it doesn't work in mirror invasion because it was never added there; being a limited-time event, cryptic didn't see the need - apparently, there is a need now, however
Just once I'd love it if trendy or borticus would come into one of these have a heart to heart with us about issues we see in the game and actually acknowledge them. Sadly I doubt that will ever happen. They would get a lor of good feedback if they did something like that where they actually asked us what we see wrong and to give them true feedback on what they do and don't do. Of course that will also invite the trolls and flamers.
So depressing to see this problem returning with this event. Yes, you get an AFKer or griefer in the odd PuG STF now and then but in this mission you get them by the horde. I had two in one mission yesterday. So very depressing. A mission that is actually quite easy was stupidly hard.
it doesn't work in mirror invasion because it was never added there; being a limited-time event, cryptic didn't see the need - apparently, there is a need now, however
No because it doesnt work that way, you are flagging players as AFK because they are doing what they are supposed to do, closing portals require not being shoot at, kinda hard to not being flagged as AFK considering the only part were they may having to deal damage is against the Dread.
MI cannot have AFK penalty without flagging players for playing the mission as designed.
I'm aware that someone can possibly close a portal without shooting, or getting shot at. I flagged this guy yesterday because he did absolutely NOTHING. From the moment the queue began, he flew his ship out 100 km away from the battle zone. He closed NO portals, did not assist with the dreadnought, did not contribute IN ANY WAY. THAT deserves SOME sort of punishment.
That sucks man. I was wondering why some of them where just sitting there. I assumed they had net issues and here I discover they're TRIBBLE around with there tribbles in there crew quarters. Damn lazy asses.
Hey....it's not a crime to play with your tribbles. I do it all the time in my ready room. PS. It's really awkward when your first officer walks in on you.
Well I didn't mean it as they never respond to.us but I mean hold something like an Open forum post discussion with us the players with clear ground rules set in the post. Something to the effect that they would actively respond to us for a couple of days to gather information on what we the playerbase want but with a clear understanding that constructive feedback would be needed and not "gimme all my shineys". I mean thus in the way of constructive feedback like certain bugs that need to be fixed/skill revamps/ possible suggestions for future content and events.
If cryptic tapped into their playerbase more for good feedback they would see this game improve by leads and bounds. A game's success relies heavily on a two way communication between the players and the developers.
Tried to report another AFKer who didn't help during the dreadnought part (and I'm sure I have seen them doing the same thing, before in another run) and the game basically told me "could not connect, try later" when I tried to send a ticket.
Lovely... not only are they not punished because there is no AFK penalty in this queue, but sometimes, you can't even make sure they're punished.
EDIT: And a second time in a row I couldn't report an AFKer.
it doesn't work in mirror invasion because it was never added there; being a limited-time event, cryptic didn't see the need - apparently, there is a need now, however
No because it doesnt work that way, you are flagging players as AFK because they are doing what they are supposed to do, closing portals require not being shoot at, kinda hard to not being flagged as AFK considering the only part were they may having to deal damage is against the Dread.
MI cannot have AFK penalty without flagging players for playing the mission as designed.
Technically, it requires not getting hit or taking hull damage. My Corvette torpedo bomber has enough defense (for Normal) that I can fly around in a circle and close a portal while a few ships are trying to hit it. But that ship was built for speed and defense so it's an edge case.
This is my Risian Corvette. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
I do the Event with 17 characters - and I do PLAY the missions. I am quite annoyed with afkers.
Possible Solutions:
give each Player the Option to "kick from Team" - finetuning required, but if 2 or 3 Players click that button, the Player gets replaced by next who is waiting in the queue. Optional the kicked Player will get a cooldown timer, so he cannot just enter the next one again.
18 characters
KDF: 2 tacs, 2 engs, 3 scis
KDF Roms: 3 tacs, 1 eng, 1 scis
FED: 2 tacs, 1 eng, 2 scis
TOS: 1 tac
all on T5 rep (up to temporal)
all have mastered Intel tree (and some more specs Points)
highest DPS: 60.982
I do the Event with 17 characters - and I do PLAY the missions. I am quite annoyed with afkers.
Possible Solutions:
give each Player the Option to "kick from Team" - finetuning required, but if 2 or 3 Players click that button, the Player gets replaced by next who is waiting in the queue. Optional the kicked Player will get a cooldown timer, so he cannot just enter the next one again.
This has been brought up almost as long as the game has existed and it's just for too open to abuse. You would be creating a bigger problem to maybe solve as relatively small one.
It's not myfault ifyoufeel trolledbymyDisco ball...Sorry'boutit.
