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Borg Red Alert: Remastered
thomaselkins
Member Posts: 575 Arc User
Borg Red Alerts are already broken, since the Command Ship doesn't show up half the time. Instead of just fixing it however, why not give it a full upgrade? Right now each Alert has you pick and destroy four random groups of Borg ships that are just floating there doing nothing. Then once you've completed that, the Command Ship shows up and also sits there defending itself. I know the Borg are still recovering but they should be more threatening than that. Personally I think the Borg Red Alerts should be more like Undine Assault.
Each Red Alert should feature waves of Borg vessels attempting to assault a planet in each sector block. For example if you're in Beta Ursae, you'll defend Cardassia Prime or Bajor from attack. If you're in Orellius, Defera could be attacked or maybe the Breen Homeworld could be added? I just think saving a planet from Borg attack would be more realistic than what we have right now.
They can keep the four groups, or waves in this case, of Borg ships approaching the target planet. If they reach orbit the mission will fail, so it would stay timed like the current version. Once they are destroyed, the Command Ship will show up and begin its own attempt at reaching the planet. This way the ship moves and you have to stay with it, instead of parking in one spot and shooting it repeatedly.
Each Red Alert should feature waves of Borg vessels attempting to assault a planet in each sector block. For example if you're in Beta Ursae, you'll defend Cardassia Prime or Bajor from attack. If you're in Orellius, Defera could be attacked or maybe the Breen Homeworld could be added? I just think saving a planet from Borg attack would be more realistic than what we have right now.
They can keep the four groups, or waves in this case, of Borg ships approaching the target planet. If they reach orbit the mission will fail, so it would stay timed like the current version. Once they are destroyed, the Command Ship will show up and begin its own attempt at reaching the planet. This way the ship moves and you have to stay with it, instead of parking in one spot and shooting it repeatedly.
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My Ship Builds: USS Conqueror, HMS Victorious, HMS Concord, ISS Queen Elizabeth, Black Widow III
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My Ship Builds: USS Conqueror, HMS Victorious, HMS Concord, ISS Queen Elizabeth, Black Widow III
Click here to view my DeviantArt.
The Red Alerts have always felt a bit disconnected from everything really, there's a massive Borg fleet in the sector but only 5 ships turn up to kill them or push them away.
And they just sit there and get shot to pieces, there's no purpose to them being there.
Give them an objective and timer for it and send in increasingly harder waves until the Unimatrix ship arrives. Or have the Borg already in orbit and we need to fight through to the waves to get to the Unimatrix command ship and save the planet.
more difficult? like the new borg stfs? the majority of the players would be also kicked from red alert if this is too difficult. the difficulty is good right now, because even a lvl45 captain can do it.
don't think always with your high level perspective
but i agree Red alert should be revamped, i mean the scenario
Joined January 2009
ESD Red Alert - Space AND Ground combined perhaps.
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Here's what I envision (and I've been saying this for years, even before Red Alerts were a thing):
As to how this would change Red Alerts, here's how I envision it:
As you say, you're defending a specific homeworld in the appropriate Sector Block
Wave 1: 20-30 Probes.
Wave 2: 4-5 Spheres separated by distance so that teams/fleets could take them one at a time.
Wave 3: 2 Tactical Spheres, again, separated by distance.
Wave 4: 1 Borg cube, the big baddy, more difficult to kill then the old Command ships..
In order to accommodate the Accolades system, twice per weekday (8am/8pm?) and four times per day on the weekend (2am/8am/2pm/8pm) there's a fifth wave with the Borg Unimatrix Command vessel. This would drop bonus Omega Marks and Dilithum, to attract the numbers of players that would be needed to defeat the new and improved Unimatrix Command Vessel.
Almost called it.
One lane, 4 waves. Level scales with the sector block. Each wave gets more difficult and a higher tier ship will be included. Once 4th wave is repulsed, counterattack against the command ship before it can leave the system.
Red Alerts will be unlocked as your account advances the storyline (not toon, just account). Until you complete the requirement, the red alert wont pop up on your toon. For Romulans, they must choose a faction before unlocking the requirements if they cannot be met by the storyline. The Federation needs level 4 Diplomacy to access the Klingon sector block and the Klingons need level 4 Marauder to access Federation space. Alternatively they could just complete the requirements on an appropriate toon as the access is account wide.
