STO To boldy develop what no community has wanted before
Often when a MMO is released these days, we hear it is better than expected. Well if that does become a measure, we can all vote Fidel Castro for President, because in the end his reign was better than expected. Id suppose after 2+ years of MMO letdowns the expectations are pretty low for most MMO gamers.
One thing I must give Cryptic credit for is making credits or rather dollars. Their ingenuity to milk every possible cent from a product is really admirable, from a mere business point. Various versions of collector boxes to assure the rabid fanboy will buy multiple boxes, contracts with chains like Del Taco for pet shuttles and the unavoidable Cryptic Shop, where you can buy extra what in better days of gaming was included in the box, like additional Klingon and Ferengi races for the Federation player; not to forget the almost standardized Lifetime Subscription, which of course can only be bought until the game goes life, and thus successfully annihilating any chance to see the product you spent a substantial amount of money into, and thats something I found particularly devious. If you offer a flatrate, it is outright deception to only offer it before people can even see the game. Any serious offer of a flatrate sort of payment would be always acquirable. But it is becoming gaming usus just like outsourcing parts to downloadable extra content. Sims 3 furniture or Mass Effect extra companion today all companies milk their products as good as they can, and one could only wish the creativity of marketing would swap over to the creativity of the game making.
Looking like Champions soon sells their new lv 37-40 zone for money, we can expect to see the cut out levels 45-50 with another paid expansion in April 2010 and extra Klingon PVE content for another cheap $19.99 in May (* sold in 7 different versions with tribble, glowing bathlet and other uber cool extras). Wanna bet?
You know, one could admire a company which releases one new MMO every year, and after Champions in 2009 and STO in 2010 I wonder what will be the next conveyor belt product in 2011? Harry Potter Online? Teletubbies Online? (That would at least have no ugly translation issues like CO and STO.) What really bothers me about STO and CO is not that they are all bad. They are casual fun for a short time. What bothers me is the implementation of the most minimal effort, with maximised simplification of the production via building kits, just like the old Neverwinter Nights fan modules where made. Same engine, same visuals, just a bit new way to arrange the boxes, and voila, here comes the MMO developed in less than two years. Combined with the money making creativity it is a real business masterpiece, I must say.
However, for us gamers it doesnt look so bright and it might even overshadow the evilness of WOW, because if THAT line of developing MMOs is seen with favour by the bean counters and stockholders, God be merciful for our gamer souls, and well probably see years and years of cheap, fast done, simplified and soulless MMOs made of construction kits.
One of the things which unsettles me above all things is that STO is not Massive as in MMORPG at all. It is indeed more as if you play Star Trek Offline with a chat box. The number of other players you share your game with is never much bigger than an old ladys tea party. There is nothing massive in a world divided into hundreds of instances, zones and loadscreens. For a MMO I see that damn loadscreen WAY too often, and the Sector Map travel is outright ridiculous. Whereas a SPACE MMO suggest a spacious experience, I never felt so crammed and confined into tiny rooms as in STO. Heck even LOTRO when it was released felt bigger. There are a handful of shoebox sized Sectors and a dozen or so worlds in each, and most quest make you patrol them one by one, with a creativity that would honor Tetris developers maybe.
90% of the quests I had were either Kill 5 Groups of X - Klingons, Nausicaans, Orions. ALL over. I suppose they just have these three enemy mobs. At least I never saw anything else. Or scan five XYZ asteroids, stations or satellites. Almost every single quest is made up entirely of these two parts with some fishy story in a quick and quite un-Trekkish popup window. (edit) One example that stands for many. You find some "eggs" on a planet and that disturbs the colonists. Where ARE the colonists? Why don't I see them? The only thing I DO see are 5 eggs in a SUPER TINY empty and barren ground space. In any Trek Episiode you would SEE the space moths birth at the end, to give some emotion, some soul. You'd hear a debate between afraid colonists who want the eggs destroyed and the scientists who want to study them. SOMETHING to give feeling and emotion! And not "scan 5 eggs text blah blah" and THATS IT.
