Well it wouldn't cure cancer either, but what it would do is keep tourists out of ESTFs.

People would have to demonstrate the desire and the ability to claim enough Omega points for the purpose of unlocking Tier 1. It would reduce drive-by ESTF greatly.

I dont understand why this wasnt done from the start, tbh. There are plenty of regular STFs for the tourists to hit. The ESTFs should be for people who are chasing Omega rep, the borg warrior RP.

This is only possible as a Tac captain in a escort - with very high DPS - can you do this with 3 probes coming in a crusier as an Eng or Sci Captain?

That's the problem with ESTF - the optionals are geared toward high DPS

I can handle 3 probes with my Fleet excel eng - but it's tough - I don't have the speed or dps to handle a cube, gens,trans and get back to probes in time to make sure they don't get through.

However, I can take a whole gate down while hanging around inside it at point blank range without ever dropping below 90% hull.

So should I be forced to change to a escort and tac just to play STF?

Half of this is incorrect. I'm an Eng captain in an escort and do that fine, but I have very high DPS. I'm also in a JHEC, so...

Sure an Eng can do it - DPS and speed are necessary to do it - less so the type of Captain - beam weapons are the worst weapons type on probes.

Plus you have pets to continue to work the Gens/trans as you switch to probes if you fly a HEC

I am a engineer in a odyssey, and dont see any problem in doing probe duty + one side of the gate. The tricky part with the other side is to switch fast enough from targeting the probes to flying to the other side(of one gateway) and vice versa.

And I fly a Sci in a Fleet Reconnaissence Sci-ship. And have no problem doing this.

If you wish to carry bad PuGs to victory then yes. At least the warship/escort part until Cryptic decides to re-balance the game anyway.

I personally love the steamrunner on my Eng, and the Akira on my other.

Sure anything is possible - you can bog the probes down in a Grav Well - or warp plasma

But on a normal basis - this stratagey is risky in a slow moving ship - and there are 5 players in the match.

Why would 1 person have to take the risk of letting a probe through so they can work the entire side? Does not make sense. There is no reason 1 player should have to work 1 whole side with 4 on the other.

No, you should respec your ship and if necessary your skills. Being not capable of doing this with one of the finest cruisers out there is... disappointing. One side while on probe duty shouldn't be a problem. There are enough builds out there which are capable of tanking while doing damage. One point is an all-beam setup.

If you cant do damage on the fleet excel, you wont do significantly more with a escort. Granted you will do more, but in comparison to a normal escort (with an eng-captain), it will be near nothing. I cant stand "Cruisers are up, escorts are op"-talk, because it simply isnt true. You can do damage with every kind of ship -even sci, its just a different road. While escorts do damage with their tac-skill, cruisers buff themselves with their engineering skills and support that with their tac-skills.

If I pushed my ship to the limit - yes then I should be "able" to do this. As a point and click mouse player it's harder. I don't like having to keep changing things up for the 1 STF - that I play per day.

Sure i could load her with cannons - CRF - or all beams with duals up front - constantly buffing and blasting and running around like a wild man - i can carry 2 duals up front - hit EPtw2, ATb2, ept, Nadion - Hit BO3 and those beams will cut through anything - i can dump weapons batterys and aux batteries like they were going out of style - i can use engine buffs and stuff to go faster.

The question is Why?? Why should i be doing the work of 2 or 3 players?

There I was....

CSN

Pugged in and said 'HI' as usual.

Someone says 'I have the Kang.'

I thought 'Yea, you mean 4 of you have the Kang. LOL'

I fly to the right cube and a Klink follows.

Three go to the Kang.

The Klink and I clear the first group of nodes and are working on the Cube.

Optional fails.

I say, 'Your kidding right? What do we have at the Kang, a bunch of Rainbows?'

The Klink says "Puny Humans!"

The guy who said he would protect the Kang calls us all Noobes and that we should have all been at the Kang.

I check him out, under 2000 accolade and Skittles.

I check out the other two at the Kang, sure enough, Rainbow/Technicolor beams.

The Klink and I finish off the second cube.

One guy is now off in LaLa Land collecting goodies.

The Klink and I work on the third cube while a Rainbow/Technicolor boat works on the spawn.

The Guy that thought he could watch the Kang in now off in LaLa land.

The Carrier shows up and there's just three of us working on it while the two in LaLa land are calling us Noobes.

Carrier Dies, it's over.

I say "lose the rainbows losers."

I don't very often use such language but it fit.