a) There's no raid, so folks don't need support/tank/dps.
b) The "no one needs me"-folks need to do a couple missions in a 5-ish group and come back. Enemy ships size and strenght are generated according to group size. Having 5 folks in a group facing battleships. There's a difference doing it with pure dps setup or with 4 dps, 1 support (science vessels).
Isn't there raidisodes or something like that? Cryptics poor version of "raiding".
Why not 5 DPS? Its not like dying is all that important. Having more DPS would just make the mission that much easier.
Isn't there raidisodes or something like that? Cryptics poor version of "raiding".
Why not 5 DPS? Its not like dying is all that important. Having more DPS would just make the mission that much easier.
You just nailed the biggest nail on the head...
There is no reason to bring or need anything other than DPS. In STO all the other classes are parolor tricks compared to DPS. Since there is really no viable reason to play Science or Engineer since in the end we all end up doing nothing but DPS.
PVP Ground combat is the only saveing grace where a Science Officer and Engineer can shine, they can heal and defend while the others do DPS.
I disagree, a science ship saved my bacon in an "enemy Contact" encountered after a Romie knocked out all my ship systems.
Thier is plenty of reasons to groups in STO, just none that are being forced upon us against our will.
I disagree, a science ship saved my bacon in an "enemy Contact" encountered after a Romie knocked out all my ship systems.
Thier is plenty of reasons to groups in STO, just none that are being forced upon us against our will.
One Science ship using a BO abilities that is available to all classes is not "plenty of reasons to groups", nor is it evidence that Science Officers and to a lesser degree Engineering Officers are really viable.
As a Science Officer, in Space I have no healing ability at all; all of my abilities are based upon my BO's who are also available to Tactical and Engeering Officers.
I disagree, a science ship saved my bacon in an "enemy Contact" encountered after a Romie knocked out all my ship systems.
Thier is plenty of reasons to groups in STO, just none that are being forced upon us against our will.
Care to explain those "reasons to group" in STO? Cause you got me. I can't think of one reason to right now. And even if there is a raid all I would take would be DPS escorts or tac/Cruisers.
Here, let me give you a point of view from the other perspective:
Defined roles does not lead to community. What it leads to is the following:
Your tanking sucks, keep them off the healers!
Your healing is weak. Heal me more. HEAL ME MORE!
The damage meter says that you are not good enough of a player to be with us.
I'm sorry, discoed and couldn't hold aggro.
Main healer down, everyone wipe and we will try again.
Etc, etc...
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Strict enforcement of roles is a very primitive form of game design, and does NOT actually build community. It helps build elitism, which is the antithesis of community. It also encourages robotic game play, where everything follows a formula, and adaptation or dynamic encounters can not exist. Group encounters become a task of "wait for X, do Y, then wait for Z". This is lazy game design and boring to play over and over and OVER (which you WILL be doing in the end-game treadmill).
I would much prefer a game where players can shift roles and tactics as evolving situations require. Yes, it requires more creativity and raw intelligence that it seems some people want to put in to gaming, but I have found it also provides a more satisfying game experience. Yeah, there is some overlap in skills. THIS IS NOT INHERENTLY A BAD THING!
Finally, the nail in the "strongly defined class roles" coffin:
Before space combat was nerfed in to the ground, way back in beta, certain encounters were quite hard. In fact, they were impossible for most people to deal with on their own. You want to know what happened? People made teams, and took on the encounters in groups. They formed friendships, and learned to work as a group. They OFFERED and REQUESTED to be in teams, in open chat. This is not theory, this is HOW IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
Hammering the player characters in to typical (and boring) cookie cutter forms is not necessary at all. Just provide a serious challenge to players. The community will do the rest. Yeah, some people were able to take on these encounters solo. I cleared everything myself, but I also enjoyed going BACK, and participating with other players to help THEM through the content. There were many others who did the same. It built community. It was good.
What people who want pre-defined roles really want, is the game to conform to what they are used to from other games, instead of growing and adapting to new game play.
