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Why no love for BOffs at endgame

staq16staq16 Member Posts: 1,181 Arc User
Something that's been bugging me for a while. Why so little use of BOffs at endgame?

Back when I was first levelling characters, the BOffs were a key part of the experience; Star Trek is all about crews, not just captains, and the older missions to a good job of capturing that. Probably the most memorable single-player incident I've had was in the Fek'lhri arc where my melee-focussed Klingon Tac Boff seemed to take over from my Engineer captain as the lead for that mission... but it really fit like a "Worf" episode of TNG.

Move to endgame, though, and those wonderfully customisable BOffs get sidelined. In ground content there's almost no use for them - Voth Battlezone being the honorable exception, but even there you can only take 2. In space, the traits of the Romulan embassy Boffs leave everything else redundant. Oh, and you can't customise those BOffs.

Cryptic could probably make a few bucks out of lockbox Boff traits - the captain traits can go for ludicurous ammounts on the exchange which is a good indicator of their popularity - and a "boxed" Space Warfare Specialist or Superior Operative trait would allow players to balance their older BOffs for newer gameplay. Or how about a ground mission where teams of players bring their Away Teams as well - the Voth Battlezone can cope with the numbers so presumably other missions could as well.

Personally, I'd love to give the crew some more screentime. Am I alone in thinking this?
Post edited by staq16 on
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Comments

  • hyplhypl Member Posts: 3,719 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Any future ground battlezones will no doubt include the use of our boffs again.

    I'm also getting tired of the one-man featured episode routine. Allow us to bring down our away teams on ground maps for future FE's.
  • jellico1jellico1 Member Posts: 2,719
    edited June 2014
    great idea OP
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  • ashkrik23ashkrik23 Member Posts: 10,809 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    There were people talking about the idea of making single player versions of the STFs allowing us to use boffs. Maybe they could do some challenging end-game single player content like that.
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  • erei1erei1 Member Posts: 4,081 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    hypl wrote: »
    I'm also getting tired of the one-man featured episode routine.
    I agree. I want to use my ships, and my BOFFs, on which I spent a lot of time customizing. having to use another ship, or being alone is fun once in a while, but every single time ? Not really.

    I can't really remember the last time we had BOFF being a part of a FE, and by a part, I mean more than just walking skillbar shooting stuff around. The last Dyson related FE didn't had our BOFF except for a few minutes in the beginning, and before that, the Dominion FE didn't had them either, except for the fights on bajor.

    I want my BOFFs !
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  • bernatkbernatk Member Posts: 1,089 Bug Hunter
    edited June 2014
    My current policy is this: if I can't bring my crew then I skip that mission. Simple as, I won't Kirk my way thru content. Happy Captain Picard Day everyone!
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  • wilbor2wilbor2 Member Posts: 1,684 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    I wont to start using my away team again in craptics missions ive given them all xii sruff n there is nothing realky to do with them.
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  • adverberoadverbero Member Posts: 2,045 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Well on the flip side the foundry forces us to take our BOFFs`

    Perhaps kill two birds with one update and allow us to choose how many we take ?
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  • mthomps016mthomps016 Member Posts: 66 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    The BOff thing is a reason I've played my share of foundry missions anyhow. I really would enjoy seeing more content where our BOffs are important.

    In TOS, it was the interplay between Kirk, Spock and McCoy that really made the show.
  • lan451lan451 Member Posts: 3,386 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Eh, I'm a bit torn on this. Right now I find the boff AI (lol...) is so bad that I don't really want them around. I find that I have to spend more time babysitting them in content like the Voth BZ that I often just leave them dead. I've rather enjoyed the missions lately where I don't have them with me.

