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Power creep, Instakills and 30 second T.F.O.'s
ryjokel
Member Posts: 32 Arc User
So, i took part in yet another 30 second Advanced Infected:The Conduit today. Does anyone remember that this TFO has a 15 minute timer ?
I can remember when content was reasonably challenging, and generally took the concerted effort of a reasonably knowledgeable team to perform successfully. Usually pushing the timer right up to the limit. It used to be fun and exciting. Even if some of the team did'nt know what to do, you just put in a little more effort and carried as much as you could. A team map was professionally hammered out and a pug map was 50/50 but still fun.
Now it's 30 seconds-ish. Maybe longer if you're lucky. By "lucky" i mean that you might get to actually "play" the TFO, as opposed to watching someone solo the map in 30 seconds or less.
Too many people putting out too much damage too quickly.
It's been getting worse for some time now, but i feel it was about the time when the Vaadwaur Miracle Worker Juggernaut and the Kelvin Vengeance Intel Dreadnought Cruiser were being combined with Aux2Batt builds. So 2014 to 2018 ish. It was hilaroius and awe inspiring, at first, back when it happened maybe 1 out of 5 maps. Now it seems to be be 1 out of 5 where it does'nt happen.
These TFO's/STF's are'nt really made to be soloed are they ? I though they were team activities. The only insurance against instakilled TFO's now is a pre-made group, timezones permitting. I'm assuming the Elite TFO queues were added to cater for the "Elite" Min/Max DPS crowd. If so, why are they blasting the skybox textures out of the Advanced queues ?. And everything else that moves for that matter.
There did come a point when i wondered if anyone is actually still here to play the game anymore. Are there some people here just to grind out enough resources to be able to instakill everything an instant quicker ?. I mean, racing in and instantly killing everything in sight before anyone has a chance to get in a shot or two is basically ruining the game for anyone else in the instance. I'm concerned some folks might be doing it deliberately, or not.
I've heard it said way too many times, that people should get better gear, get better ships, set up your captain and ship in just the right way in order to instakill everything, just to be able to play the game. I think that more people doing more damage is just making the problem worse. Get more power, get more speed, Git Gud, or some such toxicity.
You can't shoot at targets that are exploding as they are spawning in. Go to any space battlezone and just watch the "Great Turkey Shoot" at the end of each cycle. You can watch the engine trails of many explosions warping in. I can barely identify what i'm shooting at these days, they all look like explosions with engine trails. Ground maps are just as bad, but i don't do much ground stuff outside of endeavours or new alts.
I mean, if the enemy ships are exploding before they even spawn in properly, is there any reason for them to be there at all ?. Because if you can't instakill them before someone else instakills them, then they may as well not even be there, and any non-instakiller players have no reason to hang around if there is nothing to shoot at.
I would like to think this is still a "multiplayer" game, right ?.
A "Massively Multiplayer Online" game perhaps ?.
As opposed to a very big single player game for people with enough free time to build an instakill machine that has the added ability to remove all challenge and skill, while blocking entry to any new or casual players who might have jobs, families or mortgages to support. Just because someone can't live the game, does that mean they can't play it ?
Is this a game or a career ?.
I can put out a decent level of damage on my main characters, enough for me to notice that i'm doing a whole lot more than i used to be able to, probably more than i need to. But enough to hold my own.
I remember when everyone had a chance to join in on the fun and partake in the available activities. I've got some alts with t5 and F2P builds running on minimal stats, just so i can actually play like i did when i started 10 or 12 years ago. You know, back when things took more than one or two volleys to kill.
Now, it seems to be "Instakills or Nothing". It's now about who is the fastest, who can get there the quickest, and kill it all before anyone else. Where did the multiplayer aspect go ? When did PVE become PVP ?. Is this a racing game now ?
I get it though, i've put in years of time, effort and money, collected almost everything that opens and shuts, just to be able to plough through waves of mobs more efficiently, and i'm getting closer be being yet another "Instakiller", but not quite yet. I does'nt sit right with me. I don't ever want to be that guy who swoops in and instakills absolutely everything that ever was, and spoils the fun for other players just because i can. It just makes me look and feel like a clattering buttock. This is still a multiplayer game right ?
Does having fun mean i need to take that fun from someone else ? Apparently some folks just don't have that level of self control. I understand completely, but the game mechanics need to be adjusted to account for the extremes.
