STO is turning free to play!!! :D

posted on September 3rd, 2011, 7:38 pm

Well Nuke out of all things Sto is a good thing to waste money on. Just consider it as donating to the Star Trek Franchise! Oh and that Mort can come back to it!

1. Wasting money is not good (not saying I don't do it though )
2. Just simply considering it being supporting the franchise is like saying 'Just throw money down the drain, don't worry, you are helping the mole people who live down there'. 

Sorry, just while MMO's can be very fun games, they also can be the biggest money suckers.
It's just not right, and stupid to charge so much for game, as so to fully enjoy it I have to:

Pay for the game.
Pay for subscription.
Pay for a lot of content in the game via microtransactions.

It is just dumb!
Now while you may say it is not so bad cos it will be free, it means it will allow people to become addicted, want more content, therefore pay for subscriptions, pay for microstransactions.
And paying for all of this can annoy someone just as much. But it doesn't matter, as long as Cryptic makes bucket loads of cash. Doesn't matter what the customers really want. Just use free-to-play tactics and the customers may just become addicted, and have no choice whether they like it or not!

I am not joking, if this kind of daylight robbery continues, in addition in personifing corporations, we will just end up living in Corporate Nineteen Eighty-Four.

/rant_end 

posted on September 3rd, 2011, 11:14 pm

i agree with certain points that have been brought up it is very out of order to the lifers to make this free when things like this happen there is always a down side to it but there is also a good side free to play SHOULD mean more people with more people it will mean larger community and in turn could mean larger fan base for the whole of star trek even fleet ops could get more players from people wanting to see what other star trek games are out there

posted on September 3rd, 2011, 11:43 pm

As someone who sticks his nose into STO news from time to time and holds a lifetime subscription, I think STO going 'Freemium' (Not completely F2P) is a good thing. It will allow those who have wanted to play the game, but not risk losing any cash to have a go.

If you subscribe on anything BUT a lifetime sub, during content droughts you'll be able to unsub, and play a free character (Gold characters will sadly be locked out if you don't renew your sub).

There will be 2 types of accounts, Gold and Silver, Silver are the free players; it is, in essence, a feature-limited trial, but not time limited. Silver accounts will (most likely) not be able to access the Foundry or progress above a certain rank (I suspect Captain). They may also be limited in racial choices and passive abilities chosen at character creation and recieve future 'Featured Episodes' at a later date than 'Gold' players.

There will still be an option to subscribe (Or lifetime), these players will have access to all the game, will still gain Veteran rewards (Free players won't), and a monthly stipend of C-Store Points. (Possibly even more)

posted on September 4th, 2011, 3:58 am

So STO is doing so poorly that they ahve to go free to play, 'eh ?

I wonder what kinda merch is gona become pay only, I bet it's simple stuff too, or prehaps free play people wont be able to advance past a certain rank.


Either way, prepare for masses of trolls as it becomes free.

Actually the company that bought them got them completely out of debt, and gave them an extra $20 million. they are doing quite well, and STO has turned into a pretty decent game.

posted on September 4th, 2011, 8:26 am

Hmm, seems like if you wait long enough things turn to your favour . Although I`m not a big fan of RPGs, the only one I play is Oblivion and I haven't even finished that one in two years , I was quite courious about STO. Then I read the critics and had the impression that the basic ideas and gameplay had little to do with Star trek and seemed to be unfinished. So I lost interest, especially when considering the monthly pay for that game.
So, I think it's the right decision, in my opinion the whole system of paying constantly for a computergame or minor parts of it is rubbish and not worth it. I'm still playing Rome Total War and (hehe) ST Armada - I bought them, they were finished and they entertain me even after years  - MMOs do the same for incredible loads of money.

posted on September 4th, 2011, 12:19 pm

Just like to say that there seems to be a lot of negativity regarding the Free-to-Play (FTP) model, and I'm not sure a lot of it is warranted.

Admittedly, I'm speaking from the viewpoint of one who recently saw this change (I'm a lifetimer in Lord of the Rings Online, which recently (last year) went FTP) in another company, and have little knowledge of how Crpytic will do it, but:

1) If they offer VIP/subscription payments, then lifetimers should get this for free as a result of their subscription. Annoying lifetimers is a good way to lose a sizeable proportion of the fanbase. They are, after all, the ones that showed financial loyalty to a company by shelling out a sizeable amount,

2) It was not necessarily losing money to make the change, they may just want more. LOTRO, for example, tripled its revenue - DDO was saved from failing and is remarkably busy.

3) The shop may not be Pay-to-Win. A lot of people associate the cash shop with Asian grinder type affairs though it doesn't have to be that way: only time and opinion will tell.

posted on September 8th, 2011, 1:17 pm

I saw the news for STO going F2P saw what they were doing with the model for how the game will differ between Gold and Silver. It's kinda worth it, if you've never played before.

posted on September 8th, 2011, 2:09 pm

I might consider playing, and maybe even paying for a month or two, but it will have to be after I get a PC that can play it.

posted on September 11th, 2011, 8:04 am

So does anyone know when it becomes free, or if it already has? cause i was thinking about trying it out, but I dont have the monetary funding to pay for it at the moment. On a sidenote, I think it looked interesting, there seems to be alot that you can do on it. After all, i do love my RPGs