Star Trek Online at Ten Ton Hammer

• Guide to Fleets
  Star Trek Online provides a fairly robust fleet structure. From banking and Fleet-designed uniforms to handy news items, the system works fairly well. There is always room for improvement (Fleet Hall/Starbase anyone?), but STO provides a solid system. One unique twist on the uniforms is the ability to set rules for who can wear what.

• Star Trek Online: Interactive Science Officer Skill Page
  Whether you're a freshly appointed Lieutenant just starting out or an established Admiral within the fleet, you can't conquer space (let alone the Klingons) without choosing the right skills. Fortunately for you, our new interactive class skill pages have all the information you’ll ever need to make those choices that best fit your playstyle! This week, we've added the Science Officer Skills page.

• The Traveler's Guide -Episode 3
  This week, the ship’s counselor insisted Dalmarus return to the site of Wolf 359 where he was assimilated during that historic battle. Since memorials were on his mind, he also decided to slink into Romulan space to view the monument rumored to orbit the remnants of Romulus. 


• Memory Alpha Crafting Guide
  Star Trek Online has been capturing the attention of space junkies around the world, but has it enthralled the crafting crowd as well? Join Dalmarus as he beams down to the surface of Memory Alpha and puts the crafting system to the test in an attempt to find out. 

This week we are finally getting into the groove. For the first time I can say that I’m truly comfortable getting around the sectors and knowing where to go. I am in a good fleet with helpful people who are really making my time enjoyable in the game. But if I start to read the official forums I immediately fill with angst and a desire to delete my characters and scream at the heavens that Cryptic has wronged me. I’m not sure of what, but then I realize we’ve entered the end of the honeymoon phase.

The honeymoon phase is well chronicled in games. It starts just prior to launch with people extolling the virtues and absolute joy the game brings to their life. Somewhere between launch and the first time their account is up for renewal the malcontents decide that the game is the biggest piece of trash ever bestowed upon humanity and anyone who thinks differently is obviously a moron.

Sorry to disappoint you people, but MMOs are really like corner bars. They all serve the same things and the only difference between having a great time and a miserable time, is you. You get to decide whether or not to have a good time. Yes things will be broken (I wish they could fix the jukebox so it doesn’t play Steve Miller tunes all the time), and yes your expectations will go unfulfilled, they always are. If you aren’t having fun in my bar, that’s fine, go home. Don’t picket out front or try and scream at me as I go about enjoying my beer. A great quote comes to mind, “Don’t go away mad, just go away.”

I kid because I care people. If you took the preceding too seriously, then please delete that forum post you were about to submit. We are all entitled to our opinions, some are just better than others. Enough seriousness, it’s time for frivolity and jocularity.

The Week That Was

This week we get another patch during maintenance. Why is it that patches of many games occur on Tuesdays? Is there some conspiracy to promote productivity during that day of the week? Many people are hitting Rear Admiral so expect the cries for endgame content to really gain some momentum. I’m not that ambitious to slice and dice my way to endgame so soon.

Another  patch showed up this week to round out more of the bug issues. The only thing that jumped out at me was the clock change for daily quests. They made the daily quests reset every 20 hours instead of 24, so people who log in routinely at the same time can have a fresh round of quests waiting for them. That seems like a decent fix.

Is that an alt in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

One of the reasons I’m not at max warp to admiral is my alt-itis has kicked in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still enjoying the heck out of my speedster Escort ship, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be able to live though a volley of torpedoes. Yes, my new engineer has entered the ranks of the Medeor harem of alts. She is good lookin and struts around saying “Momma said knock you out” so don’t mess if you know what’s good for you.

Lol, dead.

One of the single most beaten horses on the official forums centers on the death penalty (or lack thereof) in STO. The game has a penalty, albeit very light. Respawning back at the last spawn point is a type of penalty, but apparently people think it should be more severe. I can’t disagree more. I’m all about fun, and death penalties to me add no fun value. I understand that making critical decisions which change the way I will be punished or rewarded has value, but if I want that kind of stress I’ll let my 2 year old run around without a diaper. I’m sure Medawky will call me a wuss based on his latest death penalty discussion in this week’s Microcosms.

Out of whack.

I am purposefully being more upbeat this week but I have to say that the PvP balance (or lack there of) is a bit brutal. Three even-level ships get blown apart by a Klingon. Even if the other two captains are horrible, that shouldn’t happen. I have to say I’m not feeling very Starfleet, I’m feeling more Starfleeced on my power against the dreaded Klingons.

In closing...

The bug fixes continue to roll out and it's nice to see Cryptic continue their progress for game enhancements. I continue to enjoy the game and may get to endgame someday, but that alt, I tell you, it's just giving me a complex. Have you started the alt-rolling yet? How has it been going through the content a second time, or did you go Klingon so you can enjoy the uberness over the Starfleet?

• February 23rd Maintenance and Patch Notes

• New Star Trek Online Videos: Destiny and Species 8472