If I am understanding this correctly, the shared cooldown between multiple uses of EPtS is 30 seconds and not affected by damage control engineers, so even with the doffs and two copies of EPtS, it is not possible to match the 20-second duration. Is this correct?
Well, seeing as how Damage Control Engineers operate on a chance based system, it really isn't reliable enough if at all.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
Not liking the change to 20 seconds for EPtS, but seeing as EPtW is now buffed. I'll just put all my weapon power in shields and run two copies of EPtW on my Vesta now. I just need to figure out a way to make up for the loss of resistance.
I'll figure out a way to adjust, but this really hurts Tank builds overall.
If I am understanding this correctly, the shared cooldown between multiple uses of EPtS is 30 seconds and not affected by damage control engineers, so even with the doffs and two copies of EPtS, it is not possible to match the 20-second duration. Is this correct?
Correct.
The Gap will be 20s and there is no method that will let you circumvent that.
EPtS change is dreadful. Any decent BoP is going to exploit the crud out of this in PvP. Just time decloak and EPtW to fit in the 10s gap and unload an Alpha Strike. Dead opponent. Romulan Bridge Officer allows recloak before the gap is over.
Stupid ... stupid ... stupid.
Any balanced team will shred any PuG team in arena now, even worse than as it currently stands.
Is there any hope that these changes will be reconsidered by the devs?
I don't seem to be the only one here who doesn't like them.
After seeing so many feedback topics concerning cruisers I was hoping that they might actually do something about it... Now we're looking at a nerf of the most important advantage cruisers have - the ability to have 2 types of EP2x with 99% uptime... Is it so hard to grasp that nerfing a skill (in this case EP2S) used by everyone means that the most underpowered ships get hurt the most? Unless, of course, there's a plan to make up for the loss...
I keep hearing everyone complaining about the whopping 10 second gap that they will take 18% more damage to their shield and the claims it will make every ship insta explode. I have to disagree for a few reasons.
1) You will still have the built in resistance of the shield and the resistance from shield power itself. Meaning you should still be near 40%-50% shield resistance without the extra boost from EPtS secondary effect. Quite frankly if that 18% lost means you explode then you were already so close to that point it really would have made little difference.
2) It may become advantageous to have extra back up defense and use it (TSS, RSP, support, APO, EM, etc etc) instead of them simply being over-kill.
3) Subnuke, part of a proper PvP alpha strike from my understanding, strips the EPtS buff anyway.
I'm not exaggerating at all when I say this is the part of LoM I am personally now most looking forward to.
I keep hearing everyone complaining about the whopping 10 second gap that they will take 18% more damage to their shield and the claims it will make every ship insta explode. I have to disagree for a few reasons.
1) You will still have the built in resistance of the shield and the resistance from shield power itself.
Um, no. You're losing 10s of +Shield Power as well. With EPtS - you're losing 10s of both.
EPtW/EPtE/EPtA - you're gaining 15s of the secondary effect and losing 10s of the +Subsystem Power.
Is there any hope that these changes will be reconsidered by the devs?
I don't seem to be the only one here who doesn't like them.
After seeing so many feedback topics concerning cruisers I was hoping that they might actually do something about it... Now we're looking at a nerf of the most important advantage cruisers have - the ability to have 2 types of EP2x with 99% uptime... Is it so hard to grasp that nerfing a skill (in this case EP2S) used by everyone means that the most underpowered ships get hurt the most? Unless, of course, there's a plan to make up for the loss...
I am going to go with anything is possible. However, the chances go WAY up if people actually go in and test it and show how broken it is rather than forum-chair captain about it.
So far I am seeing a whole lot o panic and not a lot of after action reports.
Um, no. You're losing 10s of +Shield Power as well. With EPtS - you're losing 10s of both.
EPtW/EPtE/EPtA - you're gaining 15s of the secondary effect and losing 10s of the +Subsystem Power.
Still an overall good change. And with luck engineers will gain a trait that extend it the extra 10 seconds :cool:
But really EPtX abilities are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that do have 100% up-time and it is quite silly. Ok scratch that the Aux2Strut & Damp do as well I thinks but still.
Sustain is too high. Resists are too high. This re balance will help change that and allow for even more specialization in builds if you so desire. It makes EPtS no longer the 'take it or your a complete idiot' ability and with luck they will change tactical team as well. If this does mean that damage is too high then it can be brought back down although let us not forget the change to go down fighting that will decrease the spike potential of a ship not at half hull.
