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Why I'm going to stop playing

I'm VIP 12 and have played for probably 18 months. I write this for DB as a way of giving feedback rather than as a forum post looking for opinions (of course you are welcome to add your opinions as you see fit).

I will claim the 4th Sarek and will then take a long break. The game has become boring, too boring to justify the time to be honest. It has become boring because it has not changed.

For shuttle missions we add a boost and click a button. For voyages we juggle the crew until the numbers look good, and we click a button. In the Gauntlet we click refresh until we find someone we can beat, and we click a button.

For events we can either dedicate hours of our weekend clicking the button, hoping RNG is good to us, or we can choose not to play. In fact, to win any of the events it comes down to how mucyh time you can dedicate. Either you click the same button every 1.5hrs, or you log in three times for hours to complete recepies, or you log in for many hours to take part in an expedition event. To win an event you have to spend hours playing or you have to log in every few hours. All this just to click a button.

If we compare this game to Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes or even Marvel Strike Force, there simply is no comparison. In fact, if there was a Star Trek version of those types of game I'd probably be VIP 420 by now.

I gave the game a 5* review in the Play Store and have played it so much I have certainly had my money's worth. I'm done because the game has not evolved enough or is fun enough for me to spend the time on it.

Thanks
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Comments

  • This game has a lot of minor flaws we could nitpick about all week long, but for the most part it does a few things very well that scratch a certain itch for players that like to collect and improve a roster. As long as they don't start squeezing out some of the freebies to try to force players to pay more, I think it will probably keep moving along for a few more years just by appealing to the casual trekkie fans.

    I would say 18 months is a pretty good stretch for a mobile game. Take a break, maybe you'll come back, maybe you'll decide to do other things instead. I took a break for almost a year myself and came back, and really enjoyed the game a lot more my second time around after it had evolved.
  • Sounds like you find it closer to work than entertainment, in which case it is time to give it a break.

    Personally I find events are too frequent, and are more likely to lead to player burnout. And there is a pressure/incentive to engage a lot daily, which could (should) be reduced.

    There needs to be better 'hooks' than what there are now. Game's pretty good, but it needs a good polish and a bit of thinking for the long term.
  • PallidynePallidyne ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'm also playing Marvel Strike Force... Frankly with what's going on in Marvel land, I'm a lot more excited than Trek land, future wise at least. But aside from that I'm also spending more and more time in Marvel Strike Force for some of those very reasons mentioned. There's a more to do and decisions to make --- some of which have direct impact. More things you can do when building up a character and more options when using the character.

    Not that I'm giving up Timelines... hell I'm top 500 right now in the event --- but I'm more likely to put cash down where I'm having more fun.

    Again not a rip on Timelines, just a preference and an playability itch being more well scratched by MSF.
  • DavideBooksDavideBooks ✭✭✭✭✭
    I find myself torn. STT is not a playable game. We don't play it, we strategize and collect. Sometimes I want more play value. On the other hand, I have not downloaded anything else since the lack of play also means I can spend less time that I should be using for family and work.
  • (HGH)Apollo(HGH)Apollo ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ewwww dont make STT like Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes. On that star wars game every day is an expedition, you have to click buttons a million times a day and you run out of lvl skip tickets and then have to buy them. It is beyond tedious, the whole reason I quit star wars galaxy of heroes and started playing star trek timelines. If DB emulated that game I would likely quit.
    Let’s fly!
  • <TGE> Clifford<TGE> Clifford ✭✭✭✭✭
    Pallidyne wrote: »
    I'm also playing Marvel Strike Force... Frankly with what's going on in Marvel land, I'm a lot more excited than Trek land, future wise at least. But aside from that I'm also spending more and more time in Marvel Strike Force for some of those very reasons mentioned. There's a more to do and decisions to make --- some of which have direct impact. More things you can do when building up a character and more options when using the character.

