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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.
Four Champions Online gameplay videos surface
Fans of Champions Online are getting their first hands-on time with the game at GenCon Indy this year. The superhero MMO is finally being shown openly to the public, which means a fan by the name of ikky68 was able to take plenty of gameplay footage without being melted holy grail-style by Jack Emmert's laser eyes. There are four videos in total and they're each anywhere between two to five minutes long, so we hope you've got a little time to kill. Each of the videos features a different person playing a different character, which means a good amount of variety to each play-through of the demo Cryptic is showing off this weekend. We have to say, the game is looking pretty good -- even through shaky-cam goggles. We loved being able to finally seeing the Snake Gulch robotic cowboy mobs that the players are pummeling. Thankfully, it's very apparent that Cryptic's style of slightly tongue-in-cheek enemy design is fully intact. There's just something about that little bit of cheese that makes our superhero weekend excursions all the more enjoyable. Check out all four videos below the cut!
Podcast interviews two Star Trek Online guys, gets lots of new info
Star Trek gaming podcast Hailing Frequency interviewed Cryptic Studios Chief Creative Officer Jack Emmert in the wake of the big Las Vegas unveiling of Star Trek Online. The two part interview is available in both audio and video, and it's one of the best sources of details beyond the unveiling video itself at this point.There are a lot of reveals and hints in the interview. Some examples of interview topics: post-launch plans for user-generated content, an economy without a monetary currency, and details about starship combat. Emmert speculates that cross-platform play and non-region-specific servers are possible, but that no final determinations have been made. Listen to the interview for more!Hailing Frequency also spoke with STO's new community manager, JR Sutich, who is better known to folks in the MMO community as Razor. He was a regular writer at WarCry before he started with Cryptic. That interview, also available in both audio and video, deals exclusively with the game's community and forums.
Liveblog, info, videos and more from the Star Trek Online livecast
Last night we noted that videos and information had become available from the grand unveiling of Star Trek Online, Cryptic's newest in-development game. While there isn't a ton of information out there, there is quite a bit of coverage, and we've got the rundown for you this morning. Our own sister site Big Download has a great highlight reel from the event, noting that there are only going to be two factions at game launch. 1up has an extensive liveblog of the event, which gets point for catching all the nuances but is at about Warp Factor 8 for Trekkie-hating snark.Though the liveblog gives the idea short shrift, we think the thought that you might be able to go onto other players' ships is particularly interesting. Player-created content, perhaps? Combine that with a Web 2.0 website where players can show off their ships online, and you've got a deep space version of Better Homes and Gardens. The official site offers something almost as good as a home decoration magazine: a chance to win a lifetime subscription to STO when it is released. Check out the official website for details, and navigate your craft over to West Karana for our own Brenda Holloway's lovingly-cynical take on the announcement. Finally, you can click through below the cut for the trailer and Jack's introduction by Leonard Nimoy.
Associated Press reveals new Star Trek Online details
We're just hours away from Cryptic's world reveal of Star Trek Online during the Star Trek Experience event in Las Vegas, but those wishing to jump the phaser on all the hubbub would be wise to read a recent AP interview with Cryptic Chief Creative Officer Jack Emmert. In said interview, a number of intriguing details about the MMO are revealed -- chief among these include word that players will be able to choose an alien species to play as, or create their own, in an uncharacteristic show of disregard for Star Trek canon.New players will then captain their own Starfleet or Klingon ship, the size and crew of which will grow as the player progresses. Players will also be able to leave their ships to explore planets in true Trek fashion. Don't expect to see many familiar, pointy-eared faces on your travels, however -- Emmert explained that the game takes place "a few generations" after the last Star Trek film. It seems your best bet of running into Shatner in an MMO is to continue searching World of Warcraft for a shaman with unusual vocalized pauses.[Via 1UP]
Ask Cryptic touches on player-created content
Every time Cryptic puts up a brand new Ask Cryptic article we have a tough time picking only one or two answers to talk about. However, this week was pretty easy. The very first question presented asks about how deep Champions Online will delve into the concept of player-created content, whether it be mods or actual in-game content. Jack Emmert responded reasonably by mentioning that the Nemesis system, costume creation, power selection and power customization features are merely the beginning. Apparently we that we can, "look to see [Cryptic] continue to open the door for more player-generated material." Which really makes us wonder what that means for Star Trek Online.We must admit to this being an exciting proposition. It's our hope as comic book and MMO nerds that there's a future where we can submit completely unique costumes to go through moderated approval for each of our crazy characters in Champions Online. Or even custom animations! That would be unequivocally and unabashedly awesome. Don't disappoint us now, Cryptic.
