Continuum Component Imbalance

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 · January 4

I play the continuum quests a lot, and there is a very noticeable imbalance in the distribution of continuum component rewards:

In every case, I have around 100 more database components than I have research components (except for command, which is 235:496). And I have almost 3 times as many engineering databases as ENG research.

I complete all available nodes , so it is not my failure to acquire a balance.

The vast majority of buildable "quipment" items require the same number of each (database and research, 3:3, 7:7, etc.), so it is not me using one more than the other.

I certainly don't replicate with them, although that's the only way I've found to view them all...

WRG, please address this issue.
In the following weeks, make more "research" components available in continuum missions,
or at least provide an equal number from now on.

Zsa Zsa Gaborg · January 4

I find myself with too few medical components.

DScottHewitt · January 5

Zsa Zsa Gaborg wrote: »

I find myself with too few medical components.

This. Most of the stuff I cannot build right now needs Medical Components.

weakinteraction · January 5

Yeah, there are two issues: the research/database imbalance and the imbalance in what the skills are that we're getting components for.

STT Community · January 5

Greetings Captains, I'm not aware if that's part of the design or just a small mistake. I will pass notes to the team and see if we can turn this situation around. Thank you for reporting this, LLAP

DScottHewitt · January 5

STT Community wrote: »

Greetings Captains, I'm not aware if that's part of the design or just a small mistake. I will pass notes to the team and see if we can turn this situation around. Thank you for reporting this, LLAP

It could be both. Could be a design to "throttle" progress so people do not create components "too fast" , and still be a mistake.

Increasing Med component drops and "balancing" the two types of components would both be great.

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 · January 5

Thank you STT for taking notice. Several people here mention "too few MED components", and that's certainly an issue, most likely from that skill being used less in away missions in general.
But the main thing I'm reporting here is too much of one thing, not enough of another. For example, I have twice as many MED databases as I do research components.

DScottHewitt · January 5

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 wrote: »

Thank you STT for taking notice. Several people here mention "too few MED components", and that's certainly an issue, most likely from that skill being used less in away missions in general.
But the main thing I'm reporting here is too much of one thing, not enough of another. For example, I have twice as many MED databases as I do research components.

It seems like usually there will be MAYBE three Med Nodes across a whole row of Missions. Definitely less Med Nodes.

Mirror Cartman · January 5

The medical imbalance is because there are few medical nodes, 3/31 last week, 3/30 this week.

I suggest that medical Quipment is slightly less useful than other skills. Quiping bonus crew for shuttle events, it is better to concentrate on command, diplomacy or security, as these seats are more common.

If I were to quip crew for a long voyage, I would go for the same skills as these tend to be slightly higher, and a better choice for gold/silver skills in a long voyage.

The imbalance between database and research components will get more noticeable as time goes on. Unless they drop exactly 50/50 then players will see an imbalance.

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 · January 5

Here's the current "balance", using MED as an example, since its easy to count with only one mission giving them:
31 database, 6 research.
That's the total if you hit every med node available this week. You can't even build a single 5* Quipment from that, because they cost 7/7.

[edit] I took the time to add up all the security rewards from every mission and level, and they work out to 42 database to 27 research. still a big bias.[/edit]

WaldoMag · January 7

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 wrote: »

Here's the current "balance", using MED as an example, since its easy to count with only one mission giving them:
31 database, 6 research.
That's the total if you hit every med node available this week. You can't even build a single 5* Quipment from that, because they cost 7/7.

[edit] I took the time to add up all the security rewards from every mission and level, and they work out to 42 database to 27 research. still a big bias.[/edit]

I did not realize that. Obviously, a mistake.
I am slowly losing interest in the game. This surely is contributing..

Zsa Zsa Gaborg · January 7

[FF] Frylock IBOL17 wrote: »

Here's the current "balance", using MED as an example, since its easy to count with only one mission giving them:
31 database, 6 research.
That's the total if you hit every med node available this week. You can't even build a single 5* Quipment from that, because they cost 7/7.

[edit] I took the time to add up all the security rewards from every mission and level, and they work out to 42 database to 27 research. still a big bias.[/edit]

Thanks for getting that data. I thought I was just mismanaging what I had but yeah they need to adjust the nodes to include more MED.

AviTrek · January 7

Med is clearly in short supply compared to other resources. But what are you all spending your items on?

This is what my supplies currently look like.

Even with less med, I still have enough to build everything I've needed.

DScottHewitt · January 7

Examples from my three "Single Skill Sledgehammers" I have unfrozen.

DScottHewitt · January 7

AviTrek wrote: »

Med is clearly in short supply compared to other resources. But what are you all spending your items on?

This is what my supplies currently look like.

Even with less med, I still have enough to build everything I've needed.

I wasn't really into the Continuum Missions at first. So, have not built up a large stock of anything. I am doing it now, and just started the 50 Dilithium Rewards Refresh when I finish the first row. So, through my own inaction, I am behind. And playing catch up.

I am working on getting my Single Skill Sledgehammers unlocked now. So I can start doing the higher tracks.

EDIT: Will also unlock the two extra cylinders when I have the Dilithium extra to do it. So I can do more Runs without paying to refresh. Which I did do once last week.

Commander Sinclair · January 7

I just figured it was like a few other things in the game being more rare to drop than others. There were certainly fewer ENG nodes in this weeks missions, and that is what I am having a hard time obtaining.

I had to load up Scotty and Sidney with my last 5* ENG Qipments to clear the last 2 ENG nodes, and one of those only gave me a couple 2* ENG Qipments. Meanwhile I have several hundred of almost all other 5* Qipments.

DScottHewitt · January 7

Commander Sinclair wrote: »

I just figured it was like a few other things in the game being more rare to drop than others. There were certainly fewer ENG nodes in this weeks missions, and that is what I am having a hard time obtaining.

I had to load up Scotty and Sidney with my last 5* ENG Qipments to clear the last 2 ENG nodes, and one of those only gave me a couple 2* ENG Qipments. Meanwhile I have several hundred of almost all other 5* Qipments.

It seems there is obvious "tilting" in favor of one over another. As I mentioned somewhere, if not in this thread, a way to "throttle down" Quipment creation by creating a sort of "bottleneck".

A similar thing is done in FBB. Below Bridge Level 20, the Bilitrium drops regulate how fast you can level your Bridge. 21-30, it is Magnesite that slows it down.

Webberoni · January 8

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

DScottHewitt · January 8

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

The "imbalance" is that you need the same number of both pieces, but different amounts drop.

Thus, people end up with like more than enough of one of the two pieces, but are short on the other piece.

Webberoni · January 8

DScottHewitt wrote: »

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

The "imbalance" is that you need the same number of both pieces, but different amounts drop.

Thus, people end up with like more than enough of one of the two pieces, but are short on the other piece.

My point was that shortages only come into play when trying to use Quipment beyond the Continuum missions. I would guess that the imbalance is deliberate to avoid that very exploitation.

I've cleared every Continuum mission across the 3 difficulty levels so far, and have an abundance of all 12 components (probably more than I should, since I cleared much of the accidental set of 20 Continuum missions). If you're using the Quipment efficiently and only for the Continuum missions they were intended for, there shouldn't be any shortage, and the likely deliberate imbalance should be a non-issue.

AviTrek · January 8

Webberoni wrote: »

DScottHewitt wrote: »

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

The "imbalance" is that you need the same number of both pieces, but different amounts drop.

Thus, people end up with like more than enough of one of the two pieces, but are short on the other piece.

My point was that shortages only come into play when trying to use Quipment beyond the Continuum missions. I would guess that the imbalance is deliberate to avoid that very exploitation.

I've cleared every Continuum mission across the 3 difficulty levels so far, and have an abundance of all 12 components (probably more than I should, since I cleared much of the accidental set of 20 Continuum missions). If you're using the Quipment efficiently and only for the Continuum missions they were intended for, there shouldn't be any shortage, and the likely deliberate imbalance should be a non-issue.

And if people are running short of something because they're quipping extra crew. Well, that 50 DIL to refresh rewards is there to give you extra items.

weakinteraction · January 8

Webberoni wrote: »

DScottHewitt wrote: »

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

The "imbalance" is that you need the same number of both pieces, but different amounts drop.

Thus, people end up with like more than enough of one of the two pieces, but are short on the other piece.

My point was that shortages only come into play when trying to use Quipment beyond the Continuum missions. I would guess that the imbalance is deliberate to avoid that very exploitation.

The devs have been pretty explicit that they want Quipment to "shake up the meta" if I remember the phrase correctly in various aspects of the game. (Personally, I'm enjoying the fact that it's helping to break up the gauntlet walls as people bring their Quipment-boosted crew to it.)

Zsa Zsa Gaborg · January 9

weakinteraction wrote: »

Webberoni wrote: »

DScottHewitt wrote: »

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

The "imbalance" is that you need the same number of both pieces, but different amounts drop.

Thus, people end up with like more than enough of one of the two pieces, but are short on the other piece.

My point was that shortages only come into play when trying to use Quipment beyond the Continuum missions. I would guess that the imbalance is deliberate to avoid that very exploitation.

The devs have been pretty explicit that they want Quipment to "shake up the meta" if I remember the phrase correctly in various aspects of the game. (Personally, I'm enjoying the fact that it's helping to break up the gauntlet walls as people bring their Quipment-boosted crew to it.)

Yep, they don’t want quipment to only be used in the Continuum. Hopefully they take our feedback into consideration. Those of you that don’t need more MED components won’t be negatively impacted if they adjust the nodes for the rest of us.

WaldoMag · January 9

Webberoni wrote: »

There isn't really any shortage or imbalance if you are considering Quipment specifically for the Continuum missions they were designed for. The shortages/imbalances only come into play when trying to utilize the Quipment for other features like voyages, gauntlet, or crew sharing during faction events. In that case, I don't consider it to be a flaw with the design of the feature and/or rewards, since it's easy to clear the Continuum missions with just 6 crew (they don't all even need to be fully Quipped) within a couple days, if you're willing to spend 300 chrons every 2 hours.

6 medical research does not allow one to build any medical quipment to get one through the continuum.

Edit: medical quipment that requires 7 research. Maybe one can build a 4* or a shared skill 5*. But one will have to spend dil. If one wants to collect the 250 dil. Which is what I had to do. All my quipment expired on medical when I got to the final mission on epic.

Mirror Cartman · January 9

3/31 nodes again this week are medical. Third week in a row with this number of medical nodes.

This does not allow us to build up Quipment components needed just to build the quipment for the continuum missions.

weakinteraction · January 9

Mirror Cartman wrote: »

3/31 nodes again this week are medical. Third week in a row with this number of medical nodes.

This does not allow us to build up Quipment components needed just to build the quipment for the continuum missions.

Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to beeline those while my MED-quipped crew from last week are still active.

ChaosChild · January 9

Unfortunately, I don't think there's much they can do about the MED imbalance. The continuum missions are drawn from the regular episodes and distress calls, and those have always been very light on MED nodes. Short of introducing a bunch of new MED-heavy missions to the galaxy map that's just the way things are going to continue.

[RotP]Ran Airen · January 9

The reward's type does not always match the skill needed to unlock it. For example node 3 on the bottom track of Ruinous Staycation normal is a Science node that rewards a Med Quipment. this may only be true when the reward is Quipment rather than Component but I take that to mean that there is some leeway in assigning rewards.

With regard to the imbalance of Research and Database, I hope that this is something that will be seriously reviewed and is not an intentional way of gatekeeping Quipment use. It means that we are collecting resources that can't be spent if we always have too much of one and not enough of the other. The amount of things that get turned into replicator rations is already a bit ridiculous.

Mirror Cartman · January 10

[RotP]Ran Airen wrote: »

The reward's type does not always match the skill needed to unlock it. For example node 3 on the bottom track of Ruinous Staycation normal is a Science node that rewards a Med Quipment. this may only be true when the reward is Quipment rather than Component but I take that to mean that there is some leeway in assigning rewards.

With regard to the imbalance of Research and Database, I hope that this is something that will be seriously reviewed and is not an intentional way of gatekeeping Quipment use. It means that we are collecting resources that can't be spent if we always have too much of one and not enough of the other. The amount of things that get turned into replicator rations is already a bit ridiculous.

Yes, uncommon Quipment drops from nodes, the skill is random, and is unrelated to the skill of the node. I hope WRG find a way of balancing the skills a bit better.

It is unlikely they will add new episodes or missions specifically for this, but they could bias the randomness a bit towards evening out the medical nodes.

https://forum.wickedrealmgames.com/stt/discussion/comment/278732#Comment_278732

STT Community · January 10

Greetings Captains, Today we are meeting with the team. I'll pass all these notes to them and I will update regarding the situation .

LLAP

WaldoMag · January 10

weakinteraction wrote: »

Mirror Cartman wrote: »

3/31 nodes again this week are medical. Third week in a row with this number of medical nodes.

This does not allow us to build up Quipment components needed just to build the quipment for the continuum missions.

Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to beeline those while my MED-quipped crew from last week are still active.

Same here I learned from last week.

Continuum Component Imbalance

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