Submitted by Nick on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 6:44am
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Anyone giving this a try? I'm considering it. On the one hand, I don't really need another MMO before I finish this degree. On the other, I'm pretty interested in capital ship scale space combat.
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Sounds like a plan; I have
Sounds like a plan; I have been keeping half an eye on this. Figured I would try it out this summer.
The Avatars, Argonessen Server
Will Try Again in 6 Months
I cancelled my STO account and will check back in 6 months or so to see if they've jazzed up the content dramatically. I like both the space and ground combat, but with the current enemy sets and small number of quests (not counting Patrol missions), it's just too repetitive for me. I knew they were launching a year too early, and I decline to pay for beta testing, so I'll come back when and if they get some meaty stories worked into the quest catalog.
Ariande Bard 20 • Nightfall Ranger 19
The Avatars, Argonessen Server
I'm on occasionally, and
I'm on occasionally, and this will be a very casual game for me in the foreseeable future due to the continuing dissertation work. I'm playing as Malcolm Rooke (handle is Malthol). Best chance of seeing me after 10p Central Time is on a Friday or Saturday.
Taril Here!
I'm in as Tactical Officer Landel Taril, Captain of the USS Nightfall. I've played very little thanks to ME2, but may play a bit during the day this month, as I'm still out of work. I may also make an Engineer, but I'm more interested in trying a Klingon first.
The level of lag and bugginess during the head start was MUCH better than what I saw in beta. It really is a pretty fun game, at least in the short term.
On Hold
I just looked at the list of games I want to play this month. It's rather impressive including Mass Effect 2 which I just started today, Bioshock 2, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Darksiders, and yes STO. Think in light of all the gaming goodness coming down the pipe I will probably hold off on STO for a month or two. Give it time to work out a few kinks before I get into it.
not that hard
There's a mission you have to complete, that you can do around level 7 or 8, I think. I saw a thread on the forums explaining it, right after I had accidentally done it. It won't be an obstacle.
Unlocking Required for Klingon Faction
I just discovered why I couldn't create a Klingon character. Apparently you have to unlock that ability in-game. Not sure what the requirements are, but it sounds like it will be awhile before there is any serious Klingon opposition for PvP.
state of the game update
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/899
Still agree that they need a few more months to really bring it together, though.
I"m passingly inserted (but
I"m passingly inserted (but not enough so to hunt down a key). I think I'll way wait for the lumps to get ironed out and if anyone is still playing in a month or so check it out then.
Pricing and preorders
First off, pre-order bonuses will be tied to your retail key. There's no extra code for them. This prevented anyone from getting multiple pre-order codes from different places without also registering the retail keys from each of those retailers.
Also, pricing was announced today. Pretty standard MMO rates, except if you want to opt into a 12-month or lifetime account, which are limited offers that expire on 1 February. You also get some bonuses if you go with either of the special pre-order rates.
Final Beta Review
Bottom line, I enjoyed the time I spent playing beta. This game should really get another 6 months to a year of polish and system completion before release, and that was even more true for Champions Online, but it's here now. I bought it, will play the head start and free month, then we'll see. I'm done with beta, so won't see many of the things that concern me most until release.
There are lots of bugs. Cut scenes are mostly static placeholders (hopefully) and you'll see them a lot. Instancing works well, but nearly every transition dialog has some sort of issue, and the overall feel is raw and unfinished. I get disconnected about once an hour, more during the tutorial.
I never played to second rank (level 11), so I have little to say about cruisers and other no starting ships, but the firepower difference between a CA and a DD in Star Trek (and in Starfleet Battles) was pretty small, other than the distinct power advantage the CA carried, which SOUNDS like what they're shooting for here. No opinion yet.
The starter ship has fore and aft phasers, and a forward arc torpedo. Phasers are good against shields and torps are good against hulls. Power allocation between systems is worth switching in the midst of battle, and reinforcement to specific shields is functional and effective. These distinctions mean I'm constantly maneuvering and shifting power, as well as waiting for ability cool downs, so combat is much more engaging than the standard WoW/EQ2 click fest. Overall ship combat is fun, but I hope there isn't too much grinding against the same foes, as it could get old if we're not forced to change tactics from time to time.
