1) Since Feb 2010 (though I haven't actually played the game in over two months now)
2) B+ for Looks, C- for the direction the game has taken since going F2P
3) It might partially be because I've become somewhat bored with it, but it's also because of the overwhelming manner in which the game has been monetized. It has become like playing a slot machine..., not-so-subtly asking/reminding you to drop more coins into the slot with every turn.
I hit 930 days today and I'm saddened by the fact that even though I'm a Trekkie/ker through-and-through, the game has disenfranchised me.
I never thought I'd ever feel that way about Star Trek.
STO Member since February 2009. I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born! Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
Lack of new playable storyline content. Focus on extensive grinding for endgame content. Persistant, longterm, Dev acknowledged bugs later labeled 'working as intended'. Massive inequity in faction specific content.
1) Since FTP
2) B
3)
Pros:
- Space combat is awesome (and Trek is awesome)
- DOFFing is addicting
- Dilithium exchange + Z-store seems to be a fair way to do FTP (especially now that there is a dilithium sink)
Cons:
- Quality Control is lacking
- Limited endgame
- Lack of attention to "Quality of Life" features = tasks takes longer and require more clicks than they should
Good Question.
I will go ahead with the bad stuff first...
1. PvP is shameful, i say SHAMEFUL, no one ever does it anymore.
2. Exlploration sucks big time, you can hardly call it exploration. The "explore unknown star system" missions are just you delivering supplies to a planet and blowing up patrols of ships. That is NOT exploration.
3. Cryptic just fired a torpedo and sunk the crafting boat with those un-replicadable materilas, I mean really? 1000 dil. for the uncommon ones.
4. Lock boxes: *sigh* now this is the worst in my opinion. I see people spending 100's of dollars to get a ship. That should not be, way to much for a ship. Cryptic needs to raise the chances for getting that prize ship, if that happens i will change my mind about boxes.
Now for the good stuff...:)
1. Combat is pretty good suprisingly. I did not expect it to be that good when joining STO. I could be better but good. I mean the phasers and other weapons look real enough and the torpedos are good to. The ground combat is awesome to i will just say that.
2. The missions are decent enough(as in the Cryptic made missions). I mean they could be more intresting but their ok. The rewards need to be more "up to date" so to speak though.
3. PvE is decent, they get boring after awhile, but it will do.
4. Fleet Starbases: This is not good or bad but more of in the middle. I see no point in fleet starbases except to use them as social hang outs. doff assignments,fleet weapons, and having a cool looking starbase. But honestly if i had to choose i would go to diffrent starbases. But im loyal to my fleet so i will contribute.
One more thing: when boxes came out i questioned my self. Does Cryptic care about content more or the money they make. That question still is yet to be asnswered for me.
1) How long have you been playing? Since about 2 weeks before launch
2) What grade would you give STO? B
3) Why do you feel that way? Wow maybe I should not rate since I really dont play any other mmo. So its hard to compare.. But I love this game. For someone like me who dont drink the whole bottle of Pepsi in one day its great. "dont rush threw the game and guzzle content in a day" It has plenty to do! Why not a C? I wont pay to play a C game. I pay monthly for this one. Why not a A if you like it so? Because they messed up.. The bussiness model is messed up. F2P? Sure but I would of had real paid expanisons. I would of had a real paid klingon expansion. Not this half done joke one. But over all I am a fed and for us tis game is great;)
While I enjoy the IP, character/ship customization, Duty Officer system and system space environment that keep me logging into the game every couple of days, I find little else in STO to hold my interest. About the only things I do now are DOFF missions in support of SB projects.
After leveling 10 Fed characters with 6 making it to VA and 7 KDF characters with 3 making it to LG, I've seen almost all of the "official" content repeatedly. I don't care for PvP nor grinding "elite" dungeon content hundreds of times. I didn't like the idea of the Foundry way back when because I thought it would become the defacto content generator for STO.
Crafting's only redeeming quality is for providing the Aegis ship set for first timer runs in STFs. Were it not for SB projects, I would not even bother collecting samples.
Regarding Exploration - my main VA, with all the boxed ships, is an ambassador via DOFF content but only uses the Tuffli to be able to buy cheap commodities for SB projects. I've yet to even be bothered to go do a First Contact mission.