Cryptic officially announces Star Trek Online
We may have spoiled Cryptic's little surprise, but even though we were pretty sure we knew what this whole countdown business was about, when midnight pacific time rolled around, we headed over to Cryptic's website to see what would happen next. We were immediately met by errors saying the server failed to respond as geeks world-wide attempted to do the same thing, but when we finally got through, we received the exciting launch message above and the count-down link had been swapped for a banner linking to the Star Trek Online homepage. For those of you concerned by the thought of your favorite sci-fi franchise being shoddily moved to MMO territory (and, come on, if you're Star Trek fans you must be used to the name being a bit abused), we were reassured by Jack Emmert's letter to the community: There are few other fictional backgrounds that fit the MMORPG medium so well. After all, Star Trek was never about a single character, ship or even planet; Star Trek was always about an entire universe. And MMORPGs are uniquely suited to create such a thing and allow players to explore every inch. Admittedly, Star Trek has its challenges. We want to make a game that best captures the real essence of Star Trek. We see Star Trek as much about exploration as combat. As much about the variety of alien civilizations as it is about the core Vulcans, Klingons, Humans, etc. It's going to be an exciting ride over the coming months as we begin to unveil STO. I can't wait. For those of you who can't get enough STO news, on August 10th Cryptic will be unveiling the first gameplay footage at the Official Star Trek Convention in Vegas (if you aren't going to be there, never fear -- they'll stream it on the web, too!) and there are new forums packed full of fans for you to geek out with.%Gallery-28615%
Big Download taps into Champions Online
We give em' two big thumbs-up, and we hope you don't think super-hero and villain MMOs are overplayed. One very cool thing about Champions Online is that Hero Games will develop a tabletop version in tandem with the MMOG. The pen and paper ruleset will borrow heavily from the design-direction in Champions Online. You won't make any throw-away character sheets. Whatever character you play in the MMOG will be available to create and play in the pen and paper arena. But enough about the roll hacks. That's long ways down the road, and our sister site Big Download is slowing it down for those looking to catch up. Their Champions Online feature, is a retrospect that details how it all came about: In it they delve into the mastermind and find out why Jack Emmert and Cryptic Studios decided to develop the comic property. Emmert's candidness might surprise you. The feature also details the bios and back stories behind some of the caped and masked crusaders from the Champions Online Universe.
Cryptic Studios delves into the tabletop DNA of Champions Online
The highly pedigreed PC-gaming site Rock, Paper, Shotgun is offering up a week of Champions Online features. They began at the very beginning - the pen and paper game that spawned the online representation. Jack Emmert kicks off the week by noting that moving from tabletop to MMO is a no-brainer move. The Champions license has a 25-year history, allowing for a lot of really compelling content to be 'just lifted' straight from the pages of the RPG sourcebooks. He also notes the relative infancy of the MMO genre, and obviously hopes that future titles like his own will aid in the game type's creative expansion.Following close on Mr. Emmert's heels comes commentary from pen-and-paper designer George MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald had worked on the Champions game for some time, and has a great viewpoint on the point-based system driving the game's undercarriage. The site and the designer go back and forth on the concept of "expressive" game mechanics, and briefly reflect back on MacDonald's work with the SSI gold box D&D games. These are two great pieces about the intersection of MMOs and their originating art form.
The week in Massively features
Massively visits Stargate Worlds: The interviewDuring our visit to Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Arizona studio, we got to sit down with five of the top minds on the Stargate Worlds team -- studio head Dan Elggren, creative director Chris Klug, art director Howard Lyon, VP of technology Demetrius Comes, and senior marketing manager Kevin Balentine. This exclusive, in-depth, and conversational interview is overflowing with information about everything in the game, including TV series tie-ins and cameos, episodic content, combat, graphics, mini-games, and much, much more. Massively's E3 Week Prediction BingoEvery year it's customary to roll out predictions on what will and won't show up at the current year's E3 event. With Massively heading in the direction of the LA Convention Center already, we thought it might be fun to offer up some likely (and highly unlikely) predictions of what might get talked about next week. Jack Emmert discusses the Champions IP in fresh new videoDuring a recent media event at Cryptic Studios, Jack Emmert gave a presentation on what the Champions IP was all about, including the history of the Champions universe and its super-powered beings. He also took some time to answer a few questions, and delineated how the Champions Online MMO will distinguish itself from City of Heroes. Massively's exclusive interview with Turbine: Moria and moreRecently, we were fortunate enough to sit down with some of the fine folks at Turbine to discuss a few more details on their newest content patch and the future of Lord of the Rings Online. During this play session, we got a load of screenshots and an in-game video to document the amazing content that will launch with Book 14: The Ring-forges of Eregion. The Digital Continuum: Diet WARDiet Warhammer Online: same great taste, less content. Is it bad that the recently re-branded Mythic Entertainment just cut out a large portion of our Warhammer Online pie and put it in the deep freeze? Well it's certainly not good when a developer cuts content they've been talking about publicly for so long, especially when launch is only three or four months away.
First power sets and more in newest Champions Online preview
Gamespot recently got the chance to visit Cryptic Studios and take a look at Champions Online. They brought back a video and some tasty new information regarding the newest superpowered MMO on the block. One of the biggest pieces of news was that there are currently thirteen powersets featured in the game and four of them are powered armor, beast, darkness, and dark energy. These sets contain various powers within them and can be mixed and matched to your heart's desire.There's also some mention of the Champions Online history in the preview, but if you don't feel like reading through all of that you can see Jack Emmert explain it in our video preview here on the site. We happen to dig the fact that this world is set in another version of our own and the opportunity for Cryptic to make pop-culture references tickles our imagination for what in-game experiences will end up being like. Also, feel free to check out our recently updated Champions Online gallery as it contains a ton of new images for your visual delight.%Gallery-17946%
Jack Emmert discusses the Champions IP in fresh new video
During a recent media event at Cryptic Studios, Jack Emmert gave a presentation on what the Champions IP was all about, including the history of the Champions universe and its super-powered beings. He also took some time to answer a few questions, and delineated how the Champions Online MMO will distinguish itself from City of Heroes.Although the video misses a few minutes of the beginning of the presentation, it does cover the major figures such as Defender, Doctor Destroyer, and Foxbat (pictured above); the various organizations the world harbors; and the Nemesis system. There's a lot of great content in Emmert's words, and if you're like us, it all just makes you hungry for more. The full 14:50 video is all yours after the break!
New artwork from Champions Online reveals character origins
Cryptic Studios continues to reveal more of the world of Champions Online and tease us all with intriguing story elements for its more prominent superbeings. Included in this new series of images are comic book-style, wordless origin stories of Defender, Doctor Destroyer, Ironclad, Justiciar, and Menton. The sheer amount of information Cryptic is willing to share with its fans is heartening, especially since it's likely that we won't even see the launch until next year. Expect more content to come, including video of Jack Emmert discussing the Champions IP and how it differs from City of Heroes.%Gallery-17946%
The changes happening at Cryptic
Cryptic Studios was the developer to bring us a superhero MMO with City of Heroes. Since that time thousands of people have spent a lot of time both creating and playing their fantasized superheroes over the past years, including us here at Massively. Essentially, we've always felt like Cryptic games were pretty damn good. Recently, Jack Emmert made a post sharing with the community how the Champions Online team stopped development of new content for two weeks in order to thoroughly play and polish a single zone. Is this a sign of things to come from Cryptic? We certainly hope so, because with three titles in development -- Star Trek Online being a strongly-rumored guess for one of them -- there's already quite a lot that's different about the guys that brought us City of Heroes back in 2004 these days.
