of course devs play the game. just none of them fly science vessels.
Now this i think is most accurate. I would further observe that the science skills they use are simply the particle generator ones because it seems that the rest are pretty useless for the most part. And certainly there's no one checking on the effectiveness or the speed at which science skills help the sensor analysis buff that's for sure. /nod
JHeinig and myself are both confessed Sci/Sci fanatics. If you think we don't understand the shortcomings, and difficulty in using this combination to achieve success, you're sorely mistaken. But who wouldn't want to be a Space-Wizard?
These days, I mostly play on an anonymous personal account that I created after the F2P launch. Since my main personal account is well-known from my podcasting days, I find it difficult to play on it without being recognized. And while I tend to enjoy chatting with players while I'm playing, that recognition also means that I can't play with complete freedom. Can you imagine me showing up in a PvP match and getting completely ROFLstomped by a pug? My reputation would be shot. I do occasionally PvP on my anonymous account, but my character there is not yet 50 so it's not a real indication of 'end-game' gear and abilities.
Additionally, I'm in a similar boat to Tacofangs, in that my personal playstyle is a bit at odds with playing the game that I help create. In my case, my primary focus in any game I play tends to be understandings its system interactions. My goal, and how I consider myself to have "beaten" a game, is when I know all of the ins-and-outs of how its mechanics work in tandem with one another. And since, on STO, I'm regularly toying with those innards on a daily basis, the prospect of continuing to play the game sometimes feels less compelling than loading up a game of X-Com, Endless Space or Civ, or trying out the latest F2P launch or MMO conversion.
That said, I most definitely do play, and am slowly working my way thru the Reputation system on my main (T3 in Rom, T2 in Omega) and trying to help out our Dev Fleet when I can spare the resources. You'll hear DStahl frequently mention how we Devs feel the crunch of fleet starbase progression, and sympathize -- it's completely true. I want to fly a Fleet Intrepid, but it's really slow-going for us to progress towards that goal.
Jeremy Randall
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
I think I speak for all of the players to thank all Dev's for responding to us in this tread, Now we all see the trouble we have, the developers share with us.
And great thanks to the OP to write this tread in the first place, I'm stunned to read all the story's from the Dev's and that they struggle in the same way as us players.
Thanks to the Dev's !!!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
after multiple tries i can officially say i HATE Science Ships.
the Sci Captain skills are good, and Sci Captains on ground have nice KITs but i HATE the Sci BOff powers on the high end.
i leveled up a lvl 50 Caitian to play the Atrox, spend 2000 hard earned Zen on the Ship bought Caitian BOffs in the C-Store for the role play feel moved all my Kitty DOffs to that char,
i really tried hard but just had no fun with this Ship whatsoever, i even asked other Players for their Builds but it was all very MEH to me...
dismissed the Atrox and swapped for the Chimera, for a while, but ultimately DELETED the character because he was just another mouth to feed and had nothing special going on whatsoever.
i have 2 more SCI captains, but one is in the MVAM (Holofleet + MVAM = epic pet spam, also beats the mobius console, because those mirror copies just don't stay around!) and the other sits inside the Breen Ship (so so ship for a sci).
Unless something really BIG happens to CMDR level BOff SCI skills (like completely removing and redoing all the skills and coming up with new actually fun stuff), i will not touch another SCI ship... Intrepid wasn't fun for me either... and to add insult to injury the Tier 5 Retrofit Ablative Armor is only visible 15 seconds and then vanishes for 3 minutes... that is like the ONLY reason to fly that refit to have that VISUAL. Pff nope not flying that /dismiss
i bought the Vesta, already knew i would hat it because of the SCI layout... did fly it for 5 minutes, confirmed that i hated it... but i just wanted to support making MORE Rademarker Ships / or famous fanmade Ships in general with that anyway,
never intended to fly this.
I Skipped Tholian and Wells LockBoxes because the Ships were SCI heavy.
DO NOT WANT SPACE WIZZARD!
want STAR TREK!
Hull + Shields + Phaser + Photons!
That is Star Trek!
not that gravity well wizzard crowd control nonsense and pink glowing Ships on Brace for Impact.... etc. etc.
For me the game is only moving along the small scale from Cruiser to Escort, trying to find that perfect balance between pew pew and tanking. For me, at the moment that is the Armitage (AKIRA SKIN!!!)
i also have a few Cruisers that can do good pew, (Bortas'qu <3<3) but most of them just gotten OLD by now, outdated, flying STONES... that no one, not in PvP not in STFs will shoot at,
so i tend to go more and more into the Escort direction with ALL my 10 Characters... which really is kinda sad.
