It really doesn't matter folks, the simple fact is, that the 2 piece bonus is all for cloak, thus either integrate a battlecloak for the defiant to make use of it, or...don't copy past the set bonus and give it something useful, rom ship has a completely different set bonus then the kdf and fed ship. It shouldn't be hard to redo the set bonus, mechanics withstanding since its already out, I just want the set bonus to be different since the argument to give it battlecloak or yatta yatta isn't going anywhere.
And I still find this whole thing silly for people telling others to stop asking for stuff when we just went through this ordeal with the design ship and people got their Jupiter/omega whatever....
Only way to get them to change is vote with your wallet.
Until enough people do so that the game is no longer profitable enough for PW to continue supporting. The devs have notably, rarely been able to act on customer feedback with significant changes, but that doesn't mean the game with ever be ruled by consensus. Better for the future of the game to buy the occasional ship and then lobby for adjustments after the fact, without expecting that you will get your way every time.
So, while the T6 & T6F tactical escorts aren't configured exactly as I would have done, I still have more interest in the Defiant than any other ship in the game, so these two will be my "occasionals," with the next one being this T6 Fed carrier, if it costs Zen.
The defiant deserved better . On a glance i can find 4 major problems with it ,Most all T6 ships have 2 LtC bo,the new defiant has 3Lt ,,thats a big slap in the face , Next is we have to give up a console for cloak ,so we are shorted a console right off ,they could have gave us the option to put it in device slot ,boom problem solved, Next the polit bo is a LtC tac why not in the CoM spot the means we cant use the strongest pilot bo on the ship ,and you can on the other T6 pilotships Last is a big one why would we give up a 5forward weapons for a 4 ??? ,Ya thats not happending ,come on guys you could have 4and 4 rear or 5and 3,,but it still probley wouldnt make the ship equal to the others, But 1 more weapon added and i would buy it .You guys have to do something cause the ship has way two many problems to buy ,And i really like the ship. but After the helsia im not buying under powered ship any more.Good luck
The defiant deserved better . On a glance i can find 4 major problems with it ,Most all T6 ships have 2 LtC bo,the new defiant has 3Lt ,,thats a big slap in the face , Next is we have to give up a console for cloak ,so we are shorted a console right off ,they could have gave us the option to put it in device slot ,boom problem solved, Next the polit bo is a LtC tac why not in the CoM spot the means we cant use the strongest pilot bo on the ship ,and you can on the other T6 pilotships Last is a big one why would we give up a 5forward weapons for a 4 ??? ,Ya thats not happending ,come on guys you could have 4and 4 rear or 5and 3,,but it still probley wouldnt make the ship equal to the others, But 1 more weapon added and i would buy it .You guys have to do something cause the ship has way two many problems to buy ,And i really like the ship. but After the helsia im not buying under powered ship any more.Good luck
But all those things make sense for the Defiant.
1) Ok, having so many Lt. seats isn't great, but it does give access to the healing abilities that an otherwise glass cannon needs.
2) Giving up a console for the cloak has always been a thing for the non-Intel ships - they weren't going to suddenly change that.
3) It's not a Pilot ship, just has access to some Pilot boff abilities.
4) They weren't going to stray far from the original setup, as has been the trend of T6 refit. What they did do, though, was add the 6-torp module that basically functions as your 5th forward weapon.
Star Trek Battles member. Want to roll with a good group of people regardless of fleets and not have to worry about DPS while doing STFs? Come join the channel and join in the fun!
Nah dude, the sheer amount of KDF/Rom bias people I see here laughing at us for asking for a cloak would turn around and shed real man tears if we ever picked up the phase cloak. Though I'd have to say there wouldn't be very many practical applications for it in this game. As someone had already stated outside of pvp its a one shot gimp, unless you're the type to engage, disengage for what will seem like an eternity and all the while losing out on dat mega dps.
I always thought cloaking while in battle made sense, gameplay wise its obvious Cryptic wanted to keep some features unique to factions - basically if you wanted an enhanced/battle cloak you'd pick up LoR or make a KDF and see what they have to offer. (Not that theres much KDF but thats a whole other ballgame.)
At poster above(since my phone can't do quotes) I already know, I'm just being a small trill and stirring up the pot some because this is just pure comedy gold going on right now.
Star Trek Battles member. Want to roll with a good group of people regardless of fleets and not have to worry about DPS while doing STFs? Come join the channel and join in the fun!
I've seen quite a few posts here that objected to having to use a console slot to use a cloak. I've seen quite a few that objected that KDF/Rom ships too often suffered in stats compared to the Feds, including reduced shieds, hull, etc. These two other factions pay quite a penalty for the cloak. It is unreasonable to want a Fedship cloak without so much as the expense of using a console slot AND the superiority it enjoys otherwise. As for the Intel ship? That just should NOT have been. Console cloak? Fine. But as it is, now every Fed wants integrated battlecloak without paying the KDF/Rom price for it. BTW, aside from the Birds of prey, and so few of them at T5 on up as there are, KDF do NOT get battlecloak as the Roms do.
That being said, a battlecloak, though not right to be a standard feature, would be nice as part of a bonus. That worthless cooldown reduction can make room for the battlecloak feature. Then after the set 2:battlecloak bonus, if you add the 4 shooters, the set 3:cloak cooldown reduction would be much more useful.
As to the Feds NOT getting enhanced battlecloak? It's just not worth it. From the time you fire those torpedoes you're a visible target. You drop cloak for a few seconds or even longer if they are still shooting at you. You could be good and dead by the time they stop firing as I had been. I have never found it worth the punishment I take for using it. So from here on out, I fight honorably. I present a target when I begin shooting, and I fight like a Klingon.
The ship is so out classes,,why would we buy it ,,,,To get beat down by a pilot ship ,or the klingon or romulan versions,, That have good cloak with out useing up console space ,Open your eyes .If the ship is outclassed im not buying it .And i was tell i looked if over. If you guys cant see why we are disappointed then mabey you should hire someone who plays STO to set up ship for release .
The defiant deserved better . On a glance i can find 4 major problems with it ,Most all T6 ships have 2 LtC bo,the new defiant has 3Lt ,,thats a big slap in the face , Next is we have to give up a console for cloak ,so we are shorted a console right off ,they could have gave us the option to put it in device slot ,boom problem solved, Next the polit bo is a LtC tac why not in the CoM spot the means we cant use the strongest pilot bo on the ship ,and you can on the other T6 pilotships Last is a big one why would we give up a 5forward weapons for a 4 ??? ,Ya thats not happending ,come on guys you could have 4and 4 rear or 5and 3,,but it still probley wouldnt make the ship equal to the others, But 1 more weapon added and i would buy it .You guys have to do something cause the ship has way two many problems to buy ,And i really like the ship. but After the helsia im not buying under powered ship any more.Good luck
But all those things make sense for the Defiant.
1) Ok, having so many Lt. seats isn't great, but it does give access to the healing abilities that an otherwise glass cannon needs.
2) Giving up a console for the cloak has always been a thing for the non-Intel ships - they weren't going to suddenly change that.
3) It's not a Pilot ship, just has access to some Pilot boff abilities.
4) They weren't going to stray far from the original setup, as has been the trend of T6 refit. What they did do, though, was add the 6-torp module that basically functions as your 5th forward weapon.
That not good enough ,We all looked forward to getting our defiant back .But the phanton ,All the pilots ,and the klingon and romulan version is better,,SO why would we buy a fail X4????
While the valiant is outclassed by the phantom/pilot ships, and its set bonus is effectively useless. its still quite capable of doing the endgame content, its still a perfectly functional ships, its just what value the player chooses to put on it, is it worth the 3k zen pricetag, probably not, but thats subjective value as it is, some people may very well think it is worth it.
i Had a very good idea to make the ship buyable ,Put the Quad cannon on the front as nonremovable cannon .So hear me out that would make it 5forward and 3aft ,but it wouldnt be OP cause the quad kindof sucks compared to the dual heavys and that would kill any FAW builds haveing the cannon in the way. So boom the ship is worth buying to try to make a good cannon ship and you wouldnt have to change any thing .
