Prolly gonan get trolled by fan boys or lcoked but I had to put it somewhere.
I am a born and bred trekkie. No question about it seen all the series, own lots of them...etc.
Anyhow, I eagerly waited for STO for a long time while it was in development. I played the open beta and was quite happy with what I had seen. There was promise of more to come down the road and I couldn't wait.
Maybe my expectations for STO were way too high.
After playing the game for several hours a day for two months, one starts to notice fallacies. Those minor annoyances eventually become major inconveniences.
For example, the first time I played right after launch I leveled up fairly easily. Then around the Captain rank or so if I remember correctly, the content just disappeared. What did I have to do to continue leveliing?
Grind.
If I wanted to grind, I'd honestly (I may get crucified for this) go play WoW. I hate being forced to grind to level up do to Developer laziness and a lack of content. It's not fun. After playing DSEs for a few hours just to level up I realized that. That was one of the major reasons why I quit the first time.
Maybe it's just me, but I have much better things to do with my life than repetitively grind. I know others don't have better things to do but grinding is not a fun game play element at all.
Plus, they designed a fairly broken crafting system. I never touched it from launch because it was horrible. Now it has supposedly been fixed. I tried the poor tutorial/walkthrough the other day and ended up being more disappointed with crafting when I realized "Hey I'm a Rear Admiral and the only thing I can make it hypo sprays and stuff ...and even still I have to make 300 of them before I can even seriously make anything half decent for my level character.
Basically I probably still won't touch crafting because I refuse to GRIND and waste my time to get something decent. I got left out the first time due to a poor crafting system and now I am further left out now. The fun of crafting hyposprays only lasts for about 5 minutes. The actual activity to get something semi-decent? Several hours.
When I came back with the Season 3 update I figured such a lack of content and such a major fail in game play mechanic would have been resolved.
Nope. Now we have "dailies" and the ability to replay missions we've ALREADY PLAYED BEFORE. HOORAYY!! Now we can play the same missions we already played once before for slightly less experience and items!! Sounds just like..... GRINDING!!!!
So when I ran out of content ((again)) after getting to the RA LH10 I realized once again that my only way to actually get up to the higher levels is to grind out at the daily missions. So after the third day of running the Breen dailies or whatever I got tired of it.
Heck, the ONE THING I actually want to grind, I can't even do more than once a day and that was the "Infected" STF.
But let's be honest, even then the ground combat is blatantly flawed and it shows during this mission as well as others. I can easily take down a few Borg ships with my one ship but my away team cannot take down one Borg Heavy Tactical officer in 3 minutes. He just tanks while more borg spawn around him. And don't even get me started on their "tentacle attack" that is almost its own "I WIN" button when used unless your healer holds your hand and you clear out your hypos and food.
I'm hoping that if/when the "new and improved" ground combat comes along it's more Mass Effect based and actually requires some skill beyond standing in a line like a freakin Civil War battlefield and shooting at each other until one side drops dead. Maybe that works in WoW but it makes no sense in the STO universe.
While I was looking out on the game looking in, I was waiting for a good time to come back. Apparently NOW was not that time. I was hoping for a "Welcome Back" and wa a little disappointed when I didn't get it. Then the longer I played the more I realized that my $15 this month was wasted money and had they ran a Welcome Back weekend I would have actually saved myself $15. I think a Welcome Back weekend should be standard practice for this game after a release to entice people to come back and play mainly because I won't allow myself to be TRICKED into thinking things have been fixed.
With a DRASTICALLY broken game all the Devs seem to care about is making a quick buck off the users. The C-Store is a disgrace. As I am writing this post they added a new ship to it. Granted, I understand if I don't wanna buy it I don't have to, but I cannot help but wonder how much VALUABLE development time went into making those costumes and ships in the C-Store while there are STILL missions in game that are broken beyond completion. I guess my frustration comes from the fact that while I cannot complete a mission because it is broken, they release something else instead of fixing existing issues.
I really wanna like this game and I really wanna play it. Maybe it was sometime between my 20 minute ground combat session where I had to keep clicking "respawn" over and over again after GRINDING off 25 borg against myself and VERY POORLY DESIGNED Bridge AI that I decided I could not handle it anymore.
