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Crew Slot Sale – PLEEEEEEAAASE!?
Commander Sinclair
✭✭✭✭✭
in The Bridge
Between events, giveaways, promos and temp achievements, we have been inundated with a large amount of crew over the last month or so (I say way above average), and for many of us – no where to put them! I know some (including myself) have golds languishing in the e-mail inbox because there are just no extra slots, and it has been quite some time since we had a slot upgrade/update!
Then there's the Adira fiasco, giving a lot of us yet another "extra" unscheduled gold to find room for.
Please WRG - PLEASE?
Then there's the Adira fiasco, giving a lot of us yet another "extra" unscheduled gold to find room for.
Please WRG - PLEASE?
I want to become a Dilionaire...
11
Comments
I third a crew slot sale.
Proud member of Patterns of Force
Captain Level 99
Played since January 2017
TP: Do better!!!
And then we play basketball together, I think? It's been a while since I saw that.
Starport
This is not a troll.
Edited to add; also at the last honour sale I did that honour piñata thing. Kept only card that were tier 3 and above > main cast > cards I really appreciate
Plenty of people have been hoarding honour for a sale, so that’s part of it. Even then it’d take months worth of honour to FF just one 1/5, so buying cites doesn’t suddenly fix the problem.
Either spend the honour - in the past I've spent honour on 3* citations just to make room! Or get rid of some of the decrepit 5*s - you will never catch them all!
Not everyone has the same objectives in this game. For some, one of the primary objectives IS to catch them all. And the limitations on crew slots are a serious impediment to that.
My objective is to "catch them all" ... but I've not got any crew slot issues ... currently 237/260 (some even taken up by the Binars for fusion purposes) ... I'm one of those in the camp of, I don't understand this constant lack of crew slots for many players, haven't had issues in 2-3 years, even though I haven't been as "clinical" this last while ... see below.
I've stated many times here ... I've not airlocked a crew I don't have immortalised since airlocking the copies of Riley Fraizer I got in her event ... back in mid-2017 ...
My solution has been to just freeze all 5*s that don't see regular work (as well as every single 4*). Example:
Yesterday, I froze Bell Riots Bashir even though I have more than enough space ... My #7 MED base for active crew, totally outclassed on voyages by a multitude of MED crew, not used for anything outside of a sporadic Bashir/Augment event, not even for tier-3 crew voyages during busy faction events.
My shortlist of crew I'm looking at to freeze are: Garth, Humanoid Figure, Admiral Forrest, Etana Jol, Suspiria and a couple more will be added to that in the near future.
I already have 14 5*s frozen (9 are 3-skillers) - of 70 total immortal 5*s.
Criteria are: Voyage use, gauntlet use, overall usefulness ... High bases don't cut it if you're not used elsewhere and if I have a multitude of other options (e.g. Scrooge Data is just as good as Humanoid Figure ... and Data's more useful to boot for voyages, events etc.).
Now granted ... I don't have the time in real life to rank each event and have stopped buying campaigns ... so my influx of crew has reduced a bit ... but not buying the campaigns has also reduced my chances of adding stars to 5*s I already own (opening fewer packs) and hence helping them one step closer to the freezer and I don't have that 5* citation anymore either.
Just freeze immortal crew ... it is liberating ... I still get 10 hrs each voyage for every skill combo at all times ... I still do well in events, gauntlet, daily stuff etc. etc.
Anyway, in my opinion, a more relaxed approach and a different way to play.
But to say 'there is a lack of crew slots, give us a solution' (slot sales) when there is already a solution (cite or airlock) is imho a little strange.
There are plenty of things wrong with this game which players have offered solutions for. Crew slots is not one of the things that is wrong - it is part of the game and with proper use of resources it can be managed. One cannot say 'I have no slots' whilst at the same time hoarding the honour, that would give one more crew slots, in anticipation of a sale.
ETA - I missed the third solution that is staring us all in the face! Buy the dilithium to purchase more slots if you're that desperate. There is no need to wait for a sale. There is no limit to crew slots other than that which one is willing to spend.
This is another thing I assumed all players do. Freeze your immortals and unfreeze them at event time. I also keep out the gold's that get regular Voyage or shuttle work. I unfreeze for events. Or am I going to be told that people also averse to spending merits these days?
