions or minigames that give players ec.
2) Increase the foundry drop cap.
3) Do special events like the one earlier this year for dilithium and reward a worthwhile amount of credits, like 10 or 20 million for completing it.
4) Allow players to get ec not purely based on drops but directly when completing STF's and other PvE missions.
5) Add an ec reward to Episode missions.
We definitely need more ways to get EC than just putting drops (and other items) onto the Exchange.
The best and most fair fix for Tour the Galaxy is in my signature below. It can never pay as much as before though.
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
We definitely need more ways to get EC than just putting drops (and other items) onto the Exchange.
The best and most fair fix for Tour the Galaxy is in my signature below. It can never pay as much as before though.
That's not a fix, though. When people can (allegedly) complete the entire tour in 8 minutes, it's still generating far too much EC.
"Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way." -Gozer, Cryptic PvP Dev
If you are not worried about how long it takes to get the top end gear then that makes things a whol lot more simple. 1 ESTF pays for doing the Omega rep project that gives 2k xp. 1 Tau Dewa sector patrol pays for the same Romulan rep mission. Any of the choice of marks missions pays for the Nukara. Save the overhead Marks for T5 completion to buy the MK XII items.
While doing that you need to gear your ship, use the free ship you get at LvL 40. Do the Breen or jem hadr set missions for the 3 piece sets to get the set bonus. Rerun missions that give the weapons you will be using and any console you can. retrofit Phasers are a solid choice if you use beams. If you have MK X purple weapons just use those. Grab new consoles for the weapons you have*. Once you are geared start collecting fleet credits and replace all that gear with fleet versions except the 3 piece set as those will be replaced with a reputation set.
For ground items get the jem hadr set for yourself and the vendor trash for your boffs and replace with drop items you get along the way. Eventualy these items will be replaced.
*Before 50...
Save your EC you earn when leveling from 40 to 50 and spend that on tactical consoles at level 50. Should easily make enough EC to buy a full set of Mk XI or MK XII in rare quality.
There you go, only thing you buy is tac consoles and you had saved up for those when doing the last 10 levels. geared to play any content and no grind to get better gear because you are not in a hurry. Now any EC you make does not need to go to your ship or ground items. An EC saved is an EC earned.
Join Date: Nobody cares.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
That's not a fix, though. When people can (allegedly) complete the entire tour in 8 minutes, it's still generating far too much EC.
8 minutes? I doubt that.
It would be nice if Cryptic would just come forward and be straight with what they believe the issues are.
When you have to deal with a customer base, it is NEVER a good idea to hide things or not give enough information. When the customer finds out that you change things unexpectedly or hide important information, it creates mistrust and negative feelings.
Brandon/Cryptic, please come out with the particular issues about the "exploit" so that we can start providing constructive feedback.
Please provide the points of concern. My guess is that players were not making the entire Tour was the biggest issue.
Let's work this out as a community.
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
It would be nice if Cryptic would just come forward and be straight with what they believe the issues are.
When you have to deal with a customer base, it is NEVER a good idea to hide things or not give enough information. When the customer finds out that you change things unexpectedly or hide important information, it creates mistrust and negative feelings.
Brandon/Cryptic, please come out with the particular issues about the "exploit" so that we can start providing constructive feedback.
Please provide the points of concern. My guess is that players were not making the entire Tour was the biggest issue.
Let's work this out as a community.
With the right boosts and gear the tour could be beaten in at least as quick as 10 minutes.
I been playing this for a while. And don't buy much from the EC. Only a few items that is reasonable. Even with regular game playing I can get to. I never hit over the 10 mil mark. I barely over 5. And this is even doing the Romulan Rep Grind. All I earned basically was spent right back on projects. So that never made me a good profit.
Like some others said. If the item I want is too expensive on the Exchange. I grind it out on Dil and hit that vendor. I bought all my warp cores from it, weapons, etc. Cause its far easier to grind out the Dil, than to bother with over priced EC items on the exchange.
Also I grew up with this. If you can't afford it. You don't need it. Same applies to the game, there is a lot I don't have. But make due with what I do have.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
During the last year and a half, I have spent around $280 on zen. While I may have issues with certain game mechanics, I do not regret spending money on "Star Trek: Online". Unlike many other veteran players, my time with this game has become limited. When I got tired of grinding through "Tour the Universe", I went out to buy and sell lockbox keys. I have also found a conservative way to sell duty officers. If you guys truly want to support this game, while also making steady progress, I can only suggest that you start making an investment.
