CAPTAIN'S BLOG

I like it so far. I did get to the max on the old system. Could not really do much with it. Time will tell if it works out.

I thought that if you had maxed up from the old system you had a head start for the new...

I had to start again from scratch.. and IM not sure how so many ultra rare stuff is already being made...

but he new system is ok I suppose...

So far all I have done are the 6k xp missions. I have 4 R&D slots open and a school or two @ lvl 8. I crafted a few things the first day but it wasn't worth the time and effort. I had to craft several components to craft one item, and that item took 8 hours I think. It was a cannon pre-charger, mkVI I think. So I had to wait until the next day, as I started it late in the day for me. Next day i couldn't use it. Always gave me the message that I didn't meet some requirement, but not which one, as a vice-admiral.

That's all I have done so far. Well that and I am leveling the old crafting system also, as the Omega DIZ stuff is still the old system. Fun times ;)

Concerning the old system: with enough EC/Dil, you could max out crafting skill in 3-5 hours. So, it really was not a loss considering how easy it was with the previous system. Although I do wish something was given, I'm not surprised Cryptic started over with everyone. If anything, it put everyone on the same level, yet Lvl 15 gear showed up on the Exchange within opening.

My problem is that the xp granted for projects is not balanced. By level 5 (if not earlier) yo will need THOUSANDS of xp to reach the next level. Yet, there are xp rewards that are in single digits. I perceive most players do not have the patience for that. So, naturally, the biggest xp reward projects will be slotted. This ultimately leads to the "grind" because of the time gate.

I keep in mind that Crafting is an optional game within STO. And that is why I am not bothered by the new system at all. I actually DO like the interface and the plan involved with it.

But until I can either improve/modify existing equipment, or make something comparable to existing equipment, then I will just slot the 20-hour project and go play the rest of the game ...

because that is more fun to me.

I love the new crafting system. Under the original crafting system you could simply acquire the crafting materials and make whatever you wanted. Then, along came FTP and crafting became tied to large expenditures of Dilithium in addition to the crafting materials, which had to be acquired from exploration missions. It soon became obvious that, with the exception of four or five items, you could sell your crafting materials and unreplicateable items for enough EC to buy almost any craftable item on the Exchange for less than what you got for the materials needed to make the item. It made no sense to craft anything except Aegis gear and Field Generators.

Now, by running DOFF missions, you can craft almost anything at no Dilithium cost whatsoever. Yes, it takes time to build up your skill level and to make the crafting materials you need to make the actual items, but all the work is done by your DOFFs, so it leaves all of your playing time available for other things. Those who are in a hurry, and who have large stocks of Dilithium can instantly complete as many DOFF missions as they want, thereby giving them instant access to their desired items. The system accommodates everybody.

Sure, those of us who were at higher skill levels didn't get to start at our old levels of skill, but we got full compensation for our stock of crafting materials and Unrepicateable Items, which gave us a head start on the newer players. I like crafting and, for the first time since the beginning of FTP, crafting is a profitable way to make things.

I like the new system, it makes a lot of sense. I have a couple concerns about it

1) Will we be able to craft Mk 13/14 gear whatever it's up'd to in the future? This was the major flaw in the previous system. It was useless to craft items as it was a lot of work, and not worth it as you couldn't get top level gear (With the exception of the AEGIS set maybe).

2) More of a gripe, yes they should have given us some compensation for maxing the previous crafting system. It makes me wonder what other progress I'll have wiped out when they 'improve a system'

It's better. I maxed out the old one and then never used it. This setup seems to have much more use in the long run.

I like the new crafting MUCH more than the old. However, I find micro managing my DOFFS to be more tedious now than before. Like If I want to craft a particular item and don't have an appropriate DOFF I'm stuck spending at least an hour grinding EC to purchase 1 off the exchange. And that, to me, is not worth it since the item won't be high level until at least a week and a half of the "daily" assignments for just 1 school. there needs to be a school cap decrease. 15 just doesn't make sense.

I never did crafting before because it really was just a hassle. I think this new system is actually more encouraging to get into crafting, and I have been actively working on leveling up.

THE NEW CRAFTING IS AWESOME!

1. ALL ITEMS (yes including consoles) are account bound rather then character

2. Reseach is like you rep. 20hour research which gives you 6000 XP for one item.

3. Materials AND Components are easy to get just through durty officer missions which you one need to have duty officers unlocked. most white and green items need i allready have over 3000+ of them, Blue is around 500+ and purple already 50+. More then i will ever need for most items.

4 Added much need items. Eg. warp cores, sing cores, all weapon types and consoles from level 1. Which means you can make stuff for a new toon and have antiprotons with all purple items AT LEVEL 1!

I already got 6 levels on all but one which is cannons at level 9! After 2 weeks i have all at level 6 already expect for cannons which is already at level 9. I have not used any dil yet.

To some up you can play anything you want as long as you been playing and know what your doing or you want to help a friend.

Want a Polaron drain build with flow caps at level 1 on your joke ship the Oberth?? Sure no problem. Want to give the NX enterprise more teeth? Here have some mk II purple antiprotons with Beam overload built in. Not good enought? How about some Purple Antiproton Mag Regulator mk II as well? Missed out on the game breaking Tr -116a item at launch? Here is a BETTER VERSION (WITH OUT GAME BREAKING shoot through walls) AT MK XII? Still not good enough? How about Fleet grade? Want Field Generator at every level 1 to 50 and all purple? We will throw in some Omni-Directional weapons so you can have all your ships and shuttles with any weapon type you want!

I could go on but you get the idea,

BEST. FRAKING. CRAFTING. SYSTEM. EVER!

Right now I feel the system's biggest problem is the fact that purple raw materials aren't a guaranteed "get" out of the trials that are supposed to reward them. As a consequence, I am extremely reluctant to actually make anything that requires them until I'm not just making vendor-bait.

Two systemic things I'd change:
1. As I said, purple drops, automatically get 1 for completing the trial in question. You do a CCE, you get a Radiogenic Particle, no ifs, ands or buts.

2. More XP on a crit of the 20h research project. I don't feel the difference between 6k and 7k. Goose it up to either a +50 or +100% on a crit.

Crafting items I'd like to see:
1. Energy weapons of the compound types (eg polarized disruptors; just about no chance this happens).

2. Something to allow vet ships to change the energy types of their special attack (polaron lotus, anyone?).