I started playing this game in July but quickly got bored so gave up. I've just returned and I have to say the weekly episodes have really drawn me in; great plots, better variety and very exciting!
By next February (i.e. a year after release) we'll have Season 3 fully implemented with, I suspect, the Foundry off and running. I guess we'd have had another series of weekly episodes and space will finally look like space. When the game came out it was getting 5.5-6.5 in the Press with a lot of people saying great potential. By next February I think the game will be worth 7.5/8 and even more reason to say great potential given the new leadership. Seems to me the game was a year undercooked.
I really hope that going forward it hasn't cost the game its long-term future!
The devs have said that after Season 3 goes live they'll be looking into 'fixing' ground combat.
Whatever that means.
Anyway, once that's finally gone live. Then this game might finally be ready for release. So yeah, probably about February 2011, or June or something.
This date will likely change to a later date when they make Klingons truly PvP oriented(open PvP) and add PvE for Klingon players who play PvE (reasonable to federation PvE level of content)
So correction, STO will be ready for January, 2012 this is the year that life on earth is suppose to end. Too bad I was hoping for more complete Klingon play. Oh well.......Cryptic got away with it.
If I were Cryptic (and I'm not, but if I were), I'd push over the next two to three seasons following Season 3 to make Klingon content comparable to Federation content. Ground combat is clunky, but functional, so I'd put any ground combat modifications on hold indefinitely By midyear 2011, the Klingons would be a total faction, with content equivalent to Federation content on release day.
After the midyear Klingon Completion, updates would go silent except for the Weeklies; the reason for this is resources being focused into a true paid expansion featuring playable Romulans as their main theme, introducing level-banded Open PVP in Neutral Zone sectors, expanded costumes for all factions, and the first major changes to ground combat.
Looking far into the future, Cardassian Faction would be my next focus, with a release exactly a year after Romulans. Whether it be a full expansion, a mini C-Store expansion, or a large Season update is up for debate, and would depend on how the Romulan expansion went over.
I VOTE THAT WE TURN ALL THE KLINGONS INTO RUGS AND USE THE ADDITIONAL FREE SPACE FOR SOMETHING NEAT LIKE SHIP WASHING STATIONS WITH BIKINI CLAD TRIBBLES BUFFING THE HULLS!!!!
I VOTE THAT WE TURN ALL THE KLINGONS INTO RUGS AND USE THE ADDITIONAL FREE SPACE FOR SOMETHING NEAT LIKE SHIP WASHING STATIONS WITH BIKINI CLAD TRIBBLES BUFFING THE HULLS!!!!
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE!!!!!!!!
LOL The very same thing was already suggested back on Quo'nos only one small difference to turn all the tribbles into Bloodwine.
Klingons are actually getting the lionshare of content for Season 3- Foundry and Sector Space improvements are cross-faction.
I think this was a wise move: make some of the best cross-faction features available and have Klingon content added to the wings each Season.
I agree this cross-faction content should have been released on regular basis so not upset either side. But Klingons are still behind Federation in PvE content and uniforms, customization etc.
I agree this cross-faction content should have been released on regular basis so not upset either side. But Klingons are still behind Federation in PvE content and uniforms, customization etc.
I know they are behind but the new missions (aside from Foundry) are exclusively for Klingons during Season 3 (i.e. two repeatable sorties of three missions apiece with a meta mission over-top)
I know they are behind but the new missions (aside from Foundry) are exclusively for Klingons during Season 3 (i.e. two repeatable sorties of three missions apiece with a meta mission over-top)
I am mostly PvP player but I also enjoy PvE almost as much as PvP. If and when I will be able to level my Klingon character through PvE only then I'd say we have enough content. I don't mean grinding in nebula but doing story PvE missions from LT to LT General.
Now don't get me wrong it's great that Klingons are getting some love that was long overdue. I just hope that it won't stop on season 3 and the Devs continue to support Klingons.
I am mostly PvP player but I also enjoy PvE almost as much as PvP. If and when I will be able to level my Klingon character through PvE only then I'd say we have enough content. I don't mean grinding in nebula but doing story PvE missions from LT to LT General.
