To be perfectly honest, I don't think this development team is able to do an improved version of a Star Trek game. "Improved" is of course subjective, but there's always something that can be improved upon - game mechanics, content quality, player customization options...
Whether the challenge is lack of skill, resources, creativity, time, or any combination thereof I can't say. The various interviews with staff (especially Geko's latest with Priority One) and gaining access to some of the paid ships/equipment have led me to certain beliefs, but random speculation doesn't achieve anything.
I don't say any of this to hate on the developers, just a statement of fact and acceptance that I believe the game experience pretty much is what it is going to be and don't expect any substantive changes.
I will say this for what it's worth: there seems something inherently wrong to me when a level 51 joke character (with no reps) is consistently getting 1st place in Advanced Crystalline with MK VIII purple gear (the highest I could get from crafting 1 set of purple MK IVs and using one superior upgrade on each piece of equipment) because of a certain C-store ship - even when going "against" obviously skilled players in full T6 ships.
No I'm pretty sure that a hug is in order , if only for to to complete the drama circle . :cool:
See, I came to the same realization some time in the mid 80 or early 90's ... , depending on my memories of the seething TOS haters of TNG or my memories of the seething general hatred of Trekkies toward Enterprise and the early seasons of Voyager .
The difference between us is that I failed to hate Star Trek because Trekkies did not live up to the imaginary standards of Hollywood .
My bad .
... I try keeping Trek & Trekkies apart . It almost works but I keep bumping into Trek fans I other fandom's so I guess I'm screwed ...:rolleyes:
If that wasnt enough, Perfect World isnt looking too great from an earnings estimate revision perspective either. It appears as though many analysts have been reducing their earnings expectations for the stock lately, which is usually not a good sign of things to come.
As I have been pointing out for some time, the latest changes to STO reflect what is happening over at PerfectWorld. Even though they have made gains in mobile users, PerfectWorld is struggling to turn players into paying customers. Around the start to middle of the year, the number of pc users had dropped by roughly 30%. If PerfecWorld is unable to solve the conundrum, they will be forced to sell properties.
STO II? Not a chance.
That is why we currently have a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) on this stock and are looking for it to underperform in the weeks ahead. So either avoid this stock or consider jumping ship until the estimates and technical factors turn around for PWRD.
Excuse me then, because when you said " But the fans...oh my god, I hate them more than Bajorans " -- it kind of implied that you did .
As to the list of ppl you deemed likable ... , well without going into too much detail , I was mildly surprised as to how average it was .
You literally picked a fruit from nearly every tree .
Putting aside for the moment the idea that this forum is a convergence of gamers as well as Trekkies -- which removes the "purity" from the Trekkie stand point (see the general lack of actual Trek discussions for further reference) -- I will admit to my bafflement as to the "amusements" you refer to, besides the obvious ones like the "everything is awesome" sig thread or that lowbrow "Dooom" one .
Maybe by bafflement is a product of our age difference , but maybe it's also a product of my other on line / off line experiences , in which laughing at people is not considered to be the main attraction .
... but now you will surely tell me that you don't laugh at everyone , so let me spare you the effort there ... by saying that just as I don't see your attitude reflected in any of the main cast of any Trek show that I know, I also don't see the benefit of exporting that attitude to other planets so you can perchance find other life forms to laugh at and hold in contempt ...
I also said a Fan is smart, but fans are stupid
but anyhow, it is wise for people to pick from many trees, because picking from one tree is pretty short sighted, when you have a better understanding when you pick from many.
Didn't know you could tell how a person is by a fake picture, on a mediocre gaming forum
but I guess it is our age gap, you're like what 50 or 60
Oh no I laugh at people, it's hard not to when they do things that make me laugh, emotions are funny that way.
But not everyone is funny, and not everyone will find what I say funny , but someone else might get the joke. Someone else might not because they either are too old, or young to know what I'm referencing.
I don't think you read too many of neoakiraii's posts if you didn't get that one....
Oh I'm aware of the Gul Dukat "persona" , but I looked at the whole sentence (and the implications of hating RL folks more then Bajorans) , and the response "I don't despise everyone" .
Actually I think you do, if for nothing but to help you understand that you're berating other Trek fans because they don't live up to your expectations makes you no different than them.
IDIC is a tough pill to swallow.
I have no problems admitting I'm a hypocrit. It's just that the Star Trek fans on these forums who provide feedback in the form of "This game isn't Star Trek enough!" while calling for people at Cryptic to be fired or suffer irreparable harm in some way is equally, if not moreso hypocritical.
