I would like to make a request on making STF missions less difficult for average players. I don't mind it being difficult to get through the mission, but when you're stopped dead no matter what strategy you use due to the enemy respawning or some other obstacle respawning, it becomes no fun. I have tried playing the STF "Infected" mission and both times the 5 member team I had quit because it just got to difficult. The way it started wasn't bad as once you destroyed a ship another does not take its place. However, on the ground mission, the nodes reappear making it difficult to progress further. I understand there are others out there who enjoy the challenge, but is there any way to make it a little less difficult for those of us that are not up to that difficult a challenge? Another suggestion is maybe to allow an NPC take the place of a missing member if you cannot get 5 team players. I am having a very difficult time getting 5, and when I do, the mission goes like the Crystalline Entity mission where it becomes way to difficult unless the other players are very good. Bring down the skill level and allow us to beam in BO's or add an automatic NPC if you do not have enough with you to do the mission. I don't mind multiple deaths and such, and that each room is a major challenge, but if there is no progress it gets frustratingly boring. There is a certain satisfaction to have a team clear a room and know we need to move on to the next challenge, but when that room then respawns with nodes and Borg again, that becomes frustrating. Allowing an option for there not to be any respawning of enemies, and allowing NPC's or BO's to play; this would be more fun for those of us that do not like that hard a challenge.
There's a reason why those missions are designed tougher than your average mission.
But they are entirely doable unless you have a group that is completely suckage to the max. Heck, did it last night without an engineer in the group at all, and people speaking two completely different languages.
I am just concerned that this is all we will be left with is STF missions in this game. That makes it very unenjoyable with the group I play with, if the difficulty continues as is. I am not saying they should change the way they are, but to at least add an option to make it a little less difficult for those of us that do suck at it (which I admit neither I nor my team may be very good with these type missions). And, add the ability to add someone in the game if you can't get a full team. I have tried twice to get a full team (all we needed was two people), and we spent a lot of time waiting for someone to join. When they did, they would quit because they found it too difficult or did not like the way we played.
I'd personally prefer that the design and challenge of the STFs revolved less around mob spam and bosses with curbstomp powers and more... something else. They're doable, and they're not meant to be immediately doable by everyone, but I don't have fun doing them at all.
More emphasis on continuing addition of episodes (which is supposedly coming down the pipe) combined with less-frequently added STFs that derive their challenge from being something other than NPC zergfests would be best I think. I don't think STFs need to be toned down, just tuned better.
I have to agree. I've been stuck on Infected - Deeper Into the Mystery for a while now because Manus of Borg can one shot everyone in the room in less than 5 seconds.
I have no problems jumping and turning off the shields but the stupid Borg b**** is just not possible
Is this fun? No, not really. If this is all Cryptic has in store for us... I may just have to cancel my sub which is sad because I did enjoy this game until I hit RA5
I have to agree. I've been stuck on Infected - Deeper Into the Mystery for a while now because Manus of Borg can one shot everyone in the room in less than 5 seconds.
To be fair it's you or your team mates with the big blue circle on them thats one shotting everyone in less than 5 seconds - try getting the guy with the blue circle to hide from the boss and this wont happen.
yes alot of players have asked for this to be turned down....the timers are the worse thing in the the STF. let alone all the STF are is a Zerg fest. we have been asking for this for a wile. now with gozer leaving maby they will listen to the players and turn them down. there lots of bugs in them...
the infected last room with rebeca uploading the virius can sometimes bug out and the sheild will come back up. ...the one shot borgs are just as bad. go from full health and sheilds to dead in 2 sec. and let alone the loot drops are not great the grape equipment at the end is prity much a joke.
the cure...same as infected basicly group and more groups of borg and the hours it takes to clear all the way throw...the 3 4 4 generaters basicly a time sink becouse sometime the spawn ins move a bit and the area you stood in last time you used now dont work becouse you pulled agro. the times with the generaters should go buy buy...they need to have better pathing for when you die it dont throw you all the way back to the 2nd shield was and have to run all the way back(just another time sink)...the space battle in the cure are fun and the boss fight at the end is like the funnest part in the hole thing, wish the hole cure was like that FUN.
let alone the map not working in the cure ever since last patch!