"Star Trek: Online" is 'free to play'; however, the game is also 'pay to advance'. Regardless about what politicians may tell everyone, the reality is that nothing in this world is for free. Cryptic cannot keep "Star Trek: Online" running without people making an investment.
Pay close attention to the dilithium exchange. During the last twelve months, the number of zen sellers has shrunk. Most zen buyers are purchasing c-store items, so they can sell them for energy credits. Some are buying c-store items, so they can evolve new KDF and Romulan avatars.
Less grind + steady progress = paying something.
When it comes to items being sold on the exchange, the very-rare items are being posted for astronomical amounts of energy credits. Some of this has to do with the insane resource requirements, which players need for building up starbases, embassies, and reputation systems. Some of this is also caused by people cheating the system; thus, some players think they can obtain everything though intense grinding. Its a two way street.
Even though I am not a subscriber, I personally think I paid for my fair share. Can you say the same?
Best way to get ecs? Win fleet actions and be part of the best get better movement
Make toons and level them to 50 then do foundry farm missions. Easy? Yes. Exploitable? The game is ftp...no limit to how many toons you can have...500k+ every 10 mins...ya that is nuts
Need everything you see and sell it to a vendor...simple tip but it is legit
Turn dil into zen and buy keys for the exchange
That's all I'll leave. There's other ways, but the above is all you need and want for that matter
Make toons and level them to 50 then do foundry farm missions. Easy? Yes. Exploitable? The game is ftp...no limit to how many toons you can have...500k+ every 10 mins...ya that is nuts
The Foundry EC exploits will eventually get closed, just as the Foundry Dilithum exploits were. Hopefully the Foundry team will transition to STO soon.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
The Foundry EC exploits will eventually get closed, just as the Foundry Dilithum exploits were. Hopefully the Foundry team will transition to STO soon.
Now I can understand how Tour the Universe's most efficient ec method was an exploit, but how is the foundry being used to make ec an exploit?
Best way to get ecs? Win fleet actions and be part of the best get better movement
Make toons and level them to 50 then do foundry farm missions. Easy? Yes. Exploitable? The game is ftp...no limit to how many toons you can have...500k+ every 10 mins...ya that is nuts
Actually, the reality of foundry is you may get 500k+ ec. However if you do it regularly, you'll find out the rate is more like 300k per foundry farm mission if you are VA 50. If not, you'll get lower level drops and make even less. But for simplicity sake, 300k is what I call the guaranteed rate. Anything above that is chance, just like you may get a purple drop, but there's no guarantee you will.
The Foundry EC exploits will eventually get closed, just as the Foundry Dilithum exploits were. Hopefully the Foundry team will transition to STO soon.
I really hope so. The Foundry exploit fix could be really easily implemented by changing one fx prop to make it map-wide. Just that change alone would kill all of the fish-in-a-barrel EC grinders. Maybe some folks could then find our stories again.
People, stop exploiting the Foundry, please. Earn your lootz by actually taking on 25 real battleships instead of throwing dynamite in barrel.
I really hope so. The Foundry exploit fix could be really easily implemented by changing one fx prop to make it map-wide. Just that change alone would kill all of the fish-in-a-barrel EC grinders. Maybe some folks could then find our stories again.
People, stop exploiting the Foundry, please. Earn your lootz by actually taking on 25 real battleships instead of throwing dynamite in barrel.
Cryptic, please do something.
You might as well petition for the game to be converted back to P2P, that's the only way to really stop players who are grinding for ec. You think it's fun to grind ec? Majority who grind are those who have poor ships and equipment and working desperately to get themselves set up well enough to enjoy the game and avoid getting pounded on by complaining pro players who look down on them to start with. How many times have I heard pro players complain they're teamed with "noobs." If they had better equipment and ships, many of those noobs would turn the tables on pros and show them what kind of a game they'd really like to play.
During the last year and a half, I have spent around $280 on zen. While I may have issues with certain game mechanics, I do not regret spending money on "Star Trek: Online". Unlike many other veteran players, my time with this game has become limited. When I got tired of grinding through "Tour the Universe", I went out to buy and sell lockbox keys. I have also found a conservative way to sell duty officers. If you guys truly want to support this game, while also making steady progress, I can only suggest that you start making an investment.
