Seems like after 7 years my motherboard finally died today. I guess it's time for a new PC. But I need to play a few concerts first to get the money, so it'll probably be 3-4 weeks.
So I'll be back right when the CC Event ends
At renderscale 0.5 it kinda works on my Tablet/Notebook, so I might be able to do it at least on my three main chars, but it will certainly overheat at extended gaming sessions.
Someone or something out there doesn't want me to fight the Crystalline Entity. I never seem able to finish tht event.
Lore?
Maybe If I reduce the renderscale and resolution more I can at least DOff and chat, but don't wonder if you don't see me ingame for a while captains! 07
Aww man... sorry to hear... that bites hard!
I hope you can get it all sorted sooner than later and make it work temp on your tablet/notebook... and I think Lore is tryn to tell you something haha!
Captains! The discussion has begun for our latest venture for our group. Star Trek Battles PVP. We've run a few of these over the past month or so and found the need for some "official" rules on how conduct our mighty ship engagements. These PVP battles are usually lower tier ships (so far) and more about recreating themed battles from Star Trek. Basically we want these PVP battles to be fun and fair for all parties who run them. Ground rules that have been loosely discussed so far are: 1. Captain/Spec Powers, 2. Cloaks: Rom vs KDF vs None, 3. Universal Consoles, 4 Rep Powers (although the feeling is none this one. Ok group discuss!
Captains! The discussion has begun for our latest venture for our group. Star Trek Battles PVP. We've run a few of these over the past month or so and found the need for some "official" rules on how conduct our mighty ship engagements. These PVP battles are usually lower tier ships (so far) and more about recreating themed battles from Star Trek. Basically we want these PVP battles to be fun and fair for all parties who run them. Ground rules that have been loosely discussed so far are: 1. Captain/Spec Powers, 2. Cloaks: Rom vs KDF vs None, 3. Universal Consoles, 4 Rep Powers (although the feeling is none this one. Ok group discuss!
I just wanted to say thanks for the PvP match last night. It seems that indeed there NEEDS to be, IMO, rules which will ensure that the matches relatively even for all.
Before I go on throwing down my 2 EC's about it.. I just wanted to say that, and most of you know, I'm am NOT a big PvPer... TBH I thought we were going to shoot some borgies last night in our Constallations hahah!... I mostly have done them in the past to be target practice to help people with their builds but never have I actively gone out and start matches as it's just not my thing and somtimes no matter how "friendly" they've been.. some has ended up in not so good terms.
BUT the PvP here in STB has been good as it's always been about having fun which is the point of STB!
So.. here are my suggestions.
- race specific weapons (hello!... it's STB!)
- MK of weapons to be XI rare but it will be up to the individual if they can aquire the weapons so maybe a MK X VR can be allowed? (up for disussion)
- torps fore & aft
- captain powers are ok for example APA, SF, EF.. (i'd be up for not having them as well)
- Specializations no? Not sure if you can turn them off?... but Pilot I think is ok as it's defensive and of course... RnR!
- No traits across the board for example Last Ditch Effort, Omega Kenetic Sheering, Rep powers (up for discussion)
- Uni consoles... this one is up for discussion I think BUT if it's unique to that ship for example the Metreon Gas for the Sov or Picard move from the Constallation it should be ok? (I'd be up for none for these)
- consoles... no lobi store ones but again MK of them is rare BUT only limited MAYBE to 2 - 3 so what we did with the Dom War one was allow one torp/energy weapon boosting one, an RCS & armour console & I can't remember what we did with the sci slot (up for discussion)
- no space sets and again up to MK XI rare (up for discussion)
- cloaking ok i'd think for the Rom's & KDF and Defiant
- boff powers can be only up to Lt. slot
- single target powers only
- no hull heal (this was not a part of the Dom War but when we did it the fights would last too long IMO. My thinking is to make the battles be quick but again this is up for discussion as well but I think AuxtoSIF will be ok)
- no TT? (my reasoning behind this was so that I could free up a tac space for HY or BO but that could be personal pref?)
- no doffs
- command powers for cruisers ok
- no devices
- balanced power settings
- Tier of ships (to be discussed but I think up to T4 was ok? BUT Bug ships and lobi ships were allowed in the Dom War)
That's what I can remember from it but I also think it will bring some form of balance by putting everyone on an even playing field IMO. There's more to be considered as well and I'm just throwing this out there.
- since some ships have 3/3 layouts... maybe all ships go 3/3? but that leaves the lower tier ships with 2/2 or 2/1 layouts at a disadvantage? maybe cap it at 3/3?
- having said that but throwing it out there... say we have a Gal vs Def. The Defiant will have a hard time punching thru it's shields, I know this cause I had a match with Steve and my Def was defeated easily as soon as it broadsided me, so maybe have the Gal 3/3 & the Def 4/2?.. just a thought as the escorts need a bit more firepower?
Edit: Maybe have different classes have different layouts? (again.. just thoughts)
Dreadnaught - 4/4 OR 4/3 (allow extra eng console? and tac console?)
Cruisers - 3/3 (allow extra eng console? and sci console?)
Escorts - 4/2 (allow 1 or 2 extra tac console(s))
Tier's will come into play with this but some ships are meant just be cannon fodder.. here's looking at you Miranada class!... particularly the USS Not In The Face!
That also could just be getting deep but throwing it out there.
- Also in the shows you see MOSTLY ships firing 1 energy weapon at a time.. so maybe IF say 3/3 go 1 energy & 2 torps fore & aft?
I know some may see it as being TOO restrictive but the goal is to balance it out.. and what that looks like TBH I don't know but what I do know is the Dom War PvP was pretty even if I can remember with the rules that were in place.