I don't think encouraging players to get more speed and/or damage is the answer, you can't shoot something that's already gone. And the fact that new players have way too far to go in order to catch up with the current meta.
I don't think that adding more health to enemies is the answer either, that just makes it unnecessarily harder for new or casual players.
I would like to think that maybe limiting or reducing the maximum damage output that players can achieve, (a damage ceiling) might be part of a possible solution to taming the "instakill" problem. People are already doing more than enough damage individually let alone collectively, there needs to be a limit.
Just some thoughts that i had while i thoroughly enjoyed getting my lvl 40 Hegh'ta thrashed out from under me in the in the Badlands.
A belated P.S.
Just to be clear.
I don't expect anything to change as a result of this thread.
I would like something to change, but considering how long this has been an issue, i would be pleasantly surprised if anything did change.
I started this thread here because this is, after all, the offical Star Trek Online Forums, and i would assume that this is the appropriate place to voice these kinds of concerns in the hopes that the game developers and management responsible for game changes might eventually stumble in here and find it. Or not, as the case may be.
And just maybe after all the hoohaa and noisey kerfuffle surounding this long running and long winded topic, that someone with enough passion remaining for this aging but still enjoyable game, might think about taking even half a step towards maybe thinking about a possible remedy or stop gap for this age old, well worn and tired old subject.
Thanks for reading.
I can remember when content was reasonably challenging, and generally took the concerted effort of a reasonably knowledgeable team to perform successfully. Usually pushing the timer right up to the limit. It used to be fun and exciting. Even if some of the team did'nt know what to do, you just put in a little more effort and carried as much as you could. A team map was professionally hammered out and a pug map was 50/50 but still fun.
Now it's 30 seconds-ish. Maybe longer if you're lucky. By "lucky" i mean that you might get to actually "play" the TFO, as opposed to watching someone solo the map in 30 seconds or less.
Too many people putting out too much damage too quickly.
It's been getting worse for some time now, but i feel it was about the time when the Vaadwaur Miracle Worker Juggernaut and the Kelvin Vengeance Intel Dreadnought Cruiser were being combined with Aux2Batt builds. So 2014 to 2018 ish. It was hilaroius and awe inspiring, at first, back when it happened maybe 1 out of 5 maps. Now it seems to be be 1 out of 5 where it does'nt happen.
These TFO's/STF's are'nt really made to be soloed are they ? I though they were team activities. The only insurance against instakilled TFO's now is a pre-made group, timezones permitting. I'm assuming the Elite TFO queues were added to cater for the "Elite" Min/Max DPS crowd. If so, why are they blasting the skybox textures out of the Advanced queues ?. And everything else that moves for that matter.
There did come a point when i wondered if anyone is actually still here to play the game anymore. Are there some people here just to grind out enough resources to be able to instakill everything an instant quicker ?. I mean, racing in and instantly killing everything in sight before anyone has a chance to get in a shot or two is basically ruining the game for anyone else in the instance. I'm concerned some folks might be doing it deliberately, or not.
I've heard it said way too many times, that people should get better gear, get better ships, set up your captain and ship in just the right way in order to instakill everything, just to be able to play the game. I think that more people doing more damage is just making the problem worse. Get more power, get more speed, Git Gud, or some such toxicity.
You can't shoot at targets that are exploding as they are spawning in. Go to any space battlezone and just watch the "Great Turkey Shoot" at the end of each cycle. You can watch the engine trails of many explosions warping in. I can barely identify what i'm shooting at these days, they all look like explosions with engine trails. Ground maps are just as bad, but i don't do much ground stuff outside of endeavours or new alts.
I mean, if the enemy ships are exploding before they even spawn in properly, is there any reason for them to be there at all ?. Because if you can't instakill them before someone else instakills them, then they may as well not even be there, and any non-instakiller players have no reason to hang around if there is nothing to shoot at.
I would like to think this is still a "multiplayer" game, right ?.
A "Massively Multiplayer Online" game perhaps ?.
As opposed to a very big single player game for people with enough free time to build an instakill machine that has the added ability to remove all challenge and skill, while blocking entry to any new or casual players who might have jobs, families or mortgages to support. Just because someone can't live the game, does that mean they can't play it ?
Is this a game or a career ?.
I can put out a decent level of damage on my main characters, enough for me to notice that i'm doing a whole lot more than i used to be able to, probably more than i need to. But enough to hold my own.
