What I'd like to know;
When does STO's Star Trek LICENSING run out ?
Is this information available to the public ????
I just ask because I was playing a mobile game, GIJOE Battleground, by Mobage (makers of Blood Bros, Marvel WoH and other Mobage DeNA games)
Well that game recently had a month long sale on the best units in the game, then right after the month was up, they announced the licensing got pulled and would be shutting down the game.
Which was a final way to milk the customer base....
So I'm a little scared to buy much these days in case STO loses its licensing !!!
Im really weary of that sort of thing now, and do not want to see the same thing happen here..
All of a sudden everything has become a hyper economy, spend spend spend. It makes me wonder if the same thing could/and is, happening here. (The pattern seems all too familiar).
What I'd like to know;
When does STO's Star Trek LICENSING run out ?
The last post made by any Dev on the subject was when Brandon replied to a rumor that STO's license ended in 2015. At the time he said the license extended for several years past 2015, so I do not believe you are going to see the license pulled any time soon.
When you couple that with the fact that CBS vets and approves things going into STO long before we ever see them in the game it is virtually impossible to insinuate that STO is not going the way CBS wants it to. Plus I am certain CBS loves their royalty checks - as most licenses of this type are a flat-fee plus percentage of the gross setup.
Finally, STO's license has never stopped CBS from offering other game companies Star Trek MMO licenses. They have sold an MMO license to GameForge and NGames over the last few years - NGames just about 6 months ago. It is quite clear that CBS is not putting all their Trek gaming eggs in Cryptic's basket. All CBS wants it to make as much money off of their IP that they can with no sense of loyalty to anyone - basically just like Cryptic.
STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
The last post made by any Dev on the subject was when Brandon replied to a rumor that STO's license ended in 2015. At the time he said the license extended for several years past 2015, so I do not believe you are going to see the license pulled any time soon.
When you couple that with the fact that CBS vets and approves things going into STO long before we ever see them in the game it is virtually impossible to insinuate that STO is not going the way CBS wants it to. Plus I am certain CBS loves their royalty checks - as most licenses of this type are a flat-fee plus percentage of the gross setup.
Finally, STO's license has never stopped CBS from offering other game companies Star Trek MMO licenses. They have sold an MMO license to GameForge and NGames over the last few years - NGames just about 6 months ago. It is quite clear that CBS is not putting all their Trek gaming eggs in Cryptic's basket. All CBS wants it to make as much money off of their IP that they can with no sense of loyalty to anyone - basically just like Cryptic.
@theCosmic1, Thank you for sharing that. Ive been a little worried lately.
I saw the writing on the wall the moment the first few scam box ships came out.
My wallet closed up then, but this last year has taken it to a whole new level of whale milking...
thing is.... that's the main reason the game is still here. Businesses are about separating your customers from their money. Prior to lock boxes that wasn't happening fast enough.
This game has gone way past the casual Free to Play model that it claims to be.
If you don't shell out some big time cash or treat STO like it's a 2nd job your Character or Characters hit a un-climbable wall, never to be relevant again.
I have Eleven Characters but sadly only 4 of them can be called somewhat decent in what STO has morphed into now.
I like having different Characters but now other than my 3 Faction Mains and one Klingon Science Captain that I've always considered to be my best Character, the rest are more or less just collecting dust or used to farm Dilithium.
There's just far to much Grinding or buying needed to play this game now and the DR release has really driven that point home for me.
In a game where players have been starving for Story content we now get Story Content that is locked behind a level gate and then we are told what content we should be playing to level up to unlock the next part of the Story Content.
All the while we are being force fed the notion that we all need the Delta Pack and that T6 will be the standard and best way to survive the NPC's in DR.
This game is what it is but it's not what it WAS and I think that's what a lot of us are seeing that now and with each update and event that the developers add they also add more grind and or pay gating in hopes to pry more cash from us.
When you either have to treat a casual F2P game like its a monthly utility expense or grind in it like its a career can it still be considered a casual F2P game
While this is true, there are different ways to DO business. You can create a quality product that people will WANT to pay for, or you can dodge and weave and obfuscate, create a shoddy product that has no customer retention, and continuously seek out the next customer.
The first generates positive reputation, customer loyalty and satisfaction, and will ensure that your next product gets positive attention from your satisfied customers and their friends.
The second makes your name mud (and a bad reputation is nearly impossible to shake off... ask Sony), alienates the customers and makes it very likely you'll never get their business again, nor that of anyone they talk to.
I believe the former model is the better choice. STO has chosen the latter.
Yeah I agree.
I want STO and Cryptic to do well and to be compensated for the enjoyment that the content that they provide me with elicits.
