So after we have ground our way through all the rep system many of us on multiple toons your going to change everything and take away our progress, heres an idea of what to do instead....
ASK US WHAT WE WANT AND HAVE US VOTE ON THE CHANGES WE WANT MADE!
We understand that this is a business and as one it needs to make money and I know many lifetime acct holders that still put real money into the game alot myself included but this is only going to TRIBBLE off alot of long term players. I understand your trying to balance the game but by doing this whats the incentive for long term players to continue playing if they have to worry about all their time being flushed down the toilet when you make a changes like this.
Heres something else to think about "If It Aint Broke, Dont Fix It" this is something that was given to us that we took the time to complete and ANY player that does the same can be just as powerful but thay have to do the grind for it like the rest of us.
So in essence this change has no point other than to lessen the amount of damage we can do in the game.
I never cared much for the tier 4 Nukara rep passives for certain toons. It always felt pretty useless on characters that don't run high auxiliary and this means I can skip them and take something else I find more useful for them.
And we will be able to choose both passives from the same tier of the same rep. (specific example of this given in dev blog)
I can see me possibly taking both tier 4 Nukara rep abilities on my science captains for increased damage *and* damage resistance since they have high auxiliary.
This.......makes..........me........happy. :) Overall this means we can pick and choose what we feel is better suited for our captains and not be forced to pick 1 of 2 from a certain tier that is useless.
So to all you Veterans like myself that spent money and man Hours to get all that we have . What a rip off ....Boo hoo to all the players that don't take the time or energy to complete the rep systems as always The Vet's get the Fist.
Since when is it suppose to be fair for someone to start a game and expect to be an equal to someone that has been here for the last 4 years? Get a sac and grind like the rest of us have , Oh wait scratch that just spend money on lock boxes and complain and then you deserve to be as great as a veteran.
Seriously thou at what point will those of us that log into the game everyday get a little respect along with things (beside Accolades) that new players can't get ? Show some respect to those that have been loyal followers of this game even before it was free to play. We do deserve more than your admirations.
That would involve actual work, not path of lest resistance.
And yes, PvP needs a leader board and a matchmaking system, the fact it keeps getting pushed out "next season after the upcoming season" shows exactly were PvP is considered on the grand scheme of things.
Hard to sell a PvP season to a group of people were the majority doesnt PvP and they know it so we get these personal projects from PvP Devs stuck on Seasons with PvE grind.
Actually, making a "harder than elite" version of existing events would not take a lot of time.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
So to all you Veterans like myself that spent money and man Hours to get all that we have . What a rip off ....Boo hoo to all the players that don't take the time or energy to complete the rep systems as always The Vet's get the Fist.
Since when is it suppose to be fair for someone to start a game and expect to be an equal to someone that has been here for the last 4 years? Get a sac and grind like the rest of us have , Oh wait scratch that just spend money on lock boxes and complain and then you deserve to be as great as a veteran.
Seriously thou at what point will those of us that log into the game everyday get a little respect along with things (beside Accolades) that new players can't get ? Show some respect to those that have been loyal followers of this game even before it was free to play. We do deserve more than your admirations.
Speak for yourself. You don't represent the majority of the long-term players. I am a long-term player, I have been playing this game since Jan. 2012, as a free player (bought the LTS in August of last year), and this change to the reputation system is a great and much-appreciated change.
You may feel that you have gotten "the fist, " but that's just you. Don't lump all the veterans of this game in the same boat as you.
That could be fixed with a simple matchmaking ssystem that puts veterans against veterans, and noobs against noobs.
The game could rate the gear and reputations and playtime, and decide to at least make even teams. Durr games have been doing that for some time.
I agree that using our Tyler Durden System on the PvP que would be the biggest boost to PvP in STO ever. We have went over that multiple times in the PvP forums. I wouldn't want to see PvP balanced on gear alone... cause frankly most people have all the gear and reps ect Elite players still stomp on them... balanced by actual merit is the way to go.
Still as Hawk stated already this change is NOT about PvP. I know I did bring it up because this change obviously effects both... for everyone including new players.
The mechanics that are broken in PvP are just as broken however in PvE. Sure new players are not likely going to complain if they get into a PvE map with a vet player in a 60k DPS Shimitard ship that eats the mission as fast as possible. Of course there is always the chance that that vet player complains about being paired with people not pulling there weight.
Anyway bottom line yes this is a change for PvE content.
