well you are absolutely right, a cruiser with 6 degrees can do nothing really better than one with 8.
The only thing that would be improved is the handling of the ship to a point where it is not totally annoying to a point where you throw it into a corner and never look at it a second time.
it is simply a conveniance to be able to turn your ship around and engage again in less than 30 seconds.
Klingon cruisers have it, and even if you don't run them with dual cannons you start to appreciate the higher turnrate, just for the sake of a quicker response to your input.
there is hardly a tactical or dps gain involved in a slight increase of turnrate...it just handles better.
THIS!!! A thousand times this!!!
I bought the three pack of what is supposed to be the end all be all flag ship of the federation in 2409... but it's collecting dust. There are cruisers that turn better, there are science vessels that can mount dual cannons, there are vessels in every catagory with carrier abilities, and the other two 3-packs have variants that allow you to customize the look. I know they don't seem to go back and revamp ships, but come on, this is THE FLAG SHIP!!! Isn't this supposed to be the ship that I see come in and save the day, turn the tide, and inspire awe?
It's late and I'm super exhausted, so lets take this to crazy town for a minute. Fleet variants typically have about a 10% boost in hull and shield over non-fleet versions, right?
Fleet Odyssey Star Cruiser - Tier V Shipyard required and 10 modules
I am Elachi! All other sentient lifeforms must bow before Elachi! Yo soy Elachi! For those of you who don't "habla Iconoa", Elachi is Iconian for.. The Achi!
I bought the three pack of what is supposed to be the end all be all flag ship of the federation in 2409... but it's collecting dust. There are cruisers that turn better, there are science vessels that can mount dual cannons, there are vessels in every catagory with carrier abilities, and the other two 3-packs have variants that allow you to customize the look. I know they don't seem to go back and revamp ships, but come on, this is THE FLAG SHIP!!! Isn't this supposed to be the ship that I see come in and save the day, turn the tide, and inspire awe?
It's late and I'm super exhausted, so lets take this to crazy town for a minute. Fleet variants typically have about a 10% boost in hull and shield over non-fleet versions, right?
Fleet Odyssey Star Cruiser - Tier V Shipyard required and 10 modules
Ooooook. First things first, if you wanted a 10% boost in shields, your shield modifier would be 1.265, not 1.15. Secondly, I am a HUGE cruiser fan, and I love my Odyssey dearly, and even I think this is insane. Thirdly, it is an Odyssey, so there is no reason to change the consoles around. This is krazy town after all, make it 4/4/4. 12 consoles. Yes. I went there. I approve sir, I approve!
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once.
Ooooook. First things first, if you wanted a 10% boost in shields, your shield modifier would be 1.265, not 1.15. Secondly, I am a HUGE cruiser fan, and I love my Odyssey dearly, and even I think this is insane. Thirdly, it is an Odyssey, so there is no reason to change the consoles around. This is krazy town after all, make it 4/4/4. 12 consoles. Yes. I went there. I approve sir, I approve!
12 consoles?! I said crazy town, not Sparta! 12 consoles would totally break PvP!
.
.
.
:P
Sorry if I derailed this last night. To get back on track, I agree with the OP and the guy I quoted that the Oddy could use some love. As it stands, it could be reasonably argued that the Excelsior is a superior ship. As the flag ship, the Oddy should be the best Fed ship of any class, no questions. Same with the Bort on the KDF side. There should be cries for them to be nerfed because they're too over powered, not buffed because they're becoming irrelevant or unbearable to play.
I am Elachi! All other sentient lifeforms must bow before Elachi! Yo soy Elachi! For those of you who don't "habla Iconoa", Elachi is Iconian for.. The Achi!
add a extra special includes skill to cruisers that redirects power from weapons to increase the turn rate - this way you dont have fast turnign dps tanks. You lose damage to turn your ship around faster - what ever tech they use for it (side facing ion boosters? + inertial dampeners).
