Originally posted by raistalin69

Originally posted by buegur

To get back on subject about why you might like the game, here is some reasons why I like the game:

1. Bridge crews that can be trained to perform tasks differently from others.  Really helps with making every crew different.  I for one was glad they didn't chose the player option for manning crews.

2. Ships that have different purposes adds to the spice of life and gives you that many more choices to chose from. The many choices to outfit your ship makes every ship a bit different.  The skills you select make that much more difference. The limited visual customization is necessary in my view as it would be difficult to determine what type of ship your fighting if there was unlimited customization.  There are enough options to chose from including colors (from yellow,blues,reds,greens etc) for detailing.

sorry but 3 ship types? if this were a fantasy genre its the equivalant of have fighter/mage and priest. thats not variety, and thats not a selling point.

3.  The variety of things you can do including Exporation, Questing, Diplomacy, Aiding the planets, Fleet defense of star bases, Aggresive NPC fleet/monster encounters in space, Ground missions, PvP , keep things from becoming stale. 

exploration- horrible system panned by critics and players.....questing- extremely reptitive, as pointed out by fans and critics.....ground missions- bad system panned by critics and players... pvp- pointless and repetitive according to fans and critics....

keeps things from getting stale- different game, sto is extrememly repetitive and gets stale fast (especially true at end game)

4.  I like the main questing missions such as the portal back in time one that has you aid the Enterprise of Kirks time.  Was a really nice touch to hear Spock say he was familiar with time travel!

allthough there are a few good missions, the good missions get lost in the abundance of repetitive boring ones

5. I like the different ground combat skills and how well the Bridge crew aids in the ground combat without me having to order them around.  Many people short change themselves on ground combat skills and die repeatably especially in PvP ground combat.  Many of the ground combat group missions are a blast if you have any skills!

ground combat is seen as the worst part of this game by many, and your right (other than pvp) its extremely easy... therefore boring

6.  The new casual wear adds a bit of flair and helps in the social aspect of the game.  Now liven up the bar!

if uniforms make the game better for you thats cool, but ive never played an mmo so i can dress up my dolly.

7.    I like the new interiors and the fact you can put your trophies in them.  Can't wait to see what they do to add more functionality to them.

considering cryptic cant even sort out getting your captain to sit in his/her chair... be prepared for a very very long wait.

8.  PvP is fun and varied, would like it to have more affect on the world.

pvp is fun, for about an hour... then its just repetitive and meaningless.

 

I approve of this message.

(Sorry, political ads on the TV)

Originally posted by Zap-Robo

Well, I knew trying to start a STO positive thread on MMORPG.com was a long shot, thought everyone could keep the positive in one thread, negative in another and allow people to compare and contrast the two.

I truly recommend that people come to their own conclusions about any game and not believe the hype or hatred.

I'm not claiming that Cryptic have made a perfect game, and yes, I know the general community here seems to be one of outright hostility to the product that they've put out into the market. But... it's here, and you know what? I find it fun despite it's flaws!

Some of the negativity here I agree with, some I think is over-reaction, and some I reckon that the poster had their kittens murdered by Cryptic employees.

Thanks for taking what was hoped to be a constructive post and turn it into yet another whinefest! /flameon

 Honestly this post by you was on the second page of your post and I don't think you had one single person able or willing to come in and cosign on your good feelings.  I'm not against you having them but truth be told without some of the rather honest opinions you got your thread would have been buried.

As another poster stated you are a lifer and have a vested interest in cheerleading for this rather shallow game that is dripping in question marks even around the features you tout in a similar faction to a back of the box bullet point.

I don't know you just seem like the one viet kong still running around the jungles thinking there is a war to fight,  it's over this game is going to at the most remain in a niche that will leave you always wishing there were more people to play with but in your defense I do say glad you enjoy STO hope you continue to enjoy STO hope they continue to add content and maybe in a year they can be somewhere around where it should have been at launch, but lastly and with guilt I hope you continue to suffer there in relative silence as far as that games population goes and maybe we can see someone with a pulse on the mmo community running Cryptic and STO.