now khitomer still nothing but a zerg fest of mob mobs and more mobs of borg...same thing from infected and cure have to cut the borgs noods off first .....the timer on the main room,where you have to take the sheilds down in alpha beta 1-6 now that was a good timer and was fun...the ship combat at the end with the big boss was fun too....
i hope they do better with the STF just throwing hard mobs and over wellming numbers is not a chalange nor putting dumb timers in..i think its just cheep and a lazzy way to make something hard. the STF should be seen buy all, even tho are fleet runs them every week we have alot of members that say when done they never want to run again.
i realy hope they do listen to us players and make them FUN, not ohh boy here comes 2-3 hours of face rolling key board!
How to fix the STFs:
change the enemy levels in Cure/KA back to the same as Infected, right now they are +1 and +2 levels higher than the player respectively.
put better respawn positions on the maps so you don't have to run 5 miles if you wipe.
reduce the overall amount of enemies on the ground, it just makes it take hours and it gets boring and tedious.
I think some of the difficulty has to do with being in a pick up group.
Some people just don't like being told what to do.
And others just want to do their own thing.
This can hinder a group tremendously.
Perhaps making the STF aware of a person leaving to tone down the amount of spawns, that would be a happy medium. And the reverse for a group one person short picking up someone mid way through. Just as long as it's for one person, and not all the way down to a solo-able level. Otherwise it would be too easily exploited.
To be fair it's you or your team mates with the big blue circle on them thats one shotting everyone in less than 5 seconds - try getting the guy with the blue circle to hide from the boss and this wont happen.
I'm quite aware of this fact but when you are with PUGs, it's not always possible to get everyone to listen. Also, it seems like I get one shot with her anyway, regardless if someone has the blue circle or not. *shrug*
I'm quite aware of this fact but when you are with PUGs, it's not always possible to get everyone to listen. Also, it seems like I get one shot with her anyway, regardless if someone has the blue circle or not. *shrug*
from my experience with this boss, as long as you stay together in a group and keep ressurecting people as they die, and don't do anything when you get the debuff, it works. problem is most people are too lazy to even take hypo's and such and end up dying because they didn't heal or something
one thing a fleet member brought up, and i think would be fun and neat is to let every captian bring one BO...then you have 10 members 5 real 5 CPU controlled!
one thing a fleet member brought up, and i think would be fun and neat is to let every captian bring one BO...then you have 10 members 5 real 5 CPU controlled!
I think they should consider this if nothing else because the current PvP system encourages putting some skill points into ground and space... And solo PvE encourages putting balanced skills into ground and space... But a lot of ground skills and ground BO investment becomes worthless in STFs.
Now... You may say that BOs don't have the necessary AI to stay alive in STFs and you'd be right, ordinarily. But what you could do is give them special AI where they leave your control during boss fights and either "beam out" to tend to other problems or take on scripted duties (like taking the shields down in Infected; if they can't be programmed to jump across the plasma pit, have them beam a short distance).
My thinking is that they need something between STFs and leveling.
A game like WoW has high end dungeons and then heroics and other mechanisms to prepare you for raiding.
IMHO, STFs are harder than most WoW Heroics and there's no build up to them or intermediary step.
I've no experience with WoW for comparison, but you're right that the game has absolutely nothing preparing people to even think within the design frame of the STFs.
I've no experience with WoW for comparison, but you're right that the game has absolutely nothing preparing people to even think within the design frame of the STFs.
I know Gozer was pushing for more STFs for leveling players but I think those would be ghost towns, personally.
Instead, I'd suggest something at endgame (with or without auto-squad leveling for mid-level players) that takes about half an hour, is endlessly repeatable, which affords maybe blue quality gear by grinding (along with some cosmetic rewards to encourage people to farm them) and is between a normal mode mission and an STF in difficulty. Definitely should take less than an hour, though, and have no lockout and should be an easily PuGGable build up to STFs.
Comments
But they are entirely doable unless you have a group that is completely suckage to the max. Heck, did it last night without an engineer in the group at all, and people speaking two completely different languages.
