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Why is it necessary that the game hates on new players so much?
ihatepwe735
Member Posts: 337 Arc User
It is hard enough getting new players to join STO, nevermind like it and stick around long enough to buy and spend Zen.
This game has the most complicated "Build" mechanic of all the MMOs I've tried. And even then the really simple ones usually have some kind of 'default build' function to allow players to just 'get' the right skills for a build.
Between the captains skills, traits, ship selection, weapon layout, consoles, DOFFs and BOFFs I can't see this game retaining the casual players that, even if they don't spend, add to the social atmosphere that keeps the game alive enough to keep the whales playing. Good grief the default equipment on a ship is so bloody far off anything even remotely optimal you can't even use it to clear normal difficulty episode content without respawning over and over.
This game needs something to help the new players master all this out.
An accessible database of ship builds pulled from other players?
Some standardized build templates a player can choose?
A sensible default loadout on newly purchased ships?
Even just a tooltip that computes and shows the effective dps, survivability and regeneration numbers a piece of equipment should grant.
This game has the most complicated "Build" mechanic of all the MMOs I've tried. And even then the really simple ones usually have some kind of 'default build' function to allow players to just 'get' the right skills for a build.
Between the captains skills, traits, ship selection, weapon layout, consoles, DOFFs and BOFFs I can't see this game retaining the casual players that, even if they don't spend, add to the social atmosphere that keeps the game alive enough to keep the whales playing. Good grief the default equipment on a ship is so bloody far off anything even remotely optimal you can't even use it to clear normal difficulty episode content without respawning over and over.
This game needs something to help the new players master all this out.
An accessible database of ship builds pulled from other players?
Some standardized build templates a player can choose?
A sensible default loadout on newly purchased ships?
Even just a tooltip that computes and shows the effective dps, survivability and regeneration numbers a piece of equipment should grant.
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Also, if you actually read the friendly text and listen to the friendly voice during the tutorials they do teach you to equip gear, use bridge officer skills, set ship power levels.
Very helpful comment. (That was sarcasm.)
Pretty much every online game I've played has required me to use the All-Knowing Google to answer questions once I got past the first few hours of play. Moving from apprentice to journeyman requires a bit of study, and it's almost impossible for developers to cram into the game itself.
Also, even if the put it into tutorials almost every game has too many details for you to absorb them all on the fly. At least for me I need to play a bit, figure out what questions I want to ask, then find the answers. The game throwing 500 answers at me to questions I don't have yet isn't helpful.
But from your name you do hate PWE, so you'll probably continue to disagree.
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I mostly agree, though while leveling up or getting ship masteries I've sometimes been lazy and used beam arrays on an escort.
For escorts I continue to fly, some have DHCs (Mat'ha: the hammer of the gods) while others have dual beam banks.
Well it's a bad assumption since you have people in STFs who don't know what they're doing and they don't listen to other players when you ask them not to get to close to Donatra because it causes her to cloak more. (For exmaple)
There are a lot of people who don't care and expect to be carried or don't know how to build stuff...did a infected advanced a while back and one player did 2k dps and another 4k...you have to be failing pretty hard or intentionally just autofiring to be doing that bad.
Those people probably ignored all the instructions in the tutorial missions too
Some people refuse to make any effort.
This would be the most helpful comment I've seen here.
Any who, as for the OP's concerns, I can see how the skill, reputation, spec systems would be intimidating for the novice player. But like gear that the helpful chap I've quoted comments about, you don't need any of that until you hit endgame.
You don't really need to allocate skill points early on so don't worry about your character 'build' until you can drop all the points in at once. Additionally, leveling up without skills assigned will be more challenging and will make you a better player as a result.
As for specializations, also not terribly urgent for endgame. And they are more forgiving than Skills, as you can max them all out given enough grinding.
