Why thank you! That was my post. It all goes to mindset; nothing in the game actually says we are killing, or stunning, them. All the game does is leave us a framework for our imaginations to work within. What gets me is some people make the decision that we MUST be killing the NPCs, and they absolutely refuse to veer from that conscious decision. Instead, they rail against Cryptic for forcing them to kill when in reality THEY are making that decision. I think ultimately these people don't really want to play a game so much as sit back and watch an interactive movie where they occasionally make a plot decision. No wonder they're upset. The game actually asks them to use a little imagination.
So when i disintegrate some Klingon with my disruptor sniper rifle, I arent killing him?
I am merely sending him to carebear heaven? where they boogie all night?
So when i disintegrate some Klingon with my disruptor sniper rifle, I arent killing him?
I am merely sending him to carebear heaven? where they boogie all night?
Yup. Klingons are well known as The Ultimate Boogie-ers. Srsly.
BAH! Plagiarist! Vulgarian! I shall hunt him down! How DARE he write so much better then me! <sniffle> That was a really good post. If I could write that concisely instead of the muddled claptrap I usually put forth I'd have fewer posts <LOL>.
So when i disintegrate some Klingon with my disruptor sniper rifle, I arent killing him?
I am merely sending him to carebear heaven? where they boogie all night?
Nah, he's dead. D'uh. BUT: If you're an uber carebear who hates the idea of killing an imaginary character then you just don't do the exploit attack. Since you HAVE to do the exploit or else he doesn't disintegrate.
I wish I hadn't watched that video. It will be hard to play the game now since I plucked out my eyes. <sigh>
Point being...IF...the ST world were to be as bloodthirsty as STO is it would have been.
There are elements of ST that were dark and evil such as S-31, but those people were vilified in the show unless you forgot.
If Cryptic's intention was to create such a bloodthirsty game they should have.
1. Spent the time in writing the tone to make it justifiable. Give us some rage such as Vulcan being destroyed by Romulans
2. Set the game in the mirror universe
3. Have actions that allow you to make those hard choices.
I don't think it is so much about the killing or the violence it is the fact that we are FORCED into the killing and violence when the CONCEPT of ST is there is always room and opportunity for peaceful solutions.
But be serious who would play a game with just diplomatic missions or what you dont kill them and arrest them all?
I like the game i just wish people would stop posting there own opinions on the forums and leave if you dont like uninstall and dont look back no one cares if your leaving why you leaving or why you feel the need to tell anyone this are you my friend are you a friend of everyone on the forums?
BAH! Plagiarist! Vulgarian! I shall hunt him down! How DARE he write so much better then me! <sniffle> That was a really good post. If I could write that concisely instead of the muddled claptrap I usually put forth I'd have fewer posts <LOL>.
Nah, he's dead. D'uh. BUT: If you're an uber carebear who hates the idea of killing an imaginary character then you just don't do the exploit attack. Since you HAVE to do the exploit or else he doesn't disintegrate.
I wish I hadn't watched that video. It will be hard to play the game now since I plucked out my eyes. <sigh>
I understand your point, was just drawing the other obvious extreme into the discussion.
I was thrilled when I first saw I my phaser with stun settings, and disappointed when I found out I couldn't really stun anything
I had hoped that I could be some Uber Picard Prime Directive TRIBBLE, but I couldn't.
I agree with everything the OP said. Perhaps the only reasons why I am still playing this game... is because I hardly play at all. I haven't even gotten to the missions referenced in the letter, but I have heard of them, and heard many a hearty complaint about the lack of sophistication some of the story telling has in STO.
Killing doctors so as to not leave any witnesses? No matter WHO suggested it, Picard, Kirk, Janeway, and possibly Sisko would NEVER have gone along with that. (maybe Archer would have, because he was an IDIOT).
Killing everyone in a bar because of safety violations? (facepalm). What has Starfleet devolved to?
Is there no noble spirit any longer? Is setting your phaser to kill somehow more satisfying than the sheer wonder of the vastness of the universe and boldly going into it?
Anyway, I'm preaching to the choir now, as Dan Stahl has made it clear that the dev team knows about these issues with federation conduct and so on in STO.
I sincerely hope there is richer gameplay in the future.
On a side note: When the devs first announced that Federation and Klingon gameplay would DIFFER from one another... I initially rejoiced.