In Star Trek there are rules. But they only apply to the Federation, everyone else can do whatever they want. Its part of Gene´s idiotic legacy, the Federation has to be so above reproach as to be willfully stupid. Part of it is also to make the main cast appear so far above everyone else as to be moral paragons. Its why Starfleet is generally useless unless its the main cast and their ship.
i Had a very good idea to make the ship buyable ,Put the Quad cannon on the front as nonremovable cannon .So hear me out that would make it 5forward and 3aft ,but it wouldnt be OP cause the quad kindof sucks compared to the dual heavys and that would kill any FAW builds haveing the cannon in the way. So boom the ship is worth buying to try to make a good cannon ship and you wouldnt have to change any thing .
An extra slot for the Kor and Malem would also be nice. Somehow I doubt they're going to go for that type of change. They don't change much from the layout they had much too often. If it was 4/3 at T5, it will be 4/3 at T6. And if (and I hope that day NEVER comes) it comes to a T7, each ship that was a remake of one before, will have the same amount of weapons slot after.
All this talk about cloaks is pointless. Cloaks aren´t even weighted when Cryptic figures out ships stats, They just add it on kdf and rom ships as freebies. In PVP they can be devastating, but in PVE they´re actually detrimental to use beyond the initial decloak boost.
It kind of is weighted at times; it's one of the reasons why the Romulan Command ships don't get any Cruiser abilities. Due to them being able to Battle Cloak while the KDF Command ships could only normal cloak (and the Fed ships could not even cloak).
I'm hoping they just give the Defiant a 2-pc bonus to cannons and torps and call it a day, and move on to more important things. They've already made some pretty good money, judging by the number of them I've seen across Red Alerts and queues (even if most of those players only got them for the trait).
Actually there are. They are called Geneva Conventions.
Which are followed only when embedded reporters are there to get in the way of effective military operations.
"So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again."
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
All this talk about cloaks is pointless. Cloaks aren´t even weighted when Cryptic figures out ships stats, They just add it on kdf and rom ships as freebies. In PVP they can be devastating, but in PVE they´re actually detrimental to use beyond the initial decloak boost.
Cloaks are no laughing matter. At the very least they give that initial extra punch. Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloaks are even more powerful because you can reapply that decloak bonus during combat.
Vast majority of players in PVE do not understand the value of cloaks, especially Battle Cloaks and I think the art of proper Enhanced Battle Cloak use is practically extinct in this playerbase. This is a dirty blanket statement but it's the truth.
The absolute WORST cloak users in this game?... The average Romulan player. Most don't even know they even have cloaks, much less understand what benefits cloaks do and the parameters for their effective use.
My Reman SCI Captain can configure her Warbird so that her Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloak grants:
+45% bonus damage from decloaking / "Ambush Bonus"
23 second "Ambush" duration
11 seconds before recloaking is possible
No attack pattern, no BOFF ability, no Captain ability has that kind of combination of power, duration, availability. And it can be configured into a Warbird easily, requiring only the proper combination of trait, trait qualities and sacrificing no console slot, no equipment slot, no weapon slot.
Fed & KDF can achieve the same damage bonus but not the same Ambush duration nor recloak timer.
DEVs ,If you want to sell the new defiant that we all agree it is way ,way under powered .Take the Quad Cannon and put it on the forward weapons slot of ship and make it nonremoveable .Then we would have a buyable 5-3 weapon ship that would not be OP. That a very good easy ship fix that would sell it,,,,,,hint hint,I would buy the defiant then...
So you're saying you can never ever innovate? Because the previous ship was a certain way then any new version must be just like it? They are asking people for 3000 zen for a ship that out of the gate is worse than the Phantom and Tac pilot ship and you're reasoning is because the old defiant was built this way the new one should be as well.
Isn't the official line from us supposed to be that "every new thing being better than the old thing is BAD for the game's balance?" (see. power creep)
What's wrong with staying roughly around the current balance point? A T6 Defiant is going to sell because it's a T6 defiant. It doesn't need to slap down all of the alternatives in addition to that.
