The way I'm reading it is the seats aren't hybrid, the officers are.
Every "specialist" officer (such as Intelligence) has BOTH their new ability types AND an original career as Boff powers. Still 4 slots total, but essentially a wider pool of abilities to pick from.
Given that ship and officer type go together, I'm starting to suspect the post-60 progression tree is going to mirror these specializations.
See, I figured they would both be hybrids, since the Operations Pack gives "Three Very Rare Intelligence Bridge Officers (per faction)" and there are 3 careers. If they have Engineering-Intelligence, Tactical-Intelligence, and Science-Intelligence seating and boffs it would leave them with more variety in the way they can design, and therefore sell, the various ships they come out with down the line. If they are actually Universal Intelligence Bridge Officer stations, that removes those potential variations... but then again, until we actually see some stats it's all speculation around the limited information we do have. :P
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
See, I figured they would both be hybrids, since the Operations Pack gives "Three Very Rare Intelligence Bridge Officers (per faction)" and there are 3 careers. If they have Engineering-Intelligence, Tactical-Intelligence, and Science-Intelligence seating and boffs it would leave them with more variety in the way they can design, and therefore sell, the various ships they come out with down the line. If they are actually Universal Intelligence Bridge Officer stations, that removes those potential variations... but then again, until we actually see some stats it's all speculation around the limited information we do have. :P
Exactly! Its all speculation! Cryptic! We need more information! Is that so hard!?
A thread on Tribble feedback has the Intelligence abilities.
Ground sublieutenant:
Frictionless Grenade I (lowers traction and DR of affected foes in area of effect)
Harmless I (convinces target you are not a threat, you cannot be attacked by target)
Incite Chaos I (Target unable to distinguish friend from foe)
Sonic Suppression field (build less threat)
Space sublieutenant:
Evade target Lock I (Accuracy debuff to target vs. you)
Intelligence Team I (Short cloak without ambush bonus, clears Intelligence debuffs)
Override Subsystem Safeties I (Gradually decreasing power buff, after duration 1 subsystem goes offline).
Subspace Beacon I (sets a beacon where you can teleport for some time if not too far away)
Viral Impulse Burst I (Speed buff to target, turn rate set to 0)
Ground lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Neurolytic Compound I (incapacitates target for a while)
Photonic Decoy I (fake version of caster behind target)
Site-to-Site Snare I (Transports target towards you)
Subspace Anaesthezine Mine I (Invisible mine that unleashes anaesthezine gas)
Space lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Electromagnetic Pulse Probe I (Launches proe that disables targets)
Ionic Turbulence (increase inertia of ships in aoe)
Kinetic Magnet (decrease target's kinetic DR)
Ground Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Feign Disintegration (next attack that brings you below 50% HP will appear to disintegrate you)
Tripwire Drone (drone travels to target and nocks down taget on the way, exploding when at destination)
Space Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Energy Weapons: Surgical Strike (Acc and CrH buff)
Subnucleonic Carrier wave (Subnucleinuc Beam AOE)
Torpedo: Transport warhead (next toeprdoattak ignores sheilds, chance to knock out subsystem)
Ground and space Subcommander: Versions "II" of some of the lower abilities.
If we assume that there might soon be an Intelligence Captain career path, and
that they can train Versions "III" of some abilities (Similar to APO II vs APO III),
those would be SCW, EWSS an TTW.
AOE Subnuke, torpedo trough shields and debuffing enemy's accuracy, it sounds awesomer than hell! Also ,PVP ragefest ensures due to AOE subnuke. Cryptic trollfaces.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
Despite assertions to the contrary:
1 avoid devaluing the time and money spent in obtaining them [ships].
2 a fair solution instead of requiring players to absolutely need to obtain or purchase a whole new suite of starships for a new tier of content as we have in the past
All my Tier 5 ships are going to be out-moded wether I paid for them or not. I can pay to upgrade them to some improved status but it will still be less than Tier 6. But it's OK because there is no story content for it anyway.
I can understand limiting what ships could be upgraded to Tier 6 by class, or how many a single character could update. But to say no ships will be upgradable, not even fleet ships.
