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Upgrading equipment locks you into a build...
realisticalty
Member Posts: 851 Arc User
Just started upgrading gear, and it's sad that the cost and time to upgrade really seems to effectively lock me into a build choice.
One of the most fun things I really liked about STO when I joined was the ease with which i could change/text/experiment. I can still to some extent, but it seems much more limited and much less fun.
I think STO will eventually learn that their success is going to be based on the widest, broadest appeal...as other MMO's have learned...
One of the most fun things I really liked about STO when I joined was the ease with which i could change/text/experiment. I can still to some extent, but it seems much more limited and much less fun.
I think STO will eventually learn that their success is going to be based on the widest, broadest appeal...as other MMO's have learned...
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I was thinking of switching from cannons to beams, but now that I've upgraded a few of my cannons, I'm stuck hoping they improve cannons in-game.
If Cryptic wanted to limit me to a specific ship and build, they managed to do so. No need to invest in new stuff after everything is maxed out and fine-tuned.
Upgrading more sets to MK14 is suicide, unless u have 1 bil EC on stock and 1mil + dil.
For certain items yes, like weaponry and space sets. But if you want to experiment do you prioritize those potentially specialized items or do you upgrade the generalist equipment pieces? Do you bother with XIV phaser arrays when you know you're not going to use them much, or do you focus on the much more economical and versitile phaser console upgrades? Do you increase durability via a marginal shield upgrade or do you worry about what your eng and console slots are filled with? Or on the other hand, do you worry about upgrading those special consoles you only use for one build or do you focus on that space set you use for everything?
In order to see the same variety as we did prior to DR you just need to adopt the right set of cost-benefit decisions. You can't just fling everything you have into making every finest detail of build X worthwhile while you have Y and Z to worry about as well. You have to plan and maybe make a few concessions to allow a greater range of upgrades to happen. But that's simply intelligent generalization, the same as you've been doing all along in working with a limited equipment system (and in any game for that matter where multiple playstyles are possible for the same character).
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
Looking for something new to play? I've started building Foundry missions again in visual novel form!
15, 20 minutes max unless there is a ship mastery to grind.
you actually don't have to upgrade. It doesn't add anything.
Sure it takes you a few seconds less to kill something but you are killing thousands of them so, who cares.
I have no urge to do the elite, since most of it is the same as advanced, just harder. And advanced is a big enough of a waste of time to do. If I don't want any mats, or BNPs, I stay away from them also. 15 marks, and a little bit more dil is not worth the much longer time to do advanced over normal.
For dil, I just run the battle zone, and gain it faster than I could in any STF/PVE. Plus, I get the CI to turn into dil, and marks also. The STFs don't interest me anymore. And with the TR-116B, there is no real need for the omega or maco sets. You can use the Voth rep gear for ground, and do better on ground with its resistance while crouching.
The only advanced mission I do now is the CC. And that is because they nerfed it to where the normal STFs should be. So it can be done in a reasonable time frame.
New threat? I adapted. (Ok, ok, these were few and far between.)
Each season, pre-DR I'd race to finish the new rep gear. See what was cool, and try it out on MULTIPLE alts.
Post-DR, I can't risk that. To be even remotely competitive I need the better gear. The upgrade cost for even one character, let alone multiple alts with 100's of ships, isn't possible.
And you know they will introduce a new ship. And new weapon types. Cold Disrupters? And they're better than AP? Motherfrakkers!
New ship??, cold disruptors??, where??, when??.. need to know... TELL ME YOUR SECRETS NAW!! HUMAN!!!! :P
Cold Disrupters - on Tribble at lvl 15 for Beams and Cannons. It requires at least lvl 1 in a new school called 'Schematics'. Source: Reddit
New ships: T6 pathfinder, Sar Thien from WW, New KDF and Romulan ship from [Redacted] and one [redacted] battlecruiser pending (was supposed to drop with DR, was held back). Source Reddit, Tribble, and a place that cannot be mentioned as it violates the TOS.
omygerd... when did I get above 2K posts?
As soon as the Dil : Player ratio has dropped to a level they can live with, their metrics will magically show that not enough are upgrading and then reduce the prices.
Just look at the RnD system... Initially there were HUGE amounts of mats going around... Now the marked seems to have somewhat stabilized and suddenly they decide to reduce material costs for RnD assignments.
Cool. I don't have 12 hours a day to play STO. It sucks having family, mortgages, and the occasional social event that requires me to stand and converse with other biological units that infest the planet of the Creator.
Upgrading is part of the giant scam Cryptic added with DR. Spend money or dil on endless sink, upgrade your ship for 700 zen, and then buy the new one for 3K.
Yeah, thank you, but no thanks.
Problem lies with the Very Rare space/ground sets from the Reputation system (you know, the kind everyone uses). Getting them to Mk XIV isn't that hard. Yet, as always, it's the Rarity Upgrades on them that's an absolute killer (as you can't start them off at Mk II).
A single rep Shield is, what, 318,000 for one upgrade round? That's 64 (!) Improved Tech upgrades (= 5,760,000 mil EC, and 62k Dilithium). And only for 1 round, with absolutely no guarantee of an actual quality upgrade! So, multiply those numbers x5, and maybe, just maybe, you got it to Ultra Rare. And that's only for your 1 Shield.
THAT, man-friend, is how insane this Upgrade gamble-system is!
