Say what you want about the company that owns it or the game's issues, but this is the only Star Trek MMORPG.
Good character customization. Wish they would use a unified color pallete and remove the many Tailor restrictions, though.
Flying your own ship.
Squad-based ground missions.
The friends I have made over the years help keep me coming back.
Cons:
PWE/Cryptic Studios business model. The current "Legendary" Pack has me doubting the cognitive abilities of Cryptic Studios employees in-so-much as they think people, in general, are going to throw their bank/credit cards at their screens for a package of fluff. "This is our best cash-grab ever! And the players love it!"
POOR communication with the customers (player-base). We have to go to 3rd-party sources to find information that should be posted on the game's OFFICIAL Forums. I have no respect for a CM who can't even bother to proofread what he copy/pastes.
Various aspects of the game have been removed over the years using flimsy excuses (at best).
Bugs that are still not fixed. Those that are, usually creep back in after an update or so because they weren't fixed to begin with. They will treat the symptom and not the cause.
Obviously there are more Pros and Cons to this game. I am not going to waste my time, or yours, by posting them.
Everyone will have their own opinions, likes, dislikes... and that is a good thing.
-AoP- Warrior's Blood (KDF Armada) / -AoP- Qu' raD qulbo'Degh / -AoP- ProjectPhoenix Join Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
PROS
-STO, when I joined, was the closest successor to an old Westwood MMO called Earth and Beyond that EA terminated when they took over.
-The Starship customization system reminded me a bit of an old game, Star Trek: Starship Creator, that I spent a stupid amount of time playing in the 90's.
-I like Star Trek - especially the technical/engineering side of it.
-STO is the only Freestyle, Action-Oriented, Capital Spaceship MMO on the market. Most other options are either focused on small(er) scale craft, are arena-based games, or are spreadsheet simulators.
-While recent efforts have been to the contrary, the game is very cost-friendly. There are no paywalls; you don't have to keep shoveling money at the game if you don't want to. Yet, there are plenty of options to pay for something that make your playtime more enjoyable or more convenient.
-There is no right or wrong way to play. There are so many potential ways to experiment with game mechanics.
CONS
-The development team is chronically understaffed. With how big of an IP Star Trek is, the size of the playerbase, and how much money this game undoubtedly makes, it is frustrating to see how.. unable.. the team is to make moves on outstanding improvements, and even maintenance, for the game. I know the team is constantly working their butts off, but the development scale leaves a lot to be desired.
-I DESPISE the TFO fetish; it's a fantasy MMO concept(dungeon spelunking) that is hamfisted into a universe where it doesn't really make a lot of sense. (I can't tell you how disgusted I was to see the Random TFOs as part of the Klingon recruit.)
-Poorly managed loot system. Too much 'junk'(consumables) that takes too much effort to get rid of; thematic loot is exceptionally rare(mostly limited to DIS encounters dropping DIS weapons - why doesn't every encounter group drop things relevant to the faction they're associated with?).
-Market Ferengi. I get it, free economy and all that, but watching people manipulate the market to such extremes is.. not fun.. and rather tiring. All I really want is a percentage-based listing fee for the exchange - and the consequences that come along with it.
-Abandonment of 'sandbox'/flavor features. This ties in the understaffing issue; creating a living, breathing, Star Trek universe is too much work for the team.
-Bundles bloated with consumable items that add nothing of lasting value to an account. Scumbag marketing in my book.
The way this game is developed some times, just infuriates me, and causes me to take long breaks. I do return and heres my pros.
1. The ground battlezones for the dyson sphere, and Delta rising, no other game has such ground combat zones. They are intense if you take the time to look around and really dive into them.
2. The shooter mode on the ground is one of the most unique aspects of sto. Ground combat continues to be a challenge, which is what I enjoy most about it.
3. The starships and customization are also good, how be it some critical mistakes made on KDF ships at times.
4. For all this games problems the devs do take time to fix old content. Some were not here from launch some were, let me tell you this game has come a long way.
5. They have managed to get a great many star trek actors and actresses involved more so then any game I can think of based on other IPs.
1. The bad R&D, the original set up wasn't too bad, the second set up fixed that, and the final phase. The one we have now is no more then a huge dilithium black hole. Yes I know about the research to level up each school. More over previously you could get the samples from the exploration zones. Yes people afked em, I did not. It really wouldn't matter any more, it would add depth to the game. Its not like they could mine dilithium.
2. The removal of the Genesis mechanic and trying to replace it with player generated content. I liked the Genesis and enjoyed it more as content was added to the game, until its removal. Yes the missions were generic but there was a few exploration missions in there. It was a great way to get the ground trophies. The exploration zones may have seemed generic but if they had been added to and updated over the years. I wonder what Genesis would look like now.
3. Most recently they removed the Empire defense missions in the KDF exploration zones also.
4. Another negative getting rid of the sector blocks. I just made the galaxy really fracking small. Not to mention did allot of damage to the immersion of the Borg aspect of the game. It also kept Feds out of the Klingon Empire unless they did the Ambassador missions.
