FastTrek is making STFC fun again
What makes a game fun?
Is it the community? Engaging and chatting with alliance members? Perhaps the joy of achieving an in-game milestone, receiving event rewards or simply new content from your favourite space-themed movie/media franchise.
Tell you what isn't fun though:
The endless grind that comes with the pursuit of the above.
Having to spend hours on the game and in front of a screen just to keep up.
Tapping the same thing over and over again a few billion times just to get to milestone 1 (often for meagre rewards), let alone finish milestone 4!
Enter FastTrek
Initially I created FastTrek for readjusting my personal game-life balance. To be able to cope with the ever-increasing demands of the game, without sacrificing ever more family time. And to improve productivity while working from home, as I'd end up 'playing' (can we still call it that) the game instead of concentrating.
What started as a side-project (“I wonder if I can”) and a buggy Python script quickly grew into something more sophisticated. I realised that I could help hundreds or even thousands of players address some of the biggest complaints about Star Trek® Fleet Command:
- “The Grind is too much”
- “I wish I had more time in the day”
- “Oh great, they've added another grind loop”
- “I've run out of [insert in-game currency here] again”
- “I can only ever open one chest”
“Auto-grinding ship XP is unreliable – hunters always stop”- “No more armadas, need to finish Faction Hunt”
- “OMFG – Hostile Hunt, Battleship Hunter, Swarms, new missions AND armadas all in one night??”
Free to Play?
I am a (mostly) F2P player. Occasionally I may purchase the Battle Pass (basic unlock), but I do not buy packs. They are simply too expensive. I rarely feel valued as a customer. My contribution to the game is my time and dedication, and keeping others in the game with FastTrek.
But I see others spending their way through. Hundreds or thousands spent every month on a bunch of pixels. How can us small- or non-spenders possibly keep up?
FastTrek is a partial answer. It helps to stay on top of those grind loops, which in turn makes any real money spent on the game go further. Or at least you'll feel there is some progress.
In the 30s-40s, being able to pull in a million+ nanoprobes on one warp token without lifting a finger is fantastic, as you'll comfortably open 2 chests a day.
Action Venom – same thing. The extra Syndicate XP every day is 100% worth it and reduces the Syndicate progression time by months and years.
In the 50s and 60s, the ability to run Solo Armadas in deep space comes into its own.
For the 70+, Faction filters allow the unattended grind to continue in The Veil.
And generally, F2P or not, what about those tasks where you spend 4 minutes warping, 2 minutes blowing up your ship, and need to repeat 100 times to finish an event?
By a player for other players
So you see, I use it myself all the time (in fact it runs 24/7) and I'm FastTrek's biggest fan. There are several additional features and improvements I already have in mind.
If you're interested in saving a heck of a lot of time in this game, I welcome you to join our growing list of users.
I don't ask for Scopely amounts – any monies from subscriptions will allow me to enhance this fantastic tool further. For your enjoyment of life, and the game as a game rather than a chore. And for many of us it's really felt like a chore for a long while.
My goals and values
Beat Addiction
I openly admit to spending too much time on the game. FastTrek is my way of regaining control and balance in my life, while still enjoying STFC.
Usability First
Every feature I build is designed with the player in mind. If it's not intuitive and easy to use, it's not ready.
Eliminate Barriers
As much as possible, language should not stand in the way of using FastTrek. It is fully localised in English, French, and German, but should work in all languages.
Be Affordable
FastTrek should be affordable. Scopely pricing is out.
Take Responsibility
FastTrek should work when you need it to. If something doesn't work the way you think it should, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix it as soon as possible.
Flexibility in setup
FastTrek should adapt to your setup, not the other way around. Within technical limits, FastTrek supports all hardware and resolutions.