[*]Updated the following ships so their textures display correctly:
Steamrunner
Aeon
Wells
Mobius
As someone that flies the Mobius and has all the skins I hopped on to tribble to see if this had anything to do with any of the number of texture issues it has, but I can see no difference from what I see in Holodeck? Can someone fill me in on what was changed?
Updated the names of both Adapted Mk XII Ground Weapons to reflect the correct damage types.
Corrected energy types on Adapted Mk XII MACO and KHG weaponry to match up with their visual FX.
The Klingon Honor Guard Armors Mk XI and Mk XII now have the correct item icons.
While I don't think these will be necessarily "useless", I do think that they will definitely be less useful.
Having 2 weapons of the same energy type is something new players to STFs will even get told straight out not to do, but this is building that right into the rep system for their gear sets!
Couldn't the adapted version simply remain the original energy type?
I understand the desire to remain close to canon, but the dev team seems to pick some odd places to suddenly be worried about that in comparison to all of the times that this game does not even come close to canon.
While we're on the subject, can we please get the Adapted MACO/KHG pulsewave secondary fire mode grenade launcher off the shared CD of standard grenades?
The grenade cooldown mechanic is heavily flawed and makes combinations like the Adapted Maco/KHG pulsewave cumbersome - and other items like the grenade satchel outright pointless.
are u guys going to fix the display for shield regeneration rate anytime soon?
it only seems to display rates to regenerative shield types such as borg shields and omega. other shields dont show up at all, would be nice to see what im getting with any shield type im using
This would be a great fix.
As of right now it only seems to display certain shields, and does not seem to display other factors like T4 passives or added regen from boff powers.
Is anyone else experiencing their Quantum Singularity Manipulation Romulan rep power sharing a cooldown with their Romulan Distress Call - D'deridex Battleship?
For some reason, this is happening to me all the time.
We will be bringing the Tribble server down for maintenance to apply a new update.
ST.25.20130105a.2
General:
Updates to "The New Link" mission:
The changeling boss, Laas, now uses the updated changeling combat sequence.
When you defeat Laas, you must capture him and place him in a container to complete the mission.
Let me take a wild guess. We will need to first purchase said container for 25,000dil
Actually, Bort just hooked up a DOFF assignment that will let you trade in a captured changeling for a small amount of dilithium and Espionage CXP. Should go to Tribble soon.
[*]The Omega Plasma Torpedo Launcher no longer triggers the cooldown reduction procs of Projectile Weapons Duty Officers.
this Plasma Launcher is already weak compared to Quantum and Photon Launchers
and now you remove this ?
this is just sad
guess have to change back to fleet quantum launchers again, and find another set bonus
instead of the romulan and omega 2 set bonus
kinda the whole reputation system sux
wasted so much money/time, for just nothing usefull in it
if you got old MACO MKXII space set before S7, no need for the reputation system
kinda the whole reputation system sux
wasted so much money/time, for just nothing usefull in it
I disagree, there are a couple of things that are almost universally awesome and you couldn't have had pre-S7:
- Romulan Zero-point console
- Reputation perks
You've only wasted money and time if you purchased gear before waiting for other people to review it (or for it to become testable on tribble). This is the price of being an early adopter.
Actually, Bort just hooked up a DOFF assignment that will let you trade in a captured changeling for a small amount of dilithium and Espionage CXP. Should go to Tribble soon.
That sounds awesome, especially considering its a doff mission connected to a player captain mission. More integration like this (pve missions leading to doff missions and doff missions leading to pve missions) would be very welcome.
Is it possible that the changes to the space sets have somehow broken the Jem'Hadar set? I had a few different ships that seemed to have turned to much since these changes hit Holodeck. The TriCobalt changes I don't understand either. Fromt he look of it, the significant increase to the Borg Cutting Beam is solely to "encourage" people to grind to want it as it deals a ridiculous amount of damage to bare hull. I guess balance went out the window with this patch.
I'm sure the tricobalt was a change thanks to the few people that play pvp space. The mines could be lethal there. Of couse the tactic I saw was for 2 people to lock you down with GW/tractors and then 2-3 people to drop trico mine spreads on you. That small change is not going to affect that at all.
I had heard there was a lot of whining about the dmg they could do to a player that got caught in a mine spread.
I'm sure the tricobalt was a change thanks to the few people that play pvp space. The mines could be lethal there. Of couse the tactic I saw was for 2 people to lock you down with GW/tractors and then 2-3 people to drop trico mine spreads on you. That small change is not going to affect that at all.