Zap,

In an earlier post you said that people should come up with their own conclusions and thats right to an extent but...  Informed consumers read reviews of products and factor that in before making a purchase.  The reviews of STO average a 6 out of 10 and thats not from haters, thats from magazine and gaming sites, NOT people who hate Cryptic.  There is a reason the game has earned the 60% score and it is NOT because everyone hates Cryptic.

The game has issues, real issues.  Cryptics business model has issues and so does their level of game development.  These guys have put out two MMO's and one was based on a top 5 IP and both the games have less than 100k in subs according to MMOdata.com.  Sub-100k in subs is NOT a successful game.  I dont understand how you can ask people to purchase the game to make an opinion when the reviews and most of the players have already made it clear the game is not that good.  Do you honestly feel people should ignore the large amount of data that indicates the game is not very good?

I feel you homie, I'm a lifer too.  I was very busy at work and did not have time to play more than a few hours of beta so I took the chance.  I rolled the dice and I lost.  Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.  The day I purchased my lifetime sub, the bear ate me. 

Originally posted by Talonsin

Zap,

 

In an earlier post you said that people should come up with their own conclusions and thats right to an extent but...  Informed consumers read reviews of products and factor that in before making a purchase.  The reviews of STO average a 6 out of 10 and thats not from haters, thats from magazine and gaming sites, NOT people who hate Cryptic.  There is a reason the game has earned the 60% score and it is NOT because everyone hates Cryptic.

 

The game has issues, real issues.  Cryptics business model has issues and so does their level of game development.  These guys have put out two MMO's and one was based on a top 5 IP and both the games have less than 100k in subs according to MMOdata.com.  Sub-100k in subs is NOT a successful game.  I dont understand how you can ask people to purchase the game to make an opinion when the reviews and most of the players have already made it clear the game is not that good.  Do you honestly feel people should ignore the large amount of data that indicates the game is not very good?

 

I feel you homie, I'm a lifer too.  I was very busy at work and did not have time to play more than a few hours of beta so I took the chance.  I rolled the dice and I lost.  Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.  The day I purchased my lifetime sub, the bear ate me. 

Well, I have enjoyed a lot of game with bad reviews and dislike games rated as 9 or even 10. That's the reason I am not paying attention to magazine or sites ratings, I don't want to feel like a sheep. They are often made by gamers with similar taste, that not necesarily will be the same of other people, including myself. That's the reason for trials, free demos, etc.

I could say that every p2p mmo under 1M (who decides the magic number?) is a failure so that leave us with ...

Yes, I encourage people try things by themselves (unless is really harmful like poison) so they can decide on its particular case and not being a sheep that depend on ratings.

Originally posted by Talonsin

Zap,

 

In an earlier post you said that people should come up with their own conclusions and thats right to an extent but...  Informed consumers read reviews of products and factor that in before making a purchase.  The reviews of STO average a 6 out of 10 and thats not from haters, thats from magazine and gaming sites, NOT people who hate Cryptic.  There is a reason the game has earned the 60% score and it is NOT because everyone hates Cryptic.

 

The game has issues, real issues.  Cryptics business model has issues and so does their level of game development.  These guys have put out two MMO's and one was based on a top 5 IP and both the games have less than 100k in subs according to MMOdata.com.  Sub-100k in subs is NOT a successful game.  I dont understand how you can ask people to purchase the game to make an opinion when the reviews and most of the players have already made it clear the game is not that good.  Do you honestly feel people should ignore the large amount of data that indicates the game is not very good?

 

I feel you homie, I'm a lifer too.  I was very busy at work and did not have time to play more than a few hours of beta so I took the chance.  I rolled the dice and I lost.  Some days you eat the bear and some days the bear eats you.  The day I purchased my lifetime sub, the bear ate me. 

 I'm going to agree with Zap and argue against your first paragraph. This is because people enjoy different things. They should, if interested in STO or any other game get the trial and see for yourself no matter what forums, reviews say about the game. Millions of people play WoW I couldn't get into it. I very much enjoyed Tabula Rasa and there is a lot of people who did not. Doesn't make either game bad because people's taste vary. What a majority may find bad you may enjoy. So even if the critics, forums and what not tell you STO is bad you may like it.