I thought to myself... wow... so I play Federation, then first contact situations might involve me open diplomatic dialogue, running missions for the newbies, and all around being the typical federation captain hamming up the new guys for inclusion into the federation.... while if I rolled Klingon, first contact encounters might involve me leading a squardon of otehr players to over come the the planet's defenses in order to conquer the planet, or court them in warrior contests to join alliances etc.
But instead, what we got was Federation full faction, Klingon primarily PvP based. Meh. Oh well, perhaps this can become a reality in the future though. Here's hoping!
Now that's just not true. There are ground combat missions where you're peacefully exploring a new world, scanning new plant life when you're violently attacked by teams of aliens for their own reasons. There are other missions where you're actively looking for survivors from a violent assault and are in turn assaulted. Heck, the only mission I can think of where you're beaming down to 'kill everyone' involves a mission where you are DUPED by an ADMIRAL who happens to accompany you into killing heavily armed scientists; you don't know that though. YOU think you're making a pre-emptive strike against a sub space weapons plant...something which is outlawed by treaty for it's extreme virulence. Another pre-emptive strike involves trying to stop the Klingons from completing weapons that could destroy PLANETS.
So if this is really a roleplaying game, try this:
When you get the mission to preemptively strike the Klingons before they complete that planet killing weapon, refuse to do it. Tell Starfleet that you have doubts about the validity of their claims.
Oh wait.
You can't.
Because it's not a roleplaying game. It's a linear storyline game.
The whole genre should really be renamed to "OLSG" - online linear storyline game. RPG implies you have choices and that those choices make a difference. "Massively multiplayer" implies you can do this with more than 20 people, or at at least that your choices might have some recognizable impact on the game world.
Not to say Cryptic is to blame for this - they're just using the established model, but it's not a good model and it's obviously not making a lot of Star Trek fans happy.
BZZZ! I am sorry, but that is an incorrect answer. There ARE missions where you just disable the ships. A couple of them, actually. Further, you are misusing the world 'massacre'. You are not killing unarmed civilians; you are engaging violent and heavily armed opponents who are ATTACKING you. When someone attacks you with the intent of KILLING you, killing them first is NOT a massacre.
i am pretty sure a massacare is when one group completely destroys/wipes out another group. Like Custer's last stand is known aa the Massacar at Wounded Knee.
Anyway that is debatabe, the point is that I dont understand why every group of bad guys you come across is Suicidal. Ok so maybe the Jem Hadar are pretty Kamikazi like, and Klingons are happy to die in battle, even if there was no chance of them winning. Granted those types are probobly going to have to be killed. But every one else I come across wants to fight to the death?
All Im saying is in Star Trek sometimes the bad guy run away. Sometimes they give up.
I beam down to a planet to scan some plants. There are Orions there hanging around. My only responce is to waste them all?
On the other hand, I agree with your recomendation that imagination is the key. In order to make this game fit into the Star Trek universe, I have to pretend, imagine, or otherwise change what I see on my screen.
I have been doing this, but it becomes tiresome after mission after mission of "kill 5 squads of super weak enemies"
All I ask for is a stun setting. Dont change anything exept make it so I can stun my hundreds of victims.
Kirk stunned a couple city blocks worth of Gangster Planet innocent bystanders from space! I have no problem doing the missions exactly as they are, without HAVING to pretend Im not making widows and orphans cry.
So if this is really a roleplaying game, try this:
When you get the mission to preemptively strike the Klingons before they complete that planet killing weapon, refuse to do it. Tell Starfleet that you have doubts about the validity of their claims.
Oh wait.
You can't.
Because it's not a roleplaying game. It's a linear storyline game.
The whole genre should really be renamed to "OLSG" - online linear storyline game. RPG implies you have choices and that those choices make a difference. "Massively multiplayer" implies you can do this with more than 20 people, or at at least that your choices might have some recognizable impact on the game world.
Not to say Cryptic is to blame for this - they're just using the established model, but it's not a good model and it's obviously not making a lot of Star Trek fans happy.
Good points, though IMO the RP element will always have to be created as user content.
You make your own RP tbh...
But this MMO does not give you the best tools to create your own RP sessions!
You are right there.
1. No MMO would be fun without something to kill, destroy or otherwise blow up.
2. The Federation is at war. War means killing. It means killing your enemy no matter who they are, player conscious aside. For years the Federation has been hailed as the pansys of the galaxy. They have been constantly challenged by every major power in the quadrant and even those from other quadrants. Finally the Federation gets to stand up and blow the TRIBBLE out of those big mouths like it or not.
LaForge: "The purpose being?"
