Lifetimer Question

alfred399 · November 2015

So, seeing as there is a few days left of the sale I find myself sorely tempted, and for the first time really, financially in a position where an LTS is possible...

So, I guess my question to any LTS's is this - if you didn't already have an LTS, would you buy one today? If so, why, and if not, why not?

I've read the LTS/Vet benefits, and to be fair it's mostly the Lib. Borg, T6 destroyers and stipend I'm interested in (the rest are, for me, nice to haves but not deal closers). £130ish is a lot to spend on one video game....

Gah, I'm prevaricating - any advice?

daveyny · November 2015

Buy It.

This game is going to be around for quite awhile yet and all the perks that come with a LTS now-a-days, make it well worth it's sale price.

I started playing in Feb. 2010 and have had my LTS since early 2011, as a life-long Trek fan, I haven't regretted a moment of it.

Also, even though They say They won't be expanding upon the 1000 Day Vet Rewards, at least once each year since I've been playing, They have added some new perk to the list.

Unknown · November 2015

This content has been removed.

lopequil · November 2015

It depends on how long you plan on playing. The main attraction is the stipend of course but as well as that I have really enjoyed the veteran ships, more so since they released the T6 versions. Fireworks are nice too, if you like hats 'n' things.

As for the Captains' Table... I've been there twice at most; it needs working on to make it more useful or to give people a reason to go there.

davefenestrator · November 2015

The T6 ships are nice, and include Lt.C science so you can grav well a group before you scatter volley, torp spread or FAW them.

The android boff is also nice for your away team with self-rez and superior creative, Your choice of M/F, Tac/Sci/Eng, and wide customization options similar to aliens.

The captain's gig is a good shuttle.

The enviro suit can be claimed unlimited times and is better than most VR MK XI suits, handy for the Tholian mission on Romulus.

5 extra dry dock slots, 2? character slots.

A pile of extra respec tokens for any new alts that you create. I think you end up with 11 by level 60.

alfred399 · November 2015

Thanks guys for the comments. My spanking new Lib Borg toon gives his gratitude in particular

yukonsam · November 2015

I bought mine before launch, so I certainly got my money's worth. Today? Your break-even point on the Zen allowance is over three years if you get the LTS on sale, so it comes down to whether you like the perks enough to drop that much money. My subjective opinion is that it hasn't really been worthwhile since the game went f2p... but then again, I have that feeling about the whole MMO industry.

sheldonlcooper · November 2015

The break-even calculation I used was assuming I would subscribe anyway. Which I would to support the game and help keep it going.

davefenestrator · November 2015

yukonsam wrote: »

I bought mine before launch, so I certainly got my money's worth. Today? Your break-even point on the Zen allowance is over three years if you get the LTS on sale, so it comes down to whether you like the perks enough to drop that much money. My subjective opinion is that it hasn't really been worthwhile since the game went f2p... but then again, I have that feeling about the whole MMO industry.

The zen grant keeps happening even when you burn out and leave the game for awhile. Go away for 6 months and you come back to a finished new season ready to play plus enough zen for a T6 ship.

anazonda · November 2015

I would not...

The stipend is good... however, nothing in the store tempts me...

The ships are fine, but are relatively inflexible

The "goodies" are... unnessacary.

Of cause, when I got my LTS, it was totally worth it, and payed for itself, as I am a pre-order LTS'er.

davefenestrator · November 2015

> The ships are fine, but are relatively inflexible

How so? T6 escort-class with Lt. C science and a nice mastery trait if you use torps, plus a decent console for stripping shields.

khan5000 · November 2015

I'm very tempted

yukonsam · November 2015

sheldonlcooper wrote: »

The break-even calculation I used was assuming I would subscribe anyway. Which I would to support the game and help keep it going.

That changes the calculation. As an alternative to subscribing, I'd rate it as a good bargain. And I wouldn't discourage anybody from supporting a product they believe in. I did, and I have no regrets.

earwigvr6 · November 2015

Way to late in the game to consider this. If I had been here from the start I would have jumped on it, but as has been said to get the most out of it this game needs to be around for 3 years or more to get anything worthwhile as far as monetary value is concerned.

And there is practically zero chance of that happening. This game is already running on such a dated engine that in a couple of years time, even a year perhaps it's going to look and play so antiquated that nobody will be interested.

It will be like digging out the N64 from the loft and playing Mario64 that "Used" to be great.

daveyny · November 2015

Your assumption completely ignores the value of the average Star Trek fans devotion to the IP.
Therefore, while your hypothesis about the games engine is valid, your over estimation of the way the game looks and plays as a determining factor, is very flawed.

The only thing that will kill this game, is if CBS decides that it wants a brand new MMO version to be created.

At that point, Cryptic's STO will become a T-Rex in the sights of a Mile-Wide Asteroid.

tigeraries · November 2015

if you like the game and have MULTIPLE toons on the account... why not its ok IF you plan on sticking with the game for more than 1 year. You do get 500 zen a month so after 2 to 3 years you get your monies worth... if the game will last that long.

imo the start of the game is a long slog of leveling... it goes by as you play the missions but travel from place to place really sucks... slow and not very "fun" at all. Free quest Transwarp should be made standard to folks who sub or are lifetimers... least for toons under L50. At 50 you get slipstream... and should be able to pony up the 50k EC for transwarp to quests.

daveyny · November 2015

Why don't folks consider any of the LTS perks to be part of the "worth" of an LTS beside me?

There's over $200 dollars of digital items included in the package.

bergins · November 2015

Yeah, if you add up the value of all the perks, your break even point is not far away at all.

3 each T5u & T6 ships (one for each faction) if you follow C-Store package pricing is worth $110. Also, you get a token for select T5 ships, but since they aren't account unlocks, let's halve the value and call them $10 each toon, if you have one toon for each faction, that's $30.

A decent BOff for any character you create, C-Store pricing for unique BOffs is $5, if you have one toon for each faction, that's $15.

Account Bank. EC Cap removal. Extra bank slots, per character. Extra character slots. Extra Admiralty slots, per character.

I feel like somewhere in that last section, we hit $200 total, and haven't factored in the stipend, fancy titles, Priority Queuing, Captain's Table, XMPP, respecs, or other things I know I'm forgetting...

davefenestrator · November 2015

The T5u ship is a weaker version of the t6 ship, so I'd call it a $50 bundle for the 3-faction. If you like grav well it's one of the better escorts. I got the Defiant bundle for the trait and the rom / kdf ships. Now that I have the trait I may leave the defiant in dry dock and return to the vet ship.

jslyn · November 2015

I would. I like the transforming Vet Ships and the Android BOff (especially since you now have a choice for what type you get). Lots of Respecs, no waiting in lines for loading missions and such.

alfred399 · November 2015

bergins wrote: »

Yeah, if you add up the value of all the perks, your break even point is not far away at all.

3 each T5u & T6 ships (one for each faction) if you follow C-Store package pricing is worth $110. Also, you get a token for select T5 ships, but since they aren't account unlocks, let's halve the value and call them $10 each toon, if you have one toon for each faction, that's $30.

A decent BOff for any character you create, C-Store pricing for unique BOffs is $5, if you have one toon for each faction, that's $15.

Account Bank. EC Cap removal. Extra bank slots, per character. Extra character slots. Extra Admiralty slots, per character.

I feel like somewhere in that last section, we hit $200 total, and haven't factored in the stipend, fancy titles, Priority Queuing, Captain's Table, XMPP, respecs, or other things I know I'm forgetting...