This^^
I think they need to work on both solo and party/raid content. I really don't want to see content that can only be completed with X number of this class and so on.
Perhaps Cryptic intended for STO to be more akin to a "disposable" MMO rather than a one that encourages long term investment of time and money. In other words, perhaps STO is intended to be used for a short amount of time and then discarded. Given the gameplay lifespan of a typical single player game, it does make one wonder if THAT is the same lifespan that STO was built around. Not the lifespan of a typical MMO.
However, such a concept is reliant on the product being aimed at a sufficiently large audience that would guarantee enough return to cover development costs and profit margins. History has shown that the majority of income for an MMO is in the subs, not in the box sales.
You are correct in your feelings though. When there is a distinct lack of quality in a product, the customer feels less emotion to continue using it. After all, how can the customer be expected to be loyal to a product that refuses to show any respect to the customers needs?
Dude, you are dead on with this assesment. I hit this realization this weekend as well. I suddenly realized that the reason i was so disatisfied with STO is because I was trying to play the deep player driven MMO with years of gameplay ahead that I thought STO should have been. When I looked at it like the shallow linier co-op game like I would buy for my 360 have a blast with for one month then trade in I saw that it lived up perfectly to those altered expectations.
The problem is we're paying the price of the former and getting the latter.
There is no reason to bring or need anything other than DPS. In STO all the other classes are parolor tricks compared to DPS. Since there is really no viable reason to play Science or Engineer since in the end we all end up doing nothing but DPS.
You may be right as of now. But I imagine once the raidisodes come out, dying might not be an actual issue for the player, since there's no penalty at all, unless...and here it gets tricky....1st dps dies, 2nd dps dies, 3rd and 4th are struggling and ultimately die, 5th dps die and has the boss at 2%...and BAM!, back to 100%.
Then, and only then, dps only won't work...you'll need science to bolster your shields, and cruiser to repair your hull.
With specific regards to the roles, history has shown that players respond more positively to distinct roles that their players can play, rather than everyone being a "jack of all trades / master of none". The distinctions have been with us since the inception of the D&D concept back in the 70's and theres a reason why it works
Bards in 2nd Edition AD&D were "jacks of all trades"/masters of none (divine & mage spells, sneaking, and decent weapon variety).
You may be right as of now. But I imagine once the raidisodes come out, dying might not be an actual issue for the player, since there's no penalty at all, unless...and here it gets tricky....1st dps dies, 2nd dps dies, 3rd and 4th are struggling and ultimately die, 5th dps die and has the boss at 2%...and BAM!, back to 100%.
Then, and only then, dps only won't work...you'll need science to bolster your shields, and cruiser to repair your hull.
I hope you are right, my investment into this game is such that I do want to have fun in it.
But that still does not fix the issue that as a Science Officer I can heal nothing in space...
I see a lot of people going back and forth about this game either needing Roles/Classes or if it should stay the way it is.
Fundamentally, I think the way it is... is less than ideal. In my original post, I did not contend that we NEED tanks/healers/dps per se.... what I was lamenting was the fact that "I am not needed to be part of the community". If I am in a group, I could join them and provide more SPACEBAR... but that is shallow and not compelling.
Let's look at another game: EVE.
EVE does not specifically delineate between roles and classes. I have said before hand that their advancement system was far superior and I maintain that. Skills actually built upon one another. There was enough skills to become a class/role... then specialize within a bracket... and then go on to become SUPER specialized... while STILL being useful in your other specializations.
STO's skills... well... it is hard to see how they build upon one another.
Another thing that adds to the blandness is that ships themselves do not remain viable in higher end content. I was an advocate of this pre-CB, and most people agreed with me. Ships themselves need specific abilities and or modifiers to keep them viable long term, otherwise we end up with a banal landscape of people all piloting T5 ships.
This game is shallow. That is the bottom line. And it is this shallowness that detracts from any one person from being an asset to a group, fleet, or the community at large.
Maybe implementing a traditional class/role system would be an easy way of making people perform FUNCTIONS within the game world, but honestly... I was hoping for something more. EVE has all types of ships, with all sorts of functions in small and large scale engagements. Soo...
