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Neverwinter launching Curse of Icewind Dale on May 13th
If you're ready to have some chill adventures in Neverwinter, you'd better be ready on May 13th. That's when the Curse of Icewind Dale module will launch for players, bringing with it two new adventure zones, a new open PvP region, and new factions for players to fight over. Also a new Hunter Ranger Paragon path, but that really only affects Hunter Rangers, which as infographics show make up only half of the characters in the game. But why are you going to Icewind Dale? What's so important? If only there were some sort of lore trailer past the break that will give a concise explanation of exactly what's going down in the region and why players are taking part, as well as outline the factions fighting over the valuable Black Ice. That would be very convenient, wouldn't it? Perhaps you should click past the break to check out that exact trailer, then.
Take a look at Star Trek Online's Earth Spacedock revamp
Star Trek Online's main hub is about to get a massive facelift, and Cryptic wants to give you a preview of the new design of Earth Spacedock as well as a tour through it. In a dev blog posted yesterday, the studio went through the process of coming up with the ideas for a much improved Spacedock, including how it would be structured and what players would see: "A few solid points were decided. 1. It was all going to be on one floor. 2. We had to have a view both of Earth AND of the Shipyard. Point two meant that there was only one place for it. It had to be within the outer wall of the docking bay." The blog also contains a link to an animated graphic showing a time-lapsed construction of one of the new areas. The Earth Spacedock revamp will come with Season 9's release on April 22nd.
The Game Archaeologist: The danger of expecting lightning to strike twice
It's no secret that many of the more successful Kickstarter projects over the past few years have heavily capitalized on player nostalgia, brand names, and former dev gods who are back for another round. The formula for drawing in the big bucks seems to be the following: Take something players hugely loved back in the day, dangle the concept of a sequel (spiritual or otherwise), and promise some measure of iterative improvement. I once wrote about how we really can't go back again to recreate a particular game experience because it was usually a confluence of several factors that were related to where the industry was then and where you were then. I'm not saying that there isn't value to retro gaming, playing classic MMOs, or involving the past in future development! But there is a danger in how we as gamers become so beholden to our nostalgia that we dare lightning to strike twice -- and we're paying big bucks to see that happen. But can we? Will it?
Star Trek Online Season 9 is coming on April 22nd
Even though April 22nd has yet to happen, we have the time travel technology to see it because that tech is a dime a dozen in Star Trek. And on April 22nd, we can tell you with assurance that Season 9 will release in Star Trek Online to the wild split-finger salute of digital Trekkies everywhere. Season 9 will contain a new feature episode, a space battlezone, overhauls to the Undine content, improvements to kits, and more heads. More heads make for a better galaxy, we always say! To celebrate the imminent content update, STO is doling out bonus XP from April 14th through April 21st. Cryptic put together a trailer to help get everyone up to speed on the events leading to Season 9, which you may watch after the jump.
Star Trek Online reveals Undine Infiltration mission
Star Trek Online's latest dev blog details a new level 50 mission called Undine Infiltration. Players can complete the event in 15 to 20 minutes as well as opt into a normal or elite version of it. This isn't your typical MMO mission, though, as STO captains will investigate suspected Undine infiltrators "by asking a series of questions and based on the answers, deciding whether or not the suspect is an Undine and needs to be quarantined." After a player deals with the Undine presence in a series of Bajor caves, he'll be scored based on how many infiltrators he correctly quarantined as well as how many Bajorans he cleared of suspicion.
Star Trek Online shows off new head options for Season 9
The character creator in Star Trek Online is pretty robust, but it has its limitations. There are only so many complexion options and only so many head shapes, and trying to create certain looks took an extraordinary amount of effort. So it's good news for all captains that Season 9 will bring with it a far more robust character creation setup with three new head shapes and three new complexions for everyone. It all started with bringing Tuvok into the game; creating a model that matched Tim Russ' actual face required the creation of a framework that segued naturally into more robust player options. It also gave the team an excuse to redo facial textures that had always been seen as problematic, replacing them with slightly higher-resolution versions that have better mapping. Take a look at the full development blog for more details on the process as well as a closer look at what can be done with the new options.
Star Trek Online shows off a revamp to player kits
Kits are your main method for grabbing ground combat abilities in Star Trek Online. You equip a kit and you're good to go. Despite that, they're also rather limited, as there are a limited number of different kit types and each kit of a given type contains a very set number of abilities. Season 9 is thus deploying an extensive overhaul of the kit system, allowing players to build the sorts of kits that they want to use in a more flexible framework. The core of the system is simple. Abilities are split into two categories for each profession: Assault and Strategic for Tactical, Medical and Research for Science, and Fabrication and Mechanic for Engineering. Kits will become frameworks that contain skill bonuses as well as slots to equip abilities, with each slot allowing any skill within a given category. For more details on how the new kits can be acquired and how the flexibility will benefit players, take a look at the full development blog.
