Star Trek Online: Glitchy Goodness
Despite being a fan of Star Trek, I resisted STO (Star Trek Online) from the beginning. I remember logging in and feeling like everything was out of proportion. The bridges were huge while various other areas seems too small. Plus I am not a fan of MMORPG. Never have been. I used to like some of the older, smaller multiplayer games like RTCW or TF2 where it felt a lot smaller and you played with the same people everyday. MMORPG just doesn’t do it for me. Another topic for another day…
I started playing STO just prior to Co-Vid. Putting aside the perspective/proportion issues, I decided to give it a try. I was glad I did. If you like Star Trek and you like gaming, you will like STO.
Bad Stuff – Let’s just get this out of the way
STO is a 10 year old game
Unfortunately, the graphics are reflective of this. This is more apparent when talking with an NPC or when doing an away (ground) mission, but the graphics are not distracting.
It can be glitchy
This is the biggest problem. You can sometimes get stuck in asteroids or missions will not complete correctly and you have to start them over. This is the worst, especially if you have completed a particularly difficult mission and the last enemy ship glitched into an asteroid and you can no longer damage them.
Ground combat is just silly
The ground combats are just one group against another in an open area. There is very little strategy short of having good “traits” and items. You stand across from the enemy and just shoot each other. The aim lock will often lock on to allies instead of enemies. Frankly, it’s just an ugly cluster.
You really don’t make any decisions
As Captain of a ship, you really do not have to make many decision. The space combat is different, but for everything else, you are along for the ride.
The game is complicated
There are some good initial instructions, but understanding things like duty officers, kits, consoles, traits, specialties, reputation, factions and fleets, there is a lot lacking. You could have a masterclass on just using duty officers and still not know everything about them. Plus there are a variety of in game monies. Between dilithium, energy credits, fleet credits, et al… it can be overwhelming for a first time player.
The Good Stuff
You can level up and get up to six different ships all for free. It is one of the cheapest MMORPGs out there as you can be a F2P and still have a great time.
You level up quickly
Some might say too quickly, but you can get up to the max level of 65 with just a moderate amount of game time. The only problem is that once you hit 65, the game difficulty really amps up and here is where they get you to spend money. To get a Tier 6 ship, or the most powerful out there, you have to pay for it. You can still be F2P and be successful but here is where you really learn how to manage a ship during combat. I am still using my highest free ship and doing okay, but I have struggled on a number of missions.
You can have up to 8 characters
You can pass some gear and assets between them. This allows you to start over if you want or to try some of the different factions like the Romulans or Klingons. Each faction has a unique storyline and they are generally pretty solid. I did find the Klingon path as the hardest from a combat perspective, but otherwise they are a lot of fun. The Romulan storyline is probably my favorite and it was fun when I got my first warbird. The ship is enormous but very cool looking.
The starship battles are fantastic
The space battles are really well done and this is where you will spend most of your time. If you are on a taskforce with several players, it can get a little laggy but most of the time is it not noticeable. You have to learn the weaknesses of your opponent and learn the best way to setup and manage your ship. This is were the fun is. Making sure you have the right setup for each situation.
It’s Star Trek
This is probably the best reason to play. You get to visit some iconic locations like Starfleet Academy, Starbase K7, Deep Space 9, the Delta Quadrant, Wolf 359, and the Klingon home word just to name a few. Plus you get to interact with familiar NPCs like the crew from Voyager, Seven of Nine, the original Enterprise and even Michael Bennett from Discovery.
I really do recommend this game. Yes, as you play, you will be frustrated or disappointed. The game, however, have been around for 10 years and number of people actively playing have increased dramatically over the last 5 years. While you may only play if for a few weeks, but it will be a fun few weeks and the good news it doesn’t cost anything.