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Cryptic, time to overhaul dud BOFF abilities

blaz3rdudeblaz3rdude Member Posts: 16 Arc User
There are BOFF abilities that are fairly useless.
Which ones?
Just look at the ones that the LEAST amount of BO's have active - that will give you a great idea. Buff them and improve them to get a bit of diversity going.

At the moment, a lot of "fun" skills are not used because they are simply so awful compared to others.

It creates a monotone, cookie cutter, predictable experience.

Jazz it up guys!
Post edited by blaz3rdude on

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    risian4risian4 Member Posts: 3,711 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    blaz3rdude wrote: »
    There are BOFF abilities that are fairly useless.
    Which ones?
    Just look at the ones that the LEAST amount of BO's have active - that will give you a great idea. Buff them and improve them to get a bit of diversity going.

    At the moment, a lot of "fun" skills are not used because they are simply so awful compared to others.

    So... you are of the opinion that there are boff abilities that are useless... and yet you can't tell which ones? You need Cryptic to look at the least used boff abilities to determine which ones are useless? :confused:

    Then how did you get the idea that some boff abilities are useless in the first place?
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    praxi5praxi5 Member Posts: 1,562 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    Short list of Failtastic abilities that pop into my head:
    • Dispersal Pattern Alpha/Beta - Unless you're running a VERY specialized build, they're useless.
    • Aceton Beam
    • Boarding Party
    • Mask Energy Signature
    • Charged Particle Burst
    • Photonic Officer
    • Aux to Batt (without DOffs)
    • Higher ranks of Polarize Hull (Diminishing Returns means you get little benefit
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    blaz3rdudeblaz3rdude Member Posts: 16 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    praxi5 wrote: »
    Short list of Failtastic abilities that pop into my head:
    • Dispersal Pattern Alpha/Beta - Unless you're running a VERY specialized build, they're useless.
    • Aceton Beam
    • Boarding Party
    • Mask Energy Signature
    • Charged Particle Burst
    • Photonic Officer
    • Aux to Batt (without DOffs)
    • Higher ranks of Polarize Hull (Diminishing Returns means you get little benefit

    Agreed,

    risian4 - Are you serious?

    Think before you post.

    The issue is there are so many that are ineffective or actually provide disincentives (compared to others on the tier) as praxi5 contributed that (unlike him) I can't even start.

    I suggested a practical mechanism by which Cryptic could quantitatively identify weak/unpopular BOFF's.

    Mines in particular could be a very fun strategy but require such tactical dispersal that it is fairly useless without a major buff. At least make them VIABLE.
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    jjdezjjdez Member Posts: 570 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    In case you never saw this thread:

    Space Metagame Changes

    43 pages of discussion and ideas that resulted in absolutely nothing.
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    blaz3rdudeblaz3rdude Member Posts: 16 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    jjdez wrote: »
    In case you never saw this thread:

    Space Metagame Changes

    43 pages of discussion and ideas that resulted in absolutely nothing.

    And that is precisely the point.

    CRYPTIC - Get off your butt and fix it! ;)
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    risian4risian4 Member Posts: 3,711 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    blaz3rdude wrote: »
    Agreed,

    risian4 - Are you serious?

    Think before you post.

    Wait, you want me to think for you? All I'm saying is that if you have an issue with certain boff abilities, it may be wise to mention them in your OP. Seems logical, right?

    Requesting something from someone (like requesting Cryptic to make a change in boff abilities) without being specific isn't going to help your case.
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    praxi5praxi5 Member Posts: 1,562 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    jjdez wrote: »
    In case you never saw this thread:

    Space Metagame Changes

    43 pages of discussion and ideas that resulted in absolutely nothing.

    Woof.

    The worst part is, that was actually started by a Dev... and nothing came of it. Except the asinine "100% Crit Rate" Beam Overload and hyperinflated NPC HPs, leading to nothing but FAWsmashing.
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    lucho80lucho80 Member Posts: 6,600 Bug Hunter
    edited March 2015
    praxi5 wrote: »
    Woof.

