Wow, that's sad. Dunno who they STF with but I wonder how they even got their gear.
I gotta wonder though; two noobs, 3 pugs, how'd you know specifics like their DPS? Can you save combat logs?
For combat logs - you can create a chat tab that only displays [Combat - Self] or [Combat - Team] data giving a running commentary on damage performance real time. I use that as a replacement for the annoying damage floaters.
You can also judge performance by observing how fast it takes people to kill certain targets. If you do a lot of these missions you'll know by instinct what is deemed to be adequate weapon power (ability to assault SWAT style in a number of seconds) or if the DPS is too poor to go on the offensive (takes a very long time to destroy certain targets, and a drawn out firefight occurs).
Suffice to say if I see people trying to snipe with pulsewaves, do CQB with sniper rifles and doing a poor job at either with 3 persons trying unsuccessfully attacking a Elite Tactical Drone, then something's not right in terms of player development.
It ain't just about following STF guides. Sometimes it's a big eye opener to experiment with new weapons and tactics as Cryptic does change game balance somewhat.
Before F2P it was advisable to use only pulsewaves and sniper/battle rifles, but the Borg remodulation was altered and now you can mow down entire groups of drones at once with disruptor MGs. Even if the Borg will adapt to the weapon after the single huge 11 second burst, it's kind of too late because everything is dead or near dead in that single burst.
In an emergency it's also possible to do serious damage over time by just relying on the disruptor debuff (10% damage bonus to body/hull) and the kinetic damage created by all anti Borg infantry weapons.
As for the compression pistol - that's also another non standard tactic derived just from observation alone. The minigun is excellent for exposing enemies, and the compression pistol is the fastest quick-draw weapon with a secondary attack capable of doing massive damage on exposed targets.
It's something that (compared to other FPS games) handles like a .357 Magnum or a Desert Eagle. Not exactly the best tactical weapon due to small magazine capacity (in STO, compression pistol has 7-8 shots before adaptation). But with a disciplined trigger finger and good aim it can cause serious damage.
Because it can do quick-draw, it's a much better choice than a sniper rifle as an exploit weapon (which I only use on Armek for that useful game exploit if you shoot from the far corners).
In space STF I learned to be self sufficient in all important points of DPS, area control and healing. Likewise for ground STFs playing with PUGs, I learn to generate my own area team heals, massive area DPS and create my own expose-exploit chains for maximum mission efficiency.
None of them require MACO gear or HG gear (or any gear more expensive than 20k EC), because once own strategy and tactical protocol are well established, you can create substitutes that work just as well. Or in this case, better, because I'm not relying on gear, but knowledge for victory.
As we could see from the previous examples... it can be foolhardy to rely on one's gear. It's always the man, not the armor, that wins the war.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
This is the video log for last Thursday's fleet operation, which involved a deep strike operation on suspected Romulan WMD research facilities in the Hobus system.
Penetrating deep into Romulan airspace following commercial spacelanes, this mission was risky as it was bold in its requirement to combat intercepting Romulan forces as soon as they arrived in-system.
On advanced or elite difficulty it is an exceptional training ground for Captains who wish to prepare for the team combat environment of Elite STFs. Situational awareness and mutual understanding of standard Starfleet protocol was instrumental in victory, and I am pleased to note the first deployment of the Odyssey Wing concept was a huge success.
Hence, a little work of art in motion to commemorate this day.
wow nice video but i can not take credit for being there as i am not the captain of the USS Iroquois
my odyssey is the USS Parthenon
i joined in after you did that run
Evidently that is a case of having "Too many Odysseys". I found the owner of the missing Oddy right after I uploaded the thing overnight ironically. He said, being a randomly generated name, perhaps 'someone else' might have the real ship
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
I know my Oddy isn't the only Iroquios, come to think of it. Mayyyybe the only one that's an Oddy but I've seen the name. But I'm pretty sure she's the only one intentionally named after a real ship, though.
Here's to a successful week of operations and we managed to accomplish the following: -
Ground STF tutorials
Elite Space STF tutorials
Extensive Starfleet shipbuilding and power management classes (yes, KDF "know your enemy" is a different topic planned for the near future... which requires KDF alts for participation). Includes PvP ship trials for firepower, survivability and flight pattern demonstrations.
Special F.C.A. (Ferengi Commerce Authority) Exchange tutorials and "Trading for Profit" weekend seminars. Guaranteed 1 million revenue per day, if you have the lobes for business!
Odyssey Wing operations, "Sacrifice of Angels" style. These are roleplayed Starfleet missions based on both canon episodes and real-world political climates... followed by an enormous task force deployment against large enemy fleets.
For a brand new organization, I'd say the participation and the mission performance is right on. Keep it up, pilots.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
Sovereign-class Max Performance Shipbuilding Theory & Practical
Note: Event scheduled for @drunkenguyver's Sunday time slot.
Captain "Whiskey Rose" Carmen will be bringing the USS Spirit of Texas home after a 6-month deployment with Omega Force strike groups. You will get to fly with and against a high DPS Sovereign custom build so you too can learn to produce upwards of 1,500 DPS per forward gun.
And did I mention her cannon rapid fire and BFAW skills fire every 15 seconds?
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
Sovereign-class Max Performance Shipbuilding Theory & Practical
Note: Event scheduled for @drunkenguyver's Sunday time slot.
Captain "Whiskey Rose" Carmen will be bringing the USS Spirit of Texas home after a 6-month deployment with Omega Force strike groups. You will get to fly with and against a high DPS Sovereign custom build so you too can learn to produce upwards of 1,500 DPS per forward gun.
And did I mention her cannon rapid fire and BFAW skills fire every 15 seconds?
Hey Carmenara,
I've just seen the video of our fleet battle we did the other day, really looks awesome . . and i enjoyed watching it, i almost forgot just how many beams were firing at once . . lol
Thanks for scheduling Sundays event, and i'm looking forward to seeing what you've done with your Sovereign . . and also perhaps a little excited about our friendly war games as always :-).
BFAW every 15 seconds ay . . Hmmm, i?m gonna have to try and think of a few tricks to combat that . . lol . . i've gotta get my Kirk on .
San Francisco Fleet Yards had today taken delivery of a veteran Omega Force battlecruiser - NCC-101774 "Spirit of Texas" of the Imperial "K" class.
Being deployed in continuous hi tempo operations in the Gamma Orionis theatre of operations since March 2409, the vessel is in dire need of overhaul and a full evaluation of her field-engineered Borg-enhanced subsystems are in order. We can learn much from Omega Force's combat experience against the cybernetic threat.
