A thought occured to me a few days ago: The specialization point system is essentially set up so that the three basic careers can be turned into primary specializations pretty easily. I find it plausible that this is exactly what they plan to do.
- 30 levels for a primary specialization, 15 for a secondary. Learn one primary and 2 secondaries (one space, one ground, to be switched as needed), and you are level 60. After that, learning more is not really that much of an increase in power, so it would make sense to have the level cap at 60. So after such a change, level 60 would actually say something about the character's power level again, unlike today.
- There are kits for primary specializations much like the kits for the three career types. Kits were not included in the upgrade system, as if that was postponed somehow.
- The devs have said in the recent past that they want to change the skill system.
- Delta Recruiting is intended to have us make new characters. If the specialization system was available from level 1 and the three base careers were turned into primary specializations, that would basically open up two new career types for those new characters.
What do you think? Is it as plausible to you as it seems to me?
Or have Ieven missed some kind of anouncement in the various community podcasts that openly sais this?
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But I suspect that Engineering, Science and Tactical will remain different from the rest. That means you will likely not play an Intelligence or Command Officer, but keep playing a Science Officer specialized in Intelligence.
I wouldn't mind if they created a secondary specialization that represents the 3 branches, so you could have a Tactical|Intelligence|Science character or something like that.
If they do decide to revamp the old system God help them. If they mess up even a little it could be enough to ruin thousands of character builds. They'd be setting themselves up for a miserable time.
I suppose they can change what they like at the end of the day but I cant see them making this change anytime soon after only just introducing specializations in the first place and setting it to start at lv50.
as far as I recall the specialization system was specifically designed to give us goals after reaching lv50 and be on-going way beyond lv60, as your idea would basically start specializations from lv0 and be just about complete by lv60 this would negate this primary goal that specialization was designed for in the first place.
its more possible they may bring in something similar to your suggestion to enhance your character career choice but it would most likely be just added to the existing specialization tree as it stands rather then reseting the specialization starting point.
this would then fit in better for all the lv60 captains out there and would not require as many modifications to the specialization system as it stands.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
All the spec trees so far have been a means to supplement your existing build, but there is nothing for a dedicated class build yet.
Although I can see things like medic or hanger/carrier spec trees making sense i'd love to see what a dedicated tac, sci and eng tree could bring to the show.
I can see a specialisation style revamp of Tac, Sci and Eng into something with a similar format to Specialisations, however, there'd be hell to pay if Cryptic try and pull something like this off...
I can already see the absolute meltdowns that would occur if Cryptic suddenly took away 50 levels worth of Class skils, another 30 points worth of each Primary Spec and 15 points of each Secondary Spec, and roll them into what you propose here...
I'm usually fairly easy going about changes, but this I'd be vehemently against, and I don't even have full Spec trees yet myself...
This to me, to put it quite bluntly, is an absolutely terrible idea... Cryptic can revamp Classes to function more like Specialisations, but if they were take anything away from existing builds, like you've proposed by essentially removing access to Intel and Command for characters that were originally Tac, Sci or Eng - or forcing them to switch from their original Class into Intel or Command - it very well could be the proverbial nail for many veteran players...
So no, they're definitely not going to do it.
(not that i supported the idea to begin with.. star trek captains have always been command primary/secondary tactical/pilot as per naval tradition)
Ummm... No... Making leveling easier is one thing... 'End game' is perfectly fair as is - XP gain at max level just needs to be addressed further...
What this suggestion proposes is the total nullification of the considerable efforts of anyone who has endeavoured to work through the Spec trees...
I've not capped them all as of yet, however, I've spent 16 points in Intel (enough to get the trait and 5% power CD reduction) and have nearly fully fleshed out both the Commando and Pilot trees... By doing so I've accumulated somewhere between 40 and 45 Specialisation Points...
I've not been busting my TRIBBLE by any means, I've been taking my time as I refuse to grind and I know the points will come in due time, however, this proposal will strip me of 30+ Spec Points - there are players who have capped their entire Spec Trees which would mean they would be stripped of 80 Spec Points...
This proposal is only 'fair' to those players who have not bothered to even try and work through the Spec Trees - it has nothing to do with being 'fair' in 'end game', it's only 'fair' to the lazy...
Well, my prognosis if Cryptic were to make these changes would be alot of veteran players quitting, as all their effort to gain Spec Points above level 60 would be suddenly null and void - unless there was some considerable recompense made for their efforts, which if I find highly unlikely...
I can see a Class revamp inline with the structure of Specialisations, however, it's too late to close the gate on advancing Specialisations above level 60 (without commiting some serious damage to the playerbase), that horse has well and truely bolted...
No more revamps - cryptic should just focus on new STF's/zones/missions.
Cut some or all of the voice acting and the cost is doable.
My character Tsin'xing
The argument that by, what you're suggesting, restricting a character to a single specialisation will promote the purchase of more ships, is just total bull****... Absolute... Total... Bull****...
Why? Because my Tac can use an standard config Escort, he can use a standard Cruiser, he can use a standard Science ship, he can use an Intel ship, he can use a Command ship, he can use an Intel/Command hybrid, he can use an<insert next specialisation here> ship... In fact, he can use every Federation ship in game, and any that is introduced in the future, if I wanted to...
The characters' class and specialisation has absolute no bearing what so ever on which ship they can use and thus it will not promote ship sales by any more degree than a new ship release does now...
In fact, the only real instance where a specific Class should use a specific type of ship are Science characters, and only so they have access to more Science abilities in order to reduce the CD on Photonic Fleet more quickly - I have used Escorts and Support Cruisers, with a Lt Cmdr+Lt Sci stations on my Sci to 'mix things up' perfectly well, all the same...
