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Stoffel Vandoorne make it two in a row in both drivers' and team championships for Mercedes-EQ in Formula E.
Star Trek Online Season 8: The Sphere energizes today
As part of what I'm calling "Mega-Update Tuesday," Star Trek Online has released Season 8: The Sphere for brash and bold captains to explore. Season 8's storyline challenges players to explore a Dyson Sphere that could be pivotal in the politics of the galaxy. The sizable update contains a new adventure zone, a reworked Federation tutorial, a new reputation track, a battlezone, queued events, curved hallways, and more goodies for fleets. For a limited time, Cryptic is giving players a free Solanae Tribble to celebrate the new season. Massively's been to the sphere and back to bring you the trailer and an in-depth preview of Season 8, so consider it your captain's duty to check those out.
Star Trek Online dev blog details Federation interior revamp
Star Trek Online environment artist Jeff Miller has penned a new dev blog focused on the upcoming Federation ship interior revamp. Players can look forward to dynamic hallways and smaller, more compact designs that still allow plenty of room for combat maneuvering. What's a dynamic hallway? It's a hallway "built in sections that can easily be swapped out with other things," Miller explains. "For example, if a mission calls for the player to be in a more engineering-type deck, we can very easily swap out a paneled wall section with piping. Another example would be what we like to call special situations. A special situation would be like if a mission required a sudden explosion to occur and an entire section gets blasted out into space. The way the new hall kits are made let us do cool new things like this a lot easier." There's much more to the dev blog, and of course the revamp itself will be playable via the new Federation tutorial coming in Season 8.
Star Trek Online dev blog on building the perfect Worf
Last week we told you about Michael Dorn's return to Star Trek and his role in Star Trek Online's Season 8 content. Cryptic has followed up on that announcement with a dev blog focused on Worf's character design. Senior character artist Joe Jing walks readers through the design process and talks up everything from Klingon body models to uniforms to Worf's initial appearance in STO's The Next Generation 25th anniversary event. That version didn't exactly capture the character's essence, Jing explains, so Cryptic pulled out all of the stops for version 2.0. "There were key details missing to make a convincing Michael Dorn as Worf. For example, our existing Klingon forehead ridges didn't quite have the same look as Worf's ridges," Jing says. "And the textures for the face were missing one of the coolest and most distinguishing facial features -- the groove under the eye and in front of the cheek bone that helps make Worf look so damn tough. So we modified textures for both, making new versions that are closer to the show."
Star Trek Online Season 8 set to release November 12
You've heard us gushing about Star Trek Online's Season 8 for a while now, from the new content to the new teaser trailer, and even a bit about celebrity Star Trek actor Michael Dorn making an appearance in the game. But now we have the official release date for the newest goodies: November 12. Season 8: The Sphere will introduce the ancient alien Voth species to players for the first time, while the Worf-laden feature episode Sphere of Influence is currently live. [Source: PWE press release]
Dorn reprises Worf role in Star Trek Online's Season 8
Worf is back in Star Trek, or rather, Star Trek Online. According to an interview with actor Michael Dorn on the official Star Trek website, the Klingon warrior will appear in the game's new Sphere of Influence feature episode. "I'm afraid Worf is always lurking somewhere in the background of my psyche," Dorn tells STO content designer and interviewer Kate Bankson. Read the full interview via the links below.
New ship and special items await STO players in 'Sphere of Influence'
With Star Trek Online's Season Eight: The Sphere content edging ever-closer to release, it's time for Cryptic to fire up the lore machine and start pushing players toward their destiny. Sphere of Influence, set to go live on October 31st, bridges the gap between current content and the upcoming Sphere additions. Starting Thursday, all players level 10 or above will be able to hail D'Tan from their mission journals and begin a new quest. This quest, which revolves around D'Tan's efforts to restore the Iconian Gateway, will take players into New Romulus to stand present at the gate's reactivation. Players who complete the quest will receive pieces of the ancient obelisk technology set as well as a special Obelisk ship that can be helmed only after the player reaches level 40. The quest will be available from October 31st to December 5th.
Star Trek Online dev blog outlines new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone
Members of the United Federation, the Klingon Empire, and the Romulan Republic alike ought to be polishing their phasers and preparing their away teams because the best and brightest of all three factions are going to be needed to fight back the Voth in Star Trek Online's new Solanae Dyson Sphere adventure zone. Which, as it happens, is the subject of the latest developer diary from the folks at Cryptic Studios. In this new adventure zone, which our own Teri Shull covered in her most recent column, players will board a massive Dyson Sphere in which the Romulan Republic has established a base of operations, but of course they're not alone. The Voth have brought in an armada of their own in hopes of claiming the Dyson Sphere themselves, and naturally it falls to the players to put an end to their nefarious machinations. Players can take part in a number of variable missions across the three major zones of the sphere in order to attain precious Dyson Marks and Commendations, which can in turn be taken to the Dyson Joint Command faction for valuable rewards. If you're looking for more intel on this vital mission, you can check out the full post over at STO's official site.
