Hey guys and Girls this Episode of Dev Watch with Airik will be Slightly different no blurb from me just Quotes direct from the Khitomer Accords thread from the STO forums which covers the Borg STF revamps that are upcoming in Star Trek Online. Each post will be a post Gozer has made followed by a direct link to that post. Hopefully this sheds some light on the state of the Revamped or Remastered Borg STF's for Endgame. Enjoy
Airik
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...39#post3733539I looked into this... Basically some of the minor changes made to the stf transwarp gates made their way to holodeck. However you aren't seeing the "whole" package yet..Originally Posted by Doull
Hey Devs Ran KA VA tonight. No problems. However I noticed a change to the mechanics of the initial gates since Tuesday's patch.
1. You have to sit further back from them as cannon fire was not directly hitting the center anymore it was spreading out to the edge of the gate when fired.
2. Fire on my mark covered the whole gate when used. looked like an angry red mouth with teeth.
3. The gates seem to be healing themselves between cycles by around 20%
We had no problem. Just asking if this was intentional with the last patch. Is this part of Gozers updates to the STF's
Cheers
For instance when you shoot at the gates your weapons don't all fire at the center of the gate into empty space, they actually hit geometry now. You don't have the second part of this update yet which gives the gate an updated costume that has real target points (like all other enemy npc ships) and shows damage textures as it takes damage.
The gates act like regular space npc's now so they have a very minor regen rate on them as well, These changes will make much more sense once you see all the updates, but for now they will just have a slightly odd behavior.
Goz
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...66#post3734266There have been massive changes to the flow of the STF's.. It's really hard to explain all of this stuff on the forums you'll just have to wait and see it for yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelmor_Branon
Oh good lord, Gozer, you just have to play that mad scientist role, huh .
The only real questions I have regarding the revamps is the dialogs & flow of the missions: Are they all being changed a bit in anticipation for Into the Hive? Also, are the existing Borg ship items still going to be available after the revamps?
As to the Borg Ship Items they will still be available as well. I've also completely revamped the rewards on a large scale for all of the stf's.
So you don't have just three items that you want, for instance I've completely revamped all the old Borg Valor Gear.
The (Borg) tag on weapons is very useful when fighting the Borg now. I've also changed all the shields and armor to be Plasma resist instead of (Antiproton, not sure why this was antiproton to begin with, but I didn't make the original items). These also come in Mark XI and Mark XII versions as well.
There is a ton of new "must have" items now that are available from the STF's. Mark X and Mark XI are the drop from the "Normal" versions and Mark XI and XII from Elite.
Goz
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...91#post3734491Glad that you askedQuote:
Originally Posted by Powerhelm
With the economy change how will this affect "Valor Gear"? Will Valor still be there or will we be using the new currency? What about some "Borg tech" items that we can get as drops and collect so they can be researched by the SCE resulting in us receiving Anti-Borg gear?
The new Borg Valor Weapons, Armor, Shields, etc.. are handled outside of our normal single currency (dilithium). Pretty much all of the new STF loot is handled through loot drops from STF Trash and Bosses.
The Borg in the STF's all have special loot tables now. There is a mechanic set up that rewards you for every single play through of every STF, so even if you have the worst luck with drops (like I do) then you can eventually get the exact item(s) you want. The Borg Valor gear is now specifically designed help you fight the Borg, so it's only available via the STF's.
As to the second part of your question... Something like this is also coming. There are a few new things that drop from the STF Trash and Bosses that help you along the way.. There are new Hypos's that clear infection as well as grenades that will temporarily disconnect the Borg from the collective to name a couple.
Upgraded versions or these items can also be crafted if you happen to get the Rare Schematic (as a drop), but they use the base item as a required component, so even trash mob drops are something to look forward to.
Goz
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...28#post3734528There are no longer personal missions attached to the STF's. Rewards are handled through Trash and Boss Drops on the Maps themselves for the most part.Quote:
Originally Posted by superherofan1701
Will there be a mission reward for ground that you can select instead of just getting the Borg space stuff? That would be nice to have to equip your BOFFs, because I don't need to equip a bazillion ships with the Borg gear, and it would be nice to have something that I don't put in a bank or throw out the airlock.
If you just want to run Space STF's then that's all you have to do, same goes for Ground STF's. If you want Ground Gear run the Ground STF's if you want Space Gear run the Space STF's. If you want all the gear run both
One big change is that the STF Bosses all drop a individual Loot Bag for every team member, so when you kill a boss your loot is your loot, you won't be rolling on Boss drops against the other team mates.
There is also a Loot bag that drops if you manage to complete the Optional Objective on each map, which is for the whole team to roll on... but it has different loot tables attached to it that are sepreate from what the Bosses will drop.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...67#post3734567No LimitOriginally Posted by superherofan1701
If there isn't going to be a mission anymore, is there going to be any limits to how often you can play the STFs?
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...37#post3734637There is a new collectible item that drops from the STF Borg Trash and Bosses. However, don't confuse this with the old currency system. It's actually more like a crafting component than anything else.Quote:
Originally Posted by redleader
Interesting idea. Thinking about what you just said in the previous post about us always finally getting the loot we want ... does this mean that the game keeps track of what we got in our bag before, and gives us something different each time or are you gonna be giving us some other kind of points so we can get the specific item in another store or even in the Valor point store?
The Bosses are guaranteed to drop a set number of these for each person on the team, however you can also just get them randomly from trash on the map as well. The amount that drop also scales depending on which version you are playing "Normal" or "Elite".
There are 100's of new gear items that now drop in the STF's they are all Mark X, Mark XI, and Mark XII.
All of the Mark X and Mark XI gear items can be obtained by collecting and saving up the new collectible items, but they can also be dropped from the bosses as well.
Mark X and Mark Xl are available via the "Normal" versions, although the tables are weighted more toward the Mark X versions.
Mark XI and Mark XII are available via the "Elite" versions, although the tables are weighted more toward Mark XI versions.
Mark XII versions are only available via drop (can't purchase with collectible item) and only availible from the "Elite" versions of the STF's.
The Mark XII are only available via Boss Loot Drops and only via the Elite versions of the STF's.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...51#post3734651"One big change is that the STF Bosses all drop a individual Loot Bag for every team member, so when you kill a boss your loot is your loot, you won't be rolling on Boss drops against the other team mates."Quote:
Originally Posted by Alastor_Forthright
with the loot coming only from drops, will everybody get the item, or are we going to have to deal with the Need or Greed system. If its the latter, I can assure you you'll get complaints, especially as loot ninjas will pop up more and more.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...55#post3734655They are incorrect...Quote:
Originally Posted by Mirror-Master
Now THATS what I'm talkin' about. Awesome change there! I have crap luck with drops and rolls - that will fix me right up!
I just hope STOked was incorrectly informed about the Cross Faction PvE Queue only working with your friends list.
Private STF's Queues are made from your friends list or manually inviting people of either faction. Public Queues of STF's can be joined by anyone of either faction.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...88#post3734688Answer to Question 1...Quote:
Originally Posted by Alastor_Forthright
I do want to get something straight about the STFs for a moment, firstly, is, will we have access to all the loot on the normal level with a lower drop rate for certain items, or will we have to do Elite to get the higher level items.
The seconds is for these upcoming additions to KA. If I am understanding things correctly then I am to assume that the gates both open at the same time, with a low fail threashold of ships entering the portal. The gates heal themselves over time, and can (if your recent pic is anything to go by) attack you as well.
If this is true, I have to ask why? Why does this sound like a good idea in a game that doesn't allow for grouping over 5 people. STFs are meant to be challenging, but the more I look at these changes, the more I see a mission being built for a game with large scale raids, but we don't have large scale raids. We have limited five man teams, and limited builds due to a faulty skill system not intended to have a Cap. These limitations do not build an environment in which these game mechanics can function properly. These are things intended for larger teams 10-15.
And again, before anyone gets it in their head. I love the STFs, They are one of my favorite parts of the game. I enjoy them greatly. But I do not have any fondness for these concepts unless the game is going to add the necessary mechanics to support them. Such as the long requested 10 man teams.
You will not be able to get Mark XII items of any type from "Normal" versions of the STF's... If you want a chance at Mark XII items you will have to run the Elite versions.
"Normal" versions of the STF's are available to players level 45 + they are much easier than the current STF's and the Trash and Bosses are scaled down to players in this level range.
"Elite" versions of the STF's are available to players at 51 they are harder that the current STF's and the rewards meet the added difficulty.
Mark X and XI versions of the rewards are available via the "Normal" versions.. However if you want the mark XII versions you will have to play the "Elite" versions.
Answer to Question 2 ....
Don't read anything into screen shots... there are many many changes to the mechanics of KA Space.. they are fine for 5 Man teams.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...35#post3734735Answered this in a different thread...
But yes some of the updated stuff made it to Holodeck.
However... I'm not sure I see a problem here...
Don't aim your cannons at the part of the gate that has no geometry. If you shoot at empty space you aren't going to hit anything. Aim your cannons at the solid parts and your weapons will hit .. or am I missing something here?
Goz
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...45#post3734745You sir will have to wait and see for yourself when they go to Tribble.. which isn't that long of a waitQuote:
Originally Posted by Alastor_Forthright
Could you kindly stop posting off topic comments and comment on the topic and hand?
To Gozer: What sort of mechanics will be in place then? Will the gates alternate so that an already limited team doesn't have to fully split itself up? Will the gates only heal at certain periods or defend themselves at certain times?
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...56#post3734756Yes... in fact it's even a little easier to get than they are now.... so no worries... these items aren't dropped or mission rewards... and are not tied to any specific mission any longer... do any three STF's on any difficulty and you can choose between the three items.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shakkar
My main concern is about the current Borg set; will we be able to get those from the Normal Mode revamped STFs?
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...81#post3734781Yes if you want the STF gear you have to run the STF's. Just like the Breen gear, Romulan gear, etc. There will be more details on this stuff coming soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by superherofan1701
So all the new sets are available from the updated STFs only?
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...19#post3734819New Gear....Quote:
Originally Posted by Body_Surfer
So is it 3 different sets each with X XI and XII variants for space and ground or one set each with X XI and XII variants?
3 Different Ground sets... 3 Items each per set... in all three Mark Levels...
3 Different Space Sets... 3 items each per set... in all three Mark Levels...
(3 items) Ground Set 1 - Mark X XI XII
(3 items) Ground Set 2 - Mark X XI XII
(3 Items) Ground Set 3 - Mark X XI Xii
(3 Items) Space Set 1 - Mark X XI XII
(3 Items) Space Set 2 - Mark X XI XII
(3 Items) Space Set 3 - Mark X XI XII
Old Gear ...
(4 Items) Space Set 1 (Roughly Mark X)
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...30#post3734830Well... sortaQuote:
Originally Posted by Methos5k
Is there any chance that players will get some choice as to their drop?
Every STF Boss has a specific Loot table...
So Rebbecca has a chance to drop X (Infected Ground)
Armek has a chance to drop y (Cure Ground)
"Unamed Ground Boss" has a chance to drop z (KA Ground)
Works the same with the Space portions... 3 different bosses...
And all bosses drop the collectibles, which can be used for everything except for the Mark XII versions of all the gear. Drops are lottery but relativity specific to a certain list of items. Getting a drop of a wanted item from a boss just lets you save your collectibles for the items you can't seem to ever get to complete your sets.
Play the STF's enough times you will eventually have enough collectibles to get everything you want except the Mark XII version which have to be looted.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...52#post3734852The set gear is BOP.. but don't forget everyone gets their own Loot bag when you kill a boss...Quote:
Originally Posted by Body_Surfer
Will these drops be Bind on Pickup or will we be able to trade them if for instance I like what my fleet mate got and he likes what I got?
However also keep in mind that the set loot is only the tip of the iceberg for STF loot... All the Revamped Borg Valor Space/Ground gear in Mark X XI XII can also drop from the bosses, as well as tons of new Mark X XI XII BOE gear that you can sell/trade away.
Trust me .. I've been very very very busy working on loot
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...62#post3734862I don't think it's unique although I'd have to check to make sure. Generally the only reason we make something unique is when you can slot multiples of that item... for the set gear we want you to be able to use it on different ships and BO's so I doubt any of the items are tagged unique.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rexy
Will the loot be "unique" or will we have the chance to get additional sets for our boffs/shuttles? I ask because the current dropped ships sets are unique, meaning you have to swap them around every-time you swap ships. With continued talk of more shuttle based mission content, it feels like not being able to have your shuttle ready to go can become an annoyance if you might be using it alot.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/sho...81#post3734881The targeting points are on the costume that the critter wears (in this case the gate costume) The new gates consist of two pieces. The critter and the costume... you guys only have the new critter now, not the updated costume (which has multiple points).Quote:
Originally Posted by decker999
Yes and no. Like I wrote in the KA thread, if you go close to deal damage with dual (heavy) cannons it can be tricky to catch a targeting point with the narrow cannon angle. If you stay further away to be sure, you'll lose damage output and it looks kinda funny with the spreading shots.
Don't know if that's possible but maybe there should be more targeting points on the gates and dual (heavy) cannons should only attack 1 point at a time.
The problem fixes itself when you get the new costume, so the issue is basically already fixed... it will just be a little wonky for the next few weeks.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=3734913#post3734913The [Borg] tag is actually a "power" the weapon already has the power so they should automatically update, of course the current valor items are only Mark X.... the Mark XI and Mark XII versions were just made... so you still may want to upgrade...Quote:
Originally Posted by Idali
Makes one wonder, will the valor gear we already own stay at it is, or will the [borg] property changed for them as well?
Meaning do i have to grind out 8 ship weapons again to get the benefit of the changed [borg] property or will my existing items be changed.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=3735690#post3735690There are many factors that come into play when you create a new type of content. What I mean by this is when you define a content type like say PvP, Fleet Action, Featured Episode, STF, you first have to sit down look at all the game play elements, define your goals, define your audience, and then come up with a overall design that meets all of your goals.Quote:
Originally Posted by D.Blackman
Just home from Work, read all this, I must say I am being Impressed without even seeing the NEW.
It was so obvious that you gona make me work for all XII Gear on all 6 Toons.
One Question remains.
Is it true that they are now more PuG friendly? I say this I have sometimes terrible Luck with PuGs.
How are they made more PuG freindly how does this work?
PUG Friendly is an interesting term, I don't really think there is a good way to define it.
Two of the most important elements in this process are your goals and your audience, and of the two your audience is the most critical. If you don't know your audience it can throw off everything else. Knowing your audience is really hard to do when you try to do it before a game has shipped.
Harder still when that game is a MMO and you have to appeal to a larger base of drastically different player types. There is simply no data or feedback to rely on (until after you have shipped), so a design team has to just make the best possible guess with all the data they do have to fill in all the missing pieces.
On the other hand, once you do know your audience you can tailor your design and it will be much more successful.
As an example look at Featured Episodes vs Original Episodes. We created the overall design of the Original Episodes before the game shipped, and while I think the design was a good one, I think everyone would agree that the Featured Episodes are much much better. One of the big reasons for this is that the overall design for Featured Episodes was created after we shipped. Quite simply, we knew our audience much better
With that said... let's get back to your question about being PUG friendly. To answer this question you first have to define what makes STF's PUG UNfriendly. The simple answer to this is pretty much everything about the current overall STF design makes them PUG unfriendly.
In the original STF design the audience was defined as 5 friends (or Fleetmates) that played the game together as a team often. The players would know each other well, they would have played the game together as a group often, they would have the appropriate gear, they would know the game and their class, and they would work very well as a team.
This is pretty much the complete opposite of a random group of people who don't know each other, have never played together, may or may not have the appropriate gear, may or may not actually have any idea of how to effectively play their class, and may or may not work well with other players on a team.
I know what some of you are thinking right now with that last statement (remember, I know you much better now, but don't take it the wrong way. I'm not saying that your all noobs and you need to LTP. In fact if your here on the forums reading this post you are already doing something that most of the players of this game do not, if you are reading this post you probably don't fit into this category at all.
I'm only pointing out that those type of players do exist in our game, and it only takes one random player of this type to completely ruin a STF for the entire team. I'm also sure you have all seen this exact thing happen at least once or twice.
While the old STF design had merit it did not really take into account what would happen if you tried to do them with a mixed group of different player types. The design focus of STF's was very narrow. This is why you see such heated debates about them here on the forums. If you and the group of players you play with fit into the first category you love the STF's, in fact you now tend to find them really easy and not much of a challenge.
You can be great player, know how to play the game, have all the right gear, and work well with a team, however the moment you add a player that doesn't fit this exact description to your team, you can randomly add the chance that the STF will quickly become very frustrating. The more players on the the team that fit this description the more frustrating the STF can become.
Frustration is the killer of fun, so eliminating frustration was the key starting place for the STF redesign. It was also the key place to start to make the STF's much more PUG friendly. The STF's had other design flaws which I have also addressed, but we will start with the first one here.
There were lots of things that had the potential to casue frustration with the old STF design when trying to play with a random group of players.
Here were some of the biggest.
I don't have anyone to play with..
I'm KDF I really really don't have anyone to play with ...
Ok I'm on a random team now, but everyone on the team has different STF missions, or different versions of the same mission (VA,RA)
Ok, the team has the mission and the version sorted out, but some team members don't know which system to go to, or they have wandered off to Earth Space Dock to do something while we were trying to get organized, so now we have to wait on them to get back before we can start.
Ok team ready but 3 people don't have any type of Voice Chat program installed, so they will either have to go without, or they will have to install a thrid party program.
Team ready, wait.. no we aren't we just lost two people while trying to get everything organized.
Team members replaced.. Space Portion of the mission complete (it took 2 hours, because some of the team members had never played this before), but we just lost 2 people and now we have to go through the whole process again to get team members for the ground portion so we can complete the mission and get the rewards.
Ok another hour has gone by, both the space and ground mission are complete, but I didn't really get any cool loot, it took way too long, the boss dropped something that was sorta interesting but I rolled a greed 98 and one of the random team members rolled a need 1 (even though we told everyone to greed)
Any of this seem familiar?... Trust me folks I completely understand and I feel your pain. I have addressed each and everyone of these issues, and 100 more that I haven't even listed here.
I'd have to write for hours to explain how they have been changed and this post is already getting a little too long, so you are just going to have to wait and see. Just know that I do know what the problems are and I'm working very hard to address them all. You aren't going to have to wait too much longer to see for yourself.
Have a great weekend...
Goz
