Anjohl

THANK YOU. That's why a game like Silent Hunter III would have been the *perfect* template for a ST MMO.

Instead, they are going for the generic "my avatar vs. yours" format which is the norm now, and mainstream. The problem is that those mainstream players are playing WOW, and the leftovers are playing Aion. So where does that leave STO in a year? likely at the same place as Champions Online, on either life support or dead, once the allure of the license wears off.

I would certainly be willing to "serve" under another captain, to encapsulate the proper feel of the Star Trek universe, as Roddenberry would have wanted.

As it stands right now, you just switch out the dark elf and rogues for star ships. Pointless, and a waste. I think STO should have classes which have nothing to DO with spaceships or the federation at ALL. If anything, they should have allowed human and Klingon for the base game, and brought new races in as expansions.

If the players don't feel not being the one in control would ruin the game, why are their differing roles in every MMO's? Why do some people play as support characters? If you think that a run-and-gun arcade shmup is the best way to deliver a STO to the fans, then I don't consider you a true ST fan.

Estevan, you have point-and-click spaceships, sure.

Crying Reaper, 6400 people don't die when one of your battleships in Eve are destroyed, 6400 non-existant stat resources are lost, which are all NPC's following pre-determined routes.

I won't get into Eve, because it's all a hilarious mess of epic proportions, but Star Trek should have been how Gene would have wanted it. Interaction between crew members was largely what the series was about, and upholding a set of morals and principles no matter how hard it was.

Going around fighting Klingons with each player being a spaceship avatar is about as much to do with Star Trek as D-A-C is.

Ugh, no. Star WARS is about fighting, Star Trek is about fighting ONLY when nessasary, and knowing that that decision could have consequences.

By having every player as a ship captain, with no PC bridge crew, and this combat focus, this is just another run of the mill everquest/WOW clone.

Star Trek Online had the potential to really shake up the genre, and Mythic *squandered* it completely.

This could have been the MMO for the Wing Commander/Silent Hunter fans, with ALL bridge crew as player characters, and many character classes which have *nothing* to do with flying a starship.

But, this game will have melee weapons, ranged weapons, healers, tanks, mages and rogeus just like every other MMO, and it will die after the allure of the property dies off.

Ian, point me to an MMO that has a true "persistant virtual world".

This is going to ruffle a *lot* of people's feathers, but paying to participate in a virtual stock market is literally the anthesis of economics period.

I mean, if you are that eager to spend $15/month to make virtual money, why not spend $15 on a stock book, and invest $165 a year in real life?

I like it, DDO is already being immitated. Definitley a good sign, and likely the end of the prevalence of monthly fees. Long overdue, since they don't deliver the quality of content which would justify a 1/4 retail price continual charge.

So, when is LOTR going FTP? 6 months after Mirkwood?

Call me a broken record, but they *#&@ed this up. Without players as bridge officers, the entire ship combat is just any other "everyones teh starr" online game. Silent Hunter III's front end, made multiplayer, and Trek themed would have been the way to go.