5. Because of the removal of older missions, you can only find out which planets have patrols on them via sto gamepedia.
In closing I live for immersion. Not numbers. Yes I do have a real life lol.
It's simple, I'm still here is because it's Star Trek...something I grew up with. I was born in the 80's and I grew up watching everything from TNG to ENT with my Mom.
If the game wasn't Star Trek I would have uninstalled and never looked back years ago
For me, the main pros are
- Customizability, I can create/play my character (almost) exactly as I want, and certainly more so than any other game out there.
- Star Trek
- Romulans
- So many beautiful ships
The main cons are
- End game is EXTREMELY boring.
- Visuals are out of control in team content.
- General lack of interest from the devs in non-Fed content.
- General lack of interest from the devs in console players.
- General lack of interest from the devs in player feedback.
- Linear story telling. There is really no reason this has to be the case.
- Emphasis on time-gated content with constant waves on enemies and no real challenge. Widening Gyre is a good example. It is just constant waves of frigates and destroyers that are too easy to blow up. The mission is just boring. This game needs boss level enemies with interesting mechanics that allow for mission failure.
Okay, so my list of cons isn't going to be as great as many people's, due to the fact that I don't really share some of the same concerns most have, but I'll try bringing them.
First, before I do the list, I've been with the game since it went f2p 9 years ago, so I've been through every single iteration of drawing people in and people leaving due to various decisions. It was literally my first MMORPG.
Pros:
- Its a Star Trek game, so you can expect to find anything that ViacomCBS has in their collection given enough time
- Character Customization: Love having the option to choose many different canon species, or even the ability to make something completely unique.
- Ships: This game honestly has so many ships that I honestly have to sometimes sit down and think, do I want to fly this ship today?
- Ship Customization: Obviously this depends on what ship you have, but many ships have several different hull pattern options, mix and match parts for same skeleton ships, weapons, shield visuals, impulse visuals, console choices etc.
- environments: Though the game started off differently, the devs have really been working hard to create what I feel are breathtaking environments as of late, especially with respect to what gets shown in canon.
- Story: I know that for some, the story is going to be a con due to how people feel about the newer series, but for me, I like that they're trying to include elements of the newer series into the game where they feel it would best fit.
- Voice acting: Its honestly amazing how many actors that Cryptic has been able to get for STO. Having those actors reprise their roles brings me joy whenever I hear them, even if they're more recent like the Discovery Crew.
Cons:
- One of the biggest I can think of is the removal of content over the years. Between the Exploration system being closed & the Foundry being removed, the game feels like there's little to do once you get caught up with the story due to the pace at which they add new content.
- Reliance on repeated events: Goes with the previous one. Once someone manages to fill out the story and such, they have little engagement other than the daily events Cryptic seems to rely on in order to get people logging in so that they fulfill the metrics of people logging into play the game.
- Little hype on what to look forward to: Cryptic is one of those companies that generally do not like giving insights often as to what we can expect, due to the fact that they tend to wait until they know what they have to work with before they can proceed to do things.
- Communication: There's been so many things that Cryptic has dropped the ball on in terms of letting the community know what is going on. They've been making an effort, but sometimes it leaves the impression when they don't come in and say "We are aware of said bugs or concerns and are taking steps to address them."
- Reliance of expensive bundles: I think this speaks for itself.
As someone else pointed out, Final Fantasy XIV has done a brilliant job of addressing player's wants and desires for the game. Every couple of years has seen a new expansion, with enough content to keep people going until the the next major patch. Of course, the game can do this since its a paid subscription, and is being developed by a game company of a greater size magnitude than that of Cryptic.
Expanding more on what I mean about little hype, FFXIV recently had a development showcase last friday, giving players a taste of what they can expect moving into the next expansion of the game, as well as what to expect with the patch beyond that. The reason they can do this is that they are working months ahead of where new patches are being released, which is why they can do what they do.
Cryptic however, tends to work on a smaller scale and while they apparently work about a year out or 2 on the story, generally its the reliance on knowing what voice actors they will have available to work with, and that usually results in them having to make changes. As such, they usually wait until the content is close to being done before they actually announce anything.
As a single player game that happens to be running on a server, it has an amazing amount of good story episode content:
The Romulan arc is well-written enough that I've enjoyed going through it a half dozen times over 6 years. The KDF arc, Tilly and the rest for the Discovery episodes, the TOS missions, on and on. Yes we lose the faction-specific content sooner than I'd like but the "alliance" content is good too.
Character and bridge officer customization is great despite the annoying tailor limitations and bugs.
Most MMOs and many single player RPGs have very limited companions or lack them entirely. The choice of creating a Gorn captain with lizard crew, an Andorian captain without a pinkskin in sight, etc. lets me create unique themes for my different captains. One of my "federation" captains is a Terran defector flying a stolen Paradox with an Empire crew including the reprogrammed holo-Leeta "loyalty officer."
We can Space Barbie our ships too. Choose your ship, kitbash some of them, choose the hull material and add vanity shield, add weapons with the visuals you want.