Jack Emmert named as GenCon industry guest of honor
Jack 'Statesman Jackalope' Emmert is to be one of the Industry Guests of Honor at GenCon, to be held Aug. 14-17 in Indianapolis. Best known for his work on City of Heroes, in which he took over from original lead designer Rick Dakan, Jack is now the chief creative officer in the Cryptic team working on Champions Online.Jack Emmert is definitely qualified to speak about iterative game design, as the City of Heroes design process featured no small number of clinkers that were identified as such by the player base, despite looking good at the design stage. Jack's self-deprecatingly frank about his early mistakes, and explains how he's learned from them: 'We assumed a player would get the mission, go into the instance, realize that he was facing a "boss," leave the mission, find a friend, and then tackle the "boss" together. I was pretty darn naïve back then.' Jack's willingness to engage with the player base had the unfortunate secondary effect of giving dissatisfied players an articulate target for their frustration. Even now, Jack is still remembered in some quarters as a sort of uber-bogeyman armed with a colossal nerf bat.
Champions Online's mysterious Omega System
When Jack Emmert makes a dev blog post on the official Champions Online website, we tend to take notice. He is, after all recognized as figurehead of the team behind City of Heroes. When we began reading his most recent post about solo content in Cryptic's upcoming MMORPG Champions Online our expectations were for Jack to talk about how solo content will be offered throughout the entire game. While those predictions of ours certainly came true, what we didn't not expect was a -- fittingly cryptic -- mentioning of the Omega System."Omega System... what's that?" we wondered aloud. Unfortunately all we get is a mention of the system at the end of Jack's post with the admission that it still needs some finishing touches. To us, saying that a system needs some finishing touches means it's probably not too far off from being announced. So hang in their boys and girls, we get the feeling that the mystery of the fabled Omega System will be revealed soon enough!
Cryptic is hiring ... but for what?
Cryptic Studios has announced that they're hiring people "to work on our upcoming next-gen MMOGs." This alludes to Jack Emmert's earlier remark at GDC 08, when he mentioned a "secret sci-fi project". And now that it's clear that Cryptic is growing, it just adds delicious fuel to the fire.A look at their Current Openings page reveals that every department has openings, which is good for would-be respondents, but reveals nothing for clue-seekers. As always, we'll let you know as soon as anything leaks, but this blogger dares to hope for the official resurrection of Star Trek Online. [Thanks, Christine!]
Cryptic has something to ask you
You probably already know that Cryptic Studios plans on coming to Gencon Indy and PAX this year. What you may not know is that Cryptic would like you all to tell them what you want to see. What team members do you want to meet? What panels do you want them to attend and discuss? All of your questions can be asked in the discussion thread.Our personal suggestion is definitely related to PAX, where we'd love to see Jack Emmert, Randy Mosiondz and John Layman. Last year at PAX there was a very interesting "Future of MMOs" panel that we would love to see get some Cryptic input. Although truthfully we just want to find a bunch of you guys and chat about all things superheroes, MMOs and pen and paper RPGs. Oh and of course if we could get some crazy demoing of Champions Online, that'd be super awesome too. It's probably asking a bit too much, but it's nice to dream isn't it?
New Champions Online preview hints at villains
The guys over at 1up.com have a great two page preview/interview covering Champions Online. The preview itself covers quite a bit, including Cryptic's time with the Marvel MMO, customization in Champions Online, combat, the Xbox 360 version and of course some hints at what we may see for villains. Overall the preview expands on a lot of these subjects, with quotes for Jack Emmert giving away a detail or two here and there.The big tease about the villains has really piqued our curiosity, as Emmert says, "But it's something we're thinking about in Champions: Is the gameplay experience the same for a hero and a villain? But that's part of our top-secret plan we're not talking about."A lot of people on the official forums have been clamoring for some kind of villain gameplay and Cryptic has previously shown they pay attention to the community. We would love to see the villain side play dramatically different from the hero side of Champions Online. The big question left to Cryptic is exactly how villains will be a different experience from heroes?
A day at Cryptic with Jack Emmert
It may not be the biggest piece of Champions Online news, but Jack Emmert was nice enough to give the public eye a look into his daily activities as chief creative officer at Cryptic Studios. The most curious thing about the entire read is the mention of 'Project X' and 'Project Y' as well as Jack's involvement in the two titles -- whatever they may be. There's no real information here other than the fact that these projects exist, but we kind of already knew that.There's also a bit of talk about the endgame design for Champions Online, which lead designer Randy Mosiondz has been working on. Jack says it's a really nice system, so we hope that in a few months time Cryptic will be able to share some of their ideas with us -- especially considering the importance of end-game content.