Ive tried to make each sector alert unique and even added 3 more sector alerts.
Red Alerts: The Borg are back. Across the galaxy they have launched desperate counterattacks in an effort to drive our forces out.
Sirius: Requirement for Red Alert to pop up: Welcome to Earth Spacedock. (Character Requirement, not toon)
Borg ships are raiding Federation space preying on isolated Federation worlds in an effort to assimilate easy targets without taking losses.
World: Vulcan. Defences: Vulcan ships with Federation cruisers. Typhoon class battlecruiser as the command ship protecting Vulcan. Vulcan ships will assist you in your counterattack.
Difficulty: Level 44
Regulus: Requirement for Red Alert to pop up: Complete The Kuvah'Magh
With the Federation fleet stretched engaging Klingon raiders, the Borg are taking advantage of the weaknesses in our defences.
World: Regulus. Defences: Science ships. Expect a tier 6 Science ship to command the fleet.
Difficulty: Level 44
Pi Canis: Requirement: Complete City on the Edge of Never
Borg ships are attempting to seize the Guardian. The Federation and Klingon Fleets are engaging the Borg here in a desperate attempt to prevent the Guardian from falling. At all costs, repulse the Borg invasion.
World: Gateway. Defence: Federation and Klingon assorted. Command ship shall be a ship from your faction.
Difficulty: Level 44
Eta Eridani: Requirement: Complete Temporal Ambassador
Borg ships, in revenge for an unknown temporal incursion by the Tholians, have decided to end the threat of further temporal incursions by the Tholian Assembly. The Federation Council and the Klingon High Command has authorised any ships in the area to lend aid. Do not expect a warm welcome. (Special: When the Borg are defeated, the Tholians will open fire on you)
World: Tholian. Defences: Tholian ships, all. Command ship will be a Tarantula.
Difficulty: Level 44
Omega Leonis: Requirement: First City.
Borg ships are raiding for Klingon drones to reinforce their tactical drone supplies.
World: Rura Penthe. Defences: Klingon bird of preys with a Nevvegh as command ship.
Difficulty: Level 44
Alpha Centuri: Requirement The Vault
Borg ships are tracking down technologies acquired by the Romulan Empire.
World: Memory Alpha. Defences: Escorts and science ships. Command ship shall be a tier 6 intelligence escort.
Difficulty: Level 47
Iota Pavonis: Requirement: The Vault
Borg ships are plundering the Iconian homeworld for technologies.
World: Iconia. Defences: Federation escorts and science ships. A Guardian will be the command ship.
Difficulty: Level 47
Psi Velorum: Requirement Mine Enemy
Borg ships are engaging evacuation ships escaping the colony after an assault by unknown forces.
World: Hfihar. Defences: Romulan Republican ships. Flagship is a Ddreidex warbird.
Difficulty: Level 47
Tau Dewa: Requirement Spheres of Influence
Borg ships are assaulting our forces at the Iconian Gateway!
Location: Iconian Gateway. Defences: Assorted warships from all three factions. Ships are random and so is the command ship. However, upon entry in this system, youll notice the Borg fleet was destroyed and the Tholians are attacking in an effort to remove the gateway as they fear more Borg incursions if it remains. 4 waves of Tholians with a named, special Tarantula ship as a command ship.
Difficulty: Level 50
Orellius: Requirement Cold Storage
Borg ships are attempting to reinforce their invasion forces at Defera
World: Defera. Defences: Random assorted Federation or Klingon forces. Command is random.
Difficulty: Level 50
Beta Ursae: Requirement Boldly they rode
The Borg are taking advantage of the Alliance fleet engaging the Dominion at Bajor and Deep Space Nine to launch an assault on Cardassia.
Location: Cardassia. Defences: Cardassian warships and Orbital Defence Platforms.
Difficulty: Level 50
Alpha Trianguli: Requirement Boldly they rode
With Alliance fleet preoccupied with the Dominion assault at Deep Space Nine, the Borg are taking advantage of limited forces to attack the Federation nerve centre for this sector.
World: Minas Korva. Defences: Assorted Federation ships at tier 3. Command ship will be a Galaxy. Phasers and photon torpedo turrets will assist in defences.
Difficulty: Level 50
Zeta Andromedea: Requirement Boldly they rode
Alliance reinforcements are tied down at Deep Space Nine and cannot come to our aid. The Borg are suspected to be hitting our shipyards that we have just retaken in hopes of acquiring new technologies.
