[Medalion]

Dedicating a theme of Lockboxes to the Ferengi

It's nice Cryptic and Perfect World show their true colors and tell us who they admire and model themselves after, whether ironically or not.

[Gvaz]

This game is neat, I liked the space combat but everything in this game is clunky

[Medalion]

Pretty apt description.

Still play it quite a bit though.

There is a new update coming as of tomorrow for both episodic content of sorts, and STFs.

It concerns the Remans, and for STFs supposed "slight" increase in MK12 loot and addition of a new death penalty across difficulty regarding spawn timers.

May wanna bust out that Reman shield again...just sayin

[DarthWoo]

From what I'm reading in chats, the difficulty in STFs will be increased by changing the respawn timer to a cumulative one. The respawn timer starts at 15 seconds and adds an additional 15 seconds on every consecutive incapacitation, up to two minutes. If you go without any incapacitation for five minutes, the timer resets. I really hope they do something to reduce the ridiculous Borg damage, or at least increase the time for the optional objectives, or all this will do is just piss a lot of people off.

[Htown]

They're actually reducing the time for optional objectives in Khitomer Accord ground, starting the timer right after you leave the spawn room. Also you won't be able to skip any enemy groups in that mission any more.

They do claim they are slightly increasing the drop rate for elite STFs.

Look, they're not going to do anything to make endgame less of a grind, because that would mean they'd have to actually come out with more content.

[Mgoblue201]

This game is neat, I liked the space combat but everything in this game is clunky

The mechanics of the game are really solid, but I think they lack the imagination to make a truly creative MMO based upon the Star Trek universe. It feels like a good single player game with an online component.

They're actually reducing the time for optional objectives in Khitomer Accord ground, starting the timer right after you leave the spawn room. Also you won't be able to skip any enemy groups in that mission any more. They do claim they are slightly increasing the drop rate for elite STFs. Look, they're not going to do anything to make endgame less of a grind, because that would mean they'd have to actually come out with more content.

Khitomer Accord ground is far too easy anyway. Even on elite it's difficult to miss the optional unless the team just isn't coordinating very well. A good team will complete it with five or six minutes remaining. However, I'm also wary about all the changes they're going to make. Every time they tweak something they end up breaking it.

[Effect]

The mechanics of the game are really solid, but I think they lack the imagination to make a truly creative MMO based upon the Star Trek universe. It feels like a good single player game with an online component.

Sadly that's what most MMORPGs are like these days. Not that there isn't anything wrong with that if that is what you are looking for or only have time for. I don't miss the forced grouping of Everquest's early days but the community aspect it indirectly created is something I miss and don't know how your get that back though without the negative. Going the single player presentation with some online interaction seems like the only viable alternative at the moment.

[Mgoblue201]

It just seems to me that the Star Trek property, more than most IPs, gives the developers the opportunity to create some sort of unique, dynamic universe. Unfortunately, I lack the creativity and experience with MMOs to know what that would look like, but the game is caught in an awkward position. As a single player game, the missions just aren't terribly compelling, and as an MMO, it is missing the sense of exploration and discovery that was present in the series, essentially settling for a game structure that is too dependent on a "go here and do this" mentality. What the game does extraordinarily well is the sense of customization that builds off the Star Trek framework. Ship building and character building are extremely compelling, which makes all of the grinding worth it. But the game itself doesn't offer anything truly interesting as an MMO that couldn't be done by any other game. It doesn't bring the Star Trek universe to life. In that sense it feels inert.

[Medalion]

To a certain degree, it's the limitations of the engine they've built the game upon I think.

[Jomjom]

Damn it! I was catching up on episodes of STOked and just got to the episode where they mention the First Contact event. Obviously I missed the event.

Is there a chance that they will place the Phoenix pet on the C-Store?

[Medalion]

Not sure about that. But that thing is really not a big deal, honestly.

Some new news still playing STO... apparently Cryptic have decided to give the Fed side their first Carrier ship, like the KDF's have... from the Caitians. Thing costs 2000 cp. Looks interesting but I am not a Sci person.

[Jomjom]

Yeah I know it's not a big deal, but I love the design of the Phoenix. I would love to have it as a pet following me around.

[bloodforge]

Gonna have to pick up that Fed carrier for my Sci officer.