Now don't get me wrong it's great that Klingons are getting some love that was long overdue. I just hope that it won't stop on season 3 and the Devs continue to support Klingons.
That's what I am saying: I'm glad the mission content additions for Season 3 are geared toward Klingons (and that Klingons will finally have crafting!).
That's what I am saying: I'm glad the mission content additions for Season 3 are geared toward Klingons (and that Klingons will finally have crafting!).
Yeah, I use to do crafting for my Klinks using Fed character but after season 3 no more
Yeah, I use to do crafting for my Klinks using Fed character but after season 3 no more
After Season 3, you can also do raiding... maybe they'll get ballsy and have Feds try to protect freighters warping out and make at least one an Open PvP encounter.
That's right devs: solidify your massive huevo status with an Open PvP instance in Pi Canis - represented by a roving transport.
After Season 3, you can also do raiding... maybe they'll get ballsy and have Feds try to protect freighters warping out and make at least one an Open PvP encounter.
That's right devs: solidify your massive huevo status with an Open PvP instance in Pi Canis - represented by a roving transport.
That is a great idea for a PVP zone. I think it was Gozer who said klingons would get materials for crafting for raiding NPC transport ships. Just let the Federations try to stop them from destroying the freighters.
They have to escort the freighters so far before they can warp out. Like the cargo ships are getting materials from a nebula. The Federation forces would have to escort the freighter out of the nebula.
It would be like the early FED quest where you talk to the ship and get it to follow you. So Star fleet could take it in different courses if they wanted to get out of the nebula. Maybe even two at a time in different directions to try and split the Klingon forces.
Make the map with the gases from the nebula and planetary debris from the ancient super nova that destroyed the system at the end of the blast range. The gases would limit visibility and the debris would offer some cover to escort the ship through.
If I were Cryptic (and I'm not, but if I were), I'd push over the next two to three seasons following Season 3 to make Klingon content comparable to Federation content. Ground combat is clunky, but functional, so I'd put any ground combat modifications on hold indefinitely By midyear 2011, the Klingons would be a total faction, with content equivalent to Federation content on release day.
After the midyear Klingon Completion, updates would go silent except for the Weeklies; the reason for this is resources being focused into a true paid expansion featuring playable Romulans as their main theme, introducing level-banded Open PVP in Neutral Zone sectors, expanded costumes for all factions, and the first major changes to ground combat.
Looking far into the future, Cardassian Faction would be my next focus, with a release exactly a year after Romulans. Whether it be a full expansion, a mini C-Store expansion, or a large Season update is up for debate, and would depend on how the Romulan expansion went over.
But that's just me.
I'm pretty sure I disagree with every single thing you wrote, which is rare for a post with several ideas.
What I see happening for the Klingons is what the devs have already said; they aren't trying to match the content the Feds get, but most content that is done in the future will be faction-agnostic and they will ensure that the Klingons get a non-boring levelling path, which right now does need a lot of improvement. Concentrating solely on the Klingons for a period of six months or more, as you wish, would alienate the vast majority of Fed players and get you little in numbers for Klingons in return.
Then you want a paid expansion next. The dev team for STO is small; they don't have the resources for a paid expansion, and they've already said there probably will never be a boxed expansion pack. Even doing the weeklies would tax their resources to the point they would not be able to put out an expansion pack.
Oh, and put ground combat on hold indefinitely, even when they've already been working on it in closed testing? I'm pretty sure the majority of people who like space combat but not ground will disagree with you, as do I. Once again it is of no matter; the devs are already working on it and are not likely to drop it partially done considering the amount of flack ground combat has taken since launch.
I was wrong. I can agree with you on something. Romulan faction should be the next one, and a year later for Cardassians sounds in the right timeframe.
Personally I do wish that the dev team had the resources to put out a paid box expansion, with significant TV, Star Trek convention, and internet marketing to get the thousands of people Cryptic lost from the shaky launch, the middling reviews, and the state of the game at various times since. I think they lost the opportunity to make a great first impression, and staying with the niche audience internet marketing we see now will ensure STO never makes it past a couple hundred thousands subcribers; meaning they'll never have the resources to do the expansion packs.