Ground and space combat are both glitchy at times but they're still fun.
The F2P model to just play the game is the most generous I know of
Every new story episode and TFO is free instead of paying for a monthly sub or for expansion packs. If you go away from the game for a month you don't "waste" your $10-15 sub. If you come back for a new expansion there's no $20 fee.
Free event ships are endgame-level and the meta events have given us multiple C-Store and enough lobi for a lockbox ship.
Con: the optional ships like a T6 Connie are expensive, ranging from $30 - $200 per ship. The Romulan legendary pack is a poor value for anyone not wanting the level 65 token. The 11th legendary pack is a really poor value. Mudd's prices for missed event gear are overpriced.
The main reason
I play when I think I'll enjoy it. I go away for weeks or months and play something else when I'm tired of the game.
Yep! Thats kind of a biggie. Thank you for bringing it up!
My hotfix to it has always been my frinds. Somehow I managed to get into team with @seaofsorrows and 4 other long term in game and rl frinds of mine tonight. Lol, we played RTFO for like 3-4hours flat with our KDF recruits. We had so much fun but for me it is becomming harder and harder to differenciate if it was thanks them allone or the content provided by Cryptic. The older the maps were the more fun we seemed to have it appeared.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
I tend to visit these forums rarely, and comment even less so, but your post inspired me (and quite a few others apparently).
I spent my entire childhood wanting to sit on the bridge of a starship. That's not true. My entire life. Some of my earliest memories are of watching TOS reruns with my Mother as a child.
The fact that STO allows me to experience that on some level is what outweighs all the cons. The ludicrous prices in the Zen store. The janky quirks of the interface that should have been ironed out years ago. The questionable behavior of the company toward users. And the list goes on...
There's just nothing like hopping in a ship and going to all the places we know so well from decades spent dreaming of a brighter future.
Yep! Thats kind of a biggie. Thank you for bringing it up!
My hotfix to it has always been my frinds. Somehow I managed to get into team with @seaofsorrows and 4 other long term in game and rl frinds of mine tonight. Lol, we played RTFO for like 3-4hours flat with our KDF recruits. We had so much fun but for me it is becomming harder and harder to differenciate if it was thanks them allone or the content provided by Cryptic. The older the maps were the more fun we seemed to have it appeared.
Days like today are why I stick with STO. I just logged on to see if I could find something fun to do and next thing I know I am spending over 4hrs doing RTFO’s with you guys. Yeah, the game that Cryptic provides is a huge factor obviously.. but the best part about STO for me is definitely joining OCD and the friends I have made along the way.
That was the best time I have had in STO in a while, and the main reason I keep playing. Without you guys I probably would have gotten bored quite a while ago.
Doing Starbase 1 on Elite with 3 guys using new characters was pretty cool.
Yep! Thats kind of a biggie. Thank you for bringing it up!
My hotfix to it has always been my frinds. Somehow I managed to get into team with @seaofsorrows and 4 other long term in game and rl frinds of mine tonight. Lol, we played RTFO for like 3-4hours flat with our KDF recruits. We had so much fun but for me it is becomming harder and harder to differenciate if it was thanks them allone or the content provided by Cryptic. The older the maps were the more fun we seemed to have it appeared.
Days like today are why I stick with STO. I just logged on to see if I could find something fun to do and next thing I know I am spending over 4hrs doing RTFO’s with you guys. Yeah, the game that Cryptic provides is a huge factor obviously.. but the best part about STO for me is definitely joining OCD and the friends I have made along the way.
That was the best time I have had in STO in a while, and the main reason I keep playing. Without you guys I probably would have gotten bored quite a while ago.
Doing Starbase 1 on Elite with 3 guys using new characters was pretty cool.
I think I logged in in the middle of it - you were, if I remember correctly, on the 13th random queue - and it honestly made my day to see Kyle going kinda crazy in the chat, LOL.
Seriously though, you both made a very good point: playing with friends is ultimately what keep me from moving on.
My fleet, that I have been tasked with managing for the past almost two years now, and my fleetmates, not to mention people like you guys, are what makes this game still playable for me.
If it wasn't for that, I would've left for good a long time ago, because yes this is the only Trek MMO out there, but playing alone wouldn't be nearly as worth it.
Not agreeing with someone doesn't give you the right to be an TRIBBLE.
Ci sono tre tipi di giocatori:
- quelli a cui non va mai bene niente... e vanno sul forum a trollare;
- quelli che sono talmente imbesuiti da credere a qualunque cosa i dev dicano, perfino che la luna è fatta di formaggio... e vanno sul forum a trollare;
- quelli che credono a quello a cui è giusto credere, sono d'accordo con quello con cui è giusto essere d'accordo e sono critici con quello che non va;
Ai giocatori dei primi due tipi, gratis in omaggio un bello specchio lucente su cui arrampicarsi. E una mazzata in testa per la loro poca intelligenza e compassione verso gli altri giocatori che non la pensano come loro.