[Sir Fragula]

Looks nice. Shame my account has been destroyed with 300Cpoints shortly after I paused my subscription. :(

[JoshuaJSlone]

Damn it! I was catching up on episodes of STOked and just got to the episode where they mention the First Contact event. Obviously I missed the event. Is there a chance that they will place the Phoenix pet on the C-Store?

If not, it will probably come back around next First Contact Day.

[Medalion]

I'm not playing as much as I used to either...after that whole password debacle and the STFs not getting any better
I still play once a day but I play a whole let less than I used to

[DarthWoo]

I'm baffled as to where people are finding the money to flood the exchange with master keys like they are at the moment. Supply is crushing demand, and now I'm stuck with very little EC and around 88 master keys. Guess I'll just wait it out, as apart from ridiculously expensive tactical consoles, I have little to spend EC on.

[JoshuaJSlone]

So each week in May is a different Featured Series rerun, with the special rewards returned. For people who were new to the game when it went free-to-play, this is the first chance to get most of these special items/bridge officers. Keep in mind you've only got to repeat the last episode of each series to get the special reward.

[Medalion]

I really want the Reman Bridge Officer and the Devidian Pimp Cane

[Sir Fragula]

CS sorted out my account woes. Really tempted by the Caitian Carrier...

[Red Arremer]

So each week in May is a different Featured Series rerun, with the special rewards returned. For people who were new to the game when it went free-to-play, this is the first chance to get most of these special items/bridge officers. Keep in mind you've only got to repeat the last episode of each series to get the special reward.

Additionally, they added "hidden rewards" to all the missions, which you can find by scanning for them (just like chests or anomalies), and as a matter of fact, the spots will be flashing and have the little gear icon for your cursor, just like chests or interactive objects.

It's probably going to be Lobi Crystals.

I really want the Reman Bridge Officer and the Devidian Pimp Cane

I also want the Breen BOff, cause Breen are badass.

[DarthWoo]

It's probably a long while off, but apparently there will be fleet starbases coming in the next season. Doesn't seem like GAFleet still really exists much, but it would be neat to have our own spot if people ever start playing again.

[Sir Fragula]

I'm just taking a breather between DayZ and SW:ToR, so will definitely be back to grind for a Starbase.

[DarthWoo]

Nothing big, but in case anyone has an idle account with a bunch of Cryptic Points or EC, they're running a promotion until the 21st where you have a tiny chance of getting the vaunted Jem'hadar Attack Ship if you open a Gamma Quadrant Duty Officer Pack. It's causing the dilithium exchange to spike severely.

[Carcetti]

Argh, I keep this thread subscribed so I have motivation the reinstall when something nice comes and and when I saw this bump... But it was just more of the thing that caused me to gradually stop playing, the ship lotto. :(

[Sir Fragula]

Ship lotto never bothered me, I just skipped them.

The starbase content looks great for the next big release. A tonne of missions and new Tholian faction to fight.

[Carcetti]

I played this as a ship collector especially trying to get to try and fly all of the weirder ships. Then came the lotto ships and I wasn't ready to dump hundreds of dollars to a lottery for a small chance of getting those ships. It's amazing how that just one thing soured me totally on the game as I started playing at the launch and had pretty good time with STO originally.

[DarthWoo]

I do sort of wonder if they're testing the waters with this ship from a duty officer cadre thing as a way to dump lockboxes, considering that lockboxes are on the verge of being banned as a form of illegal gambling in several venues. It would annoy me quite a bit if all the master keys I'd bought off the exchange become worthless though.

[Htown]

I played this as a ship collector especially trying to get to try and fly all of the weirder ships. Then came the lotto ships and I wasn't ready to dump hundreds of dollars to a lottery for a small chance of getting those ships. It's amazing how that just one thing soured me totally on the game as I started playing at the launch and had pretty good time with STO originally.

You could always build up a ton of EC (somehow) and buy the ships that way. I never figured out how to get that much cash myself, but it's an option.

[DarthWoo]

A new ship is releasing tomorrow, though it's a bit overpowered from what I understand. It's basically a T5 Akira, which many people have been asking for for a long time. However, this one comes with pretty much identical stats and bridge layout to a MVAM, with the addition of a single hangar and a photon torpedo point defense system. Essentially a half-carrier with the best aspects of escorts and a the ability to really annoy people in the Crystalline Entity event.