I've said it a million times if you go by the forums on this site you wouldn't be playing any game. A bad review never stopped me from trying a game out to see for myself if I liked it. Even if a game closes like TR my time in the game was fun and I enjoyed it. Worth the money I spent on it.

If you are unsure about a game at release wait for a free trial. Several different modes to explore and try out a game and judge for yourself. Make decision by yourself, that's my opinion.

There will be people that like STO, there are people into everything but statistically speaking, the chances are the average person will not like this game.  I base that on the low sub numbers (in the bottom 10% according to MMOdata.com) and the universally poor reviews. 

Maybe it would be a better approach if you guys listed the things you like about the game and put a disclaimer in to warn people of portions you feel are not up to par?  Something like, if you like PvE ship combat its very fun for me but dont expect much from the crafting or Klingon faction.  I think a lot of the trolling/attacking is based on both sides only focusing on their view and not being honest about the entire content.  If the fans conceeded that the game has some serious issues and the haters conceeded that some parts were ok, the world of forums would be a more useful place.

The game does have some fun content, I really enjoyed some of the episodes but it didnt have anything else to hold me.

Originally posted by Talonsin

There will be people that like STO, there are people into everything but statistically speaking, the chances are the average person will not like this game.  I base that on the low sub numbers (in the bottom 10% according to MMOdata.com) and the universally poor reviews. 

 

Maybe it would be a better approach if you guys listed the things you like about the game and put a disclaimer in to warn people of portions you feel are not up to par?  Something like, if you like PvE ship combat its very fun for me but dont expect much from the crafting or Klingon faction.  I think a lot of the trolling/attacking is based on both sides only focusing on their view and not being honest about the entire content.  If the fans conceeded that the game has some serious issues and the haters conceeded that some parts were ok, the world of forums would be a more useful place.

 

The game does have some fun content, I really enjoyed some of the episodes but it didnt have anything else to hold me.

 allthough i myself have suggested this, it just doesnt work. the only thing most people agree is decent about sto is the graphics, and that space combat is not bad for a while.

but there really is not much positive to say about the game tbh. crafting/exploration/ground combat/content/klingon faction/sector space  are all in need of major overhauls or work. this is essentially the entire game, without even getting into the c-store issues.

its why my sig is what it is, because people who come here and try to defend sto inevitably ending up hurling insults rather than making a reasonable argument. they just dont have anything to argue about. (if you disagree with this i suggest you read the recent posts from dstahl and jack "doesnt get it" emmeret about the quality of the game and where the company is headed with neverwinter)

about the only argument you actually can make for the game that can not be seriously refuted is "i enjoy the game". this would be a very very valid selling point if it was shared by a large amount of people, but it just is not (taking into account the size of the market it is aimed at).

Originally posted by Talonsin

There will be people that like STO, there are people into everything but statistically speaking, the chances are the average person will not like this game.  I base that on the low sub numbers (in the bottom 10% according to MMOdata.com) and the universally poor reviews. 

 

Maybe it would be a better approach if you guys listed the things you like about the game and put a disclaimer in to warn people of portions you feel are not up to par?  Something like, if you like PvE ship combat its very fun for me but dont expect much from the crafting or Klingon faction.  I think a lot of the trolling/attacking is based on both sides only focusing on their view and not being honest about the entire content.  If the fans conceeded that the game has some serious issues and the haters conceeded that some parts were ok, the world of forums would be a more useful place.

 

The game does have some fun content, I really enjoyed some of the episodes but it didnt have anything else to hold me.

 A person shouldn't care if statistically speaking the chances are the average person will not like this game. Then it comes into question am I the average person? If you need your hand held in making a decision into trying a game because reviews are bad, forums are bad, or low population then you are missing quite a lot in my opinion. This does not only apply to STO, but to any game.

