MeinMMO author Maik Schneider comes from a different era in MMORPGs and could hardly relate to the “WoW generation” for a long time. However, a strong franchise title pulled him into the vortex, from which he did not escape for over 1,000 hours – mostly as a solo player.
Personal computer logbook Ensign Schneider of the “USS Hau Drauf”, stardate 67091.97 – The files of the Starfleet tactical simulation program are finally available not just to the “Red Squad”, but also to regular officer candidates. Time for a bit of space action.
So or something similar were my first thoughts when Star Trek Online (STO) transitioned to its Free2Play model on January 17, 2012. I knew immediately, this is for me. Captain Janeway and other bridge figures of the “Star Trek” franchise accompanied me when I was still called “snotty brat” and even sparked a lasting interest in science.
To be a starship captain … that was literally a dream of mine. Not just once. STO provided exactly that, and I took control of a self-painted space cruiser for countless hours. More than 1,000 hours, to be exact. Mostly as a solo player.
Update: I originally published this article on July 28, 2020, and revised and adapted it in April 2023.
Star Trek Online beamed me into the MMORPG genre
How did that happen? Playing an MMO solo is not uncommon at all. In a MeinMMO survey, we found out in 2020 that almost 10% of participants are almost always playing solo. We even have a list of the best MMOs for solo players.
But flying alone through the vastness of space for 1,000 hours seems quite hefty. For me, at that time, it made absolute sense because I actually expected something different from an MMORPG.
When I started playing MMOs, the session usually began with an annoying whistling concert from the router. That was a part of connecting to the internet in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Big MMORPGs like World of Warcraft with 3D graphics still had years to wait until release, and instead of a Battle.net launcher, I only had my Internet Explorer. Because my first MMO was a browser game.
I played a few browser games until I came to “Galactix-Online” and stayed for a while. Here, you sat together with 19 other players in one of many galaxies. You built up your base, fleet, and research, and launched raids on the resource asteroids of the enemies.
Devious attacks on your own resource stores were also part of it. Every few months, there was a reset that declared a round winner and reset the progress for the next round to 0.
“GO” is no longer around today, but you can imagine it quite similarly to the much larger OGame. The German YouTuber “Aeonitas” introduces you to the browser game in his video:
When I joined “Galactix-Online”, there were already established structures within the player community. 2 large alliances, led by a few galaxies, escalated into a major war towards the end of the rounds, and the winner usually decided the entire “season” for themselves.
The large alliances consisted of extremely active players who rarely spent a night without checking to see if their ships and asteroids were still okay. These players were constantly on the lookout for new recruits and scouted the scoreboards for new soldiers who gave their free time in the service of the alliance.
They were therefore looking for me.
Through the concept of having 20 players in a galaxy who all sat in one boat and shared a forum, a funny bunch quickly formed from an unknown group. As a “diplomat” of our “Galactic”, I also got in touch with more active galaxies and progressed from round to round.
Eventually, life got in the way, and I stopped playing as actively. Even the little Galactix Online was slowly but surely losing steam. The game probably never had more than 2,000 players; only a fraction of them played as actively as I did. You got to know each other, challenged each other, and occasionally played a round together in a galaxy or alliance.
I expected something similar from “real” MMORPGs back then. But the reality looked different – no one came by and took me along just because I played actively. The connection of the entire community was much lower.
So how did I accumulate 1,000 hours? Due to these false expectations, I never thought about joining a larger “guild,” which in STO of course are called “fleets.” So I trudged along through the activities, and Star Trek Online still managed to captivate me time and again over the years. Thus, I accumulated countless play hours in my account.
The first few hundred hours still with a buddy, but after my first comeback, it was just solo from then on. For me, STO was really just the right fit:
- Great fan service
- Prospect of more content
- Space-ship graphics still pleasant to this day
- Epic space battles in MMORPG style
- Grind, grind, grind
I found it hard to understand when one of the series actors from “Deep Space Nine” stated that he had played many MMOs but never Star Trek Online.
I could tap commands for energy distribution, course changes, or firing on my keyboard for hours.
The ship battles in MMORPG style were a huge fun, managing about 40 abilities at the same time. You’re constantly distributing buffs, debuffs, dodging, drawing fire onto yourself, and time flies during battles – it was fantastic.
The fan factor certainly played a role too. Star Trek is simply the best.
Eventually, you could even build a starbase with your “fleet.” That thing consumed an unbelievable amount of “dilithium” (one of the collectible premium currencies), and I had to practically beg my long-inactive buddies to join me here once again.
I ground for this thing with such passion that the base of the “combat command” still stands as a testament to my tireless commitment to video games. And as a reminder to also stop someday.
If you want to see more of Star Trek Online, check out the German YouTuber “Teddykrieger”:
Personal computer logbook Admiral Schneider, commander of the “Schnitzelbasis”, stardate 84141.21 – My old ship “Hau Drauf” is docking for technical upgrades for a few days with us. Unbelievable that the old bucket is still flying missions. The same could be said about me. I’ll check if “Cargo Bay 3” is still a tribble breeding ground.
Why did you stop? New games, new friends, new challenges. Star Trek Online was fun for a long time, and with every new trailer, nostalgia kicks in for a moment.
But the air was and still is out. Quite precisely with the completion of the starbase, for which I squeezed every dilithium asteroid in reach for several months.
Star Trek Online will always be something very special for me, and there will never again be a game that I play solo for so long – even if it was truly fantastic for a while.
If you want to read another personal story from me, check this out: I paid 280 euros for a PS5 controller, and damn it, I would do it again.
