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Captain's Log: Back to the future
Captain's Log, Stardate 64884.1... Hello, computer (and players)! Guess what's back? That's right! Hailing frequencies are now reopened -- Captain's Log is no longer on hiatus. Over the past few weeks, there has been some great news released about the Star Trek Online universe: the winner of the Design the Next Enterprise Contest was announced, the May Ask Cryptic was released, the dev team revealed the 500-day veteran rewards, and the Featured Episode reruns began. While everyone has had his or her own opinions on these stories, there is one piece of news that everyone can agree on: the awesomesauceness of the latest Engineering Report. As first announced earlier this week, Executive Producer Dan Stahl dropped his latest report, which describes the updates to the game coming in Season Four. As usual, aside from the imminent new content, Dan foreshadows the future for us. Captain's Log is no stranger to talking about the future of the game, so I am excited to share some more details about the upcoming updates with you. Since Season Four is right around the corner and I believe it will be the "game changing update this game has needed since launch," let's get on to this week's Log entry. Ensign, warp 10! Let's talk about Season 4 and beyond...
Captain's Log: Warp trails through deliberation
Captain's Log, Stardate 64806.6... Hello, computer (and players)! It has been said that the development of a MMO and the direction it takes can attributed to those who were not afraid to speak out and gather followers who are in support of abstract ideas. As I have preached about since I took over the helm of the Captain's Log, the community has been at the forefront of the Star Trek Online universe. Bolstered by numerous fan sites and thousands of fleets and cemented by transparent developer posts and interviews, STO wouldn't be where it is today without such a passionate community. A lot of this passion takes its form through posts in Cryptic's official forums. Whether the residence of your most beloved troll or the dwellings of your favorite developer, a game's official forums are a place to come together to rant, rave, and be that person who stands out and speaks up. The STO forums are no different. While the past few columns of mine have been about what the developers have said are coming in the future, I thought we should set a course this week for the forums and blaze a trail through the vast expanse filled with wants, desires, and demands. Shields up. Red alert. Ensign, warp 10! What are the players asking for this week?
Captain's Log: Incoming message... from the future
Captain's Log, Stardate 64787.3... Hello, computer (and players)! Captain Brandon Felczer of the USS Radiance Vesta-class battleship reporting in. While en route to the Gamma Orionis sector block to investigate readings of potential Borg energy signatures, we encountered an unexplained anomaly unlike any we have ever encountered; the computer system could not provide any data to us. As we attempted to break away from its gravitational pull, we lost all control and systems -- the crew lost consciousness. Once we awoke several hours later, we discovered that we had been pulled into its void and somehow propelled 365 Earth days into the future. While the Prime Directive has required us to stay out of affairs not in our timeline, we managed to record several pieces of data about developments that will happen in the future. There have been some gigantic leaps forward, and I can honestly say I cannot wait for a year from now. After I am finished recording this log, I will send it on subspace frequencies back to Starfleet Command. If you are reading this now, you have received my log one way or another. You must be now asking yourself, "What did we see?" Ensign, warp 10! Let's report on our findings of what we will see in Star Trek Online soon™...
Captain's Log: Setting a course for the future
Captain's Log, Stardate 64612.7... Hello, computer (and players)! First things first: My name is Brandon, and I am your new columnist for Captain's Log! I am thrilled to join you each week with the latest Star Trek Online news, gossip, developer interview recaps, and much, much more! As some of you may know (or now know from clicking on my name above), I am a Trekker from mostly sunny Southern California who is actively involved in the STO universe. Whether I'm doing my weekly podcast, Priority One, administrating our STO social-network site, The Quantum Café, or writing for you guys, I am having an absolute blast and am so proud of where the game has come one year since its launch. So, as a final piece of my "introduction," this column is dedicated to all the Captains out there -- may all your battles be glorious! Ensign, warp 10! Let's catch these readers up on the latest STO news...
Rise and Shiny recap: Star Trek Online
I'm not a tough guy, but the first thing I want to do when someone wishes ill on one of my first impressions is to reach through the screen and punch his lights out. There were at least a few people who did this to me when I said I would be visiting Star Trek Online. It was as though they were warning me to stay away from that scary old house on the hill. "Don't go up there, see? That's Old Man Cryptic's house! If you do, don't say I didn't warn ya!" Duly noted, oddball. I long ago made a rule to revisit games, even if I hated them when I first played them. MMORPGs change -- they have to. They have to adjust to a growing (or shrinking) playerbase, adapt to a questioning (or screaming) audience, or react to market influences (or games that do it better). Despite understanding all of this, I was worried that the five bucks I spent on the STO special edition from Amazon would be wasted. I found something I did not expect, that's for sure. Join me after the cut to find out more.
Captain's Log: STO was the best MMO of 2010?
