Player was always weak -> game demand & difficulty rise -> weakness becomes obvious -> player complains about change in difficulty -> is likely a troll.
Non-sequitur. The notion this could possibly be a troll thread first surfaced when I saw he had 0/9 in Targeting Systems.
Otherwise, yes; the game basically masked a lot of fail-builds, because things had gotten too easy.
Players who can’t do that as fast and you should still be treated with respect and still have the right to point out that this game got a lot harder.
Unless they start in with the "I can never think of enough ways to say how much I hate Cryptic." stuff. Then one, for the most part, forfeits their right to be taken seriously.
In the meantime, I think the OP would have gotten entirely different responses, if he had just said something like:
"Hmm, game seems to have gotten a lot tougher. I wonder if someone could help me with my buiild?!"
But go ahead, make it all about me, that's so much easier.
I think the OP's approach was wrong personally, rather than rant about how hard everything is and how much he hates Cryptic because he can't kill a sphere, he could have realised having seen that others do indeed have no such problems (and there's enough evidence around to show that is the case) and simply asked "what am I doing wrong guys?"
Often the way a question is broached in life will determine the response you receive. Anyway I and others have tried to help, it's up to him to see if he wants to embrace that help and learn from it or continue to rant. Personally I think he will try to improve, he's take the first step by coming here although he could have done it with a little more humility.
In the meantime, I think the OP would have gotten entirely different responses, if he had just said something like:
"Hmm, game seems to have gotten a lot tougher. I wonder if someone could help me with my buiild?!"
You are right on that one.
I just feel that 20 failed attempts on missions one was used to run without any problem could trigger such a response easily.
What just disturbs me on the whole topic is the effort X thingy you know.
Before DR
Effort X was enough to be rewarded with game experience X.
After DR
Effort Y is now necessary to be rewarded with game experience X.
And Y can mean a lot. Some cool option virus has pointed out. Others just throw money blindly to the game to squeeze out more DPS. A lot works there.
But one thing is for sure. The game may have been ridiculously easy before DR. Now its ridiculously hard AND easy at the same time depending on how many peeps in your team were willing to invest Y.
Cryptic changed the rules and they had their intentions. If peeps are upset with that who am I to judge.
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I have not been in a single pug, not one. that could complete a Borg Advanced.
Maybe I'm unlucky. but if Pugs can't do it. it's broken.
The last time I ran ISA I was in a PUG, and four of us did over 20k DPS with the last doing ~5k. We had a hairy moment where the first transformer almost didn't blow before the nanites got there, but everything was smooth past that.
Pro-Tip for not dying: get yourself a cheap* purple Hazard Systems Officer (~275k EC) that extends BFI to include *All Dmg* resists! (akin to what purple doff does for A2D)
Eh, if you have spare DOff slots, I'd rather slot Shield Distribution Officer DOffs.
That turns Brace For Impact into a shield heal while you're being shot, so if your shields go down BFI protects you against any projectiles that slip through while bringing your shields back up.
Often the way a question is broached in life will determine the response you receive. Anyway I and others have tried to help, it's up to him to see if he wants to embrace that help and learn from it or continue to rant. Personally I think he will try to improve, he's take the first step by coming here although he could have done it with a little more humility.
I know and I agree.
Personally I hope he will do both, improove and continue to rant.
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Be nice guys, OP could just be very new. I mean, he's still got a Mk VI console.
Didn't notice that. If so, yes, new players deserve a break.
Eh, if you have spare DOff slots, I'd rather slot Shield Distribution Officer DOffs.
That turns Brace For Impact into a shield heal while you're being shot, so if your shields go down BFI protects you against any projectiles that slip through while bringing your shields back up.
He'd need 2 of those 50% chance doffs, of course; but sure, that's another way to go. Personally, as an Engineer, it's easier for me to restore my shields (double-tap MW, for one), so I prefer the All Dmg resists trick (also excellent for that blast in cca).