    However, they are my crew and I do have them all fixed up in the uniforms I like. I'd like to take them with me if only they weren't so stupid. I guess I'll say that if the boff AI stays the same as it is now, then no I don't want to see more stuff with them. If the AI gets fixed up to make them better than they are now, then hell yeah I'd want more boff friendly content.
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  • policestate76policestate76 Member Posts: 1,424 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    In my case, the lack of customization in some races and the "fixed" boffs that you cant customize, the incredible stupid AI of the boffs in ground, and other issues made some people to just lost interest in the boff emselves. Too many buggy things about my boffs that made me to just avoid ground events as much as possible. Its a shame, actually since i really loved back in the days when i started playing, but it is what it is.
  • orangeitisorangeitis Member Posts: 5,222 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    staq16 wrote: »
    Personally, I'd love to give the crew some more screentime. Am I alone in thinking this?
    You are not. =) I have longed for an option to play as my BOFFs since I joined STO. I just wish the devs had the desire to make that happen some way.
  • ricorosebudricorosebud Member Posts: 11 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    I support the idea of more attention for the BOFFs in the endgame. I enjoy having a whole crew to work with as it makes it feel more like Trek to me.

    Also agree with that being one of the reasons that I play quite a bit of foundry.

    BOFF love nao!!
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  • starswordcstarswordc Member Posts: 10,966 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Cryptic's had a bad habit recently of letting their special guest stars steal the spotlight away from you and your handpicked team. Kanril Eleya, Brokosh, and Morgan t'Thavrau are the heroes of my story, not Worf, not Tuvok, and most certainly not Captain Whiny B*tch of the IKS Whineatyou'.

    Why the hell was Tuvok beaming Shon off the Aquarius? I was way closer than Voyager. Why the hell are two -- count 'em -- two flag-ranked officers beaming down to an occupied ESD instead of my MACO-qualified assault unit, or my eight-foot-tall Gorn with a friggin' bat'leth, or my rough-and-ready party of Rihannsu and their Starfleet liaison officer?
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  • hravikhravik Member Posts: 1,203 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    I'm thinking some of it has to do with the, shall we say....less than stellar pathing and AI of boffs? With some of close quarters areas and more complicated geometry we've seen lately, I'm sure the boffs would have a seizure. Even with just Tuvok it was a pain sometimes.
  • centersolacecentersolace Member Posts: 11,178 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    This is quite possibly the thing that bothers me the most about this game. Boffs are such a great concept, but they're so limited in really dumb ways. Can't use off duty outfits, can only be used on specific maps, can't be shown off in social zones.... :(
  • mirrorchaosmirrorchaos Member Posts: 9,844 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    staq16 wrote: »
    Something that's been bugging me for a while. Why so little use of BOffs at endgame?

    Back when I was first levelling characters, the BOffs were a key part of the experience; Star Trek is all about crews, not just captains, and the older missions to a good job of capturing that. Probably the most memorable single-player incident I've had was in the Fek'lhri arc where my melee-focussed Klingon Tac Boff seemed to take over from my Engineer captain as the lead for that mission... but it really fit like a "Worf" episode of TNG.

    Move to endgame, though, and those wonderfully customisable BOffs get sidelined. In ground content there's almost no use for them - Voth Battlezone being the honorable exception, but even there you can only take 2. In space, the traits of the Romulan embassy Boffs leave everything else redundant. Oh, and you can't customise those BOffs.

    Cryptic could probably make a few bucks out of lockbox Boff traits - the captain traits can go for ludicurous ammounts on the exchange which is a good indicator of their popularity - and a "boxed" Space Warfare Specialist or Superior Operative trait would allow players to balance their older BOffs for newer gameplay. Or how about a ground mission where teams of players bring their Away Teams as well - the Voth Battlezone can cope with the numbers so presumably other missions could as well.

