Netflix: Real Entertainment Value

Ah, Netflix...

If I only watched clean romantic comedies with my wife after the kids are in bed, it would be a bargain.

If it did nothing else but kept the kids relatively quiet watching cartoons for an hour a day, it would be well worth the price and then some.

If I only used it to watch Mythbusters and Smash Labs with my four boys in a celebration of the male bonding powers of large explosions, the value would be amazing.

If I did nothing but work my way through every Star Trek episode since The Next Generation aired, it would be worth a sizeable chunk of my yearly entertainment budget and an enormous savings over buying all of the DVD sets.

Put them all together... and I get more bang for my buck than a lightning strike at a fireworks factory.

Seven Reasons Why The Klingon Empire Will Survive

Not a week goes by that I don't read some doom and gloom about the Klingon Empire faction in Star Trek Online.  Cryptic has been very candid that the KDF side is underpopulated and not as profitable, so they spend less time creating content for the Klingon faction.

On the other hand, they did spend time developing KDF Starbases and KDF Fleet Ships for Season 6, and they spent time adding new ship materials and costume options for the 900-Day Veteran Rewards.  It's not fair to say that they have stopped adding new things for the KDF entirely.

I know that Cryptic has not totally abandoned the Klingon Defense Force, and I believe that the Empire will survive.  Here are seven reasons why:

1. Klingon Fans - While they may be outnumbered by the Federation, Klingon fans are very passionate about their devotion.  Klingon cosplay outfits (including makeup) are amazing compared to the relatively easy makeup and dull-looking Starfleet costumes.  They even have their own language!

2. Klingon Culture - The history of the Klingons goes all the way back to the original series and they've been around in most of the different series and movies one way or the other.  Starting with The Wrath of Khan, a lot of creativity went into creating a cultural backdrop for the Klingon Empire and there's still room for more.  As such, Klingons are one of the most interesting races ever introduced into Star Trek.

3. Orions and Gorn - These two major subcultures of the Klingon Empire have a long history in Star Trek.  Even more than the Klingons, they have a lot of room for development and to tell new stories about them.

4. Klingon Ships - The Devs admit that they enjoy creating new KDF ships, even if they can't focus on them.  They look "wicked cool" and they have a lot more freedom to interpret that look than they do with Starfleet ships.  Frankly, KDF ships have some of the best abilities in the game.

5. PvP - We all know that the KDF were intended to have a heavy focus on PvP play and that PvP has been something of a mess and underdeveloped for a long time.  But, Season 6 will begin to introduce new PvP code that Cryptic can build on.  Cryptic knows they need a diverse gaming experience and that PvP is a part of that.  Revitalized PvP will also have its' effect on the KDF.

6. Alternative Gameplay - Once you've levelled through the Starfleet content a few times, the game can start to feel kind of dull.  Having the KDF around gives players something else to do for awhile without actually leaving STO.  Eventually, Cryptic will have to add more KDF-specific content.  Just because they can't focus on it right now doesn't mean they won't ever do more.

7. The Foundry - KDF fans + Foundry authors = More to do + Interesting storylines.  Cryptic might not be able to focus on KDF content right now, but there's nothing stopping KDF fans from rolling their own in the Foundry.  The Foundry is also getting more enhancements in Season 6 and I can't wait to see what possibilities open up.

I admit that I am not as active a Klingon fan as I am on the Federation side, but I can still appreciate that the game is richer than it would be if they were merely two-dimensional, computer-controlled "monsters".  I too look forward to more KDF content and I believe it will come in time.

Qapla'!

Star Trek Online started a new Featured Episode series based on a Deep Space Nine storyline this past Saturday.  It deals with a Dominion fleet that comes through the wormhole and captures DS-9.

This first episode, "Second Wave", begins with a diplomatic mission involving a cross-faction conference about uniting against the Borg threat.

Yeah, I know, sounds a bit boring, but it's surprisingly fun.  Hey, they needed an excuse to get you to DS-9!

This episode has everything.  There are four different short diplomatic missions (three of which are optional), there are three optional Duty Officer assignments, ground AND space combat, a bunch of cutscenes, lots of voice-overs, and it moves along fast enough that it doesn't seem too grind-y.

