Wonder how people rolling truly new characters will handle this given that most dil sources aren't available till 50+? I get the feeling we're going to see a larger number of true-newbie builds running whatever random skills their boffs came with. Tac Team 2, Scramble Sensors 2, and Aceton Field 3 for all!
More likely they'll just have to drop $5 on zen to turn to dil, which I'm sure is part of the point of this. :rolleyes:
Odds of the truly new player having looked at what skills they would have needed to be able to train their BOFFs in abilities that their captain could have trained them...makes the new player argument kind of moot. They wouldn't have been able to train them anyway...
And I can name several things that could and should've been done/fixed before this:
Defera Invasion Zone - could've fixed it
Ker'rat War Zone - could've fixed it
Revamped DS9
Revamped Qo'nos
Added a Voth or Undine PvP Warzone
Revamped Terradome
Fixed the tray loadouts that are still broken
Sent out a hotfix for the Breen ship discount (Cryptic: "This means a lot to the players so all hands on deck, fix this yesterday, everything else is on hold until that gets fixed. Oh i know I'm dreaming.)
System to address Battle Zone AFK'ers & leechers
New PvP maps and modes
Balancing stupid unbalanced powers like Surgical Strikes and Ionic Turbulence
I could go on and on...
Ehhhh, new Warzones? DS9 revamp? While I would like to see these happen, it's not as critical as fixing a chronically broken boff training system. Anything that isn't a bug fix should not take hypothetical priority over this. Fixing a broken Defera or broken tray loadouts? Okay maybe those should have a higher priority than they seem to be getting, but "new content" is something that I would not give priority over longstanding, QoL issues and game-breaking bugs and imbalances.
Nitpicking is a time-honored tradition of science fiction. Asking your readers not to worry about the "little things" is like asking a dog not to sniff at people's crotches. If there's something that appears to violate natural laws, then you can expect someone's going to point it out. That's just the way things are.
Wonder how people rolling truly new characters will handle this given that most dil sources aren't available till 50+? I get the feeling we're going to see a larger number of true-newbie builds running whatever random skills their boffs came with. Tac Team 2, Scramble Sensors 2, and Aceton Field 3 for all!
More likely they'll just have to drop $5 on zen to turn to dil, which I'm sure is part of the point of this. :rolleyes:
I expect to see a swarm of newbs outside trellius and nimbus that rivals argala.
Then optimist in me hopes that foundry gets a lot more use because of this.
The cynic thinks most newbs won't be able to find any of the three options.
Ehhhh, new Warzones? DS9 revamp? While I would like to see these happen, it's not as critical as fixing a chronically broken boff training system. Anything that isn't a bug fix should not take hypothetical priority over this. Fixing a broken Defera or broken tray loadouts? Okay maybe those should have a higher priority than they seem to be getting, but "new content" is something that I would not give priority over longstanding, QoL issues and game-breaking bugs and imbalances.
Please explain to us exactly how the existing BO training system is "chronically broken" using specific examples, screen shots, whatever you've got.
I've been training, trading, buying, selling all my BOFFS for the last two years and have never had an issue other than when I hit some restrictions with Romulan BOFFS and who can and can't help train them. I know there was a couple recent bugs with the BO system, but those were new and introduced with DR, like the double listing and one being grayed out. These were not Chronic though and new bugs that have already been fixed in my understanding.
Actually it didn't. They just merged my thread that was aptly named into this one, that's Crypticly titled. Facepalm.
Whatever. On the topic, I agree with some that are saying the original BO trainer could use some improvement. I just don't like what they've done here as the improvements. It comes off as overly complicated. And the added Dil costs, well I don't know of anyone who thinks we need more things to take our Dil in this game.
And I can name several things that could and should've been done/fixed before this:
Defera Invasion Zone - could've fixed it
Ker'rat War Zone - could've fixed it
Revamped DS9
Revamped Qo'nos
Added a Voth or Undine PvP Warzone
Revamped Terradome
Fixed the tray loadouts that are still broken
Sent out a hotfix for the Breen ship discount (Cryptic: "This means a lot to the players so all hands on deck, fix this yesterday, everything else is on hold until that gets fixed. Oh i know I'm dreaming.)
System to address Battle Zone AFK'ers & leechers
New PvP maps and modes
Balancing stupid unbalanced powers like Surgical Strikes and Ionic Turbulence
I could go on and on...
Defera: Old; low priority because Cryptic logic. I couldn't care less seeing as I want nothing to do with Omega Rep or the Borg, but it should probably be fixed either way considering the fact that it's an ENTIRE ADVENTURE ZONE THAT ALREADY EXISTS. I agree fully here.
DS9: Not the coding/systems department's main concern. This might be happening in the art team while systems is busy with new features like this. If it isn't, it'll certainly come around when there's a Gamma Quadrant season/expansion. One way or another, do we honestly need this instead of, say, a core system like BOff skills being revamped to what to me looks like a better design?
Qo'noS: Uhh, why? Sure, I'd love a nicer-looking (or at least more accurate) new map, but I'd rather see Qo'noS expanded a bit (Particularly the suburbs area of the city; there could even be something like a mini-adventure zone there) than given a full revamp. Regardless, canon aside (And we all know how much Cryptic cares about canon) I see no reason why it would need to be touched at all honestly.
Voth/Undine PvP warzone, Ker'rat warzone: PvP's been pretty much abandoned; probably a lost cause with insufficient returns, the way PWE sees it... Dumb as hell but I think we just have to accept it at this point.
Terradome: Uh, Cryptic logic? I think that they're applying the same logic they do to interiors to the queues: If people aren't using them, then why do anything with them?
Either way, I don't see why they didn't release a new Terradome with Season 10, but I'm happy with Undine Infiltration for now, and if they did revamp Terradome it would probably be pretty lame anyway.
Tray loadouts: I suspect that either these are in the process of being fixed, or Cryptic has no idea how the hell to fix them.
Balancing Intel powers: Not for another while. I think they're OP on purpose; Cryptic normally nerfs OP powers on the patch after release. Who knows, though.
depending on what the dil costs will actually be this could be a huge improvement over the current system
can't wait to train cross occupation without having to bug my fleet mates
But this doesn't necessarily cost you dilithium. Lets say you want Torp High Yield 3 - if you're a tac captain you can train it yourself without any concerns. But if you aren't - you find a player willing to craft the training manual for you or you go buy it from the exchange. I imagine these will run - depending on actual dilithium cost - from 500k to 2 mil energy credits a piece as they're essentially unlimited items with low entry cost. It also looks like players are getting the 'rare power schools' added to their training lists as they mention 'powers not normally available'. So A sci captain can potentially train TSS 3 and so on.
I don't see this as a 'monetization' of the system, but something actually intended to let players use any of their boffs - and try to keep other players involved in the training system.
well it realy depends on HOW that manuals are implemented
do i will need say viral matrix mk3 only once and then i can use it for 3 officers or i have to buy it 3x ?
and what will be currency ? ec? dil ? how much ?
Yeah, those multi-million credit bridge officers on the exchange with valuable skills like Transfer Shield Strength III are free.
EC generation is free yes there is no cap on the ec you can earn daily is there ? One that you can perhaps bypass by using $.
There where also doff missions which would generate bridge officers that you could use to train. Sure the chances you pull that TSS 3 if that is what you where looking for would be low. However chances are you would pull a doff you could "trade" through the exchange for the one you want. For yes free.
This new system is a cash grab my friend. Revamping systems to make money seems to be all Cryptic can do anymore.
I'm looking forward to the new skills that hit in the next lockbox... Oh Gold Skill books in Lockboxes Genius.
well it realy depends on HOW that manuals are implemented
do i will need say viral matrix mk3 only once and then i can use it for 3 officers or i have to buy it 3x ?
and what will be currency ? ec? dil ? how much ?
If you want to buy the manual - you will be buying it from another player who has crafted the manual. Considering early indications show low investment into crafting the manual and it's essentially an unlimited item - I'd be very, very shocked if you pay more then 500k - 2 mil ec when the system goes live. After everyone gets their rush shopping done, I'd guesttimate 250k per manual.
Also, they'll be 1 use items. Part of the point is keeping you interacting with other players. It'll still probably be way cheaper and easier then hunting 42 pages of 'very rare human science officer' for TSS3 for example.
Please explain to us exactly how the existing BO training system is "chronically broken" using specific examples, screen shots, whatever you've got.
I've been training, trading, buying, selling all my BOFFS for the last two years and have never had an issue other than when I hit some restrictions with Romulan BOFFS and who can and can't help train them. I know there was a couple recent bugs with the BO system, but those were new and introduced with DR, like the double listing and one being grayed out. These were not Chronic though and new bugs that have already been fixed in my understanding.
Romulan training is still jacked up with unusual restrictions as far as I am aware, and there has never been a solution to training Bound boffs in Captain abilities. It's not user-friendly at all. Ever watch some poor new player in Zone chat trying to figure out how to get their Romulans trained? And just to clarify, a "broken" system can still work, it doesn't have to be nonfunctional to be labeled as such, but it can be incredibly frustrating and require dumb workarounds. e.g. certain ship builds may be referred to as "broken" for how IMBA/OP they are even though all the parts are functioning exactly as they're coded. "Broken" does not necessarily = "bug."
Nitpicking is a time-honored tradition of science fiction. Asking your readers not to worry about the "little things" is like asking a dog not to sniff at people's crotches. If there's something that appears to violate natural laws, then you can expect someone's going to point it out. That's just the way things are.
It's just paying for something that is currently free, thanks for that
1) You won't have to constantly retrain your BOFFs. They'll have available abilities they can select from. You won't have to hit up a trainer to change the abilities they have.
2) Hybrid BOFFs will be able to select various Specializations. You won't have to worry about having to collect multiple types of BOFFs for each of them.
3) Are you a Tac looking for Eng/Sci BOFF training (or any mix of that)...rather than having to hunt somebody down or run a second account, you'll be able to buy them off the Exchange from folks that have crafted them. Aren't able to train your BOFFs in the higher ranked Specialization abilities? You can buy them off the Exchange from folks who can and have crafted them.
4) Have BOFFs that can't be traded for training? Don't have to worry about that as you can purchase the books to train them from the Exchange from those that have crafted them.
Nope, doesn't add anything to the game. :rolleyes:
So, we had something that was simple, worked fine, and required no Dil. Now we've got something needlessly complicated, we know will be bugged to hell, that does require Dilithium.
Just stop Cryptic. Seriously. Stop.
I've tried defending the game lately, but I think I'm over it at this point. The game is clearly moving in the wrong direction.
As a "white knight" and "imbecile" for defending Cryptic from the hate they receive in the forums only last night.....
I tend to agree with this comment. They should know only too well how pissed off everyone is right now and yet they add another way to do that. C'mon, seriously? I'm a fleet leader and am amazed at the generosity of my fleet members when it comes to dilithium....yet they now need even more?
In addition, every time they add another way for them to get more money from us they add to the complexity of the game. Must I add up how much time I've spent explaining the convoluted tabs, windows, fleet projects, research, reputation, currencies, ships, etc, etc, etc...all in an attempt to get a few more bucks?
It's getting to the point where I really don't care who is to blame over there....I usually just blame some nebulous bossman while everyone else just does what they are told...but they are beginning to all get blamed, at least by me.
That has nothing to do with your saying there wasn't a problem. Bringing up another perceived issue does not negate the other issue. There are folks complaining about the unknown Dil cost already just fine without saying there wasn't a problem with BOFF training...
Totally agree, Virus. I am a science captain with an untradable talaxian tactical boff. It cannot be trained to do its job other than by the NPC or by getting something that I don't really want from a boff on the exchange.
You only have to do it for yourself once and from what I read it says you have to craft your Tier 3 skills you can now train. It doesn't say I have to craft Tactical Team 1 or buy it from someone else though they did imply I would have to buy it from the NPC. Surely they will be for EC as let's face it, ensign skills are hardly worth 1 dil.
There is a currency for trading training if you wish to go that route. If it costs X dil, a contraband is worth X dil. 2 of them are worth 2X dil. Surely it will not cost more to train a boff per power than you can get from contraband "bits." If it does, then...
We will see. We don't know anything until it goes live. I will reserve doom and gloom until I see 10k dil to craft vs 100 or even 1000.
Potentially could be quite good as you would be able to try out new builds on ships very quickly as you'd just swap around a few selections on a menu.
I mean I like to swap between DHCs and beams on both my Phantom and Vesta builds but this system allows me to have the same set of optimized boffs (all with pirate or superior romulan operative traits) used on both ships, just swapping out their abilities.
Means I no longer need to either A) buy multiple boffs (i.e. multiple embassy SRO's) or waste time and resources retraining every time i fancy a change.
Only thing I'm worried about is what will the potential cost be of earning those abilities before you can just swap between them? Are we talking small amounts of dilithium or are we talking big sink like the crafting upgrades?
But this doesn't necessarily cost you dilithium. Lets say you want Torp High Yield 3 - if you're a tac captain you can train it yourself without any concerns. But if you aren't - you find a player willing to craft the training manual for you or you go buy it from the exchange. I imagine these will run - depending on actual dilithium cost - from 500k to 2 mil energy credits a piece as they're essentially unlimited items with low entry cost. It also looks like players are getting the 'rare power schools' added to their training lists as they mention 'powers not normally available'. So A sci captain can potentially train TSS 3 and so on.
I don't see this as a 'monetization' of the system, but something actually intended to let players use any of their boffs - and try to keep other players involved in the training system.
Yes it does cost you dilithium.
"Class specific (Tactical, Engineering, Science) recipes for manuals are unlocked by spending the necessary Skill Points within the player Skill Tree. This works identically to how the system currently functions, but players now will unlock the crafting recipe instead of the ability to directly train a bridge officer. Once the recipe is unlocked, players may begin crafting those Training Manuals"
+Not having to level up a crafting department in order to give them certain abilities is nice.
+It sounds like it will be easier to get some abilities now. since anyone with the prerequisites can craft them, and they should be easier to search for on the exchange than endlessly scrolling through pages of Bridge officers.
+Finally! A way to get more than one VR-quality Intelligence officer...without buying the DR pack!
-Another Dilithium sink
-Utility of Specialist Officers in space still incredibly dependent on flying one of a handful of ships.
-No way for our Boffs to utilize non-standard Kit abilities like Endothermic Induction Field etc.
-Still no way to swap out/replace traits (I'm looking at you, Embassy Boffs)
Sounds....interesting? Not too happy that Cryptic might be using this revamp as an excuse to squeeze even more dilithium out of players, but it does sound like an improvement overall. Still, changing Traits for me was what I would have liked to see, and the ability to use the wide variety of non-standard kit abilities that are starting to pile up.
EC generation is free yes there is no cap on the ec you can earn daily is there ? One that you can perhaps bypass by using $.
You could make that arguement, but then we would just get into a debate over realistic EC generation a day vs. a flat dilithium cap per day. We could argue till the cows come home over whether or not a small amount of dilithium and energy credits is worth several million energy credits or more, including the time spent mousing over the bridge officers listed on the exchange.
Personally, I believe that the players are getting the better end of the deal.
There where also doff missions which would generate bridge officers that you could use to train. Sure the chances you pull that TSS 3 if that is what you where looking for would be low. However chances are you would pull a doff you could "trade" through the exchange for the one you want. For yes free.
So you acknowledge that there is an extreme disparity between bridge officer abilities that are valuable vs. the ones that are not, and that because of RNG luck in a player's favor, the extremely valuable skills can only be attained by using several million EC (or more), depending on market demand.
If I have the choice between crafting a recipe book for a small amount of dilithium and energy credits vs. paying 14 million EC for a bridge officer on the exchange, I'll take the dilithium and energy credits.
Also, these craftable skills? They can also be sold on the exchange. Meaning lower prices as every player has a fair chance of competing against other players on the exchange for selling bridge officer abilities.
No more price gauging, since everyone will realistically start undercutting one another to see what they can make. Players will no longer be at the mercy of a select lucky few who got a bridge officer with a valuable skill. I think this is a good thing.
This new system is a cash grab my friend. Revamping systems to make money seems to be all Cryptic can do anymore.
I believe in ethical monetization. Depending on how much dilithium is required vs. the 8k-8.5k dilithium a day, I think this is a fair deal Cryptic is offering. With a dilithium cost, you won't see people cranking out Transfer Shield Strength III and Gravity Well III en masse unless they're willing to pony up the dilithium.
A dilithium cost only reigns in deflation, and makes abilities valuable. Without a dilithium cost, someone could literally just flood the market with 40 copies of a skill at a set price.
