The best MMOs I've played, UI-wise, are Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World. There's really no comparison. And the most important feature they have in their UI is not tons of hotbars.
The worst is The Old Republic (with Final Fantasy XI in close competition). TOR's biggest issue is that the gameplay wants you to use tons of hotbars but the UI makes accessing the powers on them a total pain.
If STO were to rearrange how gameplay works to neither have nor require tons of hotbars, I would be delighted. Even an easy, in-game way (in other words, not the current macro system) to set a single button to use (for example, from my current main) Beam Fire at Will, Tactical Team, and Attack Pattern Beta in quick succession would free up two hotbar slots (and the UI space and keys those take) without actually making the game any less deep.
I strongly disagree with that. It is a relatively hard game to master but that is what makes it a very-very good one too. It is not a console game. I do fear that STO will be dumbed down to accommodate your kind of perspective on UI playability.
I would imagine that They are probably going to have a separate server for the consoles like Neverwinter does.
So everybody who uses a console will most likely be starting from scratch.
In my experience with this and other MMOs, accounts aren't tied to servers so I'd imagine as long as you are using the same Cryptic/Perfect World/ Arc (boo and hiss later) account to sign in, you should have your account records meaning all purchases and entitlements earned.
I have to admit I am intrigued by the idea of playing on HDTV without having to attach laptop (Read: willing to beta the Xbox One version).
It's not about the accounts, it's about the payment system for the micro-transactions. Sony and Microsoft force the games on their systems to use their payment system and require that system to be closed. NW uses Zen for in-game stuff still, but you have to buy that Zen through the MS system, and ONLY that system. They don't currently allow you to buy things from outside their infrastructure and bring them in. So unless Cryptic has managed to do something that EA couldn't do with their EA access/Origin Access, you can stop hoping for cross play and account transfers.
I doubt they will roll this out to new users (the target audience) to have them face people like me with 5 years worth of stuff accumulated, especially if there is a goal of pvp focus at all. You would get 50% quitting on the first day.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: "We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again."
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
I do have one question if it has not been asked already, Will I be able to play with all my current Characters and profile on my Xbox One when this is released? Or will I have to start again from scratch?
I'm very concerned that my PC play experience in STO will be drastically changed, and not necessarily for the better.
I REALLY dislike the UI controls in Neverwinter and the limitations on what abilities can be slotted, which is one reason I hardly ever play it. And I am NOT rushing out to buy an XBox One.
I welcome lighting changes, assuming they don't also require me to run out and buy new PC hardware.
While I wish Cryptic no ill-will, I find myself very reluctant to spend any money on STO until some of these concerns are addressed. I have no desire to spend more on STO and then find out I'm locked out of playing because I need to buy new hardware.
WIll we be sharing the same server with PC if we are playing on PS4 cause would rather not re-work 4-5 years worth of work on my character...; if not would their be the option to transfer to PS4 from PC?
Everyone, dont get to happy about this. They will do this like they did Neverwinter. You start from scratch. All that money you have put into Star Trek Online for the last 6 years, say bye bye. PC will not cross over to XBox...just like Neverwinter... So, everyone, get your wallets out and start paying once again...all those ships, all those upgrades, all those etc etc etc etc
If this is the case, I will not be playing STO on Xbox One.
The best MMOs I've played, UI-wise, are Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World. There's really no comparison. And the most important feature they have in their UI is not tons of hotbars.
The worst is The Old Republic (with Final Fantasy XI in close competition). TOR's biggest issue is that the gameplay wants you to use tons of hotbars but the UI makes accessing the powers on them a total pain.
If STO were to rearrange how gameplay works to neither have nor require tons of hotbars, I would be delighted. Even an easy, in-game way (in other words, not the current macro system) to set a single button to use (for example, from my current main) Beam Fire at Will, Tactical Team, and Attack Pattern Beta in quick succession would free up two hotbar slots (and the UI space and keys those take) without actually making the game any less deep.
I strongly disagree with that. It is a relatively hard game to master but that is what makes it a very-very good one too. It is not a console game. I do fear that STO will be dumbed down to accommodate your kind of perspective on UI playability.
