I do rocket building because it's a fun alternative to other TFOs that require combat. I see people AFK all the time and it doesn't matter one whit to me if they do this.
There's no harm to me or the team if people AFK it. So let them AFK it.
Now a LTS and loving it.
Just because you spend money on this game, it does not entitle you to be a jerk if things don't go your way.
I have come to the conclusion that I have a memory like Etch-A-Sketch. I shake my head and forget everything.
I do rocket building because it's a fun alternative to other TFOs that require combat. I see people AFK all the time and it doesn't matter one whit to me if they do this.
There's no harm to me or the team if people AFK it. So let them AFK it.
Honestly the ONLY reason I suspect they do, is because they selected all ground (checkbox) and the First Contact Day Rocket Building is included.
I've done that a few times myself when I was trying to do ground missions for Endeavors or other reasons. I still take the time to participate however, but I suspect that is why some feel short changed... They were focused on something else then they get Rocket Launch.
Still rarely if EVER do I really see a person sit in a TFO doing virtually nothing. Though I admit it happens a bit more in Rocket Launch, but isn't made easier by the fact some can't see what parts they've collected. Also when you get someone else name beside yours, it doesn't even matter what you do!
This year the rocket building seems to be bugged way more often than previous years. Out of LTS, F2P and PS4 accounts I've had one round where everyone was properly shown. First couple of days on PC I ran boozeman to get some batleth kills, single run on PS4 being to confirm that cryptic still haven't bothered to fix the recruit weapon the way they did after about a week of it being on PC, which was many weeks before it even arrived on console. So thats close to 24-25 runs with a single solitary unbugged run, even by cryptic level of barrel scraping that is BAD.
On the other thing from the OP you should fly a set distance or face being DQ'd has clearly not been thought out in context of the game beyond zippy little pewpew ship.
For example Starbase 1 is one of those TFO's that's designed for a static gravwell and torpspread approach, a single player can easily control most of a side while the rest of the team struggle to keep the escaping ship alive.
But because they don't need to move they should be punished?
Just make it sort of like the afk penalty for these no omega TFO's that aren't done in 2 seconds but change it where if they don't have a certain level of participation that they can then be attacked by npcs and players. As well some kind of stat checking to make sure they have gear worth looting before they enter so that there is a price or risk to afking/idle lol. Basically this behavior will completely end after the first day of this and it will never be a problem again. It worked for 80's and 90's mud games before mmorpg's came out never did anyone just afk in an area where other players and npcs could loot them.
Just make it sort of like the afk penalty for these no omega TFO's that aren't done in 2 seconds but change it where if they don't have a certain level of participation that they can then be attacked by npcs and players. As well some kind of stat checking to make sure they have gear worth looting before they enter so that there is a price or risk to afking/idle lol. Basically this behavior will completely end after the first day of this and it will never be a problem again. It worked for 80's and 90's mud games before mmorpg's came out never did anyone just afk in an area where other players and npcs could loot them.
Attacking and looting other players in a TFO? I do believe you have forgotten what game we are talking about. For one, all equipment is bound once equipped, so what is there to loot? EC? Dil? And what is this about a stat check to see if players have gear worth looting? It sounds like this idea is less about preventing AFK'ing and more about you just want an excuse to PK folks and take their stuff.
It makes things awkward when people are referring to building rockets, a specific event TFO, and TFO's in general all under one roof and in one thread.
What applies to a combat mission isn't necessarily applicable to building rockets or even the event TFO.
Take it up with the OP. He is the one that decided to lead with the rocket example, so he is 100% to "blame" for people talking about that, not the people replying to what he said.
Plenty of people even offered many ideas (some quite reasonable) as to how to actually encourage participation in this TFO. The fact that Cryptic changed nothing about it since last year (not including bugs) is proof enough that they're fine with how people minimally engage with this minimally engaging TFO.
Cryptic won't even fix the bug that sometimes prevents someone from being able to actually participate - and it's been there and reported from the first day the 'Event' was added to the game years ago. I also love players like the OP who think that anyone who doesn't play like they do in the ONE TFO where EVERYONE is out for themselves - should be punished if they choose to not gather parts.
Cryptic COULD provide a little incentive *IE add a bigger carrot to the stick as it were by perhaps adding to the rewards IF your Rocket has higher quality parts and rewarding the actual person with the Rocket that goes the farthest - but no, I'm sure they figured such a thing would be 'too rewarding'.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
As far as rockets going the farthest, I have had both really good parts and low end parts and have had the rocket explode inches above the launchpad. so the launch and go has to be random and not the quality of your rocket.
I think RNG is more of a factor then it should be, but I'm sure it's not the only factor. In the TFO I just did a bit ago, I saw the bug for the first time. The game was fine for me, but my character was listed twice and from what I saw the person who was bugged didn't put in as much of an effort. Someone else also didn't put in much effort. (They never even found a hull part.) And the last person and I did put an effort into it. The bugged player and the one who didn't put much effort into it scored less then 50. I came in second, (think I had two purple and one blue part) and the final player came in first with an all purple rocket.
