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Star Trek gets 5.41, Aion gets 7.41- what's the deal
holdenhamlet
Member EpicPosts: 3,772
I've grown to like STO. The more I play, the better I find the experience. I had the opposite experience with Aion.
In 3 days of playing my current character in STO:
I've fought in maybe 30 PVP battles, and at least half of them were really well contested and fun (more than I can say for PVP Arena type games in other games)
I've done countless missions, all of them different in some way, I'm playing a game with 2 distinct modes of gameplay so it doesn't get too repetative
I've been on missions that have had 7 parts, each with an actual story behind it (instead of- Porguses are overrunning a farm, clear them out)
the bridge officer system is a totally new and innovative way to increase and improve powers and it's cool to fight with a group on solo missions
The graphics are great- each planet is distinctly different and space looks fantastic and runs great on my mid-line comp
Space fighting is totally new for an mmorpg and actually requires a certain amount of paying attention rather than the usual "use three special abilities and then use them again in the same order". You have to worry about positioning, speed, your shields, when to fire torpedoes, and when is the best time to use your abilities (such as trying to tractor beam a klingon ship when it's back is turned to you). Abilities are varied and almost all of them are useful.
Fleet missions (open group PVE quests) are abundant and fun
It's Star Trek! Tons of cool and often funny references to the show. I just did a mission yesterday where I went back in time and the game explained why Klingons just looked like people with goatees in the original series instead of ridge-headed aliens. Very funny story on a quest based on an old episode of Star Trek the original series.
In 3 days of playing my old character in Aion:
I did nothing but grind on mobs in the same old way, by myself, with no incentive to group and absolutely no meaningful or fun PVP, in the same washed-out similar zones with no inteligible or in any way immersive story, simply recycling the same abilities over and over in the same way on the same kind of mobs.
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So, I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with the scores this game has gotten on this site. Based on what I've read, I'm guessing the negatives are mostly from Eve online players who wanted the game to be Eve or from Star Trek fans who wanted the game to be like the game in their head.
Face it, no other company has been able to actually produce a Star Trek MMORPG, and this one is not only totally playable, it's really fun.
Comments
While the grind in Aion in higher levels becomes a lot worse. It ain't much different in higher levels with STO either. As you'll be grinding the same repeatable missions in STO ad infinitum till your F-key is creaming for replacement.
I had actually a blast playing Aion during the first 20 levels. Had plenty of quests still left at that point and never felt like it was a grind. Because I was exploring the different zones, seeing different things and above all had different things to do, like gathering and crafting.
In STO the only thing you do from level1 all the way up to level45 is doing endless repeatable missions wich all feel the same. Shoot ships, hit F-key on 4-5 objects. On the ground its shoot groups of mobs, hit F-key on 4-5 objects. Over and over and over. With no diversity or different feel at all.
With the exception of some "nicer" episode mission arcs. Wich are a rarity on itself. (Wich is pathetic, as even Aion has more Campain story quest arcs)
So I don't think the current ratings are that far off the mark, as honestly. Eventho Aion is quite a grind in higher levels. It still offers a lot more longetivity than STO will ever have. Thanks to Cryptic's restrictive engine and toolset.
And like the poster below me already said. The PVP in Aion is 100 times better then the restrictive instanced PVP of STO, wich is of the exact same FAIL sauce as in Champions Online.
Cheers
Lol really comparing instanced pvp with open world pvp?
Obviously you will have more fun there will always be same amount of players participating not like in an open world were the fun is in finding your enemies and making a huge army to rule for a few hours till enemy regroups and strike back.
are you serious ,check carefully the why sto got that rating and aion got their rating check before the lunch and after
and you ll understand why!you cannot post evaluate a rating after it been evaluated back then it was the proper number
same for aion .it easy to critic something once it happened.its the main problem today
everybody critic once it happened but nobody critic while its happening.
I gave it a low score because:
-It's shallow.
-It doesn't feel like im getting a star trek experience.
-It's not immersive.
-Graphics/sound are good enough.
-Ground combat is horrible.
-It's too easy.