Go reset the UI to the default and play an end-game character in TOR without customizing it. The UI for TOR works, but any UI that you need to customize in order to play the game is pretty much by definition a failure. By default they give you two hotbars. I need two just to hold the powers I am constantly cycling, and even then I have to choose to leave active powers off of it for the sake of efficiency. If you want access to things like fast travel, vehicles, toggles for things like forms/cells, your recharge power, etc you need at least one extra bar. I personally have 8, and probably would need at the minimum 6 for my main toon there.
Yea...not allowing me to play my existing account on Xbox will make this news about as welcome to me as the DC announcement. Unlike DC, this game has zero ability to draw in new players via console...if you're a Trekkie, you'll find this game and if you aren't, the gameplay is too convoluted (in a good way) for the average console player to even begin to comprehend...so any new players won't stay long enough to pay.
So they stand to draw in exactly no new business and more likely than not will actually lose a lot of it...I anticipate this going the Star Wars Galaxies route...dumb the game down for casual players who still won't care but you lose your hardcore fans in the process.
I'm all for streamlining the UI...I've been playing on and off since the beginning and still have to start new characters just to figure stuff out all over again if I leave for more than a month...stuff could be streamlined in a major way...but its not possible to make a controller work without carving off a ton of meat with the fat.
I do have one question if it has not been asked already, Will I be able to play with all my current Characters and profile on my Xbox One when this is released? Or will I have to start again from scratch?
if it works like the NW system it is 2 separate systems meaning your starting over from scratch and your purchases prob don't carry over . so those looking to jump to console be prepared to buy Xbox or PS currencies . and at least on Xbox i know that Zen is purchased thru the XBL system not thru the ARC system at least thats how NW Xboxone works .
Since, I have played Neverwinter on both systems, I hope they compromise a little and let us have at least our Zen Store purchases. I wonder on how they are going to release the seasons? When Neverwinter dropped four modules at once, it was very overwhelming and then they released one more a month later.
Knew this already after the forum added tabs for the two consoles so no real supprise! I guess they will keep the consoles separate but that could be wrong. A lot of games do mix PCs and console players together at least in social areas.
My biggest concern is it all gets dumbed down for consoles. I was a long time Elder Scrolls fan and then Skyrim totally dumbed down the UI and gameplay just to fit it into consoles. It kind of lost is special feeling after that despite still being an epic game.
So you've converted "a PC game that takes nearly an entire keyboard to play into a game that plays well with a 12 button controller."
As a PC player do I get the choice to keep my current setup or will I be forced to change to "radial menus and streamlining"?
^^^
That's a good question - there's a reason I PREFER PC gaming to Console gaming and if it means the PC UI functionality will be gutted so it works well for a Console version (I applaud the back end changes, but abhore front end acing changes if it turns the UI into a morse 'Console game' based UI.
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..."
Knew this already after the forum added tabs for the two consoles so no real supprise! I guess they will keep the consoles separate but that could be wrong. A lot of games do mix PCs and console players together at least in social areas.
My biggest concern is it all gets dumbed down for consoles. I was a long time Elder Scrolls fan and then Skyrim totally dumbed down the UI and gameplay just to fit it into consoles. It kind of lost is special feeling after that despite still being an epic game.
Wait, what games do that? I though FF XIV was the only one?
EDIT: And Shadowrun - it was so bad, I blocked it out of my brain, I guess.
I would imagine that They are probably going to have a separate server for the consoles like Neverwinter does.
So everybody who uses a console will most likely be starting from scratch.
In my experience with this and other MMOs, accounts aren't tied to servers so I'd imagine as long as you are using the same Cryptic/Perfect World/ Arc (boo and hiss later) account to sign in, you should have your account records meaning all purchases and entitlements earned.
I have to admit I am intrigued by the idea of playing on HDTV without having to attach laptop (Read: willing to beta the Xbox One version).