JHeinig and myself are both confessed Sci/Sci fanatics. If you think we don't understand the shortcomings, and difficulty in using this combination to achieve success, you're sorely mistaken. But who wouldn't want to be a Space-Wizard?
These days, I mostly play on an anonymous personal account that I created after the F2P launch. Since my main personal account is well-known from my podcasting days, I find it difficult to play on it without being recognized. And while I tend to enjoy chatting with players while I'm playing, that recognition also means that I can't play with complete freedom. Can you imagine me showing up in a PvP match and getting completely ROFLstomped by a pug? My reputation would be shot. I do occasionally PvP on my anonymous account, but my character there is not yet 50 so it's not a real indication of 'end-game' gear and abilities.
Additionally, I'm in a similar boat to Tacofangs, in that my personal playstyle is a bit at odds with playing the game that I help create. In my case, my primary focus in any game I play tends to be understandings its system interactions. My goal, and how I consider myself to have "beaten" a game, is when I know all of the ins-and-outs of how its mechanics work in tandem with one another. And since, on STO, I'm regularly toying with those innards on a daily basis, the prospect of continuing to play the game sometimes feels less compelling than loading up a game of X-Com, Endless Space or Civ, or trying out the latest F2P launch or MMO conversion.
That said, I most definitely do play, and am slowly working my way thru the Reputation system on my main (T3 in Rom, T2 in Omega) and trying to help out our Dev Fleet when I can spare the resources. You'll hear DStahl frequently mention how we Devs feel the crunch of fleet starbase progression, and sympathize -- it's completely true. I want to fly a Fleet Intrepid, but it's really slow-going for us to progress towards that goal.
We loved Stoked back than and we still do with mav we love the show but we do miss your tech inside I must add.
The math you did was Always good in terms and you where doing science.
Well with that said I must add I prefer the Engineer in KDF and still try to make my mind up on making a fed tactical, I did science but it doesn't feel somehow.
I made three science captains all with the fleet intrepid but nope it doesn't feel...
I rather have Tactical station :-)
Anyway I will find a good tactical captain :-)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
after multiple tries i can officially say i HATE Science Ships.
the Sci Captain skills are good, and Sci Captains on ground have nice KITs but i HATE the Sci BOff powers on the high end.
i leveled up a lvl 50 Caitian to play the Atrox, spend 2000 hard earned Zen on the Ship bought Caitian BOffs in the C-Store for the role play feel moved all my Kitty DOffs to that char,
i really tried hard but just had no fun with this Ship whatsoever, i even asked other Players for their Builds but it was all very MEH to me...
dismissed the Atrox and swapped for the Chimera, for a while, but ultimately DELETED the character because he was just another mouth to feed and had nothing special going on whatsoever.
i have 2 more SCI captains, but one is in the MVAM (Holofleet + MVAM = epic pet spam, also beats the mobius console, because those mirror copies just don't stay around!) and the other sits inside the Breen Ship (so so ship for a sci).
Unless something really BIG happens to CMDR level BOff SCI skills (like completely removing and redoing all the skills and coming up with new actually fun stuff), i will not touch another SCI ship... Intrepid wasn't fun for me either... and to add insult to injury the Tier 5 Retrofit Ablative Armor is only visible 15 seconds and then vanishes for 3 minutes... that is like the ONLY reason to fly that refit to have that VISUAL. Pff nope not flying that /dismiss
i bought the Vesta, already knew i would hat it because of the SCI layout... did fly it for 5 minutes, confirmed that i hated it... but i just wanted to support making MORE Rademarker Ships / or famous fanmade Ships in general with that anyway,
never intended to fly this.
I Skipped Tholian and Wells LockBoxes because the Ships were SCI heavy.
DO NOT WANT SPACE WIZZARD!
want STAR TREK!
Hull + Shields + Phaser + Photons!
That is Star Trek!
not that gravity well wizzard crowd control nonsense and pink glowing Ships on Brace for Impact.... etc. etc.
For me the game is only moving along the small scale from Cruiser to Escort, trying to find that perfect balance between pew pew and tanking. For me, at the moment that is the Armitage (AKIRA SKIN!!!)
i also have a few Cruisers that can do good pew, (Bortas'qu <3<3) but most of them just gotten OLD by now, outdated, flying STONES... that no one, not in PvP not in STFs will shoot at,
so i tend to go more and more into the Escort direction with ALL my 10 Characters... which really is kinda sad.
I agree science doesn't feel for me to tried vife captains on fed side but no, to be blund science realy need to come up with better stuff so to speak...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
You'll hear DStahl frequently mention how we Devs feel the crunch of fleet starbase progression, and sympathize -- it's completely true. I want to fly a Fleet Intrepid, but it's really slow-going for us to progress towards that goal.
Well maybe my guide I am starting to work on will help with that, Bort.
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
Maybe Dev's see a solution to this, I'm curious ...
Any response is appreciated from a Dev..
Mission : Diplomatic Orders
If you play true this mission as a Dev what do you notice ?
Well let me give you some points wonder if you remember and agree or not....
1. High Priest Savin doesn't have a voice a bit strange while Vulcan Ambassador Sokketh has a Voice was this intended or do you agree on fixing this small matter ?
2. The mission is redone on request by the player, I wonder why it wasn't finished properly because it gives a very poor sight on the mission.
2a. Also the confrontation with the Klingon's should be redone because it make the federation a race that's stupid and tell the player that the Feds don't know about shape shifting people or the undine this peace off the story line make feds look stupid....
3. Mission: The Doomsday Device is very much completed and a little bit fun but I must add why the Dev's decided to let you run around on the interior of a B'rell ?
Because when you play Klingon most never comes much on those levels of his ship cause there isn't nothing to do.
4. Mission: Divide et Impera
This mission really need to be back on the drawing board, why is simple an admiral Zelle who walks with you doesn't do a thing until she changes to an undine.
While she standing in your way all the time she is most annoying to all who plays this mission.
This mission really have to visit cryptic drawing board once more to be upgraded ...
5. Well Dev's all the The Romulan Mystery missions needs another Sharp eye and most off them needs rework done. and more visual then story tale because the story is told very well.
6. Last but not least Mission: The Kuvah'Magh
Really needs revision because here are the points...
1. Miral Paris well I'm not sure any Dev saw Star Trek Voyager : The End Game part one but miral saw a lot different for instance she had long hair she looked a lot more Klingon then B'elanna Paris.
2. Also revision on the map, because it's unclear and there is a re spawn timer in place that shouldn't go on after removing the bomb.
3. Also healing the people is something that's not known by most players, that they could do that to get an acolyte...
Hope Dev's know the missions I talked about... :eek:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I agree, I'm not game for another player-made guide.
I tell you what I would love to see however... I'd LOVE to see the Devs put together a guide for the specific classes. Now that the game has successfully nerfed the Science and even Engineering classes for all DPS tac-mode... I'd LOVE to see the guides for how to make effective Engineers and Science characters.
On ground missions, science and engineering have the 1-up on tactical officers. Not to say tacs are useless on ground, by far there is very solid kits to help keep a tac as able-bodied as the other two. But in space, to be in anything other than an escort with self-heals... there's just nothing there.
I started STO to play in the Intrepid class. I saw the science nerfs happen, moved on to cruisers. While cruisers can live a long time, the DPS just isn't there. Everyone who plays for 60 days (usually less, but it's confirmed by the 60 day mark) can tell you that it's all about DPS in space, and if you're not in an escort doing massive damage to kill the mobs the quickest way possible, you're doing it wrong.
There's so many guides out there that show you how to build the best escort possible, but as far as everyone is concerned, if you're not doing an escort your just not up to the right amount of DPS to keep things going.
So as far as guides go, the only really new guides I'd like to see would be the ones the Devs make to show why science and engineers can be as capable in space as tacs (because the focus really does seem to be tacs for space over everything else).
Just my 2 creds worth.
PS:
I really am glad to see that the Devs play the game and are as frustrated as we are. There are so many instances where it truly feels like we play it and you just nerf the stuff we enjoy because you can, and honestly it doesn't come off as fun that much anymore.
Do any of you devs fly lockbox ships? Like there's been a ton of Jem'Hadar ships won this weekend. Anyone flying one of them bugs or a dreadnought on their anon accounts? Or a D'Kora? Or a Galor?
Sci/Sci, or Sci/Carrier like I fly is like playing Bard in EverQuest or Demonology Warlock in WoW. If you can find the magic rhythm of getting all of your skills and abilities to synergize properly, you are an unstoppable force of nature that will get anybodies attention.
Make one mistake and you will want to hide in shame because it all falls apart and you feel like you may as well not have shown up.
It is a playstyle that appeals to some very strongly. I was both a Bard and a Demonology Warlock, and what do you know I'm Sci/Sci here...
I once again match my character. Behold the power of PINK!
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Do any of you devs fly lockbox ships? Like there's been a ton of Jem'Hadar ships won this weekend. Anyone flying one of them bugs or a dreadnought on their anon accounts? Or a D'Kora? Or a Galor?
I do fly a Galor and I have my Jem'hadar sitting in my shipyard still don't know what to do with it how to nerve it.
My KDF Cardesian Alien is an engineer but I still not sure what weapons to put on or anything else...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Sci/Sci, or Sci/Carrier like I fly is like playing Bard in EverQuest or Demonology Warlock in WoW. If you can find the magic rhythm of getting all of your skills and abilities to synergize properly, you are an unstoppable force of nature that will get anybodies attention.