It's interesting because we are seeing a chicken-egg paradox argument for traditional MMO roles. Or, more precisely, a structural-individual paradox: is it the game or the role that creates the other?
It also begs the question of inevitability: are traditional MMO roles inevitable?
Personally speaking, I'm fine either way, but I think the answer is more forthcoming if the gameplay difficulty developed first, which at least gives players the choice of whether or not to define themselves according to traditional MMO roles.
If the designers truly do not have defined roles in mind, I suspect we would never see aggro tables or dedicated taunt mechanics. And I do hope we see this, because I would be interested to see how groups deal with this on an extreme scale (i.e., end-game content).
Whether or not roles become defined in STO, I think it's natural to assume that someone will be upset and not play. Defined gameplay can never please everyone. And, to be honest, I don't think that will be a problem anyway, since there are probably as many interested players for both camps (i.e., defined and undefined roles).
I agree that this will be a case of 'wait and see', and that end-game content will be the deciding factor. For me, this is the aspect of the game that I most anticipate seeing.
Care to explain those "reasons to group" in STO? Cause you got me. I can't think of one reason to right now. And even if there is a raid all I would take would be DPS escorts or tac/Cruisers.
Because you want to group.
If you want forced grouping leave your options set to open, otherwise choose when and where.
They left it up to the player to determine when and why, and I like it that way.
One Science ship using a BO abilities that is available to all classes is not "plenty of reasons to groups", nor is it evidence that Science Officers and to a lesser degree Engineering Officers are really viable.
As a Science Officer, in Space I have no healing ability at all; all of my abilities are based upon my BO's who are also available to Tactical and Engeering Officers.
Are you asking for reasons to group with others or asking why science doesn't work as a healer?
You can group or not group. I group for fun.
STO doesn't fit neatly into the "holy Trinity" of MMO's. Science is closer to a healer/wizard in function, Cruisers closer to tanks and escorts fit the dps role. There are no true Healing, tanking classes though as all are effective in combat iether solo or with a group. When in a group a science ship will bring different abilities than my escort or a cruiser, thus you can solo and be fine or team and actually bring something to the table besides just the ability to do dammage.
The community thing has been my biggest issue. Its just not in combat either but there is like
no area (at least at my rank) where anyone just hangs out and be social. Why is that?
BECAUSE every part of this game is instanced to death!
Someone else wrote this in another thread and it got me thinking. Perhaps new "i quit" threads are being created nearly everyday because STO doesn't give people a sense of investment or allows them to feel apart of a greater whole.
I won't speak to the "community" issues facing this game. But what about the design decision that essentially causes a role/class mechanic that effectively blurs the lines of distinction between players. We may look different due to our customized ships and avatars... but does that have any real gameplay value, or grant any sense of accomplishment?
Granted this design mechanic prevents the problems we had in WoW (LF Tank... LF Healer... LF A FRACKING TANk< WHERE ARE ALL THE TANKS!!!) but was it done properly and/or are we better off for it?
Its a crude revelation for me to realize "I'm not really needed." Is this what gives me a slight detachment from the game or is it something else. Does anyone else feel the same way? Or are the rest of you liking this. I'd really be interested to know, and may even help the dev's form opinions on what to work on/not work on next.
I see and uderstand this detachement you mention. Its not really like an MMO in all honesty, but perhaps that will change with the new raidisodes.
First let me say that I don't believe STO was ever meant to be a throw-away game. STO is in its current state due to time issues. The game had to meet a 2-year launch window and to do that it meant cutting out the unfinished last 5 levels, all the End-game content, about half of the Klingon content, and shorting the rest of the game on missions. We're left with a patched-together game that needed 6 more months of development but didn't get it due to license and funds issues. There's really nothing we can do about that. We either ride-out the game in its current state and wait to see what it really was supposed to be or we leave and come back when the game reaches that point. The current box sales have given Cryptic enough cash to finish the game, and they're no-longer under license launch issues. Now they just need the time to finish the game.
