How frequently do you actually *play* STO with most players? Really?
STO's notes are ridiculously vague and useless at their best. I've seen people using Mk VI gear in ESTFs. Mark. Six.
Well, yes, in theory, yes, "most people" can use/have fleet ships and gear.
In practice? Go into a random PUG and use Gateway to check all their builds. See how many people are using fleet gear and ships. Go ahead, I'm genuinely curious.
Your question was "can" most people get it, not "do" most people get it. If you meant "do" then use the word "do." You're correct that in practice, a large chunk do not and I agree with that.
Nitpicking is a time-honored tradition of science fiction. Asking your readers not to worry about the "little things" is like asking a dog not to sniff at people's crotches. If there's something that appears to violate natural laws, then you can expect someone's going to point it out. That's just the way things are.
I think they do. Which might explain why they delayed giving us this information so long.
That said, I'm glad they did. Because now instead of speculation and conjecture, we can rage over the actual facts they're bringing to the table.
Most certainly.
The fascinating thing will be if they actually change anything.
While the change may not be sufficient for many people and many complaints history has shown that Cryptic can make minor adjustments to "make the evening go more....smoothly.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
It's good to finally have the information on this hot topic. It's great that you guys decided to have the upgrades account wide, that is something I didn't expect and a very generous move.
However, I just can't get past the arbitrary decision you seem to be making in regards of upgrading current hulls to full and complete T6. Why the need for this arbitrary and very silly decision, IMHO? I kinda' get that you might be afraid of the potential rage if you tell people they need to pay full price to get the ship they already own to full and complete T6, and you're probably right - there would be rage.
But you've given Option 1 already - upgrade current hulls to T5-U, for a smaller upgrade fee. How about providing some of us, the "insane" players, an Option 2 - to pay a full price of a T6 ship for upgrading a current one to have all the Boff slots, traits and other "bells & whistles" as any T6 ship. Money for you and a bunch of satisfied fans willing to spend, that can't be bad, can it? Please think about it.
The current upgrade plan is not bad for an uber cassual player who can just enjoy flying arround in his/hers favourite Star Trek ship. It's close enough, for now. Noone can't pretned however that a Boff slot less, a trait less, specialization less will not make a clear gap between T5-U and T6, especially in PvP.
That's the kind of gap that made us upgrade our T5 ships to fleet and whine on the forum about getting a fleet variant of T5 ships that didn't have one. It's obviously not insignificant.
Think about the idea I posted in the second paragraph here. If people are willing to pay a full T6 price to have their old ship be upgraded to a full T6, why the need of an arbitrary decision which prevents that?
so under that logic fleet ships should be free. they are upgrades to the existing ship you bought....
No, the same way those could be paid for if people had appropriate fleet access, this upgrade could be paid for. Most people are saying they are ok with paying, just not for less than full.
At this point the only thing I care about is whether there will be a free tier 6 ship on promotion to vice admiral. I have no intention of paying to upgrade my current ships to 'still not actually useful', and I'm going to be rather annoyed if my only other option is to pay for a full c-store ship. While I'm sure I'd buy one later anyway, having no possible free option like we do for every other tier will leave me with very little desire to fork over my hard earned cash. Since there is a free option on every other tier I WOULD take it for granted, but this IS cryptic we're talking about here and the money grubbing has become more and more obvious as late.
I think they do. Which might explain why they delayed giving us this information so long.
That said, I'm glad they did. Because now instead of speculation and conjecture, we can rage over the actual facts they're bringing to the table.
Which begs the question as to why bother listening to your players if you're just going to ignore them and do what you want, even if what you want flies in the face of all the feedback you're getting.
Why even have a forum? Considering how much we get listened to (or what we ask for gets acted on, rather), you could replace the forum with a webpage that read "PWE IS AWESOME" and there'd be no difference, with the exception that any moaning about decisions would take place somewhere else, rather than under the noses of the Devs - i.e. the people who could change this.
