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Sugg - leave 1 Exploration cluster in place for each faction
galadiman
Member Posts: 346 Arc User
Rather than get rid of ALL the Exploration Clusters, leave one in place for each faction: I'd suggest Delta Volanis for Feds, T'Ong Nebula for Klingons, and Hromi Cluster for Romulans.
It would leave the option for players who like to 'explore', while removing the apparent server burden that has been stated as one of the reasons for removing them.
It would leave the option for players who like to 'explore', while removing the apparent server burden that has been stated as one of the reasons for removing them.
Please reconsider ARC. Please make it optional, at the least. PLEASE.
It seems the vast majority of your most active players (forum regulars) hate the idea... and while that's a small subset of the playerbase, I think it's an important constituency.
THE PLAYERS DO NOT WANT THIS.
It seems the vast majority of your most active players (forum regulars) hate the idea... and while that's a small subset of the playerbase, I think it's an important constituency.
THE PLAYERS DO NOT WANT THIS.
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No content should be removed just like that without introducing anything in its place. Cryptic's removing Star Clusters solely to avoid farmers grinding anomalies - I totally don't buy any of the talk about this content not being up to par with the newer stuff. If it works and people are still playing it then Cryptic shouldn't touch it without valid reason.
Plus, I imagine leaving one cluster per faction would require even more work than leaving or removing all the clusters completely.
I say leave all the Star Clusters as they are and just remove or lower the amount of anomalies that drop crafting materials. We all know these are the only reason Cryptic's removing the clusters, so if they're afraid of farmers so much then they should deal with them separately, certainly not by removing a huge portion of the game's content.
At this point I don't care about the doff and crafting revamp. I'm just strongly against the idea of removing all star clusters and their missions from the game. Cryptic should rethink that decission. Personally I won't even bother with S9,5 if it's gonna remove more than it'll add...
Since they removed the Exploration missions, on the grounds that they are kinda bad (true), and also massively bloatware (also true), they believe the cluster map itself no longer serves a function and thus simply generates instance load on their server...except that part isn't true. The cluster map DOES serve a very important function, one that their replacement doesn't adequately cover at all.
"Huge portion" is a bit of an overstatement. Actually its a massive overstatement.
Presently the only system that relies on exploration content is crafting. There's the odd mission and daily but both of those have far more adequate alternatives in investigating officer reports, the battlezones, PVE's for the daily bonus, and so on. They are in fact quite lacking. The missions are simply awful grinds through 5 set enemy groups or 5 scans and there's nothing save the world "explore" that tries to build a greater universe than what is feebly presented by the missions themselves. At best you have random alien species that aren't featured elsewhere but without any attempt to try to build something out of these little universes they don't contribute anything to STO but a few unconnected names and faces.
And "afraid of farmers" isn't exactly appropriate either. As it is you can scan for materials by moving around a single blank space map and, in so doing, not actually engage with gameplay. Its far too easy a pattern to fall into that keeps you out of featured episode replays that ARE far better designed and do have that greater depth of story telling to build up something within STO.
Subtracting without adding may feel a bit of a loss, but what this is doing is channeling us away from a very poorly designed part of the game (it is nearly a vacuum) and into its better aspects. Its effective management, not a panicked attempt to stop you grinding in an MMO. That's still the point, only this way you're ensured to have a nicer place to grind in (via a very simple change that can be introduced along side a major system overhaul in a 0.5 season release.)
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Why? What function does the exploration block itself serve to doffing. For the life of me I can't imagine what that blank space map is doing that is necessary for the duty officer system, it seems that with exploration contacts instead you would satisfy all the same necessary functions of having those DOFF missions but without the detraction of that null grinding space.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
Yet the thing is, if you ignore the story/writing/dialogues, is your average story mission actually any different? You run around or fly around either clicking F at consoles/objects/glowy bits, or just killing stuff.