I will add to this later a sample build from STO academy so people can also see a build.
In doing the sample build.. thoughts of EC came to mind. Maybe some may not be able to afford the gear so that will also have to be considered.
This may cater to some... to some it won't but the goal is to have fun and balanced and that is subjective to what people are willing to do/not do or want to do.... not sure if that made sense but we'll run with that haha!
Please feel free to add additional suggestions and by no means are my suggestions above the way "balance" in STB PvP should be it's just my thoughts & experience.
Thanks Captains and I look forward to hearing from all of you on this 07
07 Triz! First off great example of a build. I think that is exactly what we are looking for as a community! Second a lot of great points on how we should do this. I want to throw out an idea and that is maybe we should rethink this as not so much PVP but maybe as Star Trek Reenactments (now all we need is for the Devs to make us a V'Ger ship).
I was thinking about consoles last night and though maybe we could allow Universal Ship consoles that are defensive in nature (example Tachyon Detection Field, Impulse Capacity Burst, or the Picard Maneuver Console). These kind of consoles aren't "I win buttons" and I don't do any DPS. Just a thought. Also the question of Rom players and Singulartiy Abilities? The White Gear idea I like because it's easy for anyone who wants to join to be immediately on the level game wise with anyone else. All this is great stuff and we will see where it leads us.
I quite like the sample build and the rules of engagement. I think I have a way of simplifying the approach to different ships
- 3/3 max for weapons: I'd say allow 2/2 energy weapons, and restrict if need be but if everyones firing too many torps it could make matches take a long-time and super gimp anything with a low turn-rate.
- 1 console/type (1 tac, 1 sci, 1 eng) + 1 console which matches ship class (eng = cruiser, sci = sci, tac = escort)
I don't know if I like the idea of balanced power levels being able to change power levels allows us to adapt on the fly. If everyone picks on the cruiser it would benefit the team for that ship to go high shield power and the other team members could boost weapons or engines.
I'd just like to throw in that, if you want to restrict weapon Mk/rarity I'd recommend just going with the MkX whites that are available for cheap at the vendor. That way the more space poor captains have a much easier time to participate.
Other than that I have no idea about PvP outside being practice target
First off, you can't buy X commons from a vendor. The only reliable way to get them is by commissioning ships. That's impractical for quite a few energy types.
Also, it rules out all story reward gear, some of which is canon-inspired or has interesting mods and procs.
I mean, this isn't really my thing either (and the multi-page rulebook is making it even less appealing), but Mk X common weapons aren't actually common, and moving the quality up to rare means you can actually get creative with mods without costing anyone too much.
Oh you can't? I was sure you can buy them. Then nevermind
And yeah, it would rule out story gear and some special weapons, but that's a problem with Mk/rarity restrictions in general, hm, tough one.
I agree that too many rules make it less appealing.
Also, it rules out all story reward gear, some of which is canon-inspired or has interesting mods and procs.
I mean, this isn't really my thing either (and the multi-page rulebook is making it even less appealing), but Mk X common weapons aren't actually common, and moving the quality up to rare means you can actually get creative with mods without costing anyone too much.
I have to agree with most of this, honestly, especially the rulebook. My personal suggestion is Mk XI blues.
As for weapon slots, I would suggest not limiting them. The Galaxy-class is a considerably larger and more powerful ship than the Saber, Nova or Intrepid. Why should it be nerfed? If you're gonna go into battle against a Galaxy in a Saber, you're gonna have a bad time.
I'd like to suggest we do balanced matches; 1 T4, 2 T3s on both sides or something similar, so we don't end up with three Negh'vars and a B'rel fighting two Mirandas, an Oberth and a Nova.
Additionally, I would suggest, at least for Fed, we bring a balanced task force - a cruiser, two escorts and a science ship, where each ship performs its intended role. The cruiser soaks up damage, the escorts kill things and the science ship supports the rest of the group, unlike most of STO where everyone flies around doing whatever they want to.
Some things I just wanted to throw out there.. sorry for not being able to respond right away to some things.
STB PvP.. stuff
I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a PvPer but will do the occasional themed ones or help someone out type thing. I have enjoyed the past themed ones and would be open to more.
The balance stuff is a bit tricky but my suggestion is by no means the one to used as the rules. There's a lot to consider and as Kin mentioned there are weapons as rewards one can get that would be ruled out and I know a lot of peeps likes demz stuff. So testing is another way to see what works and what doesn't.. I know time and or availability are sometimes what limits such testing but one just needs to ask in channel or even me as I'm always willing to help out.
Timing of PvP stuff is also hard to do with everyone having different schedules.. not only that but also peeps have their own time to do what they need to do when they come online and I know such events eats up a lot of play time so schedule it and see what interest comes up or just try doing it on the fly.
Mirror ship runs!!!
I'm all for this as all my toons have a mirror ship and the last time we did one was a lot of fun. Just call it out and I'd be more than happy to bring any of my mirror ships out.
I actually set up my mirror Vorcha on J'war with cannons to get the screen accuracy of the ones used in DS9 when they decloaked and rain disruptor fire hahaha... doesn't live long but it sure is fun!
Triz has the Nova & Patrol Escort
ZED has the Nova
Zander has the Nova & Deep Space Sci Recon (that the name?.. the one that looks like a durt devil? haha)
Tuzak has the T'Varo & Mogai
J'war has the Vorcha & Neghvar
Thinking of getting the Advanced Escort for Triz cuz.. y not... me love some MVAE! that would make it my 4th version! haha
STB DPS runs
This is something that myself and Setek have been talking about actually. I know as of late there have been a lot of DPS runs and it's seeming that we are steam rolling the borg once again... poor poor ISA hahaha. The only reason for such runs is for SOME of us trying to push the canon builds as far as they can go to try and try to beat HSE to name one of the harder if not hardest of Elite's.