When they build up LOR I like what was being promised and I decided to buy the $19.99 LOR pack that was offered but after testing out LOR I made the full jump to the $124.99 Pack.
I'm glad that I held off on buying the DR Pack and I can Honestly say that if I do ever get this pack it will be with nothing more than my converted Dilithium.
I just can't support the DR release with any of my actual money, maybe next season :cool:
I can understand why Cryptic wants to charge players for re-releases that have new skins and new features. I don't blame them; it costs money to do that work. But full price?
They really need to figure out a way to offer discounts on "upgrades". Already have the LRSV retrofit? The T6 version shouldn't be another $30 for that player... More like $10 - $15, maybe. It's not like they're going to really use the older model. I firmly believe that would generate a lot more sales.
I honestly don't remember whether I actually bought the T5 version or not. I might've gotten it as a veteran ship token thing. Have to check when I get a chance.
If I never bought one... then the T6 version might be a no-brainer. If I already gave them $20 for one, another $30 for an "upgrade" is unlikely. As I said in another thread, the only thing that has me thinking is the fact that it's the only true T6 science vessel on the list and I'm mainly a Sci captain.
I am also disappointed that they charged for the T5-U option knowing full well that the T6 edition was coming out and they didn't warn their customers in advance that there would be another option. That's not good customer service. It might have cost them a few sales in the short term, but would have gotten them a lot of goodwill and likely future sales. All they had to do was list the ships they were going to consider re-releasing as T6 variants.
I suspect that some ships like the Vesta will never see a T6 option. For them, T5-U is good enough for now. But it's now clear that T6 editions of "classic" ships are actually on the table, and that knowledge is likely to chill ship sales for people who are paying attention. Even if they never actually happen.
I'm certainly not going to use an upgrade token on a Defiant, to name one classic ship, when it seems obvious that there will probably be a T6 version sometime in the future. I'll save my cash for that, instead.
EDIT: I will say that I am enjoying the heck out of my DR Operations pack and have yet to do much more than replay older missions on my alts. So, Cryptic is doing something right in my book.
My views may not represent those of Cryptic Studios or Perfect World Entertainment. You can file a "forums and website" support ticket here Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
I agree with the op. I was never a lifer but I did hold my gold sub from dec 2010 untill oct 2014 I chose to stay gold becouse I wanted to support cryptic and I knew if I bought a life time sub they would not get any more money from me so I felt 14.99 a month was a good way to support them.
That all changed when D.R went live now I cannot justify supporting them like most have said you either shell out cash for the new shiney or you grind like its a job. Well since Im in early retirement I'll gring like its a job but I will not pay them to grind I've became what they promote free to play except I wont have any reason to spend money.
tl;dr, your problem you didnt look before you walked across the street and noticed a very large lorry coming at speed from one side and a train coming the other direction and you dont like it. there have been plenty of posts about cryptic and what they want, you should of known better before ploughing in your time and money into it.
so your choices; play the game or dont.
Since you didn't read it, you missed the part where his investment was made BEFORE all the BS changes. So, the truck to which you are referring didn't hit him by accident when he was crossing the street; it ran him over on the sidewalk by changing the rules which said "trucks driven by Cryptic must stay off the sidewalk to avoid hitting people."
I love Star Trek. Like the OP, I bought the lifetime sub and saw the potential in STO when it launched. I liked STO so much that I wrote parodies to celebrate the game (Dabo With Leeta, I Killed A Dev, Oh Tuvok, I Got Moonlow, Plasma Fire, She Thinks My Starship's Sexy, and California Caitian, Bloodwine for the Klingons, and We Play Star Trek Online).
Then came the sale of Cryptic to PWE and free to play. The lockboxes , the grind, and the shades of P2W spawned more parodies meant to provide comment to Cryptic/PWE (Expansion Don't Be Lame, Pay 2 Win, The Games They Are A-Changin', and Take A Chance (about the lockboxes)).
I agree with the statements of the OP and the sad part is, because of what has been done to STO, most recently with Delta Rising, I've lost my desire to write parodies for STO. My morale with regard to this game has dimished to the point where I get halfway through typing my password, and stop to ask myself why I'm logging into the game.
When the launcher wouldn't open today (I later learned the servers went down), I was actually relieved. I came to realize I was logging in from a sense of guilt. First at being a lifetime subscriber with free Zen to spend and several toons that needed attention, and second from having been so supportive of STO in the past with all the positive parodies. Guilt and a misguided sense of loyalty should never be the main reasons one logs into a game.
I've played, and moved on from, several other MMOs since STO, but I have a fondness for Subspace Radio and its community, which were the launching points for my parody career. It really is for them that I've been logging into the game these last few weeks. But I've since discovered that many of the folks in that community play other games and only log into STO for DJ dance parties or special events.
