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ussultimatum
Member Posts: 0 Arc User
For the most part, I think the changes to the trait system on the whole are a positive direction.
Things that are positive:
However, with all good things, there are some negatives.
Many players, including myself, were relegated to making aliens to fit our needs in the old system due to the many restrictions and poorly balanced racial traits.
My concern is now, that the benefits of being alien in the new system are severely diminished.
Standard races now get nearly all of the trait advantages of an alien, with much wider access to traits than previously (a former Alien advantage) ,as well as getting a single megatrait for their race that is easily worth several lesser traits on its own.
Recreating a character, or worse several, is not really a realistic option in a game with dilithium bound gear, single character unlocks like lockbox ships, fleet gear, rep gear, rep unlocks, fleet ships, etc.
So in order to at least keep the playing field even, here are some possible compromises:
1) Aliens can select 1 trait from the standard race pool of new megatraits. This would be particularly welcome for players who created "fake" Vulcans, or Andorians or who wanted to create hybrids. (I prefer this idea, personally)
or
2) Aliens receive 1 bonus trait selection. That is to say, 1 extra trait total to balance vs. the single mega-traits that have multi-trait value.
Things that are positive:
- More freedom of choice, and more choices for standard races (finally!)
- Better overall traits.
- More traits per character (yes there is mudflation, but honestly I like more traits).
- Previously impossible combinations such as an Elusive Liberated Borg are now possible.
However, with all good things, there are some negatives.
Many players, including myself, were relegated to making aliens to fit our needs in the old system due to the many restrictions and poorly balanced racial traits.
My concern is now, that the benefits of being alien in the new system are severely diminished.
Standard races now get nearly all of the trait advantages of an alien, with much wider access to traits than previously (a former Alien advantage) ,as well as getting a single megatrait for their race that is easily worth several lesser traits on its own.
Recreating a character, or worse several, is not really a realistic option in a game with dilithium bound gear, single character unlocks like lockbox ships, fleet gear, rep gear, rep unlocks, fleet ships, etc.
So in order to at least keep the playing field even, here are some possible compromises:
1) Aliens can select 1 trait from the standard race pool of new megatraits. This would be particularly welcome for players who created "fake" Vulcans, or Andorians or who wanted to create hybrids. (I prefer this idea, personally)
or
2) Aliens receive 1 bonus trait selection. That is to say, 1 extra trait total to balance vs. the single mega-traits that have multi-trait value.
Post edited by ussultimatum on
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Well, maybe it's in the cards. Maybe it isn't.
I'd rather focus on a solution that is possible now and fairly minor in the greater scheme of things.
It was a stupid idea overall to assign different fixed traits to different species, it significantly drops the freedom of choice if you want to aim more at a Ground PVE toon or a PvP Space toon.
It has always been a bad idea.
Obviously that would require some flavor text re-writes, but I don't see it taking all that long.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
Prior to Legacy of Romulus, aliens had a lot of advantages in the trait department. I would welcome the ability to have re-species tokens implemented, but don't think we need to buff back Aliens to being arguably the best race.
My STOwiki page | Reachable in-game @PhyrexianHero
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Agreed. Let's not forget Na'vis and ridiculously small characters. :rolleyes:
God, lvl 60 CW. 17k.
Why not Zoidberg?
I recommend Leaving the head under "head type" maybe this can just be the pre-set shape of the head without the reman skin/texture overlay. and then leave the "Base Complexion" field in when that head is selected. as it stands right now selecting a reman head for your alien removes the base complexion field, as well as forehead detail and nose detail.
Another possibility too is to leave the reman head type as is, and enable the complexion and detail fields, this would allow for the appearance of reman hybrids and or new alien races that somewhat resemble the reman skin texture/tone
I'd rather they just give me free zen (about 2500 of it) instead of a re-race/re-species/re-gender/re-class-choice token. Free zen can help me rechoose the ship I'm flying based on the traits I select. That's more impact.
What was the exploit you feel aliens were allowing people to do?
What exploit?
Aliens are currently the least changed in design, in fact they function almost exactly as they did - except they now have 9 traits due to the overhaul.
So whatever you are imagining was "an exploit", is exactly that - your imagination.
Head Type
Under Tattoo, Scars, Etc. I do see a Romulan tattoo choice. However, upon selecting Reman or Romulan 1 and 2 this tattoo vanishes from the sorted list. I imagine this will be added? As both specific species might partake in the mourning associated with the tattoo.
Forehead Detail offers:
Hair, I noted that all female hairstyles are available to the Reman Female head type. For original aliens, the hairstyles clip badly. Short being the only exception. I'm not sure if any are intended to be available at all.
Anyone that says otherwise is either not very smart, or hasn't played Star Trek Online.
But it's really a broader issue of space traits being messed up in general, than anything players should be singled out or punished for. There need to be more space traits available in general, across the board. And accurate and elusive are crazy OP currently to the point that anyone not using them is voluntarily choosing to make the game harder.
I actually think with the # of traits each character has getting opened up, it's much less of an issue now. Aliens should probably get an extra trait slot to make up for not having a racial trait, but otherwise it's mostly a dead issue now anyway.
"We are smart." - Grebnedlog
Member of Alliance Central Command/boq botlhra'ghom
It is an advantage in space combat, to be sure, but it is certainly no 'exploit'.
Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what 'exploit' means in the context of MMOs.
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More imagination.
In the new system you can now take every single space trait that exists including your career trait.
At least the female Reman head is a new headform (that is incompatible with most hair options), it's not just another texture.
Sometimes, if you want to bury the hatchet with a Klingon, it has to be in his skull. - Captain K'Tar of the USS Danu about J'mpok.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Species_and_cultures
I'm not going to bother counting all the various canon species listed. If you want to do that...knock yourself out.
Almost every episode from each series...each of the movies...there were countless species encountered.
Do people abuse the system? Yes, of course they do - but the ability for players to go through and create one of the countless canon species they want outweighs that in my humble opinion.
Also, it is in the very spirit of Star Trek - that exploration is still taking place - and thus even more aliens will be encountered.
...just saying.
So wait, that's an exploit like picking a Tac Captain and piloting an Escort, eh?
...just saying.
Im pretty sure the OP had the discussion of Traits in mind, and not some facial expression or w.e.
Please stay on topic.
Reread his post: He specifically clarifies that he's talking about the HOLODECK iteration of traits--NOT the redesign on Tribble.
It was not an exploit but major game balancing faults from the game designers.
For space but als ground, if you want to be competetive in PvP, you have to have traits like accurate, elusive, warp theorist and so on. It is not the player's fault, that some traits are just much superior to others.
My "Alien" in fact looks like an Klingon, because Klingons can not select elusive as space trait, so I had to choose an Alien. However, I rather would like to pick Klingon as race, but was - from the point of game design - not allowed to.