Now, granted. MMORPGs rarely have stuck out with choices or consequences. But when you play a STAR TREK game, your Officers hail everyone before you even ask, no choice, nada, and 95% of all missions are solved by default with VIOLENCE, something is VERY VERY wrong with a Star Trek game! Gene Roddenberrys vision was a better future, a future where humanity solves its issues with conversation and diplomacy, and the utmost violence between Klingons and Federation in Star Trek TOS was a goddamn barfight on K7! I mean, I can understand eras change and a video game cant be all talks. But WTH possessed Cryptic to make a Trek MMO without any diplomacy, without ANY quest to find other solutions than kill everything that moves! That would even in any non Trek context feel ridiculous but in Star Trek even more. And that is where construction kit development entirely and totally fails to create anything of quality. When the subjectively felt 12 Cryptic employees quickly fumble together another action clone and paste a Star Trek pastiche over it, you cant expect a gaming masterpiece to be the result.
Another thing which is quite irritating is the always odd size proportions. Why are bridges like huge warehouses where the Captain has to yell to make himself heard? Why is DS9 entirely devoid of ANY sort of life? A handful dumb NPCs scattered all over? Hello? A nine year old child with the Neverwinter Night toolset can make that! I never felt that any of these Space Stations are actually alive, and the totally out of place proportions surely add to it. On the other hand are those tiny, crammed sector space maps (prolly the worst part of the game), where there is NOTHING unseen to discover, where you can travel from one end of the Galaxy to the other in moments. These sector maps are devoid of EVERYTHING exciting, everything that feels like travelling through the vast regions of space! Sorry, but the person who invented those sector maps is in serious need of a new job!
While it is quite possible to be entertained for a one time run through for a few months, Cryptic has repeated its idea of total zip replayability which also plagued Champions Online. What good is it for to roll another ship or class when you play through all the same content in exactly the same way? I dont know, but is no one at Cryptic thinking about the long term value of a game? Maybe different starts for the different classes would at least make a different start. And some more quests and places, something to make the galaxy actually feel BIG and vast!
As to quests: where is in this game the story? I guess compared to an EQ era MMO STO wouldnt have been so bad. Games like EQ and EQ2 were usually just half assed quest stories dropped all over the world, because in most cases people didnt even care. But ever since LOTRO happened, we can see what is possible, and at least for me going back to pre-LOTRO storytelling is a hard thing. Like being used to drive a Mercedes and suddenly being stuck with a Fiat Punto. You DO miss something. The big vision of stories which create this wonderful big carpet of a world story, region by region, and there is that line of events which connect all the parts and one by one lead you to a big story of sorts. Here just like in CO the STO quest world has little to no coherence. Klingons and Orions attack, and prolly its their fault, since both are not known to be quite ingenious in their plots. They seem to just randomly attack here and there, well its war after all, and thats it.
As a sort of resumee I can see two things after playing Champions Online and Star Trek Online. First, it takes a lot more time and effort to make a good MMO than to make a half baked MMO. Creativity and detail can not be accelerated by standardized rubberband methods of fabrication. You can do that, but the result will be less than mediocre. Second, it is apparent to me that Cryptic is entirely unable to grasp such things like story, atmosphere and longevity, for their MMOs are entirely devoid of them. Where CO had *some* feeling of soul and some sort of story, however basic, STO seems entirely empty of it. Copy-Paste Klingon/Nausicaan/Orion attacks all over, reason, rhyme and soul: zero. I travel from system a to b to c, kill X of Z, scan 5 of X, and it adds up to nothing. They could as well place those systems in a line to save us the travel time and be done with the totally superfluous and boring sector space.
But the really outrageous is that Cryptic dared to bribe the almost 80 years old Trek icon Leonard Nimoy into supporting STO! As a Trekkie I find that the sin which can not be forgiven. You really had to drag him down into this? I think not.
Verdict: given our expectations have been constantly fallen in the last 2 years of MMO making its ok for a brief time if you are a hardcore Trekkie. Therefore a mercy verdict of 60/100.