Or in this case, wishing upon a star and hoping the fairy godmother of video games will wave her magic wand and create a sequel where everybody is happy and no bad decisions are made ever.
I am not saying Cryptic has been perfect with the game. I am saying that my fellow players managed to make this game as un-Treklike before Cryptic ever had the opportunity to. If there ever was a Star Trek Online II, I can guarantee the players would manage to make that game equally as un-Treklike before the game even left Beta.
Although I do agree in some respects with stoleviathan99, much progress has been made in dialing down the rhetoric and players being able to police themselves.
I understand the reference but I fail to see the guarantee to the smarts of a single individual .
I didn't see the guarantee the first time you wrote that, and repeating it did not convenience .
I am aware however that plenty of ppl think they are smart ... .
but anyhow, it is wise for people to pick from many trees, because picking from one tree is pretty short sighted, when you have a better understanding when you pick from many.
Alas we were talking about despising vs not despising, and not about from which variety we gain greater understanding .
Or are you saying that those who teach you things are the only ones who merit your ... non-contempt ?
Didn't know you could tell how a person is by a fake picture, on a mediocre gaming forum
Well you know how it is ... , sometimes you have to pick and prod to get something else besides the one liners and the stale 90's humor mixed with the other casual pretenses .
but I guess it is our age gap, you're like what 50 or 60
Missed , but you're welcome to keep trying .
I laugh at people, it's hard not to when they do things that make me laugh, emotions are funny that way.
And as I said , that type of behavior totally reminds me of Spock or Picard or Sisko or Janeway or Archer . They all totally behaved like that !
Not !
... I hope that was 90's enough for your taste ...
I think the likelihood of Star Trek Online ever being truly Trek can be summed up thus:
Star Trek has always been about how our wits will win the day regardless of technology (and vice versa, that technology cannot replace intelligence and knowledge). As such, "blow it up" has tended to be at most, tactical (in terms of a tactic to the ends of an ultimate strategy).
Star Trek Online views battles, DPS, and blowing things up to achieve a slow progression of points as the be-all and end-all.
These two approaches are not complementary.
There's no point in going into an all-round survey of what I think STO would look like if it was truly Star Trek, but I could give an indication.
Imagine a Star Trek game where the weapons and DPS never changed, but progression meant opening up more abilities in terms of science and diplomacy. Imagine where replaying an early mission meant you learnt more about that mission than you thought was possibly there on the first round. Imagine a game where you chose not one, but two allegiances (say, UFP and Starfleet gives you something, but UFP and Trade Federation gave you something else) where the missions available, the equipment, potential skills, and playthrough were different for each.
Imagine a game where your XP depended on your knowledge to know what to do, when, and how, so that your knowledge how to perform a "Picard Maneuveur" connected with your ability to target a strike on disabling weapons gave more XP than "blow them up". Extra XP if you talked the enemy down before you got to that point. Even more XP if you turned them around and they gave you extra information, opening up further options. Extra abilities wouldn't be extra DPS but rather new and different ways to do things, and link things together into new "cross-skills".
Imagine a game where as a solo player, you might be in a smaller ship, relying on your wits and crew to get through... and where teamed up or in fleets, you're in the flagship on the bridge, the team's abilities able to be cross-matched and turned into synergized team abilities. Each team game, each adventure differently played purely by the nature of the team. And where sometimes you might be captaining your fleet's flagship, another time you're on weapons, another time repelling boarders...
Alt-friendly (indeed, positively celebrating alts), totally mission-centric, adventure-focused, where advancement increases complexity and possible outcomes, teaming and fleeting provides even more possibilities. All focused on gaining more abilities as they represent more opportunities and more potential outcomes.
But of course, it'll never happen. Because "Challenge = DPS vs HP".
I understand the reference but I fail to see the guarantee to the smarts of a single individual .
I didn't see the guarantee the first time you wrote that, and repeating it did not convenience .
I am aware however that plenty of ppl think they are smart ... .
Alas we were talking about despising vs not despising, and not about from which variety we gain greater understanding .
Or are you saying that those who teach you things are the only ones who merit your ... non-contempt ?
Well you know how it is ... , sometimes you have to pick and prod to get something else besides the one liners and the stale 90's humor mixed with the other casual pretenses .
Missed , but you're welcome to keep trying .
