Right now Elite isn’t harder it’s just much longer and now boring. I did CE last night and all I did was sit there for 30min on the spot with auto fire hitting the odd heal. All for a rubbish reward to the point Elite isn’t even worth playing any more. Who wants to play for 30 to 60min for 460 dill?
Elite STF was better but the reward was completely out of whack with the time it took. The problem is you have halved the rewards while making it take x3 to x4 longer.
Welcome to Delta Rising. A lot has changed in the game difficulty, and we are looking for your feedback. (...)
Thank you sincerely for engaging the community directly on this topic.
From your posting, one assumes you've been reading the forum feedback. You address many of the concerns which have been raised today. I can honestly say I agree with every single point you made in your post.
Some players, including myself, do have additional concerns and ideas -- not all of which will be reflected in the metrics.
For your consideration:
+ STF REWARDS
There's a definite catch-22 between working the Reputation system to earn skills/items, but being unable to qualify to earn them. Example: Being able to earn Borg Neural Processors, Voth Cybernetic Implants within the revamped STFs.
If Advanced and Elite levels are intended to remain at current levels, then create an alternative way to earn these items within the Normal level. Some players are seeking to grow their Reputation tiers so they are able to play/survive/have fun in the Advanced level. (And as you suggested, Elite should live up to its name: Elite.)
What about offering a choice in Normal between Marks, Dil, OR rep award (like 1 Voth Cybernetic Implant)?
In other words, give Normal level players a chance to advance in the Reputation system. Or change Advanced back to pre-DR "Elite" playability for a better chance at gaining those items.
+ THE VALUE OF UPGRADED/NEW SHIPS IN STFs
I've been trying to determine whether to go ahead and invest in T5/Fleet T5 upgrades to T5-U. Based on player feedback in this forum, I'm not comfortable buying ship upgrade tokens. (Which isn't good for Cryptic, as I'm one of your players/customers who spends real money on Zen.)
I'm not expecting to fly the U.S.S. Invulnerable/Invincible. But the T5-U upgrade doesn't keep me competitive in these updated STFs. (And some players are feeling the same about T6 ships, too.) Getting killed by a one-shot Crit = not fun. Spending more valuable game time trying to finish an STF that took less time before = buzzkill/burnout.
Making me spend more time earning less marks, less Dil = formula for abandoning STO.
The game is grindy enough as it is. I come home from work to play, not to go back to "work"; making the grind even more intensive is going to drive players away. More work, less fun, less players, less revenues.
+ BOOSTING STF REWARDS
Between the Dabo tables and the Crafting system, Cryptic seems hellbent to do gambling, er, randomization games.
Why not allow players to wager their hard-earned STF winning into a post-STF gamble?
Example:
Borg STF ends.
Player is rewarded with xx Marks, TRIBBLE Dil, TRIBBLE Experience.
Upon exiting the STF, player is prompted to wager xx amount for a chance to win xx number of extra Marks, Dil... or Borg Neural Processors.
Player can play or pass; participation doesn't affect outcome for other players.
REMEMBER...
Whatever you choose to do with the STFs, please remember:
Make it fun.
That's why we're here. (Well, some of us, anyways... )
Normal is fine difficulty wise but useless for rewards it gives you about half the marks the old elites gave and no implants meaning you can't buy the rep gear you unlock making it useless.
Advanced enemies have way too much hp the Bop's and Spheres in Cure have over 600k hp i tried pugging it and even with a group doing a combined dps of 45k we did't even come close to finish before the kang was killed by a dozen or so bop's. Currently to do a advanced stf you need a team where everyone is pulling 15-20k would be my bet and since you can't buy rep gear playing normals where does this leave new players or new alts?
Imo normals should be able to be completed by a group of people doing around 5k dps per person if they want the optional (face it 5k is really easy my fresh kdf alt in mk x/xi greens in the free tier 5 ships started out at around 7k dps) also add in more marks and implants so players can actually buy the rep gear they unlock.
Advanced should take a team of players doing an average of 10k dps which means you have some clue on how to equip your ship but still is not a huge gear check. Cut back hp on spheres and things like bops but add back some of it to things like cubes and tac cubes.
Elites should be like the current advanced queues requiring players to be doing 20k plus per person and supporting each other with heals and control abilities.