I agree, much of the built in audience of Star Trek likes things that are in Star Trek. And even with action, there is still moral tales, and dilemas requiering thought.
I agree there needs to be more thought in the quests.
You make a few good points, I figure the game will go one of two directions.
Either they will expand the content with ideas that match a long running game, and tailor for longevity.
Or they will do the milk and run approach from the movie "The Producers"
One of the reasons I gave this game a look, is because the franchise is so well loved by so many people, a throw away game would be hard to get away with. Nor would it be what it would seem they would want as either developers or owners of the franchise rights.
I think it is either the audience they decide they want to tailor to, or on a deeper level the audience they want to create, that determines the depth and breath of the game.
After 3 days of play, the ground and space combat is well done in my opinion. Although I agree that it feels more like many small mmos, you never really get the sense of running by lots of other players like you are all in the same game.
I have not figured out how to switch instances, nor if they change when entering a system or stay constant, but agree that it seems a bit fragmented.
Whew! I'm glad *somebody* appointed you to speak for *every* "true ST fan" there is! I'm sure it's a huge responsibility.
Took the words right out of my mouth there.
And to the OP: Bitter much? Geez. I have never seen anyone go through such lengths and time to post absolutely nothing.
Holy TRIBBLE batman. You really are a big block of black and white text today, aren't you?
Let me just put it plain and simple for you: They're working on the bugs first (most of which have been fixed...). Then the content will be perfected and added. They have promised a lot of content for us on their 45-day megapatch. Stick around.. this game can only get better.
Cryptic is not evil. You're just looking for excuses to hate them.... Stop whining. Hello 5th day of STO! I think it's rather well done for this stage of development.
Holy TRIBBLE batman. You really are a big block of black and white text today, aren't you?
Let me just put it plain and simple for you: They're working on the bugs first (most of which have been fixed...). Then the content will be perfected and added. They have promised a lot of content for us on their 45-day megapatch. Stick around.. this game can only get better.
zip....
Have you EVER seen that happen in a MMO that the big hole of missing stuff comes to it later? Vanguard? PotBS? TR? Any single time before?
I do not hate Cryptic, I hate what the gaming industry has become, and what once was first and foremost a hobby and much creativity with little ressources, now there is an ever growing stark contrast betwen the ressources and the result. We have TB harddiscs, RAM in GB, we have 1650 x whatnot pixels and photorealistic video graphics and stuff we didnt even DREAM about when I had my 386 with 60 KB RAM. But what do they do with it? Yes I am bitter about where it all went. Not with Cryptic in particular, but with gaming in general. It has become a WARE, like selling apples or pants.
I totally agree with the OP as would any true ST fan.
That's cool and all but Star Trek has sooo many different layers of depth and complexities that encapsulating all those elements that make Trek Trek is near impossible for a computer game, less so with a MMO.
Trek means different to everyone and unlike Star Wars, there has been several reimaging of Trek philosophy and focus just within the first 4 series which adds it's own unique focused element to Trek (Kirk-philosophy, Picard-diplomacy and science, Sisko-espionage , janeway-technobabble) To think ones idea and image of Trek is the same as everyones is highly arrogant. What makes Trek special is that everyone has his/her own view of Trek and none are ever wrong. So, if Star Trek Online is Cryptics hap-hazzard view of Trek, no one has the right to tell Cryptic that STO is not Trek. At the same, Cryptic had no right to say your view of Trek is wrong.
So if you want Trek with stronger diplomacy, play Syar Trek Conquest. The best and deepest diplomacy games are turn-based...not MMORPG.
If I were in their shoes I'd be looking to get paid too. You got skills, might as well get paid for them. Nobody HAS to buy this stuff.
Ya know, I knew this would come. My short answer: I know they need money. Cryptic is no welfare club. But first, the contrast betwen money making creativity and quest making creativity is just.... stark. And second, once companies sold a box and in case of MMO a monthly fee and everyone had the same, end of story. I just can't shake the feeling I have to pay EXTRA for what once used to be included.
Holy TRIBBLE batman. You really are a big block of black and white text today, aren't you?