I have other MMOs to play that I enjoy and want to celebrate through parody. So while I will always have fond memories of what STO used to be, I will be looking forward to the day that brings us a truly impressive Star Trek MMO experience.
While this is true, there are different ways to DO business. You can create a quality product that people will WANT to pay for, or you can dodge and weave and obfuscate, create a shoddy product that has no customer retention, and continuously seek out the next customer.
The first generates positive reputation, customer loyalty and satisfaction, and will ensure that your next product gets positive attention from your satisfied customers and their friends.
The second makes your name mud (and a bad reputation is nearly impossible to shake off... ask Sony), alienates the customers and makes it very likely you'll never get their business again, nor that of anyone they talk to.
I believe the former model is the better choice. STO has chosen the latter.
While I agree with you in principle, I disagree with your assessment of STO's quality... And before someone tries to tell me to go play a "good" game... I've played a LOT of Squeenix's games and several of Blizzard's.... Even so I don't think STO is a low quality product.
seriously... don't get me started on the bugs and balance wonkiness that Blizzard's games have....
This game has gone way past the casual Free to Play model that it claims to be.
If you don't shell out some big time cash or treat STO like it's a 2nd job your Character or Characters hit a un-climbable wall, never to be relevant again.
Typical PWE game. Go try to play Perfect World International. You will LOVE this game after playing there. It's a huge cash cow and if you don't have good gear people wont even squad you or kick you out of squads and sometimes even trash your name in world chat for everyone to see. Its super hard to get anywhere in that game. This game is much easier to build yourself up. If you pvp and want to compete im sure its a different world just like it is on PWI, most pvpers spend around $2000-$3000 for their armor and weapon if not more.
When I came to STO I was like wow... I can actually earn Zen and pretty easy! Not so much the case on PWI.
I just hope STO doesn't take the same path as their other games have because I'm having fun playing
Edit: Not to mention the prices for stuff people sell on that game are off the chart. One thing I loved about STO too is people aren't selling stuff for crazy prices on the exchange. (Starting to get that way though)
Change makes people crazy. There is a new Expansion, more levels, and better gear available. What do people think of? "I'm not the top of the heap anymore, I hate this game". It's all pretty childish.
After years of the level cap at 50, with everyone dominating the NPC's, and the PvP world at a constant, people become accustomed to a certain level of control within the game, but it's all new now. You can't expect, or you shouldn't, to be at that steady state one month into Delta Rising.
The trouble here, as I see it, is unrealistic expectations. People figured; I'll get to 60, upgrade some gear and boom, back to normal. Well there is a new normal, we have to get used to it. figure out how we fit best into the new reality.
Give it time. Everything will shake out.
You're missing the point I think. I've known Teapower a very long time in game, since the very early days in fact. As one of the early beta players of the game, I've seen a lot of people come and go. Teapower was a serious pvper, and solid in the stf content, when it was real stf content.
The game has become less and less about player skill, and more about doing the math on gamble-box/cash shop items to come up with a build that does a skill-free slam on the npc's or other pc's. I think you are in fact stating the opposite of which is the case. I know Teapower, and I'm fairly well certain that what frustrates him is that the game is NOT about skill anymore. Skill is dead. Its 99% grind and gear, and that number is probably climbing. Most of us who have been on the game this long have been down this rodeo before. Our gear has been devalued, systems have changed, rechanged, re-rechanged, and re-re-rechanged.
One thing that has kept me from getting upset in the game personally, is that I just don't take it as seriously as I once did. The level of grind expected just isn't reasonable for any human to put up with, and its frustrating to have to toss into the trash characters which use to be usable in the old days. Its just not worth the effort to play those characters ever again. Ultimately, the game's entire paradigm has shifted, in large part I think to suit their attempts to make dilithium more rare, and therefore drive up the cost/value of lockbox items. They want to chum the whales for as much money as they possibly can.
So before you malign Teapower, I'd like to say this. You just don't know what you're talking about. Skill based challenge is a lot different than gear based challenge. The Gear based challenge of a lot of mmo's is a mistake I think personally, across the board. In the early days of the game, it was about skill, and if you were good in pvp and stf's (like teapower) it meant something. Nowadays, skill just doesn't mean the same thing, and it makes the whole play experience flat and hollow. I'm personally not done with the game, I'm hopeful, but I'll be frank I never liked the idea of a Korean grindfest, and I certainly don't think it makes much sense for a Star Trek setting.
I'd like to add one more detail to this. A lot of us view our ship as a character or at least something close to it. It just feels wrong to change ships like a pair of socks or underpants. Its a SHIP for goodness sake. If we're going to upgrade anything it should be the parts of the ship. Many of us are growing tired of chasing after the next ship, in large part because we're happy flying the old one, and would much rather just keep building and improving it. Its rather silly that we went from something like 150 ships at the top tier to what, 6? Its pretty sad really. The pressure pushes against keeping your old gear. There's so much more to say, but really you're knocking the wrong guy here.