People are forgeting that the advance (old elite) most of us already work hard for MK12 gear to do that mission. Now we are doing DR and all that gear is garbage for advance? How does that make any sense? I understand making elite making you require mk 13 and 14 not advance. Just like the old way I wouldn't try elite unless I had mk 11 or 12. So the new elite mk13 and 14 and advance mk11 or 12.
Welcome to Delta Rising. A lot has changed in the game difficulty, and we are looking for your feedback.
Delta Rising was a massive addition, and we anticipate that we will need to make adjustments. So over the next few weeks expect changes in the baseline difficulty, advanced difficulty, and elite difficulty - and also expect rewards to change as we gather more metrics on play-times and success rates.
Our goal was to make basic difficulty and the story content something everyone can play - even with a standard T5 ship. Levels 1-50 are generally pretty easy at basic difficulty, so we felt 51-60 should step things up a bit. Although we expect 51-60 accessible everyone, those in T5 ships and non-upgraded gear should to start to feel a definite challenge as they approach level 60. We expect Advanced to be for more skilled players and those who have invested in the game (ships and gear). And we expect Elite to be for the best of the best. We don't expect most players to succeed on elite difficulty.
If I were to guess, I would expect basic to get some minor tuning, Advanced to get a little easier and Elite to get a lot harder - and rewards, like dilithium rewards, could potentially go up across queues once we are sure we are hitting the right mark. But this is just my guess at this time.
Until then, let us know your thoughts here, and we will take your feedback into consideration.
Thanks, and we hope you enjoy Delta Rising.
LLAP
You all promised "Nightmare" mode and OK "Bring it"
They are harder than before but that is fine. I am seeing something you rarely saw in recent months... teamwork. Things started going a lot smoother when targets were shared and the group worked each step together vs the "me and my dps wagon gots this one."
The rewards are far too low. It takes an hour to do a previous 15 minute mission for basically nothing. These are now level 60 events. The reward for placing is the same as if for level 50 or in my case level 40 since I got a Mk X reward. The dilithium drops for queues seem much lower. It's time better spent slogging Dyson ground. You can run 2 characters through ground in the time it takes to do CE Advanced.
Come on let's be honest here. People will not do these regularly if they are taking 30-45 minutes. Look at the estimated time on the mission queue.
If that's what is desired that could work but the problem is the vast majority of people won't play them so it will not be possible to get random games. You will have to join some chat and spend a long time waiting.
From playing about 10 missions yesterday. Let's say 4 long long long successes and 6 failures on advanced, I would say the total HP for the mission needs to be halved for them to be mass viable in the way they were before. Advanced SHOULD NOT be an old-school elite raid.
The improved dps at level 60 will not be close to enough to make these reasonable. Doable? Sure. But no one will do them at that level of slog.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
I've been play elite STFs for a good while with success but when I logged in to Infected Conduit Advanced last night I was shocked. I had the new Guardian ship, have MKVIII fleet weapons and shields, armour, tac consoles etc but it was impossible. People started abandoning the queue and in the end I gave up as there were only myself and one other player still trying to battle.
I'm all for spicing things up - but not making it "not fun" even with your new T6 ships. :mad:
I can see that it's supposed to be the new lvl 60 engame content but it's kinda dumb that you need that mk14 VR/UR stuff just to farm marks and items you need for buying mk12 VR stuff. Somewhat seems the wrong way round here.
That's the big problem right here. They adjusted the old queues to fit level 60, but didn't adjust the rewards.
Why bother with the old STFs, if it takes longer, doesn't rewards any mentionable amount of dilithium and old and outdated equipment? The least they could have done would have been to upgrade the rewards to Mk.XIV.
Otherwise all the work done on revamping those old queue events was for nothing. They'll just go the same route as Nukara ground, Hive Elite or the shuttle events.
+ THE VALUE OF UPGRADED/NEW SHIPS IN STFs
I've been trying to determine whether to go ahead and invest in T5/Fleet T5 upgrades to T5-U. Based on player feedback in this forum, I'm not comfortable buying ship upgrade tokens. (Which isn't good for Cryptic, as I'm one of your players/customers who spends real money on Zen.)
No offence but you should put more value into playing those ships instead of listening to the whiners in the forums. The performance difference between a T5-U ship and a T6 FLEET is one BOFF ability and that is it, all other stats are the same quality level.
Does that mean T6 > T5-U? Yes it does. Does it mean they are "useless and obsolete?" Only for minmaxers in PvP.
Normal STF's - seems fine in terms of difficulty but the rewards are way too low. You're never going to get new players interested in progressing further if the payout is so pitifully low.
Advanced STF's - having the old optional now part of the requirements is fine I think. I can't really remember many matches, even pugs where we failed the optionals and if we did then it showed we had something very wrong with the tactics or ships we used.
HOWEVER...the increase in HP's/Resistances is way over the top. I agree that once we are all Lvl 60 and fully kitted out with Mk XIV kit it might be different but the step up in terms of how much damage you need to put out is over the top. You're never going to keep players interested when every STF now is just a race to the top dps-wise and nobody is using any other abilities.
Just playing CSA last night showed me that the best way to win is probably going to be having some insane 20K+ dps, which is off-putting to many players who want a game that's not just all about how much damage you can put out.
No offence but you should put more value into playing those ships instead of listening to the whiners in the forums. The performance difference between a T5-U ship and a T6 FLEET is one BOFF ability and that is it, all other stats are the same quality level.
Does that mean T6 > T5-U? Yes it does. Does it mean they are "useless and obsolete?" Only for minmaxers in PvP.
Yeah, I gotta agree; even if you ignore that the most vocal make up a good chunk of the forums, they're still a mere fraction of the playerbase... and no substitute for hands-on experience with the T5-U ships.
Was named Trek17.
Been playing STO since Open Beta, and have never regarded anything as worse than 'meh', if only due to personal standards.
I've been play elite STFs for a good while with success but when I logged in to Infected Conduit Advanced last night I was shocked. I had the new Guardian ship, have MKVIII fleet weapons and shields, armour, tac consoles etc but it was impossible. People started abandoning the queue and in the end I gave up as there were only myself and one other player still trying to battle.
I'm all for spicing things up - but not making it "not fun" even with your new T6 ships. :mad:
you logged in? So level 50, no extras, no plan, nothing, but you lost? HOW, lol, you are funny, go ahead and level up then cry.
The current Normal difficulty is not really needed. it's in fact a little too easy. It's also only 10% to 15% less HP than the old Elites. So a solution would be to replace the current Normals with the old Elites, with 1/2 the dil reward (480 dil).
Advanced should stay as it is, with 960 dil reward and a little extra R&D mats.
Elites should be rewarding 1440 dil.
This way people can have their old Elite queues back, with reduced rewards due to it being easy.
Advanced remains for the intermediate players and Elite for advanced players.
Complaints about difficulty have to be taken with a grain of salt.
DR just hit and things are different now. When players start getting a good feel of how the new situation is in STFs, etc, unlocking more traits, get better gear, and all that... then I think it's going to get easier.
So what I'm saying is, there are bonafide issues with difficulty (as someone alluded to, we're not all massive DPS'ers and this game should not be centered around that), inconsistent hitpoints, not enough time, reduction in rewards, etc.
Just do not overreact in making the game too easy. Because once everyone starts pinging 60 and unlocking more traits, more high end gear, then the game will be a faceroll again.
Promoting other playstyles, more synergy other than "Moar DPS" would be great, because Moar DPS is exactly what you need now.
Do not nerf the difficulty to oblivion like you did "Defense of New Romulus."
This is a common business tactic. You make things so horribly unattractive compared to what it was previously, then you wait a little while and make it a little bit nicer.
People are so happy that they completely forget they have been shafted and now only get a fraction of what they used to get.
Cryptic is flying VERY close to the edge of what people will tolerate - and they simply dont need to be this tight fisted, they make plenty of money,
If they continue down this scrooge like road, they may all find themselves out of a job.
This is a common business tactic. You make things so horribly unattractive compared to what it was previously, then you wait a little while and make it a little bit nicer.
People are so happy that they completely forget they have been shafted and now only get a fraction of what they used to get.
Cryptic is flying VERY close to the edge of what people will tolerate - and they simply dont need to be this tight fisted, they make plenty of money,
If they continue down this scrooge like road, they may all find themselves out of a job.
Or it could be a legit difficulty increase that needs adjustment (all launches do), and the majority are overreacting because they're so used to their cushy builds and such :P
Seriously lol - this is just launch day, and have rounds of tuning to consider.
Was named Trek17.
Been playing STO since Open Beta, and have never regarded anything as worse than 'meh', if only due to personal standards.
Complaints about difficulty have to be taken with a grain of salt.
DR just hit and things are different now. When players start getting a good feel of how the new situation is in STFs, etc, unlocking more traits, get better gear, and all that... then I think it's going to get easier.
It's the reduction in rewards for doubled or more (currently) time to complete. The difficulty will be fine at level 60.
I am fine with the way they have it. It's a good challenge for me to see how hard I can push the ship and crew to keep the shields up at 100%.
The only issue I am seeing is the lag on server on these patrols and the one prior to the patrol. Didn't anyone take into account to increase the network buffering and not use defaults. Needs to be adjusted.
I do like new theme music while I travel through the sector. It's a nice touch. Should do that in all the other sectors as well..
I have to get some sleep 2 (at this since 1 pm EST now 4:25 am) of my officers are level 51 and the fed just turned 52. So I see the max Skill +300 Points or does it go higher?
I have to agree with the General Concensus. Too long, and the rewards are not worth it.
A few fleetmates and I went on a run through Infected, Borg Disconnected and others. We found it to be a chore to even try to do them and two of them were running high DPS ships.
Make it a challenge sure, but don't turn it into a a long sloughing run for no reward. That's the first rule of any gaming, make sure the end reward is worth the time put into it.
I really hope this content isnt gonna get nerfed into oblivion to appeal to the lowest common denominator who chooses to post on these forums.
First off, the people who are really enjoying the new challenge are too busy enjoying the game to come to the forums to voice their opinion, obviously. We all know how forum lamentation works.
Second, people are just not used to not having to rely on teamwork, they are used to faceroll faw dpsing their way through the content, and that just isnt going to work now.
I am not having a problem, as a heavy science user in a T5-U Vesta, that specializes in power draining, control, and healing. Its even okay with pugs because my science enhanced their abilities. It isnt my job to put up the big numbers, and I am totally cool with that. Finally, Sto is looking like an mmorpg and there is a place for more then just raw dps tac/tac players. The theme is the same all over this thread: I fly a '45k dps ship', and I cant faceroll content now, QQ.
up until this point, my sci was not needed or wanted by anyone, and I was flying a tac ship just to get more of that vaunted 'dps'.
I'm loving this. Please dont dumb it down.
Everyone wants to play at the hardest difficulty, that is natural - But the hardest difficulty might not be for everyone, and I submit it isnt supposed to be for everyone. I wish people would be okay with that, but its hard to expect from gamers these days.
It's not really difficult, just a blow to people who played Elite without having a clue of their build or what they actually should be doing in a particular STF. And strange and bad gear on top of that.
STO was just super easy so far and the Dilithium people get per STF is adequate. There are just a lot more dil sinks in the game in comparsion, that might need some attention, but that isn't really a reason to make STF easier and faster to complete.
I like the added "challenge" as I love ship combat in STO. It isn't combat if stuff justs blows up right away. Now its much better.
I really hope this content isnt gonna get nerfed into oblivion to appeal to the lowest common denominator who chooses to post on these forums.
(...)
Everyone wants to play at the hardest difficulty, that is natural - But the hardest difficulty might not be for everyone, and I submit it isnt supposed to be for everyone. I wish people would be okay with that, but its hard to expect from gamers these days.
Absolutely agree to this, couldn't have said this better!
I noticed that most ppl in here are focusing on stf's as the main problem, what about unplayable Fleet Alerts or Crystalline Catastrophe ?
The changes made will not account for lvl 60 ships with full MKIV gear.
The HP of all NPC's is way to hifgh.
Crystalline on normal ~ 3000000 HP + manageable tholians
Crystalline on advanced ~ 23000000HP (!!!) + unmanageable tholians (Recluse at about 1000000HP)
Crystalline on ELITE ~ ??? + invincible tholians ???
Whatever metrics you use that is plain senseless.
Fleet Alerts are not completed due to the fact of NPC's having so much HP that in time allotted it is simply impossible.
Mind You this is not a "no win scenario". I do not play this to reach wave 6 or 7 max.
Cryptic on many occasions stated that game rewards are "difficulty and time related" the approach now is opposite to that statement.
Btw I played this content in brand new T6 ship. Escorts are gone I mean gone for good because they are not capable to inflict enough damage to survive the long fight.
Just as an example: Transport warhead 1 does ~ 3500 kinetic dmg(lol) to any target where they are at around 350 000 points. I am yet to see that ability to crit.
In a view of that I must say this put me of from playing STO for a long time.
If this post seem chaotic - sorry, I just spent all night testing this what should have been on tribble two weeks ago. I was trying to find a mistake I make, a setting I forgot to tick or change something to keep me believing I am doing something wrong because what I see is just impossible.
I haven't yet played any of the DR content, at least not on holodeck. However I did spend some time yesterday (and have further spent time this morning) reading comments on the forums. Needless to say, there is much mention of difficulty and rewards.
In my opinion;
Normal @ 750 Dilithium
Advanced @ 1500 Dilithium
Elite at 2750 Dilithium
Normal should be for those people who are very much new to the game, and have just reached level #50.
Advanced should be for those who have been at level #50 for some time, and are (generally) equipped with Mk XII gear. Furthermore, this level should welcome anyone levelling up to #60.
Elite should be for those who have reached level #60, though shouldn't require that people rank up all their gear to Mk XVI.
It's fair (I think) to say that anyone who is in a T5U or T6 ship doing Elites with XVI gear has invested a huge chunk of time and resources to get their ship(s) and character(s) to that level, thus they should be rewarded accordingly. You know as well as I do that the upgrade system isn't cheap.
New players to the game aren't going to get anywhere if you reward them with 250 (or whatever the current normal reward is); they're going to need more than that if they hope to advance, unless your intention is to divide the playerbase between those that can afford 5000zen a week to those that can't. Please don't forget, many of us have jobs to go to, social activities to attend, and some of us even have children. This game is suppose to be fun, not an ever-ending grind for minimal amounts of dilithium to one day upgrade a single item #repeat.
I wonder: to keep at bay the whining shouldn't more easy to restore the previous difficulty levels and then add some level more?
That is...
Level 1 ---> The previous "Normal"
Level 2 ---> The previous "Advanced"
Level 3 ---> The previous "Elite"
Level 4 ---> The current "Advanced"
Level 5 ---> The current "Elite"
I have ALWAYS been a casual player. Meaning, I never leave the Normal difficulty setting. Lame? Maybe. Do I care? Yes, for my time and not having to replay and buy healing for ship and crew.
Anyway, Geko, I love the new ships. I'm about to embark into the DQ for the first time. I did play alot on holodeck, but I forced myself to NOT play any of the new missions. I wanted to save them for "real".
So far, DR is a great addition to the game. I love the way the complexity is moving upward and also the way you guys pushed up the bar for power creep is good.
I do not understand why ppl need to have MK 14 Epic gear RIGHT NOW. I say savor the trip, enjoy the ride to the final prize. Instant Gratification is something for PvP, and I do not PvP.
Everyone wants to play at the hardest difficulty, that is natural - But the hardest difficulty might not be for everyone, and I submit it isnt supposed to be for everyone. I wish people would be okay with that, but its hard to expect from gamers these days.
If I could earn Borg Neural Processors on normal like I can Voth Cybernetic Implants (Battlezone) and Isomorphic Injections (Undine Battlezone) I would play normal all day long! :cool:
If I could earn Borg Neural Processors on normal like I can Voth Cybernetic Implants (Battlezone) and Isomorphic Injections (Undine Battlezone) I would play normal all day long! :cool:
There's always a chance (lol) of getting one from the reputation project boxes.
Comments
Elite STF was better but the reward was completely out of whack with the time it took. The problem is you have halved the rewards while making it take x3 to x4 longer.
Been playing STO since Open Beta, and have never regarded anything as worse than 'meh', if only due to personal standards.
From your posting, one assumes you've been reading the forum feedback. You address many of the concerns which have been raised today. I can honestly say I agree with every single point you made in your post.
Some players, including myself, do have additional concerns and ideas -- not all of which will be reflected in the metrics.
For your consideration:
+ STF REWARDS
There's a definite catch-22 between working the Reputation system to earn skills/items, but being unable to qualify to earn them. Example: Being able to earn Borg Neural Processors, Voth Cybernetic Implants within the revamped STFs.
