STO's latest expansion is here. And for me it's the equivalent of an uninteresting, over self indulgent Outer Limits sci-fi story. I like the Outer Limits (Sandkings and The Light Brigade in particular), I just don't like STD content. It's not Trek for me, it's an inconsistent, reinterpretation and I could complain for ages about it. This expansion is over the top, trying to hard to be liked bullcr*p.
I went through the new mission on autopilot while I watched youtube, clicking past text, cutscenes and objectives. What I did see only confirmed my views from the paragraph above.
The mission gives a reward of an Elachi duty officer. Worth getting at the very least and my only motivation for doing it. I expect getting the ship at the end of the 'grind' will also be worth it. The daily content in between to earn the points to get that ship may not be worth it at all. It might actually feel like a real chore/grind in the game. I'll do what content I have to to get past it.
Having said that I do like the double console mechanic that was briefly in the new mission. Running to each to control the flow. It's new and it's a mechanic that works for story-line 'tension'.
The graphics of the new content are really nice, the new character select screen looks like a proper away team.
I really did take the new content from the point of view of what do I need to shoot or activate to get through it as quickly as possible. It's expanded/what-if STD storyline made me eye-roll harder than a teenager at a dad joke.
I can't complain about the amount of work that's gone into creating the new content.
The new patrols, when they work are a good change from the norm. The mechanic I dislike the most is the new NPC speed pulse weapon ability 'thing'. When you get hit by it, it sends you off at maximum impulse in the direction you happened to be facing. After a few seconds you regain control. Interesting mechanic the first few times it happens but the more you get hit by it the more tiresome it becomes. I'd have preferred a super version of the "EMP" dead in space mechanic but I maybe I'm being too harsh on it.
What I can complain about is the glitchy nature of the new mission/patrols. Like having the 2 deranged Elachi not being targetable on the surface of the new main TFO. Or getting to one of the new Patrol systems but the mission not recognising that I'd reached the destination. OR being in a patrol and reaching an objective point and that not being recognised, OR reaching that objective not being recognised but killing everything there so that when I leave the area and go back to the objective zone for it to recognise I'm there but it doesn't recognise that I'd already killed the NPC's and just stays there waiting for me to kill NPC's that no longer exist. OOOOOOOOOOOR transwarping away, restarting a glitched out mission, transwarping back to the system and still not being recognised as being there in the system it wants me to be in.
Yea it's annoying at times. Annoyance that only gets worse when you have random players mixing up tactics and stages as they join in as well.
No doubt I'll be complaining more about all this as the dailies continue.
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Before the expansion hit I was still messing about with ships and fits.
I took the cannon build Fek'Ihri out for a spin again. This time into the crystalline TFO, I did it a few times and was consistently surprised at how well it got on. While the external DPS charts may say the build sucks I kept getting the pop-up TFO end message to say I'd placed third. That's good if it's accurate as the TFO is ten player.
I took some time to redo the T6 Battlecruiser. Fitting both the Prolonged engagement and Bajoran space sets. I'm no fitting master, I just go with what's easier to get and as I'd already most of the parts I went with what I had. Only needing a few mission runs to complete. Some spare upgraded parts from my main ship made this phaser build a bit better. Waste not want not.
Not a bad ship and fit for random normal TFO's. It got up to around the 8 and 9 k in the external DPS charts. If that matters or not it handles better and is more 'fun' to fly. Great survivability.
Another ship I've been messing about with was in dry dock till I decided I needed to fly something different. Of the non Federation, non event ship type. That just about leaves Zen or exchange store ships. I've already got the 31st century raider(zen store) so that leaves one ship bought off the exchange the Ferengi D'Kora.
Time to fit some weapons and modules. I went with the Bajor set again. Easily claimable with parts already in my possession. I'd a lot of Polaron based gear about so went with that as the main damage theme. For the rear weapons I also added on a the Black Ops mine launcher to help fill the fit out.
I'm surprised how good the mine launcher is. I'd ignored mines since the game started but the 'recent' changes really make a difference. It makes a difference on this fit.
A very survivable ship with good shields. Another ship that fit together well in the end. Tested in TFO's the external DPS meter showed it to be about the 10k DPS mark. Respectable.
I even like the look of the finished fit's Bajoran shield.
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