I disagree. 500 emblems is not steep and is achievable within one month. This ensures Cryptic gets a month long subscription versus the worse case scenario of an inactive account for the item they have spent money and time developing.
Folks, 500 emblems is really a pretty fair deal. If you don't want to spend the time to earn the emblems, you have the option to buy the item from the C-Store.
I've played quite a few MMOs in my day, and having a wait for an end game level item is nothing new to the MMO world.
There is a long standing tradition in fact of having hard to earn items available in MMOs. One might even say it's an MMO Trope.
I've spent weeks searching for hard to find items in old games like GemStone or Dragon Realms. I literally spent months camping this really old cyclops in an early MMO so I could take something only he would drop, and trade it in for a pair of boots that would let me run fast. I've also spent inordinately large amounts of time going on raids so I could get the best gear available for my class, just to have someone who showed up for the raid the first time ever win the roll for an item I still needed.
I like the way things are done here better. Pick a reward, and start saving up for it. No random factor required, you get the required amount of funds, and you can now earn the item you wish to have the most. Plus, if you really have to have an item right now, you have the option of the C-store available to you.
MMOs are always going to have something else to achieve, some new piece of gear you desperately require, or some sort of new challenge to face. The C-store simply allows you to trade time for money, when working to acquire these things. Money which then goes back into the game so we can continue to make Star Trek Online better for you.
I'll continue to believe that one month worth of play time spent gathering emblems is a fair trade when I compare it to my own experiences raiding, and grinding, in other MMOs, to earn similar rewards. I'd much rather know when I'm going to get the item I need than to spend another few months sitting on an island in the middle of an empty zone waiting for one particular mob to show up.
Really, the point of all this is... If you think about the alternatives, this is really much better.
Thanks,
Stormshade
I disagree its a terrible grind to get these things, maybe acceptable when all of the marks of exploration are converted to emblems at the VA level. (this is STO its supposed to be fun cause that is Trek!) What would be fair if they were 250 and emblem missions had no cool down that would be fair. I am a LTS, but I do not want to spend a lifetime getting emblems.
If you don't want to spend the time to grind the Emblems then buy these items from the C-Store. Most MMOs don't give you this option for their special loot. You have to grind for everything and that's the only way that you can get it.
It's a good balance really. Have a job and not much time? Buy the thing you want from the C-Store. No job and plenty of time? Grind for the item that you want.
BTW, the grind is supposed to be steep. They want you to use the C-Store. Cryptic is a business, without money to pay their employees they will go out of business.
I don´t mind the emblem cost that much, but...
Doing the same dailies for a month, every day is boring, so i hope there will be more ways to get the emblems.
Items should be available in game, as end game content rewards (like new classes of ships, weapons etc) at least 2 weeks before even hitting the c-store. The game for subscribers should come first, only options like new species and more character slots or costumes should be in the c-store in any case.
This is not a free to play game, its a monthly-fee MMO set up like guild wars, and while I do enjoy playing it, for new ships we can either wait years between new ranks getting released, spending our hard earned cash AGAIN in the c-store, or spend even more paying for the subscription because (and lets face it) it will take you more than 30 days to grind 500 emblems. And don't forget those pesky weapon, ship components and ground items you need to. (to the rescue...melee weapons pack!)
Fair game cryptic, and despite this, people WILL pay. It's easy, saves time and ensures a good revenue stream if subscriber numbers drop in those cold hard months between seasons.
If you don't want to spend the time to grind the Emblems then buy these items from the C-Store. Most MMOs don't give you this option for their special loot. You have to grind for everything and that's the only way that you can get it.
It's a good balance really. Have a job and not much time? Buy the thing you want from the C-Store. No job and plenty of time? Grind for the item that you want.
BTW, the grind is supposed to be steep. They want you to use the C-Store. Cryptic is a business, without money to pay their employees they will go out of business.
Well, arguably, especially in the US, some people have one or two jobs and still no money.
If you don't want to spend the time to grind the Emblems then buy these items from the C-Store. Most MMOs don't give you this option for their special loot. You have to grind for everything and that's the only way that you can get it.
It's a good balance really. Have a job and not much time? Buy the thing you want from the C-Store. No job and plenty of time? Grind for the item that you want.