So much dissatisfaction voiced by the players with what Cryptic/PWE is doing, every season gets worse.
What does Cryptic have to say? *crickets chirping*
...apparently nothing, they are too busy making YET MORE SHIPS to be able to read the forum posts (and Facebook) and see what's going on.
But if they did, you what their answer to the problems would be? MAKE MORE SHIPS! Ships is money, money is ships!
Cryptic, Stop, please! You need to take a season to fixing the game.
You said that the difficulty levels would be Normal = same, Advanced = Pre-DR Elite and New Elite... difficult. So... keep it simple and stick with it.
People upgrade their Intrepids to T5U and THEN you release T6 Intrepid/Pathfinder?! You need to offer an upgrade path! You can even offer the bridge separate from the pack as well.
Old bugs and ship skin issues. You want to work on ships? We paid for the ships, so please fix them. A Lot of people put down money for LTS so that you can work on the game, this should include fixing the bugs.
Please don't bother with new ships for Winter event (too late I know...) and (what has become) the Grind-a-versary. Fix the game: bugs, skins, balance and in-game prices!
I wanted the Operations Pack at first, kind of still do. But if money talks louder than words, then I guess my money will stay put until Cryptic starts to set things right.
Perhaps we should start with a top 10 list for Cryptic, but since there are so many things, could we come to an agreement to what those should be? Probably not. But even if Cryptic were to make an ernest effort at looking at the issues brought up, they can see what is mostly bothering people.... perhaps.
Star Trek Battles Channel - Play Star Trek like they did in the series!Avatar: pinterest-com/pin/14003448816884219Are you sure it isn't time for a "colorful metaphor"? --Spock in 'The Voyage Home' SCE ADVISORY NOTICE: Improper Impulse Engine maintenance can result in REAR THRUSTER LEAKAGE. ALWAYS have your work inspected by another qualified officer.
You're missing the point I think. I've known Teapower a very long time in game, since the very early days in fact. As one of the early beta players of the game, I've seen a lot of people come and go. Teapower was a serious pvper, and solid in the stf content, when it was real stf content.
The game has become less and less about player skill, and more about doing the math on gamble-box/cash shop items to come up with a build that does a skill-free slam on the npc's or other pc's. I think you are in fact stating the opposite of which is the case. I know Teapower, and I'm fairly well certain that what frustrates him is that the game is NOT about skill anymore. Skill is dead. Its 99% grind and gear, and that number is probably climbing. Most of us who have been on the game this long have been down this rodeo before. Our gear has been devalued, systems have changed, rechanged, re-rechanged, and re-re-rechanged.
One thing that has kept me from getting upset in the game personally, is that I just don't take it as seriously as I once did. The level of grind expected just isn't reasonable for any human to put up with, and its frustrating to have to toss into the trash characters which use to be usable in the old days. Its just not worth the effort to play those characters ever again. Ultimately, the game's entire paradigm has shifted, in large part I think to suit their attempts to make dilithium more rare, and therefore drive up the cost/value of lockbox items. They want to chum the whales for as much money as they possibly can.
So before you malign Teapower, I'd like to say this. You just don't know what you're talking about. Skill based challenge is a lot different than gear based challenge. The Gear based challenge of a lot of mmo's is a mistake I think personally, across the board. In the early days of the game, it was about skill, and if you were good in pvp and stf's (like teapower) it meant something. Nowadays, skill just doesn't mean the same thing, and it makes the whole play experience flat and hollow. I'm personally not done with the game, I'm hopeful, but I'll be frank I never liked the idea of a Korean grindfest, and I certainly don't think it makes much sense for a Star Trek setting.
Very well stated. While I did have a problem with random drops, the old Omega system was better than 'The Grind'. Everything felt fun and casual back in the day. Cryptic just needed to switch from random drops (dps based) to something that measured cognitive stf understanding.
I think the new approach has made everything worse.
'Legacy of Romulus', the addition of a new faction, was a step in the right direction. Flooding the game with reputation systems and fleet holdings was a step in the wrong direction. 'Delta Rising' should have completely focused on creating featured episodes, so that the transition from level 50 to 60 occurred at a steady rate. Adding the additional specializations was neat. I would have canned the new battle zone, reputation holdings, difficulty changes to stfs, and the season related stf missions.
Cryptic added too much grinding too soon. Cryptic also made the transition from level 50 to 60 too painful.
