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Reader Comments (19)

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 10:33AM Bryonis said

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There is something about currency systems and the Federation which doesn't sit well with me. The idea of trading ships etc? What did any of the famous captains grind dilithium or pay to get into ships?
Its always made me feel just a bit uncomfortable about the progression. A type of prestige or recognition seemed the best way to go.
Well that's just my opinion :)

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 11:46AM The Grand Nagus said

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@Bryonis A valid point. But regardless of what you call it its still going to wind up being a numbers game.

Player: ok i just earned X amount of "prestige", let me go see if I can get this new ship...

*checks price*

Player: Dang, I need to do X more missions to be able to afford it!

So its really just a matter of semantics.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 12:10PM Equillian said

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@Bryonis

Ha sorry man, but this is fighting in space with Star Trek looking ships. It's never follows a star trek feel to me.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 12:16PM Saker said

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@Equillian Have to agree. May look like Star Trek (like that last movie), but doesn't hold true. Maybe if it was set in the mirror universe... yes that would be truer.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 12:13PM Saker said

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"allowing cash-rich players to shortcut grind", well isn't that always what it's really about. in laissez-faire-america? In all things, the monied-class buy their way past the grind.

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 1:02PM smartstep said

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@Saker

Yeah that's basic scheme in f2p and/ or freemium games.

Allow players to pay $ to get things faster than normal player.
Sometimes make this item better than non-paying player might get.
If non-paying user can get thing like one from the store, gate this thing behing ridiculous low drop rate and/ or long, very boring grind, so people choose to use store instead.

So basically if you throw out $ at cash shop, you will get items faster, you will get better items, you will have more comfortable game, you will be able to get exclusive items that non-paying users won't be able to get,etc

All of this + direct link between $ and game, just make game be less a game and more a extension of real world relations and status.

Fun?

Not really.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 1:49PM Sam not Spam said

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@Saker
Don't you mean "throughout civilized history?" The irony being, of course, that someone with money is more likely to be an ordinary working stiff, whereas someone with tons of time is likely not. Now, whether they're rich, retired, laid off, a student, a stay-at-home spouse, or playing when they should be working is something entirely.

If anything, this is likely being done for the same reasons as EVE - to screw with RMT jerks while providing something people want.

Besides; how many businesses world-wide are based on "pay us money so you don't have to spend time to do something?" Restaurants, clothing stores (you don't make your own clothes, do you?), furniture stores, etc., are all easy examples.

All I hope is that they're at least consulting with an economist like EVE.
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Posted: Oct 15th 2011 4:16AM Sam not Spam said

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@smartstep
Of course, in a subscription game, someone with lots of time gets more for their sub than someone who doesn't. Some folks even feel like they have to play to justify the subscription. The best stuff is gated behind timesinks/grinds meant to keep large numbers of people stuck repeating content long after the fun is gone in order to do the next round of content.

So, which is worse?
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 12:18PM SiML said

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Hey!, i thought there was no currency in the future?:

Captain Jean-Luc Picard: The economics of the future is somewhat different. You see, money doesn't exist in the 24th century.
Lily Sloane: No money? You mean, you don't get paid?
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: We work to better ourselves.


;-)

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 12:58PM Lucidus said

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@SiML Damn those replicators making my quatloos useless!
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 1:07PM denizen06 said

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@SiML
"We work to better ourselves."

Sounds like Picard is a fan of grinding his skill points and bettering himself all the way to level 51. Who's to say the motivation of future economics isn't similar? ;)

That said, the Federation still has to have metrics for deciding which crews are performing enough to merit additional supplies, and energy credits makes sense. You work hard but don't have a use for the artifact you found, Starfleet makes sure you can get whatever you need that fits your amount of effort.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 1:28PM StClair said

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@SiML
Captain Bateson of the USS Bozeman (the time-displaced Soyuz-class from "Cause and Effect") had a nice comeback to that little platitude when Riker trotted it out: "Better than whom?"

(The line is, IMO, very much a relic of the first season of TNG, where Starfleet's mission seemed to mostly be flying around and smugly informing everyone else how perfect and enlightened they were now. Thanks, Gene.)
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 3:00PM gandales said

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@SiML

So what were TNG crew betting during their poker games?
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 3:13PM The Grand Nagus said

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@gandales antique poker chips =P
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 5:00PM Chiren said

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@SiML

That was the quote I was looking for! Thank you.

That echoes my sentiments a lot. If you have a token based system, where you only earn tokens from doing missions or quests, then that's more of a meritocracy or at least something that somewhat strangely in line with this quote.

This current model is just the whole game going Ferengi.
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Posted: Oct 14th 2011 3:10PM dudemanjac said

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In voyager, they had to constantly search fo dilitium and the crew had an enrgy allowance because of the lack of readily available resources. This future is a bit like that in that they are at war and need to not be as loose with their resources. It's not about making a brofit to become some great federation warlord, but you need to pul your wieght and that includes getting out their and getting resources.

It doesn't fit TNG, but it amazes me how ppl think that these resources should just pop out of thin air in the middle of a war with ships blowing up and being replaced left and right. I little suspension of disbelief (you know, like what lets you believe in sci-fi as a whole) goes a long way.

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 3:49PM jakofascalon said

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Give me F2E and you'll have a subscriber. What's F2E you ask? FREE TO EXPLORE!!!!!!! While you are at it, give me the ability to have my friends fly in my ship with me. As taboo as it is referring to Star Wars, Galaxies had something special. There's a reason why. Learn from it! Use it! Love it! Make money! The end.

And the Galaxies I'm talking about is PreNGE. I don't even consider Post NGE, Galaxies. However.. the re-re's learned a little too late what the players wanted and at the end they are doing all the cool stuff that we begged for for years.. Ugh.. Galaxies...

Posted: Oct 14th 2011 8:52PM (Unverified) said

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This is one of the few things that worries me about STO going F2P.

Posted: Oct 15th 2011 4:24PM Sam not Spam said

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This about sums up why I'm fine with it: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/online_gaming

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