Star Trek: Online [Archive]

Dr Vivisector

09-10-2009, 04:06 PM

From Cryptic, the makers of the lamented Champions Online game....

I'm really looking forward to this game, if only for the ability to build my own crew from aliens races I can create, modifying my own starships, and exploring strange new worlds.

The current reviews of demos seem to indicate the starship combat is simple but effectively Trek-like in nature (more like ships rather than jet fighters) while the ground combat uses the Champions engine and needs a lot more work.

Anyone else going to try this out when it comes on line...if it comes out. It's this close to being considered vaporware....

Judas Booth

09-10-2009, 04:09 PM

The screenshots for it look great, but I'm really gunshy after having issues with Champions Online. I might actually try and get in on the beta for this one to see if it's worth the effort.

nekkerbee

09-10-2009, 06:24 PM

Dr Vivisector

09-10-2009, 07:14 PM

My one hope for ST:O is that there is a reasonable amount of non-combat content. I recognize that killing things will be an inegral part of MMOs forever more (and I'm not lamenting this at all, I love killing virtual people and things as long as the process is entertaining), but exploration and non-violent interactions (and non-violent solutions to problems) is a hallmark of Trek and I want that dimension properly realized.

My thoughts exactly. I want to set a course for a far star and explore all the way. There will be those that think that will be boring, but that is what I think is at the heart of the ideas behind Trek....not killing things just to level up.

Keith F

09-10-2009, 07:25 PM

Dr Vivisector

09-10-2009, 07:27 PM

I'll be cold in the Earth for years before they ever make a decent Star Trek game.

And hoping that this thing will follow some TNG ethos about working everything out, good luck with that. Hope you like phaser battles.

Of course there will be battles, I just don't want it to be the complete focus of the game. I want to explore and find new allies and their technology.

Once you realize the Federation is the Borg with better public relations, it all becomes quite clear.

Keith F

09-10-2009, 07:31 PM

Dr Vivisector

09-10-2009, 07:45 PM

I admire and respect your dream, I just think that you'd be better off finding that in a MUSH or some shit.

I begin to wonder if it's even possible to make a decent Trek game. All I'm saying is I wouldn't hold my breath.

Hey, my standards are low. If I can build my all babe crew with the species creator, I'll be pleased.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw8mu7hmNQk

billylove

09-10-2009, 08:39 PM

My thoughts exactly. I want to set a course for a far star and explore all the way. There will be those that think that will be boring, but that is what I think is at the heart of the ideas behind Trek....not killing things just to level up.

I'm digging your Kool-Aid.

Jacob Singer

01-08-2010, 12:31 PM

Well, I went ahead and pre-ordered this from Direct2Drive, so I'll be in the open beta starting on the 12th. All the recent videos look great. Hope this doesn't bomb like Champions...

JudgeSmails

01-08-2010, 01:45 PM

I'm very intrigued by this. I do think Cryptic has some good ideas and people working there so I'm not off put by the fact that they did CO. We NEED a good Star Trek game and if it can be an MMO more power to them. If initial reviews are any good I'll definitely give it a whirl. One thing Cryptic did really well was the "events" in City of Heroes...like the alien invasions and Halloween surprises. I can just imagine a random Borg attack on all players...awesome.

I do have some questions/concerns about the fact that everyone is a captain and can have their own ships. Won't that just bog down the system immensely if you go to a planet and there are 54,000 starships orbiting it? And if they instance it to avoid that how do you offer PVP? What would stop a fleet of experienced players with bad ass ships from flying planet to planet just obliterating every ship they see?

Having said that, starships MUST be part of the game. While there are 1,876,987 things that went wrong with Star Wars Galaxies no personal ships was one of the biggest.

Reasor

01-08-2010, 02:02 PM

This won't be a non-combat game. Every trailer and gameplay video released so far has focused on player-versus-player combat and cooperative combat against the random spawn Borg cube bosses. Exploration quests will exist (for Federation players), but the plot of the game seems to hinge on the cold war between the Federation and the Klingons heating up again.

I do have some questions/concerns about the fact that everyone is a captain and can have their own ships. Won't that just bog down the system immensely if you go to a planet and there are 54,000 starships orbiting it? And if they instance it to avoid that how do you offer PVP? What would stop a fleet of experienced players with bad ass ships from flying planet to planet just obliterating every ship they see?