After purchasing several different versions of the game client in order to receive the various retail specialty items, I did purchase the Lifetime subscription when it was first offered. While continuing to support the game since release and in spite of being a "lifer", I have since acquired almost every ship available in game with the exception of the bug and a couple of C-Store ships. I have all of the bridge packs. I have all of the ship skins. I have all of the uniforms except the cadet racing team. I have a D'kora with upgrades, Galor with 6 special beam arrays, Boxed Galor, Tuffli cargo ship, a dozen boxed MU ships, Wells, Mobius and Aeon and lots more.
And yet still I hang around STO awaiting my TOS Romulan Bird of Prey and D'deridex...
Its a F2P game, so considering how much you get for nothing its a real bargin. If you spend some cash on a Collector's edition, you're really all set. The trouble is if you're gotta have it all type of person. Alot of stuff is locked away and can cost some real cash to get. But if you're willing to ignore the epensive stuff and either spend a few bucks here and there or farm a bit you'll do fine.
It's definitely not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but, overall, I think it actually does a decent job of taking elements from all eras and aspects of Star Trek's 46 year history, and creating an enviroment where Star Trek fans of any era can find something familiar and fun to do. I also like a lot of the recent additions, and the Starbase advancement system. It really does give Fleets a reason to exist and work together to ,make something in the game.
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012 PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
3. While we all could agree that STO could be much better, it's the only MMO I have played for longer than three months. So it's doing something right. It all boils down to the fact that there isn't much worth doing once you beat the storyline, most of the coolest things about the game are underdeveloped, and there are so many really silly graphical choices and issues it's not really funny anymore. (Since when do asteroids glow?)
1) How long have you been playing? - Since beta, was my secondary game back then.
2) What grade would you give STO? - C to C-, and I think I am being generous only because I like Star Trek.
3) Why do you feel that way? - I could write pages, but let's just say I feel the game is still not where it should have been for launch. Although progress is being made, core gameplay systems are still in poor condition for such a big title.
Things such as a full Second Faction, PvP, Crafting, Social Gameplay, Endgame, and Content - all "must haves" are barely skeletal system.
The vision of the game has shifted from a fun Star Trek gaming experience to a mindless grindfest of limited content.
Too many monetary hooks for "fluff" items and nothing to really do with those "fluff" items.
Failure to capitalize on continue consistent support of the foundry and user generated content.
Severe and drastic deviations from the Star Trek mythos and ethos, e.g. non-factional ships.
Hurried pushes of content to live without proper testing and QA, then bugs lingering for months (even years) without being fixed.
Basically the game can play PvE well, it looks good, and you have rich character customization. Beyond that, the game is way behind with no hope of catching up to where it should be for a game of its age.
1) How long have you been playing?
Since August 2010. When I was given this game as a gift from my now 87 year old grandmother.
2) What grade would you give STO?
3.5 out of 5.
3) Why do you feel that way?
Lack of Klingon unique missions compared to feds.
Lack of love for PVP.
PVE Ground Enemy's powers being insanely OverPowered.
Lack of love for Klingons.
Nothing new in the C-Store because of Lockbox's. I miss every month having a new ship for both factions or the like. New Uniforms for both factions should be a normality.
I have no problem with "Pay to win" but with every new thing being put in Lockbox's it kind of makes me miss 2011 when everything just came in the C-Store because it could.
1) Hrmm, beta'd but did not buy. Took another look after they did the trials. Did not stay. Then off and on since the freemium conversion.
2) A shiny sticker.
3) Honestly, I think grading STO would be doing the game a disservice. It absolutely fails on so many levels, that almost any objective analysis would be hurtful...much less any subjective discussion.
However, I give it a shiny sticker - cause sometimes it's just fun, no matter everything that's wrong - sometimes it's just fun. The music's great. Yes, sometimes I just load the game up to hear the music play while surfing the web. It's a quirky TPS that can be fun for a little while. I'd put it up there with Bejeweled, Tetris, and the like...
3. While we all could agree that STO could be much better, it's the only MMO I have played for longer than three months. So it's doing something right. It all boils down to the fact that there isn't much worth doing once you beat the storyline, most of the coolest things about the game are underdeveloped, and there are so many really silly graphical choices and issues it's not really funny anymore. (Since when do asteroids glow?)
