Well, that’s fair enough. :) I don’t share the opinion, but I’m a firm believer in de gustibus non disputandum”. :)

“Why not establish a Federation where the united Humans, Klingons and Romulans lead a combined fleet to Andromeda? But with a wormhole back and forth to Federation space? Period.”

‘Cause that sounds like DS9 writ slightly larger? ;)

Also, I don’t know that such a thing couldn’t happen in the game’s setting, anyway. They may not start with it, but that’d be potentially viable to add in.

“I am not a writer, but I can discern shit from shinola, and the plot description reads like the ingredients of a can of TAB.”

Again, what plot description are you referring to? The “Path to 2409″ pretty clearly isn’t the game’s plot. It’s backstory, no more and no less.

See, you’d have me more intrigued if you were discussing the actual plot of the game and said plot’s plusses and minuses. ‘Course, if there *is* an overarching storyline, I’m not finding it on the ST Online site. So I’m going to withhold judgment on the game’s storyline ’til I actually know fully what it is.

“I think the Cryptic writers, who have been mysteriously absent from this site, should engage us a bit more, perhaps in a more structured forum.”

Why should they be expected to spend their time on *this* site. Look, I think Anthony’s done some remarkable stuff with this site, but the game has its own site, with its own forums, for folks specifically interested in the game to use. I’m not going to criticize the writers for not hanging out here. Now, admittedly, I don’t spend a lot of time over on that site’s forums, but do the creative staff interact with the fans *there*?

“We, as fans, will provide positive word-of-mouth to the gamers who have been busy getting to level 80 in World of Warcraft via the “Lich King” add-on. Give us a compelling plot…something more generalized…and maybe new players will come across.”

Sure. But, again, until we see the actual game plot, I don’t think we can fairly assess whether it’ll have broad appeal. Cryptic’s folks claim it will, but the proof will be in the pudding, and a bunch of backstory aimed squarely at the hardcore fans, but not intrinsic to gameplay, does not the pudding make.

It’s just bad fiction, and it’s purely my opinion.

Why not establish a Federation where the united Humans, Klingons and Romulans lead a combined fleet to Andromeda? But with a wormhole back and forth to Federation space? Period.

I am not a writer, but I can discern shit from shinola, and the plot description reads like the ingredients of a can of TAB.

I think the Cryptic writers, who have been mysteriously absent from this site, should engage us a bit more, perhaps in a more structured forum. We, as fans, will provide positive word-of-mouth to the gamers who have been busy getting to level 80 in World of Warcraft via the “Lich King” add-on. Give us a compelling plot…something more generalized…and maybe new players will come across.

Detail? Then this is a game based on the tatters of “Nemesis,” the only Trek film not to turn a profit.”

I could be wrong, but everything I’ve read suggests to me that this isn’t even remotely true.

The only thing related to “Nemesis”, specifically, that I’ve seen is that the game is described as several decades after the events of that film.

The detail that we happen to be discussing is the story, provided for the fans, of how the folks involved with creating the game got from Point A to Point B. It doesn’t seem to say much about the game’s scenario itself, except perhaps that they’ve been pretty conservative in their engineering design progression. ;)

“You’re right that the details will only be of concern to hardcore Trek fans. I am one, and I think the plot is silly.”

Okay, tell me, then, what do you think the plot of the game is? (Not the historical backstory from 25 years before, mind you, the actual plot.)

“Is Donatra a Boss whom I will meet in battle? Will I visit Tomalak as he retires, or B4 at the Soong Institute? Why is B4 even in this? He is almost universally despised by Trek fans.”

Like I said, I could be way off-base here, but my sense of this is that you’re reading way too much into the presence of these characters in descriptions of situations taking place over 20 years before the game’s events even get started. I think that, as the history unfolds (remember, they’re only up to 2384, and the game’s setting is in 2409, so there’s a full quarter-century still to pass before we even get up to the game’s era), you’ll see things steadily moving away from the situations as we last saw them on film in the TNG era and more into the new realms being created by the game designers.

“I know the backstory will have little to do with the gameplay ‘experience.’ I also understand that “2409″ gives Cryptic some leeway for creative license. But they are sifting through the flotsam of canon, and harvesting a most unlikely story. Simple is better.”

Unlikely? I dunno. How do you define “unlikely”?

But of course DS9’s ratings declined on the same curve as DS9, “Voyager’s” and “Enterprise’s.” The studio doesn’t view any of those shows as successful in the sense that a future for Trek would be built upon any of them, because they all shed viewers at a rapid rate from Week One onward.

“But the serious Trek fans are already watching for this game and they are the ones who’ll appreciate the attention to detail.”

Detail? Then this is a game based on the tatters of “Nemesis,” the only Trek film not to turn a profit. You’re right that the details will only be of concern to hardcore Trek fans. I am one, and I think the plot is silly. Is Donatra a Boss whom I will meet in battle? Will I visit Tomalak as he retires, or B4 at the Soong Institute? Why is B4 even in this? He is almost universally despised by Trek fans.

I know the backstory will have little to do with the gameplay ‘experience.’ I also understand that “2409″ gives Cryptic some leeway for creative license. But they are sifting through the flotsam of canon, and harvesting a most unlikely story. Simple is better.

What I’ve read and heard about the game itself still isn’t suggesting to me that anyone will need to know the 30 years of history preceding it to play it. But the serious Trek fans are already watching for this game and they are the ones who’ll appreciate the attention to detail.

As for WoW cornering the market, all that says is that STO has the same challenges that any other MMORPG has. {shrug}

Alex:

The game may rock. But, it was a NY Times Business article awhile back that illuminated the MMORPG market.

Specifically, it pointed to WoW as having cornered the market. I play WoW, and I have a life. I don’t have time to play another MMORPG. Neither do the other 9 million people who play it. No other games have significant share. None.

Cryptic’s game may get a few thousand to try it. But judging by the convoluted plot they’ve concocted, populated by the utter minutiae of the Trek Universe, they may find it tough even to get Trekkers on board, let alone Joe Sixpack Who Plays World of Warcraft.

I will try it myself, and I hope it’s good.

True, but it will be determined by the writers, producers, directors (and game-makers, comic-book artists and more) who convince us to vote, or not to. It’s their job to make a franchise worthy of our time, money, and attention. As you say, we should not support mediocrity … fans who buy into Trek material blindly hurt the franchise more than they help it, because when mediocrity sells just as well as quality, quality (which inevitably takes more effort and resources to produce) stops making sense to the bean-counters.

I use a programme called dosbox for all the old star trek games, works a charm! :)