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Space Game Power Creep and LockBox Ship Saturation
ztempest
Member Posts: 9 Arc User
Okay, maybe I am way off base here - but maybe not. These are just thoughts.
Every new lockbox vessel brings two primary new warships to the game. These warships are usually (with one exception I think) a carrier/battleship/cruiser and an escort. These vessels are comparable to Zen store and fleet vessel variants, and they usually come with some sort of special ability or console.
Add to this the development of "set" pieces - we have sets for weapons, sets for deflector/shield/engine, and others.
I like new ships as much as the next player - in fact, I love them. I usually attempt to obtain at least one of every lockbox ship that comes out, spread across all of my characters (not each one - that is way too expensive?). But, there are a limited number of ship slots, and considering the potential combinations of bridge officer layouts, I think that Cryptic might be starting to run out of extrapolations for the lockbox ships. It looks like they are attempting to balance this with universal slots, etc, but soon there won't be a lot they can do - bridge officer layouts are sooner or later (if not already) going to be re-hashes of other ship types. On top of that...every new ability has to out-do or be "Better" than the last batch in order to attract players to make an effort to obtain these vessels...this tends to widen gaps in abilities -- the trade-offs a player has to make just does not seem to balance out the outcome -- especially given all of the other contributing factors that impact on gameplay (active duty officers, etc.)
So - to get to the point - power creep is going to continue, no matter what Cryptic does unless they:
1. Start toning down lockbox ships
2. Implement key nerfs on existing systems to reduce power creep
3. Introduce a new level cap, with corresponding enemies, abilities, systems, and new ships, and along with that, provide a means by which existing fleet and possibly Zen vessels can be "upgraded" to the new standard, since these vessels have direct real-money costs and represent a major investment on the part of the player. However, this is a direct increase in power creep.
I have another suggestion though; one that I hope Cryptic - if they read this post - may take seriously.
I think that Cryptic needs to open up a new quadrant/sector; this sector would be for highly advanced ships and players only - encounters and missions would be extremely tough - tough enough to challenge some of the maxxed-out vessels out there. Boss fights that groups can come to the forums with news that they have managed to take it down, etc.
The dynamics in the new sector can be completely different from the rest of the game. A new exploration dynamic, for instance, and a PvP mechanic that has a real impact on the sector as a whole. Rewards in the new sector would also be much higher - purple XIIs, and even the possibility of set pieces, or capturing a special unique console (automatically bound that can't be sold) that can't be obtained any other way than through exploring the new sector and resolving encounters, etc.
Ancient technologies; unique, unpredictable drops; new mysterious NPC encounters; and a PvP system that is not an abstract grind, but which has real impact on the gameworld. This would send this game to the next level, and for those players who are not quite there yet, it gives them a more solid goal to reach, which means they will be snatching up those lockbox, Zen, and Fleet ships - and grinding the rep to get those set pieces - as fast as they can.
In closing, other MMOs - when they reach the point where power creep has seriously set in - tend to reinvent themselves to the point where the past "max" becomes irrelevant. That is sort of what number 3, above, is hinting at; it is a viable way forward, and I would actually like that as well, but a new elite quadrant would also be a nice addition I think. If number 3 AND a variant of the suggestion provided above were implemented...I think it would be...impressive...and a resounding hit...but that is just my opinion.
As I said, just some thoughts...
Edits -- cleaned up formatting.
Every new lockbox vessel brings two primary new warships to the game. These warships are usually (with one exception I think) a carrier/battleship/cruiser and an escort. These vessels are comparable to Zen store and fleet vessel variants, and they usually come with some sort of special ability or console.
Add to this the development of "set" pieces - we have sets for weapons, sets for deflector/shield/engine, and others.
I like new ships as much as the next player - in fact, I love them. I usually attempt to obtain at least one of every lockbox ship that comes out, spread across all of my characters (not each one - that is way too expensive?). But, there are a limited number of ship slots, and considering the potential combinations of bridge officer layouts, I think that Cryptic might be starting to run out of extrapolations for the lockbox ships. It looks like they are attempting to balance this with universal slots, etc, but soon there won't be a lot they can do - bridge officer layouts are sooner or later (if not already) going to be re-hashes of other ship types. On top of that...every new ability has to out-do or be "Better" than the last batch in order to attract players to make an effort to obtain these vessels...this tends to widen gaps in abilities -- the trade-offs a player has to make just does not seem to balance out the outcome -- especially given all of the other contributing factors that impact on gameplay (active duty officers, etc.)
So - to get to the point - power creep is going to continue, no matter what Cryptic does unless they:
1. Start toning down lockbox ships
2. Implement key nerfs on existing systems to reduce power creep
3. Introduce a new level cap, with corresponding enemies, abilities, systems, and new ships, and along with that, provide a means by which existing fleet and possibly Zen vessels can be "upgraded" to the new standard, since these vessels have direct real-money costs and represent a major investment on the part of the player. However, this is a direct increase in power creep.
I have another suggestion though; one that I hope Cryptic - if they read this post - may take seriously.
I think that Cryptic needs to open up a new quadrant/sector; this sector would be for highly advanced ships and players only - encounters and missions would be extremely tough - tough enough to challenge some of the maxxed-out vessels out there. Boss fights that groups can come to the forums with news that they have managed to take it down, etc.
The dynamics in the new sector can be completely different from the rest of the game. A new exploration dynamic, for instance, and a PvP mechanic that has a real impact on the sector as a whole. Rewards in the new sector would also be much higher - purple XIIs, and even the possibility of set pieces, or capturing a special unique console (automatically bound that can't be sold) that can't be obtained any other way than through exploring the new sector and resolving encounters, etc.
Ancient technologies; unique, unpredictable drops; new mysterious NPC encounters; and a PvP system that is not an abstract grind, but which has real impact on the gameworld. This would send this game to the next level, and for those players who are not quite there yet, it gives them a more solid goal to reach, which means they will be snatching up those lockbox, Zen, and Fleet ships - and grinding the rep to get those set pieces - as fast as they can.
In closing, other MMOs - when they reach the point where power creep has seriously set in - tend to reinvent themselves to the point where the past "max" becomes irrelevant. That is sort of what number 3, above, is hinting at; it is a viable way forward, and I would actually like that as well, but a new elite quadrant would also be a nice addition I think. If number 3 AND a variant of the suggestion provided above were implemented...I think it would be...impressive...and a resounding hit...but that is just my opinion.
As I said, just some thoughts...
Edits -- cleaned up formatting.
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Comments
I seriously doubt even 5% of the overall player-population owns a Lockbox ship - I would guess not even 2%. If content is going to be made then it needs to be made for the 95%, not the 5%. It's bad business to ignore the majority - which is why the Feds were given so much more C-Store stuff then the KDF.
There's too many people screaming for new end-game content for them to only focus on those with advanced/special ships, IMHO.