Riker: "The purpose being I intend to ram it down the Son'a's throats!"
Different timeline. Different Trek. Thats how it is.
This is quite frankly the most offensive statement I've read yet. Because it denotes exactly how dumbed down this game has become, but it's not just the game, but a great many of the players playing it, whom do not care about story or elements which allow you to get any meaning out of it.
The OP made a resounding, well thought out and critical statement about the total lack of any thought that has been placed into the storylines behind this game. There are no choices, there are no options. There are no paths to follow, or puzzles to figure out. In short there are zero lessons of morality or anything else that Trek was supposed to represent.
This is not WoW in space. This is Trek. The rest of you trolls and mouthbreathers that enjoy bashing things to death with clubs can head on back over to Azeroth, because you're not welcome here, and you're not needed.
This game has amazing potential to fulfill many roles, especially by challenging you to think about something more than vaporizing everything you come across. Trek is different, Trek has ALWAYS been about finding morality, and the greater inward understanding of self, while outwardly exploring the universe around us. That is the meaning of Trek. Which this game is sorely missing.
This is not Trek. This is Trek lite with a large portion of first person shooter.
You know the mission where I had to drag that Admiral around even after I figured out the Rom''s were not building weapons and she was a baddie IS where a huge chunk of of interest fell.
Well that and scanning the same 5 graves again for the 50th time. But it is ok because they LOOKED different some of the times and i can ROLEPLAY deja vu.
Hmm wait..I PAY YOU to create this imaginary world. I can sit around and use my imagination for free.
At the very least add the tools as someone said earlier to make pretending content more interesting.
You are bashing the OP for stating the obvious and what you surprisingly refuse to acknowledge. Saying things like "Different timeline, Different Trek" are total and utter bull.
Don't you see that they couldn't produce a decent game in 2 years time? Good games, be it MMO's or singleplayer, require a big dev team, money and time, which these people obviously lacked. They did this in the hopes of cashing in on it and then, hopefully, improving it with our money.
Making good story arcs and content requires good writers which either they couldn't afford or the ones they picked were utterly incompetent.
Face it the easy way was Star Trek Bloodbath Online. The hard, more expensive way was Star Trek Online. They went for the former and they WILL lose if things don't change asap.
This is quite frankly the most offensive statement I've read yet. Because it denotes exactly how dumbed down this game has become, but it's not just the game, but a great many of the players playing it, whom do not care about story or elements which allow you to get any meaning out of it.
The OP made a resounding, well thought out and critical statement about the total lack of any thought that has been placed into the storylines behind this game. There are no choices, there are no options. There are no paths to follow, or puzzles to figure out. In short there are zero lessons of morality or anything else that Trek was supposed to represent.
This is not WoW in space. This is Trek. The rest of you trolls and mouthbreathers that enjoy bashing things to death with clubs can head on back over to Azeroth, because you're not welcome here, and you're not needed.
This game has amazing potential to fulfill many roles, especially by challenging you to think about something more than vaporizing everything you come across. Trek is different, Trek has ALWAYS been about finding morality, and the greater inward understanding of self, while outwardly exploring the universe around us. That is the meaning of Trek. Which this game is sorely missing.
This is not Trek. This is Trek lite with a large portion of first person shooter.
-avery
I hate to break it to you, but they don't care. They want WoW in space with phasers and torpidoes. And the sad thing is they will get it eventually because there are more of them. More cows to milk. Our milk will not be good enough for Cryptic.
I Just hope all these people quit before long, so the true fans can remain and then the game might, just might, turn to the right direction. I plan to stay for 2-3 months see where the wind takes this. It's the only online Trek MMO out there, I'll try to be patient as much as I can.
Different timeline. Different Trek. Thats how it is.
No it isn't. This game follows the 'prime' timeline which follows TOS, TNG, VOY etc. The only part of the new film it bears any relation to is that Romulus was destroyed and Spock went back in time with Nero.
Vanguard in space. That's what I think of when ever I see threads like this. More diplomacy, more races, more more more. Lets be realistic here. It did not matter what they did or what they do from here. Someone will complain about it and rage quit. Fans will still be fans and haters will still hate. Are their things I would like to see in game? Sure their are. Am I going to cry about it not being there? No, I will still pay my 15 a month and play because I enjoy what I do have. Cryptic had just 2 years to turn out this game. To add everything people demand would have taken at least 4 more years. A major gamble from a business stand point and, more than likely, out of the question for Atari and Paramount / CBS.