With the original Sovereign hull stripped of all nonessential systems and non-combat modules, Spirit of Texas's battle log indicates she is capable of a tactical cruise rating of Impulse 60 which is nearly three times the achievable battle speed of a contemporary Starfleet cruiser. With full power to weapons and shields for 'assault' mode, the vessel is still capable of sustained cruise at Impulse 37 which is undoubtedly formidable.
The hull planform has also been shortened considerably with the warp nacelle plyons being of the "Enterprise-A" variety, and the secondary hull has also been heavily modified; the reduced rotational inertia of the "Kurz" variant allows for rapid combat maneuvering; an instaneous turn rate of 25 degrees per second is possible should power to inertial dampers be set to 150%, and the ship controlled via emergency manual override.
Spirit of Texas's weapon systems remain to be trialled at the White Sands II starship weapons range over Neptune; this vessel returned with all her original eight quantum torpedo tubes damaged beyond repair and the Type X phaser arrays have all been replaced with highly experimental antiproton pulse cannons derived from top-secret Klingon technology.
First encountered as a direct-fire weapon system during the Fek'ihri Invasion of October 2408, antiproton weapons have the potential to cause massive hull penetration but their reliability is questionable under battlefield conditions (due to over-reliance on occasional critical hits on weaker hull sections.)
Should her antiproton weapons batteries be offloaded for further Starfleet studies, Spirit of Texas will be retrofitted with the new Bajoran quad disruptor batteries pioneered by Ha'dara Anchorage Yards on their 25th Century Galaxy class retrofit variant, the Chin'toka class.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
Odyssey Tactical Prototype Operations Log - June 2409
Read more about the success of USS Relativity in both Elite STF and PvP scenarios, and see if you can learn some new tricks to successful battlecruiser piloting here :
Captain Marsden stands gazing out of his ready room window into deep space, the gentle waft of hot coffee occasionally grabbing his attention away from a report covered desk.
"Computer begin recording of message and encode, ready for dispatch to Admiral Carmenara & the fleet upon logon to the federation database"
*The computer chirps and the recording begins*
Good Afternoon Fleet,
After running a few elite STF's now, and since i am thinking of upgrading my Phaser arrays (When cash permits . . lol) i was thinking about investing in some from the "STF store" on DS9, since they have the extra damage against borg NPC's . . i think they offer 1000 radiation damage, i've already bought some more "Normal" blue XI arrays and i find they are much better, but perhaps still don't offer enough punching power on the dirty borg, and we all love seeing them get a slapping don't we . . lol . So i was wondering what everyone thought on that . . Borg "Stf Store" Phasers worth the buy or not, or are normal high grade arrays just as good ?
I am still upgrading my vessel when i can, i also need to invest in better Shield emitter arrays, and things like that . . but at the moment the ones i have are doing the job, and this is more of a fine tuning matter than anything else really, as my main priority is to upgrade weapons to meet the borg threat head on.
I look forward to the fleet PvP/testing session on Sunday, since i've been trying to squeeze a little bit more DPS out of the Valiant. Although i know there is more to be done, i will be proud to show you that she has improved since our last war games session. I must say she has a mean broad side :-).
After running a few elite STF's now, and since i am thinking of upgrading my Phaser arrays (When cash permits . . lol) i was thinking about investing in some from the "STF store" on DS9, since they have the extra damage against borg NPC's . . i think they offer 1000 radiation damage, i've already bought some more "Normal" blue XI arrays and i find they are much better, but perhaps still don't offer enough punching power on the dirty borg, and we all love seeing them get a slapping don't we . . lol . So i was wondering what everyone thought on that . . Borg "Stf Store" Phasers worth the buy or not, or are normal high grade arrays just as good ?
Best regards,
U.S.S Valiant - Captain Marsden Commanding
Good to hear from you again CPT Marsden.
All that ship retrofitting studies and Starfleet 'propaganda' production has eaten into my captaining schedule.
Flying a desk for the majority of my time however, does has its rewards, and carries little risk of assimilation
RE - Anti-Borg phaser arrays?
My suggestion is get as much weapons as you can from Omega Force as there is zero expense from those requisitions.
While weapons on the Ferengi exchange can often yield superior firepower (such as from Acc x3 weapons yielding a superior critical hit ratio), you cannot justify spending a few million credits per ship, not if at your experience level you may wish to experiment with different ship types and setups to find your unique piloting niche.
There has to be a Rule of Acqusition somewhere that says, to profit from STFs, you make a strong ship with Mark X [Borg] weapons, the cheapest most effective armor and subsystems you can find, and stick with that setup for a month or so, gradually upgrading to Mark XI then XII standard eventually.
It is after all tactics and Captain's knowledge that govern one's success in STFs, and if you can lead teams to victory in Elite assignments often, I'm sure you'll be swimming in Rare Borg Salvage in no time at all. The best thing you can do is run with a fleet or people in your friends' list, so you can both man the strategic points in each mission and prevent any chance of mission failure.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
STF Prepatory Training: Dispelling Forum Myths and Integrating Personal Initiative for Improved Tactical Performance
Working Draft Alpha 2: Guild Charter of the Republic of New Texas Navy, Delta Volanis Star Cluster, from the Office of the Secretary of Aggression.
When we look at STF guides and STF training groups in existence today, we see a lot of "rules and regulations". There's a lot of talk about what gear to bring, what to target first, and other obscure "codes of conduct" that has, in my opinion, no place in the Star Trek franchise which naturally does appeal to a more senior playerbase than the norm within the gaming world.
Talk to anyone in my (or your) fleet and you'll realize these 'gamers' are persons in real life with responsibility and hold stable careers, the majority being successful family men themselves.
We met each other as PUG players in elite STFs. Some of us had very bad experiences with other players or guilds. Some of us didn't know starship power management.
To the general 'elite gamer' populace, we'll probably be christened derogatory terms such as "NOOBS", and in justification, people will tell us that these are "normal gaming terms" from other MMORPGs like WoW.
I'm sorry, but Star Trek online is not World of Warcr***. Here in STO you're granted command of a starship, a mandate to protect your star empire from internal and external threats, and to experience how it's like boldly go where no man has gone before. In just a matter of weeks you'll be progressing from a 3-gun frigate to take command of mighty capital warships that before STO had never existed at all in the Star Trek universe.
This kind of virtual career progression appeals far more to the mature career man or woman, and I find the use of "gaming" terms on these awesome individuals very disturbing, and so is curbing their personal initiative and personal desire to experience the world of Virtual Star Trek through experimentation and social contact with other starship Captains.