Multiply that a few hundred times and you'll see skills sold for a cost barely worth the time to craft them.
This is a quality of life upgrade we've been asking for. Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic about what it will bring.
wow, considering that some people are still unable to even play the game since the winter event launched, and the considerable number of bugs still yet to be fixed, this just seems like either a bad idea, in poor taste, or just a quick shiny to distract from the problems which will probably only cause more.
Comments
Odds of the truly new player having looked at what skills they would have needed to be able to train their BOFFs in abilities that their captain could have trained them...makes the new player argument kind of moot. They wouldn't have been able to train them anyway...
Ehhhh, new Warzones? DS9 revamp? While I would like to see these happen, it's not as critical as fixing a chronically broken boff training system. Anything that isn't a bug fix should not take hypothetical priority over this. Fixing a broken Defera or broken tray loadouts? Okay maybe those should have a higher priority than they seem to be getting, but "new content" is something that I would not give priority over longstanding, QoL issues and game-breaking bugs and imbalances.
Joined January 2009
I expect to see a swarm of newbs outside trellius and nimbus that rivals argala.
Then optimist in me hopes that foundry gets a lot more use because of this.
The cynic thinks most newbs won't be able to find any of the three options.
Please explain to us exactly how the existing BO training system is "chronically broken" using specific examples, screen shots, whatever you've got.
I've been training, trading, buying, selling all my BOFFS for the last two years and have never had an issue other than when I hit some restrictions with Romulan BOFFS and who can and can't help train them. I know there was a couple recent bugs with the BO system, but those were new and introduced with DR, like the double listing and one being grayed out. These were not Chronic though and new bugs that have already been fixed in my understanding.
Defera: Old; low priority because Cryptic logic. I couldn't care less seeing as I want nothing to do with Omega Rep or the Borg, but it should probably be fixed either way considering the fact that it's an ENTIRE ADVENTURE ZONE THAT ALREADY EXISTS. I agree fully here.
DS9: Not the coding/systems department's main concern. This might be happening in the art team while systems is busy with new features like this. If it isn't, it'll certainly come around when there's a Gamma Quadrant season/expansion. One way or another, do we honestly need this instead of, say, a core system like BOff skills being revamped to what to me looks like a better design?
Qo'noS: Uhh, why? Sure, I'd love a nicer-looking (or at least more accurate) new map, but I'd rather see Qo'noS expanded a bit (Particularly the suburbs area of the city; there could even be something like a mini-adventure zone there) than given a full revamp. Regardless, canon aside (And we all know how much Cryptic cares about canon) I see no reason why it would need to be touched at all honestly.
Voth/Undine PvP warzone, Ker'rat warzone: PvP's been pretty much abandoned; probably a lost cause with insufficient returns, the way PWE sees it... Dumb as hell but I think we just have to accept it at this point.
Terradome: Uh, Cryptic logic? I think that they're applying the same logic they do to interiors to the queues: If people aren't using them, then why do anything with them?
Either way, I don't see why they didn't release a new Terradome with Season 10, but I'm happy with Undine Infiltration for now, and if they did revamp Terradome it would probably be pretty lame anyway.
Tray loadouts: I suspect that either these are in the process of being fixed, or Cryptic has no idea how the hell to fix them.
Balancing Intel powers: Not for another while. I think they're OP on purpose; Cryptic normally nerfs OP powers on the patch after release. Who knows, though.
But this doesn't necessarily cost you dilithium. Lets say you want Torp High Yield 3 - if you're a tac captain you can train it yourself without any concerns. But if you aren't - you find a player willing to craft the training manual for you or you go buy it from the exchange. I imagine these will run - depending on actual dilithium cost - from 500k to 2 mil energy credits a piece as they're essentially unlimited items with low entry cost. It also looks like players are getting the 'rare power schools' added to their training lists as they mention 'powers not normally available'. So A sci captain can potentially train TSS 3 and so on.
I don't see this as a 'monetization' of the system, but something actually intended to let players use any of their boffs - and try to keep other players involved in the training system.
It's just paying for something that is currently free, thanks for that
Exactly.
Yet a few people are going to claim this is "content". lol
This is nothing but yet another way to sink D which leads to more $ needing to be spent.
Just when you thought Cryptic couldn't wring any more sinks out out of this thing after the upgraded system.
Nothing you can do but shake your head at this point.
do i will need say viral matrix mk3 only once and then i can use it for 3 officers or i have to buy it 3x ?
and what will be currency ? ec? dil ? how much ?
Yeah, those multi-million credit bridge officers on the exchange with valuable skills like Transfer Shield Strength III are free.
Lets see how long that lasts...
EC generation is free yes there is no cap on the ec you can earn daily is there ? One that you can perhaps bypass by using $.
There where also doff missions which would generate bridge officers that you could use to train. Sure the chances you pull that TSS 3 if that is what you where looking for would be low. However chances are you would pull a doff you could "trade" through the exchange for the one you want. For yes free.
This new system is a cash grab my friend. Revamping systems to make money seems to be all Cryptic can do anymore.
I'm looking forward to the new skills that hit in the next lockbox... Oh Gold Skill books in Lockboxes Genius.
This is expert bs it's so hilarious
Having to craft abilities using dil - which you by the way don't have the right career for, is somehow quick
Hilarious
All I need to know is when this launches so I can have everyone done with slotting abilites before then.
Another blatant cash grab that just ruins the freedom to swap your build around
Quick and easy muhahah, bs level reaches critical mass
If you want to buy the manual - you will be buying it from another player who has crafted the manual. Considering early indications show low investment into crafting the manual and it's essentially an unlimited item - I'd be very, very shocked if you pay more then 500k - 2 mil ec when the system goes live. After everyone gets their rush shopping done, I'd guesttimate 250k per manual.
Also, they'll be 1 use items. Part of the point is keeping you interacting with other players. It'll still probably be way cheaper and easier then hunting 42 pages of 'very rare human science officer' for TSS3 for example.
Romulan training is still jacked up with unusual restrictions as far as I am aware, and there has never been a solution to training Bound boffs in Captain abilities. It's not user-friendly at all. Ever watch some poor new player in Zone chat trying to figure out how to get their Romulans trained? And just to clarify, a "broken" system can still work, it doesn't have to be nonfunctional to be labeled as such, but it can be incredibly frustrating and require dumb workarounds. e.g. certain ship builds may be referred to as "broken" for how IMBA/OP they are even though all the parts are functioning exactly as they're coded. "Broken" does not necessarily = "bug."
And thank heavens for that too; I'd be so aggro right now if it was locked behind a months-long time gate / exorbitant dilithium gate.
Joined January 2009
1) You won't have to constantly retrain your BOFFs. They'll have available abilities they can select from. You won't have to hit up a trainer to change the abilities they have.
2) Hybrid BOFFs will be able to select various Specializations. You won't have to worry about having to collect multiple types of BOFFs for each of them.
3) Are you a Tac looking for Eng/Sci BOFF training (or any mix of that)...rather than having to hunt somebody down or run a second account, you'll be able to buy them off the Exchange from folks that have crafted them. Aren't able to train your BOFFs in the higher ranked Specialization abilities? You can buy them off the Exchange from folks who can and have crafted them.
4) Have BOFFs that can't be traded for training? Don't have to worry about that as you can purchase the books to train them from the Exchange from those that have crafted them.
Nope, doesn't add anything to the game. :rolleyes:
As a "white knight" and "imbecile" for defending Cryptic from the hate they receive in the forums only last night.....
I tend to agree with this comment. They should know only too well how pissed off everyone is right now and yet they add another way to do that. C'mon, seriously? I'm a fleet leader and am amazed at the generosity of my fleet members when it comes to dilithium....yet they now need even more?
In addition, every time they add another way for them to get more money from us they add to the complexity of the game. Must I add up how much time I've spent explaining the convoluted tabs, windows, fleet projects, research, reputation, currencies, ships, etc, etc, etc...all in an attempt to get a few more bucks?
It's getting to the point where I really don't care who is to blame over there....I usually just blame some nebulous bossman while everyone else just does what they are told...but they are beginning to all get blamed, at least by me.
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Totally agree, Virus. I am a science captain with an untradable talaxian tactical boff. It cannot be trained to do its job other than by the NPC or by getting something that I don't really want from a boff on the exchange.
You only have to do it for yourself once and from what I read it says you have to craft your Tier 3 skills you can now train. It doesn't say I have to craft Tactical Team 1 or buy it from someone else though they did imply I would have to buy it from the NPC. Surely they will be for EC as let's face it, ensign skills are hardly worth 1 dil.
There is a currency for trading training if you wish to go that route. If it costs X dil, a contraband is worth X dil. 2 of them are worth 2X dil. Surely it will not cost more to train a boff per power than you can get from contraband "bits." If it does, then...
We will see. We don't know anything until it goes live. I will reserve doom and gloom until I see 10k dil to craft vs 100 or even 1000.
This means Cryptic will have to come up with super awesome ways to entice us.
I'm not sure there's any new skill that would convince me, unless they come up with some sort of super god mode.
Free Tibet!
I mean I like to swap between DHCs and beams on both my Phantom and Vesta builds but this system allows me to have the same set of optimized boffs (all with pirate or superior romulan operative traits) used on both ships, just swapping out their abilities.
Means I no longer need to either A) buy multiple boffs (i.e. multiple embassy SRO's) or
Only thing I'm worried about is what will the potential cost be of earning those abilities before you can just swap between them? Are we talking small amounts of dilithium or are we talking big sink like the crafting upgrades?
Yes it does cost you dilithium.
"Class specific (Tactical, Engineering, Science) recipes for manuals are unlocked by spending the necessary Skill Points within the player Skill Tree. This works identically to how the system currently functions, but players now will unlock the crafting recipe instead of the ability to directly train a bridge officer. Once the recipe is unlocked, players may begin crafting those Training Manuals"
So no more free training at all.
Fleet leader Nova Elite
Fleet Leader House of Nova elite
@ren_larreck
+It sounds like it will be easier to get some abilities now. since anyone with the prerequisites can craft them, and they should be easier to search for on the exchange than endlessly scrolling through pages of Bridge officers.
+Finally! A way to get more than one VR-quality Intelligence officer...without buying the DR pack!
-Another Dilithium sink
-Utility of Specialist Officers in space still incredibly dependent on flying one of a handful of ships.
-No way for our Boffs to utilize non-standard Kit abilities like Endothermic Induction Field etc.
-Still no way to swap out/replace traits (I'm looking at you, Embassy Boffs)
Sounds....interesting? Not too happy that Cryptic might be using this revamp as an excuse to squeeze even more dilithium out of players, but it does sound like an improvement overall. Still, changing Traits for me was what I would have liked to see, and the ability to use the wide variety of non-standard kit abilities that are starting to pile up.
You could make that arguement, but then we would just get into a debate over realistic EC generation a day vs. a flat dilithium cap per day. We could argue till the cows come home over whether or not a small amount of dilithium and energy credits is worth several million energy credits or more, including the time spent mousing over the bridge officers listed on the exchange.
Personally, I believe that the players are getting the better end of the deal.
So you acknowledge that there is an extreme disparity between bridge officer abilities that are valuable vs. the ones that are not, and that because of RNG luck in a player's favor, the extremely valuable skills can only be attained by using several million EC (or more), depending on market demand.
If I have the choice between crafting a recipe book for a small amount of dilithium and energy credits vs. paying 14 million EC for a bridge officer on the exchange, I'll take the dilithium and energy credits.
Also, these craftable skills? They can also be sold on the exchange. Meaning lower prices as every player has a fair chance of competing against other players on the exchange for selling bridge officer abilities.
No more price gauging, since everyone will realistically start undercutting one another to see what they can make. Players will no longer be at the mercy of a select lucky few who got a bridge officer with a valuable skill. I think this is a good thing.
I believe in ethical monetization. Depending on how much dilithium is required vs. the 8k-8.5k dilithium a day, I think this is a fair deal Cryptic is offering. With a dilithium cost, you won't see people cranking out Transfer Shield Strength III and Gravity Well III en masse unless they're willing to pony up the dilithium.
A dilithium cost only reigns in deflation, and makes abilities valuable. Without a dilithium cost, someone could literally just flood the market with 40 copies of a skill at a set price.
Multiply that a few hundred times and you'll see skills sold for a cost barely worth the time to craft them.
This is a quality of life upgrade we've been asking for. Personally, I'm cautiously optimistic about what it will bring.
It's all three actually.
We need to organize a log off day or something.
they should understand that they are a lot of players who hate to craft stuff.