Well, I'm not in the know, but I'm sure they've looked at how many players are upgrading and what they are upgrading, then checked Zen store sales, then correlated those metrics to see whether they've made the right decision. To say, in any way, that they're too stupid to do such a thing, is foolish, in the extreme.
Mmorpg players always assume game owners and operators are idiots, doesn't matter what game it is, always. They always think they know better, always.
Be reasonable and think about it from a business perspective instead of as a child demanding satisfaction. Doesn't matter how old you are the youngest almost always bring down the maturity level of every other player....
Every....single...online...game...ffs
"Intelligence is finite, stupidity is infinite" -- Umberto Eco
Epic Mk XIV gear is not essential to be successful in this game. Unless you've a large bank balance, I don't see why people waste money on it. Mk XII Purple will take you through most of the game with ease, and for the sake of a few extra marks (or dilithium etc) the cost of XIV just isn't worth it.
I haven't upgraded a single item to Epic, nor have I upgraded anything to Mk XIV, and I don't intend to either.
you know what's more crazier than people getting epic AP beams? People who buy reputation weapons and try to get it to upgrade to Crtdx3 then to epic. It could EASILY swallow up all of your 10 million limit on your dil bank. Hands up who's insane?
Oh, I have no illusions about the likelihood of this changing soon, if ever. I just felt like ranting a little bit. And if the 1,996,124th time doesn't do the trick, maybe the next one will. They -have- been changing things for the better lately, afterall.
Normally I wouldn't bother with rarity upgrades, just that [Amp] to replace my old fleet core and add the mini-Valdore proc seemed too good to pass on.
Upgrades used were mostly normal superiors with a few experimentals thrown in. Also burned some stockpiled FE rewards, because I was feeling lucky (spoiler: I wasn't). I didn't get the chance to Ahab out on this properly, but it does say something that I had a batch of Omega upgrades cooking. And yes, this year I'll camp the hell out of those particles. The final price wasn't 250k, though, more like 180k. I didn't count the rep project's 32k dil cost. Still way too much, no matter how you look at it... and it could've been much, much worse. That was just Ultra Rare, too, not Epic.
During the upgrade weekend I had a console go gold with a 2% chance, some Herald beams going UR then Epic right after as well, just going to MK 14. Upgrading felt like no big deal, effectively half price and nothing really expensive to work on. Rep stuff under normal circumstances? Nightmarish gamble fest.
The whole thing reminds me of an old joke. A man goes to visit his neighbor and finds him bashing his face against a wall. "Why are you doing that? Doesn't it hurt like hell?" he asks, alarmed. The neighbor lets out a blissful sigh and replies: "But it feels so good when I stop!"
Most pubbies in this game are completely ignorant of how to properly distribute points in the skill tree and chain BoFF abilities for maximum effect, so "normal" difficulty has been dumbed down to accommodate these people. You may have the biggest, baddest ship on the block absolutely covered with golden goodies, but if your skill tree is all wrong and your BoFF abilities aren't jiving with one another you aren't going to be very effective.
Where does one go to learn more about these two subjects, oh wise and all knowing one?
Most pubbies in this game are completely ignorant of how to properly distribute points in the skill tree and chain BoFF abilities for maximum effect, so "normal" difficulty has been dumbed down to accommodate these people. You may have the biggest, baddest ship on the block absolutely covered with golden goodies, but if your skill tree is all wrong and your BoFF abilities aren't jiving with one another you aren't going to be very effective.
Where does one go to learn more about these two subjects, oh wise and all knowing one?
If you haven't looked on reddit or here in the academy section then go HERE and type in "How to use Google", that should help.
No need to thank me, I'm sure anyone using the internet to play a MMORPG and post on a games forum, would overlook using the same internet (or forum) to learn about the game.
Most pubbies in this game are completely ignorant of how to properly distribute points in the skill tree and chain BoFF abilities for maximum effect, so "normal" difficulty has been dumbed down to accommodate these people. You may have the biggest, baddest ship on the block absolutely covered with golden goodies, but if your skill tree is all wrong and your BoFF abilities aren't jiving with one another you aren't going to be very effective.
