IDIC = Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations....
Well that certainly does not hold true for STO PvP.
In fact i am disturbed by the course PvP has taken... catering to nothing but cookie-cutter builds.
Right now its like...
If you don't have RSP your screwed.
If you don't have FBP your screwed.
If you don't have sci team your screwed.
And virtually every escort and BoP specs the same way, for being able to blast a ship to pieces in 2 seconds flat.
Seriously... its like what point is there to having different ships? the way everything is now exactly the same in PvP with variations on a theme, one might just as well give everyone the same ship and same set of abilities and be done with it.
This is not be whining about being blow up, on the contrary, i find it disgusting myself how i can blow other players into space dust without even half trying, and i am disturbed by being "forced" to slect my BO skills very specificly in order to survive and succeed.
IMO PvP at this point needs a big overhaul.
Have abilities bring a minimal but advantageous effect to the user, recapture the feel of large ship combat that is so well represented in Star Trek that this game is sorely lacking.
In fact i don't think theres a single game in the history of Star Trek online gaming that has such extreme and un-trek like combat as STO.
Comments
I'm not to the point where I feel I can divert too far from the formulas everyone else uses, but I have seen a few people doing some pretty incredible things even after breaking the mold. Still kinda ****ed at myself for not writing down their names or picking their brains more after the match.
STO became such a (bad) joke that i didnt even played it back since the big nerf batch.
Edit: Major issues didnt get solved, and it seems that "diversity" is a word who have moved in another galaxy that STO will never be able to reach again...
Yeah if you don't have RSP you're screwed.
I rarely see FBP. People do fine without it.
Sci team is a fantastic skill - why wouldn't you get it anyway? You don't use it for PvE? I think it's fair to say you'll probably have to switch in a debuff removal and shield boosting skill instead of mask energy signature or whatever you might use in its place.
Escorts spec for damage? Hmmm...
Just because a BoP is spec'd for damage doesn't mean there aren't still various combinations. Oh and personally I don't have RSP and I do just fine with evasive maneuvers. Don't tell me I battle cloak out of it because battle cloak will get you killed. Better to just run. I don't see why more people don't use evasive maneuvers...everyone has it.
Another thing you touched on is being forced into a certain mold. As a tac officer in a cruiser, I've basically nerfed myself. I can't use any of the high level abilities that an engineer in a cruiser can use, however, the engineer can use the exact same tactical abilities that I can, other than class specific skills. It's like I'm being pushed into an escort.
Want to dominate in COD/MW2 (an FPS)? Marathon-Lightweight-Commando. Or dual 1887 shotguns with Stopping Power. Want to roll over your enemies in Command and Conquer (an RTS)? Spam Mammoth Tanks with upgraded cannons. Remember Starcraft? Zerg rush. That's where the phrase comes from...
All games boil down to mathematics and it's a formula of damage resistance versus damage generation. Intrepid gamers will find the "winning combination" faster than the DEV's can nerf them. In the end they are left chasing their tails and not really solving anything. Can you win without "cookie-cutter" builds? Sure. Can a person new to the game pick up an established build and win immediately? Yes. It's a balance that is difficult to achieve but having a counter to every power is a good start and Cryptic is working to that end.
Best advice I can give you is teamwork is the best power you can have on your ship. Practice with friends, fleetmates, etc and work as a team. Throwing out heals, focusing your fire from multiple ships on dangerous targets, and communication will trump individual "power spammers" any day...