Just because you say it isn't a troll, doesn't change that it is. To underline the point for the hyperbolic, asking for a slot sale isn't complaining. It's asking for a slot sale. Characterizing the request as a complaint or worse is the definition of trolling. I'm getting that you don't complain about slots, but what's with the waterworks because someone else plays different? How can people be so insecure about other people playing different and requesting things? Is there a problem understanding the concept of "you play your way, I'll play my way?" It seems simple enough. How could a slot sale possibly interfere with how you play to point you need to harass other people? How could a slot or honour sale be so profoundly offensive to people who don't feel the need to ask for one?
People going after stat boosting collections may be carrying decrepit gold. We haven't all had the benefit of catching them all from day one. Three new collections means many decrepit cards that might have been airlocked suddenly have a jump in value. People who may have been comfortable three months ago may have been collecting portal Golds since that are starting to press the edges. With a Klingon collection coming, that will get worse. It's not just about collecting them all, it's about maxxing stat boosts.
Further, three new collections suddenly introduces the desire for portal BeGolds to actually pick up first copies of the cards people are now interested in. Many of the players being trolled probably did airlock those cards six months ago before the collections dropped. Now they would appreciate the opportunity to get them. Does that make sense? The Devs drop three new collections and the general population would appreciate a way to get their hands on a few cards for them as a welcome party for them?
The initial post requested a sale. I then stated why (imho) I don't think it should be required and subsequently came up with four solutions to help.
Actually that's the very definition of trolling right there. Accusing me of crying when all I've done is offered solutions.
That will be my last post on the subject because it's not worth my brain space. If you don't want to use my proposed solutions - fine - carry on 'crying' for a sale instead.
People complain about the things that bother them and ask for things that they would like. A lot of players seem to have crew slot issues, because of the way their playstyle interacts with the game mechanics.
Personally, I'm not particularly concerned about crew slots. But I also feel no pressing need for new content, I couldn't care less about VIP levels and captain levels, and I would be happy if there never was a new Gauntlet exclusive again.
I could rationalize these things by using arguments that prove that I'm doing things right and others are doing them wrong, but I don't. Just because some players are happy with something as it is, doesn't mean that others can't be annoyed by it.
But this isn't about me. It isn't about the many of us who have been here for years. New players struggle. It has been a very long time for me, but I remember.
I believe they want to avoid too-frequent sales because they also give five slots free each time. A solution is to not always give five slots. Or to change the cost of slots.
Given a choice, I would go for honor sale, but we need not be limited. There is nothing wrong with desiring both. There is no need to belittle others when they make the request. However, politely sharing your own strategy is a good thing. I've revised my strategy several times from reading what others do.
Play long and prosper. 🖖
I do a pretty good job keeping slots clear, either by purposefully avoiding top-1500 finishes or freezing crew. I personally refuse to spend on crew slots (other than the first few tiers that were purchased with credits or minimal dilithium), even when there is a sale. Having said that, I certainly don't begrudge any players who are asking for a slot sale so they can spend their in-game currency to deal with an issue that has - admittedly - been caused at least in some degree by the foundation upon which the game as built.
Yes, this has always been a shocker for me. I think it boils down to them trying to drive the fuse, level, and freeze format. But its pretty much shooting themselves in the foot because now a days my event participation basically hinges on my willingness to accept yet another 1/5 to my ranks.
It would be pretty cool if you could freeze any level crew member regardless of the number if stars they had. And then you could unfreeze and continue making progress with fuses/equipment building at your own pace.
Yeah there are a lot of things that could change that would make this game better. Not sure any of them will happen but they have always puzzled me with some of their choices
Essentially, their sales are "too good" good and too regular. If it were a one-time thing, never to be repeated, then players don't know what to expect. In the case of honor sales, they ran the same one twice in the same calendar year. They set the expectation for another one at some point in the future. In the case of slot sales, those pre-date my time in the game.
Sticking to the topic of slots, I would recommend the following: change the top cost of slots to 1,800 dilithium. This makes the sales good because of the 5 free slots and 300 dilithium (16%) cost reduction. Would I still hoard for a sale? Yes, most of the time. But every now and then, I would look at it as, "well, it's just 3 days on my daily card" or "it's less than $5 of dilithium." As it stands, if I spent 3,000 dilithium for 5 slots, that's just about like dumping two weeks of the monthly card or $20 down the drain or getting half of the slots that I could have otherwise during a sale.
Hopefully at some point in the future the devs are willing to re-evaluate some of their practices and how they line up with their goals.
Only time will tell, but I am encouraged to see what things they have in mind and how we will be able to earn this new currency.
Agreed. I loved @RaraRacing's thoughtful response and actually went and froze a few crew because of it.
So ... here's a little thought experiment ... again, this is how I approach crew slots/crew value ... which can be different than the player reading this ... but it might provide a different perspective on crew you might own, which you might not have considered before ...
Case Study - Ahdar Ru'afo
So I've owned this top ENG base crew since he was released during his mega-event, cited him up and he was great for my middling roster.
Now, he is only used for the odd ENG shuttle seat on the daily shuttles I run. I haven't used him on a voyage for maybe a year.
His stats:
ENG base - 1362 (1580 with bonus)
- This makes him my #1 base crew ahead of Determined Janeway(1321), Queen Po(1312) and Ishan Chaye Sisko(1284) ... and I own plenty of potential base crew not immortalised, like Loken, Doctor Van Gogh and Claymore Scotty some of the better options.
--> If I slot my #2 in an ENG seat, the shuttle success change is -1%, if I use Po it is also -1%, Sisko gives -1% ... for Ru'afo, he might be best but the impact is minimal if I use any of my "lesser" crew ... crew below Sisko give -2%.
I never use Ru'afo for ENG seats during events, there are either too few, or the number of ENG bonus crew is big enough where I just don't need him (see the past few events).
Voyage stats - 3254 (3754 with bonus for me).
Of his 5 traits, 4 are pretty decent but only Villain is kinda unique amongst ENG crew I own - Assimilated La Forge has Brutal and Determined Janeway and Queen have the others ... notably, all three of those crew have voyages stats that are way, way, way better and even without the Villain trait match would be better options for any ENG voyage where Ru'afo would be considered, with La Forge (exactly the same skill order) over 100 points better and with a greater variety of unique traits (Borg, Warp Theorist, Innovator, Brutal, Human).
--> So, for ENG (especially ENG/CMD) voyages I have a lot better options.
Conclusion
Ru'afo is basically only really useful for the odd ENG daily shuttle seat ... but only by such minimal numbers that why bother keeping him around? Will that +1-2 % shuttle success make a real difference? Not really, not even in the long run ... and by then a new #1 will be out or you'll have picked up the likes of Tribble Herder Scotty ... strong base, great voyager, good traits (no event use - give the man some dues!) ... or pulled the trigger on Nanoprobe Phlox ...
Comments I always read:
- Yes but ... you are a long-time player so you have a massive roster ... you can easily freeze these key crew!
--> Sure, but I've been doing this since 2017 (after Riley Fraizer) when I really wasn't a long-time player and really put in an effort to level/freeze key crew ... furthermore, I'd like to direct you to my Ready Room threads where I show what you can do with "poor" crew for voyages during events ... i.e. hit 8 hours:
https://forum.disruptorbeam.com/stt/discussion/16130/crew-management-for-voyages-during-events
- Yes, but ... then I have to go through the hassle of defrosting him for events!
--> Uh ... he's had event bonus 10x ... 4 of which were his mega-event ... that's once a year on average that you need to defrost him.
We're not talking about a Janeway, Spock, Paris here, just some odd crew ... and then ... I'd prefer the odd defrosting over having to airlock someone due to space (but that's just me) ... I mean I do choose crew to freeze who meet a variety of criteria ... Determined Janeway and Queen Po are not going to see the freezer any time soon, I use both all the time.
- @(HGH)Apollo ... hope this helps.
Thanks ... as you wrote that I was actually busy writing a thought-experiment post on someone who I have active but who's "value" I rate fairly low when compared to other crew I own. Anyway, see my post above for additional info.
"Earn" it? We already know how.....
💵💲💵💲💵
I have about 100 duplicates of 2/3/4* crew that could be airlocked. I have about 90 immortalised 4* crew that could be frozen, so nearly 200 spare slots. That is more than some players have altogether.
Base crew slots are currently 130. I doubt any player has seventy free with only the base slots.