You ship phases out of the game when you beam your away team down to the surface. It's a suspension of disbelief breaker, but a necessary game mechanic to avoid just what you've described. And unless plans have changed since the last press release covering this, you can flag for PvP voluntarily at any time, but ships and crews are auto-flagged for PvP only when they're in the Neutral Zone in order to avoid ganking in the questing areas. It's essentially the same rule set as WoW's PvE servers.

Dr Vivisector

01-08-2010, 02:06 PM

Richard Dickson

01-08-2010, 02:07 PM

Just missed out on getting into the closed beta through FilePlanet. Still skeptical thanks to my Champions experience, but I'll keep an eye on this.

Judas Booth

01-08-2010, 02:07 PM

After getting burned on Champions Online, I'm gonna wait and see on this one.

thalasi

01-08-2010, 03:26 PM

I'd won a contest about a year ago on the cryptic website with the prize being a guaranteed closed beta slot, I got a couple emails from the community relations person telling me congrats and all that and told me I was in the system for access to the beta once it started. For whatever reason that never happened and the new community relations person(the previous one left Cryptic) never responded to my pm or email on the subject. So yea, off to a crabby start with them but Im still optimistic about the state of the game. The only part I'm really concerned about it the ground game. From all the video I've seen, it feels like sort of an afterthought so heres hoping it turns out well.

By the way if anyone plans to pre-order the digital deluxe, be sure to get it from direct2drive or steam instead of Atari since for some reason d2d and steam have exclusive bonus items while Atari just has the basic package...plus Atari's download service comes through Digital River which is pretty terrible in its own right.

tcjsavannah

01-08-2010, 04:03 PM

By the way if anyone plans to pre-order the digital deluxe, be sure to get it from direct2drive or steam instead of Atari since for some reason d2d and steam have exclusive bonus items while Atari just has the basic package...plus Atari's download service comes through Digital River which is pretty terrible in its own right.

QFT. Digital River is ass. That is all.

Jacob Singer

01-10-2010, 05:24 PM

Well, looks like they started the open beta early. I'm logged into the client and downloading the newest patch, so it looks like I'll be playing in about an hour.

Ludwig

01-10-2010, 06:28 PM

Report back after you've had a chance to play Jacob, I am very curious to see what this one is really like.

nekkerbee

01-10-2010, 07:10 PM

Jacob, I can't recall: did you play Champions Online? I'd like to hear how promising (or not) ST:O is from someone who can reliably compare it to Cryptic's prior endeavor.

Luca S.

01-11-2010, 09:09 AM

So...?

Dr Vivisector

01-11-2010, 11:02 AM

Perhaps he can't stop playing long enough to let us know how it's going....

Brad Millette

01-11-2010, 11:09 AM

Maybe he died from being so old.

Luca S.

01-11-2010, 11:10 AM

Hahaha that would be funny if that happened! What a dumb old guy.

Brad Millette

01-11-2010, 11:12 AM

*clickety tap tap click* "GERK MY OLD HEART HAS STOPPED WORKING." *die*

Judas Booth

01-11-2010, 11:12 AM

I wonder if this game will come with an actual manual that explains stuff. Your thoughts, Brad?

Richard Dickson

01-11-2010, 11:13 AM

I wonder if this game will come with an actual manual that explains stuff.

Why? There's a TV show you can watch!

Jacob Singer

01-11-2010, 12:28 PM

Sorry for not reporting sooner. Apparently there was a glitch last night that allowed people who bought the game from Direct2Drive to log in, patch, etc.. They caught it fairly quickly and locked us back out 'til tomorrow. So no joy. I didn't think to come back here and mention it.

At least that's what the nurse tells me.

Brad Millette

01-11-2010, 12:39 PM

It's a g-g-g-g-ghost!

Richard Dickson

01-12-2010, 10:56 AM

There's open beta keys all over the place now. I got one this morning, so I'll give this a try when I get home from work.

Judas Booth

01-12-2010, 11:01 AM

Thanks for taking one for the team, Richard. I want the opinion of someone who endured 'Champions Online' to assess whether or not this game is worth the expenditure.

Jacob Singer

01-12-2010, 02:20 PM

Well, I've completed the basic tutorial, with both rudimentary ground and space combat. Obviously, there are a gazillion people online at the moment, and I've been dropped from the servers twice.