I had heard there was a lot of whining about the dmg they could do to a player that got caught in a mine spread.
Yeah, I know how that works. Some Panda dies in PvP, whines to a particular person with a yellow name, and inbound nerfs all around! It's not the first time and definitely won't be the last time either.
Yeah, I know how that works. Some Panda dies in PvP, whines to a particular person with a yellow name, and inbound nerfs all around! It's not the first time and definitely won't be the last time either.
Funny I was just talking about this in one of the RP group channels and we all basically said the same thing.
Can't have new or unique powers because the PVP community cries NERF rather than attempt to develop new strategy and tactics.
Don't like getting caught in tractor beams? Bring abilities/consoles that allow you to break free rather than crying NERF.
I would like to see a formal split between STO PVE and STO PVP. STO PVP would have an very basic set of powers and equipment while STO PVE would have all the toys.
First, I'd like to state for the record that no Fleet in STO has the 'ear' of the Systems Team, which is in charge of power tuning and balance for both PvE and PvP. That said, I believe it's fairly common sense why the PvP community as a whole would be an invaluable asset to the continued balance of any MMO, considering that NPCs as a whole are extremely unlikely to submit feedback about imbalances that may evolve during gameplay.
Tricobalt Mines were changed (and are still being reviewed for further adjustments) primarily due to PvE concerns, not PvP. Mines are relatively easy to counter in a PvP environment under most circumstances, but the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
This concern hasn't been fully addressed, and players are likely to see further changes to Tricobalt Mines in the future. But during our initial pass, we determined that a number of small tweaks could immediately be made that might help matters, while we attempt to address the larger issue.
Jeremy Randall
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
First, I'd like to state for the record that no Fleet in STO has the 'ear' of the Systems Team, which is in charge of power tuning and balance for both PvE and PvP. That said, I believe it's fairly common sense why the PvP community as a whole would be an invaluable asset to the continued balance of any MMO, considering that NPCs as a whole are extremely unlikely to submit feedback about imbalances that may evolve during gameplay.
Tricobalt Mines were changed (and are still being reviewed for further adjustments) primarily due to PvE concerns, not PvP. Mines are relatively easy to counter in a PvP environment under most circumstances, but the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
This concern hasn't been fully addressed, and players are likely to see further changes to Tricobalt Mines in the future. But during our initial pass, we determined that a number of small tweaks could immediately be made that might help matters, while we attempt to address the larger issue.
not true you due have an ear it is Maveric at Jupiter force and Gecko has ear of Prioty one fleet how else do you explain voldermort fix thehn that was reqeust of Stoked and jupiter force was it not
It's only common sense that the players with the most technical understanding of the game would be the most vocal...
Whether they come from PvE or PvP, shouldn't really matter.
Those 'most vocal' are probably going to post the most as well...
Therefore the Dev's will in most instances, be more likely to see these posts, which indirectly would lead to the conclusion that those posters 'have the Dev's ear' so to speak.
There's nothing wrong with that, as long as it leads to a healthier game environment for all.
Now..., I'm not going to even get into ones definition of what that 'healthier environment' should be.
STO Member since February 2009. I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born! Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
First, I'd like to state for the record that no Fleet in STO has the 'ear' of the Systems Team, which is in charge of power tuning and balance for both PvE and PvP. That said, I believe it's fairly common sense why the PvP community as a whole would be an invaluable asset to the continued balance of any MMO, considering that NPCs as a whole are extremely unlikely to submit feedback about imbalances that may evolve during gameplay.
Tricobalt Mines were changed (and are still being reviewed for further adjustments) primarily due to PvE concerns, not PvP. Mines are relatively easy to counter in a PvP environment under most circumstances, but the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
This concern hasn't been fully addressed, and players are likely to see further changes to Tricobalt Mines in the future. But during our initial pass, we determined that a number of small tweaks could immediately be made that might help matters, while we attempt to address the larger issue.
I agree with you from a certain standpoint but there are setups like mine being an alt uses it haven't had the time to test how it will impact that toon which is a gorn sci in varanus where I have it setup to be a team healer/tricobalt or photon mine bomber. So hopefully it doesn't diminish that toons damage too much.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
If your concern is PVE then tric mines are still extremely useful to one shot huge stacks of mobs, but not because it's OP, it's because the warp core explosions deal way too much damage. Let me explain this: when you use a graviy well, the main purpose of this ability isn't to "hold" targets. Of course it does, but when you use that the primary objective is to make a huge stack of npcs you will be able to kill with a massives spike damage.