I do the Event with 17 characters - and I do PLAY the missions. I am quite annoyed with afkers.
Possible Solutions:
give each Player the Option to "kick from Team" - finetuning required, but if 2 or 3 Players click that button, the Player gets replaced by next who is waiting in the queue. Optional the kicked Player will get a cooldown timer, so he cannot just enter the next one again.
That worked so well in Censoredcraft. Especially with reasons like "do you like pizza?".
This is my Risian Corvette. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Borg disco is time gated, gateway to grethor is time gated, there are a few queues that are time gated [not all, but a few], and yet people still tend to try to do only just enough to avoid the afk penalty, whiel the rest of the time they sit doing nothing, or being a pest!
But there are key differences to those missions that makes them the province of specific, annoying pests who do it, rather than broad swaths of the normally non-AFK public:
1. Those particularly queues have those objectives as required conditions, so it's not simply a clock to wait out.
2. Those events are not mandatory events. You aren't required to attend them. The same things can be had elsewhere, at any time.
3. The troop transports from the starbase are moving towards the planet!
Despite each and every one of those missions having different objectives than the MI, their objectives are still time gated, and cannot be advanced any faster no matter what.
So, it is really no different than the MI!!!
None of those queues give any reason to be repeatedly played by people who don't like them.
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
Borg disco is time gated, gateway to grethor is time gated, there are a few queues that are time gated [not all, but a few], and yet people still tend to try to do only just enough to avoid the afk penalty, whiel the rest of the time they sit doing nothing, or being a pest!
But there are key differences to those missions that makes them the province of specific, annoying pests who do it, rather than broad swaths of the normally non-AFK public:
1. Those particularly queues have those objectives as required conditions, so it's not simply a clock to wait out.
2. Those events are not mandatory events. You aren't required to attend them. The same things can be had elsewhere, at any time.
3. The troop transports from the starbase are moving towards the planet!
Despite each and every one of those missions having different objectives than the MI, their objectives are still time gated, and cannot be advanced any faster no matter what.
So, it is really no different than the MI!!!
None of those queues give any reason to be repeatedly played by people who don't like them.
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
The reason they don't wait it out now, is because they are likely to suffer an afk penalty, add such a penalty to events and viola, problem solved for many people!
Borg disco is time gated, gateway to grethor is time gated, there are a few queues that are time gated [not all, but a few], and yet people still tend to try to do only just enough to avoid the afk penalty, whiel the rest of the time they sit doing nothing, or being a pest!
But there are key differences to those missions that makes them the province of specific, annoying pests who do it, rather than broad swaths of the normally non-AFK public:
1. Those particularly queues have those objectives as required conditions, so it's not simply a clock to wait out.
2. Those events are not mandatory events. You aren't required to attend them. The same things can be had elsewhere, at any time.
3. The troop transports from the starbase are moving towards the planet!
Despite each and every one of those missions having different objectives than the MI, their objectives are still time gated, and cannot be advanced any faster no matter what.
So, it is really no different than the MI!!!
None of those queues give any reason to be repeatedly played by people who don't like them.
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
The reason they don't wait it out now, is because they are likely to suffer an afk penalty, add such a penalty to events and viola, problem solved for many people!
Wrong. The reason they don't wait it out is its faster to do ISA or something.
Technically, it requires not getting hit or taking hull damage. My Corvette torpedo bomber has enough defense (for Normal) that I can fly around in a circle and close a portal while a few ships are trying to hit it. But that ship was built for speed and defense so it's an edge case.
The Vesta warp bubble also allows you to close portals. In previous iterations, I've had luck using Quantum Absorption as a temporary shield to keep from getting interrupted, but it tends to be hit or miss.
No because it doesnt work that way, you are flagging players as AFK because they are doing what they are supposed to do, closing portals require not being shoot at, kinda hard to not being flagged as AFK considering the only part were they may having to deal damage is against the Dread.
MI cannot have AFK penalty without flagging players for playing the mission as designed.
Unless - and I don't know whether this is possible - closing rifts (and upgrading the station) counts towards "not being afk".
My mother was an epohh and my father smelled of tulaberries
No because it doesnt work that way, you are flagging players as AFK because they are doing what they are supposed to do, closing portals require not being shoot at, kinda hard to not being flagged as AFK considering the only part were they may having to deal damage is against the Dread.
MI cannot have AFK penalty without flagging players for playing the mission as designed.
Unless - and I don't know whether this is possible - closing rifts (and upgrading the station) counts towards "not being afk".
sadly, some people would complain it's not working if they did that.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
Borg disco is time gated, gateway to grethor is time gated, there are a few queues that are time gated [not all, but a few], and yet people still tend to try to do only just enough to avoid the afk penalty, whiel the rest of the time they sit doing nothing, or being a pest!