I remember when everyone had a chance to join in on the fun and partake in the available activities. I've got some alts with t5 and F2P builds running on minimal stats, just so i can actually play like i did when i started 10 or 12 years ago. You know, back when things took more than one or two volleys to kill.
Now, it seems to be "Instakills or Nothing". It's now about who is the fastest, who can get there the quickest, and kill it all before anyone else. Where did the multiplayer aspect go ? When did PVE become PVP ?. Is this a racing game now ?
I get it though, i've put in years of time, effort and money, collected almost everything that opens and shuts, just to be able to plough through waves of mobs more efficiently, and i'm getting closer be being yet another "Instakiller", but not quite yet. I does'nt sit right with me. I don't ever want to be that guy who swoops in and instakills absolutely everything that ever was, and spoils the fun for other players just because i can. It just makes me look and feel like a clattering buttock. This is still a multiplayer game right ?
Does having fun mean i need to take that fun from someone else ? Apparently some folks just don't have that level of self control. I understand completely, but the game mechanics need to be adjusted to account for the extremes.
I don't think encouraging players to get more speed and/or damage is the answer, you can't shoot something that's already gone. And the fact that new players have way too far to go in order to catch up with the current meta.
I don't think that adding more health to enemies is the answer either, that just makes it unnecessarily harder for new or casual players.
I would like to think that maybe limiting or reducing the maximum damage output that players can achieve, (a damage ceiling) might be part of a possible solution to taming the "instakill" problem. People are already doing more than enough damage individually let alone collectively, there needs to be a limit.
Just some thoughts that i had while i thoroughly enjoyed getting my lvl 40 Hegh'ta thrashed out from under me in the in the Badlands.
A belated P.S.
Just to be clear.
I don't expect anything to change as a result of this thread.
I would like something to change, but considering how long this has been an issue, i would be pleasantly surprised if anything did change.
I started this thread here because this is, after all, the offical Star Trek Online Forums, and i would assume that this is the appropriate place to voice these kinds of concerns in the hopes that the game developers and management responsible for game changes might eventually stumble in here and find it. Or not, as the case may be.
And just maybe after all the hoohaa and noisey kerfuffle surounding this long running and long winded topic, that someone with enough passion remaining for this aging but still enjoyable game, might think about taking even half a step towards maybe thinking about a possible remedy or stop gap for this age old, well worn and tired old subject.
Thanks for reading.
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
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This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Also you can avoid all that if you find people to play with together and sign up together. A lot of people think this is a single player game and the way they want to play is the right way. Cryptic will do nothing about power creep because a) Its to late for that, b) It makes the money. If Advanced is to fast I suggest you go and play on normal you probably will not find those one shot wonders there.
The solution to the power creep is higher difficulty to take advantage of situation. We got Elite difficulty in the game lets use it and make it random.
I've also played Conduit many times and it's rare that it's over that fast, although you do indeed need to know where to go and what to shoot in order to get some damage in.
Cryptic sells power creep because power creep is what players are willing to fork over cash for (just like most F2P games). If you don't want to compete against the max-DPSers, don't play the specific TFO the max-DPSers use to demonstrate or test their builds.
Plenty of TFOs have multiple phases, built in timers, widely separated spawns etc. if you want a less rushed experience.
To be frank. I'm not sure why it would bother you. As long as you can get some dmg in and not get a leaver penalty. Its not like we haven't all completed that map thousands of times by now. In out, re que get a map a few years newer that will have a 20 min timer.
I think endeavors really pushed the power creep waaay over the top. For each stat endeavors add to, its like running 10 free invisible consoles for that one stat and an invisible skill tree. Consoles and skills used to be the way to change your ships dynamics to suit what your game play goal was. Now with endeavors you just slot what ever console you want, no synergies, no thought at all really to load outs, run whatever skills you want and you're wiping the enemies up.
As for the other posters saying find some like minded friends and run tfo's, well alot of players can't be on at the same time, and my friends list evaporated after victory is life, guess why. When I do try to strike up a conversation with the random player i either get crickets, or some remark that certainly isn't "like minded". The trouble isn't with "my friends" it's with the current state of the game.
I am in full support of a major overhaul of any system in game to quell the rampant power creep. To balance the game back to where it was fun to play (teamwork), and difficult enough to pop the power creep.
edit: git gud
Having a power-creep build does certainly not make you a "better" player.