Vanguard in space. That's what I think of when ever I see threads like this. More diplomacy, more races, more more more. Lets be realistic here. It did not matter what they did or what they do from here. Someone will complain about it and rage quit. Fans will still be fans and haters will still hate. Are their things I would like to see in game? Sure their are. Am I going to cry about it not being there? No, I will still pay my 15 a month and play because I enjoy what I do have. Cryptic had just 2 years to turn out this game. To add everything people demand would have taken at least 4 more years. A major gamble from a business stand point and, more than likely, out of the question for Atari and Paramount / CBS.
Actually, you should be greatful that there are so called "haters", because at least they're talking, at least their thinking, and expressing their dislikes. Even if they're somewhat negative, at least something positive can come of it. The happy-go-lucky fanboi that just says, "I like this game", isn't helping anyone. Meh, fine so you like it, what do you like about it, specifically? And even better, since you do like it, what do you NOT like about it?
It's actually much worse and less helpful when they're just quiet, and then just quietly leave. It's then, when they not only don't give a TRIBBLE about the game, but they usually will never come back.
Actually, you should be greatful that there are so called "haters", because at least they're talking, at least their thinking, and expressing their dislikes. Even if they're somewhat negative, at least something positive can come of it. The happy-go-lucky fanboi that just says, "I like this game", isn't helping anyone. Meh, fine so you like it, what do you like about it, specifically? And even better, since you do like it, what do you NOT like about it?
It's actually much worse and less helpful when they're just quiet, and then just quietly leave. It's then, when they not only don't give a TRIBBLE about the game, but they usually will never come back.
-avery
You missed the point. I didn't say don't talk about the game and offer suggestions. I am merely pointing out the elephant in the room that both fans and critics alike don't want to face. That is the company can only do so much with a set amount of time and resources. Also no matter what they do people are going to be people. Starting a discussion of a feature to add is one thing. Posting an "I quit" thread is another. Talking helps, however quitting and then posting about it is an attention grab. That is just my own opinion of course.
You missed the point. I didn't say don't talk about the game and offer suggestions. I am merely pointing out the elephant in the room that both fans and critics alike don't want to face. That is the company can only do so much with a set amount of time and resources. Also no matter what they do people are going to be people. Starting a discussion of a feature to add is one thing. Posting an "I quit" thread is another. Talking helps, however quitting and then posting about it is an attention grab. That is just my own opinion of course.
Agreed on the resources and money part. Disagree on the "I quit" thread. They need to know that the playerbase is unhappy. The attention grabbing is for them to say something on our concerns, like long term plans and game direction.
You missed the point. I didn't say don't talk about the game and offer suggestions. I am merely pointing out the elephant in the room that both fans and critics alike don't want to face. That is the company can only do so much with a set amount of time and resources. Also no matter what they do people are going to be people. Starting a discussion of a feature to add is one thing. Posting an "I quit" thread is another. Talking helps, however quitting and then posting about it is an attention grab. That is just my own opinion of course.
Maybe it's an attention grab, sure, fine... but that's kind of the point isn't it? I mean if he in fact wrote what he said, as he said it to the Executive Producer, then that is important, because he's hit on some really deep-seated issues that need to be addressed. Even if he didn't in fact quit, or send this e-mail to the Executive producer as he claimed, then at least he's publicly posted it here for all to review. And hopefully, it will be run through the proper channels and addressed appropriately. Attention grabbing or not, at least he's thoughtfully explained his reasons for leaving.
First, I am all for having different options and diplomatic choices. But the OP and many others who keep trying to argue for these changes instantly lose any credibility as far as I am concerned when they use hyperbole and misinformation to justify their case.
For instance, yes, Star Trek had a lot of episodes devoted to following one's conscience, and it would be nice if they could incorporate options other than battle in the game (more than they already do, that is). I have not done the mission where you apparently kill innocent doctors, and if that is what happens without there being some repercussions as a result, I would agree that this mission is poorly written and forces you to make a wrong choice. But please, take off the rose-colored glasses and quit acting like nothing like that could ever happen in the series.
Ironically, just last night, I was watching a TNG episode. In that episode, the crew lost some of its memory and the computer core had some records erased. This was done by an alien race who planted a fake first officer on Enterprise to convince them that they were at war with that race's enemy so they could use the Enterprise to destroy their enemy's command and control base. Even though they knew something did not seem right, they accepted what they were told. Even when they blasted through the outer automated defenses without a scratch and discussed the fact that "that was too easy," they continued on. What happens when they finally encounter a manned vessel that tries to hail them. Even though they can see it is clearly no threat to them, they continue to accept the mole's assertions that they are at risk, refusing to answer the hail and causing the ship to fire on them, Picard then orders them to fire back and, with one phaser blast, turns the vessel and all its crew into an expanding debris cloud even though the attack didn't even cause discoloration of the Enterprise's exterior paint job.