The game has gotten to a point where level 50 takes a day or two... and then level 50+ and 50 ++ and 50+++ takes weeks and really months in most cases. Where a 50 toon gets geared up and repped up ect.
I think Cryptic is admitting that they can no longer create content that keeps everyone happy. It is either going to be to easy or to hard depending on what stat of + you earned on your 50 toon. Considering they are going to add more and more reps which = more and more +s. Putting a limiter on the +s needs to happen.
Nerf'ing the amount of Rep Traits to 4 Space and 4 Ground pool's and Buffing the amount of Damage and Defense to 25-100% on the previous Rep Traits...
How would this solve the Power Creep?
Because instead of getting 2 new ground passives and 2 new space passives for each rep, you can only ever have 4 of each (ground and space) active at a time. Each is theoretically the same level of power, so they are interchangeable. It puts a limit on the total power a player can have, whereas the current system would allow for more and more passives to be added with each new reputation and no real limit on how many are working at any one time.
Omega = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Romulus = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Nukara = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Dyson = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Undine = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Once the new system goes into play, you are only allowed to have 4 ground passives, 4 space passives, and 4 active powers active. You get to keep all of the actives and passive you unlock, but you can only use a few of them at a time.
According to the blog entry, the reason for the change is to: (1) prevent a power creep, (2) reduce a redundancy in passives, and (3) give the reputation system flexibility.
While I may be in support of this system, I also see the valid points in the opposing arguments. Veteran players have worked for a few years, so they can obtain many of the rep passives and actives. Once these changes go into affect, the hard-work veteran players put into their characters will be gone. Veteran and paying customers put time, effort, and money into the system, so the rep powers give them a certain advantage. Its only logical.
On the flip side... As someone who is just starting out, (while also starting to pay into zen), I am having a hard time with working through the grind. Since I haven't worked on my avatar for many years, I am unable to cause over 300,000-400,000 points of damage. While everyone else is getting over a million points in damage, the small amount of damage I am making keeps me from competing. I am unable to fight for a better share of the rewards. I always walk away from space missions with the least marks.
So, what should Cryptic do? "Star Trek: Online" is currently top heavy; thus, the majority of the players have been around for a long time. Prices on the exchange prove my point. If the population consisted of equal halves (50% new and 50% veteran), the prices on the exchange would not be sitting so high.
Its a conundrum. Is "Star Trek: Online" a veterans only game, or is there room to improve the game for new players? I personally cannot answer the question. All I know is that the grind is getting harder, longer, and boring. Unless there is a way for me to make more resources, within a decent period of time, I will have no choice but to leave "Star Trek: Online".
Is that what you guys want? Or, is there room for compromises?
and please get rid of the TRIBBLE missions on new romulus. Who can imagine Kirk running after eppohs. Picard herding big eyed octopuses. Jenaway doing errands for some no name npc who can't move his behind 10m ti pick up some reports. Or sisko going from captain to bug exterminator. Really, we have a mosquito problem, let's call the prophets. FACEPALM
I agree that using our Tyler Durden System on the PvP que would be the biggest boost to PvP in STO ever. We have went over that multiple times in the PvP forums. I wouldn't want to see PvP balanced on gear alone... cause frankly most people have all the gear and reps ect Elite players still stomp on them... balanced by actual merit is the way to go.
Still as Hawk stated already this change is NOT about PvP. I know I did bring it up because this change obviously effects both... for everyone including new players.
The mechanics that are broken in PvP are just as broken however in PvE. Sure new players are not likely going to complain if they get into a PvE map with a vet player in a 60k DPS Shimitard ship that eats the mission as fast as possible. Of course there is always the chance that that vet player complains about being paired with people not pulling there weight.
Anyway bottom line yes this is a change for PvE content.
The game has gotten to a point where level 50 takes a day or two... and then level 50+ and 50 ++ and 50+++ takes weeks and really months in most cases. Where a 50 toon gets geared up and repped up ect.
I think Cryptic is admitting that they can no longer create content that keeps everyone happy. It is either going to be to easy or to hard depending on what stat of + you earned on your 50 toon. Considering they are going to add more and more reps which = more and more +s. Putting a limiter on the +s needs to happen.
Yes, but still, gear and dps is a big thing in PVE, and would be an improvement over totally random matchmaking.
Honestly, Cryptic could at least try to make some new harder content. The bad thing is all the hours I put into doing reps I no longer need, like Nukara. I just feel tricked, cheated out of, like with the Valdore console.
People may say it is too OP, but I bought it with money. That should not be devalued.
