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400k refined dilithium & mats for nothing.. goodby to that!

higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
This is a cautionary tale..
A little background about myself. I've been playing STO for over two years. I've been a member of the Federation Fleet Alliance (with 10+ sub-fleets) a good one, for much of that time. I'm leaving the game (reluctantly) due to the new system for upgrading. I was actually very happy with a lot of the changes PW did with STO. The storyline remains entertaining & challenging, beefed up STF’s, new panel/weapon abilities & the opportunity to improve equipment all I thought were good.

The only problem I have is ‘ANY’ chance of failure of upgrades. The amount of resources needed to upgrade at the highest tiers is exorbitant. It seems as if PW/Arc has not as much raised the bar (which implies a set target) more like they are dangling a carrot on a string and when you get near they pull it away. The following is a letter I sent out to most of those who are my STO friends list. The combined in-game time of these friends amounts to 10's of thousands of hours.

Let the buyer beware
Hi,
This a form letter I’m sharing with everyone on my friends list in STO. I’m leaving the game for now because of the new R&D requirements for high-end gear. I know someone in the Federation Fleet Alliance who sunk over 400k refined dilithium & all the other materials to improve a panel to ‘epic-gold’ quality and it failed. I was under the mistaken impression that you could not fail when upgrading a panel. I though when you look at what you upgrading to is what you got, with a slight chance of a critical advancement. What I didn’t understand at the time was that you can fail in upgrading something, though you'll get a better chance the next time you try (fu very much – try again).

I found this out the very hard way. After 3 panels I was trying to improve from xiv-rare to xiv ultra-rare (made tickets after each failure – with no response) I took my problem to a game GM, but not before I had asked around if anyone had run into a similar problem, no one had a clue. After a day of back & forth with a GM, I did as instructed & posted my issue on the STO bug forum. It was clear in my conversation with the GM he did not understand the game mechanics in crafting in the highest tiers either. In his last comment to me he indicated that it must have some sort of bug. Unfortunately I learned on forums it is not a bug – just bad luck rolling the dice.

The games duty-officer system, reputation system, crafting system & upgrading system all have different ways how a mission displays a critical success, normal success or failure. When you spend all the requirement to upgrade & it doesn’t go to the next tier there is not mention – ‘You Failed’ one of the reasons I was confused. Part of why I’m writing this is to ‘let the buyer – beware’ that if you want to upgrade something, be prepared to be disappointed. I'm going to use this as an 'Open Letter' to others on STO forums. Hopefully this system will change, please feel free to let PW know how you feel about this as well.

Arc sent me a 'How we are doing' survey a few days back. As much as I hate surveys, I've decided to spend some time to let them know my opinion.. Best Wishes to those who stick it out, hope you get your carrots..
Post edited by higherfive on
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Comments

  • ummaxummax Member Posts: 529 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    higherfive wrote: »

    The amount of resources needed to upgrade at the highest tiers is exorbitant.

    If your speaking of epic yes yes it is because its "epic" and your not supposed to do it for all your gear only the very special gear. The upgrade in mark level is fine its actually not that expensive at all but they are lowering the cost.

    you dont *need* epic gear to play this game they have stated its just for those who have this need to min/max and have bragging rights. Even the increase in stats is not worth the upgrade to epic its minimal. Its there so people can say "I have an epic wang".
  • groomofweirdgroomofweird Member Posts: 1,045 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I do feel your pain, and I have received a fair few mails like this in game recently.
    Though I am sticking it out and taking my time, I understand many are not.
    However I will say that "I quit" threads are a nono in the forums.
    Consider returning every so often as others I know are, if for no other reason than to say hi to friends and check on the status of your in game grievances.
    Nimoysig1_zpsr79joxz3.jpg
    "If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
  • daqheghdaqhegh Member Posts: 1,490 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Meh. I'm over it.
    My Old Blog about things that could and should have been added when I wrote it. Not sure what I want to do with it now. I'll just keep it available now that most of it is outdated.
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I do feel your pain, and I have received a fair few mails like this in game recently.
    Though I am sticking it out and taking my time, I understand many are not.
    However I will say that "I quit" threads are a nono in the forums.
    Consider returning every so often as others I know are, if for no other reason than to say hi to friends and check on the status of your in game grievances.