Quick first impressions:

I'm in this for the space battles and exploration, and my initial skirmishes with Borg probes, spheres and a (already damaged) cube were very entertaining. These tutorials are prettly clunky, though, and you're pretty much left on your own to figure out the two interfaces (ground and space). Definitely needs work there, and if I decide to stick with this I'm gonna need a good guide. It sure looks like there's a lot of depth here, but it's too soon to tell.

Graphically, I'm pleased. Space battles are suitably gorgeous on my new rig, and look exactly like the videos that are out there. Explosions, phaser and torpedo fire, leaking hulls, all that stuff looks and feels right to me so far. The ground portions aren't as impressive, but I really only had one short away-team battle and a little space station exposure.

All in all, this is still a beta, and I hope I can provide them with some positive feedback. I know jack shit about anything Trek past the series and movies, so I couldn't care less about canon or any of that shit. I just wanna have fun and explore the galaxy and blow shit up and have sex with aliens. Frankly, I have to admit that after only an hour or so playing I'm itching to get back in there right now, spend the experience points I've already earned, and customize my ship.

So, if you join the beta, keep an eye out for the U.S.S. Jacob Singer. I'll be the one limping around on partial impulse power, venting gas into space. Just like real life.

Judas Booth

01-12-2010, 02:27 PM

These tutorials are prettly clunky, though, and you're pretty much left on your own to figure out the two interfaces (ground and space). Definitely needs work there, and if I decide to stick with this I'm gonna need a good guide.

Yep, sounds like Cryptic.

Jacob Singer

01-12-2010, 02:41 PM

Yeah, it's not very polished at all. Hell, there's no intro or anything, and voice acting seems scattershot. Of course, I'm assuming the game universe is (intended to be) pretty big, so I'm not really sure what to expect. Not to mention I don't have a lot of recent mmorpg experience. I'm sure others here can give better impressions than I.

Judas Booth

01-12-2010, 02:50 PM

Brad, Richard, and I played alot of 'Champions Online'. One of our major complaints with the game concerned the complete and utter lack of documentation/instructions available. As a player, you were essentially forced to figure out all of the game mechanics through trial and error. The tutorial section taught you the basics of movement and combat, but that was about it. Navigating through the interface and figuring out how to customize builds was all learned on the fly.

Wanna know what's important when designing your powerset? Wanna know how the different items you pick up alter your powers? You're on your own.

I don't need to have my hand held on these games, but I want to be able to figure out basic shit without having to put out an APB on the zone chat channel.

Brad Millette

01-12-2010, 02:55 PM

The game didn't even fucking tell you how to quickly reply to a private message in chat. They literally gave you no documentation for the controls or commands, in or out of the game. My friend Jon and I had to spend almost a half hour just figuring up how to set up a private in-game chat channel, stuff that should be simple and self-explanatory.

Cryptic just doesn't seem to have grown as a developer since City of Heroes, and again, in a post-WoW world, the lack of that basic level of polish is pretty unforgivable. Granted, ST:O is still in Beta. Maybe this time they'll actually release a finished product.

Richard Dickson

01-12-2010, 03:50 PM

They have posted an online manual (http://www.startrekonline.com/manual), which is a hell of a lot more than we got from Champions at launch.

nekkerbee

01-12-2010, 04:03 PM

thalasi

01-12-2010, 04:41 PM

I agree that the ground combat is pretty drab. Not terrible, just not likely to be anyones favorite part of the game. It just seems like it was tacked on as an afterthought and then maybe sometime last week some programmer realized it wasn't actually done yet. I'll bet it eventually gets patched to be better than it is sometime down the road after they've lost lots of subscribers. Cryptic seems to like the reactionary approach quite a bit. The space stuff is pretty fun though and aside from some pretty terrible lag(first day of beta at 4:30 pm it's to be expected) it runs nice on my mid-range machine.

Somewhat surprisingly just getting to the character select screen kicks both cores to 65% load and that doesnt seem right really, like maybe its not accessing the gpu enough or something. Maybe a Win 7 issue?

Jacob Singer

01-12-2010, 05:00 PM

Jake, since you're in it partly for the exploration, please share your thoughts on that aspect of gameplay. I know fighting is the dominant activity but I want to know if, say, I would be able to spend an hour checking out planets and nebulae and shit without having to fire my torpedoes at something.

Can't say for certain yet how much "free range" exploring you can do, or what sort of wandering mobs you might get in different sectors. I do know that you can move from sector to sector without an actual mission, and you can also complete missions and move on without having to go back to a starbase (depends on the mission, of course). As far as ground strategies go, you can move your team where you want them in order to get "flanking" bonuses, and yeah, you have disposable redshirts to soak up some damage.

