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.
Other information regards the assurance that character creation and subsequent customization will involve more than swapping parts from the established races in Star Trek. In fact, Cryptic is planning to provide the same level of customization seen in City of Heroes and Champions Online. Also touched on is the topic of humans joining the Klingon Empire and vice versa. While the answer is no, Cryptic is quick to remind us that someone could easily create a Klingon/Vulcan character with slight psychic abilities.
We're happy to learn more about combat, which while not a central part of the Star Trek lore is certainly a large aspect in MMOs. Right now it's still a nebulous feature, but Star Trek Online's combat seems to be shaping up nicely from what we can tell. There don't seem to be any sad surprises thus far, and that's something to feel happy about.