BTW, the grind is supposed to be steep. They want you to use the C-Store. Cryptic is a business, without money to pay their employees they will go out of business.
I don't want to spend the time to grind the emblems: It's boring, it's a chore, it's no /fun/ (and contrary to the opinion of some, I play games to /have fun/, not 'work for things I want', I do that at... work)... but I don't want to pay the overpriced 'option' available on the C-store, either. Neither option is palatable. And you know what? I haven't. I've paid for 'fluff', uniforms, one bridge pack, but ships? Never. But sooner or later I'll have to, because that seems like the only way new ships are going to be made available, and God knows I really want me a Vesta.
So yes, you know what? I will use the C-store, just like Cryptic wants, and they'll get their money from me, like a good business ought - but I'm going to resent it, because one way or another these business practices are shady - as business practices that concentrate solely on the profit potential /often are/. I do not believe a company has no ethical responsibilities other than pleasing its shareholders, and I do not believe that making money is an intrinsically good thing in and of itself.
So I'll pay, and I'll resent it, and I'll dislike Cryptic just a little more and be a little less inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt when they make a dubious decision - and I won't be the only one, and God knows I've been pretty mild on this subject until the new Prometheus was handled as such a blatant cash-grab - and /that/ is /not/ conducive to Cryptic's financial health in the long term.
I don't want to spend the time to grind the emblems: It's boring, it's a chore, it's no /fun/ (and contrary to the opinion of some, I play games to /have fun/, not 'work for things I want', I do that at... work)... but I don't want to pay the overpriced 'option' available on the C-store, either. Neither option is palatable. And you know what? I haven't. I've paid for 'fluff', uniforms, one bridge pack, but ships? Never. But sooner or later I'll have to, because that seems like the only way new ships are going to be made available, and God knows I really want me a Vesta.
Is 500 emblems steep or not...it really depends of the type of player.
i think you got to the bottom of the problem..The main issue is about the limited and repetitive content to get these emblems...if there was more diverse and enjoyable way to get these emblems it might not be a such a chore for most players.
kinda have to agree with people going "no appreciation" be glad you can get this stuff via ingame grinding ... dont whine bout it like spoiled brats ...
I don't want to spend the time to grind the emblems: It's boring, it's a chore, it's no /fun/ (and contrary to the opinion of some, I play games to /have fun/, not 'work for things I want', I do that at... work)...
Play to have fun. And if you, along the way, make some Emblems, maybe at some point you can afford one of those ships.
Is 500 emblems steep or not...it really depends of the type of player.
i think you got to the bottom of the problem..The main issue is about the limited and repetitive content to get these emblems...if there was more diverse and enjoyable way to get these emblems it might not be a such a chore for most players.
It is steep and this is why... Stormy said this is to get "end game""equipment" then doesn't this even go avaunt what they've said in the past about what they will not put in the c-store ??
Also this isn't the same as everquest or swg's grind that was chance/luck this is a day in and out grind to get something that should be easily obtainable IG two+ month grind for a ship is not nessisary.
In game methods are *so* easy here and take so little time.
In another currently running online game, you can only raid once a week (the dungeon is on a one week timer), and with 24 people in the raid along with the fact there are 12 different classes, the odds of you getting one of the pieces of gear each week is slim. So, you might literally be raiding 6 months to a year before fully equipping a single character in all tiered gear. They did add an alternate way, but the tokens are limited and tend to get spread out between the 24 people in the raid, meaning you still need to raid for *weeks* before getting enough tokens to get a piece of gear you're missing. And that's per character.
STO is so easy compared to other MMOs for acquisitions.. and you can buy the item outright if you don't want to spend the time.
I know which MMO your talking about *snicker*... and I must validate your points completely.
I've been doing the same grind for since that particular MMO started... OMG, guild cities... lol. You talk about grind?
I would have to say after reading these pages that most people that play STO don't have a real idea of what "grind" is.
Folks, 500 emblems is really a pretty fair deal. If you don't want to spend the time to earn the emblems, you have the option to buy the item from the C-Store.
I've played quite a few MMOs in my day, and having a wait for an end game level item is nothing new to the MMO world.
There is a long standing tradition in fact of having hard to earn items available in MMOs. One might even say it's an MMO Trope.
