Star Trek Online will go Free to Play before the end of 2011!

[sheld0n]

Finally, I will go where only the subscribers have gone before! Yay!
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2600

[iggy880]

Yeah, I've been wanting to try it, but didn't have enough interest to subscribe

[Gold Rush]

Well, I like it, but I am a Lifer. IMO, it's best in short sessions; not the "race for max level" some people go for. Most people agree the game has improved since launch, more new things. Have yet to try out the newest things, like ground combat (most players preferred the space combat).

They even have their own version of the "Mission Architect system", so you can create missions for other players (just like CoH).

For me, I feel this is a good derivative/diversion from SWTOR in that if you want space combat, come to this game. If you want a ground experience, go to SWTOR. I don't have SWTOR's space combat and am fine with it, but many gripers out there about the Starfox/rails-in-space combat of SWTOR.

[Remianen]

Originally Posted by Gold Rush

Well, I like it, but I am a Lifer. IMO, it's best in short sessions; not the "race for max level" some people go for. Most people agree the game has improved since launch, more new things. Have yet to try out the newest things, like ground combat (most players preferred the space combat).

Ground 2.0 is...well, pretty much the polar opposite of 1.0. It went from being slow and ponderous to downright manic. Great for ADD types (FASTER FASTER MORE MORE!) but I'm not so sure it's a real improvement. Then again, I didn't have a problem with the old system so it just seems like much ado about nothing to me. It did kind of shock me when a Dahar Master basically 2-shot my Tactical BO decked out in purple Mark X/XI gear though.

I let my account lapse as soon as it was announced that the last update (Season 4?) wouldn't be including the duty officer system. That was the only thing I was looking forward to. Starfleet Academy is awesome though! Not functional in any way but the visuals are top notch.

[razoras]

Their version of the MA is better, too. Especially the ratings system, since you can see a breakdown of the voting.

The game is way better than it was at release and the F2P move seemed inevitable. The space combat can now seem slow and ponderous now that they've updated the ground combat. STO hit the point where it should've been at release a few patches ago, it's worth checking out and is probably extremely cheap.

The game does have the "best in short dosages, enjoy the journey and don't focus on maxxing out" that COH has, only even worse. You can blow through all the content in less than a month still.

[Graphite]

Sweeet. I bought this way back last Christmas but have yet to install it. That was mostly due to a lack of time, not wanting to pay a monthly and wanting to wait for a stable game platform. Still have no idea when I'll play though.

[coldcut]

My biggest problem with the game near release was that it just didn't feel like Star Trek. It felt like an MMO using some Star Trek assets. But the mindless slaughter on the ground missions, the lack of any kind of diplomacy or thought whatsoever in the missions themselves--really killed it for me. Can't say why. I'm not much of a Trekker/Trekkie or whatever. But it just really bothered me that I was playing this character in a Star Trek universe as if I were Marcus Phenix.

[Dr Jack Wolfe]

Then you need to play again, much better Star Trek feel and writing. I'm with Gold though, short spurts of an arc or two with good writing. Oh and the classic ships, some of the new VA designs are just ugly.

[bpphantom]

Originally Posted by Dr Jack Wolfe

Then you need to play again, much better Star Trek feel and writing. I'm with Gold though, short spurts of an arc or two with good writing. Oh and the classic ships, some of the new VA designs are just ugly.

Did the space combat ever stop being terribad? Slow and painfully boring? I always enjoyed ground.

[LZero23]

Originally Posted by bpphantom

Did the space combat ever stop being terribad? Slow and painfully boring? I always enjoyed ground.

I enjoyed the space more than the ground.