Agli appartenenti al terzo tipo, invece, dico grazie. Anche se non sempre si riesce a mantenere la calma, siete quelli per cui vale la pena incazzarsi.
For some reason, it's really addictive to me. Like, really.
I honestly think EVE Online is actually a better space MMORPG by a pretty wide margin - EVE just just bigger and scarier; it feels almost haunting. And EVE also has actual PvP, whereas this game doesn't even try.
But... I dunno. For some reason, STO is like a narcotic to me.
That not even getting more traditional expansion based MMOs, which can go 1.5-2 years without any sort of significant content updates
Where exactly did you get those ridiculous numbers from? From what I can tell the longest WoW has had between a final patch and the next expansion is 1 year and 1 month, with the average being around ten months. I don't play FF14 but my wife does and from what she's told me I don't think they've ever had 1.5-2 years between a patch and an expansion either. It seems to me that you're flat out making things up to try and make STOs content release schedule look a lot better than it really is. It's a simple fact that the surviving traditional sub+expansion MMOs release far more content far more frequently than STO ever could.
Where exactly did you get those ridiculous numbers from? From what I can tell the longest WoW has had between a final patch and the next expansion is 1 year and 1 month, with the average being around ten months. I don't play FF14 but my wife does and from what she's told me I don't think they've ever had 1.5-2 years between a patch and an expansion either. It seems to me that you're flat out making things up to try and make STOs content release schedule look a lot better than it really is. It's a simple fact that the surviving traditional sub+expansion MMOs release far more content far more frequently than STO ever could.
Have you ever played TOR?
Knights of the Eternal Throne = December 2, 2016
Onslaught = October 22, 2019
ToR is F2P, they call those content releases "expansions" but they are closer to STOs "expansions" in terms of content and they don't make you buy them in the traditional sense either, subbing for one month any time after the content is released is all you need to do to get it (at least that's how it was the last time I played). You're also leaving out the patches that were released between those expansions, from the Star Wars Wiki:
Knights of the Eternal Throne — Release 5.0 on December 2, 2016
Update "Defend the Throne" — Release 5.1 on January 23, 2017
Update "The War for Iokath" — Release 5.2 on April 17, 2017
Update "Sisters of Carnage" — Release 5.3 on July 10, 2017
Update "The Crisis on Umbara" — Release 5.4 on August 24, 2017
Update "United Forces Foundation" — Release 5.5 on October 10, 2017
Update "A Traitor Among the Chiss" — Release 5.6 on November 27, 2017
Update "Legacy of the Creators" — Release 5.7 on January 22, 2018
Update "Command Authority" — Release 5.8 on March 18, 2018
Update "Nathema Conspiracy" — Release 5.9 on May 2, 2018
Update "Jedi Under Siege" — Release 5.10 on December 10, 2018
Update "The Wretched Hive" — Release 5.10.1 on February 2, 2019
Update "Heralds of Victory" — Release 5.10.2 on April 10, 2019
Update "The Dantooine Incursion" — Release 5.10.3 on June 1, 2019
This is Star Trek, that's why I'm on and off at actually Playing the game.
Pros
Story depth
Familiar characters and settings
Star Trek
Cons
Diminishing story vs consistent action
NPCs seem more like wearing a coat then other characters
Roddenberry's idea was more about People that happened to be in space and Less about who killed what the quickest
1. I get to fly around in the Star Trek Universe and meet iconic characters... and that Disco junk.
2. I get some well written stories that expand in the Star Trek episodes.
3. Did I mention I get to fly a spaceship?
4. For a free to play game, I love and appreciate that you can play without ever spending a dime and have some fun. All content is available and you get a healthy dose of ships and equipment to at least participate in most events effectively.
Why I’m ready to bolt:
1. Too much Disco focus. I have zero interest in anything Disco related but it’s going to come a point where that’s the main push and when that day comes I officially turn in my command and settle on Risa as a certified beach bum.
2. Having the best ships and equipment behind loot boxes and Phoenix pacs that give you almost a 1% chance out of a hundred to get something halfway decent isn’t my cup of tea (just being facetious on the percentages but you get my point).
3. I don’t want it, but give people a damn T6 Nova already!!! Like seriously, it’s beyond normal reason why this hasn’t happened yet?
4. Too much Fed-centric content. Where’s the differentiation between Fed, KDF, and RSE? Who wants to really be all huggy huggy when one of the central themes has always been the struggle for power they all have against each other?
5. The whole “big bad guy of the moment” trope has run its course. Unless they’re going to half significant impact to the ENTIRE universe leave it be!
6. And finally, what’s the future of STO? What are the developers aiming for in 2021 and beyond? Will we get a new game? New engine upgrade? Or is just going to remain stale and stagnant because there’s no real competition?
... but the best part about STO for me is definitely joining OCD and the friends I have made along the way.
That was the best time I have had in STO in a while, and the main reason I keep playing. Without you guys I probably would have gotten bored quite a while ago.