STO has a really good foundation. It just need more immersive material. Some of the Episodes are fantastic, and even many of the Patrols are cool if you take the time to read the story associated with them. Exploration needs to be expanded and there needs to be middle-ground missions between "defeat everything" and "click 5 glowies." Still, seeing what the Devs have been talking about with these types of missions does look promising to me. Most importantly the game just needs more missions so that you can follow several different paths on your journey from 1 to 50. I know that's going to take years as many MMOs don't have too many paths. Still, I have a lot of hopes for STO. I enjoy playing it, even if I have done the mission 10 times between Closed Beta and now.
I believe, unlike CO, that this game is going to have a long life and healthy base. I will be using CoX terms for certain roles.
Here is why I believe that: ships, toons, and crew have a clear defined role to play but not so restricted that you cannot make a sci cruiser captain, or tech sci captain. Once respecs/retcons are introduced, people will be able to tailor their toons to meet the needs of crew and ships. Once people start figuring and posting guides on how to make a cruiser tanks/brute, their escort a blaster/scrapper, and sci a troller, or a comb or them it will help with some FA. E.g., I am making my cruiser a tank, but focusing my crew and sci toon on debuffing in space and healing on ground. Love the fact that you can start some missions solo, and others enter to team, and visa versa - have added quite a few friends in the game.
How I think they can improve: add a missile for cruiser class only that is low damage, long range (15 km) that draws attention to the attacker, or a emp that blinds enemy sensors that focus on area of origin - a taunt. Admiral's Covert Action Groups and one per sector, a Task Force where five players go on a multi mission adventure for a powered accolade, and rare drop. (By power accolade I mean like 2% bonus to shield power level or something like that.)
One of the issues I see with the Community is the lack of understanding.
Most of the replies refer to "you", if you understood concepts then you would know that "you" is irrevelent.
The problem is the lack of incentive to either group or feel needed.
The reason why I feel that without major changes this game will fail is due to the lack of incentive to play it.
When I play a MMO, I do it to fulfill a role; I enjoying healing and so I always make healers. It has nothing to do with my desire to be elite; because I have no desire of that nature. It has to do with giving me incentive to play the game.
STO right now gives me no real incetive to play the game and the reason is poor game design. By removing roles completely and making classes nothing more than window dressing they have watered down the concept of a MMO so badly that this game does not really qualify as one, it is a RTS with a FPS linked. It certianly is not a RPG.
The OP is correct, there is really no reason to have a community since the game is effectively designed as a solo game. The other players can be considered NPC's for a s much interaction and communication that occurs during a instance.
Sadly there is really nothing that can be done about the poor game design at this time short of a complete redesign of the game. As the first (and probably last) Start Trek MMO; this game has already won the most disappointing game of the year.
My hope is that the Devs are able to salvage the game, especially since I have invested a hour and half pay into a lifetime subscription and a DDE too.
The premise is tha game does not hing to encourage teaming, people who enjoy teaming will find no value here. With the only exception being PVP ground combat, the only light in this dark empty world of STO.
The premise is tha game does not hing to encourage teaming, people who enjoy teaming will find no value here. With the only exception being PVP ground combat, the only light in this dark empty world of STO.
There are ways to encourage teaming without forcing people to fit into predefined roles. Just because WoW has conditioned a generation of gamers into believing that everyone needs to have a different function to have fun doesn't make it so. You don't need a "healer" in every encounter or any of the other holy trinity.
My Cruiser can Heal, it can Tank, and it can be a Damage dealer simply by me readjusting my points and changing my BOs. I like that aspect of the game. I like being able to do what I want to do at any given time rather then being forced to be one thing. YMMV
Someone else wrote this in another thread and it got me thinking. Perhaps new "i quit" threads are being created nearly everyday because STO doesn't give people a sense of investment or allows them to feel apart of a greater whole.
I won't speak to the "community" issues facing this game. But what about the design decision that essentially causes a role/class mechanic that effectively blurs the lines of distinction between players. We may look different due to our customized ships and avatars... but does that have any real gameplay value, or grant any sense of accomplishment?