[davepoobond]

i havent been able to find any time to play this game anymore. i still enjoy(ed) playing it, i just have so many other things and games to play at the moment :(

[Sir Fragula]

I'm hoping we can get a few of us on again with the Series 6 release. We'll have a bunch of new missions, Tholians (!) to fight and Starbases to build.

[GDGF]

Started playing again yesterday. Missed having my daily Star Trek fix :)

[StalkerUKCG]

So im really out the loop.

Whats the chances of this getting a expansion. I know before their was talk of a romulan empire/dominion expansion.

But then the game shipped with broken KDF and they spent alot of time fixing that.

I really want a jem'hadar BO but the game only has have the feature set for them. sucks.

[SquiddyCracker]

So im really out the loop. Whats the chances of this getting a expansion. I know before their was talk of a romulan empire/dominion expansion. But then the game shipped with broken KDF and they spent alot of time fixing that. I really want a jem'hadar BO but the game only has have the feature set for them. sucks.

0%

Cryptic is mostly interested in whatever will expand on their cash shop, and a third faction is just way too much work when they could just make a short taskforce or mission instead and a plethora of new ships/races/whatnot.

[Sir Fragula]

Looks like Tholians are the next NPC faction to be added to the game. I quite like the above concept art for Tholians in environmental suits.

[DarthWoo]

They're doing a test run of the Tholian stuff on the Tribble server. I found it pretty easy to sign up, copy a character and then patch in the Tribble server materials. If you spend at least one hour this weekend on Tribble, you'll get some sort of Fleet Tribble on your real account, and if you finish a Tholian ground mission, you'll get a Breen DOFF of a new type.

[DarthWoo]

Season 6 is now live, but yeesh are the servers buggy and laggy right now. They went way past their estimated downtime too, and even when it was up so many people got stuck in a queue before they could play.

[Sir Fragula]

<harbinger>I've assumed direct control of the Fleet</harbinger>.

Feel free to request different Fleet Projects going forward. Also don't forget to contribute items and officers to their construction!

[GDGF]

I haven't been able to log on for hours.

Well, I made it in once or twice but was kicked out in minutes.

[Sir Fragula]

I haven't been able to log on for hours. Well, I made it in once or twice but was kicked out in minutes.

Seems to be okay for me now. Hop in and donate to the Fleet construction projects! :D

[Sickboy007]

Lots of lag right now!

I want to contribute to fleet projects, but it says i don't have the permission to do it? What gives?

[Sir Fragula]

Lots of lag right now! I want to contribute to fleet projects, but it says i don't have the permission to do it? What gives?

Damn... Lemme just login and fix that.

EDIT: Fixed!

[Droog]

I've not logged in a couple of months. What have I missed? Fleets? How do these work then? I'll have to jump in soon, I'm sure I've got a bunch of stuff that I can happily contribute.

[Sir Fragula]

I've not logged in a couple of months. What have I missed? Fleets? How do these work then? I'll have to jump in soon, I'm sure I've got a bunch of stuff that I can happily contribute.

New stuff:
Holdings - aka Fleet Starbases
A social map in the Eta Eridani sector block which only your fleet (and those who are invited) can access. Has a bunch of new mechanics which basically involve you building upgrades to the base using the various in-game currencies. Supposed to be ~6 month of work for even the biggest Fleets to fully spec out their Starbase, and even then there's going to be additions along the way.
Cryptic have said that the new sector block which will open up in Season 7 will contain a new Fleet Holding type, probably a forward base on a planet you can develop.
Rewards for the system include refit models of lots of earlier ship types (i.e. tier-5 Nova class science ships etc.)

Tholians!
The Nukara system in the Eta Eridani sector block has been invaded by Tholians. This is similar to the Borg invasion of Defera, in that you have a mission hub which then splits off into a lot of smaller, repeatable missions. It looks pretty good and the Tholians are cool. Story has something to do with the mirror universe Enterprise-F being kept hidden underground.

New Events
Colony Invasion - defend a frontier colony from attack by a randomly selected enemy faction
Starbase Fleet Defence / Starbase Blockade / Fleet Alert / Starbase Incursion - group missions which focus around your starbase both in space and on the station itself
No Win Scenario - Basically a simulation of the ultra-hard defence of a civilian freighter. Most people will expect to get to wave 5 out of 10, with rewards scaling.

Foundry
Bunch of smaller changes here, including lots of new assets. A lot of prep work for bringing in the improvements to the user content generation engine that the Neverwinter Nights team have done. In the next few weeks we can expect to see improvements to how UGC missions are promoted, with some being given proper rewards for completion and being given a more solid status within the game.


There are other fixes as well as per the release notes. Definitely worth popping back.


Edit: If people could put energy credits into the Fleet Bank, I can purchase new tabs every 1.3m. Figure it's worth us getting them all bought early.

[DarthWoo]

New stuff: Holdings - aka Fleet Starbases A social map in the Eta Eridani sector block which only your fleet (and those who are invited) can access. Has a bunch of new mechanics which basically involve you building upgrades to the base using the various in-game currencies. Supposed to be ~6 month of work for even the biggest Fleets to fully spec out their Starbase, and even then there's going to be additions along the way. Cryptic have said that the new sector block which will open up in Season 7 will contain a new Fleet Holding type, probably a forward base on a planet you can develop. Rewards for the system include refit models of lots of earlier ship types (i.e. tier-5 Nova class science ships etc.) Tholians! The Nukara system in the Eta Eridani sector block has been invaded by Tholians. This is similar to the Borg invasion of Defera, in that you have a mission hub which then splits off into a lot of smaller, repeatable missions. It looks pretty good and the Tholians are cool. Story has something to do with the mirror universe Enterprise-F being kept hidden underground. New Events Colony Invasion - defend a frontier colony from attack by a randomly selected enemy faction Starbase Fleet Defence / Starbase Blockade / Fleet Alert / Starbase Incursion - group missions which focus around your starbase both in space and on the station itself No Win Scenario - Basically a simulation of the ultra-hard defence of a civilian freighter. Most people will expect to get to wave 5 out of 10, with rewards scaling. Foundry Bunch of smaller changes here, including lots of new assets. A lot of prep work for bringing in the improvements to the user content generation engine that the Neverwinter Nights team have done. In the next few weeks we can expect to see improvements to how UGC missions are promoted, with some being given proper rewards for completion and being given a more solid status within the game. There are other fixes as well as per the release notes. Definitely worth popping back. Edit: If people could put energy credits into the Fleet Bank, I can purchase new tabs every 1.3m. Figure it's worth us getting them all bought early.

Tabs?

[Sir Fragula]

Tabs?

Yeah, so at the moment we have four bank tabs (bought the fourth yesterday when I claimed Fleet Leadership). The UI calls them a "repository".

I've also renamed them to "Personal Items", "Personal Weapons", "Ship Weapons" and "Ship Items", and attached a bunch of withdrawl limits which should keep us from getting looted should a member turn malevelant.


EDIT: just came across this... http://www.stowiki.org/Ghost_of_Hamlet's_Father

[Carcetti]

How much of the new stuff works without pumping money ingame? And are they still pimping lockboxes like mad?

[Sir Fragula]

How much of the new stuff works without pumping money ingame? And are they still pimping lockboxes like mad?

Less so on the lock-boxes. I think they're trying to put the same mechanics on to some of the specialised Duty Officer packs you can buy. Basically the same thing, but at least you know you're getting a bunch of DOFFs out of it.

All of the new stuff can be done without putting real cash in. It's a bit of a grind I guess, but the bigger the fleet the easier it gets.




EDIT: For those of you running low on Duty Officers now that Fleet Projects use them, head to the north-west building in Starfleet Academy and there's a contact who gives recruitment assignments.

[Carcetti]

That sounds good. On the bad front: the ship I used to fly most, Kar'fi, isn't apparently on the new upgraded ships list so there goes the need to grind that new stuff, and I never managed to get that other ship I really wanted (the lottery Galor). The only real klink carrier on the upgrade list is the Voq which due to its turning rate is painful in PVP and almost worthless in high end PVE.

On the other hand, the K'tinga looks pretty amazing now but not sure if that's enough to draw me back in.