I understand completely (and did before you clarified). The way I view, there are four possibilities: One is true, the other is true, both are true, neither is true.

I tend to invoke a bit of Aristotle on this one and entertaining ideas. Entertain different ideas while accepting neither (initially). Then, of course, using experience (personal and that with the subject matter in hand) when weighing my opinion. In this case, I think yours is probably closer to the mark. It doesn't necessarily invalidate his view, but I don't think his view necessarily is applicable either (though it could be).

Your ranting is tiresome, full of all sorts incorrect aspersions, and ultimately infantile. Welcome to ignore.

And if you/Dan/Jack just want this gear to be about luck, then so be it. There is absolutely nothing we can actually do about it. But we can point out the fact that that contradicts what you told us previously, which is that this gear was supposed to represent time and effort. And random drops are only about luck, not either of those things.

i think you posted something here.. cant see it, toss ya on ignore a bit back oh well maybe it was good! lol.

I think that's really the meat of it.

I'm going to have to agree with the Nagus on this one. It sounds like we're supposed to be rewarded on time and effort but instead it's by pure luck. I think my main issue is that even though this is working harming STF play since so many people are getting burned out with out getting the rewards they want and all the good suggestions to help fix the issue the players are having are being outright ignored over pride. Making the proto tech more guraenteed would greatly improve its playability. Even if it's something along the lines of champions fusion system. Trading in 5 MKs of a certain tech drop for the next rank up. This would allow those putting in the time and effort with out the reward to get it while still putting in time and effort.

I know a lot of the dev team gets frustrated with a lot of negative feed back from certains decisions but at the same time it seems we're being told one thing only to find out that it's not actually what we're told. And a lot of what's being said here as to how the drop works isn't really helping that case. I don't work for cryptic, I don't know what goes on in the offices, where the teams priorities are placed by higher ups, or why the actual percentages have to be such a secret, or even why certain decisions are made, but it just seems logical that when the forums are giving negative feedback (either constuctive or just plain hating) that maybe, just maybe, there is an issue that should be revised or reworked to make the players happy.

This particular view deserves to be reiterated, I think. This isn't just a loot from STF problem, though what you say applies here as well. Lately, it seems as though there is less and less concern about player feedback and a lot more about things decided on levels either higher up the food chain or otherwise invisible to us.

Interestingly, these posts read a lot more like GhostCrawler's did before they moved him out of the general forums in the other MMO. The folks posting here may not necessarily be the most user experience trained. Consistent messaging has been an ongoing problem - and this issue is certainly no exception.

I would like to say that I completely understand the reason they want the drops random. STO lacks end game content, so they needed to come up with some way to keep people playing the same things over and over again. If they actually put these items in the store for a set price, then after people got those items they would not have the same motivation to continue playing the same content. It sucks, but I do get it.

That said, my point is that Gozer's past statements about this gear representing time and effort contradict the way the system is designed, which is about random luck. Something can only represent time and effort if you know how much time and effort are required to get it. Otherwise it doesnt represent anything.

Which, I think we both agree, translates to more of a message problem rather than a design problem. Communicated intent isn't matching gameplay.

Which seems to be quite common unfortunately. First it was the quote I provided from the Ask Cryptic which was apparently "out of context". Now it is Gozer's previous statement, which apparently isnt what he really meant. I cant help but wonder if in the future the statements that are being made in this very thread will also be "misunderstood".