So don't act like the scenario in question is that far fetched. Yes, they did eventually stop before destroying the command post, but only after they made it into firing range and were seconds from pushing the button even though every instinct to that point told them them something was wrong and every thing they encountered to that point confirmed it. And don't tell me, "Yeah, but they stopped," because the corollary is not what happened at the command post but, rather, what happened back at the disassociate molecules that used to be the crew of the vessel they encountered. What happened when they encountered a vessel that could not possibly hurt them: they pwned the noob faster than a PvP gank squad in a starter zone.
Is it poor writing to force players to kill innocents, especially if there is no option to avoid it? Yes. But people need to quit acting like this could never happen in Star Trek.
Similarly, I am growing weary of the propaganda being used to describe the ambush at the bar. People, again, don rose-colored glasses to see only what suits their outlook. See, it is much more convenient to describe that action as Federation Officers "murdering drunken bar patrons" over "safety violations" than describe what really happened. In reality, this was not a bar-fight over safety regulations. You were investigating a kidnapping related to the war. You knew the person you were looking for was likely on that station, and you knew the bar owner knew where this person, whose life was in danger, was. But rather than pulling out a phaser and shooting off minor appendages until he talked, you legally pointed out safety violations that could cost him money until he decided it was better to give you the information. At that point, smugglers and other criminals in the bar ambushed you, not with fists and barstools, but with deadly weapons. You and your crew legally and morally returned fire killing them. And, yes, they are identified as smugglers even if you choose to ignore the fact that the mission tells you the area is a smuggling den.
Referring to that as a mere "bar fight" is disingenuous, and saying you "murdered" those people is pure propaganda.
Argue if you will that there should be more options. I will stand behind you as long as they are options and not a replacement for alternative ways to do the missions. But continue to paint over the episodes as if nothing like this could happen in Star Trek or falsely portray the reality of what is happening in the missions, and I can't.
OP I think you are being a little over the top. you dont agree with the moral reason for a quest which is fair enough you made the point well. However its the whole qutting part over you virtually killing someone. You do know this is just a game right nobody really died.
This is quite frankly the most offensive statement I've read yet. Because it denotes exactly how dumbed down this game has become, but it's not just the game, but a great many of the players playing it, whom do not care about story or elements which allow you to get any meaning out of it.
The OP made a resounding, well thought out and critical statement about the total lack of any thought that has been placed into the storylines behind this game. There are no choices, there are no options. There are no paths to follow, or puzzles to figure out. In short there are zero lessons of morality or anything else that Trek was supposed to represent.
This is not WoW in space. This is Trek. The rest of you trolls and mouthbreathers that enjoy bashing things to death with clubs can head on back over to Azeroth, because you're not welcome here, and you're not needed.
This game has amazing potential to fulfill many roles, especially by challenging you to think about something more than vaporizing everything you come across. Trek is different, Trek has ALWAYS been about finding morality, and the greater inward understanding of self, while outwardly exploring the universe around us. That is the meaning of Trek. Which this game is sorely missing.
This is not Trek. This is Trek lite with a large portion of first person shooter.
-avery
Trek has not "ALWAYS been about finding morality." Take the Prime Directive. A third of the time, they are trying to find ways to justify violating it simply because it is convenient to do so. A third of the time, they are trying to find ways to justify to themselves why they are doing what they clearly feel is immoral simply because the Prime Directive tells them they can't do what they know to be right, and the remaining third of the time they are hiding behind it because it allows them to avoid making tough decisions, which is really what the Prime Directive is about, avoiding making moral choices.
The biggest laugh I ever got out of the series was listening to Picard (a character I generally admire, by the way), actually trying to justify letting entire peoples die rather than risk helping them and violating the Prime Directive because it might result in the same thing.
I love Trek. But, please. It isn't the bastion of moral thinking you are making it to be.
Comments
I am merely sending him to carebear heaven? where they boogie all night?
Yup. Klingons are well known as The Ultimate Boogie-ers. Srsly.
F'ing epic!
The year is 2409 and the Federation is at War with the Klingon Empire.
I hope the EP writes that back to you as you fail to understand where you are at in this period of Star Trek.