Let me just put it plain and simple for you: They're working on the bugs first (most of which have been fixed...). Then the content will be perfected and added. They have promised a lot of content for us on their 45-day megapatch. Stick around.. this game can only get better.
Cryptic is not evil. You're just looking for excuses to hate them.... Stop whining. Hello 5th day of STO! I think it's rather well done for this stage of development.
I agree with your optimism, and also hope the goals of the people making the game match the desire of the players. Noteing also that many players like different things.
That's cool and all but Star Trek has sooo many different layers of depth and complexities that encapsulating all those elements that make Trek Trek is near impossible for a computer game, less so with a MMO.
Trek means different to everyone and unlike Star Wars, there has been several reimaging of Trek philosophy and focus just within the first 4 series which adds it's own unique focused element to Trek (Kirk-philosophy, Picard-diplomacy and science, Sisko-espionage , janeway-technobabble) To think ones idea and image of Trek is the same as everyones is highly arrogant. What makes Trek special is that everyone has his/her own view of Trek and none are ever wrong. So, if Star Trek Online is Cryptics hap-hazzard view of Trek, no one has the right to tell Cryptic that STO is not Trek. At the same, Cryptic had no right to say your view of Trek is wrong.
So if you want Trek with stronger diplomacy, play Syar Trek Conquest. The best and deepest diplomacy games are turn-based...not MMORPG.
I don't mind the OVERALL direction of STO. Its a MMO and thus the nature of the beast to be combat heavy. But not combat EXCLUSIVE. There isnt a single memorable character, there isnt a single memorable story or conversation! Sorry, but this is just a tad more than all those cheap F2P Asia games like Perfect World or what.
Look at LOTRO. Yes, most quests there involve combat too, but at least it is WAY better masked and woven into stories and events.
One example that stands for many. You find some "eggs" on a planet and that disturbs the colonists. Where ARE the colonists? Why don't I see them? The only thing I DO see are 5 eggs in a SUPER TINY empty and barren ground space. In any Trek Episiode you would SEE the space moths birth at the end, to give some emotion, some soul. You'd hear a debate between afraid colonists who want the eggs destroyed and the scientists who want to study them. SOMETHING to give feeling and emotion! And not "scan 5 eggs text blah blah" and THATS IT.
It would be SO simple, but then you cant rush a MMo in under 2 years.
I don't mind the OVERALL direction of STO. Its a MMO and thus the nature of the beast to be combat heavy. But not combat EXCLUSIVE. There isnt a single memorable character, there isnt a single memorable story or conversation! Sorry, but this is just a tad more than all those cheap F2P Asia games like Perfect World or what.
Look at LOTRO. Yes, most quests there involve combat too, but at least it is WAY better masked and woven into stories and events.
One example that stands for many. You find some "eggs" on a planet andthat disturbs the colonists. Where ARE the colonists? Why don't I see them? The only thing I DO see are 5 eggs in a SUPER TINY empty and barren ground space. In any Trek Episiode you would SEE the space moths birth at the end, to give some emotion, some soul. You'd hear a debate between afraid colonists who want the eggs destroyed and the scientists who want to study them. SOMETHING to give feeling and emotion! And not "scan 5 eggs text blah blah" and THATS IT.
It would be SO simple, but then you cant rush a MMo in under 2 years.
Why is it that every thread on this forum where someone takes the time to write a review of the game and it is negative review, other people on forum come in and instead of counter his points they mostly just right 1 line snarky respnses like "cool story bruv" If you like the game please tell us how the OP is wrong and don't just spout out a "STO is not for him" Explain like he did but explain why you feel that things he said are not wrong with the game.
Have you EVER seen that happen in a MMO that the big hole of missing stuff comes to it later? Vanguard? PotBS? TR? Any single time before?
I do not hate Cryptic, I hate what the gaming industry has become, and what once was first and foremost a hobby and much creativity with little ressources, now there is an ever growing stark contrast betwen the ressources and the result. We have TB harddiscs, RAM in GB, we have 1650 x whatnot pixels and photorealistic video graphics and stuff we didnt even DREAM about when I had my 386 with 60 KB RAM. But what do they do with it? Yes I am bitter about where it all went. Not with Cryptic in particular, but with gaming in general. It has become a WARE, like selling apples or pants.
