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Why is my crew so fragile?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited February 2010 in The Academy
So I'm a Lieutenant Commander 2, flying a Cruiser (Excalibur class, not that it matters). I've been noticing, in about 2/3 of my space combat engagements, that I'm losing close to 1/2 my crew in the initial exchange of fire! My shields don't drop (well, they take damage, but they don't even go yellow) and my hull doesn't drop below 100%...but half my crew is sharing the colors orange and grey. WTH is going on? Is there any way I can better protect my wussy, wussy crew? :confused:
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  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Look in the abilities section and put "Brace For Impact" ability on your tray.

    Use that before torpedoes hit. You get some time, just gotta do it before they hit.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Well, damn. I don't have that. (At least, I'm pretty sure I don't. Didn't as of LC1, anyway.) How do I get that? Do I not have it because my Tac Officer sucks? (She's getting retrained/replaced shortly, in any event.)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Brace For Impact doesn't show up for several levels.

    As for your crew dying, I feel your pain. I fly an Escort as well, and I wind up killing most baddies in the first pass. However, that means they're dying and exploding about the time I fly overhead. And apparently my crew are all made of glass, because that explosion tends to injure and kill just about all of them.

    Once you get Brace For Impact, it helps a lot. Of course, you have to key it about the time you first see the target spark and sputter, because if you key it as they explode it won't help. It takes a second for the bonus to take effect.

    Another thing that might help, although at the cost of console slots, is the Biomonitor for Sci and one other for Eng. It's either SIF or Inertial Dampener, but one of them provides extra resistance to Crew so they don't die as much.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Its actually a skill you get. I think you get it at Commander though, not LCDR. Hit "P" and it'll be under your powers list, if it isn't there yet, then you get it at CDR.

    I have the same issues too. You can also look for consoles that help your crew's resistance. Biofunctions type for your science console has able crewmen resistance / live crewman resistance. Plus I'd say kinetic damage resistance would help too, though I could be wrong (it does make sense though)

    Just a couple of options to try out that will help, good luck.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    All captains get brace for impact. It should be listed in your powers (P key) when you're in the space view. It helps a lot against torpedo impact and if you are too close to a ship that was just killed and is about to explode. I agree that it is lame how easily crew is injured. If those "grey" crew were really dead and had to be replaced (as was originally intended) you'd spend more time in dock re-crewing than doing missions. Maybe one day they'll make the crew system actually work/matter. As of now you can ignore it completely.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Everyone gets it, but not until LC 3.

    Link
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    As an Engineer Cruiser guy, I had it in the latter part of Lt. Commander. I know I've been using it for a while now, through most of Lt. Comm rank.

    I'm at Commander 2 now and I got Brace for Impact 2 when I leveled into Commander rank. If you got it it should be in your powers list like the others said. Another option is to try and hang back more or try to stay on the outside of the mangle of enemies when one starts to get low.

    The plus side is that those explosions hurt your enemies too :D
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I don't think your crew is dying. If they are they breed like tribbles, considering how quickly they refil.

    I've always imagined that "Yellow" crewmen on the little scale are shaken up/knocked over/disoriented by whatever hit you've just taken, so not reapairing anything, but just have to pull themselves together. "Dark" crewmen are unconcious/stunned/trapped/wounded, and so useless to you in terms of repairing the ship until they can make it to sickbay or get patched up by a fellow crewman. (something else that might be occupying yellow crewman's time.)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    It's the inherent ability of torpedos. 50% chance to disable crew, 25% chance to outright kill them.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    One of my captains, who shall remain nameless, likes to see his crew die. He quotes that German tank commander in that old Earth movie "Battle of the Bulge" when the German tells his tank commanders that his command always has the highest battle casualties.

    Evidently a high casualty rate equals victory for them. (shrug) Doesn't make sense to me but oh well.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Really sucks when you only have 50 crew lol. There are some consoles that give bonus to crew and crew recovery. Helps some all though some better consoles out there.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I'll echo what has already been said, the reason your crew get knocked about is from kinetic damage. All torpedoes and explosions deal kinetic damage, which can be reduced through various means. The less crew you have that are healthy, the less hull you'll repair and the longer it will take for some status effects like damaged subsystems to be removed.

    The explanation of crew on the STO page has really been beefed up since the last time I perused it: I highly recommend checking it out.

    http://www.startrekonline.com/ship_overview/crew

    As for protecting the crew, looks like it falls to three steps:

    * Improve kinetic damage resistance
    *Improved medical equipment and items (Science consoles fall under this, I think ship types with advanced med bays do as well)
    *Science Officer's skills

    As for Brace for Impact, what's been said above is correct; you'll get it once you've spent a certain amount of skill points. II usually save mine for when either I'm about to be hit by a high-yield torpedo, or I'm too near a destroyed ship that's about to go critical. That cuts down on the damage to my crew quite nicely.

    Hope that all helps!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I was also curious about this. I had a feeling it was related to kinetic damage, but what is strange is that sometimes I lose crew and sometimes I don't depending on what I am fighting. I fight a Dragus Escort and I don't see much, if any, crew loss. I fight a Vishop Frigate, and I come out with maybe half of my crew after the fight.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Thanks for the help, everyone! Guess I'll just have to suffer through my papier-mache crew a little while longer. ;)

    As an aside, it does seem a very silly skill. "All hands, brace for impact!" No ****, really? What, with the Red Alert klaxon blaring and the flashing lights and the Birds of Prey visibly bearing down on us through the windows? How very odd... :p My wife commented that she remembered hearing Picard say it frequently enough, but Kirk hardly ever did. I replied that that was because Picard rarely if ever actually had the need to tell people to hang onto something, whereas Kirk's crew was in combat so damned often it became rote.