Should have low cooldown with infinite duration that you can cancel, however the longer it runs, the mroe it "strains" the ship systems, therefor debuffing you with energy penalties to other systems, mainly weapons for a certain time.
The penalty time would constantly increase.. lets say 1:2 ration (1sec penalty per 2 sec of turn ratio usage after cancelling the skill) and the penalty amount would get a increase for every 3 sec (like -10 power levels).
Including the initial power draw that redirects power from weapon subsystem. Also need ot be careful not to overdrain your warp core(and keep turn rate skill on until all ur power levels are 0 for 30 sec -_-).
+2 to all fed cruisers....And that klingon bathtub :P
Klingon's have BATHTUBS?!!! ...it's probably just a fad.
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
i notice some of the ships on those charts have 'X meters ingame' under their actual meters; how did the chart makers get measurements from ingame when the game doesn't have any tools for such measurements?
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
It is ironic that the ship or bathtub has the best looking bridge is the most unused KDF ship just because KDF is mostly cannon based but turns too slow to be able to use them effectively. If they aren't willing to make them turn easier to give them some kind of option for cannon usage. Single cannons can be used but it looks like you are firing turrets LOL.
It is ironic that the ship or bathtub has the best looking bridge is the most unused KDF ship just because KDF is mostly cannon based but turns too slow to be able to use them effectively. If they aren't willing to make them turn easier to give them some kind of option for cannon usage. Single cannons can be used but it looks like you are firing turrets LOL.
and because single cannons need a reworking, it's probably more efficient to use 8 turrets instead of 4 turrets and 4 single cannons...
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
hi I'm really struggling to get a better turn rate for my oddy ship I have the adapted maco space set equipped and two engineering consoles that helps increase the turn rate but its still a bit slow
I'm sorry, but why do so many people jump into cruisers and whine about turn rate? You had to know what you were getting into. Yes, I fly an Ody tac when I get the urge, and I'm satisfied with the fact that it doesn't turn like and escort, it turns like a cruiser. When I want to turn on a dime I load up a escort. It really is that simple.
I'm sorry, but why do so many people jump into cruisers and whine about turn rate? You had to know what you were getting into. Yes, I fly an Ody tac when I get the urge, and I'm satisfied with the fact that it doesn't turn like and escort, it turns like a cruiser. When I want to turn on a dime I load up a escort. It really is that simple.
maybe because people don't want to spend 5 minutes doing a 180 in a cruiser? i'm not expecting them to turn like escorts, but they still need some kind of boost
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
maybe because people don't want to spend 5 minutes doing a 180 in a cruiser? i'm not expecting them to turn like escorts, but they still need some kind of boost
Same answer applies, fly something else. It's been 3-years and you guys still haven't accepted reality.
because i dont see how, or why a ship thats the same size or bigger than the one im using, should have 5 to 10 times the turn-rate just because magic fairy boots of +5 agility.
or less facetiously, because a dev deliberately threw balance out the window, negating a characteristic involved in balancing a weapon, resulting in something being broken by design.
Claim ignorance all you want. You know exactly why cruisers turn slowly by comparison. Next this thread will lead to the inevitable "cruisers need more powerful weapons" riff. Admit it to yourself if not to me, ultimately you want all the benefits of a cruiser with NONE of its downsides.
that the current state of affairs is a game breaking one because it eliminates the limited firing arc as a weapon balancing factor?
no, i imagine not.
Please, tell me that you understand the principle behind differing opinions. Again, if a glacial turnrate is SO crippling, why are cruisers everywhere in the game? That implies that those who can do, leaving some people praying to the Cryptic tooth fairies for a personal cheat.
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
Claim ignorance all you want. You know exactly why cruisers turn slowly by comparison. Next this thread will lead to the inevitable "cruisers need more powerful weapons" riff. Admit it to yourself if not to me, ultimately you want all the benefits of a cruiser with NONE of its downsides.
Because escorts having all the benefits of an escort and having most of the benefits of a cruiser and having no downsides to it isn't a problem right?
