Priority One Supplemental - "The 4000"

Many thanks to Simon for joining us and once again helping us to understand a complex issue. I was extremely gratified to have been a part of the discussion and I hope it was useful to you!

Let us know your thoughts here and on the STO Forums!

I really enjoyed the in depth discussion over the whole debate of the price.

Thanks for your insights into some of the first items to the c-store since f2p, it really helped see the focus and direction of the game for the good and bad.

I'm passing on the odyssey.

Thanks for the bonus episode this week!

Guys - I have to say, good show. I don’t normally listen to you guys anymore (nor any of the other STO podcasts for that matter.) I am no longer interested in listening to interviews with Devs talking about what they would like to see in the game or what they might be working on and then have none of that show up and have them say “sorry, plans change”. Nor am I interested in the marketing hype about from PWE/Cryptic the most of the podcasts are serving up now.

However, I tuned in to listen to Simon Ludgate. I find him always insightful and one of the better gaming industry writers. He and the rest of the podcast team made some good points about the new economy of the game. And it is not looking too pretty.

I wanted to let Alex or Elliot (the guy/guys who could not spend $50 without checking with his wife) know something that will help you understand the new economy of STO. This is going to be horribly trolling and rude but… you are POOR. That is the way PWE/Cryptic sees you now. That means you are not the preferred customer of Perfect World Entertainment/ Cryptic studios. I am sorry to be so harsh but this is the truth. Like most Eastern MMO companies, Cryptic is now looking for rich players and will spend time developing things that can be afforded by them. I know people who have spent thousands of dollars to stay at the “bleeding edge” in other PW games. This is model that Cryptic has now. They will continue to place high priced ships, trinkets, or gambling boxes in the game because they are cheap and easy to make. As for well crafted story based content, I don’t think we see that much anymore, if ever. The is no profit to be made in spending months working on a new FE, just to give it away for free. I would not be surprised if in a year’s time, some players will have dropped $2K or $3K to on lock boxes and on all the new gear that will be coming.

Sorry if I am being mean. I am not looking to pick fights here. You guys do a good job on your show and I hope you continue. I have been in STO since launch. I came to it not as a MMO player but as a Trek Fan and stuck with it this whole time. I have enjoyed many things about the game and like some of the new stuff they are adding. I loved the community ( a place to hang out with other Trek Fans.) But, I see that there will be an escalating amount of money needed (way more than the old $15 per month) to stay at the “top” of STO from now on. Forget the egalitarian ideal that was portrayed in the show. If you are a rich captain, you will fly the best and newest ships.

For me, I think it is time to move on. I don’t see the value of spending hundreds of dollars on virtual gear or endless hours mining/farming a virtual currency just to buys some gear. I wish you guys the best of luck. Maybe you guys can score a job at PWE, like Brandon did as thanks for all the free marketing you guys do.

I am not saying that TommyTom is correct on it being time to move on, but he does have a point about the sums of money that can be paid in f2p games. Recently one person in asia paid the equivalent of $16k for an in game sword, and that was only one of a bunch of items that the game auctioned off. If f2p goes over in the us like it has in asia, they are looking to make $50 ships seem small potatoes.

Interesting discussion. I was one of the Closed beta players and while I didn't start playing STO until it entered Free to Play I did keep checking up on the game and its development.

This is the first time Cryptic are doing something like this in terms of releasing a free ship and then a C-store equivalent with three variants.
Dan Stahl did say they are analysing player actions/feedback over several months to see how they can change/improve the game. Usually this is just trial and error until they can get it right and I doubt this will be the last time something like this happens.

Also not to grind a certain someones gears but a few episodes ago when the Vesta was discussed and what type of ship it would be i.e. Science ship because of the two deflectors (Do you see where I'm going with this) having three variants for purchase of the same ship may become a common thing in STO.

"The economics of the future is somewhat different. You see, money doesn’t exist in the 24th century. The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity” Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: First Contact)

P.S. James also wanted an umbrella on his ship

I am a free to play player of Star Trek Online and a long time Star Trek Geek. I have been a fan since I was a little kid and I am 42 now. I don't normally play MMO games but I am an avid gamer. I play Star Trek Online because it allows me to live out a lifelong dream of being the captain of my own starship. That being said I did purchase the Odyssey 3 ship pack. I don't have a problem paying for this because I wanted it. I play a science officer in the game and there is not a decent top tier science vessel available that can survive combat if like me you play by yourself most of the time. I played with the free ship to insure I liked it prior to buying the pack to get the consoles. I really like the Aquarius fighter ship it is one tough litte ship.
I have over 200 hours of game time in Star Trek Online so far and I have really been enjoying myself. I feel $50 spent to add to MY enjoyment of this game is not too much to spend on an otherwise free game. For $50 spent on the average PC game (Skyrim excluded) I would get roughly 30 to 50 hours of gameplay. I think $50 for over 200 hours and counting of gameplay is a good deal. I don't have to purchase anything from the C store but free to play gives me the OPTION to spend my money only on the things I want to purchase to increase my enjoyment of the game. The argument that you can spend a lot of money on a free to play game is not really valid because you can also choose to spend no money on the game or the amount of money you feel the game is worth to you. As a fan of the IP I have chosen to spend money on 2 things from the c store. The original series bundle because I like old school Star Trek and the Odyssey bundle because I am Vice Admiral now and I wanted a flagship to command to reflect that. I love the look of the ship, the consoles, the universal bridge officer slots and the awesome new bridge. I do wish they had carried the look of the bridge over to the rest of the ship like they did with the Constitution class. That being said if they decide to release the rest of the interior on the c store I will then make the decision based on the price and what I get as to whether I will purchase that as well and if I decide to do so I did it with the money I have earned and can spend any way I wish. The point is I have the choice, they are not making me spend that money. As a man who has worked for a living since I was 13, I also believe the people at Cryptic deserve to be paid for their efforts and they have to sell something in a free to play game. When this game was subscription I chose not to play, even though I really wanted to, because I could not choose what I was getting for my money. The day this game went free to play I started playing and I have chosen to spend money in the c store to purchase the things I wanted and it does not upset me in any way because I want the game to continue and I know as a reasonable adult that the money needs to come from somewhere. Having the choice of what I get for my money was the deciding factor in me deciding to play.
My Klingon character is a tactical officer and at this time I have no intentions of buying the Bortosqu' ship pack to replace my Raptor. The Raptor fits my play style for the Klingon better than a large cruiser but again free to play gives me that choice.
It all comes down to-quit your bitching and grow up. Buy the ships or don't but exercise your freedom of choice and allow me to exercise mine.
As a side note I really enjoy your show guys and I tune in every week. You guys are doing a great job please keep up the great work.