Basically this is what sold it to me - if you factor everything in you do get a lot for the money IMO, but even just the 6 T6 and 6 T5 ships you get immediately, and then one more T6 every 6 months for the lifetime of the game (with the stipend). For someone like me that regularly buys zen anyway each month (OK, not all with real money but some), the financial aspects become worth it pretty quickly.

delliboy · November 2015

For the amount of money I have spent on the game this year, I could have saved that towards the LTS but thanks to Tax time and a relative next year, I plan on getting my refund and buying the LTS.

chipg7 · November 2015

alfred399 wrote: »

Thanks guys for the comments. My spanking new Lib Borg toon gives his gratitude in particular

Good call! I got my LTS at the earliest sale following my one-year point in the game. I figured that if I'd been playing for a year and showed no signs of stopping, I was clearly going to get my money's worth. Also, that sale came with the T6 Vet Destroyers... that definitely pushed it for me.

The ships, the boosts, some of the major Republic uniform options are in there, the playable races (haven't tried 'em yet myself, but it's nice to have anyways), the extra dil refining, the account bank... the list goes on. It's top-notch value-added if you're already enjoying the game.

hatepwe · November 2015

I'd say it's wortth it. CBS has been working with Cryptic on the game for years. Now there's a new series out soon. Likely we'll see a bump in money being put into the game plus a new player rush. On top of all that since CBS only has prime universe rights it's very likely we'll see a show taking place during this period or even working in conjunction with this period. Which could make things pretty great.

tribbulater · November 2015

I've played a lot of MMO's over the past 20 years, and I've never regretted purchasing a life sub yet. Although there've been several cases where I regretted NOT buying one.

I like the extra vet ships/admiralty cards, the Android boffs, EV suits etc. I really like building up bonus Zen each month. That Zen has encouraged me to buy/try many things which, if they were one-off Zen purchases, I would never have tried.

I have to say, I also like 'voting with my dollars'. Any MMO that is selling life subs is sending a clear message to its producers, 'gamers want this'.

When it comes down to personal budgeting though, it is really a question of:
- How many hours a week do I play this? What else would I spend money on if I wasn't doing this?
- How long do I tend to play an MMO before I get bored and move on to something else?
- What other things would I spend $X on that give me LESS value than this? (eg, a spending swap)
- Will my wife/boss/dog divorce me if I try to 'get my moneys worth' out of this by playing excessively?
-
Personally I feel that a life sub 'paid its worth' in about 1 year of play time for me.

mazujie · November 2015

Well i did it, should have done it right after beta but i still feel its worth it, love the ships and was planning on buying some so now ill just wait until i get the ZEN. and who knows whats coming ? After a break when i get back ill have a pile of ZEN to get me started again.
And its a support for the game, although i believe that its a bad move for any MMO, say we all got lifetime from the start, they would not have any income after 3 years.
But its all personal in the end.

hatepwe · November 2015

Just make sure you log in once a month otherwise you stop getting zen stipends, I missed several months and lost a lot of zen because of being in transition between places and not having my pc up to sign in. Probably lost a good 1500 zen because of it.

kheldryn · November 2015

OP, as a LTS since Launch I would say it is worth the money. Yes, it will pinch you pocketbook, but in the long run it pays for itself with the monthly stipend, Lib. Borg, Free Ships and of course, never having to pay a sub fee.. ever again for the life of the game.

kheldryn · November 2015

hatepwe wrote: »

Just make sure you log in once a month otherwise you stop getting zen stipends, I missed several months and lost a lot of zen because of being in transition between places and not having my pc up to sign in. Probably lost a good 1500 zen because of it.

I would have called them or made a ticket about that, I've gone months without logging in and always got my stipend (Longest was a 5mo break) and when I came back I had 2500cc/zen when I got back.

talonxv · November 2015

I got it and my only regret, I didn't get it sooner.

crm14916 · November 2015

Got it two years ago and don't regret it... Considering a T5 Bundle costed $30 and a T6 bundle will cost $50... Add that to the $10 for the Account bank and the $5 stipend I've gotten each of the last 24 months, it's paid for itself...

I'm a fan and I'd be playing this game regardless... so mine was an investment well worth it...

CM

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