@bobbydazlers : That just sounds cruel to me. Having to do the race track four times a day, quadrupling the hoops to jump through hardly sounds like a good offer. Then again, I'm not in the position to suffer from the "race" so maybe people who want the alternative should comment on that. I can see however how increasing rewards and cutting down time spent in the event would not be a thing Cryptic would do. Maybe it'd be better to just offer "easy" and "advanced" races, easy being no opponent and no time limit, you get the gizmos and advanced is the default race rewarding the gizmos and a asorted bunch of holiday currency for the items. I think that makes more sense than having four times the "work" as a compensation.
if it means the difference between not getting the ship because you cant beat the opponent or doing the race 4 time without the opponent and getting the ship I think its worth the extra.
don't forget many players who find it very difficult to beat the opponent often end up doing most of the thing more then 4 times a day before they get through it anyway.
and this is from me who finds it very difficult indeed and have often done it 6 or more times to get a win.
though granted you seem to get the opponent free race quite a bit this year for some reason other years I never got the opponent free race at all.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
if it means the difference between not getting the ship because you cant beat the opponent or doing the race 4 time without the opponent and getting the ship I think its worth the extra.
don't forget many players who find it very difficult to beat the opponent often end up doing most of the thing more then 4 times a day before they get through it anyway.
and this is from me who finds it very difficult indeed and have often done it 6 or more times to get a win.
though granted you seem to get the opponent free race quite a bit this year for some reason other years I never got the opponent free race at all.
I understand that, but why let them race four times and not just offer the opponent free ersion of the race as an option and adding a little bit more compensation to the regular race? I don't understand how having to do the track four times is better than just once, especially considering in light of this thread people seem to have issues even completing the track. Now having to do that four times hardly seems a good deal?
^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
"No. Men do not roar. Women roar. Then they hurl heavy objects... and claw at you." -Worf, son of Mogh
"A filthy, mangy beast, but in its bony breast beat the heart of a warrior" - "faithful" (...) "but ever-ready to follow the call of the wild." - Martok, about a Targ
"That pig smelled horrid. A sweet-sour, extremely pungent odor. I showered and showered, and it took me a week to get rid of it!" - Robert Justman, appreciating Emmy-Lou
if it means the difference between not getting the ship because you cant beat the opponent or doing the race 4 time without the opponent and getting the ship I think its worth the extra.
don't forget many players who find it very difficult to beat the opponent often end up doing most of the thing more then 4 times a day before they get through it anyway.
and this is from me who finds it very difficult indeed and have often done it 6 or more times to get a win.
though granted you seem to get the opponent free race quite a bit this year for some reason other years I never got the opponent free race at all.
I understand that, but why let them race four times and not just offer the opponent free ersion of the race as an option and adding a little bit more compensation to the regular race? I don't understand how having to do the track four times is better than just once, especially considering in light of this thread people seem to have issues even completing the track. Now having to do that four times hardly seems a good deal?
the reason its better is because cryptic are more likely to go for an option that keeps some players in the game longer and less likely to go for an option that equates to giving more rewards to some players without the possibility of any players staying in the game any longer then they do now.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I don't understand why there is an issue at all. That is, if you're taking about the single player PvE race for the ship vouchers.
Hell, I just JOG around the whole track and win EVERY TIME. No sprinting. No ninja-fu rolls. No X-Games style radical sliding moves on the ice.
If the OP is referring to the PvP race, I can see where it would be a major problem for somebody who has a physical handicap/disability that screws the pooch on their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
you can walk the PvP race too. It have a consolation prize of 2 tags for people who don't place, well, assuming you don't get a DQ.
if it means the difference between not getting the ship because you cant beat the opponent or doing the race 4 time without the opponent and getting the ship I think its worth the extra.
don't forget many players who find it very difficult to beat the opponent often end up doing most of the thing more then 4 times a day before they get through it anyway.
and this is from me who finds it very difficult indeed and have often done it 6 or more times to get a win.
though granted you seem to get the opponent free race quite a bit this year for some reason other years I never got the opponent free race at all.
I understand that, but why let them race four times and not just offer the opponent free ersion of the race as an option and adding a little bit more compensation to the regular race? I don't understand how having to do the track four times is better than just once, especially considering in light of this thread people seem to have issues even completing the track. Now having to do that four times hardly seems a good deal?
Here's a thought:
Activate race, go to starter, get beamed to track.
See opponent.
