One of the things I have heard before that the devs keep saying they don't like about episode missions is they don't get enough replay.. which isn't an unfair statement, because they usually don't. BUT that is because there is no reason to even play them at all past 50, aside from a few titles or unique set pieces, most of the rewards are useless junk, some of them not even worthy vendor trash!
But all this has been stated and discussed ad nauseum a time or two so I would like to offer a hopefully reasonable suggestion for an alternative. On replays, after your character is 50, and with the appropriate bonuses during marks events there needs to an option to take a choice of any of the currently 4 marks package. Maybe 50sih, doesn't have to be a vast amount. As A Note for clarification since I rambled a little:
I mean the option to chose, basically make a marks box another choice on the list at the end.
And for the second person who will probably post in the thread who will say, "but this is an MMO not a single player game" make the adjustment of either a decreasing bonus for every person in the team past 1 or a req. to have 2 or more in the team to get the choice.
Since almost the only thing the sideways advancement endgame of STO revolves around is marks of course anything that does not give them is going to be ignored like pennies in a stack of 100 dollar bills. Leveling needs to slow down, so more of these episodes get played per character, put the marks box in for characters above 50 on replays, and boom, Cryptic you will get your bang for your buck on those featured episodes no one touches!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
I wouldn't complain about more ways to get marks, but the amount would have to be fairly low so it wouldn't make current mark events irrelevant (you get 20/25 Omega for ISN, so it would have to be less than that).
As an aside, I love how we can choose a lockbox as a reward for a replay, though. :rolleyes:
I'd be happy with a Rep vendor/Doff assignment we can sell rare+ loot drops to and for every X amount of EC we "earn" with them we get a mark of our choice. Think of it as sending needed gear to the front. Maybe even attach an accolade and title to it. Salvage Master, or something like that.
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I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big immersion roleplayer (well, beyond wanting my shipboard crew to at least wear a similar uniform to my captain and BOffs...) but...
It stretches the mind why or how some of the 'Task Forces' would have any interest in some of the storyline missions. What would the anti-Borg Omega Force, the anti-Tholian Nukara TF or the New Romulans care about, say, a Federation captain finding B'Vat's weapons lab or a Klingon captain launching a raid on Mars?
One of the key things Cryptic has tried to keep with the Marks is that they're earned in some way connected to their respective 'factions' - fighting the Borg, fighting Tholians, securing New Romulus and the Tau Dewa Block... Giving them out just for replaying missions wouldn't just break that guideline, it would shatter it.
And, as rahmkota mentioned, what if you want the loot? There's some items - Nanoenergy Cell Recipes come to mind - that can ONLY be gotten by replaying missions, what would happen with things like that?
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." -- Q, TNG: "Q-Who?"
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
I wonder how many player replay the episodes when they start new characters? I am new here but I know I plan to play through all the episodes when I start my second character even if they are the same race as my first one rather than try to grind up to level 50. So far the Episode missions have been some of the most fun missions, they just don't scale with level.
Option for Choice marks as a reward for playing episodes after level 50. I like the idea.
A little incentive to replay them.
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
What about giving us the options? Either marks, or equipment? Would please everyone.
I did say the option to chose, basically make a marks box another choice on the list at the end was what I was trying to get at, guess I over complicated my explanation again. I have a bad habit of that at times.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
I would love this. Cryptic also touted Dilithium being awarded by playing story missions, but it never came about.
Marks could be a good alternative.
Yeah, I remember some dev, probably dstahl, said this some time ago before LoR launched.
I always wondered why we got no dil to speak of before hitting end game. Getting some dil as rewards while leveling would get you better gear from the dil store, wich would help.
Also, on the old ESD there was a room over the shipyard where you got different type of gear, including green (uncommon) stuff. I know the dil store replaced this room, but I would still like to have some uncommon stuff in the dil store, not just Mk II stuff, but all the way to end game. More choice is a good thing, and the uncommon stuff would be more affordable than the rare gear...
Back on topic: Some marks would be very well received imo, that way we could have some marks so it feels less grindy when we hit endgame. Yes, I do replay some missions when leveling, since some of them are well made, like the time travel ones fed side, with the Guardian...
no one will play story missions for loot/whatever when you can do ISE/CSE/KASE and get 2000-4000 dil in 7-10min.
there is no point.
its also kinda funny, since story missions aren't fast, they should give much better rewards than they currently do atm.
and the one case of a (very)slightly decent reward, they go and remove it(the neutronium MK XI rare you used to be able to get from the last undine mission).
no one will play story missions for loot/whatever when you can do ISE/CSE/KASE and get 2000-4000 dil in 7-10min.
there is no point.
its also kinda funny, since story missions aren't fast, they should give much better rewards than they currently do atm.
and the one case of a (very)slightly decent reward, they go and remove it(the neutronium MK XI rare you used to be able to get from the last undine mission).
