I suppose the option as a Science Vessel in the interim is to load up on debuffs and go on the offensive. Jam Sensors I, Tachyon Beam II, Polarise Hull, EPtS I and Torp HY I is my planned soloing loadout (on an Engineering Captain so I also get Rotate Shield Frequency).
I'm expecting not to place top of the shop but I should certainly make a good showing, being able to strip shields and nullify a target.
However, yes - the mechanism for Fleet Actions needs to be changed - to reward damage absorbed (by mission objectives - no sitting and just soaking damage from something unimportant), shields/hull healed (on others, not yourself) and damage dealt (again, only to objectives, so as to reward doing the mission not just spamming weapon fire at everything)
I wish they did grouping for the defend missions atleast, I play an Escort and I get loot left right and center but I couldn't give a TRIBBLE about it as most of it just gets vendored, I would be quite happy to share it with others in a defend TRIBBLE mission. I am usually teamed up with a cruiser friend and I have the group open so others can join and have the loot on need/greed but it is rare people actually try and join. I am too lazy to start inviting people in, maybe I will make a macro to announce that we have an open group or something?
It's good to hear Science Vessels can do tons of damage if you gear it for such a thing...
But what about those crazy Science Vessels that decide they should go full support and give up on damage?
There will be no 1 right build for any ship in all situations. In open instance PvE and Fleet actions you have to do damage. When doing raids with your fleet any drops will be decided by fleet rules, so you can go ahead and be full on support should there be a need for it.
I think they do tones of damage but they still need to be much weaker and science classes should have stronger support abilties to help escorts, that way they know that they need a science class in thier group to help keep them alive so they can dish out the dps.
I have to agree and it was brought up in beta that the score for the fleet actions needs to include something other than dps or they will soon be full of nothing but farming escorts. I just dont bother going to them in my sci vessel atm as its a pointless waste of time I am better off grinding an explore mission for badges and buying something from the vendor.
As for giving us niffty abilties that makes us needed well we do have a few but we arnt needed because hell who cares if you die you simply respawn and keep shooting, so with the current mechanics any team is better off taking another escort for the higher dps and thus better chance at loot. Now if the respawn time was say a minute long meaning that if you die in your escort your total dps over the encounter would drop of significantly your might want an sci vessel along to keep you shooting as it is now you respawn fast enought that the drop in total dps isnt a problems as long as you get back into the action asap.
There will be no 1 right build for any ship in all situations. In open instance PvE and Fleet actions you have to do damage. When doing raids with your fleet any drops will be decided by fleet rules, so you can go ahead and be full on support should there be a need for it.
So it's fair that people who contribute to Fleet Actions in ways other than damage should be punished for it?
I ended up going to the auction house in SB 1 and buying some MK 4 phasers, I dropped all my skil points in beam energy weapons to lvl 9 and science ship command to lvl 6.
I dropped using mines in the aft slot and use 2 MK4 phasers instead, 1 MK4 up front + 1 MK3 green quantum torp bay.
My killing abilities have improved significantly by changing out that aft mine slot to another beam weapon, shields drop much much faster. With the 6 skill points in science ship command it improves handling and I can do the S trail while I orbit a ship bewteen hitting the ship with all phasers and being able to pop into a frontal arc to hit with torps.
Its not enough DPS to compete with escorts in the fleet engaugements, but doing the patrol sector stuff.. I was able to solo far better on my own and actually get some loot. I left all my BO skills as support, so if someone was wanting to replace them with more DPS/tactical buffs I think there is a fair amount of flexability to the science ship.
I do still hope they make some changes to Fleet Engaugements because my main intention of running a science ship wasnt to DPS with everyone , but to support players.. which from alot of the responses on here alot of people feel the same way.
Comments
I'm expecting not to place top of the shop but I should certainly make a good showing, being able to strip shields and nullify a target.
However, yes - the mechanism for Fleet Actions needs to be changed - to reward damage absorbed (by mission objectives - no sitting and just soaking damage from something unimportant), shields/hull healed (on others, not yourself) and damage dealt (again, only to objectives, so as to reward doing the mission not just spamming weapon fire at everything)
But what about those crazy Science Vessels that decide they should go full support and give up on damage?
Several times in the klingon fleet engagement in OP and end of CB ...I scored tops for the thing only to be awarded....a battery...
:rolleyes::eek:
Talk about being ****ed.
There will be no 1 right build for any ship in all situations. In open instance PvE and Fleet actions you have to do damage. When doing raids with your fleet any drops will be decided by fleet rules, so you can go ahead and be full on support should there be a need for it.
I have to agree and it was brought up in beta that the score for the fleet actions needs to include something other than dps or they will soon be full of nothing but farming escorts. I just dont bother going to them in my sci vessel atm as its a pointless waste of time I am better off grinding an explore mission for badges and buying something from the vendor.
As for giving us niffty abilties that makes us needed well we do have a few but we arnt needed because hell who cares if you die you simply respawn and keep shooting, so with the current mechanics any team is better off taking another escort for the higher dps and thus better chance at loot. Now if the respawn time was say a minute long meaning that if you die in your escort your total dps over the encounter would drop of significantly your might want an sci vessel along to keep you shooting as it is now you respawn fast enought that the drop in total dps isnt a problems as long as you get back into the action asap.
So it's fair that people who contribute to Fleet Actions in ways other than damage should be punished for it?
I dropped using mines in the aft slot and use 2 MK4 phasers instead, 1 MK4 up front + 1 MK3 green quantum torp bay.
My killing abilities have improved significantly by changing out that aft mine slot to another beam weapon, shields drop much much faster. With the 6 skill points in science ship command it improves handling and I can do the S trail while I orbit a ship bewteen hitting the ship with all phasers and being able to pop into a frontal arc to hit with torps.
Its not enough DPS to compete with escorts in the fleet engaugements, but doing the patrol sector stuff.. I was able to solo far better on my own and actually get some loot. I left all my BO skills as support, so if someone was wanting to replace them with more DPS/tactical buffs I think there is a fair amount of flexability to the science ship.
I do still hope they make some changes to Fleet Engaugements because my main intention of running a science ship wasnt to DPS with everyone , but to support players.. which from alot of the responses on here alot of people feel the same way.