Hmm. As things stand, Tactical Cubes are supposed to be the big uber-cube baddies of the Borg armada. But really all they are are just normal cubes with more shield and hull points, and some stronger damage modifiers.
Tac Cubes are less common than Borg Cubes. They are often brought in alone as if one Tac Cube is enough to handle a fleet (even though most fleets wind up ripping them to pieces regardless). I would rather see the rest of the Borg armada unchanged but, maybe, the Tactical Cubes given a bit more abilities and capabilities. Not damage per-say--they seem fine in that area, one-shots notwithstanding--but more powers perhaps. Something creative to set them apart from all other Borg vessels, to make them stand out as being the dreadnought of the Borg the way the Unimatrix vessels are.
A Unimatrix vessel has its V-ger plasma ball and probe launching ability. That's fine for them, it keeps them unique. Maybe Tactical Cubes can be given some of the Unimatrix's random player-power special abilities like Jam Sensors or Energy Siphon? Or a renamed Subnucleonic beam (Borg Technobabble Wave). Maybe some other crowd control ability to futz with the players' ability to just sit and pound on it. We are supposed to be afraid of a Tactical Cube, not just treat it like a normal cube.
I could be biased since it's been a long time since I actually feared a Tac Cube, and some balancing would be required to make sure Tac Cubes aren't unbeatable juggernauts for lesser ranks or players facing them for the first time. But then I see that being a matter of what level they're faced at.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010 "Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
For those players that have commented that they are ok they way they are, can we at least agree to change them from Cubes and Spheres to Prancing Pink Unicorns?
You cannot compare TNG to this game. This game has progressed DECADES past TNG and DS9 and has been fighting the borg nonstop. Look at what minor technology advancements happened in the relatively short span of WW2. Now apply that to beating the borg back for 30 years.
The borg are being buffed too much in every update. Borg sector encounters are idiotic now. 1 shot and your shields are gone in seconds. Hazard emitters doesn't work half the time, and when it does they just shoot you again leaving you unable to use HE again for quite a while. Their 1-shot kills have been increased in frequency, and the number of invisible "I'm sick of this player and i'm just going to kill him because I don't follow any logical rules" bullcrap weapons has been on the rise.
The fact of the matter is the borg shouldn't be monolithic invincible bad guys. Not when they've been beaten back for 30 years by foes with ever-improving weaponry and technology.
You want a borg cube to treat you like the TNG Enterprise? Remove your shields, all your consoles, all your boffs, and leave only 2 beam weapons onboard. Then you're probably about right. Don't go requesting stupid stuff that will needlessly make something monolithic already into a far worse monstrosity of game code.
I even had Donatra shoot me while cloaked with her mega beam attack. While I was cloaked, and she came OUT of cloak. The uber-stupid-TRIBBLE-aggro mode since season6 needs fixing as well. They will chase you across the map faster than you can evasive, and will track you down 100 km from point of contact and endlessly pound you no matter what you do. This is so screwed up it's ludicrous.
The borg need toning DOWN. Not more endless stupid buffing, which cryptic seem to think. They don't play this game. We do. They shouldn't base game balance on things they never experience first-hand.
You cannot compare TNG to this game. This game has progressed DECADES past TNG and DS9 and has been fighting the borg nonstop. Look at what minor technology advancements happened in the relatively short span of WW2. Now apply that to beating the borg back for 30 years.
Just so there's no timeline confusion, within the game universe the Borg withdrew from Federation space in 2383 - 5 years after Janeway returned. We don't know why. Maybe we were beating them with our future tech that Janeway brought back, maybe they just grew bored with us, or maybe the Ocampa started a rebellion they needed to put down. They did not appear again until 2409, at the Vega Colony where the Tutorial starts.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
Dream on all you want. You're trying to recreate the TNG first encounter, or Wolf 359. Neither of which applies anymore. Further, NEITHER of which is fun. I've seen people in the crystalline entity even pouring firepower into it for 2 hours STRAIGHT, and a group of at least 5-6 doing the right thing (not shattering shards) and never getting anywhere at it.
As far as gameplay is concerned, it doesn't work. Period. Nobody wants that, and nobody plays that. Luckily for us the borg aren't like that, either.
If you want to make it hard on you, take your shields off like I described. Don't TRIBBLE the game up for everyone.
Sorry guys, the worst episode in Trek history ever goes to TNG 'Code of Honour', which is, in the words of Johnathan Frakes, a 'racist piece of ****'.
I don't like Voyager but it never showed ANYTHING as offensive as that episode. Sure they had a multitude of dumb episodes, bad writing, and actors who just phoned it in (I think Robert Beltran was particularly vocal about what he thought of the show he worked on), but ******n 'Code of Honour' is one of those things that you just look at and go ...how the hell did this get made.
On topic, I agree that the borg seem a little too easy.
Seem?
I can almost solo a Borg alert in my Tactical Escort Retrofit.
Seriously, The only thing that slows me down is the regenerator probes.
I would LOVE an occasional encounter with one of the "Nightmares of Wolf 359" .
Now THAT would make for one hell of a multi group STF.
You want another Wolf 359? You will die and the mission will never be complete. The End. Uninstall your game, it's over.
Seriously, if you find the Borg too easy go play an Elite Cure STF in a PUG and then say that they are too easy.
Maybe there should be new STFs, not just making the existing ones harder. If you have a fully equipped MK12 Omega set and all MK 12 weapons then OBVIOUSLY you are going to be able to handle the elite STFs easier. Problem is that new players can only get the MK 12 BY PLAYING the elite STFs so they only have Mk 11 gear if they're lucky, and just forget about getting the optional EVER.