I've spent weeks searching for hard to find items in old games like GemStone or Dragon Realms. I literally spent months camping this really old cyclops in an early MMO so I could take something only he would drop, and trade it in for a pair of boots that would let me run fast. I've also spent inordinately large amounts of time going on raids so I could get the best gear available for my class, just to have someone who showed up for the raid the first time ever win the roll for an item I still needed.
I like the way things are done here better. Pick a reward, and start saving up for it. No random factor required, you get the required amount of funds, and you can now earn the item you wish to have the most. Plus, if you really have to have an item right now, you have the option of the C-store available to you.
MMOs are always going to have something else to achieve, some new piece of gear you desperately require, or some sort of new challenge to face. The C-store simply allows you to trade time for money, when working to acquire these things. Money which then goes back into the game so we can continue to make Star Trek Online better for you.
I'll continue to believe that one month worth of play time spent gathering emblems is a fair trade when I compare it to my own experiences raiding, and grinding, in other MMOs, to earn similar rewards. I'd much rather know when I'm going to get the item I need than to spend another few months sitting on an island in the middle of an empty zone waiting for one particular mob to show up.
Really, the point of all this is... If you think about the alternatives, this is really much better.
Thanks,
Stormshade
I to remember camping that really old cyclops for quest items to get faster boots, a sash of flowing silk and many other items in that game of never ending quests than far to many times like more like work than entertainment. However that was back in 1999 and thankfully MMO development has moved on since then.
While I fully agree getting those uber items back in those old games took time, they also took skill on the players part as well which is something STO's emblem grind dose not require and no other AAA MMO subscription based game puts game altering items in its version of the C-store unlike STO which does.
The current market leader in MMO's has a system in place where its player can earn token but playing through content to buy the uber high end items but its done in such a way as not to feel overly grindy or more importantly like a second job. Cryptic need to look at what kind of developer it wants to be known as, a money grabbing company who is only out to fleece as much money from its customer as it can or the kind of developer whose customer will want to recommend their friends to play as well. sadly at the moment I strongly tell my friends and other MMO contacts to avoid STO like a dose of the clap due to the constant feeling of getting ripped off.
In game methods are *so* easy here and take so little time.
In another currently running online game, you can only raid once a week (the dungeon is on a one week timer), and with 24 people in the raid along with the fact there are 12 different classes, the odds of you getting one of the pieces of gear each week is slim. So, you might literally be raiding 6 months to a year before fully equipping a single character in all tiered gear. They did add an alternate way, but the tokens are limited and tend to get spread out between the 24 people in the raid, meaning you still need to raid for *weeks* before getting enough tokens to get a piece of gear you're missing. And that's per character.
STO is so easy compared to other MMOs for acquisitions.. and you can buy the item outright if you don't want to spend the time.
You need to check out that game again as not only are there multiple dungeons to run for multiple chances of upgrades and tokens but you also have daily dungeons for loot and minor tokens. Also all those dungeons can be run in 10 man mode for exactly the same loot and tokens. It took be just over 1 month to fully kit out 3 characters in top tier gear and 1 of those characters was levelled up from 1 to 80 during that time.
STFs in STIO do not compare in any way to a full raid in that other MMO and are nothing more than badly designed grind fests following a 10 year old design .
Folks, 500 emblems is really a pretty fair deal.....
Plus, if you really have to have an item right now, you have the option of the C-store available to you.
Thanks,
Stormshade
Sir I got warned at Strafleet Academy about the Ferengi business practice.. I won't buy it :rolleyes::D
You aren't meant to grind the emblems. You're meant to give Cyptic cash. That's the reason it's so steep.
Or.... the emblem chase is laughingly considered content. A simple way to dress up repetition as achieving a goal.
Or.... as the apologists of the C store like to say, the items placed there are not needed to play STO. It is not game content but merely fluff. By that rationale, Cryptic are not doing you a favour by adding non-content to the game for emblems and calling it treats.
You can either buy a ship from the store, then sit in space dock since there's really nothing to do with your new ship, or grind for a new ship, and in the process, really come to detest the same thing day after day until such time as you have 500 emblems, then stop playing since there's nothing for you to do in your new ship except the same things you've just done for you 500 emblems lol.
Yeah, your missing the point.
The point isn't to bash the C-store.
The point is that Cryptic have offered an alternative and since that alternative is present and in the game, it needs to be realistic and achievable. In short it has to be a viable option.
