Audio Ads incoming to STO

Hey fleet!

If you didn't know already, the recent Tribble update introduced audio ads that will be played through the Vivox voice chat system. While there has been no official word on whether this was an accident or if it will go to Live, the devs are not saying much other than "your feedback is important." While I understand you can turn off the voice chat, if I wanted to use it, I couldn't imagine running a STF and listening to commercials.

To share your feelings about it, because the devs are listening, make sure to post here: http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=222331&page=2

This utterly sucks balls and is completely inexcusable. More money grubbing instead of trying to improve the game. I see no reason why we need Vivox in the game at all. It's a crappy service that just got crappier.

I'm so glad they're putting ads into a game that people are paying a subscription for and that I fronted the money for a lifetime subscription for. Like Nick said, I wonder how much time and energy was spent putting this feature into the game that could have gone into something that would actually *GASP* draw paying customers to the game.

Well

On the plus side, it may make me spend more time in Vent with the rest of the fleet :laugh:

I don't plan to use Vivox but if a single ad ever plays out of my speaker system I'm quitting the game without question.

This is absolutely out of order for a pay to play game.

Why are we paying a sub for a game with a cash store AND NOW ads!? Has STO failed that bad? Did they sell too many lifetime subs and now more than 50% of the player base have them and they aren't making enough a month now? I have no idea.

Let us all strike. I wounder how long it would take Cryptic/Atari/Perfect Worlds to change this if just for 1 day a huge part of the player base didn't log into the game.

Sorry ads make me rage.

F-WORD!!

I do wonder where the ads are coming from. I've used Vivox on many platforms, past and present and I've never seen/heard of ads in the voice stream so not sure if these ads are coming from the Vivox side.

But all that said I wouldn't be surprised at all if Vivox has a cheap service that had ads in it and Cryptic are using that service while the update is on Tribble only, and switch over to the ad-free service once the update comes onto Holodeck. Save a few bucks while it's in testing.

Guys, I think we are overreacting a bit here. Sure audio ads while using voice chat would be annoying, but lets consider, what motivation would Cryptic have to shell out lots of money for this service for a test server. I say we wait and see how things play out in holodeck before we grab the torches and pitchforks.

Mind you, if this happens in holodeck, a service we pay a fee to use, then I will gladly lead the charge on Castle Cryptic.

I doubt this will come to those paying for the game. I did read it will happen for Champions for their F2P members, but not paying. So as a lifer for STO and looking at how this will be carried forward, I am not worried. Free members can't get everything a paying member does.

Its good they would offer the service to free players at all, so what an ad is played? Might encourage people to pay to play. I honestly do not think they would be, frankly as stupid and idiotic to put that in.

I think it is a very clear indication that STO will be going free to play (possibly soon?). It might just be a leak onto Tribble as I am guessing they use the same chat server for both games.

All in all, not worried.

RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE!

Quote by Furlong

I say we wait and see how things play out in holodeck before we grab the torches and pitchforks.

Mind you, if this happens in holodeck, a service we pay a fee to use, then I will gladly lead the charge on Castle Cryptic.

Unfortunately, experience has shown that if you don't grab the torches now, they'll think we're ok with it and put it into Holodeck. Once it's there, getting it removed will take months, if at all. I'm not saying people should quit the game, but you should definitely start making noise to let Cryptic know you are NOT ok with this.

Even if the ads only play to free users it will destroy any level of immersion there ever was in this game and that's one of the biggest attractors to playing! In the end, those free players wont want to pay to play some game they have no connection to and doesn't feel like Trek.

Whew!

Turns out to be a bug that was left over from Champion's code.

=/= Rehpic's STO Forum Post

Yay! Glad that's been taken care of. Alright everyone, you can put your flaming torches away. And you know, just be flaming in general, as usual. :D

*puts down the big red RAGEQUIT button*

:(

Quote by Kahless2001

*puts down the big red RAGEQUIT button*

roflysst

Naturally, I'm ecstatic that this was a false alarm, although to be honest I couldn't ever quite believe it was really going to roll onto Holo. But it's good to know the Stonewall Mob is ready to march on Castle Cryptic [thank you Furlong; love it, stealing it] whenever they're needed!

Well I assume they had a thread about this in the official forums, so at least they know what kind of reaction they would get if they really tried to implement this!

Quote by PjhN

Quote by Kahless2001

*puts down the big red RAGEQUIT button*

roflysst

Naturally, I'm ecstatic that this was a false alarm, although to be honest I couldn't ever quite believe it was really going to roll onto Holo. But it's good to know the Stonewall Mob is ready to march on Castle Cryptic [thank you Furlong; love it, stealing it] whenever they're needed!

And if we ever come to really dislike what they are doing... we can call it Castle Grayskull!

Quote by sparkz88

And if we ever come to really dislike what they are doing... we can call it Castle Grayskull!

Rimshot

(Invalid video video code)