There isn't a "big hole of missing stuff". Just many new features and more episodes, more 'seasons' (sets of episodes and plots), and more content. Get over yourself and wake the hell up man....
We're here to have fun. Are you? If you are not, then go somewhere else. If STO is really as terrible as you think it is, then GO. Decide with your wallet... and your absence. Please.
Why is it that every thread on this forum where someone takes the time to write a review of the game and it is negative review, other people on forum come in and instead of counter his points they mostly just right 1 line snarky respnses like "cool story bruv"
People who have an axe to grind or feel some sort of slight will happily spend a decent amount of time composing a long cathartic post.
People who are happy with the game are too busy enjoying the game to expend great amounts of energy trying to change the minds of the first group - especially as their minds are all too often already made up.
As far as the lifetime subscription goes, what else do you want to see beyond open beta before you purchase the game? The box? I can tell you my opinion of the game did not change once I picked up the hard copy tonight at Game Stop.
People who have an axe to grind or feel some sort of slight will happily spend a decent amount of time composing a long cathartic post.
People who are happy with the game are too busy enjoying the game to expend great amounts of energy trying to change the minds of the first group - especially as their minds are all too often already made up.
But are they not wasting their time in posting stupid little quips like "Don't like it, don't play it."? OR Cool story bruv. And It is not about changing the OP mind but making a counter point to what he brings up. As far as I can see from reading the threads that people who likes this game like it because it is Star Trek, or it has potential to be good. That IMO is not helping to present a fair understanding of the game to people who are reading the forums inorder to find out info about buying the game or not.
I do not hate Cryptic, I hate what the gaming industry has become, and what once was first and foremost a hobby and much creativity with little ressources, now there is an ever growing stark contrast betwen the ressources and the result. We have TB harddiscs, RAM in GB, we have 1650 x whatnot pixels and photorealistic video graphics and stuff we didnt even DREAM about when I had my 386 with 60 KB RAM. But what do they do with it? Yes I am bitter about where it all went. Not with Cryptic in particular, but with gaming in general. It has become a WARE, like selling apples or pants.
I don't mind the OVERALL direction of STO. Its a MMO and thus the nature of the beast to be combat heavy. But not combat EXCLUSIVE. There isnt a single memorable character, there isnt a single memorable story or conversation! Sorry, but this is just a tad more than all those cheap F2P Asia games like Perfect World or what.
One example that stands for many. You find some "eggs" on a planet and that disturbs the colonists. Where ARE the colonists? Why don't I see them? The only thing I DO see are 5 eggs in a SUPER TINY empty and barren ground space. In any Trek Episiode you would SEE the space moths birth at the end, to give some emotion, some soul. You'd hear a debate between afraid colonists who want the eggs destroyed and the scientists who want to study them. SOMETHING to give feeling and emotion! And not "scan 5 eggs text blah blah" and THATS IT.
It would be SO simple, but then you cant rush a MMo in under 2 years.
And the industry has many backers who seem to consider MMOs as failing if they don't hit WoW-like subscriber figures in a matter of months, and yet want to push out the product before it's ready. And at the other end we have a great proportion of the player base who often act like whiny children and expect instant, bugless gratification and get upset at anything that may take longer than 5 minutes or taxes the grey matter...
It's been said before, but the best way to ensure that gaming has a brighter future is to have the ideas, vision and capability and create your own game. Or look at smaller independent game developers - they may still have unique ideas and the drive to see them through.
Of course, it's also possible that, in time, STO will rectify the failings you perceive - it has only launched today (and is only as ready/finished as the financial controllers allowed before launch).
That's cool and all but Star Trek has sooo many different layers of depth and complexities that encapsulating all those elements that make Trek Trek is near impossible for a computer game, less so with a MMO.
