Star Trek Online Catch-All

Hey, could someone please throw a fleet invite my way, I keep forgetting to find someone with invite permissions when I'm actually playing the game. It's Drekk@Drekk because I'm known far and wide for my originality.

As for the game itself, I am absolutely loving it so far and in fact have to credit it with breaking me out of a gaming funk I've been suffering through for a couple of months. The only thing that really aggravates me so far is how Cryptic handled the retailer-exclusive preorder bonuses. Dammit, I *really* wanted to fly around in an old Constitution class ship with the old TOS uniforms but I'm nowhere near willing to buy the game more than once to do so. I'm just hoping that it'll be sooner than later that Cryptic adds some of these exclusives to the C-store.

I finally got to LtC last night and got my cruiser. Now that I've got an extra weapon slot to play with I've been thinking of some other loadouts to go with. Let me know if any of you have tried some of these and how they worked. Right now I just tacked on a phaser to my starter ship loadout. So I've got phaser and torpedo in the front with phaser and mines in the back. I've been considering replacing the mines with either a turret or another phaser. I just imagine a 3 phaser broadside to be fairly potent though I wonder if the turret would help me more against fighters due to their speed. Right now the mines take care of those for me. I've also even toyed with the idea of 2 phasers and 2 disruptors but I'm afraid it would just take too long to whittle down hulls.

Can someone fire me an invite to Captains with Jobs - my handle is @davet010.

@Kehama:
I think another beam would be more helpful than the turret. I've found that turrets work best for escorts, because they give some extra frontal punch, at the expense of rear damage.

Since a cruiser isn't as maneuverable, I'd imagine that you'd want as much higher damage coverage as possible, and the 250 degree beams are probably better than the low damage turret.

Kehama wrote:

I finally got to LtC last night and got my cruiser. Now that I've got an extra weapon slot to play with I've been thinking of some other loadouts to go with. Let me know if any of you have tried some of these and how they worked. Right now I just tacked on a phaser to my starter ship loadout. So I've got phaser and torpedo in the front with phaser and mines in the back. I've been considering replacing the mines with either a turret or another phaser. I just imagine a 3 phaser broadside to be fairly potent though I wonder if the turret would help me more against fighters due to their speed. Right now the mines take care of those for me. I've also even toyed with the idea of 2 phasers and 2 disruptors but I'm afraid it would just take too long to whittle down hulls.

Yeah, it took me seemingly forever to hit LtC, but since doing so, I have come to greatly love that extra weapon slot. I am using a Science Vessel, and I haven't tried turrets or mines yet, BUT: 1). while I like the damage distruptors do, I don't like the 45 degree arc and, unless I'm using something that's really maneuverable, I don't think I like them; and 2). I like the initial loadout of phasers and torpedoes in front and back because I'll fire a torpedo, turn around (firing phasers), fire a torpedo, turn around (firing phasers), etc. to wear down one side of the enemy shields. That, and I frequently use my various officer abilities to disable their targeting or to fire that extra torpedo at the right moment to "punch" through.

But again, I'm using a Science Vessel, not a Cruiser, so I'll defer to those that know more about such ships. All I know is that Commander Spock thanked me last night for helping protect the U.S.S. Enterprise. My $60 was well spent.

As a cruiser, I like broadsides. At tier 3 I run 2x phaser and 1x torp up front and in back. This way I broadside with 4, and can circle whichever way I need to in order to fire a torp.

More pics!

IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Shoal07/screenshot_2010-02-08-11-05-05.jpg)
IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Shoal07/screenshot_2010-02-08-10-49-24.jpg)
IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Shoal07/screenshot_2010-02-08-10-48-41.jpg)
IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Shoal07/screenshot_2010-02-04-21-32-41.jpg)
IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Shoal07/screenshot_2010-02-04-14-07-35.jpg)

Gaheris@Hantaxp

I am playing as a science officer, and likely taking the healer route. I'm not sure how important grouping for ground missions is yet, as I am only half way to LtC...
So far, really enjoying the game, despite the bug list.

Are missions at the higher levels tailored to the ship that you are using, So far most of the space missions are kill X baddies. Are the science vessels able to buff/heal others during space combat? If not, is there any reason to go this route?

davet010 wrote:

Can someone fire me an invite to Captains with Jobs - my handle is @davet010.

Need character name too. Send a tell to Shoal@shoal07

HantaXP wrote:

Gaheris@Hantaxp

I am playing as a science officer, and likely taking the healer route. I'm not sure how important grouping for ground missions is yet, as I am only half way to LtC...
So far, really enjoying the game, despite the bug list.

Are missions at the higher levels tailored to the ship that you are using, So far most of the space missions are kill X baddies. Are the science vessels able to buff/heal others during space combat? If not, is there any reason to go this route?

You are able to heal/buff by clicking on their ship (or portrait, if they're on your team) and selecting the appropriate skill. You can also use the F2-5 keys if you don't want to use the mouse to select.

As for ship-tailored missions, I haven't seen any so far. It's pretty much a linear and general path that everyone takes, but the various "front" missions are entertaining and will mask the kill x baddies to an extent.

Kehama wrote:

I finally got to LtC last night and got my cruiser. Now that I've got an extra weapon slot to play with I've been thinking of some other loadouts to go with. Let me know if any of you have tried some of these and how they worked. Right now I just tacked on a phaser to my starter ship loadout. So I've got phaser and torpedo in the front with phaser and mines in the back. I've been considering replacing the mines with either a turret or another phaser. I just imagine a 3 phaser broadside to be fairly potent though I wonder if the turret would help me more against fighters due to their speed. Right now the mines take care of those for me. I've also even toyed with the idea of 2 phasers and 2 disruptors but I'm afraid it would just take too long to whittle down hulls.

I'm a newly promoted LtC myself and have been tempted to go with the mines in the back but with only being able to set a limited number of weapon slots to autofire, the utility of filling space with mines is reduced by how many times you feel like hitting the button. I instead went with a phaser strip and torpedo launcher in both front and back and it's really worked out for me so far. Being able to launch torps at a baddie while both coming and going is great, plus I've found that combat is much more actively fun when having to hold my torpedoes until it's the best time to launch them - usually when I've just knocked out a shield facing with a nice broadsides double-phaser volley.

I'm not really getting a sense that the missions I'm sent on at the start are really designed for my crappy little vessel and 1 bridge officer...I'm patrolling in the vulcan sector, help some miners out by popping three little Orion pirates, then 3 more and a couple of battleships decide to turn up. Now there are 3 friendlies in system including me, so have the number of enemy ships scaled to that number ? Should I have upgraded my ship ?

Now there are 3 friendlies in system including me, so have the number of enemy ships scaled to that number ? Should I have upgraded my ship ?

That's exactly what happens. For every instance except for fleet actions, the difficulty is scaled to the number of people in the instance.

Yes, the encounters scale to the number of players. Most missions are whats called open instances where if 3 other people click to enter the system at the same time as you, you are grouped and the mission scales in difficulty.

BTW if you are already grouped, the open instances can add people to your existing group. This happened several times when I was grouping with Breander.

Is it me or is the content already starting to get thin at around Lt Commander rank 3? I have two ltc4 missions and some ltc6 missions that were just offered. And while I did have some ltc2 missions, I completed some ltc4 missions and a fleet action to get to ltc3. The fleet action was long and netted about 20% of ltc3. So it wasn't worth it for the xp but it was worth it for some nice side grade weapons and consoles. FYI if you want disrupter heavy cannons mkIII, do the fleet action in the pi canis sector in the Laurentian system. I got 3 in one fight in addition to a mkiii quatum torpedo and a science and engineering consoles.

fangblackbone wrote:

Yes, the encounters scale to the number of players. Most missions are whats called open instances where if 3 other people click to enter the system at the same time as you, you are grouped and the mission scales in difficulty.

BTW if you are already grouped, the open instances can add people to your existing group. This happened several times when I was grouping with Breander.

Is it me or is the content already starting to get thin at around Lt Commander rank 3? I have two ltc4 missions and some ltc6 missions that were just offered. And while I did have some ltc2 missions, I completed some ltc4 missions and a fleet action to get to ltc3. The fleet action was long and netted about 20% of ltc3. So it wasn't worth it for the xp but it was worth it for some nice side grade weapons and consoles. FYI if you want disrupter heavy cannons mkIII, do the fleet action in the pi canis sector in the Laurentian system. I got 3 in one fight in addition to a mkiii quatum torpedo and a science and engineering consoles.

I'm CDR 8. I think the content and the pacing has been just about right. The only issue is to get from LCDR 9 to CDR I did have to grind a little, doing the sector defend missions. Not the end of the world, just seems out of place when you never have to grind otherwise.

Shoal07 wrote:

I'm CDR 8. I think the content and the pacing has been just about right. The only issue is to get from LCDR 9 to CDR I did have to grind a little, doing the sector defend missions. Not the end of the world, just seems out of place when you never have to grind otherwise.

Glad to hear. Considering how long it took me to get to LtCR1, this game will take me 2 years to get to CDR8! A wealth of content, methinks.

ilduce620 wrote:
Shoal07 wrote:

I'm CDR 8. I think the content and the pacing has been just about right. The only issue is to get from LCDR 9 to CDR I did have to grind a little, doing the sector defend missions. Not the end of the world, just seems out of place when you never have to grind otherwise.

Glad to hear. Considering how long it took me to get to LtCR1, this game will take me 2 years to get to CDR8! A wealth of content, methinks. :-)

I was just talking about how I was really enjoying the CDR level content. I don't remeber much of LCDR, I could have been rushing a tad, but the CDR stuff is a joy to experience.

cube wrote:
Now there are 3 friendlies in system including me, so have the number of enemy ships scaled to that number ? Should I have upgraded my ship ?

That's exactly what happens. For every instance except for fleet actions, the difficulty is scaled to the number of people in the instance.

That's not 100% true, the missions are actually scaled to the number of people in your party, not your instance. This can result in some interesting missions when you forget to leave your previous party and warp into a zone by yourself with enemies scaled for 5 people.

Has anyone else had trouble with the Patrol the Kassae System mission? My friend and I have both been unable to finish since Saturday, there is one system that won't give us the option to enter and it is the last on list we need to do ( I don't remember the name but it starts with a C).

Side Note: What is the Bridge Officer load out, for Commander Level Escorts? What ranks of what will I be able to use? I shall be there by tomorrow night if all goes well.

Tigerbill wrote:

Side Note: What is the Bridge Officer load out, for Commander Level Escorts? What ranks of what will I be able to use? I shall be there by tomorrow night if all goes well.

http://suricatasblog.files.wordpress...

Serengeti wrote:
cube wrote:
Now there are 3 friendlies in system including me, so have the number of enemy ships scaled to that number ? Should I have upgraded my ship ?

That's exactly what happens. For every instance except for fleet actions, the difficulty is scaled to the number of people in the instance.

That's not 100% true, the missions are actually scaled to the number of people in your party, not your instance. This can result in some interesting missions when you forget to leave your previous party and warp into a zone by yourself with enemies scaled for 5 people.

I didn't join a party with anyone - does that occur when you happen to be in the same instance ? Otherwise, the survival time of my little ship would appear to be limited if I have 2 BS's drop on top of me.

davet010 wrote:
Serengeti wrote:
cube wrote:
Now there are 3 friendlies in system including me, so have the number of enemy ships scaled to that number ? Should I have upgraded my ship ?

That's exactly what happens. For every instance except for fleet actions, the difficulty is scaled to the number of people in the instance.

That's not 100% true, the missions are actually scaled to the number of people in your party, not your instance. This can result in some interesting missions when you forget to leave your previous party and warp into a zone by yourself with enemies scaled for 5 people.

I didn't join a party with anyone - does that occur when you happen to be in the same instance ? Otherwise, the survival time of my little ship would appear to be limited if I have 2 BS's drop on top of me.

You'll auto-join a team if you zone in just as an instance is starting and there are open spots, but you won't auto-unjoin when you leave which can lead to later missions where you're all alone, but still in a team.

The same guy that did the nice ship chart has made a nice map, including a printable version. I suggested he add a list of fleet action locations, as some of them just show up as regular systems in the system list.

Tigerbill wrote:

Has anyone else had trouble with the Patrol the Kassae System mission? My friend and I have both been unable to finish since Saturday, there is one system that won't give us the option to enter and it is the last on list we need to do ( I don't remember the name but it starts with a C).

I can't remember when I did it, but I'm pretty sure I completed that one this weekend, likely Sunday. Seemed to work for me, although I don't remember the particulars of that mission, specifically (i.e. what the last portion was).

ilduce620 wrote:
Tigerbill wrote:

Has anyone else had trouble with the Patrol the Kassae System mission? My friend and I have both been unable to finish since Saturday, there is one system that won't give us the option to enter and it is the last on list we need to do ( I don't remember the name but it starts with a C).

I can't remember when I did it, but I'm pretty sure I completed that one this weekend, likely Sunday. Seemed to work for me, although I don't remember the particulars of that mission, specifically (i.e. what the last portion was).

It seems the Cernon system is bugged.

http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=1975741

Thanks I had seen that chart but I wasn't sure if it was the final word on the matter since it is from October. On the far right (over by the 47) is there info missing, it shows weapons fore and aft and consoles but no pics and no officers.

Kerplunk wrote:
ilduce620 wrote:

I can't remember when I did it, but I'm pretty sure I completed that one this weekend, likely Sunday. Seemed to work for me, although I don't remember the particulars of that mission, specifically (i.e. what the last portion was).

It seems the Cernon system is bugged.

http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=1975741

Thanks, that would be the one good ol'Cernon. I will finally try the drop re'pick the mission to see if that works.

Came across a pretty big Terran federationship, it was a jupiter dreadnaught. Huge! I rammed it for 30k dmg and barely scratched it.

IMAGE(http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l193/brizahd/screenshot_2010-02-09-13-51-20.jpg)

Someone else had some good shots of it here, here, and here. Is that a t5 ship?

Brizahd wrote:

Came across a pretty big Terran federationship, it was a jupiter dreadnaught. Huge! I rammed it for 30k dmg and barely scratched it.

Is that a t5 ship?

Might not be a PC controllable ship - I haven't seen anything like it. I haven't seen any Tier 5 ships yet, either, so take that for what it's worth.

How to set multiple weapons to auto-fire.

This is most definitely a bug and will probably be fixed soon, so you might be better off not getting used to it. That said, this little trick has made my space battles 100x more enjoyable in my T3 escort, since I don't have to mash the spacebar every 2 seconds anymore.

Anyway, here's how to do it.

1- Put the weapons you want to auto-fire next to each other on your action bar. Don't combine front and back though, do the whole process once for front, and once for back.
2- Make sure none of the weapons are currently set to auto-fire.
3- Right click each weapon once as fast you can. If you did it fast enough, they should all be auto-fire.
4- Not fast enough? Go back to step 2 and try again.

IMAGE(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q133/serengeti000/autofire.jpg)

Serengeti wrote:

How to set multiple weapons to auto-fire.

This is most definitely a bug and will probably be fixed soon, so you might be better off not getting used to it.

Awesome! I refuse to believe that the autofire limit is an actual design decision as opposed to an implementation expediency, so I'll definitely be trying this out tonight.

Strekos wrote:
Serengeti wrote:

How to set multiple weapons to auto-fire.

This is most definitely a bug and will probably be fixed soon, so you might be better off not getting used to it.

Awesome! I refuse to believe that the autofire limit is an actual design decision as opposed to an implementation expediency, so I'll definitely be trying this out tonight.

Agreed. It'd be different if there were any tactics involved in firing your beam/cannon/turret weapons, as it is you're just spamming the spacebar every 2 seconds anyways. My opinion is that they should just change it so all beam/cannon/turret weapons are autofire and everything else is manual.