Of course, perhaps more playtesting could prevent OP items from being put in the game in the first place.
And...really, Reputations are a small part of power creep. The biggest is the super rare doffs and the lockbox ships.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
I think Cryptic is admitting that they can no longer create content that keeps everyone happy. It is either going to be to easy or to hard depending on what stat of + you earned on your 50 toon. Considering they are going to add more and more reps which = more and more +s. Putting a limiter on the +s needs to happen.
Putting a limiter on the power creep is one thing, but retroactively putting a limit on it is another. If the rep is indeed a large portion of the power creep, then stop it here. Limit it from this point on, as far as rep goes anyway. Pissing off the vets isn't going to help the game in the long run either.
I dont fail to realize, all Mk XII Gear is a T5 unlock ...
There is a nerf at Omega, Romulan and Tholian Rep that had MK X and XI variants but we just need to max one Rep (Omega) and never bother with anything else.
Ultimate this means people will just run Omega or Romulan, I serious doubt the other sets are competitive and even if so, people will follow Cryptic example of the path of less resistance and just go with the less painful/cheaper.
The rep systems are to be modeled after the dyson rep that the gear will be spaced out over the tiers forcing players to grind out the entire rep for full sets. Also, cryptic will strategically place reputation powers at tier levels that players will want also forcing you to grind out the rep. Cryptic is not going to make a reputation system with the only good thing in it is a tier 1 power that way no one bothers with it, that is just bad business. Cryptic will find a way to force players to grind out each rep system just like now.
except what you guys will do is like the dyson rep no doubt. each tier will have one of each MKXII piece needed forcing the player to grind all the way to tier 5 if they want the final piece for the full set.
and please get rid of the TRIBBLE missions on new romulus. Who can imagine Kirk running after eppohs. Picard herding big eyed octopuses. Jenaway doing errands for some no name npc who can't move his behind 10m ti pick up some reports. Or sisko going from captain to bug exterminator. Really, we have a mosquito problem, let's call the prophets. FACEPALM
No! Dont take away my epohhs! Cute and cuddly Epohhs. Especially since Romulan rep has no other fun or easy ways to get marks.
Also. If Cryptic felt reputations were a big problem for new players..... Why not make reputation progress easier?
Maybe make all rep gear costs only marks, and make reputation levelup thrice as faster.
That would totally solve that issue.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
Speak for yourself. You don't represent the majority of the long-term players. I am a long-term player, I have been playing this game since Jan. 2012, as a free player (bought the LTS in August of last year), and this change to the reputation system is a great and much-appreciated change.
You may feel that you have gotten "the fist, " but that's just you. Don't lump all the veterans of this game in the same boat as you.
Preach on brother. I agree 100%. I have been playing since the original beta, I picked up LTS the first time they offered it. Not that any of that matters one bit. I don't feel entitled to jack squat. I am quite alright with changes, games make changes. People need to learn this and adapt. ADAPT.
Don't get me wrong, you are welcome to be upset, that is your right as a person on this earth. But think about how you are going about being upset, whining and complaining before things are even implemented is like saying the coffee tastes nasty before its brewed. Well duh! Give it time, test it, give your feed back in a constructive manner. For all you know you could end up liking it.
The easiest way to fix the power creep would be of course to make the enemies hard to kill and not make a single ship take out a Borg Cube in an Elite STF.
Are everyone a bit stupid? you cant use all of them at the same time now only 50%
so it's not as a big loss.
+ the ones you get to use after will be more power full.
Or am I missing something?
The easiest way to fix the power creep would be of course to make the enemies hard to kill and not make a single ship take out a Borg Cube in an Elite STF.
That would put new or weaker players at a disadvantage. THat's why I said a new , harder than elite difficulty would be better option.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
The rep systems are to be modeled after the dyson rep that the gear will be spaced out over the tiers forcing players to grind out the entire rep for full sets. Also, cryptic will strategically place reputation powers at tier levels that players will want also forcing you to grind out the rep. Cryptic is not going to make a reputation system with the only good thing in it is a tier 1 power that way no one bothers with it, that is just bad business. Cryptic will find a way to force players to grind out each rep system just like now.
^+1 exactly, they are going to retool the rep systems like dyson but adding more grind to it (cryptic felt people finished it too quickly).
except what you guys will do is like the dyson rep no doubt. each tier will have one of each MKXII piece needed forcing the player to grind all the way to tier 5 if they want the final piece for the full set.
