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Captain's Log: Pros and cons of Season One
Hailing frequencies open. Testing. Is this thing on? Yes, Lieutenant, I'm pushing the-- ah! Greetings and salutations, fellow Starfleet officers! And a hearty nuqneH to all you Klingons out there. Welcome back to Captain's Log, the weekly Star Trek Online column here at Massively. After a few weeks of tuning down in Engineering, Captain's Log is back, shinier than ever, with a new captain at the helm. Now let's set sail before the admirals at Massively reassign me to replicator cleanup duty. You've never seen a mess until you've seen someone order haggis and Ferengi snail juice. Federation and Klingon captains all over the galaxy have reason to rejoice. Thursday saw the release of Season One: Common Ground, one of the first really huge content patches for Star Trek Online. The patch introduces a bevy of features, including new fleet actions, a new task-force mission and more stuff for Klingons to do.
Star Trek Online and the breadth of content
If you're a fan of the franchise, there are things that you likely want to be in Star Trek Online that aren't there yet. Ship interiors, missions taking place on board the ship, improved ground combat, diplomatic missions... it's not a difficult list to fill out. Executive producer Craig Zinkievich conducted a recent interview in which he was taken to task on several of these points, which he responded to in a fairly straightforward fashion. The short answer is that it's not a lack of want from the team, just a matter of time and resources to be invested. For example, as he points out, ship interiors (a much called-for feature) can post a slight problem due to the nature of the ships. Galaxy-class starships are the size of a small city, so they want to incorporate the feature in a way that makes it a meaningful use of a player's time. The interview covers a range of topics from exploration and diplomacy to shoring up the weaker points of combat (mostly ground combat, as players would expect). Take a look for a few more ideas about the future direction of Star Trek Online, up to and beyond the upcoming "Common Ground" content patch.
Star Trek Online locks phasers on Season One: Common Ground
On March 18, it's do or die for the Federation, as Cryptic's first major content patch -- Season One: Common Ground -- promises to hit Star Trek Online's live servers. Love 'em or hate 'em, the STO dev team looks to live up to their word on "walking the talk" by pumping out more content that players crave. We didn't think there could be any news more exciting than a brand-new faction coming to STO, but Season One might just top it with a heap of new goodies. In addition, Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich released a new State of the Game report to address player concerns and the course STO is heading for over the next few months. There's even a new video entitled "Expanding Universe, Part I" that gives players a sneak peek into this brave new patch. Engage thrusters, mister, and we'll break it down for you after the jump.
GDC10: A chat with Cryptic's Bill Roper and Craig Zinkievich
As two of the most public figures at Cryptic Studios, Bill Roper (Champions Online) and Craig Zinkievich (Star Trek Online) are typically at the forefront of controversy, adulation and speculation. At GDC 2010, Massively sat down with the pair to discuss what it's like working for Cryptic, how they deal with the ups and downs of being game developers, and the pressure of handling the future of two hot MMORPG franchises. Massively: How do the Champions and STO teams collaborate between each other? Bill Roper: I think it's really good the way the company interacts back and forth -- "Hey, this worked for us, you guys should do that too." "This totally didn't work for us, don't do that, do something different." Craig Zinkievich: "Hey, you know, about three-and-a-half weeks after launch, don't have a free 90-day promo! Don't do that! That didn't work well!" [Laughs]
GDC10: New playable faction and more coming to Star Trek Online
digg_url = 'http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/11/gdc10-new-playable-faction-and-more-coming-to-star-trek-online/'; We spent some time talking with Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich at GDC today, and got some fun new information on Star Trek Online. The most exciting thing was news of a new playable faction in Star Trek Online. We can expect that sometime "within the year", and we as players get to help decide. Borg, Romulan, it's up to you guys. Zinkievich says: There's a huge amount of the dev team right now interested in doing Romulan. I think the Borg would be really interesting as just something totally different, totally different gameplay. There are a lot of really cool mechanics, a lot of really cool things you can do there. Really, if you're in the MMO for the long haul, there are going to be a lot more playable factions, you can't stop with those two. There's Jem'Hadar, you're going to be going to the Dominion, there's Cardassians [...] so many playable factions that we can and will be releasing with the game. Cryptic is looking at the next big update to arrive for Star Trek Online around July, with another possibly near November: "We know that we just had a player survey when you first arrive at the site, and, like, ship interiors. [Players] want a whole lot more there, want a whole lot more functionality, why are other players coming to my ship, what's going on there? So we're making sure in July that's one of the things that we do. There's a big huge outcry for first contact missions, diplomacy missions, more non-combat within Star Trek, so we're really making sure with that July update we're really focusing on that." It sounds like we can look for a lot of new content tailored to what the community wants coming with the July update, so we'll be keeping a very close eye out for more information. (There was brief mention of the Horta being a playable race as well. We can only hope.)
