i highly doubt there is 50k active accounts due to a few facts.
-it has become a very common complaint on the official sto froums that there is never anyone around
-a good average(imho) is to estimate 10% of people who are subscribed will be online. (this has been about the average in most mmo's ive played) 5000 with as small as the sto map is would not be crowded, but you wouldnt have difficulty finding other people. (ie i now play an emulator that has at most 400 people an and i am always running into other people and can always find help when needed)
-from the reading i have done on the sto forums aprox 50% of the posters are now lts (possibly more with people who have turned off there blue name) and i highly doubt there is still 25k active lts at this point.
- my last post has cryptic stating they will be charging for the new ships (c-store) they are adding to game, why would you do this and alienate even more of your subscriber base if the game was meeting your sales/subs expectations?
But STO isn't a good average MMO. However it does have a beloved IP and much promised. How are you estimating how many people are online if you aren't even playing? How do you even know 10% are on other games? STO is completely instanced so crowded doesn't come into it.
i estimate 10% of subscribed players as being online on any mmo, from experience with about 12 other mmo's. no matter how instanced a game is you can still talk to others and people still show up in other areas in between instances, this is a very weak rebuttal to the common complaint that the game is empty now (it wasnt the first month). perhaps it should be suggested to cryptic, they can tell the people left that theres tens of thousands in instances, they just have to find them. the game i am currently playing playing is instanced as well, and strangly enough i can see others talking in general chat. (sorry but an instanced game doesnt mean the entire population suddenly dissapears from chat when they enter an instance)
Some LTS post over and over on the forums, and as there is little to discuss now they are the only ones ever present.
theres nothing left to discuss????????? seriously???? then obviously the game is functioning as intended with most bugs sorted out and a healthy player base that feel the game is satisfactory. theres no issue's with the c-store. the klingon faction is complete? exploration is working and entertaining?
or is it more likely that the mentioned lts are on the forums because its more entertaining than the game?
They just said 4 new ships that are on par with the galaxy-x will be part of season two. One for each prof and a klingon one.
read the link i gave, a cryptic employee states they are planning on charging for the ships in the c-store with players possibly getting one for free.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
i highly doubt there is 50k active accounts due to a few facts.
-it has become a very common complaint on the official sto froums that there is never anyone around
-a good average(imho) is to estimate 10% of people who are subscribed will be online. (this has been about the average in most mmo's ive played) 5000 with as small as the sto map is would not be crowded, but you wouldnt have difficulty finding other people. (ie i now play an emulator that has at most 400 people an and i am always running into other people and can always find help when needed)
-from the reading i have done on the sto forums aprox 50% of the posters are now lts (possibly more with people who have turned off there blue name) and i highly doubt there is still 25k active lts at this point.
- my last post has cryptic stating they will be charging for the new ships (c-store) they are adding to game, why would you do this and alienate even more of your subscriber base if the game was meeting your sales/subs expectations?
But STO isn't a good average MMO. However it does have a beloved IP and much promised. How are you estimating how many people are online if you aren't even playing? How do you even know 10% are on other games? STO is completely instanced so crowded doesn't come into it.
i estimate 10% of subscribed players as being online on any mmo, from experience with about 12 other mmo's. no matter how instanced a game is you can still talk to others and people still show up in other areas in between instances, this is a very weak rebuttal to the common complaint that the game is empty now (it wasnt the first month). perhaps it should be suggested to cryptic, they can tell the people left that theres tens of thousands in instances, they just have to find them. the game i am currently playing playing is instanced as well, and strangly enough i can see others talking in general chat. (sorry but an instanced game doesnt mean the entire population suddenly dissapears from chat when they enter an instance)
Some LTS post over and over on the forums, and as there is little to discuss now they are the only ones ever present.
theres nothing left to discuss????????? seriously???? then obviously the game is functioning as intended with most bugs sorted out and a healthy player base that feel the game is satisfactory. theres no issue's with the c-store. the klingon faction is complete? exploration is working and entertaining?
or is it more likely that the mentioned lts are on the forums because its more entertaining than the game?
They just said 4 new ships that are on par with the galaxy-x will be part of season two. One for each prof and a klingon one.
read the link i gave, a cryptic employee states they are planning on charging for the ships in the c-store with players possibly getting one for free.
There are no areas between instances in STO. I said why it is a common complaint but you left that bit out to reply to, although of course that has got worse. I wasn't even rebutting you there I was asking questions, but you ignore what I did come back with. How are you judging how many people are talking in ESD for example right now? The issues have been discussed to death so there is little conversation about it now, that is evident on the forums from what they used to be like. Stahl said what I told you. I think you are straying too far into assumptions rather than estimations.
There are no areas between instances in STO. I said why it is a common complaint but you left that bit out to reply to, although of course that has got worse. I wasn't even rebutting you there I was asking questions, but you ignore what I did come back with. How are you judging how many people are talking in ESD for example right now? The issues have been discussed to death so there is little conversation about it now, that is evident on the forums from what they used to be like. Stahl said what I told you. I think you are straying too far into assumptions rather than estimations.
While the budget dept says we have to sell these... I'm looking to see if we can do hybrid pricing models for some of these so that you can purchase some with Starfleet Merit OR pay Cryptic Points for them. It involves fancy spreadsheets where your time getting the merits in game makes the bean counters look the other way.
a direct quote from dstahl (think thats how its spelt), at this point those ships are going in the c-store.
your right that crowded doesnt apply (i misunderstood what you meant). my point about population was that instancing doesnt matter, people are complaining about not being able to find people to group with, which has nothing to do with instancing and everything to do with population. besides the quote from dstahl, this is all speculation, i just dont beleive from what we do have for information that there is still 50k subscribers, and stated why i beleive so, and they are assumptions, as cryptic is not going to let us know the facts.
edit: i disagree with it being hard to find a group when the game launched, i was there and was grouped over 50% of teh time. in fact it was very easy to find a group at that time, all you had to do was ask in general chat. no i do not play on an indy server, theres better f2p games on the market than sto, so i wouldnt waste the time or room on my hard drive.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
There are no areas between instances in STO. I said why it is a common complaint but you left that bit out to reply to, although of course that has got worse. I wasn't even rebutting you there I was asking questions, but you ignore what I did come back with. How are you judging how many people are talking in ESD for example right now? The issues have been discussed to death so there is little conversation about it now, that is evident on the forums from what they used to be like. Stahl said what I told you. I think you are straying too far into assumptions rather than estimations.
While the budget dept says we have to sell these... I'm looking to see if we can do hybrid pricing models for some of these so that you can purchase some with Starfleet Merit OR pay Cryptic Points for them. It involves fancy spreadsheets where your time getting the merits in game makes the bean counters look the other way.
a direct quote from dstahl (think thats how its spelt), at this point those ships are going in the c-store.
your right that crowded doesnt apply (i misunderstood what you meant). my point about population was that instancing doesnt matter, people are complaining about not being able to find people to group with, which has nothing to do with instancing and everything to do with population. besides the quote from dstahl, this is all speculation, i just dont beleive from what we do have for information that there is still 50k subscribers, and stated why i beleive so, and they are assumptions, as cryptic is not going to let us know the facts.
edit: i disagree with it being hard to find a group when the game launched, i was there and was grouped over 50% of teh time. in fact it was very easy to find a group at that time, all you had to do was ask in general chat. no i do not play on an indy server, theres better f2p games on the market than sto, so i wouldnt waste the time or room on my hard drive.
If you read a couple of posts down in the same thread he says you get your ship for free when you hit the next rank.
My point was that the raids aren't good and the rest of the game is basically single player so it isn't a group friendly game. That along with hearsay, inappropriate comparisons, xfire and LTS assumptions do not make particularly good population indicators. Playing the game would help, but I can perfectly understand why you don't.
My point was that the raids aren't good and the rest of the game is basically single player so it isn't a group friendly game. That along with hearsay, inappropriate comparisons, xfire and LTS assumptions do not make particularly good population indicators. Playing the game would help, but I can perfectly understand why you don't.
yes, one, and i have said that several times. point is if i recall correctly you could buy other ships in game with credits (earned in game) and that seems to be changing. so you will get one of the ships but the others will cost you real cash.
i agree with your thoughts that what we have for information does not make for a solid indication of population, and am eagerly awaiting your post leading to more reliable information.
failing that, i guess we get to use the information that is out there. as some one else posted recently in the sto forums.... where theres smoke, there is fire.
theres an awful lot of smoke pointing towards sto having a very low subscriber count (considering the ip and that it was supposed to be a well made, completed mmo) or to put it in question form...... how much atari/cryptic stock do you plan on buying (or currently hold in your portfolio) in the next few months?