    Not that I'm giving up Timelines... hell I'm top 500 right now in the event --- but I'm more likely to put cash down where I'm having more fun.

    Again not a rip on Timelines, just a preference and an playability itch being more well scratched by MSF.

    I play MSF and have gotten to a point where I wish I could speed it up more than 3x because it's really annoying to sit through all of the animations

    I think the parts of STT that are more "playable" are things like the arena. Which is kind of funny, because it's fairly universally bashed by forum users.
  • I am feeling frustrated playing this game these days mainly with gauntlet and 2nd with the drop rate.
    I feel like my account get 'marked' by STT and they screw me up with the above.
    It is possible I am wrong... It is possible I have high expectation... I don't think they are..

    But what the hey?! I am playing for fun, not to be tortured and lower my expectation.

    This game is ssuuxxx and going nowhere (or DB's terminology is *marinating tofu*)

    Overall there have been lack of changes in the game mechanic - most changes in the past 6 months have been just skin deep (literally just UI).

    Communication break downs and bugs plaguing this - probably they try to ramp up the other games and put more focus on that.

    Developer keeps saying they listen to players - but probably only the whales.

    This game is gambling despite whatever drop rate they post. They try to entice people with good crew drops until you got addicted and then they start giving you duplicates with the hope you buy more. Honestly I feel sorry for few my new fleet mates - they joined 4-5months ago and buying tons of packs and stuff to catch up. I told them how i felt about this game, but I guess they got addicted like those ketracel white.

    I am definitely on my way out. Probably after next week after my last * for Surak (darn it.. i feel addicted too)..... I am considering a loooong break.
    Maybe if I delete the app completely, I won't even remember about this
  • PallidynePallidyne ✭✭✭✭✭
    Pallidyne wrote: »
    I'm also playing Marvel Strike Force... Frankly with what's going on in Marvel land, I'm a lot more excited than Trek land, future wise at least. But aside from that I'm also spending more and more time in Marvel Strike Force for some of those very reasons mentioned. There's a more to do and decisions to make --- some of which have direct impact. More things you can do when building up a character and more options when using the character.

    Not that I'm giving up Timelines... hell I'm top 500 right now in the event --- but I'm more likely to put cash down where I'm having more fun.

    Again not a rip on Timelines, just a preference and an playability itch being more well scratched by MSF.

    I play MSF and have gotten to a point where I wish I could speed it up more than 3x because it's really annoying to sit through all of the animations

    I think the parts of STT that are more "playable" are things like the arena. Which is kind of funny, because it's fairly universally bashed by forum users.

    I get the impression than many forum users don't really want a game to play, but the magic buttons to push to collect.

    Not necessarily most, but several vocal ones. Of course crew slot limits don't help if you want to actually play with different characters.

    Only time the MSF animations get to me is when you've got 7 Ultron minions and then Ultron summons more. There's a 'challenge' that is mega Ultron that does feel tedious. I don't mind them when I have different opponents like in the Thanos/regular raids...
  • PallidynePallidyne ✭✭✭✭✭
    Shy Khan wrote: »
    I miss Birth of the Federation....

    Have you seen the BOTF2 project that some folks are working on? There's a playable Alpha out there.
  • My fleet has been top 20-40 or sometimes higher before.. but now we are gradually dropping to top 100 consistently:
    - Several top players retired - i should have followed their foot steps when I was only VIP8.
    - Another two (or prob more) went to top rank (I feel sorry for him/her to spent a lot more money and getting crap).
    - Prob half of the fleet went AWOL after some point - probably they got burned out
    - We got new players but I don't think they want to spend too much money because of what they have learned so far. At the end they became inactive too

    On typical weekly events:
    - we only have 5 prob in top 1000.
    I don't know if most players cannot, or they don't give a damn.
    - Some are there to collect just 4* from top 2500
    - Some just collect threshold reward
    - The rest don't seem to care what's going on these days. Prob just do dailies.. but from the daily target, you can tell they won't even got all of them. I don't even know why they bother to log in or still have the game in their phone.

