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The Grind Problem
nadiezja
Member Posts: 629 Arc User
I have a fix for people who have a problem with the grind in STO.
Don't.
Don't grind. Don't put your nose to the millstone and try to get everything as fast as possible. You want to play STO? Sit down. Play STO until you're tired of playing STO for the day, then go do something else. Read a book or get into comics (getting into comics is a GREAT idea; comics are awesome!) or go for a walk.
STO isn't a game to grind. There's no great achievement awaiting those who have a full set of Mk XIV Legendary gear and all of their trait slots filled with the best traits and all their Specializations maxed out. Those things take a long time to do, and I'm pretty sure that's deliberate, because it gives players something to do - something to work on and feel like they're making progress - between content drops.
And content won't ever come fast enough that people - especially the most avid players - will be able to get through just playing new experiences. It takes a lot longer to design a bit of content than to play it, and the dev team isn't that big. It'll never be that big. WoW's dev team isn't that big.
Outside PvP (and STO's PvP is terrible; if you want to do PvP, I can suggest better games for that), there's nothing in the game that requires top-tier gear and all the specializations. There can't be, because you can't have all the specializations equipped at once. There's nothing outside the Elite queues (which are, frankly, bragging rights events anyway - they're not new content, just higher difficulties) that even requires any Specializations or Delta Rising-marked gear. There is no need to grind, other than habit developed in other, less casual games.
So don't do it. Play when it's fun to play, then go do something else that's fun instead.
Don't.
Don't grind. Don't put your nose to the millstone and try to get everything as fast as possible. You want to play STO? Sit down. Play STO until you're tired of playing STO for the day, then go do something else. Read a book or get into comics (getting into comics is a GREAT idea; comics are awesome!) or go for a walk.
STO isn't a game to grind. There's no great achievement awaiting those who have a full set of Mk XIV Legendary gear and all of their trait slots filled with the best traits and all their Specializations maxed out. Those things take a long time to do, and I'm pretty sure that's deliberate, because it gives players something to do - something to work on and feel like they're making progress - between content drops.
And content won't ever come fast enough that people - especially the most avid players - will be able to get through just playing new experiences. It takes a lot longer to design a bit of content than to play it, and the dev team isn't that big. It'll never be that big. WoW's dev team isn't that big.
Outside PvP (and STO's PvP is terrible; if you want to do PvP, I can suggest better games for that), there's nothing in the game that requires top-tier gear and all the specializations. There can't be, because you can't have all the specializations equipped at once. There's nothing outside the Elite queues (which are, frankly, bragging rights events anyway - they're not new content, just higher difficulties) that even requires any Specializations or Delta Rising-marked gear. There is no need to grind, other than habit developed in other, less casual games.
So don't do it. Play when it's fun to play, then go do something else that's fun instead.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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That's good advice, but it doesn't really bode well for STO's future.
Instead, I would recommend a system similar to the Legacy system in SWTOR. If you're unfamiliar, the way the system works is that on a server (there are six total) you have a legacy and each character on that server is part of that legacy. Now, there are neat account wide benefits that come with leveling the legacy (it's essentially another level bar and takes a long, long time) and buying things with your legacy (if you're subbed, you can buy most things with in game currency and not CCs), but the main takeaway here is how the Reputation works with your legacy.
So, let's say STO had a system similar. My 2 Rommies, my 3 Feds, and my 2 KDFs are all part of the same system. So, when I do my rommie rep on my rommie, that applies to all characters on the account, and likewise for any other reps I do with any characters. You combine that with Crafting being account bound, and honestly I think you have a good system in place that encourages alts and unique play styles.
Now, I realize that some of you may run out of content. Clearly some people for whatever the reasons may be have more time than others to pursue the game, but I don't think the vast majority of people are like that. Otherwise the market would never thrive on STO because nobody would buy anything, they would just grind it out (or quit).
But yeah, I'd be pretty happy if they did something like this. That being said, I'm aware of the token to half the time of the next Rep for your alt. That's not bad, but it still kind of blows. I'd love to be able to level up a Rommie all the way through the game and just jump right into the New Romulus missions, as like a featured series, no problem. <- you know via already having done the rep system.
As a side note, I love the Legacy system in TOR as an idea, and really enjoy being able to unlock things for all my characters by playing one. I think that's part of why I'm so psyched about Delta Recruit.
Agreed. I'm honestly just looking forward to the added incentive to reroll a Rommie again. I love that story.
Whatever that means these days.
Even if you want everything in game it really takes little effort to generate massive amounts of dilithium and ec.
At least that's how it feels for a non-Argala grinder.
That's kind of a problem, if you think most of the new Stuff is "Grind-only" (most of DR i.E.) ... sure you can stop playing for a few months, and wait for something "exciting" ... but playing the game only 3-5h every 8 weeks kind of sucks ... especially if you would "want" to play more ...
=> "not playing" doesn't really fix "The Grind Problem" ... you're just ignoring it ...
And honestly, STO doesn't feel like a grind compared to a lot of other games I've played that have a leveling system past max level. Most of those games have an exponential system, each new "specialization point" costs a significant amount more than the previous one. Every specialization point in STO costs exactly the same amount, and due to how the system is built you really only need to pursue the trees you're interested in, you don't need everything.
If you "want" to play more, then there's nothing to stop you and you're not grinding at that point, you're playing because you want to. If your statement was meant to be more of a "we need more new content" comment, try the Foundry, make a new character, there's plenty of ways to continue playing without feeling like you're grinding.
The universe has a wonderful sense of humor. The trick is learning how to take a joke.
I basically did a 'half-grind' on my main and "no-grind" on my alts. Both are playable, however the power difference is huge. My main is far more effective for having four good starship traits and filled Primary and Secondary Secondaries.
*Far* more effective.
It's just the way it is.
Kind of, it was about "we need more Fun content", since "Fun" is different for everyone that's obviously debateable ... but for some people there are things, that aren't "Fun" ...
Thanks, but this "advice" is beginning to sound like an old fortune cookie ... if you're playing the game for 5 years you probably did all that already ... you might wanna do / enjoy it again from time to time (maybe "Delta Recruits" / maybe "fixed" Advanced STFS i.E.) ... but if most of the new Content is "Grind" in your eyes, it obviously limits the ways you could enjoy this game ... simple as that ... ignoring that doesn't fix anything
just my 2 cents...
this and this . the issue is that to play Any end game Content and be competent , you need to grind a certain amount , if you take a break youll just get further and further behind the mark .
if your invested in the game ,then you want to keep working on the toons you want to use , to come back later and try to play ANY endgame you become a burden to the team . and thats the fact of it .
the power creep in the game at this point is approaching ludicrous speed .
if all you play is the story content then great , play the episodes then your done till the next is released.
players that say "you can progress in the game with a few hrs of play" dont play only a couple of hrs .they play the game a couple of hrs here and then spend a few hrs making EC/Dil playing the markets,R&D etc. later that same day . they spend between 4 to 8 hrs actually logged in .
That is not a fix. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away
STO is a grind game. Grinding and the frustration resulted from it is one of the ways Cryptic gets income. Some people don't feel like grinding 6 months to upgrade gear so they buy zen. Some people don't want to grind for 20+ days to get a ship so they buy zen. Some people don't want to grind for weeks to expand the inventory so they buy zen. Before being able to have fun you have to either grind or pay.
The "There is no need to...." argument is a bad argument because it can be applied to anything : " There is no need for art" "There is no need for music" "There is no need to obey laws" "There is no need for people to apologize for Cryptic design decisions"