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Star Trek Online official dev blog: Chris Menard
For the third and final Star Trek Online developer blog we present to you Chris Menard discussing his experience as a special effects artists for the game. It's a short but fun look into one developer/fan's experience working on a title set within the Star Trek universe, and we think you'll enjoy the read. It's a funny thing, getting to work on something with such a high profile. We can't imagine that the men and women doing the animations, effects or really any aspect of a high profile MMO would want to put too much thought into just how many people will be seeing (and judging) their work. Our hats off to the hard working developers behind each and every game out there!
Star Trek Online head start patch now available
The last patch for Star Trek Online is now available to be downloaded and installed via the Cryptic Launcher. According to Cryptic Community Manager Stormshade, the patch will be the last one before the head start begins. The head start is for players who purchased a pre-order -- if you haven't purchased the STO pre-order and are interested in it, there is still time to do so. More information is available from Cryptic. If you have been participating in the open/closed beta, your client just needs to be patched up to the latest version. There is no need to download and install an entirely new client. If you want to copy your game installation to another computer to run, just copy the folder across via normal means -- again, no need to download an entirely new client. This patch which you'll get is about 60 megs and is a quick download right now, although that is likely going to change once the masses get to it. It's also worth reminding people that their beta character has been deleted, and you'll need to start anew. The head start begins today at 10:00 a.m. PST. Enter the Star Trek universe with Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online. From hands on reviews of the early levels and space combat, through noob questions and developer interviews, we've got everything you need to know about the game trekkies are dying for. Check out Massively's Star Trek Online page for the latest!
New info and screens for upcoming Star Trek Online content
Earlier we got a small taste of what's to come in Star Trek Online through the State of the Game feature, but already Cryptic is treating the community to a brand new "What's Next" page that lays bare their free update plans for the next two months. While all the major points themselves are old hat, it's the details of those major points that are in fact, new. We've got a breakdown of the coming updates after the break, plus new screens in our gallery.
Captain's Log: The great skill cap debate
There's a lot of unrest over on the official forums concerning Cryptic's choice to add a skill cap to Star Trek Online. As of this writing the thread containing the meat of this discussion is well over 6,000 replies and 111,000 views. As I look through this arguably epic thread, the primary question that continually crosses my mind is: Really, this much upset over such a minor piece of news? Yes, I said minor.
Star Trek Online's State of the Game: The first patch
According to the latest State of the Game from Cryptic, Star Trek Online's first update will be surprisingly hefty. "The first update is going to have more PvP, Klingon exploration content, more ground fleet actions, more ship costume pieces, more playable species, and then some," says the executive producer Craig Zinkievich. Of course, that's only a small piece of the rather titillating article outlining the current plan for the first few months of updates. The future holds new Federation episodes, deep space encounters, Borg exploration clusters, quality-of-life updates, daily missions and an encounter with the Borg Queen. Cryptic teases at what they're calling "Raid-i-sodes" or high-end episodes requiring a five-person party to pull out all the stops for a win. The first of these will see players heading off against the Borg Queen, and we're quite excited to learn more in the coming months.
Star Trek Online official dev blog: Tracy Jasperson
Today we bring you a developer blog from Tracy Jasperson, an animator for Star Trek Online. We're a bit jealous of Tracy's job, because the chance to animate some of the very cool -- and often iconic -- moves and moments in the Star Trek universe sounds like a deliciously rare kind of fun. Still, now we can all live the experience vicariously, through this developer blog! If only holodecks were real... Be sure to come back Friday for the final installment of our entire week of developer blogs for Star Trek Online. Enjoy!
Skill cap changes hit Star Trek Online's open beta
Cryptic has been getting some fan heat over a recent revelation that Star Trek Online would, in fact, have a skill cap. This runs counter to the original message, which was that players who've reached the maximum rank of Admiral continue to gain skill points. In the new design, those skill points will dry up along with the new ranks once you've reached the cap. It's a sound design choice, as game balance, respecs and future expansions all require some kind of level cap. However, Cryptic noticing this problem so late into the game's open beta is not such a great thing. The dedicated player base is used to the old system, and to them this change appears incredibly insidious. We doubt the more casual players will ever notice or care about the change, but that doesn't help with the ire fermenting amongst the core community. Star Trek Online's Community rep StormShade has addressed the skill cap change and that sound design reasoning explanation is front and center just as expected. We only wish this move had been made a little earlier on, before so many players got used to the idea. [Thanks, Damian!] Enter the Star Trek universe with Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online. From hands on reviews of the early levels and space combat, through noob questions and developer interviews, we've got everything you need to know about the game trekkies are dying for. Check out Massively's Star Trek Online page for the latest!
Star Trek Online official dev blog: Jeremy Mattson
Today marks the first of this week's three exclusive developer blogs from Cryptic's Star Trek Online team here at Massively. For Monday, we've got Jeremy Mattson discussing what it's like being a Principal Artist for Cryptic and giving some insight into their powerful character customization tools. He also delves into the past a bit, which should interest any of you City of Heroes fans out there, too. Be sure to come back again on Wednesday for our second installment of this week's developer blogs. We'll have an animator's perspective of life at Cryptic and working on Star Trek Online.