    We also have top spenders just here collecting cards. Obviously they don't want to go to top rank because those top rank players burn crazy amount of money. They are playing just for collecting cards, and on weekly event, they barely register top 5k. Daily they are not that active either... I don't even know why they spend so much money and do nothing in the event.

    One has spent ~3000 USD, another said has spent about 6000-7000k USD. And because of the amount they have spent, they say they cannot NOT playing the game (although they are actually barely playing daily). They have invested so much to lose them, they say. I told them your time in your life is more valuable - doesn't matter what you have invested in the game. But they disagree and just spend more money buying cards. I just shake my head (of course they cannot see since we just chat)

    This is a strange world to me... I feel like I am on different timeline.
  • S14 Bri S14 Bri ✭✭✭
    I think this game is great. I’m happy with it how it is, and if they change things and develop it slowly, I wouldn’t object.

    I’m just grateful we have a Star Trek game that’s pretty deep and let’s me immerse myself, or just perform light daily maintenance depending upon my schedule.

    For those complaining about gauntlet etc, try to lower your expectations because expecting to win every time will ultimately lead to disappointment.

    As for the OP lamenting that the game hasn’t developed.... from day one to now, from what I gather, it has introduced lots of new things.... not to mention voyages, which opened up a whole new way of playing. Perhaps a sabbatical is a good idea, but hopefully you’ll be back :)
  • To be honest its a mobile game that i literally just play on the mobile, on the way to work, at work and on the way back from work and then just play in the evenings when i get a reminder to check the shuttles or voyages and i can carry on playing on the computer other games or watch TV.

    If you are looking for a decent star trek game there is a Mod for Stellaris called New horizons that i think is good for the Star trek universe.
  • This thread hits home for me as well. I’m giving it until the new summer event they’ve been hinting at. If there aren’t significant event changes by then and a reasonable way to USE all of the the crew I’ve immortalized but do not come close to fitting in my roster. Then I may follow suit. I really wouldn’t even need to give up all the friends I made in my fleet, since game chat has always been so unreliable we were all forced to use alternative apps for that.
    STAR TREK JUNKIES
  • Bri wrote: »
    I think this game is great. I’m happy with it how it is, and if they change things and develop it slowly, I wouldn’t object.

    I’m just grateful we have a Star Trek game that’s pretty deep and let’s me immerse myself, or just perform light daily maintenance depending upon my schedule.

    For those complaining about gauntlet etc, try to lower your expectations because expecting to win every time will ultimately lead to disappointment.

    As for the OP lamenting that the game hasn’t developed.... from day one to now, from what I gather, it has introduced lots of new things.... not to mention voyages, which opened up a whole new way of playing. Perhaps a sabbatical is a good idea, but hopefully you’ll be back :)

    My guess is you are one of the new blood that DB is trying to get to replace some of us :)

    But I have played this for almost 2 years. I have lowered my expectation, but it is hard to go any lower at this point.
  • To be honest its a mobile game that i literally just play on the mobile, on the way to work, at work and on the way back from work and then just play in the evenings when i get a reminder to check the shuttles or voyages and i can carry on playing on the computer other games or watch TV.

    If you are looking for a decent star trek game there is a Mod for Stellaris called New horizons that i think is good for the Star trek universe.

    Thanks for the info!
    I tried to find Star Trek in Steam but never see this .
    But I looked at the video and it is very cool for a mod.

    Minor downside is I have to buy the original game... but @$39.99 it is definitely more much more acceptable than the weekly $49.99 or $99.99 pack offer .
  • And the most recent addition is Collections.
  • (HGH)Apollo(HGH)Apollo ✭✭✭✭✭
    That's a fair point but I am not sure how you would implement it. Maybe if DB added more graphics for existing things like gauntlet. I think DB will probably add more to gauntlet, voyages and other things but it takes time. Maybe if Devro was more specific about the aspects that he liked from the other games he mentions and how DB could implement it here.
    Let’s fly!
  • Devro wrote: »
    ...
    For shuttle missions ... and click a button. For voyages ... and we click a button. In the Gauntlet ... and we click a button.