Cryptic on creating STO's Season 8 Dyson Sphere
Cryptic has posted a new Star Trek Online dev blog focused on the game's upcoming Season 8 content drop. The patch is subtitled The Sphere and "will for the first time ever in STO feature exploration in a Dyson Sphere." Creating the sphere was quite the daunting task, Cryptic says, largely because of the sheer scale involved. "The theorized Dyson Sphere has a radius of 1 AU, which is the distance from the sun to the earth, and the surface area of that sphere would be 550 million times that of the earth," the dev blog explains. Click through to the links below for more info about STO and Season 8!
Captain's Log: It's speculation time in Star Trek Online
It's that time again, folks: that time when the Star Trek Online playerbase begins to get edgy as we wait for new stuff. It's that "quiet time," although it's never truly quiet at Star Trek Online -- not in the forums, not in the game, and most definitely not at Cryptic Studios. However, we're also at that crucial point in the cycle of content releases when the dearth of real information is all too obvious. So what's a player to do until the next Featured Episode is released? Well, dwell on the teasers, of course! So join me past the jump and we can speculate together on what we will and won't be seeing in the upcoming FE and Season Eight.
Captain's Log: Around round of Star Trek Online potpourri
Over the course of the last few weeks, Captain's Log has chronicled a series of interviews with various members of the Star Trek Online development team. Today, I think it's time to take a break and bring everyone up to date and outline some of the interesting things that happened in Star Trek Online in the past month. STO Lead Designer Al Rivera issued a special dev blog outlining the new changes to security for fleets, and Executive Producer Daniel Stahl also posted about the integration of material from Star Trek: Voyager into the game, so join me past the break as I cover what has happened in STO since we got back from Las Vegas!
Star Trek Online state of the game update talks Season 8, reputation, and more
Star Trek Online executive producer Dan Stahl has posted a new state-of-the-game letter. Much of the post is a recap of the Legacy of Romulus expansion success and a thank you to STO supporters. Stahl does talk a bit about the Season 8 update which will release "later this year." It will focus on endgame missions for all factions as well as the game's first Space Adventure Zone. Also in the works is a new reputation system that represents a "major shift" from the current mechanic that Cryptic hopes will make it "more approachable than some of the previous systems." There's also a bit of info about Season 8's Feature Episode, as well as a mention of "a major investment in Gateway" to upgrade STO's web and mobile functionality. You can read the full letter via the links below. [Thanks matixzun!]
Star Trek Online transmits plans for next two seasons, mid-year event
Executive Producer Dan Stahl is hardly shy in tackling the myriad Ask Cryptic questions, and today's Star Trek Online queries proved to be no different for him. While there was a hodge-podge of questions from players, it seemed as though the focus for many was on the future of the game and Season 8 in specific. Stahl said that Season 8 is due in the first half of the year, possibly in May, although there will be some content arriving this month for the three-year anniversary of the game. He promises that Klingons will "get some love" in Season 8 and hints at the vast wealth of additions coming with the update: "[It] will focus on adding new missions and storyline to the game in the form of a new adventure zone, new episodes, and another big feature, which is yet to be revealed." Following Season 8, Cryptic will then roll out a mid-year event and Season 9. The mid-year event was compared to the game's current winter event, with the possibility of taking place on Risa. Stahl is quite pumped for the year in general: "Season 8 and Season 9 are both going to be BIG releases. I'm very much looking forward to them because they represent the first big releases we will have been able to do with the increase to our live team staff."
Arena season 8 to end as early as Oct. 12
Community Manager Zarhym has posted to announce that arena Season 8 will be ending as early as Oct. 12, two weeks from now. In addition, he has confirmed that Season 9 will not be starting until approximately one week after the release of the Cataclysm expansion. With this announcement, not only should arena teams get ready to get in those last few wins in hope of gaining end-of-season rewards, but we can all start looking forward to patch 4.0.1. It's not a guarantee, of course, but the end of an arena season is generally accompanied by a new patch -- and with patch 4.0.1 already on many of our computers via the background downloader, this may be as good a time as any. Of course, the post also leaves Blizzard leeway to push the end date back a few weeks if it needs to, as well, but either way, it may be a good idea to start getting prepared. Want to ascend the arena ladders faster than a fireman playing Donkey Kong? Read Blood Sport for pointers on arena play. Don't miss our interviews with successful arena PvPers, and see The Art of War(craft) for the inside line on battlegrounds and world PvP.
The Colosseum: Tredd, warrior of Auchindoun
The Colosseum takes us inside the world of the Gladiator (Relentless, Furious, Deadly, Brutal, Vengeful, Merciless, and otherwise), to interview some of the top Arena fighters on the battlegroups. Our goal is to bring a better understanding of the strategy, makeup, and work that goes into dueling it out for fame, fortune, and Frostwyrms. We're especially focused on the people who play these games, to further shed light on the world of the PvP player. If you'd like to be interviewed for The Colosseum, please feel free to contact us -- be sure to include your armory as a link! Warriors in arena seem to be all the rage these days. We were pleased to interview Tredd, a front-page warrior who plays multiple team compositions in 3v3. Read on to see what Tredd has to say about the state of arena! WoW.com: Why do you play warrior? What is it about the class's toolbox that appeals to you for competitive arena? Tredd: To me, warriors are one of the most prime classes when it comes to dealing damage and keeping up the pressure. This is mostly due to the rage mechanic, which allows me to keep using abilities and not having the weakness of having to drink. Also, our incredibly good defensive measures with Shield Block + Shield Wall and Spell Reflect make the class very versatile when going head to head with any other class. WoW.com: Why do you play arms instead of protection? Tredd: I currently run arms mostly for the comps I play -- Mortal Strike is more effective than prot's fifty billion stuns. I do, however, enjoy protection PvP as much as Arms. I can't really say more than that, since prot has Warbringer Intervene vs. Bladestorm etc.
Patch 3.3.2: Season 8 gear listing
Patch 3.3.2 heralds the start of season 8, and with it comes a whole load of shiny new PvP gear. Armor sets, weapons, trinkets, the whole deal. MMO-Champion's database has been updated with all of it (stats included, of course), and Boubouille has all of it listed in convenient tabbed menus. You'll find rating requirements there, too. Of course, if you're only interested in what the armor looks like, we have you covered there. You can head back to our Season 8 preview, or simply check out the gallery below. %Gallery-84085%
Season 8 armor sets unveiled
Season 8 arena gear now available for you to drool over! Even though season 8 hasn't quite started yet due to delays, arena players will be rocking it in style. Although no clear date has been set in stone, the next arena season is expected to start soon (possibly coinciding with the 3.3.2 patch). The above shot is what the paladin gear looks like. Personally, I really like the way paladins, priests and warlocks look. I can't say that there is a specific armor set that I absolutely despise, but do take a look at our gallery and see all the sets for yourself. %Gallery-84085%
Patch 3.3.2 patch notes on official Korean WoW site
Blizzard, perhaps jumping the gun a little, has posted the patch notes for the upcoming Patch 3.3.2 mini-patch on the official Korean site. We've translated them for your convenience. Lots of changes to heroic dungeons, some class buffs (warlock, shaman, druid), and some class nerfs (prot warrior). All this and more, after the cut. Disclaimer: Translation is hard! Some of these notes, especially more complex ones, may be slightly off. We'll post the official English notes when they're posted as well. Update! Warbringer change clarified (again). Ghostcrawler chimed in about it. Dungeons and Raids Icecrown Citadel The Frostwing Halls, the last stronghold of the Lich King and the Scourge, has been added, but the Ashen Verdict must break down the door first. (Does this mean we have to wait some additional time to fight Arthas?) Halls of Stone Brann Bronzebeard has been working out, so he'll run faster during the escort event. Forge of Souls Devourer of Souls will cast Mirrored Soul less often. Trash mob Spell Reflect abilities have been changed. It now has a casting time, and will proc only twice at a rate of 75% instead of 100%.
Breakfast Topic: Your predictions for arena season eight
In season seven, we saw beast cleave (beast mastery hunter + enhancement shaman + holy paladin) win the majority of high-profile tournaments and become quite popular. Very few saw it coming. Beast cleave, of course, got handed several nerfs (only one of which was serious) which many considered a death knell, but the composition is still very strong. Towards the end of season seven, protection warriors (and to a lesser extent, protection paladins) were the new flavor-of-the-month craze. Again, almost no one saw it coming. The new season is slated to be quite different from previous arena seasons in WotLK. Resilience is getting a huge boost in effectiveness, increasing the benefit of wearing PvP gear in arenas. Some people (even on arena junkies) are stating that PvE gear will be even better in PvP because of the change. The idea is that arena players can get away with donning more loot from dragons because the added resilience benefit will make up for the forfeited survivability. While I might be wrong here, that sounds like terrible logic. One gladiator is predicting the shift to more survivability will benefit warlocks, warriors, and druids. The same poster believes mages and rogues will be harmed, while everyone else will keep status quo. So, I ask you, breakfast readers: What are your predictions for arena season eight?
Arena season 7 end date announced
Bornakk has just announced that Arena Season 7 is about to end. The planned end date is January 19. Avoid or delay any realm transfer plans on your arena characters until the process is over if you think you can obtain an arena-specific title and/or the Relentless Gladiator's Frostwyrm. During the one week grace period after the end of the season, rated matches will not be in effect. Season 8 is expected to start one week after the current season ends, which means we expect it to begin on January 26. When the new season begins, your team ratings, personal ratings and arena points will be wiped clean. Your matchmaking rating and honor points will be untouched. This also means that Toravon the Ice Watcher will be available to us soon. He is the fourth (and final) boss in the Vault of Archavon. Good luck to those of you who are competing for the rewards!