Five decidedly cool Star Trek Online screens
Fleets of Klingons! Super-massive space ships! Klingons in mid-disintegration! These are some of the things you can find in our five new exclusive Star Trek Online screens. Sure, you can play open beta and take screens yourselves, but some of these babies aren't the sort of screens most beta players would be able to nab -- at least we think. That's not a challenge, although if you do think your screenshotting capabilities are rather impressive, you could always send some to our daily One Shots feature email! That's oneshots AT massively DOT com for all of you who suspect that, perhaps you too, are screen-taking gods.%Gallery-28615%
Star Trek Online 101: Currency
Welcome to the first edition of Star Trek Online 101. Over the next week and a half we'll be taking a look basic skills and information you need to be successful in STO. Each day we'll look at a different subject, and we'll kick it all off by talking about the different types of STO currency. There are three types of currency in Star Trek Online: Energy Credits Starfleet Merits Explorer Badges Each type of currency is gained through completing various actions in game, be it completing quests or selling off items. Each type is earned in distinctly different ways and provides different rewards, meaning that a successful STO player will need to be concerned with amassing all three types. Fortunately this shouldn't be too much of an issue -- in the closed and open beta energy credits and Starfleet merits seem easy enough to come by. Some people think that STO shouldn't have a currency system, while others point to the fact that Star Trek always did have a currency system, just that it wasn't really used in the shows. Either way, for an MMO to properly function there has to be some sort of reward unit, and Cryptic has developed a system which could potentially allow for a vibrant economy to develop. After the break we'll take a look at the different ways to earn these three types of currency and what you can spend them on.
Captain's Log: A non-trekkie guide to Star Trek Online
Perhaps you've been hearing a lot of buzz about Star Trek Online lately. Or, perhaps you're reading this article in the year 2018, after the robots have begun their bloody revolt. Either way, you've never been way into Star Trek, but find yourself curious about this new MMO based on the franchise. In that cast, this iteration of Captain's Log is just for you. As a side note, this will be the last week you'll find this feature going live on Friday. Henceforth, a new Captain's Log will appear every Thursday -- so keep an eye out!
Star Trek Online character customization in pictures
Cryptic Studios, the developer behind Star Trek Online, is well known for their character customization options. I know that I spent more time making characters in City of Heroes than beating up bad guys. Cryptic has brought that same design aesthetic to STO. For those of you not currently in open Beta, I've captured a gallery of shots below spotlighting all the available races in open beta (Federation and Klingon factions.) I've also shown the cosmetic customization screens for both factions and the color palettes available. However the true fun lies not in tweaking the familiar Vulcan, Bajoran or Klingon races, but in the build-you-own-alien race tool. For both factions you can randomly create an alien species based on a humanoid model. Blotchy skin, tentacles, protrusions, ridges, antennae and more await those players looking for a unique presence in the game. I've taken screenshots of some crazy creations randomly generated, too. You can also customize your alien if you have something specific in mind. Not seeing the alien life form you're looking for? Borg will be available as a Federation faction playable race to those who pay for the Lifetime subscription option. Ferengi and Risian will be added as playable races right after launch and future expansions promise more familiar faction race sets including Romulan. Star Trek Online launches on February 2, 2010. %Gallery-83416% Enter the Star Trek universe with Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online. From hands on reviews of the early levels and space combat, through noob question and developer interviews, we've got everything you need to know about the game trekkies are dying for.
Ginormous Star Trek Online beta patch is live
It looks like the beta testers for Star Trek Online have been doing their job well, and Cryptic has been listening. As we mentioned a few days ago, the State of the Game address touched on these changes, but the official patch notes are now up and the update is live. The list of fixes and changes is huge, but they're not done yet. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the patch notes, you'll see a list of "known issues", presumably there to say "we know and we are working on it." The most interesting section of the notes, however, is listed at the top under "headline updates." Players will find that the level cap is removed, Cardassian and Romulan Sectors are open for Federation players, and that they can scan for the nearest anomaly via the MiniMap HUD. Bridge officers are a bit more interesting too: when they join your crew they'll come with a basic customization option, and as they advance they'll periodically request transfers. Finally, as you enter a new Sector Block, you'll hear a familiar voice. Leonard Nimoy has provided an audio journal overview for each Sector Block. While these are just the high points of this patch, the list is much, much longer and warrants a look from anyone who's participated in beta testing. [Thanks Amana!]