    What I wrote was that had a fundamental misunderstanding about the games upgrade system that other experienced players and even a STO GM did not know. Using a personal experience of a friend who dropped 400k dilithium (etc.) to upgrade a panel & it didn't upgrade - is something people should know & understand it as a possibility. How long it took me to get an accurate answer was part of my frustration. How is it a nono to give a legitimate reason for leaving the game? I'm not flaming anyone - just telling it how it is & for others who stick around to be prepared for the consequences..
  • bobtheskull99bobtheskull99 Member Posts: 706 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    its says "chance of quality improvement" when you try to upgrade a mk14 item

    so to clarify, you misunderstood how the upgrade system works and your blaming the game

    cautionary tale indeed
    fair enough, bye bye
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    My friend who used 400k di to upgrade did 20 stf's today on 10 of his toons. 18 failures & he's a really good player. It seems these days everyone could use the help. He said after todays & recent events he's joining me on the sideline as well. I hope that was politically correct the way I said it..
  • groomofweirdgroomofweird Member Posts: 1,045 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I genuinely understand your frustrations, and there have been several threads of a similar nature of late, some quitting, others complaining about high upgrade costs to epic quality etc.
    I was merely stating that " I quit" threads are in the forum rules as a nono, not that I did not sympathize.
    Nimoysig1_zpsr79joxz3.jpg
    "If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
  • dkeith2011dkeith2011 Member Posts: 595 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I'm running Mk XII purple gear and see no need to go beyond that.

    The stat gain is simply not worth the expense of the crafting system.
  • sfc#5932 sfc Member Posts: 992 Bug Hunter
    edited December 2014
    I hate to be that guy, but I would really like to see proof of this happening. What item do you have upgraded? What rarity chance?
  • orangeitisorangeitis Member Posts: 5,222 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    It's your fault for wanting the best-of-the-best. It's not needed to play the game, and there's no reason to try reaching that high.

    Just play the game and have fun. You don't need to be at the very top. If you did, there'd be nothing to do. And don't give me that "but there's PvP!" BS. You know good and well there isn't.
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    skollulfr wrote: »
    my issue is, "whats the point?"
    there is nothing to do with that super upgraded gear.

    You don't go to forums for compassion - I've been playing this game longer (or as long) than anyone piped up here. I see that everyone here like posting on forums a lot more than I do - I prefer playing. I had a misconception about game mechanics that others were experiencing as well & that a game GM didn't have an answer for. I don't want others to be misled as I was. If you want to bend over and take it.. That is entirely up to you - when you 'fail' to upgrade that panel - think of me :D
  • shadowwraith77shadowwraith77 Member Posts: 6,395 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    And, this is pretty much why I haven't bothered to upgrade much of anything!

    Because quite frankly, I am not going to invest in some TRIBBLE RNG, let alone broken upgrading that likes to forget or, remove mods on things!

    Fix it 100% and, I might consider upgrading a few more things but, the RNG will still play a huge factor in my decision to do so.
    tumblr_nq9ec3BSAy1qj6sk2o2_500_zpspkqw0mmk.gif


    Praetor of the -RTS- Romulan Tal Shiar fleet!

  • sussethraisussethrai Member Posts: 137 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I can see why the frustration. It's like buying a rare coin or collectible online, only to find out once you receive it that 'mint' condition is actually more like 'near mint' or maybe 'excellent', not worth the investment. The trouble is you can usually return things you buy online; with the upgrades you get what you get, with no recourse. It's like Quark's: the house always wins.
    "Susse-thrai" had been the name bestowed upon her, half in anger, half in affection, by her old crew on Bloodwing; the keen-nosed, cranky, wily old she-beast, never less dangerous than when you thought her defenseless, and always growing new teeth far back in her throat to replace the old ones broken in biting out the last foe's heart.
    Romulans: left one homeworld, lost another, third time's the charm?
  • ummaxummax Member Posts: 529 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    higherfive wrote: »
    You don't go to forums for compassion

    people post on a forum and others comment you know what they say " opinions are like ... and everyones got one*"

    forums are not for anything other then you know sharing info and people posting what they think.

    higherfive wrote: »
    when you 'fail' to upgrade that panel - think of me :D

    You will notice that in some cases (like mine) I know where the huge huge costs are and there is a reason for that. Never "assume" anything. Its safer that way. The reality is though upgrading to mark XIII is not that expensive its people trying to get those higher stats. and that gold epic that are spending insane amounts, but the reality is this stuff is pretty much a "status item" and status items like in the real world are very expensive even if they do the same thing the "regular" one does.

    You can buy jeans no name brand from your local store or brand name jeans for a 500% markup they both are jeans one just has a funny name attached.

    epic is.. status and that is all
  • rahmkota19rahmkota19 Member Posts: 1,929 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Once I get my sci to reach the higher crafting levels (I did not start with it until it was ingame 2 months), I'll start upgrading my marks of the gear. And at Mk XIV it will stop. Whatever quality it holds now.

    Besides, as a tank, all I would like is a Mk XIV MACO set. And then I am content with my ship.

