Acquiring Borg Neural Processors

joeshabadoo

To the Devs.

Please find some way to acquiring BNPs easier. Sometimes i just don't want to wait 5-10min to get a group of fleet members together to do the STF and just want to jump into a PUG.

An idea that was proposed which i thought was very good was to be able to trade in Omega Marks for BNPs. Make it fair where the amount of Marks would have equaled the amount of work and coordination required to be put into an advanced STF? I don't know just my recommendation. But you guys hold the cards.

What i do know is that I would probably be spending more dilithium at a faster rate if i was able to aquire the rep gear for some of my alts that aren't maxed out yet.

timelord79

joeshabadoo wrote: »

To the Devs.

Please find some way to acquiring BNPs easier. Sometimes i just don't want to wait 5-10min to get a group of fleet members together to do the STF and just want to jump into a PUG.

An idea that was proposed which i thought was very good was to be able to trade in Omega Marks for BNPs. Make it fair where the amount of Marks would have equaled the amount of work and coordination required to be put into an advanced STF? I don't know just my recommendation. But you guys hold the cards.

What i do know is that I would probably be spending more dilithium at a faster rate if i was able to aquire the rep gear for some of my alts that aren't maxed out yet.

Play Cure Space. It is the easiest STF by far these days.

!-2 halfway decent players who know how the mission works can carry an entire team. If you have bad luck with the queue it might take a few minutes longer but you can drag them with you to success anyway.
As long as Kang doesn't fall below 75% health a single ship can kill all cubes/spheres well within the allowed 15 minutes.

kjwashington

Try joining public elite STF. It doesn't take long to figure out how the rules work there, and you don't need to have uber/1337 DPS. You just need to know how to beat the missions (AKA don't be a scrub). You should be familiar with the 10% rule etc.

These are walkthroughs of the most common Borg space STFs.
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Mission:_Infected:_The_Conduit/Walkthrough
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Mission:_The_Cure_Found/Walkthrough
http://sto.gamepedia.com/Mission:_Khitomer_Vortex/Walkthrough
(These are a little outdated, since they haven't been updated since before DR.)

humblesheep

Something needs to be done. The pugs are getting emptied as more and more of the established players move to private and/or high DPS channel games. This leaves new players little chance of being teamed with someone who can help carry them through.

The other reason there empty is that many of us just don’t like playing the new advanced maps because they are just a boring dps oriented grindfest. Cryptic really dropped the ball when they took out the most popular content in the game and replaced it with stuff people just don’t want to play.

I'm sure they will do something soon (other than just raise the rewards slightly) because the exodus of players must be hurting their income, and as this is hurting new players most it's go to be high on their priority list. (assuming, of course, that new players, on average, spend more)

timelord79

humblesheep wrote: »

Something needs to be done. The pugs are getting emptied as more and more of the established players move to private and/or high DPS channel games. This leaves new players little chance of being teamed with someone who can help carry them through.

The other reason there empty is that many of us just don’t like playing the new advanced maps because they are just a boring dps oriented grindfest. Cryptic really dropped the ball when they took out the most popular content in the game and replaced it with stuff people just don’t want to play.

I'm sure they will do something soon (other than just raise the rewards slightly) because the exodus of players must be hurting their income, and as this is hurting new players most it's go to be high on their priority list. (assuming, of course, that new players, on average, spend more)

Only DPS? Really?

Borg Disconnected? - can be completed without defeating a single mob except in boss fight.
Cure Space? Only 1-2 DPS oriented ships needed
Infected? - Mostly DPS, true, but strategies like 10% Rule compensate for a lot.
Khitomer Space? - This is about the most DPS heavy one, granted.

So about half DPS, half strategy here for Borg space missions.

Other queues are very similar.

Azure Nebula? - Objectives are achievable without killing a single Tholian
Viscous Cycle? - Half of the objectives require having no aggro, thus not shooting at anything.
The Breach? - Mostly DPS needed, but support ships can do their parts as well.
CCA? - Primarily DPS, but again healers, tanks and debuffers contribute and are even rewarded for playing their roles...
Undine Assault - pretty much straight DPS.

So again, mixed strategies.