Immediately head straight back to race official in pavilion. Failure marked. Confirm failure with official, regain race...
Repeat until no opponent found.
Granted, this is a bit of work, but it's also less work than running the track 2-4 times. Without knowing exactly how convoluted the code is, I'm not sure a straightforward method of patching to make this happen could occur in a timely manner...
Finally - and no offense meant, just an honest question - if you lack both the patience to pull these maneuvers off, and the... skills/abilities... to handle the track at a semi-reasonable pace, how do you handle some of the more advanced content like boss battles and advanced STFs?
Detecting big-time "anti-old-school" bias here. NX? Lobi. TOS/TMP Connie? Super-promotion-box. (aka the two hardest ways to get ships) Excelsior & all 3 TNG "big hero" ships? C-Store. Please Equalize...
To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
STO doesn't like people who differ from the "norm"...they want you to spend your money and instead of the peaceful exploration that Star Trek was intended to be, it's all about killing enemies and something that I've never liked, killing animals in the game.
STO doesn't like people who differ from the "norm"...they want you to spend your money...
I say that's too gratuitous. Some ppl simply have better motor skills; or hand/eye coordination (that is why some pilots do 150k, and me just around 42k). Cryptic can't be faulted for that; nor for not lowering the bar to the absolute lowest denominator (in this case, to people who are basically too disabled to play the mini game); the 'norm' is what's required here: a mini game that is sufficiently hard to make you feel you put in at least *some* effort, but not so hard that it becomes undoable for all but a handful of super-skilled people.
Finally - and no offense meant, just an honest question - if you lack both the patience to pull these maneuvers off, and the... skills/abilities... to handle the track at a semi-reasonable pace, how do you handle some of the more advanced content like boss battles and advanced STFs?
I have only once EVER managed the slingshot maneuver in the Spectres series, after all these years, and not for lack of trying. This goes for ALL classes of ship I've ever attempted to fly through those hoops. Similar with the EV suit thing in "Step Between the Stars" (HATE HATE HATE). Races/really weird maneuvering...and the stupid isolinear chip puzzle...are the only things I really struggle with. I am finally winning the PvE race after all this time thanks to rattler's note that the Counter-Command armor I had made it worth trying again, but I still have enough of a bad taste in my mouth about the PvP race that I don't plan on trying that again.
But even though I don't race well, I still generally fight well. The places where the skillsets between the race and the game overlap are rare.
I do still think it might not be a bad idea to offer the epohh tags another way, such as "Either do ONE PvP race, or TWO rounds of other games (your choice between Tides of Ice, Cones of Conduct, and Snowball fight)." The tradeoff for doing the second (more guaranteed) route is that it will take you longer to complete (you'll probably have to stay online a minimum of 20-30 minutes to get that done). So for those who are good at the race, that will still be the most efficient option. Those who are not, will be able to get their ship or their epohh tags but will pay a cost in additional time required.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Activate race, go to starter, get beamed to track.
See opponent.
Immediately head straight back to race official in pavilion. Failure marked. Confirm failure with official, regain race...
Repeat until no opponent found.
Granted, this is a bit of work, but it's also less work than running the track 2-4 times.
But if a lot of people started doing that, the Devs would likely have to call it an exploit and close the loophole somehow... probably in a way that's even less accommodating to the people who are having trouble with it.
Sometimes it's better to spend a lot of effort up front making things easier for yourself in the long run. Learning to run the race the 'right way' will pay off in the long run. You'll spend less time on it the following years. Just find a way that works, even if only barely. You can look like a dying duck stumbling and flapping your arms at every corner and that's okay. (I do.) All that matters is you get to the finish line before the other runner, and the devs have given you every advantage. I use all of them.
Let's recap:
1. You can get a head start against the other runner.
2. The other runner never slips, but they never run any faster. Your sprint is faster than their run.
3. Some runners are slower than others.
4. Sometimes there's no other runner at all.
5. There are a number of places you can safely sprint in a straight line. Anybody who can play this game can run in a straight line.
6. Snow slows you down. (Aim for snow at the end of your sprint...)
7. Jumping or rolling brings you to a stop. The spacebar is the easiest key to mash, and your finger may already be on the 'w' key to tap it twice.
8. The boundaries are fairly generous in most spots, allowing you to avoid disqualifying. They're really only there to keep people from cheating and cutting across.
9. If you fail, you can try again the same day, as many times as you need.
10. If you run short of tokens, you can always buy extra with Lobi.
They didn't give players just one advantage, they gave them at least ten.
@stobg2015: I would also add to your list making sure that the toon you run the race on has the full Counter-Command set if at all possible. That was the only thing that made the difference for me, even with all of the other things you mentioned. If you are slow to come out of a roll, the speed bonus you get after a roll from the CC set will help you recover some of that speed loss.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Finally - and no offense meant, just an honest question - if you lack both the patience to pull these maneuvers off, and the... skills/abilities... to handle the track at a semi-reasonable pace, how do you handle some of the more advanced content like boss battles and advanced STFs?
I have only once EVER managed the slingshot maneuver in the Spectres series, after all these years, and not for lack of trying. This goes for ALL classes of ship I've ever attempted to fly through those hoops. Similar with the EV suit thing in "Step Between the Stars" (HATE HATE HATE). Races/really weird maneuvering...and the stupid isolinear chip puzzle...are the only things I really struggle with. I am finally winning the PvE race after all this time thanks to rattler's note that the Counter-Command armor I had made it worth trying again, but I still have enough of a bad taste in my mouth about the PvP race that I don't plan on trying that again.
But even though I don't race well, I still generally fight well. The places where the skillsets between the race and the game overlap are rare.
I do still think it might not be a bad idea to offer the epohh tags another way, such as "Either do ONE PvP race, or TWO rounds of other games (your choice between Tides of Ice, Cones of Conduct, and Snowball fight)." The tradeoff for doing the second (more guaranteed) route is that it will take you longer to complete (you'll probably have to stay online a minimum of 20-30 minutes to get that done). So for those who are good at the race, that will still be the most efficient option. Those who are not, will be able to get their ship or their epohh tags but will pay a cost in additional time required.
The slingshot maneuver bites. I think I may have managed it once. But like the ice race if you fail it enough times it gives you a pass. To be fair, the ice race doesn't force you to accelerate through every turn.
The EV suit maneuvers in SBtS can be tricky, but they don't have a time limit. The ice race time limit is partly intended to keep things moving so more players can complete it without clogging up the track.
The slingshot thing is pure evil, but yes, I am grateful that it autopilots after a reasonable number of attempts and lets my helmswoman earn her pay. ( ) You can imagine how I reacted when I came up on that one stupid patrol in the Delta Quadrant. (Man, I blanked that thing out.) At least THAT one let me take it at half impulse even though that meant crawling down the course like a snail.
And yeah, I know the EV maneuvers don't have a time limit but when I'm spending twenty to thirty minutes to complete that section (no exaggeration!) I think you can see why it's so painful that I'll never play it again except to get up to the point where I claim the EV suits and then quit.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
I heard that you can fail the race and restart it a few times until you get no opponent and then you can just walk the course. This is the best option for people with disabilities at this time but I agree that something more should be done. This is for the race for the ship. I don't bother with the other one. I get my marks elsewhere.
I feel a bit down since i got that method from this forum then sent out a fleet mail for those who were having trouble finishing the fastest game on ice.
Though now for some reason i cant get the method to work i was told you have to start right as someone finishes to get it to work , i will try it again after the CD see if i can get it to work.
Anywho i can understand having issues with the fastest game on ice i have arthritis in my fingers and it can be painfull when doing that race so i agree with the Op there should be an alternative for those who have disabilities.
Do you people also demand the rules of football be changed so players with no legs can win the world cup?
Get real. If you can't play a game because <insert medical condition>, play something you can instead.
actually they do sports for handicapped people including football or have you never seen Paralympics on TV, and yes the rules are changed to suit the disabilities.
Post edited by bobbydazlers on
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Activate race, go to starter, get beamed to track.
See opponent.
Immediately head straight back to race official in pavilion. Failure marked. Confirm failure with official, regain race...
Repeat until no opponent found.
Granted, this is a bit of work, but it's also less work than running the track 2-4 times.
But if a lot of people started doing that, the Devs would likely have to call it an exploit and close the loophole somehow... probably in a way that's even less accommodating to the people who are having trouble with it.
Sometimes it's better to spend a lot of effort up front making things easier for yourself in the long run. Learning to run the race the 'right way' will pay off in the long run. You'll spend less time on it the following years. Just find a way that works, even if only barely. You can look like a dying duck stumbling and flapping your arms at every corner and that's okay. (I do.) All that matters is you get to the finish line before the other runner, and the devs have given you every advantage. I use all of them.
Let's recap:
1. You can get a head start against the other runner.
2. The other runner never slips, but they never run any faster. Your sprint is faster than their run.
3. Some runners are slower than others.
4. Sometimes there's no other runner at all.
5. There are a number of places you can safely sprint in a straight line. Anybody who can play this game can run in a straight line.
6. Snow slows you down. (Aim for snow at the end of your sprint...)
7. Jumping or rolling brings you to a stop. The spacebar is the easiest key to mash, and your finger may already be on the 'w' key to tap it twice.
8. The boundaries are fairly generous in most spots, allowing you to avoid disqualifying. They're really only there to keep people from cheating and cutting across.
9. If you fail, you can try again the same day, as many times as you need.
10. If you run short of tokens, you can always buy extra with Lobi.
They didn't give players just one advantage, they gave them at least ten.
I always try very hard to win the race in the normal way and every now and then I actually do but more often I don't so I do take a big sigh of relief when I get a no opponent race.
I have tried all of the tricks but I usually end up sliding uncontrollably and cant hit the right key for a jump or roll fast enough to stop me going out of bounds or the time it takes me to correct my aim for the next stretch the opponent has passed me by with little chance of recovering the gap so I do always worry that one year I will just not be able to win and they will have fixed the bug that causes the opponent free race.
also my last laptop seemed to be a little better but it broke and on this replacement every now and then the keys seem very unresponsive, I press the key to turn and nothing happens for a second or two the all of a sudden I find myself facing the wrong way, if that's my laptop or just lag I cant say but either way it doesn't help.
I have even been doing it with 6 toons a day to try and get it better but it doesn't help at all.
Post edited by bobbydazlers on
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
heres a tip but don't tell the devs in case its an unintentional bug rather then a feature but in the ship race if you loose for any reason don't drop the mission, return to the first Race Coordinator in the gazebo and restart after a 2 or 3 goes you usually get a race without an opponent so you can just walk it so you are guaranteed a win providing you don't go out of bounds.
you may get a few other racers and their opponents pass you by but don't worry it wont effect the outcome of your race.
EXPLOIT anyone?
please don't tell the devs there is no exploit, its easy for some who can do the run and win in one go but some players might have to do the run a few times to get the opponent free race so are actually doing more for the same reward, how is that an exploit.
have some empathy on the unfortunate who haven't got the motor skill or dexterity you have.
I am sure I am the only poster that mentioned it so hopefully the devs wont notice.
It didn't work for me. I failed the mission ten times in a row, each time going back to the race coordinator to restart. ALWAYS got an opponent. NEVER got an empty race.
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Fleet Admiral Ventaxa Proxmire, U.S.S. Shaka Walls Fell
Blog: http://www.sarbonn.com/?page_id=1990
Foundry series: Bob From Accounting & For the Sake of the Empire
I didn't get a no-opponent race after many fails, either.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
The no opponent race appears to be random. I ran almost 10 times yesterday on two PC's and finally got that race. My issue is my home PC likes to lag like crazy when someone else is on the track. It's fun times when you are halfway down the track and the server "corrects" your position to be out of bounds.
Not Cryptic's fault but a new PC is not in my budget so I deal.
really? people fail the slingshot??? I think after 10alts Ive failed that twice and once was because I tried using WASD instead of mouse.... And EVA.... really?? its basic physics in action just turn around and thrust opposite... ya know what... nvm
i don't think i EVER failed the slingshot, even the first time i did it or in the most sluggish of federation ships (which, back when i started was the odyssey, i believe; not sure if there was anything more sluggish on the blue side at the time)
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch." "We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
Passion and Serenity are one.
I gain power by understanding both.
In the chaos of their battle, I bring order.
I am a shadow, darkness born from light.
The Force is united within me.
Slingshot maneuver? Reduce throttle, hold both mouse buttons and use the mouse as a direction pointer instead of trying to WASD it.
If this were Elite, yeah, you'd have to throttle up - but STO isn't a spaceflight simulator. Mechanically, it's as bare as humanly possible, so while "reality logic" dictates that you should to build speed, you just need to get through the rings in order.
EVA section in Step Between Stars? That one takes a bit more practice, but it's not a motor control issue. It's an issue of people treating it like normal ground maneuvering, and thus holding the movement keys until they reach the spot they want to stop at.