There is only so many times you can do an STF, but yeah you're right about them removing things that make them worth doing, the Borg console, the Neutronium, so on.
They go through all the trouble of generating the content, But then give sub par rewards in too many of them, and then get mad when they are ignored. *shrugs* I don't understand!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
There is only so many times you can do an STF, but yeah you're right about them removing things that make them worth doing, the Borg console, the Neutronium, so on.
They go through all the trouble of generating the content, But then give sub par rewards in too many of them, and then get mad when they are ignored. *shrugs* I don't understand!
I have to revise my early statement. I just go through the mission were you are *spoiler* being brain washed by the Romulans *spoiler* that is the first mission which I never want to replay.
I would definitely replay others though such as mission on the borg cube.
Yeah, I remember some dev, probably dstahl, said this some time ago before LoR launched.
I always wondered why we got no dil to speak of before hitting end game. Getting some dil as rewards while leveling would get you better gear from the dil store, wich would help.
Also, on the old ESD there was a room over the shipyard where you got different type of gear, including green (uncommon) stuff. I know the dil store replaced this room, but I would still like to have some uncommon stuff in the dil store, not just Mk II stuff, but all the way to end game. More choice is a good thing, and the uncommon stuff would be more affordable than the rare gear...
Back on topic: Some marks would be very well received imo, that way we could have some marks so it feels less grindy when we hit endgame. Yes, I do replay some missions when leveling, since some of them are well made, like the time travel ones fed side, with the Guardian...
I remember when Cryptic were trying to sell us the idea behind Dilithium. It was to be a "time" based currency To replace all others, and everything you did in game awarded you with some of it.
Well it is sort of a time based currency since your minions typically bring a small chuck back from their missions. If there was an phone application to let you keep managing your crew I'm sure it would end up translating into how long you spend on your phone. I know I'd end up check it whenever I had to wait around for a minute or two.
We will start with these episode arcs for example.. the last two in the list, the highest level and what one would think should give gear to get a player moving into endgame content.
(changed the blue loot to make it easier to read)
Borg Collective:
"Collateral Damage" [Hyper-Impulse Engines Mk XI [Spd]]
[Combat Impulse Engines Mk XI [Spd]]
"Asset Recovery" [Energy Dampening Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Polyalloy Weave Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Recoil Compensating Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Integrated Targeting Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Energy Harness Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Physical Augmentation Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
"State of Q" [Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap]x2]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Ap] [Cap]]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap] [Rev]]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap] [Reg]]
Trash, top to bottom trash, not even vendor trash worthy.
Except the Cap 2 Personal Shield, can't go wrong with one of those.
Undine Advance (all blue here, a step in the right direction)
"Assimilation" [Positron Deflector Array Mk XI [InC] [Em]]
[Tachyon Deflector Array Mk XI [SIF] [SubD]]
[Graviton Deflector Array Mk XI [InC] [Em]]
"The Return" [Integrated Targeting Armor Mk XI [HP] [Pha]]
[Recoil Compensating Armor Mk XI [HPP] [Pla]]
[Polyalloy Weave Armor Mk XI [Pha] [Tet]]
[Energy Dampening Armor Mk XI [Ap] [PolAp]]
"Fluid Dynamics" [Antiproton Sniper Rifle Mk XI [CrtH]x2]
[Antiproton Blast Assault Mk XI [CritD] [KB3]]
[Antiproton Pulsewave Assault Mk XI [Dmg]x2]
[Antiproton High Density Beam Rifle Mk XI [CritD] [DoT3]]
"A Light in the Dark" [Console - Tactical - Prefire Chamber Mk X]
[Console - Science - Multi-Spectro Scanner Mk X]
[Console - Engineering - Neutronium Alloy Mk X] If it is even still there?
A few better choices, decent guns in F.D. Maybe when they give ground equipment in episodes they should give enough to outfit your whole party? Say one blue gun and 4 similar greens for Boffs. The deflectors in Assimilation are ok. I guess the neut. armor has been removed from Light in the Dark from what was said here earlier so that's all trash in that episode.
Also bear in mind this topic was wrote for replays past 50, not initial runs of these episodes. granted leveling is so fast now your 50 before you get 1/3rd of the way though the list so they are quickly becoming one in the same. Either way adding in the option for a 45-50 mark choice box on the loot list at the end would go leaps and bounds toward getting the content used again far more regularly.
And on a side note, the "Borg Collective" episode should be Mandatory before starting STF's to train players at least a little bit on how to handle Borg on the ground and space and the loot rewards at the end should reflect that and give ship and ground equipment to start people in their way in said STFS. That would have been a perfect place to add Borg effects on weapons, and maybe some defense abilities to lessen the damage from cutting beams perhaps, just an idea off the top of my head.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
We will start with these episode arcs for example.. the last two in the list, the highest level and what one would think should give gear to get a player moving into endgame content.
(changed the blue loot to make it easier to read)
[snip]
Also bear in mind this topic was wrote for replays past 50, not initial runs of these episodes. granted leveling is so fast now your 50 before you get 1/3rd of the way though the list so they are quickly becoming one in the same. Either way adding in the option for a 45-50 mark choice box on the loot list at the end would go leaps and bounds toward getting the content used again far more regularly.
And on a side note, the "Borg Collective" episode should be Mandatory before starting STF's to train players at least a little bit on how to handle Borg on the ground and space and the loot rewards at the end should reflect that and give ship and ground equipment to start people in their way in said STFS. That would have been a perfect place to add Borg effects on weapons, and maybe some defense abilities to lessen the damage from cutting beams perhaps, just an idea off the top of my head.
Kinda what I thought you'd say. Your definition of sub-par seems to be anything that isn't mk11 blue or better. It's very rare for missions to give anything even remotely close to top end gear. SOME do, but that's an exception and not the rule.
Kinda what I thought you'd say. Your definition of sub-par seems to be anything that isn't mk11 blue or better. It's very rare for missions to give anything even remotely close to top end gear. SOME do, but that's an exception and not the rule.
To be fair Mk XI blue engines shields and deflectors are what.. 70k EC at best. But all that is a tangent from the main issue! The main issue is quite simply rewards that are useful at end game, for the end game Cryptic has installed. Which is based on your personal reps and Fleet Starbase projects. Vis a vis the acquiring and spending of (Insert type of) Marks, Dil, Exp, and to a lesser extent, EC and common Doffs. Of these items we must grind story missions give: (assuming these are at level 50 again)
Exp. Less than one personal projects worth.. most of the time..
EC. About 50% of the mission rewards would net you threeish Self Sealing Stembolts* worth of EC. Space set pieces get you about 200k. Regular blue Engines, Deflectors and Shields, about 60k. Enough for a few stacks of commodities or doffs. And then no other options on the before mentioned list.
So back on the original track!
If they want more people playing the missions, I know I do! I want them to feel they have reasons to make more, and are happy to do them! They need more choices of rewards in-line with their endgame philosophy. Especially since we out level the missions before we even scratch them now.
Dil, Marks, whatever, the rewards need to be more in-line with the end game grind.
*or other similar high end common commodities
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
Comments
As an aside, I love how we can choose a lockbox as a reward for a replay, though. :rolleyes:
I'd be happy with a Rep vendor/Doff assignment we can sell rare+ loot drops to and for every X amount of EC we "earn" with them we get a mark of our choice. Think of it as sending needed gear to the front. Maybe even attach an accolade and title to it. Salvage Master, or something like that.
What if someday I decide I want to fit a ship with Retrofit Phasers? Or Dominion Polaron? I would replay the specific epi- ow wait, marks.
Let marks be what they are now. We don't need them in missions.
Now if mission rewards are scaled up, say make Retrofit Phasers something useful, that might actually help.
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It stretches the mind why or how some of the 'Task Forces' would have any interest in some of the storyline missions. What would the anti-Borg Omega Force, the anti-Tholian Nukara TF or the New Romulans care about, say, a Federation captain finding B'Vat's weapons lab or a Klingon captain launching a raid on Mars?
One of the key things Cryptic has tried to keep with the Marks is that they're earned in some way connected to their respective 'factions' - fighting the Borg, fighting Tholians, securing New Romulus and the Tau Dewa Block... Giving them out just for replaying missions wouldn't just break that guideline, it would shatter it.
And, as rahmkota mentioned, what if you want the loot? There's some items - Nanoenergy Cell Recipes come to mind - that can ONLY be gotten by replaying missions, what would happen with things like that?
^Words that every player should keep in mind, especially whenever there's a problem with the game...
IE, on Mission Replay you can get:
the regular Mission rewards (scaled up to your level)
OR
a Lockbox
OR
a Mark Package containing an amount of Marks of your choice BASED ON THE MISSION"S AVERAGE COMPLETION TIME
My character Tsin'xing
Marks could be a good alternative.
A little incentive to replay them.
I did say the option to chose, basically make a marks box another choice on the list at the end was what I was trying to get at, guess I over complicated my explanation again. I have a bad habit of that at times.
A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
Yeah, I remember some dev, probably dstahl, said this some time ago before LoR launched.
I always wondered why we got no dil to speak of before hitting end game. Getting some dil as rewards while leveling would get you better gear from the dil store, wich would help.
Also, on the old ESD there was a room over the shipyard where you got different type of gear, including green (uncommon) stuff. I know the dil store replaced this room, but I would still like to have some uncommon stuff in the dil store, not just Mk II stuff, but all the way to end game. More choice is a good thing, and the uncommon stuff would be more affordable than the rare gear...
