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Author Topic: My biggest problem with Officers  (Read 4053 times)

fatrat

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My biggest problem with Officers
« on: January 07, 2019, 10:38:50 PM »

The fact you can only pick between two skills is very frustrating. Half of the time i have to pick between two skills that are already maxed out so i end up wasting a skill point, or three. I'd like to see this changed to just allow you to pick from any skill, i don't know why it's not like that already, it makes more sense.
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Unreal_One

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2019, 11:54:43 PM »

By already maxed out, do you mean skills that are already at 3, or already as high as you want them? If the first, you sure that they were already maxed, and not you're being given the choice to max them?
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RawCode

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2019, 01:34:46 AM »

Issue with current rngesus driven system, is:

1) You want very specific skill to be on each officer, normally this is combat endurance 3 for 100% CR or defensive systems 3 for hard flux on shields.
2) Game throw useless skills instead.
3) FUUUUUUUU.
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fatrat

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2019, 01:44:12 AM »

By already maxed out, do you mean skills that are already at 3, or already as high as you want them? If the first, you sure that they were already maxed, and not you're being given the choice to max them?


As in already at 3, it's a waste of a point if both of my picks for skills is already at 3.
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SCC

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2019, 01:47:28 AM »

I don't think it's possible for the game to offer you to upgrade a level 3 skill. I've never had that issue, at worst I had to pick between two level 3 skills, once. Most often the game offers to upgrade one existing skill and an option to get a new skill.

Unreal_One

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2019, 01:53:53 AM »

The level up window shows the level the skill will be AFTER the level up, not before. I've never had it suggest to level up a level 3 skill. If you really are getting it telling you to level a skill to level 4, you should probably post a bug report with a save.
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Cosmitz

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2019, 05:36:33 AM »

I guess to cut down on the extreme amount of specialization. We already can do a lot with ships and fits, throwing a fully equipped officer ultra-designed for one particular role might be a bridge too far. Plus, technically, it's not that horrible if you pre-set what kind of pilot you want to have. Rarely, if ever, you'll be thrown in a corner choosing between a level 1 skill you don't want and another level 1 skill you can't do anything with on that character.
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fatrat

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2019, 10:55:54 PM »

I guess to cut down on the extreme amount of specialization. We already can do a lot with ships and fits, throwing a fully equipped officer ultra-designed for one particular role might be a bridge too far. Plus, technically, it's not that horrible if you pre-set what kind of pilot you want to have. Rarely, if ever, you'll be thrown in a corner choosing between a level 1 skill you don't want and another level 1 skill you can't do anything with on that character.


That's my biggest problem, i get full control over everything else in my fleet, yet can't specialize my officers, why?
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From a Faster Time

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2019, 02:59:10 AM »

That's my biggest problem, i get full control over everything else in my fleet, yet can't specialize my officers, why?
To fuel the officer economy.Do you know how much less officers would be hired if the first one you turned up just the way you want it? Think of the families that would go hungry!
On a serious note, getting officers with the skills you want, and with the portraits you want and no duplicates is time consuming.
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Baxter

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2019, 03:15:30 AM »

If you're willing to wait and save up enough EXP for multiple levelups you can savescum until you get the chain of skills you want, because while the first skill you pick is set, the subsequent ones aren't (until you reach being able to choose them that is). It's an imperfect solution for perfectionists I guess.

Really, it'd be nice if the officer skill only affected how many officers you can have manning ships at any one time. I'd like to be able to swap out decent but not quite perfect officers with new talent to see if I can't get better luck legitimately.
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Cosmitz

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2019, 05:59:18 AM »

Really, it'd be nice if the officer skill only affected how many officers you can have manning ships at any one time. I'd like to be able to swap out decent but not quite perfect officers with new talent to see if I can't get better luck legitimately.

I wonder why this isn't a thing to be honest. As long as you pay sallaries why does the game care how many officers you have on your roster but not on the battlefield.
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Megas

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2019, 06:37:43 AM »

Yes, I ruthlessly save-scum skills for officers.  If I played Ironman, I could not be bothered hiring-and-firing officers, and I would hire them only to avoid placing Reinforced Bulkheads on their ships (thanks to synergy with Fleet Logistics).  I would not bother leveling them up in that case.

It would be nice if their skills can be selected just like the player.  Show all the skills they can use, and pick the skill.
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FooF

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2019, 07:03:22 AM »

I get the min/max debate but on the other hand, if I could directly pick what officers had each officer would be the same and all variation goes out the window.

The very fact that my choices are Missile Specialization or Carrier Command (on a non-carrier ship) makes me start tailoring ship loudouts to utilize missiles, even when I don't typically put a high priority on doing so normally. It makes me think outside the box to a degree.

If I really wanted to improve the system, I wouldn't do away with the RNG but have something like:

3 choices of:

1.) Skill you chose last
2.) RNG from pool of skills chosen at some point previously
3.) RNG from pool of skills not chosen previously

With the caveat that #1 turns into "RNG from pool chosen previously" if you max out a skill and draws from the pool of skills not chosen before if you happen to max out everything you've picked at some point previously. Obviously, it would all be RNG until you start leveling them up.

To be honest, the current system practically does this but a 3rd option would go a long way in the perception of being railroaded into a really unwanted skill. I still think there should be a touch of unpredictability even if most officers are 80% the same due to our own preferences.
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Megas

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2019, 07:29:53 AM »

The very fact that my choices are Missile Specialization or Carrier Command (on a non-carrier ship) makes me start tailoring ship loudouts to utilize missiles, even when I don't typically put a high priority on doing so normally. It makes me think outside the box to a degree.
If that happened, I would fire that officer on the spot and hire a new one, provided I had the patience to level up officers without save-scumming.  If not, I would not level them up.  If not for Fleet Logistics, I probably would not hire them in the first place.

An annoyance with carrier skills is once officer learns one, he gets forced to learn the rest.  Thus, if all I want is Carrier Command only (for say, an officer for Odyssey or Legion), then I must wait until level 18 before learning that skill or else more carrier skills dominate skill picks.
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DatonKallandor

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Re: My biggest problem with Officers
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2019, 08:01:09 AM »

I don't think the RNG adds anything interesting to officer building. And even if you could just choose the skills you wanted (which I think would simply be a better system) there's still the officer's personality to differentiate them.
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