There are other ways to protect oneself. The OP could consider slotting Nukara Defensive Trait (instead of Pen); or run with Ablative Field Projector, or some such. I think I also saw 3 Neutroniums on his ship; yeah, that's not a good idea, though (for one, they have diminishing returns). Maybe 1, tops; and then add things like Tachyo, Assimilated Console, Zero-Point, Bio-Neural Infusion circuits, etc.
While semi-useful, Sci ships aren't the difference between ISA completion and fail.
DPS still is...
Recently was in an ISA run with myself and another character in Sci ships. Comrade dropped GW of some sort on the spheres as soon as someone popped a generator, so I hung around the gateway side of the transformer blasting things and keeping an eye on my comrade. When his CC ran out, I twirled around and grav well IIIed the nanite train, giving us about the longest window we could to blast the transformer...
And still failed. *pop hiss* I find your team's lack of DPS, disturbing... *pop hiss*
What sucks for me is that the nanite train's escorts have enough firepower to pop my not-quite-hyper-tanky Vesta/Pathfinder if I stay in range of them after aggroing them, and with the hyper-HP-pools, attempting to dream of diverting a tank to save my keister while the rest of the squad is attempting to blast the transformer is fail. If the squad has enough DPS to afford the departure of the tank to cover me, then the odds are that the squad has enough DPS to not necessarily need me to GW III the train in the first place if the tank hangs out and helps blast the transformer instead of diverting to help me, anyway.
If the DPS is "borderline" to need me to GW the train for the "window extension", then my sacrifice is necessary. Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I see the handy tank/healer toss some coverage my way as I attempt to bail from the train and keep my DPS & sensor analysis on target... At least in a PuG, possibly the channel teams might realize that hitting me with a heal = better options, but then again, I've noticed that most "good" players usually avoid the gateway side of the transformer while blasting it...
Given that I've been in a SUCCESSFUL ISA where the only CC was me(using a sci in an Aelahl) with one TBR and projected singularity.... I have to wonder just how low the DPS in your group was.
Sure I got exploded each time I did CC duty, but I succeeded in my goal, while you describe having TWO players do CC and fail.
Didn't notice that. If so, yes, new players deserve a break.
He'd need 2 of those 50% chance doffs, of course; but sure, that's another way to go. Personally, as an Engineer, it's easier for me to restore my shields (double-tap MW, for one), so I prefer the All Dmg resists trick (also excellent for that blast in cca).
There are other ways to protect oneself. The OP could consider slotting Nukara Defensive Trait (instead of Pen); or run with Ablative Field Projector, or some such. I think I also saw 3 Neutroniums on his ship; yeah, that's not a good idea, though (for one, they have diminishing returns). Maybe 1, tops; and then add things like Tachyo, Assimilated Console, Zero-Point, Bio-Neural Infusion circuits, etc.
Wait ! There's a better doff for Brace for Impact, (especially if we are seeking hull resistance)
Recieve +20 All Resistance for 20secs after using Brace for Impact.
It works on every use of BFI. 100% of the time. (Not sure if it stacks, but 1 doff is enough)
I use one on my PvP Vesta/fbp'er build.
Or if I want to be more durable in PvE. Its a great passive to have, can potentially free up one of your Boff heals, for a more offensive skill.
Edit: And no one here is making fun of OP, The poor guy just needs a respec, and better weapon synergy.
Just based on this I can tell you why you can't kill anything. Your tactical console slots are awful.:
1) Never put a universal console in a tac. console slot.
2) Your torpedo damage is going to be a fraction of your total damage, so don't bother with a torpedo tac. console.
3) You may think that since those low Mk consoles are epic quality that they're better than higher Mk ones is only true up until a point. Mk increase = rarity increase.
You're basically running with the equivalent of a common Mk XII phaser console, a common Mk X phaser console, a torp console that barely boosts your dps, a console that DOESN'T boost your dps, and a good tac console.