    I'm even upgrading my torpedoes waaaay ahead of my beams.
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    its says "chance of quality improvement" when you try to upgrade a mk14 item

    so to clarify, you misunderstood how the upgrade system works and your blaming the game

    cautionary tale indeed
    fair enough, bye bye

    Your reading comprehension is below par. My misunderstanding was a shared one with other experienced players & an STO GM. You get my personal best wishes on your next upgrade :rolleyes: lol!
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    orangeitis wrote: »
    It's your fault for wanting the best-of-the-best. It's not needed to play the game, and there's no reason to try reaching that high.

    I guess you haven't been doing any advanced STF lately, it has never been harder to do one successfully. People need all the help they can get. Good luck pugging, there will be one less guy out there who (kinda') knows what he's doing.. ;)
  • questeriusquesterius Member Posts: 8,463 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    This may sound harsh, but this whole topic reminds me of a binge eater blaming the food for having too much calories and therefor his/her overinflated BMI.

    There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to grind to XIV. The content can easily be done using readily available XI and XII equipment.
    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.
  • groomofweirdgroomofweird Member Posts: 1,045 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I have upgraded all of the gear on one ship solely to MK14 (no quality improvements), and Im running Advanced (and even elite) fine (with the odd cataclysm of course). Others I am still getting from MK12 to MK13 and again I'm running advanced queues ok (for the most part), that's not to say its easy on my toons who are less well geared.
    Unless you want to do high end PVP there really is no real reason to upgrade to epic quality just yet, take your time.
    Ill get to epic when im done with everything else to 14, until then I'll do just fine.
    Nimoysig1_zpsr79joxz3.jpg
    "If this will be our end, then I will have them make SUCH an end as to be worthy of rememberance! Out of torpedos you say?! Find me the ferengi!".
  • bobtheskull99bobtheskull99 Member Posts: 706 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    higherfive wrote: »
    Your reading comprehension is below par. My misunderstanding was a shared one with other experienced players & an STO GM. You get my personal best wishes on your next upgrade :rolleyes: lol!

    you mistakenly confused what was clearly indicated on the upgrade panel and insult MY reading skills? lol

    the fact that others shared your stupid mistake doesn't eliminate the likelihood that your both simply idiots, the upgrade system has been running for sometime, most players understand exactly how it works, whether they choose to use it or not

    the fault here was clearly yours, not the systems :rolleyes:
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    the fault here was clearly yours, not the systems :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

    Enjoy the system now turn your head & cough :eek:
  • dpsloss88dpsloss88 Member Posts: 765 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    The upgrades costs are the biggest reason I have stopped playing. I do have enough dilithium to upgrade one ship, but I will forever be stuck with those weapons as it would take literally years to grind enough dilithium to change gear sets.
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I hate to be that guy, but I would really like to see proof of this happening. What item do you have upgraded? What rarity chance?

    The item he was trying upgrade was a tac. Phaser relay, what the rarity was my friend said he's not sure (speaking with him on TS) and after 18 failed stf's today he said he's probably going back for a while. He's an efficient German player, really not one to brag or embellish though.
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    questerius wrote: »
    This may sound harsh, but this whole topic reminds me of a binge eater blaming the food for having too much calories and therefor his/her overinflated BMI.

    No it is more like the food had deceptive labeling. I use to measure peoples 'body mass index' as part of my job :P. People don't say they have an overinflated BMI, they say their fat or big boned (if their an animated little fat kid). Not a good analogy - honestly..
  • annemarie30annemarie30 Member Posts: 2,671 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    awww he's quitting....

    can i have your stuff???

    (surprised it took 3 pages)
    We Want Vic Fontaine
  • higherfivehigherfive Member Posts: 30 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    awww he's quitting....

    can i have your stuff???

    (surprised it took 3 pages)

    I'm sure you'll get over it :rolleyes:, no :P & it was on my dime :cool:

    correction we are on pg. 4 now.. :D
  • architect13architect13 Member Posts: 1,076 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    . . .

    can i have your stuff???

    . . .

    Some of the most annoying words spoken on the forum:D
    Have you tried the new forum on your phone?
  • lowy1lowy1 Member Posts: 964 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    He probably shouldn't have used greens and blues...You use those and you hemorrhage dilithium.
    HzLLhLB.gif

  • mikearoomikearoo Member Posts: 342 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    awww he's quitting....

    can i have your stuff???

    (surprised it took 3 pages)
    Don't be silly, this is PWE

    You can't, its all bound to account! :D
  • sfc#5932 sfc Member Posts: 992 Bug Hunter
    edited December 2014
    higherfive wrote: »
    The item he was trying upgrade was a tac. Phaser relay, what the rarity was my friend said he's not sure (speaking with him on TS) and after 18 failed stf's today he said he's probably going back for a while. He's an efficient German player, really not one to brag or embellish though.
    If that's true, there's probably a misunderstanding between everyone. If you could gather more info, I would appreciate it.
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