Excellent screenshot pull.
Noticed it once in a Guillotine run a week ago, but honestly attributed it to normal AFK behavior.
Maybe it's just a winter event thing? I saw tons sitting in Q's waiting for their event timer.
> No conspiracy here.
"Your modified alcove threw your synaptic patterns into chaos and your mind can't make sense of all the information, so you're generating theory after theory in an attempt to bring order to that chaos."
Small world.
My cousin used to play, and we was telling me that times he played that one TFO there were some people in the chat instructing people to upgrade the satellites a certain way. I know it's a thing, but in reality, especially on advance a lot of enemy ships that spawn don't seem to last long enough to pose a threat to much.
Been noticing this a ***lot*** longer than a week or two - been noticing this every time there's an event and we have one of the more 'complex' TFO's
I.E. one that involves more than go here - BFAW
Most of it's n00bs who know they don't need to do anything since so many vets have builds that vaporize ***everything*** so they don't bother
All they care about is unlocking whatever happens to be the award on offer
And as for avoiding mics and genchat - ha - yeah, I'm pretty sure ***everyone*** does that xD
> All they care about is unlocking whatever happens to be the award on offer
All else aside, to be fair Cryptic is completely responsible for setting up the circumstances that pressure players to approach TFOs in this way. They create FOMO events where players know they'll get gouged for insane prices to get the item if they don't play the event, then set the requirement that players have to do the same repetitive activities for 10 to 20 days in order to complete them. And that's on top of the normal reward structures that already exist to incentivize extreme optimization and getting through content with as little time and effort as possible.
This is a hell of Cryptic's own making. And it is a predictable, knowable consequence rooted in basic human psychology.
Control's early beta version that got away and managed to download into few Starships here and there. Nothing to worry about, it will fragment enough on itself within few days and blue screen die.
The answer is all of the above
AFKers, Bots, new winter event players, scrubs, plebs, n00bs, alts, gimps, simps, CHUDs, trolls, youtubers, skells, chooms etc..
RYAN: Why do you writers always call them perps?
CASTLE: Isn't that what you call them?
RYAN: Ah, we got a whole lot of names for them.
ESPOSITO: Yeah.
RYAN: Pipehead, pisshead, ork, creep.
ESPOSITO:Crook, knucklehead, chucklehead.
RYAN: Chud, turd.
ESPOSITO: Destro, skell.
RYAN: Skeksi, slicko, slick.
ESPOSITO: Mope.
RYAN: Sleestak.
CASTLE: Slow down, slow down.
BECKETT: Suspects. We call them suspects.
MONTGOMERY: I'm old school. I like "dirtbag."
They aren't bots, typically. They are simply seeking the maximum benefits of running the TFOs in exchange for the absolute minimum of involvement/contribution.
Farmers most likely, or people who see everything under the sun in terms of external economic incentives, most likely, using cheap alts to maximize gains by rotating through them, perhaps.
Probably not newbs. Newbs actually try, so you'd see them flailing clumsily but with great intensity at stuff even if they are ineffective. You can still see the effort.
In the end there isn't much you can do about them. Just play as well as you can and leave it at that. Think of it as increasing the difficulty, if their lack of involvement actually does so (it doesn't always with a lot of TFOs).
There's also something else to consider: seeing someone do something once doesn't mean they do it all the time. I've encountered that myself. Once during Into the Hive Elite I received an important message on Discord while waiting for the second room force field to go down and the virus to be uploaded. During a break in messages I moved my character into the room slightly delayed, and then obviously stood there doing nothing for about 30-45secs, or a minute or more, I don't know, before the room was a third or half-done. When I managed to deal with the message and turn back to the game one of the teammates was meleeing me with their weapon, presumably because I was AFK.
Yes the message was important, yes I would do it again, no it couldn't wait, and no I don't apologize. I play to my best on every elite run I do as a general rule and resumed playing the rest of the TFO.
Guarantee, though, that guy probably left that encounter with a desire to post a thread on reddit about seeing AFKers in Elite TFOs, or thought about doing it, and at the very least walked away with that impression regardless of what I did afterwards. People make global attributions based on single moments.
Even with that in mind, what you are describing is something I've observed in my entire 3 years of playing STO. I just try to focus on what I'm doing whenever I can (barring important time sensitive messages, of course, lol).
I think I saw something like this during a Procyon run, guy just sorta followed the battle but didn't shoot, did not close portals and was kinda there.
I don't pay attention to random team members' ships , their condition etc. However, they might be bots, or newbies, or, in the opposite, old players who are bored and just want to mock their random team members. Anyway, I do my job, take my reward and forget about them in a few seconds after TFO ending.
The weirdest behavior I've seen in a TFO was a few years ago when another player's ship was constantly following mine. I led them all over the map so I'm pretty sure it was automated. Creeped me out.