Here's to hoping that some day, maybe in 2011 or 2012 if the game is still around, we will actually get a game worth paying for. I am a college graduate without a full-time job and I DO NOT have time to sit down and continue to pay for an "OPEN BETA" any longer. IF and when you fix your game play mechanics so that ground combat is more tolerable and there's actual content so I don't have to replay stuff I've done 1,000 before, I'll give you a shot again.
"Until then I hope you boldly go where no man has gone before" and not come back until your gameplay has matured a little.
Thanks.
((On a side note, sector space looks awesome now. But that's about it.))
Well, I agree with that. There is so much in the Star Trek universe that I do hate the grinding. There is plenty of stuff that Captains could be doing to level instead of grinding... you know, like, story?
And, as for the ship interiors, they are a sham. You can't do anything in them, except hang trophy's, and half the time your bridge officers tend to float, or clip into chairs.
The new sector space is nice, but not worth saying that it was "Season 3".
Frack, half the stuff that was supposed to be released with Season 3, wasn't. Now, I only started playing the game almost 4 months ago, but when something is said by the company that it was going to be released with a major update is not, that is kinda rude, and obnoxious.
Also, the whole badge lockout is really stupid. If Starfleet said that you could wear whatever for a uniform, then why should the com badges be locked to specific uniform? That makes no sense what so ever.
I havent played STO in months! Though I do have a lifetime membership it seems, atm, it really was a waste of money. In fact I have renewed my WoW subscription and bought the new expansion, and have to say am having more fun in that.
STO still doesnt really feel like Star Trek to me, having played to see what's new with Season 3 yet, server under maintenance so will have to wait a bit, but just read most of the stuff promised in that hasnt transpired yet either.
So what do you think, will STO survive another year?
I havent played STO in months! Though I do have a lifetime membership it seems, atm, it really was a waste of money. In fact I have renewed my WoW subscription and bought the new expansion, and have to say am having more fun in that.
STO still doesnt really feel like Star Trek to me, having played to see what's new with Season 3 yet, server under maintenance so will have to wait a bit, but just read most of the stuff promised in that hasnt transpired yet either.
So what do you think, will STO survive another year?
Well, if Cryptic manages to build up a proper build before SWTOR then sure STO will be around for a long time. That build should include in my opinion: more endgame content, not just STFs but 10 manned "raids" also to keep PvE players happy, more PvP with perhaps opening all space and doing open PvP (consensual that is), move further into storyline development for both sides with combat and non-combat missions.
Not put that much of an effort in the C-Store for a bit but release more general content to holodeck, I've always been an adversary of the entire C-Store thing but hey it's there now and it ain't going anywhere.
UGC is a very good step in the right direction but I personally hope that Cryptic doesn't see it as an excuse to lower development of their own made storyline PvE missions and weekly episodes etc. Time will tell but for now I'd say that STO is moving to the right direction. SWTOR will be the big test for Cryptic, if they can survive that one they can survive anything.
Considering its both a MMO and Star Trek, that they had to slap a game together quickly to fulfill whatever contract they have and are now fleshing that game out towards becoming a more indepth play experience to make up for it, I think STO is pretty good and only has the same issues that any new MMO has in its first year.
Considering its both a MMO and Star Trek, that they had to slap a game together quickly to fulfill whatever contract they have and are now fleshing that game out towards becoming a more indepth play experience to make up for it, I think STO is pretty good and only has the same issues that any new MMO has in its first year.
Hm, I half expected you to be carrying you sign that says, "DOOM, DOOM IS UPON US!!"
(can someone move it cause its old, heavy and keeps me from enjoying the game.)
Someone move the sign or the post? Eh, the sign, I'm not too keen on picking that up any time soon.
As for moving the post, I might be inclined to agree. It's more or less a long rant of what's already known about what needs to be fixed in game. If I were into wasting my time, I might give a more constructive criticism of his post. But it's definitely not worth the time or even the effort.