You sir, should be a comedian.
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once.
It takes a certain kind of pilot to handle the big girls. Some people adapt and thrive, others don't.
There is no shame in not being a large ship pilot, but people don't like to hear it. They insist that the problem is the ship and not them.
I fly an Atrox, a VQ, a Bortas'qu, an Ody, and a Dread occasionally when I'm feeling snarky. They are plenty viable ships with the turnrates they have. They just have a different feel to them. Some people are going to be more comfortable in a smaller, more nimble ship. Others of us love our Big Berthas and wouldn't change them for anything. Coming in full speed in a Bort, powersliding around the cube spraying a DHC, my singles, and torps the whole time, popping out of cloak and letting loose hell with my autocannon...
Bah I just logged off and now I want to go fly a cruiser around... Point is, the ships are fine as they are, and there are plenty of more agile ships if that would be more to your taste. I'm sorry if you spent a little cash on a ship you aren't happy with or your favorite ship model is a slow turner, but thems is the breaks.
The OP is in luck flying an Ody, tho. Saucer sep makes her plenty nimble. If you can manage not to 'splode you can have 100% uptime on it as well. A trick I learned is if you park in a space zone instead of out in sector space or on the ground, when you queue for STF or fleet action or what have you and then come back, if you didn't die and your saucer sep is not on cooldown, visit your bridge or a starbase and when you come out your saucer sep will be back to normal with no cooldown. Trick works for the Aquarius and Ho'Sus as well, and for the Multi Vector console (tho you need a starbase, your bridge won't work) It does not work at all on a D'Kyr, unfortunately.
I once again match my character. Behold the power of PINK!
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Impulse Power Skill will increase your turn rate as well.
3. <Insert type> Impulse Engines w/ [TURN] boosts. I prefer Combat Impulse engines as I rarely run my engines over 50 power (and when I do it is the balanced setting) as they are more efficient at lower energy levels. You could get away with the Aegis set too from what I've read up on it.
so, you dont invest points in the engines effeiciency skill? so your engines are always at 49/25 or below power levels? that 50 or below comes after all engine power boosts from skills or items. if your running at high 40's or above after all boosts come into effect, your better off with hyper impulse.
If the Odyssey is good enough for Captain Va'Kel Shon... it should be good enough for you too!
...especially since he doubled up on the number of thrusters, replaced all the engineering consoles with RCSs, replaced all the science consoles with Inertial Dampeners, loaded up with Engine batteries and runs Fleet Mk XII (Turn x4) Impulse engines. It spins like a top now!
It moves fast enough to dodge all the shots coming his way, because it HAS TO! :P
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
So I just got my bundle recently (so I do have the small set turn bonus) and I'm not sure what all the complaining is about. It's like an assault cruiser with everything turned up to 11 and now I can launch an escort for laughs. This ship rules.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
So I just got my bundle recently (so I do have the small set turn bonus) and I'm not sure what all the complaining is about. It's like an assault cruiser with everything turned up to 11 and now I can launch an escort for laughs. This ship rules.
Fly a Fleet Assault Cruiser Refit. You will change your mind very quickly.
It is said the best weapon is one that is never fired. I disagree. The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once.
Fleet ships might as well cost a kidney for something that is a one account unlock. Anyone who purchases one on purpose is willingly condemning himself to a voyage of the damned.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
Please, tell me that you understand the principle behind differing opinions. Again, if a glacial turnrate is SO crippling, why are cruisers everywhere in the game? That implies that those who can do, leaving some people praying to the Cryptic tooth fairies for a personal cheat.
I'm sorry, but why do so many people jump into cruisers and whine about turn rate? You had to know what you were getting into. Yes, I fly an Ody tac when I get the urge, and I'm satisfied with the fact that it doesn't turn like and escort, it turns like a cruiser. When I want to turn on a dime I load up a escort. It really is that simple.