    Personally, I'd love to give the crew some more screentime. Am I alone in thinking this?

    there ialso talk of a fleet system where you promote your boffs to captain and control your own fleet, its been met with a mixed reaction. but yes boffs have no real effect when level 50 has been hit. it does seem like a waste.
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  • darkjeffdarkjeff Member Posts: 2,590 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Even if they're busy running into walls, at least my BOffs would be in the right uniforms. :P
  • medtac124medtac124 Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    starswordc wrote: »
    Cryptic's had a bad habit recently of letting their special guest stars steal the spotlight away from you and your handpicked team. Kanril Eleya, Brokosh, and Morgan t'Thavrau are the heroes of my story, not Worf, not Tuvok, and most certainly not Captain Whiny B*tch of the IKS Whineatyou'.

    Why the hell was Tuvok beaming Shon off the Aquarius? I was way closer than Voyager. Why the hell are two -- count 'em -- two flag-ranked officers beaming down to an occupied ESD instead of my MACO-qualified assault unit, or my eight-foot-tall Gorn with a friggin' bat'leth, or my rough-and-ready party of Rihannsu and their Starfleet liaison officer?

    +1. Also I actually LOL'd at "Captain Whiny B*tch of the IKS Whineatyou'"
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  • z3ndor99z3ndor99 Member Posts: 1,391 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    What's wrong with sending the highest decorated Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General to one man army a dozen away missions?
  • antzudanantzudan Member Posts: 231 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Agreed 100%

    We need the ability to appoint at least a first officer from our boffs to use on ground maps instead of our main character.

    Also I was thinking the other day, it would be nice if we could have dialogue choices for our boffs in missions to stop them acting out of character. This could be done pretty simple at first, eg. rewrite each thing they say slightly to fit within three different character models:

    "by the book"
    "rebel"
    "outsider (eg, a none star fleet character who's still on your team, e.g. Neelix, seven of nine, diplomacy boff rewards)"

    Then as the game move forwards they can add more (possibly eventually even incorporating more race specific reactions) continually increasing the quality and replayability of their old missions
  • themartianthemartian Member Posts: 247 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    New Romulus and the Voth Battlezone were deliberate efforts to start addressing this issue as it has been a complaint since launch. So it is improving.
    starswordc wrote: »
    Cryptic's had a bad habit recently of letting their special guest stars steal the spotlight away from you and your handpicked team. Kanril Eleya, Brokosh, and Morgan t'Thavrau are the heroes of my story, not Worf, not Tuvok, and most certainly not Captain Whiny B*tch of the IKS Whineatyou'.

    Why the hell was Tuvok beaming Shon off the Aquarius? I was way closer than Voyager. Why the hell are two -- count 'em -- two flag-ranked officers beaming down to an occupied ESD instead of my MACO-qualified assault unit, or my eight-foot-tall Gorn with a friggin' bat'leth, or my rough-and-ready party of Rihannsu and their Starfleet liaison officer?

    I loved having Worf and Tuvok along, like the episodes of TNG with Scotty and Spock. But yeah, I really don't think my characters would have tried to take back ESD without bringing some of their trusted crew, who have fought countless battles with them, to help.
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  • darkjeffdarkjeff Member Posts: 2,590 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    themartian wrote: »
    I loved having Worf and Tuvok along, like the episodes of TNG with Scotty and Spock. But yeah, I really don't think my characters would have tried to take back ESD without bringing some of their trusted crew, who have fought countless battles with them, to help.

    It'd be nice to work in tandem with the special guest stars as coordinated teams, instead of mano a mano.

    My team of BOffs infiltrate from the side while their team runs interference at the main entrance, then I disable the shield generator while they withdraw, and then they provide covering fire while I exfiltrate. Then we assault the primary compound that we disabled the shield generator for, meeting up and splitting up as the attack progresses.

    It would beat two admirals teaming up to shoot things.
  • adverberoadverbero Member Posts: 2,045 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    antzudan wrote: »
    Agreed 100%

    We need the ability to appoint at least a first officer from our boffs to use on ground maps instead of our main character.

