If they really want a strong PvP game, I think they can make it work. They just have to decide to. But they're not going to reboot the whole game for it. That's unrealistic.
When they will have a strong pvp they will have a great game.That is the future of all online games...competition between players.
btw you are right ...the game is way way way way to expensive for what you do.I mean people spend to kill npcs more than US spends to kill terrorists or whatever they kill.That is stupid.
Here's what goes down everytime I think about PvP.
Thought: "Let's have a game of PvP"
Process: "Wait. I have not setup my bridge officers yet.", "@ I haven't even trained them!", "Wait. What's this icon for again?!", "I need to setup my doffing projects..." ... 1.5 hrs later... "I need to run my fleet projects and @#%#","Wait. I don't have the right gear yet", "Damn I don't have enough dilithium or marks...", "I'm tired", "This warp sound is starting to $#^# me off!", Checks PvP queue. 3 people. Sigh, Look back at my toon's inventory for no apparent reason other to wonder what the hell am I doing, "I don't even have a T5-U ship...", "I lost track of specializations and can't be bothered to check", "Wonder whats on TV?", "Beams down to Qo'noS." Gets to doorway, Sigh, Logs off.
Post process: Remind myself of the above, and logs into Heroes and Generals for some PvP.
Yet...you're still here. It's not being a smartass, it's an observation.
My tone was a little harsh, apologies to the guys who were doing Bootcamp.
But...my point still stands. Most of the commentators here don't run low-level PvP where most of the cheeze is flat nonexistent.
and they used to.
The point still stands-as the PvP community shrinks, it makes it easier for the Developers to push the sologame paradigm Geko really wants to develop for.
It makes it easier for them to ignore PvP, and listen to the DPS target-practice racers.
It makes it easier for them to say "PvP isn't a priority"...because they have the numbers showing that it's a declining minority.
If you can't find a match, why do you grind? What good is better gear and broken powers, if they're only going to be used on empty-sacks-of-hitpoints to knock a fraction of a second off of a scripted encounter?
Before we as a community can even discuss 'fixing' PvP or what we want, we have to have the community first.
I want to Help, but I don't have resources or time do it solo, and neither does any single one of you.
Test case in a related subject was last saturday-I helped organize a faction-wide activity for the KDF, and it worked well enough that we're seeing people coming back, getting involved, and helping each other out.
I think something similar might be do-able with PvP, it's been done before, but always ended up in the same place at the release of the next endgame meta goodies.
means lost momentum. I Think and hope maybe that trend can be turned around and we might have a chance at momentum this time.
See, D'Angelo's not the EP anymore.
Means we're not dealing with an exec who cut his teeth on card-games, we've got Ricossa now-and I think he's a different cat.
No, I'm not here. I'm waiting for the inevitable from the forums. STO's airlocked from my side lol.
I did what I could to help, it didn't change anything. Lol, It's likely that I've done more for PvP community than you ever did, it's just that you don't get who I... oh well nevermind.
1. LAG: it's since dr launch that STO is an entire lag party, period. So, lag = no fun
2. DEVS: devs are ignoring pvp, and ignoring today, ignoring tomorrow and ignoring the day after as well... people just gived up.
3. GRIND: we have to be honest, there is too much grind nowadays. Just think about filling a single spec tree: 30 points, 1 point take you about 2 or more hours... and it's just one lol. And let's not talk about grinding for ur or epic gear (because you have to be competitive against the pvp grinders you'll find out there): tons of ec and dilithium used for one single set.
4. NOT COUNTERABLE THINGS: yes, because sto devs are so funny they even created traits and abilities not counterable or too overpowered, like viral torpedo and surgical strike. A good way to kill pvp devs, i admit
5. FRIENDS: because with all those bs, friends and fleets are leaving. I remember back in 2012 we CSI had enough ppl to fill 3 teams, and each one was competitive in the qs. Now we are lucky to fill one or find ppl willing to make a team and pvp or find a q popping in less than 30min/1h, because there are too much op and bs stuff out there.
6. GRIEFERS: what's left? Abusers, ppl that now exactly how these new powers work and they use them to ruin the game to others, literally. No skill, no timing, no fun, just clicking like a monkey to use the last op and bs uncounterable power the devs introduced for... idk what reason lol
7. too lazy to list another reason why pvp is dead
The only hope is the private instance or using a dedicated channel like t5-u pvp. If we set our rules, we assure the fun for the participants. Think about that and, maybe, pvp won't die, since the hope in devs is just a little light far far away...
well, if you're one of the people who really left, I AM sorry to see you've gone.
Esp. since I think there might be something we haven't had in a long while-an actual chance to turn things around from this end, because of things like D'Angelo getting booted and the selection of Ricossa for EP (with several immediate moves to address some of the worst excesses of Delta Rising).
as tough as it was before (and to be honest, I wasn't as involved as I should've been), I think there's an opportunity here.
The constant stream of 'cryptic special events', the sour tone of the general forums, the growing dissatisfaction with the grind, these are opportunities we didn't have for quite a while, but the kicker is what's coming up.
Delta Recruiting is going to be starting a whole lot of people off on fresh, new toons, toons that don't have rep, don't have lockbox consoles, lockbox ships, cross-faction-event ships, vet Boffs, piles of purple Doffs, etc.
The players who've played the game before, will be seeing content they've already run multiple times...but they haven't, for the large part, done PvP at those low levels before, and the way Cryptic's blog indicates things are structured, the "Recruit traits" are tied to weekly mission outcomes-so racing from 1-50 straight into the eternal grind, won't be an effective strategy for them.
see where I'm going with this? This is something the PvP and KDF communities can capitalize on.
People tend to habituate, just like they tend to seek the easiest route on things. a growing community gains clout. Shrinking communities don't.
if we as a community take charge and grow it OUR way, the odds of getting better balancing, or a BV/Matchmaking system, go up. If we sit and wait for it all to die...they don't.
Well, attempts have been made. The T5-U channel is the most recent. The problem is all the bonuses that a) you can't remove and b) you can't check if the guy has them enabled.
The only way to get 'clean' and balanced PvP in the present game is for everyone to roll new toons, get them to Lt Com, stop leveling and queue up.
Problem is too many people are attached to their shinies for this to ever work.
Because people aren't playing.
Why aren't people playing?
because their friends told them PvP is dead.
It's kind of a recusive loop-yes, the Endgame is filled with half-finished and unfinished abilities, Yes, they ended the fEd/klingon war so they could ignore sixteen percent of the over-all player base and around 25% to 30% of the PvP playerbase (well, ignore them more than they were before).
I think of it this way: in the last year, D'Angelo and Geko, working together, scored 15-0 against the PvP Community and the KDF community-with the help of PvP'ers and KDF'ers.
