well that depends on the game doesnt it? there are games out there for free with hundreds of hours of gameplay.. hell, i have friends who've been playing castle age on facebook since before STO came out and they're still loving it.. so i dont see the logic in that statement, if the price of other games is the bar by which you've set "too much" as, then every ship is too much, including the ones you get while leveling, as you're paying a sub for them..
as i said, there are two ships that i think are over-priced, the rest work out reasonable, in game-time-for-grind vs store purchase. (i beleive its about 2 months grind, daily for one of those ships, so $30 in sub or about $15 in the store.. who's getting the better deal there?)
i think STO and Atari would collapse without being able to show at the very least a trend towards profit in the near-term financial future. (most companies or new start-ups generally have a 5 year financial plan, which starts at a loss and shows profit by year 5.. and we're into the halfway point with that for STO now, with its development time included) how they do that is down to them. to me it looks like they've gone for a small development team and an optional cash store for fluff items with a cash alternative to in-game grind as well. that may not be the choice you'd make but it was the one they did, and its a little late to change it now.
also, i didnt say you personally complain every week, if anything it was more a referance to the OP and the thread in itself. there are people who wait for the weekend of a store item launching to stir up trouble and dissent in the boards, purely because it amuses them i think.. those are the kind of people i'm talking about there. please dont misunderstand that as a personal attack on you. as i've said, i respect that your opinion is different to my own, and you've not been insulting or inflammitory either, so i have no reason to be so to you.
The logic in the statement the ship only gives the ability to replay the content that was boring a year ago. There is no real difference in them and the free ships. Another reason I think they are so overpriced. There are plenty of fun games you can up for under twenty dollars that will have resale value to boot. The ships you get leveling cost one energy credit I don't see how they're overpriced.
Yes, I also believe both of those ships are overpriced. Cryptic is getting the better deal because those ships aren't worth a two month grind either.
We don't know how much c-store makes or how much STO or makes off subscriptions. We do know that c-store has and still upsets many people. We don't know how much money they lost because of it. People quiting the game because they feel the prices were unfair with paying for a subscription. Or how many don't use it because they think the prices are to high.
I now think c-store harmed STO. I really haven't seen anything that upsets more people than this in a MMO. Lots of people thinks it's really unfair. I think it will have a lasting effect on this game.
I am not on a crusade to remove c-store either. I just feel that the prices are completely outrageous.
We don't know how much c-store makes or how much STO or makes off subscriptions. We do know that c-store has and still upsets many people. We don't know how much money they lost because of it. People quiting the game because they feel the prices were unfair with paying for a subscription. Or how many don't use it because they think the prices are to high.
I now think c-store harmed STO. I really haven't seen anything that upsets more people than this in a MMO. Lots of people thinks it's really unfair. I think it will have a lasting effect on this game.
I am not on a crusade to remove c-store either. I just feel that the prices are completely outrageous.
We don't know how much c-store makes or how much STO or makes off subscriptions. We do know that c-store has and still upsets many people. We don't know how much money they lost because of it. People quiting the game because they feel the prices were unfair with paying for a subscription. Or how many don't use it because they think the prices are to high.
I now think c-store harmed STO. I really haven't seen anything that upsets more people than this in a MMO. Lots of people thinks it's really unfair. I think it will have a lasting effect on this game.
I am not on a crusade to remove c-store either. I just feel that the prices are completely outrageous.
I know people dislike the cash store concept, and i can assure you this same debate is raging across many MMO forums as well. its not just STO or CO that is seeing this. it'll hurt this game as much as it'll hurt the industry.. and if what happened when expansions began and the same kind of backlash happened in the end it'll turn out better for the industry.
I mean thats why there's so many MMO's around now, because they were proven as a money-making business model, so from a couple of D&D style sword and sorcery type games to the range we have now only happened because "the suits" in charge saw profits in it.
as for the pricing, well i'm a very frugal person, i watch my money very carefully and there's only a few things in there i feel are over-priced. there's a lot i wont buy too, because i see no need for it.
the decision on if the product is worth the price is ultimately down to the individual, regardless of what said product is. you feel they're not worth it, and thats fine. I think they are, thats fine too. I have no problem with that.
i'm unemployed, have a lifetime sub to STO and CO and was a big fan of CoX as well. that kinda puts your comments in perspective i think..
you've stated your opinion, thats fine.. but dont attack others for stating their own because its counter to your own.
micro-transaction stores are the way the MMO game industry is going, much like a while ago when they started bringing out expansions to MMO's. back then people complained about having to pay again for a game they've already paid for and subbed to.
if you're not happy with a cash store in a subbed game, maybe you shouldnt play MMO's any more, as any that dont have one now i can bet are planning one as soon as they can.
Actually, SWG doesn't have a cash store for in game items.
I'm sorry but I have been playing games for years and years, and despite loving STO, i have one problem that seems to be re-occurring in games these days, and BIG TIME in STO.
I PAYED FULL PRICE FOR THIS GAME, AND I PAY MONTHLY!! We should NOT have to spend MORE money on these stupid tokens for content that should be REQUIRED!!
Paying extra money for ships that should be in this game, clothing, items, its all complete and 100% "BullSh*t"
STOP TRIBBLE US OVER STO, ITS NOT OUR FAULT YOU RAN OUT OF MONEY!!! :eek::eek:
well its hard to sell players addicted with federation ethics in a ferengi type store some stuff.. the real feds wont buy a single piece there ... havent you been warned on the academy about ferengi?
The "milking the cow as much as possible" ethics in todays economy is nothing unusual but also nothing I'll ever support.. they have to find other buyers that dont think about value/price relation too much...
Compared to what some C-Store stuff cost any full game with 100s of textures and digital models should cost a few hundred dollars then I guess....!
For all those C-Store Items dont forget you have to keep your subscription running to get access to these "bought" items... I cant but cry and laugh at the same time thinking about this
Actually, SWG doesn't have a cash store for in game items.
but it took 7 hours and 8 pages for someone to name a game without one...
a lot of the "older" mmo's dont have them, nor will. I suspect the people financially behind SWG are expecting TOR to be the franchises cash-cow so wont put one in SWG at this point.
but as MMO's are coming out, they're coming out set up for cash stores. at this point, its too late to try and swing the industry round. its not a cryptic thing, its not an atari thing.. its a MMO thing,
I don't think most of the c-store items are overpriced,
a) they are accountwide (most other games like EQ II, LOTRO and Wow only grant items per char)
b) Cryptic/Atari has to share their gains with cbs
c) the c-store items cost equal to a few fast food meals/starbuck coffees, thats not that much.
Also there are the special sale weekends (tax day etc.) where you can save 20-25%, i use them regularely, since i only grant myself an average of ~5 per Month in c-store items.
but it took 7 hours and 8 pages for someone to name a game without one...
a lot of the "older" mmo's dont have them, nor will. I suspect the people financially behind SWG are expecting TOR to be the franchises cash-cow so wont put one in SWG at this point.
but as MMO's are coming out, they're coming out set up for cash stores. at this point, its too late to try and swing the industry round. its not a cryptic thing, its not an atari thing.. its a MMO thing,
I really dont think its the whole in game store that is a issue, like many have stated, some of the more successful games have them, but typically if they are P2P, they only offer true cosmetic items.
STO on the other hand, feels the need to charge for items that if you step back and look at it, should have been included at launch. They always knew they were gonna release TOS Constitution class, yet never made the interior for it. The MVAM was suppose to be in game at launch, yet we paid for it.
Imo, i think its this kind of stuff that truly puts people off Cryptic's take on the micro transaction store. Not to mention that we were promised before launch that nothing in the C-store would influence in game play. This was promised because of the uproar the mere mention of STO having a Micro-transaction store.
I know people will say, "you don't have to use it", and i agree, but each time someone else does use it, it makes it all the worst, and just encourages more items created for the c-store, and causes more dissension amongst the player base.
And that is whats going to hurt this game more than anything else. We should consider ourselves lucky after the debacle of STO's release. I honestly feel if it wasn't for the people that did fork over Life time subs, we most likely wouldn't even be arguing over STO, as it would have folded.
We have been lucky that cryptic made some changes and we now have a Dev team that from all appearances, cares about the game. But the focus needs to be more on playable content then items that do nothing but cause the forums to erupt in flames every single day.
This is why I will never understand all the people fearing STO going Free to Play. Why would they when they already have the best of both worlds. A monthly subscription and hordes of people willing to shell out gobs of cash for "Fluff".
It's like a c-store where you shell out $10 for the unlikely chance of getting an item you want.
Hehe, as an analogy it was a bit like the 1-year annniv. event, you could get an occasional purple, but in the majority of cases you'll go away with an tribble.
An Friend spent over 200 on Booster Boxes to get an Starship Hangar. (I for my part tried to trade my Set of Mandalorian Armor for one, but no one wanted to trade)
Hehe, as an analogy it was a bit like the 1-year annniv. event, you could get an occasional purple, but in the majority of cases you'll go away with an tribble.
An Friend spent over 200 on Booster Boxes to get an Starship Hangar. (I for my part tried to trade my Set of Mandalorian Armor for one, but no one wanted to trade)
Star Trek Online: At Least We're Not Star War Galaxies
Made me laugh, especially knowing the lead Dev's at SWG have stated the CU/NGE was the worst thing they ever could have done for SWG. And yet, still, they got a lot right in that game, some of the best, if not the best talent trees and crafting ever in a MMO.
STO on the other hand, feels the need to charge for items that if you step back and look at it, should have been included at launch. They always knew they were gonna release TOS Constitution class, yet never made the interior for it. The MVAM was suppose to be in game at launch, yet we paid for it.
Imo, i think its this kind of stuff that truly puts people off Cryptic's take on the micro transaction store. Not to mention that we were promised before launch that nothing in the C-store would influence in game play. This was promised because of the uproar the mere mention of STO having a Micro-transaction store.
Gonna have to make a few points here...
interiors - bridges were rushed in for launch.. interiors were always a "they'll come, in time" deal. that was apparent from beta.
the MVAM - along with the saucer seperation, they simply didnt have the code for it, and as far as i could tell, had no immediate plans to create the code for it either. the saucer seperation was called and called for and eventually they put it in, which in turn opened the door for the MVAM. i never ONCE saw it being said it would be in from launch.
the MVAM advanced escort is also obtainable via emblems, so isnt a store exclusive item.
and the C-Store has always had the promise of "if there is anything in there that affects gameplay mechanics, there will be an in-game alternative for it, either the item earned in game or something just as good as" which is a promise that so far its kept.. and that was promised because Jack hates microtransactions.. or so he says.
my point is, this isnt limited to STO.. WoW sells mounts far superior to what can got in-game on their cash store, at $10 a time i'm told.. they too have a trading card lottery game for exclusive items.. and its the biggest MMO out there, their subs and cash income pretty much out-weigh the rest of the top 4 combined i would imagine.. and like i've said, the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT is made in other game's forums about cash shops.. "why should we pay again?" ... "this should have been in from the start"... "we're being milked/nickle&dime'd" so its honestly not limited to STO..
has it hurt the game? driven away potential subscribers? made people angry and caused forum wars? yes... here and elsewhere too.. but its making enough money to keep the people in charge happy enough about having it, dispite the fall out.. so until every single gamer in every single MMO refuses to sub to any game with a cash store its really not going anywhere.
and the C-Store has always had the promise of "if there is anything in there that affects gameplay mechanics, there will be an in-game alternative for it, either the item earned in game or something just as good as" which is a promise that so far its kept.. and that was promised because Jack hates microtransactions.. or so he says.
Well, actually the C-Store didn't always have that promise. Originally :
Bill and I have both posted over on the Champions boards to respond to questions raised by microtransactions. I'll just reiterate what's already been copied and pasted from Bill's State of the Game address on Champions:
The vast majority are aesthetic items, such as costume pieces, action figures, emblems, etc.
A very few are account-level management tools, such as being able to rename a character
Micro-transactions should never limit your ability to enjoy the game or reach the level cap Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play
These principles apply also to Star Trek.
I really loved the way afterwards they were like "No, we didn't say that, we said..."
I always found that humorous
Really though, I'm not so hateful of the Store, only certain things like the prices.
and the C-Store has always had the promise of "if there is anything in there that affects gameplay mechanics, there will be an in-game alternative for it, either the item earned in game or something just as good as" which is a promise that so far its kept.. and that was promised because Jack hates microtransactions.. or so he says.
They just broke that promise. Right now, if you want the simple game play mechanic of sitting in a chair in your lounge, you need to pay for the TOS interior.
Made me laugh, especially knowing the lead Dev's at SWG have stated the CU/NGE was the worst thing they ever could have done for SWG. And yet, still, they got a lot right in that game, some of the best, if not the best talent trees and crafting ever in a MMO.
SWG crafting is still phenomenal. Too bad they restricted most of it to just one class.
The old "choose your class combination" system was wicked.
They just broke that promise. Right now, if you want the simple game play mechanic of sitting in a chair in your lounge, you need to pay for the TOS interior.
All chairs that are enabled for sitting in chairs are now interactable by clicking on them.
* This means there is no longer a button on the side of your screen. For example, you simply click your captains chair to sit in it.
"Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play"
so those are jack's exact words then? i still cant think of something in the store that affects the game that cant be got by another means.. i think the one that comes closest is the referal rewards.. not exactly "gameplay" but still not exclusive to the store..
They just broke that promise. Right now, if you want the simple game play mechanic of sitting in a chair in your lounge, you need to pay for the TOS interior.
That's not the sort of thing being talked about.
That said, if the basic interiors don't get a pretty thorough QoL pass, then grrrrrrrrr.
"Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play"
so those are jack's exact words then? i still cant think of something in the store that affects the game that cant be got by another means.. i think the one that comes closest is the referal rewards.. not exactly "gameplay" but still not exclusive to the store..
The C-store species' unique traits, as pointless as most of them are. It still grates on me.
That said, if the basic interiors don't get a pretty thorough QoL pass, then grrrrrrrrr.
No it's not, but it should be. The generic in-game interior should've been the first one to get properly scaled and the interactivity added. Or the TOS one should've been released for free up until such time as it did.
No it's not, but it should be. The generic in-game interior should've been the first one to get properly scaled and the interactivity added.
this would've been preferable.
Getting ships done right is a long time coming and with the possibility of custom interiors in the future, there might not be anymore dev incentive to do so.
"Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play"
so those are jack's exact words then? i still cant think of something in the store that affects the game that cant be got by another means.. i think the one that comes closest is the referal rewards.. not exactly "gameplay" but still not exclusive to the store..
- TOS T1
- NX T1
- TOS Shuttle
- All of the Playable Races
- 8 Hour Skill boost
- Melee Weapon Pack
- Borg Boff
- Tribbles
- Some Klingon ships (i think)
I know that some of them could be gained in a another way (for a short time) but right now every single one of those has an in game effect and can be gotten no other way.
Now, I personally believe every single one of those should be available in game , but what I really want is a C-Store Revamp:
1) Price changes
2) Visual Revamp (Both In Game and Website) to be more like the CO
3) Change the Sales System or provide a system to get Token by the Token (earning in game or online)
4) Change how the points are bought (400, 800, 1600, 4000)
The C-store species' unique traits, as pointless as most of them are. It still grates on me.
hadnt thought of that...
but then, if they bring in the system to convert a first officer to a player character that would give people access to quite a few.. i know there's some species that dont appear as Boffs yet too.
but its not as if those give players massive advantages over others.. as much as i agree they should be available via in-game means.
personally i would love to see a mechanic put in place to convert emblems from dailies into c-store points, its something i've brought up in the past as well. let players earn in-game for what they want in the store.. to me that seems the fairest way really.
Comments
The logic in the statement the ship only gives the ability to replay the content that was boring a year ago. There is no real difference in them and the free ships. Another reason I think they are so overpriced. There are plenty of fun games you can up for under twenty dollars that will have resale value to boot. The ships you get leveling cost one energy credit I don't see how they're overpriced.
Yes, I also believe both of those ships are overpriced. Cryptic is getting the better deal because those ships aren't worth a two month grind either.
We don't know how much c-store makes or how much STO or makes off subscriptions. We do know that c-store has and still upsets many people. We don't know how much money they lost because of it. People quiting the game because they feel the prices were unfair with paying for a subscription. Or how many don't use it because they think the prices are to high.
I now think c-store harmed STO. I really haven't seen anything that upsets more people than this in a MMO. Lots of people thinks it's really unfair. I think it will have a lasting effect on this game.
I am not on a crusade to remove c-store either. I just feel that the prices are completely outrageous.
Totally agree, perfectly stated.
I know people dislike the cash store concept, and i can assure you this same debate is raging across many MMO forums as well. its not just STO or CO that is seeing this. it'll hurt this game as much as it'll hurt the industry.. and if what happened when expansions began and the same kind of backlash happened in the end it'll turn out better for the industry.
I mean thats why there's so many MMO's around now, because they were proven as a money-making business model, so from a couple of D&D style sword and sorcery type games to the range we have now only happened because "the suits" in charge saw profits in it.
as for the pricing, well i'm a very frugal person, i watch my money very carefully and there's only a few things in there i feel are over-priced. there's a lot i wont buy too, because i see no need for it.
the decision on if the product is worth the price is ultimately down to the individual, regardless of what said product is. you feel they're not worth it, and thats fine. I think they are, thats fine too. I have no problem with that.
iPhone & Android games have $$$ upgrades & patches
PS3 & X-Box games have $$$ upgrade patches
MMOs have most always had $$$ upgrades / or equipment.
PC Games often have upgrade patches / drivers / features that require $$$ to unlock.
You people complaining, are just seeing the beginnings of such 'unfair practices', and sadly i think it is going to be a continuing trend.
Actually, SWG doesn't have a cash store for in game items.
well its hard to sell players addicted with federation ethics in a ferengi type store some stuff.. the real feds wont buy a single piece there ... havent you been warned on the academy about ferengi?
The "milking the cow as much as possible" ethics in todays economy is nothing unusual but also nothing I'll ever support.. they have to find other buyers that dont think about value/price relation too much...
Compared to what some C-Store stuff cost any full game with 100s of textures and digital models should cost a few hundred dollars then I guess....!
For all those C-Store Items dont forget you have to keep your subscription running to get access to these "bought" items... I cant but cry and laugh at the same time thinking about this
but it took 7 hours and 8 pages for someone to name a game without one...
a lot of the "older" mmo's dont have them, nor will. I suspect the people financially behind SWG are expecting TOR to be the franchises cash-cow so wont put one in SWG at this point.
but as MMO's are coming out, they're coming out set up for cash stores. at this point, its too late to try and swing the industry round. its not a cryptic thing, its not an atari thing.. its a MMO thing,
because the times, they are a-changing....
a) they are accountwide (most other games like EQ II, LOTRO and Wow only grant items per char)
b) Cryptic/Atari has to share their gains with cbs
c) the c-store items cost equal to a few fast food meals/starbuck coffees, thats not that much.
Also there are the special sale weekends (tax day etc.) where you can save 20-25%, i use them regularely, since i only grant myself an average of ~5 per Month in c-store items.
No, but they have an trading card game with loot cards, basicially an kind of lottery, which is far worse.
Just about every SOE has a cash shop, even if it takes another name and gets filtered through a few game mechanics.
Thank you SOE, for always so readily providing an example of 'it could be worse'.
It's like a c-store where you shell out $10 for the unlikely chance of getting an item you want.
I really dont think its the whole in game store that is a issue, like many have stated, some of the more successful games have them, but typically if they are P2P, they only offer true cosmetic items.
STO on the other hand, feels the need to charge for items that if you step back and look at it, should have been included at launch. They always knew they were gonna release TOS Constitution class, yet never made the interior for it. The MVAM was suppose to be in game at launch, yet we paid for it.
Imo, i think its this kind of stuff that truly puts people off Cryptic's take on the micro transaction store. Not to mention that we were promised before launch that nothing in the C-store would influence in game play. This was promised because of the uproar the mere mention of STO having a Micro-transaction store.
I know people will say, "you don't have to use it", and i agree, but each time someone else does use it, it makes it all the worst, and just encourages more items created for the c-store, and causes more dissension amongst the player base.
And that is whats going to hurt this game more than anything else. We should consider ourselves lucky after the debacle of STO's release. I honestly feel if it wasn't for the people that did fork over Life time subs, we most likely wouldn't even be arguing over STO, as it would have folded.
We have been lucky that cryptic made some changes and we now have a Dev team that from all appearances, cares about the game. But the focus needs to be more on playable content then items that do nothing but cause the forums to erupt in flames every single day.
Hehe, as an analogy it was a bit like the 1-year annniv. event, you could get an occasional purple, but in the majority of cases you'll go away with an tribble.
An Friend spent over 200 on Booster Boxes to get an Starship Hangar. (I for my part tried to trade my Set of Mandalorian Armor for one, but no one wanted to trade)
Glad the c-store isn't there yet.
Star Trek Online: At Least We're Not Star War Galaxies
I really do love STO and I've come to accept the Store, but the prices are too high in a lot of areas.
And quite frankly, I really wish they would revamp the Store on the Website and in game more like Champions Online. Then, redo the prices.
Made me laugh, especially knowing the lead Dev's at SWG have stated the CU/NGE was the worst thing they ever could have done for SWG. And yet, still, they got a lot right in that game, some of the best, if not the best talent trees and crafting ever in a MMO.
Gonna have to make a few points here...
interiors - bridges were rushed in for launch.. interiors were always a "they'll come, in time" deal. that was apparent from beta.
the MVAM - along with the saucer seperation, they simply didnt have the code for it, and as far as i could tell, had no immediate plans to create the code for it either. the saucer seperation was called and called for and eventually they put it in, which in turn opened the door for the MVAM. i never ONCE saw it being said it would be in from launch.
the MVAM advanced escort is also obtainable via emblems, so isnt a store exclusive item.
and the C-Store has always had the promise of "if there is anything in there that affects gameplay mechanics, there will be an in-game alternative for it, either the item earned in game or something just as good as" which is a promise that so far its kept.. and that was promised because Jack hates microtransactions.. or so he says.
my point is, this isnt limited to STO.. WoW sells mounts far superior to what can got in-game on their cash store, at $10 a time i'm told.. they too have a trading card lottery game for exclusive items.. and its the biggest MMO out there, their subs and cash income pretty much out-weigh the rest of the top 4 combined i would imagine.. and like i've said, the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT is made in other game's forums about cash shops.. "why should we pay again?" ... "this should have been in from the start"... "we're being milked/nickle&dime'd" so its honestly not limited to STO..
has it hurt the game? driven away potential subscribers? made people angry and caused forum wars? yes... here and elsewhere too.. but its making enough money to keep the people in charge happy enough about having it, dispite the fall out.. so until every single gamer in every single MMO refuses to sub to any game with a cash store its really not going anywhere.
Well, actually the C-Store didn't always have that promise. Originally :
I really loved the way afterwards they were like "No, we didn't say that, we said..."
I always found that humorous
Really though, I'm not so hateful of the Store, only certain things like the prices.
They just broke that promise. Right now, if you want the simple game play mechanic of sitting in a chair in your lounge, you need to pay for the TOS interior.
SWG crafting is still phenomenal. Too bad they restricted most of it to just one class.
The old "choose your class combination" system was wicked.
from the latest release notes so if its not working on other bridges, its bugged.
"Any micro-transaction that has a game effect can also be earned in the game through play"
so those are jack's exact words then? i still cant think of something in the store that affects the game that cant be got by another means.. i think the one that comes closest is the referal rewards.. not exactly "gameplay" but still not exclusive to the store..
That's not the sort of thing being talked about.
That said, if the basic interiors don't get a pretty thorough QoL pass, then grrrrrrrrr.
The C-store species' unique traits, as pointless as most of them are. It still grates on me.
No it's not, but it should be. The generic in-game interior should've been the first one to get properly scaled and the interactivity added. Or the TOS one should've been released for free up until such time as it did.
Getting ships done right is a long time coming and with the possibility of custom interiors in the future, there might not be anymore dev incentive to do so.
- TOS T1
- NX T1
- TOS Shuttle
- All of the Playable Races
- 8 Hour Skill boost
- Melee Weapon Pack
- Borg Boff
- Tribbles
- Some Klingon ships (i think)
I know that some of them could be gained in a another way (for a short time) but right now every single one of those has an in game effect and can be gotten no other way.
Now, I personally believe every single one of those should be available in game , but what I really want is a C-Store Revamp:
1) Price changes
2) Visual Revamp (Both In Game and Website) to be more like the CO
3) Change the Sales System or provide a system to get Token by the Token (earning in game or online)
4) Change how the points are bought (400, 800, 1600, 4000)
5) More Bundles (New and of Pre Existing Stuff)
hadnt thought of that...
but then, if they bring in the system to convert a first officer to a player character that would give people access to quite a few.. i know there's some species that dont appear as Boffs yet too.
but its not as if those give players massive advantages over others.. as much as i agree they should be available via in-game means.
personally i would love to see a mechanic put in place to convert emblems from dailies into c-store points, its something i've brought up in the past as well. let players earn in-game for what they want in the store.. to me that seems the fairest way really.