I never thought the day would come in which the likes of an e-mail such as this would be needed from me. I've been a faithful customer since before the game launched. I'm not sure how much I've even spent on the C-store in addition to the subscription. Cryptic has gotten it's fair share of money from me, so I don't feel guilty in the least about the nature of the words I'm about to submit to you.
I would like to think that the F2P test server, as is it now, is in it's infancy. I would like to think that things are going to get better. Unfortunately, fellow Captains, I can't convince myself of the aforementioned statement's verity. I wish I could tell you all that it was going to be okay and the realm we love so much will not be tainted, corrupted, or destroyed. Indeed, I could tell you all this, but I don't have the conscience for it, because deep down, I believe it is a lie.
With the eradication of ship tokens comes a new form of currency, Dilithium. This is tantamount to Starfleet abandoning the practice of enabling it's up and coming best and brightest officers by no longer recognizing that each new command that is taken upon tier leveling is indeed earned honestly. No longer do I feel like I happily do the work of a Starfleet Officer for the good of myself, my people, and my fellow Federation brethren. Instead, I feel like I am a grunt of the gargantuan motherland.
No longer am I given the freedom as commanding officer of my vessel to accomplish the work within the guidelines specified as I see fit. Gone is the traditionally open-ended mission of exploring new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Captains, meet your new grind. Say goodbye to the freedom to choose. Say goodbye to the freedom to creatively choose your own path to endgame. I feel like I'm on the first shap, and Admiral Quinn is yelling in my face, "Move along home! HAHAHA!"
Now that my career path has been decided for me, I do not feel like a frontiersman on the fringe of the known, blazing trails for others to follow to victory. I feel as if I'm a puppet with woven duranium strings. Every move I make is expected, calculated, and depended upon. The life, the spontaneity- the very essence of what Star Trek Online meant to me, in it's current state on Tribble, is has died.
I was so incredibly happy to hear that there were now ways to earn dilithium on Tribble, but when when I logged in and realized that we were limited to dailies which earn roughly 1,440 units of currency, and compared this to the current price for goods, I felt disenfranchised. What's even more is how much worse I felt when I realized that crafting would now be my only viable option to earn gear, until I noticed that even numbered mark gear has been removed from the crafting table.
I spent my money well on this game when I had the money. Now that I'm in hard times, and I enjoy Star Trek Online as a very effective (up until now) means of relaxation, even though I would be a gold member, I feel that gold means nothing... this contract I entered into with Cryptic when I paid for a lifetime account must be shale if it honestly believes that the value I have paid for is equal to or greater than the value I enjoy.
Even as a gold member, It's no longer enough to play the game normally and rightfully earn your next command with your promotion. Now you have to fight yet another hard fight within yourself to decide where to spend your precious dilithium. Ships, or overpriced gear? You are free to choose either an under powered shell with great equipment, or a great shell with nerfed equipment. You are completely free to choose either, but, silly little Captain, you are not free to choose both.. Unless you would like to buy that right... Or put in extremely long hours of miserable grinding. Can't you just see the gleaming teeth of the Ferengi biting into your freshly donated currency?
I am deeply saddened by the recent changes made. I don't know if I can continue playing. It's certainly not fun in the least. I look at all the numbers and just feel overwhelmed. I do the math and see how long it will take to get the things I want. The things I'm used to having. The things I've earned honestly in the past, through the methods I've earned them, will no longer be mine for the taking.
I, like many others, are struggling with the idea of saying goodbye to Star Trek Online. Many of us are here for the love of Star Trek, not because we are MMO players. We were dearly grateful for the opportunity to experience life as a Starfleet officer among fellow brethren, but we are now experience the death pangs of our dear game. Cryptic, pay attention to us.. Heed our warnings and do not let our pleas fall on deaf ears. Do the right thing for your loyal customers.