We recently did have a go at HSE and I would like to thank the Captains that did join in on that. Some good things came out of that which on the last run was to attack the left side first as opposed to going top down. That run in particular felt like we were hitting harder and faster but noticed had about 3 more cubes to gun down when the timer expired.
Personally, I think we can beat HSE with what we have without changing much.. just need some more practice runs. The ONLY thing in the way is the HP sponges of what is the Queens guards... after that... I hear it's HSN mode lol! I'm considering to have a BO for some spike dmg to help lessen the pissing off of too many borg when one uses FAW haha.. BUT having a tank has made a HUGE difference as well as when the healing gets synced we all seem to stay alive longer.
I don't see me pushing my build any further really than what is needed to beat HSE as the FAW spam is REALLY starting to wear on me again... I can't remember where I read it but someone said something like.. yeah they can beat stuff like HSE but the HP sponges are just no fun and that the Adv settings is good enough for a casual gamer... I think that's me in some sorts. It's nice to say you can beat the leet stuff... even better in a canon build but in the end I MYSELF am really a casual gamer who enjoys kirking it out and having fun rather than worrying when I don't beat something fast enough. I will still try to beet the hard stuff but only when there are other people up for it.
So.. I see the return of the cap ONLY if all are in agreement in that particular team/run. If there are those that want to test their DPS no problem but I will be probably asking that from now on when I form teams. Also.. if no one is in a rush you will probably see the return of the of 20% rule in ISA.
I think that's some of the things I wanted to talk about... All in all it's always about having fun within STB.
So in closing and a friendly reminder... Keep it fun & keep it canon.. that means saying no to KCB! hahaa... you know who you are!
TC and Have Fun Captains and always THANK YOU for making STO fun for me and others as always! 07
I personally wish we were doing Elites more often. The "HP sponges" argument simply doesn't apply to the majority of them with our builds. I keep meaning to set up some weaker builds for Advanced. Gear storage is an issue there, though. I can barely hold onto my old rep/fleet gear I don't use often as it is, without adding an entire build's worth of weaker gear. (I suppose I could do every Advanced run on Epohh Lady, but I'm sure someone disagrees that rainbow turrets are a canon armament for one of Q's creations...)
As for Hive, I really think I need to get my T'varo back together. That's what got me through the old Hive Advanced before they dropped Advanced enemies' HP, I have no doubt that I can build it to deal enough damage for Elite. Survivability really concerns me, though.
I personally wish we were doing Elites more often. The "HP sponges" argument simply doesn't apply to the majority of them with our builds. I keep meaning to set up some weaker builds for Advanced. Gear storage is an issue there, though. I can barely hold onto my old rep/fleet gear I don't use often as it is, without adding an entire build's worth of weaker gear. (I suppose I could do every Advanced run on Epohh Lady, but I'm sure someone disagrees that rainbow turrets are a canon armament for one of Q's creations...)
As for Hive, I really think I need to get my T'varo back together. That's what got me through the old Hive Advanced before they dropped Advanced enemies' HP, I have no doubt that I can build it to deal enough damage for Elite. Survivability really concerns me, though.
I don't mind doing the Elite runs and I think you know that.. just ask me or in chat and I'm usually the first to bite... no point in building the dps up if we can't use em right? hahah... and yeah.. stuff like Korfez elite doesn't require uber DPS as I remember finishing that with like an avg of 7k dps.
I think with adv, like I mentioned, if no one is going to dps and all in agreement.. cap on. Maybe it's not about the gear that you have to get for Adv but maybe just adj the weapons power? or go more for single target powers? I do see the challenge with going in with all white gear but for some an easy solution could just be lowering weapons power.
I think having a ship like your T'varo in Hive would be good but we would have to ensure that we have a tank in there as I think that will be essential. The other 3 ships would need to spitting out dps as much as possible but also concentrated fire would also be key to bring down dem tac cubes faster which is why I'm thinking of trying BO3 next time.
Yeah, gear's not everything. The new boff training does make switching to a less efficient ability setup a good option now, unlike before. Power levels are a good point, too, but they won't help with torp-heavy setups.
Yeah, gear's not everything. The new boff training does make switching to a less efficient ability setup a good option now, unlike before. Power levels are a good point, too, but they won't help with torp-heavy setups.
Good point on the torps... but let's be real... even good torps upgraded still come in dead last to phasers hahaha.
I get torps as drops and Quantum MK XII greens are like 15k a piece same with some photons so that could be a solution there.
I only use the boffs that have most all of the abilities anyways so yes... super easy to switch builds on the fly.
It will also give way to powers like the one recently given from an FE where it will have a huge target reticule on it.. focused assualt?.. So even tho we go to single target powers we can have something like that type of power be used.
Good point on the torps... but let's be real... even good torps upgraded still come in dead last to phasers hahaha.
Umm, one of us is doing something wrong, then. My PEP cloud can be my highest source of damage in some runs, my Neutronic outperforms any individual beam array on my JHRS.
I should unbox Focused Assault and give that a try. Of course, now I'm seeing synergy between it and the Hestia trait, and building around that kind of defeats the point of using a less effective boff setup...
Good point on the torps... but let's be real... even good torps upgraded still come in dead last to phasers hahaha.
Umm, one of us is doing something wrong, then. My PEP cloud can be my highest source of damage in some runs, my Neutronic outperforms any individual beam array on my JHRS.
I should unbox Focused Assault and give that a try. Of course, now I'm seeing synergy between it and the Hestia trait, and building around that kind of defeats the point of using a less effective boff setup...
