The
top ten list is always a sure fire way to encapsulate
items that are better served in a, well a list. Looking back at some of
the
interviews and developer discussions that took place prior to the
launch of Star
Trek Online provides ample
fodder
for listing out those things that “aren’t going to
make it in at launch are on
the list.” As Ted Knight said in
Caddy Shack, “Well, we’re waiting.”
Cryptic
has a whole slew of fires to handle right now as the
first month of service draws to a close, so some of the projects have
certainly
been shelved in light of bigger issues. We won’t even go into
the whole
href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=49873">price-drop
fiasco
(aka discountgate) and then the
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/news/atari_removes_60_day_offer">backpeddling.
Sticking with the theme of top ten rain checks we haven’t
been able to cash,
let’s roll on.
style="">Number 10: Re-specs
for Careers
Nothing
chaps my hide more than knowing a decision I make
early on in a game may be regretted for the remainder of the
character’s span.
Luckily we shouldn’t be waiting too long on this particular
issue as it made an
appearance on the developer’s
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/sto/state_of_the_game_02-2010">State
of the
Game as a hot topic.
I’m looking forward to undoing those embarrassing
first-timer specs.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81604/preview"> class="MsoNormal"> style="font-style: italic;">Don't pick the wrong one,
respecs aren't available, yet.
style="">Number 9: Player
Housing/Fleet Starbases
The
idea of having a starbase as central hub for Fleets to
meet up is one way that the community could be enhanced. Having a
transwarp to
said starbase would be an extra special benefit. The Fleet system works
fairly
well, and Cryptic is definitely not afraid to add more instancing to
the game,
so why not our own starbase?
style="">Number 8: Balancing
The
never ending joy of balancing character careers/classes
is one that haunts every game with PvP. Currently Klingons seem to be
enjoying
a little excess uberness, let’s hope that pendulum swings
back the other direction
soon, or PvP will get sillier.
style="">Number 7: Crafting
Crafting
sort of made its way into the game, but maybe they
should have left it to ferment a little more before serving. The
gathering is
fine, but the actual manufacturing of beneficial items is just whacked.
This is
another topic from the hot list on the State of the Game. There was no
sharing
of how crafting might be fixed, other than to say it is high on the
list.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81601/preview"> class="MsoNormal"> style="font-style: italic;">Someday this will be
worth something.
style="">Number 6: Personal
and Fleet Leaderboards
In one
of the earlier interviews about PvP, there was a
question about whether or not there would be a leaderboard. The answer
at the
time intoned that a leaderboard was high on the list of things to add
right
after launch. Leaderboards are an interesting animal, and draw out that
competitive spirit even in those who seem mild mannered. It would
interesting
to watch the individual leaderboards in addition to fleet leaderboards
if they
come to fruition. Is STO going to head down the competitive e-sports
with PvP
as we’ve seen with some other large-scale MMO?
style="">Number 5: Bridge
Officer Training Ability
One of
the core components to bridge officers was supposed
to be their ability to train other bridge officers almost all the way
up to
their own level. This still isn’t in even though people are
spending skill
points up to skill level 9 since the tool tips still say at level 9
bridge
officers learn the ability to train other bridge officers. This is a
mission
critical piece of the pie. Bridge officers make up a large part of the
character experience AND the cultivation of bridge officer training was
considered part of the crafting of the game. This one is a big deal and
should
be A #1 or dern close to it on the To Do list. Maybe right behind or
next to
Respecs.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81602/preview"> class="MsoNormal"> style="font-style: italic;">Hey I should be able to
train too, I know that stuff!
style="">Number 4: Klingon
Progression
Currently
there is only one way to level up on the Klingon
side and that involves PvP and more PvP. If you’ve spent a
minute on the
official forums, you’ve read the angst about the lack of
depth to the leveling
fun for Klingons. I’m sure this is also high on the list for
completion, but
this is a major undertaking. So big, that it is like creating whole new
chunks
of the game major.
style="">Number 3: Fleet
Leveling
There
may be a theme to some of this list in that it’s community
driven. Any MMOG launching these days should have at a bare minimum the
basics
offered by five year old MMOs. One of these is the idea of guild
progression
(see Everquest 2 for an excellent example). Please give people a reason
to join
a larger group than a random open instance, and give them a reason to
stick
around and grow with that group. Common goals bring out the best in
cooperation
and drive. Just ask the bobsledders in the Olympics, I’m sure
they wouldn’t run
around in lycra unless their team had some chance of progressing. Some
of those
dudes in the four man bobsled might want to rethink the lycra anyway.
Yet I
digress. Communal drive brings people together and keeps them together
even
when other parts of a game are falling apart.
Side
note on Fleets in general, why can’t we join a Fleet
Action as a Fleet? That seems counterintuitive and downright mean.
I’m assuming
this is a bug with unintended consequences that they aim to fix soon.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81603/preview">
in the Fleet Starbase.
style="">Number 2: Bridge
Combat
It’s
Star Trek, where 90% of the battles we’ve watched on TV
and the big screen take place from the view of the bridge. I know it is
a major
undertaking, requires all kinds of adaptations to the combat and blah
blah
blah. You are smart game developers, figure it out people.
style="">Number 1: More Math
Theorycrafting
is typically fairly low on my scale of fun,
but one thing about STO that has perplexed me from the beginning is the
fact
that I can’t determine an upgrades actual bonus to my
character. From kits and
armor to more important things like skills and bridge officer skills, I
should
be able to calculate (or have a comparison provided that shows) what
the heck
potential changes will actually do for my character. Have you purchased
a
bridge officer yet and wondered “I wonder how that officer
will be affected by
this skill bonus?” Worse, what does boosting this skill
actually do for me? At
heart I think most of us are complete data sponges and will soak up all
we can
get. STO currently doesn’t provide a very friendly way to
parse the data. Maybe
I’m way off, if I am, please set me straight.
And
there you have it, the top ten list of things that were
promised or should have been and have yet to show up in the game. Some
of the
items we should see shortly, but many of these are pie in the sky at
this
point. Which is which? Well you tell me. Join us for a conversation at
the
corner bar, or the forums, whichever is closer.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Star Trek Online Game Page.