Well said. The tragedy here is not a change of economy, but a change of philosophy. The game no longer feels like Star Trek. It feels like an MMO with a Star Trek coating. I've been a true believer and solid supporter, but you've said it personally. Of course I could stay and grind if I wanted to, and my Lifetime subscription means I'll have C-Points. But that's not the point. I don't play this game to play an MMO. I play it to play Star Trek.
I also feel the same about this and have been vocal in the past about what I saw as betrayals of the Star Trek ethos throughout the game's life thus far. All of my prior posts seem to have been in vain as Cryptic is more interested in doing what it wants to do in the search for profit instead of keeping the spirit of Mr Roddenberry's vision alive. Turning a utopia into a dystopia is no small feat even in fiction, but that is precisely what Cryptic is doing.
The main problem is how the new economy restricts us and reduces the freedom we have in playing the game. I wouldn't complain if I'm a free player, but as subscribers I think we've earned the privilege to have that restriction removed!
I too feel this linear thing only adds to the massive single player that sto already is.
With no exploration revamp in site, even champions has more fun exploring, going into new cities, not knowing whats around the corner. But for sto the only thing around the corner when F2P launches, will be that mission you have selected.
the shoe box must go......we need unknown sectors with random dynamic content to explore such as was promised at launch.
Well said. The tragedy here is not a change of economy, but a change of philosophy. The game no longer feels like Star Trek. It feels like an MMO with a Star Trek coating. I've been a true believer and solid supporter, but you've said it personally. Of course I could stay and grind if I wanted to, and my Lifetime subscription means I'll have C-Points. But that's not the point. I don't play this game to play an MMO. I play it to play Star Trek.
Well said, and well said OP. In the pursuit of a business model that will support the costs of the game they have murdered what a Star Trek game should be about. It is now just another gear grind, carrot on a stick MMO like all the others. A really, really, really grindy one, at that.
I would have liked to have seen them go more towards sandbox play rather than gear grindfest. F2P business mechanics would have worked just as well with that philosophy.
Here's to chasing the dream.. rather than chasing the carrot.
You really need to keep better informed. Check the dev tracker and f2p Blogs.
Crafting changes were a MISTAKE. And will not remove items, but actually ADD all the items you see.
It has been said that store prices will likely go DOWN by up to "an order of MAGNITUDE lower".
Furthermore, starting from scratch you have MORE THAN ENOUGH to buy your next tier ship using Dilithium, when you consider your getting in the region of a 90% dilithium DISCOUNT on the purchase and dilithium is awarded from more things than just daily missions - like events, lore quests, doff assignments... the list goes on.
STAY BETTER INFORMED and your fears will be reduced.
You really need to keep better informed. Check the dev tracker and f2p Blogs.
Crafting changes were a MISTAKE. And will not remove items, but actually ADD all the items you see.
It has been said that store prices will likely go DOWN by up to "an order of MAGNITUDE lower".
Furthermore, starting from scratch you have MORE THAN ENOUGH to buy your next tier ship using Dilithium, when you consider your getting in the region of a 90% dilithium DISCOUNT on the purchase and dilithium is awarded from more things than just daily missions - like events, lore quests, doff assignments... the list goes on.
STAY BETTER INFORMED and your fears will be reduced.
The only thing that will ease a lot of people's minds is not what Cryptic says. They've broken their word more times than any other company I've dealt with. No, to regain trust, they will *actually* have to fix the issues, and not just say they will.
The only thing that will ease a lot of people's minds is not what Cryptic says. They've broken their word more times than any other company I've dealt with. No, to regain trust, they will *actually* have to fix the issues, and not just say they will.
All due respect Zanshi, if you think Cryptic has broken their word a lot of times, then you haven't had to deal with SOE's handling of SWG for the past 8 years. Us SWG players didn't even get a diner and a kiss with what they did to us.
Not saying that Cryptic is innocent...but after dealing with SOE I like these guys.
But I agree with what most people are posting on this thread. I'm not happy with the dilithium being used as currency. Not liking AT ALL the fact that you have to have dilithium (around 10,000) if you want your next ship you get promoted to. That number seriously needs to come down if not removed.
I understand the F2P concept...but I'm having a bad feeling that we are experiencing another "rush to get this out" like they did at launch. It doesn't need to go live before the end of 2011 just because "Old Republic" is coming out at the same time. This f2p model can go live maybe at the begining of march.
It cant go live at March because Bioware release Mass Effect 3.
Not to mention waiting 6 MONTHS of bleak content on top of the current 4 months of limited content is completely unacceptable. STO is not LOTR or EVE Online where expansions have decent time to be developed because those games have a lot to do. The repetative and fast paced nature of STO makes months long droughts of content horrific.
It cant go live at March because Bioware release Mass Effect 3.
Not to mention waiting 6 MONTHS of bleak content on top of the current 4 months of limited content is completely unacceptable. STO is not LOTR or EVE Online where expansions have decent time to be developed because those games have a lot to do. The repetative and fast paced nature of STO makes months long droughts of content horrific.
Comments
Well said. The tragedy here is not a change of economy, but a change of philosophy. The game no longer feels like Star Trek. It feels like an MMO with a Star Trek coating. I've been a true believer and solid supporter, but you've said it personally. Of course I could stay and grind if I wanted to, and my Lifetime subscription means I'll have C-Points. But that's not the point. I don't play this game to play an MMO. I play it to play Star Trek.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=235135
The main problem is how the new economy restricts us and reduces the freedom we have in playing the game. I wouldn't complain if I'm a free player, but as subscribers I think we've earned the privilege to have that restriction removed!
With no exploration revamp in site, even champions has more fun exploring, going into new cities, not knowing whats around the corner. But for sto the only thing around the corner when F2P launches, will be that mission you have selected.
the shoe box must go......we need unknown sectors with random dynamic content to explore such as was promised at launch.
Well said, and well said OP. In the pursuit of a business model that will support the costs of the game they have murdered what a Star Trek game should be about. It is now just another gear grind, carrot on a stick MMO like all the others. A really, really, really grindy one, at that.
I would have liked to have seen them go more towards sandbox play rather than gear grindfest. F2P business mechanics would have worked just as well with that philosophy.
Here's to chasing the dream.. rather than chasing the carrot.
You really need to keep better informed. Check the dev tracker and f2p Blogs.
Crafting changes were a MISTAKE. And will not remove items, but actually ADD all the items you see.
It has been said that store prices will likely go DOWN by up to "an order of MAGNITUDE lower".
Furthermore, starting from scratch you have MORE THAN ENOUGH to buy your next tier ship using Dilithium, when you consider your getting in the region of a 90% dilithium DISCOUNT on the purchase and dilithium is awarded from more things than just daily missions - like events, lore quests, doff assignments... the list goes on.
STAY BETTER INFORMED and your fears will be reduced.
The only thing that will ease a lot of people's minds is not what Cryptic says. They've broken their word more times than any other company I've dealt with. No, to regain trust, they will *actually* have to fix the issues, and not just say they will.
All due respect Zanshi, if you think Cryptic has broken their word a lot of times, then you haven't had to deal with SOE's handling of SWG for the past 8 years. Us SWG players didn't even get a diner and a kiss with what they did to us.
Not saying that Cryptic is innocent...but after dealing with SOE I like these guys.
But I agree with what most people are posting on this thread. I'm not happy with the dilithium being used as currency. Not liking AT ALL the fact that you have to have dilithium (around 10,000) if you want your next ship you get promoted to. That number seriously needs to come down if not removed.
I understand the F2P concept...but I'm having a bad feeling that we are experiencing another "rush to get this out" like they did at launch. It doesn't need to go live before the end of 2011 just because "Old Republic" is coming out at the same time. This f2p model can go live maybe at the begining of march.
Not to mention waiting 6 MONTHS of bleak content on top of the current 4 months of limited content is completely unacceptable. STO is not LOTR or EVE Online where expansions have decent time to be developed because those games have a lot to do. The repetative and fast paced nature of STO makes months long droughts of content horrific.
Quoted for truth +1