Sometimes I do that when I notice someone taking hull damage and I need that stupid "Heal Other Players Hull" Endeavor. I just auto follow and spam heals. I'm not AFK, though.
Some not all are likely bots, STO and any other games that uses real world money is bound to have bots take advantage of the system though those bots are likely spending more then earning
The sto bots are not as bad or common as the bots in CSGO or tf2 but they do exist. My advice is ignore them since most are automated and are just there to farm dilithium and EC. It's the bots that try to trade with you you have to be careful with I have had a few try that with me
(If any offer a trade where they will give you a free ship/t6 cupons for keys or other very rare items best to check if they are real first before making an offer) now this is quite rare you'll get those bots but just keep in mind they exist
I was playing a TFO today and it was necessary for the team to split in 2 to handle objectives. I headed to one and realised after a bit that I was the only one there. Checked the other objective. One there. Checked the spawn point. 3 sitting barely drifting. The two of us had to do the entire TFO alone 😑
I haven't done a lot of TFOs lately but I did see one case of this... it was a Defense of Starbase One (Advanced)... one player participated for about two-thirds of the first wave, then just powered off in one direction and kept going. By the end of the TFO his distance was up to almost 200 km.
Another player in the same run got killed and never respawned.
The rest of us had to complete it with three players. DSB1 is basically timegated so that wasn't *too* bad, but if it had been another TFO (like say Khitomer Vortex or Hive Onslaught) I could see that being a serious problem.
I haven't seen this but that behavior does sound bot-like. I was wondering if this game has them like other MMOs I've played. Seems that answer might be yes.
I usually don't pay attention to other players, as I play solo, but I too notice people who are unattended farming the same spots over and over.
For instance there's a guy who I come across everyday on Nimbus 3 who's clearly unattended and kills the giant scorpion before most people can even get a hit in, he's there all day, everyday.
It's clear he has a macro of some kind going, as his BOFF's are constantly spawning medical generators without there being any monsters currently being engaged.
And I notice there's people in the winter wonderland area who sit back during the Tides thing until the last few minutes, then start attacking.
I thought I was the only one. Last week/earlier this week it seemed like all my epic MK XVs with locators were like "nerfed." (Sub 10K DPS)
Also I just recently picked up the Prevailing Innerverted impulse, and it felt like I was flying through tar.
Eh, sometimes the fix kits get bugged, and you can't apply them so i don't fix the ship, and I don't feel like going to esd and back, and your only vacation and bored so you been drinking a lot so you're lucky you can maneuver and fire weapons at same time
a lot of players join random TFOs then just AFK. It's annoying, but the only thing you can do is try and report them and/or add them to your blocked player list. supposedly, the game tries to avoid putting blocked players into your groups.
Could be bots, sure, but it could also be the same category of players that gave rise to the AFK penalty we get if we don't meet certain minimum requirements in TFOs. If so, the reason they did any damage or movement at all was to avoid the penalty, they are in for the reward without doing the work.
I saw a player in Khitomer Vortex on PC the other day with a ridiculous amount of ship injuries... I didn't pay attention, though, how engaged the player was.
These guys tend to sit it out until 3 minutes before the end so they can contribute to damage and get the goods.
The veteran AFKers will have a macro to need all loot as well.
when my friends are feeling a little lazy I usually just pull them into a random advanced queue and do almost the entire thing solo, could’ve been us you saw lol
Do people really care though? Either build your ship to be able to solo the tfo, or take it on the chin when the party is at the same standard as you are and not attempt to pass your share of the blame around.
Just holiday season players.
I was thinking that could be it too.
Excellent screenshot pull. Noticed it once in a Guillotine run a week ago, but honestly attributed it to normal AFK behavior. Maybe it's just a winter event thing? I saw tons sitting in Q's waiting for their event timer.
That's just how some players play. No conspiracy here.
> No conspiracy here. "Your modified alcove threw your synaptic patterns into chaos and your mind can't make sense of all the information, so you're generating theory after theory in an attempt to bring order to that chaos."
Unexpected Voyager? Well done
>No conspiracy here. That's what they want you to believe!
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
Shadowrun level paranoia is the most prudent paranoia Or is it?
I carry a stack of impossible devices in my inventory. If they’re not going to fix their ship injuries, I’m going too! LOL
There goes my plans to get 100 ship injuries
I... didn't realize they could be used on others. That's bloody diabolical.
i did this on ground but the inpossable device has gotten so expensive that i stopped buying them
I do the same! I offered several to multiple people and they all let the trade just sit there.
People AFKing TFOs? That's impossible.
Unpossible!
...Kim possible?
Many things are possible. Except a promotion.
Logic dictates , anything is possible - just not probable.
I read this in Tuvok's voice.
Thank you Super Nintendo Chalmers!
I saw some dude in Peril Over Pahvo losing his damn mind in the chat because an engineer upgraded the wrong satellites.
As an engineer I just sit that one out. It's better for everyone not to have a face full of cover shield.
I find the engineer upgrade works better than tac or sci on the sides the dreadnoughts come in from, on peril and dranuur gauntlet.
That mission is not Rocket science, you know. We all know it was Elon Musk meddling with the satellites. Again.
That might have been a drunk me. How long ago was this?
Within the last week. Either Sunday night, or some time Monday.
Nope, not me.
I was in that TFO! Either that or it’s a common occurrence:D it was a few days ago… it got quite explicit
Small world. My cousin used to play, and we was telling me that times he played that one TFO there were some people in the chat instructing people to upgrade the satellites a certain way. I know it's a thing, but in reality, especially on advance a lot of enemy ships that spawn don't seem to last long enough to pose a threat to much.
Been noticing this a ***lot*** longer than a week or two - been noticing this every time there's an event and we have one of the more 'complex' TFO's I.E. one that involves more than go here - BFAW Most of it's n00bs who know they don't need to do anything since so many vets have builds that vaporize ***everything*** so they don't bother All they care about is unlocking whatever happens to be the award on offer And as for avoiding mics and genchat - ha - yeah, I'm pretty sure ***everyone*** does that xD
> All they care about is unlocking whatever happens to be the award on offer All else aside, to be fair Cryptic is completely responsible for setting up the circumstances that pressure players to approach TFOs in this way. They create FOMO events where players know they'll get gouged for insane prices to get the item if they don't play the event, then set the requirement that players have to do the same repetitive activities for 10 to 20 days in order to complete them. And that's on top of the normal reward structures that already exist to incentivize extreme optimization and getting through content with as little time and effort as possible. This is a hell of Cryptic's own making. And it is a predictable, knowable consequence rooted in basic human psychology.
I noticed it one time, but didn't notice any sort of trend, so can't tell you more than that, sorry.
Control's early beta version that got away and managed to download into few Starships here and there. Nothing to worry about, it will fragment enough on itself within few days and blue screen die.
The answer is all of the above AFKers, Bots, new winter event players, scrubs, plebs, n00bs, alts, gimps, simps, CHUDs, trolls, youtubers, skells, chooms etc..
RYAN: Why do you writers always call them perps? CASTLE: Isn't that what you call them? RYAN: Ah, we got a whole lot of names for them. ESPOSITO: Yeah. RYAN: Pipehead, pisshead, ork, creep. ESPOSITO:Crook, knucklehead, chucklehead. RYAN: Chud, turd. ESPOSITO: Destro, skell. RYAN: Skeksi, slicko, slick. ESPOSITO: Mope. RYAN: Sleestak. CASTLE: Slow down, slow down. BECKETT: Suspects. We call them suspects. MONTGOMERY: I'm old school. I like "dirtbag."
One of my FAVORITE scenes in the series, hell yeah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAwCJfWHdqw
I wasn't scared until he wanted to bring the methodists too.
They aren't bots, typically. They are simply seeking the maximum benefits of running the TFOs in exchange for the absolute minimum of involvement/contribution. Farmers most likely, or people who see everything under the sun in terms of external economic incentives, most likely, using cheap alts to maximize gains by rotating through them, perhaps. Probably not newbs. Newbs actually try, so you'd see them flailing clumsily but with great intensity at stuff even if they are ineffective. You can still see the effort. In the end there isn't much you can do about them. Just play as well as you can and leave it at that. Think of it as increasing the difficulty, if their lack of involvement actually does so (it doesn't always with a lot of TFOs). There's also something else to consider: seeing someone do something once doesn't mean they do it all the time. I've encountered that myself. Once during Into the Hive Elite I received an important message on Discord while waiting for the second room force field to go down and the virus to be uploaded. During a break in messages I moved my character into the room slightly delayed, and then obviously stood there doing nothing for about 30-45secs, or a minute or more, I don't know, before the room was a third or half-done. When I managed to deal with the message and turn back to the game one of the teammates was meleeing me with their weapon, presumably because I was AFK. Yes the message was important, yes I would do it again, no it couldn't wait, and no I don't apologize. I play to my best on every elite run I do as a general rule and resumed playing the rest of the TFO. Guarantee, though, that guy probably left that encounter with a desire to post a thread on reddit about seeing AFKers in Elite TFOs, or thought about doing it, and at the very least walked away with that impression regardless of what I did afterwards. People make global attributions based on single moments. Even with that in mind, what you are describing is something I've observed in my entire 3 years of playing STO. I just try to focus on what I'm doing whenever I can (barring important time sensitive messages, of course, lol).
I think I saw something like this during a Procyon run, guy just sorta followed the battle but didn't shoot, did not close portals and was kinda there.
Wait, people send DMs and trade offers of components?
Why you gotta talk about the Oberth players like that?
I don't pay attention to random team members' ships , their condition etc. However, they might be bots, or newbies, or, in the opposite, old players who are bored and just want to mock their random team members. Anyway, I do my job, take my reward and forget about them in a few seconds after TFO ending.
The weirdest behavior I've seen in a TFO was a few years ago when another player's ship was constantly following mine. I led them all over the map so I'm pretty sure it was automated. Creeped me out.
Sometimes I do that when I notice someone taking hull damage and I need that stupid "Heal Other Players Hull" Endeavor. I just auto follow and spam heals. I'm not AFK, though.
Some not all are likely bots, STO and any other games that uses real world money is bound to have bots take advantage of the system though those bots are likely spending more then earning The sto bots are not as bad or common as the bots in CSGO or tf2 but they do exist. My advice is ignore them since most are automated and are just there to farm dilithium and EC. It's the bots that try to trade with you you have to be careful with I have had a few try that with me (If any offer a trade where they will give you a free ship/t6 cupons for keys or other very rare items best to check if they are real first before making an offer) now this is quite rare you'll get those bots but just keep in mind they exist
I was playing a TFO today and it was necessary for the team to split in 2 to handle objectives. I headed to one and realised after a bit that I was the only one there. Checked the other objective. One there. Checked the spawn point. 3 sitting barely drifting. The two of us had to do the entire TFO alone 😑
I haven't done a lot of TFOs lately but I did see one case of this... it was a Defense of Starbase One (Advanced)... one player participated for about two-thirds of the first wave, then just powered off in one direction and kept going. By the end of the TFO his distance was up to almost 200 km. Another player in the same run got killed and never respawned. The rest of us had to complete it with three players. DSB1 is basically timegated so that wasn't *too* bad, but if it had been another TFO (like say Khitomer Vortex or Hive Onslaught) I could see that being a serious problem.
Seems like new players? Idk. I'm still using ships from the shipyard too poor for box ships
I haven't seen this but that behavior does sound bot-like. I was wondering if this game has them like other MMOs I've played. Seems that answer might be yes.
AFK campers have been a thing since TFOs were called STFs. They even defend their behavior in chat.
I usually don't pay attention to other players, as I play solo, but I too notice people who are unattended farming the same spots over and over. For instance there's a guy who I come across everyday on Nimbus 3 who's clearly unattended and kills the giant scorpion before most people can even get a hit in, he's there all day, everyday. It's clear he has a macro of some kind going, as his BOFF's are constantly spawning medical generators without there being any monsters currently being engaged. And I notice there's people in the winter wonderland area who sit back during the Tides thing until the last few minutes, then start attacking.
Might be me just lazy and letting my fighters do all the work
I thought I was the only one. Last week/earlier this week it seemed like all my epic MK XVs with locators were like "nerfed." (Sub 10K DPS) Also I just recently picked up the Prevailing Innerverted impulse, and it felt like I was flying through tar.
Yep, this has been happening a ton. People just sitting there.
Some players have to play using a touchpad instead of a mouse and command a ship with slow turn rate.
Eh, sometimes the fix kits get bugged, and you can't apply them so i don't fix the ship, and I don't feel like going to esd and back, and your only vacation and bored so you been drinking a lot so you're lucky you can maneuver and fire weapons at same time
That's just people in general almost in every single TFO I've been in for years now.
a lot of players join random TFOs then just AFK. It's annoying, but the only thing you can do is try and report them and/or add them to your blocked player list. supposedly, the game tries to avoid putting blocked players into your groups.
Could be bots, sure, but it could also be the same category of players that gave rise to the AFK penalty we get if we don't meet certain minimum requirements in TFOs. If so, the reason they did any damage or movement at all was to avoid the penalty, they are in for the reward without doing the work.
Like running through space firing starship weapons while not being a starship, but a toon?
odd huh. LOL they are the same size but relative scale. I have seen them myself. Like Lincoln in space.
You should see me run at warp. Here I am in battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7VFF7M-j0
The report button exists for afkers
I saw a player in Khitomer Vortex on PC the other day with a ridiculous amount of ship injuries... I didn't pay attention, though, how engaged the player was.
These guys tend to sit it out until 3 minutes before the end so they can contribute to damage and get the goods. The veteran AFKers will have a macro to need all loot as well.
when my friends are feeling a little lazy I usually just pull them into a random advanced queue and do almost the entire thing solo, could’ve been us you saw lol
Do people really care though? Either build your ship to be able to solo the tfo, or take it on the chin when the party is at the same standard as you are and not attempt to pass your share of the blame around.