Why not try for at least equally as the other 3000 zen T6 ships ,,,, The defiant t6 is equally to the t5 ,,so why buy it ?
Okay, I favor Romulan a lot when I play, so when i look at a fed ship and think "Man that is under powered" something is seriously wrong. The way they presented this highlights just how under powered this ship is compared to the others. if they had released it separately or with a pack that did not give such a easy comparison then this discussion would probably not be as big. When you say that cloak is not a big deal in PVE I have to laugh at you, it is. Especially battle cloak. Cloak is nice get the drop on the enemy for free, battle cloak is a get out of battle for free ticket, enhanced battle cloak is a get out of battle free and i get to heal while I do it ticket. These are major advantages I use all the time in PVE and PVP. (note: each of the later has all the advantages of the former for those who don't already know.) The Valiant Class has no advantages to make up for the deficiency presented here. Heck it with it's deficiencies it can't even stand against other fed T6 pilot ships. The console is the only reason to get this ship and it's is only usable on Tactical Escort variants, so really it's the only reason to have this ship in combat at all. I'm sorry but that console is not OP enough to make this the ship of choice.
This ship does need a buff, but i'll let those who know how fed ships better work out what would be a fair buff for it.
All this talk about cloaks is pointless. Cloaks aren´t even weighted when Cryptic figures out ships stats, They just add it on kdf and rom ships as freebies. In PVP they can be devastating, but in PVE they´re actually detrimental to use beyond the initial decloak boost.
Cloaks are no laughing matter. At the very least they give that initial extra punch. Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloaks are even more powerful because you can reapply that decloak bonus during combat.
Vast majority of players in PVE do not understand the value of cloaks, especially Battle Cloaks and I think the art of proper Enhanced Battle Cloak use is practically extinct in this playerbase. This is a dirty blanket statement but it's the truth.
The absolute WORST cloak users in this game?... The average Romulan player. Most don't even know they even have cloaks, much less understand what benefits cloaks do and the parameters for their effective use.
My Reman SCI Captain can configure her Warbird so that her Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloak grants:
+45% bonus damage from decloaking / "Ambush Bonus"
23 second "Ambush" duration
11 seconds before recloaking is possible
No attack pattern, no BOFF ability, no Captain ability has that kind of combination of power, duration, availability. And it can be configured into a Warbird easily, requiring only the proper combination of trait, trait qualities and sacrificing no console slot, no equipment slot, no weapon slot.
Fed & KDF can achieve the same damage bonus but not the same Ambush duration nor recloak timer.
My comments about cloak not being terribly useful were made in reference to PvE, when PvP was still a thing rom cloaks were terrifying and incredibly infuriating if you were not prepared for the spike. Of course, if you had a healer and lived then threw a tractor or CPB or any number of other things you could usually take down the battlecloaker. Then came the days when it was all up to RSP and/or FBP to keep you alive, at least until the spikes were such that you could get popped while still having shields up and nearly full. But then, if there was more than one rom on your tail things usually didn´t work out too well for you. I was in matches were I was the only non romulan. In all fairness, it was always because people saw too many roms on the other side and just left, not wanting to bother with it. As time passed and we got further away from the player rom launch this was an occurrence that happened more and more often. As might be surmised PvP participation nosedived not long after. As to the question of why the roms were made so OP, I believe the reasons are many but ultimately boil down to promoting ship sales.
You´re right about the average rom player though, I rarely see anyone cloak after combat starts in the PvE queus. Looking at the stats the warbirds are a little less durable than comparable fed ships but not enough to make cloaking a necessity. Certainly, its nowhere near the gulf in durability between a BOP and a fedscort. They also get the best boffs in the game. Correct me if i´m mistaken as its been a while, but can´t rom players get boffs that have both the defence and crit bonuses? Embassy boffs are limited to one or the other; again, likely a planned inferiority to promote rom playership and warbird sales. Add to that the singularity core powers and I don´t think the average rom player feels the "need" to use cloak much at all. And then of course, it seems like 90% of rom players are flying a FAW DBB Scimitar that can get along fine without needing to cloak anyway.
