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Re: BREAKING NEWS: STO to be Free-to-Play by year end

September 09 2011

Quote by NicholasJohn16

From what I've learned, Lifetime accounts can be a great thing for a MMO. Many times, lifetime players provide a stable player base that can be counted on for a long time into the future and help develop the social aspect of MMO games. Take for instance, this fleet. It's been lead largely by players who are Lifetime members. We dedicate our time and our money to STO because we care and we've helped build a social community because of that. The number of month subs that we've helped Cryptic gain thanks to the niche community we have here has greatly outweighed any additional cost that the lifers in this fleet have incurred. Not too mention the Cryptic Points we've purchased over the last year and a half.

Just to make the point ...Having a life time wouldn't guarantee any kind of "Stable player base". A life timer is just as likely to quit the game as somebody paying the monthly sub the only difference it makes is that Cryptic will forever include that life timer in their player numbers even if that person stopped playing a long time ago.

My brother for an example. He purchased a life time account a few weeks after launch and played the weekend following .. he has never played again. The only thing a life time account means is that the user had the money to put down at the start.

Dan1288

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

i dont remeber much because i was so young at the time but i remeber that i was in middle school in 7th grade in english class and i remeber it being annouced and our teachers turning it onto the channel and just everyone stareing at the tv and then class being ended early.

2 people liked this

nniicc

Re: SW:TOR BETA Watch

September 09 2011

Quote by Aldente

I'm imagining gladiator outfits and live streaming... ;)

Aha! That's how you got into beta!

Warwidow

Re: SW:TOR BETA Watch

September 09 2011

I think with the new build that there will probably be more invites going out because all of it needs to be tested. Just a feeling (or a pathetic attempt at hope:))

chemkarate

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

Like Exo, I was in my first semester of college. However, Harvey Mudd's in southern California, so it was early in the morning for us when things started to go down. I remember my roommate, who always got up ridiculously early, waking me up with this exclamation that one of the towers had been hit by a plane. I remember groggily remembering about how a small airplane had once done that and thinking it wasn't a big deal. After being unable to get a bit more shut-eye before my alarm went off, I got up and checked CNN's website to find that it wasn't a dinky biplane that had hit them.

After quickly getting dressed and grabbing something to eat, I went to the common area of a dorm that had a big TV. A bunch of us were there watching it unfold. The second plane hit right before I had to leave to go to class. Yeah, Mudd didn't cancel classes at all. A few professors did dedicate time to watching the news reports and discussing it, but most of us had class as usual.

This happened in what was my second or third week of college. Because of that, the 9/11 attacks have always created this very strongly defined boundary between childhood and adulthood for me. On top of the stark contrast between high school life and college life, what followed for the country in the years after the attacks really made me, for the first time, closely examine American society and politics, and how I fit into them. More than any other event in my lifetime, 9/11 has really put the ideals of the United States to the test.

What's interesting is that, at least in my experience, it's the older generations that grew up and lived without the spectre of 9/11 that seem the most willing to throw away the ideals of the US for greater security. Conversely, those of us who grew up around the time of, or after, 9/11 seem to be the ones calling for greater tolerance and willing to accept some security risk to protect our freedoms.

2 people liked this

Edited September 09 2011 by chemkarate

bucko39

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

Err...okay, I was stationed in Misawa Air Base Japan. I remember getting a call in the middle of the night from a co-worker telling me to turn on the news. Like everyone else, I couldn't immediately process what I was seeing. We were ordered not to report to the base that day but to sit at home until directed otherwise. That was a long day--I just sat there watching the news over and over.

The next day we reported to the base and you could tell immediately that everything changed--there was now an armed tank pointed towards the front gate and it took 3 hours for me to get on base (security checks) when it normally only took a few minutes.

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Exobyte

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

It was my first semester in college. I checked a news feed before I head into my morning classes, and a few days earlier I remember a base-jumper getting caught on the statue of liberty. The news report implied it was a small plane, and assuming some other jackass had tried joy-riding as well, I dismissed it and headed to class.

In class, my teacher promptly indicated there was a bigger problem, and canceled the lesson. On my way back to my dorm I stopped through the student union and watched the second plane hit and the weight of the day finally hit me. I watched the news between classes, and somehow managed to witness the towers falling.

It hit very hard for me, having been to New York City for the first time that prior summer and stood at the top during my trip. Blessed Be to all those with worse experiences.

2 people liked this

CapnBranFlakes

Re: Star Trek: The Journey

September 09 2011

:ds9:

Episode 375 - Deep Space Nine - "Rules of Engagement" - 04/08/1996

http://www.allstepisodes.com/megvid.php?n=3418

Worf accidentally destroys a civilian ship during battle and faces a hearing to determine whether he should be extradited to the Klingon Empire.

Enjoy!

