Onward

So, I'm a Commander, Grade 5, now. Obviously, I've been spending a bit of time in-game. It's funny how with a new game like STO you sometimes run into things that aren't really bugs per se, but nonetheless are really annoying and need to be fixed.

For example, at one point you get an exploration mission to the Afehirr Nebula. You're told by the NPC who gives you the mission where it is (off the Psi Velorum sector block), but when you go to your map it's not there. You can't set a course there, you have to manually fly your ship to the end of the Psi Velorum sector block where you'll find the border and be able to warp in as normal. It's all there, it's just not listed or shown on your map.

I'm starting to become more strict about what I bank and what I sell to make an attempt to keep my inventory at a manageable level. I'm trying to hang onto stuff that will be useful to my crew once I make Captain and can promote them to Commanders, but I also like to keep a stock of hypos, shield boosts and power cells for ground combat. I have a lot of RL retail industry experience, and I decided that my biggest user of "shelf space" with the lowest amount of benefit (profit) was commodities. I'd accumulated a lot of these, but with the exception of just two missions where I'd had to deliver medical supplies and astro-something-or-others, I'd found no practical use for them other than to sell for energy credits. So, that's what I did. I sold off just about my entire stock of commodities, though I kept the medical supplies, just in case. Not only do I have a nice cushion of energy credits now, but also a lot more space in my inventory for other things.

Another thing I find interesting about this game is how the storyline missions have slowed to a trickle now that I've made Commander, instead of the virtual smorgasbord players were offered at the lower levels. In short, once you get to a certain point they start making you work for it. Storyline missions are now offered to me one or two at a time, usually after I've done some other higher-level mission or area exploration.

While some may have a problem with this style of play, I happen to like it. It encourages the player to stop and smell the roses, not to rush through. While I'm as motivated to rank up as any player, I'm not playing STO to get the highest rank as quickly as possible, I'm playing to have fun. For me, ranking up is a consequence of having fun (and playing the game well), not the other way around.

I mean, damn, we're in freaking Star Trek! That's the great part about this game, not how high of a rank you can manage. At least, that's what it's about for me, anyway.