The change to EPtS in and of itself is annoying, but taken as part of a (I hope) overall re-balance will be for the best.
Still an overall good change. And with luck engineers will gain a trait that extend it the extra 10 seconds :cool:
But really EPtX abilities are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that do have 100% up-time and it is quite silly. Ok scratch that the Aux2Strut & Damp do as well I thinks but still.
Sustain is too high. Resists are too high. This re balance will help change that and allow for even more specialization in builds if you so desire. It makes EPtS no longer the 'take it or your a complete idiot' ability and with luck they will change tactical team as well. If this does mean that damage is too high then it can be brought back down although let us not forget the change to go down fighting that will decrease the spike potential of a ship not at half hull.
The change to EPtS in and of itself is annoying, but taken as part of a (I hope) overall re-balance will be for the best.
This. In any MMO, the first sign that something isn't balanced is when absolutely everyone is doing it. If everyone is using 2x epts, it is no longer really an optional ability, is it? What probably really needs to happen is a general change to how shields work so it is no longer necessary to run it and new tactics can evolve. Changes like this in test give the devs a chance to see what works and what doesn't. Keeping everything the same just leaves things that are kinda broken, broken.
This. In any MMO, the first sign that something isn't balanced is when absolutely everyone is doing it. If everyone is using 2x epts, it is no longer really an optional ability, is it? What probably really needs to happen is a general change to how shields work so it is no longer necessary to run it and new tactics can evolve. Changes like this in test give the devs a chance to see what works and what doesn't. Keeping everything the same just leaves things that are kinda broken, broken.
Fed Eng #1: EPtS1/EPtW1 (3x DCE DOFFs)
Fed Sci: EPtS1/EPtA1 (situational and eats the 15s gap)
Fed Tac: EPtS1 (eats the 15s gap)
Fed Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
KDF Eng #1: 2x EPtS1 (tank)
KDF Sci: no EPtX
KDF Tac: EPtS1/EPtW1 (2x DCE DOFFs - well, 3x but one's an AtS)
KDF Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
For the two guys running EPtS1/EPtW1 - I'm more likely to run 2x EPtS1 now. It's not making me less likely to run 2x EPtS...it's making me more likely.
I can run 2x EPtS and eat a 10s or run the DCE DOFFs and gamble on a 10-25s gap.
The Fed Tac with a single EPtS1...well, it was one thing to eat a 15s gap - it's another to eat a 25s gap. I'll likely change ships to run 2x EPtS1 or end up with EPtS1/EPtS2.
So that's three guys that weren't running it that will be running it if the change goes live with LoR.
From 3 of 8 toons to 6 of 8 toons.
That's not counting the new Romulan characters, eh? Odds are they would have been running EPtX/EPtY or eating a 15s gap on EptS. I'm not going to eat a 25s gap or waste 2-3 DOFFs to gamble on eating a 25s gap.
The 10s gap of running 2x EPtS is better than a 25s gap of running one or gambling on 10-25s by running two different EPtX abilities....
We will be bringing the Tribble server down for maintenance to apply a new update.
General:
All Missions which reward Kits have had their options altered.
Instead of giving players a Choice of different profession Kits, they will instead be rewarded with an item that will automatically unpack into a level-appropriate, profession-specific Kit upon being received.
This prevents players from making an incorrect decision, and choosing a Kit which they cannot use.
Well this is a complete mistake. The ability to choose kits is a far better option (It's not your fault players don't actually bother READING the info first)... Most of the kits on offer are junk I don't use to begin with so I just delete them on pickup anways. Me aside tho, a better option would have simply been COLOUR CODING while leaving us with an option!!!!! Some did actually give a choice between more then one per profession. Now we just get a random grab-bag...
Red for tac, yellow for engi, blue for science, simple really...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] ***Disenchanted***
Real Join Date: Monday, 17 May 2010
Fed Eng #1: EPtS1/EPtW1 (3x DCE DOFFs)
Fed Sci: EPtS1/EPtA1 (situational and eats the 15s gap)
Fed Tac: EPtS1 (eats the 15s gap)
Fed Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
KDF Eng #1: 2x EPtS1 (tank)
KDF Sci: no EPtX
KDF Tac: EPtS1/EPtW1 (2x DCE DOFFs - well, 3x but one's an AtS)
KDF Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
For the two guys running EPtS1/EPtW1 - I'm more likely to run 2x EPtS1 now. It's not making me less likely to run 2x EPtS...it's making me more likely.