It may be time to stop letting those two call the tune, hey?
we have 3 space maps and 2 ground maps, and two space open zones and one ground open zone.
and a problem. the problem is power-creep where nobody's working on the workarounds to beat it without relying on it.
we used to have this-there was a time when somebody would show up with a ship-loaded full of uni consoles and we'd spank 'em like a naughty child.
what happened to that attitude? There used to be a whole HOST of top-tier PvP fleets-who didn't rely on top-tier gear, but rather on skill and cleverness, to win.
I recall there used to be this organized effort called "PvP Bootcamp", taught people how to build, how to fly, how to fight.
I'm no good at it. I admit being no good, but there are, or rather maybe WERE players that could do it.
Like with the effort I ended up starting with the KDF side, I think there's a need for that in PvP land-an active effort to recruit new players, get them hooked early in the leveling process, teach them the teamwork and the workarounds, and build up numbers. As long as "PvP is Dead" is the refrain, it will be.
and you'll have a continuously smaller and smaller circle of people to fight.
Just something to think about...
That's hardly the issue as my fleet has tried to get/keep our STO PvP interest going - BUT - the CONSTANT addition of very mudflated gear and the fact Cryptic doesn't appear to really bother with attempting to balance what they add to the game for PvP has pushed many of our formerly enthusiastic PvP members to ABANDON STO entirely.
The honest fault lies with the STO Dev team pretty much ignoring GLARING imbalances unless they are so truly egregious that it starts to affect PvE (IE allows players to blow through MOBs so ft it skews the XP progression cure Cryptic wants to maintain for STO.
TLDR: No iSTO PvP not dead just because players are saying it's dead; and if you think that you honestly really haven't been playing STO PvP of late. The imbalance issues and Cryptic's inability to address them are what's really killing STO PvP.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
The only way to get 'clean' and balanced PvP in the present game is for everyone to roll new toons, get them to Lt Com, stop leveling and queue up.
ive wanted this forever, being able to stop leveling up at LTC or COM, because the pvp at those levels is so much fun. absolutely no BS what so ever, no extremes in damage, tanking or vap, nothing can be immortal or unbeatable, the only factor is skill. leveling my romulan mostly with pvp was like the most fun i've had in sto.
perhaps that could be pushed for sto's delta recruit patch- you have to accept the level to GAIN the level, thus you could always choose to stop at a certain level forever if you wished
I have to agree with many of you over the suggestion of lower level pvp can be a blast, its really fair, really balanced, and most importantly really approachable by everyone-
hes right about this upcoming chance to grab up some new folks for pvp, just not sure how many would be really up for parking toons at certain levels
I have a couple toons permanently parked (one in the 10 zone, one in the 40) and I can tell you it's super fun in those zones. Hey, even the 50 zone is more balanced than the 60, because they only have a finite number of spec points they've spent.
I love the last response we got years ago when they said gozer was the guy in charge and then nothing really after that lol. Ever since then if this question gets asked they just say its the fault of the player base for not liking the 4+ year pvp system ppl are bored of lol.
I just jumped on these forums to look and see who got laid off and seen this, I didnt think the question being asked is "why is PvP dead?" i thought it would be, "Why are you all still here?"
I'm Parker by the way Lag industries Executive, Former Member of Will PvP For Food, Bootcamp coach, Youtube Channel to PvP (STO Will PvP For Food), my main account is banned, I have circumvented their....whatever they wanna call it and i am intentionally saying this so you Bluegeek or whoever.... can decide to ban me again for "Flaming or Trolling" or anything else you can think up - ohh and it wasnt a 3 day ban or whatever it was a perma ban....go figure....no second chances here
Why are people trying to save this game....after some of the things said by these dev's who have obviously stated they want a grind game (im meaning the Top guys, not the guys told to do this and that and then laid off).
I'm sorry to say guys....your fighting a battle that was lost a few months even before DR was released....
I'd suggest moving on to something else...look to the future. Because in a year or 2 if cryptic are especially resilient....youll all be seeing STO shut down....
And i say that in the utter most sadness, I have a Lifetime Sub, I must have spent about £1000 (GBP) on this game in my time here....yea i had disposable income and i supported a game i loved and stated what i thought was wrong (<- Which Got me banned). I regret this now seeing who is in charge....More fool me but hey you Live and Learn....
I'm a forum ghost now....I linger here to watch with sorrow the demise of the once great game i loved to play, that brought me in touch with this once great PvP Community that is now a shell of what it once was.....I made good friends here and we are moving on.
I wont say farewell, I may still make a silly comment here and there, just to see if i get banned for no reason once again....
oh good they fixed the viral torp, after 6 months, so it actually plays by the rules everything else needs to play by. now pvp is only 85% ruined, not 90% ruined.
oh good they fixed the viral torp, after 6 months, so it actually plays by the rules everything else needs to play by. now pvp is only 85% ruined, not 90% ruined.
My take on it is that the dev's have relied/replaced analytics with using raw data to make their decisions. Using metrics as the prime driver of decision making is poor business. One must slice,dice, correlate, and the most important factor ask why something is the way it is. I guess its too easy to write things off with "The metrics show xxxx".
What is keeping me from spending more time in PvP is builds that gets kills in one volley, especially because of "paralysis" attacks where the victim just sits here and pretty much can do nothing. Thishas been a reoccuring theme over the last 5 years. Also, the narrow band of what builds that are effective. Theres not much flexibility in the PvP realm as is. I attribute this to why there are so many 15-0 matches out there.
The maps arent arent conducive to PvP either. Many arent that hard to spawn camp at, the is no pitched battles that can be had. They need a map design like Restuss in Star Wars Galaxies, where massive battles can take place, even in the STO's larger fights, it really seemed to feel like it was still three on three because of the timing of the fights. Id really like to see fights that feel like a fleet vs fleet action.
many of us have time and time again suggested PVP scenarios that would likely draw others in such as epic fleet vs fleet matches etc...and would even allow them to bring in some PVP only relevant gear that could make them money....but alas it falls on deaf ears...because thats the game they dont want to make....
Its dead for a simple reason. Cryptic can't stop raining junk on the game.
With out fail they release something that is clearly not there to improve the game, its there to sell something. When X thing doesn't sell as well as they like it gets a BUFF... if they need money NOW NOW NOW, they are not above SUPER buffing something, and "Fixing" it 4-5 months down the line when they have something new to sell instead.
If that doesn't sound true to anyone just consider some of the most recent Sales related changes.
