Sigh..the nickle and dimming has started already...

[Archived Post]

I renamed one of my bridge officers and leveled up their first space power to level 9, but i never noticed until now that i had accidentally typed the wrong name when i edited it. Now when i go back to change it the game says i have to buy a rename from the C-store. It used to be you could do it again for 1000 credits in game, but of course they had to take that out to support their nickle and dimming scheme with the c-store. :mad::mad:

Does anyone know of any other way to rename my Bridge officer in game, or will i have to lose those skill points i spent on her, and get a new one just to change the name?:(

EDIT: Can anyone confirm that you can still buy a Bridge officer re-name in game? The only option it gives me is to buy one from the c-store.:confused:

EDIT 2: Offical Response

Originally Posted by Rehpic
The tooltip has the wrong text due to a bug. Bridge officer renames do not require a rename token from the C-Store. That tooltip should only be showing if you are trying to rename your character. I have filed a bug on this issue so that it will be fixed in a future update.

[Archived Post]

C-Points is the quick way.
The other way is to earn 3000 merit points.

[Archived Post]

C-Points is the quick way.
The other way is to earn 3000 merit points.

So you can still just buy it in game? It doesn't say that anywhere in game, how do you know this? The only option it gives me is to buy it from the c-store.:confused::confused:

I don't mind if i need to save up to buy it in game, but i refuse to pay money on top of my monthly subscription just to rename my dam bridge officer.

[Archived Post]

I believe they had somebody on Starbase Earth during Beta for changing BO's traits.
Sorry i can't remember any other details.

[Archived Post]

Yea i saw this too, its SWG all over again. next we will have a stupid card game that will be 2.99 just to get good loot.

[Archived Post]

Does it really matter this early in the game for you?

What is a few hours of play compared to the days and weeks you will log over the coming months?

Restart now, and your problem is gone.

[Archived Post]

I have a wonderful idea.

Lets all cry about how Cryptic doesn't have the budget to support the server needs for the game.

THEN

Lets all cry about how they're trying to make money.

THEN

Lets all discuss capitalism, microeconomics, and ponder the relationship between subscription/cosmetic costs and purchase orders for new servers.

[Archived Post]

I mean, God forbid we actually have to pay for something these days, and not just get everything for free.

Crazy world.

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I fail to understand the problem, really. With any of the microtransaction stuff. So long as its never an absolute guarantee to have to purchase new stuff on the C-store constantly (and, y'know, it's not - the game's perfectly playable without the extras provided this way), then whether you CHOOSE to pay out a measly sum of £1-3 for something YOU CHOOSE is that important to you for playing the game is YOUR CHOICE, and YOUR FAULT - not Cryptic's.

Don't want to spend money on Microtransactions on top of a sub? Then don't. Simples.

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I fail to understand the problem, really. With any of the microtransaction stuff. So long as its never an absolute guarantee to have to purchase new stuff on the C-store constantly (and, y'know, it's not - the game's perfectly playable without the extras provided this way), then whether you CHOOSE to pay out a measly sum of £1-3 for something YOU CHOOSE is that important to you for playing the game is YOUR CHOICE, and YOUR FAULT - not Cryptic's.

Don't want to spend money on Microtransactions on top of a sub? Then don't. Simples.

Are we soul mates? Please say yes..

[Archived Post]

I fail to understand the problem, really. With any of the microtransaction stuff. So long as its never an absolute guarantee to have to purchase new stuff on the C-store constantly (and, y'know, it's not - the game's perfectly playable without the extras provided this way), then whether you CHOOSE to pay out a measly sum of £1-3 for something YOU CHOOSE is that important to you for playing the game is YOUR CHOICE, and YOUR FAULT - not Cryptic's.

Don't want to spend money on Microtransactions on top of a sub? Then don't. Simples.

Here Here sir, I agree completely.

[Archived Post]

I fail to understand the problem, really. With any of the microtransaction stuff. So long as its never an absolute guarantee to have to purchase new stuff on the C-store constantly (and, y'know, it's not - the game's perfectly playable without the extras provided this way), then whether you CHOOSE to pay out a measly sum of £1-3 for something YOU CHOOSE is that important to you for playing the game is YOUR CHOICE, and YOUR FAULT - not Cryptic's.

Don't want to spend money on Microtransactions on top of a sub? Then don't. Simples.

The problem is when they strip content and restrict features of the game, then try to charge people extra for it. In the case of renaming the bridge officer it's absolutely nothing for them to do in game, yet they put restrictions on it, and expect people to pay extra for it, that's wrong. You can justify it however you like but it's greedy business and is something that gets added to the games con list. While yes in the grand scheme of things it may into be much, but when they do enough of these little things they will start to add up and detract from the overall experience.

But what ever, I'm not here to argue with strangers about shady business ethics or my disgust of games that nickle and dime content. I just wanted to know if there is a way to rename the bridge officer in game, without needing to buy from the c-store, and if so how do i go about it. In game the only option i have shown to me is to buy from the C-store.

[Archived Post]

The problem is when they strip content and restrict features of the game, then try to charge people extra for it. In the case of renaming the bridge officer it's absolutely nothing for them to do in game, yet they put restrictions on it, and expect people to pay extra for it, that's wrong. You can justify it however you like but it's greedy business and is something that gets added to the games con list. While yes in the grand scheme of things it may into be much, but when they do enough of these little things they will start to add up and detract from the overall experience.