One Shots: Ship to shore
Every so often we love to check in and see what members of our staff are doing. Today's One Shots comes to us from our Features Editor, Dan O'Halloran, who has been spending some time away from World of Warcraft to play Star Trek Online. While there, he ran into a weird glitch that many of us may have seen during the run (I know I have) but we'll let him talk about it. When I was in the Star Trek Online beta over the weekend, the server lag caused a funny graphical glitch. When I zoned into a Ground Combat mission I appeared as my Federation Starship instead of as my personal avatar. Too bad it fixed itself in a few minutes. Would have made the Away Team mission much easier! Every MMO from big to small is welcome, but we need you to send those MMO screenshots in. Pop 'em into an email and send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-9798%
STO's 'Look out, Sulu's behind you!' state of the game
There's a lot to absorb in the new Star Trek Online official "State of the Game" but we'd like to focus on some key points found in the update from Cryptic. Akira Sulu? Yeah, he's on the other side of the Admiral's quarters, behind the other desk. We kid, but really, he's there. There's a bevy of future bug fixes, UI improvements, exploration and combat tweaks coming soon to open beta, which will soon see a level cap removal as well. That means DS9 and Memory Alpha will open up as well as the higher tiers of ships -- just keep in mind you'll need to re-do much of that work when the game goes live. Also well worth mentioning is that the open beta has had a huge turnout, which explains the stability issues. We kinda had a feeling that was the case, but it's nice to hear it from the horse's mouth. The near future sounds bright for Star Trek Online, and we can only imagine the first bouts of content updates the team is putting together already.
Massively's Guide to the Character Traits of Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online offers several levels of character customization beyond the visual aspects, and that first level the player is introduced to is character traits. You select these traits when creating your character, and the choices are numerous. In Massively's guide to the character traits of Star Trek Online, we'll look at the different classes of traits and suggest some builds to get you started. Please remember a few things when reading this guide. First, the information was all obtained in the late closed beta -- so it could have changed without notice at release. If that's the case we'll update the guide as soon as we know about the changes, but double check everything and don't click blindly. Secondly, the traits are only a recommendation and should be adapted to your personal play style. If you're one of those players who always needs that extra bit of health, get the Peak Health trait no matter what role you're going to play. Finally, there is currently no way to retrain your traits (or skills), so be sure to select them carefully. Character Traits Guide Table of Contents How Traits Work Species Traits Federation Klingon Empire Space Traits Ground Traits Suggested Trait Builds Suggested Species and Trait Builds Federation Klingon Empire
Captain's Log: Community guide to Star Trek Online
Captain's Log, Supplemental, Stardate 64684.5... As you all know, we here at Massively are dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on all the latest MMO news as well as entertaining you to your wits' end. Over the past year, our Star Trek Online coverage has been phenomenal, including the introduction of our weekly column, Captain's Log. As I mentioned in my first entry, I am honored to be a part of the team and to bring STO out of the dark recesses of space and onto your (computer, iWhatever, etc.) screens. When the game first launched, the original Community Guide to STO came to fruition as well -- since then, many things have changed, so it is time for an update. Beyond the jump, you will find an ever-evolving list of podcasts, fansites, dev blogs, Twitter accounts, and more. As things further change, I will be updating this guide, so keep it bookmarked! Got a new STO podcast you want everyone to hear? Working on a fansite for the community? Found something that everyone else should know? Let me know by sending the info in to brandon@massively.com. Ensign, warp 10! Let's get these players updated on their resources...
Phasers set to fun, sit back and bust out the popcorn
Got a couple hours to burn? Love Star Trek and subsequently find yourself enjoying Star Trek Online? Well, we've got a couple videos you may want to watch, for entertainment purposes as opposed to tips related purposes. Giant Bomb has two -- although the "parts" aspects suggests further entries -- videos of a few guys sitting around playing Cryptic's upcoming Trek MMO and, well, basically being silly dorks. They start at character creation and hit the ground running, all while providing the kind of commentary that quite possibly could make you want to have on headphones if you're on a lunch break at work. It's fun stuff, and if you've got some time to kill the videos will most certainly help make time fly by more quickly. You can find the two videos embedded after the break.
Seven tips for Star Trek Online newbies
There's certainly a lot of lesser known MMO concepts to learn in Star Trek Online, and there's also some familiar aspects as well. With open beta ongoing and launch looming, this guide is here to help brand new players ease into the swing of things. We'll cover the odd class system, progression and several other tips and suggestions for those of you just beginning your venture into a galaxy full of Gorn raiders, Orion slavers and uh, Tribbles.
Cryptic releases Star Trek Online Exploration trailer
The launch of Cryptic's Star Trek Online is less than a month away, and player feelings are mixed. Whether you can't wait for launch, or are apprehensive that Cryptic is rolling it out so quickly, it's safe to say that people are very interested to see how it turns out. To help alleviate the wait, Cryptic has released a brand new trailer entitled Exploration. It's a great look at...well, exploration in Star Trek Online, both on the ground and in space. There are some great looking landscapes -- both familiar and unfamiliar -- and a look at several different races throughout the trailer. As a little bonus, we get a peek at some battle scenes and weaponry, which seems to consist heavily of various types of phaser fire exchange. No actual hand-to-hand is seen, but Cryptic has assured us it exists, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. For now, follow along after the jump and enjoy the trailer.
