Star Trek Online: "Meaningful" Death Penalty Needed

18 Feb 2010 at 11:14:08 by Bill Vaughan

Star Trek Online's executive producer Craig Zinkievich has told IncGamers that some sort of death penalty is under consideration for the game, though not in the usual sense of the term.

The lack of any meaningful death penalty in STO is a hot topic among players. Some feel that without any real punishment for being defeated, players are less careful with their ships and characters than they should be in MMOs; you want at least some immersion after all, don't you?

Zinkievich explained Cryptic's feelings on death penalties, saying that they are usually just a time penalty, preventing players from getting straight back into the game and having fun.

“I get that people want to feel a sense of risk when they’re fighting in battles, but if the only emotion you feel when you’re playing a game is fear that you’re going to lose some time due to an arbitrary gameplay mechanic, we’re probably not doing something right, ” he said.

However, the game's developers aren't against the principle entirely; “we are looking into finding a meaningful way to give players a deeper sense of loss when something bad happens. But we want it to feel right, rather than just like an arbitrary penalty.”

Stay tuned for more on this as it's announced. In the meantime, check out our review of the early levels in STO.

Comment