Today - Pilot and other Secondary specs becoming Primary specs and the idea of Sec/Pri going away... (translation: No one bought into Command like they where supposed to cause INTEL is BS... so this is an end way around to let people slot both Command And Intel if they like... or grind a few new points in pilot)
VM torp - It was stupid OP long enough, sell through is pretty much maxed. So it can be "fixed" now. Cause its not like they didn't hear the complaints the day it was released.
MK 14 weapons - Didn't sell all that well at first. A lot of people where happy with mk 13 if they bothered to upgrade at all. So Geko said... hey what if we break the item/DMG bonus ratio and make mk 14 Stupid powerful... Problem solved Upgrade to 14 or be <.
Ionic - Same story as VM torp
Anyway who cares anymore really (yes I get it where all here typing) Developers that have integrity and care about game design, shoot for something a little more artistic and better balance. Some even prescribe to the same Thinking as Geko... that fun games always have a small bit of inbalance in them. HOWEVER I think it should be clear that there is a point where that forced inbalance becomes obvious greed and turns off more people then it excites. (the type that get sucked in hunting for broken stuffs and bugs to exploit... start seeing through and realizing even the worst programmers couldn't possibly TRIBBLE up that often unless it was on purpose)
Sure some people are to slow to realize there "unique build" tricks... are not some super secret hidden mechanics/items/combos because the devs are "incompetent" or because they are just that good as players. Its because Cryptic konws exactly what they are doing... they break stuff on purpose, they release things "bugged" on purpose. Things tend to get fixed around the time the majority of people have found them. Things like the Bounty Hunter 3 piece bonus will get fixed when it catches on with the masses and makes Cryptic enough $.
Because this game is designed to sell power creep. PvP will always suffer from this model. You cannot have new shineys every 3-6 months that eclipse everything else in the game, then nerf the hell out of them when sales quota has been met/new powers are being released (with new ships that cost $$, obviously).
This game could have amazing pvp. Instead it has powercreep moving at the speed of light. Thankfully, the rumor mill + an older somethingaweful post seem to be coming true, and I'm sure this community will be the first in line to dance on cryptics grave.
Thankfully, the rumor mill + an older somethingaweful post seem to be coming true, and I'm sure this community will be the first in line to dance on cryptics grave.
First in line?.... we've started the queue already so we can watch cryptic dig their own grave....
If i were a dev at cryptic....I'd be handing in my notice...never mind waiting to be laid off...there are other oppurtunites out there...
which I know of because im starting a foundation/Honours degree in computer gaming programming...after seeing this mess ive decided i want to be able to make a difference...lol
IMHO, utter neglect by Cryptic had done more damage to PVP than any amount of broken mechanics, unbalanced elements, and introduction of power creep.
I can still remember the masses of Fed & KDF PVP even in the queues when STO launched. I can still remember being able to take my Lv5 Fed or KDF and PVP my way to the Lv40 cap without doing any PVE content outside of the tutorial; From Lt/Warrior to RAdm/BGen, PVP was roaring.
And Cryptic did nothing to fan the flames of PVP that was going back then. They pretty much left it to rot on the vine. Everything else afterwards was merely a kick to the dusty corpse on the side of the road as you walked by.
It's a terrible shame to let entire elements of your game collapse the way PVP did.
Edit: When you step back and look that Cryptic can't even do 2 factions right, much less 2.5, should it surprise anyone that PVP is dead and elements like Exploration Clusters removed, 2 phased Starbase 24 gone, Terrordome pulled?
Given that different folks PvP for different reasons, I wonder how many folks could get their fix if the NPCs were just to start complaining in zone...
That and the fact that to Cryptic, Beta is more of a platform to show off what's coming out, and less of a shake down before Live launch. So all those little teasers you can just tell will be either buged and not working, or bugged in the OP OMG everyone needs it way.
I'm in a happy place now. I'm enjoying my Dragonball XV, looking to try out Final Fantasy Realm Reborn in a couple months. And looking forward to some other space games coming out soon, and no not Star Citizen. Not in Elite Dangerous either.
So while I might come to the Bar to cry into my Beer, at least I know the sun will come out tomorrow.
You think that your beta test was bad?
Think about this: American Football has been in open beta for 144 years. ~Kotaku
I can tell you exactly why PvP is dead to me. Two main reasons, and they have very little to do with the Devs.
#1 Lack of Teamwork in PUGs
Seemed like everytime I played it was every man for himself while I was trying to help out the team. When the result of that is getting vaporized over and over, it gets un-fun really fast.
#2 Unsportsmanlike Conduct
If I wasn't getting vaporized through lack of teamwork, there was a lot of unsportsmanlike conduct to discourage me from having fun. Spawn-camping, etc.
Back then there weren't many people on the Fed side who'd have the attitude: "Hey, you're dying a lot. Let me help you figure out what you're doing wrong."
I appreciated the Community's efforts around the PvP Bootcamp... at least people were trying. But I never plugged into that, which I admit is my own fault. It didn't help I was already soured on PvP.
I don't mind getting slagged. Some of my best gaming times were playing Doom with my friends and getting slagged over and over. But it was a very different experience, and I was able to get a few kills in edgewise to keep me from getting too frustrated.
What would draw me into PvP besides Teamwork and Sportsmanship?
#1 Customizable Arenas/Matches
One of the things I liked about CoH PvP was the ability to fine-tune the matches to create variety. With STO, I would take that even further, like the ability to add hazards, collision damage, gravitational anomalies, level restrictions, etc.
#2 Monster Play
Why shouldn't I be able to play as a Tal Shiar agent or a Borg Cube in a PvP match to make things interesting? They wouldn't need to be full PvE factions. I might be interested in throwing down in a Jem'Hadar vs Breen fracas, if it were an option.
I think the Dev's have alot more to do to kill off PvP than players ever can...
The lack of Teamwork in pugs in STO do depends when players have no chemistry with each other, same is true with all other MMO games i've played... but there's another factors that for players not wanting teamwork or win a match... lack of incentive and motivation due to lack of any PvP rewards system, back in early 2011 when i played my first PvP matches i did care about teamwork and winning matches until Cryptic decided to make all PvP queue's into Cross Factions only mess, even though there was no real PvP reward system back then as it is now, i wanted to win for the pride of the KDF Community, but nowadayz with no KvF queue's i don't even care about winning or do any teamwork in my group especially teaming up with feds 90% of the time now, why? for me not only the matches are only Cross Factions, but like most other people there no bonus rewards for winning matches therefor many players don't care if they win or lose, the only thing that counts now for most players is just a good Kill/Death ratio of ships u've blown out of the skies, how much less deaths u have and/or even how much damage u deal... so again in the end there is no incentive or any motivation for winning especially if u get nothing from it.
