the game is just about exploration, scientific research, meeting new species and with very minimal combat and things to blow up (in many ST shows combat is sparse and normally the captains would avoid combat at all costs)?
Imagine, instead of STFs with borgs to blow up, we have endgame mission of scientific exploration to watch and study a new star being born.
I read a lot of people wanting a more ST like game.. but does the bigger population agree?
Personally, I will be the first to pack my bags and go find other games if STO ever becomes that boring exploration, supernova babysitting game... Its all about the big explosions!!
This is just a polling thread, no flaming please

Cheers!
Comments
That is not to say that I think there is no place in the game for well developed exploration, scientific research and meeting new species content. I think they should feature as prominently as combat-centric content and be accessible alongside.
http://www.hellokittyonline.com/ -- enjoy!
People don't play MMOs for such things.
However, I think this game need a stronger and more rewarding diplomatic/exploration part.
OMG.. they've finally done it.. kitten from hell.. online too!
Curiously.. that game has 930K likes on facebook while STO only has 150k??
Personally, I like the game as it is.
Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?
Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?
Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
Cryptic have taken the STO name and turned it into an MMO, and bugs aside, they've done a good job with it. They've still got some work to do, don't get me wrong there, but they're produced something that is both Trek and in an MMO. It works.
The one thing at launch that I just mercilessly complained about was the utterly lack of actual Star Trek content. It was like all they'd ever done to develop this game's style was sit down and watch Seasons 5-7 of DS9 and First Contact but with skipping any mission that didn't start with a space battle or battle plan briefing. Thankfully episodic content fleshed these options out, but even so its usually not particularly smart stuff and involves mostly just running across a map from console to console doing things even a 6 year old could figure out.
If you've ever played a game like KOTOR you know how in depth non combat content can get without being transparently about making you run around then read a window saying some BS justifying making you run somewhere else. KOTOR had dialogue based puzzles with good story behind them that involved standing in ONE PLACE FOR 10 MINUTES! It was about reading dialogue, analyzing what was going on in between the lines and coming to a conclusion.
Frankly even SWTOR never did anything this good. The Mass Effect wheel of fortune pretty much ruined old school Baldur's Gate style dialogue forever and apparently its better to give my generation fewer options lest we become confused and rage quit for some Halo. Ultimately STO doesn't even give you much in the way of dialogue options other than in a few episodes and even those are obviously transparent as well --
Option 1 - Use [Diplomacy] to auto win convo
Option 2 - Use reason
Option 3 - Tell person to go to hell
I mean sheesh, thats not exactly busting my skull. In the KOTOR days you'd have to navigate a series of dialogue options that branched off and you had multiple ways to get there. Yea I know, not a single player game and if for $140 mil Bioware Austin couldn't do it then what chance do we have of getting anything that good?
Frankly I'd love this game to be nothing but exploration and good dialogue puzzles, the odd combat thrown in, as an optional way to play. I just don't think the industry is in any way geared anymore to deliver good RPG story for MMO players. Mediocre story that tells you to go to Red Alert? Yep.
The problem I have with people who think like you do is that you think that the only way to do something is the way its already being done. There is a right way to do it and since so much of STO content is just instanced single player RPG stuff, how can it be any less valid for us to have decent story RPG content over copy paste generic combat scenarios?
STO gets very cose in some cases but its obvious that time constraints and creative talent limit the potential. But frankly just playing Second Wave for instance showed plenty of will to try and make something story focused, but execution is the only thing lacking. Execution isn't something to shrug off, execution is EVERYTHING (and once you execute polish becomes everything but we're not there). STO is just not executed brilliantly, but its core has so much will and potential to go where we would like it to go.
Its not that its not possible, its very possible, its that the smurfs who only want hack and slash demand nothing 'boring' and that stifles the possibility of smart people being gratified by even decent optional content.
EDIT. See quoted comment below mine for EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Actual reply to quote is good.
While I'd love to see the option to level completely in a "true Trek" way, without having to resort to mass genocide (100.000 dead klinks each SB24), I'm still in it for the space combat (and doffing). One of the things that has me playing the game, is the close relation of the space combat part to the old SFC titles.
It would be great to have some more options and choices in the story episodes, like the one they introduced in the facility 4028 mission. Being able to choose weather you want to kill the fugitives or just stun and arrest them.
In addition, a fully robust and fleshed-out exploration system for those of us who want to explore and discover new worlds and new civilizations?
It doesn't necessarily have to be an either/or scenario. We can have the best of both worlds.
Also, how do you access Deep Space in the normal present game? Seems silly that you cannot, if it is possible at all. As for being boring, honestly, and I am sure I will get plenty of heat for this, the only series that ever made Star Trek 'boring' in the sense that ppl refer too was TNG tv series, bar of course when the Borg came out. DS9 was also pretty boring (I wish the show had been more like their movies) when it first came out until they introduced the Defiant and the subsequent wars. TOS, Voyager and Enterprise were all action packed and had the crew's life in constant jeopardy for the most part.
EDIT: I wish we could keep battle damage on our ships too (as in hull scarring, etc... like in Star Trek III)... I think it gives a ship character.
But this game is not a MMO. All in it are premade and instanced missions. It more like a single player with a few cooperative maps, so sadly the OP's idea is not viable.
I'd probably play it if it were just two toons standing still and talking to each other.
