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Cryptic producer: Star Trek Online 'not dying by any means'
Cryptic executive producer Dan Stahl has taken to the Star Trek Online forums to provide what he calls "some rumor control." Much of his lengthy post concerns specific game-related updates and oft-raised player concerns, but the most interesting factoids deal with the game's (and Cryptic's) profitability and performance. "Cryptic was sold because it was a profitable business and worth at least $50 million to Perfect World," Stahl writes. "STO is not dying by any means and continues to grow stronger. Just last month we took over as the top performing game for Perfect World in North America." He goes on to say that the development team is expanding and that several positions remain open. [Thanks to The Grand Nagus for the tip!]
Star Trek Online's Foundry is back online, sort of
Star Trek Online Executive Producer Dan Stahl has just posted his latest state-of-the-game letter to the official site, declaring that Season Six marks the perfect time for a new player to jump in, thanks to its streamlined mission structure and brand-new starbases. Here's the juicy bit: Current players know that The Foundry, the game's player-generated content system, has been offline for quite a long time as a result of tweaks made to it by the Season Six patch. Stahl notes that the team is still working on the issues but has finally brought part of the system back online: Season 6 also introduces some nice improvements for our Foundry. As some may have noticed though, we have yet to turn on these new features yet. The QA team is working diligently as they continue to sort through some specific bugs with previously existing missions. Once those bugs are sorted through, we will then open up the editor – as of today, we have turned on the ability to play existing, republished missions. Stahl finishes with a quick mention of the dreaded lock boxes, the Star Trek convention in August, and plans for Season Seven. Check out the entire state-of-the-game letter at the official site.
Captain's Log: Tholians come to STO and Cryptic's cryptic answers
Well, it's about time. Ask most Trekkies who their favorite franchise bad guys are and most will respond with answers like the Romulans, the Borg, or maybe even Q or the Klingons. Rarely will someone respond with the Tholians, but I will. They have been my favorite Star Trek nemeses since I read the official Star Trek novels set in the Original Series era called Vanguard. Written by veteran Star Trek novelists David Mack, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, and Marco Palmieri, the seven-book series revolves around a secret lab set on a starbase built in the far-flung reaches of space just as Kirk and gang begin their heralded five-year mission. The Tholians play important roles in the books, and I've been salivating at the thought of having them in Star Trek Online ever since I heard they were being worked on. And now they're here! Join me after the jump to learn more about what you can expect from an encounter with these very toasty arachnids.
Star Trek Online gets a new installment of Ask Cryptic
If you're looking forward to more Fleet options in Star Trek Online, you're in luck, as the newest installment of Ask Cryptic makes it clear that Fleet Starbases will be getting more love in the near future. There are plans for more PvP options, plans for more projects in the base, and plans for more fleet-specifics ships. Despite all of that, the fleet projects can be completed by almost anyone with dedication: producer Dan Stahl says you should still be able to unlock your rewards even if you have a fleet consisting of just yourself and your alts. This particular installment also focuses on other long-awaited features such as the addition of Cardassians as an official species, something that's still on the table even with the Cardassian lockbox ships. Stahl makes it clear that the team would like to allow players to switch the species of their captains if desired, although there isn't a precise timetable on that feature. That's in addition to more discussion of a future inclusion of poker, new item sets, and other future improvements to the universe of Star Trek Online.
Captain's Log: It always floods after a drought in STO
Over the course of the last week, Star Trek Online fans have been swimming in the flood of information that has been released regarding several missions and features of the game that are expected to be released either just before or as part of Season Six. We still have no formal release date for Season Six, nor have we been given any hint as to when we will see it appear on the STO test server, Tribble. Yet several announcements have been posted by Cryptic on the STO website, some of which have rejuvenated the deflated playerbase. Fleets were given even more information on the anticipated release of the fleet advancement system; Foundry authors have been celebrating the tool's first significant patch in over a year; endgame players got some good news about two new five-person team missions, and a couple of promotions have made at least a few players smile. Join me as I attempt to analyze all the new information!