Yeah but the Dyson rep didn't take nearly as long as the older reps and having a toon sponsored in it made it take half the time for even less grind. Now all the reps are going to be like that. Less grind and costs overall since the costs for the XP projects will stay exactly the same at each tier.
Currently with the 3 older reps, even with a toon sponsored it's time consuming and costly because the XP projects still increase in marks and other costs each tier. So it takes the same amount of time to grind out all those marks whether you're sponsored or not. The difference is the amount of XP you get at each tier is doubled.
So grind out a single toon in all reps for a lot less time than the old system, get sponsorship tokens for each rep for a new toon, then take half the time for the new toon. You can have your alts maxed in each rep in a couple weeks or so instead of a month or more. And if you have a single toon maxed in all reps already then you only have to worry about grinding out new reps for sponsorship tokens.
Edit: To be perfectly honest I never liked the idea of the XP projects for reputation increasing in costs and commodities, etc., because they give the same exact amount of XP no matter what tier you're working on. Having a flat cost across the board makes things much easier. I would have been fine with them costing commodities and hypos/shield charges/power cells since the amount wouldn't go up. But what they're doing is much better.
The easiest way to fix the power creep would be of course to make the enemies hard to kill and not make a single ship take out a Borg Cube in an Elite STF.
If you make the enemies harder to kill, the only people who will make enough damage are those on top. Problem will still exist. New players will leave because of the difficulty level.
The stated aim of the proposed change is to address power creep.
Lock box ships, at least some of them, are part of that problem.
As are some zen ships.
There's not a lot of point fiddling around with one mechanism, with minimal impact on power creep, and ignoring those other items, if your stated aim is to address power creep.
This is a bit like someone saying we want to address world hunger, so we're working on tackling obesity in Florida.
Quoted for truth.
We've been selling deliberate power creep for some time now, but the first steps at fixing the issue of the power creep monster, are to take away some of the value of player's earned rewards. Bad move in my opinion.
I'm also positive there will be some for of monetization for changing these passives that we've already earned at some point. Perhaps the next zen store offering.... I see this coming from a mile away.
Heres something else to think about "If It Aint Broke, Dont Fix It" this is something that was given to us that we took the time to complete and ANY player that does the same can be just as powerful but thay have to do the grind for it like the rest of us.
This... Stop messing with things... Leave as is. I don't want to grind for choices with limits, let me use everything I've earned. No rep slots, no limits.... Every good game I find always seem to mess with things that's already perfect. Just leave it alone Cryptic. :mad:.
My god... Try doing something good like allowing alien toons to wear any outfit in the entire game from any faction. Unnecessary limits are what I hate most in any game. Just saying...
The dress is gold and white. Over 70% people says so. When viewed from a certain screen angle it appears blue and black. The dress displayed on amazon is a blue and black dress, but it's not the same dress in the picture. If you're seeing blue & black you're slightly colored blind. A normal upright screen = white and gold.
Yeah but the Dyson rep didn't take nearly as long as the older reps and having a toon sponsored in it made it take half the time for even less grind. Now all the reps are going to be like that. Less grind and costs overall since the costs for the XP projects will stay exactly the same at each tier.
So grind out a single toon in all 4 reps for a lot less time than the old system, get sponsorship tokens for each rep for a new toon, then take half the time for the new toon. You can have your alts maxed in each rep in a couple weeks or so instead of a month or more.
That's why I'm only nerdraging as much as I do, and not as much as I'm capable of.
This makes min maxing my alts much easier. I just put Romulan, Dyson and maybe Nukara to TIer2, and Omega to tier5.
Much less work for my alts, even if I'm shafted on my fully maxed chars.
Still... the big problem I see here is the violation of taking stuff away from me that I earned. That's my problem.
If the rep powers were just nerfed, I would not be this upset.
Let us wear Swimsuits on Foundry maps or bridges please! I would pay zen for that.
I recently went into an elite space stf. Before I fully spawned into the stf, the veteran players wiped out the first cube. I didn't get a shot off. I did very-very little damage.
Seriously Cryptic, you are taking three steps forwards in making this game better and four steps back -.-
Oh yeah also "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" seriously Cryptic
We are the Borg. Existence as you know it is over. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.
The easiest way to fix the power creep would be of course to make the enemies hard to kill and not make a single ship take out a Borg Cube in an Elite STF.
Timeline wise, we're closer to future-Janeway from Endgame than we are Wolf 359. Five years past Endgame's future timeline, in fact.
Comments
ASK US WHAT WE WANT AND HAVE US VOTE ON THE CHANGES WE WANT MADE!