According to some recent news, PerfectWorld is currently going through restructuring. As of October 28, 2014, Cryptic has been trying to reorganize their divisions. So, I do expect people to be fired. PerfectWorld will be releasing an earnings report on the 25th.
While reading the responses and similar views in this thread, one thought continues to bother me:
I am enjoying reading this thread and the forums MORE then logging into STO.
I would rather read peoples comments, both positive and negative then play STO..
That should be a bad thing right?
Should raise some kind of alarms when it comes to the enjoyment of STO.
I haven't made the threats and statements of how I'm choosing with my Wallet.
It doesn't have to be said, since if I'm not playing, I'm obviously not paying either.
Then again, the Life time subscription also means I don't have to pay, to stay subbed.
Maybe that was a bad thing for Cryptic. Maybe the Life time sub is almost a shot to the foot for a game like STO?
Then again, I also wonder if the Features of a Subscription are worth it in STO.
Sure there are benefits and free things. But wouldn't it be nice if a subscription had incentive?
That's what I'm also having trouble accepting.. I'm supposed to want a subscription.. Where sure Free to play is nice, being subbed should be a better experience right?
Yet, from my understanding, being a the difference between being a free to play person, and a sub/life timer really isn't much..
Maybe they need to offer discounts to subscribers.. but that's just a wishful thought..
You think that your beta test was bad?
Think about this: American Football has been in open beta for 144 years. ~Kotaku
it all depends on how far you want to upgrade your gear but speaking personally im finding it fine,
ok so I paid cash for the lifetime sub.
now I recently got the dyson 9 ship mega pack 10000zen and when DR launched I got the DR ship pack 12500zen, couse I have got many other things besides over the years like bank slots, inventory slots, ship slots ect many before I purchased my lifetime sub.
yes I also work for a living and do 6 12hr shifts every 9 days unless I sometimes work 1 or 2 extra shifts, I also have a family at home so most days only spend an hour or two playing sto.
so after buying my lifetime sub how much have I paid for all that other stuff?
nothing, zero, zilch. its all paid for with dilithium converted into zen and toped up with a little stipend.
of course I could have bought a lot more if it wasn't for the mega amounts of dil I have donated to my fleet.
so now I am upgrading my gear, I am planning to upgrade the gear on 2 ships, that's all the weapons and consoles and one ground set all to mk14 rare & very rare on each of my 3 character.
so I am about half done with that now so I guess the next dil weekend that should just about do it for me.
oh it helped that all the stuff im upgrading was mk12 rare & very rare to start with anything less is just not worth upgrading.
so where do I get most of this dil, tagging epohh would you believe, yes every day I tag epohh with my 3 characters and sell the elder epohh for marks then when there is a dil weekend I exchange those marks for dil, ok its not glamorous but its easy money.
oh it helps no end when I get an extra payout of dil from a completed rep or pve event like the current mirror one.
of course you might want to go for epic gear and good luck with that but its just too much of a gamble for me.
im just fine as I am and I think the game status is pretty fine too, oh its not perfect it has its faults and I am the first to admit that but overall I am mostly happy with it as it is.
im a pretty big fan of star trek also as my star trek memorabilia collection will confirm, ever since I first watched TOS on tv as a child when it was first on.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.
Comments
My wallet closed up then, but this last year has taken it to a whole new level of whale milking...
What I'd like to know;
When does STO's Star Trek LICENSING run out ?
Is this information available to the public ????
I just ask because I was playing a mobile game, GIJOE Battleground, by Mobage (makers of Blood Bros, Marvel WoH and other Mobage DeNA games)
Well that game recently had a month long sale on the best units in the game, then right after the month was up, they announced the licensing got pulled and would be shutting down the game.
Which was a final way to milk the customer base....
So I'm a little scared to buy much these days in case STO loses its licensing !!!
Im really weary of that sort of thing now, and do not want to see the same thing happen here..
All of a sudden everything has become a hyper economy, spend spend spend. It makes me wonder if the same thing could/and is, happening here. (The pattern seems all too familiar).
Not quite. This game is F2P, so the choice is "Support the game, or don't".
And based on the direction this "game" is going, I'm definitely choosing the latter option.
You want my money Cryptic? That's fine. Give me a reason to spend here, 'cause right now, I have no interest in giving you a single cent.
When you couple that with the fact that CBS vets and approves things going into STO long before we ever see them in the game it is virtually impossible to insinuate that STO is not going the way CBS wants it to. Plus I am certain CBS loves their royalty checks - as most licenses of this type are a flat-fee plus percentage of the gross setup.
Finally, STO's license has never stopped CBS from offering other game companies Star Trek MMO licenses. They have sold an MMO license to GameForge and NGames over the last few years - NGames just about 6 months ago. It is quite clear that CBS is not putting all their Trek gaming eggs in Cryptic's basket. All CBS wants it to make as much money off of their IP that they can with no sense of loyalty to anyone - basically just like Cryptic.