I sure as hell know that not all of us are 30 plus ladies and gentlemen. Our kids and spouses do play as well. Which brings me to this conclusion - we need to treat our fellow STO captains and pilots with EVEN MORE respect than the norm because of this.
Star Trek Online is designed to have scalable difficulty. It's not a hardcore Harpoon 4 type naval simulator. Neither is it a 1980s arcade game. However, with the right difficulty settings and mission environments, it can serve as either, at the player's behest. Leaders of major fleets can also tell you that their 8 year old sons and daughters also have game accounts, which does prove to me that the game is simple enough for even children to understand... provided we teach them well.
As a F2P player I have had a lot of experience with teaching fellow newbies the tools and tricks required for successful STO play through STFs, ESTFs, PvP and beyond. I've also had experience running full-time roleplaying and military simulation groups, also in STO, which were uniquely run by lady gamers themselves.
These wonderful individuals aren't here today to give me character references, because the appeal of STO has changed due to PWE acquisition and certain issues with C-store prices. But that's natural - gamers come and go, and indeed, you would wonder at why I do bother to spend hours each weekend teaching new players who might just quit the game the next day?
As some of the RL teaching profession would indicate similarly to you, teaching is never about making a profit. You give your very best instruction to others in the hope that you can see someone else flourish. It is a tiresome job, and yes, you will be repeating yourself over and over again.
But profit is not the reason why I started a career of "teaching" in Star Trek Online. Profit belongs in the realm of "Real Life" and all its politics and paper chasing. In a game environment, an ENTERTAINMENT environment, player to player sharing of information should be the norm, especially where STO does not provide a Advanced Starship Management course.
We, who stuck with STO and now have mastered the majority of its complex gameplay mechanics, are generally aware of these shortcomings. We also know how we at first struggled with non-optimal ship builds that weren't very durable nor were they very efficient at all.
We experimented, we conversed, we trialled numerous ship configurations in a bid to come up top in PvP matches with friends, and also to run elite team missions with the same group of friends, who had similar interests to me, seeing STO as a post-TNG era starship management game.
So why should STF trainers like I tell people off flatly that "Escorts and DHCs are all you need"?
Why should I be the person who tells new players that all they do is "Wrong. All Wrong." and demand that they follow my instructions to the letter or else?
Special Task Forces are never about split second reactions nor do they demand a lot from the player. Fully 95% of the stress in STFs is due to the necessity of following a mission script to implement a cascade bombardment strategy against Borg installations, and to anticipate and destroy incoming threats as they appear.
The Borg are no smarter than your average toaster. Enemy groups appear in the map under certain conditions. With an overview of the mission script and a list of possible failure mechanisms, you can create awareness of these 'mission control' requirements for each STF, or allocate wingmen to pre-position with riot control abilities to deal with them as they appear.
Most of us start off with STO as Starfleet Captains. I'm sure that in Starfleet, they too practise the ideal that veteran Captains cover for cadet pilots, in order to guarantee they get home in one piece and learn from their first-mission experiences.
In the event a Starfleet vessel were to be deployed in an international force with less than perfect command and control, I am sure too that the commander of said Starfleet vessel will do whatever in his power to try and achieve victory for his joint forces, without discrimination, blame, and without quitting.
It wouldn't matter that "some people never open their chat" or "those noobs just won't learn", said Starfleet captain will simply fly mutually-supporting tactical flight patterns, extend shields to cover friendly vessels under fire, etc.
It is this proactive collaboration that breaks the ice between foreign military forces with little to no common ground in terms of communications or culture, sometimes even language is an issue; but they all have one common interest: Victory.
They say, in Jem'Hadar units, that Victory is Life. In Starfleet, victory is indeed only valuable if you live to see the end of it. By extending a voluntary helping hand to others in need, you enable more new pilots to have a taste of victory and to bring their newfound experience in Federation combat tactics back home to where they can share it with others.
That's why I spend up to 50% of my gaming time with so-called "noobs", that's why we all stick together and have formed this very Fleet based on this tried and true principle of mutual support and the strong protecting the weak.
We really have no interest at all in each others' personal affairs, nor any interest at all to infringe into our pilots' rights and individual perceptions on the Star Trek universe.
After all it doesn't matter that most of my teams prefer to fly cruisers, despite knowing that Escorts, not cruisers, are the only practical way to regularly win the Optionals in Elite STFs.
As the commander of this task force it is my duty to accept my team's decision to learn to manage cruiser systems first and foremost. It is also my job to identify my team's personal interests (in terms of what parts of Star Trek they like - the grand capital ships in this case) and use that interest to strengthen their in-flight performance in STO.
So we ran General Systems Management classes. We drafted up what might be the Standard Starfleet Cruiser doctrine in the 25th Century, based off canon and soft-canon sources set in the TNG era. We used a Sacrifice of Angels style scenario to run a simulated Odyssey Wing strike operation using real-world naval strategies, in order to refine team tactics and implement basic command and control procedures.
Thoughout these training exercises which have taken place since May 2012, I have emphasized one and only one thing: Pilots' Discretion.
These Fleet pilots are putting in time to STO in their own free time.
It is up to them whether to continue supporting the Star Trek franchise through this game, or not.
It is up to me as wing commander to create a TNG-based operating environment in order for everyone to be comfortable with what we intend to do as a team/fleet, and also to encourage everyone to take command of certain aspects of operations.
For instance, during the Hobus system punitive operation, I took command of naval task force deployment and assigned strategic objectives for the team.
Pilots themselves remain responsible for their own ship and tactical systems; as masters and commanders of their own vessels their initiative in ship control is much faster in reacting to new Romulan forces uncloaking at close range, than any centralized command structure. Utilizing Starfleet tactical cruiser doctrine, mutual support was proactive and initiated automatically by the pilots themselves, thereby requiring no Task Force command intervention.
For the ground phase of the Hobus I raid on suspected Romulan WMD development facilities, another Captain with a younger and more energetic disposition was assigned the role of ground commander in order to maximize ground teams' rate of advance against determined (but futile) Romulan opposition.
These are not missions run on Normal difficulty. Task force training operations are ideally run on Advanced level, and with the large number of enemy targets per engagement, they have proven deadlier than Elite STFs by the sheer information overload alone. It's very easy to stray off into a solo fight against multiple Romulan battleships and end up with a tedious mop-up operation. It requires personal initiative and innate captaining instinct to retain task force battle order and mutual support, focusing fire on critical targets and maneuvering to support allied vessels to maximize offensive and defensive capabilities.