edit: i wasnt very clear in my first post that people should get to choose one of the ships for free as it stands
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
My point was that the raids aren't good and the rest of the game is basically single player so it isn't a group friendly game. That along with hearsay, inappropriate comparisons, xfire and LTS assumptions do not make particularly good population indicators. Playing the game would help, but I can perfectly understand why you don't.
yes, one, and i have said that several times. point is if i recall correctly you could buy other ships in game with credits (earned in game) and that seems to be changing. so you will get one of the ships but the others will cost you real cash.
i agree with your thoughts that what we have for information does not make for a solid indication of population, and am eagerly awaiting your post leading to more reliable information.
failing that, i guess we get to use the information that is out there. as some one else posted recently in the sto forums.... where theres smoke, there is fire.
theres an awful lot of smoke pointing towards sto having a very low subscriber count (considering the ip and that it was supposed to be a well made, completed mmo) or to put it in question form...... how much atari/cryptic stock do you plan on buying (or currently hold in your portfolio) in the next few months?
In that thread he said he is trying to have it so that you can buy cross profession ships with merits (harder to do than credits), as well as cash, so we should hold off before declaring a more significant change there. Personally I don't see the point of having another prof's ship anyway as it doesn't suit. Skins were paid for anyway. Main difference to the previous tier is there is only one type of ship per prof now when there was two, maybe they'll catch up with that in whatever fashion.
I didn't claim to able to make reliable population guesses, which is why I wondered how you were so certain about your assumptions and methods. Some people just want this game dead, and yes it's poor quality, in the s**t with Zinc underlining that and Cryptic are a**holes, but lets be clear what isn't the case please.
In that thread he said he is trying to have it so that you can buy cross profession ships with merits (harder to do than credits), as well as cash, so we should hold off before declaring a more significant change there. Personally I don't see the point of having another prof's ship anyway as it doesn't suit. Skins were paid for anyway. Main difference to the previous tier is there is only one type of ship per prof now when there was two, maybe they'll catch up with that in whatever fashion.
I didn't claim to able to make reliable population guesses, which is why I wondered how you were so certain about your assumptions and methods. Some people just want this game dead, and yes it's poor quality, in the s**t with Zinc underlining that and Cryptic are a**holes, but lets be clear what isn't the case please.
While the budget dept says we have to sell these... I'm looking to see if we can do hybrid pricing models for some of these so that you can purchase some with Starfleet Merit OR pay Cryptic Points for them. It involves fancy spreadsheets where your time getting the merits in game makes the bean counters look the other way.
im sorry, but what exactly would the "budget dept" have to do with the difficulty in attaining a ship. this very clearly implies that the ships are going into the c-store. it also gives two payment methods (starfleet merit OR c-store) neither of which is the old system. are you perhaps under the impression that they were going to have them bought with credits/merit, but dstahl is fighting hard for peoples right to pay for it with cash?
edit:
I mentioned this in the announcement release notes - but the ship reward token may not be retroactive if you already hit VA - and there is no way to get these ships via merit yet.
We hope to add the ability to purchase via merit in the next build, but for now your best bet may be to recopy your RA toon from holodeck and relevel if you can't wait.
This is the nature of the test server... wish I had a better answer for all of you who hit this mark already.
You can try talking to Quinn and seeing if he gives you the reward dialog again.
:
latest quote from dstahl,which clearly states the ships are only available thru the token, not merits or credits. pretty obvious this is going into the c-store (with a choice of 1 free ship) and that it "may" be available thru merit later. and of course, why would you limit access to an item on your test server? perhaps because you want people to buy it in the c-store?
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Maybe I'm reading too much into the budget department statement, but if accounting is already saying you "have to sell these" it sounds like they are not doing as well as they thought.
Honestly they really should keep this shop talk in house. All it does is fuel speculation and with so many people out there having bitter tastes in their mouth after Cryptic shafted them, be it lifetimers, referral helpers, pre-orderers, and pretty much everyone else that supported this game from the beginning, putting this out there provides more fuel to the "Cryptic is money hungry" argument. Sounds like Dstahl is trying to make himself look like the good guy, fighting against those money hungry budget people, but in reality it just exposes how divided Cryptic is on the inside and that is not good for the future of any game.
Really didn't these guys have a long term plan? Every day something new comes out it makes me think these guys put this game out there hoping the Star Trek name would bring in millions, when it didn't they just decided to wing it and now they have no plan. In business no plan equals FAIL.
Really didn't these guys have a long term plan? Every day something new comes out it makes me think these guys put this game out there hoping the Star Trek name would bring in millions, when it didn't they just decided to wing it and now they have no plan. In business no plan equals FAIL.
short range plan- hype game and sell as many box's as possible
mid range plan- fill c-store with as much junk as people will buy while doing minimal work on fundamental flaws of game
long range plan- re-cycle game engine and release new mmo, return to short range plan
maybe im wrong, but this is kind of the pattern i see developing.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Really didn't these guys have a long term plan? Every day something new comes out it makes me think these guys put this game out there hoping the Star Trek name would bring in millions, when it didn't they just decided to wing it and now they have no plan. In business no plan equals FAIL.
short range plan- hype game and sell as many box's as possible
mid range plan- fill c-store with as much junk as people will buy while doing minimal work on fundamental flaws of game
long range plan- re-cycle game engine and release new mmo, return to short range plan
maybe im wrong, but this is kind of the pattern i see developing.
No, i think that is pretty much their plan. It probably worked on paper as well, factoring in that $20,000,000.00 bonus they were counting on. However in reality the model collapses upon itself; if they don't spend time to do their next MMO right, even the most ardent Cryptic supporters will have trouble backing them.
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
If they don't like IBUY-IWIN situations why use a cashshop in the first place??
Come on ppl, of all ppl you lot here should know better; there isn't a single cashshop in existence that is 'visuals only'. Why? It would not sell as good. They come up with excuses and changes and what not, but the bottom line is: they need you to buy the damn items!! (every time again)
I thought higher of these all stars on mmorpg... being suprised by a cashshop. Oh dear what will be next
lauging out loud
Good point made and what people need to think about is a business is in existence to make money, now maybe the people who work for that company want to make good games and maybe Cryptic is thinking they did. But at the end of the day when a title starts to fail as bad as I suspect this one is the temptation to fudge the rules is just too great, it's like putting a loaded crack pipe behind a glass box next to a drug addict. If Cryptic cared about there word more than money they wouldn't have let themselves blur the lines like they have so don't be surprised.
I can't feel sorry for anyone duped into spending extra cash on this game past the first two weeks because that's about how long it took Cryptic to break out the ball and three coconuts. While they are horrible at making games they are great at milking the playerbase for every red cent they can get, but by now I'm more apt to feel sorry for those out there with enough integrity to leave this garbage alone than the sheeple who blindly contribute to Cryptics bottom line by buying multiple boxes,lifetime subs, and C-Store pixels.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
I'll admit that there is an imbalance right now due to the Galaxy X being in the C-store. However, once Season 2 is on Holodeck, there will be ships of equivalent strength available to players in-game for no additional charge.
As for the special species unlocks in the C-store, each race there is no more powerful than one you have access to automatically through normal game play.
So, any item that can be bought in the C-store continues to have an item of equal power in the game available through natural game play. This is the core of the promise we made to you. We will not sell "I win" buttons for Cryptic Points. The Sword of Khaless, Picard's Wig, and Kirk's Pheromone Cologne, or any other type of Epic Phat Lootz will not be available in the C-store without first making sure that you can earn an item in-game, of equal power. Any item on the store which has an in-game effect will continue to have an item in-game of equal power and usefulness.
I also believe that most everything on the C-store is actually cosmetic when you boil right down to it. The sole exception to this currently is the Galaxy X, and once the Refits come out with Season 2, I believe that imbalance will be corrected. Additionally, according to the vast amount of player feedback, The Galaxy X as it is not not currently out of line with the rest of the ships in the game.
in case anyone was stull unsure if they were putting items in the c-store that have an effect in the game (ie - more than fluff)
stormshade is a cryptic employee.
and actually the promise was nothing that was game effecting, ie fluff items only in the store. when he says "core of the promise" he is admitting that the deal has changed.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
With Season 2, we plan to bring in Tier 5 ships that parallel the power of the Galaxy-X. The original plan was to release these ships alongside the Galaxy-X, however we were late on getting the content out (it should be hitting Tribble after the weekend).
The appeal of the Galaxy-X was designed to be canon/cosmetic appeal. Once we get those other ships out there, you'll be able to earn ships in-game that are of equal power, and those who purchase the Galaxy-X won't have any in-game advantage. We are wholeheartedly against the "pay to win" model and our balance designers are dedicated to making sure that items in the C-Store do not grant an unfair advantage over players who do not elect to purchase the items.
translated into english: now that we have ripped off as many people as we could 25$ for a ship that had advantages, were going to make it useless.
if the part i highlighted in red is true, why was it released into the c-store before the "equal power" ships were released?
Because what he meant to say is this..................
We are wholeheartedly against the "pay for a permanent advantage" model and our balance designers are dedicated to making sure that items in the C-Store have enough advantage over other in game items long enough to get people to buy them before we re-balance them or put in things that are better. This way we get paid, some get to kick some arse for a while and the rest get to laugh at those that wasted money on such an inferior ship later when better ships are added.
and as a bonus you can be laughed at with your galaxy-x ship passing by... getting snickers that you were a sucker.
Any news on dStahl case on getting certain, game-changing C-Store items to be obtainable through merits?
I actually just talked to him about this. There's no new and exciting news quite yet. However, he is still working on it.
Thanks,
Stormshade
oops, so much for only having "fluff" in the c-store..... wow these guys really are a joke. so as it stands you have to buy the game, pay a subscription and then buy equipment to play the game (if you want access to all the gear).
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
With Season 2, we plan to bring in Tier 5 ships that parallel the power of the Galaxy-X. The original plan was to release these ships alongside the Galaxy-X, however we were late on getting the content out (it should be hitting Tribble after the weekend).
The appeal of the Galaxy-X was designed to be canon/cosmetic appeal. Once we get those other ships out there, you'll be able to earn ships in-game that are of equal power, and those who purchase the Galaxy-X won't have any in-game advantage. We are wholeheartedly against the "pay to win" model and our balance designers are dedicated to making sure that items in the C-Store do not grant an unfair advantage over players who do not elect to purchase the items.
translated into english: now that we have ripped off as many people as we could 25$ for a ship that had advantages, were going to make it useless.
if the part i highlighted in red is true, why was it released into the c-store before the "equal power" ships were released?
Quite humorous actually, so those who used the C-Store to buy an advantage are now potentially upset because there will be a ship of equal ability earned playing the game, all I can say to that is Tough Luck, perhaps think before spending your money on an Item Mall.
Some ppl just don't want to learn from previous games mistakes.
Let's say that they did manage to get that in, along with real diplomacy (none of that pop quiz b.s.), real exploration, and the myriad of other things which are missing or lacking. Could Cryptic turn things around for STO then?
Too little too late in my opinion. I believe the games reputation is tarnished beyond repair. I personally won't pay for multiple subscriptions, and with CATA and SWTOR being released in the near future (hopefully) the competition for my $ is going to get that much tougher. BTW, you guys are being very naughty http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=168604
Ok , I seem to be getting cross information here, is there or is there not an advantage to this ship? If it is fluff then there should be no problem however, the reverse is true if you do get an advantage. Pershonally, I feel that the C-store should sell fluffy items not available in game. I would be pissed if I purchused a...pretty ship only to find out that it can be earned later. Just a thought.
Classic ploy. First make the better ship available only as a reward for multiple accounts, then sell it only in the C-store. And THEN announce that they don't want a "buy and win" C-store.
If they had actual integrity, they would not have made it available in the C-store until it was also available in-game. But no ....
The thread on the official forums about some of the new c-store items being character specific instead of account wide has reached 119 pages. Only a few diehards even bother to defend this latest PR clusterfrack/blatant desperate cash grab.
The thread on the official forums about some of the new c-store items being character specific instead of account wide has reached 119 pages. Only a few diehards even bother to defend this latest PR clusterfrack/blatant desperate cash grab.
The sad thing is they are fleecing people so bad when they do finally go F2P I still think there sub numbers will be ridiculously low to the point where they are still just fleecing the same people they are not in the C-Store.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
The thread on the official forums about some of the new c-store items being character specific instead of account wide has reached 119 pages. Only a few diehards even bother to defend this latest PR clusterfrack/blatant desperate cash grab.
WOW!!!! i thought all that stuff was supposed to be account wide? so now if you want a galaxy-x.... you have to pay 25$ per character????
im actually stunned at how low cryptic will stoop, that is truly as pathetic as ive seen any company act (without facing legal repurcussions anyway). 25$ per character for a ship to fly around in a game that still not release worthy 6 months after launch.....WOW.
do the people who found 5 suckers for the raf program at least get it on all accounts?
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Ok , I seem to be getting cross information here, is there or is there not an advantage to this ship? If it is fluff then there should be no problem however, the reverse is true if you do get an advantage. Pershonally, I feel that the C-store should sell fluffy items not available in game. I would be pissed if I purchused a...pretty ship only to find out that it can be earned later. Just a thought.
Sorry, missed your question. The answer is that the Galaxy-X is not fluff; it has a cylindrical aoe attack that hits out to 8Km (I think that was the range), cloaking (the only Federation starship that can cloak), and (if I remember correctly) the ability to mount cannons. It can be argued that the races available in the C-store also have in-game effects, since they come with unique racial abilities. Whether or not those abilities are any good or not will be a matter of opinion of course, but they are not merely fluff items.
You still will have to buy the ship via the C-store once the update goes live, it's just that once the update launches, there will be equivalent ships (i.e. same general power level, but different abilities) for free; that is something Cryptic didn't mention when they put the Galaxy-X in the C-store. Then again, they never mentioned to the refer-a-friend people that they would be selling it in the C-store either. Alll-in-all, it's just business as usual.
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
Comments
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
There are no areas between instances in STO. I said why it is a common complaint but you left that bit out to reply to, although of course that has got worse. I wasn't even rebutting you there I was asking questions, but you ignore what I did come back with. How are you judging how many people are talking in ESD for example right now? The issues have been discussed to death so there is little conversation about it now, that is evident on the forums from what they used to be like. Stahl said what I told you. I think you are straying too far into assumptions rather than estimations.
While the budget dept says we have to sell these... I'm looking to see if we can do hybrid pricing models for some of these so that you can purchase some with Starfleet Merit OR pay Cryptic Points for them. It involves fancy spreadsheets where your time getting the merits in game makes the bean counters look the other way.
a direct quote from dstahl (think thats how its spelt), at this point those ships are going in the c-store.
your right that crowded doesnt apply (i misunderstood what you meant). my point about population was that instancing doesnt matter, people are complaining about not being able to find people to group with, which has nothing to do with instancing and everything to do with population. besides the quote from dstahl, this is all speculation, i just dont beleive from what we do have for information that there is still 50k subscribers, and stated why i beleive so, and they are assumptions, as cryptic is not going to let us know the facts.
edit: i disagree with it being hard to find a group when the game launched, i was there and was grouped over 50% of teh time. in fact it was very easy to find a group at that time, all you had to do was ask in general chat. no i do not play on an indy server, theres better f2p games on the market than sto, so i wouldnt waste the time or room on my hard drive.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
ROFL ...Cryptic got them again ..!
....
If you read a couple of posts down in the same thread he says you get your ship for free when you hit the next rank.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=2828402#post2828402
My point was that the raids aren't good and the rest of the game is basically single player so it isn't a group friendly game. That along with hearsay, inappropriate comparisons, xfire and LTS assumptions do not make particularly good population indicators. Playing the game would help, but I can perfectly understand why you don't.
yes, one, and i have said that several times. point is if i recall correctly you could buy other ships in game with credits (earned in game) and that seems to be changing. so you will get one of the ships but the others will cost you real cash.
i agree with your thoughts that what we have for information does not make for a solid indication of population, and am eagerly awaiting your post leading to more reliable information.
failing that, i guess we get to use the information that is out there. as some one else posted recently in the sto forums.... where theres smoke, there is fire.
theres an awful lot of smoke pointing towards sto having a very low subscriber count (considering the ip and that it was supposed to be a well made, completed mmo) or to put it in question form...... how much atari/cryptic stock do you plan on buying (or currently hold in your portfolio) in the next few months?
edit: i wasnt very clear in my first post that people should get to choose one of the ships for free as it stands
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
In that thread he said he is trying to have it so that you can buy cross profession ships with merits (harder to do than credits), as well as cash, so we should hold off before declaring a more significant change there. Personally I don't see the point of having another prof's ship anyway as it doesn't suit. Skins were paid for anyway. Main difference to the previous tier is there is only one type of ship per prof now when there was two, maybe they'll catch up with that in whatever fashion.