I think we should stick our heads together there and find a way to blame Mark! He started it all back in 2012. I really love and hate him as well for that.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
Yep! Thats kind of a biggie. Thank you for bringing it up!
My hotfix to it has always been my frinds. Somehow I managed to get into team with @seaofsorrows and 4 other long term in game and rl frinds of mine tonight. Lol, we played RTFO for like 3-4hours flat with our KDF recruits. We had so much fun but for me it is becomming harder and harder to differenciate if it was thanks them allone or the content provided by Cryptic. The older the maps were the more fun we seemed to have it appeared.
Days like today are why I stick with STO. I just logged on to see if I could find something fun to do and next thing I know I am spending over 4hrs doing RTFO’s with you guys. Yeah, the game that Cryptic provides is a huge factor obviously.. but the best part about STO for me is definitely joining OCD and the friends I have made along the way.
That was the best time I have had in STO in a while, and the main reason I keep playing. Without you guys I probably would have gotten bored quite a while ago.
Doing Starbase 1 on Elite with 3 guys using new characters was pretty cool.
I think I logged in in the middle of it - you were, if I remember correctly, on the 13th random queue - and it honestly made my day to see Kyle going kinda crazy in the chat, LOL.
Seriously though, you both made a very good point: playing with friends is ultimately what keep me from moving on.
My fleet, that I have been tasked with managing for the past almost two years now, and my fleetmates, not to mention people like you guys, are what makes this game still playable for me.
If it wasn't for that, I would've left for good a long time ago, because yes this is the only Trek MMO out there, but playing alone wouldn't be nearly as worth it.
Kyle was hoplessly drunk yesterday. I had him on phone. He is a good RTFOjockey. I think he may always do it from now on.
I'm sure you have your obligations in your fleet and perform them well. We opened our Armada chat not only for our fleets but friends too. If you have players in your comunity youd like to have in VoC chat please feel free to name them and we invite. Same always counts for map invites to our holdings to get stuff. We are complete both fed and kdf side if you folks happen to need anything.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
I tend to visit these forums rarely, and comment even less so, but your post inspired me (and quite a few others apparently).
I spent my entire childhood wanting to sit on the bridge of a starship. That's not true. My entire life. Some of my earliest memories are of watching TOS reruns with my Mother as a child.
The fact that STO allows me to experience that on some level is what outweighs all the cons. The ludicrous prices in the Zen store. The janky quirks of the interface that should have been ironed out years ago. The questionable behavior of the company toward users. And the list goes on...
There's just nothing like hopping in a ship and going to all the places we know so well from decades spent dreaming of a brighter future.
I for my part would not mind if youd visit and post here more often. The one I'm quoting managed to put a smile on my face.
Thank you for it.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again." - Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek Generations
It's simple, I'm still here is because it's Star Trek...something I grew up with. I was born in the 80's and I grew up watching everything from TNG to ENT with my Mom.
If the game wasn't Star Trek I would have uninstalled and never looked back years ago
Looks like I have the same growing up history.
I played countless trek games over the years. Especialy in the late 90s and early 2000s. Of course none of em were mmorpgs but if I hat to throw them all in one back togteher with STO now, STO would come out as a huge winner for sure.
Looking for a fun PvE fleet? Join us at Omega Combat Division today.
Comments
Pros:
Cons:
Obviously there are more Pros and Cons to this game. I am not going to waste my time, or yours, by posting them.
Everyone will have their own opinions, likes, dislikes... and that is a good thing.
Join Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
-STO, when I joined, was the closest successor to an old Westwood MMO called Earth and Beyond that EA terminated when they took over.
-The Starship customization system reminded me a bit of an old game, Star Trek: Starship Creator, that I spent a stupid amount of time playing in the 90's.
-I like Star Trek - especially the technical/engineering side of it.
-STO is the only Freestyle, Action-Oriented, Capital Spaceship MMO on the market. Most other options are either focused on small(er) scale craft, are arena-based games, or are spreadsheet simulators.
-While recent efforts have been to the contrary, the game is very cost-friendly. There are no paywalls; you don't have to keep shoveling money at the game if you don't want to. Yet, there are plenty of options to pay for something that make your playtime more enjoyable or more convenient.
-There is no right or wrong way to play. There are so many potential ways to experiment with game mechanics.
CONS
-The development team is chronically understaffed. With how big of an IP Star Trek is, the size of the playerbase, and how much money this game undoubtedly makes, it is frustrating to see how.. unable.. the team is to make moves on outstanding improvements, and even maintenance, for the game. I know the team is constantly working their butts off, but the development scale leaves a lot to be desired.
-I DESPISE the TFO fetish; it's a fantasy MMO concept(dungeon spelunking) that is hamfisted into a universe where it doesn't really make a lot of sense. (I can't tell you how disgusted I was to see the Random TFOs as part of the Klingon recruit.)
-Poorly managed loot system. Too much 'junk'(consumables) that takes too much effort to get rid of; thematic loot is exceptionally rare(mostly limited to DIS encounters dropping DIS weapons - why doesn't every encounter group drop things relevant to the faction they're associated with?).