More emphasis on continuing addition of episodes (which is supposedly coming down the pipe) combined with less-frequently added STFs that derive their challenge from being something other than NPC zergfests would be best I think. I don't think STFs need to be toned down, just tuned better.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=156077
I realize that it's not immediate gratification, but the wait will be worth it.:D
A game like WoW has high end dungeons and then heroics and other mechanisms to prepare you for raiding.
IMHO, STFs are harder than most WoW Heroics and there's no build up to them or intermediary step.
I have no problems jumping and turning off the shields but the stupid Borg b**** is just not possible
Is this fun? No, not really. If this is all Cryptic has in store for us... I may just have to cancel my sub which is sad because I did enjoy this game until I hit RA5
To be fair it's you or your team mates with the big blue circle on them thats one shotting everyone in less than 5 seconds - try getting the guy with the blue circle to hide from the boss and this wont happen.
the infected last room with rebeca uploading the virius can sometimes bug out and the sheild will come back up. ...the one shot borgs are just as bad. go from full health and sheilds to dead in 2 sec. and let alone the loot drops are not great the grape equipment at the end is prity much a joke.
the cure...same as infected basicly group and more groups of borg and the hours it takes to clear all the way throw...the 3 4 4 generaters basicly a time sink becouse sometime the spawn ins move a bit and the area you stood in last time you used now dont work becouse you pulled agro. the times with the generaters should go buy buy...they need to have better pathing for when you die it dont throw you all the way back to the 2nd shield was and have to run all the way back(just another time sink)...the space battle in the cure are fun and the boss fight at the end is like the funnest part in the hole thing, wish the hole cure was like that FUN.
let alone the map not working in the cure ever since last patch!
now khitomer still nothing but a zerg fest of mob mobs and more mobs of borg...same thing from infected and cure have to cut the borgs noods off first
i hope they do better with the STF just throwing hard mobs and over wellming numbers is not a chalange nor putting dumb timers in..i think its just cheep and a lazzy way to make something hard. the STF should be seen buy all, even tho are fleet runs them every week we have alot of members that say when done they never want to run again.
i realy hope they do listen to us players and make them FUN, not ohh boy here comes 2-3 hours of face rolling key board!
change the enemy levels in Cure/KA back to the same as Infected, right now they are +1 and +2 levels higher than the player respectively.
put better respawn positions on the maps so you don't have to run 5 miles if you wipe.
reduce the overall amount of enemies on the ground, it just makes it take hours and it gets boring and tedious.
Some people just don't like being told what to do.
And others just want to do their own thing.
This can hinder a group tremendously.
Perhaps making the STF aware of a person leaving to tone down the amount of spawns, that would be a happy medium. And the reverse for a group one person short picking up someone mid way through. Just as long as it's for one person, and not all the way down to a solo-able level. Otherwise it would be too easily exploited.
I'm quite aware of this fact but when you are with PUGs, it's not always possible to get everyone to listen. Also, it seems like I get one shot with her anyway, regardless if someone has the blue circle or not. *shrug*
from my experience with this boss, as long as you stay together in a group and keep ressurecting people as they die, and don't do anything when you get the debuff, it works. problem is most people are too lazy to even take hypo's and such and end up dying because they didn't heal or something
I think they should consider this if nothing else because the current PvP system encourages putting some skill points into ground and space... And solo PvE encourages putting balanced skills into ground and space... But a lot of ground skills and ground BO investment becomes worthless in STFs.
Now... You may say that BOs don't have the necessary AI to stay alive in STFs and you'd be right, ordinarily. But what you could do is give them special AI where they leave your control during boss fights and either "beam out" to tend to other problems or take on scripted duties (like taking the shields down in Infected; if they can't be programmed to jump across the plasma pit, have them beam a short distance).
100% spot on.
I've no experience with WoW for comparison, but you're right that the game has absolutely nothing preparing people to even think within the design frame of the STFs.
I know Gozer was pushing for more STFs for leveling players but I think those would be ghost towns, personally.
Instead, I'd suggest something at endgame (with or without auto-squad leveling for mid-level players) that takes about half an hour, is endlessly repeatable, which affords maybe blue quality gear by grinding (along with some cosmetic rewards to encourage people to farm them) and is between a normal mode mission and an STF in difficulty. Definitely should take less than an hour, though, and have no lockout and should be an easily PuGGable build up to STFs.