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How To Keep Us Interested

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
More Quests/Missions/Episodes!

If you look at the number of (real) quests in the game, there's like 45-50'ish quests. What I mean, is that we typically get one Episodic quest per level. These episodes are longer than a standard quest, and let's say it's even 3x longer. So now we've got 150'ish real quests.

I'm not really sure if we can include patrol missions, seeing as how they're essentially the same as star cluster missions, perhaps with slightly more relevance to whatever sector block you happen to be in. They're all very simple and despite some variety, I'm sure we've all done the exact same mission a couple times over. Let's be kind and add this to the pile. So let's take the number of sectors in the game which I counted to 45 (please excuse if I'm off a bit), and let's give each sector 6 patrol missions (I think it's probably just 3, but let's be kind). So now we've got 270 patrol missions.

Let's also take Fleet Actions for fun, which I think there is only something like 5, but we'll double that too to be kind.

Let's also take the endgame 'raidisodes', of which there are currently 2 (since the newest patch), and let's quintuple those because they're intended to be much longer than a standard mission.

150 + 270 + 10 + 10 = 440 actual missions in the game.

How does this compare to other MMOs?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I don't think the number of missions is really a good way to demonstrate that a game is good or not.

    I tend to think about the game in the number of hours played rather than how many missions, since a reasonable person buys a game to enjoy it for as long as possible, not burn through the entire game before moving on. At this rate, assuming you buy the game(since we're talking about a PC game), not rent, one could expect someone to buy a new game almost weekly, which for most people is not the case.

    At 45, which is the current cap, it has has taken me about 3 days worth of play time. I've done it 3 times already and the number seems to be around that time. Taking into account different play styles that number may vary from, I would guess between 60-80 hours lies the true average for players to get to the cap.

    I know this may draw some ire from people with the whole (apples to oranges comparison) but on a game like World of Warcraft, supposedly it should take someone about 4-5 days of hardcore playing to make it from 1-70. So anywhere from 100-125 hours of game time to get part way to the max? Then it's another long haul (I think the best guess is 9-11 hours of game time per level) of getting to 80 (soon to be 85). And then another I have no idea of game time to get the gear so you can do most of the endgame stuff, which is "supposed" to be the best part of the game.

    ...Well, the point of all this is, I like my games...well like my games. Not a second full time job. About 60 hours of game play is pretty solid for a game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    ya ... not really the number of missions.

    but the " time played " to get to max level.


    STO falls way way short in this area.


    .
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    WOW has over 8k quests, had over 1500 at launch.
    Even if you discount all the pointless ones e.g. "go talk to the dude next to me" it still curbstomps this games content.

    You really don't want to compare content in this game to others, the fanbois will eat you alive with "well it's new" "they only had 2 years" bla bla

    For a game that charges the same as the big boy mmo's - this one fails hard at content.

    Edit: to respond to the "hours played"
    Yes its about 80 hours to get RA5 then you get a few more hours of raidisode content.
    I imagine that a person could do about everything there is to do content wise in less than 130 hours.
    Thats sad for an MMO by any comparison.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    You're all probably right -- a better comparison would be hours burned in-game. When I first played WoW back in early 2005 (my first MMO), I was so enthralled with exploration and questing with other players, I didn't hit level 60 until 34 days passed in-game. That's excessive, yes, but it's a testament to how much there is to do that isn't quest-related necessarily.

    In contrast, I hit RA5 in STO in I think just over 3 days. By that time, I had done every mission there was in the game (save for all the possible variations of the randomly created star cluster content, of course). Since then, I've logged another 2 days in-game running the daily pve mission, dabbling in pvp, and wasting time doing not much of anything. I just logged in for the first time in 2 weeks (to check my /played) and there's still nothing to do day-to-day. The rewards for running the dailies are so easy to get, you can pimp your whole ship out in less than another day's worth of game-time. And then what? How many times can you run an hour-long instance (Infected, the Cure)? Certainly not enough to keep someone playing every day for a month.

    Dang it. I promised myself I wouldn't get disillusioned with this game, but lately I really am wondering why I signed on for a lifetime subscription -- there's nothing to do.

    Plain and simple: Give us more content. Give us a *real* crafting system. Give us WoW-style reputations. Give us more dailies. Give us more episodic missions.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    majicebe wrote: »

    Dang it. I promised myself I wouldn't get disillusioned with this game, but lately I really am wondering why I signed on for a lifetime subscription -- there's nothing to do.

    Yea, ouch, sorry man.

    I really feel for you lifers, at least i was able to cap my losses at the collectors edition.
    Talked my friend out of buying a LS by showing him cryptics other "mmo" champions.
    I hope they turn it around for you man, but I would not hold my breath.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Edited to be nice :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    The episode team is back on track and working on Season Two in addition additional Special Task Forces.

    We are aware that everyone wants more episodic content and you can expect to see more of moving forward. Season One was an odd update for the Episode team since the majority of it was spent making the end game STFs (which are staggered and coming out over the next 6 weeks)

    We will be adding some new sectors, new types of explorations content, as well as Klingon episodes in Season Two.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    dstahl wrote: »
    The episode team is back on track and working on Season Two in addition additional Special Task Forces.

    We are aware that everyone wants more episodic content and you can expect to see more of moving forward. Season One was an odd update for the Episode team since the majority of it was spent making the end game STFs (which are staggered and coming out over the next 6 weeks)

    We will be adding some new sectors, new types of explorations content, as well as Klingon episodes in Season Two.

    That's awesome. Thank you for the reply.

    Is there an ETA on Season 2?
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I would love to see some "in ship" missions. Boarding party defenses, attempted take overs, bomb plantings, etc. Some cannon-like in ship episodes.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    majicebe wrote: »
    That's awesome. Thank you for the reply.

    Is there an ETA on Season 2?

    July

    /10char
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    dstahl wrote: »
    The episode team is back on track and working on Season Two in addition additional Special Task Forces.

    We are aware that everyone wants more episodic content and you can expect to see more of moving forward. Season One was an odd update for the Episode team since the majority of it was spent making the end game STFs (which are staggered and coming out over the next 6 weeks)

    We will be adding some new sectors, new types of explorations content, as well as Klingon episodes in Season Two.

    Indeed. I can wait for the new stuff. But just a suggestion. Putting a rush on releasing the ability to replay old missions might be a good way to give some of these people something to do in the mean time.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    Indeed. I can wait for the new stuff. But just a suggestion. Putting a rush on releasing the ability to replay old missions might be a good way to give some of these people something to do in the mean time.

    As an additional suggestion, how about giving us more incentive to replay the missions we already completed? Maybe add some optional objectives that are difficult to pull off but give good rewards? I'm happy that we are getting the ability to replay missions, I'd just be happier if I had more of a reason to. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Pikoy wrote:
    Indeed. I can wait for the new stuff. But just a suggestion. Putting a rush on releasing the ability to replay old missions might be a good way to give some of these people something to do in the mean time.

    I'd be all over that. Some of the missions were classic.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    dstahl wrote: »
    We will be adding some new sectors, new types of explorations content, as well as Klingon episodes in Season Two.

    Please let us roam freely on Tellar Prime and swim in mud baths!
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