Of Cowards

synian · April 2015

So, it's bad enough that we'll abandon a whole starbase, with over 200 people on it, to the Borg simply because one probe, with about 10 seconds to live, healed a transformer.

Now, we're abandoning the fight with iconians because...a timer ran out...one that means absolutely nothing at all to anyone ever. Yea, I just played Herald sphere advanced...impossible to express my level of disappointment at STO right now. Waste of time that results in a failure for no logical reason what-so-ever.

All of the players of STO have been turned into the worst cowards the galaxy has ever seen.

This whole "increased difficulty" thing with the STFs is hands down some of the worst game design I've seen in my 35+ years of playing games. I thought it would get turned around, and it seemed that way with the changes to Azure Nebula...but now you've introduced a worst case use of the mechanic with season 10.:mad::mad::mad:

thetanine · April 2015

There is a small rectangle in the upper right hand corner of the screen. It has an X in the middle of it. If you click on that, all your problems will be solved, immediately.

wen1503 · April 2015

If you can't carry your team do normal. With season 10, you can now turn in 100 marks for the ancient battery or whatever you need - with the daily reward just do a single normal TRIBBLE and you have the marks.

gavinruneblade · April 2015

thetanine wrote: »

There is a small rectangle in the upper right hand corner of the screen. It has an X in the middle of it. If you click on that, all your problems will be solved, immediately.

*gives thetanine a cookie*

^.^

synian · April 2015

You're right, thetanine, I could do that, just like 90% of the people I know who played STO. Guess what happens to MMOs when the playerbase leaves. Cryptic better have some VERY fat whales, and while I don't know the real reason..my bet is that money had a part to play in the recent layoffs they had.

STO can't compete with the MMOs out there on any level. It's got 3 things going for it, two of which are related: the IP, Story, and STFs.

Hurray Star Trek and the story is going to have you playing for a bit..but then what?

STFs: The way to grind out gear and basically have something to do until the next episode arrives. Best part, not sitting around for hours waiting for just the right group to form to do it, just jump in and go. Not many MMOs have that. But now we have even more reason to not waste our time with adv or elite queues because we can finish rep gear projects with enough marks. Problem there is crafting is heavily tied to adv and elite queues...so the devs have just made it very easy for players to not waste their time with crafting as well. That's a huge chunk of the end game in the "waste of time" category. Game design 101 teaches you that if a player feels like they are wasting their time with your game, they are going to spend their time, and money, elsewhere.

Players don't run STFs over and over again because they are that great. it's about the stuff at the end and what you do with that. Absent that, what is left to do? Min/Max and contribute to the belief that everything needs a massive HP buffer? Sit and wait for just the right group of people, with just the right skills and just the right equipment? No, there are better MMOs out there, with much more reasonable microtransaction prices, that I could do that in.

jellico1 · April 2015

I agree with the OP

Worst possible way to make a party fail

Shows lack of creativity and total lack of game mastering skills

peterconnorfirst · April 2015

synian wrote: »

I just played Herald sphere advanced...failure for no logical reason what-so-ever.

Sorry to hear about your experience OP. Nevertheless Im confused. Didt Cryptic announce that they would remove the fail conditions in advanced Queues?

http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/9111543-advanced-difficulty-pve-queue-changes

Why do they release new ones now which have some? Could somebody explain pls?

thetanine · April 2015

I very much do love you all so very much indeed. Somehow though, my words to you come across as hateful and spiteful. I wish I could learn to put amity in my messages that would be felt as I first intended. Yes, sometimes my sarcasm goes way too far. But I never actually put spite in my words to you. Spite is never my intent. Humor, yes, though I now know my smiles and chuckles are not migrating from the wrists down. Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Computer, yes?

thetanine · April 2015

gavinruneblade wrote: »

*gives thetanine a cookie*

^.^

Oh! Thanks so much Gavin Runeblade ;D

tarastheslayer · April 2015

What I hate about the timers is that, there really is no need for them to be limiting how long you spend doing something. A timed objective or optional in the mission I can live with so long as that timer isn't representing how long you have to do the mission in.

Missions should take as long as it takes you to complete it, that makes it possible for all build types to be used but also allows people the leeway to spend more time understanding the content. Personally, who cares if content takes 10 minutes or an hour so long as you enjoy doing it? I really do think Cryptic are lazy when it comes to this, simply no need for it, especially when plenty of other MMO's manage to do it and be successful, RIFT comes to mind yet difference would be that removing the timers with our missions would increase the viability of all builds instead of narrowing it down to just DPS centred ones.

vestereng · April 2015

Of all the problems with the game, crying over some text in a poorly synched cutscene - what you call "the story", definitely ranks far up there above all other issues.

I've never read a mission description or NPC box and rush through everything - assuming the reward even makes me want to put myself through it initially..

Usually I will start grinding my teeth, get tense in my neck and finally start to get red faced and yell, and that ain't no joke neither

Missions are THAT terrible, always were, always will be

Ignoring the fact it was supposed to be star trek, any game that doesn't offer me a choice - that says hey it's okay that what you are doing is pointless, we just need you to waste time, well I will sign right off on that and return the favour...

bioixi · April 2015

Timers TRIBBLE off a lot of people, but it doesn't matter how many times we keep complaining about, devs are unable to create a good AI or good mechanics, so they are forced to artificially boost difficulty by placing timers and increasing enemy HP and damage, which in turn dumbs down gameplay and makes combat boring and/or annoying.