Star Trek Online Executive Producer discusses game creation
Star Trek Online Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich has been busy lately, and not just with working behind the scenes at Cryptic. Last week he found time for two interviews covering where Star Trek Online has been and where they're going. He spoke with MMOHub and Altern8 at length, discussing the ideas and thoughts behind many of the decisions made when creating the game. As a long-time Star Trek fan, Zinkievich "jumped and did a little dance" when the opportunity to get the license came through, and it's no secret that he's been having a great time producing the game. From the overall feel of the Star Trek Online world right down to small details such as the realism of stellar phenomena in the background, the entire STO team has definite ideas on how they want the game to work. Both interviews give a good look at the inner workings of the team.
Cryptic 'definitely' opening up ships to Star Trek Online players
In the world of Star Trek, there's nothing quite like grabbing a few moments of R&R with your first mate on the holodeck or heading down to engineering to check up on your favorite ship's power core. Unfortunately, as we've been unable to explore the interior of our own ships since we first got our hands on Star Trek Online's pre-release beta program (nonetheless the final product), those wonderfully humdrum space activities will have to be postponed for a little while. But hey, they're coming ... or so says Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich, at least. "Anything we can do to make the game feel even more like Star Trek is something we want to do ... so, definitely, we want to give people more of their ship," he tells Inc Gamers, adding, "This is one of those things we want to get perfect before introducing it to players, though," indicating that the functionality likely won't be arriving in the near future. And us, well we just want to passive aggressively flirt with crew members -- is that so much to ask? %Gallery-28626%[Via 1UP]
Boldly going where you can't currently go: Star Trek team interested in expanding ship interiors
You can visit the furthest reaches of space, but you can't actually visit your own engine room. You can travel great distances across the universe, but you can't walk that 20 feet outside of your bridge. Restrictive, no? Well, Trek fans should be interested to hear that Craig Zinkievich, Star Trek Online's executive producer, has recently mentioned to IncGamers that he is interested in fleshing out more of the interior of the player's starship, giving them more room to walk around and get a feel for their ship. Plus, you know, it's only been requested by the players at least 40 billion times. "Anything we can do to make the game feel even more like Star Trek is something we want to do. So, definitely, we want to give people more of their ship," Zinkievich told IncGamers. "This is one of those things we want to get perfect before introducing it to players, though it's going to be an undertaking." [Via The Escapist]
Star Trek Online's producer: "In hindsight, it was pretty darn risky"
Star Trek Online hit some pretty major windfalls, even disregarding the fact that it's built on a popular intellectual property with legions of dedicated fans. It launched during a timeframe when there were no other major releases scheduled, came out not too long after a very popular movie in the franchise, and caught a lot of exposure with its open beta. And as executive producer Craig Zinkievich points out in a new interview, the entire operation relied not just on hard work, but also on luck. The full interview confirms that the whole game had a two-year development cycle -- an astonishingly short turnaround for a game starting, essentially, from nothing -- and details the scope of problems that the staff had to deal with. The game included a number of major departures from expected norms, up to and including divorcing the player from their avatar to a greater extent than normal and creating two different combat systems with just one team on the assignment. Whether or not you're happy with the end result is a matter of personal opinion, but Zinkievich is quite pleased with what the team produced operating under their several constraints. He also details some of the planned enhancements for Star Trek Online in the near future, which promises to be a bit less risky and a bit more straightforward. [Thanks to Randomessa for the tip!]
Captain's Log: Community guide to Star Trek Online
Captain's Log, Supplemental, Stardate 64684.5... As you all know, we here at Massively are dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on all the latest MMO news as well as entertaining you to your wits' end. Over the past year, our Star Trek Online coverage has been phenomenal, including the introduction of our weekly column, Captain's Log. As I mentioned in my first entry, I am honored to be a part of the team and to bring STO out of the dark recesses of space and onto your (computer, iWhatever, etc.) screens. When the game first launched, the original Community Guide to STO came to fruition as well -- since then, many things have changed, so it is time for an update. Beyond the jump, you will find an ever-evolving list of podcasts, fansites, dev blogs, Twitter accounts, and more. As things further change, I will be updating this guide, so keep it bookmarked! Got a new STO podcast you want everyone to hear? Working on a fansite for the community? Found something that everyone else should know? Let me know by sending the info in to brandon@massively.com. Ensign, warp 10! Let's get these players updated on their resources...
New Star Trek Online video shows tactical combat, UI
Cryptic has released the first part of a series looking at the tactical ship combat in Star Trek Online. It's definitely worth watching, especially if you've been following the progression of Star Trek Online's combat development; in this regards it's nice to finally see some in-game action as we'll experience it when STO releases in February. There are a few points that STO Director of Production Craig Zinkievich, Game Designer Zeke Sparkes, and Producer Daniel Stahl make which are worth noting. We've already heard most of it, but the in-game footage demonstrates most of these concepts nicely. You can watch the video above, or head over to our sister site Big Download to grab the hi res version. The hi res version of this video is worth it. After the break we'll take a look at the major points, as well as talk about some of the high resolution screen grabs of the UI shown in the video. %Gallery-78487%
Make it so: Star Trek Online to feature ship bridges
Yes, you read the title right! You're also not hallucinating the picture above either! You can actually sit on the bridge of your ship in Star Trek Online!It appears Cryptic has decided to add the infamous setting to STO for players to enjoy as a social destination -- a hang out for bridge officers and visiting captains from other vessels. The Associated Press has reported that the game will feature 20 bridges at launch, giving even the most discerning captains their own pick on bridge design.Regarding the addition of bridges, Craig Zinkievich, the executive producer of Star Trek Online, told the AP, "We didn't want to have interiors at launch. We thought it was just a little bit too much. We really wanted to make sure we delivered a really deep experience, but your bridge not being in the game, it really felt like a hole in the game, and it was just something that we had to put in."We'll try to get you a more high resolution screenshot later, but for now, enjoy this brief glimpse at your future command chair.Edit: We've added a new, larger picture, and three shots of the bridges to our STO gallery!%Gallery-28615%[Thanks, Chris!]
Massively's Star Trek Online beta interview
With beta now beginning, we shot some relevant questions at Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich, executive producer on Star Trek Online. He gave us his insight on what the team's goals are during beta and what some of their toughest challenges were from their point of view. Plus, we even got him to spill the beans on when Klingons would be entering the fray for beta testers -- hopefully the rest of us get to see and hear more about the warrior race soon thereafter. It's a short interview, mostly because we kept our questions on topic and well, also because we didn't want to distract Craig from working on his game for very long. Someone's got to work on fulfilling our childhood fantasies!
What voice does for MMOs
One of the big claims about Star Wars: the Old Republic is that the game is meant to be fully voiced, from start to finish. On the flip side, Star Trek Online will not be fully voiced -- in fact, its executive producer Craig Zinkievich recently made some statements asking more or less what the point of voice acting in the game really is. To quote: "It adds something to the game, but I don't think that VO-ing all of your text provides for that big a bang for the buck in terms of immersion." Bio Break seems to disagree rather emphatically. As he points out, voice is one of the most immersive and important parts of a game world in which our immersion is, by necessity, limited. We can only hear or see what's going on in front of us, which makes the things we hear and see all the more important. (Or makes a USB taste simulator all the more urgent.) He points out, quite rightly, that each of us have at least one or two bosses that we remember more on the strength of their voice acting than because of the fight itself. Bioware, of course, has long offered a great deal of voice acting in its games. It remains to be seen if the promises of pervasive acting in Star Wars: the Old Republic will be carried out, but the discussion about how important voice is will remain either way. Take a look at the article, and share your thoughts in the comments: is it important that a game have full voiceovers and cutscenes, or is that a distraction without much relevance?
Cryptic confirms Star Trek Online first quarter 2010 release
Cryptic Studios unveiled Star Trek Online over a year ago, and since then we've had lots of questions. One of the foremost is the same with any highly anticipated game: When? The answer we've been waiting for is finally here: Craig Zinkievich, Star Trek Online's executive producer, confirmed the news to Videogamer.com. "Without giving you the date, which I'm not allowed to give out or else the marketing people will come and smack me in the back of the head, I can tell you that the game will be out the first quarter of 2010." Possibly risking that smack on the back of the head anyway, Zinkievich went on to give a little more information, mentioning the closed beta. "The closed beta is really just right around the corner. I think that there's a press release that's going to go out in just a couple of days." We're just as excited as you are, so we'll be keeping a very close eye out for that announcement.
Star Trek Online: wouldn't you like to be a Klingon too?
Craig Zinkievich covered a great deal of new information about Star Trek Online in his interview with Eurogamer yesterday, including the burning question "Can I play a Klingon? I want to wield a Bat'leth!" Well, you can. It turns out that Cryptic has put a great deal of thought into this, offering full character advancement as a Klingon and a "drastically different" playing experience.Klingon gameplay is initially locked, requiring some time to open it, but Zinkievich says it's "not deep in the game." Once unlocked, the Klingon faction will be less story driven than the Federation story line. "The content that they will be experiencing is a lot more focused on PvP -- fighting the Federation, fighting House versus House within the Klingon empire. So it is a full-on character with advancement, with items, with bridge officers as well," says Zinkievich.While the overall Klingon arc in the game is that of a "bad guy," there will be chances for the Klingon and Federation sides to work together, as well as some good Klingons in the federation. "You can't really make a Star Trek game these days without allowing people to live out their Worf fantasy," said Zinkievich.He goes into further detail in the full interview.
Star Trek Online interview answers questions of combat, grouping, launch, and more
Cryptic's Star Trek Online has been releasing information on a daily basis and answering many player questions, but fans looking forward to launch are eager for more. Star Trek Online's executive producer Craig Zinkievich talked with Eurogamer today, and offered answers. Details of player interaction has been one of the biggest questions. How much interaction is possible when it's just you and a ship full of NPCs? STO doesn't disappoint, offering a space station that serves as a central social hub. There is also an over-world view that allows you to see what others in the area are up to, and join up with players pursuing the same things you are. Zinkievich also addressed ground combat (yes, there is ranged and melee combat and not just phaser fire exchange) and rewards (lots - plenty of upgrades for you, your crew, and your ship), as well as plans for the first year after launch. He also reminds us that launch is planned for early 2010, and that they are still taking beta applications. The original interview contains more details and more answers -- it's definitely worth reading.
PAX 2009: Hands-on and phasers locked with Star Trek Online
We stopped by Cryptic's booth at PAX 2009 for a chance to speak with the Executive Producer for Star Trek Online Craig Zinkievich, and obviously to get our hands on the game as well. Well, turns out our demands were acceptable, and we got to both play the game and prod at Craig with our incessant "questions" for your -- and of course our own -- pleasure. Cryptic's goal for Star Trek Online is to make players feel like they're inside an episode of Star Trek when they play the game. That's why they call their story-focused missions episodes, and why every one of them deals with both ground and space combat. Our hands-on experience focused on this aspect of the game, and much combat was had by, well, us.
PAX 2009: Hands-on and phasers locked with Star Trek Online part 2
Ground combat itself is much faster paced, and plays around the speed of Champions Online except with phasers, personal shields and other Star Trek geekery replacing superpowers. All ranged weapons have a basic attack and some kind of secondary, but also come with a third melee attack for those close and personal situations.
Star Trek Online's executive producer sits down for a 25 minute podcast interview
Star Trek Online's Craig Zinkievich, the executive producer, has taken some time away from work in order to sit down with the guys from the Hailing Frequency podcast.The podcast interview, spanning a nice length of 25 minutes, features questions geared to Zinkievich's background and early days with Cryptic Studios before moving in and discussing the game at large.Questions regarding the game design span a huge range of things, including sending over away teams during combat, different type of missile salvos and configurations, how healing and protection is handled during away missions, and the biggest question of them all, can you turn off the engine's trail effect. Very serious Star Trek lore in that last question. (And yes, Craig says there will most likely be a toggle to turn it off.)If you're interested in more Star Trek Online information, listen in on Hailing Frequency's interview podcast or, if you can't listen, check out the written transcripts.