Except, that isn't and hasn't happened. As detailed in the previous page, you can still rename your character without paying a single penny - it's just easier to do so. This, to me, is completely acceptable - just like the retcons in CO, you can earn them in-game to some degree of difficulty, or you can pay a small sum to get it instantly if it's that important to you.

The simple fact is, it's still a choice, and it's a choice over something - ultimately- pretty inconsequential to the actual gameplay of the game. If you don't want to pay out for a name change, then don't ****ing do it. Ditto to respecs, re-whatever else you can think of.

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I mean, God forbid we actually have to pay for something these days, and not just get everything for free.

Crazy world.

Hmm lets see, i paid 69.00 for the CE, 49.00 for the DE, and will be paying 14.99 a month... i fail to see what i got for free. I wouldnt think wanting to rename a avatar for in game credits should be a big deal.

[Archived Post]

Except, that isn't and hasn't happened. As detailed in the previous page, you can still rename your character without paying a single penny - it's just easier to do so. This, to me, is completely acceptable - just like the retcons in CO, you can earn them in-game to some degree of difficulty, or you can pay a small sum to get it instantly if it's that important to you.

The simple fact is, it's still a choice, and it's a choice over something - ultimately- pretty inconsequential to the actual gameplay of the game. If you don't want to pay out for a name change, then don't ****ing do it. Ditto to respecs, re-whatever else you can think of.

I failt to see how to rename the avatar wihtout using c-store, i did it a few times in open beta but the option is not there to use in game credits.

[Archived Post]

Except, that isn't and hasn't happened. As detailed in the previous page, you can still rename your character without paying a single penny - it's just easier to do so. This, to me, is completely acceptable - just like the retcons in CO, you can earn them in-game to some degree of difficulty, or you can pay a small sum to get it instantly if it's that important to you.

The simple fact is, it's still a choice, and it's a choice over something - ultimately- pretty inconsequential to the actual gameplay of the game. If you don't want to pay out for a name change, then don't ****ing do it. Ditto to respecs, re-whatever else you can think of.

I agree completely, as long as it is offered in game at a reasonable point, then i am fine if they add a way for Bucky Buck$$ to go buy it instead of earning it because he is too lazy. I'm trying to confirm if their is a way to do this in game, and if so how do i do it. One guy said their was a way to do it, but i wanted to know for sure if this is how you did it. In game it says the only way i can rename my bridge officer now is to buy it from the c-store. Which i refuse to take part in, because of my personal beliefs on what it represents.

I'm not trying to argue with you or anyone about whether it is correct or not, i know it is wrong and nothing anyone can say will change my mind about it, just like you think the opposite. So lets stop wasting each others time arguing in circles about this stupid topic, and leave it to the million other threads full of idiots fighting back and forth, trying to figure out who has the bigger e-*****. Nothing ever changes when people argue online about things they have no influence over. If Cryptic and Atari want to charge $10 for every new sector, $20 for a new race, and $5 for ever time you want to change a stupid name then that's fine, its their game and their right to do it, but I'm not gonna be apart of it.

I just wanted confirmation that their is a way to change my bridge officers name again in game without buying from the c-store. If there is not, then i can delete it and start working on a new one, and if there is then i will just wait and save up to do it, and not have wasted 3-4 hours maxing it out.

[Archived Post]

I agree completely, as long as it is offered in game at a reasonable point, then i am fine if they add a way for Bucky Buck$$ to go buy it instead of earning it because he is too lazy. I'm trying to confirm if their is a way to do this in game, and if so how do i do it. One guy said their was a way to do it, but i wanted to know for sure if this is how you did it. In game it says the only way i can rename my bridge officer now is to buy it from the c-store. Which i refuse to take part in, because of my personal beliefs on what it represents.

I'm not trying to argue with you or anyone about whether it is correct or not, i know it is wrong and nothing anyone can say will change my mind about it, just like you think the opposite. So lets stop wasting each others time arguing in circles about this stupid topic, and leave it to the million other threads full of idiots fighting back and forth, trying to figure out who has the bigger e-*****. Nothing ever changes when people argue online about things they have no influence over. If Cryptic and Atari want to charge $10 for every new sector, $20 for a new race, and $5 for ever time you want to change a stupid name then that's fine, its their game and their right to do it, but I'm not gonna be apart of it.

I just wanted confirmation that their is a way to change my bridge officers name again in game without buying from the c-store. If there is not, then i can't delete it and start working on a new one, and if there is then i will just wait nd save up to do it, and not have wasted 3-4 hours maxing it out.

There was during open beta but i swear i dont see the options to now, only way i see now is using c-store.

[Archived Post]

There was during open beta but i swear i dont see the options to now, only way i see now is using c-store.

I did it hundreds of times during the beta too, but when i went to do it now the text fields are grayed out and the tool tip says i have to buy a rename token, or whatever they are called, from the c-store to do it. It doesn't say "or pay X credits to change it now.". Hoping a DEV or someone who has done it can comment about if it is still an option now, or not.:confused::confused:

[Archived Post]

I did it hundreds of times during the beta too, but when i went to do it now the text fields are grayed out and the tool tip says i have to buy a rename token, or whatever they are called, from the c-store to do it. It doesn't say "or pay X credits to change it now.". Hoping a DEV or someone who has done it can comment about if it is still an option now, or not.:confused::confused:

I would like to get an answer myself, If we are going to start getting screwed for everything we want to do i would at least like a little warning.