Achieveing 500 emblems given the current stock of emblem giving missions isn't yet practical and so doesn't seem a fair alternative [to purchasing from the C-store] for the players.
The point is that Cryptic have offered an alternative and since that alternative and present and in the game, it needs to be realistic and achievable. In short it has to be a viable option.
Achieveing 500 emblems given the current stock of emblem giving missions isn't yet practical and so doesn't seem a fair alternative [to purchasing from the C-store] for the players.
All this /and/ the price of ships on the C-store is insultingly high in any real metric of 'value-for-money' or comparison to STO's competitors.
In game methods are *so* easy here and take so little time.
In another currently running online game, you can only raid once a week (the dungeon is on a one week timer), and with 24 people in the raid along with the fact there are 12 different classes, the odds of you getting one of the pieces of gear each week is slim. So, you might literally be raiding 6 months to a year before fully equipping a single character in all tiered gear. They did add an alternate way, but the tokens are limited and tend to get spread out between the 24 people in the raid, meaning you still need to raid for *weeks* before getting enough tokens to get a piece of gear you're missing. And that's per character.
STO is so easy compared to other MMOs for acquisitions.. and you can buy the item outright if you don't want to spend the time.
While I see the point you're trying to make, there is further information to your example.
You can only raid a particular raid instance once per week. You may do the same to any of the others as well. In between times, you may run any of the heroics also for medals.
I agree the token system can be annoying, the better gear is not from either those or medals, it is from the unique drops within the particular dungeon you are running. Welfare gear pieces are a stopgap in order for progression, something STO doesn't even have.
If you aren't raiding, you don't need raid gear anyway, which is an old argument against these tokens and medals anyway. STO has no raids. STO has nowhere to go once you reach top level. As someone said, once you're VA, you have nothing to do but dailies anyway. It is both an illusion of further content, and of achievement. Stormashade's own post equates it with achieving something, and that's plain laughable.
Now if Cryptic were adding end game instances or something and giving these ships as rewards, that would be different, but they're not adding anything that gives any sort of rewarding time investment.
Did someone complain about WoW's battleground mounts while making a point in favour of STO? lol
It equates to pretty much the same thing, though WoW's mounts are recolours of other mounts you can get elsewhere in game, and the over riding thing in WoW is you know that everyone else who has that item had to do exactly the same as you. No one bought it for cash.
There was someone else in another thread who tried to defend the C store by bringing Blizzard's own Sparkle pony into the discussion as a "game changing mount" lol. Really, no matter how much you love Cryptic, don't make things up.
I give you the TRH
I think the bigger point is the way the C store is used in general. In a Star Trek game where most anything related to what we associate with Trek is on the C store instead of in the game we signed up to play.
It may be cosmetic and not required in order to play the game, but it's the difference between our characters being Starfleet, vs them being generic space game that looks vaguely Trek like.
The movie uniform was a bone, the same as the emblem idea. The bare minimum outside the C store to give people some sense of what they recognise. The same with the movie Connie.
Switch it all around. Put the familiar Star Trek stuff in the game (where it should be) and sell all the Cryptic designed stuff in the C store. Make whatever money you like off them since no one signed on to play Cryptic online anyway.
500 emblems is too steep for unlocking a ship on a single character but if it unlocked the ship account-wide, this would be reasonable.
This wouldnt be soo bad, only in the respect that when you buy it in the C-store.......it opens it account wide....so why not this?...unless it does this already..then nevermind...(i bought everything in the C-store......yea...im that guy......)
I will probably get shot for this but scouting for that elusive Peko-Peko Albatross for WEEKS in Star Wars Galaxies made the victory just that much sweeter. I spent ages on it, and i got it. Took me a while but i loved every second.
I like grinding and wasting my time. This MMO is very story driven, you can level to the max through the entire story. That is a brilliant feature of it. But for the people that want to stick it out the long haul (i mean set up a tent), the option to wouldn't go amiss.
or just dont buy stuff from the store. other then the 500 points i got when i started the game they where free. i whont go dumping my money into buying things from there. unless of course the game whent f2p. it just seems to me cryptic cant seem figure out what direction there gonna take the game keep it payed or go free.
OK when people say you can get 500 emblems in a month they really mean doing the same dailies 5 days a week. That's arduous at best torture at worst. I agree emblems need to be secondary to paying via the C-store but seriously, right now as a person who works, has a GF and other commitments getting 500 emblems isn't an option.
Btran
Defari
PvP
Fleet action
(I've just found out that there are Devidian dailies - where?)
OK that's gonna take me 3-4hrs. 5 days a work, give or take....
OK when people say you can get 500 emblems in a month they really mean doing the same dailies 5 days a week. That's arduous at best torture at worst. I agree emblems need to be secondary to paying via the C-store but seriously, right now as a person who works, has a GF and other commitments getting 500 emblems isn't an option.
Btran
Defari
PvP
Fleet action
(I've just found out that there are Devidian dailies - where?)
OK that's gonna take me 3-4hrs. 5 days a work, give or take....
This is why i bought everything in the cstore.........i dont have the time to sit and rub antiburn/itch cream into my hind quarters cause i want something emblem wise other than in game weps and equip...or the usual.
I figure wth its only money right? If thats an issue however.....I can see where the whole grind issue would be a little iffy. only really considering other MMO's that Ive played....500 isnt that bad.......perhaps a thrid option to obtain the goodies?
I've spent weeks searching for hard to find items in old games like GemStone or Dragon Realms. I literally spent months camping this really old cyclops in an early MMO so I could take something only he would drop, and trade it in for a pair of boots that would let me run fast. I've also spent inordinately large amounts of time going on raids so I could get the best gear available for my class, just to have someone who showed up for the raid the first time ever win the roll for an item I still needed.
Wow, that brings back memories...
"SAND GIANT, TRAIN TO ZONE", followed by the hard decision of whether to go jump in the water and hope you wouldn't get followed all the way out to "drown" depth, zone south and possibly get ganked by Zorn, or go north and run into irritated spirits who could suck levels away from you.
So, 500/15 is 33 days of striaght emblem grinding.
How long does it take to get those emblems on average?
4-5 Hours of playing.
So that equates to 132 - 165 hrs of gameplay....
4 to 5 hours?
Vice Admiral B'Tran yields 4 Emblems and can be done in a few minutes (just take the "scan 5" missions). You can also run the regular B'Tran exploration mission (doing the same 5 scan) and convert the Marks of Exploration to Emblems. Last I checked, it was a 1 to 1 ratio, so you would earn another 5 Emblems there.
Aiding the Deferi dailies yields 5 emblems and can be completed in well under an hour.
Eta Eridani yields anywhere from 1 to 6 Emblems.
Most all Fleet Actions can be completed in under an hour, and those each yield 3.
Not including Fleet Actions, a player can earn those 15+ Emblems doing the B'Tran, Deferi and Eta Eridani missions in about 2 hours per day.
Vice Admiral B'Tran yields 4 Emblems and can be done in a few minutes (just take the "scan 5" missions). You can also run the regular B'Tran exploration mission (doing the same 5 scan) and convert the Marks of Exploration to Emblems. Last I checked, it was a 1 to 1 ratio, so you would earn another 5 Emblems there.
Aiding the Deferi dailies yields 5 emblems and can be completed in well under an hour.
Eta Eridani yields anywhere from 1 to 6 Emblems.
Most all Fleet Actions can be completed in under an hour, and those each yield 3.
Not including Fleet Actions, a player can earn those 15+ Emblems doing the B'Tran, Deferi and Eta Eridani missions in about 2 hours per day.
I run the B'Tran, Deferi, Eta Eridani circuit on at least 2 of my characters each night and I'm done in a little over 3 hours. It should not take anyone more than that. These missions just are not that long.
Comments
Not unfair at all.
I disagree its a terrible grind to get these things, maybe acceptable when all of the marks of exploration are converted to emblems at the VA level. (this is STO its supposed to be fun cause that is Trek!) What would be fair if they were 250 and emblem missions had no cool down that would be fair. I am a LTS, but I do not want to spend a lifetime getting emblems.
It's a good balance really. Have a job and not much time? Buy the thing you want from the C-Store. No job and plenty of time? Grind for the item that you want.
BTW, the grind is supposed to be steep. They want you to use the C-Store. Cryptic is a business, without money to pay their employees they will go out of business.
Doing the same dailies for a month, every day is boring, so i hope there will be more ways to get the emblems.
Items should be available in game, as end game content rewards (like new classes of ships, weapons etc) at least 2 weeks before even hitting the c-store. The game for subscribers should come first, only options like new species and more character slots or costumes should be in the c-store in any case.
This is not a free to play game, its a monthly-fee MMO set up like guild wars, and while I do enjoy playing it, for new ships we can either wait years between new ranks getting released, spending our hard earned cash AGAIN in the c-store, or spend even more paying for the subscription because (and lets face it) it will take you more than 30 days to grind 500 emblems. And don't forget those pesky weapon, ship components and ground items you need to. (to the rescue...melee weapons pack!)
Fair game cryptic, and despite this, people WILL pay. It's easy, saves time and ensures a good revenue stream if subscriber numbers drop in those cold hard months between seasons.
I don't want to spend the time to grind the emblems: It's boring, it's a chore, it's no /fun/ (and contrary to the opinion of some, I play games to /have fun/, not 'work for things I want', I do that at... work)... but I don't want to pay the overpriced 'option' available on the C-store, either. Neither option is palatable. And you know what? I haven't. I've paid for 'fluff', uniforms, one bridge pack, but ships? Never. But sooner or later I'll have to, because that seems like the only way new ships are going to be made available, and God knows I really want me a Vesta.
So yes, you know what? I will use the C-store, just like Cryptic wants, and they'll get their money from me, like a good business ought - but I'm going to resent it, because one way or another these business practices are shady - as business practices that concentrate solely on the profit potential /often are/. I do not believe a company has no ethical responsibilities other than pleasing its shareholders, and I do not believe that making money is an intrinsically good thing in and of itself.
So I'll pay, and I'll resent it, and I'll dislike Cryptic just a little more and be a little less inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt when they make a dubious decision - and I won't be the only one, and God knows I've been pretty mild on this subject until the new Prometheus was handled as such a blatant cash-grab - and /that/ is /not/ conducive to Cryptic's financial health in the long term.
Is 500 emblems steep or not...it really depends of the type of player.
i think you got to the bottom of the problem..The main issue is about the limited and repetitive content to get these emblems...if there was more diverse and enjoyable way to get these emblems it might not be a such a chore for most players.
Play to have fun. And if you, along the way, make some Emblems, maybe at some point you can afford one of those ships.
It is steep and this is why... Stormy said this is to get "end game""equipment" then doesn't this even go avaunt what they've said in the past about what they will not put in the c-store ??
Also this isn't the same as everquest or swg's grind that was chance/luck this is a day in and out grind to get something that should be easily obtainable IG two+ month grind for a ship is not nessisary.
I know which MMO your talking about *snicker*... and I must validate your points completely.
I've been doing the same grind for since that particular MMO started... OMG, guild cities... lol. You talk about grind?
I would have to say after reading these pages that most people that play STO don't have a real idea of what "grind" is.
Regards,
I to remember camping that really old cyclops for quest items to get faster boots, a sash of flowing silk and many other items in that game of never ending quests than far to many times like more like work than entertainment. However that was back in 1999 and thankfully MMO development has moved on since then.
While I fully agree getting those uber items back in those old games took time, they also took skill on the players part as well which is something STO's emblem grind dose not require and no other AAA MMO subscription based game puts game altering items in its version of the C-store unlike STO which does.
The current market leader in MMO's has a system in place where its player can earn token but playing through content to buy the uber high end items but its done in such a way as not to feel overly grindy or more importantly like a second job. Cryptic need to look at what kind of developer it wants to be known as, a money grabbing company who is only out to fleece as much money from its customer as it can or the kind of developer whose customer will want to recommend their friends to play as well. sadly at the moment I strongly tell my friends and other MMO contacts to avoid STO like a dose of the clap due to the constant feeling of getting ripped off.
You need to check out that game again as not only are there multiple dungeons to run for multiple chances of upgrades and tokens but you also have daily dungeons for loot and minor tokens. Also all those dungeons can be run in 10 man mode for exactly the same loot and tokens. It took be just over 1 month to fully kit out 3 characters in top tier gear and 1 of those characters was levelled up from 1 to 80 during that time.
STFs in STIO do not compare in any way to a full raid in that other MMO and are nothing more than badly designed grind fests following a 10 year old design .
