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Ability Console Overload and No Where to Put Them
wr3knar21
Member Posts: 0 Arc User
Does anyone else really feel hamstrung by all the nice shiny abilities that a number of universal consoles grant? I'm not speaking to the ones that grant a statistical bonus (i.e. TC or AM), but ones who's only benefit is an ability (i.e. Chevron Separation or Nadeon Detector)? I find myself really wanting to use these, but there are simply not enough console slots to go around.
Realistically, why are these consoles not devices instead? They fulfill a similar function to other devices like the RMC or SFM (Subspace Field Modulator) and would be a far easier thing to balance if they were moved to those slots. As for the set bonus concern (Odyessy, Bortasqu, Vesta, etc.) would these set bonuses really be a concern? They are typically very minor statistical boost (most of them are CD reductions for the abilities in the set).
Realistically, why are these consoles not devices instead? They fulfill a similar function to other devices like the RMC or SFM (Subspace Field Modulator) and would be a far easier thing to balance if they were moved to those slots. As for the set bonus concern (Odyessy, Bortasqu, Vesta, etc.) would these set bonuses really be a concern? They are typically very minor statistical boost (most of them are CD reductions for the abilities in the set).
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Not what he's talking about. He wants universal consoles converted to devices.
I'd also really like to see reusable batteries like the Dyson ship has in the FE.
Why make the special consoles devices? Why not just make them a separate item altogether, so you can have them AND all your devices AND all your consoles ALL at the same time!
"The Creep" is already bad enough ... Please don't make it worse ...
Deal with it.
What a ridiculous comment. 'Deal with it'. Wow, we got a badass here.
I think the principle of what he says is actually a very good idea. Some of the consoles seem old and dated in comparison to some of the more recent ones. Especially when it comes to cooldown times. A few of them could be converted to devices in my opinion. Not all, just a few of them.
However as previously mentioned, the power creep in this game is crazy right now. Maybe if they introduce some content with some difficulty it could be more viable.
No, I think having to make meaningful/hard choices is a GOOD thing. You can't do everything, so figure out where and what you want to focus on, then try to gear to compliment that.
There has to be a give and take. You should not be taking a full load of stat-enhancing consoles AND a bunch of consoles that bring abilities and additional bonuses, to include set bonuses.
That's major power creep, which at this point in STO's history, is bad enough as it is.
The limitations on what you unimaginative folks can't get around is one of the last vestiges of balance that keeps this game from doing 360 backflips as it jumps the shark.
You make the choice of putting in consoles like Neutronium, TAC Consoles, Romulan Embassy Consoles, etc. for statistical gains, which is important.
Or you replace them with Universal Consoles that bring some stats, bonuses, abilities.
You can't have good amounts of both. You must choose.
*** DEAL WITH IT ***
This comes up periodically, and to the best of my knowledge no one from Cryptic has ever commented on the subject one way or the other.
Lifetime Sub since June 2010
Joined January 2009
Decisions. You have to decide. One, or the other. It's the depth and balance that make things more fun.
That, or people are beginning to recognize well-beaten dead horses when they see them.
-shrug-
I kind of agree with this. It seems silly that some consoles should not have to factor into your decision making process... like whether to use the saucer seperation option or not. I think for this to really work though, you'd have to have those 3ish "ability" consolse slots, and they would have to rebalance the number of console slots a ship has (so a 9 console ship might have to be a 3 ability and 6 "regular" console ship after the change) to avoid power creep.
Probably an adaptation of this on Cryptic's part though, would be to periodically update the older C-store consoles to help keep them up to part with similiar consoles.
Personally, the bigest change I would suggest in regards to this is to either combine more of the set consoles for 3 pack ships into one console, or make the set bonuses for them better to help balance the loss of three console slots.
I think most would agree, none of those consoles are game breaking. As it is currently set up, nearly all people use the same three or four overpowered consoles and every other "flavor" enhancing console that could give us some variety in the game are thrown to the wayside as they do not stack up to the OP consoles.
Yes, we do have choices to make, but actually we don't. No one is going to slot a photonic console over an assimilated universal. Just Sayin':cool:
No, this would not work. Consoles are choices. The trick is to find something that does decent "whatever your goal is", while still giving you fun abilities.
Odan Brota (Science Officer): Captain of a 28k DPS Scryer Intel Science Vessel, U.S.S. Kepler
Patiently waiting for a Romulan Science Vessel
Going to use this one for both the "Deal With It" crowd and "Meaningful Choices" group as it showcases the difference between ability universal consoles and passive bonus consoles.
Plasmonic Leech is always on and as long as your firing, is always giving you a benefit. There is never at any point in this game where more power to your systems is a detriment, never.
Saucer Sep is very situational and comes with inherent downsides built right into the ability. Not only that, but it also has a CD on re-use? And has to compete with cramped statistical passive boosting consoles?
There is no meaningful choice here, one is simply superior to the other and Plasmonic Leech is not the only console. Just at a glance, I can name several universal consoles that need to fit in just about every end-game load out. Assim Module, ZPE Conduit, Tach Converter, just to name a few. These are not consoles that lend well to meaningful choices versus ability consoles, they just simply are better. No argument can realistically be made to make the case where Saucer Sep is a suitable replacement for Assim Module in any build....none at all.
And any number of end-game builds reflect this, you'll find virtually none of these ability consoles are used except for a few outliers. Furthermore, there are people that might use these consoles, but they know, if there was actually any hard content, that would be the first device they'd ditch for another passive console.
What is a meaningful choice is deciding whether to equip Proton Part Stab over ZPE Conduit. With the Proton Console, I can get greater bonuses if I commit to using one other set piece for a better crit benefit over an equivalent loadout of ZPE and say Exp Rom Beam Array. That is the very definition of a meaningful choice.
As for the "Deal With It" crowd, go ask yourselves why and actually try to articulate what part of it really bothers you. Some of you did, which places you firmly in either the "Meaningful Choices" or the "Power Creep" club. The former I've already addressed, but for the latter...
Power creep has already happened regardless of these consoles, these consoles add no more to the power creep than putting Fleet version MKXII tac consoles on the Spire holding with tacking on either a stacking 8% critD or 1.6% critH. Creep is going to happen, STO is an MMO, and this is where I'm going to say "Deal With It".
At least this way, by adding a plethora of new devices to a pretty stagnant and depressing pool would at least bring "Meaningful Choices" as a relative factor. Do I bring Isometric Charge to this fight over Subspace Field Modulation? Do I want Worker Bees, or Red Matter Capacitor? Just even comparing the behavior of these abilities, these consoles act like devices and vice versa. Why should they be in direct competition with statistical passive granting consoles?
As for the disparity between the number of device slots between ships, if this were to be implemented, I would wholly agree a balance pass would be needed.