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Captain's Log: Gearing up for Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary
We're only a few days away from the release of Star Trek Online's fourth anniversary celebration, and a lot of information about upcoming events is rolling out. As the team prepares for the launch, several new blogs have popped up teasing players with information about upcoming content and changes including news that actor Tim Russ, who played Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager, will reprise his role in Star Trek Online's Fourth Anniversary Featured Episode! It's only logical Last week's announcement that Tim Russ would be providing his voice for upcoming content certainly made a lot of Trekkies happy. Community Manager Brandon Felczer interviewed Russ for the game's video blog and asked a lot of great questions. It was also revealed during the interview that recordings of Russ' voice won't just be used in the upcoming Featured Episode (called A Step Between Stars); it will also be heard in "upcoming content" including "Season Nine and beyond."
Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Christine Thompson, part one
The past couple of weeks, I took a bit of time to head to Las Vegas to moderate and cover the Star Trek Online panels at the official Star Trek Convention, but I'm happy to say I'm back in the saddle and picking up where I left off with my series of interviews with the people responsible for making Star Trek Online and conducted when I visited Cryptic Studios in late June. This week I begin my summaries of my interview with STO's lead writer, Christine Thompson. Many of you may know her as Cryptic Kestrel. Read on to see what she had to say about writing for the Romulan Republic!
Captain's Log: Interview with Star Trek Online's Al Rivera, part two
Last week I began a series of columns based on the numerous interviews I conducted while I visited the Star Trek Online team at Cryptic Studios. I continue today with part two of my interview with Star Trek Online's Lead Designer, Al (CaptainGeko) Rivera, who had lots of things to say about his hopes for the future of the game, including its duty officer system and how the "JJverse" affects the things we see in the game. So join me past the jump and let's get to it!
Captain's Log: A new Star Trek Online potpourri
One thing is certain: Many players have returned to Star Trek Online since the Legacy of Romulus expansion was released. Many new players have also given Star Trek Online their first try and are suitably impressed with the game's improvement. Bug patches are forthcoming, and server crashes have been reduced over the past couple of weeks. Many players who have started new Romulan Republic characters and have reached level cap (50) are now turning their attention to the endgame material. Still others have decided to start their very first Klingon character. But what about stuff that isn't about Legacy of Romulus? It just so happens there are lots of "little" items to cover, so join me while I go over some of the news and tidbits that have popped up recently.
Captain's Log Supplemental: An Exclusive Q&A with STO's Daniel Stahl
After months of waiting, we can finally say that Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion is upon us! After yesterday's launch, it's now possible to play as a member of the new Romulan Republic faction. It's now possible to begin a Klingon faction character from level 1! There's a new adventure zone and a completely overhauled user interface. We recently had the opportunity to ask Star Trek Online's Executive Producer, Daniel Stahl, some questions regarding the update. We were also given a lot of screenshots of the new material, and all are included in the new gallery below. There was a lot to cover, so let's get to it!%Gallery-189140%
Captain's Log: What to expect in Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion
It's a little strange to think that it's already been three months since the developers at Star Trek Online first teased us with the Legacy of Romulus expansion with the March Beneath the Raptor's Wings kicker at the end of the anniversary video. Even then there were many of us who sincerely doubted the teaser meant we would finally be able to play a Romulan character, let alone that the Klingon faction would be filled-out. Yet here we are, on the eve of the release of Star Trek Online's first expansion and a flood of new material. Beware, I will be writing spoilers about the new content, but if you're not worried about that, feel free to join me as I touch on most of what we're going to see!
Captain's Log: More Romulan ships coming in Star Trek Online
Late last week, Star Trek Online community manager Brandon Felczer posted an enormous dev blog delving into the details surrounding the influx of new ships heading into the game the moment the Legacy of Romulus expansion goes live. So today I'd like to touch on these new ships and the new Legacy Pack and Starter Packs that were announced as being available for Star Trek Online!
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's Romulan legacy
I don't think many Star Trek Online players really believed it was possible. To be honest, I'm not sure many of us yet believe, but late last week the powers that be over at Cryptic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment let the countdown clock on the teaser page expire to reveal the first ever expansion that Star Trek Online has seen. The Legacy of Romulus is scheduled to be released on May 21st, 2013 and contains what appears to be a mountain of new content. Best of all, the new expansion is absolutely free to all players. Let's get to the overview, shall we?
Star Trek Online teaser site starts a countdown
Something very interesting will either happen or be revealed for Star Trek Online on March 21st. We know that not because of our new psychic intern, Francesca, but because the teaser site for STO's May content update now has an exciting-slash-ominous timer counting down to that date. The teaser picture also has been updated to change from the Romulan symbol to a murky picture of warbirds among the stars when you mouse over it. The image caption reads, "Our shadow will dim the stars." Will this be the reveal of a playable Romulan faction, as many have suggested? Or will it be the rise of a prominent adversary in the form of new mission content? Or could it be something as of yet unforseen? We'll just have to wait with the rest of you until all is revealed on the 21st. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Captain's Log: Ruminating on Star Trek Online's future story
As a self-confessed altaholic, I spent a lot of time in Star Trek Online over the past week. The third anniversary celebration is still in full swing (although it does end on Thursday, February 14th), and I needed to get all 13 of my characters through the special featured episode in order to obtain the special ships being given as rewards. Suffice it to say that I pretty much know the episode by heart now. I actually dusted off my two low-level Klingon Defense Force characters and took them out for a spin so I wouldn't miss out on the beautiful new Kamarag class vessel, but in doing so I found myself chewing on the story as presented so far in Star Trek Online and what the most recent missions could mean for the rumored introduction of a Romulan faction, as well as what they might mean for the mighty Klingon Empire.
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online pleases and teases
I have had more fun in Star Trek Online in the past week than I have had in the past six months! Part of the reason has a lot to do with the fact that the game's third anniversary has delivered something that many of us have been craving since the release of last year's featured episode, The 2800: a story-based mission. And it wasn't just any story-based mission; it was a doozy! The team at Star Trek Online also released a third anniversary trailer, which contained a very big surprise at the very end. The teaser sent shockwaves through the loyal player community. There's a lot to go over, so join me past the jump as I touch on the anniversary celebration and ruminate on what the game will bring us in May 2013!
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's Daniel Stahl's Q&A at Raptr
The past week was met with such interesting Star Trek Online news that I'm postponing my advice series: STO launched a formal affiliation with gaming social media site Raptr, and Cryptic Studios' Executive Producer Daniel Stahl spent a majority of the day answering questions posed to him in the site's community threads. Stahl revealed quite a few tasty tidbits of information and even though the thread can be accessed by non-members members (the link is below in the comments section), I am taking the liberty of reporting on some of his responses. Join me after the break to read what's in store for the future of STO.
The Perfect Ten: MMO cataclysms
Today sees the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which represents a destructive "reboot" button on the world of Azeroth. The old has been made new by virtue of fiery explosions that have rent the very earth in twain, and WoW gamers will have to find their footing all over again. As you might imagine, it's made one big-ass mess, which is compounded by the fact that there are no janitor classes in the game to sweep it up (the next hero class, perhaps?). However, the notion of an in-game cataclysm is hardly the sole domain of Activision-Blizzard; on the contrary, large-scale apocalypses pop up all the time in MMOs. After all, nothing grabs the attention like the end of the world (but hey, you still feel fine)! In a list that in no way is meant to capitalize on any expansions that may or may not be on the market, we're going to strap on our Kevlar suits, slather our arms with 1000 SPF sunblock, and take a brief tour of 10 worlds that have dated cataclysms -- and lived to tell the tale.
