Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Well, guess I can stop thinking about what I'll name mine...
How about "USS Aaanditsgone"
^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
"A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
"That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Aren't most Lockbox ships other then the Juggernauts for over a billion on the exchange? I mean at the current key price 1.3 - 1.4 seems to be a fair price since that is about what 100 keys go for.
But yeah I think it still should be free because you pay with your eyesight, sticking with it.
C-Store Inc. is still looking for active members on the fed side. If you don't have a fleet feel free to contact me in game @stegi.
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Aren't most Lockbox ships other then the Juggernauts for over a billion on the exchange? I mean at the current key price 1.3 - 1.4 seems to be a fair price since that is about what 100 keys go for.
But yeah I think it still should be free because you pay with your eyesight, sticking with it.
A billion or more is NOT fair, not even close.
And I personally love the look of the Cerritos.
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Well, guess I can stop thinking about what I'll name mine...
Me as well. Since I only acquire CSTORE Ships, and a few Legendary perhaps.
I mostly get ships from events, or using Cstore coupons from events. I can only buy keys on the Exchange, can't buy many of those, and have never won a ship from a box. So there's pretty much no chance I'll ever own a California.
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Aren't most Lockbox ships other then the Juggernauts for over a billion on the exchange? I mean at the current key price 1.3 - 1.4 seems to be a fair price since that is about what 100 keys go for.
But yeah I think it still should be free because you pay with your eyesight, sticking with it.
A billion or more is NOT fair, not even close.
And I personally love the look of the Cerritos.
I think that is in the eye of the beholder. I think 100 keys for a ship is a fair price no matter what the price for the keys is. It used to be less because the keys did cost less. Also you can open 300 boxes and get no ship yet you can open just one box and get one. I don't like the fact that the ship is in a lockbox like most people here but I do understand the pricing on the exchange for these ships.
C-Store Inc. is still looking for active members on the fed side. If you don't have a fleet feel free to contact me in game @stegi.
I agree it's not fair, but it's important to understand which PART is not fair. And here is a hint; it's not the price.
See, master keys sell for 13mil (just checked).
It takes opening at LEAST 100 boxes to pull a ship.
Simple math: 13mil x 100 = 1.3bil.
So the 1bil price tag is not some person being greedy like you always claim, it's the actual cost based on the price of keys x the number of keys needed to pull a ship.
So which part is not "fair"? The DROP RATE.
It is the super small drop rate, set by Cryptic, that requires opening 100+ boxes to pull a ship, that is not "fair".
They are the "greedy" ones in this scenario, not the person selling the ship on the exchange.
Kael just confirmed on the livestream that the California will be in the infinity lockbox.
Wow. What a surprise. The company with a mobile-gaming-cash-grab mentality driving their business model put a ship everyone hoped would be in the C-store in one of their sleazy gambleboxes.
Never saw THAT coming.
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Aren't most Lockbox ships other then the Juggernauts for over a billion on the exchange? I mean at the current key price 1.3 - 1.4 seems to be a fair price since that is about what 100 keys go for.
But yeah I think it still should be free because you pay with your eyesight, sticking with it.
A billion or more is NOT fair, not even close.
And I personally love the look of the Cerritos.
I think that is in the eye of the beholder. I think 100 keys for a ship is a fair price no matter what the price for the keys is. It used to be less because the keys did cost less. Also you can open 300 boxes and get no ship yet you can open just one box and get one. I don't like the fact that the ship is in a lockbox like most people here but I do understand the pricing on the exchange for these ships.
Oh, yes....we can ALL BUY 100 OR MORE KEYS.....yea.....ANYONE can easily do that.
I agree it's not fair, but it's important to understand which PART is not fair. And here is a hint; it's not the price.
See, master keys sell for 13mil (just checked).
It takes opening at LEAST 100 boxes to pull a ship.
Simple math: 13mil x 100 = 1.3bil.
So the 1bil price tag is not some person being greedy like you always claim, it's the actual cost based on the price of keys x the number of keys needed to pull a ship.
So which part is not "fair"? The DROP RATE.
It is the super small drop rate, set by Cryptic, that requires opening 100+ boxes to pull a ship, that is not "fair".
They are the "greedy" ones in this scenario, not the person selling the ship on the exchange.
To me, BOTH side are.
