Originally posted by storm-dragon Yeah I wouldn't take the whole don't need Torps as gospel guy....it is the case now but we have already been told it's changing.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
I don't see what the problem with a 45-second pause feature is, and I'd be surprised if it's not a configurable option just like the looting rules. Frankly, I couldn't be more thankful for it. Learning of it got a big smile out of me. I've never understood why it's such a taboo feature in multiplayer games of any kind. 'But it could be abused!' Yeah, and? If you can't trust who you're playing with, disable it or find better people. Anyway, I wanted to comment on this:
The first thing you'll notice about Star Trek Online is the sound. Cryptic would have had to go out of their way to screw this up, and naturally they didn't. From the first loading screen, the music is dead on what you'd expect. Once in the game, the voice of the computer, the sound of phasers and doors is all exactly what you'd want it to be. The computer on your ship, which provides helpful tips like "Enemy's shields are down" either is the voice of the "computer," or someone who did a bang on impression.
I strongly doubt it was Majel. She died of leukemia in December of 2008, so the recording would have had to occur very early, indeed.
Me too, but it did sound like her a lot. And she never says anything she likely didn't say 1000 times in the various movies and films. So, I figured, it was possible that they just reused old voice samples, but that said, I honestly have no idea. The point is that it sounds authentic whatever it is.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Keep in mind that the preview author is a self addmitted "OCD completionist" who doesn't read the in game quest content and only played the game for 20 hours (which is perhaps 3 or 4 days for the average player). Could you enjoy the game you are playing now if you played for only a few days and read none of the story content? Sounds to me like we just got a preview of what should/could be STO's free trial week, when played by a typical power leveler.
I may not have been clear on the story comment. I typically ignore story in MMOs. I knew I was previewing this though, so I quite intentionally read much of it. Thus, the comments about it.
Also, I'm by no means a power leveler. A completionist spends as much time as is necessary to do every single mission regardless of the reward or necessity. A power leveler takes the most efficient path to max XP. I am the former.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
I want to be fair so I'll say that this may be a great game for some people. Unfortunately it looks like I won't be one of those people. To me this sounds terrible.
It seems to me that this game isn't built for free roaming exploration at all. Can I just point my ship towards the galatic core and head off....that-a-way? You know, that urge to go explore where no-one has gone before? It doesn't sound like it and even if we could it seems obvious that the game isn't really built for that sort of thing so random exploration probably wouldn't be very thrilling anyway.
It looks like this game is going to follow the typicall quest hub formula. Start in this area, load up on quests/chores, slog through all of that tedium, then an NPC admiral or someone will send you off to the next quest hub area. And it sounds like it's all very heavily instanced so I'm left wondering how much actual persistant world there is. Is there ANY persistant world outside of the quest hub areas?
And then there's the grouping question of course...but, oh well, that ship has sailed. It seems clear that this is a single player game with some co-op options which will almost certainly lead to grouping being more difficult and less rewarding than just doing your little chores solo to get them over with so you can load up on your next batch of chores.
And the ability to pause the game during these instanced missions? Come on, if that isn't a clear indication that this is primarily a single player game then I don't know what is.
Whatever, some people will love it I'm sure. But to me this looks like an extension of the trend to turn mmorpgs into pay-to-play single player games and I'm not interested in that at all. If I could play it offline without a subscription fee I might very well buy it but otherwise no.
Wow.. I was going to pre-order this, but that 4 page preview sounded a lot like a Single player game. Where is the socializing? Teaming up?.. I really do not know about this game. I think now I will wait until it has been out for a month or 2 before I buy. To me it seems they really missed the boat when it came to this game.. they could have done so much with it.
The game might suck but you have to look at it through the eyes of a Star Trek fan to understand it.
I am a Star Trek fan. Try looking through MY eyes.
You are no FAN. you are just a bitter guy who likes to bitch and moan about every single MMO out there. Your name suits you perfectly. MMO doubter. i guess some people are born to complain.
I book movie tickets in advance, i pre order videos, books and everything i can if i am interested in it. For me pre ordering a video game is no different. You need confirmation on every product you buy? you want 100% guarantee? ok wait for it, no one is forcing you to pre order anything.
Originally posted by storm-dragon Yeah I wouldn't take the whole don't need Torps as gospel guy....it is the case now but we have already been told it's changing.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
January 12th the game goes OPEN BETA. Try it for yourself. A great many of you will be pleasantly surprised, some may love it, and of course some will hate it. At least you have the chance to test it out before it goes gold.. unlike some of the mmos out there today.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Originally posted by storm-dragon Yeah I wouldn't take the whole don't need Torps as gospel guy....it is the case now but we have already been told it's changing.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
There are two fore slots and one aft slot on the basic ship.