If someone is doing something wrong between the 2 of us it's probably me... haha
I didn't take those 2 torps into account.. the PE torp I have but have not seen any stats on it and well you know I don't have the Neut torp but the statement was just how some see torps vs beams.
The FA power has 1 min CD if I remember and is cut to global if the target dies while active IIRC. Tried it on ZED and was.. meh but again... it was just to try it out and use something different.... forgot about the Hestia trait but those 2 would jive huh?
Any suggestions that I make is just that to try and not steam roll stuff... maybe weapons to the lowest settings and keep your PE & Neut torp and it will balance out? hahaha
What could be the soft cap for lower DPS runs? 10k? 15k?
If someone tanks I could probably bring back the Exeter, that would make me sooo happy! I really miss it!
Also my undergeared alts could stockpile some dilithium.
Going single target and completely show-accurate certainly helps bringing down DPS, as does unslotting offensive traits and diverting power from weapons to other subsystems.
But to be honest, I think it will be very hard for some NOT to steamroll advanced with the gear you have on hand.
The Subcommander is absolutely correct in that bank space is a real issue.
I am also tweaking my Galaxy Tank for more survivability in HSE, bought two traits for that and I'll switch around some BOff abilities.
I think we are at a point, where those who try for HSE have a pretty solid idea about what damage their builds can dish out. Now it's about adapting for HSE vs. ISA. So we really should try running it whenever possible, even if it's just to get used to flight-paths, refine tactics etc.
Non STB-related sidenote (but asking here because it's all about looks, and that's what STB is about ):
Does anyone know of some beams with unique visuals for my party boat? I already have a Mk XIV TOS Phaser and Vaadwaur Array. Oh and the KCB is used the first time since I joined STB. I need 6 more pretty beams for it. http://imgur.com/a/XVR4c
Get the Disruptor array from Blood of Ancients and the rainbow Antichroniton array from Butterfly, at least. The Chroniton dual "array" is always a good choice if Lobi isn't an issue.
Get the Disruptor array from Blood of Ancients and the rainbow Antichroniton array from Butterfly.
OMG THOSE ARE PRETTY!!! Thank you!
Dual Arrays won't really work. It's a Tank so I want to broadside at full impulse to get the defense bonus.
So far I have a Vaadwaur Polaron, KCB, Resonant Disruptor, Antochroniton, TOS Phaser. Those are awesome. I also have a standard Phaser, Polaron, and a Coalition Disruptor. Those don't look that great. I might slot the Ferengi Missile Launcher as I have space for TS1 anyway on this build, but not sure. Would be fun to go all energy for a change.
On Topic:
Trizeo suggested a 10k soft cap for ISA runs, which sounds like a pretty good number to me.
For the high performers I suggest lower Tier ships to achieve that goal, or alts that don't have Mk XIV weapons. At least, that's what I intend to do.
I'm sure I could bring Setek's T5u/T6 ships down to 10k without wasting precious inventory space for lower Mk weapons, but I would have slot so much defensive stuff instead of offense that, paired with high power to Aux/Engines/Shields instead of weapons, I would be totally immortal, which isn't exactly fun either.
Get the Disruptor array from Blood of Ancients and the rainbow Antichroniton array from Butterfly.
OMG THOSE ARE PRETTY!!! Thank you!
Dual Arrays won't really work. It's a Tank so I want to broadside at full impulse to get the defense bonus.
So far I have a Vaadwaur Polaron, KCB, Resonant Disruptor, Antochroniton, TOS Phaser. Those are awesome. I also have a standard Phaser, Polaron, and a Coalition Disruptor. Those don't look that great. I might slot the Ferengi Missile Launcher as I have space for TS1 anyway on this build, but not sure. Would be fun to go all energy for a change.
On Topic:
Trizeo suggested a 10k soft cap for ISA runs, which sounds like a pretty good number to me.
For the high performers I suggest lower Tier ships to achieve that goal, or alts that don't have Mk XIV weapons. At least, that's what I intend to do.
I'm sure I could bring Setek's T5u/T6 ships down to 10k without wasting precious inventory space for lower Mk weapons, but I would have slot so much defensive stuff instead of offense that, paired with high power to Aux/Engines/Shields instead of weapons, I would be totally immortal, which isn't exactly fun either.
Having a cap will bring back the time before DR where we had to really work as a team in missions like ISA where we had CC and cross healing and such.. even the % rule on the generators.
There are many ways to achieve lowering the dps such as..
lowering weapons power
using single target powers like BO & HY
dropping tac/uni consoles
use lower tier ships
limit boff powers to lt.
Another thought was to possibly drop a weapon or 2.. possibly have a 3/3 or 3/2 lay out for example 1 beam array 2 torps or 2 beams 1 torp. You won't have to buy gear and you get to keep your hard earned gear but this way and I think it's better than buying weapons for ol school STB runs. Just another suggestion.
I know though there are some trying to push their canon builds so if I put a run together I may ask before if it's ok to go beast mode or ol' school STB mode.
Maybe in the next couple of days I'll ask to get some of those ol' school runs and muck w/my build to see what works for me and then share it.
Also, last night I got another surprise... during an ISA run in the 30k dps channel I was able to hit 52k in my Akira torp boat! I was only trying to break 40K but I guess in that run all the stars aligned for me. At the end of the run I mentioned in team chat that it was my first time breaking 50k in my torp boat.. someone responded by saying enjoy kemocite or something like that... I then said I have no kemocite on this boat... THAT felt good and I said it was a canon boat to boot and he then said nice build which REALLY felt good.
