Hello;
I just wanted to say that I'm not particularly fine with losing often 30 minutes of my life, in a game wich, even great for star trek stuff, is already extremly grindy.
I lost those precious minutes of my life for litterally nothing because those alerts are clearly not scaled for players that are still not 60, not ultra rare +/reputation geared, and want to level their grindy reputations another time, just to make next missions a bit sweeter....
I failed all of those with very rare stuff crafted from main character, and I was always matched with other beginners that may have even worse stuff than me every time...as a result, dps is never sufficient to compensate the health and regeneration of the main ennemies (borg unimatrix, tarantula dreadnoughs etc), we all get constantly respawning and killed almost immediatly, lacking of damage resistance, whatever the class, and the timer quickly come out.
In the end, no one gets anything, and the loop start again...with no one progressing, because not having any marks to do so...
I dont remember it was like this in the past, i mean, that punishing...i remember it was even quite easy for my main character (science), and iremember to be matched fairly with more advanced players.
To solve this, may I suggest you just to make sure begginners arent only matched with other beginners; a single well geared character could even do any of those red alert mission alone easily, and would greatly help some player, or people with reroll progressing with a veteran on their side, and not having them instead trying to demolish a dps gate with their skull...
Just a feedback i wanted to leave, because I wasnt sure exactly what was the appropriate feedback subforum to leave it in...
Main character.
Lysten@aranvar (29th century Federation betazoid) :
U.S.S. Hari Seldon : Wells temporal science vessel
U.S.S. Rene Barjavel : Paradox temporal dreadnought
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Comments
I certainly don't.
A team of fresh 50's can easily handle a Borg Red Alert. If you get even one moderately experienced player on your team then you'll finish it in under 5 min.
This is some of the easiest content in the game, if you're asking for it to be made easier then it's time to open the discussion on your build and tactics. Changing the content is simply not needed.
I would say they still ought to put the double XP back. It really helps level ships...
Stay together if you're new players, don't try to solo a couple of cubes and their probes.
It seems to me like the other way around. Low geared guys aren't being matched with someone who can solo it. We should probably do as seaofsorrows suggested and help the OP put together a build worth using.
I agree completely. Especially now that you're time gated on these and can't hop from alert to alert, removing the XP bonus is even more pointless.
Exactly this. People capable of soloing it would show up, if they were allowed to solo it and not have to wait in line.
Removing the intermediary jump-in introduced with the sector space revamp would also be of the good. Used to be you could enter the mission instantly, straight from the prompt, and be returned back to sector space where you left off. That was much more convenient for a quickie mission than being transwarped halfway across the quadrant just to click another button. Especially when occasionally the mission would time out while in the first loading screen so you would be left halfway across the quadrant with no button to click.
Add the queue on top of that and it's just become an incredible pointless hassle that I for one don't consider worth it anymore.
L60 with full spec tree and rep abilities using purple mk 12s or better... yeah they can solo it.
l don't know.
l really don't know what l'm about to say, except l have a feeling about it.
That l must repeat the words that come without my knowledge.'
You actually can. It takes more work, but it's do-able.
Honestly, the only thing that might kill you in an undergeared ship is the Unimatrix, and even then you can respawn and fly right back in. The cubes and the Spheres aren't that tough at all. Of course, it will be easier for a more experienced Captain then it would be for a new player.
It's obviously harder then a 60 with a fully decked out T6, but it's do-able. Thing is, you never have to face this scenario because it always puts you with a team. If you have 3 or more people then the only way to fail a red alert is to do it on purpose.
I have to say, you're doing it wrong. I run mk XII gear all the time, mostly blue/purple but sometimes the odd green slips in because Ive forgotten or been too lazy to upgrade. The Borg RA aren't that bad, a little tougher than the old ones, but still easily doable.
The thing most people seem to forget, is that its NOT only about the gear. Quite often, knowing how your ship works and when to fire off abilities, how to make a solid build, and which BOFF powers to slot(and again when to use them) will make a shitton more difference than the difference between blue XII and gold XIV.
My character Tsin'xing
The game will always fluctuate in difficulty. I would focus on your personal abilities at making teams work because no matter how the game evolves, being good at finding ways to help the other people with you will always be useful. I wouldn't mess with Alerts right now except to increase experience, or remove the queue aspect, as some have already noted.
