I don't really want STO to fail but I have since stopped playing and spending any more money on this aging version of STO.
IMO, With the company having many more assets now, I think it's time for Cryptic to start work on STO 2, secure a much larger budget this time around and produce a AAA mmo to rival SWTOR, as prestigious an IP as Star Trek deserves
I don't really want STO to fail but I have since stopped playing and spending any more money on this aging version of STO.
IMO, With the company having many more assets now, I think it's time for Cryptic to start work on STO 2, secure a much larger budget this time around and produce a AAA mmo to rival SWTOR, as prestigious an IP as Star Trek deserves
define rival, cause cyptic and bioware make very different kinds of games... a star trek version of swtor would probably not go over well... not that anything would.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
NGE was a far more substantive change to to Star Wars Galaxies. From moving to a flexible multi-profession system to one with fixed professions, from moving a turn-based combat into a real time system and what not. The scope of changes NGE brought was enermous.
Though, yeah - even that allowed still 7 years of further gaming. Though I am not sure how well sub-based games and F2P games compare in this.
It is very true that the NGE was far more disruptive to Galaxies than DR has been to this game, but as you surmised, that was my point...if SWG could survive the NGE then this game should definitely survive DR. The sub versus ftp aspect of each game could be the deciding factor in this games fate, however. Only time will tell, but I try to have fun with what we are given in the game.
Who cares? Play it until the servers shut down. Just don't spend any actual cash on it. you're only gonna get hosed in the end. Play foundry missions.
I agree totally. There have been serious errors made that point to short sighted or just plain mistaken views from higher level staff involved with this game.
My money is better spent on other things. I might just put the cash I was going to spend on this game over the next 12 months into a big pile and set fire to it.
The game won't just go away, even if 90% of the population left, they'd put it on maintenance mode, get rid of any devs and just let the player churn pump money into it.
Kinda like Champions Online. So long as it's making some money, they'll keep it running.
While I do not have specifics to STO these types of licenses often involve a guaranteed minimum royalty structure: CBS is given X% of the sales with a guaranteed minimum of Y amount of dollars. So just throwing some example numbers, CBS might get 7% of sales with a guaranteed minimum of $500,000.00. No matter what STO's sales are CBS gets at least $500,000 in license fees.
The guaranteed minimum is often what causes licenses to fold where an IP owned by the publisher can roger-on indefinitely on very little income.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
If you can turn a blind eye to the shortcomings as of late, I genuinely believe that STO has at least another strong five years ahead of it. I do think though, that in order to achieve those five years, and go further even, Cryptic need to take the game in a different direction.
Another five years with more of the same just isn't going to cut it; we've had that ever since Season 8. Almost everything that has followed Season 8 hasn't done the long-term job of satisfying the playerbase (more so the majority of forum users) - and yeah, not everyone who plays the game visits the forums - but if we [estimate] that 60% of forum users are unhappy, then I'd say it's a fair bet that equally, 60% of non forum users are also unhappy.
I don't care how good and successful Cryptic say Delta Rising was, that's bull. I suppose it depends on what they call a success; such as multiple purchases of the DR pack, but as far as expansions go (and in my opinion, whatever that counts toward) I found DR quite poor. It offered hardly anything new, and didn't really advance the story at all. All of the missions were generic and offered very little (if anything) for Republic or Imperial players.
STO needs a new direction, and a new plan of attack. Whatever they've got planned for Season 10 is no doubt already well in the works, but after that Cryptic really needs to go back to the start, think about what it is that they wish to do, and the best way they can achieve that. The factions (be them mini factions or full ones) need to run unique to each other, and not similarly. There needs to be a benefit, a significant benefit to play an Imperial or Republic character, and for the love of trek, the Republic faction needs to be tidied up, and further developed.
Oh, and specialization points - make them account achievements. Season 8 (I think) did a favour to those players with multiple characters. Expansion 2 took that favour away and spat in our faces.
Oh, and specialization points - make them account achievements. Season 8 (I think) did a favour to those players with multiple characters. Expansion 2 took that favour away and spat in our faces.
I call it the Ghekco Maneuver.
