Star Trek Online Open Beta Starts Today 309
Today Cryptic Studios will begin the open beta of Star Trek Online, opening their test servers to invitees and anyone who has pre-ordered the game. The beta will run through the 26th, and the game will officially launch on February 2nd; head-start players will be allowed in on January 29th. The game is set in the old universe (not the rebooted one from last year's movie), and takes place roughly 30 years after the events in Star Trek: Nemesis. There are two playable factions to start — the Federation and the Klingon Empire — and more may become available later on. There will be conflict between the two factions, but supposedly all PvP will be "optional and consensual." Players will be able to choose from a variety of ships, and they'll see cameos from familiar characters. Eurogamer has a hands-on preview of the game, and fans of the Trek universe will be pleased to hear that "Cryptic is clearly thinking about Star Trek first and MMO convention second." A number of gameplay trailers are available for viewing, and the official forums have a nice collection of facts.
I'm on it (Score:2)
Time to quit my job full time...
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
EQ (and I assume star trek) was a good solid source of hookups.
Join a guild which is serious but "fun" (not a guild full of swearing assholes).
Pick a good looking avatar.
Flirt.
Go to your guild parties and any conventions for the game.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"You're a lot hairier than your avatar..."
"That's because I'm a wookie."
Trekkie points and makes the body-snatchers alarm scream.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
That makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
Klingon: Sir, I propose that we engage in physical combat--with your consent of course.
Federation: Why that would be smashing! Gentlemen's rules apply?
Klingon: Why of course sir, let us stand 5 paces apart and engage in fisticuffs on the count of five.
Federation: And no hitting in the groin or other sensitive areas?
Klingon: I wouldn't dream of it, sir.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
What the hell kind of Klingon speaks like that?
Re: (Score:2)
Forgive me o God of /. for I have been Wooshed.
Re:That makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
Do really nerdy Klingons learn English?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Only if they want to compare Shakespeare from the original Klingon.
Re:That makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
Federation: Why that would be smashing! Gentlemen's rules apply?
I liked Garek's idea of a fair fight:
Garek: When the Klingons attacked the station, Gul Dukat and I were fighting side by side. At one point, he turned his back to me, and I must admit that for a moment, he made a very tempting target.
Odo: You'd shoot a man in the back?
Garek: Well, it's the safest way, isn't it?
Re:That makes sense (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:That makes sense (Score:4, Funny)
DS9 was the only one of the Trek series to feature characters like Garek and Quark, who pointed out the absurdity and annoying self-righteousness of a goody-two-shoes Federation.
Indeed, both were great characters, and here was one of my favorite exchanges on that subject.
[Garak takes a drink of root beer]
Quark: What do you think?
Elim Garak: It's vile.
Quark: I know. It's so bubbly and cloying and happy.
Elim Garak: Just like the Federation.
Quark: And you know what's really frightening? If you drink enough of it, you begin to like it.
Elim Garak: It's insidious.
Quark: Just like the Federation.
Hehe.
Re:I would agree but (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually (Score:5, Insightful)
Picard: I want suggestions.
Worf: Lets kill everyone and everything!
Picard: Capital idea, make it so.
The eurogamer preview makes it clear, this MMO is for people that thought Enterprise was a great series, finally space boobies and big battles instead of all the soul searching and boring talking...
If you want your Star Trek to be "The city on the edge of forever" (If I have to explain, I must kill you) or "The measure of a man", then just forget it. There are no moral questions in this game. No Sci-fi to question the nature of humankind.
Even adventure trek like "Starship mine" (Picard does "Die hard") which would translate well to a "Deus Ex/Thief/System shock" style gameplay is beyond this game.
"Yesterday's Enterprise" or even "The inner light", story telling you can forget as well.
So what is left? Simplistic combat and being overrun by thousands of Wesley's. This has about as much to do with Star Trek as "Star Trek: Elite Force". And at least that was based on an element of Voyager (google "worsed voyager episode" common answer? Every single one of them.)
If you think the best of Trek was when Janeway tried to do Ripley (badly) then this might be the game for you.
For non trek fans, you will like this if you liked Champions Online in which case I am suprised you managed to read this far without shortcircuiting your keyboard with your drool.
For trekkies, it is an amusing romp and a bit of fun to hear and see all those sounds again, but it is like having sex with a hooker, the sex ain't worth the eternal regret and feelings of self-loathing.
If you do give it a try, make sure you have the best of trek on a playlist ready to sooth your ravaged mind. Just so that you won't think Trek is "blow everything up". I recommend "The measure of a man", not a blaster fired, no ships blowing up, just Star Trek as it was meant to be.
No thanks. (Score:5, Insightful)
- 18 month development time
- lackluster character animation
- PVP-only Klingon "faction"
- typical tank/dps/healer holy trinity (even in ships for pete's sake)
- subscription fee AND microtransation store
This is a half-ass, generic MMO wrapped in the designs and sounds of a franchise we're prone to get nostalgic about. It's a cheap ploy, and I won't support Cryptic and their shitty games.
Yes, I'm bitter at the terrible mess that was Champions Online. But they have not shown any change as a developer.
My impression from a long time beta friend (Score:4, Informative)
is that IS Champion's Online with Star Trek star ships.
Away team missions comprise of find the shiny objects (like bombs)
Though he does like the star ship combat currently (I would not mind a B5 game like the older Star Trek simulator)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Your friend would be right. The only thing they added to the engine for ship to ship combat is vector shields and power settings, but it's still Champions in Space.
Re:No thanks. (Score:4, Insightful)
I watched a guy at work playing the closed beta. One of his newb missions was to fight the Borg.
It looked just like a fantasy MMO game where newbs showed up to fight rats, except the rats were Borg. There may have been some crates, too. And lasers.
I would rather have been blasting Denebian slime devils than the FREAKIN' BORG, who should be too tough for newbs. So their talk about respecting the story is not entirely accurate.
Re:No thanks. (Score:5, Funny)
I would rather have been blasting Denebian slime devils than the FREAKIN' BORG, who should be too tough for newbs. So their talk about respecting the story is not entirely accurate.
Doing any action, other then running while peeing your pants, when encountering the borg should automatically delete your character, subscription and ban your game key UNLESS you are engaging them with three full-sized armadas. And then you get to keep your account if you still run while peeing your pants.
....just sayin
Re:No thanks. (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, outside of their ships, the Borg are push-overs until they adapt to the shifting frequency of your phasers. A projectile weapon would take them down easily as long as you aim for the fleshy bits. They're basically slow-moving zombies.
Keep an open mind (Score:4, Interesting)
- It has been in development for almost 5 years, the team is completely different than Champions
- Character animation looks pretty good to me, but what a minor thing to complain about. It'll get better over time too. I could personally care less if it uses ASCII graphics, as long as the gameplay is solid
- Klingon faction is currently mostly PVP -- they want to add more content later. Big deal! In fact, some players will like this.
- There's a lot more going on than just tank / healer / etc. You can equip modules in any way you want to give your ship a versatile configuration. Seam with team members for away missions. It may not be the most revolutionary game around but, it does do something different. I for one look forward to trying out the strategic space combat.
- It's only microtransaction in the same way that WoW is. You can buy items that don't really affect the gameplay.
- Initial reviews and impressions are much more positive than with Cryptic's previous offerings.
.
Who knows, maybe it will suck, maybe it won't. We don't know yet.
Re:Keep an open mind (Score:5, Funny)
- It has been in development for almost 5 years, the team is completely different than Champions
Yet somehow they both came up with the same game! It must be good!
Re:Keep an open mind (Score:5, Informative)
- It has been in development for almost 5 years, the team is completely different than Champions
Yes and no. The game WAS in development since 2004, but by a different company who went bankrupt and kept the code.
Cryptic took over in 2008, without the code but with the license and art.
- Character animation looks pretty good to me, but what a minor thing to complain about. It'll get better over time too. I could personally care less if it uses ASCII graphics, as long as the gameplay is solid
The animations are terrible. Even Everquest animation was less ugly. The gameplay is certainly not good enough to make up for the graphics.
- Klingon faction is currently mostly PVP -- they want to add more content later. Big deal! In fact, some players will like this.
"more content later" is another way of saying "It's not done and may never be unless we maintain a certain level of subscriptions. Which they will not.
- There's a lot more going on than just tank / healer / etc. You can equip modules in any way you want to give your ship a versatile configuration. Seam with team members for away missions. It may not be the most revolutionary game around but, it does do something different. I for one look forward to trying out the strategic space combat.
In short, you can solo. But in a team you're still going to be in a cookie cutter configuration, just like everyone else. Nobody wants a funky ship or a furry speced warrior.
- It's only microtransaction in the same way that WoW is. You can buy items that don't really affect the gameplay. .
- Initial reviews and impressions are much more positive than with Cryptic's previous offerings.
Which isn't saying much really...
Who knows, maybe it will suck, maybe it won't. We don't know yet.
No. We don't know yet, but the outlook isn't all that good and the past products do not create much goodwill for the developer.
Re: (Score:2)
WoW has changed a lot in very different ways... In many ways it's basically the same exact game it was when it was first released.
New content has been added mainly and characters have been slightly changed around. Although the WoW fanatic will tell you that classes have had "MAJOR" changes, the changes are minor.
Re: (Score:2)
I could personally care less if it uses ASCII graphics
Yeah, me too, that would be horrible!
Re: (Score:2)
Correction, it has been a franchise being developed into a game for 5 years. This game is completely different than the one which was originally started, and that one was scrapped 18 months ago, when the original developer went out of business and they scrapped the game, Cryptic bought the franchise and started development on it from square 1.
The game being released has been in development for 18 months and was started in 2008. http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20942 [zam.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah this game is going to be crap. It won't last more than 2 years, and really I don't think they expect it to. There is no high end content and the plans for it are unclear. The pvp is a joke, the pve is dull and repetitive. Space combat may seem fun at first but it gets old fast.
In fact the ancient Earth and Beyond had space combat that felt more polished and actually looked better.
The graphics in this game are horrible. I do mean horrible. Now don't get me wrong, a great game can have bad graphics. But
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Has any MMO ever launched with the high end content in place?
WoW did, actually. Scholomance and UBRS were both 10-mans, and it had a large raid in the form of Molten Core. Not that I'm a big WoW fan anymore, but they had a strong launch.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Been in the closed beta for a bit. You need a proper interface now a days.
Might play it more now, but the PvP has been a long time coming and I am not sure how fun it will be. I haven't been able to even get high enough to play Klingon with only 3 hour play sessions, twice a week.
Then its the way its set up. Ok I understand its an MMO, but it doesn't seem like the group abilities or classes are well balanced. Going in its hard to understand how one class helps another and all the ground fights seem to be
cool (Score:5, Funny)
one side filled with kirk and spock and picard wanna-bes.
and the other filled with the klingon speakers.
so, uh, who is gonna run the internets while you all are gone?
Re:cool (Score:5, Funny)
Re:cool (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
There... are... 4chan... LIGHTS!
LOL
My kingdom for a mod point
A Quote from the "General Gameplay" FAQ (Score:5, Interesting)
"Where possible, the game will provide non-violent ways to resolve conflicts."
So in other words, this is Picard-style Star Trek. You Kirk-style players can stay logged into Eve.
Re: (Score:2)
As long as I can yell "KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!" through the voice chat, I'm happy.
Re:A Quote from the "General Gameplay" FAQ (Score:4, Informative)
You can....
If you pre-order the special Digital Deluxe Edition (http://atari.com/games/startrek_online_digital_deluxe_ed/download) one of the bonus features is:
Exclusive “KHAAAN!” Emote (in-game item): An unforgettable moment from the second Star Trek Film. This exclusive emote allows players to relive Kirk’s unforgettable moment of fury, with the timeless cry “KHAAAN!”
Re: (Score:2)
Picard Trek conflict resolution:
1. work it out in holodeck sim which spills into reality
2. Go Borg and assimilate your enemies
3. clap hands Q style, and setup your enemies with a show girl on each arm and a cigar in hand
Re: (Score:2)
"Where possible, the game will provide non-violent ways to resolve conflicts."
Wait, a player will have weapons and technology of war available to him which makes our most advanced technology seem like a stone tipped spear, and the player is expected to resolve a conflict non-violently? WTH, was this game designed by Quakers?
New voice over? (Score:2)
Space. The online frontier. Where everyone will be, all the time.
Open Beta Without Preorder (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Are you assuming or have you actually tried? I got my beta key just now using my free Fileplanet account. Maybe it's cos I've had the account for ages, I only ever use it to get freebies :)
Re: (Score:2)
That was for Closed Beta, not Open Beta.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
after you conquer all of cardassia, (Score:3, Funny)
..how will you feel when they tell you -- it wasn't a game!
Or when the old fogey in the space car comes to get you, because you're the best and only you can command the fleet and save the galaxy?
Re: (Score:2)
..how will you feel when they tell you -- it wasn't a game!
So wait... That Bajoran transvestite I was Britishing with...
Re: (Score:2)
Crazy system requirements (Score:2)
System Requirements
OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 3800+
Memory: 1GB RAM (minimum)
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 / ATI Radeon X1800 / Intel HD Graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
Disc: 6X DVD-ROM
Recommended System Configuration
OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+
Memory: 2GB RAM+
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+
Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
Disc: 6X DVD-ROM
The minimum graphics alone leave my 2 1/2 year old midrange CPU in the dust (it is a NVidia 8600 GT). ;-)
I guess Cryptic is not really interested in reaching a really large audience
Re: (Score:2)
CPU != Video card
And the 7950's came out in 2006
So yes, generally, to play new PC games you will need a video card that is less than 4 years old.
Your 8600 qualifies (released a year after the 7950's).
What are you complaining about, again?
Re: (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure an 8600, while having more features, is slower than the 7950. Just like an 8800GTX will leave a GT220 in the dust.
Re: (Score:2)
GPU. Not CPU.
And an 8600 is perfectly acceptable. They're not talking about graphics horsepower for the most part (though an 8600 should be fine there too). They're talking about supported APIs.
Re: (Score:2)
At any rate, the published minimum specs are grossly higher than what the game actually needs according to what a bunch of the closed beta testers said they needed. The only caveat is that ATI cards are more problematic than nVidia cards for some reason.
500 Internal Server error? (Score:2)
PvP question... (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Every time I turn my PvP status to "on" my shirt turns red... What's the deal?
You also forget your first name. No really, try it, and then see if you can remember your first name...ensign pike.
Re: (Score:2)
Good news!
It is time to beam down to the planet.
You will be an integral part of the away team where you will play a pivotal roll in the exciting conclusion to the mission.
Is this an improvement on the Teletype version? (Score:4, Funny)
From Super Star Trek [berlios.de]
"The short-range scan gives you a considerable amount of information about the quadrant your starship is in. A short-range scan is best described by an example."
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 * . . . . R . . . . Stardate 2516.3
2 . . . E . . . . . . Condition RED
3 . . . . . * . B . . Position 5 - 1, 2 - 4
4 . . . S . . . . . . Life Support DAMAGED, Reserves=2.30
5 . . . . . . . K . . Warp Factor 5.0
6 . K . . . . . * . . Energy 2176.24
7 . . . . . P . . . . Torpedoes 3
8 . . . . * . . . . . Shields UP, 42% 1050.0 units
9 . * . . * . . . C . Klingons Left 12
10 . . . . . . . . . . Time Left 3.72
"You may abandon the Enterprise if necessary. If there is still a starbase in the galaxy, you will be sent there and put in charge of a weaker ship, the Faerie Queene.
The Faerie Queene cannot be abandoned.""
My Beta Impressions (Score:5, Informative)
Your Character: You start off as a junior officer in the position of ship's captain. Your character can be Tactical (tank/dps), Engineering(utility) or Science(buff/heal), and this largely determines your ground combat role, but your space captaining is seperate. Standard races are included as packages for character look, but you can do all sorts of things to your appearance and I've seen some strange things/people in spacedock. You also can customize your uniform to a degree. XP are invested in skills, which give you powers.
Bridge Officers: BO's are pets on a planet, and powers in space. They level up and can be given specific training. You can get new BO's in the same way you can get gear, buy, mission reward and so on. Not all BO's have the same capabilities. They come in three general flavors, Tactical, Engineering, Science, with similar functions to the PC versions. In space, BO’s allow you to do special things with your ship, like fancy photon torpedo spreads and emergency power to shields. BO’s may be equipped with gear just like your main character.
Your Ship: You can customize your ship’s look a good deal. Depending on your preference you can have a Miranda from WoK, something more TNG, or mix and match because you really just like the way those particular nacelles look. There’s also gear for your ship. You can install that disruptor array on your Fed ship if you like.
Ground combat: It’s okay, but not great. However, if you’re ST fan the words “phaser rifles” will probably do it for you. The little phaser has a stun attack. Also, the default unarmed attack seems to be that palm-strike-to-nose thing.
Space Combat: It’s ship combat, not fighter combat. Firing arcs, weapon charge, shield regeneration. Battling a single comparable ship is not intended to be quick in this game. You’re intended to fight an enemy that will try to shelter it’s weak shields and you’re expected to do the same. Many fights are against more numerous small opponents (the Orions deploy fighters), and the management of your weapons and powers is where your time is spent. It’s not about movement, it’s about management. This appeals to me for ship combat of this type.
Quests: The training mission above is what it is, newb training. I never really felt like I was taking on the Borg, but rather like I was helping out after the fight, then joining the big ships to push them out.
The other missions seem much more like ST episodes. Travel to a system that's having a labor disptue as the Fed representative. Discover pirates in the system and clear them out. Beam down to resolve the differences. While the diplomatic options are too simplified and need serious work, I think they've done a good job of replicating the ST episode in game. Things begin "Stardate bla...we are escorting so and so to a Vulcan monastery..." and end with the ship warping out of system or the crew beaming off planet.
It feels like the game will have a story, with missions that are a part of it.
Kirk vs. Picard: Definitely more Kirk. Myabe you could call it “Enterprise-E Picard”. In the Sol area there are public quests that involve Klingon incursions, and I killed a whole lot of Klingons in that Vulcan monastery. Sure, you’re expected to talk to people. Angry Federation workers are an example of people to whom one is expected to be diplomatic. The pirates in orbit you’re expected to explode. It’s a post-Dominion War post-Wolf 359 Federation.
GOOD: It’s Star Trek. Travel around. Meet new folks. Talk to some. Blow up Klingons. Uncover strange anomalies. Meet the alien of the week (probably a PC). Beam in, beam out. Go to warp. Cue music. I also like the ship combat.
BAD: Load screens. Too many load screens. It’s a major failure of the game. Combat pacing and dynamism needs work, but the load screens are a much bigger hurdle. Also, t
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Reportedly, Massively.com is giving out open beta keys.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Though maybe the "open" part is that anyone can be a part, as long as you pay money first. At this point I'm never touching an MMO until I get a chance to play it first, such as a free trial. There are far far too many over hyped games out there and most of them will be duds.
Re: (Score:2)
I did this for earth and beyond.
The 3 day edge kept me ahead of the pack until the game was closed.
While they are fighting in zones with 90% capacity, lag, etc., you are in empty zones with 10% population, no lag, getting tons of xp and/or loot.
Important to pick a soloing class or to "two box" from the very beginning.
The people who are there on the 29th who can play 6-8 hours a day will mostly be in the lead for months. Folks who can play more will catch up with them but it's hard to break out of the mass
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
You get a lot less of that in Eve Online mainly because the skillpoint system allows for enormous variability. What's more, someone who's been playing a week could easily kill someone who's been playing for years in the right circumstances. Stick you in a destroyer, them in a frigate, you can probably kill them off pretty easily.
Why would someone who's been playing for years be flying in a frigate? Maybe they're just moving through to somewhere and don't want to risk a pricey ship. Maybe they're low on isk
Re:Awesome. (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, I've never griefed anyone, but I've been baited into fights a number of times. Most griefing is suicide ganking when you're in empire. But what Eve has taught me is that while games can be amusing or entertaining, they'll never be thrilling and exciting without a real risk of loss.
And if Klingons have to ask permission to fight, it's a game for pussies. A Star Trek game deserves better. It deserves rich, deep content, beautiful graphics, and absolutely cut-throat space. Otherwise you're left with something that's ultimately empty and meaningless. And while I have no problem with pointless, controlled gameplay on something like WoW where you can run around and do the 5 things you're allowed to do all you like, it pains me to see it done to Star Trek.
Yes, I get that when you crunch the dollars and cents, making WoW in space and slapping the Star Trek name on it seems profitable, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If you're not going to support PvP well in a Star Trek game, make it single-player. Otherwise it's little more than a jag-off love fest with no real excitement. Yes, PvE is easier. Just like making people grind fishing in a lake every day is easy. Just like making people fly dragons around in circles for hours is easy. Just like making someone run dozens of FedEx quests is easy. Just like making someone fight the same boring thing over and over and over is easy. There are lots of easy things to do in a game
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"Further, I hope it completely and utterly fails so we have some opportunity for a game that lives up to the Star Trek name."
Oh, man. I have this image of you flopping around on the floor, screaming and spitting, kicking your legs, pitching a fit like the best 1st grade fit-pitcher that ever lived.
