Combat in STO

ompgaming

What is the combat like in STO?  Is it FPS-ish or more RPG-like?

Also, is there the ability to do combat in your ship AND dismounted like on an away team?

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Rohn

The game has both space and ground combat.

Overall, the combat is on the traditional MMORPG style, though they added an FPS-style "shooter" mode a while ago while they were working on the revamp of ground combat.  Ground combat is usually set up in an Away Team format - in most missions, you'll have up to 4 bridge officers that accompany you, and perform in combat according to their type (i.e. tactical, science, engineer).

The space combat is tab-target style, and offers some of the best starship combat in an MMO, in my opinion.  Ships are generally broken down in Cruiser, Escort, and Science, which can perform differently according to the bridge officers you slot.  This video is a little old, and some things have been changed, but it still gives a pretty good idea of how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_X8lLFERVE

The game is F2P, so you've nothing to lose in trying it out.

ompgaming

Oh wow, I didn't realize that it went F2P.

 

Thanks for the info!

ProPatria

Well the starship combat is engaging...if you can get past the concept that in our far flung future massive starships will circle each other endlessly firing from ranges no farther than 10 km's!!!!!

The ground combat is probably the better of the two....and that is not saying a lot.

Hodo

Best answer,

 

Its WoW combat in space.  TAB targeting, hitpoint bubbles, and "special" attacks.   You play as a ship in space, but you have a ground side to it to.   But dont get your hopes up, thats mostly the same combat sytem as in space, but with humanoid avatars instead of ships, and you have NPC crew supporting you, like pets in other games.  

 

In short, it looks like Star Trek, but really isnt.   

Karahandras

I always thought the space part of it as a half arsed version of starfleet command redesigned for consooles and adjusted for the 'wow crowd'.  Combat in missions usually involved fightting 3 destroyers/1 cruiser, then again, then again then 1 battleship/boss.  

Ground combat is the not very good console shooter type.  i.e. your avatar is halfway to the left of the screen, with combat quite slow paced.  Nowhere near as good as a third or first person shooter imo.  In missions pretty much the same as with ships but usually a couple more groups to go through.

PVP is just a quick bundle in a small arena for the most part and is usually quite imbalanced due to borg gear and cs ships.

There are a few things outside the norm, usually done for the dilithium

Grand_Nagus

I would give space combat in STO an "A" and ground combat a "C" in terms of fun. That said, since the game is now F2P I would highly recommend trying it for yourself rather than letting other people shape your opinion for you.

JerYnkFan

In ground combat, you can choose between tab-targeting and shooter mode.  In space combat expect to wear out your spacebar.  Since it's F2P, I'd just advise you to try it out and see if you like it.  I still jump in from time to time.

Rohn

Originally posted by Hodo

Best answer,

 

Its WoW combat in space.  TAB targeting, hitpoint bubbles, and "special" attacks.   You play as a ship in space, but you have a ground side to it to.   But dont get your hopes up, thats mostly the same combat sytem as in space, but with humanoid avatars instead of ships, and you have NPC crew supporting you, like pets in other games.  

 

In short, it looks like Star Trek, but really isnt.   

 

Defintely not the best answer, since it ignores things like power management, speed management (which impacts defensive values), firing arcs, different maneuvering characteristics by class of ship, differentiation between shields and hull, etc.

No, it's not like WoW ground combat in space.

AG-Vuk

Originally posted by Karahandras

I always thought the space part of it as a half arsed version of starfleet command redesigned for consooles and adjusted for the 'wow crowd'.  Combat in missions usually involved fightting 3 destroyers/1 cruiser, then again, then again then 1 battleship/boss.  

Ground combat is the not very good console shooter type.  i.e. your avatar is halfway to the left of the screen, with combat quite slow paced.  Nowhere near as good as a third or first person shooter imo.  In missions pretty much the same as with ships but usually a couple more groups to go through.

PVP is just a quick bundle in a small arena for the most part and is usually quite imbalanced due to borg gear and cs ships.

There are a few things outside the norm, usually done for the dilithium

This / .

MadDemon64

Originally posted by Karahandras

Ground combat is the not very good console shooter type.  i.e. your avatar is halfway to the left of the screen, with combat quite slow paced.  Nowhere near as good as a third or first person shooter imo.  In missions pretty much the same as with ships but usually a couple more groups to go through.

If you ignore the positioning of your character, and actually pay attention to the actual mechanics, you will see it is very similar to the console version of Mass Effect's (the original, not 2 or 3) combat system, with weapon secondary fire and expose/exploit attacks and damage added in.

Also, what third of first person shooters are you comparing STO to?  Gears of War?  Halo?  Call of Duty?  If the answer is yes to any of these, then you must know that those are poor examples to compare to this game.

Liltawen

Originally posted by ProPatria

Well the starship combat is engaging...if you can get past the concept that in our far flung future massive starships will circle each other endlessly firing from ranges no farther than 10 km's!!!!!

The ground combat is probably the better of the two....and that is not saying a lot.

This is mainly true of the Federation. If you want fun combat get a Klingon Bird of Prey. They are infinitely more manuverable and fun. But most people play Feds and yes, the Federation is pretty boring.

ktanner3

Originally posted by Rohn

Originally posted by Hodo

Best answer,

 

Its WoW combat in space.  TAB targeting, hitpoint bubbles, and "special" attacks.   You play as a ship in space, but you have a ground side to it to.   But dont get your hopes up, thats mostly the same combat sytem as in space, but with humanoid avatars instead of ships, and you have NPC crew supporting you, like pets in other games.  

 

In short, it looks like Star Trek, but really isnt.   

 

Defintely not the best answer, since it ignores things like power management, speed management (which impacts defensive values), firing arcs, different maneuvering characteristics by class of ship, differentiation between shields and hull, etc.

No, it's not like WoW ground combat in space.

Yeah, there is nothing WOWish about the combat. It is much more like Starfleet command. The combat was  actually one of the things I liked about the game.