However, it's like equpping a sword. I cannot change in combat, but I can reoutfit the ship before I enter combat (which is pretty predictable given the 10k firing limit). So if sensors show one stronger ship, I run with two dual phaser banks up front as described in the article (no torpedos). If there are many enemies, I go the more traditional route.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Originally posted by Dana There are two fore slots and one aft slot on the basic ship. However, it's like equpping a sword. I cannot change in combat, but I can reoutfit the ship before I enter combat (which is pretty predictable given the 10k firing limit). So if sensors show one stronger ship, I run with two dual phaser banks up front as described in the article (no torpedos). If there are many enemies, I go the more traditional route.
How much of your ship can you reconfigure outside of a Starbase then?
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors. Made the AI sound very poor as it didn't even try to change its facing when one shield got low.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors.
Yes. That's why I used the word "retain".
My point was simply that you can still bring two banks to bear if you had slot two comitted to torps. That's all. Situationally of course. While backing up? No.
Im not that impressed so far. The ground system sounds like a copy of CoH instanced dungeon system. I was hoping to visit planets and explore.
Also the way spacemissions are implemented is a little shallow. This on top of my earlier disappointment when I learned that everyone will fight with his own ship and a ship is nothing but one big mob where subsystems dont mean much. There is no beaming on board to sabotage/take over for random accounters. Or to defend against for that matter. The only boarding that happens, is when its specifically implemented into a mission.
If there was any IP that could use more freedom in exploring and freedom of choice during missions, then it surely was Star Trek.
Originally posted by Dana There are two fore slots and one aft slot on the basic ship. However, it's like equpping a sword. I cannot change in combat, but I can reoutfit the ship before I enter combat (which is pretty predictable given the 10k firing limit). So if sensors show one stronger ship, I run with two dual phaser banks up front as described in the article (no torpedos). If there are many enemies, I go the more traditional route.
How much of your ship can you reconfigure outside of a Starbase then?
As much as you want, if you have the items. You can swap anything you want out whenever you're not in combat. You don't have to report to a starbase to change things.
Originally posted by Drachasor
Originally posted by Scrogdog
Originally posted by Drachasor
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors. Made the AI sound very poor as it didn't even try to change its facing when one shield got low.
Well, to be fair to the AI, it did try to swirve and it did redirect power to the fore shields as well. The problem was it was trying to close the gap and wasn't properly set up when I attacked. The game tries to close the gap, because if that ship gets in close, it can probably wipe me out. I just had enough juice in those two dual phaser banks to rip through his front shields faster than he could fix them.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Great article Dana.. my only suggestion is to continue to give us as much as you can AS WELL AS providing us with your overall views of the STORYLINE, PLOT and CHARACTER development as you immerse yourself into the universe. Trek truly is about the story and some of us would like to hear how the story is progressing in terms of good or poor writing, good or poor storytelling, good or poor text, etc... immersion is the most important aspect for me when it comes to an MMO.. I would like to read how immersive (or not) STO is and could be when it goes live.
Good article. The fact that Cryptic have dropped the NDA for journalists would indicate that they are already very confident with the quality of their game and the polish to come.
So... a mea culpa (which will appear with more prominence in par two):
Cryptic informs me, after a few pointed it out, there is in fact auto attack.
That fact that I never gleaned how is a problem unto itself, but it's there and my numb thumb is more angry at me than ever.
Turns out if you hold CTRL and click certain skills (say phasers) it auto fires. So that entire section where I complain about a lack of auto attack is BS. Apologies to Cryptic and you guys who read it.
Dana Massey Formerly of MMORPG.com Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
So... a mea culpa (which will appear with more prominence in par two): Cryptic informs me, after a few pointed it out, there is in fact auto attack. That fact that I never gleaned how is a problem unto itself, but it's there and my numb thumb is more angry at me than ever. Turns out if you hold CTRL and click certain skills (say phasers) it auto fires. So that entire section where I complain about a lack of auto attack is BS. Apologies to Cryptic and you guys who read it.
I hope you will update the review then because that " no autofie" is definetly something that put a heavy weightbag in the "no go" end of my gaming scales and I'm sure it will do the same for others.