Make one mistake and you will want to hide in shame because it all falls apart and you feel like you may as well not have shown up.
It is a playstyle that appeals to some very strongly. I was both a Bard and a Demonology Warlock, and what do you know I'm Sci/Sci here...
Start playing Warlock and not STO, They have to make ground and space better in STO, but in no way they should make it look like any other MMO.
I heard one guy say STO should be like STWOR, thank god that they won't do that but in a other case I agree there should be more VO in the Cryptic missions .
But NO copy from someone else because you choose an MMORPG and if you like it like me you stay and you don't want to look like another MMO ...
STO is Trek unique in his own way even cast from star trek films and series are excited...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Did you even read the post you are replying too? I in no way said to make any game like any other game. I said certain aspects of playing those 3 classes already shared similarities in feel...
My lord I swear some of you people just want to yell at other people and don't even care what about... Try actually reading what is posted for a change...
I once again match my character. Behold the power of PINK!
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Did you even read the post you are replying too? I in no way said to make any game like any other game. I said certain aspects of playing those 3 classes already shared similarities in feel...
My lord I swear some of you people just want to yell at other people and don't even care what about... Try actually reading what is posted for a change...
Sorry misread
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Maybe Dev's see a solution to this, I'm curious ...
Any response is appreciated from a Dev..
Mission : Diplomatic Orders
If you play true this mission as a Dev what do you notice ?
Well let me give you some points wonder if you remember and agree or not....
1. High Priest Savin doesn't have a voice a bit strange while Vulcan Ambassador Sokketh has a Voice was this intended or do you agree on fixing this small matter ?
2. The mission is redone on request by the player, I wonder why it wasn't finished properly because it gives a very poor sight on the mission.
2a. Also the confrontation with the Klingon's should be redone because it make the federation a race that's stupid and tell the player that the Feds don't know about shape shifting people or the undine this peace off the story line make feds look stupid....
3. Mission: The Doomsday Device is very much completed and a little bit fun but I must add why the Dev's decided to let you run around on the interior of a B'rell ?
Because when you play Klingon most never comes much on those levels of his ship cause there isn't nothing to do.
4. Mission: Divide et Impera
This mission really need to be back on the drawing board, why is simple an admiral Zelle who walks with you doesn't do a thing until she changes to an undine.
While she standing in your way all the time she is most annoying to all who plays this mission.
This mission really have to visit cryptic drawing board once more to be upgraded ...
5. Well Dev's all the The Romulan Mystery missions needs another Sharp eye and most off them needs rework done. and more visual then story tale because the story is told very well.
6. Last but not least Mission: The Kuvah'Magh
Really needs revision because here are the points...
1. Miral Paris well I'm not sure any Dev saw Star Trek Voyager : The End Game part one but miral saw a lot different for instance she had long hair she looked a lot more Klingon then B'elanna Paris.
2. Also revision on the map, because it's unclear and there is a re spawn timer in place that shouldn't go on after removing the bomb.
3. Also healing the people is something that's not known by most players, that they could do that to get an acolyte...
Hope Dev's know the missions I talked about... :eek:
Players can also joiin in maybe we learn something here...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Of course the Devs play on their.."special" player accounts...they dress up in EVA suits and hang out at Drozana station "trolling" the hard working player base there or do everything they can to wreck the Tuesday night Dancin Party.
Thats why those knuckleheads haven't been kicked out of the game yet....cause they are Devs.
just sayin...:eek:
p.s. darn, I just ran out of dental floss, wonder where I can get some more?
"Sips her PWE Koolaide and looks at alllll the goodies in the Z store"
Badname Betty (PvP...PvE...STF...Trophy Hunter...Latnium Collector...Federation)
Commander Morgana (PvP...PvE...STF...KDF)
1000 day vet and LTS
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] STO Join date: 7 Feb 2010
About the only real complaint I have about STO is that I am an old school Star Trek fan, I grew up watching Captain Kirk and his Enterprise crew and mostly I remember how Star Trek was NEVER about going in guns a blazing, and STO is all about going in guns a blazing.
I wish, even on simple patrol missions that there was at the very least a simple conversations, on the ship view screen, where the player gets to say things like, "We can settle this without violence..." even if it always developed into a fight.
About the only real complaint I have about STO is that I am an old school Star Trek fan, I grew up watching Captain Kirk and his Enterprise crew and mostly I remember how Star Trek was NEVER about going in guns a blazing, and STO is all about going in guns a blazing.
