Please Give Us Some Air To Breathe
Jhamel
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in Make It So!
I feel this deserves an own thread, because it has been mentioned by a lot of players (in the forum and in the world in-game chat) and wished that events should be reduced either in duration or frequency by half (meaning 2 day weekly or 4 day bi-weekly events).
We need some sorely needed air (meaning time) to breathe (use), so we can actually work on our existing crew. If we get two or three new cards every week (not only event, but also special offers mid-week), how are we ever supposed to catch up with more difficult-to-level older cards? Not everyone of us (and I say that as someone with eight daily replications available) can be here eight to twelve hours a day and while I understand that this is a game of pa(y)tience, it should never turn into frustration, because that is what can cause newer (and older) players to leave STT for some other game.
I know money has to be earned by the developers of the game to keep the company going, I understand that point, that's one of the reasons why I like to spend a certain amount of money every month to support the philosophy of STT and it's concept and the purrpose of the game. I would keep spending (even consider spending more) if I had more time to level my crew and actually use some of the time to communicate more with my fleetmateys and not having to worry about what is next all the time. It would be a lot more relaxing.
~ Eris The Swiss Vorta Cat
We need some sorely needed air (meaning time) to breathe (use), so we can actually work on our existing crew. If we get two or three new cards every week (not only event, but also special offers mid-week), how are we ever supposed to catch up with more difficult-to-level older cards? Not everyone of us (and I say that as someone with eight daily replications available) can be here eight to twelve hours a day and while I understand that this is a game of pa(y)tience, it should never turn into frustration, because that is what can cause newer (and older) players to leave STT for some other game.
I know money has to be earned by the developers of the game to keep the company going, I understand that point, that's one of the reasons why I like to spend a certain amount of money every month to support the philosophy of STT and it's concept and the purrpose of the game. I would keep spending (even consider spending more) if I had more time to level my crew and actually use some of the time to communicate more with my fleetmateys and not having to worry about what is next all the time. It would be a lot more relaxing.
~ Eris The Swiss Vorta Cat
"Everything about the Jem'Hadar is lethal!" - Eris (ST-DS9 Episode 2x26 "The Jem'Hadar")
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Comments
In terms of Frequency: Rather than skipping weeks and less events, I think the thing to do would be to have more re-runs of old events. Re-runs could focus on existing crew and rather than adding new crew each time, incorporate other relevant existing crew. This would give players increased opportunity to access, finish leveling and fuse existing crew. For those players who already had all of most of the existing crew for an event re-run, they could opt out entirely, threshold and out, or just calibrate their participation for what made sense and was fun for them. This could be equivalent to having a week off or a relaxed event for those captain's who had the existing crew, while providing other captains who do not, the utility offered by event re-runs.
In terms of event reward structure: With a change such as outlined in Threshold:Crew and Ranked:Honor, by putting crew in the thresholds all captains could access all event crew with a threshold and out strategy, and only push for rank if they wanted to go after more honor and portal pulls. This would also help captains fill in the gaps, and reduce duplicates.
Consider participating in civil discourse, understanding the Tardigrade, and wandering with the Subspace Eddies.
I too wish we had a slower schedule. Biweekly sounds great, or it can be weekly, but have it where 1 week is rehash of old crew and the next is all new crew and have that be a cycle. Tons of people want chances to get old crew so I can't imagine the event would not be participated in. Then mega-events are their own thing of course and if this cycle is implemented, mega-events will certainly feel mega just like they did the first time we had one.
I mean I'm totally in agreement with Eris, I still have crew I began the game with or have had over 2 years now that I've still never immortalized or got to level 100 like Feezal Phlox, Wrathful Khan, Luther Sloan, Undercover O'Brien, General Martok, KDF Gowron, Grand Nagus Rom, Judge Q.
Captain of the voyage vessels: Queen of Bashir, Landsknecht, and Sunspear, the first luxury starship cruiseliners.
Amenities include wifi, fully-functioning holodecks, a full-service bar, 3 party decks, a Trill spa, and a business centre.
Fun fact: The ships are propelled by bouncy castle technology.
I would love to get my hands on Durango Troi for example or First Officer Burnham ... or Klingon O'Brien who I didn't want to clutter up my crew inventory with when I was short of space (same with Young Sarek and the two Ash Tyler variants and Armed Georgiou).
I hope DB (at least Shan) will meowtice this thread and finally think over the event strategy and duration plans.
As always, I'll point out the blindingly obvious be controversial and say that we don't need DB's permission or encouragement if we need breathing air and don't feel like doing an event.
If you feel that you have too much to work on in terms of already-collected crew, then you can just not do an event (or just get some threshold) and concentrate on your heart's content. That's how you catch up.
Yeah, I know the objection that's going to come by some people. "But how can I do that when I'm motivated by a mindless compulsion of greed that forces me to participate in every single event ever created and collect every single crew that I can attain?"
But at the end of the day, we set our priorities, not DB. If I feel that I need some breathing time, am I going to make a rational decision, use my personal responsibility, and organize my life as I think is best - which can mean, for instance, not doing an event.
Anyway. I don't expect that my argument about player decision and responsibility is going to go down well. Blaming DB and asking them to change the game to suit our needs requires much less self-analysis.
I had never realized there were two Swiss people on the forums.
But if they did reruns or no event every other week it would get horribly boring, as non event gameplay is barely existent at some point.
Personally I don't even have crew to work on as all are either FE already or waiting for stars .
I'd expect other players to them complain there's not enough to do in game with an even higher proportion of the time each week being spent on the daily grind.
For the most part I'd agree with others, if you want to take a week off - take a week off, although it may hinder your play in the long run eventually a similar enough crew member will be available through another event.
The most helpful thing I've found for myself has been simple ruthlessness about my crew. Chances are, there are at least some crew in your backlog that you don't really care about. Dismiss 'em. Even a 4/4, if you're only keeping them because they're a 4/4, consider that you've got that many precisely because they're available so frequently. Why commit to one you don't care about when next week may bring one you do?
[This is only intended to be general commentary and not directed at anyone in particular.]
The problem is I can't sit out a faction event with a fleet that is focused on shuttle flying, because I wanna support the sqaud I'm in. Galaxies I mostly sit out and only do the minimum requirement to meet squad reward eligibility. Still, there - sometimes, butt not often - can be good crew in a galaxy event as well, and then I have to either spend hard cash or a lot of chronitons just to get the three needed copies from the ranked reward or at least 130k points if it's trashold.
Travis, I did this exact thing a few months back. I had collected many new crew from Voyages (pre-nerf), and eventually got the vast majority of them FF. I had plenty of room, because I have a tendency to freeze any crew who I don't make use of for several weeks in some manner — so I thought, why not? I didn't really care about them, and I'm certainly not a completionist, but a lot of them were unique species, and for some reason I figured that could come in handy down the line.
But then I started a friendly competition with a fleetmate who'd told us he planned to get his entire roster FE this year. (My thought was, "Holy smokes, that would take most of the entire year for me, and even then I doubt I'd finish!") However, at that point I looked long and hard at my contingent, and decided I had no real desire to keep the likes of Tash, Fesek, Gralik Durr, and numerous other crew who I had no particular attachment to — and thus, despite most of them being 4/4, and many of them already leveled up more than halfway, I cut my losses, and sent them to their heavenly reward (as the old-timey saying goes).
It was a huge relief! And I ended up handily beating my fleetmate to the goal of getting all crew fully-equipped.
I've gotten a couple of new additions since then, but with them being the only crew I had to work on, I got them FE lickety-split. I'm also able to build up resources in several areas: chrons, credits, rations, equipment, trainers (well, there was never an issue with those, lol)... and that will continue to pay off not only in leveling future crew, but in playing events.
Yes, several of the characters who I dismissed have since shown up in the cryollections — but I've come to realize that it will be ages before I finish all of those collections, so it's not really a concern. And anyway, sometime down the road I may reacquire some of the crew I dismissed, either for a collection or to keep myself busy. Honestly, this massive culling has taken a huge load off of my shoulders, and so I also heartily recommend it to anyone who is in the same boat and has had similar thoughts.
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
I mean, obviously I can't blame you for wanting to support your squadron (despite the rather terrible rewards), but you should have your priorities clear and accept their consequences. If you decide to sacrifice your own best interests in order to help your squadron (for instance, running shuttle missions for a faction you don't need and neglect a faction whose items you need)... it's your right, but you're sacrificing your own best interests.
Of course if you sacrifice your best interests you end up feeling out of breath.
Well, ok, but this just means that you think that the reward is worth the investment. Which is fine, and is your choice.
The very idea of player choice is that we have to accept the consequences of our actions and live with them. Choose to sacrifice your shuttle time for the good of your squadron? Your sacrifice has a cost. Choose to invest into a Galaxy event? This investment takes resources away from the rest of your game.
And honestly, the pessimist in me thinks that even if DB decreased the length of events or something like that... you'd equally have to sacrifice. You're competing against other players. If you want to "win" you have to commit more than them. If you commit a lot, you'll have to pay a price - because if you don't, those other players will and they'll win.
Of course you can. It is nice that you want to be helpful to your squad, but you can play this game and events however you wish. By own choice. You have a deep squad by now and unless you are a hardcore collector who really wants every card DB releases I think you don´t need too many additions to your crew from a gameplay perspective.
DB needs events week in, week out to generate some cash, to keep this game alive. But you don´t need crew week in, week out to enjoy it. As said: Unless you are a hardcore collector.
My favourite restaurant and favourite outlet store have great "events" day in, day out even. So I have to make choices what I want and when. Cause if I give in to them all I will become either fat or poor. Or both
Personally since the last mega I was not too interested in most of the new crew (also naturally cause after over 2 years of life more and more obscure crew will be introduced) so I played those events casually (self created breathing room and resource building). I am very interested in the one of this week. So I will attack it. With the further bonus that my resources like boosts are fully loaded up in the mean time.
Which is another thing: Attacking each and every event full steam is barely possible or it will completely drain your resources/purse. And your mind. Like you said some time ago: Too many characters are work, and not fun for you. But you load that schedule upon yourself. As said: Make choices, play more relaxed sometimes. You don´t need DB to give you breathing room, that is in your own hands...
Grüße in die Schweiz
Wow I never actually considered this before. I feel like I'm discovering a new found power haha. But you're totally right? I know this is a card collecting game but, why weight down my precious crew space with crew I really have no attachment to? I have them at 4/4, I can get them there again when I'm less concerned about crew space, after all they've been sitting in my crew slots for months if not years.
Bye bye Tash, Angel One Riker, Kurros, Mutated Paris, Mother Horta, Blood Oath Jadzia, Luther Sloan, Agent Harris, Feezal Phlox, Formal Dress Wesley, Gorn Captain, Young Khan, Apollo, KDF Gowron, Lore, Lon Suder, Platonian Kirk, Torchbearer Voq. You...won't be missed.
Omg I haven't had this much space in forever. And now...no rush to clear spaces in time for the mega-event, I don't have to spend tons of credits replicating items to FE a crew to cryo them to make space asap, I can save chrons, precious resources that almost every crew member needs (e.g. encoded communiques, 2* science experiments, 0* medical experiments, holoprograms). I honestly feel excited! Thanks for putting this hard truth out there!
Captain of the voyage vessels: Queen of Bashir, Landsknecht, and Sunspear, the first luxury starship cruiseliners.
Amenities include wifi, fully-functioning holodecks, a full-service bar, 3 party decks, a Trill spa, and a business centre.
Fun fact: The ships are propelled by bouncy castle technology.
I have actually played the game this way from the start so I never felt that pressure of having a ton of people to equip or crunch on roster space. It’s great isn’t it? I just got Trelane yesterday from a special offer pull. I got him to 90 with only one item to get to 100. Then 5 replications and boom, he’s fully equipped in like 10 minutes. Meanwhile I have tens of thousands of chrons for the next time there is a legendary event crew I find appealing. This way also keeps your inventory stocked so you have the components to not have to do many missions to equip. Don’t spread yourself thin. Focus on a core crew
To be fair, each fleet sets their own policies. When I founded our fleet, it was explicitly as a no-pressure fleet for casual players. Most of our players play each event to some degree (I think many of us are Threshold & Out for Galaxies these days), but it's also common for a few or even several of us to skip an event entirely. We're cool with that. If y'all were in our fleet, @ErisTheVorta could sit out any Faction Events she wanted and her squadron would be fine with that. There'd be events she'd want to go after and maybe one of them takes a pass. That's how we roll.
@Lady Gaghgagh - It's nice to see a new acolyte join our movement!
Stick with me, kid. I'll learn ya.
I do get all that but tell me how this would fly with your fleet. I very rarely do a single mission a day. My crew is all fully equipped so I do not run anything but cadet challenges. That means I would contribute nothing to starbases or dailies or anything of the sort. Galaxies where I don’t care for the crew, I will score 10 points and rank 68,000. Then occasionally when I make my move I can rank 3rd but that is maybe once every one or two months.
Yeah, the thing is, I'd sort of been an acolyte of that religion since shortly after I started playing, as I noted in this thread from the old forums, but Voyages being what they used to be, I lost my way for a time. I believe it was compounded by me purchasing additional crew slots — and looking back now, I honestly don't think I should have done so — with all that extra room, and all those new super-rares falling like manna from heaven, I became an STT materialist and began worshipping lots of false idols (wow… okay maybe I took the religious allegory a bit too far there). In any case, after "losing my religion" and filling up my ship with a lot of crew who I only added "because I could", I became "born-again" into the ascetic way of life game play.
Sorry, Kath. They gave their lives for the greater good (mine).
Could you please continue the petty bickering? I find it most intriguing.
~ Data, ST:TNG "Haven"
https://forum.disruptorbeam.com/stt/discussion/4703/midweek-events#latest
In our fleet, that'd be fine. Today, for instance, six of our 49 members have hit 0 of their Daily Targets. We still collectively managed to clear all of the Fleet Daily Targets, hitting the last of them with several hours to spare. To further illustrate the point, I only even know this because I looked it up just now for the purpose of answering this question. Ordinarily, none of us even look or care.
You'd be surprised how easy it is to contribute almost incidentally. Do you run shuttles on a non-event day? Those count toward fleet targets. Those six cadet missions you run each day? Those count toward fleet targets. Whenever you do take on new crew or make a serious effort in a Galaxy event and have to farm things for them, those missions and space battles count toward fleet targets.
The most difficult fleet target to hit is the last of the Starbase component contribution thresholds. But even if we miss that (which does sometimes happen), it's 50 chronitons. In the era of Voyages, that's no big deal anymore, and to be honest, we didn't make a big deal out of even before Voyages. Yeah, we like to get 'em, but we don't go around auditing to see who has or hasn't chipped in each day.
My suggestion would be to start your own fleet. Establish up front that you're operating under such a laissez-faire doctrine, and recruit like-minded players who also don't want to be micromanaged or held to any expectations. You'd be surprised how quickly your fleet can grow from the first five of you to fill a squadron to a full 50 member fleet!