I see an awful lot of desire for open pvp zones. I'm not against them so long as non-pvp players don't have to get ganked to do their pve missions. But I seriously doubt they would be as good as people think they will be. So long as these pvp matches are only set for 5 vs. 5 we will continue to see the long waits and Klingon domination of the pvp we have now, and if it is purely who can bring the most ships to the sector the Feds will hold that sector from sheer numbers until we get to 4am eastern time or so when the Klingons could stay up late and take it away temporarily from the sleeping Feds. I believe open sector pvp will end up with one side or the other holding that sector in perpetuity, and which side holds it will depend on the rules set for it.
It doesn't matter if the new missions in season 3 are heavily in favor of the Klingons because they're still about 100 or so behind. Leveling will still take massive amounts of pure grind in slow PvP queues or repetitive as heck PvE exploration, warzones and crappy encounters.
I am sure that this game could've been better if they waited a year.
However, please don't hold that against the development team. I'm sure that they were given orders from Atari or whomever and absolutely had to put the game out.
Personally I do wish that the dev team had the resources to put out a paid box expansion, with significant TV, Star Trek convention, and internet marketing to get the thousands of people Cryptic lost from the shaky launch, the middling reviews, and the state of the game at various times since.
I, frankly, don't see the point in a boxed expansion at this point. I don't even really get why Blizzard still does it. It makes far more sense, even if you're making a 'paid expansion', to release it digitally. You can do all the same advertising, and you save yourself the overhead of printing boxes, making DVD-Roms, shipping them, handling returns, etc. etc. etc. If having a visible presence in actual stores is that critically important to business, ship out a card or faux box that entitles you to download the expansion.
In addition to costing you money, by the time the DVD-Roms end up in the store, they require massive patching anyway.
TL;DR Make Romulans a paid expansion, but charge us $20-25 in the C-Store for it, and spend the money on advertising, not printing and shipping.
I don't see how you could question the boxed games by mentioning Blizzard doing it when they're by far doing the best in the MMO industry. You can tell us it's pointless when it stops being 100% effective. If anything having boxed expansions keeps your game in the minds of people while a download only one... wouldn't. I mean you wouldn't see it while browsing games at a story, employees wouldn't know about it since they're not selling it, etc.
It obviously still works and has it's purpose. It might fade away but not today, not any time too soon.
I don't see how you could question the boxed games by mentioning Blizzard doing it when they're by far doing the best in the MMO industry. You can tell us it's pointless when it stops being 100% effective. If anything having boxed expansions keeps your game in the minds of people while a download only one... wouldn't. I mean you wouldn't see it while browsing games at a story, employees wouldn't know about it since they're not selling it, etc.
It obviously still works and has it's purpose. It might fade away but not today, not any time too soon.
Really? Is boxed expansions how Blizzard distributes its expansions in Asia, where the vast majority of its players are?
The way that Blizzard became #1 in the MMO industry (aside from marketing their game in Asia, the U.S. and Europe), was by taking the best of what had come before, and then innovating. Copying them isn't going to get you anywhere, as proven by...well...pretty much every MMO that's come out that's tried to copy them.
Additionally, several games have already made the move to exclusively digital distribution, including, for example, LotRO with Siege of Mirkwood. I don't know if there was a boxed version of AoC's expansion either...if there was, I've never seen it. Everybody I know got it digitally. And, if you head over to WoW's website, Blizzard is also pushing their digital download version of Cataclysm quite heavily, because they see the benefit of moving to that model in the U.S. and E.U.
As far as 'browsing in the store', have you seen the 'PC gaming' corner of a store recently? None of the GameStops in my region even display PC games, other than a small display for a couple weeks when an individual game is released. Otherwise you have to specifically ask at the counter. The Best Buy stores in my area have them in a seperate section, away from all of the console games (which is a huge section) on a small shelf next to the printer ribbons. My local Wal-Mart has a corner that's at least near the console games that has several WoW boxes, SC2, and game time cards. In summary: PC games, and a potential STO expansion, will get minimal, at best, exposure in actual stores.
