All would be solved if they can FIX the so called exploit gates BUT re-institute XP leveling as it was 10/22. However, if it aint broken...let's break..its not a good business practice.
Yup. That's exactly one of my points! I think they thought spending would rise logarithmically (people having 5 ships, each with 5 weps, each needing 5 round of upgrades, etc). It's what I callled 'Pokemon Economics.' :P In reality, of course, the only thing that's really happening is, that peeps are ditching everything else they got (doffing aside) and just concentrate on one, or maybe two toons. Same for their gear. Which is, of course, detrimental to the game. Thing of it simply is, people don't just have 10x the amount of disposable income to spend on STO -- even if they wanted to. And I'm still baffled why Cryptic (PWE?) thought that we would.
I really hope they're gonna take a long and hard look at those infamous metrics, and see for themselves what's going on. And then maybe make a change or two. Yeah, I know, slim chance on that. But, as a favorite Captain of mine once said, "I've never known hope when it wasn't on a diet."
Yes and not only concentrating on one or two toons, but also one faction in my case so I can claim the same ships on the two that I am focusing on. Before I was spread across all 3 factions, but now just KDF so that limits a lot of the ships I might want to buy.
They should take a example for how they made rep easier for for alts, maybe some kind of bonus xp once you level a character to 60 and a bonus for speciliazation points for characters with less then your main maybe.
While I do agree that a game needs to make things outdated, it was too much, too soon. Three things hit us in DR:
Lvl60
Upgrade all your gear (except uni consoles. Poor Galaxy saucer sep)
Harder enemies
One or two might not have hurt that much. But all three results in a major shift - something that a lot of players don't want to grind MORE just to stay at the level of power they were at previously.
stardestroyer001, Admiral, Explorers Fury PvE/PvP Fleet | Retired PvP Player
Missing the good ol' days of PvP: Legacy of Romulus to Season 9 My List of Useful Links, Recently Updated November 25 2017!
If they are just sitting tight and hoping for players to come back into the queues - and hoping that those that do come back are most likely the ones that are willing to pay, they are taking the wrong approach. Without players that are FTP, the ones that do spend money, are going to be affected too.
Problem is that I am a playing player, and I'm put off by their recent changes - enough that I was ready to put money into an Operations Pack but at this point, not going to unless the game turns around and players come back.
They didn't do what they said (Advanced would be same a pre-DR Elite) and have invalidated the ships that we already have - even after upgrades. I don't mind working harder in STFs but Advanced is still ridiculous.
I am trying to finish the Undine rep but things are at the point to where it takes about 20 to 40 minutes for enough people to come into a NORMAL queue that you want (not just Undine stuff.) It used to be 1-2 minutes at most. I don't see a lot of players in the DR queue either.
Don't wait too long, Cryptic, or it might be too late.
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
Speaking as a "whale" since I started playing STO years ago, I find the DR expansion just not worth my money anymore.
I have lots of ALTs and I am now only playing 2 in my account and even that is limited on the second toon. The upgrade costs (Dil, EC, etc.) and the nerf by Cryptic in getting these, have made it not worth it anymore.
I love Star Trek and am one of the few that actually was around when Star Trek first aired so playing this game was something I truly enjoyed. I don't enjoy it now and that makes me sad. I don't play Asian grindfests and now that STO has become that, I will not do it the Cryptic way. I will play the game my way and stay at the "noob" level of STF's and events from now on. That also means I don't have to waste my money anymore trying to get the top end gear quickly because it is not needed at the "noob" level. And I did that before because my time away from RL is very limited.
So I guess PWE/Cryptic can just keep adding more grind and hope others will pay the bill, but I must stop wasting my money for less and less in return with each "expansion".
Speaking as a "whale" since I started playing STO years ago, I find the DR expansion just not worth my money anymore.
I have lots of ALTs and I am now only playing 2 in my account and even that is limited on the second toon. The upgrade costs (Dil, EC, etc.) and the nerf by Cryptic in getting these, have made it not worth it anymore.
I love Star Trek and am one of the few that actually was around when Star Trek first aired so playing this game was something I truly enjoyed. I don't enjoy it now and that makes me sad. I don't play Asian grindfests and now that STO has become that, I will not do it the Cryptic way. I will play the game my way and stay at the "noob" level of STF's and events from now on. That also means I don't have to waste my money anymore trying to get the top end gear quickly because it is not needed at the "noob" level. And I did that before because my time away from RL is very limited.
So I guess PWE/Cryptic can just keep adding more grind and hope others will pay the bill, but I must stop wasting my money for less and less in return with each "expansion".
Nice job PWE/Cryptic!
Zeus
Even playing at "noob" level is difficult when there are fewer players to fill even the Normal queues.
Are you reading this, Cryptic? Lots of people are saying this. Queues are emptying... you gotta do something fast. Please save this game!
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
Im so glad i left this game. i bought now a top game and the best is, i have no followup costs like in sto. i can play this new game whenever i want, no stupid events, no grinding and i have more fun and more real gameplay and the best fair pvp. since i left sto everything in my life is become better. i have more sleep, more power, more fun, more of everything thats good.
p.s. i have grinded the 12500 zen for the dr expansion and what i saw was absolutely dissapointing. the only thing sto has cost me in this last 2 or almost 3 years was my time, im glad i never spend money for this bs. I have grinded everything you could get in sto. my secret was multiboxing and having way more than one farming char.:P
I play my new game now really only when i have nothing better to do and only in my free time. when i come home from work i go now often and sleep first for one or two hours. in my old sto times there was no short sleep after the work, there was very often stupid endless grinding. sto is 99 percent grinding and only 1 percent gameplay, my new game is exactly the opposite.
while i can understand the OP "whalette"'s point of view . that they are correct that our gear is basically useless outside the story missions and normal ques . while i have no issue having to work towards the new elite level ,for a expansion.
My original gear should be able to handle ALL THE OLD CONTENT at what was ELITE , AKA the new advanced without any steps in the specializations . from being able to pug to not a snow balls chance in hell is whats happened . it also ruined any chance to get APCs without dedicated fleet groups , pug is not a option so forget getting any Delta rep gear without that .
i feel the same about alts , its alot of resources to get to at least a level where you could use them . your looking at spending alot depending on how many alts . so basicly Crypic has said you must spend the minimum of the delta pack or more to continue to play old content advanced and the newer elite content .if you intend to play with more than one character from the looks of it .
if you want to gear out one character, its alot cheaper to manage but you still have to pay for a upgrade at least if not a t6 ship or 2 depending on the ship specs you want .
ive never seen a mmo that has had a level cap expansion change the current content levels to match the new cap. They only make the new quests and raids for those new cap levels never seen them change old content to force you into purchases like has been done here .
Please stop saying "the enemies are harder" - they aren't at all. They just have a stupid amount of hull points so it takes longer to kill them. I have literally nodded off while doing an elite Argala patrol. I'm genuinely not exaggerating.
My original gear should be able to handle ALL THE OLD CONTENT at what was ELITE , AKA the new advanced without any steps in the specializations . from being able to pug to not a snow balls chance in hell is whats happened . it also ruined any chance to get APCs without dedicated fleet groups , pug is not a option so forget getting any Delta rep gear without that .
snip----
ive never seen a mmo that has had a level cap expansion change the current content levels to match the new cap. They only make the new quests and raids for those new cap levels never seen them change old content to force you into purchases like has been done here .
This isn't brought up enough. You can't just ignore the expansion if you don't like it. Forcing people to do things doesn't seem to me to be a good way to do anything, unless you're talking about prison...certainly not in business. This all seems to be about forcing people (via game mechanics, lack of choice, or monetization) to do things. And, by "forcing," I mean "strongly encouraging." or "penalizing for not doing it."
So, You are to play 1 character. A federation character. In a T6 ship. In the Delta Quadrant. Avoiding queues until level 60. Beta testing (yes, I said it) the expansion content ad nauseum to level to 60.
It's more funny than maddening, in that it's not even cleverly disguised.
while i can understand the OP "whalette"'s point of view . that they are correct that our gear is basically useless outside the story missions and normal ques . while i have no issue having to work towards the new elite level ,for a expansion.
My original gear should be able to handle ALL THE OLD CONTENT at what was ELITE , AKA the new advanced without any steps in the specializations . from being able to pug to not a snow balls chance in hell is whats happened . it also ruined any chance to get APCs without dedicated fleet groups , pug is not a option so forget getting any Delta rep gear without that .
i feel the same about alts , its alot of resources to get to at least a level where you could use them . your looking at spending alot depending on how many alts . so basicly Crypic has said you must spend the minimum of the delta pack or more to continue to play old content advanced and the newer elite content .if you intend to play with more than one character from the looks of it .
if you want to gear out one character, its alot cheaper to manage but you still have to pay for a upgrade at least if not a t6 ship or 2 depending on the ship specs you want .
ive never seen a mmo that has had a level cap expansion change the current content levels to match the new cap. They only make the new quests and raids for those new cap levels never seen them change old content to force you into purchases like has been done here .
Interesting youtube video you have there. Well it all sum-up to what home headquarters has vision for STO here. I am sure more of the same will enter our PCs one day. Really nothing any of us can do they're not going to listen to all the post. If they solve what needs to be solved then just push on to the next story-line.