Star Trek Online's June Ask Cryptic discusses fleet advancement, Foundry rewards
Hope you're settled in, Star Trek Online players, because the June Ask Cryptic is quite a read. As you might expect, a good many of the questions revolve around the upcoming fleet advancement system slated for release in Season Six. Dan Stahl takes the opportunity to provide a bit of insight into the specifics of the fleet base system, which will allow fleets to create their own base-of-operations. He also reveals that the studio is working on implementing a system of rewards for completing player-made Foundry content. The studio's "temporary solution" to this is to feature Foundation content in the mission journal. Stahl says that "this will allow [Cryptic] to attach premium rewards to specific player-made content that is being featured." All this and more is on display in this month's Ask Cryptic, so for the full skinny, head on over that way and give it a read.
Captain's Log Supplemental: An exclusive interview with STO's Daniel Stahl
Following up on our exclusive look at the new fleet starbases and fleet advancement system due to arrive with Season Six of Star Trek Online, we've asked STO's Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl, a few questions about how the starbases will work and how they might affect different kinds of players. One thing seems certain: Season Six might very well contain the most drastic changes the game has ever seen. So join us as we ask Dan some of the questions that came up after reading about the new system!
Exclusive Star Trek Online Season 6 reveal: Fleet starbases
You read that headline right: Star Trek Online will be introducing player starbases in its upcoming Season 6. For the first time in the game, fleets will be able to band together to build a virtual home in the icy blackness of space. The project was spearheaded by Cryptic Lead Artist Jeremy Mattson, who was given the task of conceptualizing and designing this core feature of the path. Mattson sent us an exclusive developer diary to take us through this process, starting with his examination of starbases in Star Trek's canon all the way through the construction and finished product.
Captain's Log: STO's Caitian Carriers and Klingon Kitties
Lately I've beginning to wonder whether the wait for Star Trek Online's Season Six has been as interminable for other players as it seems to have been for me. Although the past several weeks have been busy in the real-life side of things, those distractions really haven't been all that good at harboring my frustration about the wait for the new stuff as I would have liked. Season Six is being readied for a move to STO's test server, Tribble, in the next couple of weeks, according to the most recent Ask Cryptic as answered by the game's Executive Producer, Dan Stahl. The new patch will contain fleet starbases and a new fleet advancement system but not much else in the way of story-based content. That's not unexpected, however, as not one of the previous Season releases really ever contained story-based content; they've merely been game-technology pushes, and I understand that Season Six will be no different. However a couple of things have come out to the game in the past few weeks that have ruffled some hard-core Trek-fan feathers: Caitian Carriers and Ferasans.
Captain's Log: A new perspective on STO's endgame
For a veteran Star Trek Online player, it can be very easy to get mired in the game's seemingly soulless endgame. From restricted (time-gated) play to lackluster PvP to grinding strategic task force missions and dailies, sometimes it's difficult to find reason to log in at all, let alone on someone else's schedule. There are always a few options, however. Of course, these ideas aren't going to be everyone's cup of raktajino, but they're a start, and I want to take some time to discuss two possibilities that may help to provide a distraction while we all wait for fleet starbases, Tholians, and Ferasan (the new cat-like species to be released for the Klingon faction).
Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl
Next in this series of interviews conducted on my visit to Cryptic Studios in Los Gatos, California, last month is a chat with Daniel Stahl, Executive Producer of Star Trek Online. I first asked Stahl to give me an overview of his responsibilities as Executive Producer, as there are many people who are either new to STO (or even to gaming overall) who may not have a clear understanding of his role entails. He stated his job is "similar to making movies." He has several direct reports, the first being the software person or the person responsible for the team of people who actually create the code for the game. The second is the Content Lead, who is responsible for new missions, new features, and anything to with player experience. Finally, the Quality Assurance team also reports to him.