Personally, i didn´t care for the cloaking playstyle at all and I´ve assumed the average rom player doesn´t either. Imagine how much more popular rogue type characters would be in games if they could keep their high DPS, without needing to sneak around all the time, while also not being glass cannons and you can see why the roms appeal to players, even if they do not like the cloaking playstyle. I realize the irony but Cryptic made them a little or a lot OP so folks have a lot of leeway in how they play them. Could be wrong on that, but its what it seems like. See, to the average rom cloaking is a nice fluff bonus not worth looking into. As many love to say about the mediocre Valiant, "its good enough for them to play with" and "it doesn´t need to be maximized to be fun", I think those same concepts apply here. This is why I consider cloaking to be of little utility in PvE, not necessarily beause it can´t be useful, but because it will never be used in large numbers. Rom warbirds just make cloaking an unneeded burden to the average player.
O see anti power creep .... you ll see defiant ,promeathus ,and akira T6 ,30$ ,Right next to the bad ship sales .No one wants a underpowerd ship we want equal footing and cool ship we can build into a winner,
In Star Trek there are rules. But they only apply to the Federation, everyone else can do whatever they want. Its part of Gene´s idiotic legacy, the Federation has to be so above reproach as to be willfully stupid. Part of it is also to make the main cast appear so far above everyone else as to be moral paragons. Its why Starfleet is generally useless unless its the main cast and their ship.
It's not part of an idiotic legacy, it's an important symbol of a franchise describing a fiction universe that is to inspire hope for our future despite all the pettiness, shortcomings, flaws and evil we see in ourselves now.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
In Star Trek there are rules. But they only apply to the Federation, everyone else can do whatever they want. Its part of Gene´s idiotic legacy, the Federation has to be so above reproach as to be willfully stupid. Part of it is also to make the main cast appear so far above everyone else as to be moral paragons. Its why Starfleet is generally useless unless its the main cast and their ship.
It's not part of an idiotic legacy, it's an important symbol of a franchise describing a fiction universe that is to inspire hope for our future despite all the pettiness, shortcomings, flaws and evil we see in ourselves now.
indeed, this is why the Star Trek franchise is very important, because the trek universe shows that it is possible to follow a different path than, simply follow the easy path of violence, crimes, etc
In Star Trek there are rules. But they only apply to the Federation, everyone else can do whatever they want. Its part of Gene´s idiotic legacy, the Federation has to be so above reproach as to be willfully stupid. Part of it is also to make the main cast appear so far above everyone else as to be moral paragons. Its why Starfleet is generally useless unless its the main cast and their ship.
Fed is powerful enough to have war goals beyond mere survival most of the time, and it's not interested in outright conquest. For a power like that, even from standpoint of cold-blooded machiavellianism, few things are more useful than reputation for benevolence and (mostly) honest dealing, and few things more dangerous as being seen as someone who would throw any rule or agreement under the bus for 0.1% more of an advantage... Doing that never got anyone very far for very long, either in RL or in Trek.
Comments
I'm saving mine to trade on the OFF-CHANCE one of those Mirror Dreadnoughts is ever released...
And I still find this whole thing silly for people telling others to stop asking for stuff when we just went through this ordeal with the design ship and people got their Jupiter/omega whatever....
Until enough people do so that the game is no longer profitable enough for PW to continue supporting. The devs have notably, rarely been able to act on customer feedback with significant changes, but that doesn't mean the game with ever be ruled by consensus. Better for the future of the game to buy the occasional ship and then lobby for adjustments after the fact, without expecting that you will get your way every time.
So, while the T6 & T6F tactical escorts aren't configured exactly as I would have done, I still have more interest in the Defiant than any other ship in the game, so these two will be my "occasionals," with the next one being this T6 Fed carrier, if it costs Zen.
But all those things make sense for the Defiant.
1) Ok, having so many Lt. seats isn't great, but it does give access to the healing abilities that an otherwise glass cannon needs.