And when all was said and done we progressed to the Elite level STF missions immediately. After all everyone by now had become a trusted starship operator, had battle-proven (and at times PvP proven) ship setups, and Normal STFs would prove a bit too easy for our tastes.
It's when we run with PUGs with partial teams that we realize we're doing things a lot differently from everyone else.
We really do not care about premade teams, tactics or detailed micromanagement practised by most Elite STF players.
Through experiential learning and trust in their real world acumen, my pilots devise their own tactics on the fly to best suit current operating conditions. STFs are not new, and the missions are static. They've played them before countless times yet some can tell me that despite prior experience, they have not learnt the tips and tricks that we have been deploying successfully to guarantee victory for PUGs. Total strangers are who we like to run with. PUGs are no different from you and I in this Fleet.
PUGs are human beings just like everyone else, and they deserve the best we have to offer in collaboration and also to cover for possible weaknesses so that everyone can enjoy a drama free, Optional-enabled STF experience.
And so we come to the penultimate conclusion for this bold statement:
If Fleet management creates a environment ruled by fear, they are losing out big time, as without the ability to deploy "strategic corporals" to self-govern the fleet, the command structure of large organizations tends to have a response time of up to 3 weeks (**)
** - Quoted from source in a major fleet in February 2012.
If STF training is all about following strict protocol, then training efficiency is degraded and that's the reason we see guys in MACO gear produce very little DPS in ground STFs. Times change, tactics change as things are nerfed and un-nerfed, and tactical performance suffers in turn by not adapting to current trends.
And finally,
If this is the sort of modus operandi that has automatically created a very strong paramilitary team of players around the world, I will stick to this modus operandi and continue to develop it.
None of you have to contribute anything to this Fleet beyond what you are comfortable with supporting.
None of you have to deal with any personal troubles, unwanted drama or unwanted personal contact between Fleet members.
That's because we're all professionals in life and in game, we have been transformed from what people call "noobs" to be likewise be as you should be, professional starship captains in your own right.
I am very happy to have broken that stigma that prevents new or casual players from being a part of Fleet Operations. I am also very happy to have proved that voice chat, personal details, and other intrusive aspects of fleet recruitment are likewise unnecessary and indeed, contribute naught to actual mission performance, since if you take away the micromanagement, and the need to micromange, what you have here is a self-sustaining organization ready to engage any threat to the Federation and Starfleet, be they internal, or external.
Bear this in mind as well:
In this Academy, the PLAYERS, not fleet leaders, are the managers. My job is simply to organize, facilitate, and to channel resources to support the PLAYERS' gaming objectives, whatever they could be. Think of it this way - it's just like roleplaying the commander of Deep Space Nine! You send out duty officers on support missions, you allow them to gain experience and to grow. In time, they too, will become junior commanders and hold responsibilities in your stead. This personal development by players, for players, STRENGTHENS the organization, and should not be seen as some kind of threat to the guild.
Unless of course, there was no support infrastructure for said organizational growth to begin with, which is why a lot of RL Companies die off or switch to a low tempo of operations when times change... they simply can't adapt to the operating environment.
That's why we need to create a strategy of adaptation and flexibility from the ground up
"Adversity Breeds Innovation"
Capt. Hikaru Sulu - Starfleet Command II: Empires at War
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
very nice write up and basically says my feelings to a T as one fleet i was in disbanded because of inactivity and the other kicked me because i was just not there when they scheduled events
and about coming up with own tactics yup and none of them are conventional but then again i fly probably one of the most outclassed T5 cruiser in the game so creativity has to come in lol
Awesome read. Especially at 6 AM just after waking up sick as a dog. Makes me wanna better myself some more
Anyways, last I hinted in my CORE Connect profile that I was working on a new toon. After gaining so much experience over the last month running with carmenara and the guys at Redneck Academy, I decided to take what I've learned and apply it to my newest endeavor.
Dre'An M'illi was a childhood friend of mine who lived in an affiliated Federation world. As part of Starfleet's Dual-Citizenship program he was finally able to join the ranks of Starfleet, and was eventually given the command of the U.S.S. San Lorenzo, a Miranda/Centaur hybrid frigate. Right now he is in the midst of investigating the Devidians, and once he is done with this, he has asked me to join the ranks of Redneck Academy.
Personally, I think he'll be a great Tactical captain with a heart of gold and determination of a Klingon.
WELL IF THE JAPORI INCIDENT HAS TAUGHT ME ANYTHING, IT'S THAT MY EXISTENCE IS AN EXPLOIT. THANKS CRYPTIC.
IF YOU ARE READING MY SIG - THEN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG
hey carm, its kirk, how do u get charectors to work in CORE???? also can i join a alt into the fleet?
I'll take your application under advisement. Bear in mind we are not a fleet for alts - combat wing ops are what we do and how we got everyone together under one roof.
These task force deployments are run on weekend evenings US time and I'll leave it up to you to schedule runs with us.
After all it is fair that for frontier battle fleets, readiness is doubly important due to the diverse and far-reaching nature of such deployments.
It's commonly known in canon that it takes up to 3 weeks for a Starfleet vessel to reach DS9 during the pre Dominion Wars era. This lack of protection for outlying Federation interests is exactly why frontier forces fall under their own independent colonial states' jurisdiction in the 25th Century.
Which is exactly why we're a fleet of mains, not alts. When it comes to starbase construction and defence operations next month, we'll need all the active pilots we can muster.
The trick to you managing multiple alts in multiple fleets depends on immaculate scheduling and cross-communication between aliied fleets. It'll be up to you to present a mode of operation for doing so, not for our interests but for your main fleet's sake.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
We conclude the weekend's intensive space and ground STF training sessions with this short article on why we are a NEWBIES ONLY organization and why we will always focus on good player to player coaching as the key enabler to excellence in starship operations.
From Galaxy Rs soloing cubes on Elite STFs to developing new 'destroyer escort' doctrine for a combined arms approach to STO elite gameplay, we're utilizing our members' real-world military experience and knowhow to redefine the concept of player development.
The concept is thus:
You can shove a huge STF guide to a newbie and get him totally confused.
Or you can leverage his innate knowledge of real world operational concepts and realize any and all PUG or new STO player can become a formidable asset just by engaging him into a supportive, congenial knowledge-sharing environment.
A couple of decades ago there was this idea in the US Army called "Strategic Corporal". The US Navy also drafted concepts for "Network Centric Warfare", and later on a systems and tactical doctrine called "Cooperative Engagement Capability".
