{"id":20767,"date":"2022-12-03T16:26:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T16:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/03\/star-trek-timelines-free-to-play-in-the-final-frontier-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-12-03T16:26:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T16:26:27","slug":"star-trek-timelines-free-to-play-in-the-final-frontier-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/03\/star-trek-timelines-free-to-play-in-the-final-frontier-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Star Trek Timelines\u2019 Free-to-Play in the Final Frontier \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Several
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ever since I was 11, I\u2019ve wanted to be in Starfleet. Unfortunately for me, Star Trek<\/em> isn\u2019t real. And even if it were, Starfleet won\u2019t be founded for another century. Fortunately for me, Star Trek Timelines<\/em> exists. This fantastic game lets me put on my virtual captain\u2019s uniform and explore the final frontier daily.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not much of a gamer. You could call me a casual gamer. I don\u2019t clock in hours and hours on my PlayStation 4 or join trophy leagues. And to some, I wouldn\u2019t be considered a hard-core Trekkie either. I\u2019ve never owned a real-life Starfleet uniform or dressed up for a convention (in fact, I\u2019ve only been to two cons in my entire life). Although, I have a nearly complete Star Trek<\/em> encyclopedia in my brain, that\u2019s how much I watch the show.<\/p>\n

However, when Star Trek Timelines<\/em> launched in 2016, I was immediately hooked. I didn\u2019t intend to be, but I still play it every day. There\u2019s just something about this game that\u2019s so engrossing and hard to describe. When the app first came out nearly seven years ago, it was much more basic than it is today. And I honestly don\u2019t know if I could get into it now if I were just starting, given how expansive the game has become. So, it may be slightly intimidating to beginners, considering how much there is to do.<\/p>\n

The game\u2019s monetization model may put some gamers off. It\u2019s free-to-play with microtransactions<\/a> and cash purchases. And it\u2019s essentially pay-to-win in some circumstances. However, winning isn\u2019t the point if you\u2019re in it for the long haul like I am. And frankly, \u201cwinning\u201d is a term you can define for yourself in this game. For my money (and I do pay for it), this is the best Star Trek<\/em> game out there for fans with a long-standing devotion to the franchise.<\/p>\n

The Premise: Universes are Colliding<\/h2>\n
\"Q
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you first sign up for a Star Trek Timelines<\/em> account and launch the game, Q (voiced by John de Lancie) shows up and explains what on Earth (or space and time) is happening. There\u2019s a temporal anomaly at the center of the galaxy that\u2019s merging infinite parallel universes into one. Long-dead heroes and villains are reemerging from across the Star Trek<\/em> universe in countless variations, causing chaos across the cosmos. It\u2019s your job as a Starfleet captain to investigate the anomaly\u2019s cause and mitigate the damage it\u2019s causing.<\/p>\n

Gather Your Crew: Collect All the Versions of Your Favorite Star Trek<\/em> Characters<\/h2>\n
\"Star
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of all the aspects of Star Trek Timelines<\/em>, collecting my favorite characters from the franchise and immortalizing them (more on that later) is my most-loved part of the game. The conceit of the Temporal Crisis (the name for the never-ending crisis caused by the temporal anomaly) allows for multiple variations of Star Trek<\/em> characters to show up in your crew quarters.<\/p>\n

For example, there are 21 crew cards for James T. Kirk, from various episodes and films. Each card has the original captain of the Enterprise<\/em> in different outfits, with various skills and traits depending on what was happening in that chapter of the franchise. The most basic version of Kirk is \u201cCaptain Kirk,\u201d a two-star (uncommon) card depicting him in his classic yellow tunic from Star Trek:\u00a0The Original Series<\/em> and holding a phaser. He\u2019s one of the very first cards you get. So, he\u2019s not incredibly powerful, but useful enough to get you through the initial stages of play. As the game progresses, you\u2019ll acquire a three-star (rare) card of Kirk wearing his green command wrap, appropriately named \u201cCommand Wrap Kirk.\u201d He is much more helpful at completing more challenging missions than his two-star counterpart.<\/p>\n

\"Four
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Other variations of Kirk include the four-star cards \u201cRoman Captive Kirk\u201d from the episode \u201cBread and Circuses\u201d and \u201cNexus Kirk\u201d from the film Star Trek: Generations<\/em>. The most potent versions of Kirk are the five-star (legendary) cards, including \u201cMirror Kirk\u201d from \u201cMirror, Mirror,\u201d \u201cTribble Kirk\u201d from \u201cThe Trouble with Tribbles,\u201d \u201cAdmiral Kirk\u201d and \u201cWrathful Kirk\u201d from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn<\/em>, and the most recent Kirk card introduced into the game \u201cJudoka Kirk\u201d from the episode \u201cCharlie X.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not all Star Trek<\/em> characters have as many versions to collect as Kirk. Most crew members only have one or two variations. Take Lt. Savvik from the classic 80s films. She only has one card in the game, which is the character as portrayed by Kirstie Alley in The Wrath of Kahn<\/em> (I would love to see more of Savvik in case anyone from Star Trek Timelines<\/em> is reading this). Ro Laren from Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> has two cards. The recurring villain Seska from Star Trek: Voyager<\/em> has three variations. And it goes up from there to prominent cast members like Michael Burnham, having 21 variations. And Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> and Star Trek: Picard<\/em> has a whopping 30 versions. As of this writing, there are 1,286 distinct crew cards available, and more are added each week.<\/p>\n

\"The
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I mentioned \u201cimmortalizing\u201d earlier. This is a Star Trek Timelines<\/em> phrase for leveling your character to maximum capacity. It\u2019s important because the game limits how many cards you can have in play at any given time. When you first start the game, you\u2019re allocated 175 crew quarters to manage your cards (that\u2019s a lot more than when I started, even though I can\u2019t remember how many you got in 2016).<\/p>\n

But those crew slots will fill up fast if you\u2019re dedicated to playing the game daily like I am. So, choosing which crew you keep and discard is essential. When you max out a character card, that card is \u201cimmortalized,\u201d meaning you can safely put them into the cryostasis chamber and bring them back out when you need them again. If you dismiss a crew member that\u2019s not immortalized, they\u2019re gone from your roster forever.<\/p>\n

The Missions: There\u2019s a Lot to Do<\/h2>\n
\"The
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The primary way to advance your characters in the initial stages is to play the story of the game. The galaxy map contains 10 \u201cepisodes\u201d and four \u201cdistress calls\u201d that contain away missions and space battles. Each of these segments has a story of its own and plays out much like an episode of Star Trek<\/em>. When you complete an episode, you have a choice to determine which faction is victorious in that particular episode. Will it be the Augments or the Klingons, The Ferengi Alliance or the Ferengi Traditionalists? The choice is yours\u2013and permanent.<\/p>\n

Away Missions: Beam Me Down, Scotty<\/h2>\n
\"An
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Away Missions are what you\u2019ll play the most and the primary way to level up your crew and acquire their equipment. Each away mission is divided into several nodes, each with unique requirements that you need to match up with your crew\u2019s skills and traits. This is what makes collecting a diverse crew extremely important. If you don\u2019t have the right team with the correct combination of skills and traits, you can\u2019t beat particular nodes to unlock the next level of that mission.<\/p>\n

The level of your crew plays into this as well. Each away mission has three difficulty variations: Normal, Elite, and Epic. So, whether you have a two-star card with the engineering skill and the human trait or a five-star becomes critically important. It wasn\u2019t until my sixth year of playing the game that I finally beat the hardest node that required a card with the diplomacy skill and the Dominion trait.<\/p>\n

Space Battles: RED ALERT! All Hands to Battle Stations!<\/h2>\n
\"Space
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be Star Trek<\/em> without some sweet space battles, would it? Star Trek Timelines<\/em> understands this and includes exciting battles to the death. And like crew, you need to have the correct ships, with the right bridge crew, to destroy that Klingon Bird of Prey or Borg Sphere and move on to the next level.<\/p>\n

You start the game with a humble one-star (common) Constellation Class starship. But, as the game progresses, you will acquire ship schematics that allow you to build and level up various ship types. As of this writing, there are 80 ships in the game.<\/p>\n

Of course, you have nearly all the variations of the U.S.S. Enterprise<\/em> from the history of the franchise, but there are also less-notable ships, such as the U.S.S. Prometheus<\/em> from Star Trek: Voyager<\/em>, the U.S.S. T\u2019kumbra<\/em> from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<\/em>, and the U.S.S. Reliant<\/em> from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn<\/em>. There are scores of non-Starfleet ships, such as a Jem\u2019Hadar Battleship, a Romulan D\u2019deridex Warbird, a Cardassian Keldon Class ship, an Orion Interceptor, and many more.<\/p>\n

And like crew, more are added regularly. The week I wrote this article, we saw the introduction of the U.S.S. Thunderbird<\/em>\u2014an Akira-class ship that appeared in the film Star Trek: First Contact<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Faction Missions: Send Your Crew Away<\/h2>\n
\"Faction
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outside the story portion of the game, you can send your crew on other types of missions. The oldest of which is Faction Missions (sometimes called shuttle missions). These missions involve sending your crew away on what amounts to mercenary operations for the various factions (Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Borg, etc.) in the game. And they\u2019re critical because some items can only be acquired via Faction Missions. When you send your crew away on the shuttles, they\u2019re unavailable to use in away missions until they return, ranging from one minute to nine hours. So, I generally wait until I\u2019m done playing for a few hours before I send away my more powerful crew on challenging faction missions.<\/p>\n

Voyages: Explore the Galaxy<\/h2>\n
\"A
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another type of mission that makes your crew unavailable while they\u2019re away is Voyages. And this is another one of my favorite parts of the game because it allows you to pick a ship and select your command staff. For example, you can pick a Galaxy Class Starfleet ship and choose Number One from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds<\/em> as your first officer, Tom Paris from Star Trek: Voyager<\/em> as your pilot, Seven of Nine from\u00a0Star Trek: Picard<\/em> as your communications officer, Zefram Cochrane from Star Trek: First Contact<\/em> as your chief engineer, and so forth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like picking the cast of your own Trek<\/em> show and imagining what it would be like to be on a five-year mission with them, and you can even give your ship a unique name for each voyage. These missions last quite a bit longer than faction missions. They can go on for days if you have enough supplies. And they yield the most items and rewards of any mission type in the game.<\/p>\n

The Gauntlet: Can You Beat Trekkies as Obsessed as You?<\/h2>\n
\"The
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up until now, I\u2019ve described missions that you play solo. But some aspects of the game pit you against other players. Chief among them is The Gauntlet. And frankly, this is my least favorite part of the game, and I hardly ever go in there. Mainly because I find it confusing and hard to master.<\/p>\n

Basically, you battle your cards against other players\u2019 cards that have similar traits and skills. Once you pick your opponent, some math voodoo (the best term I have for it) happens, and a winner is declared. If your crew loses, they\u2019re out of action for a few hours. If you win, you get some items. And when the Gauntlet round ends (I think it\u2019s daily), you get rewards based on your rank.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t ask me to explain further because I\u2019m already confusing myself. However, I should try to get into the Gauntlet more because there are crew rewards that you can only get by playing it.<\/p>\n

Battle Arena: Yes, More Space Battles<\/h2>\n
\"A
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another area of the game where you square up against other players is the Battle Arena. They work the same as mission-based space battles. Only they\u2019re much more challenging because you\u2019re up against players that know the ins and outs of the ships and crew as well as you do. But it should be noted that you\u2019re not battling against other players in real-time.<\/p>\n

Instead, you select your ship and bridge crew and let them sit there for other players of similar rank to fight against. When you choose an opponent, the game\u2019s AI controls that ship in the battle. If you win, you swap ranking with your opponent. The more you win, the higher you rank against all the other active players in the game. And the longer you go without playing battles, the lower you rank because people are beating you while you\u2019re away.<\/p>\n

Events: A New Star Trek<\/em> Story Every Week<\/h2>\n
\"A
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Apart from the game\u2019s main storyline, every week, the game has what they call an Event, which has a unique premise and story that plays out over the course of four days (Thursday to Monday). Each event has a unique name, featured crew with bonuses, and usually introduces new crew members to the game.<\/p>\n

There are four event types: Faction, Galaxy, Skirmish, and Expedition, each focusing on a particular mission type. Faction Events focus on shuttle missions. Galaxy Events center on Away Missions and crafting items. Skirmish Events focus on space battles, where the game introduces new ship types. And Expedition Events which also concentrate on away missions. Ironically, Expedition Events are my favorite, but we haven\u2019t had one for years (hey, Shan, can we please have another Expedition? I\u2019ve been really, really patient).<\/p>\n

Every event is a four-day-long grind, and it\u2019s another area of the game that ranks you against all the other players participating in the event. The higher you rank in the event, the more rewards you get when it ends each Monday. Remember, tens of thousands of Trekkies compete in each week\u2019s event, so it is tough to rank highly right off the bat. I\u2019ve played for nearly seven years and usually rank in the 10-13,000 range. But that\u2019s high enough to collect the new ultra-rare crew member of the week. If you want to rank in the top 1,500, which yields the weekly legendary crew card, you really have to be on top of the action.<\/p>\n

Fleets: Find Friends and Join a Squad<\/h2>\n
\"The
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The final way to play the game with other Star Trek<\/em> fans is to join a fleet. This is another area of the game where I admittedly don\u2019t do very well. I prefer to be left alone and do my daily missions, level up my crew, and prepare for the upcoming event on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, there are enormous benefits to being part of a fleet. Each fleet has its own Starbase that players contribute resources to daily. Starbase components are gained by completing ship battles and are used to build features like the Observation Lounge, Sickbay, Deflector Array, Promenade, Computer Core, and more. As you build up your Starbase, your crew gains bonuses for their skills and proficiencies based on which area of the base is being improved.<\/p>\n

Another area of the game where being a fleet member comes in handy, and this part of the game is very new, is Boss Battles. Unfortunately, I can\u2019t tell you much about them because my fleet is composed of people who just want to be left alone like me, and we\u2019re not coordinated enough to make any progress.<\/p>\n

If you read this article and find this game is for you, come join my fleet. We\u2019re COLLECTIVE DOMINION, with open enrollment. We have plenty of space (I just dismissed about half the fleet for being inactive for more than a year), and as long as you play regularly and contribute to the Starbase, I won\u2019t kick you out\u2014that\u2019s a much better deal than you\u2019ll get from most Admirals that have 100+ level Starbases. And maybe we can attack these boss battles together if enough people join.<\/p>\n

Free-to-Play: The Elephant in the Room<\/h2>\n
\"A
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far, I\u2019ve avoided talking about Star Trek Timelines\u2019<\/em> monetization model because I wanted to show you how much there is to do in the game. Yes, you can buy crew and resources to help you progress through the game faster, rank higher in events, and be a more formidable player overall. But I don\u2019t think that matters much because victory isn\u2019t really the point for me. The point is to immerse myself in the world of Star Trek<\/em> every day.<\/p>\n

And none of what I\u2019ve described above costs you anything. You don\u2019t even need to watch ads (although you get extra rewards if you do). I pay four dollars a month for the game to get a daily allowance of the game\u2019s premium currency: dilithium, which allows me to gather extra resources and crew when something comes up that I really want. And to be frank, that\u2019s a pittance of a price for what I get out of the game on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, if you play the game regularly, you get stuff for free literally all the time. Star Trek Timelines<\/em> has multiple ways to recruit crew, level up your characters, advance through the game, and become a competitive player over time, which costs you nothing. Just one example is the daily reward. On the day I wrote this article, just for logging in, you could claim the three-star crew card, \u201cNella Daren,\u201d from the Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> episode \u201cLessons.\u201d And if you log in every day until the end of the month, you can have her immortalized just for logging in and tapping \u201cclaim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Further still are Campaigns. If you complete your daily missions regularly, you can collect a super rare character and have it maxed out before the campaign ends (usually about a month). The current campaign features the four-star crew card \u201cKatra McCoy\u201d from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock<\/em>. However, you can buy premium tracks on the campaign screen to get legendary crew cards. I don\u2019t often purchase premium tracks on the campaign, but I did recently to get my aforementioned \u201cJakota Kirk\u201d\u2014and he was worth it.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned before, winning isn\u2019t the point for me, and I don\u2019t often rank highly in events, despite paying for monthly dilithium and being a veteran player. My strategy to rank highly when I want to is hoarding the vast resources that I get for playing daily. Sometimes for months at a time. When an event rolls around that offers a legendary crew that I want, I\u2019ll cash in those resources and grind through my weekend to get them. All without having to pay anything extra to rank highly. I did this recently to get the legendary crew card \u201cIxtana\u2019Rax\u201d from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine<\/em> episode \u201cOne Little Ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts: Join Me in The Final Frontier<\/h2>\n
\"A
Star Trek Timelines<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You may think this article has been an exhaustive treatment of Star Trek Timelines<\/em>. I assure you it is not. I\u2019ve only described a short overview of the game and skipped core elements like the Time Portal, Mega Events, and Cadet Missions to be as brief as possible. But, suffice it to say, this game dives deep into the Star Trek<\/em> universe. And if you\u2019re a lifelong fan like I am, this app is the best way to leave the 21st century behind and join your favorite Trek<\/em> friends where no one has gone before.<\/p>\n

You can download Star Trek Timelines for iOS<\/a>, Android<\/a>, Windows<\/a>, macOS (M1, M2)<\/a>, Steam<\/a>, Amazon<\/a>, the Galaxy Store<\/a>, and AppGallery<\/a>. Additionally, you can play it on the web via Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Download<\/a>\"Get<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n