Less grind + steady progress = paying something.
Even though I am not a subscriber, I personally think I paid for my fair share. Can you say the same?
In F2P you can't get that top ship or that top gear without grinding for ec and grinding hard. And even then, the average player must wait months. That's F2P life, not many P2P'rs would understand what F2P'rs go through to make ends meet irl and on game. But just because they don't pay currently does not mean they haven't in the past or won't in the future. Many P2P'rs and perhaps the game operators themselves may view F2Prs as extra baggage, worthless to the game since they haven't 'earned' it. To me, successful F2P'rs have earned their respect because by far, F2P'rs have to work harder and play the game more to get where they want, while enjoying it less.
Do I believe I paid for my fair share? Absolutely. To get where I am comfortable playing the game for enjoyment, I have and continue to sweat the extra mile, playing hours at a time with little to no enjoyment doing what I consider game "work", e.g. grinding for income/resources, recruiting, etc. Stuff many players wouldn't do even if someone paid them. I've endured experiences in game that would make others less hardened leave, believe it or not from fellow players themselves. But I'm here to see it through till the end, and I got this to say to P2P'rs who mock F2P'rs: Regular players are regular players no matter how they come. When you make the game harder for them, you're only making it harder for yourself in the long run.
It would be nice if Cryptic would just come forward and be straight with what they believe the issues are.
When you have to deal with a customer base, it is NEVER a good idea to hide things or not give enough information. When the customer finds out that you change things unexpectedly or hide important information, it creates mistrust and negative feelings.
Brandon/Cryptic, please come out with the particular issues about the "exploit" so that we can start providing constructive feedback.
Please provide the points of concern. My guess is that players were not making the entire Tour was the biggest issue.
Let's work this out as a community.
I've already said how in the threads - yes 8 minutes it is possible. 10 minutes is easy peasy
I really hope so. The Foundry exploit fix could be really easily implemented by changing one fx prop to make it map-wide. Just that change alone would kill all of the fish-in-a-barrel EC grinders. Maybe some folks could then find our stories again.
People, stop exploiting the Foundry, please. Earn your lootz by actually taking on 25 real battleships instead of throwing dynamite in barrel.
Playing the game is too much work. These people want an EC ATM with unlimited withdrawals.
this made me laugh.
I for one really dont see what the fuss is about....though that being said i have yet to EVER do a ToU...mainly because im sleeping during the time sits running -_-
I find this line of replies sadly hilarious. We put a lot of work into the massive list of fixes/changes above, and ya'll are hung up on the ability to skip our content. =p
The Foundry EC exploits will eventually get closed, just as the Foundry Dilithum exploits were. Hopefully the Foundry team will transition to STO soon.
They already closed the foundry EC exploit. Thats what the cap on drops is. At one time you could do farm missions over and over until you either pass out or die and make EC just doing that. To stop the foundry from being the only way people gain EC they put a cap on how many drops you get for the whole day. If they wanted you to make less then they would have already done it.
Join Date: Nobody cares.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
They already closed the foundry EC exploit. Thats what the cap on drops is. At one time you could do farm missions over and over until you either pass out or die and make EC just doing that. To stop the foundry from being the only way people gain EC they put a cap on how many drops you get for the whole day. If they wanted you to make less then they would have already done it.
Nah, Cryptic is going to be driven by their metrics, like always. If too many people start making too much EC from the Foundry, they'll adjust that too. It'd be foolish to assume that the Foundry is safe from further reductions.
"Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way." -Gozer, Cryptic PvP Dev
Majority who grind are those who have poor ships and equipment and working desperately to get themselves set up well enough to enjoy the game and avoid getting pounded on by complaining pro players who look down on them to start with.
Unless you are talking PVP, it doesn't take much EC to get a competitive ship/setup. I'm a LTS, but my new rom flew the free Ha'Fah escort until the vet ship was released last week. And it did just fine in all end game PVE content (Switched to vet ship mainly for the look). Fleet weapons do not cost EC, and fleet weapons are among the top gear in the game (again unless you are talking about acc x 3 stuff for PVP). Shields, engines, deflectors are obtained via rep system which actually is not that much of an EC drain. Getting to T5 takes only takes a few million EC over a period of 6 weeks, and 6 weeks is plenty of time to get that many ECs, even with the recent nerf to the tour. Or, if you don't want rep gear, purple shields, engines, and deflectors pretty much sell for slightly above the vendor price on the exchange (<60K). And purple XI or XII tactical consoles are only marginally better than the really cheap blue XI consoles. I am still running mostly blue XI consoles, and I do fine in most all PVE content. In no way do I find that my lack of purple XII everything make me enjoy the game less.
