I wonder if the "14th" is a typo and/or if the "21st" will be kept as the end date, considering this was posted today (2024 Oct 17).

Agreed. I would have loved to have that kind of callback to the story.

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Fair point! I think you're spot on with the quality of the episodes (as game pieces) themselves. Story, meh, but game design/graphics, wow!

We'll see what happens. As the famous trombone player said, "Fate protects fools, little children, and ships named Enterprise."

The game will probably soldier on for a significant period of time.

Agreed, but I would adjust that wording (whether "solidering", "limping", or "on life support") based on how the first DECA content feels.

It will probably be in a “zombie” state, not unlike that of Champions Online (as I understand it, I don’t really play that game).

Feels like it has been since 2020, if not a little before, IMO.

We’re closer to STO’s end than its beginning.

STO 2 when? 😛 Joking aside, we really are near its end. I wish that 3D model company hadn't turned and run after taking orders (yes, they refunded eventually); I'd have liked to have some of my ships as models to remember STO.

Personally, I think they were just someone's way to get lines spoken as if from those alien comics (by Nathan Pyle) that are popular online right now. Lines like, "Evasion is beneficial to us" instead of "Watch out". Or "Observe" instead of "Look".

I don't think there's any real story to it or, at least, no story that anyone at Cryptic cared to create before leaving/sleeping on the project.

At this point, with as many years as STO has had, I'm guessing "shard maintenance" is just a chance to clean out the hamster cages for the next week.

I didn't even notice this posting. In fact, I was surprised when I saw the shard message in-game today; I figured they were skipping this week.

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This one was a variation on "Ninth Rule". Same system too. Like the other patrol, this one took about 3 minutes in a DPS ship while learning the mechanics of the patrol. It feels "slower" than the other patrol, probably because there's more hopping around the map (just like Ninth Rule). The waves at the end are super easy compared to even a Normal Ninth Rule.

This one took about 3 minutes in a DPS ship while taking a tiny bit of time to learn the mechanics. Pretty easy and quick. This will likely be what I do to run the daily and just do it twice. I can probably shave it down to about 2 minutes once I know the map better.

I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.

I wouldn't consider myself a DPS chaser either, since I haven't even parsed my ship builds in at least a year or two. However, I definitely follow the meta and know I have (or at least) had some high DPS when I did parse.

TLDR: Maybe not a DPSer, more like a fast-damage hobbyist.

How does this one feel, compared to other patrols? Sounds similar to the "Rescue and Search" patrol.

Hmmm... Good for speed-running like "Wanted"?

I'm getting used to it too. Trying to figure out the best "route" to take when I'm speeding from Cube/Octa and Emitter to next Cube/Octa and Emitter.

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I'm kinda curious about the Badgey ground pet, but I don't want to drop Lobi on it because it might just be a vanity dud.

I have played the new TFO "Royal Flush" a couple times and found it to be reasonably quick for completion. It felt similar to the TFO with the multiple shipyards and genocidal Klingon lady.

I found it best to take on the TFO with a fast ship, preferably with good DPS. My Legendary Defiant made quick work of the various enemies at the waypoints. The final boss is basically just a repeat of the same eight kills you just made.

So, overall, decent TFO and I might see if I can Solo this TFO this weekend. I'll come back here to relay my take on the new Patrols in the next couple days.

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