-It's not the game they are claiming it is here: http://www.startrekonline.com/about_star_trek_online
yes, you can argue that the game has everything that it says in the about sto page, but lets face it, it's like 90% blow stuff up 10% non combat.
-It is a subbed game, with a cash shop (at launch) and no doubt it will have paid expansions in the future.
now i don't have a problem with paying a sub and paying for expansions (if it's a decent sized expansion) but cash shops are just blatant greed, and if you think they will spent the profits on extra development then your mugging yourself.
-No social things to do.
-Maps too small.
-Doesn't feel like an mmo, it feels more like an online multiplayer game (like age of empires 2).
If cryptic pull their fingers out and make this game a true star trek mmo and not just the star trek war game we have at the moment, then this game will probably be one of the best mmo's out there for a long time. if not it'll go downhill fast.
I think OPs view is baised beacue he's a Trekkie
Personally I thought STo lacked any clear storyline, other than "fly there and kill every enemy ship you see". Heck, complete area's lack any storyline at all. You just have to fly around there, scan anomalies, land on randomly generated planets and do odd missions that make no sense at all...
PvP in STo..? You have to be kidding... I tried the "arena" and found it's nothing more than some old-fashioned Quake II shoot 'm up in 3rd view. And does that PvP have any meaning..? None what so ever. You only gain badges and you can exchange those for items (as always with arena's). With that, the arena is nothing more than a fragfest, compared to the WoW arena's, where the whole faction gets points for their efforts...
Now to Aion...
I think you didn't play AIon as yiou should. There's no real grind as you say. Follow the storyline (yes, there's one and a good one as well), and when you go from quest to quest, you level easy. Aion is not a game where you should kill mobs to XP, because then it's a REAL grind.
PvP has no meaning..? You certainly didn't play Aion on higher levels. Okay, I admit, under level 30, Pv P is close to non-excistent, but above that, the game is all about PvP. And with winning PvP, your side (and legion) can obtain control of fortresses, which has their benefits again.
Comparing graphics and sound of STo and Aion..? ROFL.
STo looks like it's created 10 years ago, and the performance is bad when you look at the required specifications.
Aion uses a state of the art engine that shows the power of the game. Even older machines are very well able to play Aion in maxed settings.
Look at my system (siggy), and accoding to the minimum requirements I should barely be able to play STo. Aion has lower requirements than that and I play in highest settings on 1600x1200 (did so as well with STo BTW). In Aion I get an avarage FPS of 45-60, in STo I topped on 30-35. In crowded area's (Sanctum for Aion and Stardock for STo), the FPS drops to 25 for Aion and 5(!!!) for STo...
I won't play either of the games.
STo because the game plainly sucks for me. It's claimed to be an MMO, but it's nothing more than a single-player game with enhanced internet-options that you have to pay a monthly fee for.
Aion I can't play because of health reasons (the engine affects me mentally - non-epileptic), but if I could, I'd play as much as I can.
Oh... Don't get me wrong... I am a huge Star Trek fan, but STo just is no Star Trek. Heck, even Deep Space 9 - Harbinger looks better than STo, and that's a very old single-player game
I have to agree, STO is the first game in a long time that I keep adjusting my schedule so I can play more.
Saddly MMORPG people seem to have a narrow idea of what an MMORPG is. While I still check the forums I take what is listed in them with a truck load of salt. When the most popular game MMORPG of all time (WoW) doesn't even make the top 7 in ranking one realizes there is disconnect from the main population of gamers.
number 5 i agree with you !they advertise it as a massive multiplayer but its just a multiplayer
if it had been branded just a multiplayer it would have ranked a lot higher but as a massive multiplayer its rating is on the money!
The game is a bit shallow in some areas, but still fun to play. Ill be playing it to max level then prob stop. I still get a kick out of foot sweeping Borg.......
(DDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Plunger sweeps Gorn b4 the gorn throws a big rock at him in a space station!)
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
where is this review?