Delta Rising needs new full missions and complete the story-line. Hopefully this month or the end of 2014 they'll gives us more content. Fleet Admiral, Grand Admiral level 60 and beyond. I am sure they'll figure it out.
everyone is so quick to blame the EP and Cryptic... and totally forget they have a chinese/korean mmo grindfest corporate master that likely has had a lot to do with the progression we've been seeing for quite a while now.
Yes and those Chinese/Korean grindfest masters have several masters themselves called "Customers", "Shareholders" and other stakeholders. If they can't handle the customers from STO, and it's seriously beyond their capabilities to deal with more than one type of cultural playstyle need, and can only foist a model that cannot work on a customer base, then they have two choices:
Wear the STO asset into the ground where it no longer generates income
Sell it to someone who knows how to cope
And the EP's job in this, is to knock on the door of his Corporate Masters and say "This model is not working for this product, because..."
do you remember cryptic? when you promised content on a monthly or sometimes bi-weekly schedule? Maybe its time to set the perverbial clocks back again? The grinding of in game curancies is way to much. I have a JOB.... I don't want to play a game that feels like another one when I get home to relax.
I personally like how you've changed how we got needed content!! at least with omega, at least we could do normal STF's to get the needed items to craft omega gear(marks and implants). which you got more implants from elite STFs but you worked your way to that..Now the only way you can get materials needed to get elite gear upgraded and get DR gear materials(power cells) is to somehow make it thru the NEW & IMPROVED ELITE STFs?!!!!!
I remember a post where a dev quoted that the outline of Delta Rising was ment to be able to be played with "non" upgraded ships with mk XII gear..? It cant hoppen and the producer( yes the producer) has alienated 90% of the player base.
I'll only do the daily mirror mission and stop after until they fix the XP, the rewards, the enemies and the loadout and maybe they rethink the upgrade cost (just made a new loadout and saved it and it loaded the old one gg).
Before DR, I had three decked out characters. An engineering, a tactical, and a science officer. I got the most enjoyment out of my science officer.
Since I get the most enjoyment out of my science, he is always the first through the content. With DR, he will be the only character through the content. I cannot afford, nor do I wish to spend the extra cash, to upgrade all three characters. Instead, I will focus on a single character, and even then, there's zero rush to do any upgrading at all. Cryptic removed my need to rush because they destroyed the way XP is earned, so I just run a few missions a day, make zero progress, and don't feel any pressure.
Cryptic harpooned this particular whale with DR, and my spending has gone down from about $50 a month, to zero. I'm now spending my stipend on keys, which I sell, that I use to buy upgrades, and then I just run projects and older things all month. They will see the metrics soon enough, and will hopefully change what they've done.
Sardak (Science Officer): Captain of a 23k DPS R'Mor Temporal Science Vessel, R.R.W. Vathos Odan Brota (Science Officer): Captain of a 28k DPS Scryer Intel Science Vessel, U.S.S. Kepler Patiently waiting for a Romulan Science Vessel
Look at my post count I'm just happy to play the game and let things rock on along. well at least I was. so now I feel the need to get on here. there is a lot more folks that won't do this and they will just pack up and move on. so here is my rant.
I don't mind my gear becoming obsolete.
Its part of a game growing, mind you they really need to consider power creep here.
I don't mind a bit of a grind.
I know that all MMO's have a grind element to them.
However I do mind what this game is turning into. Folks are calling this a Korean grindfest. I'm having trouble seeing an argument against that.
I do mind the fact we have bugs that have not been fixed in so long they are becoming features.
I do mind that this new content cannot take you to level cap with out repeating it.
I do mind having rewards nerffed to the point that they are.
I do mind That a ton of promises made by cryptic haven't come true.
I do mind how the Devs are allowed to call player names and we haven't seen anything concerning that issue.
I'm with a lot of people my wallet is shut. I'll play the game get my stipend and hope things around here get better. maybe when the folks who are buying Zen stop and you've lost two myself and another who didn't mind tossing a hundred bucks or so at the game each week. maybe just maybe yall will wake up and fix this mess.
What keeps me playing? my friends and my love of Trek. But Honestly since this debacle I've got a ton of grumpy friends and the rose colored glasses have long since broke.
It may not work for you or me, but there is a large enough segment in this community that has totally embraced that those of us who refuse to are in the minority. If it was not profitable they would not be doing what they are doing. They do not care that we are not the ones throwing money at them. All they care about is that money is being thrown at them.
Like I said. Even if enough of the lemmings stop being lemmings and see what's happening, it will not change anything for the better. If this game ceases to be profitable, PWE will not pour money into reinventing it. They'll shut it down, move the team to other projects, and use it as a tax write-off.
We can kick and scream like a bunch of babies having a tantrum all we want. The best of what STO could have been is actually what Jack Emmert lied and told us it would be when it was first announced.
