Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Poll

Is there any skill tree you get both tier 5 skills?

Yes, combat.
- 2 (3.8%)
Yes, leadership.
- 1 (1.9%)
Yes, technology.
- 12 (23.1%)
Yes, industry.
- 1 (1.9%)
No tier 5s are worth spending 2/3rds of my points on.
- 36 (69.2%)

Total Members Voted: 52


Pages: [1] 2

Author Topic: Tier 5 skills  (Read 3127 times)

SCC

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 4112
    • View Profile
Tier 5 skills
« on: April 08, 2021, 09:16:25 AM »

I remember I once wrote, before 0.95 was released, that I won't mind changing how skills work, if tier 5 skills will become suitably powerful. I am still calmly exploring it, but many are of the opinion that new skills are worse. Perhaps that tier 5 skills aren't suitably strong is a part of the issue.

In 0.9.1, Fleet Logistics was a strong skill, because you got guaranteed recovery of officered ships, -25% ship maintenance, +15% max CR, +30% accessibility for colonies and +25% fleet size for colonies. This skill was strong, because it gave you various bonuses that were generally useful. All this for 3 points for aptitude and 3 points for the skill, or 12% to 6% (less if you pick other leadership skills, since it means aptitude cost becomes a smaller part of points spent on leadership).
In 0.9.5, it was broken into several parts. L3L/Crew Training became the part that increased max CR, and it costs 20% of your points to get there. L5L/Space Operations became the colony boosting part, it costs 33% of your skill points to get there. The supply part became Makeshift Equipment, kinda. Cost is 20% of your points. Guaranteed officer ship recovery is gone. To get all these benefits, you'd have to spend 53% of your skill points.
Even if we ignore Makeshift Equipment, you have to spend 33% of your skillpoints for what once costed 6%-12%. And Fleet Logistics wasn't even the skill that was considered the most universal, the safest pick.

Because that was Loadout Design. What became of it? It's Special Modifications now, which lets you integrate one additional hullmod, and gives all ships +10 max caps and vents. Many people consider it the best skill, but since I'm a bit story point anxious, all it does is let me put some more caps on Omens and some more vents on my Paragon. Other than that, I think I have integrated more than one hullmod on a ship only once. Special Modifications isn't very good, since it only benefits capitals and some specific smaller ships. Caps and ships like Doom or officer ships are where you would put your 3 s-mods and with the most extra OP, they are most likely to benefit from additional vents. It's no longer a skill that buffs your entire fleet, but one that buffs your elite ships.
What it does differently from Space Operations is that it comes at the end of a generally good tree, so it doesn't feel like a wasted point.

I think that a part of the issue with new skills is that tier fives just aren't worth 33% of all of your skill points and the only reason people get them is incidentally, by investing previously 4 skills into the tree and deciding that tier 5 skill they're getting is worth 1 skill point they spend now, regardless of past choices.

I don't really have a big issue with skills as of right now, I'm mostly thinking out loud. Except for the combat tree, where it's actually worse for your flagship performance to try and double-dip combat tree, with the better option being spending points in all other trees (L1L for damage, maybe L3L for CR, tech 2, 4 and 5 for obvious reasons, I2L or R (I've got a preference for R, though)), which may or may not be a failure in design.

Amoebka

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 1318
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2021, 09:22:11 AM »

I already feel like to get to tier 5 I need to spend multiple points on irrelevant garbage, spending 2/3 of my levels is NEVER worth it. I would love to get both tech 5 skills and both tier 4 leadership ones, but I don't want to give up the combat tree completely for it.

As a little side note. The new loadout design isn't the special modifications, it's the one before it. That gives you free 20% flux and dissipation on everything. Pretty much the same as getting extra OP and putting it into caps/vents.
Logged

Megas

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 12118
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2021, 09:42:37 AM »

I would like to get both of Technology 5 or Industry 5, but the cost is too high and too many points wasted on junk.  Industry 4 is terrible, one for pristine fleet, the other for maximum d-mods.  I do not want to waste four points just to get the second Industry 5.