Heck, even ST Fleet Command, which is notorious for catering to the whales, made their cerritos available to everyone, just need to get the blue prints and the proper level shipyard to make it.
Showing off the California class at that reveal at that trek con, showing off its majesty......
........and hardly any of us will get to have it. Talk about CARROT ON A STRING, folks.
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
I agree it's not fair, but it's important to understand which PART is not fair. And here is a hint; it's not the price.
See, master keys sell for 13mil (just checked).
It takes opening at LEAST 100 boxes to pull a ship.
Simple math: 13mil x 100 = 1.3bil.
So the 1bil price tag is not some person being greedy like you always claim, it's the actual cost based on the price of keys x the number of keys needed to pull a ship.
So which part is not "fair"? The DROP RATE.
It is the super small drop rate, set by Cryptic, that requires opening 100+ boxes to pull a ship, that is not "fair".
They are the "greedy" ones in this scenario, not the person selling the ship on the exchange.
I love when people say thinks like "you have to open TRIBBLE number of boxes"
I decide to toss a few bucks here and there. last time I got a Temporal Connie and D-7, and I opened MAYBE 40 boxes. but know what? if I hadn't won 2 I would not be crying about how unfair it is. If you don't have the money to toss away, then DON'T.
if a complaint is to be had is that the other prizes are basically junk. the last one I opened was a newspaper article or some such stupid TRIBBLE
I agree it's not fair, but it's important to understand which PART is not fair. And here is a hint; it's not the price.
See, master keys sell for 13mil (just checked).
It takes opening at LEAST 100 boxes to pull a ship.
Simple math: 13mil x 100 = 1.3bil.
So the 1bil price tag is not some person being greedy like you always claim, it's the actual cost based on the price of keys x the number of keys needed to pull a ship.
So which part is not "fair"? The DROP RATE.
It is the super small drop rate, set by Cryptic, that requires opening 100+ boxes to pull a ship, that is not "fair".
They are the "greedy" ones in this scenario, not the person selling the ship on the exchange.
I love when people say thinks like "you have to open TRIBBLE number of boxes"
The prices are based on averages, not one person's lucky story.
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
The folks choosing to put it in a lockbox, and the scalpers who sell it for over a billion.
We're not all part of that posh, country club, Nagus.
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
The folks choosing to put it in a lockbox, and the scalpers who sell it for over a billion.
Right. So as far as Cryptic and their super low drop rates, we're 100% in agreement on them being greedy. It's the other part that makes no sense.
As shown earlier, the price the ships sell for on the exchange is literally the price it costs to get one from a lockbox, on average.
So explain how selling something for the actual price it costs to get is somehow greedy.
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
The folks choosing to put it in a lockbox, and the scalpers who sell it for over a billion.
Right. So as explained earlier, the price the ships sell for on the exchange is literally the price it costs to get one from a lockbox, on average.
So explain how selling something for the actual price it costs to get is somehow greedy.
You're logic is literally insane.
WHO the SMEG HAS 1 billion EC, or more, apart from an elite few?
And any proof these guys spent all those keys? Here is a question, ya use only a few keys...like 1 or 2...bam, you get ship....you STILL gonna sell it for a billion or more?
And, each time I'm in game, I RARELY see ANYONE in those billion EC ships....I seen ONE T6 connie, and ONE Franklin in the past year. Those scalpers are just gonna have boxes collecting DUST, Nagus-baby. Like trying to see a lamborgini in good ole boy town like Mayberry.
Have a nice evening, yo. *goes off, humming the Andy Griffin show theme*
Heck, even ST Fleet Command, which is notorious for catering to the whales, made their cerritos available to everyone, just need to get the blue prints and the proper level shipyard to make it.
(...)
I just want to point out that the Cerritos in STFC is only available during the current event (ended today) and costs 20$ (it's in the premium battle pass, not the free one) AND requires level 36+. Just to put that into perspective, level 36 excludes a large portion of players as the pure build time it takes to get OPS to level 36 is well over 500 days. So it takes one and a half year to reach level 36 by playing the game f2p - and that is only the building time, not counting all the resources and materials you need to upgrade all of your buildings and ships to get there. And you know very well how obscenely expensive the booster packs are if you want to skip some of the time it takes to get there. A deluxe premium ship upgrade package costs 100$ and contains not nearly enough materials to even upgrade one ship component past tier 5 for your level 28 faction ships.
