Star Trek Online: Ascension
This afternoon Cryptic launched the latest season update, Ascension, for the MMORPG Star Trek Online. Furthermore, I’m sure it will not come as a shock to long term players that it was broken and an emergency patch had to be applied. Oh how we all laughed. Even after being “fixed” players are still experiencing bugs with the new content, especially the ground mission part of the update, but this sadly is just par for the course. Personally speaking, it is not the bugs that I have a problem with as they are just part of the overall gaming experience when playing STO. What I am saddened about is the actual gameplay found in Ascension. The space combat section of the game is simply “more of the same”. Destroy some specific vessels and once the goal has been met, watch the cutscene. But the ground combat is especially uninspired and repetitive, despite its interesting setting.
Warning: Plot Spoilers (although Cryptic have given away all these details themselves, already). The Terran Emperor of the Mirror Universe, Wesley Crusher and yes you did read that correctly, is planning to join with the Mirror version of V’Ger, known as The Other. Obviously such a “melding” will not lead to such benevolent results as it did in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. During the course of Ascension, is a ground mission set within the core of The Other, where you play a Mirror version of your own alt. This character called The Inquisitor assists the Emperor’s away team. However, as this is some form of session play, you only have access to a bespoke and somewhat basic set of skills on your quickbar. So say goodbye to your own personal build and kit skills. And if that wasn’t a sufficient pain in the ass, you can’t even toggle your weapon to autofire.
Thus, while in this “gimped” state you then have to contend with a set of lacklustre tasks, such as turning off six power nodes before worker drones can bring them back online. It is a race that can be successfully done if you can figure out the shortest and most efficient route. If you don’t, then multiple drones will spawn and interrupt you, while you desperately try to catch up. The key to success is not to stand next to the power nodes but to get as close to them until the power off button appears on your screen. Hence there is a shorter optimal route that will allow you to complete the task before too many drones spawn. However, all of this still has to be undertaken with STO’s janky aim controls, while getting caught up in the environment for no discernible reason (a common bug in the game). It is far from fun and if you don’t know the workaround, very, very repetitive.
There’s nothing wrong with the story and as always, the voice acting by original cast members (in this case Wil Wheaton) is top notch. It’s just that the nuts and bolts of the game is incredibly uninventive. The V’ger, sorry The Other, environments are very well realised but just shooting wave after wave of generic drones is as dull as ditch water. It is a fact of life about the MMO genre that there is a limited amount of interactions you can make within gameplay. The key is in the creative way you “dress up” these interactions, so although they may be simple, they don’t come across that way within the context of the wider story. It is this specific element that is missing in Ascension. I do hope that Cryptic tries better than this next time. There is so much content in STO, such as the entire Agents of Yesterday expansion, that is exemplary. This is the standard that should be aimed for.