KTHXBY
BAH! Plagiarist! Vulgarian! I shall hunt him down! How DARE he write so much better then me! <sniffle> That was a really good post. If I could write that concisely instead of the muddled claptrap I usually put forth I'd have fewer posts <LOL>.
Nah, he's dead. D'uh. BUT: If you're an uber carebear who hates the idea of killing an imaginary character then you just don't do the exploit attack. Since you HAVE to do the exploit or else he doesn't disintegrate.
I wish I hadn't watched that video. It will be hard to play the game now since I plucked out my eyes. <sigh>
"Do you need to be comforted?"
- TNG "Interface"
But be serious who would play a game with just diplomatic missions or what you dont kill them and arrest them all?
I like the game i just wish people would stop posting there own opinions on the forums and leave if you dont like uninstall and dont look back no one cares if your leaving why you leaving or why you feel the need to tell anyone this are you my friend are you a friend of everyone on the forums?
No so do one.
I understand your point, was just drawing the other obvious extreme into the discussion.
I was thrilled when I first saw I my phaser with stun settings, and disappointed when I found out I couldn't really stun anything
I had hoped that I could be some Uber Picard Prime Directive TRIBBLE, but I couldn't.
Oh Thanks ALOT you just ruined the whole friggin game for me FAILBOT!!!! I hope your computer dies and your mouse bursts into FLAMES!!!!!!! Lol
Bump.
I agree with everything the OP said. Perhaps the only reasons why I am still playing this game... is because I hardly play at all. I haven't even gotten to the missions referenced in the letter, but I have heard of them, and heard many a hearty complaint about the lack of sophistication some of the story telling has in STO.
Killing doctors so as to not leave any witnesses? No matter WHO suggested it, Picard, Kirk, Janeway, and possibly Sisko would NEVER have gone along with that. (maybe Archer would have, because he was an IDIOT).
Killing everyone in a bar because of safety violations? (facepalm). What has Starfleet devolved to?
Is there no noble spirit any longer? Is setting your phaser to kill somehow more satisfying than the sheer wonder of the vastness of the universe and boldly going into it?
Anyway, I'm preaching to the choir now, as Dan Stahl has made it clear that the dev team knows about these issues with federation conduct and so on in STO.
I sincerely hope there is richer gameplay in the future.
On a side note: When the devs first announced that Federation and Klingon gameplay would DIFFER from one another... I initially rejoiced.
I thought to myself... wow... so I play Federation, then first contact situations might involve me open diplomatic dialogue, running missions for the newbies, and all around being the typical federation captain hamming up the new guys for inclusion into the federation.... while if I rolled Klingon, first contact encounters might involve me leading a squardon of otehr players to over come the the planet's defenses in order to conquer the planet, or court them in warrior contests to join alliances etc.
But instead, what we got was Federation full faction, Klingon primarily PvP based. Meh. Oh well, perhaps this can become a reality in the future though. Here's hoping!
So if this is really a roleplaying game, try this:
When you get the mission to preemptively strike the Klingons before they complete that planet killing weapon, refuse to do it. Tell Starfleet that you have doubts about the validity of their claims.
Oh wait.
You can't.
Because it's not a roleplaying game. It's a linear storyline game.
The whole genre should really be renamed to "OLSG" - online linear storyline game. RPG implies you have choices and that those choices make a difference. "Massively multiplayer" implies you can do this with more than 20 people, or at at least that your choices might have some recognizable impact on the game world.
Not to say Cryptic is to blame for this - they're just using the established model, but it's not a good model and it's obviously not making a lot of Star Trek fans happy.
Anyway that is debatabe, the point is that I dont understand why every group of bad guys you come across is Suicidal. Ok so maybe the Jem Hadar are pretty Kamikazi like, and Klingons are happy to die in battle, even if there was no chance of them winning. Granted those types are probobly going to have to be killed. But every one else I come across wants to fight to the death?
All Im saying is in Star Trek sometimes the bad guy run away. Sometimes they give up.
I beam down to a planet to scan some plants. There are Orions there hanging around. My only responce is to waste them all?
On the other hand, I agree with your recomendation that imagination is the key. In order to make this game fit into the Star Trek universe, I have to pretend, imagine, or otherwise change what I see on my screen.
I have been doing this, but it becomes tiresome after mission after mission of "kill 5 squads of super weak enemies"
All I ask for is a stun setting. Dont change anything exept make it so I can stun my hundreds of victims.
