There's already a thread over in the Champions Online forum, but I thought I'd start one here. Mainly because I have little to no interest in Champions.

I got this email last night:

Limited Champions Subscription Deals!
August 5, 2009

We at Cryptic Studios and Atari are excited to announce our Champions Online six-month and lifetime subscription plans. Players who sign up for our long-term subscriptions will receive special perks, including eight additional character slots, special costume sets and guaranteed access to the Star Trek Online closed beta!

"Beyond the deep discount on the subscription rates, we wanted to come up with added incentives and exclusives that, as gamers, we could get excited about," said Jack Emmert, Cryptic Studios' Chief Operating Officer. "With an early commitment to Champions Online, granting guaranteed early access to our next big game, Star Trek Online, seemed like a great way to engage Cryptic’s biggest fans in other projects at the studio.”

Here are the great features our loyal customers will receive.

Discounted Lifetime Subscription

* Guaranteed Star Trek Online Closed Beta Access
* Eight Additional Character Slots
* Foxbat Vanity Pet
* Art Deco Costume Set
* Retro Future Costume Set
* STO Mirror Universe Costume Set

Discounted Six-month Subscription

* Guaranteed Star Trek Online closed beta access
* Retro Future Costume Set

Don’t miss out on these great deals! You can purchase your subscriptions now!

Discounted Lifetime Subscription
$199.99 USD $219.99 CAN £119.99 GBP €147.99 EUR

Discounted Six-month Subscription
$59.99 USD $65.99 CAN £35.99 GBP €44.99 EUR

Now I have to decide if closed beta access and a Mirror Universe costume are worth $200 since I won't actually be playing Champions...

I wouldn't do it. I have no idea if I will like the game when it is released nor do I know if I'll like it 3-6 months down the road.

Originally posted by themilton

Now I have to decide if closed beta access and a Mirror Universe costume are worth $200 since I won't actually be playing Champions...

PffffffffT! Forget that!

I agree with you, Champions blows. There is no way in hell that getting into the beta test of STO is worth $200. I still think there is only a 50/50 chance this game will be any good anyway. And even if it does turn out good there is no way it will be $200 beta good. Use that $200 to buy some other MMO (I suggest Global Agenda) which can keep you entertained until STO is launched.

Or $200 worth of Slim Jims, whichever sounds better to you.

Don't worry, there will be plenty of costumes for you to purchase on STO cryptic bucks store.

Also, don't forget that preordering STO should probably give you beta access too...

It's not really financially smart to purchase a game because you want extras for another game...

I deff would not pay that money for Champions just to get STO beta. I really want to try STO but thats a waste on Champions because its just no good.

Really smart idea on their part though. Obviously there is a bigger crowd for STO so, trick the people who have disposable income into paying for a game they won't play just to play the one they want to play, early. Tricky, but smart ;)

A resounding no! Don't ever pay real money for something that you know so little about. Look, I'm a huge Trekkie and I'm looking forward to STO with great anticipation but no game is worth betting 200 bucks on when we really don't know if they have screwed the pooch on it or not yet. It's just too early to tell if STO will be worth even $50 bucks plus $15 bucks a month at this point. Save your money or use it for something else in the mean time.

Bren

Originally posted by Djfusion

Really smart idea on [Cryptic's] part though. Obviously there is a bigger crowd for STO so, trick the people who have disposable income into paying for a game they won't play just to play the one they want to play, early. Tricky, but smart ;)

It is also interesting that Cryptic is offering this deal NOW when Champions Online is still a month away from release. Perhaps they know that people will be even less willing to give them money after the release of CO when we see what their game actually has to offer (which I suspect is less than what fans are looking for).

Game devlopers love to offer these long term investment type of offers when they know that their future isn't looking so bright. Reminds me of how the developers of Dark and Light tried to sell access to their beta test by calling it a "pre-release" of the game, but everything went to hell shortly after that when we all got the first look at what kind of condition the game was in and we discovered that it was crap. These "no beta without a purchase/pre-order" deals are always shady business.

I may have been overly generous in my last post when I said that STO had a 50/50 chance for success. In light of new evidence I would like to change my prediction to only a 25% chance for success.

Originally posted by Raltar

Originally posted by Djfusion

Really smart idea on [Cryptic's] part though. Obviously there is a bigger crowd for STO so, trick the people who have disposable income into paying for a game they won't play just to play the one they want to play, early. Tricky, but smart ;)

 

It is also interesting that Cryptic is offering this deal NOW when Champions Online is still a month away from release. Perhaps they know that people will be even less willing to give them money after the release of CO when we see what their game actually has to offer (which I suspect is less than what fans are looking for).

Game devlopers love to offer these long term investment type of offers when they know that their future isn't looking so bright. Reminds me of how the developers of Dark and Light tried to sell access to their beta test by calling it a "pre-release" of the game, but everything went to hell shortly after that when we all got the first look at what kind of condition the game was in and we discovered that it was crap. These "no beta without a purchase/pre-order" deals are always shady business.

I may have been overly generous in my last post when I said that STO had a 50/50 chance for success. In light of new evidence I would like to change my prediction to only a 25% chance for success.

And where or when did they ever say that about CO or STO? Link please.

Bren

Originally posted by Raltar

Originally posted by Djfusion

Really smart idea on [Cryptic's] part though. Obviously there is a bigger crowd for STO so, trick the people who have disposable income into paying for a game they won't play just to play the one they want to play, early. Tricky, but smart ;)

 

It is also interesting that Cryptic is offering this deal NOW when Champions Online is still a month away from release. Perhaps they know that people will be even less willing to give them money after the release of CO when we see what their game actually has to offer (which I suspect is less than what fans are looking for).

