Star Trek Online

Star Trek Online (STO) is a free-to-play sci-fi MMORPG from Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment. As the name implies, it is set a universe based on Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek films and television shows. In this game, Cryptic/Perfect World take an approach to free-to-play much like the one they take in Neverwinter, discussed in an earlier post: basically, it's not pay-to-win in the cheesiest sense. You can pay to win faster, but playing without paying is no more grindy than in any other MMORPG, and there's nothing non-cosmetic you can't get through good ol' fashioned grinding.

Many of the familiar (and more obscure) races and technological elements from the Star Trek universe are present: Vulcans, the Romulan Empire, the Borg, warp drive, phasers, and so on. If you like Star Trek and MMORPGs, I strongly encourage you to give this game a try. I find it really beautiful and a lot of fun to play. Here are a few screens.

I have to agree with other commentators who have said STO is really two games in one. Many missions include both space and away team (ground) elements. The space missions are unlike anything else I have played. Space combat takes some getting used to. Not only is it a unique combat system. It also takes place in three dimensions. As for defense, your shields are divided in to quadrants: fore, aft, port, and starboard. In general, defense means maneuvering so that the shield quadrant that has taken the most damage is facing away from your enemies (though some power can be transferred among quadrants on demand).

As for offense, all your weapons are mounted fore and aft; however, your phasers can fire in a much wider arc than your torpedoes. In general, I try to keep my target broadside-on most of the time because that allows me to engage it with both fore and aft phasers simultaneously. I only face directly toward or away from the target when my torpedoes are ready. Of course it is also best to maneuver to attack your target’s weakest shield quadrant, if possible.

The away team missions remind me of the Mass Effect series, minus the long dialogues. This part of the game is a shooter in which you have a team of AI-controlled officers who fight alongside you. As you gain experience and advance in rank, you can bring more numerous and higher-ranked officers with you on your away team. You can choose which officers will be tactical, engineering, or science officers and promote, demote, or dismiss them as you see fit. You get to equip each of them with weapons, shields, armor, and devices of your choice. Each one's combat abilities depend on what officer class she is. 

My current posse.

The challenging part of combat is managing the special abilities of the AI officers and dealing with enemies with similar special abilities. Also, as in the space missions, your geometrical relationship with your target matters: flanking your target allows you to do much more damage, and enemies flanking you will hit you harder.

            

     My current rank is Rear Admiral, Upper Half. I play Federation and my current ship is a Sovereign-class assault cruiser I named U.S.S. Hebe. (I have been playing for a while, though I took a break at the end of the summer.) 

As you can imagine, there is much more to the game, but I don’t want to ramble on. Go and try it out for yourself.