The truth is, I dunno. I mean sure, as a lifetimer I can create a liberated Borg character, I'm just still not sure I want to play one.
For me, part of the fun of this game (and other MMO's) is recreating myself within its universe. Right now, my main (and so far only) character is Lt. Bekka Jai, a Bajoran tactical specialist. I like her, even though critics may complain that they've never seen a red-haired Bajoran before (at least, not my color...Kira's hair was a bit darker). Hey, there are always new discoveries to be made in the Star Trek Universe, and I would venture to guess that any species with spacefaring capabilities has already long since mastered the art of hair coloring. Male Klingons often wear more crap in their hair than human females, so perhaps it's even a necessary cultural step on the road toward interstellar travel.
Despite myself, I'm already invested in my Bekka Jai character. On the one hand, I do have an interest in creating a liberated Borg character to try out, I'm just not sure I want to focus on one for any ongoing length of time. I expect that sooner or later I'll create a liberated Borg just to see how it is, but I'll admit to a fair amount of ambivalence about it, despite the buff advantages of doing so.
STO, more than any other MMO I've ever played, fills me with a motivation to put as much of myself inside this universe as possible, as opposed to other MMOs where I've usually tried to escape into another persona and bury the real world completely rather than bring some of it with me.
Maybe it's that it's Star Trek, a universe that's been a part of my life for a very long time. I remember watching TOS in reruns on Channel 11 after school as a kid, I read Star Trek comics, I played with Star Trek toys, and when I was older I started reading Star Trek novels, watching new Star Trek movies and shows as they appeared, and generally being as much of an active part of the fanbase as someone who doesn't go to conventions and such usually is.
It's like I feel a desire to roleplay myself as much as possible within the context of the STO universe. A liberated Borg doesn't really fit my physical self-image, but in an odd sort of way the history of such a character does synch with my own. So, there are pros and cons for me in creating and using a libeated Borg in STO, and I haven't worked out my solution as yet.
Many, I suppose, will read this and ask "Why give a shit? It's all about having the best, most powerful character you can to better pwn everyone else!". I guess that's true for some people, but for me it has to be about more than just being an uber-leet (or whatever the hell the term of the moment is) player, it's also about the experience.
I want to immerse myself in this game when I play, and so I did what I did when I was involved with Second Life, I literally recreated myself within that universe as closely as possible, but an idealized, not realisitic, version of myself. It is, after all, a fantasy universe and there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of that reality to refine the personal image you want to present to others by making it more in keeping with the way you see yourself. In other words, it's a transsexual's best friend (and before you ask, the answer is yes, I am).
And so, for now it's Lt. Bekka Jai who will captain her starship, the USS Blackheart, across the vast reaches of the STO universe. Is there a liberated Borg in my future? Maybe. I've got some nifty stuff coming with the STO collector's edition, so I think I'll wait until at least then before I make any decisions. Either way though, I'm still happy with my main and I think she's going to stay my main. I just like her.
Damn, I'm having a great time with this game.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Did This Piss Off Anyone Else?
I preordered my Collector's Edition of STO from Amazon back in December. A few days ago, I get an email from Amazon telling me that for an extra six bucks shipping I can get it delivered on the release date. I'm thinking that I preordered this thing over a month ago, why shouldn't I have it on the release date anyway? Why should I have to pay extra for that?
Of course, I paid it. I want it in my hot little hands as soon as possible, and the alternative looked to be about another week. Still, it kind of feels like my package was being held hostage for an extra week by Amazon for six bucks ransom and that's pretty annoying. One thing's for sure, I'll think twice before I preorder anything else from Amazon in the future. They're fine for books and and stuff that's already in stock, but I'm not happy with this all.
What do you think? Am I being unreasonable here?
Of course, I paid it. I want it in my hot little hands as soon as possible, and the alternative looked to be about another week. Still, it kind of feels like my package was being held hostage for an extra week by Amazon for six bucks ransom and that's pretty annoying. One thing's for sure, I'll think twice before I preorder anything else from Amazon in the future. They're fine for books and and stuff that's already in stock, but I'm not happy with this all.
What do you think? Am I being unreasonable here?
Meanwhile...
...as we wait for that magic moment tomorrow when we find out just how stable Cryptic's servers really are, I've been doing a little reading on the forums.
Now before I go any further, I should point out that I have a lot of experience with blogs and discussion forums. I have extensive experience an active forum participant as well as a forum moderator and administrator. So that's the perspective I bring to this.
For me, and I expect for many, MMO gaming is about a lot more than just the game itself. I left EverQuest, my first MMO, mainly because all the smacktalk in chat made it unpleasant after a while. The social aspects of an MMO are important to me. After all, without a good social experience you might as well just go out and buy yourself a one-player game.
I'm not going to name names or link threads, but there have been several posts I've seen On the STO forums that make valid or at least semi-valid points or criticisms but do so in a way that's unpleasant, impolite, and and often just rude. Frankly, I've always believed Star Trek fans were better than that just in general.
I mean sure, we'll fight each other tooth and nail over who was the best Captain or Chief Engineer, but we all come together in our love of the ST universe and it's stories. That's not to say that there's not a good amount of criticism and discussion about that universe, but it's generally presented and discussed in a civil (if often spirited and enthusiastic) manner.
Personally, I think the STO forum has huge potential, some of which is already showing itself. Two things need to happen in order to ensure it's the best it can be. The first one is an easy one for Cryptic: They need to listen to their players and evolve the forums as the game and conversations around it grow and change. Second, there needs to be swift, effective, but most importantly fair, moderation. Those who moderate the STO forums must understand that the diversity reflected in Star Trek is also reflected in its audience, and they must keep that in mind when determining what rises to the level of something requiring their intervention and what does not.
First and foremost, even before the game, it's all about Star Trek, about that universe we all love. If STO is to be a reflection of that universe, let's at least make it as positive as the one we've come to know and love over the years.
Personally, I don't know about you, but I'm having more fun with this game than I have in an MMO in a while, maybe even ever. I mean, it's a pain in the ass trying to follow some topics on the forums when they get into the multi-hundred page range, but it's something I'm willing to deal with (when I have time) because it's a symptom of a large and active player base, which is a great thing all the way around.
The bigger this game gets though, the more likely it is that we'll get more trolls at the STO forums. Here's the thing, though: Not just anyone can post on the STO forums, only registered users with active accounts. That limits the potential problem substantially. No idiots making multiple accounts to post from, no flame-and-runs, no one except paying customers. Now, of course that's a pretty big group and getting bigger, but at least it's one account, one person, for the most part anyway.
The point is that even though the player base of STO is big and getting bigger, the user base of the STO forums is at a manageable level if those who want civil and quality discussion about ST and STO insist on exactly that. In my experience, one thing remains true of discussion forums no matter what the topic or the user base: Moderators can enforce the rules, but ultimately it's the site's users who will determine a forum's tone and its level of civil discussion and hospitality.
Right now, even though it's been around for a while, the STO forum is really still in it's infancy. In fact, I'd bet that most of the participants have started paying attention only recently. Even though I joined the forum back in mid-'08, I've only just begun reading and posting there on a regular basis, mainly because once I was in the beta it suddenly mattered.
The point is that the STO forum isn't a public accommodation, it's a members-only club. If you want to hang out there, you're expected to behave yourself. Being a member gives you access to the exclusive space, but it doesn't give you the right to spoil everyone else's experience.
STO is cool. The STO forums should be just as cool, as cool as the fanbase. And if we truly want it that way, we will make it so.
Now before I go any further, I should point out that I have a lot of experience with blogs and discussion forums. I have extensive experience an active forum participant as well as a forum moderator and administrator. So that's the perspective I bring to this.
For me, and I expect for many, MMO gaming is about a lot more than just the game itself. I left EverQuest, my first MMO, mainly because all the smacktalk in chat made it unpleasant after a while. The social aspects of an MMO are important to me. After all, without a good social experience you might as well just go out and buy yourself a one-player game.
I'm not going to name names or link threads, but there have been several posts I've seen On the STO forums that make valid or at least semi-valid points or criticisms but do so in a way that's unpleasant, impolite, and and often just rude. Frankly, I've always believed Star Trek fans were better than that just in general.
I mean sure, we'll fight each other tooth and nail over who was the best Captain or Chief Engineer, but we all come together in our love of the ST universe and it's stories. That's not to say that there's not a good amount of criticism and discussion about that universe, but it's generally presented and discussed in a civil (if often spirited and enthusiastic) manner.
Personally, I think the STO forum has huge potential, some of which is already showing itself. Two things need to happen in order to ensure it's the best it can be. The first one is an easy one for Cryptic: They need to listen to their players and evolve the forums as the game and conversations around it grow and change. Second, there needs to be swift, effective, but most importantly fair, moderation. Those who moderate the STO forums must understand that the diversity reflected in Star Trek is also reflected in its audience, and they must keep that in mind when determining what rises to the level of something requiring their intervention and what does not.
First and foremost, even before the game, it's all about Star Trek, about that universe we all love. If STO is to be a reflection of that universe, let's at least make it as positive as the one we've come to know and love over the years.
Personally, I don't know about you, but I'm having more fun with this game than I have in an MMO in a while, maybe even ever. I mean, it's a pain in the ass trying to follow some topics on the forums when they get into the multi-hundred page range, but it's something I'm willing to deal with (when I have time) because it's a symptom of a large and active player base, which is a great thing all the way around.
The bigger this game gets though, the more likely it is that we'll get more trolls at the STO forums. Here's the thing, though: Not just anyone can post on the STO forums, only registered users with active accounts. That limits the potential problem substantially. No idiots making multiple accounts to post from, no flame-and-runs, no one except paying customers. Now, of course that's a pretty big group and getting bigger, but at least it's one account, one person, for the most part anyway.
The point is that even though the player base of STO is big and getting bigger, the user base of the STO forums is at a manageable level if those who want civil and quality discussion about ST and STO insist on exactly that. In my experience, one thing remains true of discussion forums no matter what the topic or the user base: Moderators can enforce the rules, but ultimately it's the site's users who will determine a forum's tone and its level of civil discussion and hospitality.
Right now, even though it's been around for a while, the STO forum is really still in it's infancy. In fact, I'd bet that most of the participants have started paying attention only recently. Even though I joined the forum back in mid-'08, I've only just begun reading and posting there on a regular basis, mainly because once I was in the beta it suddenly mattered.
The point is that the STO forum isn't a public accommodation, it's a members-only club. If you want to hang out there, you're expected to behave yourself. Being a member gives you access to the exclusive space, but it doesn't give you the right to spoil everyone else's experience.
STO is cool. The STO forums should be just as cool, as cool as the fanbase. And if we truly want it that way, we will make it so.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Now Open Beta Is Really Over...
...and damn that was a hell of a finale!
I have to admit, even though I knew there was some sort of surprise in store, I didn't expect a Borg invasion. That was a lot of fun, but only as long as there were a decent amount of ships in the same area. Trying to take on a Borg ship solo is basically insta-death, and once enough Federation ships had left the area, there was really no point in sticking around. Still, it was a pretty awesome fleet battle while it lasted, and best of all I didn't have to take months to get myself into 0.0 space and heavily armed in order to participate, as you do in EvE. I made it out to 0.0 in EvE, but I never got a chance to participate in a major fleet battle. In STO, I've already been in a pretty decent one, and I'm betting there will be plenty more after launch.
Funny how I love both games but I've already done more varied stuff in STO in terms of space combat than I did in all the time I played EvE. Not that combat in EvE isn't good, but it's just a different kind of combat and one PvE mission is much like another except in terms of strength of the forces you go up against. There's a heck of a lot more variety in STO, and that's not even counting the ground combat, which EvE doesn't have so it's not fair to compare.
One thing that tells me that this game is going to be huge, bigger than EvE, bigger than probably most MMOs, is the forums. It's not unusual to see comment threads going on for a hundred pages or more, and that level of participation tells you something. If there are that many people motivated to participate in the forums, can you imagine how many are participating in the game?
It's no surprise to me that STO is this popular. Each mission I did was at least somewhat unique unto itself, with it's own storyline, graphics, goals, obstacles, giving it the flavor of an episode of Star Trek. One thing I would like to see is a bit more story on some of these missions, a bit more than "Help us! We need you to _______". There are some notable exceptions I discovered that were terrific such as the Guardian of Forever mission, but I'd still like to see more.
Now we really wait a few days. I'm hoping I'll be able to log in Friday and spend some time in-game. After a pretty awesome open beta and finale, I can't wait to see how they try to top it.
Well, at least now I have three full days to get some work done. Chances are, I wouldn't have had much time to play until Friday or Saturday anyway. Works for me.
I have to admit, even though I knew there was some sort of surprise in store, I didn't expect a Borg invasion. That was a lot of fun, but only as long as there were a decent amount of ships in the same area. Trying to take on a Borg ship solo is basically insta-death, and once enough Federation ships had left the area, there was really no point in sticking around. Still, it was a pretty awesome fleet battle while it lasted, and best of all I didn't have to take months to get myself into 0.0 space and heavily armed in order to participate, as you do in EvE. I made it out to 0.0 in EvE, but I never got a chance to participate in a major fleet battle. In STO, I've already been in a pretty decent one, and I'm betting there will be plenty more after launch.
Funny how I love both games but I've already done more varied stuff in STO in terms of space combat than I did in all the time I played EvE. Not that combat in EvE isn't good, but it's just a different kind of combat and one PvE mission is much like another except in terms of strength of the forces you go up against. There's a heck of a lot more variety in STO, and that's not even counting the ground combat, which EvE doesn't have so it's not fair to compare.
One thing that tells me that this game is going to be huge, bigger than EvE, bigger than probably most MMOs, is the forums. It's not unusual to see comment threads going on for a hundred pages or more, and that level of participation tells you something. If there are that many people motivated to participate in the forums, can you imagine how many are participating in the game?
It's no surprise to me that STO is this popular. Each mission I did was at least somewhat unique unto itself, with it's own storyline, graphics, goals, obstacles, giving it the flavor of an episode of Star Trek. One thing I would like to see is a bit more story on some of these missions, a bit more than "Help us! We need you to _______". There are some notable exceptions I discovered that were terrific such as the Guardian of Forever mission, but I'd still like to see more.
Now we really wait a few days. I'm hoping I'll be able to log in Friday and spend some time in-game. After a pretty awesome open beta and finale, I can't wait to see how they try to top it.
Well, at least now I have three full days to get some work done. Chances are, I wouldn't have had much time to play until Friday or Saturday anyway. Works for me.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
And So Now We Wait...
...for four very long days.
They finally pulled the plug on STO Open Beta just a few minutes ago as I write this. I can't complain. Despite the server going up and down like a yo-yo during most of it, I got plenty of play time, more than enough to explore and get a pretty good idea of what this game is about, or at least, where it's starting from. I've fought Klingons, Nausicans, and Gorn, I've rescued ships and planets in distress...in fact I've done a hell of a lot.
A pity I never got my promotion to Lt. Commander. I'd earned it, I just didn't get to Earth Spacedock in time to make it official. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, anyway. With what I learned in beta, I'll be promoted quickly enough, especially with the head start.
It's funny. The last time I was in beta for a Cryptic game, Champions, I was thoroughly unimpressed. Lots of people apparently love the game, but it just didn't do it for me. I joined the Champions beta thinking I'd love it because I was a huge comics fan as a kid, but for some reason I just didn't find it to be all that great, certainly not enough to invest real money in. Yet, here I am investing piles of money in a different Cryptic game. While certain aspects of the ground battles in STO are very reminiscent of Champions, the rest of it is completely different. I didn't care for the ground combat as it was presented in Champions, but in STO it works, in large part because the style of combat fits the game better than Champions, and I'm slowly becoming pretty good at it. I just wish is that they'd started open beta earlier so I'd had a little more time to practice.
I was talking to a friend tonight and told her that I'd gotten the STO collector's edition and a lifetime subscription to the game. She thought I was crazy for spending that much on a video game, saying for that I could buy myself an XBox for that money. I had to laugh. What could I possibly need an XBox for when I have a nice, fast, relatively brand-new PC? If I want crappy games with substandard graphics, I don't need to buy XBox games, there are plenty of those for the PC, too.
But I digress...
Actually, while I have no interest in owning an XBox and consider it a source of pride that I have never and will never own one, my friend's comment did get me thinking: $300+ is not a bank-breaker but it is a significant amount of money for me, more than I've ever spent on any single game. Even if you totaled up all the subscription time, maps, and other stuff I've bought relevant to playing EvE I doubt it's as much in total as I've already spent on STO, and the frakking game hasn't even launched yet.
I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm a total Trekkie and had to have it all, or something else. I know I'm critical of video games enough just in general and MMOs in particular that if I didn't really like the game there's no way I'd buy a lifetime subscription, Star Trek or not. I did buy a year's subscription to EvE but RL got in the way and I didn't play very much for the second half of that year. These days, I'm kind of skittish about investing in a game I'm not sure of and tend to go with the quarterly plan, as I did when I played Fallen Earth.
This time, I don't know, it just felt right so I went for it. A game I enjoy playing, based on a sci-fi universe I dearly love, and one that looks like it's going to be hugely popular and therefore successful and long-running. STO gives every indication of being a Trekkie's wet dream that only gets even better over time, and that, for me, is worth every penny. Sure there are technical bugs right now, but if the quality of the game itself, the story, the graphics, the gameplay, stays as high as what I've seen (and hopefully gets even better) I believe this game is going to be a serious contender in the MMO wars.
STO offers me something that an XBox will never give me, and I don't have to play with pottymouthed fourteen-year-olds to get it. Thank Goddess most at that age don't really care about Star Trek, and will go off and kill orcs with other foulmouthed children...elsewhere.
Now I feel like a little girl who already knows what she's getting for her birthday but doesn't know exactly what it'll look like when she tears open the wrapping paper. Sure, I have an idea of what to expect on Friday, but I also know there's a lot we haven't seen yet.
In the meantime, I suppose we can speculate, and perhaps I will, but in my next post. It's now 2am local time, and it's time to hit the sack.
Four days is a long time.
UPDATE: Literally seconds after I posted this, Cryptic announced that they are extending Open Beta until Tuesday at 6pm! Woo-hoo!
They finally pulled the plug on STO Open Beta just a few minutes ago as I write this. I can't complain. Despite the server going up and down like a yo-yo during most of it, I got plenty of play time, more than enough to explore and get a pretty good idea of what this game is about, or at least, where it's starting from. I've fought Klingons, Nausicans, and Gorn, I've rescued ships and planets in distress...in fact I've done a hell of a lot.
A pity I never got my promotion to Lt. Commander. I'd earned it, I just didn't get to Earth Spacedock in time to make it official. Oh well, it doesn't really matter, anyway. With what I learned in beta, I'll be promoted quickly enough, especially with the head start.
It's funny. The last time I was in beta for a Cryptic game, Champions, I was thoroughly unimpressed. Lots of people apparently love the game, but it just didn't do it for me. I joined the Champions beta thinking I'd love it because I was a huge comics fan as a kid, but for some reason I just didn't find it to be all that great, certainly not enough to invest real money in. Yet, here I am investing piles of money in a different Cryptic game. While certain aspects of the ground battles in STO are very reminiscent of Champions, the rest of it is completely different. I didn't care for the ground combat as it was presented in Champions, but in STO it works, in large part because the style of combat fits the game better than Champions, and I'm slowly becoming pretty good at it. I just wish is that they'd started open beta earlier so I'd had a little more time to practice.
I was talking to a friend tonight and told her that I'd gotten the STO collector's edition and a lifetime subscription to the game. She thought I was crazy for spending that much on a video game, saying for that I could buy myself an XBox for that money. I had to laugh. What could I possibly need an XBox for when I have a nice, fast, relatively brand-new PC? If I want crappy games with substandard graphics, I don't need to buy XBox games, there are plenty of those for the PC, too.
But I digress...
Actually, while I have no interest in owning an XBox and consider it a source of pride that I have never and will never own one, my friend's comment did get me thinking: $300+ is not a bank-breaker but it is a significant amount of money for me, more than I've ever spent on any single game. Even if you totaled up all the subscription time, maps, and other stuff I've bought relevant to playing EvE I doubt it's as much in total as I've already spent on STO, and the frakking game hasn't even launched yet.
