The great faction item crisis
Monolithix
✭✭
in The Bridge
With the chron and crew influx from voyages and my crew roster rapidly maturing, faction items are now my primary progression limitation. Even with 5 replicator uses a day (which is a bind on my credits) I am now regularly chron-rich and unable to progress an increasing number of crew. Case in point, I have been unable to complete Yarnek and Mirror Spock over the last week in advance of tomorrow’s event due to a severe lack of common Terran emblems and basic medical experiments (they need loads of each).
I guess this could be strategic from DB, or just a poor game imbalance that is only just emerging. Either way, it is an added frustration that appears to be completely arbitrary.
I guess this could be strategic from DB, or just a poor game imbalance that is only just emerging. Either way, it is an added frustration that appears to be completely arbitrary.
2
Comments
I do agree that we need those items perhaps dropping in Voyages at least since they are needed a lot for a good number of crew.
DB: Do Better.
Member of Starship Trista.
Miller lite works to...
I manage to get some by selecting the appropriate cadet missions (though there's a tradeoff in terms of the other rewards), and replicating. But still, bit of a bind.
Am I missing other options?
In this case, not really. Now if the faction store always had every item available (as many as you want) with three purchase options (credits, merits or dilithium) then it could be relieved by spending. Credits and merits are extremely limited, so dilithium would be the only real option for purchasing many items. Unfortunately the costs in the faction store are so completely crazy that it probably wouldn't help. Move the decimal place one position to the left and it would be more reasonable. Then instead of 250,000 credits for a 3* item it would be 25,000 credits and the 50,000 credit zero star items would be 5,000 credits. Still expensive if looking to buy a lot, but not completely insane the way it currently is.
The way it currently is, if you need basic holoprograms, if you have used all replicator options and none of the cadets that day are dropping them and there is a faction event tying up your shuttles, there is nothing you can do. It becomes impossible, no matter how much you are willing to spend, to get even 1 basic holoprogram.
There is no faction item crisis. You have multiple replicator uses, faction missions, faction store and cadet missions. Plan ahead.
That's true, spending your way to relief is limited. You can buy more replicator uses through VIP or buy more cadet tickets on the right day, both with limits. So to a degree, it just slows progression, which again is intentional.
Well, there ARE a number of things you can spend on to facilitate faction items, they just aren't that efficient:
There are four primary axes that restrict character leveling: Chrons, Trainers, Credits, Faction Items
Trainers are usually only an issue early in the game.
Credits are only an issue if you are regularly buying packs for additional characters and/or using the replicator for high level items.
Prior to the inception of voyages, Chrons were easily the most restrictive of the four. Since, I've been easily keeping my 0/1* Component stocks at 300+. That has only been challenged by the recent 1/2/3* leveling that the new Collections require (which has already started to taper and will, eventually, stop completely once my 3*s are caught up).
That has left Faction items as the only actual impediment to leveling as their rate of acquisition has stagnated relative to Chrons.
This is a serious case of "be careful what you wish for". DB wants leveling a character to take SOME level of effort. It could be that the "easiest" way to implement that is to throttle the Chrons from voyages again.
Check the faction store every day. 50 merits/50k credits is relatively cheap if that 0* Medical Experiment gives you an important item. You can also get 0* Medical Lessons (built from 0* Medical Experiment and 0* TOS Writing PADD) from the Thursday and Saturday cadet challenge. It's the 2nd mission on Elite (the one with the good shuttle boosts). Medical Lessons show up everywhere, and with the exception of some very specific items and Pathogens, you can treat 0* Medical Experiments as 0* Medical Lessons.
If you haven't cleared all of the story, check the one-time rewards to see if there is anything that helps you. Unless it is a base item (isn't built from anything else), you have to check missions to see if it is a one-time reward. Or you could just check the wiki to make it easier.
For 0* Science Experiments, a common thorn in the people's sides, Biological Sample Kit (1* and above), Ethnobotany Experiment (1*), Airponics (1*) and Osmotic Eel (0*) need multiple. These are relatively common items that are used by most Science or Medical crew. I would highly recommend replicating those so that you don't use as many Science Experiments (you can replicate the 0* Biological Sample Kit, if you want to save on credits/fuel, because it gives you the 0* Science Experiment and saves you a few chrons on that 0* Casing; the same goes for 0* Medical Lessons). The only issue is that you need to have a crew that needs those to replicate them. Perhaps when you reach one of them with a crew, you could look up what they need and replicate a few at once, if they need more. (Also, I totally misread "medical experiments" as "science experiments").
I hope this helps you out. I'm running Augment missions like crazy because I realized that I'm almost out of 0* Medical Experiments from leveling medical 1*s, 2*s, and 3*s for collections.
you're both wrong. there's no limit on availability of faction items. the cost simply skyrockets at a certain point, but there's always a dilithium option on any day in the form of faction store selection refresh and, of course, shuttle speedups for dil. while that cost is insane, and the outcome is not even guaranteed, it sets a pretentious value of a certain item and encourages you to jump at the cheaper options when they're available, like extra cadet tickets. the same goes for crew prices set in faction stores. the 15k tag on a 1/5 is meant to provide a relative value, making portal pulls and 6500 dil packs seem like an attractive purchase. which reminds me of a joke...
at a watermelon stand the sign reads:
WATERMELONS
3 FOR $10.00!
or $3.00 each
a guy approaches and asks to buy a watermelon.
seller charges $3.00.
the guy asks for another one.
seller charges $3.00.
the guy asks for one more.
seller charges $3.00.
the guy smiles and says: look, i outsmarted you, i bought 3 watermelons for $9! you're stupid!
the seller replies: yep, i'm stupid, but i just sold you 3 watermelons.
It used to be that it was (almost) always chronitons. In these heady replicator days, increasingly its credits or faction items.
I know it sounds counterintuitive to only work on one at a time in order to get caught up, but it's what has kept me from having any real backlog issues for the last six months or so. Here's how I would have handled the situation presented to @Monolithix. This isn't to condescend, but just to model the system that has worked for me. For context, I haven't had anyone to work on at all since midday Monday, and this is the fourth such time in the last six months where I've gone two days or longer with no backlog.
The Crew Cost Finder shows that Mirror Spock needs more Faction Only items, but Yarnek is considerably more challenging overall:
Here's the breakdown on where they become difficult:
And here's what you get out of them (before bonuses, anyway):
Your impetus for working on these two was to have them ready for this week's event, so in the short term, all that matters are their base stats. I'm speculating here, but I'll assume they're both 1/5. With the x2 event bonus, you're looking at:
Mirror Spock
CMD 648
DIP 322
SCI 1360
Yarnek
CMD 896
DIP 564
SCI 1228
Spock's stats will be better for "SCI AND CMD/DIP" slots, but the advantage to working on Yarnek is that he's far less likely to turn up in any other event than Spock will. That also sounds counterintuitive, I know, but it means there will be fewer instances where you're going to 1) even have a reason to work on him or 2) get your most out of having him.
Since the Terran Empire is one of this week's factions, I'd have prioritized running Augment shuttles between the end of last week's Phase 1 and the start of this week's event. You won't be able to run Augment shuttles during the event, so it's better to cast as wide a net as possible for Augment faction items while you're free to do it. Better to grab as many of those while you can and then let Spock's items come to you throughout the event.
@Travis S McClain, can I just PM you whenever I’m not sure which crew member to work on next?
Your insights are much better than mine.
My point really was that the game comes to a grinding halt when blocked by faction items. I guess that's where I get the most out of STT, and multiple days needed to scrape a few basic items together **tsk tsk** the fun out of it.
The Federation being the other faction in this event is all the more reason I'd have advised running Augments for Yarmek exclusively. I should also note that I did make the presumption that both Mirror Spock and Yarnek were at the same level when you started to work on them, and obviously that may very well not have been the case. And I have no idea what the rest of your inventory or other in-game resources look like. Plenty of variables that would render my little model invalid for your specific circumstances!
Sure. Sometimes all there is to do is just keep sending shuttles one after another in hopes that the right stuff will drop, replicating what you can to try to nudge things along. And sometimes that does take a few tedious, monotonous days. You're absolutely right that this is a low point in the STT playing experience and I certainly didn't mean to imply otherwise.
Ha! Sure. I do charge a consultation fee, though, payable in doughnuts.
What about cronuts?
Would you trust the advice that you could buy with cronuts?
Once again, you make a worthy point.
Add on top of that the lack of ability to throttle shuttle times to go for lower rewards and the general expensiveness and dil price tags often seen in the faction stores and you have your typical PTW wall.
So all in all its working as intended. Frustration that turns into credit card swiping.
I run short on 3-4* items that take 150-180 x10 runs that eat up chrons
I have 8 reps so even backing down to 2-3* item reps runs me low on credits
Faction items can be a pain on newer char. As they use up a massive amounts
Usally always low on, 0* star reels, 2* med exp and 0*., hols of course,
Wish they would spread the love a bit
Id live to get some of these maasive inventory stocks down on some items
Thank you!
Do not forget Medical Lesson that you can get in todays cadet challenge.
It is the 2nd mission at elite.
The problem is that it can't when you are talking about replicate issues. I am a high level VIP and I still regularly run out of replicator rations trying to build characters who need items which have a drop rate that is virtually zero.
Why do you need replicator rations to run the replicator? Do you not have 3000 basic spices you could use instead? Or trainers. Or starbase components. Or Schematics. Etc.
Sorry I meant the daily ration of uses rather than the components.
In fact as I tend to use my massive stack of low level starbase components I actually forgot that there was a replicator ration component
Yes some characters are harder, and require some planning. I'm holding off on finishing Romulan Kirk due to needing some Emitters, because I know I can run Fed missions in the event to try to get those, for instance.
Since the start of the last galaxy, using this method I've Maxed Faith Garland, the M113 Creature, and Forra Gegen, as well getting Laborer Spock to 100 and Yarnek to 70. (I started using chrons after the end of the Galaxy.)
I'm shifting to Romulans now since it looks like a Rom mega is on the horizon. Might be misplaced effort but I'll be further along in the collection if nothing else.
@Pallidyne – I just finished off Romulan Kirk last week. What a PITA! I replicated quite a few items to finish him, so unless your cargo bay is full, expect to do the same.
In case you, or anyone else, were unaware, 1* Terran Emblems also drop from "The United Federation" Mission 5 "Of Two Evils" on Tuesday and Sunday.
Romulans are the worst! Between their encryption algorithms and emblems, I dread having to work on any of them, which is why in anticipation of next month's mega-event likely featuring them, I've been trying to stockpile as many of those things as I can. It won't be nearly enough, of course, but hopefully it'll at least let me hit the ground running.
Yeah especially the damn basic encryptions that don't drop from shuttles just from either high end missions maybe someday and even lower 8 chron missions.
I feel like we need a Romulan Distress call like the Klingon one.
But I did get Kirk to 100, as well as T'Rul, not quite FE yet but getting there. and Nevesa to 80. I'd stockpile inventory, but to date I only had 2 FE Romulans that were 4* or above, Data (2/5) and Troi (FF), so I'm trying to level up who I have. I do have 3 other FFs, Jarok at 50, Tomalak but only at 20 and Sela at 8... so there's a lot of leveling I can do. I really need those two star emblems like nobody's business. Those are my main replication targets right now.