-Market Ferengi. I get it, free economy and all that, but watching people manipulate the market to such extremes is.. not fun.. and rather tiring. All I really want is a percentage-based listing fee for the exchange - and the consequences that come along with it.
-Abandonment of 'sandbox'/flavor features. This ties in the understaffing issue; creating a living, breathing, Star Trek universe is too much work for the team.
-Bundles bloated with consumable items that add nothing of lasting value to an account. Scumbag marketing in my book.
1. The ground battlezones for the dyson sphere, and Delta rising, no other game has such ground combat zones. They are intense if you take the time to look around and really dive into them.
2. The shooter mode on the ground is one of the most unique aspects of sto. Ground combat continues to be a challenge, which is what I enjoy most about it.
3. The starships and customization are also good, how be it some critical mistakes made on KDF ships at times.
4. For all this games problems the devs do take time to fix old content. Some were not here from launch some were, let me tell you this game has come a long way.
5. They have managed to get a great many star trek actors and actresses involved more so then any game I can think of based on other IPs.
1. The bad R&D, the original set up wasn't too bad, the second set up fixed that, and the final phase. The one we have now is no more then a huge dilithium black hole. Yes I know about the research to level up each school. More over previously you could get the samples from the exploration zones. Yes people afked em, I did not. It really wouldn't matter any more, it would add depth to the game. Its not like they could mine dilithium.
2. The removal of the Genesis mechanic and trying to replace it with player generated content. I liked the Genesis and enjoyed it more as content was added to the game, until its removal. Yes the missions were generic but there was a few exploration missions in there. It was a great way to get the ground trophies. The exploration zones may have seemed generic but if they had been added to and updated over the years. I wonder what Genesis would look like now.
3. Most recently they removed the Empire defense missions in the KDF exploration zones also.
4. Another negative getting rid of the sector blocks. I just made the galaxy really fracking small. Not to mention did allot of damage to the immersion of the Borg aspect of the game. It also kept Feds out of the Klingon Empire unless they did the Ambassador missions.
5. Because of the removal of older missions, you can only find out which planets have patrols on them via sto gamepedia.
In closing I live for immersion. Not numbers. Yes I do have a real life lol.
If the game wasn't Star Trek I would have uninstalled and never looked back years ago
- Customizability, I can create/play my character (almost) exactly as I want, and certainly more so than any other game out there.
- Star Trek
- Romulans
- So many beautiful ships
The main cons are
- End game is EXTREMELY boring.
- Visuals are out of control in team content.
- General lack of interest from the devs in non-Fed content.
- General lack of interest from the devs in console players.
- General lack of interest from the devs in player feedback.
- Linear story telling. There is really no reason this has to be the case.
- Emphasis on time-gated content with constant waves on enemies and no real challenge. Widening Gyre is a good example. It is just constant waves of frigates and destroyers that are too easy to blow up. The mission is just boring. This game needs boss level enemies with interesting mechanics that allow for mission failure.
Thats all I can think of for now.
First, before I do the list, I've been with the game since it went f2p 9 years ago, so I've been through every single iteration of drawing people in and people leaving due to various decisions. It was literally my first MMORPG.
Pros:
- Its a Star Trek game, so you can expect to find anything that ViacomCBS has in their collection given enough time
- Character Customization: Love having the option to choose many different canon species, or even the ability to make something completely unique.
- Ships: This game honestly has so many ships that I honestly have to sometimes sit down and think, do I want to fly this ship today?
- Ship Customization: Obviously this depends on what ship you have, but many ships have several different hull pattern options, mix and match parts for same skeleton ships, weapons, shield visuals, impulse visuals, console choices etc.
- environments: Though the game started off differently, the devs have really been working hard to create what I feel are breathtaking environments as of late, especially with respect to what gets shown in canon.
- Story: I know that for some, the story is going to be a con due to how people feel about the newer series, but for me, I like that they're trying to include elements of the newer series into the game where they feel it would best fit.
- Voice acting: Its honestly amazing how many actors that Cryptic has been able to get for STO. Having those actors reprise their roles brings me joy whenever I hear them, even if they're more recent like the Discovery Crew.
Cons:
- One of the biggest I can think of is the removal of content over the years. Between the Exploration system being closed & the Foundry being removed, the game feels like there's little to do once you get caught up with the story due to the pace at which they add new content.
- Reliance on repeated events: Goes with the previous one. Once someone manages to fill out the story and such, they have little engagement other than the daily events Cryptic seems to rely on in order to get people logging in so that they fulfill the metrics of people logging into play the game.
- Little hype on what to look forward to: Cryptic is one of those companies that generally do not like giving insights often as to what we can expect, due to the fact that they tend to wait until they know what they have to work with before they can proceed to do things.
- Communication: There's been so many things that Cryptic has dropped the ball on in terms of letting the community know what is going on. They've been making an effort, but sometimes it leaves the impression when they don't come in and say "We are aware of said bugs or concerns and are taking steps to address them."
- Reliance of expensive bundles: I think this speaks for itself.
