1 – Ground combat in Star Trek? Please explain how this meshes with the Star Trek universe as created by Gene Roddenberry? Yes, there were scenes in the TV series & movies that featured such events, but they are not supposed to be the norm bc of the prime directive. Is there always a boss at the end or are these quests that lead to other quests or revelations (like beaming down to a planet, using stealth (or blending in) so as not to get noticed by the local/natives, acquiring some device that will lead the player to uncover some nefarious plot against the Federation)?

1a – Could you explain exactly how ground combat works? What is the max amount of players allowed in a single Away Team? Since every player is a Captain, how do you group up (it would be sad/funny if the party wiped and all the captains for the ships died) or can players select different avatars to play as in ground mode?

2 – Space combat with one person controlling one ship? That must suck for the Federation that every ship in their fleet had their Captain die and the player takes over. Also, one player per ship? OK, I can see how that might be fine (considering how players are online); however, wouldn’t it be better if the game allowed players to actually role play (there is a RPG after the MMO part)? For example: one person gets to be the captain and other players (say like in a guild or even random pug) take over the other stations. I think having this option would gell more into the ST universe than one player per ship

3 – Finally, how do players interact when they are not in combat? Is there a hub (space station) or maybe friendly planets where players can meet up (say like Quarks or Earth)? Can players hail each other in space as they pass by? Basically, explain the social aspect plz.

Can’t say that I agree with the review. I was in the beta from October of last year, and found it to be as shallow as Cryptic’s other games.

The “Star Trek” part of the game feels tacked on and superficial. The ship to ship combat quickly becomes stale, and the ground combat never even makes it out of the gate.

Granted, it’s only my opinion, but it’s my feeling that no real Star Trek fan is going to be singing this games praises.

OmegaBob
1-Yes, there is ground combat in Star Trek Online. This meshes with the Star Trek universe that was created by Gene Roddenberry. It does this by staying in the “prime” reality where Spock and Nero disappeared where life goes on. There is not always a boss after the end of quests. Sometimes the quests lead to other quests and other revelations.
1a-The ground combat works like most MMORPGs today like skill bar on the bottom, mini-map, quest log, and so on. The max amount of players allowed in a single away team is 5 (including you). Yes ever player is a captain. You group up with other captains and if you get wiped out it you will re-spawn like in every other MMORPG (it is not hardcore mode). I don’t think it is sad/funny if all the captains died because it is a MMORPG. Like in World of Warcraft you can kill Thrall and he will re-spawn.
2-Yes, space combat is with one person controlling one ship. I do think it would be better if it allowed multiple people control each ship such as one weapons, one defense, and one movement. Yes, there is a RPG after MMO. The role you are playing is a captain in the Star Trek universe.
3-Players interact when they are not in combat like every other MMORPG through a chat box. There are hubs like space stations where friendly planets can meet up. Players can hail each other in space as they pass by through a chat box.

dnsbubba

It is a preview not a review.

Patrick

Regardless, my opinion stands.

Thanks for clarifying! The gameplay makes alot more snese now.

Sadly, this game sounds very lame. MMO? Seriously? Sorry but space battles & ground combat were NOT what Gene Roddenberry envisioned in Star Trek. Yes, they DID happen, but it wasn’t the point – discovery, knowledge & wonder was what was the point.

That said, like repeating bosses/quests, action, gameplay & social interaction are what draw people to MMOs, so even if I accept that… it makes absolutely no sense as to why 5 starship captains would venture down on an Away Team mission. Does Starfleet actually have the resources to send FIVE SHIPS with HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE to X-region of space or X-planet just to have the FIVE CAPTAINS risk their lives as well as the lives of the HUNDREDS go on some wild goose chase? Basically, the grouping system sounds horrendous.

Not that I wanted to do a WoW comparison, but since YOU brought it up, the player characters in WoW are not anyone of importance -they are not in command of hundreds of people (again, which one questions why the captain would go down and not one of the hundreds of other people).

As for the social aspect of it – it doesnt sound like there is anything to do but chat at the neutral/friendly hubs. If anything, the game sounds more like Guild Wars than a true MMO.

Omegabob

How would you know what Gene Roddenberry would envision if he lived in the age of online computer games and MMORPGs? Maybe he would make a game with a lot of ground battles and space battles set in the Star Trek universe you will never know but only assume.

When you take Star Trek and put it into the massive multiplayer online role playing game format a lot of things are not going to make sense. The reason I brought up World of Warcraft is because it makes as much sense as Star Trek online if you nitpick all details and a lot of people enjoy playing World of Warcraft. Of course sending 5 captains to the surface of a planet is not going to make any sense.

Also I am going to send you a copy of STO with 3 months of subscription so you can play. I just need your address.

He DID live to the age of online computer games… in his own show. Although he got the boot after the first movie (reduced to ‘consultant’) he was 100% responsible for the first few seasons of STTNG, which had a holodeck.

One thing one should note about WoW: unlike other games, WoW now features zoned gameplay for certain quest events (the exact term isn’t coming to me, but thats essentially desribes it). For example: major events within quest chains can cause a change to the enviroment around the player; however, until the players completes the quest, the enviroment will remain as is – even though there could eb a good chance that it looks completely different to other players. Why do I bring this up? This is an prime example of a MMO trying to change the status quo.

I have been debating on purchasing or not. I even considered the lifetime membership but ultimately decided against it. I really like the space combat and the different environments (Destroyed moon with lots of debris my favorite) but in the end I feel that Nexus: the Jupiter Incident did it better with a better feeling of 360 maneuvering of the ships. The ships in the game can’t even move straight up or down. To be honest the space portion would make a good single player and MP game but as an MMO…. questionable.

Planet-side missions range from base exploration to sections of a planet. While the environments look nice it feels stagnant. Maybe you will see some bugs fluttering about but on the whole there is no life, at least in the Beta. I also found the AI to be questionable at best.

One thing I did find interesting is that the forum had a section added for a few hours but then was removed. It was on modding the game. This begs to ask is this MMO moddable and what are the ramifications? Stand alone servers? Single Player support?

I may give it a try later but as a released package I will hold out a little and see how things go.

re: modding – I could be wrong, but the modding could have involved user created UI mods. Maybe the reason that forum section was taken down was bc they don’t want players to mod the UI until the retail version hits?

If it’s not about the UI, then that IS crazy, unless its just replacing one texture with another, then the only person who would see the change would be the player with the mod? I’ma sure they don’t want this option.

re: lifetime membership – bah! No matter what they claim now, they WILL offer it again. Like say a year from now & if the game is mildly successful – they will offer it again. LOTRO did.

You may be right on both accounts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi5mj6-CUiY

@ Patrick: skip to around 5:02 min

Omegabob,

I assume this was about sending over the captain to an enemy ship rather than one of the other crew. Who cares if the captain goes over to an enemy ship? It gives the guys second in command a chance to be captain and if the captain dies on the away team then the second in command person always gets what he wanted, to be captain. It helps them pick up exotic aliens at space bars when they say they are captains rather than number 2’s. I personally would want to have the captain be on an away team if I was second in command because if I get the chance to play captain for a bit. I can get on a power trip and boss people around. So in the end it is great that captains are on the away team because that is what Starfleet wants them to do.

Ok. So…what about interacting with your own crew on your ship? Like in an RPG. Or going to your quarters? Or being able to spend time doing this while at warp from point to point. The original plan for this game before Cryptic was given the contract (there was another Software company developing it at first) was to make this like the show…resembling Trek story lines. Exploration…interaction in the Trek universe with other characters as well as crew members – with the ability to make the choice to be in an environment (space station, earth, planets, your ship) or involved in action (battles, discovery…etc). So…what happened? Paramount ultimately had control of this. It seems like they took the basic model for all games with battles, levels and bosses and dressed it in a star fleet uniform and gave it a tricorder. Disappointing.