I just finished an early mission to rescue a stranded freighter, and it entailed warping to the system, destroying 4 Orion Corvettes, beaming over to the ship to kill boarders and repair leaks, escorting the wounded back onto my ship, then destroying 2 more Corvettes and a Battleship.

nekkerbee

01-12-2010, 06:16 PM

yeah, you have disposable redshirts to soak up some damage.

This sounds promising, but I'll have to see how it's implemented. Ideally, instead of your character being able to take a half-dozen direct phaser blasts before expiring, you would beam down with 5 Red Shirts. Every time "you" were hit by phaser fire, one of the Reds would disintegrate like Paul Winfield (except slower and with more screaming), and only the sixth and final blast would kill the shit out of you.

A MAN CAN DREAM.

Richard Dickson

01-12-2010, 11:59 PM

nekkerbee

01-13-2010, 12:48 AM

Streaming feed of a beta tester on Justin.tv. (http://www.justin.tv/ickum#r=tpnW0VE)

A-Pathetic

01-13-2010, 01:28 AM

Streaming feed of a beta tester on Justin.tv. (http://www.justin.tv/ickum#r=tpnW0VE)

I've only watched a few minutes but this just doesn't do anything for me.

Jacob Singer

01-13-2010, 02:20 AM

Just finished the space battle portion of the tutorial, and so far I'm fairly impressed. It's fairly immersive, and it feels like Trek. It's also done a much better job of explaining things than Champions did.

So far the Patrol missions have had the greatest amount of pure ship-to-ship fighting, and it's kinda cool that you often only have to complete 3 of 4 objectives to satisfy a patrol mission, and even though they may all involve combat, they can all be fairly different.

Richard Dickson

01-13-2010, 06:52 AM

That's what I'm sort of curious about -- will there be missions that can be completed in multiple ways? Can you choose to be diplomatic and talk things out instead of going in with guns blazing?

Jacob Singer

01-13-2010, 11:47 AM

Can you choose to be diplomatic and talk things out instead of going in with guns blazing?

What'r'you, bald and French or sumpin'?

Richard Dickson

01-13-2010, 11:50 AM

No, but I demand the option to be!

Reasor

01-13-2010, 11:57 AM

A randomly proccing option to use the Corbomite Maneuver in dialogue wouldn't hurt.

Pompoussory Estoppel

01-13-2010, 12:22 PM

Hey guys, got a basic technical question.

The minimum specs suggest that I might be able to run this game, but I wanna make sure I can before I buy this. Any insights on what I need?

I saw the specs and I'm covered on everything but potentially the graphics card. I'm not sure if it will work or not.

I did check out a site that can determine whether or not my comp could run the program and it actually said my specs were too low. Only problem was that it said the same for WoW and WoW works pretty damn good on my comp.

Does this really take more graphical power than WoW?

Jacob Singer

01-13-2010, 12:29 PM

Does this really take more graphical power than WoW?

There are a lot of options for reducing the graphics output, so it's certainly possible your pc can run it. What I'm reading from the official boards is that most of the people having graphics problems only have them in the hubs where a lot of live players are congregating. The ships are pretty detailed, so if you're in the Sol system, for example, your pc will be trying to display a lot of detailed starships.

And Richard, I have read that sometimes you are in fact given the option to talk to potential enemies before conflict erupts, and that Science officers can put points into diplomacy at later stages.

Farsight

01-13-2010, 02:11 PM

I wouldn't expect many options when it comes to resolving missions. There's some variety in the gameplay, but it's pretty linear. The missions can get quite involved though, like a space battle followed by surveying the area, followed by a trip to a nearby planet, then some phaser/melee fights, some conversation, a chase with more fights, wrapping up with a space battle where you have to defend the area until reinforcements arrive.

The variety comes more in how you customize your character. You, each member of your crew and your ship can all be cosmetically tailored, outfitted with items, and all but the ship get their own skills. Your type of ship and crew members are included in the level/quest rewards as you advance.

With the varied gameplay and progression, it seems like ST:O offers a lot more options than the average MMO... and most of it's pretty fun as well, especially the space combet. I'd say if you're a Star Trek fan, there's no reason not to pick it up so far.