So its not 'obvious' that it still works. Its the old paradigm, and we're in the process of transitioning to a new one. Your post is like saying that Champions Online going f2p is idiotic because WoW is still the biggest game in the world and its subscription based.
Really? Is boxed expansions how Blizzard distributes its expansions in Asia, where the vast majority of its players are?
The way that Blizzard became #1 in the MMO industry (aside from marketing their game in Asia, the U.S. and Europe), was by taking the best of what had come before, and then innovating. Copying them isn't going to get you anywhere, as proven by...well...pretty much every MMO that's come out that's tried to copy them.
Additionally, several games have already made the move to exclusively digital distribution, including, for example, LotRO with Siege of Mirkwood. I don't know if there was a boxed version of AoC's expansion either...if there was, I've never seen it. Everybody I know got it digitally. And, if you head over to WoW's website, Blizzard is also pushing their digital download version of Cataclysm quite heavily, because they see the benefit of moving to that model in the U.S. and E.U.
As far as 'browsing in the store', have you seen the 'PC gaming' corner of a store recently? None of the GameStops in my region even display PC games, other than a small display for a couple weeks when an individual game is released. Otherwise you have to specifically ask at the counter. The Best Buy stores in my area have them in a seperate section, away from all of the console games (which is a huge section) on a small shelf next to the printer ribbons. My local Wal-Mart has a corner that's at least near the console games that has several WoW boxes, SC2, and game time cards. In summary: PC games, and a potential STO expansion, will get minimal, at best, exposure in actual stores.
So its not 'obvious' that it still works. Its the old paradigm, and we're in the process of transitioning to a new one. Your post is like saying that Champions Online going f2p is idiotic because WoW is still the biggest game in the world and its subscription based.
I wouldn't define anything in WoW as innovative: there was just more stuff and it was more polished than other offerings.
I don't see how you could question the boxed games by mentioning Blizzard doing it when they're by far doing the best in the MMO industry. You can tell us it's pointless when it stops being 100% effective. If anything having boxed expansions keeps your game in the minds of people while a download only one... wouldn't. I mean you wouldn't see it while browsing games at a story, employees wouldn't know about it since they're not selling it, etc.
It obviously still works and has it's purpose. It might fade away but not today, not any time too soon.
STO has largely disappeared from the retail shelves at this point, which means you aren't reaching a lot of people who aren't in our niche of internet savvy gamers who like Star Trek. An unknown number, but I believe a large number, of people either tried it or heard about it and aren't here now, though they are still people who would play a really good Star Trek game, which I believe STO is becoming. A boxed expansion would appear to be a new game for many who came across it and might be willing to give STO a(nother) try.
I'm not saying you couldn't do it digitally, especially if you did all the marketing, but the box is a tangible thing and some people are less willing to pay the same price for a digital download. Unfortunately, marketing for Cryptic really hasn't done what they could have done to improve subscriber numbers since they don't even see the value in having booths at the biggest Star Trek conventions, like those in Vegas or Chicago. I think they left a lot of low hanging fruit there. But any advertising like I'm speaking of appears to be something the current marketing team will not consider. They believe STO is only a game for a niche of internet savvy gamers, and therefore have ensured that it will never be anything more.
So there wont be any paid expansions anyway. But STO will survive as it is if the numbers I hear about are true. I paid for my lifetime subscription knowing how incomplete the game was at launch, because I decided to make an investment into the game STO has and will become rather than the game it was at the time.
I wouldn't define anything in WoW as innovative: there was just more stuff and it was more polished than other offerings.
At the time it came out, there were a number of things that were innovative, like the heavy emphasis on questing. Character creation was unbelivably simplified, making it easy for non-gamers to get into playing very quickly and easily. There was very little compelled grouping at lower levels. Instancing made pve a lot less 'competitive'.
WoW's a 6 year old game, so we tend to take these things for granted, but when you compare it to say, Everquest, it really did take giant steps forward in a lot of areas. And they're still, by far, the most successful MMO at appealing to both causal players on the one hand, and hardcore grinders on the other. They've managed to capture a pretty big chunk of the Asian audience, and the Farmville crowd at the same time.