While the Players do pull the trigger to kill the opponents it's the Dev' fault for creating the conditions for players to get Spawn Camped to begin with, in most other MMO's games their Dev's create Safe Zones to prevent players to get automatically killed, in STO there are no Safe Zones in any Maps, there's not even alternative Spawn Point where u can switch to... so without any Safe Zones, Spawn Points Relocations, or any real Spawn Point Defenses to protect players against Spawn Campers... and without these, this is why Spawn Camping is bad as it is in STO PvP.
Given that different folks PvP for different reasons, I wonder how many folks could get their fix if the NPCs were just to start complaining in zone...
I'd love that actually. Because I want to see the other players out in PVE land being utterly confused and clueless in what to do since NPCs are debuffing them with complaints. And many out there don't know what to do if even something simple like APB lands on them
edit: Okay, perhaps it would help to list what the abilities currently show at the Bridge Officer Trainer/Store (note it's on Ground, since you can't actually create the Pilot Specialization nor buy a Pilot BOFF - so keep that in mind for the obvious numbers that are out of place, damage/heal-type stuff)...
Attack Pattern Lambda I
Ensign
On Weapon Hit: -Acc, -Perception, Chance to Confuse
Self for 15 sec:
+15% Accuracy
+299 Perception
Foe on Weapon Hit:
-25% Accuracy for 5 sec
-299 Perception for 5 sec
20% chance: Confuse for 5 sec
Attack Pattern Lambda II
Lieutenant
On Weapon Hit: -Acc, -Perception, Chance to Confuse
Self for 15 sec:
+20% Accuracy
+373.8 Perception
Foe on Weapon Hit:
-32.4% Accuracy for 5 sec
-373.8 Perception for 5 sec
20% chance: Confuse for 5 sec
Deploy Countermeasures I
Ensign
PBAoE Destroy Targetable Torpedoes, Kinetic Immunity
To foes within 3.0 km:
Destroys Targetable Torpedoes and Mines
25% chance: Confuse for 4 sec (double chance vs. Fighters and Frigates)
to self: Immunity to Kinetic Damage for 4 sec
Deploy Countermeasures II
Lieutenant
PBAoE Destroy Targetable Torpedoes, Kinetic Immunity
To foes within 3.0 km:
Destroys Targetable Torpedoes and Mines
35% chance: Confuse for 6 sec (double chance vs. Fighters and Frigates)
to self: Immunity to Kinetic Damage for 6 sec
Lock Trajectory I
Ensign
Continue on Current Course, but Turn Freely
Inertia Rating set to Zero
+100% Flight Turn Rate
(Requires >50% Throttle to activate)
Lock Trajectory II
Lieutenant
Continue on Current Course, but Turn Freely
Inertia Rating set to Zero
+150% Flight Turn Rate
(Requires >50% Throttle to activate)
Pilot Team I
Ensign
Accuracy/Defense Buff, Immune to Movement Debuffs
+12% Accuracy for 10 sec
+12% Defense for 10 sec
+100 Resistance Rating to Movement Debuffs
Pilot Team II
Lieutenant
Accuracy/Defense Buff, Immune to Movement Debuffs
+16% Accuracy for 10 sec
+16% Defense for 10 sec
+300 Resistance Rating to Movement Debuffs
Clean Getaway I
Lieutenant
Rear-Facing Placate/Debuff, Speed Boost
All Foes in 90-degree Rear-Facing Cone, 5.0km Range:
Reset Aggro vs. Affected NPCs
Placate for 4 sec (Fragile)
-33.3% Flight Speed for 4 sec
To Self: +136.2% Flight Speed for 4 sec
Clean Getaway II
Lieutenant Commander
Rear-Facing Placate/Debuff, Speed Boost
All Foes in 90-degree Rear-Facing Cone, 5.0km Range:
Reset Aggro vs. Affected NPCs
Placate for 6 sec (Fragile)
-50% Flight Speed for 6 sec
To Self: +177.1% Flight Speed for 6 sec
Fly Her Apart I
Lieutenant
Speed Boost but Damage Self; Ambush on Expire
+25 - 100% Flight Speed (increases each sec)
-20.4 Hull Capacity per sec (3% of max)
On Expire: +2% All Damage Bonus per second Active
Fly Her Apart II
Lieutenant Commander
Speed Boost but Damage Self; Ambush on Expire
+50 - 200% Flight Speed (increases each sec)
-17 Hull Capacity per sec (2.5% of max)
On Expire: +2.5% All Damage Bonus per second Active
Hold Together I
Lieutenant
Self Hull Regen and Dmg Res Based on Throttle
+6.1 Hull Restored per sec (Based on Throttle)
+37 All Damage Resistance Rating (Based on Throttle)
At 100% Throttle: Remove one hazard debuff per sec
Hold Together II
Lieutenant Commander
Self Hull Regen and Dmg Res Based on Throttle
+7.9 Hull Restored per sec (Based on Throttle)
+48.1 All Damage Resistance Rating (Based on Throttle)
At 75% Throttle: Remove one hazard debuff per sec
Reinforcements Squadron I
Lieutenant
Summon Fighter Pets
Call in a squadron of four level 1 Reinforcement Fighters
Reinforcements Squadron II
Lieutenant Commander
Summon Fighter Pets
Call in a squadron of four level 1 Advanced Reinforcement Fighters
Coolant Ignition I
Lieutenant Commander
AOE Plasma Hazard Trail
Ejects Coolant Cloud that ignites after 10 sec
Before Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
-99% Flight Turn Rate
-75% Flight Speed
After Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
7.5 Plasma Damage (Ignores Shields) every sec
Coolant Ignition II
Commander
AOE Plasma Hazard Trail
Ejects Coolant Cloud that ignites after 10 sec
Before Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
-99% Flight Turn Rate
-85.7% Flight Speed
After Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
9.8 Plasma Damage (Ignores Shields) every sec
Form Up I
Lieutenant Commander
Teleport to Ally, Buff Both if Remain Close
Teleport to Target Ally
For up to 20sec, while within 5km of Target Ally:
Bonus +5 - 20% All Damage (based on pulse) to Self and Target Ally
Effect ends immediately if >5km from Target Ally
Form Up II
Commander
Teleport to Ally, Buff Both if Remain Close
Teleport to Target Ally
For up to 20sec, while within 5km of Target Ally:
Bonus +10 - 30% All Damage (based on pulse) to Self and Target Ally
Effect ends immediately if >5km from Target Ally
Reroute Reserves to Weapons I
Lieutenant Commander
Weapons Haste, but Drain from Engines
Set Weapon Power Drain to zero
20% Firing Cycle Haste for Energy Weapons
-10 Engine Power from Energy Weapon activation
Reroute Reserves to Weapons II
Commander
Weapons Haste, but Drain from Engines
Set Weapon Power Drain to zero
40% Firing Cycle Haste for Energy Weapons
-8 Engine Power from Energy Weapon activation
Subspace Boom I
Lieutenant Commander
PBAoE Damage + Movement Debuff
28.4 Kinetic Damage in 3km radius
Creates a Subspace Distortion for 15 sec which inflicts the following on foes in the area:
-33.3% Flight Speed and Turn Rate
-15% Defense
Subspace Boom II
Commander
PBAoE Damage + Movement Debuff
34.3 Kinetic Damage in 3km radius
Creates a Subspace Distortion for 15 sec which inflicts the following on foes in the area:
-50% Flight Speed and Turn Rate
-25% Defense
PvP Bootcamp...was extremely popular and well-done in it's very first go-around. Practically every major PvP fleet came into it and gave some kind of help. We had support from Branflakes and Borticus. There were...what...I think over 300 students in that first class.