Neverwinter spoofs game-within-a-game
Neverwinter has jumped the gun on April Fools' Day with its "preview" of Respen's Marvelous Game. The idea is that Neverwinter will add a game-within-a-game, allowing characters in the MMO to sit down and engage in some good ol' fashion tabletop D&D: "Respen's Marvelous Game takes place atop a table, with your character being transformed into a miniature statuette. This new event will challenge you on a whole new level. Now you will know what it is like to be on the other side of a tabletop game!" Of course, this is just a joke. Or is it? Cryptic teased the possibility of earning a green slime companion and said that it will be revealing more details tomorrow.
Champions Online hosts FoxbatCon in-game
We're moving into the heart of convention season, when people move across the country to stand in lines and buy trinkets representing our favorite hobbies. So why not also pick up some trinkets in Champions Online to represent your character's favorite hobbies? It's time for FoxbatCon, the in-game event that celebrates the intensely campy 1960s television series focused around the roguish scamp known as Foxbat. After all, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by cosplayers inside of a superhero game? The FoxbatCon event will run until April 11th, allowing players to pick up Foxbat Swag Bags from defeated villains full of convention-themed prizes. Players can also take part in missions (some of which will be introduced during the event) to earn Foxbat Creds, which can be redeemed for even more con swag. If you're eager to celebrate the camp value of an old (fictional) show, jump into the game now for the full experience. [Thanks to matixzun for the tip!]
Star Trek Online previews the new Undine battlezone in Season 9
Star Trek Online captains have been diligently fighting against the Voth in the Dyson Sphere for some time now, but when Season 9 comes out, the Undine will arrive. That means players will have to face off against new challenges, starting with the Undine battlezone. While this region of the sphere was previously under Voth control, the Undine have taken this area for their own, forcing Starfleet, the KDF, and the Romulans to work together in order to drive them out. The Undine Battlezone will be accessible directly from the Ground Combat Zone and the Contested Zone. Players will be tasked with taking control of nine points within the map, followed by assaulting the Undine's planet-killer ships. Success earns Dilithium and Undine Marks, while failure... well, you can imagine what that involves. For more details on access and the point control, check out the full development blog.
Neverwinter releases post-Shadowmantle infographic
So how is Neverwinter doing these days? The game's been a little quiet since the launch of Shadowmantle. But it looks as if it's doing fairly well, judging by a brand-new infographic, which is embedded just past the cut. More than 2 million new characters have been created since the launch of Shadowmantle, with Hunter Rangers turning up as the most popular new character and Devoted Clerics as the least. Beyond that, over 3 million characters have died in PvP matches and a combined total of 405 years' worth of experience has been gained. If you can't get enough of numbers about games, go ahead and jump past the cut to see exactly how the game has been doing since its last update. On a numerical level, it seems pretty solid. [Source: Perfect World Entertainment press release]
Star Trek Online overhauls reputation bonus abilities
Reputation in Star Trek Online doesn't just give material rewards; higher reputation is directly tied to new abilities and enhancements for both ships and captains. Season 9 is already improving and renovating the system for advancing in reputation, and that means the developers are taking a closer look at the existing system as explained in the latest development blog. That examination showed off some real issues with the extra powers for veterans compared to new characters at the level cap. It came down to the simple fact that the setup was not viable forever, and as more reputations came in, the gap in power would start becoming sizable. So what does it mean? A new setup for the various reputation powers. Starting with Season 9, powers will be renamed to Reputation Traits, with all captains receiving four slots for Ground Traits, four slots for Space Traits, and four slots for active abilities. These slots can be reallocated at any time, as well, letting you choose from a wider pool of tricks as your reputations advance. Take a look at the latest development blog for details on how the existing abilities will be changing to be more powerful with the new system.
Star Trek Online details a revamp to the Undine
As Star Trek Online turns its focus more toward the Delta Quadrant, one of the biggest bads of that region deserved a fresh look. The Undine (also known as Species 8472) have been a notable threat to the Federation and the Klingon Empire since the earliest days of the game, but the developers have only briefly touched upon them here and there in storylines. The latest development blog highlights how the race has been revamped in light of the shapeshifters taking on a larger role in the Season 9 update. The old Undine armor is gone, replaced with new appearances that are higher-definition and look more in line with existing Undine technology. The mechanics of the species both on the ground and in space have also been revamped, giving a more coherent but still unique set of challenges when players are taking on the masters of fluidic space. For more details on the new visual rank distinctions and the changes to enemy mechanics, check out the full development blog.