Utilizing these easily understood real world concepts in STO teamplay not only makes learning Elite STFs enjoyable and productive (not even a single word needs be spoken - we never felt the need for voice comms), but it also allows for the development of new tactics, experimentation with completely unique and unseen character configurations and ship builds, and best of all, it makes things really easy to pick up.
We do this trial by fire and invite our pilots to participate with training and doctrine development not because it's easy, but because WE CAN.
STF Flight Instructor since Early 2012. Newbies are the reason why STO lives and breathes today. Do not discriminate.
Comments
For combat logs - you can create a chat tab that only displays [Combat - Self] or [Combat - Team] data giving a running commentary on damage performance real time. I use that as a replacement for the annoying damage floaters.
You can also judge performance by observing how fast it takes people to kill certain targets. If you do a lot of these missions you'll know by instinct what is deemed to be adequate weapon power (ability to assault SWAT style in a number of seconds) or if the DPS is too poor to go on the offensive (takes a very long time to destroy certain targets, and a drawn out firefight occurs).
Suffice to say if I see people trying to snipe with pulsewaves, do CQB with sniper rifles and doing a poor job at either with 3 persons trying unsuccessfully attacking a Elite Tactical Drone, then something's not right in terms of player development.
It ain't just about following STF guides. Sometimes it's a big eye opener to experiment with new weapons and tactics as Cryptic does change game balance somewhat.
Before F2P it was advisable to use only pulsewaves and sniper/battle rifles, but the Borg remodulation was altered and now you can mow down entire groups of drones at once with disruptor MGs. Even if the Borg will adapt to the weapon after the single huge 11 second burst, it's kind of too late because everything is dead or near dead in that single burst.
In an emergency it's also possible to do serious damage over time by just relying on the disruptor debuff (10% damage bonus to body/hull) and the kinetic damage created by all anti Borg infantry weapons.
As for the compression pistol - that's also another non standard tactic derived just from observation alone. The minigun is excellent for exposing enemies, and the compression pistol is the fastest quick-draw weapon with a secondary attack capable of doing massive damage on exposed targets.
It's something that (compared to other FPS games) handles like a .357 Magnum or a Desert Eagle. Not exactly the best tactical weapon due to small magazine capacity (in STO, compression pistol has 7-8 shots before adaptation). But with a disciplined trigger finger and good aim it can cause serious damage.
Because it can do quick-draw, it's a much better choice than a sniper rifle as an exploit weapon (which I only use on Armek for that useful game exploit if you shoot from the far corners).
In space STF I learned to be self sufficient in all important points of DPS, area control and healing. Likewise for ground STFs playing with PUGs, I learn to generate my own area team heals, massive area DPS and create my own expose-exploit chains for maximum mission efficiency.
None of them require MACO gear or HG gear (or any gear more expensive than 20k EC), because once own strategy and tactical protocol are well established, you can create substitutes that work just as well. Or in this case, better, because I'm not relying on gear, but knowledge for victory.
As we could see from the previous examples... it can be foolhardy to rely on one's gear. It's always the man, not the armor, that wins the war.
My Youtube Channel
Glad you have you along for the "Thursday Night Special"!
Good news is that most of our big ops are on the weekends (from Friday morning onwards). Catch us if you can
My Youtube Channel
surprisingly the little thing tanked better then i was expecting it to only blew up twice and one was from the instant death torpedo
http://core.perfectworld.com/album/photos?uid=88743789&id=2613471
My Youtube Channel
Penetrating deep into Romulan airspace following commercial spacelanes, this mission was risky as it was bold in its requirement to combat intercepting Romulan forces as soon as they arrived in-system.
On advanced or elite difficulty it is an exceptional training ground for Captains who wish to prepare for the team combat environment of Elite STFs. Situational awareness and mutual understanding of standard Starfleet protocol was instrumental in victory, and I am pleased to note the first deployment of the Odyssey Wing concept was a huge success.
Hence, a little work of art in motion to commemorate this day.
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=4502231#post4502231
My Youtube Channel
my odyssey is the USS Parthenon
i joined in after you did that run
Evidently that is a case of having "Too many Odysseys". I found the owner of the missing Oddy right after I uploaded the thing overnight ironically. He said, being a randomly generated name, perhaps 'someone else' might have the real ship
My Youtube Channel
Ground STF tutorials
Elite Space STF tutorials
Extensive Starfleet shipbuilding and power management classes (yes, KDF "know your enemy" is a different topic planned for the near future... which requires KDF alts for participation). Includes PvP ship trials for firepower, survivability and flight pattern demonstrations.
Special F.C.A. (Ferengi Commerce Authority) Exchange tutorials and "Trading for Profit" weekend seminars. Guaranteed 1 million revenue per day, if you have the lobes for business!
Odyssey Wing operations, "Sacrifice of Angels" style. These are roleplayed Starfleet missions based on both canon episodes and real-world political climates... followed by an enormous task force deployment against large enemy fleets.
For a brand new organization, I'd say the participation and the mission performance is right on. Keep it up, pilots.
My Youtube Channel
i know i have improved a great deal form where i started
There are also lots of Romulan ale in the box marked "Emergency Supplies"
My Youtube Channel
Sovereign-class Max Performance Shipbuilding Theory & Practical
Note: Event scheduled for @drunkenguyver's Sunday time slot.
Captain "Whiskey Rose" Carmen will be bringing the USS Spirit of Texas home after a 6-month deployment with Omega Force strike groups. You will get to fly with and against a high DPS Sovereign custom build so you too can learn to produce upwards of 1,500 DPS per forward gun.
And did I mention her cannon rapid fire and BFAW skills fire every 15 seconds?
My Youtube Channel
Hey Carmenara,
I've just seen the video of our fleet battle we did the other day, really looks awesome . . and i enjoyed watching it, i almost forgot just how many beams were firing at once . . lol
Thanks for scheduling Sundays event, and i'm looking forward to seeing what you've done with your Sovereign . . and also perhaps a little excited about our friendly war games as always :-).
BFAW every 15 seconds ay . . Hmmm, i?m gonna have to try and think of a few tricks to combat that . . lol . . i've gotta get my Kirk on
San Francisco Fleet Yards had today taken delivery of a veteran Omega Force battlecruiser - NCC-101774 "Spirit of Texas" of the Imperial "K" class.
Being deployed in continuous hi tempo operations in the Gamma Orionis theatre of operations since March 2409, the vessel is in dire need of overhaul and a full evaluation of her field-engineered Borg-enhanced subsystems are in order. We can learn much from Omega Force's combat experience against the cybernetic threat.