If Advanced and Elite levels are intended to remain at current levels, then create an alternative way to earn these items within the Normal level. Some players are seeking to grow their Reputation tiers so they are able to play/survive/have fun in the Advanced level. (And as you suggested, Elite should live up to its name: Elite.)
What about offering a choice in Normal between Marks, Dil, OR rep award (like 1 Voth Cybernetic Implant)?
In other words, give Normal level players a chance to advance in the Reputation system. Or change Advanced back to pre-DR "Elite" playability for a better chance at gaining those items.
+ THE VALUE OF UPGRADED/NEW SHIPS IN STFs
I've been trying to determine whether to go ahead and invest in T5/Fleet T5 upgrades to T5-U. Based on player feedback in this forum, I'm not comfortable buying ship upgrade tokens. (Which isn't good for Cryptic, as I'm one of your players/customers who spends real money on Zen.)
I'm not expecting to fly the U.S.S. Invulnerable/Invincible. But the T5-U upgrade doesn't keep me competitive in these updated STFs. (And some players are feeling the same about T6 ships, too.) Getting killed by a one-shot Crit = not fun. Spending more valuable game time trying to finish an STF that took less time before = buzzkill/burnout.
Making me spend more time earning less marks, less Dil = formula for abandoning STO.
The game is grindy enough as it is. I come home from work to play, not to go back to "work"; making the grind even more intensive is going to drive players away. More work, less fun, less players, less revenues.
+ BOOSTING STF REWARDS
Between the Dabo tables and the Crafting system, Cryptic seems hellbent to do gambling, er, randomization games.
Why not allow players to wager their hard-earned STF winning into a post-STF gamble?
Example:
REMEMBER...
Whatever you choose to do with the STFs, please remember:
Make it fun.
That's why we're here. (Well, some of us, anyways...
Advanced enemies have way too much hp the Bop's and Spheres in Cure have over 600k hp i tried pugging it and even with a group doing a combined dps of 45k we did't even come close to finish before the kang was killed by a dozen or so bop's. Currently to do a advanced stf you need a team where everyone is pulling 15-20k would be my bet and since you can't buy rep gear playing normals where does this leave new players or new alts?
Imo normals should be able to be completed by a group of people doing around 5k dps per person if they want the optional (face it 5k is really easy my fresh kdf alt in mk x/xi greens in the free tier 5 ships started out at around 7k dps) also add in more marks and implants so players can actually buy the rep gear they unlock.
Advanced should take a team of players doing an average of 10k dps which means you have some clue on how to equip your ship but still is not a huge gear check. Cut back hp on spheres and things like bops but add back some of it to things like cubes and tac cubes.
Elites should be like the current advanced queues requiring players to be doing 20k plus per person and supporting each other with heals and control abilities.
You all promised "Nightmare" mode and OK "Bring it"
The rewards are far too low. It takes an hour to do a previous 15 minute mission for basically nothing. These are now level 60 events. The reward for placing is the same as if for level 50 or in my case level 40 since I got a Mk X reward. The dilithium drops for queues seem much lower. It's time better spent slogging Dyson ground. You can run 2 characters through ground in the time it takes to do CE Advanced.
If that's what is desired that could work but the problem is the vast majority of people won't play them so it will not be possible to get random games. You will have to join some chat and spend a long time waiting.
From playing about 10 missions yesterday. Let's say 4 long long long successes and 6 failures on advanced, I would say the total HP for the mission needs to be halved for them to be mass viable in the way they were before. Advanced SHOULD NOT be an old-school elite raid.
The improved dps at level 60 will not be close to enough to make these reasonable. Doable? Sure. But no one will do them at that level of slog.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
I'm all for spicing things up - but not making it "not fun" even with your new T6 ships. :mad:
That's the big problem right here. They adjusted the old queues to fit level 60, but didn't adjust the rewards.
Why bother with the old STFs, if it takes longer, doesn't rewards any mentionable amount of dilithium and old and outdated equipment? The least they could have done would have been to upgrade the rewards to Mk.XIV.
Otherwise all the work done on revamping those old queue events was for nothing. They'll just go the same route as Nukara ground, Hive Elite or the shuttle events.
No offence but you should put more value into playing those ships instead of listening to the whiners in the forums. The performance difference between a T5-U ship and a T6 FLEET is one BOFF ability and that is it, all other stats are the same quality level.
