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Cryptic isn't spreading Klingon propaganda, but it's still awesome
You there! You look like the kind of aspiring individual who knows what's best for him or her. Why, we bet that if you had to choose between the cowardly Federation or mighty Klingon Empire, you'd make the right decision. Would you? Of course you would. That's right, you're a proud and courageous warrior, it's so obvious now. We asked Cryptic if they were involved, but their official response was that, sadly, they weren't. Even still, the video is nothing but pure awesome and we hope that whomever is responsible makes a Federation variant at some point -- or even a Borg version! Check out the video after the break, and afterwards you will come to love Qo'noS as much as we now do.
Five new Star Trek Online screenshots
We've got five new Star Trek Online screens for you, hot off the computers at Cryptic Studios. Usually we have an exceedingly difficult time picking a favorite, but the above image contains Klingon warbirds and so it wins our hearts. Our love of the Federation isn't gone, but if you hadn't been able to tell yet, we're very happy to finally start seeing more of the Klingon side of Trek -- even if it's only a screenshot and video.Telling you how the other screens show off amazing space battles and cool interiors is probably unnecessary. So in lieu of that, we'll mention that we can't wait to see Klingon interiors and all their angular, red and green glory.%Gallery-28615%
Klingons make their first Star Trek Online video appearance
Just when you thought you'd seen enough Star Trek Online space combat videos to keep you satisfied for a day or two, Cryptic Studios whips out a Klingon focused trailer that's sure to get your Pepto Bismol colored blood beating through those hardened, warrior-like veins.That's right, Klingons are in this game! We almost forgot with all that Federation love coming from Cryptic ever since the game was announced. But that's okay, because Klingon's are accustomed to waiting in secrecy for the right moment to strike. This is only the first small disruptor blast in what's sure to be a volley of ferocious strikes far greater than any puny Federation ship could handle.See the glory of the Klingon Empire after the break.
Sling your phasers in STO's first timeline video
You're gonna get two things with this new Star Trek Online timeline video: Lots of in-game footage and plenty of lore at the same time. The footage is 100% ships blowing the ablative plating off each other, and for those hardcore Trekkies out there wondering why the Klingon Empire and Federation are blowing each other up, we've got one word for you: war. Now of course, you're probably wondering why there's a war going on in the game -- which is set 30 years after Star Trek: The Next Generation's final movie, Nemesis. Well, you'll really need to watch the video for that. Said video -- full of awesome space battles -- can be found after the break.
See the full Star Trek Online Federation player ship list
The final list of player-flyable Federation ships has been revealed on the official Star Trek Online website and it's quite lengthy. Several of the new ships are based on one seen in the movies or TV series, including their names. For instance, the Sovereign class -- best known as the Enterprise-E or "That ship in the later Star Trek movies" to everyone else -- is only available to Admirals and has two kingly-named variants known as the Noble and Majestic.With the entire list of flyable Federation ships known, it's safe to say we'll start hearing more about Klingon ships sometime soon. And with a substantially smaller list of established Klingon ships to pull from the movies and series, we're looking forward to see what Cryptic has up their sleeves.
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.
Latest Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online focuses on combat balance
Ask Cryptic is a regular Q&A between the developers working on Star Trek Online (and Champions Online) and the game community that's formed around the upcoming title(s). This week's Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online focuses on ship combat, particularly how the damage inflicted upon your vessel affects its performance. Essentially, you'll be able to go all out in combat right up until your demise. That said, focused attacks on your specific subsystems can take them out, and losing crew members will weaken your skills in tasks that the injured or deceased personnel handled. The Cryptic Studios devs also clarify that solo players will be able to acquire the same ships as those involved in high level group play, although soloists will likely find they're not able to get through some higher level content. Endgame rewards are meant to be a guild-level pursuit, but Cryptic stresses that the best ships will be available to anyone, regardless of play style.
