So, we know they are science destroyers. We know they have some cool mechanics and they are introducing the secondary deflector to the game.
We also know they are nine console slots, and unlike all prior anniversary ships they will require a grind.
First the good. The Romulans desperately need two things, another science ship, and a full carrier. This will address one of those problems as it is a Romulan design that uses a singularity core, good. Secondary deflectors look interesting as does the transformation not only affecting stats but boff layout. It also will be the first non-lockbox science ship designed by the KDF. That is good.
Now, the bad:
1000 Qmendations will be required to get one. Unlike all other ships requiring a long and tedious grind, these have only nine console slots. Bran says that the reason these have grind attached is that they have new mechanics and are special. Now, maybe I'm just overly cynical but that to me sounds a lot like "There is no way these ships will work right when we release them, so we want people to grind in order to beta test them for us". The fact that they are only nine console slots suggests that there will be a Lobi version, which is overly greedy. They have effectively combined the worst aspects of all giveaways.
The good parts of the bad:
Apparently we will be getting 400 of the required Qmendations when we play the new FE for the first time. I don't know what to say about this, other than, from my understanding it isn't there to really help us, rather to make up for the fact that this event won't be running as long as winter or summer.
A personal aside:
These sorts of grinds make me feel unwanted as a player. When the Chell Grett was introduced in 2012 I had cancer. I couldn't get out of bed to grind every day if I even remembered. Chemo takes a lot out of you, to say the least. To muster the Lobi needed to have the ship ready when I was on the mend would have cost hundreds, at a time when I had steep medical bills to pay and no way of knowing just how much my life would ultimately cost me. Shortly thereafter I had to have my first account shut down to recoup as much of the money I spent on the game as possible to pay down my bills. I lost a lot. I won't go into exactly how much, but it hurt. Then, in the summer of 2013 I had a second scare, which required a lot of travel and forced me to sacrifice my second account, which was a lifetime subscription and a legacy pack. Obviously this precluded me from getting the Risian a Corvette, as well. I did not get that lifetime sub refunded, by the way. I am now on my third account and second lifetime subscription. Without enumerating exactly how much I've lost, you can probably guess at how much this has hurt me.
I love this game, which is why I have returned twice now. And yes my situation is extremely uncommon, but it really serves to illustrate a point. These grinds wouldn't be an issue for me if they weren't time limited. They wouldn't be an issue for me if the Lobi cost wasn't so far beyond everything else in the game. I've heard all the excuses, about rarity, about effort, seeing the content we built for you, and they're just that, excuses. You NEED an accessible option for those of limited resources, be it time or money or both. If the barriers of entry are there for the reasons repeatedly espoused by the devs or Bran, they are not succeeding at their intended design.
0