We understand that this is a business and as one it needs to make money and I know many lifetime acct holders that still put real money into the game alot myself included but this is only going to TRIBBLE off alot of long term players. I understand your trying to balance the game but by doing this whats the incentive for long term players to continue playing if they have to worry about all their time being flushed down the toilet when you make a changes like this.
Heres something else to think about "If It Aint Broke, Dont Fix It" this is something that was given to us that we took the time to complete and ANY player that does the same can be just as powerful but thay have to do the grind for it like the rest of us.
So in essence this change has no point other than to lessen the amount of damage we can do in the game.
I never cared much for the tier 4 Nukara rep passives for certain toons. It always felt pretty useless on characters that don't run high auxiliary and this means I can skip them and take something else I find more useful for them.
And we will be able to choose both passives from the same tier of the same rep. (specific example of this given in dev blog)
I can see me possibly taking both tier 4 Nukara rep abilities on my science captains for increased damage *and* damage resistance since they have high auxiliary.
This.......makes..........me........happy.
pretty much sums it up
Actually, making a "harder than elite" version of existing events would not take a lot of time.
You may feel that you have gotten "the fist, " but that's just you. Don't lump all the veterans of this game in the same boat as you.
I agree that using our Tyler Durden System on the PvP que would be the biggest boost to PvP in STO ever. We have went over that multiple times in the PvP forums. I wouldn't want to see PvP balanced on gear alone... cause frankly most people have all the gear and reps ect Elite players still stomp on them... balanced by actual merit is the way to go.
Still as Hawk stated already this change is NOT about PvP. I know I did bring it up because this change obviously effects both... for everyone including new players.
The mechanics that are broken in PvP are just as broken however in PvE. Sure new players are not likely going to complain if they get into a PvE map with a vet player in a 60k DPS Shimitard ship that eats the mission as fast as possible. Of course there is always the chance that that vet player complains about being paired with people not pulling there weight.
Anyway bottom line yes this is a change for PvE content.
The game has gotten to a point where level 50 takes a day or two... and then level 50+ and 50 ++ and 50+++ takes weeks and really months in most cases. Where a 50 toon gets geared up and repped up ect.
I think Cryptic is admitting that they can no longer create content that keeps everyone happy. It is either going to be to easy or to hard depending on what stat of + you earned on your 50 toon. Considering they are going to add more and more reps which = more and more +s. Putting a limiter on the +s needs to happen.
Mine Trap Supporter
Because instead of getting 2 new ground passives and 2 new space passives for each rep, you can only ever have 4 of each (ground and space) active at a time. Each is theoretically the same level of power, so they are interchangeable. It puts a limit on the total power a player can have, whereas the current system would allow for more and more passives to be added with each new reputation and no real limit on how many are working at any one time.
Romulus = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Nukara = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Dyson = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Undine = 2 ground & 2 space passives - 1 active
Once the new system goes into play, you are only allowed to have 4 ground passives, 4 space passives, and 4 active powers active. You get to keep all of the actives and passive you unlock, but you can only use a few of them at a time.
According to the blog entry, the reason for the change is to: (1) prevent a power creep, (2) reduce a redundancy in passives, and (3) give the reputation system flexibility.
While I may be in support of this system, I also see the valid points in the opposing arguments. Veteran players have worked for a few years, so they can obtain many of the rep passives and actives. Once these changes go into affect, the hard-work veteran players put into their characters will be gone. Veteran and paying customers put time, effort, and money into the system, so the rep powers give them a certain advantage. Its only logical.
On the flip side... As someone who is just starting out, (while also starting to pay into zen), I am having a hard time with working through the grind. Since I haven't worked on my avatar for many years, I am unable to cause over 300,000-400,000 points of damage. While everyone else is getting over a million points in damage, the small amount of damage I am making keeps me from competing. I am unable to fight for a better share of the rewards. I always walk away from space missions with the least marks.
So, what should Cryptic do? "Star Trek: Online" is currently top heavy; thus, the majority of the players have been around for a long time. Prices on the exchange prove my point. If the population consisted of equal halves (50% new and 50% veteran), the prices on the exchange would not be sitting so high.
Its a conundrum. Is "Star Trek: Online" a veterans only game, or is there room to improve the game for new players? I personally cannot answer the question. All I know is that the grind is getting harder, longer, and boring. Unless there is a way for me to make more resources, within a decent period of time, I will have no choice but to leave "Star Trek: Online".
Is that what you guys want? Or, is there room for compromises?
