My initial impression of Star Trek Online (STO) wasn’t all that great. But I gave it a day or so. The game is by Cryptic Studios, which also developed Champions Online. Cryptic designed the game engine that is used for both MMOs, and the resemblances are glaring. My biggest gripe is the chunky UI. I hate chunky UIs with a passion. I have a 22″ HD monitor, so I’d hate to be playing on anything smaller.
Character Creation
One thing that Cryptic has down and has passed along to STO in force is the character generation system. The optimization is endless. You can customize everything from brow to boot sole. If you like to spend some time creating your character’s appearance, you will enjoy yourself in this facet of the game.
Tutorial
I should know by now that the situations in game tutorials are never as dire as the NPCs lead you to believe. For once, I would love for a tutorial area that is under attack and everything is placed on your shoulders to save the day to explode in grandure if you fail. Let’s get some consequence here.
The intro/tutorial to STO does a good job of setting the mood of iminent destruction. You kind of feel rushed through. Unlike other games, you also barely get a pat on the back for saving everyone’s ass. There really is no clear cut ending and you really don’t feel like the hero you’re suppose to be. Actually, you feel like you’re the rookie running back and everyone else is patting you on the butt to get you to move along. If they could speak, they’d say, “Could you save us a little quicker? We have better things to do…”
Combat
In space and on away missions (ground missions), combat is slow. There is no auto attacking, so you spend time watching your ability timers. I personally do not like this style of combat. To be frank, it’s boring. While all hell seems to break lose around you, you’re waiting a couple seconds for your damn phaser or laser to recharge. However, things are a bit more fun when you are fighting with your crew. But still, your personal involvement in combat seems shallow.
One thing I do like is that cover and terrain do matter in firefights. On the ground you can duck and roll out of harm’s way to replenish your shields and health, then roll back into combat. In space, ducking behind debris or meteors can buy you some time to replenish shields. It’s a real part of combat strategy.
One interesting aspect in space has to do with shields. You have fore, aft and side shields. The strategy is to keep your strong shields facing the enemy while attacking the enemy’s weak shields. Once I picked up on this and really learned how to implement it, I was a terror in space. But…space combat was still way too slow, unfortunately.
Advancement and Skills
I really don’t have any gripes about advancement in STO. They do mask the level 1 – 50 grind by calling it an officer title and rank system. But that’s good for role-play in the Star Trek setting. It’s still a standared XP leveling and skill allocation system. However…
I think the skill system is a bit complex. Lots to choose from, but I barely understand the impact any of the skills really have on the game. How much does one skill point spent on a skill actually give you or improve your play in the overall scheme of things? It’s too new to tell. All I know is that there are an awful lot of skills available for a game with a cap of level 50. Not to mention you get crew members and advance them, too. That gives you the chance to create a balanced team, tactical team, buff team, or defensive team. How screwed you are if you make the wrong decisions is still up in the air.
Graphics
I need say nothing more than it is a beautiful game. Character models are highly detailed. Terrain is nothing special, but it sets the right mood. Space gives you that feeling of wonder that you get when you use Google Earth.
Summary
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. The game has its bugs, but don’t they all? Nothing game breaking at all. Plus, some stuff is shut off until launch, which I believe is February 2nd. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer in the comments section.
Live long and prosper.