You saw those glowing asteroids too ? I hit a normal one last night that wasn't the usual holographic projection or semi-solid vapor cloud- stopped me dead in my tracks (SOLID as a rock).
1. Content seems to be now driven by development mostly around lock boxes; a system that uses chance or gambling to un-lock desired content rather than a strait forward purchase. This system is obviously a cause for bad public relations between consumer and provider. Although, Cryptic doesn?t seem to care so long as revenue is flowing in.
2. STO is a very un-polished game in all aspects to include, artwork, modeling, environments and etc. The biggest offender for me however is how un-polished the game user Interface really is. I went to college with freshmen that in my opinion are ten times better UI conceptual artists than what we have been given in STO.
3. The game is diseased with bugs, some as old as the game itself and others introduced regularly during the weekly patches. This is more a quality assurance issue and an annoyance but it deserves a place in contribution to the low mark that I give STO.
4. The game does not have any sort of balance when it comes to how abilities are handled in the game. This is a very serious issue for me.
5. The game lacks development in the story line. Many of the story lines are not brought to conclusion. Even more are simply un-interesting.
6. The AI or NPC enemy ships and ground units are very un-interesting. They do not represent a challenge and are nothing more than ducks in a duck hunt once the user is able to figure out how abilities work in the game. Something which the game does not explain to the user at any point or in any tutorial to any degree worth anything to anyone!
Concusion. The only reason I play this game, which I would grade as 4 out of 10 is because it is star trek. If this were just some space shooter game, I would have stopped playing it during BETA. That is right, I would have left durign beta.
To be frankly i am not into MMOs at all. Seeing other players with rediculus names or totally unstarfllet-ish uniforms just kills ANY immersion. Not to speak of the diverse chat channels which thankfully can be deactivated. Fortunately STO isn't so much guild/fleet or PvP centered as other MMOs i hate to be reliant to other people, especially in a game.
If i want to interact with other people i open the door and go somewhere to meet people in person.
The reason i play STO is because it is the only ongoing Star Trek RPG.
I like the combination of playing the Captain (ground) and flying the Ship (space). I like the big amount of customization if it is equipment or visual customization (Character/Ship).
I also like the Community made missions.
Space Combat in general is allright, but Cryptics implementation of Star Trek ships is just awful. The ship mechanics (stone/paper/scissor) can't work with Star Trek ships.
The biggest thing i don't like about STO is the enormus amout of missed opportunities, and definite cryptics visual designs. Everything looks just exaggerated if it's ships, interiors, ground equipment or cryptics uniforms.
The game feels more like a huge permanent Sci Fi convention than a consistent Star Trek game.
Interiors are huge and space is tiny.
Too much War and destruction everywhere, there is virtually no exploration (just some random combat missions is NOT what i think of exploration).
Lockboxes and Starbase resources sink, need i to say more?
I could go on and on, but i don't want to bore any of you.
Thank you for reading.
"...'With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured...the first thought forbidden...the first freedom denied--chains us all irrevocably.' ... The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today--"
- (TNG) Picard, quoting Judge Aaron Satie
And honestly, after a lot of try on a lot of F2P or non MMORPG, it's for me one of the best.
Ground and Space fight are really enjoyable and rewarding, scenarized mission are some of the best i found in an online game (I actually read everything insteded of passing dialogue). Every new feature are simply stunning : foundry (!!!) Fleet base, DOFF (it's for me the best addition to the game, it's actually addictive as hell and very fun) etc...
I totaly love the Pvp side (I must be the only one but heh! ) fun to play.
As an RPer, I totaly love social zone, so polish on graphism side, Ship interiors and the average feeling of playing a mmoRPG and not just another "just" Mmo.
The only problem I have with this game is actually some player, always complaining, but I guess it must be the same thing in every actual MMO of this size (as much as bugs or other complaining subjects are).
Cardassian "Pirate-Adventurer-Flirty" Captain Zerf "Bob" Burpoowheel
From the impressive Star-Sloop Obsidian Shrike
well the game is sadly average it has no outstanding features , the doff system is interesting but very few missions are actually worthwhile .they wasted an awefull lot of time on the foundry at a critical time for the game and it frankly has never recovered , instead of the employess at cryptic creating content the decided to pander to a little group who basicly wanted modding tools .
the game is 3 years old now allmost and pretty much at the same stage story wise it was at launch .they did do some nice work graphicley , particulary sector space , but sorry apart from 3 new episodes and the doff system the game is exactly the same as it was when launched ,its more polished but its very under developed .
3) Why? 'Cause the only other MMO that's held my attention for this long was Star War Galaxies - a game that got (pre NGE) almost everything right in my opinion.
Because it's Star Trek and despite the canon violations and the shonky plot I still get to fly a tricked-out badass Excelsior.
Because my M.A.C.O. and Omega armor/ship sets are freaking awesome.
Because the Featured Episodes offer some great storytelling and game devices plus some really, really nice loot.
Because I do sincerely believe that the team wants to improve this game - but making money - lots of money has to come first.
Because I've been playing for all this time and I still have stuff to do - upgrading all my Doffs to very-rare, getting the complete KHG set for my Klingon engineer, helping my Fleet(s) get to Tier 5 starbases, playing all the missions in Defera and Nukara and finally making my own Foundry missions.
I bought an LTS waaay back when the game went live and it's been worth every penny - STO has its faults - many, many of them - but there's plenty to like too if you care to look for it.
And for new players? It's free ffs. You've got nothing to complain about.
Don't remember exactly, I've been playing since not very long after launch. Since before the level cap increase (45-50) and the Devidian missions. Took a long break of about a year and a half though.
How do I rate the game and why?
Difficult to say... I am and always have been a Star Trek fan (thanks dad... :rolleyes:) and this game has consistantly felt 'Trek'.
B+
Why?
Here's the thing: It just needs... more.
More exploration AND more ways to blow things up.
One of the big problems faced by the devs, I think, is that this game has the near impossible task of marrying two types of gamer (and trek fan): The 'Dominion War/First Contact lets blow stuff up' crowd, and the 'Data gets a girlfriend/Picard gets hit by energy from a probe and lives an alternate life in the space of 5 minutes' crowd. I like and want both. Both are Trek and I am willing to give (or have to, being a lifer) the devs time to work that one out.
No, there isn't much for a max level player with all the gear to do. There is nothing new. But isn't that how it is when you play a game a lot over a long period of time? I for one am willing to give the devs a bit of slack on that one.
I will say that I agree that there could me more content added more frequently that doesn't come in a lock box, and that they could fix lots of bugs and so on. The lock boxes are 'ok', tolerable. Morally spurious, but tolerable. But they and their contents should be EXTRAS.
But, in general, a B+ because it is a Star Trek game and not a Sci-Fi game with a Trek skin and we (trek fans) are, I think, one of the most (notoriously) difficult audiences to please. Just look at the forums...
A note about the comment above about people with 'stupid' names and 'non-trek' activity: That, frankly, is not cryptic's fault. That is a purely player personal preference related issue. I would far prefer to have as much liberty as possible to customize my character than to have to choose from a list. On that, I give the game a rating a A+
I'm just saying 'credit where credit is due' and 'understanding and objectivity' for where things have 'failed'.
1) How long have you been playing?
Since closed Beta
2) What grade would you give STO?
C+ at the most.
3) Why do you feel that way?
While STO has come a long way, it is still far from a complete game, and nothing like Star Trek. The direction has turned into a greedy cash grab, and the only new content(if you can call it that) we get is Foundry missions. While there are some truly great professional quality foundry missions, most people want DEV made content to be the driving force of a game, ESPECIALLY in a top tier franchise such as STO.
The Crafting system is another example of a cash grab, now some say you can get all the dilithium you need to craft anything you want, which is true, you are restricted to refining 8k Dilithium a day with a Veteran mission that increases that to 2k additional every 2 days. At that rate it takes a long long time to make a set, that you will most likely not be useing for long.
3) The game has many unfinished building yards. There are stilll many bugs in the game that have not been solved after all. KDf is still a hollow shell content wise compared to the Federation. PvP and crafting are in a desperate need of an overhaul and there is little end game content in the game.
KDF Faction. Back in august 2008 we told by the CEO of Cryptic that There be TWO full PVE Faction at launch. But here we are with 1000 day vet day arriving. And we no where near two Full PVE Faction. Been lots of talk and very little action.
So that couple with there lack of QA. Releasing buggy content, fix one bug but adding 3 more.
3. The game has been stagnating now for quite some time and since it went FTP its has become a lockbox and grind feast........the Star Trek franchise has over 40 years worth of ideas, yet STO does not even scratch the surface and seems to not really try any more........a failed opportunity of epic proportions......real shame for us Trek fans.
Comments
1) Since Feb 2010 (though I haven't actually played the game in over two months now)
2) B+ for Looks, C- for the direction the game has taken since going F2P
3) It might partially be because I've become somewhat bored with it, but it's also because of the overwhelming manner in which the game has been monetized. It has become like playing a slot machine..., not-so-subtly asking/reminding you to drop more coins into the slot with every turn.
I hit 930 days today and I'm saddened by the fact that even though I'm a Trekkie/ker through-and-through, the game has disenfranchised me.
I never thought I'd ever feel that way about Star Trek.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
Since pre-order early access.
C+/C-
Lack of new playable storyline content. Focus on extensive grinding for endgame content. Persistant, longterm, Dev acknowledged bugs later labeled 'working as intended'. Massive inequity in faction specific content.
Happy to comment.
a for being fun to play.
My character Tsin'xing
8 Months
2) What grade would you give STO?
C
3) Why do you feel that way?
Exploration is horrible, physics are horrible, no good voice acting
But I'm still addicted to it...probably cause i'm a Trekkie
2) B
3)
Pros:
- Space combat is awesome (and Trek is awesome)
- DOFFing is addicting
- Dilithium exchange + Z-store seems to be a fair way to do FTP (especially now that there is a dilithium sink)
Cons:
- Quality Control is lacking
- Limited endgame
- Lack of attention to "Quality of Life" features = tasks takes longer and require more clicks than they should
Since Season 3
2. What Grade would you give STO?
C-
3. Why do you feel that way.
Good Question.
I will go ahead with the bad stuff first...
1. PvP is shameful, i say SHAMEFUL, no one ever does it anymore.
2. Exlploration sucks big time, you can hardly call it exploration. The "explore unknown star system" missions are just you delivering supplies to a planet and blowing up patrols of ships. That is NOT exploration.
3. Cryptic just fired a torpedo and sunk the crafting boat with those un-replicadable materilas, I mean really? 1000 dil. for the uncommon ones.
4. Lock boxes: *sigh* now this is the worst in my opinion. I see people spending 100's of dollars to get a ship. That should not be, way to much for a ship. Cryptic needs to raise the chances for getting that prize ship, if that happens i will change my mind about boxes.
Now for the good stuff...:)
1. Combat is pretty good suprisingly. I did not expect it to be that good when joining STO. I could be better but good. I mean the phasers and other weapons look real enough and the torpedos are good to. The ground combat is awesome to i will just say that.
2. The missions are decent enough(as in the Cryptic made missions). I mean they could be more intresting but their ok. The rewards need to be more "up to date" so to speak though.
3. PvE is decent, they get boring after awhile, but it will do.
4. Fleet Starbases: This is not good or bad but more of in the middle. I see no point in fleet starbases except to use them as social hang outs. doff assignments,fleet weapons, and having a cool looking starbase. But honestly if i had to choose i would go to diffrent starbases. But im loyal to my fleet so i will contribute.
One more thing: when boxes came out i questioned my self. Does Cryptic care about content more or the money they make. That question still is yet to be asnswered for me.
Since about 2 weeks before launch
2) What grade would you give STO?
B
3) Why do you feel that way?
Wow maybe I should not rate since I really dont play any other mmo. So its hard to compare.. But I love this game. For someone like me who dont drink the whole bottle of Pepsi in one day its great. "dont rush threw the game and guzzle content in a day" It has plenty to do! Why not a C? I wont pay to play a C game. I pay monthly for this one. Why not a A if you like it so? Because they messed up.. The bussiness model is messed up. F2P? Sure but I would of had real paid expanisons. I would of had a real paid klingon expansion. Not this half done joke one. But over all I am a fed and for us tis game is great;)
Since Dec 2009 Closed Beta - Pre-Release Lifer
C-
While I enjoy the IP, character/ship customization, Duty Officer system and system space environment that keep me logging into the game every couple of days, I find little else in STO to hold my interest. About the only things I do now are DOFF missions in support of SB projects.
After leveling 10 Fed characters with 6 making it to VA and 7 KDF characters with 3 making it to LG, I've seen almost all of the "official" content repeatedly. I don't care for PvP nor grinding "elite" dungeon content hundreds of times. I didn't like the idea of the Foundry way back when because I thought it would become the defacto content generator for STO.
Crafting's only redeeming quality is for providing the Aegis ship set for first timer runs in STFs. Were it not for SB projects, I would not even bother collecting samples.
Regarding Exploration - my main VA, with all the boxed ships, is an ambassador via DOFF content but only uses the Tuffli to be able to buy cheap commodities for SB projects. I've yet to even be bothered to go do a First Contact mission.
After purchasing several different versions of the game client in order to receive the various retail specialty items, I did purchase the Lifetime subscription when it was first offered. While continuing to support the game since release and in spite of being a "lifer", I have since acquired almost every ship available in game with the exception of the bug and a couple of C-Store ships. I have all of the bridge packs. I have all of the ship skins. I have all of the uniforms except the cadet racing team. I have a D'kora with upgrades, Galor with 6 special beam arrays, Boxed Galor, Tuffli cargo ship, a dozen boxed MU ships, Wells, Mobius and Aeon and lots more.
And yet still I hang around STO awaiting my TOS Romulan Bird of Prey and D'deridex...
Since launch
2) What grade would you give STO?
B+
3) Why do you feel that way?
Its a F2P game, so considering how much you get for nothing its a real bargin. If you spend some cash on a Collector's edition, you're really all set. The trouble is if you're gotta have it all type of person. Alot of stuff is locked away and can cost some real cash to get. But if you're willing to ignore the epensive stuff and either spend a few bucks here and there or farm a bit you'll do fine.
Since October 2009 (Original closed beta)
B
It's definitely not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but, overall, I think it actually does a decent job of taking elements from all eras and aspects of Star Trek's 46 year history, and creating an enviroment where Star Trek fans of any era can find something familiar and fun to do. I also like a lot of the recent additions, and the Starbase advancement system. It really does give Fleets a reason to exist and work together to ,make something in the game.
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
2. C
3. While we all could agree that STO could be much better, it's the only MMO I have played for longer than three months. So it's doing something right. It all boils down to the fact that there isn't much worth doing once you beat the storyline, most of the coolest things about the game are underdeveloped, and there are so many really silly graphical choices and issues it's not really funny anymore. (Since when do asteroids glow?)
1. On and off since beta.
2. C -
3. Incomplete factions/races primarily.
2) What grade would you give STO? - C to C-, and I think I am being generous only because I like Star Trek.
3) Why do you feel that way? - I could write pages, but let's just say I feel the game is still not where it should have been for launch. Although progress is being made, core gameplay systems are still in poor condition for such a big title.
Basically the game can play PvE well, it looks good, and you have rich character customization. Beyond that, the game is way behind with no hope of catching up to where it should be for a game of its age.
Since August 2010. When I was given this game as a gift from my now 87 year old grandmother.
2) What grade would you give STO?
3.5 out of 5.
3) Why do you feel that way?
Lack of Klingon unique missions compared to feds.
Lack of love for PVP.
PVE Ground Enemy's powers being insanely OverPowered.
Lack of love for Klingons.
Nothing new in the C-Store because of Lockbox's. I miss every month having a new ship for both factions or the like. New Uniforms for both factions should be a normality.
I have no problem with "Pay to win" but with every new thing being put in Lockbox's it kind of makes me miss 2011 when everything just came in the C-Store because it could.
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https://www.facebook.com/CaptainBMoney913
Join Date: August 29th 2010
2) A shiny sticker.
3) Honestly, I think grading STO would be doing the game a disservice. It absolutely fails on so many levels, that almost any objective analysis would be hurtful...much less any subjective discussion.
However, I give it a shiny sticker - cause sometimes it's just fun, no matter everything that's wrong - sometimes it's just fun. The music's great. Yes, sometimes I just load the game up to hear the music play while surfing the web. It's a quirky TPS that can be fun for a little while. I'd put it up there with Bejeweled, Tetris, and the like...
You saw those glowing asteroids too ? I hit a normal one last night that wasn't the usual holographic projection or semi-solid vapor cloud- stopped me dead in my tracks (SOLID as a rock).
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
C+
Good core game with poor focus and growth.
R.I.P
Since BETA! Pre-Release.