Dps is a funny thing... IMO it TOTALLY depends on the team you're on which is never the same one 99% of the time. I don't see me chasing too much more but there is room for improvement on both my MVAE & Akira. Which I'll probably only do when something else harder comes along.. STILL need to beat HSE FIRST! haha!
I'll be posting both my 58k MVAE & 52k Akira builds just to show what I'm working with.
That's all for now.. Hope to see you in game soon!.. 07
10k is fine for ISA, but please don't make it a blanket cap. I don't want to do Herald Sphere, for example, in a 10k build. It's just not any fun, the content is designed around us being stronger. (We used to have this same issue with Undine Assault, where we'd miss out on the bonuses in the pre-DR Elite because we were taking too long to clear enemies from around the rifts with 5k builds.)
A few more thoughts on the issue: Maybe have all your top gear on your main (T6 or whatever) then build a T5 or in my case your T3 with lower DPS gear that way your not giving up any bank space to store anything (unless your like me and you use your unused ships to store gear on). Also think about spike damage in this discussion a good solution to this is to swap out your BOFF powers such as changing out Cannon Rapid Fire for Attack Pattern Beta.
10k is fine for ISA, but please don't make it a blanket cap. I don't want to do Herald Sphere, for example, in a 10k build. It's just not any fun, the content is designed around us being stronger. (We used to have this same issue with Undine Assault, where we'd miss out on the bonuses in the pre-DR Elite because we were taking too long to clear enemies from around the rifts with 5k builds.)
I think the cap is for runs like ISA, KSA & CSA & whatever else we think needs it also when we have the time to enjoy them w/lower dps.
For Herald Sphere or Undine Assault I would agree with you there in your statement that some of the missions are designed for us to be maxed.
Ok as promised here are my 2 top builds that I intend to try HSE with. As you can see there is room for improvement still yet but I'm pretty happy with how they are now.
Any comments or suggestions are always welcomed.
I also wanted to thank you all for helping with my builds and hours of answering my noob questions hahah
I had to revise the Akira as I forgot to put the +torp hahaha
EDIT: October 9, 2015
Last night I got the Gal X and her first run she was able to pull 50K ! haha...
The weapons used are the same as my MVAE but with +1 fleet MK XIII beam I had sitting around.
I also decided to go A2B with her as I'm not that creative AND I was in a rush to try her out! hahaha.. spent the whole night with her! haha.
So I have another ship that I can bring into HSE which I'd prolly feel safer as she can take a beating.
Also, I've been told that 1 of the tac ens on the MVAE is going uni so I plan on going ET, ST or PH just for more survivability.... as if the ship wasn't awesome enough LOL.
First test of the Exeter in an STB run:
SCM - Infected [LR] (S) - DMG Out: 5,652,411 DPS: 14,302.66 (15.8% of Team) - Setek@Tyrinius
That was with lots of heals I ended up not needing, thanks to everyone else grabbing aggro. And I had the iconian set slotted instead of AMACO (which would have been much better, as it's mostly torpedoes). Lots of room for optimization. But it's baaaack!
I like this, but have to ask are neutronic torpedoes ok? Considering theyre basically advanced quantums. All my non escort ships use both fore and aft torpedoes, and all my ships have at least one torpedo tube, and all but one (which I rarely use) use faction appropriate weapons.
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."
Comments
Aww man... sorry to hear... that bites hard!
I hope you can get it all sorted sooner than later and make it work temp on your tablet/notebook... and I think Lore is tryn to tell you something haha!
We will see you when we do sir... TC 07
I just wanted to say thanks for the PvP match last night. It seems that indeed there NEEDS to be, IMO, rules which will ensure that the matches relatively even for all.
Before I go on throwing down my 2 EC's about it.. I just wanted to say that, and most of you know, I'm am NOT a big PvPer... TBH I thought we were going to shoot some borgies last night in our Constallations hahah!... I mostly have done them in the past to be target practice to help people with their builds but never have I actively gone out and start matches as it's just not my thing and somtimes no matter how "friendly" they've been.. some has ended up in not so good terms.
BUT the PvP here in STB has been good as it's always been about having fun which is the point of STB!
So.. here are my suggestions.
- race specific weapons (hello!... it's STB!)
- MK of weapons to be XI rare but it will be up to the individual if they can aquire the weapons so maybe a MK X VR can be allowed? (up for disussion)
- torps fore & aft
- captain powers are ok for example APA, SF, EF.. (i'd be up for not having them as well)
- Specializations no? Not sure if you can turn them off?... but Pilot I think is ok as it's defensive and of course... RnR!
- No traits across the board for example Last Ditch Effort, Omega Kenetic Sheering, Rep powers (up for discussion)
- Uni consoles... this one is up for discussion I think BUT if it's unique to that ship for example the Metreon Gas for the Sov or Picard move from the Constallation it should be ok? (I'd be up for none for these)
- consoles... no lobi store ones but again MK of them is rare BUT only limited MAYBE to 2 - 3 so what we did with the Dom War one was allow one torp/energy weapon boosting one, an RCS & armour console & I can't remember what we did with the sci slot (up for discussion)
- no space sets and again up to MK XI rare (up for discussion)
- cloaking ok i'd think for the Rom's & KDF and Defiant
- boff powers can be only up to Lt. slot
- single target powers only
- no hull heal (this was not a part of the Dom War but when we did it the fights would last too long IMO. My thinking is to make the battles be quick but again this is up for discussion as well but I think AuxtoSIF will be ok)
- no TT? (my reasoning behind this was so that I could free up a tac space for HY or BO but that could be personal pref?)
- no doffs
- command powers for cruisers ok
- no devices
- balanced power settings
- Tier of ships (to be discussed but I think up to T4 was ok? BUT Bug ships and lobi ships were allowed in the Dom War)
That's what I can remember from it but I also think it will bring some form of balance by putting everyone on an even playing field IMO. There's more to be considered as well and I'm just throwing this out there.