The problem with tric mines is that they are the most impressive spike damage the game has to offer, and when you blow up a dreadnought (in no win for instance), it will likely blow up some other damaged npcs inside the gravity well, which will blow up the newly damaged ones, and so on. The more powerful your grav well is, the quicker you can clean the map. But GW isn't the issue. Spike damage combined to warp core explosions combined to spike damage (to be able to benefit from the short GW effect) is the problem.
If your purpose was to give people a better PVE experience, and if you want to keep tric mines as they are, then you should consider to lower significantly the shield damage they can do or to reduce significantly the damage a warp core explosion does. I'd say that the latter solution is the most durable one because you shouldn't be annoyed anymore with new or different spike damage abilities. Any spike damage, no matter how long the CD is, will be a major issue in pve. And the problem hasn't been solved with the last patch because warp core explosions are still as powerful as they used to be.
not true you due have an ear it is Maveric at Jupiter force and Gecko has ear of Prioty one fleet how else do you explain voldermort fix thehn that was reqeust of Stoked and jupiter force was it not
The "have an ear" expression means Party A (the ear) is influenced by Party B. The Voldemort glitch was brought to light to Cryptic due to a very prominent STO podcast; Had STOked not piped up, its likely Cryptic would have taken longer to get it fixed.
It's a case of "these guys are screaming at the top of their lungs, so somebody's bound to hear it". Also, would you rather have the case of prominent entities in the STO community not expose bugs quicker and more loudly?
If your concern is PVE then tric mines are still extremely useful to one shot huge stacks of mobs, but not because it's OP, it's because the warp core explosions deal way too much damage. Let me explain this: when you use a graviy well, the main purpose of this ability isn't to "hold" targets. Of course it does, but when you use that the primary objective is to make a huge stack of npcs you will be able to kill with a massives spike damage.
The problem with tric mines is that they are the most impressive spike damage the game has to offer, and when you blow up a dreadnought (in no win for instance), it will likely blow up some other damaged npcs, which will blow up the newly damaged ones, and so on.
If your purpose was to give people a better PVE experience, and if yoy want to keep tric mines as they are, then you should consider to lower significantly the shield damage they can do or to reduce significantly the damage a warp core explosion does. I'd say that the latter solution is the most durable one because you shouldn't be annoyed anymore with new or different spike damage abilities.
I'd also like to add that my gameplay satisfaction isn't reduced when I one shot STF targets. I love the visceral feeling of seeing a Cube or Transformer get insta-gibbed.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
It only works that way because the targets you're probably referring to (gates, transformers and generators in STFs) have no shields, making them an easy target for any torpedo/mine tactic. And this is all by design, since torpedoes and mines are easily countered by shields, or should be. Seeing from numbers, Tricobalts were designed to be the most powerful/damaging ones, for the cost of long recharges. So, in my perception, you're reaping what you sow here.
Where shield-less entities are concerned, I don't think there is a viable solution that doesn't impact in how torpedoes and mines originally work. One of your current discussion/proposals about this subject (decrease mine damage based on how many are launched from Dispersal Patterns) changes that very aspect. Dispersal Pattern skills are not supposed to change mine damage, just how many are launched. And that's what sells the skill and makes it interesting. Take that away and you're slapping the face of people who work hard to get high tiers of these skills for their benefits.
If shielded entities -are- the concern, then maybe tweak how much damage tricobalts do to shields, but leave the hull damage untouched. If a target (player or NPC) has no shields and is hit by tricobalts, it's their own fault for allowing that to happen. It requires tactics and teamwork both to get there (attacker/s) and to get out of it (victim).
I'd also like to add that my gameplay satisfaction isn't reduced when I one shot STF targets. I love the visceral feeling of seeing a Cube or Transformer get insta-gibbed.
STF targets are pathetic anyway, and will likely get killed long before your tric mines come back from the 30s (if you use two) or 1' cooldown. Or they will likely blow up before your mines are able to do anything.
I think bort is quite right here though, my usual path is:
Find a new great combo > experiment > use it in the most difficult instances > have a lot of fun for some time > get bored > get back to a traditional build. I mean, i stopped using tric mines in hive onslaught because it allowed me to almost solo the queen in her mighty ship in less than 5 minutes. And it's not funny, even if people will call you a great player.