Star Trek Online lore interview style at Quark's Bar
In an inventive -- if not creatively fun for whoever wrote it -- display of storytelling, the most recent "Path to 2409" update on the official Star Trek Online website takes the form of an in-character interview set against the backdrop of Quark's Bar. Now it just may be us, but placing your characters in Deep Space Nine fans' favorite locale seems like a great way to pique interest among usually too-long-to-read types.And hopefully it works, because this interview details the beginnings of the war between the Federation and Klingon Empire from an engaging first person perspective. Historical logs can be interesting for some but yawn-inducing for many others -- so more of this wonderfully more interesting approach is definitely for the best.Hopefully if enough people check this one out, Cryptic will see the demand and create even more dynamic media for the game's lore. It's certainly been working well for Star Wars: The Old Republic, so why not for this game as well?
Star Trek prequel coming to the iPhone
I have no idea how much of this is spoilers, but if you want to walk into this summer's Star Trek movie with a completely blank slate of expectations, you should probably move on to the next post. Spoilers ahead!Ok then. Apparently J.J. Abrams, who's directing the new Star Trek movie, has worked with some comic book creators to (get this) bring a prequel of the prequel to the small screen before it appears on the big one. Whew. They're releasing a series of iPhone apps, which are actually "mini-comics" telling the pre-story of the movie. And here's where it gets really confusing (and spoilerific): apparently, while the movie is a prequel featuring a young Kirk and Spock, the story's villian is actually a time-traveler from Star Trek: TNG times. Which means the iPhone comics actually star Picard and his TNG crew, and tell the story of the movie's villian, a Romulan named Nero. I originally though the film was a non-canon reboot of the series, but no -- apparently even though we've never seen this era on film before, it is still mean to fit right in the Federation's universe.Still with us and interested? You actually are a Star Trek fan! (I prefer Star Wars myself.) The comics are going for 99 cents each (you can apparently pick up the same comic in print for $3.99), and are available in the App Store right now.
Star Trek Online assaults our allegiances with Klingon Raptor
Another Star Trek Online ship -- this time a Klingon vessel -- has be tossed up on the official game site. This time around, we get a look at the beautifully designed Raptor class. Now, it's been a forgone conclusion that some of us here at Massively are rolling Federation, while others are most certainly rolling Klingon. But with ship designs like these, the Federation had better step it up or we may start considering a pre-launch defection.The Raptor class is packed with more weaponry than it ought to be allowed to have. In fact, it's got so much that the medical bays are in a very bad way. Let's put it this way: you don't want to break, burn or otherwise cut anything while serving on this ship. Although if the captain makes good use of the speed, cloaking and front-facing weapons of pure death, the lack of proper medical facilities probably won't matter too much. At least... we think.
Fantastical imagery abound in latest Star Trek Online screens
Upon seeing these latest Star Trek Online screens, it was like getting smacked in the face with the broadside of a bat'leth -- and we mean that in the best of ways. Our Star Trek sensibilities have been happily inundated by these screenshots. Our favorite is probably this majestic shot of a federation ship, which we're going to guess is a nebula-class.At this point we're just waiting for the next in-game video to come out, because as great as everything looks frozen in time, what it really comes down to is how everything comes together in motion. This is especially true of the way ships and avatars move about the game space, both figurative and literally. Oh, and as a final note to Cryptic -- can we see some riveting bat'leth vs lirpa action in that next video? We'd be eternally grateful for it.%Gallery-28615%
Star Trek Online timeline update covers the year 2382
Cryptic has updated the Star Trek Online timeline that leads up to when the game takes place. Just to refresh everyone's memory, Star Trek Online is set in the year 2409, which is thirty years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis. The newest update on the official website covers the events of the year 2382, or 27 years prior to the game.The biggest part of this updates deals with the Romulans (biological cousins to the Vulcans) who are heading down a path to civil war, as political in-fighting continues to grow. Meanwhile the Unification movement, represented by Ambassador Spock, once again attempts to push their agenda by seeking the support of the Federation Council. Ultimately though, the Federation declines to support the movement to unify the two races, as the Vulcan members of the council aren't too keen on such an uncertain and essentially illogical idea.%Gallery-28615%
STO combat and character questions answered in latest Ask Cryptic
Combat is the main topic this time around in the latest Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online. The first question pertains to melee combat and just how it'll work. Surprisingly, it looks as though melee combat will actually be more than a simple aside to back-and-forth phaser fire. Cryptic says that Klingons will make use of bat'leth and the Federation will use lirpa -- that historically memorable staff-like weapon Spock and Kirk used to battle it out. It still remains slightly unclear whether or not players from opposite factions will be able to effectively use melee weaponry.As for question number two -- and probably the second-most important -- a forum poster asked Cryptic whether ship combat would be point-and-click like EVE Online or more tactical like traditional Star Trek battles. Thankfully, the answer was that yes, players can expect to have full control over their ship in order to hide their weaker points while attacking the structurally unsound targets of their enemies' shields and hull.