Where does one go to learn more about these two subjects, oh wise and all knowing one?
If you haven't looked on reddit or here in the academy section then go HERE and type in "How to use Google", that should help.
No need to thank me, I'm sure anyone using the internet to play a MMORPG and post on a games forum, would overlook using the same internet (or forum) to learn about the game.
Ahh Google, where EPS skill exists in the quantum state of awesomest dps boost evar and simultaneously a complete noob trap that doesn't interact with weapon power drain at all.
This is my Risian Corvette. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
As of today, I've been playing the game for 6 months and have only dabbled with some upgrading. So other than a couple things, all my stuff was MK XII. Given the new season, ship releases etc and thus the poor exchange rate, I had been stockpiling my dil coming into the upgrade weekend. With the low material prices I had also been slowly buying up a lot of that as well. So I decided it was time to do some real upgrading. Course. I wasn't smart and so hadn't been crafting to get decent MK II weapons or crafting any upgrades for this sort of thing so was scrambling to do that as well. But I went "crazy". 3 toons got all their ground stuff upgraded to Mk IV. My main got all ship stuff upgraded to Mk IV and a couple sets sitting in inventory as well. Took maybe 5-6 consoles to epic. Tried to get a few other things to Epic as well but after, at most, 6-7 attempts I gave up. Might have done a handful of other things to Mk XIV on a couple alts. None of my weapons are "perfect". They're at best VR or UR. Got 1 CrtDx4 and I think 2 CrtDx3 Pens. I ended up spending just over 1m dil.
Was it worth it? Well, when I think of how much dil I spent I just shake my head at that. Think it will be another 6 months before I do that sort of thing again. But, when I go into battles, the increase in my performance is so significant I can't complain too much. I don't chase DPS and I think the last time I used my own "test" (not ISA) I was sitting at around 8k-9k or so. Only did one test since upgrading and it was way up at around 18k. Granted I might have made a few other improvements along the way that had also improved my performance but getting everything to Mk XIV was a very, very noticeable improvement. Course. Now when I'm blowing things up in seconds I wonder if I'm actually having fun anymore or not lol.
Rarity upgrades are a marginal luxury thing. Getting your item from 95% perfect to 100% perfect.
Best in slot items aren't meant to be cheap and easy to get in MMOs.
This is so very true.
Getting items, even weapons to Mark XIV isn't that hard and absolutely does not require cash to accomplish. Especially if you choose to do so during an 'Upgrade Weekend' like the one we just had.
Rarity on the other hand is another story and comes with all the issues and valid complaints brought up by the OP. The thing you have to remember is exactly what's said in the quote above, that rarity upgrades are a luxury. They're something you do when you have the best of the best and basically have nothing left to pour your time and efforts into.
Consoles are easy to get to Epic, all my consoles are shiny gold, but beyond that I don't waste my time and effort. I go for mark XIV, some items (especially weapons) get a huge boost from Mark Upgrade. If I get a lucky roll along the way and get a rarity upgrade, then great.. but I'm not going to bankrupt myself trying to get it.
Consoles - Easy to upgrade mark and rarity. Mark is worth it, rarity is nice but not essential. In my experience, the best return on rarity upgrade have come from Embassy Consoles, Bio-Neural Infusion Circuits and locators.
Weapons - Fairly expensive to upgrade mark, extremely expensive to upgrade rarity. Rarity helps, but your best results comes from Mods, followed by Mark, followed by Rarity. Rarity is a luxury here. It's nice but not required.
Shields - Expensive to raise mark, generally extremely expensive to upgrade rarity. Shields get a fair return from rarity and mark, but honestly, you can live without either. Personally, I took all my ship shields to mark XIV and stopped. The return from rarity can be gained through other means and far cheaper. Pouring dilithium into your shields for a cap upgrade simply isn't worth it. If you're that worried about it, slot a field generator in your science slot and get more for less.
Warp Core - Again, fairly expensive for mark, very expensive for rarity. This one is tough because UR upgrade is quite useful on Rep cores as it gives the highly desirable AMP mod. If you're after DPS and using a Rep Core, then this is the one where you're going to have to bite the bullet. Prepare to spend heavily on this one. Alternately, you can purchase an Ultra Rare Warp Core/Singularity from your fleet and get the AMP mod for next to nothing.