Granted this design mechanic prevents the problems we had in WoW (LF Tank... LF Healer... LF A FRACKING TANk< WHERE ARE ALL THE TANKS!!!) but was it done properly and/or are we better off for it?
Its a crude revelation for me to realize "I'm not really needed." Is this what gives me a slight detachment from the game or is it something else. Does anyone else feel the same way? Or are the rest of you liking this. I'd really be interested to know, and may even help the dev's form opinions on what to work on/not work on next.
Good post. I don't necessarily think that interdependence and community have to be created through strict gameplay mechanics, but there is definitely a dearth of content and systems in the game right now that would lead people to need other players for anything. The main thing is to give people meaningful reasons to play together, and to make it so that they MUST play with others at some point in order to experience all the game has to offer.
There are ways to encourage teaming without forcing people to fit into predefined roles. Just because WoW has conditioned a generation of gamers into believing that everyone needs to have a different function to have fun doesn't make it so. You don't need a "healer" in every encounter or any of the other holy trinity.
My Cruiser can Heal, it can Tank, and it can be a Damage dealer simply by me readjusting my points and changing my BOs. I like that aspect of the game. I like being able to do what I want to do at any given time rather then being forced to be one thing. YMMV
Then you should be playing STO the RTS... oh wait.. you are...
If you need nobody then nobody needs you; that creates a lack of desire to play a game that is supposed encourage social interaction and teamwork.
If you need nobody then nobody needs you; that creates a lack of desire to play a game that is supposed encourage social interaction and teamwork.
People do play with others for reasons other then character need. If you're only playing with others because you need their character, well that speaks more about you then any game system.
The failure is not lack of roles. Its a lack of need for roles. While I enjoy the game it is for the most part too easy. If the game were harder it would encourage teaming more.
Heres my experience for teaming. You go in to an instance and are auto teamed. Every one rushes to get kills or scan the item (why I dont know as you all get credit) then as soon as the mission is over the team disbands. I get the impression that its just easier to put up with the auto team once started then to disband and search for another instance.
On top of all that instancing isnt helping build a sense of community. I rarely recognize any one from a previous session. I realize instancing is going away any time soon but I think a community would be better served with individual servers.
Originally Posted by ThomasGideon
Here, let me give you a point of view from the other perspective:
Defined roles does not lead to community. What it leads to is the following:
Your tanking sucks, keep them off the healers!
Your healing is weak. Heal me more. HEAL ME MORE!
The damage meter says that you are not good enough of a player to be with us.
I'm sorry, discoed and couldn't hold aggro.
Main healer down, everyone wipe and we will try again.
Etc, etc...
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Strict enforcement of roles is a very primitive form of game design, and does NOT actually build community. It helps build elitism, which is the antithesis of community. It also encourages robotic game play, where everything follows a formula, and adaptation or dynamic encounters can not exist. Group encounters become a task of "wait for X, do Y, then wait for Z". This is lazy game design and boring to play over and over and OVER (which you WILL be doing in the end-game treadmill).
I would much prefer a game where players can shift roles and tactics as evolving situations require. Yes, it requires more creativity and raw intelligence that it seems some people want to put in to gaming, but I have found it also provides a more satisfying game experience. Yeah, there is some overlap in skills. THIS IS NOT INHERENTLY A BAD THING!
Finally, the nail in the "strongly defined class roles" coffin:
Before space combat was nerfed in to the ground, way back in beta, certain encounters were quite hard. In fact, they were impossible for most people to deal with on their own. You want to know what happened? People made teams, and took on the encounters in groups. They formed friendships, and learned to work as a group. They OFFERED and REQUESTED to be in teams, in open chat. This is not theory, this is HOW IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
Hammering the player characters in to typical (and boring) cookie cutter forms is not necessary at all. Just provide a serious challenge to players. The community will do the rest. Yeah, some people were able to take on these encounters solo. I cleared everything myself, but I also enjoyed going BACK, and participating with other players to help THEM through the content. There were many others who did the same. It built community. It was good.