    "What, are we under attack AGAIN?"
    "Yep, 'fraid so."
    "Didn't we just do this..."
    "Yesterday, yes. At least this time we have shields."
    "Point. Pass the salt, wouldja?"

    EDIT: Just had a thought. All this means that by the beginning of the 25th century, Starfleet STILL HASN'T INSTALLED F***ING SEATBELTS!!!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    TimeLord75 wrote:
    EDIT: Just had a thought. All this means that by the beginning of the 25th century, Starfleet STILL HASN'T INSTALLED F***ING SEATBELTS!!!

    Actually, the command chair on the Enterprise-E has a seatbelt.

    Why do I know this?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    NyteKLM wrote:
    I was also curious about this. I had a feeling it was related to kinetic damage, but what is strange is that sometimes I lose crew and sometimes I don't depending on what I am fighting. I fight a Dragus Escort and I don't see much, if any, crew loss. I fight a Vishop Frigate, and I come out with maybe half of my crew after the fight.

    Probably a combination of usually 3 frigates/BoPs vs. 1 cruiser, plus the fact that frigates love to use torpedoes, especially in spreads and high-yields. All the cruisers I've encountered very rarely use special torpedoes.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    TimeLord75 wrote:
    Thanks for the help, everyone! Guess I'll just have to suffer through my papier-mache crew a little while longer. ;)

    As an aside, it does seem a very silly skill. "All hands, brace for impact!" No ****, really? What, with the Red Alert klaxon blaring and the flashing lights and the Birds of Prey visibly bearing down on us through the windows? How very odd... :p My wife commented that she remembered hearing Picard say it frequently enough, but Kirk hardly ever did. I replied that that was because Picard rarely if ever actually had the need to tell people to hang onto something, whereas Kirk's crew was in combat so damned often it became rote.

    "What, are we under attack AGAIN?"
    "Yep, 'fraid so."
    "Didn't we just do this..."
    "Yesterday, yes. At least this time we have shields."
    "Point. Pass the salt, wouldja?"

    EDIT: Just had a thought. All this means that by the beginning of the 25th century, Starfleet STILL HASN'T INSTALLED F***ING SEATBELTS!!!

    The enterprise A and excelsior both had armrests that folded down over the crew's laps to help keep them from being lobbed across the bridge. Course, when a console is going to explode, as they so often do on federation starships, it's harder for them to get away from it.

    As to why you'd declare it in combat. Phaser/disruptor fire = litle shaking, if you're already off balance you might fall down. Torpedo hit = unprepared officers thrown across the room. Officers doing their regular job are probably not actively holding onto something, "brace for impact" indicates they SHOULD hold onto something if they're not tied to a chair or such. (Cause seatbelts wouldn't have done much to help Worf on TNG, now would they? :P)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Feor wrote: »
    The enterprise A and excelsior both had armrests that folded down over the crew's laps to help keep them from being lobbed across the bridge. Course, when a console is going to explode, as they so often do on federation starships, it's harder for them to get away from it.

    As to why you'd declare it in combat. Phaser/disruptor fire = litle shaking, if you're already off balance you might fall down. Torpedo hit = unprepared officers thrown across the room. Officers doing their regular job are probably not actively holding onto something, "brace for impact" indicates they SHOULD hold onto something if they're not tied to a chair or such. (Cause seatbelts wouldn't have done much to help Worf on TNG, now would they? :P)

    To be fair, it wasn't until much later that they installed a chair for poor Worf. But he did eventually get a chair!
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    To be fair, it wasn't until much later that they installed a chair for poor Worf. But he did eventually get a chair!

    Well, actually, they took his chair away. He used to sit at the navigation station at the front of the bridge. :)

    When he finally got off the Enterprise and took over the Defiant THEN he got a chair, but that bald blighter wouldn't give him one. :P
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    If your hull is still at 100%, AFAIK your crew level doesn't really matter. However, if you really want to get the number of able crewmen back up to 100% the Tactical Team skill says it "increases the number of able crewmen."
    TimeLord75 wrote:
    As an aside, it does seem a very silly skill. "All hands, brace for impact!" No ****, really? What, with the Red Alert klaxon blaring and the flashing lights and the Birds of Prey visibly bearing down on us through the windows? How very odd... :p My wife commented that she remembered hearing Picard say it frequently enough, but Kirk hardly ever did. I replied that that was because Picard rarely if ever actually had the need to tell people to hang onto something, whereas Kirk's crew was in combat so damned often it became rote.

    At the start of Open Beta the "Brace for Impact" skill actually triggered a brief classic Red Alert klaxon audio clip. I'm very sad they took it out.

    I could have sworn Kirk used to say "Brace for Impact" all the time. I associate the phrase more with ToS -- but maybe that's just because I've watched much more ToS than TNG.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Feor wrote: »
    Well, actually, they took his chair away. He used to sit at the navigation station at the front of the bridge. :)

    When he finally got off the Enterprise and took over the Defiant THEN he got a chair, but that bald blighter wouldn't give him one. :P

    I thought they gave the rear Tactical console a chair halfway through the series, which is where he eventually end up throughout his Enterprise term?

    I could just be misremembering, mind you. Poor Worf. :( Picard didn't want no Klingons sittin' on his boat!
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