    The worst part is, that was actually started by a Dev... and nothing came of it. Except the asinine "100% Crit Rate" Beam Overload and hyperinflated NPC HPs, leading to nothing but FAWsmashing.

    Dev left the game. Borticus said they have a write up, which is probably in a shelf or a forgotten file being actively ignored while they keep pumping out new abilities.
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    lucho80lucho80 Member Posts: 6,600 Bug Hunter
    edited March 2015
    praxi5 wrote: »
    Short list of Failtastic abilities that pop into my head:
    • Dispersal Pattern Alpha/Beta - Unless you're running a VERY specialized build, they're useless.
    • Aceton Beam
    • Boarding Party
    • Mask Energy Signature
    • Charged Particle Burst
    • Photonic Officer
    • Aux to Batt (without DOffs)
    • Higher ranks of Polarize Hull (Diminishing Returns means you get little benefit

    You forgot photonic shock wave which has no use anywhere.

    Photonic officer is a joke with all the junk they have added to reduce cooldowns making it pretty obsolete.

    Aux to bad doffed is close to turning into a glorified energy siphon type boost. I think they just wanted to reduce technicians usefulness by giving cooldown reductions to everyone.

    By the way, they have succeeded in actually creating some new useless abilities with the new specialization stuff.
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    jjdezjjdez Member Posts: 570 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    lucho80 wrote: »
    Dev left the game. Borticus said they have a write up, which is probably in a shelf or a forgotten file being actively ignored while they keep pumping out new abilities.

    It's in the same pile as all of the player-offered olive branches...right next to the dumpster.
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    rekurzionrekurzion Member Posts: 697 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    jjdez wrote: »
    In case you never saw this thread:

    Space Metagame Changes

    43 pages of discussion and ideas that resulted in absolutely nothing.

    Well Tachyon Beam did get a buff and that was a suggestion on page 1.
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    praxi5praxi5 Member Posts: 1,562 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    rekurzion wrote: »
    Well Tachyon Beam did get a buff and that was a suggestion on page 1.

    Not because the ability was under performing, but because they could use it as a platform to help increase Command ship sales.

    If it were buffed because it was so lolzy, we wouldn't still be seeing dismal Charged Particle Burst performance right now.
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    hyperionx09hyperionx09 Member Posts: 1,709 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    Photonic Officer II and III are actually somewhat useful for KDF and Roms. And slightly moreso on Tacs.

    Since it's a Sci skill, it works well with the AHOD Starship Mastery Trait, which works well with Reciprocity (if you're a Fed), and the Tac Captain-exclusive Skill CD reduction ability, and the CD reduction from Delta Rep console. It's also more legal than the Lobi Hunter set, at least. And cheaper Zen-wise (600 Lobi vs 30-60 USD for the Tac Command Ship and Phantom) too.

    APB is only useful on FaW and certain CSV builds; the kind that DPSers and bad teams sometimes crutch on to boost their overall damage (see How to Inflate DPS: Recluse Parenting Subsection).

    As well Photonic Shockwave has some utility, but it's job has been more or less taken by Tractor Beam Repulsors. It's convenient using both though for continuous repelling and damage through shields.

    The rest of the list pretty much is useless.

    Boarding Party should just have the Point-Defense ability by default, and just have the PD Doff instead grant micro-quantum torpedoes to Boarding ships.

    Aceton Beam may as well be redone to be the Engineering equivalent of Tachyon Beam, but to hull.

    Mask Energy Signature has more or less been superseded by Intel Team on Intel-capable ships, though IIRC, they can stack (I have nothing else to use on the Intel ships with LtC or better).

    Intel also has some useless abilities; though some of them are due to Cryptic nerfing them to near uselessness (Kinetic Magnet and on non-GW builds, Ionic Turbulence), while others were always useless (Load Viral Torp, Subspace Beacon, Viral Impulse Burst, and Evade Target). EMP Probe still works well on Intel Sci ships (the two that exist) and on GW-capable ships with an Intel Seat.
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