Happy new year, everybody! By now, we've all gotten over our post-party, um, grogginess (children might be reading) and trudged back to work. I'm still on cloud nine after a stellar Sun Bowl for my alma mater, but the time has come to look to the stars for another Captain's Log. This week's edition, tortured metaphors and all, offers up a bit of a grab bag -- which has nothing at all to do with the fact that my day job is frantically hectic this week. We'll check out Star Trek Online's strong showing in Massively's year-end readers' poll, fiddle with a ship-building contest, and maybe whine a little about the Foundry. So, fun!
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's year in review
Welcome back, Capsloggers! (Note: professional nicknamer here, available for all your mascot-imagining, brand-revamping needs.) I hope you've all had a merry merry and a happy happy so far. And if you haven't, then keep it to yourself, because Massively is no place to be sad. Now the calendar's just one page, and of course I am excited. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and the end of the year means end-of-the-year lists! As we all know, 2010 has been a big year for Star Trek Online, from its release in February to the introduction of Season 3 just this month. Skip away with me down the Memory Brick Road as we recall the biggest STO stories of the year!
Captain's Log: Creating my first mission in the Foundry
Welcome to another edition of Captain's Log, loyal readers! (Disloyal readers and the illiterate are also welcome.) I hope you've been enjoying the ramp-up to Christmas without losing any limbs to last-minute shopping. I ordered everything from the comfort of Amazon this year, though a small, self-destructive part of me misses the Mad-Maxian insanity of the mall right around now. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, or at least a day off from work, and most of you probably aren't primed for a deep discussion of Star Trek Online's future or an in-depth examination of Season 3. Instead, let's play with the Foundry and maybe have a little fun as I try to craft my first actual mission.
Captain's Log: Spending time with the Foundry beta
As Deathwing rages through Azeroth and the inhabitants of other worlds look forward to gift-filled holiday events, members of the Federation and the Klingon Defense Force saw Christmahanukwanzakah arrive early in the form of Season 3. Star Trek Online's third mega-patch brought a fine array of features, including Borg ship pieces and replayable missions, to live servers last Thursday. But the biggest feature (and possibly STO's best) landed on the Tribble test server instead. So let's take a trip to Beta Land and get to know the Foundry a little better by playing a few user-made missions.
Captain's Log: Supplemental on STO's treatment of canon
Welcome to another edition of Captain's Log, everyone's (well, mostly my) favorite column about Star Trek Online. Guess what? It's Thursday, which means Thanksgiving is upon us -- assuming you're in the U.S., in which case I hope you already knew that. At any rate, in the spirit of the holiday, we're going buffet-style this week, talking about a little of this and a little of that. But don't worry; most of you are probably slipping into a food coma already, so I'll keep things light, mostly. For an appetizer, we'll nibble on Cryptic Studios' little preview of Season 3. For a nice second course, I'll revisit my opinion on STO's treatment of Star Trek canon. And for dessert, I'll suggest some Black Friday shopping on the C-Store!
Captain's Log: Wrapping up STO's second series of feature episodes
Space can be a dangerous place, as villains and ne'er-do-wells lurk in every corner. Last time, the Breen invaded the Defera system. Now, the Devidians seek to destroy an entire sector. I'm talking, of course, about Star Trek Online's weekly episodes. The second series wrapped up on Saturday, and because it should be the last major bit of content we get from Cryptic Studios until Season 3, I thought we might check out a play-through of all five episodes. Does STO's second set of feature episodes live up to the fun of the first? Actually, the Devidians blow the Breen out of the water!
Captain's Log: Anticipating STO's future in user-generated content
Hey there, folks! Welcome back to another edition of Captain's Log, Massively's rarely-coherent-but-always-fun look at Star Trek Online. I have had just the busiest darn week, you betcha. I spent all weekend at New York Comic Con, where I saw more than a few folks dressed to the nines in Star Trek gear, and then I started a shiny new day job on Monday. Phew! I've been thinking a lot about user-generated content lately. In a recent interview, STO Executive Producer Daniel Stahl offers a few details on the subject, in which we learn a bit about the forthcoming system's abilities and limitations. What do we know about STO's UGC tools? What do we still not know -- mainly, when can we get in there and start crafting our own missions? Why, follow me past the jump to find out.
Captain's Log: Wrapping up STO's first series of weekly episodes
Welcome back to another installment of Captain's Log, your weekly dose of -- y'know what, could you guys hang on for a bit? Glee is on as I write this. Britney can take a flying leap, but John Stamos is somethin' else, amirite? Ahem. So anyway, Star Trek Online's very first series of weekly episodes wrapped up this past Saturday. We covered the introduction of weekly episodes a few weeks ago, and I promised we'd get back to them in due time. So did the Breen win? What can we expect from the next series of episodes? And are STO's weekly episodes all they're cracked up to be?