After Sargon left, most of the support vanished. Stupid incidents, such as Pax causing hell on Pheo's TS he had provided (if memory serves, he threatened to have Hannibal or Hank banned from it, but it was so long ago now, I could be getting the details wrong). Among other things, practically everyone left.
For a majority of it's 'life', Kolln, Drk, Jedi, and myself 'were' Bootcamp. To anyone reading who was there in that dark period after the first series of classes, don't misunderstand, all the help from those who still wanted to do good for it during that time, it was and is still appreciated, but in the end, it was still mostly the four of us. I remember all too often, being one of only one or two coaches for most classes.
Bootcamp's first session in my opinion, was the biggest 'golden moment' for STO PvP. Had things not gone so south, I feel that might've really started something major. Honestly, I am not sure if myself or any of the other VAs could've held Bootcamp together after Sargon left (nothing against any of them of course), he had a kind of interesting charisma that was enough to bring all those fleets together.
Cryptic/PWE isn't innocent entirely though either. Branflakes, even until the day he left had at least an interest in Bootcamp, and for that I am thankful. Smirk though...I could barely ever get even a response out of him on anything, at least in terms of these forums, and as far as I can remember, none of the other VAs had much luck either. So any support we did have in that regard was gone. The constant additions, much like how so many other PvPers have felt, slowly eroded any desire to try and teach students about a PvP we knew wouldn't be an enjoyment to them...and DR...
DR pretty much killed Bootcamp dead in it's tracks, whatever momentum it had, was stopped cold by it.
Now, that all aside...
You say Ricossa is in the EP seat, which is true. But he needs to do three major things, not even related to PvP, to give anything a real chance:
1. Remove some of the TRIBBLE added in over time. Not sure what exactly, but some of the junk put in during D'angelo's time just needs to go. I doubt that it will happen though.
2. Reduce costs and grind. Namely for leveling/spec points, and for upgrading. I'd say, at LEAST 75% reduction for spec point cost, and 50% cost for upgrading, period. Those two things alone killed ALL desire to work on any alts anymore. Heck, even just focusing on one character, it's so time-consuming alone merely to get spec points I can't bring myself to even bother to want to outside of just slotting DOFF projects.
3. Pull on Geko's leash...a LOT. Seriously, in all of D'angelo's reign it felt like Geko was given almost complete and total freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted, and D'angelo was some kind of 'lame duck' EP. Heck, could even argue Geko was that way somewhat even while D'stahl was here. Either way, Ricossa needs to pull him down a few notches if he really wants to do what he says.
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
Because people aren't playing.
Why aren't people playing?
It isn't just PvP that is dead; the Space PvE queues are also quite dead. The biggest reason PvE queues are dead is because Cryptic decided to exponentially increase NPC hull/shield mods at level 60. I hate to say it, but Cryptic made space combat tedious by trying to pad HP bars to block Attack Pattern Beta stacking exploiters.
PvP is dead because of the specialization system and the upgrade system. Rarity upgrades are hidden behind a random number generator that few want to mess with because there is so much uncertainty. Specialization trees will take years of grinding to complete on multiple characters. The bar to entry for PvP is so high that everyone is just taking their time before even considering reentry into the queues.
Then when it comes to the actual queues you've the the extremely powerful Surgical Strikes ability destroying players in 2-5 seconds. There are few players that want to do anything when there's an ability available to a a select group of C-Store ships that obliterates all other ships with ease.
Comments
When they will have a strong pvp they will have a great game.That is the future of all online games...competition between players.
btw you are right ...the game is way way way way to expensive for what you do.I mean people spend to kill npcs more than US spends to kill terrorists or whatever they kill.That is stupid.
Thought: "Let's have a game of PvP"
Process: "Wait. I have not setup my bridge officers yet.", "@ I haven't even trained them!", "Wait. What's this icon for again?!", "I need to setup my doffing projects..." ... 1.5 hrs later... "I need to run my fleet projects and @#%#","Wait. I don't have the right gear yet", "Damn I don't have enough dilithium or marks...", "I'm tired", "This warp sound is starting to $#^# me off!", Checks PvP queue. 3 people. Sigh, Look back at my toon's inventory for no apparent reason other to wonder what the hell am I doing, "I don't even have a T5-U ship...", "I lost track of specializations and can't be bothered to check", "Wonder whats on TV?", "Beams down to Qo'noS." Gets to doorway, Sigh, Logs off.
Post process: Remind myself of the above, and logs into Heroes and Generals for some PvP.
No, I'm not here. I'm waiting for the inevitable from the forums. STO's airlocked from my side lol.
I did what I could to help, it didn't change anything. Lol, It's likely that I've done more for PvP community than you ever did, it's just that you don't get who I... oh well nevermind.
Driveclub's time trial is waiting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj_GUpOZWSw
looks like a lot of fun, will try it next after I finish leveling up a couple of mechs in MWO
1. LAG: it's since dr launch that STO is an entire lag party, period. So, lag = no fun
2. DEVS: devs are ignoring pvp, and ignoring today, ignoring tomorrow and ignoring the day after as well... people just gived up.
3. GRIND: we have to be honest, there is too much grind nowadays. Just think about filling a single spec tree: 30 points, 1 point take you about 2 or more hours... and it's just one lol. And let's not talk about grinding for ur or epic gear (because you have to be competitive against the pvp grinders you'll find out there): tons of ec and dilithium used for one single set.
4. NOT COUNTERABLE THINGS: yes, because sto devs are so funny they even created traits and abilities not counterable or too overpowered, like viral torpedo and surgical strike. A good way to kill pvp devs, i admit
5. FRIENDS: because with all those bs, friends and fleets are leaving. I remember back in 2012 we CSI had enough ppl to fill 3 teams, and each one was competitive in the qs. Now we are lucky to fill one or find ppl willing to make a team and pvp or find a q popping in less than 30min/1h, because there are too much op and bs stuff out there.
6. GRIEFERS: what's left? Abusers, ppl that now exactly how these new powers work and they use them to ruin the game to others, literally. No skill, no timing, no fun, just clicking like a monkey to use the last op and bs uncounterable power the devs introduced for... idk what reason lol
7. too lazy to list another reason why pvp is dead
The only hope is the private instance or using a dedicated channel like t5-u pvp. If we set our rules, we assure the fun for the participants. Think about that and, maybe, pvp won't die, since the hope in devs is just a little light far far away...
Well, attempts have been made. The T5-U channel is the most recent. The problem is all the bonuses that a) you can't remove and b) you can't check if the guy has them enabled.
The only way to get 'clean' and balanced PvP in the present game is for everyone to roll new toons, get them to Lt Com, stop leveling and queue up.
Problem is too many people are attached to their shinies for this to ever work.
That's hardly the issue as my fleet has tried to get/keep our STO PvP interest going - BUT - the CONSTANT addition of very mudflated gear and the fact Cryptic doesn't appear to really bother with attempting to balance what they add to the game for PvP has pushed many of our formerly enthusiastic PvP members to ABANDON STO entirely.
The honest fault lies with the STO Dev team pretty much ignoring GLARING imbalances unless they are so truly egregious that it starts to affect PvE (IE allows players to blow through MOBs so ft it skews the XP progression cure Cryptic wants to maintain for STO.
TLDR: No iSTO PvP not dead just because players are saying it's dead; and if you think that you honestly really haven't been playing STO PvP of late. The imbalance issues and Cryptic's inability to address them are what's really killing STO PvP.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
ive wanted this forever, being able to stop leveling up at LTC or COM, because the pvp at those levels is so much fun. absolutely no BS what so ever, no extremes in damage, tanking or vap, nothing can be immortal or unbeatable, the only factor is skill. leveling my romulan mostly with pvp was like the most fun i've had in sto.
T4 Intel / T2 Command
...cause Cryptic determined that vapes were taking too long, right?
I have a couple toons permanently parked (one in the 10 zone, one in the 40) and I can tell you it's super fun in those zones. Hey, even the 50 zone is more balanced than the 60, because they only have a finite number of spec points they've spent.
Well, this is a good starting point
Just one of the reasons, but this one in particular expresses absolute nonchalance for it
And the music fits every moment of the time trial lap... DC is an awesome game. Period.
I'm Parker by the way Lag industries Executive, Former Member of Will PvP For Food, Bootcamp coach, Youtube Channel to PvP (STO Will PvP For Food), my main account is banned, I have circumvented their....whatever they wanna call it and i am intentionally saying this so you Bluegeek or whoever.... can decide to ban me again for "Flaming or Trolling" or anything else you can think up - ohh and it wasnt a 3 day ban or whatever it was a perma ban....go figure....no second chances here
Why are people trying to save this game....after some of the things said by these dev's who have obviously stated they want a grind game (im meaning the Top guys, not the guys told to do this and that and then laid off).
I'm sorry to say guys....your fighting a battle that was lost a few months even before DR was released....
I'd suggest moving on to something else...look to the future. Because in a year or 2 if cryptic are especially resilient....youll all be seeing STO shut down....
And i say that in the utter most sadness, I have a Lifetime Sub, I must have spent about £1000 (GBP) on this game in my time here....yea i had disposable income and i supported a game i loved and stated what i thought was wrong (<- Which Got me banned). I regret this now seeing who is in charge....More fool me but hey you Live and Learn....
I'm a forum ghost now....I linger here to watch with sorrow the demise of the once great game i loved to play, that brought me in touch with this once great PvP Community that is now a shell of what it once was.....I made good friends here and we are moving on.
I wont say farewell, I may still make a silly comment here and there, just to see if i get banned for no reason once again....
you mean 88% ruined....lol
What is keeping me from spending more time in PvP is builds that gets kills in one volley, especially because of "paralysis" attacks where the victim just sits here and pretty much can do nothing. Thishas been a reoccuring theme over the last 5 years. Also, the narrow band of what builds that are effective. Theres not much flexibility in the PvP realm as is. I attribute this to why there are so many 15-0 matches out there.
The maps arent arent conducive to PvP either. Many arent that hard to spawn camp at, the is no pitched battles that can be had. They need a map design like Restuss in Star Wars Galaxies, where massive battles can take place, even in the STO's larger fights, it really seemed to feel like it was still three on three because of the timing of the fights. Id really like to see fights that feel like a fleet vs fleet action.
With out fail they release something that is clearly not there to improve the game, its there to sell something. When X thing doesn't sell as well as they like it gets a BUFF... if they need money NOW NOW NOW, they are not above SUPER buffing something, and "Fixing" it 4-5 months down the line when they have something new to sell instead.
If that doesn't sound true to anyone just consider some of the most recent Sales related changes.
Today - Pilot and other Secondary specs becoming Primary specs and the idea of Sec/Pri going away... (translation: No one bought into Command like they where supposed to cause INTEL is BS... so this is an end way around to let people slot both Command And Intel if they like... or grind a few new points in pilot)
VM torp - It was stupid OP long enough, sell through is pretty much maxed. So it can be "fixed" now. Cause its not like they didn't hear the complaints the day it was released.
MK 14 weapons - Didn't sell all that well at first. A lot of people where happy with mk 13 if they bothered to upgrade at all. So Geko said... hey what if we break the item/DMG bonus ratio and make mk 14 Stupid powerful... Problem solved Upgrade to 14 or be <.
Ionic - Same story as VM torp
Anyway who cares anymore really (yes I get it where all here typing) Developers that have integrity and care about game design, shoot for something a little more artistic and better balance. Some even prescribe to the same Thinking as Geko... that fun games always have a small bit of inbalance in them. HOWEVER I think it should be clear that there is a point where that forced inbalance becomes obvious greed and turns off more people then it excites. (the type that get sucked in hunting for broken stuffs and bugs to exploit... start seeing through and realizing even the worst programmers couldn't possibly TRIBBLE up that often unless it was on purpose)
Sure some people are to slow to realize there "unique build" tricks... are not some super secret hidden mechanics/items/combos because the devs are "incompetent" or because they are just that good as players. Its because Cryptic konws exactly what they are doing... they break stuff on purpose, they release things "bugged" on purpose. Things tend to get fixed around the time the majority of people have found them. Things like the Bounty Hunter 3 piece bonus will get fixed when it catches on with the masses and makes Cryptic enough $.
This game could have amazing pvp. Instead it has powercreep moving at the speed of light. Thankfully, the rumor mill + an older somethingaweful post seem to be coming true, and I'm sure this community will be the first in line to dance on cryptics grave.