I have no shame when it comes to TREK. :cool:
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
Infact we could easily split the game into three servers
1 True trek (klingons thump people and expand the empire , star fleet avoid mass casualties )
2 mmo Trek (what we currently have)
3 Pvp Holocaust (every where is open pvp and no level matching occurs)
(note Holocaust used here in the Greek sense "destruction by fire" not the political one)
I would still play if done right. It don't have to be all about combat/war.
USS Casinghead NCC 92047 launched 2350
Fleet Admiral Stowe - Dominion War Vet.
Someone knows what they're talking about.
Star Trek has always had a mixture of genres and tropes working for it. Episodes themed around action, war, mystery, suspense, romance, even horror episodes. It's part of the appeal of Star Trek, and why it's lasted so long.
In order to appeal to the same audience, it needs to follow the same path. Exploring around discovering new and cool things, but also discovering and defeating big nasty meanies that want to eat your face.
Think about it: what are the best episodes of Trek? They either have battles, or are character pieces.
I am with centersolace here, While I have nothing against the science and exploration aspects being revamped to being a viable part of the game. Science and exploration alone makes for a very boring game, let alone an MMO.
You aren't going to get the longevity you would have if you make it pure puzzle. People like blowing stuff up. MMOs survive on people blowing stuff up, so keep the blowing stuff up. It works.
If you watch all 170 TNG episodes and write down all the "skills" that the Enterprise used, you would only find a few "fire phaser" and "fire photon torpedo".
Mostly you would have non-combat skill. If we had them in the game as well that would be awesome.
For example:
[Hail] - skill to hail a ship and open conversation with it - 10% chance to fail, 90% chance to answer
[Introduce] - states you ship's name and your captain's name and that you are from the federation + 10% trust
[Mission statement] - states your current mission
->[exploration] - you are on an exploration mission + 10% to sensor power
->[evacuation] - you are evacuating something + 10% to transporters and shuttles
->[defense] - you defend a colony/base + 10% to shields
->[escort] - you escort a freighter/diplomatic ship + 10% engines
->[diplomacy] - you transport an ambassador + 10% trust
[Greetings] - Friendly Greetings and wishes of peace and understanding + 10% trust
[Lower Shields] - Friendly gesture to show peaceful intentions + 10% trust
[Scan] - Scan the ship for weaknesses (we kind of have this skill)
[Tractor beam] - +40% respect (we have the skill)
[Cite the Law] - You cite paragraphs of the law to support your position (Sheliak episode) + 20% respect
[Philosophical/Moral Speech] - You hold a long speech +30% trust +30% respect
[Historical Anecdote] - You tell something from history that is related to your current dilemma +40% trust
[Ignore Hail] - You ignore the hail of another ship for 5 seconds (Sheliak episode) + 10% respect
[Flee] - You leave the system at warp
[Surrender] - You submit your surrender
But you also have unfriendly-non-combat skills, like:
[Warning shot] - deliberately misses the other ship as a warning + 10% respect
[Fire with 10% strength] - Fires phaser with 10% strength as a warning + 20% respect
[Demand] - the next skill you use will be send as demand to the other ship - success% depending on trust/respect
->[Seize Fire] - demand the ship to seize fire
->[Drop shield] - demand the ship to drop shields
->[Leave] - demand the ship to leave the system
->[Surrender] - demand the ship to surrender
[Threaten] - the next skill will be transmitted as a threat to the other ship - adds 50% success chance to your demand
->[destroy] - threaten the ship with destruction + 30% respect (if fails: +30% hostility)
->[diplomatic consequences] - threaten the ship with worse relations with the federation +10% respect
->[trade embargo] - threaten the ship with a federation trade embargo +20% respect
[Disable Ship] - Fire on the ship, so that it will be disabled without casualties +50% respect +50% demand -50% relations
etc.
etc.
etc.
This is the stuff that the Enterprise did most of the time. You 'only' have to translate it into a game in a compelling way.
I don't have a problem with limiting the number of "blown up" ships and having most of them disabled, as long as it doesn't effect loot drops. Interestingly, I don't think I have ever gotten a loot drop from a disabled ship. would be kind of annoying if you end up never getting any loot drops because there is something in the system that only drops loot for "destroyed" and not "disabled" ships.
As for ground combat, much as I sometimes like to pretend I am running around slaughtering enemies left and right (I know, it is very "starfleet" of me. :P ) I don't know if there is ever any animation difference between "killing" and "Stunning" (In one of the Devidian episodes you are suppose to be firing on "High stun" but there is no actual change, seems to be just a plot device) an opponent, so I figure people can just use their imagination on that.
You are playing a different game than me apparently.
Even blowing stuff up can get old after a while. (I'm looking at YOU Michael Bay!)
Huh, that sounds really interesting. This needs deeper thought.
The average gamer wants nothing to do with thinking. They work hard, they just want a way to unwind. Apparently this is cheaper than vodka coolers.
Ah! I may be a gamer, but I'm also a Trekkie! Trek makes you think. A Trek videogame should make you think too.
I am in full agreement with this post which I replied to this way to get past the ten character limit...
STO Forum member since before February 2010.
STO Academy's excellent skill planner here: Link
I actually avoid success entirely. It doesn't get me what I want, and the consequences for failure are slim. -- markhawman