The Herald magazine is looking for your opinions!

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Hello all

I'm John Hathaway, the Editor for "the Herald (http://ufplanets.com/index.php?pageid=theherald)", a quarterly Star Trek PC gaming magazine, and fleet magazine for {UFP} The United Federation of Planets (http://www.ufplanets.com). You may have read a past edition of ours as we've interviewed Cryptic Studios a number of times (the first fleet to do so), including Dan Stahl twice. We've also interviewed other leading figures working within the general Star Trek franchise. You can read the latest, Summer edition here (http://ufplanets.com/ufp/fnn/herald/summer2011/index.html).
We have almost 3,000 readers and we're looking to greatly expand on that number come our Autumn Edition in about a month's time.

We're looking to get the opinions of Star Trek Online gamers regarding Season 4. What have you enjoyed seeing and playing with, and what have you been disappointed with? Whatever your opinion and thoughts of Season 4 are, we want to hear from you!
We're looking to work up a general picture of what the community is thinking, and what feedback we can gain from that.

If you can spare just a few moments to share with us your thoughts, we'd appreciate it and we'll try to include as many of them as we can in our Season 4 review, and credit those who make it. If you'd like to, please reply in this thread, or if preferable you may also email us at herald@ufplanets.com.

UPDATE: With the recent confirmation of STO going free-to-play by the end of the year, we'd also like to hear your thoughts on this development. Is this a good move for STO, or a bad one, and why? Do you feel this will affect you in any way? Are there any specific plans you're hoping from Cryptic now that we've got confirmation of their general intention?

We're looking at a release in the first week of October with a number of exciting articles, and we hope you'll enjoy another fine edition of the Herald. :)

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Hi Hathaway,

My two pennies:

I do like the new ground combat. I'll hold my hand up and say that I am probably the world's worst FPS gamer so I tend to stick to RP mode. Even so, the updates have meant that those exploration ground mission are no longer the dreaded, slug-fest things of old.

I like the fact that each weapon now has a unique 'flavour' in terms of graphics and sound.

I'm taking the view that the decision to delay the next FE series means that they are making sure it's good and as bug free as possible.

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Thank you WelshAvenger :)
Don't be shy guys, I know Star Trek fans have strong opinions (I'm one of them :p), but I'm looking for a truly broad perspective, something which I hope will really reflect the current thinking of STO gamers.

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Since I have only been playing for a month or so, I cannot go back and judge the previous things. From my experience, using both of the ground combat styles available, I do prefer the new one. It's a much more interactive feeling than the other, and seems quicker to respond.

All of the Bulletin missions (Breen, Devidians, etc.) have all been excellent, and the quality of the stories is more than I hoped for, and I do hope that the devs keep up the high quality of writing for future releases.

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Thank you Vistathorn. Whether a newcomer to the game or someone who's been here since closed Beta and before that, everyone's opinion is valid and appreciated.

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Hmm, an honest and frank view? Well being blunt and direct is something I do naturally -

I like STO, it's a fun game. It has it's flaws however and it isn't perfect. But you can see the potential within the game and it does make you wonder if that potential will truly be tapped into over time.

With Star Trek games being such a rarity in comparsion to games from another sci fi series, then for a Trek game to be truly noticed it has to be remarkable and that isn't easy to do. STO has moments when it is remarkable, they are few and far between but when they happen you can't help but admire the work and effort that has gone into the game and that feeling can leave you hoping to see more of that effort appear in months or years to come.
Season 4 shows at points that STO is progressing and from what I've heard and seen from how it used to be, then it's progressing well but still has a lot of room for improvement.

It is hard to say what the future holds for STO, but I hope it will be a good future and one that will show that Star Trek games are truly worth it after all.

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Season 4 has made the ground combat incredibly fun to play. What was a chore is now exciting and fresh. The Qo'noS and Starfleet Academy zones are also beautiful to behold.

However the recent change in ownership, while hopefully proving positive in the long run has had an unfortunate effect of pushing some of the planned content back. This has extended what was already a lengthy content drought. Several bugs have crept in with the latest patches, that are annoying if nothing else.

The new Borg invasions are fun to play and are hopefully the start of some very cool new content that we have been craving for some time. I think the future is bright but there clearly have been some bumps in the road.

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Appreciate your time guys. Everyone agree with what's been said so far or are there differing opinions which have so far not been expressed? Let us know!

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STO

Here's a game that is flawed in many ways. Q's for PVE . Bridge layouts that are entirely out of scale, ships the same way. Bugs O'Plenty and the C-Store debate. Plus the lack of content.

But for all the games flaws, for every little thing that isn't quite right, There are the players who are having a blast. I'm one of those players. STO is a game that has brought alot of my old gaming friends back together and introduced me to new friends. I've went back in time, I've fought in the mirror universe and I've met the Prophets. There isn't another game out there that lets me do all that and more and bring my friends along for the ride.

Folks around here are in two camps it seems the haters and the lovers. I'm one of the few who sits in the middle hating the game for feeling rushed and loving it for all it has.

What is the future going to bring? Hell if i know but if the devs keep working on content for both factions and are given the tools they need <money people etc> then I think that one day we will have a game while not perfect to anyone , that will be a place we can all be proud to call home.

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Thank you for writing this up for us Youngblood, I appreciate it. :)

Star Trek Online will feature quite heavily in our next edition so getting a community view of the game at Season 4 is something we're really keen to get.

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I've updated the original post, as we're also eager to hear your reactions to STO imminently going F2P. Please consult the OP for further info, and thanks again for those who've sent in replies :)

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I am very happy to see it go free to play. I think its the business model that will continue to be used throughout the industry and will attract many old and new Star Trek fans either back to the game, or for the first time.

I have experienced the free to play hybrid model in a few games and its worked very well and as a lifetime subscriber I expect to benefit even more once it converts over.

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Hi JH,

If by going F2P, STO will have get greater investment and in turn, more content then I am for it.

I suspect there will always be plenty of people who won't like the F2P model and I am sure there are a lot of downsides. But it won't change my subscription method and if it does attract more players and ultimately more revenue for STO, then this can only be a good thing. There is a fear that it could encourage more farming but this is something which exists in all MMO's.

As for season 4, I don't think it has delivered on the expectations that were set earlier int he year. The sale of Cryptic meant that there was a significant pause during the middle of Season 4 which has certainly meant that the community has felt like the game is treading water and it seems optimistic now that STO will deliver the 2 releases planned for this year. The ground combat changes while needed were no substitute for more content. Event the planned revamps of the STF's while again much needed, has meant that we are still waiting for new content.

Despite this, Dan Stahl's posts int he Engineering report for example, were very optimistic and showed that there is a real increase in pace and that Cryptic are aware of how the community is feeling. Cryptic have to catch up and start delivering more content for those of us at the upper levels. There is still not enough and there is only so many times we can keep repeating the STF's and feature episodes.

Grace Pryde

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As a player from the start, i have seen STO become a very good game, although there are still bugs in the game Cryptic have been working through them pretty well.

I am very disappointed that the game is going F2P, as i think that quality and commitment may suffer a savage blow. The way that things are give Cryptic more money to develop the game further, and if they begin charging for new content, i will most likely leave the game. i am not saying it is all bad, but i really do believe that this game will lose its fan base by going F2P.

The way i see it, the most successful MMO has to be WOW, and they are subscriber based. Why change what works?

The only bad thing that i can say about Cryptic is that they don't stick to timings. Seriously, when was the last thing they released on time? and just how buggy was it? I for one would prefer the content tried and tested before setting a release date. Release it on Tribble, and then, when it works, send it to the holodeck. Waiting for things to happen, and then being told it is delayed is extremely frustrating.

Other than that Well Done Cryptic, please don't go F2P.