Oh, and there's no room for you on my bridge if you aren't a hot alien girl, I think that goes without saying.

billylove

01-13-2010, 02:16 PM

Oh, and there's no room for you on my bridge if you aren't a hot alien girl, I think that goes without saying.

USS Hot Alien Ass?

I'm considering playing, but I'm a more casual gamer than I used to be and something I dislike about most MMOs is not a lot of casual gamer support.

Richard Dickson

01-13-2010, 02:23 PM

I'm keeping expectations in check -- the tutorial and starter areas in Champions were pretty fun, but the bloom came off the rose awful fast. I hope there's a little more variety in starting areas and missions, because it looks like there's some replayability here with different crew combinations, but if that means doing the exact same missions a dozen times like it did in Champions, no dice.

thalasi

01-13-2010, 03:31 PM

USS Hot Alien Ass?

I'm considering playing, but I'm a more casual gamer than I used to be and something I dislike about most MMOs is not a lot of casual gamer support.

From everything they've said you can play the vast majority of the game completely solo if you'd rather just go at your own pace without having to deal with joining a fleet(guild). I'm barely out of the sol system though so I have no idea how much truth there is in that quite yet but it seems possible with everything I've seen so far.

billylove

01-13-2010, 04:29 PM

Watching some from that stream. Looks cool, but I haven't played many space battle simulators so I'm kinda a newbie.

billylove

01-13-2010, 04:40 PM

Also, I wonder if there's going to be any purists playing. As in, if you lose your ship you start over.

Farsight

01-13-2010, 09:41 PM

When you are alone and enter an area designed for multiple people, the game defaults to combining you with the ships of other players into a group. It works pretty well.

When you go down to a planet designed for a full group, you'll always have your AI away team to fill any spots. Their AI works pretty well - early on, they're probably better than you are. :)

It definitely feels like a game you could play in small (casual) increments and still have fun with it. The only "non-casual" part is that it still falls into the old MMO standard of having a piss-poor tutorial and documentation. The learning curve is steep; luckily the penalty for abysmal failure is minimal (I know from repeated experience).

I'm keeping expectations in check -- the tutorial and starter areas in Champions were pretty fun, but the bloom came off the rose awful fast.

True. But Star Trek's gameplay is significantly more interesting and fun. Champions really had very little going for it outside of your character. Making a superhero was awesome, but from the very beginning everything else was a standard MMO. Trek's ground missions feel pretty standard, but the space aspect adds a lot.

I'm doubtful I could play any MMO beyond the first free month, so I evaluate them more on whether I can get a month's worth of fun out of them. At this point, I'm leaning towards a 'yes' for Star Trek (where Champions was a certain 'no').

Pompoussory Estoppel

01-13-2010, 10:00 PM

Just curious, but how much is in this game?

Has there been a discussion on the net of how many planets are in this?

Richard Dickson

01-13-2010, 10:09 PM

The beta is currently limited to two sectors, Federation and Klingon, but they promise to open up more as the beta goes on (Romulan, Cardassian and Borg). Depending on how big those sectors are, there could be quite a bit of content.

nekkerbee

01-14-2010, 11:39 AM

Open beta key giveaway (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01/14/star-trek-online-open-beta-key-giveaway/) at Rock Paper Shotgun:

We’re going to give them to the first 1000 people to email us at compo@rockpapershotgun.com (making sure to use the subject line “I would like to be a Star Trek Online Beta-zoid” or you definitely won’t get a key), nothing more complicated than that. So be quick, or be sad. Then so soon as the fine folk at Cryptic send them out, you’ll find out if you have free access to the open beta for the game until the 26th January.

billylove

01-14-2010, 02:15 PM

Streaming feed of a beta tester on Justin.tv. (http://www.justin.tv/ickum#r=tpnW0VE)

That guy likes to hum alot.

I looked at some other gaming feeds. Are there any that are less annoying and more entertaining?

MrTyres

01-14-2010, 02:37 PM

I am playing this beta as well. There is a certain amount of Pirates of the Burning Sea with this game. Ship combat is beautiful, but my ground avatar looks clunky. Bajorans look like they were all chisled out of rocks because the angles of their faces are so square. It is beta, so the servers are high loads, but I am getting quite a bit of Server Not Responding or rubberbanding.

I am liking the ship missions. Ground combat still has me unsold. My Redshirts are better skilled than me. I have taken a couple bridge officers down with me, but I cannot figure out when to use their specialty skills. (I am an Engineer, so I can...repair things? But repair what?) Ground combat reminded me of Champions. I was in that Beta as well, so I knew not to buy Champions.

Overall, I like it. Graphically, I think it is below Lord of the Rings Online. The space is great and reminds me somewhat of EVE, but ground combat looks like I dressed up Barbie dolls and made a stop motion film.

neoolong

01-14-2010, 03:44 PM

That guy likes to hum alot.

I looked at some other gaming feeds. Are there any that are less annoying and more entertaining?

Giantbomb's was amusing to me.

Radb707

01-14-2010, 04:22 PM

So what's the point of being able to get the open beta client practically everywhere when only so many people have the key to actually play it?

Richard Dickson

01-14-2010, 04:26 PM

Those people with the keys have to go somewhere to download it.

billylove

01-14-2010, 05:14 PM

Giantbomb's was amusing to me.

Was watching some guy play sims 3 for a little bit. He would do night runs with his sims stealing stuff. lol

thalasi

01-14-2010, 09:32 PM

Just did one mission I thought was pretty cool. Flying through an asteroid field alone to scan an outpost with some higher level Klingons in the area. My handy science officer tells me to stay close to the bigger asteroids to have my signature hidden by its strong magnetic field, making me invisible. I still had to fight some birds of prey but the big ones never saw me as I warped away after the scan. Not a very big mission, maybe ten minutes or so, but it did feel like a little slice of the show what with the technobabble saving the day and all. If they can keep giving me that feeling then Im in for awhile.

Richard Dickson

01-14-2010, 11:07 PM

I've finished the tutorial and done the first mission, and I'm getting a heavy Pirates of the Burning Sea vibe from this. As in I see no reason for it to be an MMO.

Brad Millette

01-15-2010, 07:54 AM

The MMO element kind of does feel like it's defeating the point of Star Trek. Why boldly go where everyone is already farming?

Farsight

01-15-2010, 08:23 AM

It's really fun as long as you don't imagine what it would have been like as a solo RPG with more story and characters.

But that's really the problem with every single MMO to date: they end up feeling more limited than a normal game in every way except the number of people running around.

Pompoussory Estoppel

01-15-2010, 08:47 AM

le sigh. my graphics card fails with this game.

alas, star trek online we only knew each other for so long...

Brad Millette

01-15-2010, 08:58 AM

I haven't given it enough of a chance to make a decision yet, but I do like how they've implemented space combat. It feels pretty much like Star Trek ship-to-ship fighting. I could do without the ground sections.

MoonBaseNick

01-15-2010, 09:07 AM

Damn on so on the fence about this game... The space missions look great, I just need to see how those ground missions work out.

Judas Booth

01-15-2010, 10:10 AM

You guys aren't selling me on this.

Brad Millette

01-15-2010, 10:12 AM

I'm not trying to.

Shit, I'm just playing it to kill a little time. I was never particularly interested in it.

Richard Dickson

01-15-2010, 10:35 AM

Yeah, I mean hey, free beta. No big loss.

MoonBaseNick

01-15-2010, 10:48 AM

yeah, I missed out on the free beta.... unless there are still some free keys floating out there.

billylove

01-15-2010, 11:01 AM

It's really fun as long as you don't imagine what it would have been like as a solo RPG with more story and characters.

That's what I really want. A single player RPG Star Trek game with a sandbox environment.

Judas Booth

01-15-2010, 11:01 AM

Screw it, I'll give it a shot this weekend. Anyone got any keys left?

Pompoussory Estoppel

01-16-2010, 01:07 PM

anyone know how to fix a whiting out problem with the graphics?

i can't create a character because the body is whited out. my menus and some of the graphics work, but i can't create a character or see it after ive loaded up the game. it's flickering and quite annoying.

Farsight

01-16-2010, 01:49 PM

Other than trying different video drivers or lower quality settings, nothing comes to mind.

billylove

01-16-2010, 01:57 PM

Maybe an unsupported graphics card/directx issue. I'd say, check for driver updates.

Jacob Singer

01-16-2010, 02:18 PM

On the official boards most players using nVidia cards recommend rolling back to previous driver version 190.62.

Pompoussory Estoppel

01-16-2010, 04:38 PM

i got it to work finally.

driver needed updating.

Snaieke

01-20-2010, 12:18 AM

So, after putting in a few hours into this... I hate it.