I dunno, really. If the empty queues are any cue, then maybe it's not working entirely 'as intended.' We can't really tell, from here, why they're empty, of course; but, whatever the cause, it can never be a sign of something good.
And no sane company immediately shuts down when it doesn't work out. CCP (EvE Online) didn't throw in the towel after the Jita Riots, either, and, instead, did a wise turnabout, and mended their ways. So can Cryptic. Whether they'll actually do it is another matter, of course. As Molari once said, quoting an Earth saying, "Pride goeth before a fall."
As many on here have surmised, us "whales" tend to mingle mostly in our own circles.
The offerings in DR are simply not worth the money or time, and they are so blatantly money grabs that it offends.
I really could care less of the opinions of others how to spend my own money. I make enough that dropping $200 a month on this, $200 a month on SWTOR, and $200 a month on TSW doesn't even really show up. Whole Foods tears my wallet up way more than STO.
The problem is that the utiliity and value given is so much lower. It is not one incremental thing, it is a huge series of incremental buys. A 'gold ship' requires a level of cash to even make me pause.
Unless the model is adjusted, most whales will drop some cash, but I fear most will be like me and only focus on one character, and certainly not all the way to gold.
As many on here have surmised, us "whales" tend to mingle mostly in our own circles.
The offerings in DR are simply not worth the money or time, and they are so blatantly money grabs that it offends.
I really could care less of the opinions of others how to spend my own money. I make enough that dropping $200 a month on this, $200 a month on SWTOR, and $200 a month on TSW doesn't even really show up. Whole Foods tears my wallet up way more than STO.
The problem is that the utiliity and value given is so much lower. It is not one incremental thing, it is a huge series of incremental buys. A 'gold ship' requires a level of cash to even make me pause.
Unless the model is adjusted, most whales will drop some cash, but I fear most will be like me and only focus on one character, and certainly not all the way to gold.
I have been previously dropping decent sums and never had reason to think about it before, but as you (and others) have implied, the big problem here is that previously players like me would buy zen to buy dilithium to get the latest Reputation thing (for example) or the latest ship, to get a shiny new weapon, console, or equipment that did something new and interesting. And this new thing would be bought as an addition to the other stuff which was all, "ready to go".
What DR does is downgrade everything we already own, so that the cost is not for something new and interesting, but to basically "fix" something we already own, so that it works "as before". We already know how our stuff "should" work, and DR merely represents "repair costs". Sorry but when my car needs to go to the mechanics to have something repaired, I don't consider that fun, new, or exciting.
Not only that, but it's not one thing, it's every thing. If it were my car, I'd be buying a new one. If DR were a car, it'd be referred to as either a "bomb", or a "lemon".
And added to that, previously I didn't have to think about anything I wanted to do. So I'd log in, chat a bit in a social zone, go off to do a Foundry, just go into a Borg Red Alert, maybe after go into a PvE like Breach or Colony, confident that everything would be okay. Now, I log in, hardly anyone outside ESB chatting, and think as it's quiet I'll do... let me think hard... because if I just click a button, this toon, may or may not be able to handle it.
Of course, the "Difficulty" level should have helped... but we all know how useful that is.
There's an expression, "Fractally wrong" where no matter which piece you look at, and no matter what level of detail, the thing is wrong. Maybe we can add to this, "Fractally broken"... :mad:
I have been previously dropping decent sums and never had reason to think about it before, but as you (and others) have implied, the big problem here is that previously players like me would buy zen to buy dilithium to get the latest Reputation thing (for example) or the latest ship, to get a shiny new weapon, console, or equipment that did something new and interesting. And this new thing would be bought as an addition to the other stuff which was all, "ready to go".
What DR does is downgrade everything we already own, so that the cost is not for something new and interesting, but to basically "fix" something we already own, so that it works "as before". We already know how our stuff "should" work, and DR merely represents "repair costs". Sorry but when my car needs to go to the mechanics to have something repaired, I don't consider that fun, new, or exciting.
Not only that, but it's not one thing, it's every thing. If it were my car, I'd be buying a new one. If DR were a car, it'd be referred to as either a "bomb", or a "lemon".
And added to that, previously I didn't have to think about anything I wanted to do. So I'd log in, chat a bit in a social zone, go off to do a Foundry, just go into a Borg Red Alert, maybe after go into a PvE like Breach or Colony, confident that everything would be okay. Now, I log in, hardly anyone outside ESB chatting, and think as it's quiet I'll do... let me think hard... because if I just click a button, this toon, may or may not be able to handle it.
Of course, the "Difficulty" level should have helped... but we all know how useful that is.
There's an expression, "Fractally wrong" where no matter which piece you look at, and no matter what level of detail, the thing is wrong. Maybe we can add to this, "Fractally broken"... :mad:
Basically my thoughts too.
I have never known ANY mmo release a expansion that had the effect of nerfing ones gear into such a state.