You can argue that Über- DPS teams will always succeed with everything, while this might be true, it's not the only road to success.

virusdancer

It's one of those equality things where they sort of spoiled us with Dyson and Undine Reps with the ways in which we could get them - Hell, even how easy Bug Hunt is for Delta (I remember grumbling about not wanting to have to do it, but it's so painfully easy); that Omega stands out there as the oddity by comparison.

pweistheworst

humblesheep wrote: »

Something needs to be done. The pugs are getting emptied as more and more of the established players move to private and/or high DPS channel games. This leaves new players little chance of being teamed with someone who can help carry them through.

The other reason there empty is that many of us just don’t like playing the new advanced maps because they are just a boring dps oriented grindfest. Cryptic really dropped the ball when they took out the most popular content in the game and replaced it with stuff people just don’t want to play.

I'm sure they will do something soon (other than just raise the rewards slightly) because the exodus of players must be hurting their income, and as this is hurting new players most it's go to be high on their priority list. (assuming, of course, that new players, on average, spend more)

YES.

I made a similar post about this issue a while ago after Delta Rising launched. Pug team queues are an ESSENTIAL part of a healthy MMO.

STO needs to have "relatively" easy team missions with decent rewards that can be accomplished by casual players ... as long as those players are determined and don't act like idiots.

Right now, even when a casual player is determined to win an advanced queue in order to obtain Borg Neural Processors (or a Power Cell or whatever special rep item), there is only about a 10-to-20 percent chance that a pug team will succeed. That's beyond terrible.

I have access to multiple channels with people who I can team up with, but that process is annoying when all I want to do is jump into one of my characters and run a quick PVE queue to earn items to buy rep gear.

It shouldn't be this difficult for players to team up and earn gear.

humblesheep

timelord79 wrote: »

Only DPS? Really?

DPS, exprerience and skill, 2 out of 3 are required to complete the new advanced. New guys are still going to struggle with at least 2 of those.

A lot of people with all 3 don't pug anymore, so who is going to teach the new guys?

Helping "carry people through" isn't just killing everything for them.

tilarium1979

This is what sucks about the borg rep system, the queues are the only way to get the processors. At least with the other rep systems (can't speak for delta), you have multiple ways to get the items needed for the gear.

Another possible solution, another mission from the OIC on Defera to complete all of the hards. Once all of the hards are done the mission is completed and you get to turn it in for a processor. 1 every 20 hours will be kinda crappy, but it'll keep people from abusing the system.

withnail68

The ball that has been dropped is the old elite is not the same as the current advance, which was kind of the expectation before DR. Thus Prople have gotten fedup with 10 marks for 20 mins of failed PvE queue and no rep reward, neural proc. etc.

The Adv has been made harder and the optional requirement compulsory. The old optional goal was often failed in the old adv queues, wich would cost 15 marks, but you still got your rep reward. The new system means that you get nada, save a few marks.

So now once you have repped to T5 and are able to spend the Marks on the Rep Kits, you can't.
Therefore you are not getting access to the "better" kit and the kit bonuses.

This means that you will need to gring more DIL in order to get better weapons inroder to get the dPS up to either kill everything quickly enough in the PvE Queues on adv ro get into the High DPS channels.

Then if you have the kit to do this what is the point of getting the Rep Kits?

A solution would be to make the Normal queues drop Rep rewards on completion of the optional goal. at least then people have a better chance of getting some of the Rep kits and progressing, plus they would learn to run the STFs etc. better and could naturally migrate to the Adv and then onto the Elites.

They could asl make ADv and Elite Kit available for more rep rewards too.

My experience has been that the Borg Disconnected has been O on advanced and I just can't be bothered any longer with it to earn the rep. Its Taking time to get 10 Delta marks and norep reward. But the Bug Hunt Adv has always been completed. So I just run that. Once i have The 40 or so Ancient power packs to get the all rep kit I'll not bother again as I prefer the space combat.

jellico1

before DR 95% of my sto time was doing the Elite space STFs

Now its doing ground................................

The advanced STFs are patethic to pug and its hurting STO a lot

Remove the Fail its hurting your game cryptic......open your eye's listen to your player base

In the end its cryptic that will fail if you stay on this path

Remove the Fail mission its a stupid requirement ..The only way a military mission fails if all of the forces are destroyed or retreats

Time requirements are also stupid...do away with those as well

75% of your pugs are Feds....guess WHO does not get bonuses to damage cryptic....FED's !!!!!
Guess who cant afford plasmonic leach's now...New FED's
your killing your own game cryptic...wake up !

Hello McFly !..Bonk...Bonk

I mean seriously

Just saying

GeeZzzzzzzz...............................

crm14916

All this talk about what's needed for Advanced and Elite STFs doesn't answer the OP's request. It helps, granted, but doesn't solve the underlying issue. By making the Advanced out of reach for most players (I did not say all) and the Elite a dream-state, for EVERY STF at the moment, there is no more advancing of individual Reputation Systems. To earn a full Borg/Omega/MACO set, one must acquire AT LEAST 15 BNPs... This means completing 15 Advanced level STFs. If every other one fails because of a missed Optional, then there is no reward.

I know the "holier than thou" trolls will complain about most players not being able to "hang with the in crowd", but I like the idea of having optional ways to earn the required items without being 100% dependent on other player's abilities. I understand that teamwork is needed in many cases. For those without the abilities, then there is only few options left available...

1) Offer BNPs and such items for Normal queues also. This means that we could receive 1 for Normal, 2 for Advanced, and 3 for Elite (even though the elitists wouldn't need them because they already have them by that point)

or

2) Create a project in each Rep where players could turn in marks earned through Normal queues in for the required items (such as BNPs and Voth Implants, etc...)

It's a win-win for Cryptic either way. Both situations above outlined create more playing time for the player. More playing time = more money in Cryptic's pocket...

CM

joeshabadoo

crm14916 wrote: »

All this talk about what's needed for Advanced and Elite STFs doesn't answer the OP's request. It helps, granted, but doesn't solve the underlying issue. By making the Advanced out of reach for most players (I did not say all) and the Elite a dream-state, for EVERY STF at the moment, there is no more advancing of individual Reputation Systems. To earn a full Borg/Omega/MACO set, one must acquire AT LEAST 15 BNPs... This means completing 15 Advanced level STFs. If every other one fails because of a missed Optional, then there is no reward.


At this point i would even take a 50% completion rate for ISA PUG. But I think the % completing the mission successfully for PUGGING isn't even close to that high.

darkjeff

humblesheep wrote: »

The pugs are getting emptied as more and more of the established players move to private and/or high DPS channel games. This leaves new players little chance of being teamed with someone who can help carry them through.

Why should established players be obligated to carry people that aren't pulling their weight? Perhaps simply a poor choice of words on your part?

crm14916 wrote: »

To earn a full Borg/Omega/MACO set, one must acquire AT LEAST 15 BNPs... This means completing 15 Advanced level STFs.

This is incorrect, we get a set of BNPs (10?) upon claiming Tier 5.

I still think they should add BNPs/APCs to the Defera/Kobali ground zone, anyway.

stonewbie

crm14916 wrote: »

All this talk about what's needed for Advanced and Elite STFs doesn't answer the OP's request. It helps, granted, but doesn't solve the underlying issue. By making the Advanced out of reach for most players (I did not say all) and the Elite a dream-state, for EVERY STF at the moment, there is no more advancing of individual Reputation Systems. To earn a full Borg/Omega/MACO set, one must acquire AT LEAST 15 BNPs... This means completing 15 Advanced level STFs. If every other one fails because of a missed Optional, then there is no reward.

1) fixing the underlying issue is out of our (the regular players) hands. If they choose to grace us with their presence and and give us their thoughts then yay!

2) you can still advance in the rep system WITHOUT neural and power cells. So i dont know what you mean by 'there is no more advancing' of individual rep systems. There is no more purchasing of certain gear pieces but that is different. People seem to forget the other options for getting these items. Dyson implants you can get from the ground BZ, 8472 injectors you can get from the space BZ. New Romulus and Nukara done use and equivalent item.

Advanced Bug Hunt has power cells and ground is a lot easier to gear up for since you only have 3-4 pieces of equipment that need to be upgraded to MK XII and XIV. But you dont even really need to do that since XII works just fine Adv bug hunt. I did two advanced bug hunt on one of my toons yesterday so i could create the neutronium launcher. This particular toon used Omega MK X set. I had Maco MK XII, but i chose the Omega (which my boffs use) because of the better group bonuses. My contribution to the group with that gear was actually a bit heavier it seemed.