Most of the times i won't complain on the forums though, because the ones i still have can be extremely funny in pvp - and if people don't know what happened they will likely not complain about something supposedly op.
Tricobalt Mines were changed (and are still being reviewed for further adjustments) primarily due to PvE concerns, not PvP. Mines are relatively easy to counter in a PvP environment under most circumstances, but the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
Thanks for the explanation Bort.
For the next time then, you might want to put upcoming changes to X ability/item in the General Feedback forum and not the PvP forum specifically (as was the case with these Tricobalt changes).
I have to respectfully tell you that it was a mistake to put it in the PvP forum in the first place (it's how "ear of the devs" rumors get started).
Reasons why:
1) It gives the impression you are favoring PvPers (which has the side effect that PvErs unfairly scapegoat them for changes that are out of the PvP community's direct control - my assumption is that you made these changes according to your data mining, this should also be clearly stated).
2) It makes the upcoming change less visible, and therefore a sudden shock to the general playerbase.
3) It gives certain, ego-inflated, individuals the excuse they look for to tell people to 'get out of our subforum'
None of those are desirable.
Your explanation is otherwise clear, and well reasoned and I think it would be good to outline such thinking when you first decide to break the news to the playerbase. I think this would be a great way to proceed in the future from my player's perspective, and have a positive impact on the playerbase in general.
...the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
The ability to easily one-shot players with massive spike damage does belong to NPCs however.
This is why I am a proponent of 1 of 2 things happening:
1) NPC Hull/Shields/Powers/Damage Capabilities brought in-line to more closely resemble players, they would require more active powers and better scripting for using them (even something simple like Tac Team on a Mogai Escort is enough to give some players fits - much less an actual decent script for NPC action taking).
OR
2) Separate many powers effects/resists/damage numbers in PvE and PvP - many MMOs have (successfully) taken this approach.
Ex Issues:
How can Science powers be effective vs. a borderline immune to everything NPC with 1.5 million hull and not also be wildly overpowered vs. a single player with 45k hull and none of the same immunities?
Do you give Sci an effective power vs. NPCs but subsequently give them a super weapon vs. players or do you give them something that both players and NPCs shrug off without a second thought (which is where many Sci BOFF powers are right now)?
How can Subnucleonic beam be a useful power in PvE if 98% of the NPCs in this game do not use, and do not rely on, cycling 3 to 8 buffs for survival and offense effectiveness?
Comments
Joined - 9/2011
"You Best Make Peace With Your Dear & Fluffy Lord" - Malcolm Reynolds
As someone that flies the Mobius and has all the skins I hopped on to tribble to see if this had anything to do with any of the number of texture issues it has, but I can see no difference from what I see in Holodeck? Can someone fill me in on what was changed?
But did you really have to down dps the KCB? I was using it as a bare hull "lance" even at 4min.
I'll keep my fingers crossed, maybe only the cooldown reduction makes it to Holodeck.
"Last Engage! Magical Girl Origami-san" is in print! Now with three times more rainbows.
Support the "Armored Unicorn" vehicle initiative today!
Thanks for Harajuku. Now let's get a real "Magical Girl" costume!
"You won't win.. I'm a psycho!.."
This is a great change, and I want to say thanks to jheinig for doing this in his own spare time.
I have a lot of respect for people who show this kind dedication.
zer0, would it be possible to try and wrangle some numbers from the systems team?
While I don't think these will be necessarily "useless", I do think that they will definitely be less useful.
Having 2 weapons of the same energy type is something new players to STFs will even get told straight out not to do, but this is building that right into the rep system for their gear sets!
Couldn't the adapted version simply remain the original energy type?
I understand the desire to remain close to canon, but the dev team seems to pick some odd places to suddenly be worried about that in comparison to all of the times that this game does not even come close to canon.
While we're on the subject, can we please get the Adapted MACO/KHG pulsewave secondary fire mode grenade launcher off the shared CD of standard grenades?
The grenade cooldown mechanic is heavily flawed and makes combinations like the Adapted Maco/KHG pulsewave cumbersome - and other items like the grenade satchel outright pointless.
This would be a great fix.
As of right now it only seems to display certain shields, and does not seem to display other factors like T4 passives or added regen from boff powers.
This is a very bad idea that should not be implemented on Holodeck. Now you have to make several more clicks to accomplish the same filter settings.
Extremely odd idea. Makes no sense.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
For some reason, this is happening to me all the time.