It's not about the accounts, it's about the payment system for the micro-transactions. Sony and Microsoft force the games on their systems to use their payment system and require that system to be closed. NW uses Zen for in-game stuff still, but you have to buy that Zen through the MS system, and ONLY that system. They don't currently allow you to buy things from outside their infrastructure and bring them in. So unless Cryptic has managed to do something that EA couldn't do with their EA access/Origin Access, you can stop hoping for cross play and account transfers.
If this is the case, they lost a player before I even had a chance to play. This would be a pointless use of resources to make if everything current players have invested is just pissed away if they want to play on a console.
Can we have a Dev response to this?
If it was good news, they probably would have said something right away. My speculation is that console play will require an entirely new account, with no connection whatsoever to your existing toons.
We're proud to announce that Star Trek Online will be launching simultaneously on Xbox One and Playstation 4 consoles in Fall 2016!
TRENDY - Please can you confirm whether we can transfer our progress over to the xbox/PS4 versions? I have played this game for 5 years and would love to play on xbox, but i will not start from scratch, nor pay anymore money to purchase things i already paid for, as per Neverwinter.
Neverwinter was a joke, i would have loved to play it on xbox but Cryptic repackaged the same content with slightly different pack names and resold it, nothing transferred. It was laughable, and it actually made me quit playing Neverwinter altogether on either system.
I am not asking for all my credits etc, just account unlocks/C store stuff. Lockbox ships would be nice as well considering how much investment goes into buying or winning one.
" Experience is a hard mistress, she gives the tests first, and the lessons after... "
They will do it like Neverwinter did...I did the same thing, loved Neverwitner and got a lot of stuff on it...after that Xbox TRIBBLE, I walked away. May have to do the same thing with STO.
I do have one question if it has not been asked already, Will I be able to play with all my current Characters and profile on my Xbox One when this is released? Or will I have to start again from scratch?
if it works like the NW system it is 2 separate systems meaning your starting over from scratch and your purchases prob don't carry over . so those looking to jump to console be prepared to buy Xbox or PS currencies . and at least on Xbox i know that Zen is purchased thru the XBL system not thru the ARC system at least thats how NW Xboxone works .
Well we will have to wait and see of course, but if that is the case then it would ask the question
"What would be the point of telling us its coming to console?"
except to make us promote the game for free for them.
The way I see it if already existing PC players cant use there current Accounts and profiles then telling us "the PC players" that its coming to console is a waste of time.
I am not going to waste more money and time in starting again on a different format, since I still have around 5 or 6 toons that still need work as it is (and I mean a lot of work).
Also what about Lifetime subscribers like myself that paid a hefty lump sum of money?
(then gets kicked in the butt when they do the random discount events)
if I had to start again that would also be a low blow under the belt to long standing players would it not?
Now I know there not twisting my arm saying you must play on console, I just really like the idea of playing on console but only if I can play with my current account and just for them off days where I don't want to use a mouse and keyboard to play or just want to chill out on my sofa and continue that one mission where I left off after a long day and chill.
Truth is, that if they want to port the game to those consoles, they will have to port it to Dx12, thats the programming lenguaje of PS4 and Xbox, that means new engine.. or mostly new engine.
I would imagine that They are probably going to have a separate server for the consoles like Neverwinter does.
So everybody who uses a console will most likely be starting from scratch.
So what will happen is there will be 4 pc , 4 xbox, and 4 ps4 players all waiting for one more player to queue up to start a mission at peak time of gameplay.
I do have one question if it has not been asked already, Will I be able to play with all my current Characters and profile on my Xbox One when this is released? Or will I have to start again from scratch?
if it works like the NW system it is 2 separate systems meaning your starting over from scratch and your purchases prob don't carry over . so those looking to jump to console be prepared to buy Xbox or PS currencies . and at least on Xbox i know that Zen is purchased thru the XBL system not thru the ARC system at least thats how NW Xboxone works .
Well we will have to wait and see of course, but if that is the case then it would ask the question
"What would be the point of telling us its coming to console?"
except to make us promote the game for free for them.
The way I see it if already existing PC players cant use there current Accounts and profiles then telling us "the PC players" that its coming to console is a waste of time.