Borg Neural Processors are a different story. For this you can keep running ground instances which as i've mentioned are relatively easier to gear up for. Or you can take a chance at some of the easier advanced borg space instances. You may not be able to get your 9-15 neurals in one afternoon of gameplay, but it will take a bit longer. And dont forget that once you hit tier 5 with Omega rep you get a goodies bag full of dil, marks, ec AND 10 neurals. It only takes 9 neurals to be able to craft the full 3pc assimilated space set. If you choose to go with one of the other full sets it will cost you 15. Or you could be smart about your upgrading and use that goodies bag and create Maco deflector and Maco engines and then get Fleet shields.

Anyways the whole point of #2 is to show players that there are still options for getting these items. Its not as easy as before but it is still possible. If you want to wait for a dev to address or even fix the issue go right ahead. But you could be waiting a long time. In the mean time I'm going to gear up my toons in Dyson/8472 ground gear and then do borg ground instances if i need BNP (sooner then the tier 5 rewards package).

humblesheep

darkjeff wrote: »

Why should established players be obligated to carry people that aren't pulling their weight? Perhaps simply a poor choice of words on your part?

Perhaps yes, what I meant was that when I started, people told me where I was going wrong, I learnt and got better, I feel it's good to pass that on.

I liked the games where there was a crowd of good players and we finished quickly, that was fun. I didn't mind the games when I seemed to be carrying the team, it took much longer, but very satisfying to finish, and if the guys with me learnt something, I think it was worthwhile.

Of course AFKers, and the like, should be targettable.

supremeheretic36

The new change is stupid. Khitomer in Stasis at least gave one viable way to possibly attain processors for the average player. Now, it's pretty daunting a task and unless you get a lucky drop from a project box, forget it.

bobbydazlers

ok im not a very good player, ok i said it when you stop laughing please continue reading......
i am 55 years old so maybe not as quick with the old joypad as some youngsters and maybe dont know how to set out my available weapons to get the best results, but i am not a stranger to stf`s and do as good as i can.

now i will say this.

i have been playing stf`s mostly in random teams for Borg Neural Processors for the last few days, i prefer space and dont much care for 'HIVE ONSLAUGHT', i needed 30 Borg Neural Processors.

if you are after Acquiring Borg Neural Processors go for 'THE CURE FOUND', although it is still a lot tougher i have been getting a 60/40 win rate from it as the only fail condition is if the I.K.S. Kang gets too much damage.
although i have been in a team that completed both 'KHITOMER VORTEX' & 'INFECTED: THE CONDUIT' the win rate is much closer to 20/80 because there are just too many fail triggers.

i am quite happy to see these missions get a little tougher and with 'the cure found' i think they just about nailed it spot on.

sadly the others i would avoid doing unless you are in a group you know, if they could just do these as they have done 'cure' they would be fine.

by the way i now need just 2 more Borg Neural Processors and im done.

vetteguy904

I will say first off I have no experience with the borg STFs. I was going to start prior to DR. well, this week I was liek dang this mirror incursion is easy as heck, i'll try the advanced.

I died withing the first couple minutes. the objective was failed inside of 5. the entire team bailed as soon as the station was at zero health.

so yeah, I'm not sure if the old eilte was like that but the difficulty jump was ridiculous. an odyssey class cruiser should not get one-shotted my a mirror noble class.

darkjeff

humblesheep wrote: »

Perhaps yes, what I meant was that when I started, people told me where I was going wrong, I learnt and got better, I feel it's good to pass that on.

Part of the problem with that is that the knowledgeable players are burned out with trying to teach. (Not necessarily established or high DPS players, but just people who know what they're doing.)

It's nice when we see people like you who are willing to learn, but all too often the objectives are failed because of the belligerently ignorant who refuse to learn, or the obliviously incompetent who have no idea what they're doing but don't even have chat on.

vetteguy904 wrote: »

I will say first off I have no experience with the borg STFs. I was going to start prior to DR. well, this week I was liek dang this mirror incursion is easy as heck, i'll try the advanced.

I died withing the first couple minutes. the objective was failed inside of 5. the entire team bailed as soon as the station was at zero health.

so yeah, I'm not sure if the old eilte was like that but the difficulty jump was ridiculous. an odyssey class cruiser should not get one-shotted my a mirror noble class.

Dude, no. Mirror on Advanced is nothing like the old Elite or new Advanced STFs. Most people in the 30k, 20k, and 10k channels still just run Mirror on Normal. Advanced is a ridiculous PitA that requires lots of coordination and teamwork, for no real additional reward.