You're just a machine. And machines can be broken.
It's good to finally have the information on this hot topic. It's great that you guys decided to have the upgrades account wide, that is something I didn't expect and a very generous move.
However, I just can't get past the arbitrary decision you seem to be making in regards of upgrading current hulls to full and complete T6. Why the need for this arbitrary and very silly decision, IMHO? I kinda' get that you might be afraid of the potential rage if you tell people they need to pay full price to get the ship they already own to full and complete T6, and you're probably right - there would be rage.
But you've given Option 1 already - upgrade current hulls to T5-U, for a smaller upgrade fee. How about providing some us, the "insane" players, an Option 2 - to pay a full price of a T6 ship for upgrading a current one to have all the Boff slots, traits and other "bells & whistles" as any T6 ship. Money for you and a bunch of satisfied fans willing to spend, that can't be bad, can it? Please think about it.
I think the reason for not making them true T6 is to give a more limited lifespan in case of upgrades in the future to Tier 7. Upgrading a ship 1 level may be reasonable but limits are establishing themselves early. Also potentially gives a little wiggle room in case they decide to provide an upgrade option to lower tier ships as well.
It really doesn't sound all that bad. They are doing exactly what their business model modivates them to do. Make money. Take into account tho that compared to other games. What I think the devs have provided is very resonable. Lets not forget. We are getting what we all wanted. More content, upgraded ships, more abilitys Main/bridge officers, and more importantly a advancement on our STO storyline. I absolutely love a level cap increase. It gives it the traditional MMO genre feel.
The only thing I read that made me feel uncomfortable was, content could be doable with a teir 5 starship. I wanted a challenge but it seems I'm not gonna be getting one.
Your question was "can" most people get it, not "do" most people get it. If you meant "do" then use the word "do." You're correct that in practice, a large chunk do not and I agree with that.
Oh I see what you're doing, you're basing your entire argument over minor phrasing. K, have fun with that.
At this point the only thing I care about is whether there will be a free tier 6 ship on promotion to vice admiral. I have no intention of paying to upgrade my current ships to 'still not actually useful', and I'm going to be rather annoyed if my only other option is to pay for a full c-store ship. While I'm sure I'd buy one later anyway, having no possible free option like we do for every other tier will leave me with very little desire to fork over my hard earned cash. Since there is a free option on every other tier I WOULD take it for granted, but this IS cryptic we're talking about here and the money grubbing has become more and more obvious as late.
I doubt that'll change. They removed the RAUH and VA free ships a long time ago and I don't expect them to reverse that decision (although Lifers can still get a token at VA to choose one of three ships).
Nitpicking is a time-honored tradition of science fiction. Asking your readers not to worry about the "little things" is like asking a dog not to sniff at people's crotches. If there's something that appears to violate natural laws, then you can expect someone's going to point it out. That's just the way things are.
The fascinating thing will be if they actually change anything.
While the change may not be sufficient for many people and many complaints history has shown that Cryptic can make minor adjustments to "make the evening go more....smoothly.
That's why I'm trying to have an open mind. I understand where they're coming from in development, and all I can really do is offer some insight and constructive feedback on what would make this go more smoothly.
The main issue I see is that they made their success on ship sales, but they're trying to work a simple 'upgrade' angle to it, like in traditional MMOs.
I don't see it as entirely compatible with one another. Traditional upgrading in MMOs generally relies on time spent playing the game and getting gear upgrades to match the current balance of power.
Ships in STO are different. They're sold for cash, advertised as being the best of the best, and offer special perks that set them apart from other ships you may get for free. All in all, it is a good investment if you want to pay for the convenience of having the most awesome ship you can get.
When you sell things for cash, you make it a really hard sell to the players to get them to pay even more money for a simple stat/ability upgrade. I wasn't a fan of the Fleet Ship mechanics, and I'm not a fan of the T5-U mechanics entirely, either.