Some fresh Star Trek Online customization info (for humanoids only)
Cryptic Studios made clear the basic framework of its vision for Star Trek Online immediately after announcing the game, but the occasional interview or FAQ has revealed greater detail over the past few days. The latest example is a video interview at MMORPG with Cryptic's Jack Emmert, who in the interview reveals specifics about character, race, and starship customization. He also talks about Cryptic's relationship with the previous holders of the Star Trek Online mantle, Perpetual Entertainment.As far as the customization goes, you'll be able to customize the "skin, eyebrows, antennae, and hair" of your characters and races. At launch, it's likely that all players will be humanoids. Ship geometry, colors, decals, names, and even serial numbers can all be set by players. It sounds like they'll use basic "kits" of tools based on which faction (Federation or Klingon) they choose.Emmert also says that "war games" within factions would be possible, allowing players to engage in PvP with members of their own factions in a limited way. He doesn't sound at all certain that it will be possible at launch, though.
The Daily Grind: The Federation or the Klingons?
Star Trek Online details have been flooding in since the Las Vegas announcement. Everyone who's interested has his or her favorite bit of info about the game, but hardcore Trek fans might make the case that the biggest news is that the two factions in the game will be the Federation and the Klingons. After a century of (only occasionally broken) peace, the two old enemies are clashing once again!Turns out the first choice you'll make as a new player will be choosing between the two factions. So which one will you choose? Will you join the United Federation of Planets, an idealistic democracy and diverse coalition of races that Roddenberry based on the (perhaps unreal) American ideal? Or will you take the path of Awesome™ and choose the Klingon Empire, a battle-crazed, feudalistic warrior culture dedicated to honorable bloodshed?
Latest EVE Chronicle a look into Gallente moral erosion
EVE Online is running a series of Chronicles focusing on the leadership of the four races in the Empyrean Age, now locked into war in a galaxy divided. The latest EVE Chronicle, "The Paths They Chose," focuses on the Gallente race and is set in a blend of futuristic crystalline cityscape and natural scenery. The story shows the measures taken by leaders of the Gallente Federation to ensure their way of life continues. Holographic technology, advanced eavesdropping countermeasures, and an artificially cultivated environment merge in several acres of selectively grown flora and woodland; serenity and privacy for Federation officials and visiting diplomats is assured in the sanctum beneath a vast transparent dome. But the beauty of this place is juxtaposed with the inhuman actions taken within. A traitor to the Gallente people is grotesquely crucified upon a metallic 'dead man's needle,' which suspends the captive by his vertebrae while pumping him full of sedatives. The captive is abused like this by order of the President of the Gallente Federation, Souro Foiritan. Like the illusion of transparency of the eco-dome surrounding the characters, the moral high ground of the Gallente Federation is shown to be equally ephemeral, as President Foiritan reveals a new -- and dark -- direction that the Gallente will take in New Eden. Read "The Paths They Chose" to see Foiritan's descent into becoming "a leader cruel enough to do what needed to be done, and compassionate enough to understand why it needed doing." The story has struck a chord with some of EVE's players, who are discussing the sudden change and what this might do for the game's backstory.