I wish, even on simple patrol missions that there was at the very least a simple conversations, on the ship view screen, where the player gets to say things like, "We can settle this without violence..." even if it always developed into a fight.
It's a really basic UI level thing but one issue that I have is the weird balance that STO tries to occupy.
Games like WoW have agriculture, machine repair and TRIBBLE clean-up quests but STO seems much more combat focused. And yet isn't a pure combat game.
And the weirdness is reflected in very basic UI design which results in how many "press F" quests we have.
On one hand, it makes shooter mode or playing with an XBOX controller clunky because we have too much to efficiently manage with that. (Compare to DCUO or Neverwinter which, typing in chatboxes aside, are dreams to manage with arcade controls.)
On the other hand, we have virtually no non-combat abilities which is what results in shallow "press F" and reading/dialogue puzzles. Everything that IS non-combat in STO diminishes activity and interactivity and becomes a matter of, "Stop while you read this book and be sure to pull out a calculator."
If I could institute a radical overhaul, I'd probably either double down on arcade mechanics or I'd go more the other route and have interactive inventory items and maybe a hand, eye, mouth, and gear in the UI that you click on to change the cursor into "Interact", "Inspect", "Speak to", and "use with" and have functionality for using items together with eachother and the game world for a more "Sierra-style" PC puzzler interactivity approach, which WoW even sometimes borders on.
Where we're at often has the benefits of NEITHER pure action with puzzle elements OR pure puzzler with active combat. It's the worst of both. And I'm not trashing anybody's work ethic when I say that. I think our devs work very hard but have drifted into a bad place where their attempts to hybridize combat and RPG go.
Star Trek is about making peace and allies but if they would do that in STO how long would you play ? If it was all techno babble if the whole game was really based on the star trek based film and series...
They can make it like Bridge Commander in a second version off STO.
If they ever would go there I would support it ...
But here in the Original STO there are wars going on and if I remember all trek games right there was never a part where they put in that they wanted it resolved peacefully.
Also war in the series take DS9 for example where the federation was drawn into a war .
They fought back and they did it hard and they won but only once I hear Sisko say to martock that he wanted a peaceful solution ...
Voyager : Most off the times Janeway tried to solve it peaceful but most off the time it ends in a shootout.
With the Kazon, Ocampa, and Lot's more on her journey she made friends and enemy's but there wasn't always a peaceful solution...
But to stay on topic I do believe they can implement some more missions on Diplomatic nature also some missions off finding dig sides or discover something else.
Also some missions of making a civilization or repairing stuff on worlds with an group off engineers ... But who knows maybe there are there already in the heads off the Dev's ....
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Star Trek is about making peace and allies but if they would do that in STO how long would you play ? If it was all techno babble if the whole game was really based on the star trek based film and series...
I like STO too.
And I think the problem is in this false divide between reading and active gameplay.
Non-combat abilities don't require reading or massive amounts of voiceover.
Like I say, games like WoW do this to an extent. STO is unusually tilted in favor of active abilities being violent abilities and that creates this weird line we walk where you have to choose between reading novels full of text and pressing F and shooting everything that moves.
And I think the problem is in this false divide between reading and active gameplay.
Non-combat abilities don't require reading or massive amounts of voiceover.
Like I say, games like WoW do this to an extent. STO is unusually tilted in favor of active abilities being violent abilities and that creates this weird line we walk where you have to choose between reading novels full of text and pressing F and shooting everything that moves.
I Agree but they have to find more ballance in this
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I Agree but they have to find more ballance in this
I think they MAY when they get the chance if they think it's marketable.
That said, they seem to see the DOff system as at least reasonably marketable.
So instead of raking them over the coals (I know they're busy right now) or assuming it will never happen, I think the productive route is to look at ideas and propose them.
players tend to be very emotional (we play the game for fun rather than some logical approach) and are biased by getting attached to certain aspects of it. throw a random topic into the mix and you will get a wide range of answers. take all of that and then have the two very different aspects in pve and pvp and it becomes one big mess.
im not saying everything is as balanced as it could be, but there is no holy grail, no magic solution because even if you found it, no one would agree on it when you did.
I take it you never played MOHAA, AVP 2, and Nox. Those three games were balanced and everyone agreed on it and that's why they lived for years until certain bigger companies didn't like the fact that people were playing such old games and not buying new games they were making so they turned around and shutdown the servers to play on them or remove support for them so the players were stuck dealing with the aftermath.
What I'd really like the devs to answer is why they think it's such an awesome idea to still have almost everything character bound. They added in account bind, yet even after that a lot of things are still character bound. What's up with that? I can see the reputation items being character bound, but why are so many other things still character bound too?. I still get purple consoles and equipment as drops that are character bind on equip.