Claiming that STFC gives out the Cerritos for free is, frankly, a huuuge stretch. It is no lockbox, that is true, but if you spend even a fraction on STO as you could spend on STFC to get to level 36 you'd end up with multiple STO lockbox ships
^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
"A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
"That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
The folks choosing to put it in a lockbox, and the scalpers who sell it for over a billion.
Right. So as explained earlier, the price the ships sell for on the exchange is literally the price it costs to get one from a lockbox, on average.
So explain how selling something for the actual price it costs to get is somehow greedy.
You're logic is literally insane.
WHO the SMEG HAS 1 billion EC, or more, apart from an elite few?
A lot of people, TBH. And it actually has nothing to do with someone being "elite". It is because:
A: this is a 10+ year old game, and people who have played it for a long time have been able to save EC.
B: some people have a lot of free time (for various reasons) and decide to spend it in a video game grinding things to sell for EC.
This is true of pretty most games, TBH. People having a lot of in game currency doesn't mean they are part of the illuminati like you seem to think.
I may not like the idea of it being that much, but we have to consider Supply and Demand. Just like any other item or resource. The Cali is probably going to be a high demand ship because its canon.
Even some of the older lockbox ships are more expensive. Its not because of people scalping, its because the supply is lower in favor of the newer shiny. How many people would want an old Benthan Assault Cruiser over a Mirror Engle? What is more appealing nowadays, a Tholian Tarantula or a Ma'quis Raider? The newer stuff will most likely be opened more than the older stuff. So Supply and Demand is a factor.
And, each time I'm in game, I RARELY see ANYONE in those billion EC ships....I seen ONE T6 connie, and ONE Franklin in the past year.
I could say I see a Connie every day, but that's because I have one so that doesn't really count. I will agree that I don't see many of the Franklin, but Connies are a bit more common, mostly from the Legendaries and the various variants like the DSC and Kelvin. Hang out in places like Sol System or DS9, you're bound to see T6 Connies at some point.
I have only ever seen one Franklin, but I see various connies several times a week when there is something to do in space (the mars thing is too annoying to bother with, I did it only once this event to see if it was not as bad as I remembered, but it was). Most of those are either TOS style (usually legendry or temporal) or the carrier version and from the timing of the sudden jump in sightings of connies in general at the end of the last event campaign it is obvious that a lot of people spent their tokens on them.
Still, I have started to recognize some of the captains (I often use the wait to look at profiles) so a lot of those sightings are of particular ships over and over which indicates that the number of unique connies is probably lower than just the frequency of those sightings would suggest.
I can agree with you that this ship should have been a c-store ship or free via event. However I can't agree with your whining about selling prices on the exchange. Like in real life prices are based on something in the case of ships its pretty much based on the key price. The dillithium zen exchange didn't help keep prices down on the item exchange it had the opposite effect. But just because you don't have the time to invest or the money does not mean any Seller is a scalper.
How do you do real life? For me I can barely afford to go to Olive Garden so fancy 4 - 5 Star Restaurants are out of the question these days. I actually even Olive Garden these days is rough on my wallet. So I eat elsewhere. But unlike real life this game gives you at least a chance since recently to earn a Promo Ship or a Lock Box ship by playing events. Sure you can't have all the ships but I don't get the mentality where you complain about other players prices just because they can afford to gamble in this game.
C-Store Inc. is still looking for active members on the fed side. If you don't have a fleet feel free to contact me in game @stegi.
If there was more supply, odds are the prices would be lower. Its a combination of available amount and the desirability of the ship in question. Connies are dang near guaranteed to be top EC. Same with the Mirror Engle because of her trait. But a ship like the Benthan Assault Cruiser would only be expensive these days because of the supply of them. I honestly do miss the days of 50 mil cross faction uniforms and a good T6 costing around 300 mil. But again... Supply and Demand.
> @trekfangrrrl#6910 said:
> Wow. You can tell we're all living under some kind of sad Stockholm syndrome when people think the less bad of the gamble pack is somehow good news. Yikes.
People LOVE lockboxes. I thought like you, but then realized that this must ultimately be what "we" (the players) actually want.
Sadly, all irony aside, it is. Because we can discuss how much we hate their sleazy marketing tactics all we want but, even if our opinions are noted, we know that no-one is listening - because they don't need to. It all goes back to discussions we've had many times, about how those of us who post on social media and the forum are a 'vocal minority'.