    For events we ... click a button.
    ...
    For forum posts we write our message and we click a button. :D

  • That's a fair point but I am not sure how you would implement it. Maybe if DB added more graphics for existing things like gauntlet. I think DB will probably add more to gauntlet, voyages and other things but it takes time. Maybe if Devro was more specific about the aspects that he liked from the other games he mentions and how DB could implement it here.

    I don't have any answers. I think they've tied their hands by releasing so many crew. Trying to maintain game balance with 500+ crew would become a real nightmare with more complex game mechanics.
  • DB do make changes and I agree with that but they are all skin deep instead of fixing the "real" issues. (they need to discuss this in the QnA)

    Certainly many features come with the intention for DB to generate more revenue and at the end they causes dissatisfaction to some players. Again, we all know they cannot satisfy everyone... But when feature are avail and you don't play it, players feel like they will be at disadvantage (FOMO).

    New crews will be keep added - that's the thing in this game so ppl keep buying packs (as I mentioned before). Don't matter which crews.... But then people start getting duplicates or drop rate are not evenly distributed among players. Then honor points came supposedly to address this... but exchange rate is always a problem in STT world. Even Ferengis got confused with these.

    Gauntlet started fun but now... wall of same crews.... The round selection are made so that you have to refresh with merits. The crits are awesome for defenders so you use dil to revive (If Mayweather box in STT world, his record would be 11-38 instead of 49-0... yes random number I pick). People keep saying don't look at the matches, play just for merits, lower your expectation, this and that.... Wait, that's real life! (lol) We play for fun!

    Shuttles failing at 99% 4 out of 12 shuttles. I am not statistician but that defies the statistic. it could be just my bad luck or what the DB calls as "per design"

    Giving powerful free crews in mega event are problematic - walls of same card for gauntlet (mirror picard/surak etc). Some got 5 guinan, some got 0. Some got 7 care taker, some are none etc.. I don't know the stats... but these are based on my fleet members. But this is by of course design.

    I can go on and on.... But too many RNG/algorithm issue in this game.

    Developer needs to make money, sure.
    And this is P2W game, sure.

    There are always players that are pro developers (don't know which cool aid they drink typically), but they will get disappointed at the end. Several games that I played operated like this, they got shutdown, and the losers are always players because developers just create another game.
  • [BL] Q [BL] Q ✭✭✭✭✭
    Agree with the others it’s a boring chore now at this point the game is stagnant MSF is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of events and raids and such there’s 22days to hit all targets in the Thanos event so no need to cram a weekend into trying to get a character although it can be done.

    What kills Timelines is the nodes and story mode it’s like the old browser games stop a line and hit a target and this in a game that looks for 99.99 for characters each week is pretty lame.

    In MSF my Toons assemble a team and progress through both story and the nodes they’re not just JPEG’s they’re 3D too.Timelines missed out on a chance to have teams beam down to a surface(transporter noises included) and beat aliens of the episodes to progress. This stop a line and RNG decides if you progress is outdated and lazy programming. For now my entertainment budget goes on MSF I haven’t even renewed my monthly card probably won’t either
  • Althea BiermontAlthea Biermont ✭✭✭✭✭
    Shy Khan wrote: »
    I miss Birth of the Federation....

    I check GOG.com every couple weeks purely to see if they’ve added BOTF. I got Master of Orion 2 from them but I much prefer BOTF.

  • Never heard of BOTF before but I note that one of the first search results in yahoo appears to be a site offering both mods and the full game for download, is it dodgy?
  • BOTF is an good 1990's turn based strategy game with a mean scripted AI. Player community took over development and the downloads I've used have been OK.

    STT is also a good game. I'm VIP 12 at 17 months playing and not considering stopping. There has been enough variation and new stuff to keep me interested; and I have dropped my playing of other games as a result.

    Thing about STT is the room for development they still have:
    • Arena is massively underdeveloped and if tied in with fleet dynamics could become the major focus of play;
    • The missions (1-8) can also be added to at any time; and they still have to consider how to "repair the timelines" which would allow entire story arcs using all the tv series;
    • Event types can be expanded utilising voyages or wider programming of missions to create much longer expeditions which will avoid the rinse/repeat problem with current expeditions;
    • Crew development can be added to with use based experience values per crew member based on how you use them e.g every arena victory gains a probability chance of a ship based attribute improvement for that crew member.

    So I'm happy to stick around and see what happens. And if I get a bit burnt out at times I'll take a break:)
  • (HGH)Apollo(HGH)Apollo ✭✭✭✭✭
    [BL] Q wrote: »
    Agree with the others it’s a boring chore now at this point the game is stagnant MSF is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of events and raids and such there’s 22days to hit all targets in the Thanos event so no need to cram a weekend into trying to get a character although it can be done.

    What kills Timelines is the nodes and story mode it’s like the old browser games stop a line and hit a target and this in a game that looks for 99.99 for characters each week is pretty lame.

    In MSF my Toons assemble a team and progress through both story and the nodes they’re not just JPEG’s they’re 3D too.Timelines missed out on a chance to have teams beam down to a surface(transporter noises included) and beat aliens of the episodes to progress. This stop a line and RNG decides if you progress is outdated and lazy programming. For now my entertainment budget goes on MSF I haven’t even renewed my monthly card probably won’t either

    I checked out Marvel Strike Force today because people were talking about it and I wasnt impressed. Crazy difficult to get any good crew. You either have to play lvls over and over a million times to get shards or spend insane amounts of money. I can get good crew every week here in STT. Even starting people can get a free 4/5 in event months. Also MSF was just click click click as well. So not sure if you dont like clicking in STT why you would like clicking in MSF? MSF also just felt like a cheap knockoff of Marvel Contest of Champions. Worse graphics, worse crew, more difficult to get anyone good and no free pull every day for crew.
    Let’s fly!
  • [BL] Q [BL] Q ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 2018
    [BL] Q wrote: »
    Agree with the others it’s a boring chore now at this point the game is stagnant MSF is leaps and bounds ahead in terms of events and raids and such there’s 22days to hit all targets in the Thanos event so no need to cram a weekend into trying to get a character although it can be done.

    What kills Timelines is the nodes and story mode it’s like the old browser games stop a line and hit a target and this in a game that looks for 99.99 for characters each week is pretty lame.

    In MSF my Toons assemble a team and progress through both story and the nodes they’re not just JPEG’s they’re 3D too.Timelines missed out on a chance to have teams beam down to a surface(transporter noises included) and beat aliens of the episodes to progress. This stop a line and RNG decides if you progress is outdated and lazy programming. For now my entertainment budget goes on MSF I haven’t even renewed my monthly card probably won’t either

    I checked out Marvel Strike Force today because people were talking about it and I wasnt impressed. Crazy difficult to get any good crew. You either have to play lvls over and over a million times to get shards or spend insane amounts of money. I can get good crew every week here in STT. Even starting people can get a free 4/5 in event months. Also MSF was just click click click as well. So not sure if you dont like clicking in STT why you would like clicking in MSF? MSF also just felt like a cheap knockoff of Marvel Contest of Champions. Worse graphics, worse crew, more difficult to get anyone good and no free pull every day for crew.

    F2P in 14 days managed to get a team with power of 40k with loads of free premium orbs from achievements and raids. Time is the biggest factor at getting a strong roster not shelling out 99.99 every week oh well each to their own ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Edited to add Contest of Champions is something that passed through the bowels of Thanos it’s awful
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