_____________________
Come join the 44th Fleet.
startrek.44thfleet.com[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Nah, Cryptic is going to be driven by their metrics, like always. If too many people start making too much EC from the Foundry, they'll adjust that too. It'd be foolish to assume that the Foundry is safe from further reductions.
If you make the assumption that the tour cooldown was added to nerf getting EC's and not the exploit fix they told us it was. Myself i am going to go by the official statement from Branflakes that it was to fix an exploit and had nothing to do with nerfing EC to oblivion many paranoid players think it is.
The EC farm nerf has already been done, believing they will do more is just simply paranoia.
Join Date: Nobody cares.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
If you make the assumption that the tour cooldown was added to nerf getting EC's and not the exploit fix they told us it was. Myself i am going to go by the official statement from Branflakes that it was to fix an exploit and had nothing to do with nerfing EC to oblivion many paranoid players think it is.
The EC farm nerf has already been done, believing they will do more is just simply paranoia.
What's that quote from Garak? Something to the effect that it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
If you make the assumption that the tour cooldown was added to nerf getting EC's and not the exploit fix they told us it was. Myself i am going to go by the official statement from Branflakes that it was to fix an exploit and had nothing to do with nerfing EC to oblivion many paranoid players think it is.
The EC farm nerf has already been done, believing they will do more is just simply paranoia.
Yeah. If you believe Bran. If you believe that they waited a year and a half to fix an "exploit" that was extensively discussed on the forums.
On the other hand, if you speak Crypticese, you know that 'exploit' means 'players making more currency than intended.' You know that Cryptic has said that they rely on metrics to tell them what to adjust, and anything Bran says about why is just window-dressing.
"Participation in PVP-related activities is so low on an hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly basis that we could in fact just completely take it out of STO and it would not impact the overall number of people [who] log in to the game and play in any significant way." -Gozer, Cryptic PvP Dev
Unless you are talking PVP, it doesn't take much EC to get a competitive ship/setup. I'm a LTS, but my new rom flew the free Ha'Fah escort until the vet ship was released last week. And it did just fine in all end game PVE content (Switched to vet ship mainly for the look). Fleet weapons do not cost EC, and fleet weapons are among the top gear in the game (again unless you are talking about acc x 3 stuff for PVP). Shields, engines, deflectors are obtained via rep system which actually is not that much of an EC drain. Getting to T5 takes only takes a few million EC over a period of 6 weeks, and 6 weeks is plenty of time to get that many ECs, even with the recent nerf to the tour. Or, if you don't want rep gear, purple shields, engines, and deflectors pretty much sell for slightly above the vendor price on the exchange (<60K). And purple XI or XII tactical consoles are only marginally better than the really cheap blue XI consoles. I am still running mostly blue XI consoles, and I do fine in most all PVE content. In no way do I find that my lack of purple XII everything make me enjoy the game less.
Good for you. There are many types of players however, and there are also F2P'rs who do PvP. All that planned equip is also discounting the fact you're already experienced. The player starting from scratch will almost certainly be navigating individually and making costly mistakes along the way. I know because I made some myself. Equipment that didn't work satisfactory, experiments that had to be made, stuff I needed to try. That all factors in the equation as part of the path to becoming an accomplished player. As the man said; Damit Jim, we're humans, not machines.
There is already a price cap - it is 500 million ec.
I discovered that when trying to put that weapon modulator thing for fighting borg thats free off the replicator up for 1 billion EC. You know the one people are replicating for free and selling for 1K plus...
Figured if someone buys it then i just made bank, otherwise if someone see's it they can get a good laugh. Think I have an engine battery up for sale at 100 million now...
Join Date: Nobody cares.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
I demand a price cap of 10 million EC in the exchange. No piece of equipment is worth 30+ million.
:mad:
I don't think the lockbox ship sellers would agree with you there, however I don't think there should be much call for something costing much over 100mil.
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan
Comments
We definitely need more ways to get EC than just putting drops (and other items) onto the Exchange.