Trek means different to everyone and unlike Star Wars, there has been several reimaging of Trek philosophy and focus just within the first 4 series which adds it's own unique focused element to Trek (Kirk-philosophy, Picard-diplomacy and science, Sisko-espionage , janeway-technobabble) To think ones idea and image of Trek is the same as everyones is highly arrogant. What makes Trek special is that everyone has his/her own view of Trek and none are ever wrong. So, if Star Trek Online is Cryptics hap-hazzard view of Trek, no one has the right to tell Cryptic that STO is not Trek. At the same, Cryptic had no right to say your view of Trek is wrong.
So if you want Trek with stronger diplomacy, play Syar Trek Conquest. The best and deepest diplomacy games are turn-based...not MMORPG.
Completely disagree. Star Trek very well could be condensed into MMO form, but it takes time, effort, imagination, and ability to do so. All those elements are essential for a really good, top notch Star Trek MMO.
Cryptic failed in this regard when they consigned STO to a two year development cycle. The average development time of a AAA MMORPG is four to five years. There has never been a successful MMO developed on two years. They say "well, we had the engine already! So we could get other stuff done in those two years!" (They actually said that in an interview at MMORPG.com.) However, even games with pre-built engines never take less than three years to develop. Go ahead, look it up, it's true. Not to mention that plenty of stuff happens concurrently to engine development. You won't have the writers and the art guys building the back end code for the engine, you'll have them writing and drawing.
Now, STO could very well have been a completely different beast. look at the games that are five years old now and older: EVE has huge space zones, STO has tiny space zones. World of Warcraft has large contiguous worlds that you can wander everywhere in, STO has small confined worlds intended for missions only. City of Heroes has huge city zones where you can wander everywhere. That game, originally developed by Cryptic, was designed to have an explorable world. STO confines you and prevents you from exploring anything.
Also, why aren't more warning bells going off over Cryptic's store? They fully intend to squeeze every dime out of every person who plays this game. Is this what the venerable Star Trek IP deserves? To be used like some crass cash cow? Instead of adding content that you can unlock from within the game, they'll make you shell out real money to buy it from the store. Consider this: for the Federation to unlock a Ferengi character, the player must do a series of missions where they are introduced to the Ferengi culture, visit Ferenginar, and learn about the illustrious career of the first Ferengi in Starfleet: Captain Nog. Doesn't that sound neat? Instead, Cryptic makes you buy your Ferengi character from the store. How sad and pathetic is that?
STO had such great potential and could have been so much more, but instead it is just a cynical cash grab.
Edit: Also, those who are coming in here and saying "I don't wanna read a novel!" and "too long; didn't read!" are really immature and childish. This review is valuable and good for people who are looking into this game for the first time and are thinking of trying it. The fact that it's negative is beside the point. Don't like the negativity? Write your own positive review!
As far as I can see from reading the threads that people who likes this game like it because it is Star Trek, or it has potential to be good. That IMO is not helping to present a fair understanding of the game to people who are reading the forums inorder to find out info about buying the game or not.
Often those who don't like the game will often have specific points that they don't like or believe are wrongly implemented - whilst those who like the game may have nothing more than a a general sense of the game being fun (a subjective concept and so weak as an argument) and an absence of such errors.
The nature of game forums means that the loudest posters are often an upset minority (that's a minority of players, not necessarily forum posters) many forum visitors will recognise that and take rants and too-negative posts with a pinch of salt... I know I do if looking at a new game.
Though I agree that cool story bro, ibtl, +1, /agree and similar posts are pretty darn pointless/meritless. Although if it's potential players that you're worried about, the dismissive nature of such trivial posts may indicate to them that the OP is held by many to be ranting or whinging - and so the OPs negative review may lose some weight.
Comments
Agreed.
It's unfortunately their right to whine and moan about a company/product, but that doesn't mean we have to read it
I agree there needs to be more thought in the quests.
You make a few good points, I figure the game will go one of two directions.
Either they will expand the content with ideas that match a long running game, and tailor for longevity.