Impulse/Deflector - Irrelevant and pointless to upgrade. Go to Mk XIV if you wish, but rarity upgrades here are a tremendous waste of resources.
that's what I was going to say but this poster said it so much better.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Instead of trying to upgrade to gold now, just wait a couple of weeks for the Winter event. I have 7 toons and 6 R&D slots in each which is more then enough to throw all those omega pieces and mass produce them. The only part that sucks is that my R&D leveling goes to hell during the Winter event.
Instead of trying to upgrade to gold now, just wait a couple of weeks for the Winter event. I have 7 toons and 6 R&D slots in each which is more then enough to throw all those omega pieces and mass produce them. The only part that sucks is that my R&D leveling goes to hell during the Winter event.
I'm afraid you're thinking of the anniversary event.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
Most of the guys in my chat channel stick with Ultra-rare level equipment, and they are 60k dps and up.
The only thing I went for gold on the upgrade weekend was my tactical consoles, it took about 100k dil to get tall four from ultra-rare to epic. I would never have tried on weapons and other equipment.
I remember a thread a while ago where someone did the math on rarity upgrading and then tested it out themself.
And they found you got easyer success, and its cheaper to upgrade rarity if you start on an item when its a much lower mark, than an item at already max mark.
Great.. now where do I get lower mark versions of my gear that is only available at high/max mark levels?
But really, I hate the rarity upgrade part of this system.
I admit I don't really need the rarity upgrade, as I already do all content without problems. But its still fun to push up those numbers and try to max out your ship even further... Or atleast it should be.
"Please, Captain, not in front of the Klingons." Spock to Kirk, as Kirk is about to hug him.
Star Trek V: "The Final Frontier"
I remember a thread a while ago where someone did the math on rarity upgrading and then tested it out themself.
And they found you got easyer success, and its cheaper to upgrade rarity if you start on an item when its a much lower mark, than an item at already max mark.
Great.. now where do I get lower mark versions of my gear that is only available at high/max mark levels?
But really, I hate the rarity upgrade part of this system.
I admit I don't really need the rarity upgrade, as I already do all content without problems. But its still fun to push up those numbers and try to max out your ship even further... Or atleast it should be.
That's mainly because as you upgrade from MkII > MkXIV you have a lot of chances for the rarity to upgrade whilst any dilithium you use is not "wasted" because you still guarantee the upgrade in mark level each time. So it works out better in some ways as you don't really loose out at all and a lucky crit could give you just what you need.
But upgrading past MkXIV means the % chance keeps stacking up so eventually you will get that rarity you want. With lower level stuff the % resets each time the Mk level changes.
Epic level on weapons... A long term proposition. Something to work on if you can spare the resources, otherwise very rare or ultra rare are more than good enough. Epic level on consoles? Sometimes it's worth it. Epic level on deflectors/impulse/Shields/warp cores? Usually very rare or ultra rare are good enough, but sometimes the epic modifiers are great... AMP on warp cores for example. Any way you look at it, resource heavy, even if you craft the Superior upgrades you're going to use.
The idea of holding on to your resources for the next big thing on sale in the Zen store is like waiting for a train that never arrives. Improve when you can, if you think it will benefit you and your play. If and when something new and shiny ACTUALLY arrives in the store, THEN start planning for that purchase. You don't need to have the newest thing right when it comes out.
Post edited by kontarnus on
"Intelligence is finite, stupidity is infinite" -- Umberto Eco
Comments
To say, in any way, that they're too stupid to do such a thing, is foolish, in the extreme.
Mmorpg players always assume game owners and operators are idiots, doesn't matter what game it is, always. They always think they know better, always.
Be reasonable and think about it from a business perspective instead of as a child demanding satisfaction. Doesn't matter how old you are the youngest almost always bring down the maturity level of every other player....
Every....single...online...game...ffs
I haven't upgraded a single item to Epic, nor have I upgraded anything to Mk XIV, and I don't intend to either.