I can run 2x EPtS and eat a 10s or run the DCE DOFFs and gamble on a 10-25s gap.
The Fed Tac with a single EPtS1...well, it was one thing to eat a 15s gap - it's another to eat a 25s gap. I'll likely change ships to run 2x EPtS1 or end up with EPtS1/EPtS2.
So that's three guys that weren't running it that will be running it if the change goes live with LoR.
From 3 of 8 toons to 6 of 8 toons.
That's not counting the new Romulan characters, eh? Odds are they would have been running EPtX/EPtY or eating a 15s gap on EptS. I'm not going to eat a 25s gap or waste 2-3 DOFFs to gamble on eating a 25s gap.
The 10s gap of running 2x EPtS is better than a 25s gap of running one or gambling on 10-25s by running two different EPtX abilities....
...so if the goal was to reduce 2x EPtS - OOPS!
Thanks for illustrating my point. If you need to run 2X EPTS to be viable, something is fundamentally broken, and it's not just EPTS. The first step to finding out how broken is to go in and see if you can develop a tactic to cover that gap. If nobody can, then there probably needs to be a larger global change to how damage and/or damage reduction works.
People are constantly complaining how the only viable builds in this game are DPS builds at the end. You want to know how to change that? Stop reinforcing it by saying "the only way to win is to counter DPS with x2 EPTS" and start testing the other three changes here to see if there is another possible option. There may not be one, but before you immediately QQ because something changed, do some exploring with the options given.
Thanks for illustrating my point. If you need to run 2X EPTS to be viable, something is fundamentally broken, and it's not just EPTS. The first step to finding out how broken is to go in and see if you can develop a tactic to cover that gap. If nobody can, then there probably needs to be a larger global change to how damage and/or damage reduction works.
People are constantly complaining how the only viable builds in this game are DPS builds at the end. You want to know how to change that? Stop reinforcing it by saying "the only way to win is to counter DPS with x2 EPTS" and start testing the other three changes here to see if there is another possible option. There may not be one, but before you immediately QQ because something changed, do some exploring with the options given.
The people who QQ actually understand the game at a deep level and have played it against the best players in the most stressful environments. The people against the change have a clue.
This. In any MMO, the first sign that something isn't balanced is when absolutely everyone is doing it. If everyone is using 2x epts, it is no longer really an optional ability, is it? What probably really needs to happen is a general change to how shields work so it is no longer necessary to run it and new tactics can evolve. Changes like this in test give the devs a chance to see what works and what doesn't. Keeping everything the same just leaves things that are kinda broken, broken.
Well fundamentally altering the way shields function and the way we use them is a significant difference from creating a possibly crippling flaw in an ability that is in many ways essential.
That said realistically running Emergency Power to any subsystem should only be in the most dire circumstances. The fact that it needs to be done in order to maintain survivability, because let's make no mistake, if you want to survive in even the top PVE content, you need something constantly reinforcing your shields. I can't speak to PvP.
So I would welcome an overhaul to the shield system in general. Especially if they insist on adhering to the "holy" trinity.
I truthfully don't see what was broken here. The shield up time was something that functioned properly. Beam array power drain, now that's broken.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
I like the buff these emergency powers have gotten.
EPtW will finally be something quite useful instead of a quick 5 second burst.
EPtE might actually be worth trying out again
EPtA the extra buff to sci damage types is a nice touch
I'm not a programer but isn't it possible to have a skill (e.g., EPtS) work differently for one class of ship/captains than others?
Or, make EPtS1 last 15 seconds, EPtS2, last 20 seconds, EPtS3 last 25 seconds.
Or something to that effect.
Only then can cruisers or ships with heavier engy focus be able to have longer resist up times. nerfs non engy ships, keeps engy focused ships in good shape.
Thanks for illustrating my point. If you need to run 2X EPTS to be viable, something is fundamentally broken, and it's not just EPTS. The first step to finding out how broken is to go in and see if you can develop a tactic to cover that gap. If nobody can, then there probably needs to be a larger global change to how damage and/or damage reduction works.