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I would like to get an answer myself, If we are going to start getting screwed for everything we want to do i would at least like a little warning.

Check my sig......... i am not suprised lol

[Archived Post]

Check my sig......... i am not suprised lol

I don't know about that, not even the Ferengi would do some of the stuff we might be seeing lol.

[Archived Post]

The tooltip has the wrong text due to a bug. Bridge officer renames do not require a rename token from the C-Store. That tooltip should only be showing if you are trying to rename your character. I have filed a bug on this issue so that it will be fixed in a future update.

[Archived Post]

where is the Cryptic store?

[Archived Post]

Okay, just checked this out for myself. Names are indeed grayed out, and you do indeed get told that you can't rename your character/BO's without a token from the C-Store... However, if you can make changes to the name and you'll see the currency indicator change, so it does look to be possible to pay in game currency to get these changes done

However, the currency that these changes use is STARFLEET MERITS!!! 3000 of them to be exact... Considering how rare Starfleet Merits are... well... ugh.

[Archived Post]

The tooltip has the wrong text due to a bug. Bridge officer renames do not require a rename token from the C-Store. That tooltip should only be showing if you are trying to rename your character. I have filed a bug on this issue so that it will be fixed in a future update.

Thanks for the response. Is it supposed to be star fleet merits, or is it credits to buy the change in game? Given how hard it is to come across it seems a little expensive. Again thanks for clarifying this.:D:D

[Archived Post]

The tooltip has the wrong text due to a bug. Bridge officer renames do not require a rename token from the C-Store. That tooltip should only be showing if you are trying to rename your character. I have filed a bug on this issue so that it will be fixed in a future update.

And now the guy who posted this topic and kept whining looks like an @sshole .... which he is, GJ cryptic!!

[Archived Post]

And now the guy who posted this topic and kept whining looks like an @sshole .... which he is, GJ cryptic!!

He had a laget reason to be in here saying somehitng, you on the other hand didnt, wow and ytou talk about him being an a@@ h@le

[Archived Post]

He had a laget reason to be in here saying somehitng, you on the other hand didnt, wow and ytou talk about him being an a@@ h@le

This, also +1. Foot, meet mouth :D

[Archived Post]

I love how so many people jump on the forums designed to ask for help and get feedback on aspect of the game, and call people whiners when they actually use it for its intended purpose.:p Oh well, trolls come with territory i guess.

[Archived Post]

This, also +1. Foot, meet mouth :D

Yea that didnt make you look 12 years old at all.

[Archived Post]

There are some odd personalities in this thread. First, this was a legitimate complaint that ended up drawing developer attention to a bug they seemed to be unaware of. I fail to see the harm in that.

Second, some of you seem to have some odd ideas of how the MMO subscription model works. We don't pay a monthly fee simply for the right to continue playing a particular MMO every month, we're also paying a monthly fee to support the continued development of the game. Thus, there is an expectation that bug fixes, enhancements, and new content will be provided in exchange for our monthly payments to the developers.

In response to the complaint about the micro-transaction business model, someone complained about people wanting "everything for free". This game has been live for just over 12 hours and so far I've spent roughly $325 on it. If I went to rename my bridge officer and was prompted to spend additional real-life funds at the C-Store I'd be pretty irritated as well. Short of monthly fees or paying for some additional account based service, I don't expect to be spending any more additional money on this game than I already am.

Charging real money to rename your character is one thing; many MMO's do it. Charging to customize your bridge officer, which is supposed to be a feature of the game, is quite a different matter. Charging real money for access to new ships, outfits, sectors, missions, pets, etc through micro-transactions rather than offering them as free updates or expansion pack material would be incredibly lame as well. I'm a little surprised to hear comments that make me believe that some people would simply roll over and accept that, however. I have no doubt that some of the things I've listed may show up as items that can be purchased through micro-transactions, and that will be quite disappointing. But, please, go easy on people like the original poster who (thankfully) aren't willing to bend over as far or as eagerly as some of you seem to be ready to do.

Frankly, I prefer to see more opinions like his just to keep the greed factor at somewhat sane levels.

[Archived Post]

And the onslaught of "mysterious bugs" Cryptic doesn't know about is in full effect, just like Champions Online.

Should be interesting to see what this game's "Vibora Bay" is.

[Archived Post]

i want my free startrek online health care obama promised me..... :mad:

im so mad i dont get every thing for free....:mad:

seriously if you like the game support it with monthly fees and micro transactions

if you hate it leave the game.

i however choose to support and bought a life time sub.

and if i see something that adds value to my game in the c store
i will pay for it

stop the whining kids and take action not word.

:cool:

[Archived Post]

There are some odd personalities in this thread. First, this was a legitimate complaint that ended up drawing developer attention to a bug they seemed to be unaware of. I fail to see the harm in that.

Second, some of you seem to have some odd ideas of how the MMO subscription model works. We don't pay a monthly fee simply for the right to continue playing a particular MMO every month, we're also paying a monthly fee to support the continued development of the game. Thus, there is an expectation that bug fixes, enhancements, and new content will be provided in exchange for our monthly payments to the developers.