So... a mea culpa (which will appear with more prominence in par two): Cryptic informs me, after a few pointed it out, there is in fact auto attack. That fact that I never gleaned how is a problem unto itself, but it's there and my numb thumb is more angry at me than ever. Turns out if you hold CTRL and click certain skills (say phasers) it auto fires. So that entire section where I complain about a lack of auto attack is BS. Apologies to Cryptic and you guys who read it.
Don't sweat it, we're all just human.
I realize you're getting paid for this, but it is probably not easy to write a thing knowing exactly how it will be dissected and run through the cleaners.
Comments
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
I strongly doubt it was Majel. She died of leukemia in December of 2008, so the recording would have had to occur very early, indeed.
Me too, but it did sound like her a lot. And she never says anything she likely didn't say 1000 times in the various movies and films. So, I figured, it was possible that they just reused old voice samples, but that said, I honestly have no idea. The point is that it sounds authentic whatever it is.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
I may not have been clear on the story comment. I typically ignore story in MMOs. I knew I was previewing this though, so I quite intentionally read much of it. Thus, the comments about it.
Also, I'm by no means a power leveler. A completionist spends as much time as is necessary to do every single mission regardless of the reward or necessity. A power leveler takes the most efficient path to max XP. I am the former.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
I want to be fair so I'll say that this may be a great game for some people. Unfortunately it looks like I won't be one of those people. To me this sounds terrible.
It seems to me that this game isn't built for free roaming exploration at all. Can I just point my ship towards the galatic core and head off....that-a-way? You know, that urge to go explore where no-one has gone before? It doesn't sound like it and even if we could it seems obvious that the game isn't really built for that sort of thing so random exploration probably wouldn't be very thrilling anyway.
It looks like this game is going to follow the typicall quest hub formula. Start in this area, load up on quests/chores, slog through all of that tedium, then an NPC admiral or someone will send you off to the next quest hub area. And it sounds like it's all very heavily instanced so I'm left wondering how much actual persistant world there is. Is there ANY persistant world outside of the quest hub areas?
And then there's the grouping question of course...but, oh well, that ship has sailed. It seems clear that this is a single player game with some co-op options which will almost certainly lead to grouping being more difficult and less rewarding than just doing your little chores solo to get them over with so you can load up on your next batch of chores.
And the ability to pause the game during these instanced missions? Come on, if that isn't a clear indication that this is primarily a single player game then I don't know what is.
Whatever, some people will love it I'm sure. But to me this looks like an extension of the trend to turn mmorpgs into pay-to-play single player games and I'm not interested in that at all. If I could play it offline without a subscription fee I might very well buy it but otherwise no.
Wow.. I was going to pre-order this, but that 4 page preview sounded a lot like a Single player game. Where is the socializing? Teaming up?.. I really do not know about this game. I think now I will wait until it has been out for a month or 2 before I buy. To me it seems they really missed the boat when it came to this game.. they could have done so much with it.
I am a Star Trek fan. Try looking through MY eyes.
You are no FAN. you are just a bitter guy who likes to bitch and moan about every single MMO out there. Your name suits you perfectly. MMO doubter. i guess some people are born to complain.
I book movie tickets in advance, i pre order videos, books and everything i can if i am interested in it. For me pre ordering a video game is no different. You need confirmation on every product you buy? you want 100% guarantee? ok wait for it, no one is forcing you to pre order anything.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
January 12th the game goes OPEN BETA. Try it for yourself. A great many of you will be pleasantly surprised, some may love it, and of course some will hate it. At least you have the chance to test it out before it goes gold.. unlike some of the mmos out there today.
Sounds like a fun single player game....
Currently Playing: DAOC Uthgard
Previously Played: UO, DAOC, Shadowbane, AC2, SWG, Horizons, COX, WOW, EQ2, LOTRO, AOC, WAR, Vanguard, Rift, SWTOR, ESO, GW2.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I've gotten the impression that Torpedoes just aren't worth getting AT ALL. It is just flat-out better to go with phasers.
I'm not a huge min/maxer, but I found phasers were better against single targets and in PvP (see part two). That said, it's way too soon to tell for sure (balance will no doubt be changed over time).
Against multiple targets with less shields though, the key is to get rid of enemies as fast as possible while moving around. Phasers are not nearly as good there. Projectiles are needed because once you make a hole, it's important to capitalize and get a torpedo in there fast.
How many weapon slots did the ship have? I was under the impression that going with two phasers means you would have no room for torpedoes.
There are two fore slots and one aft slot on the basic ship.