I disagree that it would be a better approach to list what I like about the game or to warn about certain things. Am I discouraging anyone from posting their opinion? Absolutely not. My argument is you shouldn't view that opinion as something that keeps you from trying the game or any game. No matter if it is positive or negative. Anything I list as a postive in STO or any game can easily be countered by someone else. What I find fun about the game someone out there will not. The only way to find out if the game is fun is to try it. Yes the trial is limited I know this. Use your own judgement if you try the trial and like it and decide to purchase.

Every game on these forums has issues some more than others. That shouldn't keep you from trying the game if you are interested, or any game.

If you like space combat, STO is a very "fun" game. If you also like ground based combat, that might be another story. If STO worth trying? Yes. Based upon recent updates and content added, there is far more to do in game then there was 3 to 6 months ago. Let's put it this way, if you haven't tried it yet do so. If you only played at launch, try it again.

Originally posted by raistalin69

Originally posted by Talonsin

There will be people that like STO, there are people into everything but statistically speaking, the chances are the average person will not like this game.  I base that on the low sub numbers (in the bottom 10% according to MMOdata.com) and the universally poor reviews. 

 

Maybe it would be a better approach if you guys listed the things you like about the game and put a disclaimer in to warn people of portions you feel are not up to par?  Something like, if you like PvE ship combat its very fun for me but dont expect much from the crafting or Klingon faction.  I think a lot of the trolling/attacking is based on both sides only focusing on their view and not being honest about the entire content.  If the fans conceeded that the game has some serious issues and the haters conceeded that some parts were ok, the world of forums would be a more useful place.

 

The game does have some fun content, I really enjoyed some of the episodes but it didnt have anything else to hold me.

 allthough i myself have suggested this, it just doesnt work. the only thing most people agree is decent about sto is the graphics, and that space combat is not bad for a while.

but there really is not much positive to say about the game tbh. crafting/exploration/ground combat/content/klingon faction/sector space  are all in need of major overhauls or work. this is essentially the entire game, without even getting into the c-store issues.

its why my sig is what it is, because people who come here and try to defend sto inevitably ending up hurling insults rather than making a reasonable argument. they just dont have anything to argue about. (if you disagree with this i suggest you read the recent posts from dstahl and jack "doesnt get it" emmeret about the quality of the game and where the company is headed with neverwinter)

about the only argument you actually can make for the game that can not be seriously refuted is "i enjoy the game". this would be a very very valid selling point if it was shared by a large amount of people, but it just is not (taking into account the size of the market it is aimed at).

Actually, I can see both sides doing their own share of insults. The argument of "I enjoying the game" is the only argument needed. As far as I know most people play games to have fun. If there are people playing STO who like it, then there could be other people with similar likes/dislikes that "surprisingly" like the game. As far as the "statistical" number, again Wow is about 20-40 times populated than the other p2p mmos. I could argue that Eve is just boring stars and trying to back it up by saying than  wow is about 30 time more populated so statistically most people consider wow a superior game over Eve, which is not even worth to try.

You might be surprised by the OP claim but it is not done to convice you or the other people who made their decision based on their experiece, is to encourage people who has not try it to get their own conclusions, could you argue against somebody taking advantage of a free weekend or trial, or if the person has some bucks to throw then just buy the game? I don't find any harm on that.

Originally posted by gandales

 

You might be surprised by the OP claim but it is not done to convice you or the other people who made their decision based on their experiece, is to encourage people who has not try it to get their own conclusions, could you argue against somebody taking advantage of a free weekend or trial, or if the person has some bucks to throw then just buy the game? I don't find any harm on that.

 i understand this, and i agree with you. people should come to their own conclusions, part of doing that is using these forums to find out what to expect, or just decide wether it is even worth the time to install a game and play it for a couple of days.

ill give you an example from my own experience:

i have been following MO off and on for a few months due to hearing it had some creative new ideas for gameplay and crafting. (both of which are true from what i have read). after doing a bit of reading about the game on these forums, i had second thoughts due to an overwhelmingly bad amount of posts about the game. yesterday after doing some more reading, i found a link to a post by a dev from the game where the dev openly admits the game is not polished is not going to be so for a very long time (its essentially a piad alpha/early beta)

am i interested in playing this game still.... no, not for at least a couple of years now. this is because i know what to expect. a half finished game is not worth the time to download and then play for a few days to figure out what i could discover by doing a few minutes of reading. is there people who say "i enjoy this game" when it comes to mo... yes. this doesnt change the fact that the game is bug ridden and incomplete... and me personally, im totally not interested in paying 15$ a month for a beta.

