Photonic Fleet

glenn · April 2016

I have a science Captain. On looking up Photonic Fleet, I discover not only should I have it now but should have had it since Commander.

I know the stuff about Skill Points and I am all spent out. Does anyone have any ideas because my science ship is a TRIBBLE.

angrytarg · April 2016

Photonic fleet is one of those abilities I think should work a bit differently. It doesn't make much sense that they actually do damage - they're holograms. No weapons, there's nothing the damage could come from. Plus, as pointed out above, they depend on "tactical" skills which is, arguably, entirely superflous for science captains in the bigger picture.

In my opinion, the photonic ships should taunt and build aggro as well as debuff any target which attacks them and/or exposing them. Also, more variety in the ship models spawned would be nice but that's just a minor complaint

manners2 · April 2016

Tis an ability you can use which summons a certain amount of photonic ships to help you.

You can find it in your abilities section in your abilities bar.

markhawkman · April 2016

you probably just need to rearrange your power tray manually. I find I have to do it every time I change ships.

breadandcircuses · April 2016

As an important side note on the upcoming Skill Revamp: In checking out Tribble and testing the Coordination Skills (at the highest tier of the Tactical Tree), they do improve your Photonic Fleet and deployable platforms and whatnot; if you find yourself making heavy use of these abilities it might be worth investing in (as well as to buff your player teammates in queues). The bonus is only 5% for non-hangar teammates, but it should (I haven't found enough teammates to check on Tribble) stack for each player with the Coordination Skills. From a team play perspective, that set of Skills is looking like a good investment even if it doesn't buff your own ship.

georikzaberisk · April 2016

glenn#1579 wrote: »

I have a science Captain. On looking up Photonic Fleet, I discover not only should I have it now but should have had it since Commander.

I know the stuff about Skill Points and I am all spent out. Does anyone have any ideas because my science ship is a TRIBBLE.

It's a skill that is like the special abilities counter part of the other 2 class. If Tacts has buffs like Alpha and tactical (Forgot the name) P.Fleet is for sci.

Just a note here though. P.Fleets is affected by your Skills Starship Weapons Training and Projectile. The fleet you summon rely on this 2 skills for their damage, although I do not know the math but I'm assuming it has the same affect it has on your captain. The cooldown of the skill can be reduced greatly depending on your build which includes the triats, doff, and boff.

P.Fleet is a good skill for many reasons and has many benefits which you can find out later on your own. Take note though, my experience may differ from others and they may have a different opinion on this, May be some actually has the math etch. But I'm just telling you base on my own personal experience of the skill and it's affects. I can try and do the math etch but hey that's what those other guys who love doing those kinds of stuff for lol

I really lazy on putting calculations and stuff on paper and I really hate doing math and look smart by doing so, no offense to guys who do it for the community and we do love you guys for doing it for us ahaha!

georikzaberisk · April 2016

angrytarg wrote: »

Photonic fleet is one of those abilities I think should work a bit differently. It doesn't make much sense that they actually do damage - they're holograms. No weapons, there's nothing the damage could come from. Plus, as pointed out above, they depend on "tactical" skills which is, arguably, entirely superflous for science captains in the bigger picture.

In my opinion, the photonic ships should taunt and build aggro as well as debuff any target which attacks them and/or exposing them. Also, more variety in the ship models spawned would be nice but that's just a minor complaint

Well technically though those holograms can kill. Hence the safety measures on the Holodecks. Case in point Picard takes off the safeties during Nemesis and kills the Borg. Holograms on ST technically uses the same tech as replicator I believe, although I could be wrong.

But yeah I still think a good variety of ships are welcomed. Although I do not know if it's a bug or anything but I did once get a KDF ship on one of my P.Fleet lol

which was kinda funny.

I wish we can summon dreads as well as other ships from other species as well. Wouldn't it be cool to summon a Borg Cube and a Voth Dread ahaha!

angrytarg · April 2016

georikzaberisk wrote: »

Well technically though those holograms can kill. Hence the safety measures on the Holodecks. Case in point Picard takes off the safeties during Nemesis and kills the Borg. Holograms on ST technically uses the same tech as replicator I believe, although I could be wrong.

But yeah I still think a good variety of ships are welcomed. Although I do not know if it's a bug or anything but I did once get a KDF ship on one of my P.Fleet lol which was kinda funny.

I wish we can summon dreads as well as other ships from other species as well. Wouldn't it be cool to summon a Borg Cube and a Voth Dread ahaha!

On the holodeck, yes. Those ships are however projected outside of the ship. The reason a hologram can kill (piecing together the technobabble) is that the tommy gun for example creates little forcefields which then move through other objects with disabled safeties but they are generated by the holodeck which maintains those. The photonic fleet is literally just a projection, there's nothing but the ship with the projectors. It's impossible to "prject" the ship's own weapons remotely so they would actually fire weapons and even if their "safeties" were disabled they would just launch a forcefield at the target, not a real weapon. So, trektechnically the ability makes basically no sense

I'd be statisfied if it weren't just CBCs, patrol escorts or star cruisers. KDF and RR have even less variety, I think they only have Negh'Vars and roms have D'Ds and the other T5 warbird.

In principle it would be nice if we could choose which ships we get and those would do different things.

markhawkman · April 2016

Well, holograms are energy, as are directed energy weapons. The difference is simply power.... and realistically the weapons of the holoships I summon are feeble compared to my actual ship.

angrytarg · April 2016

markhawkman wrote: »

Well, holograms are energy, as are directed energy weapons. The difference is simply power.... and realistically the weapons of the holoships I summon are feeble compared to my actual ship.

Directed energy weapons are nadion particle streams, the photonic fleet is, well, photons. But I just read that photonic weaponry is rather common in Star Trek (photon torpedoes don't actually work with photons, though

), so you may be right. Still the ability makes little sense as there is nothing but the mothership to project the photons into space, so it would make more sense to have them generate aggro and apply some auxilliary effects instead of being combat pets, but as I said earlier, it's just my opinion.

nebfab · April 2016

Well, since we have SCE as part of the canon... In one of their novels there were species who built a working ship with a working warp drive entirely out of holograms (and could've done so much earlier, but for a long time considered real warp-capable species contacting them as parts of their version of SF holonovels...)

So it might be that they shared a lesser version of that tech with the rest of the galaxy.

Although of course ST holograms make no sense as far as RL physics is concerned, but neither does lots of other things.

georikzaberisk · April 2016

angrytarg wrote: »

markhawkman wrote: »

Well, holograms are energy, as are directed energy weapons. The difference is simply power.... and realistically the weapons of the holoships I summon are feeble compared to my actual ship.

Directed energy weapons are nadion particle streams, the photonic fleet is, well, photons. But I just read that photonic weaponry is rather common in Star Trek (photon torpedoes don't actually work with photons, though ), so you may be right. Still the ability makes little sense as there is nothing but the mothership to project the photons into space, so it would make more sense to have them generate aggro and apply some auxilliary effects instead of being combat pets, but as I said earlier, it's just my opinion.

On that note though Doctor can exist out side the holodeck or the ship via using that patch. If a small patch can do that for the doctor what more can a ship do, most specially if it's a science one. As I also said the Holodeck and everything that has to do with it is similar to how the replicators work, Remember there are episodes that show people (Actual living ones) eating inside the Holodeck using what's inside.

Both The Replicator and the Holodeck uses energy to form a construct and with the STO timeline being ahead of the series already it wouldn't be a surprise if the whole ship itself can act as a giant holo emitter projector. Although I do agree they should really generate more aggro.

But whenever I use them though the enemy AI seems to focus on them more. They are my ultimate pawns and meat shield

davefenestrator · April 2016

The Doctor is a "solid" hologram thanks to his mobile emitter. Imagine your science captain launches larger, more powerful emitters that also act as turrets. Or that it's a small replicated drone / turret that wears a ship disguise as a decoy.

gaevsprivsman · April 2016

Yes and no, i think you all forgeting about industrial replicators, that can create everything, except warp coils, from what i know, so, tecnicallly, they can create a nadeon emmiter if they need to (or many). at least thats how i see it may work

noroblad · April 2016

it blanked it out or you did but if you are complaining about your science ship... sci ships take a fair bit of know-how to build even at 60. Its extra challenging to fly one at lower levels as a new (or new to sci) player given the reduced weaponry and with only one or two offensive sci skills that do anything (all single target to boot). Once you get gravity wells, tractor beam repulsors, and enough skills to cycle through during a fight (probably around level 40+) it becomes much easier. Try an escort if you are under 40 and having trouble, or dig deep into the sci builds threads to see if you can make it work at lower levels (but again, you just lack having multiple potent skills at lower levels, there is only so much you can do).

glenn · April 2016

Noroblad

I have Gravity Well 3 boffed and Tychans Rift. I am certainly doing enough damage, I was just saying I didn''t have what I should and trying to find out why.

You are quite correct though, whilst not being new to the game, this is my first try at a science captain.

georikzaberisk · April 2016

glenn#1579 wrote: »

Noroblad

I have Gravity Well 3 boffed and Tychans Rift. I am certainly doing enough damage, I was just saying I didn''t have what I should and trying to find out why.

You are quite correct though, whilst not being new to the game, this is my first try at a science captain.

Do you mean you don't have Photonic Fleet? You should have it when you reach Captain grade 7 rank. It's automatic to have it.

angrytarg · April 2016

gaevsprivsman wrote: »

Yes and no, i think you all forgeting about industrial replicators, that can create everything, except warp coils, from what i know, so, tecnicallly, they can create a nadeon emmiter if they need to (or many). at least thats how i see it may work

That's not how replicators, industrial or otherwise, work. It is established that you cannot replicate starships, even small craft. Computer chips being replicated are faulty and hulls have to be wielded traditionally. Starship construction is still manual labour, even in Star Trek. Of course STO is "in the future", but if we abandon all canon rules because of that we don't have to bother in the first place, in my opinion. Also, beaming a mobile emitter to maintain a holographic starship seems to far fetched in my opinion. It just makes things more complicated instead of explaining them - why do we build starships at all and not just use holograms all the time?

davefenestrator · April 2016

Also, beaming a mobile emitter to maintain a holographic starship seems to far fetched in my opinion. It just makes things more complicated instead of explaining them

Photonic ships deal damage and act as decoys. Let's assume they're a weapons platform using ECM and light to look like a ship to sensors without actually functioning as a ship. They get enemy ships to target them more than would happen if the turret part was not concealed. They soak up damage that would otherwise go to the real ship, and pretend to take some damage from beams that really are targeting empty space.

In WW II the allies used inflatable tanks to create a fake armored force and mislead the Germans.

angrytarg · April 2016

davefenestrator wrote: »

Photonic ships deal damage and act as decoys. Let's assume they're a weapons platform using ECM and light to look like a ship to sensors without actually functioning as a ship. They get enemy ships to target them more than would happen if the turret part was not concealed. They soak up damage that would otherwise go to the real ship, and pretend to take some damage from beams that really are targeting empty space.

In WW II the allies used inflatable tanks to create a fake armored force and mislead the Germans.

Well, tht makes more sense, thank you for the explanation

I didn't really think about that. It would also explain the rather limited movement of the ships and how they stay even if you leave the site.

snoggymack22 · April 2016

georikzaberisk wrote: »

angrytarg wrote: »

Photonic fleet is one of those abilities I think should work a bit differently. It doesn't make much sense that they actually do damage - they're holograms. No weapons, there's nothing the damage could come from. Plus, as pointed out above, they depend on "tactical" skills which is, arguably, entirely superflous for science captains in the bigger picture.

In my opinion, the photonic ships should taunt and build aggro as well as debuff any target which attacks them and/or exposing them. Also, more variety in the ship models spawned would be nice but that's just a minor complaint

Well technically though those holograms can kill. Hence the safety measures on the Holodecks. Case in point Picard takes off the safeties during Nemesis and kills the Borg. Holograms on ST technically uses the same tech as replicator I believe, although I could be wrong.

But yeah I still think a good variety of ships are welcomed. Although I do not know if it's a bug or anything but I did once get a KDF ship on one of my P.Fleet lol which was kinda funny.

I wish we can summon dreads as well as other ships from other species as well. Wouldn't it be cool to summon a Borg Cube and a Voth Dread ahaha!

Because this is a Star Trek forum, I'm going to be the geek that does this ...

That was First Contact not Nemesis.

Sorry. Someone had to do it.

glenn · April 2016

georikzaberisk wrote: »

glenn#1579 wrote: »

Noroblad

I have Gravity Well 3 boffed and Tychans Rift. I am certainly doing enough damage, I was just saying I didn''t have what I should and trying to find out why.

You are quite correct though, whilst not being new to the game, this is my first try at a science captain.

Do you mean you don't have Photonic Fleet? You should have it when you reach Captain grade 7 rank. It's automatic to have it.

That is precisely what I am saying. I have checked the Wiki, don't know what rank 7 is but I am a Captain. Have tried spending all my skill points to no avail.

davefenestrator · April 2016

Do you have any incomplete promotion missions? Press L, check for "go talk to admiral quinn" / "go pick your new starship"

glenn · April 2016

Nope. The Intrepid is my Captain level ship.

Photonic Fleet

Best Answer

Answers