Or they will do the milk and run approach from the movie "The Producers"
One of the reasons I gave this game a look, is because the franchise is so well loved by so many people, a throw away game would be hard to get away with. Nor would it be what it would seem they would want as either developers or owners of the franchise rights.
I think it is either the audience they decide they want to tailor to, or on a deeper level the audience they want to create, that determines the depth and breath of the game.
After 3 days of play, the ground and space combat is well done in my opinion. Although I agree that it feels more like many small mmos, you never really get the sense of running by lots of other players like you are all in the same game.
I have not figured out how to switch instances, nor if they change when entering a system or stay constant, but agree that it seems a bit fragmented.
Whew! I'm glad *somebody* appointed you to speak for *every* "true ST fan" there is! I'm sure it's a huge responsibility.
Took the words right out of my mouth there.
And to the OP: Bitter much? Geez. I have never seen anyone go through such lengths and time to post absolutely nothing.
Let me just put it plain and simple for you: They're working on the bugs first (most of which have been fixed...). Then the content will be perfected and added. They have promised a lot of content for us on their 45-day megapatch. Stick around.. this game can only get better.
Cryptic is not evil. You're just looking for excuses to hate them.... Stop whining. Hello 5th day of STO! I think it's rather well done for this stage of development.
The arrogance of it all.
You only speak for yourself. Your opinion is not everyones. It's childish to think otherwise.
Have you EVER seen that happen in a MMO that the big hole of missing stuff comes to it later? Vanguard? PotBS? TR? Any single time before?
I do not hate Cryptic, I hate what the gaming industry has become, and what once was first and foremost a hobby and much creativity with little ressources, now there is an ever growing stark contrast betwen the ressources and the result. We have TB harddiscs, RAM in GB, we have 1650 x whatnot pixels and photorealistic video graphics and stuff we didnt even DREAM about when I had my 386 with 60 KB RAM. But what do they do with it? Yes I am bitter about where it all went. Not with Cryptic in particular, but with gaming in general. It has become a WARE, like selling apples or pants.
That's cool and all but Star Trek has sooo many different layers of depth and complexities that encapsulating all those elements that make Trek Trek is near impossible for a computer game, less so with a MMO.
Trek means different to everyone and unlike Star Wars, there has been several reimaging of Trek philosophy and focus just within the first 4 series which adds it's own unique focused element to Trek (Kirk-philosophy, Picard-diplomacy and science, Sisko-espionage , janeway-technobabble) To think ones idea and image of Trek is the same as everyones is highly arrogant. What makes Trek special is that everyone has his/her own view of Trek and none are ever wrong. So, if Star Trek Online is Cryptics hap-hazzard view of Trek, no one has the right to tell Cryptic that STO is not Trek. At the same, Cryptic had no right to say your view of Trek is wrong.
So if you want Trek with stronger diplomacy, play Syar Trek Conquest. The best and deepest diplomacy games are turn-based...not MMORPG.
Ya know, I knew this would come. My short answer: I know they need money. Cryptic is no welfare club. But first, the contrast betwen money making creativity and quest making creativity is just.... stark. And second, once companies sold a box and in case of MMO a monthly fee and everyone had the same, end of story. I just can't shake the feeling I have to pay EXTRA for what once used to be included.
See Sims.
I agree with your optimism, and also hope the goals of the people making the game match the desire of the players. Noteing also that many players like different things.
I don't mind the OVERALL direction of STO. Its a MMO and thus the nature of the beast to be combat heavy. But not combat EXCLUSIVE. There isnt a single memorable character, there isnt a single memorable story or conversation! Sorry, but this is just a tad more than all those cheap F2P Asia games like Perfect World or what.
Look at LOTRO. Yes, most quests there involve combat too, but at least it is WAY better masked and woven into stories and events.
One example that stands for many. You find some "eggs" on a planet and that disturbs the colonists. Where ARE the colonists? Why don't I see them? The only thing I DO see are 5 eggs in a SUPER TINY empty and barren ground space. In any Trek Episiode you would SEE the space moths birth at the end, to give some emotion, some soul. You'd hear a debate between afraid colonists who want the eggs destroyed and the scientists who want to study them. SOMETHING to give feeling and emotion! And not "scan 5 eggs text blah blah" and THATS IT.