In response to the complaint about the micro-transaction business model, someone complained about people wanting "everything for free". This game has been live for just over 12 hours and so far I've spent roughly $325 on it. If I went to rename my bridge officer and was prompted to spend additional real-life funds at the C-Store I'd be pretty irritated as well. Short of monthly fees or paying for some additional account based service, I don't expect to be spending any more additional money on this game than I already am.

Charging real money to rename your character is one thing; many MMO's do it. Charging to customize your bridge officer, which is supposed to be a feature of the game, is quite a different matter. Charging real money for access to new ships, outfits, sectors, missions, pets, etc through micro-transactions rather than offering them as free updates or expansion pack material would be incredibly lame as well. I'm a little surprised to hear comments that make me believe that some people would simply roll over and accept that, however. I have no doubt that some of the things I've listed may show up as items that can be purchased through micro-transactions, and that will be quite disappointing. But, please, go easy on people like the original poster who (thankfully) aren't willing to bend over as far or as eagerly as some of you seem to be ready to do.

Frankly, I prefer to see more opinions like his just to keep the greed factor at somewhat sane levels.

^^^^^ QFT

[Archived Post]

i want my free startrek online health care obama promised me..... :mad:

im so mad i dont get every thing for free....:mad:

seriously if you like the game support it with monthly fees and micro transactions

if you hate it leave the game.

i however choose to support and bought a life time sub.

and if i see something that adds value to my game in the c store
i will pay for it

stop the whining kids and take action not word.

:cool:


I thought posting feedback on a forum was taking action. Or is it automatically classified as whining if the opinion differs from yours?

Before you answer that, you might want to imagine how your comments come across when viewed from the other side of the fence.

[Archived Post]

I like you, Combadge.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

[Archived Post]

during beta didn't they make notice stating they new login issues and was waiting on new hardware for server? did it ever happen?

[Archived Post]

I am a meat popsicle. Nerd-raged before reading the dev post :(

[Archived Post]

i want my free startrek online health care obama promised me..... :mad:

im so mad i dont get every thing for free....:mad:

seriously if you like the game support it with monthly fees and micro transactions

if you hate it leave the game.

i however choose to support and bought a life time sub.

and if i see something that adds value to my game in the c store
i will pay for it

stop the whining kids and take action not word.

:cool:I also got lifetime, but if I see something that adds value to my game(not sure what you mean by that, but for me, its something that almost required), Ill do without it. Ive spent enough on this game already(Lifetime + Atari Collectors = enough money spent)

[Archived Post]

Have they changed it so that it does not cost starfleet credits to rename a BO/Char now and that you have to buy a rename token from c-store ? This was not the case in beta could jsut pay like 1000 credits for the change.

If they are charging now for renames tokens from the c-store thats a very low blow.


But if have left it wher ecan use the in game currency (credits ) then thats fine i'd expect that and that was the way was in beta.

its bit like using inf in COH to change your costumes. But its not a feature id buy on the c-store for a virtual char rename.

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I am in agreement with the sentiment that anything available for a microtransaction of real-life money should also be available in the game for in-game currency. This way, we get to choose to pay using real money, or our (sometimes valuable) time. Hopefully this issue gets resolved soon,but I'm not about to call Cryptic Ferengi (or below Ferengi) or anything silly like that. ;)

[Archived Post]

However, the currency that these changes use is STARFLEET MERITS!!! 3000 of them to be exact... Considering how rare Starfleet Merits are... well... ugh.

I hope its credits not merits !!

As merits are things which should be for your own character to unlock achievmetns and stuff i think , credits should be the in game currency, ala gold/influence/coins/pebbles or whatever they using for selling stuff.

[Archived Post]

So - I'm guessing the C-Store will turn into a microtransaction type thing, but what kind of things could you get from it?

Will it be a case of 'optional extras' - so you don't NEED the C-Store for anything?
Will it be a case of 'this or the other' - where you can purchase an item either via the C-Store (for real money) or in-game currency?

I've only had experience of microtransactions in CoV - that was a case of pay real money as a 1-off to get some extra content, not necessary to play but you can choose to have it.

Cheers,

Ark :)

[Archived Post]

I renamed my people but I'm guessing you can do it once for free then?!

If it costs don't do it. I renamed my people too...

Scientist

Soldier

Tech

So I suppose you can see I'm not a trekkie and I'm not going to waste my time building up a fantasy crew. Instead I would just enjoy the gameplay and like to make it easier by having names that stand out for what that person can do.

Organised rather than fantasised lol

[Archived Post]

You get soo many BO's that its not funny, you also get never ending BO exp to use up, so my advice is to just get another BO and train it up.

[Archived Post]

Voting with your wallet is your only way here, as far as micro transactions are concerned.

[Archived Post]

This game has been live for just over 12 hours and so far I've spent roughly $325 on it.

More fool you then. I've not paid a single penny yet and have been playing since OB. It was your choice to spend that level of money on lifetime subs, collectors editions, pre-ordering at silly places that charge you immediately, etc. It was my choice to save my money and use it wisely. If I then choose to drop £2 or so later down the line 'cos renaming or respecing my character is that important to me, then I've spent the equivalent of, what, a burger? A bag of sweets? Pretty inconsequential money.