Something is fundamentally broken: The difference between a ship operating with magic buffs, and a baseline ship, is too large. The amount of damage flung around in the game is similarly too large. Changing any of these in isolation can only massively worsen the situation, and changing two of these in opposite directions at the same time is a disaster. So at the same time spike damage is receiving a massive boost with EPTW, the ability to resist that damage is being flushed into the terlet. This change basically destroys any "always there" targets like cruisers, which were already in poor shape to begin with.
Thanks for illustrating my point. If you need to run 2X EPTS to be viable, something is fundamentally broken, and it's not just EPTS. The first step to finding out how broken is to go in and see if you can develop a tactic to cover that gap. If nobody can, then there probably needs to be a larger global change to how damage and/or damage reduction works.
People are constantly complaining how the only viable builds in this game are DPS builds at the end. You want to know how to change that? Stop reinforcing it by saying "the only way to win is to counter DPS with x2 EPTS" and start testing the other three changes here to see if there is another possible option. There may not be one, but before you immediately QQ because something changed, do some exploring with the options given.
How did you completely miss the part where I'm looking at going from 3 of 8 to 6 of 8 folks running 2x EPtS? That the new toons I was planning on rolling without it - will now likely be looking at it? I didn't illustrate your point. I pointed out how if this change goes live, then Cryptic is illustrating your point. 2x EPtS will be more required than before - will be the more logical choice...with the change.
A crippiling bit of logic is that emergency power on a ship actually means extra power since its when power from non-essential systems is routed to the system in question to help in battle. Its essentially another way to allocate subsystem power in an actual starship, so the name does not need changing.
Any power that is standard on all ships (such as emergency power to shields) should be just removed and then should be a flat bonus given to all ships, maybe tweaked to the particular ship type to balance things. Tactical team is questionable to be removed since it defends against alpha strikes, also distrubute shields and hanger deployment. All those functions I have on a keybind that I continually press in combat, I require no timing whatsover and the only thing that it accoplishes is a sore finger for me lol.
Edit: Not to mention an unfair advantage for inexperienced players, esp. since it is the only keybind I have, I like to keep the others free due to tactical reasons and keybinding weapons is a very very bad idea (it stuffs up the weapon cooldown and collides with other keybinds therefore actually disadvantages you).
as a KDF pvp player that fought in hundreds of pvp matches with a B'rel Refit i know that by buffing EPtW, it would make tactical ships like Escorts, BoP, Raptors, etc. much slightly more dealdy than they already is, and nerfing EPtS would no doubt make all playable ships venerable, but it will hit harder on Cruisers and especial Carriers which lives and die by that ability since those types of ships don't have the capability to out-run or out-turn its Escort or the more faster Science ship counter parts. so i suggest to Cryptic to reconsider unless u guys have plan new defensive space traits on engineers for EPtS or Cruisers to have an ability to use emergency powers similar to target subsystems like they have on Sci ships which some1 have mention in their post earlier.
How did you completely miss the part where I'm looking at going from 3 of 8 to 6 of 8 folks running 2x EPtS? That the new toons I was planning on rolling without it - will now likely be looking at it? I didn't illustrate your point. I pointed out how if this change goes live, then Cryptic is illustrating your point. 2x EPtS will be more required than before - will be the more logical choice...with the change.
All I am seeing is a bunch of other people who seem to get what I am saying, and you coming up with excuses as to why it needs to stay the same by defending how broken it really is. Yes, something is broken. Yes, this will not fix it. But going back to the old way, where you MUST use two ENG powers constantly is illustrating my point - if EVERYONE must use at least one slot for emergency power to the shields constantly, its no longer really emergency power to shields anymore, it's just power to shields, isn't it? If that much more shields is actually NEEDED to play the game, then we need to address why that is, not just ignore the problem and keep going.
I really like the idea a couple posts above mine, let it last longer for higher levels of the ability. That makes Engineers in cruisers with their shield boosts better able to counter Tacs with their damage boosts, while giving them a window to take down Tacs in escorts when their shields are cycling even though they have less firepower. It will take some doing to balance it all out, but it seems sensible.
