Post by sallowjoe on Mar 18, 2020 21:55:48 GMT -5
Currently, the starting crew in any new game feels quite silly since the majority of experienced players are immediately dismissing the starter soldiers, swordsman, pistoleer. And our officers are likely to be dismissed shortly as well because they aren't suitable for combat builds at all, excepting the doctor. There are other factors going on as well, notably that they can be quickly replaced by recruits of higher level from contacts unless you're being all weird and starting with XP @ A or B like... a weirdo.
The captain's customizability lends so much to combat(due to being able to tailor attributes perfectly for it, plus officers are suited to combat) I also have a hard time ever justifying a starting class that doesn't fit into a combat officer style build.
Many ships allow only 4 officers, and I rarely take non-officers into combat due to talents and cross classing being ideal or even necessary on harder difficulties. Single classes in crew combat just don't make a lot of sense right now, but at the same time it also doesn't make sense that we are throwing our presumably most essential characters (captain/officer connotes something like that) into combat immediately. There is also just no room on many ships to drag the dead weight of non-officer combat classes around. This means it's extra hard to justify doing anything other than throwing officers and possibly your captain into combat.
Even in ship combat, there's a period of the game where boarding basically just makes sense as your primary means of debilitating enemy ships, because you can use boarding as your offense without ceasing to stack defensive talents which you need to survive the early game combat in most cases. Offensive ship combat talent uses are a huge 'opportunity cost' whereas boarding is free and potent offense without sacrificing any defense.
What to do about all this, if anything?
Well... I would give more classes a level 1 and 5 combat ability of some sort. Even if it's mostly support stuff. We are ending up fighting(/slaughtering) waves of non-combat classes in crew combat already. Give them more of a fighting chance even if combat focused classes remain dominant. This would allow more interesting synergies as well as make more Captain class choices viable combat officer builds.
Combat classes also need something special if they're ever to be chosen over mauling things with 3 mixed/combat class officers with far more talents. I can't find a reason to use them past the very early game otherwise. Perhaps giving pure combat classes free [ON-INIT] talents by default, maybe special versions even, that they lose if promoted. That's a start anyway.
Lastly I would make boarding cost RP and add a few other default(IE not talents needed)RP cost abilities. This... this may seem a bit extreme but I think it actually would not stop players at all from being effective with boarding strategies. While giving pure ship combat builds more to work with as well.