I am not going to waste more money and time in starting again on a different format, since I still have around 5 or 6 toons that still need work as it is (and I mean a lot of work).
Also what about Lifetime subscribers like myself that paid a hefty lump sum of money?
(then gets kicked in the butt when they do the random discount events)
if I had to start again that would also be a low blow under the belt to long standing players would it not?
No lower than the people who bought the big NW launch packs and couldn't transfer them to the console version.
Bear in mind, this process doesn't take away anything from you. The PC version will still be here, and everything that you bought is still going to be there. There's no net loss from this change, and there's a HUGE net gain in that Cryptic will now have three revenue sources (two of which will bring a giant initial cash influx to the game as new players buy packs and character slots on the consoles) to use to build content instead of one. The platforms may not be account linked, but they will be content linked, so all of that money will go into the general fund to make new stuff for all three - game engine updates, larger scale story content, probably a new PvP system, and more are all likely coming.
So be happy. This is a HUGELY good thing for PC players, even if you can't move your toons over.
Truth is, that if they want to port the game to those consoles, they will have to port it to Dx12, thats the programming lenguaje of PS4 and Xbox, that means new engine.. or mostly new engine.
Lets see what happens, i'm really happy for this!
DX12 is a MS proprietary API. The PS4 uses OpenGL (probably moving to Vulkan in a future update). It does simplify unified development, though, and potentially opens up a lot of other paths like Android, Linux and a return to Mac at some point down the road.
I do have one question if it has not been asked already, Will I be able to play with all my current Characters and profile on my Xbox One when this is released? Or will I have to start again from scratch?
if it works like the NW system it is 2 separate systems meaning your starting over from scratch and your purchases prob don't carry over . so those looking to jump to console be prepared to buy Xbox or PS currencies . and at least on Xbox i know that Zen is purchased thru the XBL system not thru the ARC system at least thats how NW Xboxone works .
Well we will have to wait and see of course, but if that is the case then it would ask the question
"What would be the point of telling us its coming to console?"
except to make us promote the game for free for them.
The way I see it if already existing PC players cant use there current Accounts and profiles then telling us "the PC players" that its coming to console is a waste of time.
I am not going to waste more money and time in starting again on a different format, since I still have around 5 or 6 toons that still need work as it is (and I mean a lot of work).
Also what about Lifetime subscribers like myself that paid a hefty lump sum of money?
(then gets kicked in the butt when they do the random discount events)
if I had to start again that would also be a low blow under the belt to long standing players would it not?
No lower than the people who bought the big NW launch packs and couldn't transfer them to the console version.
Bear in mind, this process doesn't take away anything from you. The PC version will still be here, and everything that you bought is still going to be there. There's no net loss from this change, and there's a HUGE net gain in that Cryptic will now have three revenue sources (two of which will bring a giant initial cash influx to the game as new players buy packs and character slots on the consoles) to use to build content instead of one. The platforms may not be account linked, but they will be content linked, so all of that money will go into the general fund to make new stuff for all three - game engine updates, larger scale story content, probably a new PvP system, and more are all likely coming.
So be happy. This is a HUGELY good thing for PC players, even if you can't move your toons over.
Oh I agree I am not saying its all bad I am just saying from my point of view,
"I WANT to play STO on my Console"
"I WANT to play my current Toon on Console"
But if I cant use my current account on Xbox one or PS4 then I am just going to stay on the PC anyway.
I just liked the idea that instead of hurting my back after some gaming sessions
(Yes I do get up and walk around every 30mins or so) when I want to play STO, I might have finally had the chance to relax and play STO and not end up with a bad back. =P
The best MMOs I've played, UI-wise, are Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World. There's really no comparison. And the most important feature they have in their UI is not tons of hotbars.
The worst is The Old Republic (with Final Fantasy XI in close competition). TOR's biggest issue is that the gameplay wants you to use tons of hotbars but the UI makes accessing the powers on them a total pain.
I so much hate TOR's gameplay, and a significant part might be all those crazy abilities on all those hotbars you need. No fun whatsoever. I loved playing a stealth character because it meant I could run around enemies and didn't have to fight.