I have been defeated fighting Tholians once this week partly because it seemed like right away the Tholians got too close to the respawn point. That is usually a rookie mistake, but I think it can happen to anyone. I tried to aggro them away from there but it didn't work in the time frame available.
Sure I lost, but I liked the challenge. I don't want to see it made easier because I am happier when challenge can exist. It's also a reason I actually like flying with noobs, since the high DPS players can make things way to easy. Crazy DPS can be worse than easy. Much worse.
So, to address your concern; Learn how to team; Learn your tools. Keep making changes and test them as you play the Alerts, and take your bruises. Bridge Officers, Duty Officers, Gear selection, and the ship you pick, are still only half the battle.
Put heart into being a good team mate. If you can, find a good fleet where membership actually tries to help you grow as a player, and as a team. It should probably either be a big fleet or at least one where everyone has the same time frames to play in. Make friends and kill them in PvP matches. Get killed! Find out where you can improve. Help others to learn. If you are using different classes of ship, learn how they work best in unison. If you are all flying cruisers don't all use the same cruiser commands, etc.
Even if you are 'average' and flying low tier garbage, go with the idea that every time you are in a queue, that you might be the most skilled, and best equipped player there, and be ready to carry the less well off. I don't mean carrying leeches, although you may have an increased risk of it. I mean that whatever you do should make the team better able to win, as a team. Noobs, or not. I'd rather have noobs than I would someone who can 'solo' a mission (no offense to those of you who can). 'Solo' and 'team' are just different ways of coming at the game, and like sharing the experience.
When you are in an Alert, or other fight, take hits for the team. Your willingness to explode and respawn over and over again can make you an asset. Trust me when I say, as you die over and over again, you are drawing fire away from someone else, and if that someone is lining up for the crucial kill shot on Unimatrix whatever, then 'We win!' and you helped.
As far as I am concerned the best thing a good team mate does what helps the team best. Like maybe to aggro the enemies off the respawn point.
I've been informed that my posts are to long ... so I'm done.
Qapla!
Yes! That is fair. Sorry if I implied the other in any way that was insulting. I think it is an achievement to be respected.
But, I'm not that guy right now. Good thing you are here.
Qapla!
You have to take into account the average STO player. You, me, some players around here can do the RA solo with our eyes blindfolded.
I don't do the Borg and Tholian RAs anymore. They're a waste of time, there's no point to them, there's no rewards like even XPs to make it desirable to do. Are veteran players still doing these RAs like mad men like I used to.? If they're like me and not bothering with it anymore due to pointlessness, then yes, those newbies without the gameplay experience and/or gear can get rekt bad.
I've seen it, you've seen it: Where some poor guy is getting owned by a sphere and probe. Now toss in Borg Cubes, 2 Borg Cubes, or if they didn't know any better, a Tactical Cube.
With the old RA, a single decent player can carry them. But if none are around and it really is reduced to newbies, it's not quite so easy for them.
I dont know if people are doing them like mad men but I do know people with high dps are doing them still, did 4 Borg RA today and in 2 of them there were people with enough DPS to vaporize cubes in seconds, the unimatrix fared little better
As I said earlier, I'm only probably average but I didn't blow up, and I don't think anyone else did either. The missions were quick, but not painfully so, and It was possible to get into the 'moment' of each battle and just enjoy it. Teamwork was good, and folks seemed to be using a variety of abilities that went well together. I got boosted a lot, and I always like that.
The worst I got to was about 28% hull remaining when I got a little too deep into a pack of Tholians without support, and I was aggroing. My BC is actually fairly good at surviving PvE though, as long as I remember what I'm doing.
Everyone had fun, and there was lots of congrats in the chat, which is another thing I like.
So I'll stick with what I said earlier, with a nod to coldnapalm who reminded me that 'solo' skills don't mean that a player who can go solo isn't also a team player as well.
Qapla!
Cryptic, bonus XP for faster Starship Masteries are good for your coffers! It means people are "done" with their ships faster and are in the market for a new ship sooner!
But without bonus XP there's literally nothing in red alerts that can't be gotten elsewhere faster and easier.
I could solo them in season 6, before spec trees and rep abilities even existed.
The boss used to take a good long while to kill solo back then, but as long as you killed the regen probes before they healed it, it was only a matter of time.