I think they're over-designing this system in the same way Starfleet over-designed the Excelsior. The more complex plumbing you have, the easier it is to clog it up. And I think we're seeing these clogs in this forum, as players are pointing out various disputes they have with their plans.
I think they should make meaningful changes on feedback. If they do, awesome. If they don't, at least we can say we tried. But we have to still offer constructive feedback instead of toxic rhetoric.
And as always, we have to be willing to compromise. The T5-U mechanics, like anything else in the game, are something I'm more than willing to compromise on, even if I'm not entirely happy in the end.
It really doesn't sound all that bad. They are doing exactly what their business model modivates them to do. Make money. Take into account tho that compared to other games. What I think the devs have provided is very resonable. Lets not forget. We are getting what we all wanted. More content, upgraded ships, more abilitys Main/bridge officers, and more importantly a advancement on our STO storyline. I absolutely love a level cap increase. It gives it the traditional MMO genre feel.
The only thing I read that made me feel uncomfortable was, content could be doable with a teir 5 starship. I wanted a challenge but it seems I'm not gonna be getting one.
The devs have said it will be difficult, but that could just mean that it's another grind, like everything else in the game.
Lets not forget. We are getting what we all wanted.
Ah yes, I remember that poll with the option "Please make all my ships obselete and then charge me again to upgrade them to a level where they're slightly less obselete."
I also remember not choosing that option.
Which may be due in part to it being largely fictitious
You're just a machine. And machines can be broken.
Free upgrade for lock box and veteran ships = win. No extra boff ability and no ship trait on 5U ships = fail. 5U ships should at least have either a ship trait or an extra boff ability.
I really like the Advanced Escort too. You will be able to upgrade both the Multi-Vector Advanced Escort and the Fleet Advanced Escort to T5-U for a to be determined cost.
Fleet ships are an improvements upon Tier 5 ships. T5-U Fleet ships are improved versions of T5-U ships. But, yes you will need to pay to upgrade each ship from T5 to T5-U. My advice would be to only upgrade the ship you plan on using.
Also, I wanted to clarify how fleet ships will be upgraded in regards to account unlocks. I can definitely understand how this might be confusing. Allow me to explain.
Let's say you purchase the Exploration Cruiser Retrofit. You can claim this ship on any of your federation characters. Now, let's say you want to get the Fleet Exploration Cruiser Retrofit. Since you already own the non-fleet variant, this will cost 1 Fleet Module (500 Zen). Now you have both the Exploration Cruiser Retrofit and the Fleet Exploration Cruiser Retrofit. You can then choose to upgrade either or both of these ships to T5-U by paying a Zen cost. For the sake of this example, let's say you upgrade both.
Now, what this means on an Starfleet alt is:
1) You can claim the Exploration Cruiser Retrofit for free from the Zen store.
2) You need to be in a fleet that has unlocked the appropriate shipyard level for the Fleet Exploration Cruiser Retrofit. You'll also need to pay the fleet credit cost and purchase a Fleet Module in order to obtain this starship.
3) You can upgrade your Exploration Cruiser Retrofit to T5-U for free since you purchased the upgrade for this particular ship.
4) If you purchase the Fleet Exploration Cruiser Retrofit on another character for the costs mentioned in 2) above, then you can upgrade this ship to T5-U for free since you've already purchased the upgrade for this particular ship.
I hope that answers some questions.
Thanks,
Phil "Gorngonzolla" Zeleski
Thanks for the clarification. To be honest I was never that concerned about the cost (since it is optiona) but its nice to know it wont sting too much to drag my alts in line.
I understand you need to monetize the game to keep it running.
A bigger concern for me is that once I've paid X zen, that it will truly be equal to the T6 ships, and I think that the 13th BOFF ability (new specialized type or not) will give T6's a major advantage, even if that 13th power is ensign level (and if its higher it'll be just crazy)
Look at the cost of obtaining a Fleet T5U on one character, for example a Fleet T5U Regent.