At least with exploration content these missions are short and go straight to the point - you either kill or scan, get your rewards, and proceed doing something else. Not to mention, all the random enemy groups, different planets, star backgrounds etc. offer much more in terms of diversity than any story mission, as they're always exactly the same. Not only that, but with the latter you have to fly to a given location in the galaxy for any particular mission, while with the former you've got all the possible random mission variants within one Star Cluster.
I'm not saying it's a great piece of content, because it's one of those I'd revamp in the first place, to make STO feel more like Trek. I also don't claim it's a popular piece of content. But it's still content, it's very much playable, can be enjoyable, and it has more going for it than many people give it credit for. If all I want is to kill some enemies or do some other quick mission that'd give me a bit of dilithium at the end, with a chance of obtaining some crafting materials in the meantime, then I'd gladly do the good old "poor" Star Cluster content instead of running the same Story missions I've already completed dozens of times. Not to even mention any of the queued PvE missions which we've been running hundreds, if not thousands of times (and which don't offer crafting materials).
That's why I'm against it. I don't care if it's unpopular, poorly thought out or whatever. It's still a piece of playable content that's going away "just like that" without ANYTHING introduced in its place. Content I personally have been and would still be doing, just to have some fun and take a break from all the sameness of the supposedly "better" content.
By removing such piece of content without any kind of revamp Cryptic's basically removing yet another aspect of the game that theoretically could make it feel more "Trek" with proper care. As it is though, it seems like they want to turn STO into a single player story mode with repetitive PvE queued missions and little to no alternatives aside from perhaps the Foundry (which is also lacking).
PS. Speaking of the Foundry, should it also be removed? I mean, it's also not really that popular, it doesn't offer any worthwhile rewards, many missions simply suck and aren't worth the time, plus it's full of exploits and farmers. Does that mean Cryptic should remove it as well? I mean, going with your logic we all should be doing the "better" story content instead anyway, right?
I had a long reply for this, but I'm going to keep it to the point.
Bridge invites, Tuffli Freighter, Cell Ship.
If you don't have a Fleet that is co-operating on doffing, please don't dismiss anyone else that does. Some people are generous enough to invite others to their bridge for these things.
At the minimum, the lockbox ships should be fixed so that the transwarp destinations go to the new clouds, and some way of accessing the assignments. These ships have had their value hit enough by removing commodities (and now again with the aid the planet removal), ship selection at hubs, and taking crafting out of the crafting "locations". Taking the doff management value out of them leaves almost nothing. Regular ships should be able to do bridge invites while floating in the cloud as well. This should be a simple matter, far simpler than redesigning the whole doff UI and crafting system.
If a lockbox item like plasmonic leech were being turning into a pretty special effect and no actual use, there would be an uproar.
All power too you, If you make enough noise and get very lucky, maybe, Just maybe they will retract this move.
Stranger things have happened
The only reason I started playing the exploration missions again this week was because I'm farming mats for the new R&D system. Ideally I'll get 10k+ mats so I won't have to farm anything while getting everything maxed out in the new system. I don't see myself playing these exploration missions anymore once the new system is out though.
Besides, there are other ways to farm these anomalies too, the PvE queues are most likely a far more fun way to get them, and also get other bonus rewards while we're at it.
The one thing I do think is a loss is that we no longer have first contact missions anymore. I haven't bothered with those for the past 2 years either, but it was fun to make first contact with new species that way. It's just a pity that the system itself wasn't better so that it'd feel more unique each time you met a new species.
There are 16 cluster maps (B'Tran and Azlesa having two each). Current Map, Personal, and all of the 7 department heads each have a chance to roll for different assignments in every cluster map (some sections with more variety than others).
In all that's 144 fewer chances for Doff assignments that they are cutting from the game by removing the "empty" cluster maps. The clusters contained far more assignments than just the colonial chains. The new interact/contact menus from the sector space cluster nebulae are a pathetic joke. They are not even worthy of being called a shadow of what is about to be lost on Holodeck.