Graphics are shit, gameplay is shit, story is shit and the MMO aspect of it is a joke. The quality looks like it came out in 2002 (with the exception of one or two cut scenes). I honestly don't know how anyone could invest money into this game and this comes from someone who attended conventions pre TNG and bought worthless Star Trek shit.

Dr Syn

01-20-2010, 12:30 AM

That's what I really want. A single player RPG Star Trek game with a sandbox environment.

Back to the 25th anniversary and Judgement Rites games I go then :(

Jacob Singer

01-20-2010, 11:34 PM

(with the exception of one or two cut scenes)

I have yet to see one single cutscene in my open beta experience. There isn't even an intro.

Brad Millette

01-21-2010, 08:00 AM

I played the beta once, got I think to that colony on Vega or whatever, called it a night, and then felt not the slightest compulsion ever to play again. Uninstalled it and don't see any reason to bother with the finished project. It's just really dull. Cryptic just doesn't have the chops to make a really good MMO.

Richard Dickson

01-21-2010, 08:02 AM

Same here, it's been sitting unplayed on my PC for over a week. As a one-shot purchase single player game, I might be willing to give it a chance, but I'm definitely not willing to pay $15 a month for this.

Snaieke

01-21-2010, 08:09 AM

I have yet to see one single cutscene in my open beta experience. There isn't even an intro.

I'm refering to the "warp in" cut scene whenever you enter an 'open instance' and there was a cut scene for the borg tutorial that was 'so so' the entire landing party graphics are a complete joke... it's quite sad really.

Richard Dickson

01-27-2010, 10:44 AM

The end of beta event saw a player-led Klingon invasion of Earth sector interrupted by a Borg invasion. Except instead of upping everyone's level like they did with Champions, most everyone was in their teens fighting Borg drones at level 42. I guess they were going for a hopeless last stand kind of vibe.

Dr Vivisector

01-27-2010, 10:50 AM

Sounds like a terribly underwheming experience, a great pity as I've been watching this game's development for years now. Sounds like a second massive fail for Cryptic.

But hey, at least now I don't need to buy a high end computer to play. But I was so looking forward to that great character creator program... :(

ryoken

01-31-2010, 12:29 PM

Im guessing this guy is hitting the nail on the head:

http://www.pvponline.com/comics/pvp20100129.png

Richard Dickson

01-31-2010, 01:04 PM

I hear the headstart has been having some server issues.

Jacob Singer

01-31-2010, 04:15 PM

I couldn't get on at all on Friday. Haven't bothered since then.

Reasor

02-03-2010, 11:50 AM

On launch day, Cryptic began offering the option of Klingon and Ferengi crew members for your Federation vessel on their online store. As in, sold separately. The Klingons cost more, presumably because they have better stats.

The same day, Blizzard announced that they're working on a iPhone app that will let you access the auction houses in WoW while you're away from the computer. The ability to work the AH to your advantage from your phone will also be a premium service, above and beyond your usual subscription.

And so the slope gets slipperier. Now that they know customers will shell out for cosmetic items that don't impact gameplay, two developers of subscription based games are flirting with the RMT model by selling goods and services that can give you a competitive edge in a multiplayer environment.

I think I'm done with MMOs. At least with single player game DLC, I'm getting additional content that extends the life of the game instead of playing "keep up with the Joneses."

Brad Millette

02-03-2010, 11:59 AM

I really doubt the AH app is going to have any significant in-game impact on people that don't have it.

MrTyres

02-03-2010, 12:00 PM

I preordered this. I played in Beta. For an opening day, I played most of yesterday and never once had an issue. I am playing on a midgrade laptop, and after playing with the graphics, the game works smoothly (surprisingly, space is not a graphics issue, Ground missions are). I debated returning my preorder, as I am still worried about the long term, but overall, the game looks and works ten times better than Beta.

Which has me wondering... what was the point of Beta? Preview? Because the graphics are different, the gameplay much smoother, and all the kinks I had a week ago, non-existent. I play LOTRO as well, so I am going to have to balance 2 MMOs. But unless I see something crazy cool, this one will fall by the wayside when the Old Republic comes out.

Cigam Retah

02-03-2010, 12:00 PM

Judas Booth

02-03-2010, 12:07 PM

So, how's the game manual for it? Did Cryptic learn from Champions Online and at least include SOMETHING with the installation discs to explain how to play the game?

