LAGWAR | GAMING'S BEST IN TOP NOTCH MEDIOCRITY

Star Trek Online warped into an awesome beginning!  I love the game.  Cryptic delivered an admirable job, but I want to point a few things out that will make a great game even greater:

1) Can the Spam!!!!

Admittedly, I am not a popular fellow.   However, the totality of my mail experience with STO remains energy (aka gold) spammers from various accounts with STOGOLD as the subject for the last few days.  Also, the chat channels abound with broken English level up offers and energy deals.  Haven’t we learned how to combat this yet?   Cryptic, we should be well past that.

2) Social Network Integration

You have it in Champions.  Why don’t we have it in STO?  I want to get my Tweet on and post screenies about my leveling to my mates!

3) Persistent Areas

The instancing in Champions and STO lessens the immersion.  I need some persistent planets and areas that help me get my traditional MMORPG grind on.  If I just want to go to a planet and roam – let me!   Part of the exploration fun is encountering a friend in the wilderness.  I know that game design changed to accommodate a new generation of gamers.  We moved to fast progression level up theme parks instead persistent economic and milieu simulations.  However, I wish this new generation of game designers would remember that the Gen-X MMORPG crowd still brings a lot of revenue in your direction – particular of the subscription and lifetime sort.  Bring some expansiveness and depth to the game rather than just instanced content.

The #1 complaint I hear from my LOTRO friends (who are the more traditional MMO minded crowd in my acquaintance) is that instancing is not acceptable.  That is what holds them back.  I fear that the Star Trek brand won’t hold people to the game without some of these elements.

4) Enemy Contact Missions that make sure my group gets in.

I hate chasing instances around when I need to get my group together.  When I “F” into an enemy contact mission it usually takes me three times to move my group into one instance.  Let’s put me in the same instance as my mates or queue it up.

5) More Ground Combat

This is some fun stuff.  Help me find more ways to get on the ground in a more traditional MMORPG format in addition to just the space fun.   So far, and I am now LT. Commander 4, I think I have been in space 4 hours for every 5 minutes on the ground.

That’s my initial thought on the major areas for improvement.  Granted, error and stability issues must be considered, but I know these developers will move past that.  This is a great game that fits my casual game play style.  I can pop in and out and still enjoy a Star Trek episode, but the grouping and MMO components still come up lacking.  Fleet actions are great fun, but that is not going to keep people playing the game.  A compelling exploration system, a set of common persistent non-instanced areas, and an economy or crafting system that keeps people progressing after end game is important to STO’s longevity.

Contact me in game @xaviermorgan.

Live Long — and Prosper!