Yes, but still, gear and dps is a big thing in PVE, and would be an improvement over totally random matchmaking.
Honestly, Cryptic could at least try to make some new harder content. The bad thing is all the hours I put into doing reps I no longer need, like Nukara. I just feel tricked, cheated out of, like with the Valdore console.
People may say it is too OP, but I bought it with money. That should not be devalued.
Of course, perhaps more playtesting could prevent OP items from being put in the game in the first place.
And...really, Reputations are a small part of power creep. The biggest is the super rare doffs and the lockbox ships.
Putting a limiter on the power creep is one thing, but retroactively putting a limit on it is another. If the rep is indeed a large portion of the power creep, then stop it here. Limit it from this point on, as far as rep goes anyway. Pissing off the vets isn't going to help the game in the long run either.
^+1 exactly, they are going to retool the rep systems like dyson but adding more grind to it (cryptic felt people finished it too quickly).
except what you guys will do is like the dyson rep no doubt. each tier will have one of each MKXII piece needed forcing the player to grind all the way to tier 5 if they want the final piece for the full set.
No! Dont take away my epohhs! Cute and cuddly Epohhs. Especially since Romulan rep has no other fun or easy ways to get marks.
Also. If Cryptic felt reputations were a big problem for new players..... Why not make reputation progress easier?
Maybe make all rep gear costs only marks, and make reputation levelup thrice as faster.
That would totally solve that issue.
Preach on brother. I agree 100%. I have been playing since the original beta, I picked up LTS the first time they offered it. Not that any of that matters one bit. I don't feel entitled to jack squat. I am quite alright with changes, games make changes. People need to learn this and adapt. ADAPT.
Don't get me wrong, you are welcome to be upset, that is your right as a person on this earth. But think about how you are going about being upset, whining and complaining before things are even implemented is like saying the coffee tastes nasty before its brewed. Well duh! Give it time, test it, give your feed back in a constructive manner. For all you know you could end up liking it.
so it's not as a big loss.
+ the ones you get to use after will be more power full.
Or am I missing something?
That would put new or weaker players at a disadvantage. THat's why I said a new , harder than elite difficulty would be better option.
Yeah but the Dyson rep didn't take nearly as long as the older reps and having a toon sponsored in it made it take half the time for even less grind. Now all the reps are going to be like that. Less grind and costs overall since the costs for the XP projects will stay exactly the same at each tier.
Currently with the 3 older reps, even with a toon sponsored it's time consuming and costly because the XP projects still increase in marks and other costs each tier. So it takes the same amount of time to grind out all those marks whether you're sponsored or not. The difference is the amount of XP you get at each tier is doubled.
So grind out a single toon in all reps for a lot less time than the old system, get sponsorship tokens for each rep for a new toon, then take half the time for the new toon. You can have your alts maxed in each rep in a couple weeks or so instead of a month or more.
Edit: To be perfectly honest I never liked the idea of the XP projects for reputation increasing in costs and commodities, etc., because they give the same exact amount of XP no matter what tier you're working on. Having a flat cost across the board makes things much easier. I would have been fine with them costing commodities and hypos/shield charges/power cells since the amount wouldn't go up. But what they're doing is much better.
Quoted for truth.
We've been selling deliberate power creep for some time now, but the first steps at fixing the issue of the power creep monster, are to take away some of the value of player's earned rewards. Bad move in my opinion.
I'm also positive there will be some for of monetization for changing these passives that we've already earned at some point. Perhaps the next zen store offering.... I see this coming from a mile away.
This... Stop messing with things... Leave as is. I don't want to grind for choices with limits, let me use everything I've earned. No rep slots, no limits.... Every good game I find always seem to mess with things that's already perfect. Just leave it alone Cryptic. :mad:.
My god... Try doing something good like allowing alien toons to wear any outfit in the entire game from any faction. Unnecessary limits are what I hate most in any game. Just saying...
That's why I'm only nerdraging as much as I do, and not as much as I'm capable of.
This makes min maxing my alts much easier. I just put Romulan, Dyson and maybe Nukara to TIer2, and Omega to tier5.
Much less work for my alts, even if I'm shafted on my fully maxed chars.
Still... the big problem I see here is the violation of taking stuff away from me that I earned. That's my problem.
If the rep powers were just nerfed, I would not be this upset.
Oh yeah also "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" seriously Cryptic
What real-world benefit do you get from this game? Escape is about it, and I don't see how this changes that.
Games are time wasters. Deal with it.