2500 zen initial purchase. 500 zen for a Fleet Ship Module. Then another 500 (or 1000) zen for the U upgrade. Thats 3500 zen minimum (which I imagine is equal to a T6 in cost).
The differences are that we'll pay another 500 zen for each additional alt for the fleet ship module, wheras being a Zen store unlock the T6's will require no further investment. Even then, the upgraded Regent will still be down a pivotal boff power.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: even an ensign boff power is a huge boon. Thats a tractor beam, or a topedo spread, or an eng team. If the 13th boff power is higher than ensign level this advantage is further magnified.
And that is not to speak of the specialist BOFF types incoming, whose effectiveness is still unknown at this point.
Most of us will pony up for upgrades to our beloved ships, providing its in the 500-1000zen range. But those upgrades need to keep those ships truly competitive to justify the investment, in my opinion. I'd rather see paid upgrades to full T6.
Im no businessman, but I think it makes sense. If you make it so that upgrades keep us in line, we'll inevitably invest en masse in upgrades for our faithful craft. But your new ships would still sell well since they will still be new shinies, and because they will cost far less to get up to max power than a comparitive canon ship.
....................................................................................................................
A couple of questions if you've got the time.
Will we finally see fleet versions of the remaining T5 ships, such as the Marauder, Guramba and D'Kyr? So that we can then upgrade em to Fleet-T5U? (cuts out the middleman, seems pointless just doing T5U if we dont know when/if we'll be able to fleet em up down the line).
Will the BOFF stations and console layouts be tweaked on any T5Us or Fleet T5U's? (he says looking at the Galaxy and Galaxy X).
Am I to assume that T6 ships won't have fleet versions? Because then there would be no question of their enormous superiority statwise, even over upgraded lockbox ships (both would then have 11 consoles, but the T6 would have the extra boff power).
Anyway, sorry for the long post and thanks for the info.
Got a cat? Have 10 minutes to help someone make the best degree dissertation of all time?
Then please fill out my dissertation survey on feline attachment, it'd be a massive help (-:
I think they should make meaningful changes on feedback. If they do, awesome. If they don't, at least we can say we tried. But we have to still offer constructive feedback instead of toxic rhetoric.
And as always, we have to be willing to compromise. The T5-U mechanics, like anything else in the game, are something I'm more than willing to compromise on, even if I'm not entirely happy in the end.
I agree completely here. Calling cryptic names (albeit possibly true) won't solve the issue of making sure they get proper feedback into their hands. Let's be hopeful, in spite of the shadow of doubt that has already been cast over Cryptic.
Cryptic need to learn from history
T6=HMS Dreadnought All rest ships are obsolete.
Problem 1:One less Mastery Level
Problem 2:No Starship Trait
Problem 3:No additiional Bridge Officer abilities
Problem 4:No Specialist BO Seats
Result using T5u:
STF: You are slowing team (like now using T3 ship in STF)
PvP: Seperate player for normal and overpower
Missions: T6 will be much easier and faster
Cryptic need to learn from history
T6=HMS HMS Dreadnought All rest ships are obsolete.
Problem 1:One less Mastery Level
Problem 2:No Starship Trait
Problem 3:No additiional Bridge Officer abilities
Problem 4:No Specialist BO Seats
Result using T5u:
STF: You are slowing team (like now using T3 ship in STF)
PvP: Seperate player for normal and overpower
Missions: T6 will be much easier and faster
- Starship Trait
- Additional BO ability
- Specialized BO seats
The above list seems like gamechangers for ships. (And is half the list of features -- not just "a few bells and whistles.")
If that's the case, then I'm sorry, but that will make T5Us obsolete from the start.
Finally! Everyone seems to be obsessing about the prices, which is fair enough (doesn't really bother me too much since I don't have that many ships to upgrade) but the lack of an extra BOff slot is disappointing. Not having the starship traits I can deal with, especially since most T5 ships have console abilities and the Specialised BOffs should rightly be the domain of T6. But missing out an extra slot, even one that Cryptic decide on per ship (i.e. not universal) seems a bit of a mistake. I'd gladly swap the extra console slot for a BOff.
I'm going to wait for pricing before I decide on what ship I am upgrading.
Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat.
I agree completely here. Calling cryptic names (albeit possibly true) won't solve the issue of making sure they get proper feedback into their hands. Let's be hopeful, in spite of the shadow of doubt that has already been cast over Cryptic.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that around here. I could film myself tipping ice water on my head to raise awareness that this is a bad idea and no changes would be made.
This is down to decisions made by PWE, and decisions that were made and implemented many months ago. No changes to this system will be made because they're committed now, and don't have time to introduce a new cash-grab to replace this one before launch.
You're just a machine. And machines can be broken.
The upgrade path, features of T6 ships, and what the upgraded T5 get I think is quite good. Although people are cowing about not getting all the bells and whistles really the difference between T5-U and T6 is minimal. Besides the difference between T5 and T6 isn't enough to compensate for skill. Meaning a good player in a T5-U should have no problem with any content in the game, and should even be able to hold their own in a PvP especially if they're on an organized team.
Now for the constructive criticism. Charging zen for c-store and fleet upgrades is a bit of a smack in the face. As others have stated we've spent hundreds on ships (even if you only bought the flagship 3-pack for each faction, had the basic 3 toons, and never spent another dime that's still $150 USD (as a Canadian it's more like $160-170 depending on when you buy them). Ideally the upgrade should cost something earn-able in-game (specifically not a dill conversion because the exchange rate will inflate and with an 8k dill cap/day it would take weeks or months to upgrade your fleet) something that's specifically earned for playing through the new content or even just components, EC, expertise, even a small to modest amount of dill would be FAR better. At even $5 a pop I won't be upgrading a single T5 ship because with the exception of 9 console ships they all cost $25. So you buy say 8 c-store ships that costs $200, then you buy their fleet version so it's now $240, then you pay to upgrade them to T5-U and that's $280 and what does that buy you? A fleet of subpar vessels. And at current exchange rates (170 dill/zen and I imagine they'll be higher when Delta Rising comes out) 28 000 zen ($280) would cost you 4 760 000 dill and if you refined 8.5k of it a day it would take you 560 days to purchase 8 T5 ships and get them to fleet T5-U ships. In other words it's buy the ships, live with the old, or go play another game.
At least the lobi, lockbox, and event ships are getting upgraded for free. Although I don't recall seeing the obe, oddy, or support cruiser on the list which is disappointing but not a big deal. These ships are stupidly expensive and doing anything less than giving them a free upgrade would be just down right [REDACTED].
If anyone from Cryptic reads this don't put a financial cost in place for second class starships, make the player base play your game to get them instead; it's really nice being rewarded for playing, even if there's a grind involved. Remember your making a game not a cash register and people are much happier with a good game than using a cash register day after day.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that around here. I could film myself tipping ice water on my head to raise awareness that this is a bad idea and no changes would be made.
This is down to decisions made by PWE, and decisions that were made and implemented many months ago. No changes to this system will be made because they're committed now, and don't have time to introduce a new cash-grab to replace this one before launch.
Puting ice water on your head is a bad idea to begin with. You can get a cold.
What about posting a video about of putting away your vallet?
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that around here. I could film myself tipping ice water on my head to raise awareness that this is a bad idea and no changes would be made.
This is down to decisions made by PWE, and decisions that were made and implemented many months ago. No changes to this system will be made because they're committed now, and don't have time to introduce a new cash-grab to replace this one before launch.
I fear that this may also be true... You may call me an optimist, though usually I'm pessimistic about most things. Call it denial, I just hope... It's money we're talking about on here, and that's always a big topic.
Comments
And it seems to me they don't care at this point.
I think they do. Which might explain why they delayed giving us this information so long.
That said, I'm glad they did. Because now instead of speculation and conjecture, we can rage over the actual facts they're bringing to the table.
Your question was "can" most people get it, not "do" most people get it. If you meant "do" then use the word "do." You're correct that in practice, a large chunk do not and I agree with that.
Joined January 2009
Most certainly.
The fascinating thing will be if they actually change anything.
While the change may not be sufficient for many people and many complaints history has shown that Cryptic can make minor adjustments to "make the evening go more....smoothly.
However, I just can't get past the arbitrary decision you seem to be making in regards of upgrading current hulls to full and complete T6. Why the need for this arbitrary and very silly decision, IMHO? I kinda' get that you might be afraid of the potential rage if you tell people they need to pay full price to get the ship they already own to full and complete T6, and you're probably right - there would be rage.
But you've given Option 1 already - upgrade current hulls to T5-U, for a smaller upgrade fee. How about providing some of us, the "insane" players, an Option 2 - to pay a full price of a T6 ship for upgrading a current one to have all the Boff slots, traits and other "bells & whistles" as any T6 ship. Money for you and a bunch of satisfied fans willing to spend, that can't be bad, can it? Please think about it.
The current upgrade plan is not bad for an uber cassual player who can just enjoy flying arround in his/hers favourite Star Trek ship. It's close enough, for now. Noone can't pretned however that a Boff slot less, a trait less, specialization less will not make a clear gap between T5-U and T6, especially in PvP.
That's the kind of gap that made us upgrade our T5 ships to fleet and whine on the forum about getting a fleet variant of T5 ships that didn't have one. It's obviously not insignificant.
Think about the idea I posted in the second paragraph here. If people are willing to pay a full T6 price to have their old ship be upgraded to a full T6, why the need of an arbitrary decision which prevents that?
No, the same way those could be paid for if people had appropriate fleet access, this upgrade could be paid for. Most people are saying they are ok with paying, just not for less than full.
Dec/2008
Which begs the question as to why bother listening to your players if you're just going to ignore them and do what you want, even if what you want flies in the face of all the feedback you're getting.
Why even have a forum? Considering how much we get listened to (or what we ask for gets acted on, rather), you could replace the forum with a webpage that read "PWE IS AWESOME" and there'd be no difference, with the exception that any moaning about decisions would take place somewhere else, rather than under the noses of the Devs - i.e. the people who could change this.
I think the reason for not making them true T6 is to give a more limited lifespan in case of upgrades in the future to Tier 7. Upgrading a ship 1 level may be reasonable but limits are establishing themselves early. Also potentially gives a little wiggle room in case they decide to provide an upgrade option to lower tier ships as well.
Still waiting to be able to use forum titles
The only thing I read that made me feel uncomfortable was, content could be doable with a teir 5 starship. I wanted a challenge but it seems I'm not gonna be getting one.
Oh I see what you're doing, you're basing your entire argument over minor phrasing. K, have fun with that.
I doubt that'll change. They removed the RAUH and VA free ships a long time ago and I don't expect them to reverse that decision (although Lifers can still get a token at VA to choose one of three ships).
If a free ship was part of the 49-60 progression I think it would have been mentioned in the level cap blog:
http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/6009103-raising-the-level-cap
Joined January 2009
That's why I'm trying to have an open mind. I understand where they're coming from in development, and all I can really do is offer some insight and constructive feedback on what would make this go more smoothly.
The main issue I see is that they made their success on ship sales, but they're trying to work a simple 'upgrade' angle to it, like in traditional MMOs.
I don't see it as entirely compatible with one another. Traditional upgrading in MMOs generally relies on time spent playing the game and getting gear upgrades to match the current balance of power.
Ships in STO are different. They're sold for cash, advertised as being the best of the best, and offer special perks that set them apart from other ships you may get for free. All in all, it is a good investment if you want to pay for the convenience of having the most awesome ship you can get.