I've tried this once and it was terribly boring - and I got nowhere near 600k DPS before I stopped. Only doing Space-barbie builds since. That's much more fun.
When Borg-cubes die within seconds, you should now that something is wrong with game-balance and with your build.
This isn't the goal here, and it is a massive annoyance to everyone who gets teamed up with a powercreep in random TFOs. I even got AFK-penalties on TFQs where a powercreep killed everything before I could even get into fiering-range.
The solution would be a cap on stats based on difficulty, so the game remains challenging. Only Elite-difficulty would remain uncapped, there you can play with your build, but powercreep it has no place in Advanced or Normal. It's ruining the game for your teammates.
You're right, mostly. The problem only exists in a handful of missions (besides the ones you mention, Crystalline Entity, Fleet Alert, Undine assault and a few others). Those missions reward making investments in your build. More powerful build, faster completion. That's how things should be, not spending an x amount of time in a mission just because, for no good reason at all.
We need more missions without set durations. In my opinion.
Until then, there's little need to worry about power creep. It's easily avoidable by playing missions where it doesn't matter, because nothing matters in those missions.
Edit: look guys, i'm sure you mean it good in your own way, but you're basicaly complaining about other players doing more damage, than you. It's time fore some inner reflection and to rediscover the "normal" mode again.
You do realize that most people play random, don't you?
We don't get to choose the map. All we get to choose is the difficulty, so you just take your benchmark testing to Elite where it belongs? Thank you.
Also... Randoms have a 30 minute cooldown. So if those borg maps take 3 minutes altogether, if you're unlucky to get them all one after another... you still have all those 10+ minutes maps to play at your pleasure. Contrary to you, i find those tedious and boring, cause it's the same thing over and over again for a long time, but we're all different people. I For example also don't visit the forum and complain about other peoples gameplay. We're different idd.
That's their own choice though, to play random missions. You want the extra rewards, then you've got to accept that you may end up in a mission that you don't like - or which develops differently than you expected because a powerful player is present there.
Every player in this game can do great damage or make a high quality tank using the free stuff you get in the game without ever having to touch lockboxes or promo items. You won't top the charts but you will still do well. Even without trying to go for pure DPS but trying to tank I'm still able to crank 150k when I want to. I could go higher if I wished but them I'm getting into glass tank territory and that's not fun for me. I'm not into the nanny runs where it's nothing but cheese to get a zillion DPS to flaunt on some kind of leader board. With that said I do like to have a decent amount of knockdown power.
If you don't like to "instakill" things then you have a solution of placing manual limits on yourself and also grouping with like minded people. What you don't get to do is tell other people they have to do the same as you because you don't like it, or try to make the game do it for you. Your fun is not wrong, but your fun is not the only kind of fun that exists. Yet you are demanding the fun of others be restricted when you already have solutions available to you. I would advise that you play with similar minded people as they're not going to restrict people.
Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator
We have got to the point where ground builds are doing enough DPS on ground to enter the 10k space DPS channel and 150k dps is very low DPS for hangar bays yet along a full build. That to me screams a problem with power creep.
Placing manual limits on ourselves doesn't work as that just means we get the AFK penalty and can no longer play.
I do agree with "You don't get to do is tell other people they have to do the same as you because you don't like it, or try to make the game do it for you. Your fun is not wrong, but your fun is not the only kind of fun that exists. Yet you are demanding the fun of others be restricted when you already have solutions available to you." but at the same time I feel more and more like we have a power creep problem.
As an example is I used to struggle just hitting 10% crit chance as an Engineer in a Cruiser now I have barely any equipment on my ship. I even removed crit based tactical consoles yet I am sitting on 45.1% base crit. That's a crazy level of power creep. I have already been hit by the AFK penalty 3 times in this current event despite the fact I was not AFK all because of power creep and instant death. 1 hour 30min I could not play during this event, that's a problem and it seems to be getting worse.
Personally I feel that using Infected as a "benchmark" is questionable. You got four other variables (the rest of the team) that can tip your DPS up or down depending on what BOff abilities are used.
I admit I always panic when I see a Vaadwaur Juggernaut in an Infected run because most of the time they're so powerful they vaporize things just by LOOKING at them. And I got a decent build myself.
The whole issue is kind of a double edged sword.
Do some people get enjoyment out of min-maxing and getting the absolute best out of their builds? Yes
Does it adversely affect some other players? Yes.
Is their fun wrong? No.