What people who want pre-defined roles really want, is the game to conform to what they are used to from other games, instead of growing and adapting to new game play.
I think they need to work on both solo and party/raid content. I really don't want to see content that can only be completed with X number of this class and so on.
Indeed... strict roles and community generated templates are the road to mediocrity...not away from it.... and is what has happened in every MMORPG I've ever been in...and it sucked then, and it sucks now....
(Unless you are one of the pious people yelling at team members to feel awesome...I guess... Inwhich case please chime in so I know to put you on ignore...)
The failure is not lack of roles. Its a lack of need for roles. While I enjoy the game it is for the most part too easy. If the game were harder it would encourage teaming more.
Heres my experience for teaming. You go in to an instance and are auto teamed. Every one rushes to get kills or scan the item (why I dont know as you all get credit) then as soon as the mission is over the team disbands. I get the impression that its just easier to put up with the auto team once started then to disband and search for another instance.
On top of all that instancing isnt helping build a sense of community. I rarely recognize any one from a previous session. I realize instancing is going away any time soon but I think a community would be better served with individual servers.
This is something I am very wary of...
People have ultimately become accustomed to the leveling progression. And frankly, Cryptic has had real problems in the past with adjusting leveling progression in Champions. The smart thing to have done would have to made the difficulty setting high to begin with and then gradually ease off on it in patches. The problem with this however, is that it would make STO seem even MORE repetitive than it already is. And that would likely drive people away en masse.
I would be okay with this, but they would NEED to have a public test server... which they dont currently (it was last stated that it would be launched "very soon" and that was said a month ago). Changing the level of difficulty is a simplistic solution, but it comes with its own problems. Undoubtedly people will start QQing over making the game harder, and some will say that it feels impossible (whether it actually is or isnt).
I feel the biggest mistake they made was the leveling curve , it should have taken a 1000 times longer to hit max rank then it did , nothing to do once you get there , so why make it easy to hit max level ?
If they'd made it a longer leveling curve then they wouldnt have the mass desertions they're getting now from all the bored players .
Never thought i'd say it but i canceled my subscription yesterday . Gonna see what this weeks patch brings and if its more of the same garbage they've done so far then i wont be reactivating .
I feel the biggest mistake they made was the leveling curve , it should have taken a 1000 times longer to hit max rank then it did , nothing to do once you get there , so why make it easy to hit max level ?
If they'd made it a longer leveling curve then they wouldnt have the mass desertions they're getting now from all the bored players .
Never thought i'd say it but i canceled my subscription yesterday . Gonna see what this weeks patch brings and if its more of the same garbage they've done so far then i wont be reactivating .
There isn't enough content to make it take longer to reach the end. Hell, there's barely enough as is.
Comments
Isn't there raidisodes or something like that? Cryptics poor version of "raiding".
Why not 5 DPS? Its not like dying is all that important. Having more DPS would just make the mission that much easier.
You just nailed the biggest nail on the head...
There is no reason to bring or need anything other than DPS. In STO all the other classes are parolor tricks compared to DPS. Since there is really no viable reason to play Science or Engineer since in the end we all end up doing nothing but DPS.
PVP Ground combat is the only saveing grace where a Science Officer and Engineer can shine, they can heal and defend while the others do DPS.
Thier is plenty of reasons to groups in STO, just none that are being forced upon us against our will.
One Science ship using a BO abilities that is available to all classes is not "plenty of reasons to groups", nor is it evidence that Science Officers and to a lesser degree Engineering Officers are really viable.
As a Science Officer, in Space I have no healing ability at all; all of my abilities are based upon my BO's who are also available to Tactical and Engeering Officers.
Care to explain those "reasons to group" in STO? Cause you got me. I can't think of one reason to right now. And even if there is a raid all I would take would be DPS escorts or tac/Cruisers.
This^^
I think they need to work on both solo and party/raid content. I really don't want to see content that can only be completed with X number of this class and so on.