PROUD TO PLAY THIS GAME MINUS TO GIVING ANY INCOME TO CRYPTIC
I've played the game for about 2 and a half years now, and I've spent a good deal on the game (more than I'd be willing to admit) and in my opinion as an avid supporter for the game and a businessman, it's a matter of how they run the game. If they keep on this current trend, the game will crash hard. Though if they clean up their act, they will do just fine. The servers won't get taken down very easily, since this isn't a stand alone MMO. Since there are two companies that own this, and one of them being rather large, if they discontinue development, they can easily keep the servers running. If worst comes to worst, you just won't see updates and the game will be still playable. The C-Store will cover the cost of the servers. I'm sure that funding for development will be around for a few more years, and I'd love to see that!
TheGrateLordeCheesus Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM Doesn't Owe AnyoneEC Kirks Prot
Another five years with more of the same just isn't going to cut it; we've had that ever since Season 8. Almost everything that has followed Season 8 hasn't done the long-term job of satisfying the playerbase (more so the majority of forum users) - and yeah, not everyone who plays the game visits the forums - but if we [estimate] that 60% of forum users are unhappy, then I'd say it's a fair bet that equally, 60% of non forum users are also unhappy.
That is only if you believe that an happy customer is just as likely to report on the forums than an unhappy customer.
I am afraid forums have a selection bias. (But not only for unhappy customers. They also often have a bias for people that know a lot about the game, for example, because these people want to share and find the last corners of knowledge they didn't already gather. In that regard a forum is probably "better" than a support hotline, where really only people call when they have a problem.)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
I've played the game for about 2 and a half years now, and I've spent a good deal on the game (more than I'd be willing to admit) and in my opinion as an avid supporter for the game and a businessman, it's a matter of how they run the game. If they keep on this current trend, the game will crash hard. Though if they clean up their act, they will do just fine. The servers won't get taken down very easily, since this isn't a stand alone MMO. Since there are two companies that own this, and one of them being rather large, if they discontinue development, they can easily keep the servers running. If worst comes to worst, you just won't see updates and the game will be still playable. The C-Store will cover the cost of the servers. I'm sure that funding for development will be around for a few more years, and I'd love to see that!
Cryptic are laughing in their back pockets all the way to the bank right now. THEY DONT CARE about customer satisfaction. Their game is play-to-win and they get plenty of us mugs (me included) throwing money at every little damn unlock and pay-to-unlock feature that they are, I can assure you, raking in some HUUUUUGE profits. Game will continue all the time this continues.. and it will.
That is only if you believe that an happy customer is just as likely to report on the forums than an unhappy customer.
I am afraid forums have a selection bias. (But not only for unhappy customers. They also often have a bias for people that know a lot about the game, for example, because these people want to share and find the last corners of knowledge they didn't already gather. In that regard a forum is probably "better" than a support hotline, where really only people call when they have a problem.)
and asking a question on here tends to get faster (sometimes hostile albeit) responses than filing a ticket with tech support.
TheGrateLordeCheesus Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM Doesn't Owe AnyoneEC Kirks Prot
There are existing games that are around a decade old that have far, far less players than STO(example: Flyff). On the other hand, there have been very popular games that have ended before their time(example: City of Heroes).
With MMORPGs, it's hard to tell how long they'll last. STO could shut down tomorrow, or it could go on for several decades. I don't think we'll be able to tell just from recent content or player amount.
Cryptic are laughing in their back pockets all the way to the bank right now. THEY DONT CARE about customer satisfaction. Their game is play-to-win and they get plenty of us mugs (me included) throwing money at every little damn unlock and pay-to-unlock feature that they are, I can assure you, raking in some HUUUUUGE profits. Game will continue all the time this continues.. and it will.
Will their customers be happy customers? - No.
Do they care? - No.
well I didn't say anything about customer service, it's all around crappy. That should be a focus for them. If this is like any major corporation, Cryptic (owned by PW) and PW itself get all the profit, and the studios here get a cut of that and the Chinese overlords get the rest.