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
Wait ! There's a better doff for Brace for Impact, (especially if we are seeking hull resistance)
Recieve +20 All Resistance for 20secs after using Brace for Impact.
It works on every use of BFI. 100% of the time. (Not sure if it stacks, but 1 doff is enough)
I use one on my PvP Vesta/fbp'er build.
Or if I want to be more durable in PvE. Its a great passive to have, can potentially free up one of your Boff heals, for a more offensive skill.
Huh?! The doff I was talking about right here, you mean?
Something else i noticed, where is your nadeon bomb. Running a Tempest without a Nadeon Saturation Bomb?
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
Huh?! The doff I was talking about right here, you mean?
And no, it doesn't stack, btw.
Ah yes I missed that earlier.
I just realized what BFI was lol
That's why when I read it the first time I didn't realize we were talking about the same one.
Its a very good doff.
And way under priced.
While I'll certainly take any helpful advice I can get, I must admit you are are dead wrong on the first part of what you said. My engines etc keep even my lowest at about 55 and being an escort I typically go full weapons with large bonuses to the "neglected" levels. Aside from that... never having played with I think it's slightly unfair for you note any perception of my skill. SKILL does not change that drastically overnight. You can't be skilled for 100 mission then inept for 20. Doesn't work that way without some outside influence.
You can assert incompetence but just suggesting a "better" build makes you sound about as incompetent as they come. When you have someone asking for suggestions regardless of my thoughts about Cryptic, unless you work for them get off their **** and either offer a REAL suggestion or troll somewhere else.
IF you have any real suggestions vs insults, feel free to offer them. Aside from that you can really keep your insults, they only show your own insecurities.
OH... as a PS... when I try my science ships I have, like the escort, actually tried both approaches.... neither works. Funny thing to me is I clock in at 3rd on the Advanced CE every time.
Dude,
These forums are chock full of deck less ars holes. I have given up trying to speak to any of them as they all seem to have their heads up their collective arses.
My best advice to you is to post your build on the http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/search.php site. After that, show it to your fleet mates and let them help you. If you don't belong to a fleet, join one. I would recommend Section 31 in its Starfleet or Klingon Intelligence arms as needed or desired.
You can even do a private match with fleeties or friends you have online to test your builds out.
And you can google your issues too. Chances are, someone else is going through or has been through what you're experiencing now and can help you too.
Clearly they have jacked up the difficulty several times over. I can't even solo a sphere in my monster fleet patrol escort refit. Trip XIV Dual Heavy's up front, Elite regen turrets in back... The people are playing the parts right... it's just they literally overwhelm you.
I have been able to succeed once in about my last 20 tries... last few making sure to hook with quality players. This is getting crazy. I need one Damn Borg Neural Processor and of course will eventually need others and they have nearly destroyed the possibility of getting them.
I can never think of enough ways to say how much I hate Cryptic.
Yes, they have gotten stupidly hard. They should be turned down by 25%.
Also, no. And RyanSTO is not just "one of the better players" in this game: he's curently the best, and usually working his magic in a Fleet Patrol Escort variant. Which obviously means there's nothing wrong with the OP's ship, and it really is just the OP; and I'm sorry if that reality upsets you.
You've taken my sharp comment as a sign that I was upset .
I wasn't .
I just marveled at the straight faced comparison between one of the better players and one who struggles due to lack of understanding and equipment .
Are you by any chance expecting the OP to rise to Ryan's abilities -- possibly by reading this thread ?
Because only that would explain your matter-of-fact statement that included putting those two players in the same category .
I gave him a few tips too (on the BFI doff, and how to better spec his skill tree). Which is actually more than your contribution to this thread.
Point taken .
I have noted a few things get posted that I might have said, but to be honest since DR I have been hesitant to offer build suggestions .
Too many things have been introduced and changed and I don't want to offer out of date advice .