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I think it will be awsome. there will be more players which I believe will bring more revenue
not only in micro transactions but in free players decideing to upgrade to a sub.
In don't believe the monthly subs and lifetime subs are going to get steped on. I don't see cryptic
not recognizing lifetimers, I think we'll get a pretty cool package (both monthly and lifetime)
Everything I've heard about Perfect world is positive,and free to play is what they do best.
I think it will bring new content. there are actually hireing at Cryptic, how could t5hat not mean more content,and they will have the task of keeping free players interested as there are alot of other free2play game out there now.
I hope free players will be allowed to join existing fleets, more fleet actions and STF's,

I've got to admit though it won't work without constant content releases and
releases that are on time, that is really my only grip about the game and I think it will affect free players

Clayton@Dredson

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When talking about Season 4, we must be realistic. Season 4 cannot be fully or honestly evaluated at this time because it still has content which has not been released. Yes, it would have been nice to have everything they had hoped for at the release. That didn't happen as planned, but I do believe they are working under unusual circumstances.

First, Cryptic went through an ownership change. If you think the sale started when you first heard about it, you're wrong. I'm sure it started much earlier. With a change in the guard, I'm sure they were under financial and personnel restraints which limited what Cryptic could physically produce. This is evident by the fact they were not hiring until the deal was sealed.

Another thing to consider in evaluating the timing is resources. Cryptic has spent a lot of their resources lately revising and reworking the game. This, I believe, has come at the sacrifice of new content to some extent. In a "Perfect World", they would have the resources to both revise and to create. Keeping in mind this game is still in its infancy, until STO reaches a certain maturity Cryptic will need to invest a little heavier in revisions. After that point most of their efforts can then go to content.

The sale is final and the game is becoming more polished. We will now see if Cryptic can begin to meet deadlines on a more consistent basis. For Cryptic, the time is now to prove themselves. SWTOR and ST:IS are just around the corner. If ST:O is to compete, Cryptic must produce on a consistent basis from this point on.

We basically have a couple of tweaks and the beginning of a major content update by which to judge Season 4 to this point- ground combat and the Borg Red Alerts. For this reason, I do not think a fair evaluation of Season 4 is possible or reasonable. I will, however, give a brief opinion.

I am fan of both.

The ground combat system is much better and has revitalized that part of the game. If we had the statistics, I believe you would see a tremendous change in the number of people who are participating in ground missions now, especially repeatable ones.

As for the Borg, this is simply a taste of what is to come, according to the developers. I'm sure those who aren't big Accolades fans will become bored quickly, and start whining, but that's just the way they are. For those who like the challenges of gaining Accolades, you'll be busy for a while.

To evaluate Season 4's impact on the game any further seems to me to be unfair.

Now on to Free To Play.

I am a lifetime member. I have been from the time it was first offered. I have no regrets. The reason I bring this up is simple. I want those reading this to understand where I am coming from.

One would believe Cryptic will follow the model established in Champions Online for the Star Trek transition. If you haven't done so yet, go over to CO and look at their FAQ and chart for the various types of memberships. We have no reason to believe Cryptic will do anything different for ST:O.

If so, there really isn't a problem.

Read this next line carefully. F2P isn't the end of the world, it's simply another way to play the game. Using the Champions Online model, there will still be opportunities for paying memberships and lifers will be taken care of as well. Those opportunities come in the way of full content accessibility and perks such as free Cryptic Points each month.

If you have a lifetime subscription, you will still get the same thing "Gold" members get without paying another dime. Basically, you still have the advantage of the full game without paying a subscription fee. That is what you paid for, and that is still what you will be getting. Period. Not only that, you will most likely get a few Cryptic Points to spend each month that you aren't getting now. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Once again, we can't fully evaluate this move until, well, the game succeeds or fails. In fact, any evaluation, including mine, is purely speculation at this point. You may now return to whatever you were spending the majority of your time doing prior to reading my little contribution- playing the game or whining.

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Thank you all for your opinions, you can now view and comment on the Federation Herald here (http://ufplanets.com/showthread.php?15608-Federation-Herald-Autumn-2011-Edition)! :)