Been looking for an Instigate Defection for a week? Oh sorry, no more chance to pick it up from a cluster because it's gone. Investigate Temporal Anomaly? Haha, no you're SOL. The list of possibilities is huge and now these various assignments will take way longer to find because they are literally cutting half of all sector space maps from the game.
Joined January 2009
They are quite keen on removing stuff lately but added nothing or little in return, and the quality of new content is also not always higher than what we got before, unfortunately.
Where is exploration content a la clusters? Give us the deluxe version and THEN remove the clusters. Not before.
I suppose you don't know that they're adding a contact at where the clusters used to be that allows you to get the missions that were formely in the clusters?
Unless I'm mistaken, the only thing that changes is that we can't farm materials so easily anymore from the clusters. The doff missions for those clusters will remain available, including Instigate defection and others. If somebody has information that what I'm saying here is wrong then I'd love to hear it.
Just so as you know, Patrol missions can also be farmed for Materials
I was able to grab the anomaly scans, leave the system, and re enter without completing the mission, then grab the materials a second time
( I don't normally farm, but i needed more rescources on tribble to test crafting)
But do you actually care about the ones that aren't cluster-specific? Because I certainly don't, and never enter those clusters to do those assignments, considering they show up in all of sector space.
Even if said content is somewhat monotonous and/or farm worthy.
The star clusters were kind of cool for the exploratory factor, as mentioned, and to just do something off-the-cuff (log in, do three of them for the Explore Strange New Worlds Daily, get out. no fuss, no muss). And yes, my gaming group and I did them just to pass the time and do something different about a month ago.
People still do them.
Yes you are mistaken. Have you not been on Tribble to look for yourself? Did you even read my post?
"The new interact/contact menus from the sector space cluster nebulae are a pathetic joke. They are not even worthy of being called a shadow of what is about to be lost on Holodeck."
The list of available assignments from the new sector interacts has maybe 5 Ops category Doff assignments. That's it. 5 out of dozens that we can get per cluster right now. No Instigate, no very rares, no department heads, no non-Ops categories, just a pithy amount of the cluster and colony-related assignments that don't even equal the Current Map list from Holodeck.
Yes, in fact, I DO care about doff assignments that aren't cluster-specific. The clusters ARE sector space. They double the search volume that you have available for the other assignments. If you have no luck finding something in the regular sectors, you have a second chance in the clusters.
Joined January 2009
As someone who recently finally found part 4/6 of the Chrysalis chain in the Zenas expanse a few days ago, I'll second this. Having another opportunity to get assignments can come in handy, even if just looking for "Resettle Colonists" or "Haggle for Tulaberries".
As constructive feedback - this particular functionality could be fixed though, without leaving the star cluster maps in place (whole other kettle of fish). Pull up to the cloud, bam - full list, unique from the sector map. Bridge invites - bam - full list for that sector map and star cluster. They have a month to fix it. It's not a matter of CAN, but WILL - they're already revamping doffing, and said the stuff that's out is Alpha, Alpha means it is open to further development, not just bug fixes.
Aside from being handy for hunting down chain assignments, (they can appear in the department head list but not the sector list), they can be handy if your just hunting for specific non-chain assignments too, (Generally when your grinding CXP for a specific category).
Pretty much the only thing that would get me on board is if they went through the current doff assignment list and threw out every non-item, (normal or crit), granting assignment with a base CXP reward of less than 150 and moved crafting material granting assignments to a separate tab. That would eliminate around 50% of the assignments which would raise the chance of chain assignments showing a fair bit if i understand how the system work right, and would eliminate hunting when CXP grinding as everything would be decent CXP rewards.
Personally I'd love a set of missions for the Federation (holodeck similar to the of Bajor sequence? to 'train' against other ships) on the KDF side they provided 2 big functions for me that had nothing to do with Dil farming through that was a plus. Mainly I used them to bump up XP so I could skip certain missions. Usually in the Specter arc as it annoys me for some reason. Also they are a great way to test and tweak ship loads from BOFF skills to weapons etc. They proved in valuable to me through the years tweaking my style and getting things how I wanted them with various ships.