Daividov

Re: SW:TOR BETA Watch

September 09 2011

I agree 100% on this, how do you decide who gets in :) I do not envy them either and I agree on whether to get a new system or not to get a new system :) Too many decisions for a Friday LOL

Van

Re: SW:TOR BETA Watch

September 09 2011

I sure as heck do not want to be in the guild leaders shoes when we get guild beta invites and if there is a limited number of slots you can hand out. For now I've ppretty much thrown in the towel on getting a beta invite. Nay I'm not worried or anything along those lines. I pre ordered the game so I'll be ready when it comes out. I just need to decide if I want a new computer or not.....

Edit: To answer Nick's question. Just make it random if there is not enough invites to go out. Find out who is interested in doing the beta and put their name into a hat and draw from that. Again you won't make eeveryone happy but hopefully folks won't get their knickers in a knot over this. What ever method you use to decide I stand behind you. Again it's a tuff choice lets hope BioWare gives you invites to get everyone in.

Edited September 09 2011 by Van

Van

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

I was working as a consultant at a law firm 2 blocks from the White House. A friend called me and told me that a plane hit the world trade center. I didn't believe him since he was always calling me about something that wasn't real and he was a jokester. I went back to working on my project.

My office was 3 doors down from the partners lounge when I happen to notice many folks running down the hall towards the lounge. I could hear the gasps and shrieks coming from the lounge. I got up from my desk and started walking down the hall when everyone in the room started crying and screaming....the towers had started to fall.

The mood changed in the office and folks were frantic to get out as there was word that a 3rd plane was headed towards the white house. (I never knew if this was true because there were so many rumors flying around that day)

The streets were packed if you tried to drive you were pretty much SOL as you couldn't get 2 feet on any street in DC. I was able to make it to my metro train...The Blue Line...which runs right under the Pentagon. I had no idea the Pentagon had been hit since I left work without catching up on the news. My train was diverted to another set of tracks.

It took awhile to get home that day but I was very thankful I was able to make it home. On September 11th a lot of folks did not make it home. My heart and prayers go out to them and their families.

2 people liked this

LesleyA

Re: Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

On that particular day I was working as a telephone receptionist for an airport carpark company. As usual we had the TV on but only showing the teletext pages for flight times. We knew nothing about what was happening until one of our customers came in and told us that he reckoned we wouldnt have many people coming today to catch outbound flights. Puzzled we asked why, and he just answered to turn on the TV.

We did that just in time to see the second plane fly into the second tower. We watched for the rest of the day as the events unfolded and of course when the towers fell and we still knew of all the people trapped up the top emotions poured out.

Strangely enough not many people turned up that evening for their college lessons though.

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iantimmy123

Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

I honestly had no idea what the Twin Towers were and when I got a text saying they had fallen it meant nothing.

I was out shopping at the time and passed a tv shop where there was a massive crowd and I will never forget seeing the video of the plane crashing into the second tower, the whole shopping centre was silent afterwards. I will never forget that moment.

The only other thing I can compare the clarity of memory to was the impact of Princess Diana's death. That's another time when everyone here remembers where they were

2 people liked this

iantimmy123

Computer suggestions

September 09 2011

I love my iMac. They are expensive but I've got Windows 7 dual boot and I haven't had trouble running anything on it yet, even on top settings.

Liastnir

Re: Computer suggestions

September 09 2011

For what it's worth, I'd "ditto" SBOSlayer. I work in IT and right now Intel seems to have the newest and best processor technology. I just ordered a new machine this week (TOR and Skyrim won't run on my current machine) and went with an i7. I saw a lot of positive reviews on these and it looks like it will be some time before the next major chipsets come out, so these systems should have some longevity to them. The i5s should do just fine as he notes.

I know it's beyond the scope of your question, but after doing a fair bit of research I concluded the AMD video cards (specifically 6950) were the correct balance of price and power for my needs. According to three estimates on the TOR forums that card should be able to run TOR with everything cranked up.

CJ

Unknown Person liked this

nicholasjohn16

Where were you when the towers fell?

September 09 2011

As most of you know in two days, it will be the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. (I don't know about abroad, but here in the US, you can't escape it. It's on tv, on the radio, in the newspaper, and on everyone's hearts and minds.)

The 9/11 Attacks were a turning point for my country and a sobering moment for all of us. No matter if you lived across the seas or in NYC yourself, you were moved by the attacks. It changed the world we live in and we're still dealing with the repercussions of that day today.

The question "Where were you when the towers fell?" has become a part of this generation's culture, just as "when did you hear about the attack on Pearl Harbor?" was long ago. In the ten years since the attacks, I've asked many people that question and received a multitude of answers, from the mundane, "I was brushing my teeth before work." to the shocking firsthand accounts of those in NYC or DC. I even once met a person who had worked the night shift the previous night and hadn't even heard about the attacks till the next day.