I have had an all purple rocket take off and immediately explode before, I chalk that up to a really bad RNG result. (Like rolling 1 on 1d20 in D&D.)
Every time I've been afflicted by the bug where someone else's name is on theirs and mine, my rocket explodes on the pad while theirs may go far (or not). However, when the bug isn't happening (as far as I can see), and all 5 colors have different names, I've watched a rocket with 1 blue part and nothing for the other 2 go the furthest out of a group with 2 people having all purples. It's at least 80% RNG.
As far as the bugged person not putting in much of an effort from what you saw, what do you want them to do? Run around and dig in piles for no reason? When you are the bugged person and someone else's name is on your color, you can't do anything. Sure you can search piles and pick up junk and even pick up parts, but those parts will never register. Every part the other person who's name is duped onto you will show up for them and for you, none of the parts you pick up will show up for either of you. At the adjust phase, you can adjust parts and play the minigame, but again, no parts you get will show up for you or for the other person. Literally nothing you can do will have any effect. So, what, you want them to just go through the motions?
Also there's display bugs where the names don't even display for everyone the same - I was in one the other night where Red (me) and yellow both, for me, showed "IIIIIIII" but someone else in the TFO made a comment that the instance must be bugged why else would there be 2 Irinas
I saw no Irinas on the names list, but clearly they did. So it appears to be possible that different people see different names on the list, which means it could be possible for you to see 5 unique names and me to see 4 unique names and 1 dupe; so someone might be bugged and it might not even be apparent to you.
Comments
There's no harm to me or the team if people AFK it. So let them AFK it.
Honestly the ONLY reason I suspect they do, is because they selected all ground (checkbox) and the First Contact Day Rocket Building is included.
I've done that a few times myself when I was trying to do ground missions for Endeavors or other reasons. I still take the time to participate however, but I suspect that is why some feel short changed... They were focused on something else then they get Rocket Launch.
Still rarely if EVER do I really see a person sit in a TFO doing virtually nothing. Though I admit it happens a bit more in Rocket Launch, but isn't made easier by the fact some can't see what parts they've collected. Also when you get someone else name beside yours, it doesn't even matter what you do!
It would be nice if they correct this BUG!
On the other thing from the OP you should fly a set distance or face being DQ'd has clearly not been thought out in context of the game beyond zippy little pewpew ship.
For example Starbase 1 is one of those TFO's that's designed for a static gravwell and torpspread approach, a single player can easily control most of a side while the rest of the team struggle to keep the escaping ship alive.
But because they don't need to move they should be punished?
Attacking and looting other players in a TFO? I do believe you have forgotten what game we are talking about. For one, all equipment is bound once equipped, so what is there to loot? EC? Dil? And what is this about a stat check to see if players have gear worth looting? It sounds like this idea is less about preventing AFK'ing and more about you just want an excuse to PK folks and take their stuff.
Cryptic won't even fix the bug that sometimes prevents someone from being able to actually participate - and it's been there and reported from the first day the 'Event' was added to the game years ago. I also love players like the OP who think that anyone who doesn't play like they do in the ONE TFO where EVERYONE is out for themselves - should be punished if they choose to not gather parts.
Cryptic COULD provide a little incentive *IE add a bigger carrot to the stick as it were by perhaps adding to the rewards IF your Rocket has higher quality parts and rewarding the actual person with the Rocket that goes the farthest - but no, I'm sure they figured such a thing would be 'too rewarding'.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Every time I've been afflicted by the bug where someone else's name is on theirs and mine, my rocket explodes on the pad while theirs may go far (or not). However, when the bug isn't happening (as far as I can see), and all 5 colors have different names, I've watched a rocket with 1 blue part and nothing for the other 2 go the furthest out of a group with 2 people having all purples. It's at least 80% RNG.
As far as the bugged person not putting in much of an effort from what you saw, what do you want them to do? Run around and dig in piles for no reason? When you are the bugged person and someone else's name is on your color, you can't do anything. Sure you can search piles and pick up junk and even pick up parts, but those parts will never register. Every part the other person who's name is duped onto you will show up for them and for you, none of the parts you pick up will show up for either of you. At the adjust phase, you can adjust parts and play the minigame, but again, no parts you get will show up for you or for the other person. Literally nothing you can do will have any effect. So, what, you want them to just go through the motions?
Also there's display bugs where the names don't even display for everyone the same - I was in one the other night where Red (me) and yellow both, for me, showed "IIIIIIII" but someone else in the TFO made a comment that the instance must be bugged why else would there be 2 Irinas
I saw no Irinas on the names list, but clearly they did. So it appears to be possible that different people see different names on the list, which means it could be possible for you to see 5 unique names and me to see 4 unique names and 1 dupe; so someone might be bugged and it might not even be apparent to you.