2) Giving up a console for the cloak has always been a thing for the non-Intel ships - they weren't going to suddenly change that.
3) It's not a Pilot ship, just has access to some Pilot boff abilities.
4) They weren't going to stray far from the original setup, as has been the trend of T6 refit. What they did do, though, was add the 6-torp module that basically functions as your 5th forward weapon.
Star Trek Battles member. Want to roll with a good group of people regardless of fleets and not have to worry about DPS while doing STFs? Come join the channel and join in the fun!
http://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1145998/star-trek-battles-channel-got-canon/p1
Nah dude, the sheer amount of KDF/Rom bias people I see here laughing at us for asking for a cloak would turn around and shed real man tears if we ever picked up the phase cloak. Though I'd have to say there wouldn't be very many practical applications for it in this game. As someone had already stated outside of pvp its a one shot gimp, unless you're the type to engage, disengage for what will seem like an eternity and all the while losing out on dat mega dps.
I always thought cloaking while in battle made sense, gameplay wise its obvious Cryptic wanted to keep some features unique to factions - basically if you wanted an enhanced/battle cloak you'd pick up LoR or make a KDF and see what they have to offer. (Not that theres much KDF but thats a whole other ballgame.)
Star Trek Battles member. Want to roll with a good group of people regardless of fleets and not have to worry about DPS while doing STFs? Come join the channel and join in the fun!
http://forum.arcgames.com/startrekonline/discussion/1145998/star-trek-battles-channel-got-canon/p1
That being said, a battlecloak, though not right to be a standard feature, would be nice as part of a bonus. That worthless cooldown reduction can make room for the battlecloak feature. Then after the set 2:battlecloak bonus, if you add the 4 shooters, the set 3:cloak cooldown reduction would be much more useful.
As to the Feds NOT getting enhanced battlecloak? It's just not worth it. From the time you fire those torpedoes you're a visible target. You drop cloak for a few seconds or even longer if they are still shooting at you. You could be good and dead by the time they stop firing as I had been. I have never found it worth the punishment I take for using it. So from here on out, I fight honorably. I present a target when I begin shooting, and I fight like a Klingon.
That not good enough ,We all looked forward to getting our defiant back .But the phanton ,All the pilots ,and the klingon and romulan version is better,,SO why would we buy a fail X4????
I guess the United States is cowardly and has no honor because we use advanced stealth technology.
*eye roll*
There are no rules in war so get over yourself.
In Star Trek there are rules. But they only apply to the Federation, everyone else can do whatever they want. Its part of Gene´s idiotic legacy, the Federation has to be so above reproach as to be willfully stupid. Part of it is also to make the main cast appear so far above everyone else as to be moral paragons. Its why Starfleet is generally useless unless its the main cast and their ship.
An extra slot for the Kor and Malem would also be nice. Somehow I doubt they're going to go for that type of change. They don't change much from the layout they had much too often. If it was 4/3 at T5, it will be 4/3 at T6. And if (and I hope that day NEVER comes) it comes to a T7, each ship that was a remake of one before, will have the same amount of weapons slot after.
It kind of is weighted at times; it's one of the reasons why the Romulan Command ships don't get any Cruiser abilities. Due to them being able to Battle Cloak while the KDF Command ships could only normal cloak (and the Fed ships could not even cloak).
I'm hoping they just give the Defiant a 2-pc bonus to cannons and torps and call it a day, and move on to more important things. They've already made some pretty good money, judging by the number of them I've seen across Red Alerts and queues (even if most of those players only got them for the trait).
Actually there are. They are called Geneva Conventions.
Which are followed only when embedded reporters are there to get in the way of effective military operations.
-Dedication plaque of the Federation Starship U.S.S. Merkava
Cloaks are no laughing matter. At the very least they give that initial extra punch. Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloaks are even more powerful because you can reapply that decloak bonus during combat.
Vast majority of players in PVE do not understand the value of cloaks, especially Battle Cloaks and I think the art of proper Enhanced Battle Cloak use is practically extinct in this playerbase. This is a dirty blanket statement but it's the truth.
