I really want this, big Star Trek nerd, the Defiant kicks ass etc, but I dont have a good enough PC. If that lifetime sub is still up when I do then I may well take them up on that offer.

Do other other MMOs offer that sort of deal at all? Just seems a really good idea to me.

@SelfQ

It is no problem. I know how badly I have wanted to get in a Beta before and not been able to. This time I do get into one but haven't the time play it it's typical.

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@Themightylebeau2009

I've only seen Cryptic doing this with their MMOs Its such a good idea. Heck I bet Blizzard will adopt this at some point. Think of all that money they would get from the constant players!

Not a trekkie fan, and I will most likely not play this for more than a year, so I'll probably pass up on the lifetime membership. The Star Wars MMO on the other hand...

I'm on the Beta right now. The space combat truly is amazing, with you having to redirect power to certain shields, manoeuvre your ships weaker sides out of the line of fire and use Bridge Officer abilities.

The away team elements are less polished, the AI being erratic at best. It has a very KOTOR feel to it, which is never a bad thing. I'm holding out judgement too much on the away missions however, as I've only done a few.

It also seems much more instance/mission based than I expected, being less about actual exploration. You have explore 'missions' as such, but there doesn't seem to be any exploring for the sake of exploring.

I don't know if it will have the same longevity as something like WOW or EVE, however I'm unsure if that's actually a bad thing or not. The game does look like it will be huge, but not social life destroying in the same way as other more established MMOs.

I love the game, have been debating the lifetime thing since yesterday. On one hand it is nice to never have to worry about playing the game anytime for its existance... on the other hand, $300 for one game is pretty insane, long-term updates or no.

Still, I am such a Star Trek fanboy I can see myself devoting a lot of time to it.

as someone who played the open beta for their last MMO..do NOT take it as evidence of what the game is like and buy a lifetime./ Day one of Champions they nerfed a lot of things that VASTLY changed how the game played

@Midgetsnowman

Except it's still a good idea, with the expansion every couple years or so, they will still be getting a constant income. It's not like everyone will want to go for a lifetime.

For WoW it is not a gamble they'll get new subs its basically a fact. It the reason behind Activisions pricing on MW2. People will buy into it.

Without playing the beta there's really no way I can determine if I have any interest in the lifetime sub.

@ HombreGato

Oh thank god, either cruiser, escort or science right?

@Konrad9: Actually that sounds awesome (and it is), because this shard/instance system allows you to play with anyone. There's no need to worry about friends using a different server than you.

Been playing this game for a while and I love it. It's without a doubt one of the most interesting and fun MMOs I've ever played.

Glad I read this. I have a friend who loves the sh*t out of some Star Trek and he just got a new computer. He'll be glad to hear the news. I'm still waiting for Undead Labs to make an announcement so >I< can get all excited-like.

Two types of posts are going to occur. If you don't like what Cryptic has done before (i.e. City of heroes/champions online) you will not like this game. This is a great MMO if you do like that style of game but horrible if you are beholden to the 'paper doll' type of gear grind. I have been playing MMO's since the MUD's and really got into them at EQ. I played Star Wars Galaxies....for a long time... and that was a bad bad MMO. STO will be a great MMO for about 500,000 to 2 million people. Cryptic isn't expecting it to go to 16 million player blockbuster WoW status. They don't dedicate the kind of resources that Blizzard does, nor can they as they do not have the coffers of Activision to fund them.

That being said if you are a Star Trek fan and always wanted to live the fantasy, here is your chance. It will only get better as time goes on as those of us comic book nerds experienced with City of heroes. There will always be whiny bitches coming out of the woodwork who do not like the game you are playing. I have a large subset of friends that do nothing but tell me how weak WoW is and how great their MMO is. Yet I am still playing WoW after five years and they have gone from one game to the next. I do try just about every MMO when it comes out and have to admit that Collector's Editions make me blow money like a fool. I early adopted AION just for the sweet action figure and in-game stuff only to discover I was not a big fan of pretty anime korean style gaming. Go figure.

My point is that you need to try this for yourself. If you see a review at either extreme and you do not already have an opinion about Cryptic games, just skip it. The author has already made up his/her mind and there is nothing you can do except try the game and review it on its merits. Had I listened to reviewers I would have never had the joy of grinding out Argent rep pre-BC or the misfortune of running MC over and over and over again.

Try the beta if you can, play for a month if you want. I like the beta and I like non-paper doll aspect after so many years of being tied to gear (and especially after reading "pst achiev/stats/gearscore" on WoW ad nasuem.)

I look forward to Star Trek Online. My laptop will hopefully run it. Free month or 14 trial will help me decide whether I want to plop cash down on this sucker, with Old Republic coming soon.