Back on topic: Some marks would be very well received imo, that way we could have some marks so it feels less grindy when we hit endgame. Yes, I do replay some missions when leveling, since some of them are well made, like the time travel ones fed side, with the Guardian...
there is no point.
its also kinda funny, since story missions aren't fast, they should give much better rewards than they currently do atm.
and the one case of a (very)slightly decent reward, they go and remove it(the neutronium MK XI rare you used to be able to get from the last undine mission).
There is only so many times you can do an STF, but yeah you're right about them removing things that make them worth doing, the Borg console, the Neutronium, so on.
They go through all the trouble of generating the content, But then give sub par rewards in too many of them, and then get mad when they are ignored. *shrugs* I don't understand!
A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
My character Tsin'xing
I would definitely replay others though such as mission on the borg cube.
I remember when Cryptic were trying to sell us the idea behind Dilithium. It was to be a "time" based currency To replace all others, and everything you did in game awarded you with some of it.
We all know how that went lol :rolleyes:
Let's see..
We will start with these episode arcs for example.. the last two in the list, the highest level and what one would think should give gear to get a player moving into endgame content.
(changed the blue loot to make it easier to read)
Borg Collective:
"Collateral Damage"
[Hyper-Impulse Engines Mk XI [Spd]]
[Combat Impulse Engines Mk XI [Spd]]
"Asset Recovery"
[Energy Dampening Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Polyalloy Weave Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Recoil Compensating Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Integrated Targeting Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Energy Harness Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
[Physical Augmentation Armor Mk XI [Ap]]
"State of Q"
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap]x2]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Ap] [Cap]]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap] [Rev]]
[Personal Shield Mk XI [Cap] [Reg]]
Trash, top to bottom trash, not even vendor trash worthy.
Except the Cap 2 Personal Shield, can't go wrong with one of those.
Undine Advance (all blue here, a step in the right direction)
"Assimilation"
[Positron Deflector Array Mk XI [InC] [Em]]
[Tachyon Deflector Array Mk XI [SIF] [SubD]]
[Graviton Deflector Array Mk XI [InC] [Em]]
"The Return"
[Integrated Targeting Armor Mk XI [HP] [Pha]]
[Recoil Compensating Armor Mk XI [HPP] [Pla]]
[Polyalloy Weave Armor Mk XI [Pha] [Tet]]
[Energy Dampening Armor Mk XI [Ap] [PolAp]]
"Fluid Dynamics"
[Antiproton Sniper Rifle Mk XI [CrtH]x2]
[Antiproton Blast Assault Mk XI [CritD] [KB3]]
[Antiproton Pulsewave Assault Mk XI [Dmg]x2]
[Antiproton High Density Beam Rifle Mk XI [CritD] [DoT3]]
"A Light in the Dark"
[Console - Tactical - Prefire Chamber Mk X]
[Console - Science - Multi-Spectro Scanner Mk X]
[Console - Engineering - Neutronium Alloy Mk X] If it is even still there?
A few better choices, decent guns in F.D. Maybe when they give ground equipment in episodes they should give enough to outfit your whole party? Say one blue gun and 4 similar greens for Boffs. The deflectors in Assimilation are ok. I guess the neut. armor has been removed from Light in the Dark from what was said here earlier so that's all trash in that episode.
Also bear in mind this topic was wrote for replays past 50, not initial runs of these episodes. granted leveling is so fast now your 50 before you get 1/3rd of the way though the list so they are quickly becoming one in the same. Either way adding in the option for a 45-50 mark choice box on the loot list at the end would go leaps and bounds toward getting the content used again far more regularly.
And on a side note, the "Borg Collective" episode should be Mandatory before starting STF's to train players at least a little bit on how to handle Borg on the ground and space and the loot rewards at the end should reflect that and give ship and ground equipment to start people in their way in said STFS. That would have been a perfect place to add Borg effects on weapons, and maybe some defense abilities to lessen the damage from cutting beams perhaps, just an idea off the top of my head.
A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.
My character Tsin'xing
Exp. Less than one personal projects worth.. most of the time..
EC. About 50% of the mission rewards would net you threeish Self Sealing Stembolts* worth of EC. Space set pieces get you about 200k. Regular blue Engines, Deflectors and Shields, about 60k. Enough for a few stacks of commodities or doffs. And then no other options on the before mentioned list.
So back on the original track!
If they want more people playing the missions, I know I do! I want them to feel they have reasons to make more, and are happy to do them! They need more choices of rewards in-line with their endgame philosophy. Especially since we out level the missions before we even scratch them now.
Dil, Marks, whatever, the rewards need to be more in-line with the end game grind.
*or other similar high end common commodities
A wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep.