Pardon if this has already been answered somewhere, I haven't found any info, so...
Will there be any way to acquire another skill-tree slot, or multi-spec option? I would very much like to be able to have a science / exotic oriented build, a DPS oriented build, and a tank oriented skill tree set up that will allow me to switch between them in a similar manner to the Specialization system.
I'm curious how this will affect one piece of gear in particular: The Romulan Engines. Will they continue boosting Attack Patterns, or be switched to something else since that skill no longer exists?
Items that grant Attack Patterns will be translated to granting one of the new Skills. Probably either Weapon Penetration or Long-Range Targeting.
PLEASE?
If I had to Pick... I'd ask for Weapon Penetration.
"New options are being introduced that will allow players to invest in Skills that will increase Shield Hardness, Hull and Shield Regeneration, Armor and Shield Penetration, or provide cooldown reductions for certain Bridge Officer Abilities."
Pardon if this has already been answered somewhere, I haven't found any info, so...
Will there be any way to acquire another skill-tree slot, or multi-spec option? I would very much like to be able to have a science / exotic oriented build, a DPS oriented build, and a tank oriented skill tree set up that will allow me to switch between them in a similar manner to the Specialization system.
This is one of those things I can't answer, sorry.
Jeremy Randall
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
So are the Captain abilities still tired to your career choice or will they unlock from spending points in the new skill tree's?
For example if im a tactal officer who invests into the engineering tree can i unlock skills like Miracle worker?
Or if im an Engineer who invests alot into the tactical tree can I unlock Attack Pattern Alpha?
If so I think thats great if not I think working towards a system where each character starts of as a cadet and progresses into a career choice is something that should be looked into to lol.
Lol, from a science captain point of view, this is a boost. Poor subspace decompiler and countermeasure systems which were underused because of how expensive they were now are joined with grav gens. My science captain loves this change.
That sounds good , you are that 1/10 of players, anyway who on PvE have poor subspace decompiler? Elachi torpedo used to be great thing on pvp , but now on pve is the worst thing, what you can insert into the weapon slot.
I hope this new system will remove the class dependence on certain kinds of ships. As it stands now an engineer will never be as good as a tactical officer in an escort ship or a tactical officer in a cruiser. Which really locks people into certain classed ships for their character if they want to excel in that specific ship type. I figure not too many people want to grind an entirely new character just so they can be really good at one certain type of ship over another. You'd probably sell more ships too if people didn't feel so locked into specific ship classes.
That will never change. Ships are designed around it! If you are playing a science officer, you chose that role. The science vessels were built to accommodate your class. If you want to fly different ships and be totally effective, then why not roll a new captain?
"New options are being introduced that will allow players to invest in Skills that will increase Shield Hardness, Hull and Shield Regeneration, Armor and Shield Penetration, or provide cooldown reductions for certain Bridge Officer Abilities."
More shield penetration? Ugh
Most people can't get enough penetration though.... I mean...oh, dear....
@borticuscryptic I also have another question regarding flow caps. currently I have maxed them out on my tactical toon as they benefit the way i like to play and compliment certain abilities. How will these new changes effect my ability to access that effect? Will I as a tactical captain still retain access or similar access to the skill like I have now?
"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again." - Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek Generations
"New options are being introduced that will allow players to invest in Skills that will increase Shield Hardness, Hull and Shield Regeneration, Armor and Shield Penetration, or provide cooldown reductions for certain Bridge Officer Abilities."
More shield penetration? Ugh
Most people can't get enough penetration though.... I mean...oh, dear....
It kinda wrecks the whole "Shield Tank" build though.
Pardon if this has already been answered somewhere, I haven't found any info, so...
Will there be any way to acquire another skill-tree slot, or multi-spec option? I would very much like to be able to have a science / exotic oriented build, a DPS oriented build, and a tank oriented skill tree set up that will allow me to switch between them in a similar manner to the Specialization system.
This is one of those things I can't answer, sorry.
Alrighty, thanks for the reply! If such a system is considered, it would be something I'd invest in day 1 - I'd be happy paying ~2000 zen for another pair of slots. The lack of having a multi-spec option is the only reason my interest in STO ever drops off.
Additionally, that free-respec-tokens from tribble would be an excellent addition to The Captain's Table on Holodeck
Will these changes effect the effectiveness of weapons procs? For instance, phasers subsystem disable. Subspace decompiler really should have aways increased the duration but doesnt. All energy types should be improved in some way by their associated skill. Plasma burns are improved by particle generators skill. Will you look at this with the skill changes?