See, I figured they would both be hybrids, since the Operations Pack gives "Three Very Rare Intelligence Bridge Officers (per faction)" and there are 3 careers. If they have Engineering-Intelligence, Tactical-Intelligence, and Science-Intelligence seating and boffs it would leave them with more variety in the way they can design, and therefore sell, the various ships they come out with down the line. If they are actually Universal Intelligence Bridge Officer stations, that removes those potential variations... but then again, until we actually see some stats it's all speculation around the limited information we do have. :P
I'm leaning in the direction of the specialists being extensions of a certain existing career. Tied in with specialist ships and (maybe) specialist skill trees for your character, this would channel us into min/max archetypes that are easier to plan around. Say there's 2 specialist branches off of each base career, that gives them 6 styles/roles to start corralling us into. The existing ship lineup will slowly turn over to T6 as they figure out which role to put them in (some may remain without specialists as the existing eng-tank/sci-support&heal/tac-dps).
If the specialists can be any type of base career as well...the number of permutations and possibilities expands massively, as a specialist seat is then essentially a universal seat (as far as eng/sci/tac).
Update: Looking at tribble feedback, apparently there are indeed intel/tac, intel/eng, and intel/sci types (currently).
You can slot them in a universal seat or one that matches their vanilla career, but they cannot use Intel powers unless in an Intel seat on an Intel ship (vanilla powers still available).
Now I'm starting to wonder...are there any other new careers coming or is this it?
Somewhere along the line I got the impression they were adding several.
A thread on Tribble feedback has the Intelligence abilities.
Ground sublieutenant:
Frictionless Grenade I (lowers traction and DR of affected foes in area of effect)
Harmless I (convinces target you are not a threat, you cannot be attacked by target)
Incite Chaos I (Target unable to distinguish friend from foe)
Sonic Suppression field (build less threat)
Space sublieutenant:
Evade target Lock I (Accuracy debuff to target vs. you)
Intelligence Team I (Short cloak without ambush bonus, clears Intelligence debuffs)
Override Subsystem Safeties I (Gradually decreasing power buff, after duration 1 subsystem goes offline).
Subspace Beacon I (sets a beacon where you can teleport for some time if not too far away)
Viral Impulse Burst I (Speed buff to target, turn rate set to 0)
Ground lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Neurolytic Compound I (incapacitates target for a while)
Photonic Decoy I (fake version of caster behind target)
Site-to-Site Snare I (Transports target towards you)
Subspace Anaesthezine Mine I (Invisible mine that unleashes anaesthezine gas)
Space lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Electromagnetic Pulse Probe I (Launches proe that disables targets)
Ionic Turbulence (increase inertia of ships in aoe)
Kinetic Magnet (decrease target's kinetic DR)
Ground Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Feign Disintegration (next attack that brings you below 50% HP will appear to disintegrate you)
Tripwire Drone (drone travels to target and nocks down taget on the way, exploding when at destination)
Space Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Energy Weapons: Surgical Strike (Acc and CrH buff)
Subnucleonic Carrier wave (Subnucleinuc Beam AOE)
Torpedo: Transport warhead (next toeprdoattak ignores sheilds, chance to knock out subsystem)
Ground and space Subcommander: Versions "II" of some of the lower abilities.
If we assume that there might soon be an Intelligence Captain career path, and
that they can train Versions "III" of some abilities (Similar to APO II vs APO III),
those would be SCW, EWSS an TTW.
AOE Subnuke, torpedo trough shields and debuffing enemy's accuracy, it sounds awesomer than hell! Also ,PVP ragefest ensures due to AOE subnuke. Cryptic trollfaces.
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
AOE Subnuke, torpedo trough shields and debuffing enemy's accuracy, it sounds awesomer than hell! Also ,PVP ragefest ensures due to AOE subnuke. Cryptic trollfaces.
Honestly, I took it as there would be more of a PvE ragefest than PvP...they're introducing an AoE ability that strips the three longest lasting buffs. Think about that for a moment. Think about what that means for the NPCs in Delta Rising...in order for folks to want to slot that ability, to buy into the whole thing, those NPCs would actually need buffs to be stripped, eh? Yeah, I see more of a PvE ragefest coming than a PvP one...NPCs might actually be more than just residents of a monster farm grabbing their ankles and waiting for the next hero to come along and slaughter them.
Honestly, I took it as there would be more of a PvE ragefest than PvP...they're introducing an AoE ability that strips the three longest lasting buffs. Think about that for a moment. Think about what that means for the NPCs in Delta Rising...in order for folks to want to slot that ability, to buy into the whole thing, those NPCs would actually need buffs to be stripped, eh? Yeah, I see more of a PvE ragefest coming than a PvP one...NPCs might actually be more than just residents of a monster farm grabbing their ankles and waiting for the next hero to come along and slaughter them.