I didn't claim to able to make reliable population guesses, which is why I wondered how you were so certain about your assumptions and methods. Some people just want this game dead, and yes it's poor quality, in the s**t with Zinc underlining that and Cryptic are a**holes, but lets be clear what isn't the case please.
While the budget dept says we have to sell these... I'm looking to see if we can do hybrid pricing models for some of these so that you can purchase some with Starfleet Merit OR pay Cryptic Points for them. It involves fancy spreadsheets where your time getting the merits in game makes the bean counters look the other way.
im sorry, but what exactly would the "budget dept" have to do with the difficulty in attaining a ship. this very clearly implies that the ships are going into the c-store. it also gives two payment methods (starfleet merit OR c-store) neither of which is the old system. are you perhaps under the impression that they were going to have them bought with credits/merit, but dstahl is fighting hard for peoples right to pay for it with cash?
edit:
I mentioned this in the announcement release notes - but the ship reward token may not be retroactive if you already hit VA - and there is no way to get these ships via merit yet.
We hope to add the ability to purchase via merit in the next build, but for now your best bet may be to recopy your RA toon from holodeck and relevel if you can't wait.
This is the nature of the test server... wish I had a better answer for all of you who hit this mark already.
You can try talking to Quinn and seeing if he gives you the reward dialog again.
:
latest quote from dstahl,which clearly states the ships are only available thru the token, not merits or credits. pretty obvious this is going into the c-store (with a choice of 1 free ship) and that it "may" be available thru merit later. and of course, why would you limit access to an item on your test server? perhaps because you want people to buy it in the c-store?
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Maybe I'm reading too much into the budget department statement, but if accounting is already saying you "have to sell these" it sounds like they are not doing as well as they thought.
Honestly they really should keep this shop talk in house. All it does is fuel speculation and with so many people out there having bitter tastes in their mouth after Cryptic shafted them, be it lifetimers, referral helpers, pre-orderers, and pretty much everyone else that supported this game from the beginning, putting this out there provides more fuel to the "Cryptic is money hungry" argument. Sounds like Dstahl is trying to make himself look like the good guy, fighting against those money hungry budget people, but in reality it just exposes how divided Cryptic is on the inside and that is not good for the future of any game.
Really didn't these guys have a long term plan? Every day something new comes out it makes me think these guys put this game out there hoping the Star Trek name would bring in millions, when it didn't they just decided to wing it and now they have no plan. In business no plan equals FAIL.
short range plan- hype game and sell as many box's as possible
mid range plan- fill c-store with as much junk as people will buy while doing minimal work on fundamental flaws of game
long range plan- re-cycle game engine and release new mmo, return to short range plan
maybe im wrong, but this is kind of the pattern i see developing.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
No, i think that is pretty much their plan. It probably worked on paper as well, factoring in that $20,000,000.00 bonus they were counting on. However in reality the model collapses upon itself; if they don't spend time to do their next MMO right, even the most ardent Cryptic supporters will have trouble backing them.
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
Good point made and what people need to think about is a business is in existence to make money, now maybe the people who work for that company want to make good games and maybe Cryptic is thinking they did. But at the end of the day when a title starts to fail as bad as I suspect this one is the temptation to fudge the rules is just too great, it's like putting a loaded crack pipe behind a glass box next to a drug addict. If Cryptic cared about there word more than money they wouldn't have let themselves blur the lines like they have so don't be surprised.
I can't feel sorry for anyone duped into spending extra cash on this game past the first two weeks because that's about how long it took Cryptic to break out the ball and three coconuts. While they are horrible at making games they are great at milking the playerbase for every red cent they can get, but by now I'm more apt to feel sorry for those out there with enough integrity to leave this garbage alone than the sheeple who blindly contribute to Cryptics bottom line by buying multiple boxes,lifetime subs, and C-Store pixels.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
I'll admit that there is an imbalance right now due to the Galaxy X being in the C-store. However, once Season 2 is on Holodeck, there will be ships of equivalent strength available to players in-game for no additional charge.
As for the special species unlocks in the C-store, each race there is no more powerful than one you have access to automatically through normal game play.