... I still loves my BO in this era of FAW for example ...
Yes, they have gotten stupidly hard. They should be turned down by 25%.
Why? That's what comes to mind when I see that kind of statement. Cause I'm sitting here thinking that Normal, Advanced, and Elite need their difficulty increased...not decreased.
Mission Normal -> Mission Advanced -> Mission Elite -> Queue Normal -> Queue Advanced -> Queue Elite
A simple 'n clean progression of difficulty...
Advanced shouldn't be easier than Mission Normal, imho. So again, imho, Normal/Advanced/Elite all need an increase.
Why? That's what comes to mind when I see that kind of statement. Cause I'm sitting here thinking that Normal, Advanced, and Elite need their difficulty increased...not decreased.
Mission Normal -> Mission Advanced -> Mission Elite -> Queue Normal -> Queue Advanced -> Queue Elite
A simple 'n clean progression of difficulty...
Advanced shouldn't be easier than Mission Normal, imho. So again, imho, Normal/Advanced/Elite all need an increase.
I can see both sids of the arguement... what needs to happen imo is advanced needs to cut out the stupid arbritray timed optionals as mandatory that are optionals in normal... else make the optionals mandatory in both normal and advanced...
Normal needs to prepare people better for Advanced just as Advanced needs to prepare people better for elite... and elite needs a huge boost to difficulty.
If normal prepared people better for advanced you could then raise advanced difficulty. As it stands now you can steamrol normal with mediocre gear the get steamrolled in advanced because you have no idea what is going on.
Normal needs to prepare people better for Advanced just as Advanced needs to prepare people better for elite... and elite needs a huge boost to difficulty.
If normal prepared people better for advanced you could then raise advanced difficulty. As it stands now you can steamrol normal with mediocre gear the get steamrolled in advanced because you have no idea what is going on.
Agreed on that.
Part of the problem is just the abyss between the same opponents in the different difficulties I could imagine. That causes a lot of confusion. A borg sphere in ISN is simply nothing compared to a sphere in VCE. Its a bit sad that those values arent just fix while the game would simply exchange opponents with the increase in difficulty or make them more in number. (spheres in advanced where there have been probes in normal; or a unimatrix ship in elite where you have faced a tac cube in advanced) That way peeps would get a less confusing idea what they are up against while they progress.
I dont know about you but I had to give those 40 Birds of Prey I shot down in orbit of Starbase 24 yesterday less attention as I would give 4 of them in CSA.
Even the same opponents in the same difficulty just not seem to be the same or why does the tac cube in the beginning KASA always comes down faster than the one at the end of ISA?
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The new buffed Tachyon Beam has to be one of the more shameless and dishonest move i ever saw made by a gaming company.All for the sake of selling a product in the fastest way possible.
I can see both sids of the arguement... what needs to happen imo is advanced needs to cut out the stupid arbritray timed optionals as mandatory that are optionals in normal... else make the optionals mandatory in both normal and advanced...
Normal needs to prepare people better for Advanced just as Advanced needs to prepare people better for elite... and elite needs a huge boost to difficulty.
If normal prepared people better for advanced you could then raise advanced difficulty. As it stands now you can steamrol normal with mediocre gear the get steamrolled in advanced because you have no idea what is going on.
But that's along the lines of where I think even Normal needs an increase...along the lines of the progression I mentioned earlier. The gap between Normal and Advanced, imho, isn't from Advanced being too hard but from Normal being too easy.
The ease with which one can hit up an Advanced and blow through it with a public pug, doesn't really point to it being Advanced. Much like pre-DR, Elite didn't mean diddly squat.
I know I posted this elsewhere, hrmmm...let me do a quick search to see if I have any luck or if I have to retype it from memory. Okay, yeah, retyping it...
Basically that Optional in the Normal becomes a Mandatory in the Advanced while another Optional is added to the Advanced. That Optional in the Advanced becomes a second Mandatory in the Elite while another Optional is added.
That's kind of a simplistic view, hrmmm. I'm pretty sure I went with something more along the lines of...
Basically the same as what I had there before, but with an extra pair of Optional tasks that could be completed. Yeah, it kind of gets into the Tac, Eng, Sci thing...something that depending on the group they could go after different things. Something that might require some coordination between folks to get stuff done, even in a public pug - because it is still a team queue.
But folks that have run Normal would be familiar with the Optional condition that is now Mandatory in Advanced. Folks that run Advanced would be familiar with the Mandatory and the Optional that will become Mandatory in Elite. Hell, I'd make the second Mandatory in the Elite one of the Optional conditions in Normal...so all along the way folks are familiar with it.
So to break out some color coding, it would look like this....
Where those additional Optional conditions would also provide some additional play/growth within each tier.
Doing Normal and not quite ready for Advanced...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
Doing Advanced and not quite ready for Elite...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
Doing Elite and breezing through the Mandatory conditions...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
Given that I've been in a SUCCESSFUL ISA where the only CC was me(using a sci in an Aelahl) with one TBR and projected singularity.... I have to wonder just how low the DPS in your group was.
Sure I got exploded each time I did CC duty, but I succeeded in my goal, while you describe having TWO players do CC and fail.
Exactly my point.
When I warp in and see 2x or 3x Scims then watch that opening patrol pop in less time than my opening GW exists?
Mission will be easy-peasy, make sure I'm full impulsing everywhere to get my shots in and avoid being AFKed due to severe DPS-spread. Drop GWs on Nanite trains after the transformer goes poof but before the EPtEs spread them to the corners of the map, DPSers appreciate ease of target acquisition...
When I have a "medium" DPS team (1x Scim, maybe 2x "assorted cruisers", opening squad pops before the cooldown on my GW's over) - be hovering gateway side so that as soon as that first transformer pops I'm tossing GW on the train to extend that window long enough for the transformer to pop. This "level" of CC has "historically" been more than enough to save many a semi-performing group.
This was a "low" DPS team. I was thinking my "average" 7k Pathfinder was among the higher DPS of the mission. Underscored by the fact that we had 2x Science ships (mine and one other) in the squad. I could have dropped 2x GW IIIs on the opening squad (hindsight) and still been refreshed enough to have it for train duty. Perhaps I contributed to the overall stupidity and fail by saving that GW III for the train instead of tossing it on the transformer and letting the chips fall where they may, since a lot of my DPS is exotic based (L15 Sci trait). Lack of coordination may have had my GW III just barely too late and let a nanite get close enough despite the pull.
Part and parcel of my post is that while Sci is a bit better in space compared to the days of "just roll a tac and play escorts online with the rest of us" - a coordinated team could CC their way through ISA - Sci's not on a level with DPS to singlehandedly determine the fail/success of a semi-competent group.
Detecting big-time "anti-old-school" bias here. NX? Lobi. TOS/TMP Connie? Super-promotion-box. (aka the two hardest ways to get ships) Excelsior & all 3 TNG "big hero" ships? C-Store. Please Equalize...
To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
I can see both sids of the arguement... what needs to happen imo is advanced needs to cut out the stupid arbritray timed optionals as mandatory that are optionals in normal... else make the optionals mandatory in both normal and advanced...
In khit, cure and infected advanced the timer's are all optionals and don't cause a failure when missed.
In khit, cure and infected advanced the timer's are all optionals and don't cause a failure when missed.
A friend of mine and I had to two man kasa yesterday where the 3 pugs seemed to be a total fail. I really think the timer for the gates to be destroyed in a certain timeframe has been removed as fail there as well and turned into optional.
On ground they still seem to be around.
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I wonder how many more times they can buff these queues before the apologists finally reach the "Ok, yeah. This actually is starting to get ridiculous." threshold. If it's the point in which their perfectly coordinated fleet buddy premade over a vent server with years of synergy can no longer complete them, then pugs are just about screwed as far as support in this argument is concerned. They're left without any content to run.