That said, I reiterate that the fact that Blizzard is still printing boxes and shipping them out doesn't mean its the smartest way for Cryptic to release an STO expansion, anymore than the fact that they still have a subscription-only model means that no MMO should consider a different one.
STO has largely disappeared from the retail shelves at this point, which means you aren't reaching a lot of people who aren't in our niche of internet savvy gamers who like Star Trek. An unknown number, but I believe a large number, of people either tried it or heard about it and aren't here now, though they are still people who would play a really good Star Trek game, which I believe STO is becoming. A boxed expansion would appear to be a new game for many who came across it and might be willing to give STO a(nother) try.
I'm not saying you couldn't do it digitally, especially if you did all the marketing, but the box is a tangible thing and some people are less willing to pay the same price for a digital download.
To answer those in reverse order: If you do it entirely digitally, you have a lot less overhead, so you can sell it cheaper (i.e. $20-25, ala Siege of Mirkwood, rather than $40, ala WoW Expansions). Any of these theoretical people who happen by the PC gaming nook in the back of a store and pick up a copy of an Expansion are then going to have to go find a copy of the original box in order to play the game. As more expansions come out, this gets even worse, and you find yourself having to continue to press more discs and print more boxes to keep them in stores, even as the price point drops and your profits keep decreasing.
You can still run all the advertising, and magazines and websites will still come back and (re)-review your game, as witnessed by the Age of Conan expansion.
I frankly don't know a single person who goes out and finds a rack of PC games in a store (and its increasingly difficult) and browses it, looking for games he's never heard of otherwise, and then plunks down upward of $50 on them without seeing anything but the box. Everybody I know who buys games finds out about them from advertising, reads some reviews, then goes out and finds them. And frankly, the STO website is a lot easier to find than a store that sells PC games. At least where I live.
At the time it came out, there were a number of things that were innovative, like the heavy emphasis on questing. Character creation was unbelivably simplified, making it easy for non-gamers to get into playing very quickly and easily. There was very little compelled grouping at lower levels. Instancing made pve a lot less 'competitive'.
I'm not sure making a game easier constitutes innovation - that seems to back up my belief that it was polish.
However, I'd concede that an easy leveling curve bucked the norm - though it wasn't all that innovative.
I don't think that because WoW is simple is what made it successful. The biggest thing reason WoW was successful it is fun.
It also had several different types of game play. It had sandbox you could just go out and kill mobs to end game. You could do instances with groups or you could solo quest to level cap. Plus you could open world PVP if you wanted.
It had several different ways to cater to players and it was fun is why WoW is popular.
I started playing this game in July but quickly got bored so gave up. I've just returned and I have to say the weekly episodes have really drawn me in; great plots, better variety and very exciting!
That's very true. Looking at the newer patches, it's almost hard to believe that the same people did those that are reponsible for the "go scan 5 artifacts on a barren planet" quests. The game is starting to be really great now and I can imagine that in a few months it will be named as a top contender among MMOs.
About the Kingon issue, that seems to rise in EVERY single thread here... As mean as this probably sounds, but this game would be even better if they'd just delete every line of code that relates to the Klingon faction from this game. Every. Single. One. Losing 2% of the players and 95% of the whining doesn't sound to be that bad of a deal to me, really.
And even if this may sound harsh, this is not meant as an insult towards the Klingon players, just to point out that it was an extremely bad idea to make two factions in this game to begin with. The Klingons should have never, ever existed in this game as a seperate faction. They should be what they were for most of the Trek history: Starfleet allies, sharing the same content. Problem solved.
I just hope they won't repeat this mistake by adding another faction. Ever.
I didn't get in closed beta but from what I read on the forums . Cryptic didn't have Klingons ready and announced they wouldn't be in launch. lot of testers demanded they be put in or they wouldn't subscribe. So Cryptic gave in and said ok we will put them in but they will be a PVP faction. Then a lot of those players who demanded them to be put in and knew they weren't ready. Later rage quit because they said the Klingon faction was incomplete.
Some are here and still flame Cryptic every chance they get about it.
