CAPTAIN'S BLOG

Pay to Win

Captain's Blog Stardate 89264.09

I need to talk about a topic that has been on my nerves for a while now. Its this whole "Pay to Win" debate that has been going on in the STO forums. Basically people are upset about the new Rhode Island Refit that was put on the C-Store. The complaint is that the ship is overpowered and people who purchase it are stronger than those who don't. Essentially they are paying real money in order to have a stronger ship. Supposedly a whole line of these ships will be coming out. While you are reading this keep in mind that I agree 100% with the fact that people shouldn't be able to pay real money in order to get stronger equipment and have a significant advantage over those who don't buy it or can't afford to. What I don't agree with is people who are getting extremely mad about this one little ship. For the sake of this discussion I am going to lump this people into two classes: those who are jealous and those who are genuinely upset. Those that are jealous are the ones who can't afford to buy from the C-Store but really want a ship. They won't admit they are jealous (which is fine) but they don't help the situation. They also get mad at the store for other reasons as well and complain because they want the Targ pet but can't buy it. People who are genuinely upset have every right to be. They make valid arguments and sometimes propose solutions. I'm here to say to everyone on every side of this argument to relax, there won't be any Pay to Win and I can prove it. First of all Dan Stahl stated multiple times since he took control of Star Trek Online that all C-Store ships will be available in the game through some method, and for the most part he has kept his word. The in-game method of getting these items usually comes out a few weeks after the ship is released on the C-Store. That's fair enough. Secondly, Stahl mentioned that marks, badges, honor, and emblems will be combined into a new currency most likely called Dilithium. This currency can be gained from missions. Also you'll be able to trade Dilithium for C-Points with other players. Which means that anyone can get any item from the C-Store simply by trading Dilithium for C-Points. Doesn't this mean that anyone will be able to get any item from the C-Store? I think it does. All assumptions and arguments that the C-Store is unfair and that Cryptc is creating a "Pay to Win" scenario are invalid. Changes are coming to the in-game economy (supposedly at the end of September) that will fix all this. This will essentially make every item available to every person. So sit back, relax, and let the good times roll. No need to blow a nacelle. For those who are interested, here is Dan Stahl's post on the Dilithium http://forums.startrekonline.com/showpost.php?p=3707832&postcount=94.