God I hope you're right... I still kind of miss NPCs having the same EP2E that players have; it made things more interesting, though the AI really needed to be made smart enough to come back at some point :P
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
God I hope you're right... I still kind of miss NPCs having the same EP2E that players have; it made things more interesting, though the AI really needed to be made smart enough to come back at some point :P
For me, the issue wasn't them flying away like they did - but that they would fly into things and get stuck...heh.
Viral Impulse Burst I (Speed buff to target, turn rate set to 0)
This might be my favorite regardless of who we can target (it's going to be funny either way). :P
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
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!
In a post or two (or maybe a hundred) in this thread, I'd made the statement regarding the comparison of the stats of the T5-U versions with the T6 and how the Specialist BOFFs/hybrid seats would affect that competitiveness in the end...but I can no longer say that.
Not because of the Specialist BOFFs and the Intel abilities, but because Cryptic added an additional factor into the equation for looking at the relative balance between the "tiers" of ships.
"Active Sensor Arrays that allow it to gather information about a target to expose a vulnerability."
Adding the Ground Expose/Exploit mechanics on such a scale to the T6 ships...well, this appears to go well beyond the Ionized Particle Beam from the Mogai.
And that...well...makes the whole comparative discussion a different ballgame, imho...hrmmm.
Adding the Ground Expose/Exploit mechanics on such a scale to the T6 ships...well, this appears to go well beyond the Ionized Particle Beam from the Mogai..
Check the Guardian, Maha, and Aelahl. It's not exactly a feature of T6, only the new "class" of intel vessels.
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
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!
True, I should have specified that it was only on 5 of the 8 ships announced so far...
Which could still certainly be a problem, but one best handled apart from the standard "T6>T5-U" banter (since anything they add that isn't "Tron-tastic" would suffer from any gross imbalances generated by this mechanic, regardless of tier.)
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
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!
In a post or two (or maybe a hundred) in this thread, I'd made the statement regarding the comparison of the stats of the T5-U versions with the T6 and how the Specialist BOFFs/hybrid seats would affect that competitiveness in the end...but I can no longer say that.
Not because of the Specialist BOFFs and the Intel abilities, but because Cryptic added an additional factor into the equation for looking at the relative balance between the "tiers" of ships.
"Active Sensor Arrays that allow it to gather information about a target to expose a vulnerability."
Adding the Ground Expose/Exploit mechanics on such a scale to the T6 ships...well, this appears to go well beyond the Ionized Particle Beam from the Mogai.
And that...well...makes the whole comparative discussion a different ballgame, imho...hrmmm.
It looks like that mechanic is mainly to give a 2-state function to the special console of each ship. If that is really the case, then we'll have to see what those consoles are like both with and without the effect, and what their recharge time is, It sounds functionally like the Ionized Particle Beam, but potentially on a larger scale, and maybe more controlled. Wait and see, I guess.
This is an MMO, not a Star Trek episode simulator. That would make for a terrible game.
Which could still certainly be a problem, but one best handled apart from the standard "T6>T5-U" banter (since anything they add that isn't "Tron-tastic" would suffer from any gross imbalances generated by this mechanic, regardless of tier.)
Thing is, the non-Intel T6 ships would have to have something to balance out the Expose/Exploit mechanics of the Intel T6 ships...so in the end, it's still something that adds to the concerns of the wait and see thought process as far as how this is all going to play out.
With the Intel T6 having a Cmdr hybrid seat, we do not know if it is a second Cmdr seat (thus the +1 BOFF ability being applied to a LCdr to make it Cmdr) or if it will be the sole Cmdr seat...and that has ramifications of its own. It also continues to raise the question of where that +1 BOFF ability will be on the non-Intel T6 as well as whether or not the hybrid seats on those ships at release will be LCdr or possibly lower in rank. Then again, it's entirely possible that things have changed since the T6 blog mentioned all T6 ships at release having a hybrid seat...
...but the comparison of the T5-U/T6 ships is in a constant state of flux with the cryptic information Cryptic releases in such a piecemeal fashion.
It looks like that mechanic is mainly to give a 2-state function to the special console of each ship. If that is really the case, then we'll have to see what those consoles are like both with and without the effect, and what their recharge time is, It sounds functionally like the Ionized Particle Beam, but potentially on a larger scale, and maybe more controlled. Wait and see, I guess.