Comments
Whatever that means.
Anyway, once that's finally gone live. Then this game might finally be ready for release. So yeah, probably about February 2011, or June or something.
This date will likely change to a later date when they make Klingons truly PvP oriented(open PvP) and add PvE for Klingon players who play PvE (reasonable to federation PvE level of content)
So correction, STO will be ready for January, 2012 this is the year that life on earth is suppose to end. Too bad I was hoping for more complete Klingon play. Oh well.......Cryptic got away with it.
After the midyear Klingon Completion, updates would go silent except for the Weeklies; the reason for this is resources being focused into a true paid expansion featuring playable Romulans as their main theme, introducing level-banded Open PVP in Neutral Zone sectors, expanded costumes for all factions, and the first major changes to ground combat.
Looking far into the future, Cardassian Faction would be my next focus, with a release exactly a year after Romulans. Whether it be a full expansion, a mini C-Store expansion, or a large Season update is up for debate, and would depend on how the Romulan expansion went over.
But that's just me.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE!!!!!!!!
I think this was a wise move: make some of the best cross-faction features available and have Klingon content added to the wings each Season.
LOL The very same thing was already suggested back on Quo'nos only one small difference to turn all the tribbles into Bloodwine.
That was my evil Capt Kirk Alt Klingon Twin Tribbler
Actually, give me a name, I'll get the devs to make me a rug of him first, to hang on my ship interior wall.
It would be an awesome addition and ready for the Foundry makeover. :eek:
I agree this cross-faction content should have been released on regular basis so not upset either side. But Klingons are still behind Federation in PvE content and uniforms, customization etc.
I know they are behind but the new missions (aside from Foundry) are exclusively for Klingons during Season 3 (i.e. two repeatable sorties of three missions apiece with a meta mission over-top)
I am mostly PvP player but I also enjoy PvE almost as much as PvP. If and when I will be able to level my Klingon character through PvE only then I'd say we have enough content. I don't mean grinding in nebula but doing story PvE missions from LT to LT General.
Now don't get me wrong it's great that Klingons are getting some love that was long overdue. I just hope that it won't stop on season 3 and the Devs continue to support Klingons.
That's what I am saying: I'm glad the mission content additions for Season 3 are geared toward Klingons (and that Klingons will finally have crafting!).
Yeah, I use to do crafting for my Klinks using Fed character but after season 3 no more
After Season 3, you can also do raiding... maybe they'll get ballsy and have Feds try to protect freighters warping out and make at least one an Open PvP encounter.
That's right devs: solidify your massive huevo status with an Open PvP instance in Pi Canis - represented by a roving transport.
That is a great idea for a PVP zone. I think it was Gozer who said klingons would get materials for crafting for raiding NPC transport ships. Just let the Federations try to stop them from destroying the freighters.
They have to escort the freighters so far before they can warp out. Like the cargo ships are getting materials from a nebula. The Federation forces would have to escort the freighter out of the nebula.
It would be like the early FED quest where you talk to the ship and get it to follow you. So Star fleet could take it in different courses if they wanted to get out of the nebula. Maybe even two at a time in different directions to try and split the Klingon forces.
Make the map with the gases from the nebula and planetary debris from the ancient super nova that destroyed the system at the end of the blast range. The gases would limit visibility and the debris would offer some cover to escort the ship through.
I'm pretty sure I disagree with every single thing you wrote, which is rare for a post with several ideas.
What I see happening for the Klingons is what the devs have already said; they aren't trying to match the content the Feds get, but most content that is done in the future will be faction-agnostic and they will ensure that the Klingons get a non-boring levelling path, which right now does need a lot of improvement. Concentrating solely on the Klingons for a period of six months or more, as you wish, would alienate the vast majority of Fed players and get you little in numbers for Klingons in return.
Then you want a paid expansion next. The dev team for STO is small; they don't have the resources for a paid expansion, and they've already said there probably will never be a boxed expansion pack. Even doing the weeklies would tax their resources to the point they would not be able to put out an expansion pack.