You are absolutely right. There's been so much that was promised and then pushed back. Half the stuff I came back for was delayed in Season 3 or pushed back to Season 4 or beyond. To be quite honest, I don't see half the stuff in Season 4 making it out in Season 4 either. If and when ground combat is fixed, I expect to see that be bugged all to hell for a good few months as well.
Sadly, the things that are fundamentally wrong with this game, I am not quite sure if it would survive another year or not. once Star Wars comes out, I am seriously considering giving that a shot and possibly even moving back to WoW or just giving up MMOs altogether.
I can't fault them altogether. I really appreciate that "updates" or Seasons are free. I would have to have paid for them like WoWs expansions. I am glad I didn't go to GameStop or whatever and spend $30 on Season 3 then drop another $15 to play this month. If they ever move to that format, I'd be done for good. There wasn't even anything that great about Season 3 in retrospect anymore.
Am I bitter? A bit. I want a decent game. I've read other threads like these and I didn't want it to fall into utter disarray. People criticize the game and then others come around and defend it for one reason or another. It's kinda the whole PC vs. Mac argument except with whether this game is any good or not.
I guess my main complaint has been content. I dropped $15 on this month to get....what? only a week's worth of play? I've stated before STFs and dailies are only fun for so long. I've only played on one toon as well. Could I create another and start over to expand my experience? Probably. However I haven't even fully leveled up my first character yet to even justify starting over with a new character. I'm convinced that if I went with a Klingon, I'd run out of content before I've even hit the Captain equivalent.
I am a poor college student without a full-time job. I like doing fun things in my spare time and I want STO to be fun. However I cannot continue to pay for a beta. I'm seriously considering if I even want to return in Season 4 or wait til Season 5 if it comes out. That I honestly feel, means that after this month, I won't actually resubscribe until Fall of 2011. ((That's with the assumption that, pending a miracle everything in Season 4 actually releases.))
Heck, maybe the Foundry will solve some of my content related issues. But how long will it take to iron out the Foundry bugs? If the Foundry allows more content to be thrown into this game, I fully expect the Devs to then focus on bugs and adding new features. Spamming the C-Store with new things instead of fixing game play and various other bugs and not adding new features is not acceptable.
I don't want the new ship. I don't want the new uniform. I don't want the new bridge pack. I want to play a damn good game first and with that game convince me to buy the cute add-ons.
SWTOR is a cool game but it's not the coolest game in the world. It has nice cut scenes and Jedi but combat is similiar to all other MMOs: the holy trinity exists and is needed. And you shouldn't expect much in the way of space combat from the game or anything resembling an original idea: SWTOR is all about embracing the IP, and the IP restrictions.
SWTOR is going to be just like every other new MMO launch I've been in over the years: praised prior to launch as the greated game in the world with half of its players leaving within the first 3 months after launch.
As the OP's friend, I would have to say that I agreed with him. Plenty of times I feel like just canceling now, its even ringing in my head now; and this link pretty much is my thoughts on why I'm so close to quitting too: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2487-The-Skinner-Box. I would like the game to move far away from that, but the dailies just seem just like that. Then to add these ground mechanics and the Borg version of a Kull Warrior; it's hard to justify playing. I'm still holding out for UGC, I told the OP to hold on for it last night, but I guess that mission he did last night put him way over the edge.
No game is for everyone, even if they wanted to like it. I've bought, played, and left dozens of MMOs over the years. Some I've gone back to and found that I enjoyed much later. Others I've gone back to several times and never stuck around past the 1 month of time I bought. People should feel free to move on if they don't like a game.
STO is what it is. Cryptic has X amount of manpower to do Y amount of things. That's not going to change. You either have to accept that you like the direction the game's going or you leave and come back down the road and give it another try at another time. Wishing it wasn't X doesn't make it Z.
Comments
And, as for the ship interiors, they are a sham. You can't do anything in them, except hang trophy's, and half the time your bridge officers tend to float, or clip into chairs.
The new sector space is nice, but not worth saying that it was "Season 3".
Frack, half the stuff that was supposed to be released with Season 3, wasn't. Now, I only started playing the game almost 4 months ago, but when something is said by the company that it was going to be released with a major update is not, that is kinda rude, and obnoxious.