Kirk stunned a couple city blocks worth of Gangster Planet innocent bystanders from space! I have no problem doing the missions exactly as they are, without HAVING to pretend Im not making widows and orphans cry.
Good points, though IMO the RP element will always have to be created as user content.
You make your own RP tbh...
But this MMO does not give you the best tools to create your own RP sessions!
You are right there.
eh, not so much. This is supposed to be the prime timeline
1. No MMO would be fun without something to kill, destroy or otherwise blow up.
2. The Federation is at war. War means killing. It means killing your enemy no matter who they are, player conscious aside. For years the Federation has been hailed as the pansys of the galaxy. They have been constantly challenged by every major power in the quadrant and even those from other quadrants. Finally the Federation gets to stand up and blow the TRIBBLE out of those big mouths like it or not.
LaForge: "The purpose being?"
Riker: "The purpose being I intend to ram it down the Son'a's throats!"
This is quite frankly the most offensive statement I've read yet. Because it denotes exactly how dumbed down this game has become, but it's not just the game, but a great many of the players playing it, whom do not care about story or elements which allow you to get any meaning out of it.
The OP made a resounding, well thought out and critical statement about the total lack of any thought that has been placed into the storylines behind this game. There are no choices, there are no options. There are no paths to follow, or puzzles to figure out. In short there are zero lessons of morality or anything else that Trek was supposed to represent.
This is not WoW in space. This is Trek. The rest of you trolls and mouthbreathers that enjoy bashing things to death with clubs can head on back over to Azeroth, because you're not welcome here, and you're not needed.
This game has amazing potential to fulfill many roles, especially by challenging you to think about something more than vaporizing everything you come across. Trek is different, Trek has ALWAYS been about finding morality, and the greater inward understanding of self, while outwardly exploring the universe around us. That is the meaning of Trek. Which this game is sorely missing.
This is not Trek. This is Trek lite with a large portion of first person shooter.
-avery
Well that and scanning the same 5 graves again for the 50th time. But it is ok because they LOOKED different some of the times and i can ROLEPLAY deja vu.
Hmm wait..I PAY YOU to create this imaginary world. I can sit around and use my imagination for free.
At the very least add the tools as someone said earlier to make pretending content more interesting.
Don't you see that they couldn't produce a decent game in 2 years time? Good games, be it MMO's or singleplayer, require a big dev team, money and time, which these people obviously lacked. They did this in the hopes of cashing in on it and then, hopefully, improving it with our money.
Making good story arcs and content requires good writers which either they couldn't afford or the ones they picked were utterly incompetent.
Face it the easy way was Star Trek Bloodbath Online. The hard, more expensive way was Star Trek Online. They went for the former and they WILL lose if things don't change asap.
I hate to break it to you, but they don't care. They want WoW in space with phasers and torpidoes. And the sad thing is they will get it eventually because there are more of them. More cows to milk. Our milk will not be good enough for Cryptic.
I Just hope all these people quit before long, so the true fans can remain and then the game might, just might, turn to the right direction. I plan to stay for 2-3 months see where the wind takes this. It's the only online Trek MMO out there, I'll try to be patient as much as I can.
No it isn't. This game follows the 'prime' timeline which follows TOS, TNG, VOY etc. The only part of the new film it bears any relation to is that Romulus was destroyed and Spock went back in time with Nero.
Actually, you should be greatful that there are so called "haters", because at least they're talking, at least their thinking, and expressing their dislikes. Even if they're somewhat negative, at least something positive can come of it. The happy-go-lucky fanboi that just says, "I like this game", isn't helping anyone. Meh, fine so you like it, what do you like about it, specifically? And even better, since you do like it, what do you NOT like about it?
It's actually much worse and less helpful when they're just quiet, and then just quietly leave. It's then, when they not only don't give a TRIBBLE about the game, but they usually will never come back.
-avery
You missed the point. I didn't say don't talk about the game and offer suggestions. I am merely pointing out the elephant in the room that both fans and critics alike don't want to face. That is the company can only do so much with a set amount of time and resources. Also no matter what they do people are going to be people. Starting a discussion of a feature to add is one thing. Posting an "I quit" thread is another. Talking helps, however quitting and then posting about it is an attention grab. That is just my own opinion of course.
Agreed on the resources and money part. Disagree on the "I quit" thread. They need to know that the playerbase is unhappy. The attention grabbing is for them to say something on our concerns, like long term plans and game direction.