Game devlopers love to offer these long term investment type of offers when they know that their future isn't looking so bright. Reminds me of how the developers of Dark and Light tried to sell access to their beta test by calling it a "pre-release" of the game, but everything went to hell shortly after that when we all got the first look at what kind of condition the game was in and we discovered that it was crap. These "no beta without a purchase/pre-order" deals are always shady business.

I may have been overly generous in my last post when I said that STO had a 50/50 chance for success. In light of new evidence I would like to change my prediction to only a 25% chance for success.

I'm in closed beta without a purchase or pre-order. Gathering facts before you try and make an "informed" post is usually helpful.

Originally posted by Ranyr

 Gathering facts before you try and make an "informed" post is usually helpful.

Not being an insulting ass is usually helpful as well.

In reply to Brenelael's question: They haven't said it (yet) nor did I ever suggest that they did. If you read what I posted closely you would see that the entire paragraph where I mentioned "beta=pre-order" deals was about a DIFFERENT GAME called Dark and Light. Do some research on their "Pioneer's of Garenth" (it had some retarded name like that) scam and you will see exactly what I am talking about.

I think its pretty clear from what I said that the point I'm attempting to make here is that when a game developer uses beta testing as a way to lure you into making a long-term commitment to the game it is usually a scam. It seems like the majority of posters in this thread were in agreement with that opinion... until certain individuals had to resort to hurling insults.

Originally posted by Raltar

Originally posted by Ranyr

 Gathering facts before you try and make an "informed" post is usually helpful.

 

Not being an insulting ass is usually helpful as well.

In reply to Brenelael's question: They haven't said it (yet) nor did I ever suggest that they did. If you read what I posted closely you would see that the entire paragraph where I mentioned "beta=pre-order" deals was about a DIFFERENT GAME called Dark and Light. Do some research on their "Pioneer's of Garenth" (it had some retarded name like that) scam and you will see exactly what I am talking about.

I think its pretty clear from what I said that the point I'm attempting to make here is that when a game developer uses beta testing as a way to lure you into making a long-term commitment to the game it is usually a scam. It seems like the majority of posters in this thread were in agreement with that opinion... until certain individuals had to resort to hurling insults.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be an ass I had just never seen them say anything like that and if you had I just wanted to know where and when you had seen it. This is the only reason I asked for a link. I know you were referring to D&L in that paragraph but the way you worded that sentence it seemed like you were inferring that STO or CO was doing the same thing. As I said there was no malice intended by my question so if you took it that way... sorry.

As I said in my first post in this thread I think that it's never a good idea to pony up any cash for a game you know virtually nothing about. On that point we are in total agreement.

Edit: Oh and just because a company offers a long term sub rate before launch doesn't automatically make it a scam. LotRO did this and even though the game wasn't for everyone(I personally hated it) it definitely wasn't a scam by any means as the game has been somewhat successful. A gamble yes but a scam? no. Would I personally buy a long term commitment to a MMO? No way in hell. I've played enough MMOs to know that paying for more than 30 days is never a good Idea as you never know how you'll feel about a game from month to month. I've played many MMOs that I thought were great at first but lost interest after a month or two. Long term commitments to MMOs are never a good idea even if you think the game is the greatest game ever at the time you make the commitment.

Bren

Originally posted by Brenelael

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be an ass I had just never seen them say anything like that and if you had I just wanted to know where and when you had seen it. This is the only reason I asked for a link.

Don't worry about it. The "ass" remark wasn't directed at you, it was directed at someone else. You were asking a legitimate clarification question about what I said and if it had stopped at that I would have simply better explained my statement to clear up any confusion. However after you made your post, that "other guy" (who shall remain nameless) had to make a run at being Me-Too by adding an insult onto the end of your question. Some people see a situation like that as a chance to get a free punch in on somebody thinking the tide of the forum will turn aginst that person and they won't ever get a chance to strike back. I had to make sure he knew that wasn't going to be the case here.

I should point out that the discounted six-month Champions subscription only costs $60, and also includes STO beta access as a reward... so technically, you'd only have to pay $60, not the $200 everyone has been throwing around (unless you really want lifetime access).

That's just a nitpick, though. It would still be a gamble, a potential waste of money, and I for one sure as Hell wouldn't pre-pay for six months of a Champions sub before the game even releases, STO closed beta invite notwithstanding.

Actually, I'd do it on the condition that Cryptic guarantees a refund in the event that Champions turns out to suck donkey balls once it's released — which is a hilarious concept, isn't it? Yeah, that ain't happenin'. Our entire gaming industry revolves around people just being straight-up screwed if they buy a game that sucks goat nuts, so the wise gamer now waits patiently and bides his time before investing.

Not that a company will ever admit that their game is terrible in any event, which is why such refunds aren't even within the realm of possibility.

And for God's sake people, stop buying the Collector's Editions of these MMORPGs. If the game turns out to suck horse testicles, you'll be filled with far more regret than the joy you previously felt at receiving an art book and a special in-game hairdo.

http://www.champions-online.com/exclusive_specials

Yeah, while I loved the Champions Pen and Paper RPG I'm not that interested in the MMO.  So why pay $60 for a beta when I still haven't even pre-ordered AION for a beta of it? 

Honestly though how much crossover is there between Trekkies who play MMO's and Comic book MMO players to warrent this offer?