Sir I got warned at Strafleet Academy about the Ferengi business practice.. I won't buy it :rolleyes::D
Yeah, your missing the point.
The point isn't to bash the C-store.
The point is that Cryptic have offered an alternative and since that alternative is present and in the game, it needs to be realistic and achievable. In short it has to be a viable option.
Achieveing 500 emblems given the current stock of emblem giving missions isn't yet practical and so doesn't seem a fair alternative [to purchasing from the C-store] for the players.
All this /and/ the price of ships on the C-store is insultingly high in any real metric of 'value-for-money' or comparison to STO's competitors.
While I see the point you're trying to make, there is further information to your example.
You can only raid a particular raid instance once per week. You may do the same to any of the others as well. In between times, you may run any of the heroics also for medals.
I agree the token system can be annoying, the better gear is not from either those or medals, it is from the unique drops within the particular dungeon you are running. Welfare gear pieces are a stopgap in order for progression, something STO doesn't even have.
If you aren't raiding, you don't need raid gear anyway, which is an old argument against these tokens and medals anyway. STO has no raids. STO has nowhere to go once you reach top level. As someone said, once you're VA, you have nothing to do but dailies anyway. It is both an illusion of further content, and of achievement. Stormashade's own post equates it with achieving something, and that's plain laughable.
Now if Cryptic were adding end game instances or something and giving these ships as rewards, that would be different, but they're not adding anything that gives any sort of rewarding time investment.
Did someone complain about WoW's battleground mounts while making a point in favour of STO? lol
It equates to pretty much the same thing, though WoW's mounts are recolours of other mounts you can get elsewhere in game, and the over riding thing in WoW is you know that everyone else who has that item had to do exactly the same as you. No one bought it for cash.
There was someone else in another thread who tried to defend the C store by bringing Blizzard's own Sparkle pony into the discussion as a "game changing mount" lol. Really, no matter how much you love Cryptic, don't make things up.
I give you the TRH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCjuFpQ3EeA
I think the bigger point is the way the C store is used in general. In a Star Trek game where most anything related to what we associate with Trek is on the C store instead of in the game we signed up to play.
It may be cosmetic and not required in order to play the game, but it's the difference between our characters being Starfleet, vs them being generic space game that looks vaguely Trek like.
The movie uniform was a bone, the same as the emblem idea. The bare minimum outside the C store to give people some sense of what they recognise. The same with the movie Connie.
Switch it all around. Put the familiar Star Trek stuff in the game (where it should be) and sell all the Cryptic designed stuff in the C store. Make whatever money you like off them since no one signed on to play Cryptic online anyway.
This wouldnt be soo bad, only in the respect that when you buy it in the C-store.......it opens it account wide....so why not this?...unless it does this already..then nevermind...(i bought everything in the C-store......yea...im that guy......)
I like grinding and wasting my time. This MMO is very story driven, you can level to the max through the entire story. That is a brilliant feature of it. But for the people that want to stick it out the long haul (i mean set up a tent), the option to wouldn't go amiss.
Btran
Defari
PvP
Fleet action
(I've just found out that there are Devidian dailies - where?)
OK that's gonna take me 3-4hrs. 5 days a work, give or take....
This is why i bought everything in the cstore.........i dont have the time to sit and rub antiburn/itch cream into my hind quarters cause i want something emblem wise other than in game weps and equip...or the usual.
I figure wth its only money right? If thats an issue however.....I can see where the whole grind issue would be a little iffy. only really considering other MMO's that Ive played....500 isnt that bad.......perhaps a thrid option to obtain the goodies?
"SAND GIANT, TRAIN TO ZONE", followed by the hard decision of whether to go jump in the water and hope you wouldn't get followed all the way out to "drown" depth, zone south and possibly get ganked by Zorn, or go north and run into irritated spirits who could suck levels away from you.
4 to 5 hours?
Not including Fleet Actions, a player can earn those 15+ Emblems doing the B'Tran, Deferi and Eta Eridani missions in about 2 hours per day.
Realistically....more like 3 and a half
I agree. This is what it should do.
I run the B'Tran, Deferi, Eta Eridani circuit on at least 2 of my characters each night and I'm done in a little over 3 hours. It should not take anyone more than that. These missions just are not that long.