Players can reach rather amazing levels of destruction. The problem really is that they don't have anywhere to really put it to the test. On top of that, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were less interested in testing their DPS as they were gunning for quick rewards. And unfortunately Infected is pretty straight forward and can be nuked. In fact I'm pretty sure the original three Borg TFOs are all easy to nuke with a top end DPS build.
Again I would like to say that their fun is not wrong. However I wish those people were a bit more mindful of other players and their capabilities as accidentally AFKing members of the team can adversely affect those players.
Having a ship set up with massive DPS can be a trophy for a player. A mark of pride or something. But there is a fine line before it crosses into epeen ego territory. Its not just the build that can be a problem. Its the attitude of the Player using it that can be just as much of a problem. But that is a whole 'nother can of worms.
(Emphasis added.)
That is probably the biggest problem here. It's the same thing with the Voth battlezone: players - apparently - find it very difficult to care about the fact that they're not alone in this game.
Also, there is another reason why it's kind of silly to treat Infected as a benchmark map. Simply put: it's not representative at all for the game's content (anymore).
All that being said, I do believe that there's an issue with power creep in the game. But it is limited to a few missions, ones that I personally find too boring to still play them.
How often is this an issue though? I can see (and certainly have seen) it being a problem when players are basically forced to play normal level content as with SB1 at the moment, but in, say, Azure Nebula I've never had this issue. One or two powerful players may be present, but there are four places where you can go. Same with missions like Borg Disconnected.
I've found that it is highly unlikely that you can't shoot at anything under normal circumstances (ie, excluding instances where players are forced into normal level content) in time gated content, especially on larger maps with enemies spread out over large distances.
I'm only interested in killing things before they kill me. I don't even know what my DPS is, except that it's enough to hold my own.
I don't complain about the insta-killers, I just go my way and have my own fun. I only remember one player who trolled me in chat after an event TFO years ago when I was running a Star Cruiser. I ignored them and didn't even bother responding to their PMs.
I don't suck because I don't do mega-damage. I get enough in to help the team, insta-killers or not.
There is nothing misunderstood or hypocritical save in your own mind. I know what I said and meant exactly what I said. You've got a really bad habit of trying to project the whole "you're misunderstanding" on people purely because they disagree with you. While there are going to be times people misunderstand things, especially over text only comms, simply because someone doesn't agree with you it doesn't mean they've "misunderstood" nor does it make them a hypocrite. If you believe there is a misunderstanding you bear the burden of proof to demonstrate how. The OP quite literally advocated for a DPS cap "as a possible solution to the instakill problem" and then went on to outright say "there needs to be a limit". That is the very definition of trying to dictate to other people how they can and can't play.
I wouldn't call myself a min/maxer, but by the definition being used in here I would be considered one. Both sides have a right to join random TFOs and participate so long as they have met the criteria set forth by the game itself. If for example a TFO requires everyone on the team to be 65, have a minimum of mk xii blues in all slots, and deal 20k DPS to avoid an auto-fail, then everyone who meets that requirement has a right to enter the TFO. If you have 4 guys meeting just that bare minimum and a 5th guy who has met everything but the DPS check of 20k, then that 5th guy has no business or right to enter that TFO until he ups his game. If his teammates want to carry him and are capable of doing so more power to them if they choose to do so. Even if those 4 other guys are doing 200k a pop and could easily carry the 5th guy, they are under ZERO obligation to do so. If that 5th guy wants to experience that content, he can complete the requirements like everyone else or find a team that doesn't mind carrying him, or he can sit it out. He does NOT get to force others to carry him.
In the bit I highlighted in bold you recognize on the surface that it goes both ways. I have always advocated that so long as people have met the minimum requirements set forth by the TFO itself, they have a right to be there. If they don't meet those requirements, they have no right to be there. I have never advocated otherwise. "insta vapers" and non-insta vapers alike BOTH have a right to join random TFOs.
I wouldn't call myself a min/maxer, but by the standard of logic used in this thread I would be considered one. I have the ability to do elites, and there isn't a single elite in this game I haven't beaten at least once. However simply because I have this ability doesn't mean I always want to do elites. Sometimes I want to simply blitz through something on advanced. I hope I don't AFK people, but if I do then that's not my problem. I am not responsible for the fun of other people in this game. Should that player require help to avoid AFK penalties I am willing to help them however.