And the T4 diplo/marauding boffs. They're bound, but nowhere does it actually say they're bound, you can find them on the exchange occasionally but apparently those are relics from the past that were from before they were made bound. And we still can't edit our T4 marauding boffs at the tailor.
I remain empathetic to the concerns of my community, but do me a favor and lay off the god damn name calling and petty remarks. It will get you nowhere.
I must admit, respect points to Trendy for laying down the law like that.
Comments
Now this i think is most accurate. I would further observe that the science skills they use are simply the particle generator ones because it seems that the rest are pretty useless for the most part. And certainly there's no one checking on the effectiveness or the speed at which science skills help the sensor analysis buff that's for sure. /nod
These days, I mostly play on an anonymous personal account that I created after the F2P launch. Since my main personal account is well-known from my podcasting days, I find it difficult to play on it without being recognized. And while I tend to enjoy chatting with players while I'm playing, that recognition also means that I can't play with complete freedom. Can you imagine me showing up in a PvP match and getting completely ROFLstomped by a pug? My reputation would be shot. I do occasionally PvP on my anonymous account, but my character there is not yet 50 so it's not a real indication of 'end-game' gear and abilities.
Additionally, I'm in a similar boat to Tacofangs, in that my personal playstyle is a bit at odds with playing the game that I help create. In my case, my primary focus in any game I play tends to be understandings its system interactions. My goal, and how I consider myself to have "beaten" a game, is when I know all of the ins-and-outs of how its mechanics work in tandem with one another. And since, on STO, I'm regularly toying with those innards on a daily basis, the prospect of continuing to play the game sometimes feels less compelling than loading up a game of X-Com, Endless Space or Civ, or trying out the latest F2P launch or MMO conversion.
That said, I most definitely do play, and am slowly working my way thru the Reputation system on my main (T3 in Rom, T2 in Omega) and trying to help out our Dev Fleet when I can spare the resources. You'll hear DStahl frequently mention how we Devs feel the crunch of fleet starbase progression, and sympathize -- it's completely true. I want to fly a Fleet Intrepid, but it's really slow-going for us to progress towards that goal.
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
And great thanks to the OP to write this tread in the first place, I'm stunned to read all the story's from the Dev's and that they struggle in the same way as us players.
Thanks to the Dev's !!!
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
*raises hand*
after multiple tries i can officially say i HATE Science Ships.
the Sci Captain skills are good, and Sci Captains on ground have nice KITs but i HATE the Sci BOff powers on the high end.
i leveled up a lvl 50 Caitian to play the Atrox, spend 2000 hard earned Zen on the Ship bought Caitian BOffs in the C-Store for the role play feel moved all my Kitty DOffs to that char,
i really tried hard but just had no fun with this Ship whatsoever, i even asked other Players for their Builds but it was all very MEH to me...
dismissed the Atrox and swapped for the Chimera, for a while, but ultimately DELETED the character because he was just another mouth to feed and had nothing special going on whatsoever.
i have 2 more SCI captains, but one is in the MVAM (Holofleet + MVAM = epic pet spam, also beats the mobius console, because those mirror copies just don't stay around!) and the other sits inside the Breen Ship (so so ship for a sci).
Unless something really BIG happens to CMDR level BOff SCI skills (like completely removing and redoing all the skills and coming up with new actually fun stuff), i will not touch another SCI ship... Intrepid wasn't fun for me either... and to add insult to injury the Tier 5 Retrofit Ablative Armor is only visible 15 seconds and then vanishes for 3 minutes... that is like the ONLY reason to fly that refit to have that VISUAL. Pff nope not flying that /dismiss
i bought the Vesta, already knew i would hat it because of the SCI layout... did fly it for 5 minutes, confirmed that i hated it... but i just wanted to support making MORE Rademarker Ships / or famous fanmade Ships in general with that anyway,
never intended to fly this.
I Skipped Tholian and Wells LockBoxes because the Ships were SCI heavy.
DO NOT WANT SPACE WIZZARD!
want STAR TREK!
Hull + Shields + Phaser + Photons!
That is Star Trek!
not that gravity well wizzard crowd control nonsense and pink glowing Ships on Brace for Impact.... etc. etc.
For me the game is only moving along the small scale from Cruiser to Escort, trying to find that perfect balance between pew pew and tanking. For me, at the moment that is the Armitage (AKIRA SKIN!!!)
i also have a few Cruisers that can do good pew, (Bortas'qu
so i tend to go more and more into the Escort direction with ALL my 10 Characters... which really is kinda sad.
We loved Stoked back than and we still do with mav we love the show but we do miss your tech inside I must add.
The math you did was Always good in terms and you where doing science.