If it wasn't for that gameplay, maybe I'd play it more.
If STO were to rearrange how gameplay works to neither have nor require tons of hotbars, I would be delighted. Even an easy, in-game way (in other words, not the current macro system) to set a single button to use (for example, from my current main) Beam Fire at Will, Tactical Team, and Attack Pattern Beta in quick succession would free up two hotbar slots (and the UI space and keys those take) without actually making the game any less deep.
I have no idea how they'll pull it off to simply things sufficiently.
If this was STO 2, sure, I'd revamp the system so you simply don't have all those button powers. But it's still STO, so...
Yeah, this will be interesting. I would really like a gameplay trailer that shows PC and console. Or, scrap that. I don't care about the console gameplay, I don't own a console and won't own a console. But I will play this game on PC and want to see what they do. THere is potential for greatness and utter suckitude here.
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Also I will add if you read all the comments from page 1 to now.
The most asked question is "Will I be able to port/use my account/play with my current toon/character on Console?
Meaning if the answer to this is yes, there will be a lot of excited and very happy STO players 100%.
If the Answer is no then no one will really care except for the changes being made to pc.
Comments
I strongly disagree with that. It is a relatively hard game to master but that is what makes it a very-very good one too. It is not a console game. I do fear that STO will be dumbed down to accommodate your kind of perspective on UI playability.
It's not about the accounts, it's about the payment system for the micro-transactions. Sony and Microsoft force the games on their systems to use their payment system and require that system to be closed. NW uses Zen for in-game stuff still, but you have to buy that Zen through the MS system, and ONLY that system. They don't currently allow you to buy things from outside their infrastructure and bring them in. So unless Cryptic has managed to do something that EA couldn't do with their EA access/Origin Access, you can stop hoping for cross play and account transfers.
"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."
I REALLY dislike the UI controls in Neverwinter and the limitations on what abilities can be slotted, which is one reason I hardly ever play it. And I am NOT rushing out to buy an XBox One.
I welcome lighting changes, assuming they don't also require me to run out and buy new PC hardware.
While I wish Cryptic no ill-will, I find myself very reluctant to spend any money on STO until some of these concerns are addressed. I have no desire to spend more on STO and then find out I'm locked out of playing because I need to buy new hardware.
If this is the case, I will not be playing STO on Xbox One.
Go reset the UI to the default and play an end-game character in TOR without customizing it. The UI for TOR works, but any UI that you need to customize in order to play the game is pretty much by definition a failure. By default they give you two hotbars. I need two just to hold the powers I am constantly cycling, and even then I have to choose to leave active powers off of it for the sake of efficiency. If you want access to things like fast travel, vehicles, toggles for things like forms/cells, your recharge power, etc you need at least one extra bar. I personally have 8, and probably would need at the minimum 6 for my main toon there.
So they stand to draw in exactly no new business and more likely than not will actually lose a lot of it...I anticipate this going the Star Wars Galaxies route...dumb the game down for casual players who still won't care but you lose your hardcore fans in the process.
I'm all for streamlining the UI...I've been playing on and off since the beginning and still have to start new characters just to figure stuff out all over again if I leave for more than a month...stuff could be streamlined in a major way...but its not possible to make a controller work without carving off a ton of meat with the fat.
Welcome to the end of Star Trek online folks...
My biggest concern is it all gets dumbed down for consoles. I was a long time Elder Scrolls fan and then Skyrim totally dumbed down the UI and gameplay just to fit it into consoles. It kind of lost is special feeling after that despite still being an epic game.
That's a good question - there's a reason I PREFER PC gaming to Console gaming and if it means the PC UI functionality will be gutted so it works well for a Console version (I applaud the back end changes, but abhore front end acing changes if it turns the UI into a morse 'Console game' based UI.
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..."
Wait, what games do that? I though FF XIV was the only one?
EDIT: And Shadowrun - it was so bad, I blocked it out of my brain, I guess.
Which button do I press for BFAW?