My story

I was still in high school back in 2001, still two years from graduating. I was sitting in History class when the principal came on the intercom and told the teachers, "There's something of interest on Channel 2 that you and the students may wish to see."

My history teacher, Mr. McFadden, turned on the television to the scene of the North tower burning and a column of smoke coming off. At the time, there was little information, only that some sort of aircraft had struck the building. The other students in the class started discussing theories; many were of the opinion that it was an accident. Others, seemingly armchair aviation exports, spouted off that you're not allowed to fly planes that close to buildings. While we discussed what was happening, our eyes left the television as we fast each other, until one of the girls in the class gasped, "Another plane flew into the tower, I just saw it, I just saw it." Suddenly, all theories of this being an accident went out the proverbial window. We continued to watch the news station, largely in silence till the period ended and we moved on to our next classes.

As I was shuffling down the hall way, making my way to the AP Biology lab, I heard cries of shock and quickly the hallways emptied as students went into the classrooms to see what was happening. I slipped in to Mrs. White’s lab and saw all of my fellow class mates circled around the tv. Some were crying, others stared emotionless as the towers fell one by one. After that, Mrs. White turned off the tv and stated that “life must go on and we had a lot to cover before the AP Exam” in a very Mrs. White way and continued with the lesson as normal.

It wasn’t long before then that were instructed to go to our homerooms and that we’d be going home shortly. After the FFA grounded all aircraft in the US, almost all planes responded. There was one plane still flying over my town that was not responding, and despite being a small largely unimportant town, the local government decided to evacuate all public buildings. I was home by noon and spent the rest of the day, glued to the tv, before realizing that they were just regurgitating the same information over and over again.

These stories and firsthand accounts are touching and moving. In a time like now, when a lot of those old emotions are resurfacing, speaking about it can help us deal with it. So I ask you, where were you when the towers fell?

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Edited September 10 2011 by nicholasjohn16

nicholasjohn16

Re: SW:TOR BETA Watch

September 09 2011

Quote by SorenStarkiller

To the powers that be,

If our guild gets chosen for beta, please consider me a worthy candidate. Let me know what I need to do for an invite.

-Kevin

I think everyone's a worthy candidate!

If we do get selected for Guild Beta, how should we determine who gets to go? I'm hoping that we have ample beta slots.

nicholasjohn16

Re: BREAKING NEWS: STO to be Free-to-Play by year end

September 09 2011

Quote by Exobyte

I'll say this, given my mmo hopping experience: lifers are great for up-front development but ultimately hurt the game in the long run. as a lifer cryptic is actively giving ME $5 each month for no investment from me in return (aside from logging in). I would speculate that there is code in the account management engine to make sure lifer accounts have logged in within that month to get the stipend, because I'm not swimming in free money from my CO account (which is sadly collecting dust).

Another side to this is that Paragon Studios (development team for city of heroes/villains, going rogue) have announced they will not ever do a lifetime sub based on anecdotal accounts from other studios all saying it was a bad idea, and at the loss of $5 per active lifer per month offset now only by the people paying for gold I easily see how that math could tank an already risky asset for a publisher. I'm happy to get my $5 (possibly $10 if I can work the mechanism for CO too) per month to play with.

From what I've learned, Lifetime accounts can be a great thing for a MMO. Many times, lifetime players provide a stable player base that can be counted on for a long time into the future and help develop the social aspect of MMO games. Take for instance, this fleet. It's been lead largely by players who are Lifetime members. We dedicate our time and our money to STO because we care and we've helped build a social community because of that. The number of month subs that we've helped Cryptic gain thanks to the niche community we have here has greatly outweighed any additional cost that the lifers in this fleet have incurred. Not too mention the Cryptic Points we've purchased over the last year and a half.

Cryptic isn't losing $5 when they give us the Cryptic points. Cryptic points don't have any real monetary value. It could be said that they'd loose the potential profit from sub or lifetime members purchasing Cryptic Points that they otherwise would have, but that'd be a difficult argument to make. The only real cost incurred would be the price of storing the items we choose from the C-Store and how we equipped them to our character which considering that vast amount of data they have to store anyway would be negligible.

Samhain

Re: Anyone Beta Testing?

September 09 2011

i'm am in closed beta have been for a while. i have so many chars, but the main Jedi i have ( and remember the name for) is Pta'noq if you want to add him. I have a trooper which will be my main, and i will Edit his name into this later when the server gets back up.

Samhain

Re: Beta Guild Testing

September 09 2011

Yeah you and i met online there with Davenport. i believe i was on with my Knight pta'noq. i made a trooper after you talked yours up and i absolutely LOVE it. it is toooo much fun i swear.

i will keep this up when the game comes back up to see if you are on.