Normally I wouldn't bother with rarity upgrades, just that [Amp] to replace my old fleet core and add the mini-Valdore proc seemed too good to pass on.
Upgrades used were mostly normal superiors with a few experimentals thrown in. Also burned some stockpiled FE rewards, because I was feeling lucky (spoiler: I wasn't). I didn't get the chance to Ahab out on this properly, but it does say something that I had a batch of Omega upgrades cooking. And yes, this year I'll camp the hell out of those particles. The final price wasn't 250k, though, more like 180k. I didn't count the rep project's 32k dil cost. Still way too much, no matter how you look at it... and it could've been much, much worse. That was just Ultra Rare, too, not Epic.
During the upgrade weekend I had a console go gold with a 2% chance, some Herald beams going UR then Epic right after as well, just going to MK 14. Upgrading felt like no big deal, effectively half price and nothing really expensive to work on. Rep stuff under normal circumstances? Nightmarish gamble fest.
The whole thing reminds me of an old joke. A man goes to visit his neighbor and finds him bashing his face against a wall. "Why are you doing that? Doesn't it hurt like hell?" he asks, alarmed. The neighbor lets out a blissful sigh and replies: "But it feels so good when I stop!"
Where does one go to learn more about these two subjects, oh wise and all knowing one?
If you haven't looked on reddit or here in the academy section then go HERE and type in "How to use Google", that should help.
No need to thank me, I'm sure anyone using the internet to play a MMORPG and post on a games forum, would overlook using the same internet (or forum) to learn about the game.
Ahh Google, where EPS skill exists in the quantum state of awesomest dps boost evar and simultaneously a complete noob trap that doesn't interact with weapon power drain at all.
Was it worth it? Well, when I think of how much dil I spent I just shake my head at that. Think it will be another 6 months before I do that sort of thing again. But, when I go into battles, the increase in my performance is so significant I can't complain too much. I don't chase DPS and I think the last time I used my own "test" (not ISA) I was sitting at around 8k-9k or so. Only did one test since upgrading and it was way up at around 18k. Granted I might have made a few other improvements along the way that had also improved my performance but getting everything to Mk XIV was a very, very noticeable improvement. Course. Now when I'm blowing things up in seconds I wonder if I'm actually having fun anymore or not lol.
that's what I was going to say but this poster said it so much better.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I'm afraid you're thinking of the anniversary event.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
The only thing I went for gold on the upgrade weekend was my tactical consoles, it took about 100k dil to get tall four from ultra-rare to epic. I would never have tried on weapons and other equipment.
And they found you got easyer success, and its cheaper to upgrade rarity if you start on an item when its a much lower mark, than an item at already max mark.
Great.. now where do I get lower mark versions of my gear that is only available at high/max mark levels?
But really, I hate the rarity upgrade part of this system.
I admit I don't really need the rarity upgrade, as I already do all content without problems. But its still fun to push up those numbers and try to max out your ship even further... Or atleast it should be.
Spock to Kirk, as Kirk is about to hug him.
Star Trek V: "The Final Frontier"
That's mainly because as you upgrade from MkII > MkXIV you have a lot of chances for the rarity to upgrade whilst any dilithium you use is not "wasted" because you still guarantee the upgrade in mark level each time. So it works out better in some ways as you don't really loose out at all and a lucky crit could give you just what you need.
But upgrading past MkXIV means the % chance keeps stacking up so eventually you will get that rarity you want. With lower level stuff the % resets each time the Mk level changes.
Epic level on consoles? Sometimes it's worth it.
Epic level on deflectors/impulse/Shields/warp cores? Usually very rare or ultra rare are good enough, but sometimes the epic modifiers are great... AMP on warp cores for example.
Any way you look at it, resource heavy, even if you craft the Superior upgrades you're going to use.
The idea of holding on to your resources for the next big thing on sale in the Zen store is like waiting for a train that never arrives. Improve when you can, if you think it will benefit you and your play. If and when something new and shiny ACTUALLY arrives in the store, THEN start planning for that purchase. You don't need to have the newest thing right when it comes out.