You should always try any game and make your own mind up despite reviews and especially what people say on forums, a very good personal example is EVE as many good friends from other games told me how bad it was and how it was "point and click excel in space" and other stuff and this was from people I knew and whose opinions I trusted and respected not just random people on forums.

I avoided the game for around two years until I finally decided I had to see for myself and I instantly fell in love with it, and while many of you will no doubt repost your opinions about STOs shortcomings I cannot see them as problems specific to STO as they are problems in MMOs in general.

Every MMO is repetitive and can be boring with an endless progression of quest after quest, can you honestly say that any are not? how is the game play in say WoW any different at a high level as when you first start out? you may have some extra abilities or better equipment and more HP or need a gang of people to deal enough damage or to heal each other but that's it, one scripted NPC AI is the same as another and while the immediate location might look different they share the same basic functioning of game mechanics as every other location.

Worse is the fact that not only MMOs repetitive internally they are repetitive across games as almost every release shares the same basic design concept, WoW is like Everquest, Age of Conan is like Warhammer online and so on.

I recently started playing STO casually as just an extra game to play, I like Star Trek and sometimes I do not have time for a four hour long EVE op or don't feel like going on a long roam and STO is perfect as a SF game I can pick and play for an hour and I am enjoying it in contrary to all of the negativity people direct towards it and I think many people expected to much from it like a huge free roaming world where you can beam down to every planet and then explore a huge free roaming landscape on that planet as well as wanting loads of diplomacy and themes from the show.

How they ever expected things like that I have no idea, no game ever has ever really manged to present non combat objectives in a game in any other way than talking to NPCs and selecting the appropriate dialogue responses or solving a puzzle.

So yes STO has its faults but many people expect far to much for any game to be able to achieve and be an interesting and exciting game.

Originally posted by Garkan

1. Worse is the fact that not only MMOs repetitive internally they are repetitive across games as almost every release shares the same basic design concept, WoW is like Everquest, Age of Conan is like Warhammer online and so on.

 

2. How they ever expected things like that I have no idea, no game ever has ever really manged to present non combat objectives in a game in any other way than talking to NPCs and selecting the appropriate dialogue responses or solving a puzzle.

 

3. So yes STO has its faults but many people expect far to much for any game to be able to achieve and be an interesting and exciting game.

I numbered your points for easier reference to my responses:

1. For the first issue: Yes, all MMOs have a repetitiveness to them. However most aren't as blatantly obvious about it, or as noticeable as early on, as Cryptic games.

2. For the second issue: It's not so much that they were expecting vastly different and innovative mechanics for diplomacy, though there are better ways of approaching it (i.e. multiple dialog choices that allow for different outcomes, such as SW:TOR is said to be doing), but rather people were wanting a greater number of missions for the Federation to be based on diplomacy (or exploration) instead of combat. I don't think that's asking for too much.

3. The problem is that Cryptic set many of those expectations themselves; the game at launch was definately not how they were advertising it to be, even up to launch and slightly afterwards. A good example fo this is that they game was billed as a AAA MMO, but is obviously only really suited towards casual play. That is why most of those who enjoy it seem to be casual players, with many falling into the ultra-casual category.

Originally posted by gandales

Actually, I can see both sides doing their own share of insults. The argument of "I enjoying the game" is the only argument needed. As far as I know most people play games to have fun. If there are people playing STO who like it, then there could be other people with similar likes/dislikes that "surprisingly" like the game. As far as the "statistical" number, again Wow is about 20-40 times populated than the other p2p mmos. I could argue that Eve is just boring stars and trying to back it up by saying than  wow is about 30 time more populated so statistically most people consider wow a superior game over Eve, which is not even worth to try.