And if the sector alerts bore you, change your game difficulty setting to Elite and then give it a go solo, I freaking dare you.
STO Forum member since 2008, player since 2012 - funny story that
You want another Wolf 359? You will die and the mission will never be complete. The End. Uninstall your game, it's over.
Seriously, if you find the Borg too easy go play an Elite Cure STF in a PUG and then say that they are too easy.
Maybe there should be new STFs, not just making the existing ones harder. If you have a fully equipped MK12 Omega set and all MK 12 weapons then OBVIOUSLY you are going to be able to handle the elite STFs easier. Problem is that new players can only get the MK 12 BY PLAYING the elite STFs so they only have Mk 11 gear if they're lucky, and just forget about getting the optional EVER.
And if the sector alerts bore you, change your game difficulty setting to Elite and then give it a go solo, I freaking dare you.
Right on, tell it as it is. I have never found the borg to be easy, not saying at times they arent, but if you have the right ship set up its fairly challenging.
By "right" ship setup, you mean "wrong" ship setup, right? Things are SUPPOSED to be easy if you have the RIGHT setup. Because if it's not easy, it's impossible. Hard doesn't exist. Either you can, or you can't. Unless you define "hard" to be "You can, but you'll die multiple times trying".
Comments
Tac Cubes are less common than Borg Cubes. They are often brought in alone as if one Tac Cube is enough to handle a fleet (even though most fleets wind up ripping them to pieces regardless). I would rather see the rest of the Borg armada unchanged but, maybe, the Tactical Cubes given a bit more abilities and capabilities. Not damage per-say--they seem fine in that area, one-shots notwithstanding--but more powers perhaps. Something creative to set them apart from all other Borg vessels, to make them stand out as being the dreadnought of the Borg the way the Unimatrix vessels are.
A Unimatrix vessel has its V-ger plasma ball and probe launching ability. That's fine for them, it keeps them unique. Maybe Tactical Cubes can be given some of the Unimatrix's random player-power special abilities like Jam Sensors or Energy Siphon? Or a renamed Subnucleonic beam (Borg Technobabble Wave). Maybe some other crowd control ability to futz with the players' ability to just sit and pound on it. We are supposed to be afraid of a Tactical Cube, not just treat it like a normal cube.
I could be biased since it's been a long time since I actually feared a Tac Cube, and some balancing would be required to make sure Tac Cubes aren't unbeatable juggernauts for lesser ranks or players facing them for the first time. But then I see that being a matter of what level they're faced at.
The Artist Formerly Known As Nikotaka ][ Join Date: Jan 2010
"Can anyone remember when we used to be explorers...?"
when it turned out the whole series was just a holoprogram lol
For those players that have commented that they are ok they way they are, can we at least agree to change them from Cubes and Spheres to Prancing Pink Unicorns?
The borg are being buffed too much in every update. Borg sector encounters are idiotic now. 1 shot and your shields are gone in seconds. Hazard emitters doesn't work half the time, and when it does they just shoot you again leaving you unable to use HE again for quite a while. Their 1-shot kills have been increased in frequency, and the number of invisible "I'm sick of this player and i'm just going to kill him because I don't follow any logical rules" bullcrap weapons has been on the rise.
The fact of the matter is the borg shouldn't be monolithic invincible bad guys. Not when they've been beaten back for 30 years by foes with ever-improving weaponry and technology.
You want a borg cube to treat you like the TNG Enterprise? Remove your shields, all your consoles, all your boffs, and leave only 2 beam weapons onboard. Then you're probably about right. Don't go requesting stupid stuff that will needlessly make something monolithic already into a far worse monstrosity of game code.
I even had Donatra shoot me while cloaked with her mega beam attack. While I was cloaked, and she came OUT of cloak. The uber-stupid-TRIBBLE-aggro mode since season6 needs fixing as well. They will chase you across the map faster than you can evasive, and will track you down 100 km from point of contact and endlessly pound you no matter what you do. This is so screwed up it's ludicrous.
The borg need toning DOWN. Not more endless stupid buffing, which cryptic seem to think. They don't play this game. We do. They shouldn't base game balance on things they never experience first-hand.
As far as gameplay is concerned, it doesn't work. Period. Nobody wants that, and nobody plays that. Luckily for us the borg aren't like that, either.
If you want to make it hard on you, take your shields off like I described. Don't TRIBBLE the game up for everyone.
Seem?
I can almost solo a Borg alert in my Tactical Escort Retrofit.
Seriously, The only thing that slows me down is the regenerator probes.
I would LOVE an occasional encounter with one of the "Nightmares of Wolf 359" .
Now THAT would make for one hell of a multi group STF.
Seriously, if you find the Borg too easy go play an Elite Cure STF in a PUG and then say that they are too easy.
Maybe there should be new STFs, not just making the existing ones harder. If you have a fully equipped MK12 Omega set and all MK 12 weapons then OBVIOUSLY you are going to be able to handle the elite STFs easier. Problem is that new players can only get the MK 12 BY PLAYING the elite STFs so they only have Mk 11 gear if they're lucky, and just forget about getting the optional EVER.
And if the sector alerts bore you, change your game difficulty setting to Elite and then give it a go solo, I freaking dare you.
STO Forum member since 2008, player since 2012 - funny story that
Right on, tell it as it is. I have never found the borg to be easy, not saying at times they arent, but if you have the right ship set up its fairly challenging.
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IGE Pug.