That part cracked me up :P
@theCosmic1, Thank you for sharing that. Ive been a little worried lately.
My character Tsin'xing
If you don't shell out some big time cash or treat STO like it's a 2nd job your Character or Characters hit a un-climbable wall, never to be relevant again.
I have Eleven Characters but sadly only 4 of them can be called somewhat decent in what STO has morphed into now.
I like having different Characters but now other than my 3 Faction Mains and one Klingon Science Captain that I've always considered to be my best Character, the rest are more or less just collecting dust or used to farm Dilithium.
There's just far to much Grinding or buying needed to play this game now and the DR release has really driven that point home for me.
In a game where players have been starving for Story content we now get Story Content that is locked behind a level gate and then we are told what content we should be playing to level up to unlock the next part of the Story Content.
All the while we are being force fed the notion that we all need the Delta Pack and that T6 will be the standard and best way to survive the NPC's in DR.
This game is what it is but it's not what it WAS and I think that's what a lot of us are seeing that now and with each update and event that the developers add they also add more grind and or pay gating in hopes to pry more cash from us.
When you either have to treat a casual F2P game like its a monthly utility expense or grind in it like its a career can it still be considered a casual F2P game
Yeah I agree.
I want STO and Cryptic to do well and to be compensated for the enjoyment that the content that they provide me with elicits.
When they build up LOR I like what was being promised and I decided to buy the $19.99 LOR pack that was offered but after testing out LOR I made the full jump to the $124.99 Pack.
I'm glad that I held off on buying the DR Pack and I can Honestly say that if I do ever get this pack it will be with nothing more than my converted Dilithium.
I just can't support the DR release with any of my actual money, maybe next season :cool:
They really need to figure out a way to offer discounts on "upgrades". Already have the LRSV retrofit? The T6 version shouldn't be another $30 for that player... More like $10 - $15, maybe. It's not like they're going to really use the older model. I firmly believe that would generate a lot more sales.
I honestly don't remember whether I actually bought the T5 version or not. I might've gotten it as a veteran ship token thing. Have to check when I get a chance.
If I never bought one... then the T6 version might be a no-brainer. If I already gave them $20 for one, another $30 for an "upgrade" is unlikely. As I said in another thread, the only thing that has me thinking is the fact that it's the only true T6 science vessel on the list and I'm mainly a Sci captain.
I am also disappointed that they charged for the T5-U option knowing full well that the T6 edition was coming out and they didn't warn their customers in advance that there would be another option. That's not good customer service. It might have cost them a few sales in the short term, but would have gotten them a lot of goodwill and likely future sales. All they had to do was list the ships they were going to consider re-releasing as T6 variants.
I suspect that some ships like the Vesta will never see a T6 option. For them, T5-U is good enough for now. But it's now clear that T6 editions of "classic" ships are actually on the table, and that knowledge is likely to chill ship sales for people who are paying attention. Even if they never actually happen.
I'm certainly not going to use an upgrade token on a Defiant, to name one classic ship, when it seems obvious that there will probably be a T6 version sometime in the future. I'll save my cash for that, instead.
EDIT: I will say that I am enjoying the heck out of my DR Operations pack and have yet to do much more than replay older missions on my alts. So, Cryptic is doing something right in my book.
Link: How to PM - Twitter @STOMod_Bluegeek
That all changed when D.R went live now I cannot justify supporting them like most have said you either shell out cash for the new shiney or you grind like its a job. Well since Im in early retirement I'll gring like its a job but I will not pay them to grind I've became what they promote free to play except I wont have any reason to spend money.
Since you didn't read it, you missed the part where his investment was made BEFORE all the BS changes. So, the truck to which you are referring didn't hit him by accident when he was crossing the street; it ran him over on the sidewalk by changing the rules which said "trucks driven by Cryptic must stay off the sidewalk to avoid hitting people."
Then came the sale of Cryptic to PWE and free to play. The lockboxes , the grind, and the shades of P2W spawned more parodies meant to provide comment to Cryptic/PWE (Expansion Don't Be Lame, Pay 2 Win, The Games They Are A-Changin', and Take A Chance (about the lockboxes)).
I agree with the statements of the OP and the sad part is, because of what has been done to STO, most recently with Delta Rising, I've lost my desire to write parodies for STO. My morale with regard to this game has dimished to the point where I get halfway through typing my password, and stop to ask myself why I'm logging into the game.