Maybe it's an attention grab, sure, fine... but that's kind of the point isn't it? I mean if he in fact wrote what he said, as he said it to the Executive Producer, then that is important, because he's hit on some really deep-seated issues that need to be addressed. Even if he didn't in fact quit, or send this e-mail to the Executive producer as he claimed, then at least he's publicly posted it here for all to review. And hopefully, it will be run through the proper channels and addressed appropriately. Attention grabbing or not, at least he's thoughtfully explained his reasons for leaving.
-avery
For instance, yes, Star Trek had a lot of episodes devoted to following one's conscience, and it would be nice if they could incorporate options other than battle in the game (more than they already do, that is). I have not done the mission where you apparently kill innocent doctors, and if that is what happens without there being some repercussions as a result, I would agree that this mission is poorly written and forces you to make a wrong choice. But please, take off the rose-colored glasses and quit acting like nothing like that could ever happen in the series.
Ironically, just last night, I was watching a TNG episode. In that episode, the crew lost some of its memory and the computer core had some records erased. This was done by an alien race who planted a fake first officer on Enterprise to convince them that they were at war with that race's enemy so they could use the Enterprise to destroy their enemy's command and control base. Even though they knew something did not seem right, they accepted what they were told. Even when they blasted through the outer automated defenses without a scratch and discussed the fact that "that was too easy," they continued on. What happens when they finally encounter a manned vessel that tries to hail them. Even though they can see it is clearly no threat to them, they continue to accept the mole's assertions that they are at risk, refusing to answer the hail and causing the ship to fire on them, Picard then orders them to fire back and, with one phaser blast, turns the vessel and all its crew into an expanding debris cloud even though the attack didn't even cause discoloration of the Enterprise's exterior paint job.
So don't act like the scenario in question is that far fetched. Yes, they did eventually stop before destroying the command post, but only after they made it into firing range and were seconds from pushing the button even though every instinct to that point told them them something was wrong and every thing they encountered to that point confirmed it. And don't tell me, "Yeah, but they stopped," because the corollary is not what happened at the command post but, rather, what happened back at the disassociate molecules that used to be the crew of the vessel they encountered. What happened when they encountered a vessel that could not possibly hurt them: they pwned the noob faster than a PvP gank squad in a starter zone.
Is it poor writing to force players to kill innocents, especially if there is no option to avoid it? Yes. But people need to quit acting like this could never happen in Star Trek.
Similarly, I am growing weary of the propaganda being used to describe the ambush at the bar. People, again, don rose-colored glasses to see only what suits their outlook. See, it is much more convenient to describe that action as Federation Officers "murdering drunken bar patrons" over "safety violations" than describe what really happened. In reality, this was not a bar-fight over safety regulations. You were investigating a kidnapping related to the war. You knew the person you were looking for was likely on that station, and you knew the bar owner knew where this person, whose life was in danger, was. But rather than pulling out a phaser and shooting off minor appendages until he talked, you legally pointed out safety violations that could cost him money until he decided it was better to give you the information. At that point, smugglers and other criminals in the bar ambushed you, not with fists and barstools, but with deadly weapons. You and your crew legally and morally returned fire killing them. And, yes, they are identified as smugglers even if you choose to ignore the fact that the mission tells you the area is a smuggling den.
Referring to that as a mere "bar fight" is disingenuous, and saying you "murdered" those people is pure propaganda.
Argue if you will that there should be more options. I will stand behind you as long as they are options and not a replacement for alternative ways to do the missions. But continue to paint over the episodes as if nothing like this could happen in Star Trek or falsely portray the reality of what is happening in the missions, and I can't.
OP I think you are being a little over the top. you dont agree with the moral reason for a quest which is fair enough you made the point well. However its the whole qutting part over you virtually killing someone. You do know this is just a game right nobody really died.
Trek has not "ALWAYS been about finding morality." Take the Prime Directive. A third of the time, they are trying to find ways to justify violating it simply because it is convenient to do so. A third of the time, they are trying to find ways to justify to themselves why they are doing what they clearly feel is immoral simply because the Prime Directive tells them they can't do what they know to be right, and the remaining third of the time they are hiding behind it because it allows them to avoid making tough decisions, which is really what the Prime Directive is about, avoiding making moral choices.
The biggest laugh I ever got out of the series was listening to Picard (a character I generally admire, by the way), actually trying to justify letting entire peoples die rather than risk helping them and violating the Prime Directive because it might result in the same thing.
I love Trek. But, please. It isn't the bastion of moral thinking you are making it to be.