At first When I read about iconians I was like: finally an smart enemy, not another punching bag, I'll have to use tactics, I'll need to change my BOFFs abilities and keep moving.
Now I'm like: well, Anti-Proton Beam fire at will is the answer apparently.

bergins · April 2015

thetanine wrote: »

I very much do love you all so very much indeed. Somehow though, my words to you come across as hateful and spiteful. I wish I could learn to put amity in my messages that would be felt as I first intended. Yes, sometimes my sarcasm goes way too far. But I never actually put spite in my words to you. Spite is never my intent. Humor, yes, though I now know my smiles and chuckles are not migrating from the wrists down. Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Computer, yes?

Your problem? A loose nut.

You'll find it between the keyboard and seat.

Your original advise does hold value. It might just save a life...

vestereng wrote: »

Usually I will start grinding my teeth, get tense in my neck and finally start to get red faced and yell, and that ain't no joke neither

Missions are THAT terrible, always were, always will be

...someone's stress levels are just plain unhealthy when it comes to this game, and should probably quit before they have a stroke.

jermbot · April 2015

Agreed, would much rather they spend the time necessary to put in a soft timer, such as increasingly large numbers of fighters with Feedback Pulse spawning in once the timer is reached. Start with 5, then 10 a minute later, 20 a minute after that, and so on and so on. Or a field of utter destruction centered on the final objective that expands gradually, by the time the timer is reached the field of near instant death is 10 kilometers long and players are unable to advance. Or a variety of other things that add flavor to the fights.

jerichoredoran · April 2015

jermbot wrote: »

Agreed, would much rather they spend the time necessary to put in a soft timer, such as increasingly large numbers of fighters with Feedback Pulse spawning in once the timer is reached. Start with 5, then 10 a minute later, 20 a minute after that, and so on and so on. Or a field of utter destruction centered on the final objective that expands gradually, by the time the timer is reached the field of near instant death is 10 kilometers long and players are unable to advance. Or a variety of other things that add flavor to the fights.

Hm, that was a pretty stupid suggestion...
You serve even more hp sponges to low DPS groups assuring they fail but take even more time to realize they stand no chance anymore. While a bit more creative then fail on time-up its even more discuraging.

induperator · April 2015

I have the perfect guide that will prevent you from ever failing a PVE again

1. Start Menu
2. Control Panel
3. Programs
4. Uninstall a program
5. Star Trek Online
6. Uninstall

There, you never have to deal with it again.

Seriously though if you don't like it the Shuttle bay is on Deck 11, if you don't like it don't play it.

ragingloli · April 2015

how about a mission based perma-death?
if you die during a mission, you stay dead until the end, and there will be no reinforcements.

sheldonlcooper · April 2015

peterconnorfirst wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your experience OP. Nevertheless Im confused. Didt Cryptic announce that they would remove the fail conditions in advanced Queues?

http://www.arcgames.com/en/games/star-trek-online/news/detail/9111543-advanced-difficulty-pve-queue-changes

Why do they release new ones now which have some? Could somebody explain pls?

They introduced 2 more failqueues with season 10. I think the azure thing was about finally normalizing the price of argonite. It was a kind gesture and it worked. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the death of the failqueues. They are very much alive and well. You can play normal now an extra 2 days for each elite mark so that is a win win for players and company - sort of.

kivrinjs · April 2015

induperator wrote: »

I have the perfect guide that will prevent you from ever failing a PVE again

1. Start Menu
2. Control Panel
3. Programs
4. Uninstall a program
5. Star Trek Online
6. Uninstall

There, you never have to deal with it again.

Seriously though if you don't like it the Shuttle bay is on Deck 11, if you don't like it don't play it.

Great Response. Everyone who is upset about the game should just do this, then you won't be able to play either.

I agree with the OP. Failing optional objectives shouldn't fail the mission, if you're going to call them optional make them optional! Advanced should be more forgiving and Elite, should just be insanely hard, so all these people complaining about how easy the game is can play them. Oh wait they already did. They should decrease the difficulty on advanced by removing the failure on optional. Oh wait casual players might actually make progress and that somehow insults the people who don't work long hours or have families. Wouldn't want the former who likely has money to burn to enjoy the game enough to spend money would we.

Elitists in any game who can't see from the perspective of someone who wants to log on make some progress and get some enjoyment, then log off and read their kid a bedtime story or whatever they need to do..make me sick. Have some empathy. This is our game not YOUR game.

spock1190 · April 2015

jellico1 wrote: »

I agree with the OP

Worst possible way to make a party fail

Shows lack of creativity and total lack of game mastering skills

Doooooooommmmm
Doooooooooooooommmmmmmmmm
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM
Fear the End. It is coming.

lucho80 · April 2015

I will say something about the timers, but it's not that they're too short.

Back in the day timers were used to strive to complete something in a certain amount of time, and I'm fine with that.

Now they're being used to keep us in STFs longer than we really need to. A briefing timer and a gated timer for each stage which gets annoying.

Stage two of the Herald Sphere is a joke. In Tribble, it used to be that you killed all the Iconian ships, and stage 2 ended. I complained that we should move on after all the ships had been destroyed, but the devs, in order to keep us pressing the spacebar until the timer ran out made it so enemies kept spawning. That would be great if the payout for running the Herald Sphere (without the daily boost) was worth it, but it isn't.

On the other hand, the ground STF actually is surprisingly not a pain to run (except the Orion informant bug) on normal (again, because of informant bug I wouldn't run Adv/Elite). As long as you complete each rooms objective you get to move on quickly.

Of Cowards

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