Dude, you are dead on with this assesment. I hit this realization this weekend as well. I suddenly realized that the reason i was so disatisfied with STO is because I was trying to play the deep player driven MMO with years of gameplay ahead that I thought STO should have been. When I looked at it like the shallow linier co-op game like I would buy for my 360 have a blast with for one month then trade in I saw that it lived up perfectly to those altered expectations.
The problem is we're paying the price of the former and getting the latter.
Then, and only then, dps only won't work...you'll need science to bolster your shields, and cruiser to repair your hull.
I hope you are right, my investment into this game is such that I do want to have fun in it.
But that still does not fix the issue that as a Science Officer I can heal nothing in space...
Fundamentally, I think the way it is... is less than ideal. In my original post, I did not contend that we NEED tanks/healers/dps per se.... what I was lamenting was the fact that "I am not needed to be part of the community". If I am in a group, I could join them and provide more SPACEBAR... but that is shallow and not compelling.
Let's look at another game: EVE.
EVE does not specifically delineate between roles and classes. I have said before hand that their advancement system was far superior and I maintain that. Skills actually built upon one another. There was enough skills to become a class/role... then specialize within a bracket... and then go on to become SUPER specialized... while STILL being useful in your other specializations.
STO's skills... well... it is hard to see how they build upon one another.
Another thing that adds to the blandness is that ships themselves do not remain viable in higher end content. I was an advocate of this pre-CB, and most people agreed with me. Ships themselves need specific abilities and or modifiers to keep them viable long term, otherwise we end up with a banal landscape of people all piloting T5 ships.
This game is shallow. That is the bottom line. And it is this shallowness that detracts from any one person from being an asset to a group, fleet, or the community at large.
Maybe implementing a traditional class/role system would be an easy way of making people perform FUNCTIONS within the game world, but honestly... I was hoping for something more. EVE has all types of ships, with all sorts of functions in small and large scale engagements. Soo...
good stuff here.
Because you want to group.
If you want forced grouping leave your options set to open, otherwise choose when and where.
They left it up to the player to determine when and why, and I like it that way.
Are you asking for reasons to group with others or asking why science doesn't work as a healer?
You can group or not group. I group for fun.
STO doesn't fit neatly into the "holy Trinity" of MMO's. Science is closer to a healer/wizard in function, Cruisers closer to tanks and escorts fit the dps role. There are no true Healing, tanking classes though as all are effective in combat iether solo or with a group. When in a group a science ship will bring different abilities than my escort or a cruiser, thus you can solo and be fine or team and actually bring something to the table besides just the ability to do dammage.
no area (at least at my rank) where anyone just hangs out and be social. Why is that?
BECAUSE every part of this game is instanced to death!
I see and uderstand this detachement you mention. Its not really like an MMO in all honesty, but perhaps that will change with the new raidisodes.
STO has a really good foundation. It just need more immersive material. Some of the Episodes are fantastic, and even many of the Patrols are cool if you take the time to read the story associated with them. Exploration needs to be expanded and there needs to be middle-ground missions between "defeat everything" and "click 5 glowies." Still, seeing what the Devs have been talking about with these types of missions does look promising to me. Most importantly the game just needs more missions so that you can follow several different paths on your journey from 1 to 50. I know that's going to take years as many MMOs don't have too many paths. Still, I have a lot of hopes for STO. I enjoy playing it, even if I have done the mission 10 times between Closed Beta and now.
Here is why I believe that: ships, toons, and crew have a clear defined role to play but not so restricted that you cannot make a sci cruiser captain, or tech sci captain. Once respecs/retcons are introduced, people will be able to tailor their toons to meet the needs of crew and ships. Once people start figuring and posting guides on how to make a cruiser tanks/brute, their escort a blaster/scrapper, and sci a troller, or a comb or them it will help with some FA. E.g., I am making my cruiser a tank, but focusing my crew and sci toon on debuffing in space and healing on ground. Love the fact that you can start some missions solo, and others enter to team, and visa versa - have added quite a few friends in the game.