F or a 4 out of 10
Six reasons for the low grade are as follows.
1. Content seems to be now driven by development mostly around lock boxes; a system that uses chance or gambling to un-lock desired content rather than a strait forward purchase. This system is obviously a cause for bad public relations between consumer and provider. Although, Cryptic doesn?t seem to care so long as revenue is flowing in.
2. STO is a very un-polished game in all aspects to include, artwork, modeling, environments and etc. The biggest offender for me however is how un-polished the game user Interface really is. I went to college with freshmen that in my opinion are ten times better UI conceptual artists than what we have been given in STO.
3. The game is diseased with bugs, some as old as the game itself and others introduced regularly during the weekly patches. This is more a quality assurance issue and an annoyance but it deserves a place in contribution to the low mark that I give STO.
4. The game does not have any sort of balance when it comes to how abilities are handled in the game. This is a very serious issue for me.
5. The game lacks development in the story line. Many of the story lines are not brought to conclusion. Even more are simply un-interesting.
6. The AI or NPC enemy ships and ground units are very un-interesting. They do not represent a challenge and are nothing more than ducks in a duck hunt once the user is able to figure out how abilities work in the game. Something which the game does not explain to the user at any point or in any tutorial to any degree worth anything to anyone!
Concusion. The only reason I play this game, which I would grade as 4 out of 10 is because it is star trek. If this were just some space shooter game, I would have stopped playing it during BETA. That is right, I would have left durign beta.
D
To be frankly i am not into MMOs at all. Seeing other players with rediculus names or totally unstarfllet-ish uniforms just kills ANY immersion. Not to speak of the diverse chat channels which thankfully can be deactivated. Fortunately STO isn't so much guild/fleet or PvP centered as other MMOs i hate to be reliant to other people, especially in a game.
If i want to interact with other people i open the door and go somewhere to meet people in person.
The reason i play STO is because it is the only ongoing Star Trek RPG.
I like the combination of playing the Captain (ground) and flying the Ship (space). I like the big amount of customization if it is equipment or visual customization (Character/Ship).
I also like the Community made missions.
Space Combat in general is allright, but Cryptics implementation of Star Trek ships is just awful. The ship mechanics (stone/paper/scissor) can't work with Star Trek ships.
The biggest thing i don't like about STO is the enormus amout of missed opportunities, and definite cryptics visual designs. Everything looks just exaggerated if it's ships, interiors, ground equipment or cryptics uniforms.
The game feels more like a huge permanent Sci Fi convention than a consistent Star Trek game.
Interiors are huge and space is tiny.
Too much War and destruction everywhere, there is virtually no exploration (just some random combat missions is NOT what i think of exploration).
Lockboxes and Starbase resources sink, need i to say more?
I could go on and on, but i don't want to bore any of you.
Thank you for reading.
Since open beta
B+
First, i'm a trekkie.
And honestly, after a lot of try on a lot of F2P or non MMORPG, it's for me one of the best.
Ground and Space fight are really enjoyable and rewarding, scenarized mission are some of the best i found in an online game (I actually read everything insteded of passing dialogue). Every new feature are simply stunning : foundry (!!!) Fleet base, DOFF (it's for me the best addition to the game, it's actually addictive as hell and very fun) etc...
I totaly love the Pvp side (I must be the only one but heh! ) fun to play.
As an RPer, I totaly love social zone, so polish on graphism side, Ship interiors and the average feeling of playing a mmoRPG and not just another "just" Mmo.
The only problem I have with this game is actually some player, always complaining, but I guess it must be the same thing in every actual MMO of this size (as much as bugs or other complaining subjects are).
From the impressive Star-Sloop Obsidian Shrike
c
well the game is sadly average it has no outstanding features , the doff system is interesting but very few missions are actually worthwhile .they wasted an awefull lot of time on the foundry at a critical time for the game and it frankly has never recovered , instead of the employess at cryptic creating content the decided to pander to a little group who basicly wanted modding tools .
the game is 3 years old now allmost and pretty much at the same stage story wise it was at launch .they did do some nice work graphicley , particulary sector space , but sorry apart from 3 new episodes and the doff system the game is exactly the same as it was when launched ,its more polished but its very under developed .
2) B-
3) Why? 'Cause the only other MMO that's held my attention for this long was Star War Galaxies - a game that got (pre NGE) almost everything right in my opinion.
Because it's Star Trek and despite the canon violations and the shonky plot I still get to fly a tricked-out badass Excelsior.
Because my M.A.C.O. and Omega armor/ship sets are freaking awesome.
Because the Featured Episodes offer some great storytelling and game devices plus some really, really nice loot.
Because I do sincerely believe that the team wants to improve this game - but making money - lots of money has to come first.
Because I've been playing for all this time and I still have stuff to do - upgrading all my Doffs to very-rare, getting the complete KHG set for my Klingon engineer, helping my Fleet(s) get to Tier 5 starbases, playing all the missions in Defera and Nukara and finally making my own Foundry missions.
I bought an LTS waaay back when the game went live and it's been worth every penny - STO has its faults - many, many of them - but there's plenty to like too if you care to look for it.
And for new players? It's free ffs. You've got nothing to complain about.
Don't remember exactly, I've been playing since not very long after launch. Since before the level cap increase (45-50) and the Devidian missions. Took a long break of about a year and a half though.
How do I rate the game and why?
Difficult to say... I am and always have been a Star Trek fan (thanks dad... :rolleyes:) and this game has consistantly felt 'Trek'.
B+
Why?
Here's the thing: It just needs... more.
More exploration AND more ways to blow things up.
One of the big problems faced by the devs, I think, is that this game has the near impossible task of marrying two types of gamer (and trek fan): The 'Dominion War/First Contact lets blow stuff up' crowd, and the 'Data gets a girlfriend/Picard gets hit by energy from a probe and lives an alternate life in the space of 5 minutes' crowd. I like and want both. Both are Trek and I am willing to give (or have to, being a lifer) the devs time to work that one out.
No, there isn't much for a max level player with all the gear to do. There is nothing new. But isn't that how it is when you play a game a lot over a long period of time? I for one am willing to give the devs a bit of slack on that one.
I will say that I agree that there could me more content added more frequently that doesn't come in a lock box, and that they could fix lots of bugs and so on. The lock boxes are 'ok', tolerable. Morally spurious, but tolerable. But they and their contents should be EXTRAS.
But, in general, a B+ because it is a Star Trek game and not a Sci-Fi game with a Trek skin and we (trek fans) are, I think, one of the most (notoriously) difficult audiences to please. Just look at the forums...
A note about the comment above about people with 'stupid' names and 'non-trek' activity: That, frankly, is not cryptic's fault. That is a purely player personal preference related issue. I would far prefer to have as much liberty as possible to customize my character than to have to choose from a list. On that, I give the game a rating a A+
I'm just saying 'credit where credit is due' and 'understanding and objectivity' for where things have 'failed'.
Since closed Beta
2) What grade would you give STO?
C+ at the most.
3) Why do you feel that way?
While STO has come a long way, it is still far from a complete game, and nothing like Star Trek. The direction has turned into a greedy cash grab, and the only new content(if you can call it that) we get is Foundry missions. While there are some truly great professional quality foundry missions, most people want DEV made content to be the driving force of a game, ESPECIALLY in a top tier franchise such as STO.
The Crafting system is another example of a cash grab, now some say you can get all the dilithium you need to craft anything you want, which is true, you are restricted to refining 8k Dilithium a day with a Veteran mission that increases that to 2k additional every 2 days. At that rate it takes a long long time to make a set, that you will most likely not be useing for long.
And the list goes on and on and on.........
1) Since open Beta
2) 4+
3) The game has many unfinished building yards. There are stilll many bugs in the game that have not been solved after all. KDf is still a hollow shell content wise compared to the Federation. PvP and crafting are in a desperate need of an overhaul and there is little end game content in the game.
D-
KDF Faction. Back in august 2008 we told by the CEO of Cryptic that There be TWO full PVE Faction at launch. But here we are with 1000 day vet day arriving. And we no where near two Full PVE Faction. Been lots of talk and very little action.
So that couple with there lack of QA. Releasing buggy content, fix one bug but adding 3 more.
2. D-
3. The game has been stagnating now for quite some time and since it went FTP its has become a lockbox and grind feast........the Star Trek franchise has over 40 years worth of ideas, yet STO does not even scratch the surface and seems to not really try any more........a failed opportunity of epic proportions......real shame for us Trek fans.