Producer Dan Stahl answers the newest round of Star Trek Online community questions
Dan Stahl is back in the hot seat at Star Trek Online, and that means it's time for him to tackle another round of questions for the regular Ask Cryptic feature. This month's questions have quite a lot to do with forecasting future updates to the game, ranging from questions about new playable species to questions on revising crafting and PvP. And while these questions always involve a fair amount of ambiguity for far-off plans, there's plenty for players to chew on. One of the obvious questions relates to the game's planned release of only two Featured Episode series. Stahl explains that the real issue isn't how many series are released; it's the fact that the game needs a steady pipeline of content, something that the team is examining closely. He also discusses future goals for Fleets and the possibility of voiceover for dedicated bridge officers. As with previous installments, there's no shortage of questions, so fans are likely to find something to get excited about within the answers.
Dan Stahl takes back the captain's chair in Star Trek Online
Remember in Star Trek: The Motion Picture how Kirk returns to the Enterprise and shoehorns his way back into the Captain's chair, leaving the previous job-holder to be absorbed by an interstellar entity that was really a relic of NASA's space program? What a hoot that was, and it's in no way relevant to today's story of former Star Trek Online Executive Producer Dan Stahl resuming his duties from Stephen D'Angelo after vacating the position in 2011. Stahl left Cryptic in September 2011 for a job at Zynga, at which point D'Angelo assumed the producing role. Interestingly enough, Stahl quickly returned to Cryptic last December but was assigned to heading up the Foundry team. The saga has come full-circle as Stahl returns to executive producing and D'Angelo resumes his command as Cryptic's CTO. Stahl posted a short re-introduction letter to mark his comeback: "After several eventful away team missions and a desk position training cadets in San Francisco, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be back at the helm of this very important title."
Dan Stahl beams back aboard Cryptic Studios
Dan Stahl couldn't stay away from Star Trek Online for long, and now the former executive producer is back in the fold to head up the Foundry team for Cryptic Studios and parent company Perfect World Entertainment. Stahl, who left STO for Zynga in September, posted on the o-boards earlier this evening announcing his return. "There is something magical going on at Cryptic these days and I'm very happy to be back working on the MMOs that I personally love to play," he said. The Foundry is Cryptic's suite of user-generated content tools that is currently available in Star Trek Online and slated to appear in the company's upcoming Neverwinter title.
Captain's Log: Preparing for launch (and farewells)
Hello, computer (and players)! As we are all now aware, the development team at Star Trek Online is busy making its preparations to re-launch the game with a hybrid, free-to-play model. Currently, the Tribble test server has been taken down as a beta build is being prepared for testing. In the meantime, Red Shirt, originally a Closed Beta test sever, has been opened up to current subscribers to continue testing new releases that will occur between now and the F2P launch. While there is still no date set for when this will be happening, many signs point to an October or November launch period. To add to the craziness that must be going on at Cryptic's headquarters in Northern California, on Tuesday, Dan Stahl, Executive Producer of STO, publicly announced that he would be vacating the Captain's Chair as he moves on to a new endeavor in his career. Effective immediately, Stephen D'Angelo, Cryptic's CTO, will be taking temporary command as the search for a new EP begins. While this came as a shock to many and was completely unexpected even by me, it may not be the "end of the world" as some players are calling it. Let's explore more. Ensign, warp 10! Set sensors to maximum range as we explore a little bit more about this change...
Dan Stahl leaving Cryptic, Star Trek Online
Cryptic executive producer Dan Stahl has vacated the Star Trek Online captain's chair, according to a brief farewell message posted on the title's official website. Details on the departure are slim, with Stahl telling fans that he has "chosen to move on in my career and pursue new challenges." The resignation is the latest development in what has been an eventful summer for STO faithful, as Cryptic Studios was acquired by Perfect World Entertainment and Star Trek Online was subsequently slated to receive the free-to-play treatment. Stahl goes on to say that he will be answering questions prior to his end-of-the-month beam out, and he indicates that STO will be in good hands thanks to the leadership of former lead programmer and current Cryptic CTO Stephen D'Angelo. Look for more insight into this move in this Thursday's Captain's Log column.