You might be surprised by the OP claim but it is not done to convice you or the other people who made their decision based on their experiece, is to encourage people who has not try it to get their own conclusions, could you argue against somebody taking advantage of a free weekend or trial, or if the person has some bucks to throw then just buy the game? I don't find any harm on that.

 I agree with this 100%. You can go round and round on what parts you find fun in a game and someone else will find an argument why that is not fun. Stating I enjoy the game because I find it fun is in my opinion enough.

Originally posted by Dinendae

Originally posted by Scrogdog

Everyone is going to have a different idea of what's good for the game.  I have to tell you that some of the things that people are saying break immersion kinda stun me.

 

There's a topic on the forums right now that is many pages long about how the devs to chose to say "left" and "right" ratrher than "port" and "starboard".  There's another that talks about how one of your officers says "the ship is under attack" when in fact you attacked first.

 

Then, of course, you have those who complain that it feels like an SP game, then in the next breath they complain about what other players want!  

    Actually, that debate about port and starboard has been going on since beta (and probably before that). There are some people who wanted (and still want) STO to be a Star Trek Sims game. As for the "the ship is under attack" comment, when you start the fight (as always)? While it is a bit of a "Wait, what?" moment, anyone who finds that to be immersion breaking with all the other things that are more so are being a bit silly in my opinion. 

   As for the last point, I guess it depends on the conversation in question: There are many instances where the two statements are not mutually exclusive.

 You know what I thought about as far as the breaking of immersion especially as it applies to the text, I don't make it a point to complain about folks breaking the ip but what did bother me about STO as far as this subject was the fact that it was just so often.  Yes the port/starboard thing bothered me  too even more so when you consider whether you know it or not this consequensless game is the perfect place to learn it but take that in conjuction with the rest of the lifeless quest text and eronious reporting and it all adds up.

Again I'm not defending the practice of immersion whining but in STO's case I can see alot more cause for it than in other games I've heard these kind of complaints in.

Originally posted by bunnyhopper

No thanks, not even if you paid my sub.

     This is pretty much how I feel about it.  This says a lot since I've watched every episode of every ST show there ever was including the old cartoon show.  I also have read several books and own 2 out of 3 star trek pinball machines. 

     I can't think of a better insult to cryptic then to deny them a true fans money. 

Originally posted by jaxsundane

 You know what I thought about as far as the breaking of immersion especially as it applies to the text, I don't make it a point to complain about folks breaking the ip but what did bother me about STO as far as this subject was the fact that it was just so often.  Yes the port/starboard thing bothered me  too even more so when you consider whether you know it or not this consequensless game is the perfect place to learn it but take that in conjuction with the rest of the lifeless quest text and eronious reporting and it all adds up.

Again I'm not defending the practice of immersion whining but in STO's case I can see alot more cause for it than in other games I've heard these kind of complaints in.

   Oh there definately is cuase to complain about it; STO has many elements that feel like they just slapped a Star Trek skin on it and called it a day. Sure there a Star Trek references scattered around, but they seemed to be tossed in there randomly. With so many features that were half-assed in the game at launch, and many that still are today, I just find it a bit strange that the "we're under attack" NPC bit is the thing that breaks some people's immersion; in my mind, there are far too many more glaring immersion breakers in STO.

   As to the port/starboard thing? If I remember correctly, the excuse the STO devs gave for not using that was the same as the reason they gave for not having full 3D movement; the alpha testers had difficulties with it.

I came to believe that when Cryptic says that the Alpha testors had trouble or that something just can't be done is usually just an excuse for not wanting to do it.  I have yet to see someone who Alpha tested the game say they did not want 360 turns/loops or that they got motion sickness without all those rocks in every system or the game does not need ingame voice chat..

Originally posted by Garkan

You should always try any game and make your own mind up despite reviews and especially what people say on forums, a very good personal example is EVE as many good friends from other games told me how bad it was and how it was "point and click excel in space" and other stuff and this was from people I knew and whose opinions I trusted and respected not just random people on forums.

A very good rule of thumb to follow.: do your own research and make up your own mind. Many movies that critics call masterpieces are in IMO piles of shit. And vice versa.Same goes with games.

I avoided the game for around two years until I finally decided I had to see for myself and I instantly fell in love with it, and while many of you will no doubt repost your opinions about STOs shortcomings I cannot see them as problems specific to STO as they are problems in MMOs in general.

Every MMO is repetitive and can be boring with an endless progression of quest after quest, can you honestly say that any are not? how is the game play in say WoW any different at a high level as when you first start out? you may have some extra abilities or better equipment and more HP or need a gang of people to deal enough damage or to heal each other but that's it, one scripted NPC AI is the same as another and while the immediate location might look different they share the same basic functioning of game mechanics as every other location.

While most MMOs are repetitive at some point, you at least hope that it doesn't get boring. World of Warcraft and others find a way to make it just different or interesting enough to continue. STO gets boring before the 10th level.

I recently started playing STO casually as just an extra game to play, I like Star Trek and sometimes I do not have time for a four hour long EVE op or don't feel like going on a long roam and STO is perfect as a SF game I can pick and play for an hour and I am enjoying it in contrary to all of the negativity people direct towards it and I think many people expected to much from it like a huge free roaming world where you can beam down to every planet and then explore a huge free roaming landscape on that planet as well as wanting loads of diplomacy and themes from the show.

And what's wrong with that? If you're going to base a game off a popular IP like Star Trek then you should give it what fans expect. Fighting is fun, but there should be more to a MMO than that. If this was a FPS then okay (Elite Force did it better). But an MMO has higher expectations than that.

How they ever expected things like that I have no idea, no game ever has ever really manged to present non combat objectives in a game in any other way than talking to NPCs and selecting the appropriate dialogue responses or solving a puzzle.

Wrong. SWG had it, and I can go outside the MMO genre for other examples. KOTOR had figting but also puzzles you had to solve with lots of interacting and choices. The same model is being expanded upon for their upcoming MMO.And that was Star Wars for goodness sakes.

So yes STO has its faults but many people expect far to much for any game to be able to achieve and be an interesting and exciting game.

 More power to you. This is a rare instance where I agree with the critics. Maybe if this game had been released ten years ago it would have been more popular, but players have been there and done that already.The fact that it is selling for 10 dollars after less than a year is sad. I myself stayed as long as I could, but the boring missions along with the worse customer service I have ever seen by a company made me drop this in less than two months.Cryptic has now joined SOE as companies that I will never do business with again.

Well I have to say this.  I had canceled my pre-order of STO becasuethe beta was so bad.  I said that I would come back in six months and give it a try.

I had a blast doing some of the missions. Like the tribble mission, the guardian of forever.  There was some Star Trek lore and I enjoyed it for what it was.

So I been playing the past month on and off.  This is what I saw.  

(1) Took 3 weeks to get to the top rank of VA Vice Admiral

(2) After you reach vice admiral whats left to do

     (A) Roll an alt another type of toon or Klingon

     (B) Run dailies to get emblems to buy different things

(3) Social interaction. This is the part of the game that needs tons of help.  I found the tools to be hard to use.  Such as bringing up the fleet window, looking through a log of events, and the bank log going back only 2 days.

(4) Ground missions, they are still bad.  It is like your in a holodeck with walls. Ground mission are the true downfall of this game.  You get NPC's stuck your crew stuck and I have had to file several tickets because things get stuck and your quest does not update.

(5) The cryptic store.  Ahem.  Yes well even I spent a couple of dollars there.  I wanted the dreadnought. Oh by the way it is not worth the cash for it, just wait till VA and get a star cruiser you will be much more happier.

I have to rank the game 6/10.  The reason is it is fun to play until you run out of things to do. The problem is that happens very quickly and less than a month. I am gong to keep my sub running another month just to see what if anything they do. You have to wonder what they are going to do next.  The main problem is the level cap at this point.  There is not much you can do, now that you have Vice Admiral, that after Rear Admiral.  I guess you could go Ambassador but they already have that rank for diplomatic missions.  So your really out of luck with the ranks, and level cap.

The weekly missions were ok and fun but took less than 4 hours each to run.