Location: Orias III. Defences: Cardassian ships.
Difficulty: Level 50
Gamma Orionis: Requirement Report to Gamma Orionis
The Borg are assaulting the Alliance fleet at the Gateway. Protect the Transwarp Gateway at all costs.
Location: Battle Fleet Omega. Defences: Tier 5 and Tier 6 ships. Flagship is the USS Victory
Difficulty: Level 50
Vyntadi: Requirement Escalation
The Borg are attempting to cut off the Alliances ability to send further reinforcements into the Delta Quadrant.
Location: Outside the portal to the Jenolan Sphere. Defence: Tier 6 ships. Flagship is the USS Voyager.
Difficulty: Level 60
Tekera: Requirement Alliances
The Borg are taking advantage of the Voths preoccupation to assault the Turei Homeworld.
Location: The Turei Homeworld. Defences: Turei warships.
Difficulty: Level 60
I like this idea greatly, and it could be easily combined with my ideas above.
Almost called it.
that's cause your level is too high... sorry but the borg alerts are designed for L45 to L50. If your higher level you get reduced xp, to all the way down to 0.... yes that still applies even if your level is automatically reduced for the event/zone. this xp reduction is based off your actual level.
this is how the devs wants it since they specifically nerf'd this cause they dont want folks playing old content and wants to push you to DQ.
Oh I agree, I want the waves hard... not Hive hard no... but hard, rather than a search and destroy... and if you're learning, you can pick certain sectors with heavy defences such as Vulcan. If you want to see if you can pretty much solo it, The Klingon or Zeta would be excellent as defences there would be non existent.
That's part of why I made the DQ stuff even harder. While you'd get decent XP in the Alpha and Beta quadrants, the DQ would be a lot harder with an additional XP award at the end. I personally think they shouldnt do the scaling xp in the red alerts.
For example, you'd get a bonus 1k XP for each wave repulsed, awarded only on a successful repel and kill of the command ship.
This is turning into a fairly productive thread, I hope a Dev or two are reading..
Considering the success of the lanes of Tides of ice, were you thinking the Borg would approach via different attack vectors to their target, and Captains who respond to the Alert would have to spread equally or choose lanes to defend? with just the final attack (a much-improved Cube most of the time with the occasional Unimatrix Command vessel) being an all-or-nothing lane-less battle?
Agreed. Variable difficulties would also make the differences between lower levels temporarily boosted easier to handle, since the current boosts do very little to keep you from getting destroyed if you're not the proper level to begin with.
Almost called it.
That is not at all what anybody's saying. We just want the Borg Alerts to be more complicated, instead of just pew-pew, have there be an attack/defend mechanic, with better, more canon-accurate Borg enemies attacking from multiple vectors requiring coordination and tactics from the players who respond to defend.
Almost called it.
Well, I thought of it at first, 5 lanes, but then I realised there's only 5 ships to an instance, hence 1 lane. Each sector alert would have a different set of defences, if any. Well established positions such as Vulcan would have defence turrets at intervals where the Klingon's alert would have zero defences and you'd be respawning at the processing station in orbit rather than the furthermost defence point that has yet to fall.
wave 1. Probes
Wave 2. Spheres
Wave 3. Cubes
Wave 4. Tac cubes.
In the DQ, however it'd be even harder.
Wave 1. Probes (2 minutes to kill them all)
Wave 2. Spheres with nanite spheres and tractor spheres wreaking havoc (4 minutes to kill them all)
Wave 3. Tac cube with cubes and nanite spheres plus spheres with the ability to toss out grav wells. (8 minutes to kill them all)
Wave 4. Diamond with 2 tac cubes, 6 cubes, with nanite spheres, regeneration spheres and tractor spheres with grav well abilities. (10 minutes to kill the Diamond. If the Diamond is dead, the timer is completed but the command ship isn't attackable until all borg ships are destroyed).
Once wave 4 is completed, you have 10 minutes to engage the command ship before it escapes.
the DQ's command ship will be guarded by two tac cubes that must be eliminated to trigger the ten minute escape countdown and allow for an assault on the command ship itself.
No, you'd be scaled to allow entry in this, provided any one of your toons have completed the requirements to trigger the notification for red alert for the sector you're in.