It would be SO simple, but then you cant rush a MMo in under 2 years.
Fresh off the "Mass Effect 2" boat I see :P
There isn't a "big hole of missing stuff". Just many new features and more episodes, more 'seasons' (sets of episodes and plots), and more content. Get over yourself and wake the hell up man....
We're here to have fun. Are you? If you are not, then go somewhere else. If STO is really as terrible as you think it is, then GO. Decide with your wallet... and your absence. Please.
Don't like it, don't play it.
People who are happy with the game are too busy enjoying the game to expend great amounts of energy trying to change the minds of the first group - especially as their minds are all too often already made up.
But are they not wasting their time in posting stupid little quips like "Don't like it, don't play it."? OR Cool story bruv. And It is not about changing the OP mind but making a counter point to what he brings up. As far as I can see from reading the threads that people who likes this game like it because it is Star Trek, or it has potential to be good. That IMO is not helping to present a fair understanding of the game to people who are reading the forums inorder to find out info about buying the game or not.
It's been said before, but the best way to ensure that gaming has a brighter future is to have the ideas, vision and capability and create your own game. Or look at smaller independent game developers - they may still have unique ideas and the drive to see them through.
Of course, it's also possible that, in time, STO will rectify the failings you perceive - it has only launched today (and is only as ready/finished as the financial controllers allowed before launch).
Completely disagree. Star Trek very well could be condensed into MMO form, but it takes time, effort, imagination, and ability to do so. All those elements are essential for a really good, top notch Star Trek MMO.
Cryptic failed in this regard when they consigned STO to a two year development cycle. The average development time of a AAA MMORPG is four to five years. There has never been a successful MMO developed on two years. They say "well, we had the engine already! So we could get other stuff done in those two years!" (They actually said that in an interview at MMORPG.com.) However, even games with pre-built engines never take less than three years to develop. Go ahead, look it up, it's true. Not to mention that plenty of stuff happens concurrently to engine development. You won't have the writers and the art guys building the back end code for the engine, you'll have them writing and drawing.
Now, STO could very well have been a completely different beast. look at the games that are five years old now and older: EVE has huge space zones, STO has tiny space zones. World of Warcraft has large contiguous worlds that you can wander everywhere in, STO has small confined worlds intended for missions only. City of Heroes has huge city zones where you can wander everywhere. That game, originally developed by Cryptic, was designed to have an explorable world. STO confines you and prevents you from exploring anything.
Also, why aren't more warning bells going off over Cryptic's store? They fully intend to squeeze every dime out of every person who plays this game. Is this what the venerable Star Trek IP deserves? To be used like some crass cash cow? Instead of adding content that you can unlock from within the game, they'll make you shell out real money to buy it from the store. Consider this: for the Federation to unlock a Ferengi character, the player must do a series of missions where they are introduced to the Ferengi culture, visit Ferenginar, and learn about the illustrious career of the first Ferengi in Starfleet: Captain Nog. Doesn't that sound neat? Instead, Cryptic makes you buy your Ferengi character from the store. How sad and pathetic is that?
STO had such great potential and could have been so much more, but instead it is just a cynical cash grab.
Edit: Also, those who are coming in here and saying "I don't wanna read a novel!" and "too long; didn't read!" are really immature and childish. This review is valuable and good for people who are looking into this game for the first time and are thinking of trying it. The fact that it's negative is beside the point. Don't like the negativity? Write your own positive review!
The nature of game forums means that the loudest posters are often an upset minority (that's a minority of players, not necessarily forum posters) many forum visitors will recognise that and take rants and too-negative posts with a pinch of salt... I know I do if looking at a new game.
Though I agree that cool story bro, ibtl, +1, /agree and similar posts are pretty darn pointless/meritless. Although if it's potential players that you're worried about, the dismissive nature of such trivial posts may indicate to them that the OP is held by many to be ranting or whinging - and so the OPs negative review may lose some weight.