Why I Play: Star Trek Online
I always feel like explaining my desire to play Star Trek Online can be summed up quite simply with eight words. "Space -- the final frontier. These are the voyages..." It sounds corny, but it's true. My various natterings on the site have covered a lot of settings for which I have no real affection, but Star Trek is different. It's been a fixed point for me since I was around seven years old. It's a setting I have an immense fondness for, something I've been invested in for most of my life. Really, the thing that amazes me is that I manage to take time away from Star Trek Online. But loving the name on the box would only take me so far if the game were a big steaming pile. Every time I go back to the game, even though I have complaints here and there, I fall back in love with the game as a whole all over again. It's not perfect, but it's amazingly well-done.
Collision alert: Star Trek Online's Season 9 coming in late April
Player captains have mere weeks to prepare themselves before Star Trek Online's Season 9 arrives in late April with one of the biggest challenges to the galaxy to date. Cryptic Exective Producer Stephen D'Angelo posted an overview of Season 9 today on the official site. He said that players will have plenty to anticipate, including a new Undine feature episode, a space battlezone, updated episodes, a re-envisioning of kits, and a reworking of Earth Spacedock. "I challenged the STO team to come up with a new vision of ESD that would be so Star Trek that Trek lovers couldn't help but drool over it when arriving there," D'Angelo said. "The team did not disappoint!"
One Shots: Granny Freedom
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a super-powered senior citizen with slight incontinence and a grappling hook! Well, there's something you don't see every day. Reader Dynatos brings this gripping image from Champions Online to our attention: "A superhero that has come back out of retirement, Granny Freedom grapples across Millennium City's skies on the lookout for both evil-doers and heroes who need a little help with their moral compass!" She's also never late for Denny's early bird specials. So what other visual treats do we have in store for you whippersnappers this week? Oh, wouldn't you like to know!
Neverwinter's Icewind Dale PvP factions detailed
Neverwinter's forthcoming Curse of Icewind Dale module will introduce two factions to the free-to-play fantasy MMO. Players will receive contracts from either the Ten-Towners or the Arcane Brotherhood and will subsequently be sent to collect black ice and fight monsters on behalf of their factional choice. In the process, adventurers will encounter players from the opposing faction in what Cryptic says is "a more developed PvP progression path for players who are seeking an alternative to the standard PvE content in Neverwinter." Cryptic's latest website update refers to Neverwinter's PvP as "open-world," and you can read more details via the links below.
Perfect World enjoys a profitable 2013
Perfect World Entertainment is celebrating this week as the most recent financial reports show a revenue increase of 11% for last year, thanks to forward-thinking initiatives aimed at investments in other companies and a focus on mobile gaming for the future. Most impressive was the Q4 results showing a net profit growth from RMB86.4 million to RMB209.8 million ($34 million), according to a report at Gamesindustry.biz. All of this, of course, is on the heels of DotA 2's upcoming release in China and Neverwinter's Chinese release later this year which both may play a part in even further growth for 2014.
Star Trek Online now available for Macs
Apple fans, you can stop using Bootcamp to play Star Trek Online on your Mac. Cryptic and Perfect World have just announced the sci-fi MMOs availability via a press release. "Star Trek fans have been asking for Star Trek Online on Mac since we launched in 2010. Thanks to the tremendous success we've had with the game, we're excited to be expanding the galaxy again" Cryptic CTO and Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo explained. "We know there's a large gaming community that thrives on Mac and we're thrilled to finally be able to let them experience Star Trek Online. It simply looks amazing on Mac widescreens." Click past the cut for the full press release. [Source: Cryptic and Perfect World press release]
Star Trek Online exceeds bonus XP barrier this weekend
Star Trek Online has a super-sized bonus weekend lined up for its players, doubling all skill points and expertise earned from tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. EDT through Monday, March 10th, at the same time. The bonus XP isn't the only incentive to log in, as Cryptic is also activating all previous starbase, spire, embassy, and dilithium mine featured projects tomorrow for a limited time. This will open up 37 "rerun" projects in case fleets missed out on them the first time around. Finally, a recent dev blog delivered the specs and visuals for the new Fleet Galaxy Dreadnought, which will also become available on the 6th.