TheGrateLordeCheesus Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM Doesn't Owe AnyoneEC Kirks Prot
He's a talentless hack....I feel sorry for those fans of another space franchise...it's their turn to have their beloved franchise debased.
Star Wars fans aren't like Star Trek fans, they don't obsess about minutia about continuity or the technology, they just want a fun space adventure movie.
Besides even Gene Roddenberry bowed down to the all mighty nielsen ratings.
That is only if you believe that an happy customer is just as likely to report on the forums than an unhappy customer.
You might be missing my point.
Lets say you were to take a trip to your local city with the intention of asking a generic quiz, one that would reflect country-wide aspects. You'll only get a handful of opinions from a handful of people, but nine out of ten times, you'll still have that majority vote, and that's likely to carry country wide.
With STO, if you get a 60% disapproval rating from players here, on the forums, then I would think you'd also get a 60% disapproval rating if you had managed to ask the same questions to everyone playing the game who isn't on the forums.
Some people just want to play the game, they aren't bothered by idle chit-chat and such. Most of what people might want to know is also on the STOWiki, though it does require some time to search and understand.
One only has to look at the longevity of Champions Online in order to gauge if and when STO gets shutdown. Honestly these are probably simply and cheaper MMOs to keep going considering how little upfront investment was originally placed into STO, so I am not to worried about when the hammer comes down.
"Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game."-Guybrush Threepwood
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."-Hunter S. Thompson
There are hundreds of threads just like this one spread over the almost 5 year span of the game. Each one predicting a year, two...yet STO persists through them all.
Almost everything in Hollywood is "uncorroborated" unless you are a hacker breaking into Sony's private emails.
The Wrap had a fairly decent breakdown of it, though.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
There are hundreds of threads just like this one spread over the almost 5 year span of the game. Each one predicting a year, two...yet STO persists through them all.
I do agree with you I have seen many many many threads over the past four years. However I have not seen this game in such a bad shape ever. And before anyone says what about when Atari owened it I was here then yes we had a big lack of content but it was not and I repeat was not a flat out money grab like it is now.
I don't wish any bad things on the game and loved it as much as I played it, but after DR, I paid for the huge expansion upgrade and felt really peeved at how bad a purchase that was. As one of those people who used to shell out a hundred or so a month, I finally decided the value wasn't there, as I started to see more and more money grabs rather than productive things to buy. So I left and went back to WOW.
I'd come back if I found more value in the game again, but right now I see it as nothing more than attempts to take advantage of its player base. And this is coming from a fan boy who would buy practically everything the game had available.
I do check back from time to time, just to see if things are improving, but until they do, I'll be playing other games and spending my money on those indiscriminately.
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Given the changes that have happened post-DR and even before, how much time can STO affectedly sustain a playbase that keep it afloat financial wise before no one is playing the game buying things to keep the game from going bankrupt like many other MMOs?
NOTE: Please keep it CLEAN and respectful. I am trying to get feedback from people who have invested heavily into the game and would like to know from them where they think the game is heading in the future. This is NOT a dig at Cryptic/Perfect World. I am not directing this at any specific party.
UPDATE1: Yes I know some of you think this is a DOOM thread but it isn't. We all know the game will end eventually. The point of this is to get feedback from people as to how long they think the game has left before the game does shutdown given the state of the game currently.
I'd say we should be Ok past the Winter event but on life support by the next anniversary (Feb, 2015)...if things go the way they are..doubt it if levels would be the same by Summer event 2015. I'd give them 4-6 months at most unless they make drastic changes or make this a SOLO MMO.
I'd say we should be Ok past the Winter event but on life support by the next anniversary (Feb, 2015)...if things go the way they are..doubt it if levels would be the same by Summer event 2015. I'd give them 4-6 months at most unless they make drastic changes or make this a SOLO MMO.
Just so I understand your logic, the game will be fine until the Winter Event ends on Jan 15th, but 2.5 weeks later when the Anniversary Event starts the game will be on life support?
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
Just so I understand your logic, the game will be fine until the Winter Event ends on Jan 15th, but 2.5 weeks later when the Anniversary Event starts the game will be on life support?