This game is a one build game now. Its harder to get that build you want so many will not spend money to get temp gear they will not use once they do get what they want.
Before DR i had 3 fleet tac console choices. 3 sets of weapons. Now i have one.
Before DR you would compete with yourself, always trying to become that little bit better than you used to be. Tweaking your gear, trying new weapons, etc. That´s pretty much gone now. I think that´s the biggest loss in DR, that you can´t really tweak like before.
Rather, upgrading just ensures you can further fine-tune your chosen build, and allow the hardcore min/maxers the means to get every last digit of DPS out of their equipment.
As to being locked in? Not really; since current content can still be done with Mk XII gear and a little bit of strategy/patience, and if you don't like your build, you can readily buy other Mk XI/XII gear and Tac consoles and experiment more.
Most players want to change things... not just have one ship that they are forced into because its the only one that can compete on advanced.
I have 5 characters. Most dill from each has got my main flying a strong build. The others are mk xii. Meaning to get 1 char to MK xiv without rarity upgrades cost me too much to allow me to do it again for another ship, or another build for the ship i love.
Before DR the fleet consoles we got were Fleet credits. Grinding them is not hard. Now i need dill in the 500k mark and EC in the 5 mill to get 1 proper setup. I can NOT afford more.
Why? because the dill coming from STF's nurfed... advanced pugs are to hard to carry the team so normal is very little dill. I used to fill 6 characters daily dill JUST FROM STF. Now i CANT fill ONE! I play the same, i do the same things, but now the grind is just BS!
I do not expect to be able to fill all 5 chars. But I only play 1 char now and cant even fill that ones daily dill without doing things i have NO interest in doing... (VOTH BG)
Don't rush to upgrade things just because you can. Work out a solid build and see if it feels right.
Free Tibet!
And...
I don't have a problem with this.
But to do this within the same year that you develop swappable gear loadouts is absolutely insane unless the primary goal of gear loadouts is to move a single set of upgraded gear between ships.
It seems to me like they could have saved themselves the bugs and headaches of gear loadout if they'd been planning this. And they'd have to be flat out delusional if they thought people would upgrade all their gear sets at the prices provided.
It might have made some sense if they had some kind of bulk discounting -- which I think a proper economist would suggest as a means of maximizing profitability -- where say upgrading 6 weapons to Mk XIV would have reduced dilithium upgrade prices by 25% and and upgrading 6 weapons to UR would reduce upgrade prices by another 25% and then maybe another 10% reduction for taking 6 weapons to Epic.
Once you've established someone puts money down, you want to increase the frequency of their purchases. Also, you should reasonably infer that economic demand for spare upgraded sets are llower and therefore revenue will be maximized by lower costs the more someone upgrades. It's the basic economic philosophy behind bundle pricing (aside from transferring storage function).
If I am hungry, my desire for one hot dog (assuming I eat hot dogs) is great. My desire for two hot dogs is less great because I will be less hungry after the first one. My desire for 3 is less still. You can infer at a certain point that I may have no desire for more hot dogs but if hot dogs have no additional variable cost per unit then you should want to sell me as many as I'll buy at the highest TOTAL price I'll pay.
Let's say I'll pay $5 for the first hot dog and I have enough demand to pay $2.50 for the second one. If you insist every hot dog costs $5, you only get $5 from me because I only have $7.50 worth of demand. If you bundle 2 hot dogs at $7.50 or less, you get more than $5 from me.
Now, if each hot dog costs you $3, then the cost of that 2 hot dog bundle for you is $6 and you only make $1.50 vs. making $2 off of one hot dog. In that case, you shouldn't offer the bundle, fine. Because the bundle would cost you 50 cents, in effect.
But if the second hot dog costs you $0 to make then the 2 hot dog bundle would make you $7.50 instead of $5 and NOT offering the bundle is costing you $2.50.
The ability to clone character bound copies of gear at a discounted price.
The ability to change the energy type of a console bonus or a weapon at a very affordable price.
These two put together would revive multiple builds.
I upgrade an AP set to Mk XIV UR.
I dupe a fully character-bound copy for far less than upgrading a second set.
I modify the energy type of the duped copy at an affordable price.
Cryptic still gets the economic impact of me upgrading to Mk XIV in the first place. And if I want a torpedo boat or a mine boat, maybe I have to do it all over again.
This would probably result in more people upgrading at least one set to Mk XIV. And it would see more people begin duping/modding copies of their Mk XIV set in different flavors at a price people would actually pay.
The should have updated the fleet and rep stores with Mk XIV. I'd buy new gear. I've bought new gear a lot. Asking me to buy new gear then upgrade it... no thanks. Even if the dil cost of upgrading isn't unreasonable, the cost becomes ridiculous once you factor in the upgrade kits, too.
Microtransactions out the wazoo on the one hand, discouragement from spending on the other.
Do I have upgrade item from doing borg disconnected or bug hunt ? No. I have delta marks and delta rep related resources, which is another grind.
The upgrade system ask me to grind AROUND my "novelty" grind (in this case, Delta rep, but I'm pretty sure new rep will come). It's a grind around the grind.
And if it wasn't enough, it's totally random for the most part, adding more grind (unless you are lucky).
sums up my feelings completely. this is a big issue imho.
I've just recently changed build and ship with no negative consequences. I even bought a few more items to broaden my options. Its amazing, game is far more fun not being a sucker for the awful practices introduced in DR.