The best and most fair fix for Tour the Galaxy is in my signature below. It can never pay as much as before though.
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
That's not a fix, though. When people can (allegedly) complete the entire tour in 8 minutes, it's still generating far too much EC.
While doing that you need to gear your ship, use the free ship you get at LvL 40. Do the Breen or jem hadr set missions for the 3 piece sets to get the set bonus. Rerun missions that give the weapons you will be using and any console you can. retrofit Phasers are a solid choice if you use beams. If you have MK X purple weapons just use those. Grab new consoles for the weapons you have*. Once you are geared start collecting fleet credits and replace all that gear with fleet versions except the 3 piece set as those will be replaced with a reputation set.
For ground items get the jem hadr set for yourself and the vendor trash for your boffs and replace with drop items you get along the way. Eventualy these items will be replaced.
*Before 50...
Save your EC you earn when leveling from 40 to 50 and spend that on tactical consoles at level 50. Should easily make enough EC to buy a full set of Mk XI or MK XII in rare quality.
There you go, only thing you buy is tac consoles and you had saved up for those when doing the last 10 levels. geared to play any content and no grind to get better gear because you are not in a hurry. Now any EC you make does not need to go to your ship or ground items. An EC saved is an EC earned.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
8 minutes? I doubt that.
It would be nice if Cryptic would just come forward and be straight with what they believe the issues are.
When you have to deal with a customer base, it is NEVER a good idea to hide things or not give enough information. When the customer finds out that you change things unexpectedly or hide important information, it creates mistrust and negative feelings.
Brandon/Cryptic, please come out with the particular issues about the "exploit" so that we can start providing constructive feedback.
Please provide the points of concern. My guess is that players were not making the entire Tour was the biggest issue.
Let's work this out as a community.
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
With the right boosts and gear the tour could be beaten in at least as quick as 10 minutes.
Like some others said. If the item I want is too expensive on the Exchange. I grind it out on Dil and hit that vendor. I bought all my warp cores from it, weapons, etc. Cause its far easier to grind out the Dil, than to bother with over priced EC items on the exchange.
Also I grew up with this. If you can't afford it. You don't need it. Same applies to the game, there is a lot I don't have. But make due with what I do have.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
"Star Trek: Online" is 'free to play'; however, the game is also 'pay to advance'. Regardless about what politicians may tell everyone, the reality is that nothing in this world is for free. Cryptic cannot keep "Star Trek: Online" running without people making an investment.
Pay close attention to the dilithium exchange. During the last twelve months, the number of zen sellers has shrunk. Most zen buyers are purchasing c-store items, so they can sell them for energy credits. Some are buying c-store items, so they can evolve new KDF and Romulan avatars.
Less grind + steady progress = paying something.
When it comes to items being sold on the exchange, the very-rare items are being posted for astronomical amounts of energy credits. Some of this has to do with the insane resource requirements, which players need for building up starbases, embassies, and reputation systems. Some of this is also caused by people cheating the system; thus, some players think they can obtain everything though intense grinding. Its a two way street.
Even though I am not a subscriber, I personally think I paid for my fair share. Can you say the same?
Make toons and level them to 50 then do foundry farm missions. Easy? Yes. Exploitable? The game is ftp...no limit to how many toons you can have...500k+ every 10 mins...ya that is nuts
Need everything you see and sell it to a vendor...simple tip but it is legit
Turn dil into zen and buy keys for the exchange
That's all I'll leave. There's other ways, but the above is all you need and want for that matter
My PvE/PvP hybrid skill tree
Now I can understand how Tour the Universe's most efficient ec method was an exploit, but how is the foundry being used to make ec an exploit?
Actually, the reality of foundry is you may get 500k+ ec. However if you do it regularly, you'll find out the rate is more like 300k per foundry farm mission if you are VA 50. If not, you'll get lower level drops and make even less. But for simplicity sake, 300k is what I call the guaranteed rate. Anything above that is chance, just like you may get a purple drop, but there's no guarantee you will.
I really hope so. The Foundry exploit fix could be really easily implemented by changing one fx prop to make it map-wide. Just that change alone would kill all of the fish-in-a-barrel EC grinders. Maybe some folks could then find our stories again.
People, stop exploiting the Foundry, please. Earn your lootz by actually taking on 25 real battleships instead of throwing dynamite in barrel.