Meanwhile the rest of the playerbase pull out their credit cards without a second thought, communicating what they are willing to tolerate in the only language that TPTB really understand or care about.
That in short is Gaming since Free to Play came around not just for STO.
C-Store Inc. is still looking for active members on the fed side. If you don't have a fleet feel free to contact me in game @stegi.
I may not like the idea of it being that much, but we have to consider Supply and Demand. Just like any other item or resource. The Cali is probably going to be a high demand ship because its canon.
Even some of the older lockbox ships are more expensive. Its not because of people scalping, its because the supply is lower in favor of the newer shiny. How many people would want an old Benthan Assault Cruiser over a Mirror Engle? What is more appealing nowadays, a Tholian Tarantula or a Ma'quis Raider? The newer stuff will most likely be opened more than the older stuff. So Supply and Demand is a factor.
And, each time I'm in game, I RARELY see ANYONE in those billion EC ships....I seen ONE T6 connie, and ONE Franklin in the past year.
I could say I see a Connie every day, but that's because I have one so that doesn't really count. I will agree that I don't see many of the Franklin, but Connies are a bit more common, mostly from the Legendaries and the various variants like the DSC and Kelvin. Hang out in places like Sol System or DS9, you're bound to see T6 Connies at some point.
Not so much supply and demand....it's 'we want more money!'. Remember the so-called energy crisis of the 70s? Was not about supply and demand, it was about the energy cartels/pimps simply wanting MORE money.
Comments
BOOOOOOOOO!
LOTS of dirt.
How about "USS Aaanditsgone"
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
USS Screwu....
True, everyone saw it coming. Unfortunately that means that the ship will probably be very seldom seen unless it has some kind of killer console or trait.
Watch the scalpers licking their lips in anticipation to sell them for a BILLION on the exchange. *looks for a voodoo doll* >_>
Aren't most Lockbox ships other then the Juggernauts for over a billion on the exchange? I mean at the current key price 1.3 - 1.4 seems to be a fair price since that is about what 100 keys go for.
But yeah I think it still should be free because you pay with your eyesight, sticking with it.
A billion or more is NOT fair, not even close.
And I personally love the look of the Cerritos.
Me as well. Since I only acquire CSTORE Ships, and a few Legendary perhaps.
I think that is in the eye of the beholder. I think 100 keys for a ship is a fair price no matter what the price for the keys is. It used to be less because the keys did cost less. Also you can open 300 boxes and get no ship yet you can open just one box and get one. I don't like the fact that the ship is in a lockbox like most people here but I do understand the pricing on the exchange for these ships.
I agree it's not fair, but it's important to understand which PART is not fair. And here is a hint; it's not the price.
See, master keys sell for 13mil (just checked).
It takes opening at LEAST 100 boxes to pull a ship.
Simple math: 13mil x 100 = 1.3bil.
So the 1bil price tag is not some person being greedy like you always claim, it's the actual cost based on the price of keys x the number of keys needed to pull a ship.
So which part is not "fair"? The DROP RATE.
It is the super small drop rate, set by Cryptic, that requires opening 100+ boxes to pull a ship, that is not "fair".
They are the "greedy" ones in this scenario, not the person selling the ship on the exchange.
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Key used to be 6-7 million perhaps, yet that was also perhaps 2-5 years ago...
Oh, yes....we can ALL BUY 100 OR MORE KEYS.....yea.....ANYONE can easily do that.
No, not all of us can.
To me, BOTH side are.
Heck, even ST Fleet Command, which is notorious for catering to the whales, made their cerritos available to everyone, just need to get the blue prints and the proper level shipyard to make it.
Showing off the California class at that reveal at that trek con, showing off its majesty......
........and hardly any of us will get to have it. Talk about CARROT ON A STRING, folks.
Please explain the "both" sides you are referring to.
(I have a feeling you mean Cryptic(on one side) and the people selling on the exchange(on the other side), but I just want to let you confirm that before explaining how you are half wrong)
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
I love when people say thinks like "you have to open TRIBBLE number of boxes"
I decide to toss a few bucks here and there. last time I got a Temporal Connie and D-7, and I opened MAYBE 40 boxes. but know what? if I hadn't won 2 I would not be crying about how unfair it is. If you don't have the money to toss away, then DON'T.
if a complaint is to be had is that the other prizes are basically junk. the last one I opened was a newspaper article or some such stupid TRIBBLE
The prices are based on averages, not one person's lucky story.