Cryptic isn't a huge organisation, and MMOs are ridiculously expensive beasts. £8.99 a month is a very fair subscription rate, but if they offer me stuff via the C-Store, that I then CHOOSE to use because I feel it will better my own personal experience of the game on a cosmetic level, then why should I deny Cryptic the money based on some other person's personal policy that they don't like spending money for things.

[Archived Post]

There are some odd personalities in this thread. First, this was a legitimate complaint that ended up drawing developer attention to a bug they seemed to be unaware of. I fail to see the harm in that.

Second, some of you seem to have some odd ideas of how the MMO subscription model works. We don't pay a monthly fee simply for the right to continue playing a particular MMO every month, we're also paying a monthly fee to support the continued development of the game. Thus, there is an expectation that bug fixes, enhancements, and new content will be provided in exchange for our monthly payments to the developers.

In response to the complaint about the micro-transaction business model, someone complained about people wanting "everything for free". This game has been live for just over 12 hours and so far I've spent roughly $325 on it. If I went to rename my bridge officer and was prompted to spend additional real-life funds at the C-Store I'd be pretty irritated as well. Short of monthly fees or paying for some additional account based service, I don't expect to be spending any more additional money on this game than I already am.

Charging real money to rename your character is one thing; many MMO's do it. Charging to customize your bridge officer, which is supposed to be a feature of the game, is quite a different matter. Charging real money for access to new ships, outfits, sectors, missions, pets, etc through micro-transactions rather than offering them as free updates or expansion pack material would be incredibly lame as well. I'm a little surprised to hear comments that make me believe that some people would simply roll over and accept that, however. I have no doubt that some of the things I've listed may show up as items that can be purchased through micro-transactions, and that will be quite disappointing. But, please, go easy on people like the original poster who (thankfully) aren't willing to bend over as far or as eagerly as some of you seem to be ready to do.

Frankly, I prefer to see more opinions like his just to keep the greed factor at somewhat sane levels.

Cryptic has already stated (when they released CO) that they as a company do not believe you should pay for game altering things like gear in the cryptic store, that the things offered in said store would be management (respecs, redesign probably) and cosmetic (skirts), and that anything offered in the cryptic store would be available somehow for free in game (although it may be incredibly difficult to obtain). Now if the add a new faction and several sectors and want $10-15 for it, thats fine too, thats called an expansion pack.

[Archived Post]

I make 40 dollars an hour. They can have my nickles and dimes. It just weighs down my pocket

[Archived Post]

Yea i saw this too, its SWG all over again. next we will have a stupid card game that will be 2.99 just to get good loot.

LoN is great -- don't bash it -- LoN = Legends for Norrath

Im glad we can buy stuff, i dont have time to spend hours doing mobs to have some cool in game stuff, let me buy it so i look cool when i shoot you down in PvP :)

[Archived Post]

I believe they had somebody on Starbase Earth during Beta for changing BO's traits.
Sorry i can't remember any other details.

Yes as you beam onto Sol Station, head to the left a few rooms over

[Archived Post]

You should switch to the monthly-fee MMORPG that doesn't have a system for microtransactions for account actions such as renames. I'm told there is one or two. I wouldn't know because they're tiny ones nobody plays.

[Archived Post]

More fool you then. I've not paid a single penny yet and have been playing since OB. It was your choice to spend that level of money on lifetime subs, collectors editions, pre-ordering at silly places that charge you immediately, etc. It was my choice to save my money and use it wisely. If I then choose to drop £2 or so later down the line 'cos renaming or respecing my character is that important to me, then I've spent the equivalent of, what, a burger? A bag of sweets? Pretty inconsequential money.

Cryptic isn't a huge organisation, and MMOs are ridiculously expensive beasts. £8.99 a month is a very fair subscription rate, but if they offer me stuff via the C-Store, that I then CHOOSE to use because I feel it will better my own personal experience of the game on a cosmetic level, then why should I deny Cryptic the money based on some other person's personal policy that they don't like spending money for things.

There's nothing foolish about it. It's an investment, one tha's based on how long I believe I'll be playing this game after factoring in relevant considerations like my experiences from the beta. I'm fairly confident that I'll be playing STO long enough that my lifetime fee has paid itself off and then some. Realizing that, not paying for the lifetime fee (as long as one can afford to do so in the first place), when (for me) it should end up being cheaper in the long run, would actually be the "foolish" choice. Like all long-term investments it's a gamble, however. The company could go under in 6 months or I could suddenly become odd and forsake the use of computer technology tomorrow. Nobody knows what the future will bring, but I can make educated choices based on what I know now. Hardly foolish, but thank you for offering your opinion all the same.

At any rate, this is all a moot point. The statement was made in regards to the claim that we all expect everything to be free. Obviously that isn't the case, and that is why I brought up the amount of money I have spent so far on this product. It is somewhat insulting to have the "you're just cheap" card thrown at us after some players have already invested (financially) considerably more into the future development of this game than others (like yourself, for instance, who so far haven't "paid a single penny" as you proudly put it). So you might want to hold off on giving any lectures on value.

The subscription price Cryptic is charging is fairly standard as far as MMOs go. There are other games that use the micro-transaction model, although usually at the tradeoff of not having a monthly fee (Guild Wars and Free Realms, for example). I don't care if Cryptic chooses to charge an additional fee for account alterations (player name changes, server transfers, etc) as that has become a standard practice these days. But paying for additional content through micro transactions rather than expansion packs, or not receiving them as part of our expected monthly content updates in exchange for our monthly service fees is where I feel the line should be drawn. You may feel differently, but until you're paying my fees as well I'm going to have an opinion that I'll feel free to voice.

Honestly, I'm not even wild about offering game-advantages via micro-transactions even if they're also available through other gameplay methods. When I see someone cruising around in the most powerful starship available, I want to know they worked -in the game- to get that reward, not popped open their wallet and handed Cryptic five bucks. If we're going to complain about players being "cheap" and not wanting to see micro-transactions integrated too deeply into the game, I'm going to talk about how scenarios like that one will "cheapen" my game experience instead. Something, I feel, is much more worthwhile to be concerned about.

[Archived Post]

Am I the only one who can just change the BO's name from the skills/assignements screen?

[Archived Post]

There are some odd personalities in this thread. First, this was a legitimate complaint that ended up drawing developer attention to a bug they seemed to be unaware of. I fail to see the harm in that.

Second, some of you seem to have some odd ideas of how the MMO subscription model works. We don't pay a monthly fee simply for the right to continue playing a particular MMO every month, we're also paying a monthly fee to support the continued development of the game. Thus, there is an expectation that bug fixes, enhancements, and new content will be provided in exchange for our monthly payments to the developers.

In response to the complaint about the micro-transaction business model, someone complained about people wanting "everything for free". This game has been live for just over 12 hours and so far I've spent roughly $325 on it. If I went to rename my bridge officer and was prompted to spend additional real-life funds at the C-Store I'd be pretty irritated as well. Short of monthly fees or paying for some additional account based service, I don't expect to be spending any more additional money on this game than I already am.

Charging real money to rename your character is one thing; many MMO's do it. Charging to customize your bridge officer, which is supposed to be a feature of the game, is quite a different matter. Charging real money for access to new ships, outfits, sectors, missions, pets, etc through micro-transactions rather than offering them as free updates or expansion pack material would be incredibly lame as well. I'm a little surprised to hear comments that make me believe that some people would simply roll over and accept that, however. I have no doubt that some of the things I've listed may show up as items that can be purchased through micro-transactions, and that will be quite disappointing. But, please, go easy on people like the original poster who (thankfully) aren't willing to bend over as far or as eagerly as some of you seem to be ready to do.

Frankly, I prefer to see more opinions like his just to keep the greed factor at somewhat sane levels.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

I really struggle to understand how so many people on these forums complain about "whiners" when they're in fact bringing up legitimate queries. They you have another side, who are adament that they'll pay through the nose whatever it takes - to apparently "support the developers". This is what the subscription based model is for. If people feel that strongly about it, then f-ing DONATE to them.

The fact of the matter is, being charged (or asking for payment) for the simplest things is just getting beyond a joke. Renaming a character is a 10 second operation that gives you no benefit in-game. It's a simple text edit, nothing more. Asking for credits in this matter is downright disgusting in my view, considering many of us have paid a considerable amount of money already. And while some of you folks may be rich, or happen to be born with a silver spoon (which seems to be the case from some of the childish comments I've read), that doesn't make you better than anyone else on here, nor in the game.

There's too many people on here, throwing their weight around. While this may be normal for some of you, it's not acceptable in public. Hiding behind a monitor to belittle someone for asking a genuine question makes me question your motives, and secondly your age.

I'm all for constructive criticism (where due), but God help the SOB who tries the shame ***** with me.

These forums are here for the community. As a community, we're hear to help each other. If you can't behave in public then you don't deserve to be heard.

The dev's DO need to have a look into this matter, because it's only going to alienate people further, and possibly prevent further subscriptions.

[Archived Post]

The dev's DO need to have a look into this matter, because it's only going to alienate people further, and possibly prevent further subscriptions.

It doesn't seem to have hurt World of ********. Or City of Heroes. Or Ultima Online. Or Lord of the Rings Online.

Why is Star Trek Online the one game that will be damaged by this industry standard practice?

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It doesn't seem to have hurt World of ********. Or City of Heroes. Or Ultima Online. Or Lord of the Rings Online.

Why is Star Trek Online the one game that will be damaged by this industry standard practice?

What are you referring to, exactly? Most, if not any, of those games launched with a micro transaction business model. Using WoW as an example (since it was the first one you mentioned), only over the stretch of the last five years has Blizzard began introducing fees for account services (renaming your character, transferring servers, changing your race), and only within the past few months have they started with true micro-transactions through their online store (selling a handful of in-game pets out of the 100+ available in-game through normal play) - and when they went that route they gave half of their proceeds to charity.

The comment about preventing subscriptions is dead on. When I came across this thread, the first thought that popped into my head was "Oh no, did I make a mistake purchasing a lifetime subscription?", because suddenly I had visions of having to pay additional real-life fees anytime I wanted to do something I assumed would be handled through in-game currency.

I'm very glad a developer responded as quickly as they did to clarify that this was actually a bug, because prior to coming across that post I was preparing to call my credit card company to dispute the subscription charges and cancel my account. I simply will not pay a monthly fee + additional micro-fees for basic game content. This game is fun, but it's not entertaining enough to warrant abnormal fees. Even though I enjoy what limited content it offers, the keyword there is "limited" compared to what other MMOs offer. Cryptic did a good job with the time they had, but to successfully compete with some of the other MMOs STO needed a lot more development time. As much as I would love it to be, this isn't going to be a game that rockets to success with millions of subscribers, Star Trek IP or not.