- since some ships have 3/3 layouts... maybe all ships go 3/3? but that leaves the lower tier ships with 2/2 or 2/1 layouts at a disadvantage? maybe cap it at 3/3?
- having said that but throwing it out there... say we have a Gal vs Def. The Defiant will have a hard time punching thru it's shields, I know this cause I had a match with Steve and my Def was defeated easily as soon as it broadsided me, so maybe have the Gal 3/3 & the Def 4/2?.. just a thought as the escorts need a bit more firepower?
Edit: Maybe have different classes have different layouts? (again.. just thoughts)
Dreadnaught - 4/4 OR 4/3 (allow extra eng console? and tac console?)
Cruisers - 3/3 (allow extra eng console? and sci console?)
Escorts - 4/2 (allow 1 or 2 extra tac console(s))
Tier's will come into play with this but some ships are meant just be cannon fodder.. here's looking at you Miranada class!... particularly the USS Not In The Face!
That also could just be getting deep but throwing it out there.
- Also in the shows you see MOSTLY ships firing 1 energy weapon at a time.. so maybe IF say 3/3 go 1 energy & 2 torps fore & aft?
I know some may see it as being TOO restrictive but the goal is to balance it out.. and what that looks like TBH I don't know but what I do know is the Dom War PvP was pretty even if I can remember with the rules that were in place.
I will add to this later a sample build from STO academy so people can also see a build.
Edit: http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=stbpvpsample_0
In doing the sample build.. thoughts of EC came to mind. Maybe some may not be able to afford the gear so that will also have to be considered.
This may cater to some... to some it won't but the goal is to have fun and balanced and that is subjective to what people are willing to do/not do or want to do.... not sure if that made sense but we'll run with that haha!
Please feel free to add additional suggestions and by no means are my suggestions above the way "balance" in STB PvP should be it's just my thoughts & experience.
Thanks Captains and I look forward to hearing from all of you on this 07
I was thinking about consoles last night and though maybe we could allow Universal Ship consoles that are defensive in nature (example Tachyon Detection Field, Impulse Capacity Burst, or the Picard Maneuver Console). These kind of consoles aren't "I win buttons" and I don't do any DPS. Just a thought. Also the question of Rom players and Singulartiy Abilities? The White Gear idea I like because it's easy for anyone who wants to join to be immediately on the level game wise with anyone else. All this is great stuff and we will see where it leads us.
- 3/3 max for weapons: I'd say allow 2/2 energy weapons, and restrict if need be but if everyones firing too many torps it could make matches take a long-time and super gimp anything with a low turn-rate.
- 1 console/type (1 tac, 1 sci, 1 eng) + 1 console which matches ship class (eng = cruiser, sci = sci, tac = escort)
I don't know if I like the idea of balanced power levels being able to change power levels allows us to adapt on the fly. If everyone picks on the cruiser it would benefit the team for that ship to go high shield power and the other team members could boost weapons or engines.
Just my two EC, now time to tweak my Mogai a bit.
Other than that I have no idea about PvP outside being practice target
Also, it rules out all story reward gear, some of which is canon-inspired or has interesting mods and procs.
I mean, this isn't really my thing either (and the multi-page rulebook is making it even less appealing), but Mk X common weapons aren't actually common, and moving the quality up to rare means you can actually get creative with mods without costing anyone too much.
And yeah, it would rule out story gear and some special weapons, but that's a problem with Mk/rarity restrictions in general, hm, tough one.
I agree that too many rules make it less appealing.
I have to agree with most of this, honestly, especially the rulebook. My personal suggestion is Mk XI blues.
As for weapon slots, I would suggest not limiting them. The Galaxy-class is a considerably larger and more powerful ship than the Saber, Nova or Intrepid. Why should it be nerfed? If you're gonna go into battle against a Galaxy in a Saber, you're gonna have a bad time.
I'd like to suggest we do balanced matches; 1 T4, 2 T3s on both sides or something similar, so we don't end up with three Negh'vars and a B'rel fighting two Mirandas, an Oberth and a Nova.
Additionally, I would suggest, at least for Fed, we bring a balanced task force - a cruiser, two escorts and a science ship, where each ship performs its intended role. The cruiser soaks up damage, the escorts kill things and the science ship supports the rest of the group, unlike most of STO where everyone flies around doing whatever they want to.
I apologize. Just was cool finding a reason to fly the Mirror Assault Cruiser. Always loved that ship design.
We now return to your regularly scheduled discussion.
I support the Star Trek Battles channel.
Hope all is well.
Some things I just wanted to throw out there.. sorry for not being able to respond right away to some things.
STB PvP.. stuff
I've mentioned before that I'm not much of a PvPer but will do the occasional themed ones or help someone out type thing. I have enjoyed the past themed ones and would be open to more.
The balance stuff is a bit tricky but my suggestion is by no means the one to used as the rules. There's a lot to consider and as Kin mentioned there are weapons as rewards one can get that would be ruled out and I know a lot of peeps likes demz stuff. So testing is another way to see what works and what doesn't.. I know time and or availability are sometimes what limits such testing but one just needs to ask in channel or even me as I'm always willing to help out.
Timing of PvP stuff is also hard to do with everyone having different schedules.. not only that but also peeps have their own time to do what they need to do when they come online and I know such events eats up a lot of play time so schedule it and see what interest comes up or just try doing it on the fly.
Mirror ship runs!!!
I'm all for this as all my toons have a mirror ship and the last time we did one was a lot of fun. Just call it out and I'd be more than happy to bring any of my mirror ships out.