Let me take a wild guess. We will need to first purchase said container for 25,000dil
How's that mile long list of bugs coming along?
dude, shut up, don't give them ideas
Nouveau riche LTS member
this Plasma Launcher is already weak compared to Quantum and Photon Launchers
and now you remove this ?
this is just sad
guess have to change back to fleet quantum launchers again, and find another set bonus
instead of the romulan and omega 2 set bonus
kinda the whole reputation system sux
wasted so much money/time, for just nothing usefull in it
if you got old MACO MKXII space set before S7, no need for the reputation system
now plasma is really useless again
Z
I disagree, there are a couple of things that are almost universally awesome and you couldn't have had pre-S7:
- Romulan Zero-point console
- Reputation perks
You've only wasted money and time if you purchased gear before waiting for other people to review it (or for it to become testable on tribble). This is the price of being an early adopter.
That sounds awesome, especially considering its a doff mission connected to a player captain mission. More integration like this (pve missions leading to doff missions and doff missions leading to pve missions) would be very welcome.
I had heard there was a lot of whining about the dmg they could do to a player that got caught in a mine spread.
Yeah, I know how that works. Some Panda dies in PvP, whines to a particular person with a yellow name, and inbound nerfs all around! It's not the first time and definitely won't be the last time either.
Funny I was just talking about this in one of the RP group channels and we all basically said the same thing.
Can't have new or unique powers because the PVP community cries NERF rather than attempt to develop new strategy and tactics.
Don't like getting caught in tractor beams? Bring abilities/consoles that allow you to break free rather than crying NERF.
I would like to see a formal split between STO PVE and STO PVP. STO PVP would have an very basic set of powers and equipment while STO PVE would have all the toys.
Tricobalt Mines were changed (and are still being reviewed for further adjustments) primarily due to PvE concerns, not PvP. Mines are relatively easy to counter in a PvP environment under most circumstances, but the tactics used to do so are not generally available to our NPCs.
Specifically, we have come to realize that some of the most difficult content in STO was being destroyed in a matter of seconds using nothing other than Tricobalt Mines. No grand tactics, no difficult maneuvering or careful teamwork. Just TRIBBLE out a few Dispersal Patterns and wait for the victory march. Not only is this "tactic" pretty cheap, it also circumvents the concept of overcoming the challenges that make these encounters more engaging and psychologically satisfying to overcome. In essence, players using Tricobalt Mines in this manner are diminishing their own experiencing, and that of their teammates.
This concern hasn't been fully addressed, and players are likely to see further changes to Tricobalt Mines in the future. But during our initial pass, we determined that a number of small tweaks could immediately be made that might help matters, while we attempt to address the larger issue.
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
not true you due have an ear it is Maveric at Jupiter force and Gecko has ear of Prioty one fleet how else do you explain voldermort fix thehn that was reqeust of Stoked and jupiter force was it not
It's only common sense that the players with the most technical understanding of the game would be the most vocal...
Whether they come from PvE or PvP, shouldn't really matter.
Those 'most vocal' are probably going to post the most as well...
Therefore the Dev's will in most instances, be more likely to see these posts, which indirectly would lead to the conclusion that those posters 'have the Dev's ear' so to speak.
There's nothing wrong with that, as long as it leads to a healthier game environment for all.
Now..., I'm not going to even get into ones definition of what that 'healthier environment' should be.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
I agree with you from a certain standpoint but there are setups like mine being an alt uses it haven't had the time to test how it will impact that toon which is a gorn sci in varanus where I have it setup to be a team healer/tricobalt or photon mine bomber. So hopefully it doesn't diminish that toons damage too much.
If your concern is PVE then tric mines are still extremely useful to one shot huge stacks of mobs, but not because it's OP, it's because the warp core explosions deal way too much damage. Let me explain this: when you use a graviy well, the main purpose of this ability isn't to "hold" targets. Of course it does, but when you use that the primary objective is to make a huge stack of npcs you will be able to kill with a massives spike damage.
The problem with tric mines is that they are the most impressive spike damage the game has to offer, and when you blow up a dreadnought (in no win for instance), it will likely blow up some other damaged npcs inside the gravity well, which will blow up the newly damaged ones, and so on. The more powerful your grav well is, the quicker you can clean the map. But GW isn't the issue. Spike damage combined to warp core explosions combined to spike damage (to be able to benefit from the short GW effect) is the problem.