And as I said , that type of behavior totally reminds me of Spock or Picard or Sisko or Janeway or Archer . They all totally behaved like that !
Not !
... I hope that was 90's enough for your taste ...
It is easier to wish for a magical fairy to show up and wave a magic wand to poof a new video game into existance than it is to provide constructive feedback and hope that gets the game we currently have into a better position.
It is simply human nature to wish and fantasize about something better than it is to actually dedicate oneself to improving what you currently have.
See: Santa Claus vs. Work
There's a point at which nothing short of a magical fairy could fix a game. STO reached that point a long time ago, in an update far, far away.
I think we need to ask ourselves who the target audience is for the MMO industry as it has become. Because if we can identify that variable in the equation, then we can determine pretty much what to expect from a STO-II, regardless of which developer might produce it.
I said it before, and I will say it again. I do not trust any corporate-owned developer to produce any MMO based on an IP not of their own creation. It has been my experience that they ultimately turn out to where the adherence to the IP is only at the surface, and the deeper you dig into the game, the less it feels like whatever it is SUPPOSED to be based upon.
The suits in charge do not really care about the IP, beyond it's marketing appeal. That sums up PWE and STO nicely. And it will sum up whomever the next corporate-owned developer ends up doing the next Trek MMO, if there is to be another one.
Look at the current trends of the type of MMOs that are being released. If you would not be willing to play them, then you are not among the corporate MMO industry's target audience.
I don't think there is a target. I think "online" has become so ingrained in standard games that it's far more likely that any new game would be just an offline action RPG with Journey style opt-in open world where you can interact with strangers and friends.
I figure this is the only MMORPG we'll see with Star Trek although many or most of its features could turn up in a non-MMORPG. I think the big thing this is the last stand for, for awhile, is combo ground/space as new games would split those into separate games or probably end up more ground centric with space as a challenge map, the way the Batmobile is in the next Arkham game.
Comments
Whether the challenge is lack of skill, resources, creativity, time, or any combination thereof I can't say. The various interviews with staff (especially Geko's latest with Priority One) and gaining access to some of the paid ships/equipment have led me to certain beliefs, but random speculation doesn't achieve anything.
I don't say any of this to hate on the developers, just a statement of fact and acceptance that I believe the game experience pretty much is what it is going to be and don't expect any substantive changes.
I will say this for what it's worth: there seems something inherently wrong to me when a level 51 joke character (with no reps) is consistently getting 1st place in Advanced Crystalline with MK VIII purple gear (the highest I could get from crafting 1 set of purple MK IVs and using one superior upgrade on each piece of equipment) because of a certain C-store ship - even when going "against" obviously skilled players in full T6 ships.
No I'm pretty sure that a hug is in order , if only for to to complete the drama circle . :cool:
See, I came to the same realization some time in the mid 80 or early 90's ... , depending on my memories of the seething TOS haters of TNG or my memories of the seething general hatred of Trekkies toward Enterprise and the early seasons of Voyager .
The difference between us is that I failed to hate Star Trek because Trekkies did not live up to the imaginary standards of Hollywood .
My bad .
... I try keeping Trek & Trekkies apart . It almost works but I keep bumping into Trek fans I other fandom's so I guess I'm screwed ...:rolleyes:
Link: Perfect World (PWRD): Moving Average Crossover Alert (December 16, 2014)
As I have been pointing out for some time, the latest changes to STO reflect what is happening over at PerfectWorld. Even though they have made gains in mobile users, PerfectWorld is struggling to turn players into paying customers. Around the start to middle of the year, the number of pc users had dropped by roughly 30%. If PerfecWorld is unable to solve the conundrum, they will be forced to sell properties.
STO II? Not a chance.
I also said a Fan is smart, but fans are stupid
but anyhow, it is wise for people to pick from many trees, because picking from one tree is pretty short sighted, when you have a better understanding when you pick from many.
Didn't know you could tell how a person is by a fake picture, on a mediocre gaming forum
but I guess it is our age gap, you're like what 50 or 60
Oh no I laugh at people, it's hard not to when they do things that make me laugh, emotions are funny that way.
But not everyone is funny, and not everyone will find what I say funny , but someone else might get the joke. Someone else might not because they either are too old, or young to know what I'm referencing.
Oh I'm aware of the Gul Dukat "persona" , but I looked at the whole sentence (and the implications of hating RL folks more then Bajorans) , and the response "I don't despise everyone" .