Comments
Non-sequitur. The notion this could possibly be a troll thread first surfaced when I saw he had 0/9 in Targeting Systems.
Otherwise, yes; the game basically masked a lot of fail-builds, because things had gotten too easy.
Unless they start in with the "I can never think of enough ways to say how much I hate Cryptic." stuff. Then one, for the most part, forfeits their right to be taken seriously.
In the meantime, I think the OP would have gotten entirely different responses, if he had just said something like:
"Hmm, game seems to have gotten a lot tougher. I wonder if someone could help me with my buiild?!"
But go ahead, make it all about me, that's so much easier.
We seem to be in agreement a lot of late.
You are right on that one.
I just feel that 20 failed attempts on missions one was used to run without any problem could trigger such a response easily.
What just disturbs me on the whole topic is the effort X thingy you know.
Before DR
Effort X was enough to be rewarded with game experience X.
After DR
Effort Y is now necessary to be rewarded with game experience X.
And Y can mean a lot. Some cool option virus has pointed out. Others just throw money blindly to the game to squeeze out more DPS. A lot works there.
But one thing is for sure. The game may have been ridiculously easy before DR. Now its ridiculously hard AND easy at the same time depending on how many peeps in your team were willing to invest Y.
Cryptic changed the rules and they had their intentions. If peeps are upset with that who am I to judge.
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The last time I ran ISA I was in a PUG, and four of us did over 20k DPS with the last doing ~5k. We had a hairy moment where the first transformer almost didn't blow before the nanites got there, but everything was smooth past that.
I don't do STFs with my Fleet unless they ask for it, I usually go on PESTF or the DPS channels.
Eh, if you have spare DOff slots, I'd rather slot Shield Distribution Officer DOffs.
That turns Brace For Impact into a shield heal while you're being shot, so if your shields go down BFI protects you against any projectiles that slip through while bringing your shields back up.
I know and I agree.
Personally I hope he will do both, improove and continue to rant.
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Didn't notice that. If so, yes, new players deserve a break.
He'd need 2 of those 50% chance doffs, of course; but sure, that's another way to go. Personally, as an Engineer, it's easier for me to restore my shields (double-tap MW, for one), so I prefer the All Dmg resists trick (also excellent for that blast in cca).
There are other ways to protect oneself. The OP could consider slotting Nukara Defensive Trait (instead of Pen); or run with Ablative Field Projector, or some such. I think I also saw 3 Neutroniums on his ship; yeah, that's not a good idea, though (for one, they have diminishing returns). Maybe 1, tops; and then add things like Tachyo, Assimilated Console, Zero-Point, Bio-Neural Infusion circuits, etc.
Sure I got exploded each time I did CC duty, but I succeeded in my goal, while you describe having TWO players do CC and fail.
My character Tsin'xing
Wait ! There's a better doff for Brace for Impact, (especially if we are seeking hull resistance)
Recieve +20 All Resistance for 20secs after using Brace for Impact.
It works on every use of BFI. 100% of the time. (Not sure if it stacks, but 1 doff is enough)
I use one on my PvP Vesta/fbp'er build.
Or if I want to be more durable in PvE. Its a great passive to have, can potentially free up one of your Boff heals, for a more offensive skill.
Edit: And no one here is making fun of OP, The poor guy just needs a respec, and better weapon synergy.
Just based on this I can tell you why you can't kill anything. Your tactical console slots are awful.:
1) Never put a universal console in a tac. console slot.
2) Your torpedo damage is going to be a fraction of your total damage, so don't bother with a torpedo tac. console.
3) You may think that since those low Mk consoles are epic quality that they're better than higher Mk ones is only true up until a point. Mk increase = rarity increase.