When people press that random button, they're agreeing to play with whoever it groups them with. They might get put in a group of full group of "insta vapers" and they might be the top DPS in the run. If I as a "min/max" don't want to run the risk of getting grouped with lower DPS people, I have the option to form teams with like minded people. Likewise the opposite is true for the OP. If they don't want to be grouped with "insta vapers" then they can form their own teams. Otherwise both sides have a right to be in those random TFOs so long as they've met the minimums set forth by the game itself.
To conclude, the fun of the OP is not wrong. However the fun of the "insta vapers" is not wrong either. The fun of the OP is not so important he gets impose a DPS cap on the insta-vape players because he doesn't like it. THAT is my gripe.
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DPS chasers insta-vaping everything DOES hamper the average player's ability to enjoy the game though, massively over-geared players soloing what should be group content often makes appropriately geared players think things like "Why am I even here? Why should I bother trying?". If I wanted to watch someone else kill stuff I'd go on Twitch, people who can destroy entire waves of enemies and even bosses before I manage to get even a single shot off do not belong in Normal difficulty queues at all. IMO events should not remove Advanced and Elite difficulties from the queues that are part of the event, and Random Elite queues should be an option as well.
I'm not, "Instakilling" ships in a TFO because it amuses me and I take joy in ruining other player's entertainment. I'm playing STO the best I can because others in the same TFO may not know how to build a ship properly so it does carry its fair share. I'm also not selfish with the knowledge I've earned. If you ask, I'll be delighted to share what I've learned about STO over the years. I promise it will be the best ninety seconds of your day, too.
All the time you spent thinking about how to achieve maximum animosity towards and contempt for people like me inside that Wall o' Text would have been put to better use reading up on what does what when and then playing the game some more. Setting a DPS cap on people like me is the second fastest way I know to get me to stop playing STO completely. And then fun finally knows where to go to die inside STO.
Fortunately the AFK threshold is set very low. In fact it seems to be a little less than 2 percent of the team's damage. One reason an emergency conn officer is recommended so often is mobility.. if a player can get some shots in there shouldn't be any penalty.
epeen ?
In the 10 Forward Weekly 2/28/23 thread there was mention of something more difficult coming. Maybe it will be a good outlet for players wanting to test their mettle ?
Electronic man part
The intended tone was light hearted and is merely my observations with a few rhetorical questions thrown in for emphasis. I understand if someone see this as complaining, or if they disagree with my opinion, that's ok, that is your right.
The post is not about any specific TFO, or difficulty level. The Conduit was simply the catalyst for this post, this issue has been on my mind for some time. It's mainly about the spread of instakill builds that seem to be much more common in every battlezone and many TFO's. I'm concerned that it is restricting the playable content for some less equipped, newer or more casual players.
Obviously it's not a constant barrage of instakillers everywhere all the time, but it used to be a rare occurrence, something you'd see only in specific situations, or specific TFO's as has been pointed out. Now it's much more common, in many more situations and has been getting more so lately.
I do know that it has turned many new and old players away, many of my old fleet mates have stated that it feels like a genocide simulator in a Star Trek skin, or some other colorful description. I can see their point, but i still play anyway.
The "Elite" difficulty queue was introduced specifically to cater to those players who want to push the boundaries of what is possible within the game mechanics. But i can't remember the last time an "Elite" queue actually popped for me. I does pop eventually, but not very often.
"Random Elite" TFO queues is a great idea, but will people actually use them ?.
As i mentioned, i am an "almost instakiller", i just refuse to go that far, even though i have as much ability and right to do so after my 11-ish years of playing. My forum post count is, what 6 or 7 posts, i don't do forums mainly because i'm too busy having fun in game. I'd rather play than type.
I'm only here to point out what i see as a blindingly obvious issue that has the potential to get seriously out of control, if it has'nt already.
Besides, forum posts rarely ever achieve anything other than disagreements and in a game this old, rarely ever make a difference to whatever situation is being discussed.
Either way, many of you have made some good points, even the folks who disagree with me. It shows how diverse this community is and how important it is to be able to cater to the various tastes and preferences of its player base. Considering how old this game is now, that is really impressive in and of itself.
Accolades
And some old accolades don't even work anymore. Like, there once upon a time was accolades that unlocked a costume for completing the optionals for the Borg Queues on Elite difficulty. Now? Those accolades were never updated to work for the Modern Elites after the difficulty was expanded to include advanced. Even then that's only a one time reward but atleast its something.