Oh, and put ground combat on hold indefinitely, even when they've already been working on it in closed testing? I'm pretty sure the majority of people who like space combat but not ground will disagree with you, as do I. Once again it is of no matter; the devs are already working on it and are not likely to drop it partially done considering the amount of flack ground combat has taken since launch.
I was wrong. I can agree with you on something. Romulan faction should be the next one, and a year later for Cardassians sounds in the right timeframe.
Personally I do wish that the dev team had the resources to put out a paid box expansion, with significant TV, Star Trek convention, and internet marketing to get the thousands of people Cryptic lost from the shaky launch, the middling reviews, and the state of the game at various times since. I think they lost the opportunity to make a great first impression, and staying with the niche audience internet marketing we see now will ensure STO never makes it past a couple hundred thousands subcribers; meaning they'll never have the resources to do the expansion packs.
I see an awful lot of desire for open pvp zones. I'm not against them so long as non-pvp players don't have to get ganked to do their pve missions. But I seriously doubt they would be as good as people think they will be. So long as these pvp matches are only set for 5 vs. 5 we will continue to see the long waits and Klingon domination of the pvp we have now, and if it is purely who can bring the most ships to the sector the Feds will hold that sector from sheer numbers until we get to 4am eastern time or so when the Klingons could stay up late and take it away temporarily from the sleeping Feds. I believe open sector pvp will end up with one side or the other holding that sector in perpetuity, and which side holds it will depend on the rules set for it.
However, please don't hold that against the development team. I'm sure that they were given orders from Atari or whomever and absolutely had to put the game out.
I, frankly, don't see the point in a boxed expansion at this point. I don't even really get why Blizzard still does it. It makes far more sense, even if you're making a 'paid expansion', to release it digitally. You can do all the same advertising, and you save yourself the overhead of printing boxes, making DVD-Roms, shipping them, handling returns, etc. etc. etc. If having a visible presence in actual stores is that critically important to business, ship out a card or faux box that entitles you to download the expansion.
In addition to costing you money, by the time the DVD-Roms end up in the store, they require massive patching anyway.
TL;DR Make Romulans a paid expansion, but charge us $20-25 in the C-Store for it, and spend the money on advertising, not printing and shipping.
It obviously still works and has it's purpose. It might fade away but not today, not any time too soon.
Really? Is boxed expansions how Blizzard distributes its expansions in Asia, where the vast majority of its players are?
The way that Blizzard became #1 in the MMO industry (aside from marketing their game in Asia, the U.S. and Europe), was by taking the best of what had come before, and then innovating. Copying them isn't going to get you anywhere, as proven by...well...pretty much every MMO that's come out that's tried to copy them.
Additionally, several games have already made the move to exclusively digital distribution, including, for example, LotRO with Siege of Mirkwood. I don't know if there was a boxed version of AoC's expansion either...if there was, I've never seen it. Everybody I know got it digitally. And, if you head over to WoW's website, Blizzard is also pushing their digital download version of Cataclysm quite heavily, because they see the benefit of moving to that model in the U.S. and E.U.
As far as 'browsing in the store', have you seen the 'PC gaming' corner of a store recently? None of the GameStops in my region even display PC games, other than a small display for a couple weeks when an individual game is released. Otherwise you have to specifically ask at the counter. The Best Buy stores in my area have them in a seperate section, away from all of the console games (which is a huge section) on a small shelf next to the printer ribbons. My local Wal-Mart has a corner that's at least near the console games that has several WoW boxes, SC2, and game time cards. In summary: PC games, and a potential STO expansion, will get minimal, at best, exposure in actual stores.
So its not 'obvious' that it still works. Its the old paradigm, and we're in the process of transitioning to a new one. Your post is like saying that Champions Online going f2p is idiotic because WoW is still the biggest game in the world and its subscription based.
I wouldn't define anything in WoW as innovative: there was just more stuff and it was more polished than other offerings.
STO has largely disappeared from the retail shelves at this point, which means you aren't reaching a lot of people who aren't in our niche of internet savvy gamers who like Star Trek. An unknown number, but I believe a large number, of people either tried it or heard about it and aren't here now, though they are still people who would play a really good Star Trek game, which I believe STO is becoming. A boxed expansion would appear to be a new game for many who came across it and might be willing to give STO a(nother) try.
I'm not saying you couldn't do it digitally, especially if you did all the marketing, but the box is a tangible thing and some people are less willing to pay the same price for a digital download. Unfortunately, marketing for Cryptic really hasn't done what they could have done to improve subscriber numbers since they don't even see the value in having booths at the biggest Star Trek conventions, like those in Vegas or Chicago. I think they left a lot of low hanging fruit there. But any advertising like I'm speaking of appears to be something the current marketing team will not consider. They believe STO is only a game for a niche of internet savvy gamers, and therefore have ensured that it will never be anything more.
So there wont be any paid expansions anyway. But STO will survive as it is if the numbers I hear about are true. I paid for my lifetime subscription knowing how incomplete the game was at launch, because I decided to make an investment into the game STO has and will become rather than the game it was at the time.
At the time it came out, there were a number of things that were innovative, like the heavy emphasis on questing. Character creation was unbelivably simplified, making it easy for non-gamers to get into playing very quickly and easily. There was very little compelled grouping at lower levels. Instancing made pve a lot less 'competitive'.
WoW's a 6 year old game, so we tend to take these things for granted, but when you compare it to say, Everquest, it really did take giant steps forward in a lot of areas. And they're still, by far, the most successful MMO at appealing to both causal players on the one hand, and hardcore grinders on the other. They've managed to capture a pretty big chunk of the Asian audience, and the Farmville crowd at the same time.
That said, I reiterate that the fact that Blizzard is still printing boxes and shipping them out doesn't mean its the smartest way for Cryptic to release an STO expansion, anymore than the fact that they still have a subscription-only model means that no MMO should consider a different one.
To answer those in reverse order: If you do it entirely digitally, you have a lot less overhead, so you can sell it cheaper (i.e. $20-25, ala Siege of Mirkwood, rather than $40, ala WoW Expansions). Any of these theoretical people who happen by the PC gaming nook in the back of a store and pick up a copy of an Expansion are then going to have to go find a copy of the original box in order to play the game. As more expansions come out, this gets even worse, and you find yourself having to continue to press more discs and print more boxes to keep them in stores, even as the price point drops and your profits keep decreasing.
You can still run all the advertising, and magazines and websites will still come back and (re)-review your game, as witnessed by the Age of Conan expansion.
I frankly don't know a single person who goes out and finds a rack of PC games in a store (and its increasingly difficult) and browses it, looking for games he's never heard of otherwise, and then plunks down upward of $50 on them without seeing anything but the box. Everybody I know who buys games finds out about them from advertising, reads some reviews, then goes out and finds them. And frankly, the STO website is a lot easier to find than a store that sells PC games. At least where I live.
I'm not sure making a game easier constitutes innovation - that seems to back up my belief that it was polish.
However, I'd concede that an easy leveling curve bucked the norm - though it wasn't all that innovative.
It also had several different types of game play. It had sandbox you could just go out and kill mobs to end game. You could do instances with groups or you could solo quest to level cap. Plus you could open world PVP if you wanted.
It had several different ways to cater to players and it was fun is why WoW is popular.
That's very true. Looking at the newer patches, it's almost hard to believe that the same people did those that are reponsible for the "go scan 5 artifacts on a barren planet" quests. The game is starting to be really great now and I can imagine that in a few months it will be named as a top contender among MMOs.
About the Kingon issue, that seems to rise in EVERY single thread here... As mean as this probably sounds, but this game would be even better if they'd just delete every line of code that relates to the Klingon faction from this game. Every. Single. One. Losing 2% of the players and 95% of the whining doesn't sound to be that bad of a deal to me, really.
And even if this may sound harsh, this is not meant as an insult towards the Klingon players, just to point out that it was an extremely bad idea to make two factions in this game to begin with. The Klingons should have never, ever existed in this game as a seperate faction. They should be what they were for most of the Trek history: Starfleet allies, sharing the same content. Problem solved.
I just hope they won't repeat this mistake by adding another faction. Ever.
Some are here and still flame Cryptic every chance they get about it.