Uninspired best describes this game. If you're looking for a Star Trek Universe avoid this game , it doesn't come close
While the graphics are good. The space combat is 2.5 D . The lack of full 3 d combat is totally uninspired and disappointing. It's more along the lines of a run and gun game , then anything remotely tactical. The lack of a death penalty or decay/damage further hampers the game combat . The repeatability of the game suffers because of this. It does have fun aspects, but for the most part suffers at the hands of poor thought of what players desire. There's no wow factor.
Ground combat only is worth mentioning because it's an absolute joke and hardly worth mentioning other than it's present in the game.
Instancing is and understandable tool that was used , but it's use needs to thought out better . Sector space ( or the galaxy ) due to instancing feels small and confined . The art use to display sector space is best described as amateurish in nature and perhaps to busy or cluttered . There is no sense of vastness. The solar systems follow the same design concept. When enter a solar system , you are confronted with one or two planets and a meteor belt surrounding said planet . Generally the scale seems off and the explorabilty of said solar system just doesn't exsist. It's very one dimensional.
Crafting follows the say pattern as ground combat , as does diplomacy .
This game suffers more from a total lack of experience on Cryptics part than anything else . Cryptic designed a game that stands more as a single player game with one faction than as an MMO. If you choose to play Federation the gameplay will be entertaining to a point . The story is good . The replayability is poor. There are no time sinks and leveling is very linear.
Cryptic failed in the sense that they presented this as an MMO with two factions. The Klingon faction doesn't exsist and there is no story line to the faction . The faction is totally one dimensional ( Monster play currently ), although entertaining initially with a high server population it now suffers a miserable demise due to falling resubs. The lack of Fed players willing to advance throught PvP makes Klingon leveling a chore at best , torture of the kind WW II Japanese prison guards inflicted on prisoners at worse.
There are aspects of this game that are fun and wonderous , but the game was designed as a single player, single faction game , with the second faction a project to be addressed later. A fact that is crippling the potential of the game . coupled with the fact that the engine was a poor choice and certain design decisions the game wastes it's potential.