Also, the whole badge lockout is really stupid. If Starfleet said that you could wear whatever for a uniform, then why should the com badges be locked to specific uniform? That makes no sense what so ever.
STO still doesnt really feel like Star Trek to me, having played to see what's new with Season 3 yet, server under maintenance so will have to wait a bit, but just read most of the stuff promised in that hasnt transpired yet either.
So what do you think, will STO survive another year?
Well, if Cryptic manages to build up a proper build before SWTOR then sure STO will be around for a long time. That build should include in my opinion: more endgame content, not just STFs but 10 manned "raids" also to keep PvE players happy, more PvP with perhaps opening all space and doing open PvP (consensual that is), move further into storyline development for both sides with combat and non-combat missions.
Not put that much of an effort in the C-Store for a bit but release more general content to holodeck, I've always been an adversary of the entire C-Store thing but hey it's there now and it ain't going anywhere.
UGC is a very good step in the right direction but I personally hope that Cryptic doesn't see it as an excuse to lower development of their own made storyline PvE missions and weekly episodes etc. Time will tell but for now I'd say that STO is moving to the right direction. SWTOR will be the big test for Cryptic, if they can survive that one they can survive anything.
Hm, I half expected you to be carrying you sign that says, "DOOM, DOOM IS UPON US!!"
Needless, to say, I was a bit disappointed.
Fine
(can someone move it cause its old, heavy and keeps me from enjoying the game.)
Someone move the sign or the post? Eh, the sign, I'm not too keen on picking that up any time soon.
As for moving the post, I might be inclined to agree. It's more or less a long rant of what's already known about what needs to be fixed in game. If I were into wasting my time, I might give a more constructive criticism of his post. But it's definitely not worth the time or even the effort.
Sadly, the things that are fundamentally wrong with this game, I am not quite sure if it would survive another year or not. once Star Wars comes out, I am seriously considering giving that a shot and possibly even moving back to WoW or just giving up MMOs altogether.
I can't fault them altogether. I really appreciate that "updates" or Seasons are free. I would have to have paid for them like WoWs expansions. I am glad I didn't go to GameStop or whatever and spend $30 on Season 3 then drop another $15 to play this month. If they ever move to that format, I'd be done for good. There wasn't even anything that great about Season 3 in retrospect anymore.
Am I bitter? A bit. I want a decent game. I've read other threads like these and I didn't want it to fall into utter disarray. People criticize the game and then others come around and defend it for one reason or another. It's kinda the whole PC vs. Mac argument except with whether this game is any good or not.
I guess my main complaint has been content. I dropped $15 on this month to get....what? only a week's worth of play? I've stated before STFs and dailies are only fun for so long. I've only played on one toon as well. Could I create another and start over to expand my experience? Probably. However I haven't even fully leveled up my first character yet to even justify starting over with a new character. I'm convinced that if I went with a Klingon, I'd run out of content before I've even hit the Captain equivalent.
I am a poor college student without a full-time job. I like doing fun things in my spare time and I want STO to be fun. However I cannot continue to pay for a beta. I'm seriously considering if I even want to return in Season 4 or wait til Season 5 if it comes out. That I honestly feel, means that after this month, I won't actually resubscribe until Fall of 2011. ((That's with the assumption that, pending a miracle everything in Season 4 actually releases.))
Heck, maybe the Foundry will solve some of my content related issues. But how long will it take to iron out the Foundry bugs? If the Foundry allows more content to be thrown into this game, I fully expect the Devs to then focus on bugs and adding new features. Spamming the C-Store with new things instead of fixing game play and various other bugs and not adding new features is not acceptable.
I don't want the new ship. I don't want the new uniform. I don't want the new bridge pack. I want to play a damn good game first and with that game convince me to buy the cute add-ons.
SWTOR is going to be just like every other new MMO launch I've been in over the years: praised prior to launch as the greated game in the world with half of its players leaving within the first 3 months after launch.
STO is what it is. Cryptic has X amount of manpower to do Y amount of things. That's not going to change. You either have to accept that you like the direction the game's going or you leave and come back down the road and give it another try at another time. Wishing it wasn't X doesn't make it Z.