Each sector block would be a little different. Some would be a breeze to defend, others would be a nightmare. Some could even have slightly different objectives. Hifali would be a requirement to ensure the evacuation ships don't die. The Runa Pethe would be 'kill them all, who cares if they get to the planet?"
Sorry, I wasn't trying to pinch any nerves, just wanted to ask a simple question. If you boil down the mechanics of this discussion, what you have is a Borg specific Patrol Mission, which being the case means all the discussed mechanics already exist. Theoretically, transplanting would be far simpler than building something from the ground up. The only problem I can see, is that any form of over-complicating the encounter, would basically turn it into another STF. Do we not already have enough of them? Wouldn't that also make the Borg Alerts less inclusive to lower level players?
Well if they're remastering them, why not increase the number of players per instance, especially if we're reducing the total number of non player ships by improving the Borg themselves and having them come in waves?
Almost called it.
Well that's the thing, we're talking about changing the mechanics of the Red Alert, making the Borg themselves stronger, and making it more complicated by putting the Borg on the offensive (actively trying to get to the planet/facility the players are defending) and making them come in waves.
As it stands, groups of Borg aimlessly wander around a nebula until enough of them are defeated and the Unimatrix Command vessel arrives. If they aren't defeated, then the instance ends and nothing of consequence happens.
What we envision is waves of Borg on the offensive, actively fighting to get to a facility or planet they hope to assimilate, with the waves coming whether they're defeated or not, with more and more Borg ships flooding the system as desperate captains try to defeat them, until finally a massive Borg Cube arrives, big, powerful, like they are in the shows and movies, our very own Battle of Wolf 359 or Sector 001..
With bonus experience, Marks, and Dilithium for victory, and normal experience & a paltry few marks for participating in a loss.
Almost called it.
Not an STF. It's basically repulse the Borg's assault. Most of them will have the same object. Do not let the target be destroyed. If the Borg fail to destroy the target before the timer is up, they will leave. IF they leave, you get half rewards. Just for the two places I mentioned, are the objectives different. Prevent the evacuation ships from being destroyed as well as the target. The other would be kill all borg before the timer is up. The target varies for each sector alert. It could be a carrier, the planet's orbiting spaceport, shipyards... whatever's unique to that system and critical for whatever operation is going on there. However the basis principle is the same. Survive each wave and then go kill their command ship.
That is an option, but the difficulty would increase. I'd rather engage a few difficult ships than deal with overwhelming numbers and the lag that comes with it.
Well, yeah, it could go my suggestion of a hunt the command ship before it escapes or a final last-ditch effort by the Borg, deploying a precious super tac cube in. Maybe we could do the super tac cube for the Jenolan red alert, as that'd have Alliance ship of the line in the engagement
You misunderstand, as it is now, there's 5 players and something like 50-60 Borg vessels in the Red Alert to start, I'm thinking of something like:
15 players and 20-30 (improved) Probes in the first wave.
15 players and 4-5 (improved) Spheres in the second wave.
15 players and 2 (improved) Tactical Spheres in the third wave.
15 players and 1 (improved) Borg Cube or (improved) Unimatric Command vessel in the fourth wave.
At each wave the number of vessels in the instance decreases, but the difficulty increases.
Almost called it.
15 could be manageable. I'm just concerned about lag. User Ships seem to generate more lag than ground toons. Especially if we're giving the Borg the ability to spam their abilities.
If we do 15, then we could do 3 lanes that scales like Tides of Ice.
Ok, so a mission oriented patrol encounter, I can see that working. They would probably have to keep the encounter directives/mechanics at something akin to the Fed Borg tutorial, but with increased numbers and reduced time for higher level groups, almost like the wave progression in NWS. Sorry, Im trying to look at the whole process in terms of already existing content. From the developers perspective, I cant see them having the time, or financial inclination, of writing it all from the ground up. Im thinking they may be more inclined to consider it, if they can use big blocks of pre-assembled lego rather than having to cast new lego blocks 1st.
There are checkpoints that if you secure, will trigger the next wave for that lane. Defeat that wave and secure the checkpoint. No interaction necessary. On the screen, the map will tell you once that point is secure. It's entirely possible to take one lane, advance to the end and then move on to the next lane.
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in regards to Qziqza's comment, they can take the undine stf in three lanes and use it as the base reference point for this. The triggers would be reaching a certain point before the timer is up.
a sort of a mesh of NWS and Undine Assault