I'm going to assume they did the sensible thing. So, ALL of the buttons will BFAW.
If this is the case, they lost a player before I even had a chance to play. This would be a pointless use of resources to make if everything current players have invested is just pissed away if they want to play on a console.
Can we have a Dev response to this?
If it was good news, they probably would have said something right away. My speculation is that console play will require an entirely new account, with no connection whatsoever to your existing toons.
TRENDY - Please can you confirm whether we can transfer our progress over to the xbox/PS4 versions? I have played this game for 5 years and would love to play on xbox, but i will not start from scratch, nor pay anymore money to purchase things i already paid for, as per Neverwinter.
Neverwinter was a joke, i would have loved to play it on xbox but Cryptic repackaged the same content with slightly different pack names and resold it, nothing transferred. It was laughable, and it actually made me quit playing Neverwinter altogether on either system.
I am not asking for all my credits etc, just account unlocks/C store stuff. Lockbox ships would be nice as well considering how much investment goes into buying or winning one.
Well we will have to wait and see of course, but if that is the case then it would ask the question
"What would be the point of telling us its coming to console?"
except to make us promote the game for free for them.
The way I see it if already existing PC players cant use there current Accounts and profiles then telling us "the PC players" that its coming to console is a waste of time.
I am not going to waste more money and time in starting again on a different format, since I still have around 5 or 6 toons that still need work as it is (and I mean a lot of work).
Also what about Lifetime subscribers like myself that paid a hefty lump sum of money?
(then gets kicked in the butt when they do the random discount events)
if I had to start again that would also be a low blow under the belt to long standing players would it not?
Now I know there not twisting my arm saying you must play on console, I just really like the idea of playing on console but only if I can play with my current account and just for them off days where I don't want to use a mouse and keyboard to play or just want to chill out on my sofa and continue that one mission where I left off after a long day and chill.
Lets see what happens, i'm really happy for this!
So what will happen is there will be 4 pc , 4 xbox, and 4 ps4 players all waiting for one more player to queue up to start a mission at peak time of gameplay.
No lower than the people who bought the big NW launch packs and couldn't transfer them to the console version.
Bear in mind, this process doesn't take away anything from you. The PC version will still be here, and everything that you bought is still going to be there. There's no net loss from this change, and there's a HUGE net gain in that Cryptic will now have three revenue sources (two of which will bring a giant initial cash influx to the game as new players buy packs and character slots on the consoles) to use to build content instead of one. The platforms may not be account linked, but they will be content linked, so all of that money will go into the general fund to make new stuff for all three - game engine updates, larger scale story content, probably a new PvP system, and more are all likely coming.
So be happy. This is a HUGELY good thing for PC players, even if you can't move your toons over.
DX12 is a MS proprietary API. The PS4 uses OpenGL (probably moving to Vulkan in a future update). It does simplify unified development, though, and potentially opens up a lot of other paths like Android, Linux and a return to Mac at some point down the road.
Oh I agree I am not saying its all bad I am just saying from my point of view,
"I WANT to play STO on my Console"
"I WANT to play my current Toon on Console"
But if I cant use my current account on Xbox one or PS4 then I am just going to stay on the PC anyway.
I just liked the idea that instead of hurting my back after some gaming sessions
(Yes I do get up and walk around every 30mins or so) when I want to play STO, I might have finally had the chance to relax and play STO and not end up with a bad back. =P
If it wasn't for that gameplay, maybe I'd play it more.
I have no idea how they'll pull it off to simply things sufficiently.
If this was STO 2, sure, I'd revamp the system so you simply don't have all those button powers. But it's still STO, so...
Yeah, this will be interesting. I would really like a gameplay trailer that shows PC and console. Or, scrap that. I don't care about the console gameplay, I don't own a console and won't own a console. But I will play this game on PC and want to see what they do. THere is potential for greatness and utter suckitude here.
The most asked question is "Will I be able to port/use my account/play with my current toon/character on Console?
Meaning if the answer to this is yes, there will be a lot of excited and very happy STO players 100%.
If the Answer is no then no one will really care except for the changes being made to pc.