When the launcher wouldn't open today (I later learned the servers went down), I was actually relieved. I came to realize I was logging in from a sense of guilt. First at being a lifetime subscriber with free Zen to spend and several toons that needed attention, and second from having been so supportive of STO in the past with all the positive parodies. Guilt and a misguided sense of loyalty should never be the main reasons one logs into a game.
I've played, and moved on from, several other MMOs since STO, but I have a fondness for Subspace Radio and its community, which were the launching points for my parody career. It really is for them that I've been logging into the game these last few weeks. But I've since discovered that many of the folks in that community play other games and only log into STO for DJ dance parties or special events.
I have other MMOs to play that I enjoy and want to celebrate through parody. So while I will always have fond memories of what STO used to be, I will be looking forward to the day that brings us a truly impressive Star Trek MMO experience.
Peace,
TymmyD
Before I could say "Sure, its got a grind, but its not bad, and can be fun."
But now, I have to say "Stay away unless you need a 2nd Job that doesn't pay for your real financial issues, and might even make them worse.."
Think about this:
American Football has been in open beta for 144 years. ~Kotaku
seriously... don't get me started on the bugs and balance wonkiness that Blizzard's games have....
My character Tsin'xing
Typical PWE game. Go try to play Perfect World International. You will LOVE this game after playing there. It's a huge cash cow and if you don't have good gear people wont even squad you or kick you out of squads and sometimes even trash your name in world chat for everyone to see. Its super hard to get anywhere in that game. This game is much easier to build yourself up. If you pvp and want to compete im sure its a different world just like it is on PWI, most pvpers spend around $2000-$3000 for their armor and weapon if not more.
When I came to STO I was like wow... I can actually earn Zen and pretty easy! Not so much the case on PWI.
I just hope STO doesn't take the same path as their other games have because I'm having fun playing
Edit: Not to mention the prices for stuff people sell on that game are off the chart. One thing I loved about STO too is people aren't selling stuff for crazy prices on the exchange. (Starting to get that way though)
You're missing the point I think. I've known Teapower a very long time in game, since the very early days in fact. As one of the early beta players of the game, I've seen a lot of people come and go. Teapower was a serious pvper, and solid in the stf content, when it was real stf content.
The game has become less and less about player skill, and more about doing the math on gamble-box/cash shop items to come up with a build that does a skill-free slam on the npc's or other pc's. I think you are in fact stating the opposite of which is the case. I know Teapower, and I'm fairly well certain that what frustrates him is that the game is NOT about skill anymore. Skill is dead. Its 99% grind and gear, and that number is probably climbing. Most of us who have been on the game this long have been down this rodeo before. Our gear has been devalued, systems have changed, rechanged, re-rechanged, and re-re-rechanged.
One thing that has kept me from getting upset in the game personally, is that I just don't take it as seriously as I once did. The level of grind expected just isn't reasonable for any human to put up with, and its frustrating to have to toss into the trash characters which use to be usable in the old days. Its just not worth the effort to play those characters ever again. Ultimately, the game's entire paradigm has shifted, in large part I think to suit their attempts to make dilithium more rare, and therefore drive up the cost/value of lockbox items. They want to chum the whales for as much money as they possibly can.
So before you malign Teapower, I'd like to say this. You just don't know what you're talking about. Skill based challenge is a lot different than gear based challenge. The Gear based challenge of a lot of mmo's is a mistake I think personally, across the board. In the early days of the game, it was about skill, and if you were good in pvp and stf's (like teapower) it meant something. Nowadays, skill just doesn't mean the same thing, and it makes the whole play experience flat and hollow. I'm personally not done with the game, I'm hopeful, but I'll be frank I never liked the idea of a Korean grindfest, and I certainly don't think it makes much sense for a Star Trek setting.
I'd like to add one more detail to this. A lot of us view our ship as a character or at least something close to it. It just feels wrong to change ships like a pair of socks or underpants. Its a SHIP for goodness sake. If we're going to upgrade anything it should be the parts of the ship. Many of us are growing tired of chasing after the next ship, in large part because we're happy flying the old one, and would much rather just keep building and improving it. Its rather silly that we went from something like 150 ships at the top tier to what, 6? Its pretty sad really. The pressure pushes against keeping your old gear. There's so much more to say, but really you're knocking the wrong guy here.
and I really have to quote this guy
businesses that don't understand their customers don't do well
What does Cryptic have to say? *crickets chirping*
...apparently nothing, they are too busy making YET MORE SHIPS to be able to read the forum posts (and Facebook) and see what's going on.
But if they did, you what their answer to the problems would be? MAKE MORE SHIPS! Ships is money, money is ships!
Cryptic, Stop, please! You need to take a season to fixing the game.
You said that the difficulty levels would be Normal = same, Advanced = Pre-DR Elite and New Elite... difficult. So... keep it simple and stick with it.