SNIP
Maybe it gets a better rating because... it's better? The only issue with Aion is some people consider it too grindy, lacking content and quests (apparently if you're grinding quests it's ok, if you're grinding quests it's not ok, which is quite ironic since it's grinding anyway) in a few level ranges, and people want more instances in lower levels (so they can complain it's becoming more and more a WoW clone, while WoW is "copying" Aion's web functionality on checking the Broker, improving it, and charging for it).
STO has a lot more serious issues with their game, heck, even being a MMO (and therefore being worth a monthly fee) is questionable, and yes, all the shady and too greedy actions from Cryptic are also affecting what people think of CO and STO, it's the developer after all. A famous IP does not make a game automatically good.
Not to mention Aion is still the second most played MMO in Xfire (even with all the "it's dying, "it sucks" threads), losing only to World of Warcraft, it must mean something, and it's too early to compare to STO regarding growth or decline as it's still on its first week, but its release state has 1/3 of played minutes than Aion currently.
2&3) Do you read all mission texts and ask NPC on missions?
4) Agreed. Ground combat is a bit lacking, imho.
5) You say the game is not what they are claiming on website and than you sort of admit it is in next sentence?
If you do not get immersed from mission texts, I don't know what non-combat mission content you would like to see...
6) I wouldn't call 2 exceptional races you can get for free due CP given out with pretty much every box a cash shop.
C-Store is a starer project with undecided content.
7) Agreed. Social aspect of the game is lacking because of the design choice. It has pros and cons.
It can be fixed with changing the instance, preferably changing the default selection for social areas and/or increase the instance limits for such places.
8) What kind of maps? Side missions or generated missions amaps are smaller size but I don't find it an issue at all. To me it fits ok with your role of starship captain on duty.
Here's the deal:
-opinions vary
-different strokes for different folks
-not everyone likes the same thing
You get the idea. If you have fun playing it, then who cares what others think? I never got into EVE but others swear it's the best thing ever. That's why I'm glad we have so many choices now.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
Im not a fan of either game, but at least with Aion you arent feeding the most annoying, money hungry, company in the business.
Seriously Cryptic just has done nothing ever to prove they are a good company or good developers. I mean if they had made this amazing game but charged secret fees and made MT available then it would be different.
Or if they had made the same shitty game, but made it FTP after you buy, then it would have been noble at least.
Instead they are just a bad developer, with a bad finance team. The fact CO has above a 7 is beyond me.
aion is the second best mmorpg on xfire !just correcting since there are a big bunch of shooter game trying to catch up blizzard
there still far but a lot closer then aion lol.
hmm, well At least Aion had two.. COMPLETE races to play at launch.
Aion had already been out for 12 months in Korea, so it was polished and working... ok, so its grindy at least its polished and working.
The problem is ST:O is being release half not working, nothing really wrong with the game or the concept, it is actually good fun.. but that good fun ends, and it ends rapidly.
And I hardly think Eve players have anything to do with its rating. Eve only has 300k subs, tiny compared to most AAA MMO's
3 days isn't long enough to decide whether a game is better than another in my opinion. A lot of the fun parts of MMOs are in later content so maybe you just never made it that far.
Well, I was in Open Beta for a couple weeks, but people are judging the game on the same 3 days of actual release content that I am.
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Here's the deal:
-opinions vary
-different strokes for different folks
-not everyone likes the same thing
You get the idea. If you have fun playing it, then who cares what others think? I never got into EVE but others swear it's the best thing ever. That's why I'm glad we have so many choices now.
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That's true, but the user ratings on this site are a conglomeration of opinions. It's just striking that Aion is rated so much higher than STO. I also really like the game and it doesn't hurt to have as many people playing it as possible. This user rating is probably the lowest I've seen for a newly released major MMORPG, and it's bound to turn some people away, which is a shame to me.
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In STO the only thing you do from level1 all the way up to level45 is doing endless repeatable missions wich all feel the same. Shoot ships, hit F-key on 4-5 objects. On the ground its shoot groups of mobs, hit F-key on 4-5 objects. Over and over and over. With no diversity or different feel at all.