First in line?.... we've started the queue already so we can watch cryptic dig their own grave....
If i were a dev at cryptic....I'd be handing in my notice...never mind waiting to be laid off...there are other oppurtunites out there...
which I know of because im starting a foundation/Honours degree in computer gaming programming...after seeing this mess ive decided i want to be able to make a difference...lol
I can still remember the masses of Fed & KDF PVP even in the queues when STO launched. I can still remember being able to take my Lv5 Fed or KDF and PVP my way to the Lv40 cap without doing any PVE content outside of the tutorial; From Lt/Warrior to RAdm/BGen, PVP was roaring.
And Cryptic did nothing to fan the flames of PVP that was going back then. They pretty much left it to rot on the vine. Everything else afterwards was merely a kick to the dusty corpse on the side of the road as you walked by.
It's a terrible shame to let entire elements of your game collapse the way PVP did.
Edit: When you step back and look that Cryptic can't even do 2 factions right, much less 2.5, should it surprise anyone that PVP is dead and elements like Exploration Clusters removed, 2 phased Starbase 24 gone, Terrordome pulled?
Hmm..
http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/9080973-pilot-specialization
Information like this comes to mind.
That and the fact that to Cryptic, Beta is more of a platform to show off what's coming out, and less of a shake down before Live launch. So all those little teasers you can just tell will be either buged and not working, or bugged in the OP OMG everyone needs it way.
I'm in a happy place now. I'm enjoying my Dragonball XV, looking to try out Final Fantasy Realm Reborn in a couple months. And looking forward to some other space games coming out soon, and no not Star Citizen. Not in Elite Dangerous either.
So while I might come to the Bar to cry into my Beer, at least I know the sun will come out tomorrow.
Think about this:
American Football has been in open beta for 144 years. ~Kotaku
I think the Dev's have alot more to do to kill off PvP than players ever can...
The lack of Teamwork in pugs in STO do depends when players have no chemistry with each other, same is true with all other MMO games i've played... but there's another factors that for players not wanting teamwork or win a match... lack of incentive and motivation due to lack of any PvP rewards system, back in early 2011 when i played my first PvP matches i did care about teamwork and winning matches until Cryptic decided to make all PvP queue's into Cross Factions only mess, even though there was no real PvP reward system back then as it is now, i wanted to win for the pride of the KDF Community, but nowadayz with no KvF queue's i don't even care about winning or do any teamwork in my group especially teaming up with feds 90% of the time now, why? for me not only the matches are only Cross Factions, but like most other people there no bonus rewards for winning matches therefor many players don't care if they win or lose, the only thing that counts now for most players is just a good Kill/Death ratio of ships u've blown out of the skies, how much less deaths u have and/or even how much damage u deal... so again in the end there is no incentive or any motivation for winning especially if u get nothing from it.
While the Players do pull the trigger to kill the opponents it's the Dev' fault for creating the conditions for players to get Spawn Camped to begin with, in most other MMO's games their Dev's create Safe Zones to prevent players to get automatically killed, in STO there are no Safe Zones in any Maps, there's not even alternative Spawn Point where u can switch to... so without any Safe Zones, Spawn Points Relocations, or any real Spawn Point Defenses to protect players against Spawn Campers... and without these, this is why Spawn Camping is bad as it is in STO PvP.
I'd love that actually. Because I want to see the other players out in PVE land being utterly confused and clueless in what to do since NPCs are debuffing them with complaints. And many out there don't know what to do if even something simple like APB lands on them
I would just want to see it all burn!
Attack Pattern Lambda I
Ensign
On Weapon Hit: -Acc, -Perception, Chance to Confuse
Self for 15 sec:
+15% Accuracy
+299 Perception
Foe on Weapon Hit:
-25% Accuracy for 5 sec
-299 Perception for 5 sec
20% chance: Confuse for 5 sec
Attack Pattern Lambda II
Lieutenant
On Weapon Hit: -Acc, -Perception, Chance to Confuse
Self for 15 sec:
+20% Accuracy
+373.8 Perception
Foe on Weapon Hit:
-32.4% Accuracy for 5 sec
-373.8 Perception for 5 sec
20% chance: Confuse for 5 sec
Deploy Countermeasures I
Ensign
PBAoE Destroy Targetable Torpedoes, Kinetic Immunity
To foes within 3.0 km:
Destroys Targetable Torpedoes and Mines
25% chance: Confuse for 4 sec (double chance vs. Fighters and Frigates)
to self: Immunity to Kinetic Damage for 4 sec
Deploy Countermeasures II
Lieutenant
PBAoE Destroy Targetable Torpedoes, Kinetic Immunity
To foes within 3.0 km:
Destroys Targetable Torpedoes and Mines
35% chance: Confuse for 6 sec (double chance vs. Fighters and Frigates)
to self: Immunity to Kinetic Damage for 6 sec
Lock Trajectory I
Ensign
Continue on Current Course, but Turn Freely
Inertia Rating set to Zero
+100% Flight Turn Rate
(Requires >50% Throttle to activate)
Lock Trajectory II
Lieutenant
Continue on Current Course, but Turn Freely
Inertia Rating set to Zero
+150% Flight Turn Rate
(Requires >50% Throttle to activate)
Pilot Team I
Ensign
Accuracy/Defense Buff, Immune to Movement Debuffs
+12% Accuracy for 10 sec
+12% Defense for 10 sec
+100 Resistance Rating to Movement Debuffs
Pilot Team II
Lieutenant
Accuracy/Defense Buff, Immune to Movement Debuffs
+16% Accuracy for 10 sec
+16% Defense for 10 sec
+300 Resistance Rating to Movement Debuffs
Clean Getaway I
Lieutenant
Rear-Facing Placate/Debuff, Speed Boost
All Foes in 90-degree Rear-Facing Cone, 5.0km Range:
Reset Aggro vs. Affected NPCs
Placate for 4 sec (Fragile)
-33.3% Flight Speed for 4 sec
To Self: +136.2% Flight Speed for 4 sec
Clean Getaway II
Lieutenant Commander
Rear-Facing Placate/Debuff, Speed Boost
All Foes in 90-degree Rear-Facing Cone, 5.0km Range:
Reset Aggro vs. Affected NPCs
Placate for 6 sec (Fragile)
-50% Flight Speed for 6 sec
To Self: +177.1% Flight Speed for 6 sec
Fly Her Apart I
Lieutenant
Speed Boost but Damage Self; Ambush on Expire
+25 - 100% Flight Speed (increases each sec)
-20.4 Hull Capacity per sec (3% of max)
On Expire: +2% All Damage Bonus per second Active
Fly Her Apart II
Lieutenant Commander
Speed Boost but Damage Self; Ambush on Expire
+50 - 200% Flight Speed (increases each sec)
-17 Hull Capacity per sec (2.5% of max)
On Expire: +2.5% All Damage Bonus per second Active