People upgrade their Intrepids to T5U and THEN you release T6 Intrepid/Pathfinder?! You need to offer an upgrade path! You can even offer the bridge separate from the pack as well.
Old bugs and ship skin issues. You want to work on ships? We paid for the ships, so please fix them. A Lot of people put down money for LTS so that you can work on the game, this should include fixing the bugs.
Please don't bother with new ships for Winter event (too late I know...) and (what has become) the Grind-a-versary. Fix the game: bugs, skins, balance and in-game prices!
I wanted the Operations Pack at first, kind of still do. But if money talks louder than words, then I guess my money will stay put until Cryptic starts to set things right.
Perhaps we should start with a top 10 list for Cryptic, but since there are so many things, could we come to an agreement to what those should be? Probably not. But even if Cryptic were to make an ernest effort at looking at the issues brought up, they can see what is mostly bothering people.... perhaps.
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I think the new approach has made everything worse.
'Legacy of Romulus', the addition of a new faction, was a step in the right direction. Flooding the game with reputation systems and fleet holdings was a step in the wrong direction. 'Delta Rising' should have completely focused on creating featured episodes, so that the transition from level 50 to 60 occurred at a steady rate. Adding the additional specializations was neat. I would have canned the new battle zone, reputation holdings, difficulty changes to stfs, and the season related stf missions.
Cryptic added too much grinding too soon. Cryptic also made the transition from level 50 to 60 too painful.
According to some recent news, PerfectWorld is currently going through restructuring. As of October 28, 2014, Cryptic has been trying to reorganize their divisions. So, I do expect people to be fired. PerfectWorld will be releasing an earnings report on the 25th.
Something needs to seriously change.
I am enjoying reading this thread and the forums MORE then logging into STO.
I would rather read peoples comments, both positive and negative then play STO..
That should be a bad thing right?
Should raise some kind of alarms when it comes to the enjoyment of STO.
I haven't made the threats and statements of how I'm choosing with my Wallet.
It doesn't have to be said, since if I'm not playing, I'm obviously not paying either.
Then again, the Life time subscription also means I don't have to pay, to stay subbed.
Maybe that was a bad thing for Cryptic. Maybe the Life time sub is almost a shot to the foot for a game like STO?
Then again, I also wonder if the Features of a Subscription are worth it in STO.
Sure there are benefits and free things. But wouldn't it be nice if a subscription had incentive?
That's what I'm also having trouble accepting.. I'm supposed to want a subscription.. Where sure Free to play is nice, being subbed should be a better experience right?
Yet, from my understanding, being a the difference between being a free to play person, and a sub/life timer really isn't much..
Maybe they need to offer discounts to subscribers.. but that's just a wishful thought..
Think about this:
American Football has been in open beta for 144 years. ~Kotaku
ok so I paid cash for the lifetime sub.
now I recently got the dyson 9 ship mega pack 10000zen and when DR launched I got the DR ship pack 12500zen, couse I have got many other things besides over the years like bank slots, inventory slots, ship slots ect many before I purchased my lifetime sub.
yes I also work for a living and do 6 12hr shifts every 9 days unless I sometimes work 1 or 2 extra shifts, I also have a family at home so most days only spend an hour or two playing sto.
so after buying my lifetime sub how much have I paid for all that other stuff?
nothing, zero, zilch. its all paid for with dilithium converted into zen and toped up with a little stipend.
of course I could have bought a lot more if it wasn't for the mega amounts of dil I have donated to my fleet.
so now I am upgrading my gear, I am planning to upgrade the gear on 2 ships, that's all the weapons and consoles and one ground set all to mk14 rare & very rare on each of my 3 character.
so I am about half done with that now so I guess the next dil weekend that should just about do it for me.
oh it helped that all the stuff im upgrading was mk12 rare & very rare to start with anything less is just not worth upgrading.
so where do I get most of this dil, tagging epohh would you believe, yes every day I tag epohh with my 3 characters and sell the elder epohh for marks then when there is a dil weekend I exchange those marks for dil, ok its not glamorous but its easy money.
oh it helps no end when I get an extra payout of dil from a completed rep or pve event like the current mirror one.
of course you might want to go for epic gear and good luck with that but its just too much of a gamble for me.
im just fine as I am and I think the game status is pretty fine too, oh its not perfect it has its faults and I am the first to admit that but overall I am mostly happy with it as it is.
im a pretty big fan of star trek also as my star trek memorabilia collection will confirm, ever since I first watched TOS on tv as a child when it was first on.
When I think about everything we've been through together,
maybe it's not the destination that matters, maybe it's the journey,
and if that journey takes a little longer,
so we can do something we all believe in,
I can't think of any place I'd rather be or any people I'd rather be with.