Player and forumite formerly known as FEELTHETHUNDER
What happens to respecs a character may already have from levelling as a subscriber? And unused C-store respecs, for that matter? Should I start taking screens now to prove I still have them?
And yes, a second free respec would be much appreciated... Being stuck with Borged-up skills because you didn't understand the new system well enough to make smart choices is no fun.
Less skill-tree wise difference between energy and projectiles sounds good, one reason torpedoes are unpopular is that you're sort of stuck with them if you spec into them. And in general, if this system makes ship-hopping easier it would be a success. But I still wonder what else (besides Attack Patterns) is stealthily nerfed, even as claims about "losing nothing" are made... Not that I'm against it, some things in the game need nerfing, It's just surprising Attack Patterns is one of them. (and this is a nerf, most builds invested in it and had either doffs or items with +SAP and from what I understand there's no way to go beyond 100 SAP now.)
not happy got 2 toons with surplus of skill points "try out this new change on tribble before made permanent"
I.E. tough nuggies we gonna change it. And we don't give a rodents hindparts if you like it or not
This is gonna be expensive, adapted/translated means your current equip may or may not be as effective as it was. Save your resources, and don't commit to a build or a build change until this comes out. I wish I wouldn't have upgraded my kdf sci build or other various consoles/weapons over the last upgrade weekend I cant help but wonder how much of it will be rendered useless.
Hm. The more that I read through the expanded explanations on the forum, the less opposed to this Skill Revamp I become. I am now more intrigued and cautiously optimistic about the whole thing. I do have a question, though.
"Coordination Protocols" Does it happen to increase the Pet AI?
I ask because it sounds like it costs triple the price of most other Skills. I can't see paying that to increase the damage output of Pets who are just going to charge straight in to the Breech Explosion of their target. Buffing their Damage will just mean that they all suicide quicker and leave us without any Pets for that much longer. Unless "Coordination Protocols" increases their AI then the Skill sounds more like a hindrance than a benefit.
I hope this new system will remove the class dependence on certain kinds of ships. As it stands now an engineer will never be as good as a tactical officer in an escort ship or a tactical officer in a cruiser. Which really locks people into certain classed ships for their character if they want to excel in that specific ship type. I figure not too many people want to grind an entirely new character just so they can be really good at one certain type of ship over another. You'd probably sell more ships too if people didn't feel so locked into specific ship classes.
That will never change. Ships are designed around it! If you are playing a science officer, you chose that role. The science vessels were built to accommodate your class. If you want to fly different ships and be totally effective, then why not roll a new captain?
Huh? And I aim that at both of you...
Granted, ships are designed to emphasize certain characteristics, like my science ships let me take major advantage of space-magic, and cruisers are annoyingly big tanks that can take a pounding but can barely stay on target sometimes...
Yet, I kick just as much tail with my Sci in a Hestia that my Tac does in same Hestia (as a "rare" Lt.Cmdr Sci bearing escort, my Sci can kick out his hyper grav-wells and crush frigate waves, while my tac weapon-izes them to smitherines...
And I bet you haven't heard the adage "A Tac can out-sci a sci in a science ship when (s)he drops APA and FoMM on to the big boy in the grav well or TBR field..." Nevermind the anecdotes of "non-squishy" escorts cause the engie jumped into one...
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]
@borticuscryptic I also have another question regarding flow caps. currently I have maxed them out on my tactical toon as they benefit the way i like to play and compliment certain abilities. How will these new changes effect my ability to access that effect? Will I as a tactical captain still retain access or similar access to the skill like I have now?
I am wondering the same thing. My guess is that FAW/Leech boats with tactical officers are going bye bye. Which sucks for all the folks that sank ALOT of resources into building them.
So, is this going to make it harder to hit 400+ For skills like Grav' Gens and Particle Gens? If so, is the impact of each skill point being scaled up, or is the impact of attacks, in this case Grav Wells being reduced in scope?
I'm excited for this change. Giving the meta a kick in the pants is always a good thing.
Couple questions.....
1) For those that can experiment with Free respecs on Tribble, that's good, but for returning players that come back after the patch has launched and are forced to respec on log in with no prior knowledge, will existing max level characters be given a free Respec (not the ability to re-slot points the initial time) when the patch goes live to account for 'beginner' mistakes made? because there is going to be lots of them.
2) For subscribers and Lifetime subscribers, will free Respecs still be given out during the leveling process?
3) When is this being uploaded to Tribble? Really anxious to test this new system.
I think this looks promising and am looking forward to trying it out on Tribble. I do like the idea of Skill "loadouts" instead of respecs. I won't pay for respecs, but I might buy loadouts to make it easier to switch between types of ships.
quick question.. how transparent will these changes be? will we, for example, have access to, or a breakdown of, the specific values/gains on application of our points into each new skill slot? while i appreciate the need to simplify, or demystify the current system, will these changes still allow for spreadsheet theory crafting and number crunching?
My question is how does this revamp effect BOff manual crafting? Will we need certain nodes leveled to unlock those manuals like the current system or something different?
not happy got 2 toons with surplus of skill points "try out this new change on tribble before made permanent"
I.E. tough nuggies we gonna change it. And we don't give a rodents hindparts if you like it or not
Errr no this is the SKILL tree, not the SPEC tree, you don't have any toons with surplus points in it
Why bother? The average player doesnt PvP. I just bought the 3 pack T6 Odyssey pack, not because I even think about PvP, but because it finally had some good Odyssey alternative ship parts to use, and I like flying big Fed looking ships that look good. The only way Im even considering PvP (sadly one of the reasons I joined my first MMO) is if they have a skill points governor type bar for average player matchups. I dont want to walk into fights where the other guys have a buttload of lockbox weaponry, because I refuse to gamble in this game. But if I can walk into a match with a few average players, and we all know that going in, our abilities top off at certain levels, while allowing us to bring in any mix of weapons, Im all for that. Let players dial down all their weapons and console abilities to fit under the matchup cap, so they can still have their lockbox stuff vs noobs, but their gimped to a total overall abilities level to play fair with a new guy. STO could really stand out if they had PvP systems like that, and then EVERYBODY would PvP if they knew, despite the power creep of ships and weaponry coming out, they all can be tuned and dialed back for fair matchups. Snares and holds maybe had a point value you could dial them back, and decide if you want to put matchup points into holds and such, or ship defense, or just pure weaponry. It would still be chess matches because you wont know what values your opponent put on their gear and ships, but you could at least take comfort the total effectiveness of his abilities wasnt greater than yours, you just didnt use your bag of tricks better than he or they did. Look at how racing games like Gran Turismo have performance points on their online race matchups. Guys can bring in whatever cars they like, but they have to be dialed back in horsepower, but can still be tuned setup wise to handle the track better than the other cars. If STO can do that, it could be a goldrush of old and new players into a FAIR PvP system. If Al is going to revamp the skills again, and not do something like what Im suggesting, dont bother bro.
STO: @AGNT009 Since Dec 2010
Capt. Will Conquest of the U.S.S. Crusader
I have tac toons with grav gen and prt gen slant ( i like using sci skills for torp spreads), so how will this affect my toons.
Seems like major nerf similar when they 'limited rep unlocks" I'm the type of guy who used old rep system unlocks to go pure space. Ok they nerfed that took away them and give you a limited 'choice' of what rep traits to load fair enough.
But no way I'm going to be 'excited' by this limitation and nerfing and 'dumbing down' of the system.
STO is complicated why I play, but I'm sure can always go to console games if they TRIBBLE this game I love so much. Again it seems to me the face-less excec's are just looking for another way to milk this cash cow (just my opinion)
Comments
Pardon if this has already been answered somewhere, I haven't found any info, so...
Will there be any way to acquire another skill-tree slot, or multi-spec option? I would very much like to be able to have a science / exotic oriented build, a DPS oriented build, and a tank oriented skill tree set up that will allow me to switch between them in a similar manner to the Specialization system.
Giggity
More shield penetration? Ugh
This is one of those things I can't answer, sorry.
Cryptic - Lead Systems Designer
"Play smart!"
For example if im a tactal officer who invests into the engineering tree can i unlock skills like Miracle worker?
Or if im an Engineer who invests alot into the tactical tree can I unlock Attack Pattern Alpha?
If so I think thats great if not I think working towards a system where each character starts of as a cadet and progresses into a career choice is something that should be looked into to lol.
That sounds good , you are that 1/10 of players, anyway who on PvE have poor subspace decompiler? Elachi torpedo used to be great thing on pvp , but now on pve is the worst thing, what you can insert into the weapon slot.
That will never change. Ships are designed around it! If you are playing a science officer, you chose that role. The science vessels were built to accommodate your class. If you want to fly different ships and be totally effective, then why not roll a new captain?
Most people can't get enough penetration though.... I mean...oh, dear....
Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator
LOL, you are still using those? That was 2012...
It kinda wrecks the whole "Shield Tank" build though.
Alrighty, thanks for the reply! If such a system is considered, it would be something I'd invest in day 1 - I'd be happy paying ~2000 zen for another pair of slots. The lack of having a multi-spec option is the only reason my interest in STO ever drops off.
Additionally, that free-respec-tokens from tribble would be an excellent addition to The Captain's Table on Holodeck
Player and forumite formerly known as FEELTHETHUNDER
Expatriot Might Characters in EXILE
And yes, a second free respec would be much appreciated... Being stuck with Borged-up skills because you didn't understand the new system well enough to make smart choices is no fun.
Less skill-tree wise difference between energy and projectiles sounds good, one reason torpedoes are unpopular is that you're sort of stuck with them if you spec into them. And in general, if this system makes ship-hopping easier it would be a success. But I still wonder what else (besides Attack Patterns) is stealthily nerfed, even as claims about "losing nothing" are made... Not that I'm against it, some things in the game need nerfing, It's just surprising Attack Patterns is one of them. (and this is a nerf, most builds invested in it and had either doffs or items with +SAP and from what I understand there's no way to go beyond 100 SAP now.)
I.E. tough nuggies we gonna change it. And we don't give a rodents hindparts if you like it or not
"Coordination Protocols" Does it happen to increase the Pet AI?
I ask because it sounds like it costs triple the price of most other Skills. I can't see paying that to increase the damage output of Pets who are just going to charge straight in to the Breech Explosion of their target. Buffing their Damage will just mean that they all suicide quicker and leave us without any Pets for that much longer. Unless "Coordination Protocols" increases their AI then the Skill sounds more like a hindrance than a benefit.
Huh? And I aim that at both of you...
Granted, ships are designed to emphasize certain characteristics, like my science ships let me take major advantage of space-magic, and cruisers are annoyingly big tanks that can take a pounding but can barely stay on target sometimes...
Yet, I kick just as much tail with my Sci in a Hestia that my Tac does in same Hestia (as a "rare" Lt.Cmdr Sci bearing escort, my Sci can kick out his hyper grav-wells and crush frigate waves, while my tac weapon-izes them to smitherines...
And I bet you haven't heard the adage "A Tac can out-sci a sci in a science ship when (s)he drops APA and FoMM on to the big boy in the grav well or TBR field..." Nevermind the anecdotes of "non-squishy" escorts cause the engie jumped into one...
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 am wondering the same thing. My guess is that FAW/Leech boats with tactical officers are going bye bye. Which sucks for all the folks that sank ALOT of resources into building them.
Couple questions.....
1) For those that can experiment with Free respecs on Tribble, that's good, but for returning players that come back after the patch has launched and are forced to respec on log in with no prior knowledge, will existing max level characters be given a free Respec (not the ability to re-slot points the initial time) when the patch goes live to account for 'beginner' mistakes made? because there is going to be lots of them.
2) For subscribers and Lifetime subscribers, will free Respecs still be given out during the leveling process?
3) When is this being uploaded to Tribble? Really anxious to test this new system.
quick question.. how transparent will these changes be? will we, for example, have access to, or a breakdown of, the specific values/gains on application of our points into each new skill slot? while i appreciate the need to simplify, or demystify the current system, will these changes still allow for spreadsheet theory crafting and number crunching?
Regards,
Qzi
Errr no this is the SKILL tree, not the SPEC tree, you don't have any toons with surplus points in it
Capt. Will Conquest of the U.S.S. Crusader
Seems like major nerf similar when they 'limited rep unlocks" I'm the type of guy who used old rep system unlocks to go pure space. Ok they nerfed that took away them and give you a limited 'choice' of what rep traits to load fair enough.
But no way I'm going to be 'excited' by this limitation and nerfing and 'dumbing down' of the system.
STO is complicated why I play, but I'm sure can always go to console games if they TRIBBLE this game I love so much. Again it seems to me the face-less excec's are just looking for another way to milk this cash cow (just my opinion)
At least wait till us (bug hunters or tribble testers) have broken it down to shed some more light...