In the STO forum's discussion thread regarding the new starbases one of the Dev'sk Heretic posted some clarifications. Please note that comments made by Heretic are subject to change during the development process...so there shall be no raking Heretic or anyone else over the coals should anything change
Originally Posted by V-Mink: I am concerned about the comment about ships. I take it these are player-flyable ships. I'm uncomfortable with that idea, though I'm not strictly speaking against it. If the differences between fleet-only ships and otherwise is only in the stats and the skins, that's actually not horrible to me. It's if the ships are ones that people have wanted to fly since the game started, different models and classes (like, for example, the Ambassador, or the New Orleans) then that would be discomfiting.
Heretic: The specifics on the ships that will fall into this category are still being fine-tuned, but generally we are looking at new skins and stats, not new consoles. This will also include refitting some (but not all) of the earlier tier ships to the tier 5 level.
Originally Posted by specter22: Could you just clarify somthing about this part for me, does this mean that the 'new versions' of ships will be available through fleets only or will they also be C Store as the above quote doesnt really make it clear.
I ask this because as a KDF player finding a decent fleet isnt always easy (ive lost count of the fleets i have been in but its at least 5 and most died due to the lack of attention the KDF has recieved) and im currently without a fleet, and if that is going to cost me the chance of new ships i (and i think quite a few others) are going to be greatly disapointed.
Heretic: Some new ships will be available only through the fleet stores, others will be available through, for example, the C-Store.
Originally Posted by amtct View Post: Forgot to say when we will see it on tribble...to test it ofcourse
Heretic: I don't know. This is up to Production, who themselves have a target date but one that is constantly moving based on myriad factors.
Originally Posted by P-A-T-H-F-I-N-D-E-R: Heretic .. .What other events provide the tokens or whatever the rewards are for the fleet defense red alerts?
Heretic: We're still working out the specific details here. The intent is for these new fleet actions to be the most efficient way to earn Fleet Marks, but there will be other ways - possibly missions or STFs, possibly other things entirely. The duty officer system for those at Tier IV in a category is also currently planned to provide a source for Fleet Marks.
Originally Posted by bluegeek View Post: I'm interested to find out more about the Fleet Store and how that works.
I just hope that the Dilithium costs aren't prohibitive. I really don't want to have to spend all of my personal Dilithium reserves to finance building a Starbase. If it's similar to crafting high end items with uncommon unreplicatable materials, it could add up fast.
Heretic: The fleet collaborates for the inputs for various Fleet projects that provision the fleet stores with special goods such as operational assets, personal equipment, and ships, among other things. Characters earn Fleet Credit by contributing to Fleet projects. Fleet stores take Fleet Credits as their primary unit of input, with some exceptions.
Dilithium, Bridge Officer Skill Point, commodity and duty officer input costs are based on several factors that synch our expectations for an average size fleet (20-25 player accounts) at an average pace of play (2-3 nights a week) for the amount of time we would like the system to cover (9-18 months). Smaller, larger, less or more aggressive play will of course modify any particular fleet's experience.
The specific costs are gauged against data mined values for how much Dilithium, energy credits, etc. an average player earns over time.
Regardless of this, the early couple of tiers are very accessible even by very small fleets, something we feel is important in order to make starbase gameplay as accessible to players, especially players in new fleets, as possible.
Originally Posted by Kyuui View Post: Forced PVP is coming, otherwise they wouldn't need this statement, I'm not surprised by it, its a PWE hallmark. Oh well, one more thing that will ensure I don't play STO anymore, Forced PVP.
Does this mean no solo content? Ie for the folks who have fleets for themselves, we can't partake of the new content? Given my fleet is my self and my other half, it means we can't, and that, is very upsetting. I would very much like content that can be done, as a single person, or perhaps in pairs, The 5 man limit, means that some folks can't do this, along with the time gating that is coming with some of this, its just not worth doing, which is sad.
Heretic: PvP designs are still a ways off, but I cannot see any scenario that would see STO accept forced PvP.
Fleets of one player can still of course access the dailies, and can invite non-fleet members into private starbase defense queues. A fleet of this size would probably take quite a while to advance, but there is nothing in the system that would make it categorically impossible.
The only Fleet-only content is the Red Alert pop-up Starbase defense; there are two other 5-mans (one space and one ground) and one 20-man space that allow you to invite other players who are in other fleets or are in no fleet at all. If you are in a very small fleet and want to do the content, open up a channel and ask if anyone wants an invite.