But there are key differences to those missions that makes them the province of specific, annoying pests who do it, rather than broad swaths of the normally non-AFK public:
1. Those particularly queues have those objectives as required conditions, so it's not simply a clock to wait out.
2. Those events are not mandatory events. You aren't required to attend them. The same things can be had elsewhere, at any time.
3. The troop transports from the starbase are moving towards the planet!
Despite each and every one of those missions having different objectives than the MI, their objectives are still time gated, and cannot be advanced any faster no matter what.
So, it is really no different than the MI!!!
None of those queues give any reason to be repeatedly played by people who don't like them.
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
The reason they don't wait it out now, is because they are likely to suffer an afk penalty, add such a penalty to events and viola, problem solved for many people!
Wrong. The reason they don't wait it out is its faster to do ISA or something.
ISA only provides omega marks, if you want to get other kinds of marks, than it's either Disco or find them eslwhere!
I myself like some others, don't do Borg Disco for the Omega marks, we do it for the choice of other marks!!!
Borg disco is time gated, gateway to grethor is time gated, there are a few queues that are time gated [not all, but a few], and yet people still tend to try to do only just enough to avoid the afk penalty, whiel the rest of the time they sit doing nothing, or being a pest!
But there are key differences to those missions that makes them the province of specific, annoying pests who do it, rather than broad swaths of the normally non-AFK public:
1. Those particularly queues have those objectives as required conditions, so it's not simply a clock to wait out.
2. Those events are not mandatory events. You aren't required to attend them. The same things can be had elsewhere, at any time.
3. The troop transports from the starbase are moving towards the planet!
Despite each and every one of those missions having different objectives than the MI, their objectives are still time gated, and cannot be advanced any faster no matter what.
So, it is really no different than the MI!!!
None of those queues give any reason to be repeatedly played by people who don't like them.
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
The reason they don't wait it out now, is because they are likely to suffer an afk penalty, add such a penalty to events and viola, problem solved for many people!
Wrong. The reason they don't wait it out is its faster to do ISA or something.
ISA only provides omega marks, if you want to get other kinds of marks, than it's either Disco or find them eslwhere!
I myself like some others, don't do Borg Disco for the Omega marks, we do it for the choice of other marks!!!
At the very least, if you don't like BD, there is an "elsewhere" to get those marks. And it may be faster and/or easier.
In the mirror event, there is no "elsewhere." You have to do the waiting mission to get it. Over and over again.
It would just be nice to rework the mission; which might either have it that the closing of portals has a upper threshold limit, and once you reach that limit the mission will be pushed into phase two. Even adding a new part to it that if you defend and/or devert power to the main station itself, which would actually speed up the recharge of the Field pulse allowing good groups to progress faster an reward people even more for playing, which might also make afking less effective an used in the stf. Myself i prefer the first idea which i think would be much easier to impliment than a rework the entire mission on the scale of the second idea, but these seasonal/short-term missions honestly should be re-balanced an updated/improved/added to to make them feel less grindy as their is so much time between them being playable.
IT is kinda like with the new Battlezone the Badlands it is very similar to the undine zone in many ways, which leads to many feeling just bogged down by how repetitive it feels as they are doing the samethings from one zone to the next. I myself find it fun i like the little changes to the three types of satalites you have (one is a moving king of the hill type one, another is a horde type one, and the third is a target switcher) yet to me i find the last two phases boring as they are very similar to the undine zone even more. As such i kinda wished that it was done that you still had the three bases as now that spawn yet with a massive Dreadnaught (make it random which of the three you get Temperol, gal-x, odessey) that is buffed by each of the three active bases (each giving a different buff to the massive dreadnaught like shield buffs, weapons, what not). Than you could have it that players could choose to either rush the massive dread possibly for more marks or a achievement, conversely though they could go the route of dis-abling the three bases to reduce the strength of the massive dreadnaught before engaging it which either of would change how the fight would work. With such a change the final wave-like part of the zone progression could be gotten rid of to give this more time to be completed, with the rewards fo the wave-phase being rolled into defeating the fully buffed up dreadnaught instead of debuffing it via the shut-down of the bases.
Had 2 MI runs today with AFKers. One guy sat somewhere and a lonely sci-ship killed him and he stayed 'unconscious' the whole fight. Even through the Dread.
Now here's a novel complaint... if you are going to be useless, go be useless in Advanced. Where most times it's a pointless Zerg rush anyway. First, you'll get more Marks on that fail than a successful normal. Second, you'll not be hampering a Normal run where success is mostly achievable even in a pug.