September's Ask Cryptic details STO's F2P transition, new content, and more
In the midst of the recent hullabaloo over Star Trek Online's free-to-play transition, September's Ask Cryptic focuses on what players can expect from the change. Executive Producer Dan Stahl touches on the subject of skilltree revamps, server availability, and much, much more. Space skills are getting a few sweeping changes in order to make them more applicable to players of all builds. As such, skills that "apply only to a specific ship class or energy type" are being replaced with more general skills, such as increased damage, increased turn rate, and so forth. Stahl also reveals that the team has ordered new hardware and made perfomance tweaks to the game in order to allow for a potential influx of new players once the game goes F2P. Players also ask about new content, noting that talked-about post-Season 4 content has not materialized as players expected. Stahl notes that Borg Red Alerts were just released, and work on the Deep Space Nine Feature Episode Series is progressing steadily. The Q&A also details the upcoming Borg Ground Invasion, which assigns players the difficult task of removing a Borg infestation before the Collective can successfully assimilate an entire planet. The Q&A goes on to touch on new social zones, a great deal of "nice to have but low-priority" additions, and oodles more. For the full Q&A, hop your way on over to the full Ask Cryptic post.
Dan Stahl addresses Star Trek Online F2P concerns
While we're still awaiting official details on the recent announcement of Star Trek Online's free-to-play transition, Executive Producer Daniel Stahl leaped into the forums to help dispel some of the more troubling fears and to shed some light on what is happening. "There has been a method to all the madness, but first and foremost on my mind has been ensuring that Star Trek Online has a big future ahead of it," Stahl writes. "That has led to some tough decisions and deep analysis of what was critically wrong in STO. The next several months are going to be exciting for STO as you begin to see everything that we've been working on (finally)." The good news is that the F2P switch will not impact current subscribers (if anything, Stahl says they'll see more benefits), nor will it restrict content access. Cryptic may be lowering prices on some items in the C-Store, and Star Trek Online will be playable to the level cap without requiring money spent on it. Stahl also confirmed that more hardware is on the way for the game's foundation. At least from his perspective, Stahl sees STO's new owners as a boon to the game's future: "Perfect World has made it very clear that they want to invest in STO because they believe it has great POTENTIAL and they see an investment that can yield an even better game. That to me, is the golden path that this game deserves. It is Star Trek we are talking about!"
STO's August engineering report on plans for Feature Series 4
It's that time again, Trekkers and Trekkies -- Star Trek Online's August Engineering Report is upon us. STO executive producer Daniel Stahl has offered up a post that kicks off with praise for Cryptic's new overlords at Perfect World Entertainment. He goes on to state that subs are up as players stream in to check out the new Ground Combat system and that the team is working extra hard to push out the long-awaited Deep Space 9-themed Feature Series 4. Stahl also outlines the devs' fall plans for the REDSHIRT closed beta server and notes that the upcoming September 22nd update "will be pretty big [...] some might say even bigger than the launch of Season 4." Finally, the post winds down with a meaty list of game features and bug fixes currently in testing, including tweaks to the Duty Officer system, random Borg encounters, the group-finder tool, lore quests, and more.
Star Trek Online's Ask Cryptic featurette hints at new content
It's time for the Star Trek Online edition of this month's Ask Cryptic, and executive producer Dan Stahl has stepped up to the plate with a whopping 5,000-word community-powered monster of a post. Stahl delivers some good news right off the bat, as STO is scheduled to receive several new content additions between now and the end of October. Chief among these are various Borg-related invasion events, new lore quests, the Klingon Academy zone, the duty officer system and assignments, and Feature Episode Series 4. The vast majority of the rest of the post is devoted to very specific gameplay questions and requests from STO players, and there's even a mention of the fact that Cryptic is hiring. Warp to the official STO website for all the details.