How I think they can improve: add a missile for cruiser class only that is low damage, long range (15 km) that draws attention to the attacker, or a emp that blinds enemy sensors that focus on area of origin - a taunt. Admiral's Covert Action Groups and one per sector, a Task Force where five players go on a multi mission adventure for a powered accolade, and rare drop. (By power accolade I mean like 2% bonus to shield power level or something like that.)
Most of the replies refer to "you", if you understood concepts then you would know that "you" is irrevelent.
The problem is the lack of incentive to either group or feel needed.
The reason why I feel that without major changes this game will fail is due to the lack of incentive to play it.
When I play a MMO, I do it to fulfill a role; I enjoying healing and so I always make healers. It has nothing to do with my desire to be elite; because I have no desire of that nature. It has to do with giving me incentive to play the game.
STO right now gives me no real incetive to play the game and the reason is poor game design. By removing roles completely and making classes nothing more than window dressing they have watered down the concept of a MMO so badly that this game does not really qualify as one, it is a RTS with a FPS linked. It certianly is not a RPG.
The OP is correct, there is really no reason to have a community since the game is effectively designed as a solo game. The other players can be considered NPC's for a s much interaction and communication that occurs during a instance.
Sadly there is really nothing that can be done about the poor game design at this time short of a complete redesign of the game. As the first (and probably last) Start Trek MMO; this game has already won the most disappointing game of the year.
My hope is that the Devs are able to salvage the game, especially since I have invested a hour and half pay into a lifetime subscription and a DDE too.
The premise is tha game does not hing to encourage teaming, people who enjoy teaming will find no value here. With the only exception being PVP ground combat, the only light in this dark empty world of STO.
My Cruiser can Heal, it can Tank, and it can be a Damage dealer simply by me readjusting my points and changing my BOs. I like that aspect of the game. I like being able to do what I want to do at any given time rather then being forced to be one thing. YMMV
Good post. I don't necessarily think that interdependence and community have to be created through strict gameplay mechanics, but there is definitely a dearth of content and systems in the game right now that would lead people to need other players for anything. The main thing is to give people meaningful reasons to play together, and to make it so that they MUST play with others at some point in order to experience all the game has to offer.
Then you should be playing STO the RTS... oh wait.. you are...
If you need nobody then nobody needs you; that creates a lack of desire to play a game that is supposed encourage social interaction and teamwork.
Heres my experience for teaming. You go in to an instance and are auto teamed. Every one rushes to get kills or scan the item (why I dont know as you all get credit) then as soon as the mission is over the team disbands. I get the impression that its just easier to put up with the auto team once started then to disband and search for another instance.
On top of all that instancing isnt helping build a sense of community. I rarely recognize any one from a previous session. I realize instancing is going away any time soon but I think a community would be better served with individual servers.
Indeed... strict roles and community generated templates are the road to mediocrity...not away from it.... and is what has happened in every MMORPG I've ever been in...and it sucked then, and it sucks now....
(Unless you are one of the pious people yelling at team members to feel awesome...I guess... Inwhich case please chime in so I know to put you on ignore...)
This is something I am very wary of...
People have ultimately become accustomed to the leveling progression. And frankly, Cryptic has had real problems in the past with adjusting leveling progression in Champions. The smart thing to have done would have to made the difficulty setting high to begin with and then gradually ease off on it in patches. The problem with this however, is that it would make STO seem even MORE repetitive than it already is. And that would likely drive people away en masse.
I would be okay with this, but they would NEED to have a public test server... which they dont currently (it was last stated that it would be launched "very soon" and that was said a month ago). Changing the level of difficulty is a simplistic solution, but it comes with its own problems. Undoubtedly people will start QQing over making the game harder, and some will say that it feels impossible (whether it actually is or isnt).
If they'd made it a longer leveling curve then they wouldnt have the mass desertions they're getting now from all the bored players .
Never thought i'd say it but i canceled my subscription yesterday . Gonna see what this weeks patch brings and if its more of the same garbage they've done so far then i wont be reactivating .
There isn't enough content to make it take longer to reach the end. Hell, there's barely enough as is.