I could do my 7 runs on Advanced and get frustrated at the difficulty and lack of teamwork but make more Marks. But I choose to do Normal because it's worth the lesser marks to feel like we accomplished the mission. Spending 2hrs a day is bad enough, but 2hrs of fails isn't my brand of fun even if it does get me more Marks.
PS to Cryptic... why does an utter fail in Advanced give more Marks than a total success on Normal?
This is Cryptic's doctrine on problems with AFKers in these events.
1: Read feedback in the forums regarding players who've dealt with AFKers.
2: Read GM reports of players getting reported for being AFK.
3: Sit back and do other stuff not related to the event.
4: Wait for event to be over.
5: No more AFKers for that event.
6: Problem fixed forever. Until the next event. But that's like a million years in the future, right?
7: Next event shows up. Oh golly, we've been so busy doing other stuff we've forgot to address long-standing problems with AFKers in things like MU invasion.
Just a thought on how to deal with the AFK parasites ... You see one BAIL the mission. Why feed them with your efforts? Instaed of B*tching and moaning about them by bailing it will teach them a lesson real quick. You sit and do nothing you get nothing.
I'll gladly take a deserter hit then feed a lazy parasite afk sleaze.
Just a thought on how to deal with the AFK parasites ... You see one BAIL the mission. Why feed them with your efforts? Instaed of B*tching and moaning about them by bailing it will teach them a lesson real quick. You sit and do nothing you get nothing.
I'll gladly take a deserter hit then feed a lazy parasite afk sleaze.
I have considered the 'just bail' strategy, but I usually find it a less appealing option if the majority of the team is actually trying. The most common scenario for me is that I get in a match and one member of the team is AFK'ing and doing nothing while everyone else is trying. I then have one of two options, I can bail out as a way to keep from helping the leech, or I can keep going to help the other 3 that are trying. If I bail, the leech will just que up and do it again but I can help the other 3 actually complete the que. (Also helping myself in the process.)
Sadly, the 'solution' I have employed is to just quit doing the event entirely. This event is awful and it happens to coincide with the release of Fallout 4 so for now I have just taken a hiatus from STO until this abortion of an 'event' is over. If you use the 'bail out' method, you'll almost never be able to do the event due to the sheer number of AFK'ers.
This mission is a TRIBBLE, time-gated slog as I've stated before on numerous occasions. It wouldn't be so bad if anything we did somehow effected the final score in a meaningful way or made the mission go faster. But none of it does (unlike Crystalline event).
That said, it's not cool to force AFK on people that still labor under the idea that their sisyphustic desire to close portals and activate defenses on the station means squat in the end, or has any meaningful effect on payout. So - if you're going to *correctly* afk this one, do it privately. AFKers in general suck, but as JJ Spock said "Not this time..."
Comments
I agree wholeheartedly!
Burn them!
I'm aware that someone can possibly close a portal without shooting, or getting shot at. I flagged this guy yesterday because he did absolutely NOTHING. From the moment the queue began, he flew his ship out 100 km away from the battle zone. He closed NO portals, did not assist with the dreadnought, did not contribute IN ANY WAY. THAT deserves SOME sort of punishment.
PS. It's really awkward when your first officer walks in on you.
If cryptic tapped into their playerbase more for good feedback they would see this game improve by leads and bounds. A game's success relies heavily on a two way communication between the players and the developers.
Lovely... not only are they not punished because there is no AFK penalty in this queue, but sometimes, you can't even make sure they're punished.
EDIT: And a second time in a row I couldn't report an AFKer.
Most unexpectedly, this turned into a flame-fest! Closed it goes!. /sigh What flamefestery is this? pwlaughingtrendy
Technically, it requires not getting hit or taking hull damage. My Corvette torpedo bomber has enough defense (for Normal) that I can fly around in a circle and close a portal while a few ships are trying to hit it. But that ship was built for speed and defense so it's an edge case.
Possible Solutions:
give each Player the Option to "kick from Team" - finetuning required, but if 2 or 3 Players click that button, the Player gets replaced by next who is waiting in the queue. Optional the kicked Player will get a cooldown timer, so he cannot just enter the next one again.
KDF: 2 tacs, 2 engs, 3 scis
KDF Roms: 3 tacs, 1 eng, 1 scis
FED: 2 tacs, 1 eng, 2 scis
TOS: 1 tac
all on T5 rep (up to temporal)
all have mastered Intel tree (and some more specs Points)
highest DPS: 60.982
This has been brought up almost as long as the game has existed and it's just for too open to abuse. You would be creating a bigger problem to maybe solve as relatively small one.