Yes expansions add better gear so that you can improve on what you got, but with the so called "difficulty increase" DR brought, not only has it made the new content harder (which i think would have been ok if it stopped there) to justify new gear, but it ramped up the difficulty in everything that was there PRE DR, and its this that makes ones gear feel useless now and completly nerfed.
Hence the , "im doing this to "fix" my gear".
Add to this the gutting of rewards ex EC, Dilithium etc
Add to this the monumental cost of upgrading gear
Not only are you making players feel like they had something taken away from them, your also taking away any and all motivation to continue by making the barriers of entry so huge.
Im not a whale, never have been, although i did buy zen occasionly to supplement my grinding, since DR, im on sabbatical. Not sure if i'll return.
ps
Hate the term "whale" isnt there a better term we can use?
I've been dying to try the new ships but will not be getting the delta pack until something changes. I would call myself a moderate spender, and have probably spent about 6-700$ in total since I started about a year ago. (That's more than I ever would have thought before I started, but it was fun). Now I just log on to run r&d dailies and run delta rep just incase anything changes for the future. I don't see a point in getting all those ships in the pack if I have to spend just as much, if not more, on upgrading gear. I'm willing to pay to have fun, but I have been very put off by what's been going on.
So dear devs, make the game less of a grind fest and I'll gladly pay the $125 for the pack, or keep it the same and I'll eventually grind for free through daily doffing and look for other entertainment to spend my money, and more importantly my time, on. Speak with your wallets folks, and convince your fleet mates and friends to do the same. If you're happy with the direction this game is going, then by all means form over your money... But it might get a little lonely down the road.
To be honest, another by-product of this new system is that I am less willing to grind for rep gear.
I won't lie and pretend that I've ignored the new Delta Rep gear - but grinding for said gear was VERY unrewarding, since you know the end product is a MkXII item. Not technically a problem in itself, but it does mean that, if you are so inclined, you wind up with yet ANOTHER item that requires upgrading.
This is one of the most dishonest trashy parts of the current game. All of the gear via rep is at best MK XII.. WTF? Even the new DR stuff? I mean WHO IS THE ****TARD MORON THAT DECIDED ON THIS?
I'm pretty much in the same boat as the OP. Hell I dropped nearly $500 in September on the game. Not anymore or will I any time again soon. The timegates irk me something fierce and I endured to say the least but having to spend what took me nearly a year to save up in dilith as well as millions in EC and not get even one epic con - well that is too much even for me. I dont like the RNG element and gambling in general. It is bad enough I do it with the keys justifying as a sort of optional monthly subscription type of expense.
Simply put I shall not now nor ever buy dilith with real money from Zen so the avenue many have taken is simply one I will not follow. I will buy items and other such things but I will not buy currency especially to be gambled away on an RNG element.
Accordingly I'm suffering some serious cognitive dissidence with STO now. I hate F2P because it is not and anyone that thinks so is lying to themselves I would rather pay $100 or $200 a month or even more for a serious well developed MMO but maybe that makes me crazy I dont know.
Nonetheless do to my love for ST I have continued to support this title even after abandoning every other title I was a lifer and subscriber to once the title switched to F2P on principle.
Now I'm starting to regret my compromise and the thousands I've invested in this title over the years....
The new upgrade system and many of those damn timegates "features" need to go or get DRAMATICALLY reduced! At this point I'm focing myself to login and grind everyday. I dont know how much longer I can make myself do that since I really want to login and PLAY every day.
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Can't upgrade anything because of a time gated system, that I took a break from, because it is the only way to preserve sanity. The loot drops are poor and not suitable to fund any exchange fueled crafting supplementation schemes, and after 500 Argala patrols I'm still going to be pretty much in my level 50 gear. I hope you're happy with your game design. I'm certainly not getting the groove going here. Why is the loot drops not suitable to supplement crafting, even after daily grinding in the hours, and why is the crafting on timers that makes a glacier seem like a record breaker at the marathon?
I haven't spent any money is over 2 years here, the game has been going in the wrong direction that long.. can they turn it around? No way. Just look at all the whales in this thread, shame on them for supporting the disgusting actions of cryptic.
I haven't spent any money because they game is a money grab, I'm against that. I make more than enough money to become a whale if I wanted, but its not intelligent or responsible.
Sad part is that for all the whales that just got harpooned, more will take their place.
The even sader part, when PWE took over, it was known their game model burned out games in 4-5 years, then the get put on life support. Judging by Stahl's jump ship and new project, this game is on the path to life support, the new missions are really poorly made, the quality of what we got is terrible, and no investment into game client has been made in a long time. So as the bugs pile to toppling levels, do you really think cryptic cares? They aren't here to make the game fun or enjoyable, because they've never tried to do that.
