Not sure if it should be asked here or not but here goes..

Ill be getting the game monday which should still basically be considered a pre order which SHOULD still let me play the early start right? well the thing im having trouble deciding is which pre order i should order from in regards to the bonus items n such..

the SyFy offer is what im most interested in because it offers the 500 cryptic points, but if the items you can get doesnt include startship equipment n such like that then it wouldnt benefit me much, plus you have to pay an extra $5 to allow a 2 year download period compared to the normal 30 days that Atari offers..

Then theres the Steam version, which all my games are on Steam and theres no time limit for downloading the game etc etc and still costs $50 but doesnt really offer anything great in terms of bonuses..

Soooo what im really tryin to ask is, what site/pre order bonus should i go with to get the best out of $50? im still guessing it would be the SyFy edition but i cant really decide which is best..

any help in deciding would be appreciated..

If you don't have your pre order in by now, it's anyone's guess if you can get into the headstart (you need an OB key & I don't know if they are still handing them out).

The Cryptic points are for cosmetics, so don't count on any ship equipment (but hey, they could add something later on I suppose).

If it was me I would buy one of the Deluxe digital downloads for $59.99. The SyFy (/cringe) offer is ok but the deflector will be in the bin in a few levels. the DDD has all the points, item plus loads of other fluff. Just remember none of the give-aways are going to be game changing.

As for headstart - if you buy it Monday, then download/update by the time you finish the proper start on Tuesday will be here. Can't see you getting into headstart (some uk suppliers have already stated that headstart is not available now on new orders but preorder gifts are).

Do not, do not, do not, pay for the privilege of being able to re-download the client. The client is freely available for download from a number of different (legitimate) sources.

Alrighty.. looks like i may be going with Steam then.

as for the deluxe version, not much difference really, Steam version offers that 360degree rear weapon which is nice but its probably just a copy of the early ones you get in game that do the same thing, so not really a point in getting a $60 one imo regardless of w/e else comes with it.

thanks for the info.

Dude, if I were you I would seriously rethink going with steam to get your pre-order! Alot of people have been having difficulties with steam with them wiping the game from their computer and having to re-download it... I would read this forum before buying from steam and make your decision then... I hope this doesn't come too late for you... Good luck!

http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=88538

IMO: Direct2Drive is a good digital retailer to go through. They don't do any funny stuff with their clients.