I have no problems admitting I'm a hypocrit. It's just that the Star Trek fans on these forums who provide feedback in the form of "This game isn't Star Trek enough!" while calling for people at Cryptic to be fired or suffer irreparable harm in some way is equally, if not moreso hypocritical.
Or in this case, wishing upon a star and hoping the fairy godmother of video games will wave her magic wand and create a sequel where everybody is happy and no bad decisions are made ever.
I am not saying Cryptic has been perfect with the game. I am saying that my fellow players managed to make this game as un-Treklike before Cryptic ever had the opportunity to. If there ever was a Star Trek Online II, I can guarantee the players would manage to make that game equally as un-Treklike before the game even left Beta.
Although I do agree in some respects with stoleviathan99, much progress has been made in dialing down the rhetoric and players being able to police themselves.
Much like you pointing out my hypocrisy.
I understand the reference but I fail to see the guarantee to the smarts of a single individual .
I didn't see the guarantee the first time you wrote that, and repeating it did not convenience .
I am aware however that plenty of ppl think they are smart ... .
Alas we were talking about despising vs not despising, and not about from which variety we gain greater understanding .
Or are you saying that those who teach you things are the only ones who merit your ... non-contempt ?
Well you know how it is ... , sometimes you have to pick and prod to get something else besides the one liners and the stale 90's humor mixed with the other casual pretenses .
Missed , but you're welcome to keep trying .
And as I said , that type of behavior totally reminds me of Spock or Picard or Sisko or Janeway or Archer . They all totally behaved like that !
Not !
... I hope that was 90's enough for your taste ...
GG Cryptic.
dnirg eht nioj
Star Trek has always been about how our wits will win the day regardless of technology (and vice versa, that technology cannot replace intelligence and knowledge). As such, "blow it up" has tended to be at most, tactical (in terms of a tactic to the ends of an ultimate strategy).
Star Trek Online views battles, DPS, and blowing things up to achieve a slow progression of points as the be-all and end-all.
These two approaches are not complementary.
There's no point in going into an all-round survey of what I think STO would look like if it was truly Star Trek, but I could give an indication.
Imagine a Star Trek game where the weapons and DPS never changed, but progression meant opening up more abilities in terms of science and diplomacy. Imagine where replaying an early mission meant you learnt more about that mission than you thought was possibly there on the first round. Imagine a game where you chose not one, but two allegiances (say, UFP and Starfleet gives you something, but UFP and Trade Federation gave you something else) where the missions available, the equipment, potential skills, and playthrough were different for each.
Imagine a game where your XP depended on your knowledge to know what to do, when, and how, so that your knowledge how to perform a "Picard Maneuveur" connected with your ability to target a strike on disabling weapons gave more XP than "blow them up". Extra XP if you talked the enemy down before you got to that point. Even more XP if you turned them around and they gave you extra information, opening up further options. Extra abilities wouldn't be extra DPS but rather new and different ways to do things, and link things together into new "cross-skills".
Imagine a game where as a solo player, you might be in a smaller ship, relying on your wits and crew to get through... and where teamed up or in fleets, you're in the flagship on the bridge, the team's abilities able to be cross-matched and turned into synergized team abilities. Each team game, each adventure differently played purely by the nature of the team. And where sometimes you might be captaining your fleet's flagship, another time you're on weapons, another time repelling boarders...
Alt-friendly (indeed, positively celebrating alts), totally mission-centric, adventure-focused, where advancement increases complexity and possible outcomes, teaming and fleeting provides even more possibilities. All focused on gaining more abilities as they represent more opportunities and more potential outcomes.
But of course, it'll never happen. Because "Challenge = DPS vs HP".
That would be an awesome idea. Might as well cash out now. However, dont see how it would happen. Just sorry to see what this game has become.
Yeah, Atari had a similar idea.
And they say I am reading into things :eek:
There's a point at which nothing short of a magical fairy could fix a game. STO reached that point a long time ago, in an update far, far away.
I always knew there was something strange about Yoda...
I don't think there is a target. I think "online" has become so ingrained in standard games that it's far more likely that any new game would be just an offline action RPG with Journey style opt-in open world where you can interact with strangers and friends.
I figure this is the only MMORPG we'll see with Star Trek although many or most of its features could turn up in a non-MMORPG. I think the big thing this is the last stand for, for awhile, is combo ground/space as new games would split those into separate games or probably end up more ground centric with space as a challenge map, the way the Batmobile is in the next Arkham game.