Well with that said I must add I prefer the Engineer in KDF and still try to make my mind up on making a fed tactical, I did science but it doesn't feel somehow.
I made three science captains all with the fleet intrepid but nope it doesn't feel...
I rather have Tactical station :-)
Anyway I will find a good tactical captain :-)
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I agree science doesn't feel for me to tried vife captains on fed side but no, to be blund science realy need to come up with better stuff so to speak...
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Well maybe my guide I am starting to work on will help with that, Bort.
Another guide .....
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Any response is appreciated from a Dev..
Mission : Diplomatic Orders
If you play true this mission as a Dev what do you notice ?
Well let me give you some points wonder if you remember and agree or not....
1. High Priest Savin doesn't have a voice a bit strange while Vulcan Ambassador Sokketh has a Voice was this intended or do you agree on fixing this small matter ?
2. The mission is redone on request by the player, I wonder why it wasn't finished properly because it gives a very poor sight on the mission.
2a. Also the confrontation with the Klingon's should be redone because it make the federation a race that's stupid and tell the player that the Feds don't know about shape shifting people or the undine this peace off the story line make feds look stupid....
3. Mission: The Doomsday Device is very much completed and a little bit fun but I must add why the Dev's decided to let you run around on the interior of a B'rell ?
Because when you play Klingon most never comes much on those levels of his ship cause there isn't nothing to do.
4. Mission: Divide et Impera
This mission really need to be back on the drawing board, why is simple an admiral Zelle who walks with you doesn't do a thing until she changes to an undine.
While she standing in your way all the time she is most annoying to all who plays this mission.
This mission really have to visit cryptic drawing board once more to be upgraded ...
5. Well Dev's all the The Romulan Mystery missions needs another Sharp eye and most off them needs rework done. and more visual then story tale because the story is told very well.
6. Last but not least Mission: The Kuvah'Magh
Really needs revision because here are the points...
1. Miral Paris well I'm not sure any Dev saw Star Trek Voyager : The End Game part one but miral saw a lot different for instance she had long hair she looked a lot more Klingon then B'elanna Paris.
2. Also revision on the map, because it's unclear and there is a re spawn timer in place that shouldn't go on after removing the bomb.
3. Also healing the people is something that's not known by most players, that they could do that to get an acolyte...
Hope Dev's know the missions I talked about... :eek:
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I agree, I'm not game for another player-made guide.
I tell you what I would love to see however... I'd LOVE to see the Devs put together a guide for the specific classes. Now that the game has successfully nerfed the Science and even Engineering classes for all DPS tac-mode... I'd LOVE to see the guides for how to make effective Engineers and Science characters.
On ground missions, science and engineering have the 1-up on tactical officers. Not to say tacs are useless on ground, by far there is very solid kits to help keep a tac as able-bodied as the other two. But in space, to be in anything other than an escort with self-heals... there's just nothing there.
I started STO to play in the Intrepid class. I saw the science nerfs happen, moved on to cruisers. While cruisers can live a long time, the DPS just isn't there. Everyone who plays for 60 days (usually less, but it's confirmed by the 60 day mark) can tell you that it's all about DPS in space, and if you're not in an escort doing massive damage to kill the mobs the quickest way possible, you're doing it wrong.
There's so many guides out there that show you how to build the best escort possible, but as far as everyone is concerned, if you're not doing an escort your just not up to the right amount of DPS to keep things going.
So as far as guides go, the only really new guides I'd like to see would be the ones the Devs make to show why science and engineers can be as capable in space as tacs (because the focus really does seem to be tacs for space over everything else).
Just my 2 creds worth.
PS:
I really am glad to see that the Devs play the game and are as frustrated as we are. There are so many instances where it truly feels like we play it and you just nerf the stuff we enjoy because you can, and honestly it doesn't come off as fun that much anymore.
Do any of you devs fly lockbox ships? Like there's been a ton of Jem'Hadar ships won this weekend. Anyone flying one of them bugs or a dreadnought on their anon accounts? Or a D'Kora? Or a Galor?
Make one mistake and you will want to hide in shame because it all falls apart and you feel like you may as well not have shown up.
It is a playstyle that appeals to some very strongly. I was both a Bard and a Demonology Warlock, and what do you know I'm Sci/Sci here...
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
I do fly a Galor and I have my Jem'hadar sitting in my shipyard still don't know what to do with it how to nerve it.
My KDF Cardesian Alien is an engineer but I still not sure what weapons to put on or anything else...
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Start playing Warlock and not STO, They have to make ground and space better in STO, but in no way they should make it look like any other MMO.
I heard one guy say STO should be like STWOR, thank god that they won't do that but in a other case I agree there should be more VO in the Cryptic missions .
