STO Nerdrage

First, to ALL the “Nerdragers” that share this point of view by all means quit, as it shows your shortsighted ignorance and will mean less drama for those of us sticking with a great game.

Second, yes there have been problems with the game as of release. However, that does not mean that STO is a fail game. Far from it. STO is a game with near limitless potential for creating a massive and enriching universe (dare I say – multiverse…) with content spanning the known galaxy and beyond.

Now to address this video’s claims against STO.

The trailer that this person picked apart as lies is nothing more than a cinematic trailer, I have seen many games use this marketing strategy, WOW being chief among them. Blizzards cinematic trailers are legendary, but hardly an accurate depiction of the cartoonish game play experience you actually encounter. This person obviously missed the numerous game play videos that Cryptic released on its website prior to launch showing game content and combat.

Lack of content? Maybe. But only if you have no life whatsoever and sit at your computer power leveling for 4 days straight. Cryptic has been diligently working since well before launch to expand content in game and within 2 weeks of launch added 3 more episodes and daily missions in Borg space.

In the first major content update they will be adding new PvP maps, Fleet Actions, New Klingon Ships, Respecs, Mission Difficulty Slider, improving Memory Alpha and the commodity missions, adding in replayable missions and of course releasing the first, of many, “Raidisodes” for end game players (STF – Infected).

Beyond that, Cryptic is looking to the players to shape the direction of the game, but has plans laid out for the next 6-12 months for some hardcore development. Discovering more about the Undine (species 8472) and their motivations in our realm. New playable races/factions. Who will it be? Cardassian, Romulan, Reman, Dominion? Expansion of the exploring missions. More diplomatic missions. Possibility of First officers. More ship customization and choices perhaps?

Okay, I have heard people complain about marketing before but this is ridiculous. Seriously causing a stink because they are offering a good deal to those people who may have been on the fence about the game but now have a more compelling reason to join our community. Who cares if they are offering a limited time 60 days few with the purchase of the game. It is no different an incentive than offering different bonuses depending on what third party vendor you went with, or by offering the Playable Borg and 2 extra character slots to those who could afford the lifetime membership (I wish I could have). I don’t remember seeing the pitchforks then.

What we need to do is sit back, take a breath, relax and be patient. Give our feedback to Cryptic, good and not so good, so they can create a world we can all be happy to spend our time in and explore. If we can do that then I foresee a wonderful time exploring strange new worlds. . .

Choosing your Class

Now that you've installed STO and downloaded all the patches it is time to log in and build your first character. Let the fun and games begin!

The first choice you are presented with in STO is what class you wish you character to be: Engineer, Science or Tactical. All are solid and well put together classes that work just as well in solo play as they do in team play. It is also important to remember that your Captains class is only one part of the "character creation" process. Your bridge officer choices and skills along with the Starship class choice and armaments/equipment also factor heavily into the equation. Now with that being said you need to decide what play style suits you best and find the appropriate class to match.

For those who enjoy a tankish style of play, the Engineer will provide the longevity that you are seeking. In space combat, especially while in command of a Cruiser class starship, they have the ability to survive in protracted conflict with enemy ships while their fleet moves in for the kill. In Ground combat they offer both tactical and group support abilities by transporting down turrets, shield & medical generators, and other fortifications.

For those with a taste for healing or more subtle manipulation of the battlefield, Science is for you. In space the Science Captain, commanding his science starship, is a "supporting" Captain in the purest sense of the word. Jamming sensors, introducing disabling viruses, generating various subspace anomalies are but a few of the devastating abilities available to you. On the ground you are the medic, healing wounds, exposes, toxins and mental debuffs. Also you are a master manipulator, using stasis locks and DoT assaults against unsuspecting enemies.

Last, but by no means least, you have those with a desire to completely obliterate anything and anyone in their path, welcome to Tactical. In space, escort bristling with energy cannons, you have but one job - dump as much damage on the enemy target as you can as quickly as possible. In a ground assault, you are the protector, using your ranged abilities to not only cause damage but to reduce the enemies’ ability to cause damage to your people. Grenades and energy weapons are your weapons of choice. You are also skilled in the arts of close, hand-to-hand, combat.

Each class also has access to class exclusive space and ground abilities that allow pretty impressive bonuses to any fleet or away team:

Tactical Leveled Space Abilities:
1. Attack Pattern Alpha - Increases the damage of your weapons, and improves your turning rate.
2. Fire on My Mark - Applies a damage resistance debuff on the enemy target.
3. Tactical Initiative - Recharge timers of tactical bridge officers reduced to 0.6 of their normal value for 45 seconds.
4. Go Down Fighting - Increases base damage based on how much hull damage you have taken.

Tactical Leveled Ground Abilities
1. Target Optics - Scans a group of enemies and buffs your damage, crit chance and crit severity. Has a chance to expose enemies near the target.
2. Fire on My Mark - Applies a damage resistance debuff on the enemy target.
3. Tactical Initiative - Reduces ability and weapon cooldown timers to zero for the entire away team. Has a cooldown of two minutes.
4. Strike Team - Provides a passive +% to crit chance and crit severity to all to you and your teammates.
5. Security Escort - Beams down several security officers to assist you. They are not as capable as bridge officers however.

Engineering Leveled Space Abilities
1. Rotate Shield Frequency - Slightly increases shield regeneration and provides significant damage resistance.
2. EPS Power Transfer - Efficiently distributes energy to increase the power levels to all systems for either yourself or a target ally.
3. Nadion Inversion - Allows an additional energy weapon to fire without depleting power levels for 21 seconds.
4. Miracle Worker - Restores Hull, and has a chance to repair disabled subsystems.

Engineering Leveled Ground Abilities
1. Reroute Power to Shields - Diverts energy from the engineer's tricorder to their personal shield generator, restoring lost energy and temporarily increasing shield damage resistance.
2. Cover Shield - Creates a fixed position forcefield that blocks line of sight. Can be used as a temporary cover.
3. Orbital Strike - Calls down a beam weapon strike from your ship. AoE damage + knockback.
4. Engineering Proficiency - Provides a passive +resist to all to you and your teammates.

Science Leveled Space Abilities
1. Sensor Scan - Reduces the Damage Resistance of the target and nearby hostile ships while increasing your perception, making it easier to detect enemies.
2. Subnucleonic Beam - Increases recharge time of target's powers.
3. Dampening Field - Dampening Field projects a shield around your ship, reducing the damage you and nearby allies receive from incoming energy weapon fire.
4. Photonic Fleet - Summons three (3) ships of the same tier as you. The ships last as long as you are in combat.

Science Leveled Ground Abilities
1. Tricorder Scan - Reduces the Damage Resistance of the target and nearby hostile enemies while increasing your perception, making it easier to detect enemies.
2. Dampening Field - Creates a field that debuffs the energy damage of all enemies within its effect.
3. Nanoprobe Infestation - Targets Foe 1 sec activate. 3 min recharge. 30.48 meter Range. Drastically increases the damage of the next high damage attack received and consumes debuff. Spreads to nearby targets for 15 sec or until consumed. 10% chance to expose.

All in all, any choice/combination will provide you with a rich and rewarding game play experience.