I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm a total Trekkie and had to have it all, or something else. I know I'm critical of video games enough just in general and MMOs in particular that if I didn't really like the game there's no way I'd buy a lifetime subscription, Star Trek or not. I did buy a year's subscription to EvE but RL got in the way and I didn't play very much for the second half of that year. These days, I'm kind of skittish about investing in a game I'm not sure of and tend to go with the quarterly plan, as I did when I played Fallen Earth.
This time, I don't know, it just felt right so I went for it. A game I enjoy playing, based on a sci-fi universe I dearly love, and one that looks like it's going to be hugely popular and therefore successful and long-running. STO gives every indication of being a Trekkie's wet dream that only gets even better over time, and that, for me, is worth every penny. Sure there are technical bugs right now, but if the quality of the game itself, the story, the graphics, the gameplay, stays as high as what I've seen (and hopefully gets even better) I believe this game is going to be a serious contender in the MMO wars.
STO offers me something that an XBox will never give me, and I don't have to play with pottymouthed fourteen-year-olds to get it. Thank Goddess most at that age don't really care about Star Trek, and will go off and kill orcs with other foulmouthed children...elsewhere.
Now I feel like a little girl who already knows what she's getting for her birthday but doesn't know exactly what it'll look like when she tears open the wrapping paper. Sure, I have an idea of what to expect on Friday, but I also know there's a lot we haven't seen yet.
In the meantime, I suppose we can speculate, and perhaps I will, but in my next post. It's now 2am local time, and it's time to hit the sack.
Four days is a long time.
UPDATE: Literally seconds after I posted this, Cryptic announced that they are extending Open Beta until Tuesday at 6pm! Woo-hoo!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Downtime
I know it's beta, but doesn't it seem like the servers always pick the most inconvenient time possible to crash? Sigh...so much for my planned Saturday afternoon. I'd finished up some work and was all set for some STO, but about ten minutes into it the server crashed. A quick trip to the STO website shows that the server is down for maintenance, but no details on the customer service page or in the forums. I have to admit I'm now wondering if Cryptic's version of "Down for Maintenance" is actually a beta catch-all for "Something fucked up and we haven't gotten it fixed yet, so deal with it until we can.".
As always, it's beta, and today in particular it's the second to last day of Open Beta before the servers go down for a week. I've gotta figure that's about as good a recipe for server overload as I've ever heard. Every Trekkie with a decent PC and three seconds of free time is jumping in to check out this game before they'll have to start coughing up actual cash in order to play.
Another thing I suspect may be contributing to all the server crashes and slowdowns is that Cryptic didn't take what I call the "Trekkie Factor" into account properly. What I mean is that, as Craig Zinkievich noted in his "State of the Game" post recently, they underestimated the amount of interest and attention this game was going to get. They studied the models, and they based their expectations upon what had come before. Thing is, Cryptic should have known better. This isn't just any MMO, this is a Star Trek MMO, and that makes all the difference.
There's a major difference between STO and every other MMO out there, up to and including even those based on hugely popular books and movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The difference is that Star Trek is by far the sci-fi universe that's the longest running, most detailed, presented in the widest variety of media, most profitable, most honored, and most collected, with a worldwide fanbase so huge that it makes the subscriber list of WoW look like a sparsely-attended tea party.
Where did we all come from, Craig? We've always been here, patiently waiting over the last couple of years for our chance to play this game, this newest iteration of the Star Trek universe we've all heard so much about. The real question I have is how on Earth or any other Federation planet could you and Cryptic not have seen this coming? You make an awesome game based on the most popular sci-fi franchise on the planet and you didn't expect it to get above-average interest and attention? Really?
Given that it's still beta, I discount such issues as expected growing pains, but I also hope that this has served as a lesson to Cryptic: This isn't Champions, it's Star Trek. You can't administer and promote this game in the same way as one which will likely struggle to maintain half of STO's eventual player base and level of player loyalty. While many of us have played MMO's before, we're not your average MMO players. Trekkies are a breed unto ourselves, and Cryptic needs to learn how to effectively market to and cater to that fan base, not the average MMO player.