So, any item that can be bought in the C-store continues to have an item of equal power in the game available through natural game play. This is the core of the promise we made to you. We will not sell "I win" buttons for Cryptic Points. The Sword of Khaless, Picard's Wig, and Kirk's Pheromone Cologne, or any other type of Epic Phat Lootz will not be available in the C-store without first making sure that you can earn an item in-game, of equal power. Any item on the store which has an in-game effect will continue to have an item in-game of equal power and usefulness.
I also believe that most everything on the C-store is actually cosmetic when you boil right down to it. The sole exception to this currently is the Galaxy X, and once the Refits come out with Season 2, I believe that imbalance will be corrected. Additionally, according to the vast amount of player feedback, The Galaxy X as it is not not currently out of line with the rest of the ships in the game.
Thanks,
Stormshade
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?p=2846690#post2846690
in case anyone was stull unsure if they were putting items in the c-store that have an effect in the game (ie - more than fluff)
stormshade is a cryptic employee.
and actually the promise was nothing that was game effecting, ie fluff items only in the store. when he says "core of the promise" he is admitting that the deal has changed.
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruivo
Any news on dStahl case on getting certain, game-changing C-Store items to be obtainable through merits?
I actually just talked to him about this. There's no new and exciting news quite yet. However, he is still working on it.
Thanks,
Stormshade
oops, so much for only having "fluff" in the c-store..... wow these guys really are a joke. so as it stands you have to buy the game, pay a subscription and then buy equipment to play the game (if you want access to all the gear).
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Quite humorous actually, so those who used the C-Store to buy an advantage are now potentially upset because there will be a ship of equal ability earned playing the game, all I can say to that is Tough Luck, perhaps think before spending your money on an Item Mall.
Some ppl just don't want to learn from previous games mistakes.
Too little too late in my opinion. I believe the games reputation is tarnished beyond repair. I personally won't pay for multiple subscriptions, and with CATA and SWTOR being released in the near future (hopefully) the competition for my $ is going to get that much tougher. BTW, you guys are being very naughty http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=168604
Ok , I seem to be getting cross information here, is there or is there not an advantage to this ship? If it is fluff then there should be no problem however, the reverse is true if you do get an advantage. Pershonally, I feel that the C-store should sell fluffy items not available in game. I would be pissed if I purchused a...pretty ship only to find out that it can be earned later. Just a thought.
Im surprised they haven't tried to put ship interiors onto the c-store since everyone seems to want them.
I bet they weighed the pro and cons on that one.
Classic ploy. First make the better ship available only as a reward for multiple accounts, then sell it only in the C-store. And THEN announce that they don't want a "buy and win" C-store.
If they had actual integrity, they would not have made it available in the C-store until it was also available in-game. But no ....
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2024: 47 years on the Net.
The thread on the official forums about some of the new c-store items being character specific instead of account wide has reached 119 pages. Only a few diehards even bother to defend this latest PR clusterfrack/blatant desperate cash grab.
The sad thing is they are fleecing people so bad when they do finally go F2P I still think there sub numbers will be ridiculously low to the point where they are still just fleecing the same people they are not in the C-Store.
but yeah, to call this game Fantastic is like calling Twilight the Godfather of vampire movies....
WOW!!!! i thought all that stuff was supposed to be account wide? so now if you want a galaxy-x.... you have to pay 25$ per character????
im actually stunned at how low cryptic will stoop, that is truly as pathetic as ive seen any company act (without facing legal repurcussions anyway). 25$ per character for a ship to fly around in a game that still not release worthy 6 months after launch.....WOW.
do the people who found 5 suckers for the raf program at least get it on all accounts?
IF THE ONLY DEFENCE FOR CRITICISM OF A GAME IS CALLING SOMEONE A TROLL OR HATER, THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE GAME
Sorry, missed your question. The answer is that the Galaxy-X is not fluff; it has a cylindrical aoe attack that hits out to 8Km (I think that was the range), cloaking (the only Federation starship that can cloak), and (if I remember correctly) the ability to mount cannons. It can be argued that the races available in the C-store also have in-game effects, since they come with unique racial abilities. Whether or not those abilities are any good or not will be a matter of opinion of course, but they are not merely fluff items.
You still will have to buy the ship via the C-store once the update goes live, it's just that once the update launches, there will be equivalent ships (i.e. same general power level, but different abilities) for free; that is something Cryptic didn't mention when they put the Galaxy-X in the C-store. Then again, they never mentioned to the refer-a-friend people that they would be selling it in the C-store either. Alll-in-all, it's just business as usual.
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan