Lieutenant Commander (Finally) #STO
stargrace 
When I look back at all of the games I’ve played I can’t help but make a comparison of the first 10 levels, even if the game is unlike any I have played before. While some games don’t have levels per say (EVE) there has still been an incredible difference in them. For example, I just finally hit Lieutenant Commander in STO – which equals level 11 in regular terms. It took me a fair amount of game play to reach that level, and it felt like it took forever. That means when I finally reached it I was even more excited than usual because it felt like I had to actually work towards the goal instead of just flying through the beginning areas. Besides, there was even a ceremony held in my honor! I tried to take screen shots but Cryptic wipes the chat bubbles when you print screen.
What’s the big deal about finally reaching Lieutenant Commander? Well, number one it means new ships! I have a choice of an actual ship instead of just the light cruiser I’ve been flying for weeks now. I picked a science ship, knowing absolutely nothing about them except that I get an extra science device slot. I also have room for a fourth bridge officer on said ship, although they must be science.
I also spent a lot of time customizing the ship, colours and shape are important! On that same note I spent some time redesigning my uniform, and changing a few character features. All of these little perks that make my character (and ship) feel more unique to me and more personal are great ways to hook me into a game that I may not typically enjoy. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t typically enjoy STO, but we all know how my luck with science fiction is.
I’m still pretty clueless about some things like how to judge what ship parts I want, and what sort of gear I want. Thankfully I understand the basics (I went with a medic kit, for example) and since I’m putting skills towards photons that’s the weapons I’ve got fit to my ship but I generally go by the “bigger numbers are better” method until I can get a better grasp on what everything does. I haven’t taken the new ship out yet, but I’m really looking forward to flying something new.
Until then, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!