The trick is to realize that the space suits have a stoppage distance, just like a car does. Press the movement keys - don't hold them.
Also, keep the right-mouse button held down to enable WASD strafing relative to the direction the direction the camera is pointing. That's a key to getting through that section quickly.
My issue is my home PC likes to lag like crazy when someone else is on the track. It's fun times when you are halfway down the track and the server "corrects" your position to be out of bounds.
Rubberbanding is caused by latency. It's a network issue, not a hardware issue, so throwing new parts into the box won't do anything about it.
If you're playing on wifi, that tends to cause packet loss. Being cabled into the router is ideal for gaming, wifi is spotty - especially in an area where a lot of wifi signals overlap. Which is more or less anywhere these days.
Any network-heavy programs running in the background? Other games, downloads, streaming services? They're also going to throttle your available bandwidth, whether it's on your PC or from your flatmates (if applicable) doing whatever.
really? people fail the slingshot??? I think after 10alts Ive failed that twice and once was because I tried using WASD instead of mouse.... And EVA.... really?? its basic physics in action just turn around and thrust opposite... ya know what... nvm
Wait, you can use the mouse? How?
Hold both mouse buttons to fly with mouse. Its a lot easier with mouse.
Yeah, I've managed to get an opponent-free race at least once already. But I've also managed a system that works for me. It involves no rolling or stopping, just lots of frog-hopping at big curves and running a straight line through the little curves. My poor spacebar is probably going to go on strike before my 25th day lol.
Now a LTS and loving it.
Just because you spend money on this game, it does not entitle you to be a jerk if things don't go your way.
I have come to the conclusion that I have a memory like Etch-A-Sketch. I shake my head and forget everything.
Do you people also demand the rules of football be changed so players with no legs can win the world cup?
Get real. If you can't play a game because <insert medical condition>, play something you can instead.
actually they do sports for handicapped people or have you never seen Paralympics on TV, and yes the rules are changed to suit the disabilities.
Yes...but are "normal" people allowed to play too...in the "normal" way? It's a different game. This would be akin to having two STO. One for people with disabilities and one for everyone else. Which just isn't gonna happen.
we are not asking for the entire game to have an easy option, just asking for an easy option for this one thing that doesn't involve spending a small fortune in lobi.
sorry if you think we are asking for too much, perhaps everyone who uses this forum should never ask for anything again if you think it so wrong to just ask for this it must be wrong in some way to ask for anything else as I am sure everything that has ever been asked for probably upset somebody.
if you are so against this idea perhaps just a completely new challenge for everyone that doesn't involve competing against a NPC, that's all we need.
it reminds me of the time I asked for a delete all facility on the in game mail and I got a torrent of these kind of negative arguments, it just as well because the devs would never go for something like that.....oh wait.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Slingshot maneuver? Reduce throttle, hold both mouse buttons and use the mouse as a direction pointer instead of trying to WASD it.
If this were Elite, yeah, you'd have to throttle up - but STO isn't a spaceflight simulator. Mechanically, it's as bare as humanly possible, so while "reality logic" dictates that you should to build speed, you just need to get through the rings in order.
EVA section in Step Between Stars? That one takes a bit more practice, but it's not a motor control issue. It's an issue of people treating it like normal ground maneuvering, and thus holding the movement keys until they reach the spot they want to stop at.
The trick is to realize that the space suits have a stoppage distance, just like a car does. Press the movement keys - don't hold them.
Also, keep the right-mouse button held down to enable WASD strafing relative to the direction the direction the camera is pointing. That's a key to getting through that section quickly.
My issue is my home PC likes to lag like crazy when someone else is on the track. It's fun times when you are halfway down the track and the server "corrects" your position to be out of bounds.
Rubberbanding is caused by latency. It's a network issue, not a hardware issue, so throwing new parts into the box won't do anything about it.
If you're playing on wifi, that tends to cause packet loss. Being cabled into the router is ideal for gaming, wifi is spotty - especially in an area where a lot of wifi signals overlap. Which is more or less anywhere these days.
Any network-heavy programs running in the background? Other games, downloads, streaming services? They're also going to throttle your available bandwidth, whether it's on your PC or from your flatmates (if applicable) doing whatever.