Comments
Yes and not only concentrating on one or two toons, but also one faction in my case so I can claim the same ships on the two that I am focusing on. Before I was spread across all 3 factions, but now just KDF so that limits a lot of the ships I might want to buy.
They should take a example for how they made rep easier for for alts, maybe some kind of bonus xp once you level a character to 60 and a bonus for speciliazation points for characters with less then your main maybe.
While I do agree that a game needs to make things outdated, it was too much, too soon. Three things hit us in DR:
Lvl60
Upgrade all your gear (except uni consoles. Poor Galaxy saucer sep)
Harder enemies
One or two might not have hurt that much. But all three results in a major shift - something that a lot of players don't want to grind MORE just to stay at the level of power they were at previously.
Missing the good ol' days of PvP: Legacy of Romulus to Season 9
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Problem is that I am a playing player, and I'm put off by their recent changes - enough that I was ready to put money into an Operations Pack but at this point, not going to unless the game turns around and players come back.
They didn't do what they said (Advanced would be same a pre-DR Elite) and have invalidated the ships that we already have - even after upgrades. I don't mind working harder in STFs but Advanced is still ridiculous.
I am trying to finish the Undine rep but things are at the point to where it takes about 20 to 40 minutes for enough people to come into a NORMAL queue that you want (not just Undine stuff.) It used to be 1-2 minutes at most. I don't see a lot of players in the DR queue either.
Don't wait too long, Cryptic, or it might be too late.
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
I have lots of ALTs and I am now only playing 2 in my account and even that is limited on the second toon. The upgrade costs (Dil, EC, etc.) and the nerf by Cryptic in getting these, have made it not worth it anymore.
I love Star Trek and am one of the few that actually was around when Star Trek first aired so playing this game was something I truly enjoyed. I don't enjoy it now and that makes me sad. I don't play Asian grindfests and now that STO has become that, I will not do it the Cryptic way. I will play the game my way and stay at the "noob" level of STF's and events from now on. That also means I don't have to waste my money anymore trying to get the top end gear quickly because it is not needed at the "noob" level. And I did that before because my time away from RL is very limited.
So I guess PWE/Cryptic can just keep adding more grind and hope others will pay the bill, but I must stop wasting my money for less and less in return with each "expansion".
Nice job PWE/Cryptic!
Zeus
This, in essence, is the state of the game across the board.
Even playing at "noob" level is difficult when there are fewer players to fill even the Normal queues.
Are you reading this, Cryptic? Lots of people are saying this. Queues are emptying... you gotta do something fast. Please save this game!
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
p.s. i have grinded the 12500 zen for the dr expansion and what i saw was absolutely dissapointing. the only thing sto has cost me in this last 2 or almost 3 years was my time, im glad i never spend money for this bs. I have grinded everything you could get in sto. my secret was multiboxing and having way more than one farming char.:P
I play my new game now really only when i have nothing better to do and only in my free time. when i come home from work i go now often and sleep first for one or two hours. in my old sto times there was no short sleep after the work, there was very often stupid endless grinding. sto is 99 percent grinding and only 1 percent gameplay, my new game is exactly the opposite.
My original gear should be able to handle ALL THE OLD CONTENT at what was ELITE , AKA the new advanced without any steps in the specializations . from being able to pug to not a snow balls chance in hell is whats happened . it also ruined any chance to get APCs without dedicated fleet groups , pug is not a option so forget getting any Delta rep gear without that .
i feel the same about alts , its alot of resources to get to at least a level where you could use them . your looking at spending alot depending on how many alts . so basicly Crypic has said you must spend the minimum of the delta pack or more to continue to play old content advanced and the newer elite content .if you intend to play with more than one character from the looks of it .
if you want to gear out one character, its alot cheaper to manage but you still have to pay for a upgrade at least if not a t6 ship or 2 depending on the ship specs you want .
ive never seen a mmo that has had a level cap expansion change the current content levels to match the new cap. They only make the new quests and raids for those new cap levels never seen them change old content to force you into purchases like has been done here .
im sure this is how alot of Player feel about DR
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This isn't brought up enough. You can't just ignore the expansion if you don't like it. Forcing people to do things doesn't seem to me to be a good way to do anything, unless you're talking about prison...certainly not in business. This all seems to be about forcing people (via game mechanics, lack of choice, or monetization) to do things. And, by "forcing," I mean "strongly encouraging." or "penalizing for not doing it."
So, You are to play 1 character. A federation character. In a T6 ship. In the Delta Quadrant. Avoiding queues until level 60. Beta testing (yes, I said it) the expansion content ad nauseum to level to 60.
It's more funny than maddening, in that it's not even cleverly disguised.