So with this EPTS adjustment, my eng-captained-tank with Threat Control this and +Threat Console that, what am I supposed to do with it now? The whole point of the thing is to be impossible to kill so my teammates can go to town on whatever is wasting its fire on me, except now 1/3rd of the time I'm going to have to be worrying about my own survival instead of helping my team. I understand reducing defense of escorts, but this pretty significantly nerfs the single biggest strength cruisers have, the ability to simply not care about being shot at. Why not take dual cannons off of escorts while you're at it?
All I am seeing is a bunch of other people who seem to get what I am saying, and you coming up with excuses as to why it needs to stay the same by defending how broken it really is. Yes, something is broken. Yes, this will not fix it. But going back to the old way, where you MUST use two ENG powers constantly is illustrating my point - if EVERYONE must use at least one slot for emergency power to the shields constantly, its no longer really emergency power to shields anymore, it's just power to shields, isn't it? If that much more shields is actually NEEDED to play the game, then we need to address why that is, not just ignore the problem and keep going.
I really like the idea a couple posts above mine, let it last longer for higher levels of the ability. That makes Engineers in cruisers with their shield boosts better able to counter Tacs with their damage boosts, while giving them a window to take down Tacs in escorts when their shields are cycling even though they have less firepower. It will take some doing to balance it all out, but it seems sensible.
The bolded is the most important part.
No one here is denying that the double power to shields is necessary. But the fact of the matter is that the fact that it's necessary is in itself a symptom of imbalance.
A longer duration based on the rank of the buff is a reasonable solution.
It isn't a bad idea to make this innate. If they're not willing to alter how shields are employed, then perhaps it's time engineering ships got innate emergency/reserve/auxiliary power abilities just as Science ships have innate subsystem targeting (Which is really something every ship should have, I mean it's a standard tactic across Star Trek, from the Federation and Klingons, to the Hirogen "Gunner target Engine Only...Understood?") But if Science vessels have superior sensors and can thus target subsystems, then Cruiser with their larger warp cores should have innate energy bonuses.
I'm still curious about that extra something that Hawk alluded to earlier.
"Rise like Lions after slumber, In unvanquishable number, Shake your chains to earth like dew, Which in sleep had fallen on you-Ye are many they are few"
Not liking the nerf. It will make ALL ships less tanky. Why was this necessary?
^^Second that.......
Seriously you are gona break every build i have with this nerf on EPT-S. Granted EPT-E/W/A needed a buff tho i dont think ept-a need that big of one.....return of the gravwell spam an TBR bleed builds not gona say i told you so but this is gona get raged at an then you will nerf (EPT-A) it again.......
"But it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flyin' is? Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home."
the Eptx Change Is Nice. Lets See What My Bop With Bo3 + Eptwii + Tac Buffs + Thy Does To Ships With 10 Sec Time In Gap In Their Defense :cool:
Please Change Tac Team To Have A 10 Sec Gap, Too :d
You Leave Tac Team Alone Get Your Drity Build Breaking Mits Off It
"But it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flyin' is? Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home."
Comments
Well, seeing as how Damage Control Engineers operate on a chance based system, it really isn't reliable enough if at all.
I'll figure out a way to adjust, but this really hurts Tank builds overall.
Correct.
The Gap will be 20s and there is no method that will let you circumvent that.
Stupid ... stupid ... stupid.
Any balanced team will shred any PuG team in arena now, even worse than as it currently stands.
I don't seem to be the only one here who doesn't like them.
After seeing so many feedback topics concerning cruisers I was hoping that they might actually do something about it... Now we're looking at a nerf of the most important advantage cruisers have - the ability to have 2 types of EP2x with 99% uptime... Is it so hard to grasp that nerfing a skill (in this case EP2S) used by everyone means that the most underpowered ships get hurt the most? Unless, of course, there's a plan to make up for the loss...
I keep hearing everyone complaining about the whopping 10 second gap that they will take 18% more damage to their shield and the claims it will make every ship insta explode. I have to disagree for a few reasons.
1) You will still have the built in resistance of the shield and the resistance from shield power itself. Meaning you should still be near 40%-50% shield resistance without the extra boost from EPtS secondary effect. Quite frankly if that 18% lost means you explode then you were already so close to that point it really would have made little difference.
2) It may become advantageous to have extra back up defense and use it (TSS, RSP, support, APO, EM, etc etc) instead of them simply being over-kill.
3) Subnuke, part of a proper PvP alpha strike from my understanding, strips the EPtS buff anyway.
I'm not exaggerating at all when I say this is the part of LoM I am personally now most looking forward to.
Um, no. You're losing 10s of +Shield Power as well. With EPtS - you're losing 10s of both.
EPtW/EPtE/EPtA - you're gaining 15s of the secondary effect and losing 10s of the +Subsystem Power.
You're NERFING Crusiers, which currently need a BUFF to remain competitive...
Sometimes I wonder whether the devs think these changes though or not...
I am going to go with anything is possible. However, the chances go WAY up if people actually go in and test it and show how broken it is rather than forum-chair captain about it.
So far I am seeing a whole lot o panic and not a lot of after action reports.
Still an overall good change. And with luck engineers will gain a trait that extend it the extra 10 seconds :cool:
But really EPtX abilities are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that do have 100% up-time and it is quite silly. Ok scratch that the Aux2Strut & Damp do as well I thinks but still.
Sustain is too high. Resists are too high. This re balance will help change that and allow for even more specialization in builds if you so desire. It makes EPtS no longer the 'take it or your a complete idiot' ability and with luck they will change tactical team as well. If this does mean that damage is too high then it can be brought back down although let us not forget the change to go down fighting that will decrease the spike potential of a ship not at half hull.
The change to EPtS in and of itself is annoying, but taken as part of a (I hope) overall re-balance will be for the best.
This. In any MMO, the first sign that something isn't balanced is when absolutely everyone is doing it. If everyone is using 2x epts, it is no longer really an optional ability, is it? What probably really needs to happen is a general change to how shields work so it is no longer necessary to run it and new tactics can evolve. Changes like this in test give the devs a chance to see what works and what doesn't. Keeping everything the same just leaves things that are kinda broken, broken.
Isn't one of the points that a subnuke may not be necessary because of this 10 second gap?
Fed Eng #1: EPtS1/EPtW1 (3x DCE DOFFs)
Fed Sci: EPtS1/EPtA1 (situational and eats the 15s gap)
Fed Tac: EPtS1 (eats the 15s gap)
Fed Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
KDF Eng #1: 2x EPtS1 (tank)
KDF Sci: no EPtX
KDF Tac: EPtS1/EPtW1 (2x DCE DOFFs - well, 3x but one's an AtS)
KDF Eng #2: 2x EPtS1 (healer)
For the two guys running EPtS1/EPtW1 - I'm more likely to run 2x EPtS1 now. It's not making me less likely to run 2x EPtS...it's making me more likely.
I can run 2x EPtS and eat a 10s or run the DCE DOFFs and gamble on a 10-25s gap.
The Fed Tac with a single EPtS1...well, it was one thing to eat a 15s gap - it's another to eat a 25s gap. I'll likely change ships to run 2x EPtS1 or end up with EPtS1/EPtS2.
So that's three guys that weren't running it that will be running it if the change goes live with LoR.
From 3 of 8 toons to 6 of 8 toons.
That's not counting the new Romulan characters, eh? Odds are they would have been running EPtX/EPtY or eating a 15s gap on EptS. I'm not going to eat a 25s gap or waste 2-3 DOFFs to gamble on eating a 25s gap.
The 10s gap of running 2x EPtS is better than a 25s gap of running one or gambling on 10-25s by running two different EPtX abilities....
...so if the goal was to reduce 2x EPtS - OOPS!
Well this is a complete mistake. The ability to choose kits is a far better option (It's not your fault players don't actually bother READING the info first)... Most of the kits on offer are junk I don't use to begin with so I just delete them on pickup anways. Me aside tho, a better option would have simply been COLOUR CODING while leaving us with an option!!!!! Some did actually give a choice between more then one per profession. Now we just get a random grab-bag...
Red for tac, yellow for engi, blue for science, simple really...
***Disenchanted***
Real Join Date: Monday, 17 May 2010
Thanks for illustrating my point. If you need to run 2X EPTS to be viable, something is fundamentally broken, and it's not just EPTS. The first step to finding out how broken is to go in and see if you can develop a tactic to cover that gap. If nobody can, then there probably needs to be a larger global change to how damage and/or damage reduction works.
People are constantly complaining how the only viable builds in this game are DPS builds at the end. You want to know how to change that? Stop reinforcing it by saying "the only way to win is to counter DPS with x2 EPTS" and start testing the other three changes here to see if there is another possible option. There may not be one, but before you immediately QQ because something changed, do some exploring with the options given.
