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Should Pilot/Intel and Command Boffs be allowed in universal Boff seats?
quiiliitiila
Member Posts: 309 Arc User
I've always had an issue with the fact that all of the new Intel/Pilot/Command abilities require you have a special ship in order to make use of their Boff abilities. I suppose it wouldn't have been an issue if the devs had gone back and retroactively given seating to the "pre-specialization" ships that would honestly have specialized seating.
To rectify this without having to redesign ship Boff layouts, specialized Boffs could be made able to be used in universal Boff seats. This would add more customization and allow older ships with universal seats to use the new abilities.
To rectify this without having to redesign ship Boff layouts, specialized Boffs could be made able to be used in universal Boff seats. This would add more customization and allow older ships with universal seats to use the new abilities.
Should Pilot/Intel and Command Boffs be allowed in universal Boff seats? 52 votes
Yes
40%
21 votes
No
48%
25 votes
I really don't care.
0%
I'm a forumside warrior and I'm hear to crush your hopes and dreams regardless of what the issue is.
5%
3 votes
Specialized Boffs should be allowed regardless of the station. They're an officer, I'm the captain. Do what I say.
5%
3 votes
0
Comments
I had a hunch, but figured I'd pose the question anyway. I've been playing since launch and know their tricks (shameful as they are). I hold out hope someday they'll do something for the older ships.
But I can see how you'd like it on older ships, but then consider the breen raider, its mostly universal slots, so are BoP's if Im not mistaken.. That would be wayyyy too crazy.
I can see your objection, and I suppose it could be overkill. However, I wouldn't know because none of my ships can use the new abilities... Would it truly be overkill if someone put all intel abilities into their BoP? It seems like it would just be like any other Boff abilities right? You'd want to have some Sci, maybe some Eng and Tac along with the Intel, No builds would be all that great using only or heavily one specific Boff class.
Again, unfortunately I haven't used any of them so I can't attest to their overall power.
I'd rather have restricted seating than T7 looming over us.
Or at least to mock you for your typos
That's true I suppose.
Would be cool though if you could buy a token for T5 ships which would change the uni into either Command/Intel/or pilot boff stations.
But, hang tight, the winter ship will be able to equip some specialization boff/s.
So very soon, you'll be able to earn it !
For all other ships, restrict them. Say an Lt Sci/Hybrid IP on an Escort. Lt Science Officer, but could use either Intel or Pilot abilities depending on playstyle. Or Lt Eng/Hybrid IC on a cruiser; Lt Engineering Officer who could use either Intel or Command abilities.
Unrelated, but wrong "hear". I would have voted that option and enjoy your suffering at the fact that polls are worthless if they're not Cryptic-sanctioned, but I'm not "here" to "hear" the complaints. That's impossible on this type of forum.
Pretty much this.
As much as i like the BoP and as much as they are in need of some tender love and care allowing pilot, intel and command powers to be used in all universal slots would be beyond overpowered.
That is not even counting that it would instantly kill sales on a lot of T6 ships in favour of cheaper T5 ships.
The only way this might work is if universal stations are ripped out of every ship and once again relegated strictly to the BoP (of which Cryptic is probably only ever going to make one of at T6 anyway. If you're fine with that than sure, truly universal seats for the Kor, and none for anyone else. If not... then this is a bad idea.
While I don't for a second believe the Devs would actually do this, I am in favor of it. It would increase the versatility of specialized BOFFs which otherwise, frankly, don't see a lot of use. Specialist skills tend to be situational enough without sharply limiting what ship you can use.
The big problem is not the effect it would have on ship sales (which might actually increase), but rather the fact that the current situation makes it easier for the Devs to control what combinations of BOFF skills are possible and thereby prevent OP and unbalanced synergies between powers that were never intended to coexist and haven't been tested. QA would be a lot more difficult, especially if they wanted to roll out a new specialization.
So I guess my opinion is really more of a "yes, but..."
What might be a better solution is to change the system so that any station on a T6 ship can seat a specialist officer, but limit the ship itself to specific specializations and only allow one at a time.
So for example you could have a T6 Exploration Cruiser with the ability to seat either Intel or Command specialists in various stations, but not both at the same time.
OR...
Mark each station on each T6 ship with a list of allowed specializations (which could include 'none') and effectively make every ship a hybrid ship within constraints. Like only making the LtCdr and one Ensign station hybrid seats, where the LtCdr seat would allow either Intel or Command and the Ensign seat would only allow Pilot. It would still be more flexible than what we have right now, which makes specialist BOFFs very unsatisfying.
It would go against not only ships with too many universals for this to work in an orderly fashion (coughbrelcough), it would also undermine the design of several other ships. Command Battlecruisers get a Lieutenant Universal, should I go all Pilot on those massive battleships?
I am all in favor of vastly increasing the amount of ships and their slots that have access to Specialization abilities (for example the Defiant: if a single Tactical spot is Pilot, all of them are, including the Commander). I am also very much in favor of giving this to T5 ships in a fashion more limited to described a line above.
But give each universal slot all the abilities? It would undermine PvP--- wait thats dead already, euhm..... PvE server stability even more.
Join the Deltas today!
However, now the BoPs are so left behind in the game's meta that they need the boost. So, I'll vote yes.
Support 90 degree arc limitation on BFaW! Save our ships from looking like flying disco balls of dumb!
They were designed for limited but potent use, making them universal completely defeats the point and would destroy any semblance of game balance.
I think if the Devs wanted every Universal slot to be free to specializations they would have done that instead of make T6.
Could you imagine a Scimitar with OSS III? lol...
Yeah, gotta love having typos... Oh well, it's still amusing.
I merely suggested using universal seats because it'd be easy, not because I wanted to create an OP god machine.
Cryptic is greedy, of course, so they're not gonna do this if it means it will cut into their Pilot/Intel/Command ships sales; but what if they allowed those specialized boffs to be used in universal slots on their respective ship types? Like a Pilot ships gets to use Pilot boffs in their universal stations, etc.
Maybe limited to one single fully universal seat per ship.
But as others have said it'll never happen as this is how they sell ships. Only the new ships have the flashy hybrid seats on them.