Right now IMO...and from seeing my empty fleets, deader queues, newbies coming in and some passerby onlookers...winter event 2014 is what is keeping hanging from a thread this MMO.
Post winter event 2014 or late January 2015 has been historically a slow month since most "casual" players go back to other stuff but STO. If you have been long enough you would notice that late January and September are typically months which players dont log in much to STO...meaning post Winter/Summer events.
Most players in STO are currently "on" due to the events...as soon as that is over we could see a shift or first test by the end of January 2015. By summer 2015 will be the real test IMO if this pattern continues. Just my opinion and others in this thread stated that perhaps April/May 2015 will be a "trying time". Again to each its own and believe what you believe...this is just my take on. I hope to be wrong but if not we will see
I don't really want STO to fail but I have since stopped playing and spending any more money on this aging version of STO.
IMO, With the company having many more assets now, I think it's time for Cryptic to start work on STO 2, secure a much larger budget this time around and produce a AAA mmo to rival SWTOR, as prestigious an IP as Star Trek deserves
I was kinda thinking something like this myself recently...maybe they should think about a STO 2...if they could transfer items and keep accounts how they were that would be even cooler though I doubt that would happen.
Trouble is if that doesn't happen I'm sure people are going to whine and complain and it probably wont get much support.
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IMO, With the company having many more assets now, I think it's time for Cryptic to start work on STO 2, secure a much larger budget this time around and produce a AAA mmo to rival SWTOR, as prestigious an IP as Star Trek deserves
Idle speculation, such as seen in this thread, has a tendency to be way off when making predictions of a game's shutting down day.
define rival, cause cyptic and bioware make very different kinds of games... a star trek version of swtor would probably not go over well... not that anything would.
if I stop posting it doesn't make you right it. just means I don't have enough rum to continue interacting with you.
We'll see how things go after the Winter and Anniversary events..
It is very true that the NGE was far more disruptive to Galaxies than DR has been to this game, but as you surmised, that was my point...if SWG could survive the NGE then this game should definitely survive DR. The sub versus ftp aspect of each game could be the deciding factor in this games fate, however. Only time will tell, but I try to have fun with what we are given in the game.
I agree totally. There have been serious errors made that point to short sighted or just plain mistaken views from higher level staff involved with this game.
My money is better spent on other things. I might just put the cash I was going to spend on this game over the next 12 months into a big pile and set fire to it.
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The guaranteed minimum is often what causes licenses to fold where an IP owned by the publisher can roger-on indefinitely on very little income.
Another five years with more of the same just isn't going to cut it; we've had that ever since Season 8. Almost everything that has followed Season 8 hasn't done the long-term job of satisfying the playerbase (more so the majority of forum users) - and yeah, not everyone who plays the game visits the forums - but if we [estimate] that 60% of forum users are unhappy, then I'd say it's a fair bet that equally, 60% of non forum users are also unhappy.
I don't care how good and successful Cryptic say Delta Rising was, that's bull. I suppose it depends on what they call a success; such as multiple purchases of the DR pack, but as far as expansions go (and in my opinion, whatever that counts toward) I found DR quite poor. It offered hardly anything new, and didn't really advance the story at all. All of the missions were generic and offered very little (if anything) for Republic or Imperial players.
STO needs a new direction, and a new plan of attack. Whatever they've got planned for Season 10 is no doubt already well in the works, but after that Cryptic really needs to go back to the start, think about what it is that they wish to do, and the best way they can achieve that. The factions (be them mini factions or full ones) need to run unique to each other, and not similarly. There needs to be a benefit, a significant benefit to play an Imperial or Republic character, and for the love of trek, the Republic faction needs to be tidied up, and further developed.
Oh, and specialization points - make them account achievements. Season 8 (I think) did a favour to those players with multiple characters. Expansion 2 took that favour away and spat in our faces.
I call it the Ghekco Maneuver.
Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM
Doesn't Owe Anyone EC
Kirks Prot
I am afraid forums have a selection bias. (But not only for unhappy customers. They also often have a bias for people that know a lot about the game, for example, because these people want to share and find the last corners of knowledge they didn't already gather. In that regard a forum is probably "better" than a support hotline, where really only people call when they have a problem.)
Cryptic are laughing in their back pockets all the way to the bank right now. THEY DONT CARE about customer satisfaction. Their game is play-to-win and they get plenty of us mugs (me included) throwing money at every little damn unlock and pay-to-unlock feature that they are, I can assure you, raking in some HUUUUUGE profits. Game will continue all the time this continues.. and it will.
Will their customers be happy customers? - No.
Do they care? - No.
and asking a question on here tends to get faster (sometimes hostile albeit) responses than filing a ticket with tech support.
Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM
Doesn't Owe Anyone EC
Kirks Prot
With MMORPGs, it's hard to tell how long they'll last. STO could shut down tomorrow, or it could go on for several decades. I don't think we'll be able to tell just from recent content or player amount.
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well I didn't say anything about customer service, it's all around crappy. That should be a focus for them. If this is like any major corporation, Cryptic (owned by PW) and PW itself get all the profit, and the studios here get a cut of that and the Chinese overlords get the rest.
Ship build coordinator for The Breakfast Club http://WWW.TBCSTO.COM
Doesn't Owe Anyone EC
Kirks Prot
Uncorroborated BS is still Uncorroborated BS.
Star Wars fans aren't like Star Trek fans, they don't obsess about minutia about continuity or the technology, they just want a fun space adventure movie.
Besides even Gene Roddenberry bowed down to the all mighty nielsen ratings.
Mad?
Lets say you were to take a trip to your local city with the intention of asking a generic quiz, one that would reflect country-wide aspects. You'll only get a handful of opinions from a handful of people, but nine out of ten times, you'll still have that majority vote, and that's likely to carry country wide.
With STO, if you get a 60% disapproval rating from players here, on the forums, then I would think you'd also get a 60% disapproval rating if you had managed to ask the same questions to everyone playing the game who isn't on the forums.
Some people just want to play the game, they aren't bothered by idle chit-chat and such. Most of what people might want to know is also on the STOWiki, though it does require some time to search and understand.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."-Hunter S. Thompson
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The Wrap had a fairly decent breakdown of it, though.
I do agree with you I have seen many many many threads over the past four years. However I have not seen this game in such a bad shape ever. And before anyone says what about when Atari owened it I was here then yes we had a big lack of content but it was not and I repeat was not a flat out money grab like it is now.
I'd come back if I found more value in the game again, but right now I see it as nothing more than attempts to take advantage of its player base. And this is coming from a fan boy who would buy practically everything the game had available.
I do check back from time to time, just to see if things are improving, but until they do, I'll be playing other games and spending my money on those indiscriminately.
Fleet Admiral Ventaxa Proxmire, U.S.S. Shaka Walls Fell
Blog: http://www.sarbonn.com/?page_id=1990
Foundry series: Bob From Accounting & For the Sake of the Empire
I'd say we should be Ok past the Winter event but on life support by the next anniversary (Feb, 2015)...if things go the way they are..doubt it if levels would be the same by Summer event 2015. I'd give them 4-6 months at most unless they make drastic changes or make this a SOLO MMO.
Right now IMO...and from seeing my empty fleets, deader queues, newbies coming in and some passerby onlookers...winter event 2014 is what is keeping hanging from a thread this MMO.
Post winter event 2014 or late January 2015 has been historically a slow month since most "casual" players go back to other stuff but STO. If you have been long enough you would notice that late January and September are typically months which players dont log in much to STO...meaning post Winter/Summer events.
Most players in STO are currently "on" due to the events...as soon as that is over we could see a shift or first test by the end of January 2015. By summer 2015 will be the real test IMO if this pattern continues. Just my opinion and others in this thread stated that perhaps April/May 2015 will be a "trying time". Again to each its own and believe what you believe...this is just my take on. I hope to be wrong but if not we will see
I was kinda thinking something like this myself recently...maybe they should think about a STO 2...if they could transfer items and keep accounts how they were that would be even cooler though I doubt that would happen.
Trouble is if that doesn't happen I'm sure people are going to whine and complain and it probably wont get much support.