Notice: Might sound premature, as I have yet to discover and try out the new RnD and 9.5 stuff.
Although I haven't checked out the other
gems in Season 9.5, I realised that it mainly focuses on the new Research and Development (RnD) and Duty Officer Assignments (DOFA).
====Duty Officer Assignments Window====
First, let's talk about the DOFA. When I opened up my DOFA, the window looks very foreign to me, the Assignment plans and Completed Assignemnts. While the rest are the old looks. Did anyone feels that big icons are worse than the old and small icons? Don't worry, you aren't the only one.
I did want to reduce the size back to the classic version, but there's no slider for it.
Next, is the assigning of DOFF. I mean, it's great that it assigned by itself, but what happens if you try to swap one of the officers out? You'll get a list of sorted DOFF from every department, and you can't hide one or more of the departments. Plus, can't choose it's rarity like the old assigning of officers.
Despite I like the auto-assign of DOFF, it keeps choosing the best DOFF. What if I want that particular DOFF in another assignment? Ok, 1 assignment shouldn't be tough, but what if there are like 4 assignments, you'll have to manually swap, scroll down the new and horrible search list and click on it--4 times.
====Research and Development Window====
Yes, when I opened up the DOFA window, the RnD tab is on it. Once again, it's just another assignment, and I really dislike the removal of the 'fixed' Rnd weapons. They could work together, the fixed RnD weapons are readily available for anyone to use and the random RnD weapons, is for those who wants to get weapons which are not available in the fixed RnD list.'
Why I called it 'random RnD weapons', well it's now based on chances. So, despite having good duty officers and chances, it likely hood you'll get is a rare weapon, or worse, a uncommon weapon.
This random RnD weapons doesn't help the new players, or existing players who have a new character to start.
====Memory Alpha====
This has been the trend for STO to simply remove a good place and forcing player to use more resource demanding way to get the items.
The best example would be DS9, the Omega Task Force. Previously, DS9 was bustling with chats about Borg, and how to attack/defend against them. Now, DS9 is quiet with players trying to sell stuff. Yet, despite the removal of interaction of NPCs (buy Borg, MACO stuff), they are still there. They might as well replace that room entirely.
Now, they removed Memory Alpha in-System and ground. What were they thinking? However, I suspect that, they have yet to complete the revamped MA, but I wouldn't cling to this hope.
I bet that the next few seasons, ESD will not be accessible, that includes DS9, K7 and basically, I think the entire galaxy will be removed and everything is done with just a simple window to access things like Exchange, Mail, etc. :cool:
Comments
People are entitled to their opinion of 9.5, but considering this is the first major release to not only lack content but rather have a net loss, my opinion should be rather obvious...
I agree Season 7 takes the crown as the best release.
-We are loosing content (memory alpha, exploration). Good or bad, we are still loosing it.
-We have a revamp we never ask for, on the doff UI which worked fine, and nobody truly complained, into something which is arguably worse.
-We have a revamp of the craft, which was needed. Into some giant grindfest copy and pasted from neverwinter.
It's the kind of update that make me wish I was able to choose not to download.
lol dont worry i have confidence cryptic will soon top season 8
system Lord Baal is dead
At least this season didn't break the last one.
Also, I'm not sure 9.5 even counts as a season, really. Crafting, a lock box, and uniforms. Those are the highlights.
As for loosing content. Memory Alpha and the clusters was used that much anyways. Since R&D was out of date and lacking. Its been nearly a year since I visited them both, so to me I could care less. However to keep those players happy. I think they should revamp them and bring them back in the future.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
- PvP Content (matchmaking, leaderboard, spectator mode, etc)
- new FEs
- new playable faction
- cross faction teams
- no boxes
- balance
- bug fixes
:rolleyes:
I'm just really put off by the doff ui change and that little tab in crafting window which says "finish now" for thousands of dil...
I want the game to make money, but such changes are pretty over the top.
While I didn't go to the exploration clusters for anything but doffing, the loss of the content does hurt others, so I'm seeing a net loss there.
I'm just really glad I, yet again, decided not to buy an LTS. And these changes give me one less reason to give them any money in the future.
- Judge Aaron Satie
Memory Alpha: Did not need to be removed. Couldve stayed as a Roleplay Zone. And later updated to a true Library.
Exploration Clusters: While I love the exploration cluster accolades being a ton easier to accomplish and now each side can get the other's exploration cluster accolades, this I'm happy about. But as for the removal of the clusters, I am not. Even if it was poor and repetitive content, it was content nontheless. So this one is hard to say it's good or not.
Uniforms: Can't say anything bad about that.
Lockbox: Not really happy at more grabbagging. Greedy individuals are going to sell this stuff for major EC on the market. And with the EC nerfs, it's going to hurt down the road.
EC Nerf: This is one of the things I HATE the most about 9.5. Them nerfing the EC value of Deflectors, Shields, Impulse Engines, Warp Cores, and Singularities. I for one depended on their acquisition though DOFFing that paid for Commodities that went into the Fleet. So now I'm going to be losing money.
UI: The Prime Reason why I hate 9.5. It should've been left alone, now it's a massive mess. Whoever thought this was a good idea.....well lets just say no good thoughts are aimed at this individual(s).
Crafting: Nothing but an overgrown Reputation System. I'm very disappointed they call this thing Crafting. Cryptic really does not understand what Crafting means to us.
Nope. people are only capable of going "PWE SUCKS." They can rage all they want. This is far more content than we even got during the year of you know what.
- Judge Aaron Satie
Lockboxes? Please, I only come for the Mirror ships. Bought the Mirror Saber off the Exchange, but decided not to touch the others
Uniforms? Oh, I enjoyed that - I went and suited all of my Fed characters up in those spiffy new Odyssey uniforms. I need to do that for my KDF characters
DOFF UI? I don't know what the problem with that is, save for the choosing alternative DOFF needs to be done a lot better, but it's not soul crushing
R & D? From what little I did earlier today, I thought it was quite fun. It's going to take me awhile, but I'm going to enjoy it.
Is 9.5 the best? No. Is it the worst? Absolutely not. Are people going to act like total drama queens because their precious is taken away? Of course.
I would use terms a little more colorful than "net loss"...but sums up my opinion, as well.
It's a sad day.
RIP KDF and PvP 2014-07-17 Season 9.5 - Death by Dev
Because as bad as it got in the past, you could always ignore it and do doffing.
Now there is nowhere to hide
Season 4 still reigns king as the worst update ever. Nothing worked right and everything felt like targ ****.
However, doesn't the fact that people feel the need to compare this with "the year of hell" several years after that speak volumes about the current situation and this release?
I also used the doff system all the time. But this? I think this is a step back, the ui is confusing, I can no longer choose by category, The whole thing sucks! One less thing to bring me back every day. :mad:
As much as I hated the laser dinosaurs, this update reeks even more specifically because of the fact that they took out more than they added. The removal of exploration and diplomatic missions REALLY irks me, as I always enjoyed the immersion aspect of both despite First Contact missions being broken for years, and the needless changes to doffs have made it (seemingly intentionally) more difficult to use. Why can't I sort by department? Why did they change the "in progress" tab to make it so it's no longer shown in order of completion?
Only good thing I can say about this update is the addition of the new uniforms, and changing the crew uniforms on board your ship.