However, it's like equpping a sword. I cannot change in combat, but I can reoutfit the ship before I enter combat (which is pretty predictable given the 10k firing limit). So if sensors show one stronger ship, I run with two dual phaser banks up front as described in the article (no torpedos). If there are many enemies, I go the more traditional route.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Um... ok. If having your friends on your away teams and things like fleet battles don't interest you, then yes. Go ahead and solo the game.
Don't see the fun in that personally but whatever flicks your bic.
*shrug*
How much of your ship can you reconfigure outside of a Starbase then?
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors. Made the AI sound very poor as it didn't even try to change its facing when one shield got low.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors.
Yes. That's why I used the word "retain".
My point was simply that you can still bring two banks to bear if you had slot two comitted to torps. That's all. Situationally of course. While backing up? No.
Im not that impressed so far. The ground system sounds like a copy of CoH instanced dungeon system. I was hoping to visit planets and explore.
Also the way spacemissions are implemented is a little shallow. This on top of my earlier disappointment when I learned that everyone will fight with his own ship and a ship is nothing but one big mob where subsystems dont mean much. There is no beaming on board to sabotage/take over for random accounters. Or to defend against for that matter. The only boarding that happens, is when its specifically implemented into a mission.
If there was any IP that could use more freedom in exploring and freedom of choice during missions, then it surely was Star Trek.
Um... ok. If having your friends on your away teams and things like fleet battles don't interest you, then yes. Go ahead and solo the game.
Don't see the fun in that personally but whatever flicks your bic.
*shrug*
It's amazing how many people don't know sarcasm when they read it....
Currently Playing: DAOC Uthgard
Previously Played: UO, DAOC, Shadowbane, AC2, SWG, Horizons, COX, WOW, EQ2, LOTRO, AOC, WAR, Vanguard, Rift, SWTOR, ESO, GW2.
Um... ok. If having your friends on your away teams and things like fleet battles don't interest you, then yes. Go ahead and solo the game.
Don't see the fun in that personally but whatever flicks your bic.
*shrug*
It's amazing how many people don't know sarcasm when they read it....
Indeed. I fought fire with fire.
I suggest that your sarcasm detection array needs an upgrade.
How much of your ship can you reconfigure outside of a Starbase then?
As much as you want, if you have the items. You can swap anything you want out whenever you're not in combat. You don't have to report to a starbase to change things.
Two forward slots and one aft for tier 1 ships.
When choosing your weapons there is a trade off; the more powerful, the less wide a firing arc (and vice versa). So, turning your broadside towards the enemy could concievably bring two phaser banks to bear (assuming 180 degree firing arcs) and still retain torpedos in forward slot two.
Read the article again, Dana clearly said he went to max range, and pelted the enemy with phasers while backing up. So both of the front mounts had phasors. Made the AI sound very poor as it didn't even try to change its facing when one shield got low.
Well, to be fair to the AI, it did try to swirve and it did redirect power to the fore shields as well. The problem was it was trying to close the gap and wasn't properly set up when I attacked. The game tries to close the gap, because if that ship gets in close, it can probably wipe me out. I just had enough juice in those two dual phaser banks to rip through his front shields faster than he could fix them.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Great article Dana.. my only suggestion is to continue to give us as much as you can AS WELL AS providing us with your overall views of the STORYLINE, PLOT and CHARACTER development as you immerse yourself into the universe. Trek truly is about the story and some of us would like to hear how the story is progressing in terms of good or poor writing, good or poor storytelling, good or poor text, etc... immersion is the most important aspect for me when it comes to an MMO.. I would like to read how immersive (or not) STO is and could be when it goes live.
Good article. The fact that Cryptic have dropped the NDA for journalists would indicate that they are already very confident with the quality of their game and the polish to come.
So... a mea culpa (which will appear with more prominence in par two):
Cryptic informs me, after a few pointed it out, there is in fact auto attack.
That fact that I never gleaned how is a problem unto itself, but it's there and my numb thumb is more angry at me than ever.
Turns out if you hold CTRL and click certain skills (say phasers) it auto fires. So that entire section where I complain about a lack of auto attack is BS. Apologies to Cryptic and you guys who read it.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Dana,
Please tell them how the teaming system currently works so people will quit whining about it.
I hope you will update the review then because that " no autofie" is definetly something that put a heavy weightbag in the "no go" end of my gaming scales and I'm sure it will do the same for others.
Don't sweat it, we're all just human.
I realize you're getting paid for this, but it is probably not easy to write a thing knowing exactly how it will be dissected and run through the cleaners.