When you sell things for cash, you make it a really hard sell to the players to get them to pay even more money for a simple stat/ability upgrade. I wasn't a fan of the Fleet Ship mechanics, and I'm not a fan of the T5-U mechanics entirely, either.
I think they're over-designing this system in the same way Starfleet over-designed the Excelsior. The more complex plumbing you have, the easier it is to clog it up. And I think we're seeing these clogs in this forum, as players are pointing out various disputes they have with their plans.
I think they should make meaningful changes on feedback. If they do, awesome. If they don't, at least we can say we tried. But we have to still offer constructive feedback instead of toxic rhetoric.
And as always, we have to be willing to compromise. The T5-U mechanics, like anything else in the game, are something I'm more than willing to compromise on, even if I'm not entirely happy in the end.
The devs have said it will be difficult, but that could just mean that it's another grind, like everything else in the game.
Ah yes, I remember that poll with the option "Please make all my ships obselete and then charge me again to upgrade them to a level where they're slightly less obselete."
I also remember not choosing that option.
Which may be due in part to it being largely fictitious
Thanks for the clarification. To be honest I was never that concerned about the cost (since it is optiona) but its nice to know it wont sting too much to drag my alts in line.
I understand you need to monetize the game to keep it running.
A bigger concern for me is that once I've paid X zen, that it will truly be equal to the T6 ships, and I think that the 13th BOFF ability (new specialized type or not) will give T6's a major advantage, even if that 13th power is ensign level (and if its higher it'll be just crazy)
Look at the cost of obtaining a Fleet T5U on one character, for example a Fleet T5U Regent.
2500 zen initial purchase. 500 zen for a Fleet Ship Module. Then another 500 (or 1000) zen for the U upgrade. Thats 3500 zen minimum (which I imagine is equal to a T6 in cost).
The differences are that we'll pay another 500 zen for each additional alt for the fleet ship module, wheras being a Zen store unlock the T6's will require no further investment. Even then, the upgraded Regent will still be down a pivotal boff power.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: even an ensign boff power is a huge boon. Thats a tractor beam, or a topedo spread, or an eng team. If the 13th boff power is higher than ensign level this advantage is further magnified.
And that is not to speak of the specialist BOFF types incoming, whose effectiveness is still unknown at this point.
Most of us will pony up for upgrades to our beloved ships, providing its in the 500-1000zen range. But those upgrades need to keep those ships truly competitive to justify the investment, in my opinion. I'd rather see paid upgrades to full T6.
Im no businessman, but I think it makes sense. If you make it so that upgrades keep us in line, we'll inevitably invest en masse in upgrades for our faithful craft. But your new ships would still sell well since they will still be new shinies, and because they will cost far less to get up to max power than a comparitive canon ship.
....................................................................................................................
A couple of questions if you've got the time.
Will we finally see fleet versions of the remaining T5 ships, such as the Marauder, Guramba and D'Kyr? So that we can then upgrade em to Fleet-T5U? (cuts out the middleman, seems pointless just doing T5U if we dont know when/if we'll be able to fleet em up down the line).
Will the BOFF stations and console layouts be tweaked on any T5Us or Fleet T5U's? (he says looking at the Galaxy and Galaxy X).
Am I to assume that T6 ships won't have fleet versions? Because then there would be no question of their enormous superiority statwise, even over upgraded lockbox ships (both would then have 11 consoles, but the T6 would have the extra boff power).
Anyway, sorry for the long post and thanks for the info.
Then please fill out my dissertation survey on feline attachment, it'd be a massive help (-:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/87XKSGH
I agree completely here. Calling cryptic names (albeit possibly true) won't solve the issue of making sure they get proper feedback into their hands. Let's be hopeful, in spite of the shadow of doubt that has already been cast over Cryptic.
T6=HMS Dreadnought All rest ships are obsolete.