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
The folks choosing to put it in a lockbox, and the scalpers who sell it for over a billion.
We're not all part of that posh, country club, Nagus.
Right. So as far as Cryptic and their super low drop rates, we're 100% in agreement on them being greedy. It's the other part that makes no sense.
As shown earlier, the price the ships sell for on the exchange is literally the price it costs to get one from a lockbox, on average.
So explain how selling something for the actual price it costs to get is somehow greedy.
You're logic is literally insane.
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
WHO the SMEG HAS 1 billion EC, or more, apart from an elite few?
And any proof these guys spent all those keys? Here is a question, ya use only a few keys...like 1 or 2...bam, you get ship....you STILL gonna sell it for a billion or more?
And, each time I'm in game, I RARELY see ANYONE in those billion EC ships....I seen ONE T6 connie, and ONE Franklin in the past year. Those scalpers are just gonna have boxes collecting DUST, Nagus-baby. Like trying to see a lamborgini in good ole boy town like Mayberry.
Have a nice evening, yo. *goes off, humming the Andy Griffin show theme*
I just want to point out that the Cerritos in STFC is only available during the current event (ended today) and costs 20$ (it's in the premium battle pass, not the free one) AND requires level 36+. Just to put that into perspective, level 36 excludes a large portion of players as the pure build time it takes to get OPS to level 36 is well over 500 days. So it takes one and a half year to reach level 36 by playing the game f2p - and that is only the building time, not counting all the resources and materials you need to upgrade all of your buildings and ships to get there. And you know very well how obscenely expensive the booster packs are if you want to skip some of the time it takes to get there. A deluxe premium ship upgrade package costs 100$ and contains not nearly enough materials to even upgrade one ship component past tier 5 for your level 28 faction ships.
Claiming that STFC gives out the Cerritos for free is, frankly, a huuuge stretch. It is no lockbox, that is true, but if you spend even a fraction on STO as you could spend on STFC to get to level 36 you'd end up with multiple STO lockbox ships
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
A lot of people, TBH. And it actually has nothing to do with someone being "elite". It is because:
A: this is a 10+ year old game, and people who have played it for a long time have been able to save EC.
B: some people have a lot of free time (for various reasons) and decide to spend it in a video game grinding things to sell for EC.
This is true of pretty most games, TBH. People having a lot of in game currency doesn't mean they are part of the illuminati like you seem to think.
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Even some of the older lockbox ships are more expensive. Its not because of people scalping, its because the supply is lower in favor of the newer shiny. How many people would want an old Benthan Assault Cruiser over a Mirror Engle? What is more appealing nowadays, a Tholian Tarantula or a Ma'quis Raider? The newer stuff will most likely be opened more than the older stuff. So Supply and Demand is a factor.
I could say I see a Connie every day, but that's because I have one so that doesn't really count. I will agree that I don't see many of the Franklin, but Connies are a bit more common, mostly from the Legendaries and the various variants like the DSC and Kelvin. Hang out in places like Sol System or DS9, you're bound to see T6 Connies at some point.
Still, I have started to recognize some of the captains (I often use the wait to look at profiles) so a lot of those sightings are of particular ships over and over which indicates that the number of unique connies is probably lower than just the frequency of those sightings would suggest.
I can agree with you that this ship should have been a c-store ship or free via event. However I can't agree with your whining about selling prices on the exchange. Like in real life prices are based on something in the case of ships its pretty much based on the key price. The dillithium zen exchange didn't help keep prices down on the item exchange it had the opposite effect. But just because you don't have the time to invest or the money does not mean any Seller is a scalper.
How do you do real life? For me I can barely afford to go to Olive Garden so fancy 4 - 5 Star Restaurants are out of the question these days. I actually even Olive Garden these days is rough on my wallet. So I eat elsewhere. But unlike real life this game gives you at least a chance since recently to earn a Promo Ship or a Lock Box ship by playing events. Sure you can't have all the ships but I don't get the mentality where you complain about other players prices just because they can afford to gamble in this game.
That in short is Gaming since Free to Play came around not just for STO.
Not so much supply and demand....it's 'we want more money!'. Remember the so-called energy crisis of the 70s? Was not about supply and demand, it was about the energy cartels/pimps simply wanting MORE money.