Does that mean T6 > T5-U? Yes it does. Does it mean they are "useless and obsolete?" Only for minmaxers in PvP.
Advanced STF's - having the old optional now part of the requirements is fine I think. I can't really remember many matches, even pugs where we failed the optionals and if we did then it showed we had something very wrong with the tactics or ships we used.
HOWEVER...the increase in HP's/Resistances is way over the top. I agree that once we are all Lvl 60 and fully kitted out with Mk XIV kit it might be different but the step up in terms of how much damage you need to put out is over the top. You're never going to keep players interested when every STF now is just a race to the top dps-wise and nobody is using any other abilities.
Just playing CSA last night showed me that the best way to win is probably going to be having some insane 20K+ dps, which is off-putting to many players who want a game that's not just all about how much damage you can put out.
Been playing STO since Open Beta, and have never regarded anything as worse than 'meh', if only due to personal standards.
you logged in? So level 50, no extras, no plan, nothing, but you lost? HOW, lol, you are funny, go ahead and level up then cry.
The current Normal difficulty is not really needed. it's in fact a little too easy. It's also only 10% to 15% less HP than the old Elites. So a solution would be to replace the current Normals with the old Elites, with 1/2 the dil reward (480 dil).
Advanced should stay as it is, with 960 dil reward and a little extra R&D mats.
Elites should be rewarding 1440 dil.
This way people can have their old Elite queues back, with reduced rewards due to it being easy.
Advanced remains for the intermediate players and Elite for advanced players.
DR just hit and things are different now. When players start getting a good feel of how the new situation is in STFs, etc, unlocking more traits, get better gear, and all that... then I think it's going to get easier.
So what I'm saying is, there are bonafide issues with difficulty (as someone alluded to, we're not all massive DPS'ers and this game should not be centered around that), inconsistent hitpoints, not enough time, reduction in rewards, etc.
Just do not overreact in making the game too easy. Because once everyone starts pinging 60 and unlocking more traits, more high end gear, then the game will be a faceroll again.
Promoting other playstyles, more synergy other than "Moar DPS" would be great, because Moar DPS is exactly what you need now.
Do not nerf the difficulty to oblivion like you did "Defense of New Romulus."
People are so happy that they completely forget they have been shafted and now only get a fraction of what they used to get.
Cryptic is flying VERY close to the edge of what people will tolerate - and they simply dont need to be this tight fisted, they make plenty of money,
If they continue down this scrooge like road, they may all find themselves out of a job.
Seriously lol - this is just launch day, and have rounds of tuning to consider.
Been playing STO since Open Beta, and have never regarded anything as worse than 'meh', if only due to personal standards.
It's the reduction in rewards for doubled or more (currently) time to complete. The difficulty will be fine at level 60.
The only issue I am seeing is the lag on server on these patrols and the one prior to the patrol. Didn't anyone take into account to increase the network buffering and not use defaults. Needs to be adjusted.
I do like new theme music while I travel through the sector. It's a nice touch. Should do that in all the other sectors as well..
I have to get some sleep 2 (at this since 1 pm EST now 4:25 am) of my officers are level 51 and the fed just turned 52. So I see the max Skill +300 Points or does it go higher?
Time will only tell!
A few fleetmates and I went on a run through Infected, Borg Disconnected and others. We found it to be a chore to even try to do them and two of them were running high DPS ships.
Make it a challenge sure, but don't turn it into a a long sloughing run for no reward. That's the first rule of any gaming, make sure the end reward is worth the time put into it.
First off, the people who are really enjoying the new challenge are too busy enjoying the game to come to the forums to voice their opinion, obviously. We all know how forum lamentation works.
Second, people are just not used to not having to rely on teamwork, they are used to faceroll faw dpsing their way through the content, and that just isnt going to work now.
I am not having a problem, as a heavy science user in a T5-U Vesta, that specializes in power draining, control, and healing. Its even okay with pugs because my science enhanced their abilities. It isnt my job to put up the big numbers, and I am totally cool with that. Finally, Sto is looking like an mmorpg and there is a place for more then just raw dps tac/tac players. The theme is the same all over this thread: I fly a '45k dps ship', and I cant faceroll content now, QQ.
up until this point, my sci was not needed or wanted by anyone, and I was flying a tac ship just to get more of that vaunted 'dps'.