With the original Sovereign hull stripped of all nonessential systems and non-combat modules, Spirit of Texas's battle log indicates she is capable of a tactical cruise rating of Impulse 60 which is nearly three times the achievable battle speed of a contemporary Starfleet cruiser. With full power to weapons and shields for 'assault' mode, the vessel is still capable of sustained cruise at Impulse 37 which is undoubtedly formidable.
Top secret - Level IV Security Clearance required.
Image: Imperial K-class short-deck Assault Cruiser conducting high speed trials over Sol III.
The hull planform has also been shortened considerably with the warp nacelle plyons being of the "Enterprise-A" variety, and the secondary hull has also been heavily modified; the reduced rotational inertia of the "Kurz" variant allows for rapid combat maneuvering; an instaneous turn rate of 25 degrees per second is possible should power to inertial dampers be set to 150%, and the ship controlled via emergency manual override.
Spirit of Texas's weapon systems remain to be trialled at the White Sands II starship weapons range over Neptune; this vessel returned with all her original eight quantum torpedo tubes damaged beyond repair and the Type X phaser arrays have all been replaced with highly experimental antiproton pulse cannons derived from top-secret Klingon technology.
First encountered as a direct-fire weapon system during the Fek'ihri Invasion of October 2408, antiproton weapons have the potential to cause massive hull penetration but their reliability is questionable under battlefield conditions (due to over-reliance on occasional critical hits on weaker hull sections.)
Should her antiproton weapons batteries be offloaded for further Starfleet studies, Spirit of Texas will be retrofitted with the new Bajoran quad disruptor batteries pioneered by Ha'dara Anchorage Yards on their 25th Century Galaxy class retrofit variant, the Chin'toka class.
My Youtube Channel
i play regularly and have been playing for a few months now.
i would really like some team play.
i have lived in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and now Louisiana so i got the redneck down.
Teamplay's what we do.
Hmm what do you have to do? Nothing! I'll just look you up in game - look out for friend requests
Or it could be easier if you add me, PWE forum names and all - I'm @carmenara
My Youtube Channel
Some say, you can.
http://jalopnik.com/5923086/the-usa-could-have-had-a-tank-to-fight-the-revolutionary-war
It might be Ambitious But Rubbish (tm) but its awesomeness is undeniable
My Youtube Channel
Read more about the success of USS Relativity in both Elite STF and PvP scenarios, and see if you can learn some new tricks to successful battlecruiser piloting here :
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=4567851#post4567851
My Youtube Channel
Welcome to the fleet, and i look forward to seeing you in game
"Computer begin recording of message and encode, ready for dispatch to Admiral Carmenara & the fleet upon logon to the federation database"
*The computer chirps and the recording begins*
Good Afternoon Fleet,
After running a few elite STF's now, and since i am thinking of upgrading my Phaser arrays (When cash permits . . lol) i was thinking about investing in some from the "STF store" on DS9, since they have the extra damage against borg NPC's . . i think they offer 1000 radiation damage, i've already bought some more "Normal" blue XI arrays and i find they are much better, but perhaps still don't offer enough punching power on the dirty borg, and we all love seeing them get a slapping don't we . . lol . So i was wondering what everyone thought on that . . Borg "Stf Store" Phasers worth the buy or not, or are normal high grade arrays just as good ?
I am still upgrading my vessel when i can, i also need to invest in better Shield emitter arrays, and things like that . . but at the moment the ones i have are doing the job, and this is more of a fine tuning matter than anything else really, as my main priority is to upgrade weapons to meet the borg threat head on.
I look forward to the fleet PvP/testing session on Sunday, since i've been trying to squeeze a little bit more DPS out of the Valiant. Although i know there is more to be done, i will be proud to show you that she has improved since our last war games session. I must say she has a mean broad side :-).
Best regards,
U.S.S Valiant - Captain Marsden Commanding
Good to hear from you again CPT Marsden.
All that ship retrofitting studies and Starfleet 'propaganda' production has eaten into my captaining schedule.
Flying a desk for the majority of my time however, does has its rewards, and carries little risk of assimilation
RE - Anti-Borg phaser arrays?
My suggestion is get as much weapons as you can from Omega Force as there is zero expense from those requisitions.
While weapons on the Ferengi exchange can often yield superior firepower (such as from Acc x3 weapons yielding a superior critical hit ratio), you cannot justify spending a few million credits per ship, not if at your experience level you may wish to experiment with different ship types and setups to find your unique piloting niche.
There has to be a Rule of Acqusition somewhere that says, to profit from STFs, you make a strong ship with Mark X [Borg] weapons, the cheapest most effective armor and subsystems you can find, and stick with that setup for a month or so, gradually upgrading to Mark XI then XII standard eventually.
It is after all tactics and Captain's knowledge that govern one's success in STFs, and if you can lead teams to victory in Elite assignments often, I'm sure you'll be swimming in Rare Borg Salvage in no time at all. The best thing you can do is run with a fleet or people in your friends' list, so you can both man the strategic points in each mission and prevent any chance of mission failure.
My Youtube Channel
STF Prepatory Training: Dispelling Forum Myths and Integrating Personal Initiative for Improved Tactical Performance
Working Draft Alpha 2: Guild Charter of the Republic of New Texas Navy, Delta Volanis Star Cluster, from the Office of the Secretary of Aggression.
When we look at STF guides and STF training groups in existence today, we see a lot of "rules and regulations". There's a lot of talk about what gear to bring, what to target first, and other obscure "codes of conduct" that has, in my opinion, no place in the Star Trek franchise which naturally does appeal to a more senior playerbase than the norm within the gaming world.
Talk to anyone in my (or your) fleet and you'll realize these 'gamers' are persons in real life with responsibility and hold stable careers, the majority being successful family men themselves.
We met each other as PUG players in elite STFs. Some of us had very bad experiences with other players or guilds. Some of us didn't know starship power management.
To the general 'elite gamer' populace, we'll probably be christened derogatory terms such as "NOOBS", and in justification, people will tell us that these are "normal gaming terms" from other MMORPGs like WoW.
I'm sorry, but Star Trek online is not World of Warcr***. Here in STO you're granted command of a starship, a mandate to protect your star empire from internal and external threats, and to experience how it's like boldly go where no man has gone before. In just a matter of weeks you'll be progressing from a 3-gun frigate to take command of mighty capital warships that before STO had never existed at all in the Star Trek universe.
This kind of virtual career progression appeals far more to the mature career man or woman, and I find the use of "gaming" terms on these awesome individuals very disturbing, and so is curbing their personal initiative and personal desire to experience the world of Virtual Star Trek through experimentation and social contact with other starship Captains.
I sure as hell know that not all of us are 30 plus ladies and gentlemen. Our kids and spouses do play as well. Which brings me to this conclusion - we need to treat our fellow STO captains and pilots with EVEN MORE respect than the norm because of this.
Star Trek Online is designed to have scalable difficulty. It's not a hardcore Harpoon 4 type naval simulator. Neither is it a 1980s arcade game. However, with the right difficulty settings and mission environments, it can serve as either, at the player's behest. Leaders of major fleets can also tell you that their 8 year old sons and daughters also have game accounts, which does prove to me that the game is simple enough for even children to understand... provided we teach them well.
As a F2P player I have had a lot of experience with teaching fellow newbies the tools and tricks required for successful STO play through STFs, ESTFs, PvP and beyond. I've also had experience running full-time roleplaying and military simulation groups, also in STO, which were uniquely run by lady gamers themselves.
These wonderful individuals aren't here today to give me character references, because the appeal of STO has changed due to PWE acquisition and certain issues with C-store prices. But that's natural - gamers come and go, and indeed, you would wonder at why I do bother to spend hours each weekend teaching new players who might just quit the game the next day?
As some of the RL teaching profession would indicate similarly to you, teaching is never about making a profit. You give your very best instruction to others in the hope that you can see someone else flourish. It is a tiresome job, and yes, you will be repeating yourself over and over again.
But profit is not the reason why I started a career of "teaching" in Star Trek Online. Profit belongs in the realm of "Real Life" and all its politics and paper chasing. In a game environment, an ENTERTAINMENT environment, player to player sharing of information should be the norm, especially where STO does not provide a Advanced Starship Management course.
We, who stuck with STO and now have mastered the majority of its complex gameplay mechanics, are generally aware of these shortcomings. We also know how we at first struggled with non-optimal ship builds that weren't very durable nor were they very efficient at all.
We experimented, we conversed, we trialled numerous ship configurations in a bid to come up top in PvP matches with friends, and also to run elite team missions with the same group of friends, who had similar interests to me, seeing STO as a post-TNG era starship management game.
So why should STF trainers like I tell people off flatly that "Escorts and DHCs are all you need"?
Why should I be the person who tells new players that all they do is "Wrong. All Wrong." and demand that they follow my instructions to the letter or else?
Special Task Forces are never about split second reactions nor do they demand a lot from the player. Fully 95% of the stress in STFs is due to the necessity of following a mission script to implement a cascade bombardment strategy against Borg installations, and to anticipate and destroy incoming threats as they appear.
The Borg are no smarter than your average toaster. Enemy groups appear in the map under certain conditions. With an overview of the mission script and a list of possible failure mechanisms, you can create awareness of these 'mission control' requirements for each STF, or allocate wingmen to pre-position with riot control abilities to deal with them as they appear.
Most of us start off with STO as Starfleet Captains. I'm sure that in Starfleet, they too practise the ideal that veteran Captains cover for cadet pilots, in order to guarantee they get home in one piece and learn from their first-mission experiences.
In the event a Starfleet vessel were to be deployed in an international force with less than perfect command and control, I am sure too that the commander of said Starfleet vessel will do whatever in his power to try and achieve victory for his joint forces, without discrimination, blame, and without quitting.
It wouldn't matter that "some people never open their chat" or "those noobs just won't learn", said Starfleet captain will simply fly mutually-supporting tactical flight patterns, extend shields to cover friendly vessels under fire, etc.
It is this proactive collaboration that breaks the ice between foreign military forces with little to no common ground in terms of communications or culture, sometimes even language is an issue; but they all have one common interest: Victory.
They say, in Jem'Hadar units, that Victory is Life. In Starfleet, victory is indeed only valuable if you live to see the end of it. By extending a voluntary helping hand to others in need, you enable more new pilots to have a taste of victory and to bring their newfound experience in Federation combat tactics back home to where they can share it with others.
That's why I spend up to 50% of my gaming time with so-called "noobs", that's why we all stick together and have formed this very Fleet based on this tried and true principle of mutual support and the strong protecting the weak.
We really have no interest at all in each others' personal affairs, nor any interest at all to infringe into our pilots' rights and individual perceptions on the Star Trek universe.
After all it doesn't matter that most of my teams prefer to fly cruisers, despite knowing that Escorts, not cruisers, are the only practical way to regularly win the Optionals in Elite STFs.
As the commander of this task force it is my duty to accept my team's decision to learn to manage cruiser systems first and foremost. It is also my job to identify my team's personal interests (in terms of what parts of Star Trek they like - the grand capital ships in this case) and use that interest to strengthen their in-flight performance in STO.
So we ran General Systems Management classes. We drafted up what might be the Standard Starfleet Cruiser doctrine in the 25th Century, based off canon and soft-canon sources set in the TNG era. We used a Sacrifice of Angels style scenario to run a simulated Odyssey Wing strike operation using real-world naval strategies, in order to refine team tactics and implement basic command and control procedures.
Thoughout these training exercises which have taken place since May 2012, I have emphasized one and only one thing: Pilots' Discretion.
These Fleet pilots are putting in time to STO in their own free time.
It is up to them whether to continue supporting the Star Trek franchise through this game, or not.
It is up to me as wing commander to create a TNG-based operating environment in order for everyone to be comfortable with what we intend to do as a team/fleet, and also to encourage everyone to take command of certain aspects of operations.
For instance, during the Hobus system punitive operation, I took command of naval task force deployment and assigned strategic objectives for the team.
Pilots themselves remain responsible for their own ship and tactical systems; as masters and commanders of their own vessels their initiative in ship control is much faster in reacting to new Romulan forces uncloaking at close range, than any centralized command structure. Utilizing Starfleet tactical cruiser doctrine, mutual support was proactive and initiated automatically by the pilots themselves, thereby requiring no Task Force command intervention.
For the ground phase of the Hobus I raid on suspected Romulan WMD development facilities, another Captain with a younger and more energetic disposition was assigned the role of ground commander in order to maximize ground teams' rate of advance against determined (but futile) Romulan opposition.
These are not missions run on Normal difficulty. Task force training operations are ideally run on Advanced level, and with the large number of enemy targets per engagement, they have proven deadlier than Elite STFs by the sheer information overload alone. It's very easy to stray off into a solo fight against multiple Romulan battleships and end up with a tedious mop-up operation. It requires personal initiative and innate captaining instinct to retain task force battle order and mutual support, focusing fire on critical targets and maneuvering to support allied vessels to maximize offensive and defensive capabilities.
And when all was said and done we progressed to the Elite level STF missions immediately. After all everyone by now had become a trusted starship operator, had battle-proven (and at times PvP proven) ship setups, and Normal STFs would prove a bit too easy for our tastes.
It's when we run with PUGs with partial teams that we realize we're doing things a lot differently from everyone else.
We really do not care about premade teams, tactics or detailed micromanagement practised by most Elite STF players.
Through experiential learning and trust in their real world acumen, my pilots devise their own tactics on the fly to best suit current operating conditions. STFs are not new, and the missions are static. They've played them before countless times yet some can tell me that despite prior experience, they have not learnt the tips and tricks that we have been deploying successfully to guarantee victory for PUGs. Total strangers are who we like to run with. PUGs are no different from you and I in this Fleet.
PUGs are human beings just like everyone else, and they deserve the best we have to offer in collaboration and also to cover for possible weaknesses so that everyone can enjoy a drama free, Optional-enabled STF experience.
And so we come to the penultimate conclusion for this bold statement:
If Fleet management creates a environment ruled by fear, they are losing out big time, as without the ability to deploy "strategic corporals" to self-govern the fleet, the command structure of large organizations tends to have a response time of up to 3 weeks (**)
** - Quoted from source in a major fleet in February 2012.
If STF training is all about following strict protocol, then training efficiency is degraded and that's the reason we see guys in MACO gear produce very little DPS in ground STFs. Times change, tactics change as things are nerfed and un-nerfed, and tactical performance suffers in turn by not adapting to current trends.
And finally,
If this is the sort of modus operandi that has automatically created a very strong paramilitary team of players around the world, I will stick to this modus operandi and continue to develop it.
None of you have to contribute anything to this Fleet beyond what you are comfortable with supporting.
None of you have to deal with any personal troubles, unwanted drama or unwanted personal contact between Fleet members.
That's because we're all professionals in life and in game, we have been transformed from what people call "noobs" to be likewise be as you should be, professional starship captains in your own right.
I am very happy to have broken that stigma that prevents new or casual players from being a part of Fleet Operations. I am also very happy to have proved that voice chat, personal details, and other intrusive aspects of fleet recruitment are likewise unnecessary and indeed, contribute naught to actual mission performance, since if you take away the micromanagement, and the need to micromange, what you have here is a self-sustaining organization ready to engage any threat to the Federation and Starfleet, be they internal, or external.
Bear this in mind as well:
In this Academy, the PLAYERS, not fleet leaders, are the managers. My job is simply to organize, facilitate, and to channel resources to support the PLAYERS' gaming objectives, whatever they could be. Think of it this way - it's just like roleplaying the commander of Deep Space Nine! You send out duty officers on support missions, you allow them to gain experience and to grow. In time, they too, will become junior commanders and hold responsibilities in your stead. This personal development by players, for players, STRENGTHENS the organization, and should not be seen as some kind of threat to the guild.
Unless of course, there was no support infrastructure for said organizational growth to begin with, which is why a lot of RL Companies die off or switch to a low tempo of operations when times change... they simply can't adapt to the operating environment.
That's why we need to create a strategy of adaptation and flexibility from the ground up
"Adversity Breeds Innovation"
Capt. Hikaru Sulu - Starfleet Command II: Empires at War
My Youtube Channel
and about coming up with own tactics yup and none of them are conventional but then again i fly probably one of the most outclassed T5 cruiser in the game so creativity has to come in lol
Anyways, last I hinted in my CORE Connect profile that I was working on a new toon. After gaining so much experience over the last month running with carmenara and the guys at Redneck Academy, I decided to take what I've learned and apply it to my newest endeavor.
Dre'An M'illi was a childhood friend of mine who lived in an affiliated Federation world. As part of Starfleet's Dual-Citizenship program he was finally able to join the ranks of Starfleet, and was eventually given the command of the U.S.S. San Lorenzo, a Miranda/Centaur hybrid frigate. Right now he is in the midst of investigating the Devidians, and once he is done with this, he has asked me to join the ranks of Redneck Academy.
Personally, I think he'll be a great Tactical captain with a heart of gold and determination of a Klingon.
IF YOU ARE READING MY SIG - THEN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG
Back to watching Through the Wormhole...
IF YOU ARE READING MY SIG - THEN YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG
I'll take your application under advisement. Bear in mind we are not a fleet for alts - combat wing ops are what we do and how we got everyone together under one roof.
These task force deployments are run on weekend evenings US time and I'll leave it up to you to schedule runs with us.
After all it is fair that for frontier battle fleets, readiness is doubly important due to the diverse and far-reaching nature of such deployments.
It's commonly known in canon that it takes up to 3 weeks for a Starfleet vessel to reach DS9 during the pre Dominion Wars era. This lack of protection for outlying Federation interests is exactly why frontier forces fall under their own independent colonial states' jurisdiction in the 25th Century.
Which is exactly why we're a fleet of mains, not alts. When it comes to starbase construction and defence operations next month, we'll need all the active pilots we can muster.
The trick to you managing multiple alts in multiple fleets depends on immaculate scheduling and cross-communication between aliied fleets. It'll be up to you to present a mode of operation for doing so, not for our interests but for your main fleet's sake.
My Youtube Channel
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=4645401&posted=1#post4645401
From Galaxy Rs soloing cubes on Elite STFs to developing new 'destroyer escort' doctrine for a combined arms approach to STO elite gameplay, we're utilizing our members' real-world military experience and knowhow to redefine the concept of player development.
The concept is thus:
You can shove a huge STF guide to a newbie and get him totally confused.
Or you can leverage his innate knowledge of real world operational concepts and realize any and all PUG or new STO player can become a formidable asset just by engaging him into a supportive, congenial knowledge-sharing environment.
A couple of decades ago there was this idea in the US Army called "Strategic Corporal". The US Navy also drafted concepts for "Network Centric Warfare", and later on a systems and tactical doctrine called "Cooperative Engagement Capability".
Utilizing these easily understood real world concepts in STO teamplay not only makes learning Elite STFs enjoyable and productive (not even a single word needs be spoken - we never felt the need for voice comms), but it also allows for the development of new tactics, experimentation with completely unique and unseen character configurations and ship builds, and best of all, it makes things really easy to pick up.
We do this trial by fire and invite our pilots to participate with training and doctrine development not because it's easy, but because WE CAN.
My Youtube Channel