TL;DR Read the quote, don't worry about skills and such until you know what you're doing, and if all else fails roll the dice and ask the dumb questions. The worst that could happen is people think you an idiot. Not the end of the world. Lol
People like you make STO worth playing. Thanks for the helpful response.
I am not involved in the thread itself otherwise (for being a newbie in that regard and having awful "builds" ATM) but I THINK at least some things got with the ships at level X may be freely upgrade-able when you are of the "right level". I don't really know, but test this just in case with your items. I think some things are received at level X just to allow a bit lower level players (40?) to claim the ships and use those. As said, unsure.
A few weeks ago the developers asked, "What Can We Teach Better?" right here on this very forum. Scroll down a few topics from this one and you'll find it. It's only been un-stickied about a week now. Post your genuine concerns there. (You've already posted your frustrations here, so they don't need those.)
You have the DPS STO league, you have the Reddit Builds section, which is fairly strong.
The DPS STO league is optimal for people who run in teams and team-oriented builds, whilst the Reddit Build section is more for PUG/Random queue users/Lone Wolfs and their builds.
Just google:
Dps STO League
Reddit STO Builds
Yes. Trial by error. We can also help out if you ask questions.
I don't know any games - or any software - that has really managed to find a good solution here. The particular challenge is that we're still dealing with a game here - a fun activity. You don't want to be sent to "Star Trek Online School" for a semester.
IMO new ships shouldn't come with "default" loadouts at all. You're not supposed to be using them anyway, it's just filler to show what is equippable in each slot.
Nevermind there are 9 main weapon categories in the game, not 2. It would be high time to balance them better so it's not just BA's vs DHC's.
There's never a good time for obnoxious pop-ups. When people want information, they will look or ask for it themselves. And if they don't want it, they will ignore you if you try to force it upon them.
Normally its on the cusp of being too fast but on an xp weekend you can get 2-3 levels per mission which means you leap forward in terms of the level of enemy vs gear you have accumulated.
I can't think of any mmo that has a build repository built in and unless you hit the xp boosting issue even the most bodgy of bodge builds can cope enough to be working on rep gear. Assuming the player takes a moment to glance at the tooltips within the talent tree.
You could slot this mission in around level 10 when players have got their feet wet and are about to make their first real ship choice.
When I have the time to sign into the game, there is so much "busy work" why would I need more on my plate, like training? Admiralty, constant stream of events, logistics of characters, gear and personnel (loot, DOFFs, BOFFs, Rep, Specializations). And that is not even starting on any Fleet activities and Fleet development.
Some people are not good teachers, anyways....they do not want to do it.
Their interest lay elsewhere. And they are as useful to all of us (as in players) in what they do. We, as players, need the ones who test builds on new ships, use the new traits and gear. The ones who test things on Tribble, make Foundry missions. We need the folks playing the Exchange, who find the means to sell the good stuff to the folks that grind. And, of course, folks who do the grinding for coinage.
Where does this leave time for training? Much less time to be social?
Edit: Besides that...socializing. Things like training and sharing what is learned about the game with each other. Role playing, Foundry missions, practicing with teams....does not rate very high on the Cryptic Metric System. It does not even count as TIME players spend "playing the game".
BUT it is time players are in the game playing.....it is just not playing stuff they make. And THAT is where the Cryptic Metric System is failing THEM. And why they have to ask questions like "How do we retain players?"
Well...if players had time to: practice making teams, write a script to role play, do Foundry missions, TRAIN a new player....they stick around.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” -- Benjamin Franklin
Sure the game increased in complexity since then a lot but the networking of the community is that good by now that everybody new gets it all served on a silver platter:
https://www.sto-league.com/
Enjoy.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
RPGs inevitably require some original thought to play well. If not enough to find out how things work for yourself, then at least enough to find the research other people have already done and published.
I know one that recently added that. Or rather, mission leaderboards that display the top 10 players' setups for each mission.
Of course, those top 10's are always full of rare/expensive/limited stuff no newbie has. That kind of feature is for whales to show off more than anything else.