R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy
That worked so well in Censoredcraft. Especially with reasons like "do you like pizza?".
If there was a Borg Disco event that encouraged everyone to play it on every toon every day, players would wait it out too.
The reason they don't wait it out now, is because they are likely to suffer an afk penalty, add such a penalty to events and viola, problem solved for many people!
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
Wrong. The reason they don't wait it out is its faster to do ISA or something.
The Vesta warp bubble also allows you to close portals. In previous iterations, I've had luck using Quantum Absorption as a temporary shield to keep from getting interrupted, but it tends to be hit or miss.
Unless - and I don't know whether this is possible - closing rifts (and upgrading the station) counts towards "not being afk".
sadly, some people would complain it's not working if they did that.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
ISA only provides omega marks, if you want to get other kinds of marks, than it's either Disco or find them eslwhere!
I myself like some others, don't do Borg Disco for the Omega marks, we do it for the choice of other marks!!!
Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!
At the very least, if you don't like BD, there is an "elsewhere" to get those marks. And it may be faster and/or easier.
In the mirror event, there is no "elsewhere." You have to do the waiting mission to get it. Over and over again.
IT is kinda like with the new Battlezone the Badlands it is very similar to the undine zone in many ways, which leads to many feeling just bogged down by how repetitive it feels as they are doing the samethings from one zone to the next. I myself find it fun i like the little changes to the three types of satalites you have (one is a moving king of the hill type one, another is a horde type one, and the third is a target switcher) yet to me i find the last two phases boring as they are very similar to the undine zone even more. As such i kinda wished that it was done that you still had the three bases as now that spawn yet with a massive Dreadnaught (make it random which of the three you get Temperol, gal-x, odessey) that is buffed by each of the three active bases (each giving a different buff to the massive dreadnaught like shield buffs, weapons, what not). Than you could have it that players could choose to either rush the massive dread possibly for more marks or a achievement, conversely though they could go the route of dis-abling the three bases to reduce the strength of the massive dreadnaught before engaging it which either of would change how the fight would work. With such a change the final wave-like part of the zone progression could be gotten rid of to give this more time to be completed, with the rewards fo the wave-phase being rolled into defeating the fully buffed up dreadnaught instead of debuffing it via the shut-down of the bases.
Now here's a novel complaint... if you are going to be useless, go be useless in Advanced. Where most times it's a pointless Zerg rush anyway. First, you'll get more Marks on that fail than a successful normal. Second, you'll not be hampering a Normal run where success is mostly achievable even in a pug.
I could do my 7 runs on Advanced and get frustrated at the difficulty and lack of teamwork but make more Marks. But I choose to do Normal because it's worth the lesser marks to feel like we accomplished the mission. Spending 2hrs a day is bad enough, but 2hrs of fails isn't my brand of fun even if it does get me more Marks.
PS to Cryptic... why does an utter fail in Advanced give more Marks than a total success on Normal?
1: Read feedback in the forums regarding players who've dealt with AFKers.
2: Read GM reports of players getting reported for being AFK.
3: Sit back and do other stuff not related to the event.
4: Wait for event to be over.
5: No more AFKers for that event.
6: Problem fixed forever. Until the next event. But that's like a million years in the future, right?
7: Next event shows up. Oh golly, we've been so busy doing other stuff we've forgot to address long-standing problems with AFKers in things like MU invasion.
8: Go back to 1. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
I'll gladly take a deserter hit then feed a lazy parasite afk sleaze.
I have considered the 'just bail' strategy, but I usually find it a less appealing option if the majority of the team is actually trying. The most common scenario for me is that I get in a match and one member of the team is AFK'ing and doing nothing while everyone else is trying. I then have one of two options, I can bail out as a way to keep from helping the leech, or I can keep going to help the other 3 that are trying. If I bail, the leech will just que up and do it again but I can help the other 3 actually complete the que. (Also helping myself in the process.)
Sadly, the 'solution' I have employed is to just quit doing the event entirely. This event is awful and it happens to coincide with the release of Fallout 4 so for now I have just taken a hiatus from STO until this abortion of an 'event' is over. If you use the 'bail out' method, you'll almost never be able to do the event due to the sheer number of AFK'ers.
That said, it's not cool to force AFK on people that still labor under the idea that their sisyphustic desire to close portals and activate defenses on the station means squat in the end, or has any meaningful effect on payout. So - if you're going to *correctly* afk this one, do it privately. AFKers in general suck, but as JJ Spock said "Not this time..."