People want to fly cruisers they want to. They'll overpay on consoles and spend twice as much time as an escort captain trying to create a viable cruiser because that's their favourite ship. If you cannot understand the concept that there are people who actually have preference for things outside of golden path of min-max tactical escorts, then push off. Aesthetics is the reason why. Players want to customize their characters, give them their own biographies, join up with fleets, and even go so far as to buy custom equipment and decorations when they could fare just as well with bog-standard mob drops. It's why many people opt to play as Orions in the KDF, or create their own unique alien race.
Comments
THIS!!! A thousand times this!!!
I bought the three pack of what is supposed to be the end all be all flag ship of the federation in 2409... but it's collecting dust. There are cruisers that turn better, there are science vessels that can mount dual cannons, there are vessels in every catagory with carrier abilities, and the other two 3-packs have variants that allow you to customize the look. I know they don't seem to go back and revamp ships, but come on, this is THE FLAG SHIP!!! Isn't this supposed to be the ship that I see come in and save the day, turn the tide, and inspire awe?
It's late and I'm super exhausted, so lets take this to crazy town for a minute. Fleet variants typically have about a 10% boost in hull and shield over non-fleet versions, right?
Fleet Odyssey Star Cruiser - Tier V Shipyard required and 10 modules
Type: Cruiser
Hull: 46,200
Standard Shields: 6,610 (Mk X)
Shield Modifier: 1.15
Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft (Can Equip Dual Cannons)
Crew: 2,750
Bridge Officers: Cmd Engineering, LtC Universal, Lt Tactical, Lt Science, Ensign Universal
Device Slots: 4
Consoles: 4 Engineering 2 Science 4 Tactical
Hangar Bays: 1
Turn Rate: 8
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
Inertia rating: 20
Bonus Power: +10 All Power Levels
Sensor Analysis
Now which one of you devs wants my credit card?
Ooooook. First things first, if you wanted a 10% boost in shields, your shield modifier would be 1.265, not 1.15. Secondly, I am a HUGE cruiser fan, and I love my Odyssey dearly, and even I think this is insane. Thirdly, it is an Odyssey, so there is no reason to change the consoles around. This is krazy town after all, make it 4/4/4. 12 consoles. Yes. I went there. I approve sir, I approve!
12 consoles?! I said crazy town, not Sparta! 12 consoles would totally break PvP!
.
.
.
:P
Sorry if I derailed this last night. To get back on track, I agree with the OP and the guy I quoted that the Oddy could use some love. As it stands, it could be reasonably argued that the Excelsior is a superior ship. As the flag ship, the Oddy should be the best Fed ship of any class, no questions. Same with the Bort on the KDF side. There should be cries for them to be nerfed because they're too over powered, not buffed because they're becoming irrelevant or unbearable to play.
Should have low cooldown with infinite duration that you can cancel, however the longer it runs, the mroe it "strains" the ship systems, therefor debuffing you with energy penalties to other systems, mainly weapons for a certain time.
The penalty time would constantly increase.. lets say 1:2 ration (1sec penalty per 2 sec of turn ratio usage after cancelling the skill) and the penalty amount would get a increase for every 3 sec (like -10 power levels).
Including the initial power draw that redirects power from weapon subsystem. Also need ot be careful not to overdrain your warp core(and keep turn rate skill on until all ur power levels are 0 for 30 sec -_-).
Klingon's have BATHTUBS?!!! ...it's probably just a fad.
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
not for what they use them for :P
i notice some of the ships on those charts have 'X meters ingame' under their actual meters; how did the chart makers get measurements from ingame when the game doesn't have any tools for such measurements?
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
and because single cannons need a reworking, it's probably more efficient to use 8 turrets instead of 4 turrets and 4 single cannons...
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
I'm sorry, but why do so many people jump into cruisers and whine about turn rate? You had to know what you were getting into. Yes, I fly an Ody tac when I get the urge, and I'm satisfied with the fact that it doesn't turn like and escort, it turns like a cruiser. When I want to turn on a dime I load up a escort. It really is that simple.
maybe because people don't want to spend 5 minutes doing a 180 in a cruiser? i'm not expecting them to turn like escorts, but they still need some kind of boost
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Same answer applies, fly something else. It's been 3-years and you guys still haven't accepted reality.