I'm hoping that it will be successful enough that the company continues to put adequate resources into it, and that one day it may be fleshed out to where it should have been at launch (and appeal to even more people in the process). But I refuse to pay anything beyond the standard monthly fee to help get it to a place where it already should have been before we were ever charged in the first place. I usually don't complain about money, but this game has enough "I wish they had.." type shortcomings going on that I'm going to be realistic about how just how much I'm willing to spend on it.

My two cents, anyway. There's a micro-transaction right there for those of you who are so keen on the idea.

[Archived Post]

I have a wonderful idea.

Lets all cry about how Cryptic doesn't have the budget to support the server needs for the game.

THEN

Lets all cry about how they're trying to make money.

THEN

Lets all discuss capitalism, microeconomics, and ponder the relationship between subscription/cosmetic costs and purchase orders for new servers.

What he said...

[Archived Post]

tbh, does it really ****ing matter what your BO name is? seriously? why bother changing it, i hardly EVER see my BO name in combat due to i work with friends and partys if possible and that be what it will be like at end game., and it sure wont bother me if when i go to upgrade them there called doctor willy wonker . :|

[Archived Post]

Everyone is going to have a different opinion of "what matters". For some of the players, the name, the outfit, and the look of their bridge officers is going to matter. They'll probably spend more time happily roaming around the bridge of their ship than you would.

On the other end of the extreme, someone can just as easily ask "does it matter what your character or ship looks like? Just turn this into a top-down 2D icon-based game, that's all you need to play it!", and many of the people questioning the importance of renaming bridge officers might be among the first to say "that would suck, screw that".

Different strokes for different folks.

[Archived Post]

And now the guy who posted this topic and kept whining looks like an @sshole .... which he is, GJ cryptic!!

No, he looks like someone who got his questions answered by a developer stating that no, you can't do it now, but that is a bug and the dev has submitted it for correction.

You, on the other hand.....

[Archived Post]

I love how so many people jump on the forums designed to ask for help and get feedback on aspect of the game, and call people whiners when they actually use it for its intended purpose.:p Oh well, trolls come with territory i guess.

Just call them trolling rabid fanboys. They obviously aren't intellectuals.

[Archived Post]

Does it really matter this early in the game for you?

What is a few hours of play compared to the days and weeks you will log over the coming months?

Restart now, and your problem is gone.

It's called principles. Morals, and ethics. A design flaw that hardly costs a thing just now. But, it doesn't scale. If that had been a few weeks later (shame on him for not noticing sooner... nevertheless). Let's try a different business model. If you don't mind paying 2.99 for each sub category of every little thing you do on your cell phone, such as text, internet, dialing out of state, long distance by 3 or more states cost a little more...JUST 5.99, and you TOO can dial 911! ... It's the principle of the thing. No one likes that model, though we have no choice. Some phone companies are starting to catch on, though. Roll it all together, sell it all for one price group "You want basic service, or mid grade package, or full package?". I think game models should go that way, as well....

The dev's replied already, and said it was a bug. They caught on to the bug because someone took the time to post a grievance. If Dev would take the time to say "yay ; bug" or "nay ; intended", and that's all, then we get a feel of what they are doing, so we know whether it's an issue real, or an issue perceived.

Sometimes, this information is readily available in a patch note. If this post generated grief for just one person, then it's worth their time to state in a future patch that includes the fix "Renames for BO's should now only charge credits instead of requiring c-store purchase" then you know...

There are some of us that realize that Cryptic are not greedy jerks, and those of us that think that's all they are about. Let's judge by Champions Online, and Star Trek Online what the going trend is, and from there, we'll see. I'll put some food for thought here, but do not think that I am justifying, or agreeing with nickel and dime tactics. I like the old model of "make a game that doesn't suck, and you have a player base" and "charge $15 just like everyone else". You want to put neat things on the store so I can choose to spend my hard earned cash on some graphic art that makes my avatars have something semi-unique...fine. I'll do that, but, I don't agree with charging for respecs (unless it's purely as alternative and I can decide ; spend time in game, or spend money to avoid time) or renames, etc.

The model should be "you can spend time to do this OR real money" ... give me a choice, and there will always be those moments where I say "meh, I'll pay the lady, and eat this one". Tell me that's the only way I can do it? You'll never get an extra dime from me. Principle of the thing.

Voting with your dollar still counts.


But, some easy math so that we at least appreciate their predicament.

10,000 subscribers at ~$60USD per box: $600,000 USD (static income)
10,000 subscribers at ~$15UAD p/mo: $150,000 USD (residual income)

In a really old article about Cryptic, I saw "employs over 100 people"
Average salary: $110,000 USD p/person
Gross Average p/person company benefits: $4,800 USD p/year p/person
-----------------------------------
X 100 employees = $11,480,000 USD
10,000 subscribers $1,800,000 USD

That means they have to have at /least/ 60,000 subscribers /just/ to pay employees. We're not talking about building payments (rental, or ownership / property taxes, etc.) technology budgets for all those systems you are playing on, and they are dev'ing on. The power bill *shudders*. That alone for our server farm in ONE building is $12,000 p/ month where I work. We have several of those. Build farms, etc. Internet pipe for us to connect, and play through. that's a few thousand per month.