One thing I dislike about the new meta is it pushes frigates, and I feel forced to get Wolfpack Tactics (for +20% damage and more PPT), when I do not want any Leadership.

Also, I want Special Modifications, but if I do that, I am married to the skill because I cannot respec it away, and likely cannot use automated ships thereafter.  Admittedly, Tech is probably the least painful tree to double-dip.
Logged

Amoebka

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 1318
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2021, 09:47:15 AM »

If you are double-dipping tech, why do you consider wolfpack mandatory? You get the PPT bonus from phase corps, as long as you use it on phase frigates. And remnant frigates have huge PPT too (I know you love your alpha radiant, but truth be told, frigates are better even here). It's leadership 4 that I have a problem with, with the current state of lategame bounties at least one of them seems necessary. Unless you get disgustingly, unbelievably lucky with cryopods, I guess, but even them you would want the +2 extras one.
Logged

Megas

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 12118
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2021, 09:54:25 AM »

I am not double-dipping Tech.  Just saying that out of the four trees, double-dipping Tech is the least painful.

Most of my frigates are conventional.  Phase Corp does no good for them, plus, I want the bonus flux from the other skill.  Also, because Doom is good, I will use at least one in my fleet.  (Found a d-mod one and nursed it back to health with field repairs.)

I want Combat for better flagship.
I want Tech because of QoL and fun stuff.
I want Industry for 2 (more PPT/CR), Field Repairs (less likely to reload after casualty), and both 5s (well, one of them) because I want to be a colony lord too.
Logged

TaLaR

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2794
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2021, 09:58:58 AM »

Technology 10 is the only remotely possible option and even then T1R and T3R are weak endgame picks, while T4R is only for player Doom, as you won't have enough points left for optimal Afflictor build with 9 locked into Tech. At most I'd go to Tech 7 for both EWM and Gunnery.

Combat 10 is nonsense: for almost any ship at least several picks in combat tree will be dead, C4L or R is guaranteed to be one. Odyssey can leverage 9 out of 10 skills... But effects of C1R and C5L are limited for it, so it's not worth the opportunity cost, at most I'd consider Combat 8.

Leadership is mix and match of different stuff to begin with, L1R is garbage, L3R is weak, having both L4 will lock respec almost completely and both L5 are non-combat.

Industry is also mix of different things. Both I1 are very weak, I2 is weak compared to other piloted skills,I4L and I4R work against each-other and both I5 are non-combat.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2021, 10:02:54 AM by TaLaR »
Logged

Razor Feather

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2021, 10:03:17 AM »

Personally I think the new skill system works mostly fine, with the exception of needing to double back all the way to the start of the tree to grab any of the options you didn't grab on the first pass. With many of the skills, if you didn't pick the more specialist option the first time, it is unlikely it would be any more appealing the second time around, but if you want the other skill past it, you have no choice. I'd love to have the tree "unlock" once you grab a tier 5 in it, so you can grab any skills you missed out of order without penalty. That way you can go and grab say carrier group in addition to crew training, without having to also grab auxiliary support when you have no desire to use it.
Logged

Dex

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 168
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2021, 10:07:15 AM »

Technology 10 is the only remotely possible option and even then T1R and T3R are weak endgame picks, while T4R is only for player Doom, as you won't have enough points left for optimal Afflictor build with 9 locked into Tech. At most I'd go to Tech 7 for both EWM and Gunnery.

Combat 10 is nonsense: for almost any ship at least several picks in combat tree will be dead, C4L or R is guaranteed to be one. Odyssey can leverage 9 out of 10 skills... But effects of C1R and C5L are limited for it, so it's not worth the opportunity cost, at most I'd consider Combat 8.

Leadership is mix and match of different stuff to begin with, L1R is garbage, L3R is weak, having both L4 will lock respec almost completely and both L5 are non-combat.

Industry is also mix of different things. Both I1 are very weak, I2 is weak compared to other piloted skills,I4L and I4R work against each-other and both I5 are non-combat.

L1R is rubbish. I cannot think of a time where it would be useful. except when in a fighting retreat? Even then the larger the fleet the more diulted the buff... I feel that the reduction due to fleet size may be removed here? And perhaps the max overall buff reduced?
Logged

Razor Feather

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2021, 10:22:51 AM »


L1R is rubbish. I cannot think of a time where it would be useful. except when in a fighting retreat? Even then the larger the fleet the more diulted the buff... I feel that the reduction due to fleet size may be removed here? And perhaps the max overall buff reduced?
The main use case I see is using it is on the more innately combat oriented civilian hulls, such as a gemini, venture, or maybe even an atlas MKII. If you make sure that your only militarized ships are at most a couple gemini, or a single venture/atlas, you can give them some pretty massive buffs that make them meaningful combatants, and if you have bulk storage you don't really need militarized subsystems on your dedicated logistics craft anyway, since insulated engines does the same job at that point without increasing crew needs.

Especially considering that weapon drills really doesn't amount to a whole lot when you have 180-200 dp worth of combat ships, I think it can be a meaningful choice in the right conditions.
Logged

TaLaR

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 2794
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2021, 10:27:00 AM »

Hullmods affected by L1R have so minor effects that even 900% buff for single frigate is not worth a skill point, aside from maybe VERY early campaign when you only have 1 or 2 ships to deploy.
And it remains garbage for double-dipping purposes.

L1L falls off a cliff as fleet grows as well, but at least it does something. Though it's primary value is paving access to L2R and L3L.

« Last Edit: April 08, 2021, 10:28:35 AM by TaLaR »
Logged

Dex

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 168
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2021, 10:35:59 AM »

Mr Feather

Sorry, yeah, what i meant was that i know what its for but not when it would be useful, as Mr Talar says.

id never choose it over L1L unless it was better than L1L late game, which i consider my previous suggestion helps with a little.
Logged

SapphireSage

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 257
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2021, 10:41:55 AM »

It feels like the go-to tree this patch, like most all other patches, is the Tech tree as most everything in it is super strong.

Early Leadership not only has fairly weak early tiers compared to the other trees but also holds you hostage and forces you to stick with it if you dare get either of the tier 4 skills, which feels very bad when you can freely move into and out of the other trees so long as you have the points for it (yes, even if combat tree holds your elite skill points hostage, its still not locking you into itself, you can still leave those behind).

L1R looks best if you plan to have a Venture tank in your fleet and want to make it an even more immovable wall with or without Derelict Contingent.
Logged

sotanaht

  • Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 297
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2021, 05:49:42 PM »

The ONLY tree I could even theoretically want both tier 5s for is Technology, but the droneships aren't really worth using anyway.  Only the radiant is any good, and there are problems with using it.

Leadership and Industry I'd prefer to skip the 5th skill entirely.  There's absolutely no reason to get colony management skills when I can simply use AI cores.  Even with hegemony bribes it's better and cheaper in the long run.  Combat's 5th skills are both good, but not for the same ship so it's easy to choose one or the other.
Logged

Rauschkind

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 175
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2021, 06:20:04 PM »

what about that 100% cr though? does it only count for drones? i actually never picked that skill because more flux vents and s-mods seems so op, and i read drones are mediocre.
plus, by the time i get to pick it most of my officers will have +15% cr anyhow.


still, if one would NOT pick 15% cr and wait for the 100% skill, this could be really strong.
Logged

Hellya

  • Lieutenant
  • **
  • Posts: 92
    • View Profile
Re: Tier 5 skills
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2021, 06:31:03 PM »

It is not a question of tier for me, it is that I know I have 15 skill points to use and there are equally or better skills scattered throughout the trees that suit my play style.

Now, if I unlock a tier block from a tree and it did let me choose both the skills from that tier block without having to take the entire rest of the tree I would probably take a second skill. They would not be based on tier though, it is based on how I want to play.

I guess what I am saying is that the tier does not mean better skill. It is not like gaining a level in a normal game, it is just another option to fill out your character.
Logged
Pages: [1] 2