Seriously, dude. You hope the game fails so they YOU get what YOU want?
Please, do us a favor. Go back to the Eve forums. Right now. Go log in. Please...you're in the wrong forum.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Many PvP games come and go because the developers and managers treat the PvP part of the game like PvE; as if it's something to manipulated to suit their vision of what it should be. "Someone isn't using tool A to do task B? Break everything else they're doing with it until they use it to do task B! They stopped using tool A? Oh well. Oh, they're using vehicle B to do what? No, no, no, they're supposed to use vehicle at site B to solve that problem! Make it so they can't use vehicle B outside site B!"
This c
Re: (Score:2)
It was just a casual reading but last I heard it was skill based.
I went ahead and pre-ordered yesterday to get into the beta. Odds are I probably won't stick with the game, but WoW is getting a little long in the tooth and I'm looking for alternate games to at least try out.
Re:Level based or skill based? (Score:5, Interesting)
If WoW is getting boring, this will not hold you for more than a month unless you really love Star Trek and must buy this game in collectors edition (twice, so you have one to play and he other to display.)
I can't force myself to log into the game anymore. For one, it gets to be extremely tedious being confined to a small square box until you warp which zones you (with load screen) to a "warp zone" where you fly around and choose what zone you want to "drop out of warp" into. Add that to the extremely lackluster combat of flying circles around the enemy and occasionally turning around to distribute damage to the other shields and you have a really, really lackluster game.
Basically, it's the Champions Online game with ships instead of super heroes. Same engine, same zone structure (with instancing), and the same quest log/quest types. The only thing I can think of right now that they added is a "ship" inventory so you can upgrade shields, phasers, and such with items you will find during battles or apparently "research" by taking rare ores found in sectors to an NPC to process.
Also, Klingons are pretty much 99% PvP based so if you wanted to run a freighter or some other non-combat scenario for The Empire, you'll find yourself without. Land/ship based combat is your typical target and select 1, 2, or 3 to select your weapon/attack. But wow, you can decide if you are in attack mode or speed mode. Woo!
Re:Level based or skill based? (Score:4, Informative)
I only played this past weekend after I got a beta key, but I have to agree. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Star Trek MMORPG, if your expectations were entirely unambitious. The bridge officers change things up a little, but mostly in a cosmetic way. Gameplay is fundamentally unchanged from the model EQ and WoW set over the past decade. It's sadly typical MMO quest grind, and not half as polished as WoW. The interface, for example, is sluggish, poorly designed, and buggy.
Maybe if you're a big Star Trek fan, it'll still be fun. But if you've had your fill of typical MMOs that do nothing interesting with the whole massively multiplayer thing, I'd steer clear.
Re: (Score:2)
It is a new game. Wow has been in production for 5 years or so. Of course it's more polished. STO is still in beta, and will be for the next couple of years ;)
STO doesn't have an economy yet and there are quite a few other features that aren't implemented yet. With MMO's, beta is the new alpha... On February 2 it will enter beta as defined by non-game developers, but it's really still alpha because it's not even feature complete.
You either get in now, and get items and experience that will help you later wh
Re:Level based or skill based? (Score:4, Interesting)
To be honest, I found the combat at least a bit more engaging than WoW ever was, also with the last closed beta patch they significantly increased the difficulty level which made it more fun for me.
I think the game has a chance, especially if they improve it as they have been and add Bridges for warp travel instead of the silly warp sector.
Re: (Score:2)
"You must be level 20 to use this phaser".
Well that makes sense. Starter phasers only have stun and kill, but you have to be moderately experienced to be able to properly wield additional level 20 phaser settings: intimidate, humiliate and irradiate.
Re: (Score:2)
Well that makes sense. Starter phasers only have stun and kill, but you have to be moderately experienced to be able to properly wield additional level 20 phaser settings: intimidate, humiliate and irradiate.
At what level can I set my phaser to "pew pew pwn"?
Re: (Score:2)
There is some of that. There are 6 tier's (Mk) of equipment which are limited by level. (Mk I/II useable level 1-10, Mk III/IV usable at level 11+, etc). But drops and rewards are generally usably by your character. Sometimes you'll get a Mk drop then you can as you approaching a new rank.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
"open" != "free" (Score:5, Insightful)
An "open" beta means that you have the means by which to join the beta without them selecting you. It doesn't mean that it's necessarily free. It is as opposed to a "closed" beta which means that you can only join by their specific invitation, and that it is entirely likely that no matter how badly you want to join or how much money you have to spend (well, barring buying the entire company), you won't be able to get in.
If you have learned anything from the open source movement, it should be that "open" != "free." You can be charged for open source software, just as not all software that is free (as in beer) is open source.
Re: (Score:2)
Apples and oranges. SW:ToR does not have space ships.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Star Wars: The Old Republic will crush this game. SW:ToR won't be out until October, but it will be the final nail in the coffin for this game.
I read last night that it's been delayed until Spring 2011.
Re: (Score:2)
Where did you read that?
Re: (Score:2)
http://kotaku.com/5446301/bioware-confirms-spring-2011-release-window-for-the-old-republic [kotaku.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
They've hired some strong vets down in Austin who have worked on MMOs for years and years, including the first major MMO in Ultima Online.
Bioware is behind this. They're promising to bring their style of single-player story arcs to the MMO genre. They said they were not going to do an MMO until they were convinced they could do it right. Like Blizzard, they are a studio that holds themselves to a pretty high standard.
The "trailers" are nothing short of amazing.
They're focusing on an era that many fans love,
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Already a disappointment (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm trying to figure out why people are continually surprised when non-Windows MMO clients are not available. You want to have a high percentage chance of being able to play a non-console, non-browser based game, get a Windows machine. End of story.
Re: (Score:2)
I think part of the surprise is that there are a lot of WoW players who use macs. Probably many of them are not hardcore gamers and WoW was their first MMO. Thus when they want to branch out, they are surprised that all MMOs aren't available for mac.
Me, I'm surprised because there are so many mac users today (it's not like even 10 years) and I'm surprised that many companies wouldn't decide to port to Mac.
Less surprised about linux...
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The real surprise is why more companies develop Windows only MMOs. For a single player game, or even an online FPS I can understand a company wanting to save money by targeting only the largest market, but the economics for MMOs are different. For an MMO you want a group of people to all go out and buy a copy each - that's how MMOs get successful. Right now there are established groups in (for example) WOW who are looking at different MMOs to play. Even if only a small fraction of their users are on Macs, S
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
It makes sense for every type of application, except MMOs. For every one person who can't play your game, you may lose 5 other sales that you would have made from friends.
To take another example: imagine what Facebook (or slashdot for that matter) would be like if it only worked on IE. Sure it would get a lot of sign ups, but a large minority would use something else and pull their friends with them.
I am shocked that in 2010 WOW is still the only major MMO that seems to understand this.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes but you are deliberately ignoring the point - that one Linux-only or Mac-only user is an acceptable loss. The odds are good that those five people they could have reached out to have Windows and are already playing it. And if they're not, then they have more Windows friends playing it. Linux and Mac combined are less than 10% of the population and in many instances, their users don't play games game (Photoshop jockeys) or also own a Windows machine, or have a Windows partition to boot into. Hell thanks
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
EVE Online has an officially supported Mac client and unofficially supports running the Windows client through Wine (they distributed a Cedega-wrapped Linux client for a while, but it was actually lower quality than just using Wine and the Windows client, both of which are free downloads and don't place any extra cost on CCP).
I'm sure there's at least one other non-trivial MMO that has made an effort to be cross-platform, even if I can't think of one. EVE certainly wasn't at launch, and I think it was large
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
It's been in development for 5 years, the new Star Trek has only existed for about 2 and didn't really exist until earlier this year. It's a matter of timing in the development cycle.
And it's Next Generation so there is no analog for the new universe, yet, of course.
Because... (Score:3, Insightful)
That is where all the continuity is. Along with the most of the Trek universe. And where all the fan-base's nostalgia is.
The "New Trek" will probably fare like Spiderman just did.
Couple of movies, then a change of management, then another reboot.
And that cycle will go on until it finally dawns on the "runners of the franchise" that Star Trek is a TV series franchise, not a movie franchise.
Until we get another 7-season series, all this in between is just a break. A commercial one.
Re: (Score:2)
Ooooh, can't wait to go collect x tribbles to earn some cash. On second thought, nah.
Mccoy: "Well the nearest thing that I can figure is that they're born pregnant – which appears to be quite a time-saver!"
Once x = 1, the rest should take care of itself!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
No Linux Version? Even Quake I has a Linux Version!