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Horid R&D system, but...
redheadguy
Member Posts: 423 Arc User
I have really come to hate the amount of time/grind it takes for ranking up in the new R&D system. I'd go so far as to say it's worse then the old Rep system grind!
But, I digress. I saw via in-game chat, that some players were guessing the dev's were working on a way to let us select which modifiers we can get when making a new item via the R&D system. So my question is this: Is there any truth to this? Or is it just speculation??
I'm guessing it's the second one as the random modifiers give the dev's piece of mind knowing that we have to grind even LONGER to get the gear we really want.
But, I digress. I saw via in-game chat, that some players were guessing the dev's were working on a way to let us select which modifiers we can get when making a new item via the R&D system. So my question is this: Is there any truth to this? Or is it just speculation??
I'm guessing it's the second one as the random modifiers give the dev's piece of mind knowing that we have to grind even LONGER to get the gear we really want.
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Post edited by redheadguy on
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I doubt they will let us choose stats that would me a complete redesign of a system which is itself fairly new.
Are they going to do it? Unlikely. Why not? No idea.
Because, as we all know, it takes a year to write the code for a dropdown menu.
Maybe that will change, maybe it wont.
Unless/until it does though, I will continue doing nothing but R&D projects for 6k xp each. I'll hit level 20 eventually and be ready if craqfting ever becomes more reliable.
:rolleyes: ...money
Time will only tell!
It maybe that over 1000's of items the avg drops to something less but I wasn't willing to find out any further. Got bored. I only wanted to make some gear that I could use that had the mod's I was after. Personally I don't mind the RNG for the initial mod's to VR level. It's the UR mod that needs to be selectable. Hell make the 3rd mod at VR level selectable, it would be less annoying and remove the 200 items needed to being around 1 in 20 items is correct for your purposes...
"You don't have to do something again and again and again repetitive that doesn't have much challange, that's just a general good gameplay thing."
In theory when you do research and development you would think you would get better over time. Not so with the RNG model. You would figure the chance of adding CRTD would get smaller each time you try for it, but in this model it could be the first time or the 1 millionth time. Just pure luck really and it shouldn't be that way. If they want to make/keep it a dilithium dump that is fine, but let us actually see what we are getting or at least have a chance at improving our odds.
It's a lot more comlicated than just a UI code change. There is a lot of backend server and database changes that need to go along with it. Anything require coding means a code wrangler time which in Cryptic's case means they have to compete with every game and other parts of STO itself.
I agreed with everything except 'maybe that will change'.
Paying so much for the 'chance' at a certain proc? At least you knew what you were getting with the old crafting system.
I posted once that ANYTHING would be better than the old crafting system. I was wrong.
This.^
They hadn't crossed my personal line in the sand for excessive grind but DR put it WAY over the top. I'm finding more and more that the game/financial experiment has pretty much lost the ability to allow for any real diversity other than a few "trick builds". Take away all the nerfs and you still end up with an insane cost to upgrade multiple engine sets and weapons/consoles. It's become so insurmountable, many aren't even bothering to try, including me.
The funny thing is, had they left the old dilithium rewards the way they were, I could have almost seen it as possible and would've been encouraged to try. Instead, we got smaller rewards and massive cost increases. I rarely bought Zen for dilithium but I would spend on c-store items. Now, Im not doing either.
Beams: +2% DMG bonus an activation of beam special attack
Science: +Crit per amount of Part Gen skill you have.
I'll love to see that happen, but it would be easer to use catalysts to add the modifiers needed instead of a drop box selector, in the same way we add the multipliers.
And I don't think they got someone who's only purpose is take the engine apart and start improving it.. or at least know what does what, as i thing the people who created the engine are no longer working for the company..
It's not quite as complicated as you think - most of that work has already been done to add the RNG component that picks modifiers for you. It doesn't require changes to the base code, or the graphics code, or the network code - just the replacement of the RNG that already chooses from a list of modifiers with a simple menu that allows one to manually choose modifiers. If I had written the code for the system (at least in the way that I would have written it), such a change would take minutes, then whatever time was needed to recompile and save. It wouldn't be anywhere near a year, that's for certain.
There's no (reasonable) change here that I can think of that would account for the length of time that they claimed this would take to add, so either they were BS'ing us for PR, they really don't know what they're doing, or they couldn't figure out how to nerf + monetize it quickly enough.
"You don't have to do something again and again and again repetitive that doesn't have much challange, that's just a general good gameplay thing."
Personally, I think it's a toss-up between all three of what I've highlighted in red.
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Point is, it's a gigantic funnel for funds. So yes, I'll be spending millions of EC making mk 2 gear until i get all 3 of the mods that i want, (and probably get f'd over on UR upgrade), but that's just how it goes. PWE needs your $$$.
I mean seriously, even on R&D weekend, where are people supposed to go to get anomalies to scan? Replay all the single-player missions? At least back in the day, I could run a cluster daily & get a handfull, then move on to the next cluster...all while adding to my accolade totals for those clusters. Instead, now I have a boatload of "in progress" accolades, a crapton of randomly-converted crafting supplies (which I'm still leery of using, especially because "bound to account"), and and R&D system that takes a full year to complete 1 tree. Realistically, this means that if a person does NOTHING but grind out 6k exp missions for R&D on all available slots--every day--it would still take over 2 years to actually max out every tree at level 20. And that's EVERY FREAKING DAY.
Plus, let's not forget that if you really want an upgrade to UR or Epic, you are reliant upon R&D packages to get the catalysts to help it proc.
I just don't see this changing anytime soon. I'd even be happy if they did little stuff, like removing the DMG mod on crafted space weapons, since its still as worthless as **** on a bull (along with TET mods on ground weps, etc). Reducing the exp required to max an R&D tree to 1m instead of 2m exp--would also be a good start. But hell, they can't even make it so I can craft more than 5 R&D materials at a time...or make it so that I can (god forbid) buy 50x white doffs from my fleet at a time.
How are you spending millions on crafting Mk IIs? I don't think I've even needed to buy any materials from the exchange when a handful of PvE queue missions and DOFF assignments get me the materials I need.
If anything, crafting Mk IIs nets me a tonne of EC selling the final products.
Then perhaps you can tell me what gear your crafting to do that, 'cuase I'm not having such luck.
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