You are advocating stripping players, who have worked their way significantly through the current Specialisation trees, of those Specialisation points... Once again, this is a terrible idea...
Kits btw, are already in-game and can be obtained once you have unlocked a sufficient number of abilities in either of the Primary Specialisations...
Virtually the same answer as before... No... Just... No... You are STILL advocating stripping players, who have worked their way through the Specialisations, of their points and thus the time and effort to obtain them...
Gonna be blunt here, but do you even have the first idea what you're talking about?
The level 60 cap is little more than to establish the lockout for certain high level content... Cryptic had intended for Specialisations to provide players who had hit the level 'cap' to continue character progression, through the Specialisation system, and to intermittently add new specialisations to allow this progression to continue...
I thought it was a prognosis, not wild speculation?
Cryptic have been pretty clear from the earliest announcements (that I saw anyway) about how Specialisations would work and what they had planned in the long term...
That being a character picks a class, Tactical, Engineering or Science, and then upon reaching level 50 they get to unlock Specialisations, allowing them to 'specialise' their characters for certain roles, based on their play style...
Cryptic were also very clear that intended to release more Specialisations in future, Command being the latest example of this, and I would be surprised if we don't see at least another Secondary Specialisation come S10...
There is no speculation what so ever in what Cryptic have planned for Specialisations... The only area where speculation is valid would be the existing skill points system from 1 - 50 which, as I said previously, I could indeed see Cryptic establish Class trees very similar to the Specialisation trees, in order to keep everything uniform from 1 to 60 (and beyond)...
Science, engineering, and tactical cant be specializations. They are actually generalizations since each field already contains sub fields.
So if it happened the system would probably have to adapt first how and where they place career goals.
The current system doesn't really account for the original careers and what they contain. The specializations are more of an outside your career thing.
So of it happened your career would be just that, then you could eventually choose to specialize in something, and even take tertiary training.
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Class trees however go against the original design intent of the system. It would force each captain into a specific role based solely on you first choice in character creation.
I could see them adding a career focus mechanic, separate from specializations that allowed you to focus your captains based on your playstyle as you level up.
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Completely contrary to what I am saying, no one loses anything they already have in their current career or lose ability to use other specializations in combination with another career in the means I envision and only have everything to gain, For example I play a fed science officer, and what I propose is you get the ability to switch to the other careers types in place of your current starting career by choosing another via that extra category of specialization, and like all other specializations now, you can switch them out anytime you want! If I say switch to engineering from my science career via specialization, I'll be able to use engie kits instead of sci kits and I will have engi captain powers instead of science captain powers. And this WOULD promote selling me more ships because for example, a cruiser is about the worst thing I can fly with science captain powers when an engineer captains powers are more suited, or for example switching to tac captain powers if I want to play an escort, which I can't do as well with only science captain powers. I want to fly all three classes at times, but I'd need to be able to have better captain powers synergy if I want to truly enjoy flying them. If can't do that, I don't want to buy those ships so much.
Other ship classes and items suddenly become way more attractive if I can change my characters career via an extra layer of specialization to match those items for a better synergy. It's so simple how it could work and would make Cryptic a great deal of money since alting is no longer feasible except for the very richest of players with a lot of time on their hands. Sure I can play all ships with my science captain, and I like science, but I like to change things up once in a while too, and I want a proper synergy with the vessels I use.
Unfortunately there is more than just captain powers tied to your career. And you would need to get 150 levels worth of XP to fill them out and gain their benefits.
In principal I like it, its your implementation that would probably sink it.
Perhaps it would be better if you went instead for a single career tree that allowed you to wander through the current careers at will while tying you to none. Perhaps you would at certain points have to pick your trait or power out of the pool allowing you to mix and match.
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I didn't really say I'd agree with it for this very reason, as I do like the ability to put points into Particle Generators on a Tac as I really do like Lt Cmdr Sci stations for Gravity Well etc... I'm reserving judgement until we see what they actually have in mind for the Skills revamp they've touched on, but not gone into detail how they plan to do it...
Having said that, I could indeed envisage Cryptic going down the path of Class Trees to keep everything uniform... It doesn't neccesarily rule out keeping the existing skills, it would involve changing the interface into a top-to-bottom tree - instead of a left-to-right tree - and I'd also suspect it would become a 3 point format, rather than a 9 point format, like it is presently...
Such a structure would still give players the option of skilling into what ever they wanted, while maintaining a simpler structure that is more uniform with Specialisation Trees...
Yes, then I did indeed misunderstand what you were saying - apologies for my abruptness...
However, this is not going to happen... You might think this a 'simple' task, but I'd wager such a change would require a significant (if not near total) rewrite of the character database code, which Cryptic have already said is the reason Race changes are not possible - I would suspect a Race change to be significantly easier than something that allows us to randomly change Class on a whim...
I'm also still not convinced it would cause any significant increase in ship sales either as people will likely settle into a preferred playstyle and will purchase what ever ship they feel is best suited to that style... It might increase sales a little, but probably no more than existing bundle discounts do anyway...
I see, I agree that system would probably make more sense in the long run. Although, it may be a bit more complicated to got to a 3 point system. Depends on how they balance it out with the skill point acquisition/spending.
We shall have to wait and see.
Not everything you see on the internet is true - Abraham Lincoln
Occidere populo et effercio confractus
ha ha...quote of the day right there.
Career specific goals and equipment as well, plus the way the database handles the tag.
Not everything you see on the internet is true - Abraham Lincoln
Occidere populo et effercio confractus