The combat missions are challenging.  I don't have tricked out builds, and both my Brigadier General (Science) and my Vice Admiral (Science) each had to respawn in both the ground and space missions.  Ordinarily I don't have problems in PvE missions of Normal difficulty and I don't have top-of-the-line gear.  Don't go in thinking this is a cakewalk.  The Jem'Hadar can take down your shields in nothing flat and your health/hull will follow soon afterward.

All in all, a fun episode and a great kick-off for a new series.

Star Trek Online Offering Free Odyssey Class Cruiser

I just wanted to report that Cryptic is planning to offer a FREE Enterprise-F Odyssey class cruiser during the 2nd Year Anniversary Celebration (Feb 2 thru Feb 6).

This is the winning concept from the fan design contest and is officially sanctioned by CBS as the next ship to bear the Enterprise name.  It is reputed to be the largest starship ever built by Starfleet.

Link: http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2839

Completing a shakedown cruise mission gives the player the right to claim it upon reaching Vice Admiral rank.  Apparently you must be at least level 5 to do the mission, so if you haven't started playing Star Trek Online now is the time to get going.

You do not need to be a VA to earn it, you just can't claim it until you reach VA rank.

Requires: Vice Admiral rank (level 50)

Known (not final) stats:

Weapons: 4 Fore, 4 Aft
Device Slots: 4
Console Upgrades: 2 Tactical, 4 Engineering, 3 Science
Bridge Officer Stations: 1 Lieutenant Tactical, 1 Commander Engineering, 1 Lieutenant Science, 1 Ensign Universal, 1 Lieutenant Commander Universal
Hull Strength: 42,000
Maximum Warp: 9.996
Turn Rate: 6
Impulse Modifier: 0.15
Shield Modifier: 1.15
+10 Power to Shields, +10 Power to Auxiliary

Likewise, for those who are able to play as Klingons, a new Klingon flagship will also be released at the same time and in a similar fashion.

Reactivated!

I recently reactivated my commission in Starfleet and I am back in Star Trek Online!

My reading of the forums suggested that the game was in a relatively stable and enjoyable state, so I reactivated my subscription before F2P launch to check it out and get prepared.   (Also, insuring that I would have priority access when F2P launched...)

Free-To-Play is now live, and I am having fun playing around with the Duty Officer system mostly.  Vice Admiral G'eek is now stationed at Earth Spacedock/Starfleet Academy to assist new captains and to recruit new members for the Federation Reborn fleet.  I just created a new Engineering captain so that I can team up with and help new players and re-learn the game from the ground up.

Make no mistake... Cryptic still needs to earn my money.  I will pay a subscription fee only when it suits me to do so, and I'm not going to continuously pump money into the C-Store.  But for now, I'm liking the changes to the game and I'm ready to play.

Go Boldly!

Star Trek Online Free-To-Play Launch Date

In the latest "Path to F2P Dev Blog", Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo confirms the launch date for Star Trek Online Free-To-Play:  January 17, 2012.  As some have pointed out, a little rearrangement of the date makes it 17/01.  I needn't point out the significance to long time Trek fans.

He also reveals that the relaunch will be made available on the Holodeck server a month early for subscribers, and that C-Point stipends will also be starting a month early.

But, based on what I'm reading in the forums and past experience with Cryptic, I have to reiterate a prediction I made that it's too soon.  Even if they waited until 17/01 to put anything online, there are still too many bugs, too many incomplete systems that exist in a half-baked state.  They haven't even had time to make the Space Skills changes and give them time to settle on Tribble yet, as far as I know.

In short, the F2P launch seems likely to cause even more chaos than the Hobus Supernova.  Yet another hit to Cryptic's reputation. 

I can see where they need to buy themselves some time.  They're losing more and more subscribers as time goes on with no new content.  For them, it's better to launch an incomplete game (again) than to keep working on it.  For players, not so much.

I am going to keep my money in my bank account and wait.  I'll try to be there at launch, assuming there are no major game-breaking bugs that haven't been dealt with, but I'll be taking a try before I buy approach.

Space Skills Revision

Path to F2P Dev Blog #18

I have read the latest Star Trek Online Dev Blog regarding the Space Skills Revision and I must say that this is one change that I wholeheartedly agree with and I like how these changes are being implemented.  Call it NGE, but the skill tree has needed to be changed for a long time now and this looks like the right change to me.  As long as they are able to address 99% of the inevitable balance issues before F2P launches, this will be a winner.