Interesting youtube video you have there. Well it all sum-up to what home headquarters has vision for STO here. I am sure more of the same will enter our PCs one day. Really nothing any of us can do they're not going to listen to all the post. If they solve what needs to be solved then just push on to the next story-line.
Delta Rising needs new full missions and complete the story-line. Hopefully this month or the end of 2014 they'll gives us more content. Fleet Admiral, Grand Admiral level 60 and beyond. I am sure they'll figure it out.
Time will only tell!
Yes and those Chinese/Korean grindfest masters have several masters themselves called "Customers", "Shareholders" and other stakeholders. If they can't handle the customers from STO, and it's seriously beyond their capabilities to deal with more than one type of cultural playstyle need, and can only foist a model that cannot work on a customer base, then they have two choices:
And the EP's job in this, is to knock on the door of his Corporate Masters and say "This model is not working for this product, because..."
I personally like how you've changed how we got needed content!! at least with omega, at least we could do normal STF's to get the needed items to craft omega gear(marks and implants). which you got more implants from elite STFs but you worked your way to that..Now the only way you can get materials needed to get elite gear upgraded and get DR gear materials(power cells) is to somehow make it thru the NEW & IMPROVED ELITE STFs?!!!!!
I remember a post where a dev quoted that the outline of Delta Rising was ment to be able to be played with "non" upgraded ships with mk XII gear..? It cant hoppen and the producer( yes the producer) has alienated 90% of the player base.
Sorry to hear about your feelings and I agree. Still, I think D'Angelo and Gecko(Geko) reponse would be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTqXEQ2l-Y
Since I get the most enjoyment out of my science, he is always the first through the content. With DR, he will be the only character through the content. I cannot afford, nor do I wish to spend the extra cash, to upgrade all three characters. Instead, I will focus on a single character, and even then, there's zero rush to do any upgrading at all. Cryptic removed my need to rush because they destroyed the way XP is earned, so I just run a few missions a day, make zero progress, and don't feel any pressure.
Cryptic harpooned this particular whale with DR, and my spending has gone down from about $50 a month, to zero. I'm now spending my stipend on keys, which I sell, that I use to buy upgrades, and then I just run projects and older things all month. They will see the metrics soon enough, and will hopefully change what they've done.
Odan Brota (Science Officer): Captain of a 28k DPS Scryer Intel Science Vessel, U.S.S. Kepler
Patiently waiting for a Romulan Science Vessel
I don't mind my gear becoming obsolete.
Its part of a game growing, mind you they really need to consider power creep here.
I don't mind a bit of a grind.
I know that all MMO's have a grind element to them.
However I do mind what this game is turning into. Folks are calling this a Korean grindfest. I'm having trouble seeing an argument against that.
I do mind the fact we have bugs that have not been fixed in so long they are becoming features.
I do mind that this new content cannot take you to level cap with out repeating it.
I do mind having rewards nerffed to the point that they are.
I do mind That a ton of promises made by cryptic haven't come true.
I do mind how the Devs are allowed to call player names and we haven't seen anything concerning that issue.
I'm with a lot of people my wallet is shut. I'll play the game get my stipend and hope things around here get better. maybe when the folks who are buying Zen stop and you've lost two myself and another who didn't mind tossing a hundred bucks or so at the game each week. maybe just maybe yall will wake up and fix this mess.
What keeps me playing? my friends and my love of Trek. But Honestly since this debacle I've got a ton of grumpy friends and the rose colored glasses have long since broke.
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heres a month of the cash I spent. I refuse to do this anymore until we see some major fixes. this doesn't show the DR I bought for a buddy.
So Cryptic balls in your court.
I dunno, really. If the empty queues are any cue, then maybe it's not working entirely 'as intended.' We can't really tell, from here, why they're empty, of course; but, whatever the cause, it can never be a sign of something good.
And no sane company immediately shuts down when it doesn't work out. CCP (EvE Online) didn't throw in the towel after the Jita Riots, either, and, instead, did a wise turnabout, and mended their ways. So can Cryptic. Whether they'll actually do it is another matter, of course. As Molari once said, quoting an Earth saying, "Pride goeth before a fall."
As many on here have surmised, us "whales" tend to mingle mostly in our own circles.
The offerings in DR are simply not worth the money or time, and they are so blatantly money grabs that it offends.
I really could care less of the opinions of others how to spend my own money. I make enough that dropping $200 a month on this, $200 a month on SWTOR, and $200 a month on TSW doesn't even really show up. Whole Foods tears my wallet up way more than STO.
The problem is that the utiliity and value given is so much lower. It is not one incremental thing, it is a huge series of incremental buys. A 'gold ship' requires a level of cash to even make me pause.
Unless the model is adjusted, most whales will drop some cash, but I fear most will be like me and only focus on one character, and certainly not all the way to gold.
I have been previously dropping decent sums and never had reason to think about it before, but as you (and others) have implied, the big problem here is that previously players like me would buy zen to buy dilithium to get the latest Reputation thing (for example) or the latest ship, to get a shiny new weapon, console, or equipment that did something new and interesting. And this new thing would be bought as an addition to the other stuff which was all, "ready to go".
What DR does is downgrade everything we already own, so that the cost is not for something new and interesting, but to basically "fix" something we already own, so that it works "as before". We already know how our stuff "should" work, and DR merely represents "repair costs". Sorry but when my car needs to go to the mechanics to have something repaired, I don't consider that fun, new, or exciting.
Not only that, but it's not one thing, it's every thing. If it were my car, I'd be buying a new one. If DR were a car, it'd be referred to as either a "bomb", or a "lemon".
And added to that, previously I didn't have to think about anything I wanted to do. So I'd log in, chat a bit in a social zone, go off to do a Foundry, just go into a Borg Red Alert, maybe after go into a PvE like Breach or Colony, confident that everything would be okay. Now, I log in, hardly anyone outside ESB chatting, and think as it's quiet I'll do... let me think hard... because if I just click a button, this toon, may or may not be able to handle it.
Of course, the "Difficulty" level should have helped... but we all know how useful that is.
There's an expression, "Fractally wrong" where no matter which piece you look at, and no matter what level of detail, the thing is wrong. Maybe we can add to this, "Fractally broken"... :mad:
Thankyou for the perfect signature.
Basically my thoughts too.
I have never known ANY mmo release a expansion that had the effect of nerfing ones gear into such a state.
Yes expansions add better gear so that you can improve on what you got, but with the so called "difficulty increase" DR brought, not only has it made the new content harder (which i think would have been ok if it stopped there) to justify new gear, but it ramped up the difficulty in everything that was there PRE DR, and its this that makes ones gear feel useless now and completly nerfed.
Hence the , "im doing this to "fix" my gear".
Add to this the gutting of rewards ex EC, Dilithium etc
Add to this the monumental cost of upgrading gear
Not only are you making players feel like they had something taken away from them, your also taking away any and all motivation to continue by making the barriers of entry so huge.
Im not a whale, never have been, although i did buy zen occasionly to supplement my grinding, since DR, im on sabbatical. Not sure if i'll return.
ps
Hate the term "whale" isnt there a better term we can use?
So dear devs, make the game less of a grind fest and I'll gladly pay the $125 for the pack, or keep it the same and I'll eventually grind for free through daily doffing and look for other entertainment to spend my money, and more importantly my time, on. Speak with your wallets folks, and convince your fleet mates and friends to do the same. If you're happy with the direction this game is going, then by all means form over your money... But it might get a little lonely down the road.
This is one of the most dishonest trashy parts of the current game. All of the gear via rep is at best MK XII.. WTF? Even the new DR stuff? I mean WHO IS THE ****TARD MORON THAT DECIDED ON THIS?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Campaign: The Battle of Neverwinter - NWS-DOQXFA4ZD
Prologue: A not so simple plan - NW-DCJG75B9D
Simply put I shall not now nor ever buy dilith with real money from Zen so the avenue many have taken is simply one I will not follow. I will buy items and other such things but I will not buy currency especially to be gambled away on an RNG element.
Accordingly I'm suffering some serious cognitive dissidence with STO now. I hate F2P because it is not and anyone that thinks so is lying to themselves I would rather pay $100 or $200 a month or even more for a serious well developed MMO but maybe that makes me crazy I dont know.
Nonetheless do to my love for ST I have continued to support this title even after abandoning every other title I was a lifer and subscriber to once the title switched to F2P on principle.
Now I'm starting to regret my compromise and the thousands I've invested in this title over the years....
The new upgrade system and many of those damn timegates "features" need to go or get DRAMATICALLY reduced! At this point I'm focing myself to login and grind everyday. I dont know how much longer I can make myself do that since I really want to login and PLAY every day.
ingame: @.Spartan
Original Cryptic Forum Name: Spartan (member #124)
The Glorious, Kirk’s Protegè
Tell me again about the wonders of this game!
I haven't spent any money because they game is a money grab, I'm against that. I make more than enough money to become a whale if I wanted, but its not intelligent or responsible.
Sad part is that for all the whales that just got harpooned, more will take their place.
The even sader part, when PWE took over, it was known their game model burned out games in 4-5 years, then the get put on life support. Judging by Stahl's jump ship and new project, this game is on the path to life support, the new missions are really poorly made, the quality of what we got is terrible, and no investment into game client has been made in a long time. So as the bugs pile to toppling levels, do you really think cryptic cares? They aren't here to make the game fun or enjoyable, because they've never tried to do that.
Completed Starbase, Embassy, Mine, Spire and No Win Scenario
Nothing to do anymore.
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