As someone else pointed out, Final Fantasy XIV has done a brilliant job of addressing player's wants and desires for the game. Every couple of years has seen a new expansion, with enough content to keep people going until the the next major patch. Of course, the game can do this since its a paid subscription, and is being developed by a game company of a greater size magnitude than that of Cryptic.
Expanding more on what I mean about little hype, FFXIV recently had a development showcase last friday, giving players a taste of what they can expect moving into the next expansion of the game, as well as what to expect with the patch beyond that. The reason they can do this is that they are working months ahead of where new patches are being released, which is why they can do what they do.
Cryptic however, tends to work on a smaller scale and while they apparently work about a year out or 2 on the story, generally its the reliance on knowing what voice actors they will have available to work with, and that usually results in them having to make changes. As such, they usually wait until the content is close to being done before they actually announce anything.
The Romulan arc is well-written enough that I've enjoyed going through it a half dozen times over 6 years. The KDF arc, Tilly and the rest for the Discovery episodes, the TOS missions, on and on. Yes we lose the faction-specific content sooner than I'd like but the "alliance" content is good too.
Most MMOs and many single player RPGs have very limited companions or lack them entirely. The choice of creating a Gorn captain with lizard crew, an Andorian captain without a pinkskin in sight, etc. lets me create unique themes for my different captains. One of my "federation" captains is a Terran defector flying a stolen Paradox with an Empire crew including the reprogrammed holo-Leeta "loyalty officer."
We can Space Barbie our ships too. Choose your ship, kitbash some of them, choose the hull material and add vanity shield, add weapons with the visuals you want.
Every new story episode and TFO is free instead of paying for a monthly sub or for expansion packs. If you go away from the game for a month you don't "waste" your $10-15 sub. If you come back for a new expansion there's no $20 fee.
Free event ships are endgame-level and the meta events have given us multiple C-Store and enough lobi for a lockbox ship.
Con: the optional ships like a T6 Connie are expensive, ranging from $30 - $200 per ship. The Romulan legendary pack is a poor value for anyone not wanting the level 65 token. The 11th legendary pack is a really poor value. Mudd's prices for missed event gear are overpriced.
I play when I think I'll enjoy it. I go away for weeks or months and play something else when I'm tired of the game.
I agree so much there. STO is so increadibly rich when it comes to variety. Its unlike anything I have ever seen in a game.
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Yep! Thats kind of a biggie. Thank you for bringing it up!
My hotfix to it has always been my frinds. Somehow I managed to get into team with @seaofsorrows and 4 other long term in game and rl frinds of mine tonight. Lol, we played RTFO for like 3-4hours flat with our KDF recruits. We had so much fun but for me it is becomming harder and harder to differenciate if it was thanks them allone or the content provided by Cryptic. The older the maps were the more fun we seemed to have it appeared.
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I spent my entire childhood wanting to sit on the bridge of a starship. That's not true. My entire life. Some of my earliest memories are of watching TOS reruns with my Mother as a child.
The fact that STO allows me to experience that on some level is what outweighs all the cons. The ludicrous prices in the Zen store. The janky quirks of the interface that should have been ironed out years ago. The questionable behavior of the company toward users. And the list goes on...
There's just nothing like hopping in a ship and going to all the places we know so well from decades spent dreaming of a brighter future.
2: I actually enjoy both space and ground gameplay.
3: I enjoy the space barbie.
4: I've invested over a decade and ??? monies into the game, so I need to get my monies worth
The-Grand-Nagus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Days like today are why I stick with STO. I just logged on to see if I could find something fun to do and next thing I know I am spending over 4hrs doing RTFO’s with you guys. Yeah, the game that Cryptic provides is a huge factor obviously.. but the best part about STO for me is definitely joining OCD and the friends I have made along the way.
That was the best time I have had in STO in a while, and the main reason I keep playing. Without you guys I probably would have gotten bored quite a while ago.
Doing Starbase 1 on Elite with 3 guys using new characters was pretty cool.
I think I logged in in the middle of it - you were, if I remember correctly, on the 13th random queue - and it honestly made my day to see Kyle going kinda crazy in the chat, LOL.
Seriously though, you both made a very good point: playing with friends is ultimately what keep me from moving on.
My fleet, that I have been tasked with managing for the past almost two years now, and my fleetmates, not to mention people like you guys, are what makes this game still playable for me.
If it wasn't for that, I would've left for good a long time ago, because yes this is the only Trek MMO out there, but playing alone wouldn't be nearly as worth it.
Ci sono tre tipi di giocatori:
- quelli a cui non va mai bene niente... e vanno sul forum a trollare;
- quelli che sono talmente imbesuiti da credere a qualunque cosa i dev dicano, perfino che la luna è fatta di formaggio... e vanno sul forum a trollare;
- quelli che credono a quello a cui è giusto credere, sono d'accordo con quello con cui è giusto essere d'accordo e sono critici con quello che non va;
Ai giocatori dei primi due tipi, gratis in omaggio un bello specchio lucente su cui arrampicarsi. E una mazzata in testa per la loro poca intelligenza e compassione verso gli altri giocatori che non la pensano come loro.