I know... AVERAGE (as divided in rough estimate). Some make more, some make less...you get the idea.

(I know... every Cryptic Dev will look at that, and say "pfft, that's peanuts, I wouldn't be here if that's all I made". I am just giving some basic easy math so people understand that it's not pure greed at the root of the model)

...they have to do something to make up for low subscriber base. Spend more time and money making the ultimate game? No...make money on your investment, and THEN when you have a successful model, you can pour more back into R&D to make it better. Chicken and Egg argument. I don't know how much investment capital was granted to make this game, so no telling, but, releasing after 2 years of dev tells me not much. They are attempting to do a quick/easy "assembly line" style "make it/ship it" model to mass produce money making game models. Does it give us the quality we want? Hard to say. I'd say not likely, because in this model, any little screw up taints your game permanently, and no one will touch you with a 10 foot pole. They are between a rock and a hard place.


In short, I see both sides of the fence.

Trick is...how to make a game that you can predict will make enough to support and justify the people working on it, and STILL turn a profit?

All that to say, I agree that nickel and dime bad ; how do we make this game succeed without it?

Maybe build off the cell phone industry model:

Enforce a special tag on your player name, so everyone knows you are "special", then "You want an insta - level 60 character? Ok. That'll be $650 USD, please". There, they've made what they would have on you in the end, and you get what you would have done. "You want 1,000,000 in-game gold? That'll be $120 USD, please". There ; they've made extra money, dealt with the chinese farmers, and made people who want end game fame without the trials. Everyone is happy ;) and for the record, no, I don't think this wold work...just being silly. Further, it illustrates there are few avenues a game company can take to make monies when they don't develope a "great" game.

What makes WoW so special? Fun factor dynamics. They made a smooth, large "feel" place and funneled you into a cartoon world where you can't take yourself serious. There is no true IP, per se. Just their own little fun universe based (in a minor way) on a rendition of D&D, and so it relates for those players, as well as "cartoons!" relates to kids (ever wonder why so many kids there?). Timing. No one had a "fun" game that curmudgeons and kids alike could "relate" to. Star Trek online is yet another among the many games that won't attract people in droves the same way simply because it isn't "FUN!" for the kids to play by the look and feel of it. There will, however, be two+ generations of Star Trek fans playing, and that's something.

And yes...that's my OPINION.... like it or not, it doesn't matter. It's my take, and if you don't agree...ok...if you do, ok.... it doesn't matter in the end, because I have nothing to prove. I am just here to enjoy the IP wrapped around a newly made model that is in the works, and we'll get there, or we won't. I will have some fun in the meantime. Oh, and I am here to take up a lot of space on the forums apparently, as well. SIgh.

Did I mention it takes me four bottles of shampoo to write the directions for washing your hair? yes, I go on ...sorry. I get on a roll, and had a point to make.

[Archived Post]

At the risk of being flamed, I would like to add my 2 cents.

I think that from the onset C-Store is acceptable as long as you can acquire items in game some way. Or in this case a service of some sort. However, it becomes evident that this gives a tool to which makes it in their interest to make said item or server as hard to get in game as possible.

Lets take a look at this case. Renaming BO. You cannot help but compare to another game. So I choose WoW (I know I said I would risk being flamed). In wow you can rename your pet. Then you can get an inscriptor to easily (very easily) make a scroll that allows you to change it after your first rename (which is like STO free).

If Wow charged you 15 bucks a month then charged you 2.99 to change you pet name, they would make the scroll very difficult to obtain so they can make 3 bucks. (and blizzard would, you know it).

How much faith would I have in a system (in effect an honor system) with STO and C-Store. Only time will tell, but little time is all that is needed. The game hasn't come out and yes I have spent alot already. (When I pre-ordered I put the whole amount for the CE) I am really weary of the C-Store model on top of the monthly fees.

But who knows, lets just play some STO.

[Archived Post]

I failt to see how to rename the avatar wihtout using c-store, i did it a few times in open beta but the option is not there to use in game credits.

He said Merits as in Star Fleet merits not Energy

[Archived Post]

Average salary: $110,000 USD p/person

For some reason I sincerly doubt this.

You think that the designers make such an ungainly large amount that their salaries will inflate it to this number?

Remember, they are gonna have to emplay guys in mail rooms and other jobs that make very low possibly a little over minimum wage jobs. Those are gonna such that average pay value down alot.

I used to be a video game design student, here is some info i found when researching the job
1) the turnover rate is very high due to the high competition and stress levels

2)The average game designer with over a decade of experience makes 70-90 K / year
3) The average game programmer with over 6 years of experience makes ~ 89K
4) the average salary of a tech director, the head of all programmers is only around 120K

How do these average any where near 110K p/ year

[Archived Post]

Does it really matter this early in the game for you?

What is a few hours of play compared to the days and weeks you will log over the coming months?

Restart now, and your problem is gone.

Unless you used the shuttlecraft code. :(

[Archived Post]

Yes as you beam onto Sol Station, head to the left a few rooms over

wait what, you can change BO's *traits* ? you're not talking about skills are you? TRAITS?

[Archived Post]

So, how do I acquire a rename token? This is not an option availlable in my c-store?

[Archived Post]

So, how do I acquire a rename token? This is not an option availlable in my c-store?

not in game yet