    Also I was thinking the other day, it would be nice if we could have dialogue choices for our boffs in missions to stop them acting out of character. This could be done pretty simple at first, eg. rewrite each thing they say slightly to fit within three different character models:

    "by the book"
    "rebel"
    "outsider (eg, a none star fleet character who's still on your team, e.g. Neelix, seven of nine, diplomacy boff rewards)"

    Then as the game move forwards they can add more (possibly eventually even incorporating more race specific reactions) continually increasing the quality and replayability of their old missions

    That sounds good to me, Not all my BOFFs are straight laced
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  • foundrelicfoundrelic Member Posts: 1,380 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    I once again bring up the idea that, when we can promote BOFF's to Captain rank we also get the ability to have them retrained into a higher quality.

    I still have my Andorian 1st officer from the old intro missions.

    I always will have her on my crew, I'd just like to see her bumped up to a Purple quality BOFF.
  • starswordcstarswordc Member Posts: 10,966 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    I really like antzudan's idea.
    medtac124 wrote: »
    +1. Also I actually LOL'd at "Captain Whiny B*tch of the IKS Whineatyou'"

    Thank you, I'll be here all week! :D
    foundrelic wrote: »
    I once again bring up the idea that, when we can promote BOFF's to Captain rank we also get the ability to have them retrained into a higher quality.

    I still have my Andorian 1st officer from the old intro missions.

    I always will have her on my crew, I'd just like to see her bumped up to a Purple quality BOFF.

    I just saved the look I'd given Corspa (or rather, Tesjha Phohl, as I renamed her) and loaded it onto a purple from the exchange.
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  • sle1989sle1989 Member Posts: 552 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    As has been said they would need to revamp the AI in followers for this too work right. Can you guys imagine our boffs in the final room of Starbase 82 against Manus?

    I'd like it if they patched the Defera Invasion Zone to let us take two boffs with us just like in the Voth Battlezone. One boff on New Romulus is fine as not much combat happens there.

    How about a new crew vs crew gametype were we sick our boffs on each other? One way I'd suggest doing this is to just watch them fight in an arena and their Captains (Us) could bet on the outcome. Another, more complex way is that we would play as our boffs (either we'd pick one to control prior to the match or we'd be able to swap between them on the fly). Lore wise this could take place in a holodeck as combat training and as such, could be used to upgrade our boffs (They would get better from the training).
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  • spectre211286spectre211286 Member Posts: 31 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet_General_Orders_and_Regulations

    General Order 15: No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

    Cryptic stop violating Starfleet regulations...KDFs and Roms can do whatever they hell they want
  • carlosbflycarlosbfly Member Posts: 682 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    Totally agree on this.

    I spent ages making a custom crew, looks, uniforms, bio's, decent gear and barely ever even get to use them at Endgame. Annoying. The whole ship/crew experience is so underdeveloped in STO. If they had done missions on the ship, your crew would at least been seen and used more in the generic NPC role.

    Very frustrating I haven't been able to use them on the last few FE's either. Or even team up with a friend.
  • angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,009 Arc User
    edited June 2014
    http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet_General_Orders_and_Regulations

    General Order 15: No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

    Cryptic stop violating Starfleet regulations...KDFs and Roms can do whatever they hell they want

    As if anything in STO would be in-line with established IP rules :D

    I agree at the OP, I would like more things to do with my crew. Then again I would expect that Cryptic would at least put a little bit effort into the matter beforehand. In case you didn't notice: Like a year or so ago they broke the BOFF animations on ground. Just put your officers on follow and walk (don't run) - your BOFFs can't even walk, they will jiggle and slide all the way. And just like all the other "low priority" things they broke which basically ruin the feeling of the game, nobody seems to care about this...
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  • ovinspaceovinspace Member Posts: 310
    edited June 2014
    Once I get my boffs well equipped they/we stomp npcs so well that I loose any sense of the build they were designed for, any combination of careers and skills would work fine. Its just the state of the end game.

    In the voth battlezone I'd like single commands that sets the boffs for things like build defenses or cover my back, my engineer boffs use their abilities in ways that are not always very helpful.
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