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Why We Need The Option To Turn Off Other Players' Effects

millefune#8468 millefune Member Posts: 310 Arc User
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ubjQgRcDI

PlayStation players don't have super big graphics cards and oogles of RAM. The game console can't handle it when there's even a low-moderate amount of players in the same area with all their abilities and special effects going off. Here's a video showing what happens to us. I'm not super good at video games, but I know how to control a ship when my inputs are detected and not happening five or so seconds behind. Please, we're paying customers too. Give us an option to have a more pleasant game experience.

Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
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  • theanothernametheanothername Member Posts: 1,503 Arc User
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ubjQgRcDI

    PlayStation players don't have super big graphics cards and oogles of RAM. The game console can't handle it when there's even a low-moderate amount of players in the same area with all their abilities and special effects going off. Here's a video showing what happens to us. I'm not super good at video games, but I know how to control a ship when my inputs are detected and not happening five or so seconds behind. Please, we're paying customers too. Give us an option to have a more pleasant game experience.

    The lag/rubberbanding is an server issue the PC players suffer too. That aside: The effects; especially that Kahless thingy (?) with the blinding white light needs to be addressed. TV show authentic is good but not when its actual physical painful.
  • thegrandnagus1thegrandnagus1 Member Posts: 5,165 Arc User
    Not just other players. There are plenty of missions I play so that have so much junk it doesn't even look like I'm playing a Star Trek game. Not sure what kind of game it looks like...but not Trek.

    Or to put it another way: I've spent a lot of money on cool ships. If the effects are so heavy they are covering up my cool ship, that's not cool.

    The-Grand-Nagus
    Join Date: Sep 2008

    og9Zoh0.jpg
  • leemwatsonleemwatson Member Posts: 5,331 Arc User
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ubjQgRcDI

    PlayStation players don't have super big graphics cards and oogles of RAM. The game console can't handle it when there's even a low-moderate amount of players in the same area with all their abilities and special effects going off. Here's a video showing what happens to us. I'm not super good at video games, but I know how to control a ship when my inputs are detected and not happening five or so seconds behind. Please, we're paying customers too. Give us an option to have a more pleasant game experience.

    The lag/rubberbanding is an server issue the PC players suffer too. That aside: The effects; especially that Kahless thingy (?) with the blinding white light needs to be addressed. TV show authentic is good but not when its actual physical painful.

    Please stop assuming this is server lag. It could be one of a dozen other things such as their network, an IP conflict, their LAN card, the line supplying their internet, their ISP, the interconnections between them and the server, weather events, solar events, etc, etc. It's too convenient for players to blame the server. The last time I had anything that bad was when the server was being attacked, other than that, I rarely if ever get rubberbanding, and I'm in the UK. If it was the server, any 'lag' would be more pronounced for me than it would be for anyone in the US, unless their ISP was being stingy and throttling, which we know they do.

    The PS and XBOX both handle this game fine OP. That's not a graphics issue. Restart your console AND your router when it gets like this.
    "You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
  • whistlerdavidwhistlerdavid Member Posts: 415 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ubjQgRcDI

    PlayStation players don't have super big graphics cards and oogles of RAM. The game console can't handle it when there's even a low-moderate amount of players in the same area with all their abilities and special effects going off. Here's a video showing what happens to us. I'm not super good at video games, but I know how to control a ship when my inputs are detected and not happening five or so seconds behind. Please, we're paying customers too. Give us an option to have a more pleasant game experience.

    all i do is tons of space magic i have never had this problem. the only problem i have come across on ps4 is the tailor loads super slow when you try to change things on your toon
  • millefune#8468 millefune Member Posts: 310 Arc User
    I first assumed it was the modem the PlayStation is connected to (yes, with a cable), or our internet. But my husband and son play fighting games online, which I'm told require good connections and netcode so they can react and do "combos." The PlayStation handles it fine most (sometimes they get matched against people overseas or in Canada/Mexico) of the time. I also tried loading and playing DC Universe (another MMO with even more people on PlayStation) just to be sure it wasn't some kind of issue with our internet or PlayStation. It was shocking seeing how smooth having a sixty-frame game on the screen was again, and that ran well until there were over three dozen people using superpowers at once. And no, "just go back to that game then" isn't an option for me. I quit that game, because I don't really like comic books, but I love Star Trek. I enjoy this game... when it's working ;-)

    ANYWAY, thanks for the replies. Some of you also play on PlayStation and say that it works fine with a bunch of people spamming big special effects without going into jerky motions or slowing down like old Nintendo games when too much stuff is going on. I don't know, I find it hard to believe, but maybe you're on a "Pro" or "5" version? Maybe there is something wrong with our PlayStation or internet equipment/connection? I don't know, they've upgraded what we have as best they could (put in an SSD with a lot of extra space), and we pay for better internet that's supposed to be able to do streaming. Sigh, either way, also not being blinded by whatever abilities that make the screen go white would be nice too. ^_^

    Sorry for rambling. I'll try restarting the PlayStation and modem as recommended, and hope it improves things. Thanks again!
  • strathkinstrathkin Member Posts: 2,666 Bug Hunter
    edited February 2021
    Not just other players. There are plenty of missions I play so that have so much junk it doesn't even look like I'm playing a Star Trek game. Not sure what kind of game it looks like...but not Trek.

    Or to put it another way: I've spent a lot of money on cool ships. If the effects are so heavy they are covering up my cool ship, that's not cool.

    Yea I wish they focused making far more FX subtle, even if they made the several visuals 35-40% more transparent, to address it a bit faster.

    The one I really dislike myself is all the white static during the Vault. I mean even the grey static (shown in some bands) is 100% (non-transparent) in that case, and just as good at impeeding your view; but it's not so harsh and far more subtle.

    xEdCCHZ.png
    ╘ though truth be told there are some that white out the screen almost entirely.

    I wish during BUG HUNT they'd have the white smoke dissipate 40-50% faster, or make it 35-40% transparent so it's like real smoke more than a solid white blast across the screen.

    Like many I want to see more of the backgrounds, my ships, ground environment; not battles that are hard to focus on what's going on. That's just no good... ...I've from time to time spoke of this for years, and wish some DEV try and improve it. <3

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    o:)
    Post edited by strathkin on
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  • telbasta7386telbasta7386 Member Posts: 761 Arc User
    TBH the game should've never been ported to console. There's no way 90% of my builds would even work on console with the number of hotkeys needed.
  • sthe91sthe91 Member Posts: 5,403 Arc User
    I disagree with that assertion. What should have been done was cleaning up the code of the console port so that they could be spared a lot of bugs that are console-specific and have not happened on PC.
    Where there is a Will, there is a Way.
  • whistlerdavidwhistlerdavid Member Posts: 415 Arc User
    TBH the game should've never been ported to console. There's no way 90% of my builds would even work on console with the number of hotkeys needed.

    i thought that at first has well. however its not the case you can set most of them to auto go off. has well has choosing in what circumstance you want them to go off
  • leemwatsonleemwatson Member Posts: 5,331 Arc User
    I first assumed it was the modem the PlayStation is connected to (yes, with a cable), or our internet. But my husband and son play fighting games online, which I'm told require good connections and netcode so they can react and do "combos." The PlayStation handles it fine most (sometimes they get matched against people overseas or in Canada/Mexico) of the time. I also tried loading and playing DC Universe (another MMO with even more people on PlayStation) just to be sure it wasn't some kind of issue with our internet or PlayStation. It was shocking seeing how smooth having a sixty-frame game on the screen was again, and that ran well until there were over three dozen people using superpowers at once. And no, "just go back to that game then" isn't an option for me. I quit that game, because I don't really like comic books, but I love Star Trek. I enjoy this game... when it's working ;-)

    ANYWAY, thanks for the replies. Some of you also play on PlayStation and say that it works fine with a bunch of people spamming big special effects without going into jerky motions or slowing down like old Nintendo games when too much stuff is going on. I don't know, I find it hard to believe, but maybe you're on a "Pro" or "5" version? Maybe there is something wrong with our PlayStation or internet equipment/connection? I don't know, they've upgraded what we have as best they could (put in an SSD with a lot of extra space), and we pay for better internet that's supposed to be able to do streaming. Sigh, either way, also not being blinded by whatever abilities that make the screen go white would be nice too. ^_^

    Sorry for rambling. I'll try restarting the PlayStation and modem as recommended, and hope it improves things. Thanks again!

    Faster internet does not always equal a better performance. STO barely uses 500Kb-1Mb/s of bandwidth when playing, so even a copper-wire 17.6Mb (which I used to run) would have no problem running STO. Seeing that Canada and the US is in the middle of some seriously cold-weather and storms, that could impact performance. On top of that, US telecoms will sell you a 300Mb connection, but often you have data-limits, after which they throttle you, or they just throttle you during 'peak-time', and more often than not, it's that throttling that causes lag, even if you're still getting 30Mb/s.

    Another thing that could also cause this issue is Anti-virus/Anti-spam facilities that alot of Telecoms use. I ALWAYS refuse this service, as the AV software on your laptop (AVG, Norton, etc) is sufficient for personal computers. Telecoms AV is usually more 'strict' and will affect the service especially when gaming.
    "You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
  • bubblegirl2015bubblegirl2015 Member Posts: 830 Arc User
    I was going to feel sorry for PC players until I read "Playstation". Everything in console to include Xbox is so blown up that can give anyone an epileptic attack :). There is nothing wrong with STO but the platform you are playing with. Perhaps a break from the platform itself might help...it did wonders for me (former platform addict)
    Wiki editor http://sto.gamepedia.com
    Original STO beta tester.
  • leemwatsonleemwatson Member Posts: 5,331 Arc User
    TBH the game should've never been ported to console. There's no way 90% of my builds would even work on console with the number of hotkeys needed.

    Absolutely 100% not the case. Conditional Power triggers take care of this. Almost every power and console has a customisable trigger point you can set, although they do need to add more settings. The game is a 'lazier-gamer' experience on console, which in turn, allows you to enjoy the graphics more. Even the lower-end PS4 and Xbox S are still great experiences and can handle the graphics overload just fine, although they are slower on loading than their superior Pro and X models, and the PS5 and the Series S/X just offer even faster loading as the graphics are only upscaled. Literally speaking, the consoles brute-force the graphics. The ONLY things bad about the Console versions is the poor turnaround in bug-fixing, as it has it's own unique set of bugs, and the inability to go 'below deck' on ships.
    "You don't want to patrol!? You don't want to escort!? You don't want to defend the Federation's Starbases!? Then why are you flying my Starships!? If you were a Klingon you'd be killed on the spot, but lucky for you.....you WERE in Starfleet. Let's see how New Zealand Penal Colony suits you." Adm A. Necheyev.
  • postagepaidpostagepaid Member Posts: 2,899 Arc User
    The autofire of abilities is often neglected with newer ones being added that need manually activated. They also proc based on red alert status rather than combat so you can hit a long cycle of abilities popping off because red alert is still running, or when grouped someone nearby used something that triggered red alert for you as well.

    Big fights like the stramash at the end of the badlands or some of the TFO's just end up being a flashy slideshow as the framerate tanks and your brain prepares for the approaching seizure. Best bet is to park up, afk and let FAW do its thing until the game decides to catch up.
  • darkbladejkdarkbladejk Member Posts: 3,698 Community Moderator
    I've mentioned this to them several times behind the scenes. There's days when I would be testing for bugs and after a few hours my eyes feel like they're on fire.
    "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

    Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator
  • ussvaliant2#1952 ussvaliant2 Member Posts: 402 Arc User
    Also need an opt out option when it comes to loot drops. Being in SB1 or Hive Onslaught and having 7/8 or more items cluster the screen that requires clicking need/greed/pass to get rid is annoying esp as it is all vendor trash.
    https://i.imgur.com/r6F7yxj.jpeg
  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,587 Arc User
    I love pretty effects. :) Only thing that needs disabling, IMHO, are 'white-out' areal effects, that literally turn the environement as good as white, like some ppl do in CCA. Then you can't see ring expand any more. No visual effect should obscure the entire sky.
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  • whiteknight1xwhiteknight1x Member Posts: 183 Arc User
    edited February 2021
    With all this cr@p going on I can't see my ship. I don't know what direction I am facing that times. These players don't even know when to use them. In Gravity Kills they do it right on top of the Jupiter. Tzenkethi reinforce each others shields making them harder to kill. They should be using those powers for good like keeping the Tzenkethi away from the Jupiter and us. Not killing them but move them away so they don't respawn.
  • postagepaidpostagepaid Member Posts: 2,899 Arc User
    The effects look fine on their own, with the exception of the nonsensical bacon of kahless which talks about blinding the enemy but devs were too lazy to think and apply a small Q teleport style flash to each ships spawning and opted for the awful whitescreen of death that blinds everyone in the sector.

    The problem arises from the lack of play (testing or otherwise) that would see abilities stacking to levels where you can lose track of hostile ships, your own ship (even though its centre screen) or even the mouse cursor.

    Do multiple grav wells need to be shown if they're within a few km of each other? Not really, so why not trim the fat.
  • evilmark444evilmark444 Member Posts: 6,950 Arc User
    But even basic attack effects, like beams, can create massive visual noise in large scale battles
    I don't mind normal canon things like beams, cannons, and torpedoes, they are all things you expect from Trek and don't kill the way all the ability effects do. Unless it's coming from my own ship or is an enemy ability I need to dodge the only things I want to see are normal weapon effects, nothing else.
    On top of that, people WANT big, meaty, visual effects on their special skills/consoles to make them feel powerful.
    I sure as hell don't, I want everything to look as much like the shows/movies as possible.
    there is often just as much complaint that whatever cool magic power or w/e in an MMO doesn't have a proper cool visual to go with it.
    Although people often refer to Science as "space magic", there is no actual magic or spells in Trek. This TRIBBLE has no place in this game.
    And again, while the effect may be fine when one player is doing it, when 50 of them are doing it leads to the problem of visual noise.
    Which is why WoW added the ability to reduce or even disable non-essential spells cast by other players, which was great because now as a melee player I can actually see what the hell is going on around me on Raid night.
    being able to turn off other player effects would literally break some mechanics since you can't see what your teammates are doing to use your attacks effectively.
    That's what the list of debuffs the target currently has is for.
    the individual effects typically aren't a problem themselves
    I STRONGLY disagree, in STO if it's not canon then I don't want to see it, period.
    Lifetime Subscriber since Beta
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  • fleetcaptain5#1134 fleetcaptain5 Member Posts: 4,754 Arc User
    meimeitoo wrote: »
    I love pretty effects. :) Only thing that needs disabling, IMHO, are 'white-out' areal effects, that literally turn the environement as good as white, like some ppl do in CCA. Then you can't see ring expand any more. No visual effect should obscure the entire sky.

    That's why people have been asking for an option to turn visual effects of.

    Those who like the effects, can keep looking at them while those who dislike them, don't have to watch it. It would be best for everyone if such an option existed.
    [4:46] [Combat {self}] Your Haymaker deals 23337 (9049) Physical Damage(Critical) to Spawnmother

    [3/25 10:41][Combat (Self)]Your Haymaker deals 26187 (10692) Physical Damage(Critical) to Orinoco.
  • alcyoneserenealcyoneserene Member Posts: 2,412 Arc User
    Also a good reminder that this proposal is always as an - option - so those who enjoy over the top effects of all types can continue to do so, while going forward at least new effects will have a low/off option.

    Other F2P MMOs also exist that support 200+ player battles with all types of vehicles and actual real projectiles (no hitscan) and they can manage to tweak subtleties of any effect (ex. overshield self-shimmer). This is also with developers who are not the original producers, nor part of the same studio either.

    If STO can't bother with it or is too expensive, then that really says a lot of about the state and future of the game.
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    Devs: Provide the option to Turn OFF full screen flashes from enemy ship explosions
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