The absolute WORST cloak users in this game?... The average Romulan player. Most don't even know they even have cloaks, much less understand what benefits cloaks do and the parameters for their effective use.
My Reman SCI Captain can configure her Warbird so that her Battle Cloak / Enhanced Battle Cloak grants:
+45% bonus damage from decloaking / "Ambush Bonus"
23 second "Ambush" duration
11 seconds before recloaking is possible
No attack pattern, no BOFF ability, no Captain ability has that kind of combination of power, duration, availability. And it can be configured into a Warbird easily, requiring only the proper combination of trait, trait qualities and sacrificing no console slot, no equipment slot, no weapon slot.
Fed & KDF can achieve the same damage bonus but not the same Ambush duration nor recloak timer.
Why not try for at least equally as the other 3000 zen T6 ships ,,,, The defiant t6 is equally to the t5 ,,so why buy it ?
This ship does need a buff, but i'll let those who know how fed ships better work out what would be a fair buff for it.
My comments about cloak not being terribly useful were made in reference to PvE, when PvP was still a thing rom cloaks were terrifying and incredibly infuriating if you were not prepared for the spike. Of course, if you had a healer and lived then threw a tractor or CPB or any number of other things you could usually take down the battlecloaker. Then came the days when it was all up to RSP and/or FBP to keep you alive, at least until the spikes were such that you could get popped while still having shields up and nearly full. But then, if there was more than one rom on your tail things usually didn´t work out too well for you. I was in matches were I was the only non romulan. In all fairness, it was always because people saw too many roms on the other side and just left, not wanting to bother with it. As time passed and we got further away from the player rom launch this was an occurrence that happened more and more often. As might be surmised PvP participation nosedived not long after. As to the question of why the roms were made so OP, I believe the reasons are many but ultimately boil down to promoting ship sales.
You´re right about the average rom player though, I rarely see anyone cloak after combat starts in the PvE queus. Looking at the stats the warbirds are a little less durable than comparable fed ships but not enough to make cloaking a necessity. Certainly, its nowhere near the gulf in durability between a BOP and a fedscort. They also get the best boffs in the game. Correct me if i´m mistaken as its been a while, but can´t rom players get boffs that have both the defence and crit bonuses? Embassy boffs are limited to one or the other; again, likely a planned inferiority to promote rom playership and warbird sales. Add to that the singularity core powers and I don´t think the average rom player feels the "need" to use cloak much at all. And then of course, it seems like 90% of rom players are flying a FAW DBB Scimitar that can get along fine without needing to cloak anyway.
Personally, i didn´t care for the cloaking playstyle at all and I´ve assumed the average rom player doesn´t either. Imagine how much more popular rogue type characters would be in games if they could keep their high DPS, without needing to sneak around all the time, while also not being glass cannons and you can see why the roms appeal to players, even if they do not like the cloaking playstyle. I realize the irony but Cryptic made them a little or a lot OP so folks have a lot of leeway in how they play them. Could be wrong on that, but its what it seems like. See, to the average rom cloaking is a nice fluff bonus not worth looking into. As many love to say about the mediocre Valiant, "its good enough for them to play with" and "it doesn´t need to be maximized to be fun", I think those same concepts apply here. This is why I consider cloaking to be of little utility in PvE, not necessarily beause it can´t be useful, but because it will never be used in large numbers. Rom warbirds just make cloaking an unneeded burden to the average player.
indeed, this is why the Star Trek franchise is very important, because the trek universe shows that it is possible to follow a different path than, simply follow the easy path of violence, crimes, etc
a world without money, damn' I'm in.
Fed is powerful enough to have war goals beyond mere survival most of the time, and it's not interested in outright conquest. For a power like that, even from standpoint of cold-blooded machiavellianism, few things are more useful than reputation for benevolence and (mostly) honest dealing, and few things more dangerous as being seen as someone who would throw any rule or agreement under the bus for 0.1% more of an advantage... Doing that never got anyone very far for very long, either in RL or in Trek.