Hold Together I
Lieutenant
Self Hull Regen and Dmg Res Based on Throttle
+6.1 Hull Restored per sec (Based on Throttle)
+37 All Damage Resistance Rating (Based on Throttle)
At 100% Throttle: Remove one hazard debuff per sec
Hold Together II
Lieutenant Commander
Self Hull Regen and Dmg Res Based on Throttle
+7.9 Hull Restored per sec (Based on Throttle)
+48.1 All Damage Resistance Rating (Based on Throttle)
At 75% Throttle: Remove one hazard debuff per sec
Reinforcements Squadron I
Lieutenant
Summon Fighter Pets
Call in a squadron of four level 1 Reinforcement Fighters
Reinforcements Squadron II
Lieutenant Commander
Summon Fighter Pets
Call in a squadron of four level 1 Advanced Reinforcement Fighters
Coolant Ignition I
Lieutenant Commander
AOE Plasma Hazard Trail
Ejects Coolant Cloud that ignites after 10 sec
Before Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
-99% Flight Turn Rate
-75% Flight Speed
After Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
7.5 Plasma Damage (Ignores Shields) every sec
Coolant Ignition II
Commander
AOE Plasma Hazard Trail
Ejects Coolant Cloud that ignites after 10 sec
Before Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
-99% Flight Turn Rate
-85.7% Flight Speed
After Ignition foes in Cloud suffer:
9.8 Plasma Damage (Ignores Shields) every sec
Form Up I
Lieutenant Commander
Teleport to Ally, Buff Both if Remain Close
Teleport to Target Ally
For up to 20sec, while within 5km of Target Ally:
Bonus +5 - 20% All Damage (based on pulse) to Self and Target Ally
Effect ends immediately if >5km from Target Ally
Form Up II
Commander
Teleport to Ally, Buff Both if Remain Close
Teleport to Target Ally
For up to 20sec, while within 5km of Target Ally:
Bonus +10 - 30% All Damage (based on pulse) to Self and Target Ally
Effect ends immediately if >5km from Target Ally
Reroute Reserves to Weapons I
Lieutenant Commander
Weapons Haste, but Drain from Engines
Set Weapon Power Drain to zero
20% Firing Cycle Haste for Energy Weapons
-10 Engine Power from Energy Weapon activation
Reroute Reserves to Weapons II
Commander
Weapons Haste, but Drain from Engines
Set Weapon Power Drain to zero
40% Firing Cycle Haste for Energy Weapons
-8 Engine Power from Energy Weapon activation
Subspace Boom I
Lieutenant Commander
PBAoE Damage + Movement Debuff
28.4 Kinetic Damage in 3km radius
Creates a Subspace Distortion for 15 sec which inflicts the following on foes in the area:
-33.3% Flight Speed and Turn Rate
-15% Defense
Subspace Boom II
Commander
PBAoE Damage + Movement Debuff
34.3 Kinetic Damage in 3km radius
Creates a Subspace Distortion for 15 sec which inflicts the following on foes in the area:
-50% Flight Speed and Turn Rate
-25% Defense
After Sargon left, most of the support vanished. Stupid incidents, such as Pax causing hell on Pheo's TS he had provided (if memory serves, he threatened to have Hannibal or Hank banned from it, but it was so long ago now, I could be getting the details wrong). Among other things, practically everyone left.
For a majority of it's 'life', Kolln, Drk, Jedi, and myself 'were' Bootcamp. To anyone reading who was there in that dark period after the first series of classes, don't misunderstand, all the help from those who still wanted to do good for it during that time, it was and is still appreciated, but in the end, it was still mostly the four of us. I remember all too often, being one of only one or two coaches for most classes.
Bootcamp's first session in my opinion, was the biggest 'golden moment' for STO PvP. Had things not gone so south, I feel that might've really started something major. Honestly, I am not sure if myself or any of the other VAs could've held Bootcamp together after Sargon left (nothing against any of them of course), he had a kind of interesting charisma that was enough to bring all those fleets together.
Cryptic/PWE isn't innocent entirely though either. Branflakes, even until the day he left had at least an interest in Bootcamp, and for that I am thankful. Smirk though...I could barely ever get even a response out of him on anything, at least in terms of these forums, and as far as I can remember, none of the other VAs had much luck either. So any support we did have in that regard was gone. The constant additions, much like how so many other PvPers have felt, slowly eroded any desire to try and teach students about a PvP we knew wouldn't be an enjoyment to them...and DR...
DR pretty much killed Bootcamp dead in it's tracks, whatever momentum it had, was stopped cold by it.
Now, that all aside...
You say Ricossa is in the EP seat, which is true. But he needs to do three major things, not even related to PvP, to give anything a real chance:
1. Remove some of the TRIBBLE added in over time. Not sure what exactly, but some of the junk put in during D'angelo's time just needs to go. I doubt that it will happen though.
2. Reduce costs and grind. Namely for leveling/spec points, and for upgrading. I'd say, at LEAST 75% reduction for spec point cost, and 50% cost for upgrading, period. Those two things alone killed ALL desire to work on any alts anymore. Heck, even just focusing on one character, it's so time-consuming alone merely to get spec points I can't bring myself to even bother to want to outside of just slotting DOFF projects.
3. Pull on Geko's leash...a LOT. Seriously, in all of D'angelo's reign it felt like Geko was given almost complete and total freedom to do whatever the hell he wanted, and D'angelo was some kind of 'lame duck' EP. Heck, could even argue Geko was that way somewhat even while D'stahl was here. Either way, Ricossa needs to pull him down a few notches if he really wants to do what he says.
It isn't just PvP that is dead; the Space PvE queues are also quite dead. The biggest reason PvE queues are dead is because Cryptic decided to exponentially increase NPC hull/shield mods at level 60. I hate to say it, but Cryptic made space combat tedious by trying to pad HP bars to block Attack Pattern Beta stacking exploiters.
PvP is dead because of the specialization system and the upgrade system. Rarity upgrades are hidden behind a random number generator that few want to mess with because there is so much uncertainty. Specialization trees will take years of grinding to complete on multiple characters. The bar to entry for PvP is so high that everyone is just taking their time before even considering reentry into the queues.
Then when it comes to the actual queues you've the the extremely powerful Surgical Strikes ability destroying players in 2-5 seconds. There are few players that want to do anything when there's an ability available to a a select group of C-Store ships that obliterates all other ships with ease.
--->Ground Combat General Bugs Directory
Real join date: March 2012 / PvP Veteran since May 2012 (Ground and Space)