So I thought I would write my analysis of the game as I see it (like there is a shortage of those). I apologize in advance if anything I suggest here is already in place, since I am only lower mid level at the moment.
First off I wasn't in any beta and didn't even play on release. I have been basically playing for about a week. Hopefully this gives a fresh perspective from someone with no pre-concieved expectations. I only played Feds long enough to open up a Klingon character and have been playing that one as my main, now Commander 1. I don't have any huge preference for Klingons over Feds but, with such a poor ground combat environment I don't see a reason to keep exploring story line that makes me fight on the ground.
Overall I am impressed with the game mostly for the space combat and truck loads of potential. I have played several mmo's through the years from eq, eq2, earth and beyond, DAOC, LOTRO
So.....
SPACE GAME is a 7/10:
Great mechanics, good balance of skills uses and counters. I can even deal with the no 360 loop thing.
PVE SPACE-
Is a lot of fun, had some epic fights in a group in Kahless Expanse when mission is set to Elite. Overall minus some UI flaws in targeting and chat it seems to be a well fleshed out experience.
PVP SPACE-
More fun than PVE when game mechanics set up a resonably balanced match, great challenge and intense management of systems and skills. It gets frustrating when teams are 2 on 5. A slaughter is no fun no matter what side your on.
GROUND GAME is a 3/10
PVE GROUND-
Some nice innovation with the away teams. If they had a little more I in the AI they would be great. This part of the game suffers from a lack of the same type of system and skill manipulation that the space game has. This could be fixed with an expanded away team command bar. If you could assign targets, stances and formations the mechanics of ground combat would be greatly improved. Overall the ground game was totally unappealing, it has got to the point that I won't even do them anymore and leave the system for another random generated mission. (As I am writing this I am wondering how fun it would be to have ground fighting look like COD4 with a Star Trek skin).
GROUND PVP-
I am unable to rate this although it sounds like fun, but since I realized early the ground PVE was so bland I actually cringe when I am running an explore mission and I get a ground instance. I may respec at some time or start a ground combat alt to see, but for now my main has no ground abilities.
Things that I think would make the game better and provide longetivity.
1. Ground combat zones that are not instanced. I should be able to pop into a zone for my level range and hook up with anyone who is there to grind. Unique drops for each zone from mobs. Vendors should be a place to fill in the gaps on equipment, but the zones should have the items people want in order to get them out there and working together to get them. I am not taking about the blue or purple drops but super rare items and raid level drops. I see deep space planets and space zones that act much the same as say heading to kunark or velious to grind and get some loot where you can group with anyone who is there.
2. Space zones that are just like the ground zones in item 1 above.
3. Less reliance on instanced missions overall to carry the game play. After only a week in game I am aready tired of seeing and doing the same thing over and over. This is mostly a ground game perception, but applies to space missions also. Instead of working on a handful of instance maps that all have the same flavor, they should have concentrated on creating unique persistent evironments that would help give sense of location.
4. RVR I have seen it mentioned here already, but this game is just a natural for this type of PVP system. Eventually even as fun as they are, the little maps of 5 on 5 PVP are going to get old. With limited space and general balance of ships it ends up being the same tactics over and over. Crytic needs to find a way to bring the big space battle to the PVP arena.
5. A functional reason to visit the bridge. Sure my bridge looks cool, and I can see all my BO's monitoring all the beeps and sweeps, but really... This made it in game in place of something that mattered as far as gameplay is concerned. It is a cool concept and I think that you should be able to visit the bridge, and travel while you are there, and do all sorts of things that I haven't thought of yet, but as it is its just a waste of space in the game.
6. Free changes of clothes. This is a silly one but if I want to play around with my uniform or my look what is the gain of charging for it? Same for starship, and BO names. Personally as much as I love the character creator function and the variety in options, spending developer time in creating new uniform and ship skins and such in the c-store is a bad choice of staff time, when critical gameplay items needs to be addressed before people leave the game.
7. Regional boss mobs. Again, should have them scattered around the galaxy on random spawns. Pirates in federation space. A rogue klingon captain, ect. ect. you get the point. You can scale the levels on them to be harder and harder the farther you get into open space.
8. Fleet love. Fleets or guilds are the foundation to a successful mmo. Attention needs to be paid to providing content that is geared to the fleet and provides a challenge that brings them together as a team. Fleets are going to be the glue that creates the whole STO community. Sure I like to play solo, I don't even mind a PUG now and then, but the epic challenge of something that takes teamwork coordination and prior planning and makes me feel like a part of something larger is not to be overlooked as a long term investment in continued subscriptions.
Overall I stand by my statement in the beginning. This game has boat loads of potential, and with the right development could possibly end up being the best mmo ever. I think the list of items in season 2 update seem to be moving in the right direction, I will wait and see.
Thanks for making the game, keep up the hard work.
Overall I stand by my statement in the beginning. This game has boat loads of potential, and with the right development could possibly end up being the best mmo ever. I think the list of items in season 2 update seem to be moving in the right direction, I will wait and see.
Just curious, the boat loads of potential your talking about.... when do you think that will come to fruition? I bought a lifetime sub and doubt I will see it at this rate.
I am pretty much trying to stay positive and focus on the bright spots, while still expressing what I see as short comings in the game.
I think the potential is hoping that they have staff with some knowledge of the host of other mmo's out there, ones that actually play these games and have an idea of what is fun. With some creativity and more of a focus on persistent environments I think that they could provide content that will appeal over the long term. If they keep on the route of re-running the same instance over and over (like Anarchy Online), my opinion is that it's doomed to fail (which would be a shame).
How hard would it be really, just off the top of my head
Any number of various alien spacestations
the penal colony on rura pentay sp?
Maybe a pirate fortress
Alien jungle with just wierd wildlife to kill
deep space 9 like hub where all races come to hang out (or group up)
It should be easy to figure in hunting zones that people can grind in. This game is too detached from community, It should be easy to implement that on a level band range of difficulty and it should be easy to envision something of an open raid system outside of instanced content.
The potential is the infinity of space, how much more room to grow could you need. Hell other games find several lost continents on one little world.
I am really excited about the season 2 stuff, particlularly the shared content. Maybe someone who plays test server can comment, but I sure do hope that instances are out for that
Comments
Just curious, the boat loads of potential your talking about.... when do you think that will come to fruition? I bought a lifetime sub and doubt I will see it at this rate.
I think the potential is hoping that they have staff with some knowledge of the host of other mmo's out there, ones that actually play these games and have an idea of what is fun. With some creativity and more of a focus on persistent environments I think that they could provide content that will appeal over the long term. If they keep on the route of re-running the same instance over and over (like Anarchy Online), my opinion is that it's doomed to fail (which would be a shame).
How hard would it be really, just off the top of my head
It should be easy to figure in hunting zones that people can grind in. This game is too detached from community, It should be easy to implement that on a level band range of difficulty and it should be easy to envision something of an open raid system outside of instanced content.
The potential is the infinity of space, how much more room to grow could you need. Hell other games find several lost continents on one little world.
I am really excited about the season 2 stuff, particlularly the shared content. Maybe someone who plays test server can comment, but I sure do hope that instances are out for that