Their marketing stumble with the incredibly poorly-planned and executed Del Taco promotion also adds to the evidence that Cryptic and their marketing team really need to take the time to understand exactly who they're trying to market this game to and how to do it most effectively. It doesn't matter if you can offer the best game ever if your marketing is so bad that you end up pissing off players who've already made an investment in your game. In my opinion, the smart move for Cryptic here would be to make the Del Taco shuttle pet available through in-game microtransaction as soon as the game launches officially, and I mean immediately. Remember, Cryptic, we're collectors. Don't offer STO collector's items that only some have access to. All you're doing is guaranteeing yourselves more angry complaints in the future, the very last thing this game needs.
Politicians understand that in order to be successful you need to take care of your base. Mediamakers of any stripe need to understand that the same is true for them as well. Cater to your base, make us happy, all of us. Take care of us, Cryptic, and we'll take care of you.
As always, it's beta, and today in particular it's the second to last day of Open Beta before the servers go down for a week. I've gotta figure that's about as good a recipe for server overload as I've ever heard. Every Trekkie with a decent PC and three seconds of free time is jumping in to check out this game before they'll have to start coughing up actual cash in order to play.
Another thing I suspect may be contributing to all the server crashes and slowdowns is that Cryptic didn't take what I call the "Trekkie Factor" into account properly. What I mean is that, as Craig Zinkievich noted in his "State of the Game" post recently, they underestimated the amount of interest and attention this game was going to get. They studied the models, and they based their expectations upon what had come before. Thing is, Cryptic should have known better. This isn't just any MMO, this is a Star Trek MMO, and that makes all the difference.
There's a major difference between STO and every other MMO out there, up to and including even those based on hugely popular books and movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The difference is that Star Trek is by far the sci-fi universe that's the longest running, most detailed, presented in the widest variety of media, most profitable, most honored, and most collected, with a worldwide fanbase so huge that it makes the subscriber list of WoW look like a sparsely-attended tea party.
Where did we all come from, Craig? We've always been here, patiently waiting over the last couple of years for our chance to play this game, this newest iteration of the Star Trek universe we've all heard so much about. The real question I have is how on Earth or any other Federation planet could you and Cryptic not have seen this coming? You make an awesome game based on the most popular sci-fi franchise on the planet and you didn't expect it to get above-average interest and attention? Really?
Given that it's still beta, I discount such issues as expected growing pains, but I also hope that this has served as a lesson to Cryptic: This isn't Champions, it's Star Trek. You can't administer and promote this game in the same way as one which will likely struggle to maintain half of STO's eventual player base and level of player loyalty. While many of us have played MMO's before, we're not your average MMO players. Trekkies are a breed unto ourselves, and Cryptic needs to learn how to effectively market to and cater to that fan base, not the average MMO player.
Their marketing stumble with the incredibly poorly-planned and executed Del Taco promotion also adds to the evidence that Cryptic and their marketing team really need to take the time to understand exactly who they're trying to market this game to and how to do it most effectively. It doesn't matter if you can offer the best game ever if your marketing is so bad that you end up pissing off players who've already made an investment in your game. In my opinion, the smart move for Cryptic here would be to make the Del Taco shuttle pet available through in-game microtransaction as soon as the game launches officially, and I mean immediately. Remember, Cryptic, we're collectors. Don't offer STO collector's items that only some have access to. All you're doing is guaranteeing yourselves more angry complaints in the future, the very last thing this game needs.
Politicians understand that in order to be successful you need to take care of your base. Mediamakers of any stripe need to understand that the same is true for them as well. Cater to your base, make us happy, all of us. Take care of us, Cryptic, and we'll take care of you.
Friday, January 22, 2010
First Steps Into The Final Frontier
It was only four days before it ended that I finally managed to wrangle myself a key to Star Trek Online's Closed Beta. It didn't really start off well, what with a four-hour client download, but it was interesting enough (and Star Trek enough) to hold my interest and keep playing despite the annoying "betaness" of it all.
Open beta has brought with it continuing improvements, as the game seems to become more polished and fun to play with every patch. I knew I was going to want to play this game enough that I preordered the collector's edition. I was willing to go that far sight unseen just because it's Star Trek. Once I got a taste and good idea of what this game is about, I gave STO the greatest vote of support and confidence any player can offer. I bought a lifetime subscription.