But NO copy from someone else because you choose an MMORPG and if you like it like me you stay and you don't want to look like another MMO ...
STO is Trek unique in his own way even cast from star trek films and series are excited...
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
My lord I swear some of you people just want to yell at other people and don't even care what about... Try actually reading what is posted for a change...
Fleet Admiral Space Orphidian Possiblities Wizard
Sorry misread
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Players can also joiin in maybe we learn something here...
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
Thats why those knuckleheads haven't been kicked out of the game yet....cause they are Devs.
just sayin...:eek:
p.s. darn, I just ran out of dental floss, wonder where I can get some more?
Badname Betty (PvP...PvE...STF...Trophy Hunter...Latnium Collector...Federation)
Commander Morgana (PvP...PvE...STF...KDF)
1000 day vet and LTS
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] STO Join date: 7 Feb 2010
I wish, even on simple patrol missions that there was at the very least a simple conversations, on the ship view screen, where the player gets to say things like, "We can settle this without violence..." even if it always developed into a fight.
It's a really basic UI level thing but one issue that I have is the weird balance that STO tries to occupy.
Games like WoW have agriculture, machine repair and TRIBBLE clean-up quests but STO seems much more combat focused. And yet isn't a pure combat game.
And the weirdness is reflected in very basic UI design which results in how many "press F" quests we have.
On one hand, it makes shooter mode or playing with an XBOX controller clunky because we have too much to efficiently manage with that. (Compare to DCUO or Neverwinter which, typing in chatboxes aside, are dreams to manage with arcade controls.)
On the other hand, we have virtually no non-combat abilities which is what results in shallow "press F" and reading/dialogue puzzles. Everything that IS non-combat in STO diminishes activity and interactivity and becomes a matter of, "Stop while you read this book and be sure to pull out a calculator."
If I could institute a radical overhaul, I'd probably either double down on arcade mechanics or I'd go more the other route and have interactive inventory items and maybe a hand, eye, mouth, and gear in the UI that you click on to change the cursor into "Interact", "Inspect", "Speak to", and "use with" and have functionality for using items together with eachother and the game world for a more "Sierra-style" PC puzzler interactivity approach, which WoW even sometimes borders on.
Where we're at often has the benefits of NEITHER pure action with puzzle elements OR pure puzzler with active combat. It's the worst of both. And I'm not trashing anybody's work ethic when I say that. I think our devs work very hard but have drifted into a bad place where their attempts to hybridize combat and RPG go.
Star Trek is about making peace and allies but if they would do that in STO how long would you play ? If it was all techno babble if the whole game was really based on the star trek based film and series...
They can make it like Bridge Commander in a second version off STO.
If they ever would go there I would support it ...
But here in the Original STO there are wars going on and if I remember all trek games right there was never a part where they put in that they wanted it resolved peacefully.
Also war in the series take DS9 for example where the federation was drawn into a war .
They fought back and they did it hard and they won but only once I hear Sisko say to martock that he wanted a peaceful solution ...
Voyager : Most off the times Janeway tried to solve it peaceful but most off the time it ends in a shootout.
With the Kazon, Ocampa, and Lot's more on her journey she made friends and enemy's but there wasn't always a peaceful solution...
But to stay on topic I do believe they can implement some more missions on Diplomatic nature also some missions off finding dig sides or discover something else.
Also some missions of making a civilization or repairing stuff on worlds with an group off engineers ... But who knows maybe there are there already in the heads off the Dev's ....
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I like STO too.
And I think the problem is in this false divide between reading and active gameplay.
Non-combat abilities don't require reading or massive amounts of voiceover.
Like I say, games like WoW do this to an extent. STO is unusually tilted in favor of active abilities being violent abilities and that creates this weird line we walk where you have to choose between reading novels full of text and pressing F and shooting everything that moves.
I Agree but they have to find more ballance in this
"Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised. It's got me through the worst of the last three years. I beat the Borg with it."
I think they MAY when they get the chance if they think it's marketable.
That said, they seem to see the DOff system as at least reasonably marketable.
So instead of raking them over the coals (I know they're busy right now) or assuming it will never happen, I think the productive route is to look at ideas and propose them.
I take it you never played MOHAA, AVP 2, and Nox. Those three games were balanced and everyone agreed on it and that's why they lived for years until certain bigger companies didn't like the fact that people were playing such old games and not buying new games they were making so they turned around and shutdown the servers to play on them or remove support for them so the players were stuck dealing with the aftermath.
Shutup Wesley: First In Everything
And the T4 diplo/marauding boffs. They're bound, but nowhere does it actually say they're bound, you can find them on the exchange occasionally but apparently those are relics from the past that were from before they were made bound. And we still can't edit our T4 marauding boffs at the tailor.