If your purpose was to give people a better PVE experience, and if you want to keep tric mines as they are, then you should consider to lower significantly the shield damage they can do or to reduce significantly the damage a warp core explosion does. I'd say that the latter solution is the most durable one because you shouldn't be annoyed anymore with new or different spike damage abilities. Any spike damage, no matter how long the CD is, will be a major issue in pve. And the problem hasn't been solved with the last patch because warp core explosions are still as powerful as they used to be.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
It's a case of "these guys are screaming at the top of their lungs, so somebody's bound to hear it". Also, would you rather have the case of prominent entities in the STO community not expose bugs quicker and more loudly?
It only works that way because the targets you're probably referring to (gates, transformers and generators in STFs) have no shields, making them an easy target for any torpedo/mine tactic. And this is all by design, since torpedoes and mines are easily countered by shields, or should be. Seeing from numbers, Tricobalts were designed to be the most powerful/damaging ones, for the cost of long recharges. So, in my perception, you're reaping what you sow here.
Where shield-less entities are concerned, I don't think there is a viable solution that doesn't impact in how torpedoes and mines originally work. One of your current discussion/proposals about this subject (decrease mine damage based on how many are launched from Dispersal Patterns) changes that very aspect. Dispersal Pattern skills are not supposed to change mine damage, just how many are launched. And that's what sells the skill and makes it interesting. Take that away and you're slapping the face of people who work hard to get high tiers of these skills for their benefits.
If shielded entities -are- the concern, then maybe tweak how much damage tricobalts do to shields, but leave the hull damage untouched. If a target (player or NPC) has no shields and is hit by tricobalts, it's their own fault for allowing that to happen. It requires tactics and teamwork both to get there (attacker/s) and to get out of it (victim).
STO Screenshot Archive
STF targets are pathetic anyway, and will likely get killed long before your tric mines come back from the 30s (if you use two) or 1' cooldown. Or they will likely blow up before your mines are able to do anything.
I think bort is quite right here though, my usual path is:
Find a new great combo > experiment > use it in the most difficult instances > have a lot of fun for some time > get bored > get back to a traditional build. I mean, i stopped using tric mines in hive onslaught because it allowed me to almost solo the queen in her mighty ship in less than 5 minutes. And it's not funny, even if people will call you a great player.
Most of the times i won't complain on the forums though, because the ones i still have can be extremely funny in pvp - and if people don't know what happened they will likely not complain about something supposedly op.
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
Thanks for the explanation Bort.
For the next time then, you might want to put upcoming changes to X ability/item in the General Feedback forum and not the PvP forum specifically (as was the case with these Tricobalt changes).
I have to respectfully tell you that it was a mistake to put it in the PvP forum in the first place (it's how "ear of the devs" rumors get started).
Reasons why:
1) It gives the impression you are favoring PvPers (which has the side effect that PvErs unfairly scapegoat them for changes that are out of the PvP community's direct control - my assumption is that you made these changes according to your data mining, this should also be clearly stated).
2) It makes the upcoming change less visible, and therefore a sudden shock to the general playerbase.
3) It gives certain, ego-inflated, individuals the excuse they look for to tell people to 'get out of our subforum'
None of those are desirable.
Your explanation is otherwise clear, and well reasoned and I think it would be good to outline such thinking when you first decide to break the news to the playerbase. I think this would be a great way to proceed in the future from my player's perspective, and have a positive impact on the playerbase in general.
The ability to easily one-shot players with massive spike damage does belong to NPCs however.
This is why I am a proponent of 1 of 2 things happening:
1) NPC Hull/Shields/Powers/Damage Capabilities brought in-line to more closely resemble players, they would require more active powers and better scripting for using them (even something simple like Tac Team on a Mogai Escort is enough to give some players fits - much less an actual decent script for NPC action taking).
OR
2) Separate many powers effects/resists/damage numbers in PvE and PvP - many MMOs have (successfully) taken this approach.
Ex Issues:
How can Science powers be effective vs. a borderline immune to everything NPC with 1.5 million hull and not also be wildly overpowered vs. a single player with 45k hull and none of the same immunities?
Do you give Sci an effective power vs. NPCs but subsequently give them a super weapon vs. players or do you give them something that both players and NPCs shrug off without a second thought (which is where many Sci BOFF powers are right now)?
How can Subnucleonic beam be a useful power in PvE if 98% of the NPCs in this game do not use, and do not rely on, cycling 3 to 8 buffs for survival and offense effectiveness?