You're basically running with the equivalent of a common Mk XII phaser console, a common Mk X phaser console, a torp console that barely boosts your dps, a console that DOESN'T boost your dps, and a good tac console.
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
Huh?! The doff I was talking about right here, you mean?
And no, it doesn't stack, btw.
Something else i noticed, where is your nadeon bomb. Running a Tempest without a Nadeon Saturation Bomb?
Ah yes I missed that earlier.
I just realized what BFI was lol
That's why when I read it the first time I didn't realize we were talking about the same one.
Its a very good doff.
And way under priced.
Dude,
These forums are chock full of deck less ars holes. I have given up trying to speak to any of them as they all seem to have their heads up their collective arses.
My best advice to you is to post your build on the http://www.stoacademy.com/tools/skillplanner/search.php site. After that, show it to your fleet mates and let them help you. If you don't belong to a fleet, join one. I would recommend Section 31 in its Starfleet or Klingon Intelligence arms as needed or desired.
You can even do a private match with fleeties or friends you have online to test your builds out.
And you can google your issues too. Chances are, someone else is going through or has been through what you're experiencing now and can help you too.
Yes, they have gotten stupidly hard. They should be turned down by 25%.
No, player(s) have gotten stupid. They should turn themselves up by 25%!
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
Not far from the truth this, unfortunately.
Well, not quite the way I'd have put it, but I can appreciate the sentiment.
You've taken my sharp comment as a sign that I was upset .
I wasn't .
I just marveled at the straight faced comparison between one of the better players and one who struggles due to lack of understanding and equipment .
Are you by any chance expecting the OP to rise to Ryan's abilities -- possibly by reading this thread ?
Because only that would explain your matter-of-fact statement that included putting those two players in the same category .
Point taken .
I have noted a few things get posted that I might have said, but to be honest since DR I have been hesitant to offer build suggestions .
Too many things have been introduced and changed and I don't want to offer out of date advice .
... I still loves my BO in this era of FAW for example ...
Hazard systems doff's do stack, max 3. Couple of them and a few shield distro doff's on an escort turn BFI into the perfect "Woopsie!" button.
Why? That's what comes to mind when I see that kind of statement. Cause I'm sitting here thinking that Normal, Advanced, and Elite need their difficulty increased...not decreased.
Mission Normal -> Mission Advanced -> Mission Elite -> Queue Normal -> Queue Advanced -> Queue Elite
A simple 'n clean progression of difficulty...
Advanced shouldn't be easier than Mission Normal, imho. So again, imho, Normal/Advanced/Elite all need an increase.
I can see both sids of the arguement... what needs to happen imo is advanced needs to cut out the stupid arbritray timed optionals as mandatory that are optionals in normal... else make the optionals mandatory in both normal and advanced...
Normal needs to prepare people better for Advanced just as Advanced needs to prepare people better for elite... and elite needs a huge boost to difficulty.
If normal prepared people better for advanced you could then raise advanced difficulty. As it stands now you can steamrol normal with mediocre gear the get steamrolled in advanced because you have no idea what is going on.
Agreed on that.
Part of the problem is just the abyss between the same opponents in the different difficulties I could imagine. That causes a lot of confusion. A borg sphere in ISN is simply nothing compared to a sphere in VCE. Its a bit sad that those values arent just fix while the game would simply exchange opponents with the increase in difficulty or make them more in number. (spheres in advanced where there have been probes in normal; or a unimatrix ship in elite where you have faced a tac cube in advanced) That way peeps would get a less confusing idea what they are up against while they progress.
I dont know about you but I had to give those 40 Birds of Prey I shot down in orbit of Starbase 24 yesterday less attention as I would give 4 of them in CSA.
Even the same opponents in the same difficulty just not seem to be the same or why does the tac cube in the beginning KASA always comes down faster than the one at the end of ISA?
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"Cryptic new business motto since this year began."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obfICGrRBJ4
But that's along the lines of where I think even Normal needs an increase...along the lines of the progression I mentioned earlier. The gap between Normal and Advanced, imho, isn't from Advanced being too hard but from Normal being too easy.