Thing is, the Active Sensor Arrays are mentioned discreetly from the consoles...they appear, whatever they are, to be a separate function/mechanic of the Intel T6 ships.
But yep, even more added to the wait and see.
I guess they want us to be hyped about the various new things...but for me, personally, it's just leading to more and more frustration.
Thing is, the non-Intel T6 ships would have to have something to balance out the Expose/Exploit mechanics of the Intel T6 ships...so in the end, it's still something that adds to the concerns of the wait and see thought process as far as how this is all
With the Intel T6 having a Cmdr hybrid seat, we do not know if it is a second Cmdr seat (thus the +1 BOFF ability being applied to a LCdr to make it Cmdr) or if it will be the sole Cmdr seat...and that has ramifications of its own. It also continues to raise the question of where that +1 BOFF ability will be on the non-Intel T6 as well as whether or not the hybrid seats on those ships at release will be LCdr or possibly lower in rank. Then again, it's entirely possible that things have changed since the T6 blog mentioned all T6 ships at release having a hybrid seat...
...but the comparison of the T5-U/T6 ships is in a constant state of flux with the cryptic information Cryptic releases in such a piecemeal fashion.
I think the seating is going to be the deciding factor. The new intel abilities do have some fairly powerful effects by the look of things and if T6 ships can utilize those without loosing too many core tac/sci/eng abilities (thanks to that +1 seat) they could employ some fairly powerful combos that other ships couldn't match.
As it is though the potential for an expose/exploit mechanic doesn't worry me that much. As Anodynes posted it could follow the pattern of the Mogai refit console and just turn on the secondary console firing mode. There may also be small debuffs involved too (which is what I suspect) similar to sensor scanning (plus that secondary mode) but I can't see something so great (in power/extent) as a copy/paste of ground mechanics on only some new vessels.
But as you said more information is definitely needed. Just one example would probably be sufficient for us to build a decent working model for how intel ships are go
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
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!
...but the comparison of the T5-U/T6 ships is in a constant state of flux with the cryptic information Cryptic releases in such a piecemeal fashion.
Yeah... the Gold-locked Tribble Test Server also contributes to this, since the F2P tinker types can't just go see how it works.
Maybe this is an attempt to prevent a situation like Season 9.5 (tons of negative Tribble feedback, no communication in advance, then BOOM it's live with little in the way of changes). If it's awesome and well-balanced from the very first build, no forum fires to speak of... but if it's flawed and they really do intend to balance Delta Rising out through a process of feedback and iteration prior to launch... they don't need forum fires based on the incomplete builds. It's my hope that the piecemeal information and Gold-locked Tribble Test Server are indications that they actually plan to make informed changes to Delta Rising, and simply don't want to deal with everyone being a pain in the aft about it.
Experience may not indicate this possibility, the typically imbalanced Operations Pack may not indicate this possibility, but maybe... just maybe... Gre'thor froze over.
Oh never mind, that was just a stubbornly optimistic train of thought posting there... Stop being a flanking pain in the aft and just tell us what's going on! :P
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
Originally Posted by breadandcircuses View Post
Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen, with separate costs for C-Store and Fleet versions.
Vor'Cha is a no-go, it's acquired "with a Dilithium or Rank-Up Token cost."
Fleet Tor'Kaht Battle Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen.
* wonder's if his T5 Vor'Cha or soon to have T5 Excelsior will be left out of the upfail cause he can't find any reference about them *
Either way, I'm not buying zen with my money, why? Cause Cryptic pays me zen to hang around for the player numbers.
If I can upfail......upgrade my ships, the I shall use my stipend. If I can't, then there's going to be a lot of rage and fists waving at my T5's in a STF.
I want real ships, not a T6 flying egg carton with toilet paper roll nacelles from the local kindergarten art class.
Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen, with separate costs for C-Store and Fleet versions.
Vor'Cha is a no-go, it's acquired "with a Dilithium or Rank-Up Token cost."
Fleet Tor'Kaht Battle Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen.
Ah, thank you for clearing that Cryptic shafting of my beloved ship. So my Vor'Cha has been stiffed. Hmmm...
Well, if you'll all excuse me I have to go on a nerdy Dragon Rage in downtown Crypticville. =3
Remember STF Elite kiddies, hate me not my T5.
Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version. :rolleyes:
Thus my pointing out that the Fleet Tor'Kaht could be upgraded, since it can use the Vor'Cha and Vor'Kang skins... but it does not have the same play style as the T5 Vor'Cha by any means thanks to differences in boff seating. :rolleyes:
I suppose I should mention that the closest options as far as play style would be the Fleet K't'inga and Fleet Negh'Var. Personally, I'd advise against such an Engineering-focused setup on something that only has the hull of current end game Escort/Destroyer-type ships... i.e. the Fleet K't'inga. If you're willing the give up a little maneuverability in exchange for hull, though, the Fleet Negh'Var can take the T5 Vor'Cha setup if you choose; like many of the KDF Fleet lineup, there is no Fleet Ship Module discount available, making this a rather expensive path to take... the Fleet Mogh may be a better option if you're willing to shift a LtC boff ability from Eng to Tac, though it still loses turn rate relative to the T5 Vor'Cha.
All that assumes crashdragon wasn't referring to the Mirror Vor'Cha. :P
Oh, as a side note, you can nest quotes using this format...
{QUOTE=sentinel64;19036431}{QUOTE=sentinel64;19036431}Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version.{/QUOTE}Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version.{/QUOTE}
...though of course I replaced the [ and ] with { and } to make the format visible, instead of having it automatically...
With each passing day I wonder if I stepped into an alternate reality. The Cubs win the world series. Donald Trump is President. Britain leaves the EU. STO gets a dedicated PvP season. Engineers are "out of control" in STO.
......snip
Galaxy X: +1 Eng
......snip
Chel Gret: +1 Eng
......snip
Loving my Chel Grett getting a bit tankier for most of my toons but am I the only one thinking the Galaxy X getting another eng console is a bit of a downer? A chance to beef it's awesomeness with a tac console would surely not have been game-breaking.
"...we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than the things that divide us.”
Jo Cox 22.6.1974 - 16.6.2016
Loving my Chel Grett getting a bit tankier for most of my toons but am I the only one thinking the Galaxy X getting another eng console is a bit of a downer? A chance to beef it's awesomeness with a tac console would surely not have been game-breaking.
If you are going to use the extra console slot (or any of the slots on the ship for that matter) for a Universal Console, it really doesn't matter what slot is added, as you can simply open up a slot of the type you want by moving a Universal into the new slot from wherever it was that you want to use.
For instance, in the case of the Galaxy X, if you were using the Cloak in a Tactical slot and the Saucer Sep module in a Sci slot, you could move either into the new addition to open either a Tactical or Sci slot for use.
Ultimately, the Galaxy class is a Cruiser, so Engineering is where the focus of the ship is going to be, so it's not surprising or really bad that it gets the extra slot where the ship is supposed to be focused.
Comments
See, I figured they would both be hybrids, since the Operations Pack gives "Three Very Rare Intelligence Bridge Officers (per faction)" and there are 3 careers. If they have Engineering-Intelligence, Tactical-Intelligence, and Science-Intelligence seating and boffs it would leave them with more variety in the way they can design, and therefore sell, the various ships they come out with down the line. If they are actually Universal Intelligence Bridge Officer stations, that removes those potential variations... but then again, until we actually see some stats it's all speculation around the limited information we do have. :P
Exactly! Its all speculation! Cryptic! We need more information! Is that so hard!?
Ground sublieutenant:
Frictionless Grenade I (lowers traction and DR of affected foes in area of effect)
Harmless I (convinces target you are not a threat, you cannot be attacked by target)
Incite Chaos I (Target unable to distinguish friend from foe)
Sonic Suppression field (build less threat)
Space sublieutenant:
Evade target Lock I (Accuracy debuff to target vs. you)
Intelligence Team I (Short cloak without ambush bonus, clears Intelligence debuffs)
Override Subsystem Safeties I (Gradually decreasing power buff, after duration 1 subsystem goes offline).
Subspace Beacon I (sets a beacon where you can teleport for some time if not too far away)
Viral Impulse Burst I (Speed buff to target, turn rate set to 0)
Ground lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Neurolytic Compound I (incapacitates target for a while)
Photonic Decoy I (fake version of caster behind target)
Site-to-Site Snare I (Transports target towards you)
Subspace Anaesthezine Mine I (Invisible mine that unleashes anaesthezine gas)
Space lieutenant:
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Electromagnetic Pulse Probe I (Launches proe that disables targets)
Ionic Turbulence (increase inertia of ships in aoe)
Kinetic Magnet (decrease target's kinetic DR)
Ground Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Feign Disintegration (next attack that brings you below 50% HP will appear to disintegrate you)
Tripwire Drone (drone travels to target and nocks down taget on the way, exploding when at destination)
Space Centurion
(Higher versions of lower abilities)
Energy Weapons: Surgical Strike (Acc and CrH buff)
Subnucleonic Carrier wave (Subnucleinuc Beam AOE)
Torpedo: Transport warhead (next toeprdoattak ignores sheilds, chance to knock out subsystem)
Ground and space Subcommander: Versions "II" of some of the lower abilities.
If we assume that there might soon be an Intelligence Captain career path, and
that they can train Versions "III" of some abilities (Similar to APO II vs APO III),
those would be SCW, EWSS an TTW.
AOE Subnuke, torpedo trough shields and debuffing enemy's accuracy, it sounds awesomer than hell! Also ,PVP ragefest ensures due to AOE subnuke. Cryptic trollfaces.
- specialist boff
- extra console slot
These could be 2 different zen products, purchased at 2 different prices.
Like a basic and premium T6 upgrade.
Maybe not for all ships, only for select ships ...
Despite assertions to the contrary:
1 avoid devaluing the time and money spent in obtaining them [ships].
2 a fair solution instead of requiring players to absolutely need to obtain or purchase a whole new suite of starships for a new tier of content as we have in the past
All my Tier 5 ships are going to be out-moded wether I paid for them or not. I can pay to upgrade them to some improved status but it will still be less than Tier 6. But it's OK because there is no story content for it anyway.
I can understand limiting what ships could be upgraded to Tier 6 by class, or how many a single character could update. But to say no ships will be upgradable, not even fleet ships.
This will be a less than thrilling expansion.
I'm leaning in the direction of the specialists being extensions of a certain existing career. Tied in with specialist ships and (maybe) specialist skill trees for your character, this would channel us into min/max archetypes that are easier to plan around. Say there's 2 specialist branches off of each base career, that gives them 6 styles/roles to start corralling us into. The existing ship lineup will slowly turn over to T6 as they figure out which role to put them in (some may remain without specialists as the existing eng-tank/sci-support&heal/tac-dps).
If the specialists can be any type of base career as well...the number of permutations and possibilities expands massively, as a specialist seat is then essentially a universal seat (as far as eng/sci/tac).
Update: Looking at tribble feedback, apparently there are indeed intel/tac, intel/eng, and intel/sci types (currently).
You can slot them in a universal seat or one that matches their vanilla career, but they cannot use Intel powers unless in an Intel seat on an Intel ship (vanilla powers still available).
Now I'm starting to wonder...are there any other new careers coming or is this it?
Somewhere along the line I got the impression they were adding several.
Tac captain abilities + AoE SubNuke... Torpedo: Transport Warhead + Kinetic Magnet + Tricobalt + Omega Kinetic Shearing... Frictionless Grenade + Tripwire Drone...
LOL, yeah, Cryptic trollfaces :P
Honestly, I took it as there would be more of a PvE ragefest than PvP...they're introducing an AoE ability that strips the three longest lasting buffs. Think about that for a moment. Think about what that means for the NPCs in Delta Rising...in order for folks to want to slot that ability, to buy into the whole thing, those NPCs would actually need buffs to be stripped, eh? Yeah, I see more of a PvE ragefest coming than a PvP one...NPCs might actually be more than just residents of a monster farm grabbing their ankles and waiting for the next hero to come along and slaughter them.
God I hope you're right... I still kind of miss NPCs having the same EP2E that players have; it made things more interesting, though the AI really needed to be made smart enough to come back at some point :P
For me, the issue wasn't them flying away like they did - but that they would fly into things and get stuck...heh.
This might be my favorite regardless of who we can target (it's going to be funny either way). :P
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!
Personally, I'm going to watching the Gate in ISE to see how many folks spacebar VIB on it.
I would say plenty... PLENTY.
When the new Tier 6 stats come out... we need to see what a Lvl 60 version of that and a Tier 5U look side by side to truly see the difference.
That is now my 64K question.
Not because of the Specialist BOFFs and the Intel abilities, but because Cryptic added an additional factor into the equation for looking at the relative balance between the "tiers" of ships.
http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/game-pack/detail/718-delta-rising-operations-pack
"Active Sensor Arrays that allow it to gather information about a target to expose a vulnerability."
Adding the Ground Expose/Exploit mechanics on such a scale to the T6 ships...well, this appears to go well beyond the Ionized Particle Beam from the Mogai.
And that...well...makes the whole comparative discussion a different ballgame, imho...hrmmm.
Check the Guardian, Maha, and Aelahl. It's not exactly a feature of T6, only the new "class" of intel vessels.
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True, I should have specified that it was only on 5 of the 8 ships announced so far...
Which could still certainly be a problem, but one best handled apart from the standard "T6>T5-U" banter (since anything they add that isn't "Tron-tastic" would suffer from any gross imbalances generated by this mechanic, regardless of tier.)
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It looks like that mechanic is mainly to give a 2-state function to the special console of each ship. If that is really the case, then we'll have to see what those consoles are like both with and without the effect, and what their recharge time is, It sounds functionally like the Ionized Particle Beam, but potentially on a larger scale, and maybe more controlled. Wait and see, I guess.
Thing is, the non-Intel T6 ships would have to have something to balance out the Expose/Exploit mechanics of the Intel T6 ships...so in the end, it's still something that adds to the concerns of the wait and see thought process as far as how this is all going to play out.
With the Intel T6 having a Cmdr hybrid seat, we do not know if it is a second Cmdr seat (thus the +1 BOFF ability being applied to a LCdr to make it Cmdr) or if it will be the sole Cmdr seat...and that has ramifications of its own. It also continues to raise the question of where that +1 BOFF ability will be on the non-Intel T6 as well as whether or not the hybrid seats on those ships at release will be LCdr or possibly lower in rank. Then again, it's entirely possible that things have changed since the T6 blog mentioned all T6 ships at release having a hybrid seat...
...but the comparison of the T5-U/T6 ships is in a constant state of flux with the cryptic information Cryptic releases in such a piecemeal fashion.
Thing is, the Active Sensor Arrays are mentioned discreetly from the consoles...they appear, whatever they are, to be a separate function/mechanic of the Intel T6 ships.
But yep, even more added to the wait and see.
I guess they want us to be hyped about the various new things...but for me, personally, it's just leading to more and more frustration.
I think the seating is going to be the deciding factor. The new intel abilities do have some fairly powerful effects by the look of things and if T6 ships can utilize those without loosing too many core tac/sci/eng abilities (thanks to that +1 seat) they could employ some fairly powerful combos that other ships couldn't match.
As it is though the potential for an expose/exploit mechanic doesn't worry me that much. As Anodynes posted it could follow the pattern of the Mogai refit console and just turn on the secondary console firing mode. There may also be small debuffs involved too (which is what I suspect) similar to sensor scanning (plus that secondary mode) but I can't see something so great (in power/extent) as a copy/paste of ground mechanics on only some new vessels.
But as you said more information is definitely needed. Just one example would probably be sufficient for us to build a decent working model for how intel ships are go
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Yeah... the Gold-locked Tribble Test Server also contributes to this, since the F2P tinker types can't just go see how it works.
Maybe this is an attempt to prevent a situation like Season 9.5 (tons of negative Tribble feedback, no communication in advance, then BOOM it's live with little in the way of changes). If it's awesome and well-balanced from the very first build, no forum fires to speak of... but if it's flawed and they really do intend to balance Delta Rising out through a process of feedback and iteration prior to launch... they don't need forum fires based on the incomplete builds. It's my hope that the piecemeal information and Gold-locked Tribble Test Server are indications that they actually plan to make informed changes to Delta Rising, and simply don't want to deal with everyone being a pain in the aft about it.
Experience may not indicate this possibility, the typically imbalanced Operations Pack may not indicate this possibility, but maybe... just maybe... Gre'thor froze over.
Oh never mind, that was just a stubbornly optimistic train of thought posting there... Stop being a flanking pain in the aft and just tell us what's going on! :P
Advanced Heavy Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen, with separate costs for C-Store and Fleet versions.
Vor'Cha is a no-go, it's acquired "with a Dilithium or Rank-Up Token cost."
Fleet Tor'Kaht Battle Cruiser Retrofit can be upgraded for Zen.
Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version. :rolleyes:
Thus my pointing out that the Fleet Tor'Kaht could be upgraded, since it can use the Vor'Cha and Vor'Kang skins... but it does not have the same play style as the T5 Vor'Cha by any means thanks to differences in boff seating. :rolleyes:
I suppose I should mention that the closest options as far as play style would be the Fleet K't'inga and Fleet Negh'Var. Personally, I'd advise against such an Engineering-focused setup on something that only has the hull of current end game Escort/Destroyer-type ships... i.e. the Fleet K't'inga. If you're willing the give up a little maneuverability in exchange for hull, though, the Fleet Negh'Var can take the T5 Vor'Cha setup if you choose; like many of the KDF Fleet lineup, there is no Fleet Ship Module discount available, making this a rather expensive path to take... the Fleet Mogh may be a better option if you're willing to shift a LtC boff ability from Eng to Tac, though it still loses turn rate relative to the T5 Vor'Cha.
All that assumes crashdragon wasn't referring to the Mirror Vor'Cha. :P
Oh, as a side note, you can nest quotes using this format...
{QUOTE=sentinel64;19036431}{QUOTE=sentinel64;19036431}Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version.{/QUOTE}Ah, the Tor'Kaht is the fleet version of the Vor'Cha; you can even use the Vor'Cha skin on the fleet version.{/QUOTE}
...though of course I replaced the [ and ] with { and } to make the format visible, instead of having it automatically...
...and ditched I your "rolleyes" since there is a limit to how many smileys you can use.
Some upgrade console stats. Subject to change.
Some test results by various people:
Charal gest + 1 tac. AWESOME! I LOVE IT!
Mogai gets + 1 tac. AWESOME! I LOVE IT!
Tvaro gets + 1 sci.
Deridex gets +1 eng.
Dhelan gets +1 tac.
Dromias: +1 Eng
Narcine: +1 Eng
Contortix: +1 Eng
Galaxy X: +1 Eng
Nicor: +1 Sci
Ody Sci: +1 Eng
Orb Weaver: +1 Sci
Reculse: +1 Tac (Woot!)
Bort Tac: +1 Sci
Kling Dyson DD: +1 Eng
Bort Command: +1 Sci
Karfi: +1 Eng
Peg'Qu: +1 Tac
Marauder: +1 Tac
Galor: +1 Eng
Monbosh: +1 Eng
S'Golth: +1 Tac
D'Kora: NO UPGRADE BUTTON
Apex: +1 Tac
Hunter: +1 Tac
Jem DNV: +1 Eng
Jem Esc: +1 Tac
Jem Bug: +1 sci
Adv. Obilisk: +1 Tac
Ar'Kif Retro: +1 Sci
Tal'Shiar BC: +1 Sci
Tal'Shiar DD: +1 Sci
Bastion: +1 Eng
Palisade: +1 Tac
Mobius: +1 Tac
Wells: +1 Sci
Plesh Brek +1 Eng
Chel Gret: +1 Eng
RisianCorvette: +1 Eng (can be bugged to get 12 consoles, but its a bug)
Kumari: +1 Sci
Risian Cruiser: +1 Eng
Fed Dyson DD: +1 Eng
Steamrunner: +1 Tac
Khyzon:+1 Eng
Chimera: +1 Tac
Ody Tac: +1 Tac
Atrox: BROKEN, NO ADD, LOSES SHIP ICON (BUG)
Also, no Tier 6 ship will have more than 5 consoles.
:eek:
Didn't much care for it when I flew it last night, but I can work with those new stats on a Chontay.
The fleet T-5U Kami sure could use a TAC console (hint, hint)
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
Loving my Chel Grett getting a bit tankier for most of my toons but am I the only one thinking the Galaxy X getting another eng console is a bit of a downer? A chance to beef it's awesomeness with a tac console would surely not have been game-breaking.
Jo Cox 22.6.1974 - 16.6.2016
If you are going to use the extra console slot (or any of the slots on the ship for that matter) for a Universal Console, it really doesn't matter what slot is added, as you can simply open up a slot of the type you want by moving a Universal into the new slot from wherever it was that you want to use.
For instance, in the case of the Galaxy X, if you were using the Cloak in a Tactical slot and the Saucer Sep module in a Sci slot, you could move either into the new addition to open either a Tactical or Sci slot for use.
Ultimately, the Galaxy class is a Cruiser, so Engineering is where the focus of the ship is going to be, so it's not surprising or really bad that it gets the extra slot where the ship is supposed to be focused.