Buying a lifetime subscription to any game this early on has to be at least something of a risk, but I think it's a very safe bet that this game will be around for a while, a long while, in fact. If all goes as I anticipate, I think the folks at Cryptic are going to make a whole lot of money from this game. Still, just the fact that I'm confident the game will be around long enough to make it worth the $239 bucks I just blew on a lifetime subscription wouldn't be enough, in and of itself, to get me to shell out that much (bringing the total with the collector's edition to a little over $300 spent on STO).
No, what got me to drop the big bucks on this game is that it's fun. Even though it's more directed in certain ways than some MMOs, I feel like I'm more in control of my own experience in STO than in others. Until recently I played EvE, and in that game there reaches a point where pretty much everything you do in the game of any significance has to be done in concert with other players. I reached that point, and the problem became that my real life schedule is so irregular that there's really no way for me to coordinate with other players. In STO, I play when I want to (and have time to) play, I team when I want to team, I coordinate with other players when and as I have the time to do so. This game has a lot of what I love about EvE but almost none of what I hate about it.
And then, there's the other factor: It's Star Trek, and because it's Star Trek, it's special. No I'm not into it enough to speak fluent Klingon or anything deeply concerning like that, but I've been a fan just about all my life and so it's a comfortable and fun universe to play in.
As far as the game itself, right now I feel like I'm just wandering around, learning what I need to learn, trying things to see what happens, all those things you do in beta that you'd probably never dare try once it counts. I'm trying and retrying missions (the last patch gave starter ships a nice power boost and some missions I couldn't solo the first time were beatable afterward), and just basically trying to learn the game as best I can before they wipe the servers and it all starts for real.
For now, at least, it really feels like the final frontier. Everything is new and and just waiting to be discovered. I've made a bet that I'll still feel that way a year or ever two years from now, a pretty expensive bet at that. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that it's going to pay off.
Stick around. I have a feeling this is going to get interesting.
Open beta has brought with it continuing improvements, as the game seems to become more polished and fun to play with every patch. I knew I was going to want to play this game enough that I preordered the collector's edition. I was willing to go that far sight unseen just because it's Star Trek. Once I got a taste and good idea of what this game is about, I gave STO the greatest vote of support and confidence any player can offer. I bought a lifetime subscription.
Buying a lifetime subscription to any game this early on has to be at least something of a risk, but I think it's a very safe bet that this game will be around for a while, a long while, in fact. If all goes as I anticipate, I think the folks at Cryptic are going to make a whole lot of money from this game. Still, just the fact that I'm confident the game will be around long enough to make it worth the $239 bucks I just blew on a lifetime subscription wouldn't be enough, in and of itself, to get me to shell out that much (bringing the total with the collector's edition to a little over $300 spent on STO).
No, what got me to drop the big bucks on this game is that it's fun. Even though it's more directed in certain ways than some MMOs, I feel like I'm more in control of my own experience in STO than in others. Until recently I played EvE, and in that game there reaches a point where pretty much everything you do in the game of any significance has to be done in concert with other players. I reached that point, and the problem became that my real life schedule is so irregular that there's really no way for me to coordinate with other players. In STO, I play when I want to (and have time to) play, I team when I want to team, I coordinate with other players when and as I have the time to do so. This game has a lot of what I love about EvE but almost none of what I hate about it.
And then, there's the other factor: It's Star Trek, and because it's Star Trek, it's special. No I'm not into it enough to speak fluent Klingon or anything deeply concerning like that, but I've been a fan just about all my life and so it's a comfortable and fun universe to play in.
As far as the game itself, right now I feel like I'm just wandering around, learning what I need to learn, trying things to see what happens, all those things you do in beta that you'd probably never dare try once it counts. I'm trying and retrying missions (the last patch gave starter ships a nice power boost and some missions I couldn't solo the first time were beatable afterward), and just basically trying to learn the game as best I can before they wipe the servers and it all starts for real.
For now, at least, it really feels like the final frontier. Everything is new and and just waiting to be discovered. I've made a bet that I'll still feel that way a year or ever two years from now, a pretty expensive bet at that. Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that it's going to pay off.
Stick around. I have a feeling this is going to get interesting.
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