The ease with which one can hit up an Advanced and blow through it with a public pug, doesn't really point to it being Advanced. Much like pre-DR, Elite didn't mean diddly squat.
I know I posted this elsewhere, hrmmm...let me do a quick search to see if I have any luck or if I have to retype it from memory. Okay, yeah, retyping it...
Normal w/ Optional
Advanced w/ Fail & w/ Optional
Elite w/ Fail, w/ Fail, & w/ Optional
Basically that Optional in the Normal becomes a Mandatory in the Advanced while another Optional is added to the Advanced. That Optional in the Advanced becomes a second Mandatory in the Elite while another Optional is added.
That's kind of a simplistic view, hrmmm. I'm pretty sure I went with something more along the lines of...
Normal w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Advanced w/ Fail, w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Elite w/ Fail, w/ Fail, w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Basically the same as what I had there before, but with an extra pair of Optional tasks that could be completed. Yeah, it kind of gets into the Tac, Eng, Sci thing...something that depending on the group they could go after different things. Something that might require some coordination between folks to get stuff done, even in a public pug - because it is still a team queue.
But folks that have run Normal would be familiar with the Optional condition that is now Mandatory in Advanced. Folks that run Advanced would be familiar with the Mandatory and the Optional that will become Mandatory in Elite. Hell, I'd make the second Mandatory in the Elite one of the Optional conditions in Normal...so all along the way folks are familiar with it.
So to break out some color coding, it would look like this....
Normal w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Advanced w/ Fail, w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Elite w/ Fail, w/ Fail, w/ Optional, w/ Optional, w/ Optional
Where those additional Optional conditions would also provide some additional play/growth within each tier.
Doing Normal and not quite ready for Advanced...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
Doing Advanced and not quite ready for Elite...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
Doing Elite and breezing through the Mandatory conditions...how many Optional conditions can you get, yeah?
That sort of thing...
Exactly my point.
When I warp in and see 2x or 3x Scims then watch that opening patrol pop in less time than my opening GW exists?
Mission will be easy-peasy, make sure I'm full impulsing everywhere to get my shots in and avoid being AFKed due to severe DPS-spread. Drop GWs on Nanite trains after the transformer goes poof but before the EPtEs spread them to the corners of the map, DPSers appreciate ease of target acquisition...
When I have a "medium" DPS team (1x Scim, maybe 2x "assorted cruisers", opening squad pops before the cooldown on my GW's over) - be hovering gateway side so that as soon as that first transformer pops I'm tossing GW on the train to extend that window long enough for the transformer to pop. This "level" of CC has "historically" been more than enough to save many a semi-performing group.
This was a "low" DPS team. I was thinking my "average" 7k Pathfinder was among the higher DPS of the mission. Underscored by the fact that we had 2x Science ships (mine and one other) in the squad. I could have dropped 2x GW IIIs on the opening squad (hindsight) and still been refreshed enough to have it for train duty. Perhaps I contributed to the overall stupidity and fail by saving that GW III for the train instead of tossing it on the transformer and letting the chips fall where they may, since a lot of my DPS is exotic based (L15 Sci trait). Lack of coordination may have had my GW III just barely too late and let a nanite get close enough despite the pull.
Part and parcel of my post is that while Sci is a bit better in space compared to the days of "just roll a tac and play escorts online with the rest of us" - a coordinated team could CC their way through ISA - Sci's not on a level with DPS to singlehandedly determine the fail/success of a semi-competent group.
To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
In khit, cure and infected advanced the timer's are all optionals and don't cause a failure when missed.
A friend of mine and I had to two man kasa yesterday where the 3 pugs seemed to be a total fail. I really think the timer for the gates to be destroyed in a certain timeframe has been removed as fail there as well and turned into optional.
On ground they still seem to be around.
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