Agli appartenenti al terzo tipo, invece, dico grazie. Anche se non sempre si riesce a mantenere la calma, siete quelli per cui vale la pena incazzarsi.
I honestly think EVE Online is actually a better space MMORPG by a pretty wide margin - EVE just just bigger and scarier; it feels almost haunting. And EVE also has actual PvP, whereas this game doesn't even try.
But... I dunno. For some reason, STO is like a narcotic to me.
Where exactly did you get those ridiculous numbers from? From what I can tell the longest WoW has had between a final patch and the next expansion is 1 year and 1 month, with the average being around ten months. I don't play FF14 but my wife does and from what she's told me I don't think they've ever had 1.5-2 years between a patch and an expansion either. It seems to me that you're flat out making things up to try and make STOs content release schedule look a lot better than it really is. It's a simple fact that the surviving traditional sub+expansion MMOs release far more content far more frequently than STO ever could.
ToR is F2P, they call those content releases "expansions" but they are closer to STOs "expansions" in terms of content and they don't make you buy them in the traditional sense either, subbing for one month any time after the content is released is all you need to do to get it (at least that's how it was the last time I played). You're also leaving out the patches that were released between those expansions, from the Star Wars Wiki:
Knights of the Eternal Throne — Release 5.0 on December 2, 2016
Update "Defend the Throne" — Release 5.1 on January 23, 2017
Update "The War for Iokath" — Release 5.2 on April 17, 2017
Update "Sisters of Carnage" — Release 5.3 on July 10, 2017
Update "The Crisis on Umbara" — Release 5.4 on August 24, 2017
Update "United Forces Foundation" — Release 5.5 on October 10, 2017
Update "A Traitor Among the Chiss" — Release 5.6 on November 27, 2017
Update "Legacy of the Creators" — Release 5.7 on January 22, 2018
Update "Command Authority" — Release 5.8 on March 18, 2018
Update "Nathema Conspiracy" — Release 5.9 on May 2, 2018
Update "Jedi Under Siege" — Release 5.10 on December 10, 2018
Update "The Wretched Hive" — Release 5.10.1 on February 2, 2019
Update "Heralds of Victory" — Release 5.10.2 on April 10, 2019
Update "The Dantooine Incursion" — Release 5.10.3 on June 1, 2019
Pros
Story depth
Familiar characters and settings
Star Trek
Cons
Diminishing story vs consistent action
NPCs seem more like wearing a coat then other characters
Roddenberry's idea was more about People that happened to be in space and Less about who killed what the quickest
1. I get to fly around in the Star Trek Universe and meet iconic characters... and that Disco junk.
2. I get some well written stories that expand in the Star Trek episodes.
3. Did I mention I get to fly a spaceship?
4. For a free to play game, I love and appreciate that you can play without ever spending a dime and have some fun. All content is available and you get a healthy dose of ships and equipment to at least participate in most events effectively.
Why I’m ready to bolt:
1. Too much Disco focus. I have zero interest in anything Disco related but it’s going to come a point where that’s the main push and when that day comes I officially turn in my command and settle on Risa as a certified beach bum.
2. Having the best ships and equipment behind loot boxes and Phoenix pacs that give you almost a 1% chance out of a hundred to get something halfway decent isn’t my cup of tea (just being facetious on the percentages but you get my point).
3. I don’t want it, but give people a damn T6 Nova already!!! Like seriously, it’s beyond normal reason why this hasn’t happened yet?
4. Too much Fed-centric content. Where’s the differentiation between Fed, KDF, and RSE? Who wants to really be all huggy huggy when one of the central themes has always been the struggle for power they all have against each other?
5. The whole “big bad guy of the moment” trope has run its course. Unless they’re going to half significant impact to the ENTIRE universe leave it be!
6. And finally, what’s the future of STO? What are the developers aiming for in 2021 and beyond? Will we get a new game? New engine upgrade? Or is just going to remain stale and stagnant because there’s no real competition?
Just my two cents on the subject.....
I think we should stick our heads together there and find a way to blame Mark! He started it all back in 2012. I really love and hate him as well for that.
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Kyle was hoplessly drunk yesterday. I had him on phone. He is a good RTFOjockey. I think he may always do it from now on.
I'm sure you have your obligations in your fleet and perform them well. We opened our Armada chat not only for our fleets but friends too. If you have players in your comunity youd like to have in VoC chat please feel free to name them and we invite. Same always counts for map invites to our holdings to get stuff. We are complete both fed and kdf side if you folks happen to need anything.
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I for my part would not mind if youd visit and post here more often. The one I'm quoting managed to put a smile on my face.
Thank you for it.
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Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator
Looks like I have the same growing up history.
I played countless trek games over the years. Especialy in the late 90s and early 2000s. Of course none of em were mmorpgs but if I hat to throw them all in one back togteher with STO now, STO would come out as a huge winner for sure.
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