STO website adds faction page, hints at future factions
Open beta is here and launch isn't far behind, which is of course why we're starting to see stuff like the recently revealed faction page for Star Trek Online. While you can't look (or click) on them now, it's quite telling that Cardassian and Romulan faction symbols are there for the looking. Cryptic has been pretty open with the fact that they plan to add new factions in the future, but the upfront listing of them causes us to wonder what the schedule is for the launch of faction number three. We really love the approach to this faction page, too. Why? Selecting a faction gives you the perspective of said faction, but from each side. That is to say, you get a Klingon's point of view of their own Empire, as well as the Federation. It's a nice touch of Trek that shows the men and women at Cryptic are keen to stick to the spirit of the series, even when outside of their own game.
Romulans, ho!
Five brand new exclusive Star Trek Online screens. We know open beta is basically here and that screens are now significantly lower on many people's list of priority-one alerts, but this one is for the less fortunate ones. You know, the people with families and 40+ hour a week jobs. There's some cool looking high-end armor to ogle with your optical sensory orbs. Mayhaps you fancy yourself a gentleperson of the finer things in Trek? Well, in that case, we recommend the classic-ish connie style Enterprise. What you can't have? What you can't have, is anything having to do with the show Enterprise or a man known by the name of Archer. No, bad Trekkie!%Gallery-28615%
A quick Star Trek Online PvP interview with Jack Emmert
We recently had the opportunity to ask Cryptic's Jack Emmert a few questions regarding Star Trek Online and its PvP elements. With the looming open beta (tomorrow!) and similarly imminent February 2nd launch, we consider ourselves lucky to get some fairly definitive answers on topics like the game's Cryptic Store and the Klingon faction's future -- including if deeper customization is in the wings or not. It's a quick read, but with less than 24 hours until open beta kick starts, that's probably a good thing. We wouldn't want to take away from anyone's Star Trek movie marathon, which is obviously what everyone is doing the day before, right? Khan!
Hands-on with Star Trek Online's early levels
There's been a lot of Star Trek Online coverage lately here at Massively, which is only normal given the looming early February release date. This particular feature is a look at the game over the course of around seven or eight "levels" of play. Sadly, that means I haven't acquired my first non-starter ship, although that goal will soon be reached even if it costs me more sleep. Still, you should check out the brand new beta gallery, because I was still able to catch plenty of cool stuff -- plus a classic Enterprise. Now, onto the preview!%Gallery-81223%
Slipping through space majestic in five new Star Trek Online screens
Romulans! They're pretty prevalent in today's exclusive Star Trek Online screens, although they're not the only antagonists fighting against the Federation. You've got to remember never to underestimate the Borg in their ability to frustrate and terrify the Feddies into tossing up shields and blaring red alerts ship-wide. Plus, there's the Klingons, whose very name just sounds sharp and dangerous. We're getting off topic, though. If you like phasers, explosions and majestic Trek style space ships then we're certain you'll enjoy feasting your eyes on these five new screens.%Gallery-28615%
Plasma and Romulans in these five new exclusive STO screens
Today we bring you five more exclusive Star Trek Online screens, courtesy of Cryptic Studios. We hope you Romulan fans out there are paying attention, because there's one new screen in particular we think you'll find quite... satisfying. Although, as you can see from the image above, there's a little extra Romulan love. We find ourselves wanting to express concern for this lone Connie class vessel attempting to take on a Borg cube. That's just dangerous! We're fairly certain such encounters in the game proper will consist of a substantial grouping of players -- we're sure those screens will be quite something, actually. The fact that many of these screens depict space combat is adventitious indeed, as our current Community Q&A for Star Trek Online concerns the very topic. We'll be taking questions for Cryptic developers until the end of today, Tuesday, November 17th -- so get 'em in while the asking is good.%Gallery-28615%
Ships! Star Trek Online community Q&A answers, part 2
Ryan: Why are there ancient starship classes like Constitution, but not older classes that were still around during the Next Gen and DS9, like Excelsior? There have been notable exceptions to this rule, and the same holds true for the current state of the Federation.