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I really disagree with this point. In fact, so far, STO has provided BY FAR the most diverse gameplay of any MMORPG I've ever played. Today I did my first ground fleet action (a fleet action is an open quest anyone can join at any time) with about 20 other people and it was a blast. Look to the original post to see the other different things I've been doing.
By your logic, every MMOPRG is just a string of similar quests where you the same kind of buttons. As I mentioned, I find the combat itself more interesting than any other MMORPG, and it's especially obvious in PVP.
As for repeatable missions, I have managed to avoid doing them almost completely (think I did maybe 3 that weren't fleet actions). You don't have to do them to advance.
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As far as open pvp in Aion being so much better, I never got that impression. All I did there was gank or get ganked. I notice that people often talk as if open PVP is the only PVP worth doing, but I never actually enjoyed it in any MMORPG I've ever played (such as WoW, Warhammer and Aion). Great in theory, but in practice, just a gankfest.
For the record, just so we're clear, I tried CO and thought it was absolutely horrible and pointless, and was very wary to try another Cryptic game afterward. The more I play STO, though, the more I relize this game is very different and doesn't have the same feel at all compared to CO. It did take a day or so to get over the bad taste in my mouth when I saw the graphics on the ground were similar to CO, and certainly had me worried the games would be similar. Luckily, they're totally different.
Maybe STO is getting that rating because it deserves it?
Well you said it not me you don't like open world pvp it's obvious you wouldn't like aion then.
I don't like pvp but I think the rating is good because yes pvp is more pvp when it's open even if your ganked several times.
An open world pvp has a thing instanced pvp will never have, the thing called surprise and tactics.
Aion has open RvR that balances out in a one-instance persistent zone (Abyss)...
This caters directly to the core audience of MMORPG.com. What would you expect?
M
STO has a low score and it deserves it. I'm a Trekkie like most other trekkies (not the super hardcore ones that know every specification of every ship). I've been playing STO since closed beta, and to tell you the truth, it was a much better game in closed beta.
My main problem with STO, it's way too easy. It was much more fun in closed beta, but when open beta came in and WoW kids started complaining it was difficult, Cryptic made player ships almost unkillable. You honestly can finish all battles by level 14 (my current level) in autoattack, just sit back and watch the show. No challenge = no fun. Now, I haven't played Aion so can't tell you if it's easier or not, but STO as it is right now, it's not a game I would recommend. If they eventually raise the difficulty and/or add a difficulty selector like in City of Heroes, my opinion might change, but right now, combat in STO is a snorefest (if you don't PvP)
Aion, for better or worse, is pretty much the game people expected NCSoft to deliver, which is reflected in its ratings. There wasn't any huge missing content at launch (except maybe at endgame) and most everything promised has been delivered w/o any sort of cash shop. (sure wish I could buy some exp boosting pots)
STO is being penalized in the ratings for what it failed to deliver, either from peoples expectations of what a ST MMO should have been coupled with the real failure of Cryptic to deliver a fully featured game with all the promised features (at launch). Throw in a cash shop which many abhor and you have the ratings you see today.
While there might not be that many people who love Aion, there are far more people who hate STO and Cryptic and will take the time to vote.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
It is easy, but the same could be said for combat in most games. You could theoretically just auto-attack things to death in most MMORPGs with most classes during most levels without much danger (until you get to the higher levels), but you can kill things quicker if you use abilities smartly.
I read they're talking about adding a difficulty slider so you can increase risk/reward for quests. Apparently they already had developed it for COH so they know how to do it. I'll be looking forward to that, but in the meantime I'll just be killing things as quickly and efficiently as possible, like I do in all MMORPGs.
I agree with the idea that many negative reviews come from people who expected something different. I didn't have any preconceptions and figured it was difficult enough just to translate what is basically a "space soap-opera" into an MMORPG that would sell to begin with, let alone getting too innovative about it.
I really wonder if it didn't have the Star Trek name and was just a new space MMORPG if it would be more critically acclaimed. I think it would be. I think it's quite possible the huge IP has a negative effect on how some perceive the game.
You can't even beat most mobs by solo auto attacking in aion specially with a caster did you really played it?