Cryptic, please do something.
You might as well petition for the game to be converted back to P2P, that's the only way to really stop players who are grinding for ec. You think it's fun to grind ec? Majority who grind are those who have poor ships and equipment and working desperately to get themselves set up well enough to enjoy the game and avoid getting pounded on by complaining pro players who look down on them to start with. How many times have I heard pro players complain they're teamed with "noobs." If they had better equipment and ships, many of those noobs would turn the tables on pros and show them what kind of a game they'd really like to play.
In F2P you can't get that top ship or that top gear without grinding for ec and grinding hard. And even then, the average player must wait months. That's F2P life, not many P2P'rs would understand what F2P'rs go through to make ends meet irl and on game. But just because they don't pay currently does not mean they haven't in the past or won't in the future. Many P2P'rs and perhaps the game operators themselves may view F2Prs as extra baggage, worthless to the game since they haven't 'earned' it. To me, successful F2P'rs have earned their respect because by far, F2P'rs have to work harder and play the game more to get where they want, while enjoying it less.
Do I believe I paid for my fair share? Absolutely. To get where I am comfortable playing the game for enjoyment, I have and continue to sweat the extra mile, playing hours at a time with little to no enjoyment doing what I consider game "work", e.g. grinding for income/resources, recruiting, etc. Stuff many players wouldn't do even if someone paid them. I've endured experiences in game that would make others less hardened leave, believe it or not from fellow players themselves. But I'm here to see it through till the end, and I got this to say to P2P'rs who mock F2P'rs: Regular players are regular players no matter how they come. When you make the game harder for them, you're only making it harder for yourself in the long run.
I've already said how in the threads - yes 8 minutes it is possible. 10 minutes is easy peasy
People don't want story. People want loot.
this made me laugh.
I for one really dont see what the fuss is about....though that being said i have yet to EVER do a ToU...mainly because im sleeping during the time sits running -_-
They already closed the foundry EC exploit. Thats what the cap on drops is. At one time you could do farm missions over and over until you either pass out or die and make EC just doing that. To stop the foundry from being the only way people gain EC they put a cap on how many drops you get for the whole day. If they wanted you to make less then they would have already done it.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
Nah, Cryptic is going to be driven by their metrics, like always. If too many people start making too much EC from the Foundry, they'll adjust that too. It'd be foolish to assume that the Foundry is safe from further reductions.
Come join the 44th Fleet.
startrek.44thfleet.com[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
If you make the assumption that the tour cooldown was added to nerf getting EC's and not the exploit fix they told us it was. Myself i am going to go by the official statement from Branflakes that it was to fix an exploit and had nothing to do with nerfing EC to oblivion many paranoid players think it is.
The EC farm nerf has already been done, believing they will do more is just simply paranoia.
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
What's that quote from Garak? Something to the effect that it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
Yeah. If you believe Bran. If you believe that they waited a year and a half to fix an "exploit" that was extensively discussed on the forums.
On the other hand, if you speak Crypticese, you know that 'exploit' means 'players making more currency than intended.' You know that Cryptic has said that they rely on metrics to tell them what to adjust, and anything Bran says about why is just window-dressing.
Good for you. There are many types of players however, and there are also F2P'rs who do PvP. All that planned equip is also discounting the fact you're already experienced. The player starting from scratch will almost certainly be navigating individually and making costly mistakes along the way. I know because I made some myself. Equipment that didn't work satisfactory, experiments that had to be made, stuff I needed to try. That all factors in the equation as part of the path to becoming an accomplished player. As the man said; Damit Jim, we're humans, not machines.
:mad:
Especially if you can't afford it
2) Run NADORC (Negotiate Additional Delivery Of Rare Commodities) every few days.
3) Sell Artifacts
4) ???
5) Profit
Kirk's Protege.
There is already a price cap - it is 500 million ec.
I discovered that when trying to put that weapon modulator thing for fighting borg thats free off the replicator up for 1 billion EC. You know the one people are replicating for free and selling for 1K plus...
Figured if someone buys it then i just made bank, otherwise if someone see's it they can get a good laugh. Think I have an engine battery up for sale at 100 million now...
"I'm drunk, whats your excuse for being an idiot?" - Unknown drunk man. :eek:
I don't think the lockbox ship sellers would agree with you there, however I don't think there should be much call for something costing much over 100mil.
"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan