Great idea! Let's just move everything that's currently an engineering console to a science console! That way, we make it "make sense" AND get those darned science slots filled with something useful!

Then we can have this same discussion making the engineering console slots useful again...

What makes sense is to have tactical officers use tactical consoles, engineer officers use engineering consoles, and science officers use science consoles. Quite frankly, if you go by this standard, then they just need to do away with engineering bridge officers, engineering abilities and make everything a science ability.

Using canon to complain about game mechanics is kind of a fail.

I think you're confused about what a console is. It has nothign to do with the skill of your boffs. It's system ugrades. When Kirk says emergency power to shields he's talking to the boff who clicks his EPtS ability. That really has nothing to do with the console on the ship where he pushes the button.

As much as I dislike the Console change-up, the idea of STO being strictly cannon will bite stale gagh for those of us whom are not fans of the federation.



Incorrect, as now you ahve two bonus Consoles doing the same thing they did as before but taking up those pesky sceince slots, thus freeing the empty Engineering slots up for more tanking goodness without a loss of tanking ability.

in future please dont say this in threads. everyone should have a say or the thread becomes unbalanced with only people who agree, commenting in it. thats no good to the devs if the people who disagree are discouraged from replying.

to the issue i am personally quite happy with the change as it suits me. canon mechanics are not that big of an issue. technically everything technological has a connection to engineering. if the deflector breaks or or the phasers go offline its still scotty, geordi, o'brien fixing them. this just breaks them down into sub categories and should not in my opinion be too restricted by what area they should be in. in this game shields have a strong connection with science so im ok with the change.

Personally, I would have prefered to see the addition of new sci consoles with the same effect that are "category unique" or the conversion of the consoles into universal consoles with a technobabble explanation that would have included a rename. But we are where we are.

I agree with the principle of OPs argument. The example of Kirk telling Scott to boost up the shields was exemplified many times by Picard's interactions with Geordi as well. Shield strength is an Engineer's job.

If we're going on this logic then

Tactical = weapons
Engineering = Shields/Hull
Science = Everything else.

Which is why the engineering boffs get the emergency power to shields ability. That has nothing to do with the ship, itself, or how it internally routes systems. As was said above, when the weapons go down or needed a buff Scotty did it. Does that mean weapons should be engineering instead of tactical too? Of course not.

Why is Shield Performance a Engineer skill then? just saying for the sake of debate.