BSD & Gaming

Yayyyy for Chuck & Sarah – it’s about damn time. Initially I was really worried about how season 3 would shape up but I’m glad to report it’s turned out great. IMO I think this is one of the few really good shows currently on TV.

I don’t really have much to say for now,  I just have a few observations and scattered comments on various topics.

Online games don’t seem to be very social today, it’s almost like playing a solo game  most of the time. When MMO’s first took off things were really cool, I met all sorts of people from all over the world and some I am still in touch with over a decade later. Everyone I’ve met lately either doesn’t want to connect, just want to harass people for fun, or want to sell you in game items for real world money. Blah. The only thing I can come up with is that since the gaming industry is heavily focused on button mashing console games, the days of real social gaming are over…. or are at least in a slump till the pendulum swings back the other way at some future time.

Still playing STO and having fun. Trying to talk a few friends into trying it, they are not big gamers but are Trek fans. Again the hard thing is to find good people to regularly go on missions with.

Looks like the lack of interest in Myspace is pretty much permanent. I logged into my page there for the first time in ages and out of all my friends there no one has updated anything in ages. It seems that Facebook is still king of the hill. I don’t really use my Twitter page I just don’t have that much to say all the time.  I’ve never been interested in text messaging so maybe that’s why twitter doesn’t excite me, hell I even hate cell phones lol. Mine is never on unless I’m calling out and even then that is rare.

Ah well I’m just rambling. Have a good night interwebs people.

It’s not the newest MMO out there, but it is new for me. I’m referring to Star Trek Online (STO). It’s funny to me that I have been enjoying this game so much when you consider the fact that  magazine and fan reviews of the game are giving it a poor rating. The truth of the matter is despite all it’s criticism I’m experiencing something in an MMO that I haven’t in a very long time. I’m having  fun and enjoying it!

The game itself is quick and intuitive, for me the real focus is PvP space combat. The way combat works in STO reminds me a lot of the Starfleet Command 1 & 2 game series which I liked a lot back in the day. Amazingly STO was shoved out the door after only two years of development and in that short a time period I’m surprised they have accomplished as much depth and functionality as they have. Most game developers would still be in the planning stages arguing over details.

Like any online game I’ve met some cool people and some complete idiots, nothing new there. I’ve been wanting a good science fiction MMO that doesn’t take months of endless grinding before you can do anything fun. I don’t dislike sword and sorcery themed games, I’m just tired of them for now. In STO there is some tedium in the leveling since Klingon content is limited but when you group with others on missions or get into the PVP combat it becomes a lot more enjoyable. I was able to go from a starter character to a mid level rank very quickly compared to other MMO’s, days instead of months.

In STO there are only two factions currently available to players, Federation and Klingon, with the Federation being the more fleshed out of the two. The Klingon side is very limited in terms of in-game PvE and general content. Even so I play the Klingon side pretty much exclusively, the Federation ambiance is a little too “touchy feely mary sunshine” for my taste. I prefer the Klingons because they are just earthier… grittier in style. I’ve finally worked my way up to getting a D7 Battle Cruiser… yeah baby!!

All together I’d say STO boils down to this; If you are able to enjoy what the game offers now and willing to be patient with it’s growing pains, if you do not have attention deficit disorder, and you are looking for some light fun then I would say give it a shot.

However, those demanding and expecting a maturity of content and game play that comes after years of tweaking like WoW or EVE, then I would definitely not recommend this game for you.

Decide for yourself, go take a look on the official pages. [LINK]