I actually set up my mirror Vorcha on J'war with cannons to get the screen accuracy of the ones used in DS9 when they decloaked and rain disruptor fire hahaha... doesn't live long but it sure is fun!
Triz has the Nova & Patrol Escort
ZED has the Nova
Zander has the Nova & Deep Space Sci Recon (that the name?.. the one that looks like a durt devil? haha)
Tuzak has the T'Varo & Mogai
J'war has the Vorcha & Neghvar
Thinking of getting the Advanced Escort for Triz cuz.. y not... me love some MVAE! that would make it my 4th version! haha
STB DPS runs
This is something that myself and Setek have been talking about actually. I know as of late there have been a lot of DPS runs and it's seeming that we are steam rolling the borg once again... poor poor ISA hahaha. The only reason for such runs is for SOME of us trying to push the canon builds as far as they can go to try and try to beat HSE to name one of the harder if not hardest of Elite's.
We recently did have a go at HSE and I would like to thank the Captains that did join in on that. Some good things came out of that which on the last run was to attack the left side first as opposed to going top down. That run in particular felt like we were hitting harder and faster but noticed had about 3 more cubes to gun down when the timer expired.
Personally, I think we can beat HSE with what we have without changing much.. just need some more practice runs. The ONLY thing in the way is the HP sponges of what is the Queens guards... after that... I hear it's HSN mode lol! I'm considering to have a BO for some spike dmg to help lessen the pissing off of too many borg when one uses FAW haha.. BUT having a tank has made a HUGE difference as well as when the healing gets synced we all seem to stay alive longer.
I don't see me pushing my build any further really than what is needed to beat HSE as the FAW spam is REALLY starting to wear on me again... I can't remember where I read it but someone said something like.. yeah they can beat stuff like HSE but the HP sponges are just no fun and that the Adv settings is good enough for a casual gamer... I think that's me in some sorts. It's nice to say you can beat the leet stuff... even better in a canon build but in the end I MYSELF am really a casual gamer who enjoys kirking it out and having fun rather than worrying when I don't beat something fast enough. I will still try to beet the hard stuff but only when there are other people up for it.
So.. I see the return of the cap ONLY if all are in agreement in that particular team/run. If there are those that want to test their DPS no problem but I will be probably asking that from now on when I form teams. Also.. if no one is in a rush you will probably see the return of the of 20% rule in ISA.
I think that's some of the things I wanted to talk about... All in all it's always about having fun within STB.
So in closing and a friendly reminder... Keep it fun & keep it canon.. that means saying no to KCB! hahaa... you know who you are!
TC and Have Fun Captains and always THANK YOU for making STO fun for me and others as always! 07
As for Hive, I really think I need to get my T'varo back together. That's what got me through the old Hive Advanced before they dropped Advanced enemies' HP, I have no doubt that I can build it to deal enough damage for Elite. Survivability really concerns me, though.
I don't mind doing the Elite runs and I think you know that.. just ask me or in chat and I'm usually the first to bite... no point in building the dps up if we can't use em right? hahah... and yeah.. stuff like Korfez elite doesn't require uber DPS as I remember finishing that with like an avg of 7k dps.
I think with adv, like I mentioned, if no one is going to dps and all in agreement.. cap on. Maybe it's not about the gear that you have to get for Adv but maybe just adj the weapons power? or go more for single target powers? I do see the challenge with going in with all white gear but for some an easy solution could just be lowering weapons power.
I think having a ship like your T'varo in Hive would be good but we would have to ensure that we have a tank in there as I think that will be essential. The other 3 ships would need to spitting out dps as much as possible but also concentrated fire would also be key to bring down dem tac cubes faster which is why I'm thinking of trying BO3 next time.
Good point on the torps... but let's be real... even good torps upgraded still come in dead last to phasers hahaha.
I get torps as drops and Quantum MK XII greens are like 15k a piece same with some photons so that could be a solution there.
I only use the boffs that have most all of the abilities anyways so yes... super easy to switch builds on the fly.
It will also give way to powers like the one recently given from an FE where it will have a huge target reticule on it.. focused assualt?.. So even tho we go to single target powers we can have something like that type of power be used.
Umm, one of us is doing something wrong, then. My PEP cloud can be my highest source of damage in some runs, my Neutronic outperforms any individual beam array on my JHRS.
I should unbox Focused Assault and give that a try. Of course, now I'm seeing synergy between it and the Hestia trait, and building around that kind of defeats the point of using a less effective boff setup...
If someone is doing something wrong between the 2 of us it's probably me... haha
I didn't take those 2 torps into account.. the PE torp I have but have not seen any stats on it and well you know I don't have the Neut torp but the statement was just how some see torps vs beams.
The FA power has 1 min CD if I remember and is cut to global if the target dies while active IIRC. Tried it on ZED and was.. meh but again... it was just to try it out and use something different.... forgot about the Hestia trait but those 2 would jive huh?
Any suggestions that I make is just that to try and not steam roll stuff... maybe weapons to the lowest settings and keep your PE & Neut torp and it will balance out? hahaha
If someone tanks I could probably bring back the Exeter, that would make me sooo happy! I really miss it!
Also my undergeared alts could stockpile some dilithium.
Going single target and completely show-accurate certainly helps bringing down DPS, as does unslotting offensive traits and diverting power from weapons to other subsystems.
But to be honest, I think it will be very hard for some NOT to steamroll advanced with the gear you have on hand.
The Subcommander is absolutely correct in that bank space is a real issue.
I am also tweaking my Galaxy Tank for more survivability in HSE, bought two traits for that and I'll switch around some BOff abilities.
I think we are at a point, where those who try for HSE have a pretty solid idea about what damage their builds can dish out. Now it's about adapting for HSE vs. ISA. So we really should try running it whenever possible, even if it's just to get used to flight-paths, refine tactics etc.
Non STB-related sidenote (but asking here because it's all about looks, and that's what STB is about
Does anyone know of some beams with unique visuals for my party boat? I already have a Mk XIV TOS Phaser and Vaadwaur Array. Oh and the KCB is used the first time since I joined STB. I need 6 more pretty beams for it. http://imgur.com/a/XVR4c
OMG THOSE ARE PRETTY!!! Thank you!
Dual Arrays won't really work. It's a Tank so I want to broadside at full impulse to get the defense bonus.
So far I have a Vaadwaur Polaron, KCB, Resonant Disruptor, Antochroniton, TOS Phaser. Those are awesome. I also have a standard Phaser, Polaron, and a Coalition Disruptor. Those don't look that great. I might slot the Ferengi Missile Launcher as I have space for TS1 anyway on this build, but not sure. Would be fun to go all energy for a change.
On Topic:
Trizeo suggested a 10k soft cap for ISA runs, which sounds like a pretty good number to me.
For the high performers I suggest lower Tier ships to achieve that goal, or alts that don't have Mk XIV weapons. At least, that's what I intend to do.
I'm sure I could bring Setek's T5u/T6 ships down to 10k without wasting precious inventory space for lower Mk weapons, but I would have slot so much defensive stuff instead of offense that, paired with high power to Aux/Engines/Shields instead of weapons, I would be totally immortal, which isn't exactly fun either.
Having a cap will bring back the time before DR where we had to really work as a team in missions like ISA where we had CC and cross healing and such.. even the % rule on the generators.
There are many ways to achieve lowering the dps such as..
lowering weapons power
using single target powers like BO & HY
dropping tac/uni consoles
use lower tier ships
limit boff powers to lt.
Another thought was to possibly drop a weapon or 2.. possibly have a 3/3 or 3/2 lay out for example 1 beam array 2 torps or 2 beams 1 torp. You won't have to buy gear and you get to keep your hard earned gear but this way and I think it's better than buying weapons for ol school STB runs. Just another suggestion.
I know though there are some trying to push their canon builds so if I put a run together I may ask before if it's ok to go beast mode or ol' school STB mode.
Maybe in the next couple of days I'll ask to get some of those ol' school runs and muck w/my build to see what works for me and then share it.
Also, last night I got another surprise... during an ISA run in the 30k dps channel I was able to hit 52k in my Akira torp boat! I was only trying to break 40K but I guess in that run all the stars aligned for me. At the end of the run I mentioned in team chat that it was my first time breaking 50k in my torp boat.. someone responded by saying enjoy kemocite or something like that... I then said I have no kemocite on this boat... THAT felt good and I said it was a canon boat to boot and he then said nice build which REALLY felt good.
Dps is a funny thing... IMO it TOTALLY depends on the team you're on which is never the same one 99% of the time. I don't see me chasing too much more but there is room for improvement on both my MVAE & Akira. Which I'll probably only do when something else harder comes along.. STILL need to beat HSE FIRST! haha!
I'll be posting both my 58k MVAE & 52k Akira builds just to show what I'm working with.
That's all for now.. Hope to see you in game soon!.. 07
I think the cap is for runs like ISA, KSA & CSA & whatever else we think needs it also when we have the time to enjoy them w/lower dps.
For Herald Sphere or Undine Assault I would agree with you there in your statement that some of the missions are designed for us to be maxed.
Ok as promised here are my 2 top builds that I intend to try HSE with. As you can see there is room for improvement still yet but I'm pretty happy with how they are now.
Any comments or suggestions are always welcomed.
I also wanted to thank you all for helping with my builds and hours of answering my noob questions hahah
Akira
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=ussaxalonarevised_0
SCM - Infected [LR] (S) - [03:03] DMG(DPS) - @trizeo1: 9.57M(52.41K)
MVAE
http://skillplanner.stoacademy.com/?build=usszeusa_0
SCM - Infected [LR] (S) - [02:40] DMG(DPS) - @trizeo1: 9.11M(58.13K)
I had to revise the Akira as I forgot to put the +torp hahaha
EDIT: October 9, 2015
Last night I got the Gal X and her first run she was able to pull 50K ! haha...
The weapons used are the same as my MVAE but with +1 fleet MK XIII beam I had sitting around.
I also decided to go A2B with her as I'm not that creative AND I was in a rush to try her out! hahaha.. spent the whole night with her! haha.
So I have another ship that I can bring into HSE which I'd prolly feel safer as she can take a beating.
Also, I've been told that 1 of the tac ens on the MVAE is going uni so I plan on going ET, ST or PH just for more survivability.... as if the ship wasn't awesome enough LOL.
See you in game! 07
SCM - Infected [LR] (S) - DMG Out: 5,652,411 DPS: 14,302.66 (15.8% of Team) - Setek@Tyrinius
That was with lots of heals I ended up not needing, thanks to everyone else grabbing aggro. And I had the iconian set slotted instead of AMACO (which would have been much better, as it's mostly torpedoes). Lots of room for optimization. But it's baaaack!
"He shall be my finest warrior, this generic man who was forced upon me.
Like a badass I shall make him look, and in the furnace of war I shall forge him.
he shall be of iron will and steely sinew.
In great armour I shall clad him and with the mightiest weapons he shall be armed.
He will be untouched by plague or disease; no sickness shall blight him.
He shall have such tactics, strategies and machines that no foe will best him in battle.
He is my answer to cryptic logic, he is the Defender of my Romulan Crew.
He is Tovan Khev... and he shall know no fear."