MrTyres

02-03-2010, 12:21 PM

There is a manual online. STO Manual (http://www.startrekonline.com/manual) There is a shocking amount of 'discovery' in what equipment does. Increase to weapons makes sense. Increase to Power makes sense. Increase to photonic theory...does what again? (Before you think Photon torpedoes, think again. It has something to do with holograms. I am still not sure when or where I would use such a device.)

But... some of the racial skills make no sense because I don't know how often something like that happens. For example, Bolian Corrosive Blood: +20% Toxic resistance, deals Toxic damage when bitten. How often am I going to get bitten?? Is that something I want? What deals Toxic damage? None of those questions I can answer.

Bridge officers are another exploration issue. I can see myself getting half way into the game and realizing I have majorly screwed something up and either rerolling (only 3 character slots) or spending a lot of time reworking my Officers.

Brad Millette

02-03-2010, 12:25 PM

hahaha that corrosive blood sounds useful if you ever encounter an outer space Pac-Man.

Richard Dickson

02-03-2010, 12:30 PM

On launch day, Cryptic began offering the option of Klingon and Ferengi crew members for your Federation vessel on their online store. As in, sold separately. The Klingons cost more, presumably because they have better stats.

The same day, Blizzard announced that they're working on a iPhone app that will let you access the auction houses in WoW while you're away from the computer. The ability to work the AH to your advantage from your phone will also be a premium service, above and beyond your usual subscription.

Like Brad said, your average WoW player isn't sitting in the auction house 24-7. Letting someone pay for the ability to work the AH away from the game isn't a huge advantage for the most part.

Now, making you pay extra to have Klingons in a Star Trek game? That sounds kind of fishy to me. I can understand Ferengi or some other less well-known race, but Klingons? That's a major part of Trek lore there.

Brad Millette

02-03-2010, 12:35 PM

I still don't get where the whole thing fits in with Trek.. gah.. continuity? Why are the Klingons and Federation separate at all?

Cigam Retah

02-03-2010, 02:02 PM

I still don't get where the whole thing fits in with Trek.. gah.. continuity? Why are the Klingons and Federation separate at all?

This is post-Nemesis, original universe, right? Other than a few passing mentions in the early TNG episodes, the Klingon Empire maintained a seperate governing body and military apart from their Federation allies. Worf was unique in that he was a Klingon orphan adopted by human parents, raised in Russia of all places (too bad they didn't have him speak like Pavel).

Dr Vivisector

02-03-2010, 04:40 PM

This is post-Nemesis, original universe, right? Other than a few passing mentions in the early TNG episodes, the Klingon Empire maintained a seperate governing body and military apart from their Federation allies. Worf was unique in that he was a Klingon orphan adopted by human parents, raised in Russia of all places (too bad they didn't have him speak like Pavel).

It's thirty years post Nemesis. They've got the entire timeline worked out....

Excuse my ignorance of most things MMO wise, but what's this Auction house thing everyone is talking about.

They're selling in-game stuff for real money?

Brad Millette

02-03-2010, 04:45 PM

No, selling in-game stuff for in-game money. Each city in WoW has an auction house where you can put up items and other players can buy them for in-game currency.

MrTyres

02-03-2010, 06:57 PM

The timeline works out. Post DS9, there is relative peace, but Klingons being Klingons, there is always something ready to push them into a war state soon enough. While microtransactions make me squeamish, here I think its okay. Ferengi and Klingons are not naturally in the Federation. Nog is unique and so is Worf. If you don't mind paying for the luxury, then I don't mind you having it. From what I can tell being a Klingon Federation officer won't empower any more than another race. I mean... do Klingons have toxic blood? :D

Jacob Singer

02-04-2010, 09:34 AM

Got a few hours in on this last night, and all in all I'm having fun with it. Only a level 5 Science Officer, but I've found some decent loot and the space battles are right up my alley. The ground-based stuff is pretty uninspired though, and I always moan a little when I have to beam down to a planet. Dunno how long I'll stick with it, but for now, it's ok.

Brad Millette

02-05-2010, 07:52 AM

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-trek-online-review

Sounds like another poor start for Cryptic.

Jacob Singer

02-06-2010, 10:41 AM

They have to fix these away missions where there is a lot of indoor combat. Kicks me to desktop almost every time, and then when you restart the fucking thing it has to verify your files all over again. Christ.

On the (rare) upside, got into a major fleet battle around Starbase 24 this morning and it was fucking amazing.