The people who QQ actually understand the game at a deep level and have played it against the best players in the most stressful environments. The people against the change have a clue.
Well fundamentally altering the way shields function and the way we use them is a significant difference from creating a possibly crippling flaw in an ability that is in many ways essential.
That said realistically running Emergency Power to any subsystem should only be in the most dire circumstances. The fact that it needs to be done in order to maintain survivability, because let's make no mistake, if you want to survive in even the top PVE content, you need something constantly reinforcing your shields. I can't speak to PvP.
So I would welcome an overhaul to the shield system in general. Especially if they insist on adhering to the "holy" trinity.
I truthfully don't see what was broken here. The shield up time was something that functioned properly. Beam array power drain, now that's broken.
EPtW will finally be something quite useful instead of a quick 5 second burst.
EPtE might actually be worth trying out again
EPtA the extra buff to sci damage types is a nice touch
Or, make EPtS1 last 15 seconds, EPtS2, last 20 seconds, EPtS3 last 25 seconds.
Or something to that effect.
Only then can cruisers or ships with heavier engy focus be able to have longer resist up times. nerfs non engy ships, keeps engy focused ships in good shape.
How did you completely miss the part where I'm looking at going from 3 of 8 to 6 of 8 folks running 2x EPtS? That the new toons I was planning on rolling without it - will now likely be looking at it? I didn't illustrate your point. I pointed out how if this change goes live, then Cryptic is illustrating your point. 2x EPtS will be more required than before - will be the more logical choice...with the change.
Any power that is standard on all ships (such as emergency power to shields) should be just removed and then should be a flat bonus given to all ships, maybe tweaked to the particular ship type to balance things. Tactical team is questionable to be removed since it defends against alpha strikes, also distrubute shields and hanger deployment. All those functions I have on a keybind that I continually press in combat, I require no timing whatsover and the only thing that it accoplishes is a sore finger for me lol.
Edit: Not to mention an unfair advantage for inexperienced players, esp. since it is the only keybind I have, I like to keep the others free due to tactical reasons and keybinding weapons is a very very bad idea (it stuffs up the weapon cooldown and collides with other keybinds therefore actually disadvantages you).
- Yanin Vimitananda, I.K.S. Shenyang -
All I am seeing is a bunch of other people who seem to get what I am saying, and you coming up with excuses as to why it needs to stay the same by defending how broken it really is. Yes, something is broken. Yes, this will not fix it. But going back to the old way, where you MUST use two ENG powers constantly is illustrating my point - if EVERYONE must use at least one slot for emergency power to the shields constantly, its no longer really emergency power to shields anymore, it's just power to shields, isn't it? If that much more shields is actually NEEDED to play the game, then we need to address why that is, not just ignore the problem and keep going.
I really like the idea a couple posts above mine, let it last longer for higher levels of the ability. That makes Engineers in cruisers with their shield boosts better able to counter Tacs with their damage boosts, while giving them a window to take down Tacs in escorts when their shields are cycling even though they have less firepower. It will take some doing to balance it all out, but it seems sensible.
The bolded is the most important part.
No one here is denying that the double power to shields is necessary. But the fact of the matter is that the fact that it's necessary is in itself a symptom of imbalance.
A longer duration based on the rank of the buff is a reasonable solution.
It isn't a bad idea to make this innate. If they're not willing to alter how shields are employed, then perhaps it's time engineering ships got innate emergency/reserve/auxiliary power abilities just as Science ships have innate subsystem targeting (Which is really something every ship should have, I mean it's a standard tactic across Star Trek, from the Federation and Klingons, to the Hirogen "Gunner target Engine Only...Understood?") But if Science vessels have superior sensors and can thus target subsystems, then Cruiser with their larger warp cores should have innate energy bonuses.
I'm still curious about that extra something that Hawk alluded to earlier.
^^Second that.......
Seriously you are gona break every build i have with this nerf on EPT-S. Granted EPT-E/W/A needed a buff tho i dont think ept-a need that big of one.....return of the gravwell spam an TBR bleed builds not gona say i told you so but this is gona get raged at an then you will nerf (EPT-A) it again.......
Please change tac team to have a 10 sec gap, too
You Leave Tac Team Alone Get Your Drity Build Breaking Mits Off It