I'm loving this. Please dont dumb it down.
Everyone wants to play at the hardest difficulty, that is natural - But the hardest difficulty might not be for everyone, and I submit it isnt supposed to be for everyone. I wish people would be okay with that, but its hard to expect from gamers these days.
It's not really difficult, just a blow to people who played Elite without having a clue of their build or what they actually should be doing in a particular STF. And strange and bad gear on top of that.
STO was just super easy so far and the Dilithium people get per STF is adequate. There are just a lot more dil sinks in the game in comparsion, that might need some attention, but that isn't really a reason to make STF easier and faster to complete.
I like the added "challenge" as I love ship combat in STO. It isn't combat if stuff justs blows up right away. Now its much better.
Absolutely agree to this, couldn't have said this better!
The changes made will not account for lvl 60 ships with full MKIV gear.
The HP of all NPC's is way to hifgh.
Crystalline on normal ~ 3000000 HP + manageable tholians
Crystalline on advanced ~ 23000000HP (!!!) + unmanageable tholians (Recluse at about 1000000HP)
Crystalline on ELITE ~ ??? + invincible tholians ???
Whatever metrics you use that is plain senseless.
Fleet Alerts are not completed due to the fact of NPC's having so much HP that in time allotted it is simply impossible.
Mind You this is not a "no win scenario". I do not play this to reach wave 6 or 7 max.
Cryptic on many occasions stated that game rewards are "difficulty and time related" the approach now is opposite to that statement.
Btw I played this content in brand new T6 ship. Escorts are gone I mean gone for good because they are not capable to inflict enough damage to survive the long fight.
Just as an example: Transport warhead 1 does ~ 3500 kinetic dmg(lol) to any target where they are at around 350 000 points. I am yet to see that ability to crit.
In a view of that I must say this put me of from playing STO for a long time.
If this post seem chaotic - sorry, I just spent all night testing this what should have been on tribble two weeks ago. I was trying to find a mistake I make, a setting I forgot to tick or change something to keep me believing I am doing something wrong because what I see is just impossible.
Im going to bed now.
I haven't yet played any of the DR content, at least not on holodeck. However I did spend some time yesterday (and have further spent time this morning) reading comments on the forums. Needless to say, there is much mention of difficulty and rewards.
In my opinion;
Normal @ 750 Dilithium
Advanced @ 1500 Dilithium
Elite at 2750 Dilithium
Normal should be for those people who are very much new to the game, and have just reached level #50.
Advanced should be for those who have been at level #50 for some time, and are (generally) equipped with Mk XII gear. Furthermore, this level should welcome anyone levelling up to #60.
Elite should be for those who have reached level #60, though shouldn't require that people rank up all their gear to Mk XVI.
It's fair (I think) to say that anyone who is in a T5U or T6 ship doing Elites with XVI gear has invested a huge chunk of time and resources to get their ship(s) and character(s) to that level, thus they should be rewarded accordingly. You know as well as I do that the upgrade system isn't cheap.
New players to the game aren't going to get anywhere if you reward them with 250 (or whatever the current normal reward is); they're going to need more than that if they hope to advance, unless your intention is to divide the playerbase between those that can afford 5000zen a week to those that can't. Please don't forget, many of us have jobs to go to, social activities to attend, and some of us even have children. This game is suppose to be fun, not an ever-ending grind for minimal amounts of dilithium to one day upgrade a single item #repeat.
That is...
Level 1 ---> The previous "Normal"
Level 2 ---> The previous "Advanced"
Level 3 ---> The previous "Elite"
Level 4 ---> The current "Advanced"
Level 5 ---> The current "Elite"
Easy but effective!
Anyway, Geko, I love the new ships. I'm about to embark into the DQ for the first time. I did play alot on holodeck, but I forced myself to NOT play any of the new missions. I wanted to save them for "real".
So far, DR is a great addition to the game. I love the way the complexity is moving upward and also the way you guys pushed up the bar for power creep is good.
I do not understand why ppl need to have MK 14 Epic gear RIGHT NOW. I say savor the trip, enjoy the ride to the final prize. Instant Gratification is something for PvP, and I do not PvP.
DR Score +1
There's always a chance (lol) of getting one from the reputation project boxes.