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Captain's Log: Star Trek Online's reputation systems for the new player
One thing new MMO players will learn is that games that have levels inevitably also have a level cap, meaning that when a character reaches the highest level, there's not often much left to do other than to wait for a new expansion. This conundrum has left many developers trying to find ways to keep players in the game while they worked on new, larger content pushes. Many accomplish the task by creating repeatable quests or missions. Some games, Star Trek Online included, have integrated what are known as reputation systems into their games. Reputation systems are meant to keep players participating in repeatable content, allowing them to apply the currency received from that play to obtain select items and unique rewards.
Captain's Log: Peeking in on Star Trek Online's Tribble test server
It's been a couple of weeks since I've had the opportunity to write about some of the new features in the upcoming expansion for Star Trek Online called the Legacy of Romulus. Due out on May 21st, 2013, the expansion will boast a new playable Romulan faction as well as additional Klingon content, a new "adventure zone," and some tweaks to existing systems. Among those tweaks is a new look to the game's user interface, a revamp to the trait system, and an overhaul to the Tholian zone on Nukara Prime, which will be converted into a reputation faction similar to the systems already in place for Task Force Omega and New Romulus. Hit the jump to catch a glimpse of what I was able to glean from the Star Trek Online's Tribble test server!
Star Trek Online's Crystalline Entity strikes back
The Crystalline Entity encounter in Star Trek Online is back, as Cryptic has refurbished the event to make it better than ever before. Starting on April 11th, players will be able to tackle the Entity in 10-person encounters while completing a brand-new project for the game. Systems Designer Jeremy Randall explains that the team wasn't happy with the original Crystalline Entity encounter and thus brought it back to the drawing board to make it more engaging. The reworked event now has new features and allows players of all types to participate. The Tholians are now involved as well, although their role is somewhat of a mystery. As part of the reintroduction of the event, Cryptic is running a three-week promotion where players can earn crystal shards for defeating the entity. One shard can be earned per day, and it takes 14 shards to complete the project. The reward for doing so is 50,000 dilithium Ore, 1,000 fleet marks, and a unique crystal shard space non-combat pet.
Captain's Log: Catching up on Star Trek Online
Leave it to my coworker here at Massively to find a way to suggest a new focus in my Captain's Log columns. Since many of us will be waiting impatiently for the next teaser for March Beneath the Raptor's Wings due out on March 21st, I had been a little worried that news on the Star Trek Online front would be a little thin. Therefore, I was very happy for a suggestion that came about after a tweet from Beau Hindman generated responses suggesting that I take on this subject. So for the next couple of weeks I will be writing about some of the major changes Star Trek Online has undergone in the past two years in the hopes it can help out folks like Beau who are returning to the game after a long absence.
Star Trek Online shows off the new Tholian Lock Box
Fair warning for those of you who hate the Star Trek Online lock boxes: There's no good news for you in this post. Those of you who do like the system (or at least aren't actively unfond of it) will be glad to know that the release of Season 6 is bringing along a new box, complete with new rewards. That includes four new ships (the Tholian Orb Weaver and three mirror universe versions of existing ships) along with new cross-faction consoles and new duty officers. Players can also be rewarded with new purple-quality Phased Tetryon weapons or Fleet Credits to accelerate progress on fleet starbase projects. The lock box also contains a wider variety of crystals, ensuring that even if you don't get the drop you want, you can at least get something of worth. While the rewards won't please any fans of the game who dislike the existing box system, there's at least a variety of nice prizes within the box.
Captain's Log: Star Trek Online launches Season Six
Season Six has finally made its way to the Star Trek Online live servers! It was pushed to the Holodeck server last Thursday after a day-long maintenance period and a couple of patches that followed into the wee-hours of the morning on Friday. By Friday afternoon, the majority of issues seemed to be resolved, and players, especially those who belonged to fleets, crowded into the game to begin construction on their new starbases. Others jumped in to play against the new Tholian enemy in a hostile environment. Most now seem very happy with the new content and are eager to work with their fellow starship captains to create and defend their fleets' bases. Join me after the jump as I go over more of the new stuff!
Captain's Log: Tholians come to STO and Cryptic's cryptic answers
Well, it's about time. Ask most Trekkies who their favorite franchise bad guys are and most will respond with answers like the Romulans, the Borg, or maybe even Q or the Klingons. Rarely will someone respond with the Tholians, but I will. They have been my favorite Star Trek nemeses since I read the official Star Trek novels set in the Original Series era called Vanguard. Written by veteran Star Trek novelists David Mack, Dayton Ward, Kevin Dilmore, and Marco Palmieri, the seven-book series revolves around a secret lab set on a starbase built in the far-flung reaches of space just as Kirk and gang begin their heralded five-year mission. The Tholians play important roles in the books, and I've been salivating at the thought of having them in Star Trek Online ever since I heard they were being worked on. And now they're here! Join me after the jump to learn more about what you can expect from an encounter with these very toasty arachnids.
Captain's Log: STO's loaded for bear
In continued preparation for the coming release of Season Six, this week Star Trek Online players saw the reemergence of the State of Game letters from STO Executive Producer Daniel Stahl as well as the launch of the new tier five ship, the Armitage class. We still await the official release date for Season Six; it hasn't been released to the Tribble test server, but Stahl's letter gives additional insight into what players can expect from the new season and gives a few hints at what can be anticipated in Season Seven, due out later this year. So join me as I go over both the letter and the specs for the new ship!
Captain's Log: Incoming messages from the devs... again
Captain's Log, Stardate 65131.6... Hello, computer (and players)! I seem to mention this all the time, but I believe it to be true: The developers working on Star Trek Online are more transparent with their work than the devs of most other games. Whether or not this transparency has been always been a good thing is debatable, though. Still, no matter what one's thoughts on this are, I think we can all agree we like to be "in the know" when it comes to new things in development. This past weekend, a select group of STO players was able to attend another Dine with the Devs event, hosted by yours truly, where transparency was taken to the next level. As I let you all know last week, the second-ever Dine with the STO Devs event coincided with some STO devs' visit to the Star Trek Las Vegas convention. Over 50 players gathered at a local Vegas restaurant to eat, drink and bombard Cryptic's developers with their most burning questions. Because 99.99% of the game's players were unable to attend, I captured the entire event on audio and would like to present you with a basic transcript of the evening's events. So make some food, grab a drink, and get ready to fire up the Holodeck for another edition of Captain's Log. Ensign, warp 10! Auxiliary power to the Holodeck matrices and brace for impact...