Overall, I enjoy space combat a lot. It's less detailed than Starfleet Command, but close enough for an MMO. Adding more players makes the tactics take a quantum leap as you all try to work together. Focussed fire and dropping enemy firepower as quickly as possible is key, just as it is in naval warfare. The comparatively slow movement and turning is very effective in giving things a Trek feel, and the sound of phasers, torps, and claxons ratchets up the tension dramatically.
Ship customization is ho hum, but a nice touch. Character customization, despite unlabeled dialog boxes and other glitches, is as good as I've seen since Star Wars Galaxies. Better, in fact. The uniform customization is well thought out and the final effect is very appealing. Character building, from a trait point of view, is fairly rudimentary. IMO, you should have had a certain number of ground traits and a certain number of ship traits instead of being to allocate all of them where you wish. Many players will focus on ship traits and leave ground battles to equipment and tactics, which will force that to be a default setup for new characters. Poorly planned, IMO.
Ground combat is rudimentary, and far less fun than DDO. There are some tactics involved, however, especially in building and equipping your away teams. It's reasonably fun, but not very deep. The only "plot" based ground mission I've encountered was a Q&A with a bunch of miners followed by a verbal test on what you found out. Again, quite shallow, but as good as most MMOs (which means bad.)
Once you get past the glitches, slow map redraws, and lack of an intuitive interface, galactic navigation is fairly decent.
It does feel like Star Trek, though much more like DS9 or Voyager than like one of the better Trek series or movies. Could this game have been a whole lot better? Yes! Is it pretty good, nonetheless? Yes. Unfinished, unpolished, and missing the point of many Trekisms, I'm still looking forward to the head start.
Overall, I'd say I like the
Overall, I'd say I like the game. Many missions seem to require allies, and the community at this point in beta in putrid. Getting a group, or even getting anyone to speak is like pulling teeth. There are open instances where groups are automatically joined, like WH's public quests, but most people pull out as soon as they realize they're going to have to group to win. Even a duo or a trio will have a tough time with 8 Orion Corvettes. I think joining a guild may be a good idea. We'll have to see if there's one both big enough (so there's always folks on to group with) and casual enough (so they'll take us) for our purposes.
I discovered a bunch of customization settings that were really cool and which had been hidden in dialogs that had no title. Very nice options, but another example of how far this game is from finished.
It'll be a nice change-up from DDO on occasion, but finding allies is going to be critical. I think taking a leadership role and actively recruiting may be the way to go.
EDIT: OK, I'm done with beta. I played some missions with impromptu groups and it was a lot more fun than playing solo. Overall, the games still seriously incomplete and messed up, but it's pretty fun. My 30 days should be amusing in any case. Nick and Doug, I'll see you in the head start. Landel Taril, Captain of the USS Nightfall.
very group based
From what I'm gathering from other players, the game becomes very group based very early. I've got a couple of level 4 missions right now that are definitely group based. I'm leaning toward a big-ish guild because of the trouble I've had finding someone to play with in other games, especially since it can be hard to predict what hours I'll have available to play and I certainly won't be on every day.
Guildless
There's no chance I'll play enough hours to be accepted into any self respecting guild. I'll be happy to group with you guys though. Group battles seem like they could be really enjoyable.
playing
I will almost certainly play at least a little bit just because it is Star Trek. I generally don't enjoy being part of a big-ish guild though so I will probably stick with either the small guild or find out how it is for solo/partner play.
Leaning toward buying. Been
Leaning toward buying. Been polling my friends about who plans to play. Not much response. Sounds like a good game to join a bigger "fleet" (aka guild) for; I'm looking into the Lone Star Fleet.
Passing
Going to pass on this one. All I needed to hear was "Champions Online" and any interest I may have had evaporated.
I played a bit more today
I played a bit more today and ran my first one and a half missions. I found space combat fairly challenging and quite fun, though it could get old in a hurry if there's any sort of grinding on the same opponents. Managing ship power is a huge part of achieving victory, and the starter ships definitely have weapon arcs that makes maneuvering and using all arcs critical.
There are a LOT of bugs in this game. The disconnects and general lagginess really need to be addressed before release, but given that it's coming out on 2/1, no chance of that. I got disconnected three times, and also started as my ship on a ground mission and as my captain toon in space. Given that the powers available matched the incorrect toon and would not function, that was a bit disturbing. I see can see Nicks comparisons to Starfleet Command, a game I absolutely loved, but the MMO overtones could keep the space missions from being quite that fun. In any case, I'm not sorry I bought it, though I may well play the first 30 days, then let my account lapse for 3-6 months and wait for them the be close to release ready.
They should also fix the inconsistent and really crummy transition cut scenes. Much like DDO's static images on going into a dungeon, these are even less well done and should get a serious face lift.
I believe my release character will be Landel Taril, Captain of the USS Shadowstorm. Still deciding between Tactical and Engineer as a career focus. I'd really like to try the Klingons too, but I've seen no option for that, to this point.
tutorial was rough for staying connected
Lots of connection issues during the tutorial part, but much much fewer after that. I've probably spent about 8 hours on it (some of that trying to get connected).
Overall, I like it. It feels a lot like being in a Star Trek show. It's visually appealing. It's kinda reminding me of Pirates of the Burning Sea, which was great if you wanted really fun and interesting ship-to-ship combat, and really great if you wanted it in PvP. STO is doing better with the ground game than PotBS did (though I only played that about a month).
Advancement seems pretty quick. The levels of customization are fantastic! I'll be really interested in seeing how combat goes with different ships. So far it's a lot of spamming the spacebar to fire all beam weapons, maneuvering to keep your strongest shield to the enemy, and trying to use your crews abilities at just the right time. A lot like SFC II, but in 3 dimensions.
Hmmm. After six tries, I
Hmmm. After six tries, I got in and created Kaiden Alexi Shepherd, Captain of the USS Vorpal. The interface and animations are a bit clunky and reminiscent of Champions Online. Sigh. The combat is reasonably fun, but like all MMOs, leaves a lot to be desired when compared to DDO. The tutorial is decent, and ship combat has some cache... overall my first impression is a 5-7 out of 10, assuming you already like MMOs. Going forward will depend on how good the missions are.
Tyler Jamison
I've been on the Open Beta some today. Playing as Tyler Jamison. Aside from usual problems with staying connected the first few hours of open beta, it seems pretty good so far. Could be lots of fun.
After too much waffling, I
After too much waffling, I decided to try the game. I may quit very quickly in disgust, but I at least want to see where they went with it for myself. I'll post my Open Beta server and character name here when I have them.
TOR = The Old Republic FF,
TOR = The Old Republic
FF, CA, and DN are naval ship class terms used in Star Trek and in Star Fleet Battles.
FF = Frigate
a small, heavily armed (for it's size) escort and light patrol vessel.
DD = Destroyer
a main line light combat and patrol unit. Often an escort for larger ships.
CA = Cruiser
a medium size, main line unit and the backbone of small task forces.
DN = Dreadnaught
a very large, very heavily armed and armored battleship. The center of larger task forces, at least before the advent of Carriers.
In almost all cases, smaller equals mare maneuverable. Larger equals faster, more firepower, and heavier armor or shields. Mapping smaller ships the the DPS classes and larger to tank classes, good at nothing but taking damage, is blindingly stupid, IMHO.
only since SWTOR is 2011
Well, after the announcement that SWTOR is looking to launch in Spring 2011 (http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=109426), I've given much more serious thought to STO in the interim.
And Rick, I *think* FF is frigate class ships, CA is a cruiser type, and DN is a destroyer type. But it's been ages since I dealt with any of that stuff, so I'll let Mike correct me as appropriate.
Ok, too many ACRONYMS
Please define: ToR, FF, CA, and DN. (I was able to figure out STO)...
EDIT: got ToR, context (in the subject line, then nothing about it in the text) threw me...
2011 for ToR
I'm thinking about STO, and tempted, but... the discussion of FF class ships and the "DPS" classes brings to mind the idea of neutered CAs and DNs, which does not thrill me. That ANY of the stupid MMO class archetypes would map directly to ship types in STO is hugely disappointing. I may still buy it, but I'm wavering.
At least take a look
I'm not sure MMO'S have any real appeal for me anymore, but I'll probably at least check it out. Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic MMO is the only one I'm in the least excited about, and that's ages off I fear.