Comments
if it means the difference between not getting the ship because you cant beat the opponent or doing the race 4 time without the opponent and getting the ship I think its worth the extra.
don't forget many players who find it very difficult to beat the opponent often end up doing most of the thing more then 4 times a day before they get through it anyway.
and this is from me who finds it very difficult indeed and have often done it 6 or more times to get a win.
though granted you seem to get the opponent free race quite a bit this year for some reason other years I never got the opponent free race at all.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I understand that, but why let them race four times and not just offer the opponent free ersion of the race as an option and adding a little bit more compensation to the regular race? I don't understand how having to do the track four times is better than just once, especially considering in light of this thread people seem to have issues even completing the track. Now having to do that four times hardly seems a good deal?
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
the reason its better is because cryptic are more likely to go for an option that keeps some players in the game longer and less likely to go for an option that equates to giving more rewards to some players without the possibility of any players staying in the game any longer then they do now.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
My character Tsin'xing
Here's a thought:
Activate race, go to starter, get beamed to track.
See opponent.
Immediately head straight back to race official in pavilion. Failure marked. Confirm failure with official, regain race...
Repeat until no opponent found.
Granted, this is a bit of work, but it's also less work than running the track 2-4 times. Without knowing exactly how convoluted the code is, I'm not sure a straightforward method of patching to make this happen could occur in a timely manner...
Finally - and no offense meant, just an honest question - if you lack both the patience to pull these maneuvers off, and the... skills/abilities... to handle the track at a semi-reasonable pace, how do you handle some of the more advanced content like boss battles and advanced STFs?
To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
I say that's too gratuitous. Some ppl simply have better motor skills; or hand/eye coordination (that is why some pilots do 150k, and me just around 42k). Cryptic can't be faulted for that; nor for not lowering the bar to the absolute lowest denominator (in this case, to people who are basically too disabled to play the mini game); the 'norm' is what's required here: a mini game that is sufficiently hard to make you feel you put in at least *some* effort, but not so hard that it becomes undoable for all but a handful of super-skilled people.
Get real. If you can't play a game because <insert medical condition>, play something you can instead.
I have only once EVER managed the slingshot maneuver in the Spectres series, after all these years, and not for lack of trying. This goes for ALL classes of ship I've ever attempted to fly through those hoops. Similar with the EV suit thing in "Step Between the Stars" (HATE HATE HATE). Races/really weird maneuvering...and the stupid isolinear chip puzzle...are the only things I really struggle with. I am finally winning the PvE race after all this time thanks to rattler's note that the Counter-Command armor I had made it worth trying again, but I still have enough of a bad taste in my mouth about the PvP race that I don't plan on trying that again.
But even though I don't race well, I still generally fight well. The places where the skillsets between the race and the game overlap are rare.
I do still think it might not be a bad idea to offer the epohh tags another way, such as "Either do ONE PvP race, or TWO rounds of other games (your choice between Tides of Ice, Cones of Conduct, and Snowball fight)." The tradeoff for doing the second (more guaranteed) route is that it will take you longer to complete (you'll probably have to stay online a minimum of 20-30 minutes to get that done). So for those who are good at the race, that will still be the most efficient option. Those who are not, will be able to get their ship or their epohh tags but will pay a cost in additional time required.
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But if a lot of people started doing that, the Devs would likely have to call it an exploit and close the loophole somehow... probably in a way that's even less accommodating to the people who are having trouble with it.
Sometimes it's better to spend a lot of effort up front making things easier for yourself in the long run. Learning to run the race the 'right way' will pay off in the long run. You'll spend less time on it the following years. Just find a way that works, even if only barely. You can look like a dying duck stumbling and flapping your arms at every corner and that's okay. (I do.) All that matters is you get to the finish line before the other runner, and the devs have given you every advantage. I use all of them.
Let's recap:
1. You can get a head start against the other runner.
2. The other runner never slips, but they never run any faster. Your sprint is faster than their run.
3. Some runners are slower than others.
4. Sometimes there's no other runner at all.
5. There are a number of places you can safely sprint in a straight line. Anybody who can play this game can run in a straight line.
6. Snow slows you down. (Aim for snow at the end of your sprint...)
7. Jumping or rolling brings you to a stop. The spacebar is the easiest key to mash, and your finger may already be on the 'w' key to tap it twice.
8. The boundaries are fairly generous in most spots, allowing you to avoid disqualifying. They're really only there to keep people from cheating and cutting across.
9. If you fail, you can try again the same day, as many times as you need.
10. If you run short of tokens, you can always buy extra with Lobi.
They didn't give players just one advantage, they gave them at least ten.
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The slingshot maneuver bites. I think I may have managed it once. But like the ice race if you fail it enough times it gives you a pass. To be fair, the ice race doesn't force you to accelerate through every turn.
The EV suit maneuvers in SBtS can be tricky, but they don't have a time limit. The ice race time limit is partly intended to keep things moving so more players can complete it without clogging up the track.
And yeah, I know the EV maneuvers don't have a time limit but when I'm spending twenty to thirty minutes to complete that section (no exaggeration!) I think you can see why it's so painful that I'll never play it again except to get up to the point where I claim the EV suits and then quit.
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I feel a bit down since i got that method from this forum then sent out a fleet mail for those who were having trouble finishing the fastest game on ice.
Though now for some reason i cant get the method to work i was told you have to start right as someone finishes to get it to work , i will try it again after the CD see if i can get it to work.
Anywho i can understand having issues with the fastest game on ice i have arthritis in my fingers and it can be painfull when doing that race so i agree with the Op there should be an alternative for those who have disabilities.
actually they do sports for handicapped people including football or have you never seen Paralympics on TV, and yes the rules are changed to suit the disabilities.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I always try very hard to win the race in the normal way and every now and then I actually do but more often I don't so I do take a big sigh of relief when I get a no opponent race.
I have tried all of the tricks but I usually end up sliding uncontrollably and cant hit the right key for a jump or roll fast enough to stop me going out of bounds or the time it takes me to correct my aim for the next stretch the opponent has passed me by with little chance of recovering the gap so I do always worry that one year I will just not be able to win and they will have fixed the bug that causes the opponent free race.
also my last laptop seemed to be a little better but it broke and on this replacement every now and then the keys seem very unresponsive, I press the key to turn and nothing happens for a second or two the all of a sudden I find myself facing the wrong way, if that's my laptop or just lag I cant say but either way it doesn't help.
I have even been doing it with 6 toons a day to try and get it better but it doesn't help at all.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
It didn't work for me. I failed the mission ten times in a row, each time going back to the race coordinator to restart. ALWAYS got an opponent. NEVER got an empty race.
Fleet Admiral Ventaxa Proxmire, U.S.S. Shaka Walls Fell
Blog: http://www.sarbonn.com/?page_id=1990
Foundry series: Bob From Accounting & For the Sake of the Empire
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Not Cryptic's fault but a new PC is not in my budget so I deal.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
If this were Elite, yeah, you'd have to throttle up - but STO isn't a spaceflight simulator. Mechanically, it's as bare as humanly possible, so while "reality logic" dictates that you should to build speed, you just need to get through the rings in order.
EVA section in Step Between Stars? That one takes a bit more practice, but it's not a motor control issue. It's an issue of people treating it like normal ground maneuvering, and thus holding the movement keys until they reach the spot they want to stop at.
The trick is to realize that the space suits have a stoppage distance, just like a car does. Press the movement keys - don't hold them.
Also, keep the right-mouse button held down to enable WASD strafing relative to the direction the direction the camera is pointing. That's a key to getting through that section quickly.
Rubberbanding is caused by latency. It's a network issue, not a hardware issue, so throwing new parts into the box won't do anything about it.
If you're playing on wifi, that tends to cause packet loss. Being cabled into the router is ideal for gaming, wifi is spotty - especially in an area where a lot of wifi signals overlap. Which is more or less anywhere these days.
Any network-heavy programs running in the background? Other games, downloads, streaming services? They're also going to throttle your available bandwidth, whether it's on your PC or from your flatmates (if applicable) doing whatever.
Trying to game on a 4G dongle? There's only one thing to say in response to that....
Hold both mouse buttons to fly with mouse. Its a lot easier with mouse.
we are not asking for the entire game to have an easy option, just asking for an easy option for this one thing that doesn't involve spending a small fortune in lobi.
sorry if you think we are asking for too much, perhaps everyone who uses this forum should never ask for anything again if you think it so wrong to just ask for this it must be wrong in some way to ask for anything else as I am sure everything that has ever been asked for probably upset somebody.
if you are so against this idea perhaps just a completely new challenge for everyone that doesn't involve competing against a NPC, that's all we need.
it reminds me of the time I asked for a delete all facility on the in game mail and I got a torrent of these kind of negative arguments, it just as well because the devs would never go for something like that.....oh wait.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
I am guessing as the OP said he cant afford a new PC that the cost of 4G is a bit much also.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.