Captain's Log: Impressions of diplomacy in Star Trek Online
Peace be with you, readers. Today, we convene once again for a new edition of Captain's Log, in which we discuss, with mutual respect for all opinions, Star Trek Online. Begging your pardon if you disagree, but I thought it appropriate that we explore one of the game's brand-new features: diplomacy. With the advent of Season 2: Ancient Enemies, Treksters and STO fans the world over may breathe a sigh of relief. Cryptic Studios finally introduced a dedicated system for being all peaceable and stuff, like on the teevee. So how does this diplomacy business work, and is it any good? Read on to find out.
Captain's Log: Pondering Star Trek Online's executive shakeup
Lieutenant, take the helm! It's time for another edition of Captain's Log, our regular foray into the farthest reaches of Star Trek Online. The big bombshell of the week -- no, not that one -- has left your humble captain with a serious case of the vapors, so allow me a moment to collect myself. Unless you've been hiding on the holodeck for days -- a wise choice, given the circumstances here on Earth -- you surely have heard the news: STO Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich is gone, baby, gone. According to Zinkievich's farewell letter, Daniel Stahl, formerly a producer on STO, has taken the helm in his place. I thought we'd briefly discuss Zinkievich's departure before moving on Stahl's recent video interview with the STOked podcast crew, where he dropped some delicious hints about future content and provided insight into his mindset as STO's head honcho.
Captain's Log: Nine more tips for ground combat
Ahoy, space cadets! According to my space calendar, it's Space Thursday again already. That means it's time for another edition of Captain's Log, your weekly peek into Space Star Trek Online. This week marks the final installment of our ground-combat trilogy. First we covered five basics of ground combat, and last week we discussed melee combat in some depth. Now we round things out with some miscellaneous tips for upping your game in a space firefight. After I rant a little first.
Captain's Log: Guide to melee combat in Star Trek Online
Captain to away team: Set fists to Obliterize! It's time again for Captain's Log, our weekly venture into the cosmos of Star Trek Online. Steel your nerves and ready your weapons, because we return this week to the front lines of ground combat. When Captain's Log last discussed combat, we covered five of the most important basics of fists-and-phasers fighting in STO. With the fundamentals of Exposing and Exploiting firmly in mind, we'll move on -- by popular demand -- to the exciting world of melee combat. Punching out a Borg invader might not seem very Trek-ish, but it sure gets the job done.
Captain's Log: Five basics of ground combat in Star Trek Online
It's time again for Captain's Log, where we examine the best and the worst Star Trek Online has to offer -- and everything in between -- each and every Thursday. Or at least until I replace my emotion chip with a dance champion chip. Then I'm off to conquer Dancing with the Stars. This week, I've had a change of heart. I was in the middle of writing about grouping, loneliness and the new squad system in STO when the universe -- as the universe is wont to do -- mucked that up. As I ran around trying to take a few screenshots for the grouping column, poor Captain Gil found himself caught in a seemingly endless string of ground-combat missions. And so, if for no other reason than because I snapped a bunch of guys-shooting-each-other-with-phasers pictures, this week's Captain's Log introduces some of the basics of ground combat in STO.
Captain's Log: Difficulty settings and the injury system
Ahoy, fellow officers! I trust you all enjoyed your long weekend of shore leave and sightseeing. And I hope those of you not morally opposed to microtransactions took advantage of the C-Store sale -- I'm still waiting for Cryptic Studios to add playable Catullans, complete with space grooviness. So, with spirits and warp cores recharged, it's time again for Captain's Log, Massively's weekly voyage into the far reaches of Star Trek Online. Last week, we learned about selecting your first starship. This week, let's talk about what happens when you get that ship blown to smithereens. Brace yourself, because we're about to explore the exciting world of difficulty sliders and death penalties!
One Shots: A little rest, relaxation, and ear rubbing
Here in the states we're celebrating Memorial Day -- a day to honor those who are serving in, or have served in the military. With that said, since we here at Massively deal in made-up worlds, we thought it might be nice to show off a few Starfleet officers enjoying some R&R in Star Trek Online! If given our choice, we'd probably pick a nice sandy beach as a great place for a party too -- but we'd ditch the heavy uniforms. Those have to be hot and itchy. Today's One Shots comes to us from Andrew, or Pojoh Findil Orthalle, as he's known in Star Trek Online, who writes in to give us the scoop on this fun scene: "I thought I'd send a picture of my Ferengi Captain, Pojoh, relaxing from a hard day of keeping the Federation safe. What better place to get one's ears rubbed, than on Risa. As you can tell, there were some other Captains 'gettin' down' in the background as well." What's your favorite place to relax in your MMO of choice? Why not grab a screenshot of your favorite downtime activity and send it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the game, and a note telling us about the screenshot. Your image could be the next we showcase here on Massively! %Gallery-85937%
