Lifetime Membership Questions

Hi there fleet...what is your take on the lifetime membership?

At $299, I felt this was a bit that is bit expensive since:

A) At 14.95/mo, it would take 20 months before I would see any savings
C) Two Years is a LONG time...do you feel this game will still be here then?
D) With Cryptic's other game going Free To Play...would STO take the same turn?
E) What exactly is the Captain's Table?

I LOVE Star Trek and even if I don't play as heavily as I had these first few months, I probably see myself checking in to play new content as it comes out.

I also think that once I drop the cash, I won't feel the need to get the most out of my subscription each month.

I'm leaning in the direction of buying it, but just need an extra nudge. Who here has one and why? And then who has made the decision to NOT purchase it and why?

Thanks!

Just after posting my question, I found on Cryptic's site that the lifetime membership is going on sale to $239 starting 1/25 through 2/4.

http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2260

Certainly helps tilt the scale in the "buy" direction for me, but am still interested in others' thoughts.

I got the lifetime in beta and dont regret it at all.
2 years is a long time and the game has come a long way in its 1st year
f2p i dont see it happening soon and if it does lifetime pretty much guarentees all the content is free to you and you wont have to shell out for everything
captains table is in the sol system go through the blue blob to the vetrens/lifers spacestation
If you love trek and enjoy the game i think its worth it :D

Been thinking of doing it myself. It would only take 15 months to see the savings with the sale. I don't think its going to go free play, what I'm concerned about is the game folding. With the globule economy the way it is nothing is certain.

I started playing in May just before Season 2 launched. During my first couple months I saw the difference between season 1 and season 2, and I knew immediately that I wouldn't be going anywhere. So, for me... it was definitely worth it. Every "season" upgrade has dramatically altered/improved the game. Even now that my main and primary alt are both VAdm, I still find things to do constantly and am never really 'bored' in-game.

I don't believe STO is going to go F2P any time soon--but ultimately, if they did... having a lifetime membership would only benefit you. You won't have to pay for any micro-transactions that may come up, plus chances are there would be a monthly allotment of Cryptic Points--which are never a bad thing to have on hand.

The Captain's Table is really just another station--originally meant for Lifetimers, but the truth is, its not really that valuable at the moment. ESD has more facilities, plus you don't need zone an extra two times. There's talk on the STO forums that it's going to be updated and become more useful as it's going to be unlocked to 400-day veterans. But no changes have been made so far.

Ultimately, it all comes down to how long you'll be sticking with the game. Just remember that things are always on the horizon: ground combat update, duty roster system, new spacedock, and upcoming ships including the Vesta class and more.

Hope that helps.
Christian

I bought the Lifetime membership when it was first offered so I paid full price.

Do I regret it? Not for a moment.

I've been pleasantly surprised with all the updates the game has received over the past year. The change to the game map alone was absolutely stunning. When I see my ship flying through space it looks so much better than the unrealistic gridlines the original game map offered. Players who hopped on the Tribble test server have been saying that the new Earth Spacedock looks amazing. Now with things like player-created missions, duty officers and starbases to eventually make it into the game, STO just gets better and better.

As for STO going free to play, keep in mind that Star Trek is a very tightly-regulated property. Cryptic would have to do a lot of talking to convince CBS Studios, Inc (the holders of the IP) that going f2p would make better financial sense. While it may eventually happen, I don't think it's going to happen right away. Look at City of Heroes - that game has been live for almost 7 years and it has yet to go f2p.

Naturally the decision to purchase a lifetime sub ultimately rests with the player. Just take a look at new and upcoming mmo's (DC Universe Online, Rift, Star Wars: The Old Republic, etc.) and ask yourself if you'd still rather play Star Trek Online.

Hope this helps! :)

=edit=

Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn't be so negative, anymore. Cutting all the negative bits out of my post.

If STO goes FTP like Champions, it will be a "Freemium" type of game, most likely. Obviously it's difficult to blame them for changing their stance on STO going Freemium after learning that LoTRO's profits increased after going FTP.

I bought lts from the start, never regretted it.

I see it this way, if i do it the 2 years, i make part of my money back. After that im free to play this or something else, like SWOTR, and i still come back for free and get some more content. As long as the servers are running, i have STO. In the long run, its more than worth it too me.

I fully understand your trepidation.

I am extremely tight with money at the best of times and I bought the lifetime membership yesterday.

The reason for this is because I get bored with the game due to lack of any real contact with other users during the times I play (shakes fist at GMT) and I get utterly tired of doing dailys for my two VA's.

The reason for this is that I'd pay a fee for a month and I'd feel obligated to play as much as possible during that month to get my ship back up to spec after the updates when I wasn't paying/playing which resulted in me getting frustrated.

I've bought my lifetime sub so that I can actually play when I want to, rather then getting distracted with it when I should be going to the gym, and I'm not going to rush to do dailies as I can now play whenever I want.

I've had a lifetime subscription since they were first available back in Beta and I've never regretted it.

Like others have said, even if STO goes Free To Play, there'll be some form of subscription still available - look at DDO and LOTRO, for examples, you get more stuff unlocked while you are a subscriber and also get monthly free points to spend on other store stuff - and I'm sure they'll find some way to grandfather lifetimers in to that or a similar plan.

I like the feeling of knowing that no matter what happens my subscription for STO will be there for me to play if I want to.

I'm completely with you, EBannion. I never subscribed on a month-to-month basis. I knew I was going to get a lifetime from when I was playing Open Beta. I like not worrying about ever having to pay again. Even if for some reason I tired of the game and quit it, I've already gotten plenty of enjoyment from the game to justify it and the peace of mind without worrying about the monthly payments.

However, if I were considering buying this far in, there would be all new factors to consider. Part of me would think, "I've been here for a year already, so I might as well keep going that way." But you also know your playing habits, how fast new content is coming out (and should be a little faster in the future since a lot of the blatant bugs are now gone), what type of content is coming, and how long that might be able to keep your interest.

But for me, lifetime was the way to go. Plus I like the comm badge I get. :)

Thank you all for your insightful comments. I went ahead and took the plunge yesterday. I am now a lifetime member.

Quote by colivia

Thank you all for your insightful comments. I went ahead and took the plunge yesterday. I am now a lifetime member.

Welcome to the Lifetimers' Club! You get a swell badge (which I think is actually too big and gaudy) and a special title. But most of all you don't have to think about it if you want to take a break from the game for a while. You're already paid up, so you can just keep coming back as you please. For me, that was the main reason I got my lifetime membership. My previous MMORPG was City of Heroes/Villains, and I played that for 7 years on and off (mostly on). So I know STO will pay for itself before I'm done with it. (Unless I get hit by a car tomorrow, in which case I won't really care about the money anyway.)

you should sign this thread:

http://www.stonewallfleet.com/forum/ten-forward/4731-sign-here-if-you-are-a-lifer

lets get the lifers in the fleet together 1 day and have a party at the captains table :D

Quote by bfelczer

you should sign this thread:

http://www.stonewallfleet.com/forum/ten-forward/4731-sign-here-if-you-are-a-lifer

Yes, sir! :silly: