mark valentine
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Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's year in review
We've reached the end of 2013 and once again it's time to take a look back at the past year in Star Trek Online to see what has been successful and what missed the mark. I have to say that this year has been the most active that the game has seen since its launch almost four years ago. There's a lot to cover, so I'll just get right to it. A new mission, a new ship, and a familiar voice The game's third anniversary saw a new featured episode accompany the usual Q-instigated frivolity. The mission called Temporal Ambassador included the familiar voice of actress Denise Crosby, whose character, Tasha Yar from Star Trek: The Next Generation, was brought back along with the long-awaited Ambassador Class ship. The ship became the mission reward, continuing Star Trek Online's tradition of providing players with a new vessel during the game's anniversary event. While many of us had hoped that Crosby might be heard again as her other character, the Romulan Tal Shiar Operative Sela, I don't think many of us were truly expecting what was to come.
Captain's Log: More Star Trek Online new user tips - bridge officers
Before I dive into the next installment of my new player tips, I'd like to let everyone know that the Star Trek Online site has issued a few new dev blogs hinting at some of the cool news about the upcoming Season Eight: The Sphere. There are some great new blogs featuring the concept art of the new Dyson Sphere space adventure zone, too. But back to the original topic. Last week's column that provided a basic outline to the Star Trek Online user interface proved to be surprisingly popular and generated far more emails from readers than I had anticipated. Many of the readers have asked that I continue on with the new user tips and I think it's a great idea. So if you've always wondered about the very basics of STO Bridge Officers, join me past the jump to learn more!
Captain's Log Supplemental: Remembering Star Trek Online video artist Mark Valentine
Massively tonight extends its deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and coworkers of Cryptic Studios developer Mark Valentine. Mark, also fondly referred to by his handle "h2orat," was a noted artist who was best known for his exceptionally crafted videos for Star Trek Online, especially the trailer that was used to announce the game's transition to the free-to-play format. Before working on Star Trek Online, Mark also worked on the Champions Online team. Prior to his tenure with Cryptic, Mark also worked on Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 for Atari Europe S.A.S.U. as well as Star Trek: Away Team, Battlezone II: Combat Commander, Heavy Gear, Heavy Gear II, Battlezone, and Interstate '76 for Activision. He was a respected STO player and Foundry author whose most recent mission, The Rising Phoenix – Part One, was chosen by his fellow players and the game's community managers to be highlighted as a featured mission.