Claim ignorance all you want. You know exactly why cruisers turn slowly by comparison. Next this thread will lead to the inevitable "cruisers need more powerful weapons" riff. Admit it to yourself if not to me, ultimately you want all the benefits of a cruiser with NONE of its downsides.
Please, tell me that you understand the principle behind differing opinions. Again, if a glacial turnrate is SO crippling, why are cruisers everywhere in the game? That implies that those who can do, leaving some people praying to the Cryptic tooth fairies for a personal cheat.
maybe i don't want to fly something else
and you'll notice i did say they should still be slow, but not as slow as some currently are...or maybe you didn't
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Because escorts having all the benefits of an escort and having most of the benefits of a cruiser and having no downsides to it isn't a problem right?
You sir, should be a comedian.
Defiant is small, Bugs are small, Mvam are small...
Where are these giant Escorts?
I currently fly a fleet Vorcha and its much bigger than any of those above.
Seriuosly, where are the giant Escorts?
R.I.P
It takes a certain kind of pilot to handle the big girls. Some people adapt and thrive, others don't.
There is no shame in not being a large ship pilot, but people don't like to hear it. They insist that the problem is the ship and not them.
I fly an Atrox, a VQ, a Bortas'qu, an Ody, and a Dread occasionally when I'm feeling snarky. They are plenty viable ships with the turnrates they have. They just have a different feel to them. Some people are going to be more comfortable in a smaller, more nimble ship. Others of us love our Big Berthas and wouldn't change them for anything. Coming in full speed in a Bort, powersliding around the cube spraying a DHC, my singles, and torps the whole time, popping out of cloak and letting loose hell with my autocannon...
Bah I just logged off and now I want to go fly a cruiser around... Point is, the ships are fine as they are, and there are plenty of more agile ships if that would be more to your taste. I'm sorry if you spent a little cash on a ship you aren't happy with or your favorite ship model is a slow turner, but thems is the breaks.
The OP is in luck flying an Ody, tho. Saucer sep makes her plenty nimble. If you can manage not to 'splode you can have 100% uptime on it as well. A trick I learned is if you park in a space zone instead of out in sector space or on the ground, when you queue for STF or fleet action or what have you and then come back, if you didn't die and your saucer sep is not on cooldown, visit your bridge or a starbase and when you come out your saucer sep will be back to normal with no cooldown. Trick works for the Aquarius and Ho'Sus as well, and for the Multi Vector console (tho you need a starbase, your bridge won't work) It does not work at all on a D'Kyr, unfortunately.
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
so, you dont invest points in the engines effeiciency skill? so your engines are always at 49/25 or below power levels? that 50 or below comes after all engine power boosts from skills or items. if your running at high 40's or above after all boosts come into effect, your better off with hyper impulse.
...especially since he doubled up on the number of thrusters, replaced all the engineering consoles with RCSs, replaced all the science consoles with Inertial Dampeners, loaded up with Engine batteries and runs Fleet Mk XII (Turn x4) Impulse engines. It spins like a top now!
It moves fast enough to dodge all the shots coming his way, because it HAS TO! :P
SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
Fly a Fleet Assault Cruiser Refit. You will change your mind very quickly.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
People want to fly cruisers they want to. They'll overpay on consoles and spend twice as much time as an escort captain trying to create a viable cruiser because that's their favourite ship. If you cannot understand the concept that there are people who actually have preference for things outside of golden path of min-max tactical escorts, then push off. Aesthetics is the reason why. Players want to customize their characters, give them their own biographies, join up with fleets, and even go so far as to buy custom equipment and decorations when they could fare just as well with bog-standard mob drops. It's why many people opt to play as Orions in the KDF, or create their own unique alien race.