Recommended Change to PvE Content (Missions, STF, Reputation)

agentkoval

The Reasons

STO has become highly segmented for a game. Players are either in battle zones, replaying old missions with an AoY toon, or re-running one of the 5 main gauntlet STFs and the problem in this is none of those in great numbers. For an MMORPG, too many players are playing alone.

The Developers seem to have lost control of this because players are self-segmenting using 3rd party combat log reader software to parse their game. Players are confining themselves to eco-chambers in the DPS channels because of the fear of a PUG match and their desire to reach an arbitrary height of DPS using inaccurate and misleading combatlog readers. The readers do not deal well with long STF or pretty much anything outside of ISA and add an extra barrier because of usage compatibility and learning curves diving so many players to not even install one.

There are structural conflicts in the game itself. We are somehow required to poor out massive damage to do elite content (even missions) yet given no real effective way to gauge performance or an After Action Review. We are given objectives that require precise communication yet those objectives themselves are not communicated before the mission.

So here are some thoughts on how to address these issues. Just in case, I am going to put a bucket of water to the side here in the event of a fire...

Special Task Force: How to make more enticing

• Revamp the the reputation store to include new items to encourage people to play older STF to earn old marks
• Increase the rewards of STF to make them more appealing
• Revamp STF menu to Post mission requirements in STF menu so people can see what they need to do before they enter the STF
• Place more optional objectives in elite STF but scale the rewards appropriately to allow players to finish an elite STF (i.e. if you only do advanced objectives you get advanced rewards)

Events

• Run a Romulus (or insert other reputation here) event where you earn romulan marks used to redeem new gear or something

The DPS Rainbow

• Create an interactive IN GAME calculator to see after completing an STF, mission or event
• Allow certain content to be DPS merit based determined by new IN GAME calculator just as some STF are lvl based
• Delete the community created DPS channels that are based on arbitrary self-imposed numbers and create additional channels based off new calculator that people would automatically be assigned to.

The Borg: Give us an Elite mode

• Make them adapt in space which reduces damage to them
• Have Borg cubes be able to assimilate a ship's systems and disable subsystems or powers
• Have them ram into anyone who mentions DPS in team chat...

And as I am sure the deletion of DPS channels will incur many comments, let us at least talk about how negatively they segregate the game.

vor1022

I like it. I would also add to the STF's... there are SOOO many of them. Why not shorten it down to like 10 and rotate them out every few hours or every day. Shrinks the available stfs to a manageable number forcing more people to play together. I just came back after a year away and i was shocked to see how few people were doing them still and nothing had been done. In face you just added MORE to it.. I agree with the OP the game feels very much alone..

leemwatson

I'm sorry OP, but I object to increasing the rewards. Why? Because with-in a short time people would be claiming that STF's don't reward enough, just as they do now! People are spoiled rotten with rewards. They should be harder to earn, not easier!!

tunebreaker

Some of OPs comments and suggestions are excellent, but overall impression of post is totally ruined by "Waah! Other players enjoy game differently than I do. Please ban them from game!" style whining.

angrytarg

tunebreaker wrote: »

Some of OPs comments and suggestions are excellent, but overall impression of post is totally ruined by "Waah! Other players enjoy game differently than I do. Please ban them from game!" style whining.

The "delete the DPS channels" part let me think this is just a personal vendetta. However I agree, some suggestions are really good, like rotating featured queues, new items/incentive to replay them and upgrades to the enemies involved. I would also like to see some randomization, so there are events that can happen within a queue but don't have to to change the outcome so you don't alwas know what to expect and would require the players to gear and set up a bit more flexible.​​