Problem 1:One less Mastery Level
Problem 2:No Starship Trait
Problem 3:No additiional Bridge Officer abilities
Problem 4:No Specialist BO Seats
Result using T5u:
STF: You are slowing team (like now using T3 ship in STF)
PvP: Seperate player for normal and overpower
Missions: T6 will be much easier and faster
End results:
Only idiots will upg T5 ships to T5u
+1
That's exactly what Ive been thinking.
Finally! Everyone seems to be obsessing about the prices, which is fair enough (doesn't really bother me too much since I don't have that many ships to upgrade) but the lack of an extra BOff slot is disappointing. Not having the starship traits I can deal with, especially since most T5 ships have console abilities and the Specialised BOffs should rightly be the domain of T6. But missing out an extra slot, even one that Cryptic decide on per ship (i.e. not universal) seems a bit of a mistake. I'd gladly swap the extra console slot for a BOff.
Commander Science, Lieutenant Commander Engineering, Lieutenant Commander Universal, Lieutenant Tactical, Ensign Science
Guess I'm an idiot, then.
Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that around here. I could film myself tipping ice water on my head to raise awareness that this is a bad idea and no changes would be made.
This is down to decisions made by PWE, and decisions that were made and implemented many months ago. No changes to this system will be made because they're committed now, and don't have time to introduce a new cash-grab to replace this one before launch.
for crying out loud.. the mobius is on the list.. learn to read people!!!!
1st column, 6th row
http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/7002163
The upgrade path, features of T6 ships, and what the upgraded T5 get I think is quite good. Although people are cowing about not getting all the bells and whistles really the difference between T5-U and T6 is minimal. Besides the difference between T5 and T6 isn't enough to compensate for skill. Meaning a good player in a T5-U should have no problem with any content in the game, and should even be able to hold their own in a PvP especially if they're on an organized team.
Now for the constructive criticism. Charging zen for c-store and fleet upgrades is a bit of a smack in the face. As others have stated we've spent hundreds on ships (even if you only bought the flagship 3-pack for each faction, had the basic 3 toons, and never spent another dime that's still $150 USD (as a Canadian it's more like $160-170 depending on when you buy them). Ideally the upgrade should cost something earn-able in-game (specifically not a dill conversion because the exchange rate will inflate and with an 8k dill cap/day it would take weeks or months to upgrade your fleet) something that's specifically earned for playing through the new content or even just components, EC, expertise, even a small to modest amount of dill would be FAR better. At even $5 a pop I won't be upgrading a single T5 ship because with the exception of 9 console ships they all cost $25. So you buy say 8 c-store ships that costs $200, then you buy their fleet version so it's now $240, then you pay to upgrade them to T5-U and that's $280 and what does that buy you? A fleet of subpar vessels. And at current exchange rates (170 dill/zen and I imagine they'll be higher when Delta Rising comes out) 28 000 zen ($280) would cost you 4 760 000 dill and if you refined 8.5k of it a day it would take you 560 days to purchase 8 T5 ships and get them to fleet T5-U ships. In other words it's buy the ships, live with the old, or go play another game.
At least the lobi, lockbox, and event ships are getting upgraded for free. Although I don't recall seeing the obe, oddy, or support cruiser on the list which is disappointing but not a big deal. These ships are stupidly expensive and doing anything less than giving them a free upgrade would be just down right [REDACTED].
If anyone from Cryptic reads this don't put a financial cost in place for second class starships, make the player base play your game to get them instead; it's really nice being rewarded for playing, even if there's a grind involved. Remember your making a game not a cash register and people are much happier with a good game than using a cash register day after day.
Puting ice water on your head is a bad idea to begin with. You can get a cold.
What about posting a video about of putting away your vallet?
I fear that this may also be true... You may call me an optimist, though usually I'm pessimistic about most things. Call it denial, I just hope... It's money we're talking about on here, and that's always a big topic.