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Star Trek Online bringing in old favorites and old unknowns
The Star Trek Online team has gone through some shakeups recently, not to mention a touch of controversy regarding the most recent addition to the game's microtransaction store. But the newest Ask Cryptic should buy them a little bit of good will, considering that they've announced the upgraded ships for Vice Admirals -- specifically, a Galaxy-class that can separate, an Intrepid-class with ablative armor, and a Defiant-class with a cloaking device. It's the sort of stuff that any fan of the series would be hard-pressed not to grin about. Most of the other questions are equally concerned with the upcoming Season 2, which promises to bring in the Federation Diplomatic Corps as well as the ancient enemies of the klingons, the fek'ihri. The latter hasn't been seen or mentioned prior, which suggests that there might be some very interesting story explanation for why the race has been absent if they share an old rivalry. Take a look at the full list of questions for more bits and pieces on Star Trek Online's future, up to and including Facebook integration. (Optional integration, that is. No one's about to start up the mess of the week again.)
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.
Cryptic Studios launches a sale and a new ship for holiday weekend
It's the 4th of July weekend for most people in the United States -- a chance to reflect soberly on the past of the country, or at least claim to do so whilst setting off fireworks and grilling hamburgers. Cryptic Studios is also hoping that it's time to put in a little more playtime, as they're having another sale in the Star Trek Online and Champions Online C-Stores to coincide with the holiday. Up through 10 AM PST on July 6th, all full costume sets and all existing ship variants are 20% off. A new addition has also been brought into the in-game store for Star Trek Online (although not listed at the time of this writing on the official page) -- the upgraded Galaxy-class ship from the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Dubbed the Galaxy-X following popular fan convention, the ship functions as a brand-new Tier 5 Cruiser with the option to equip Dual Cannons, as well as the ship's unique Phaser Lance. The lance can hit multiple enemies and deal high amounts of damage, but unlike most weapons in the game it has to be manually aimed via turning the ship. Although Cryptic has yet to recover from the last controversy with added items to the C-Store, the sale will hopefully ease at least a few hurt feelings.
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: Should Star Trek Online fans fear the competition?
Good afternoon, cadets and admirals. Welcome to this week's edition of Captain's Log, your ever-expanding guide to Star Trek Online. Last time, we discussed some basics of ground combat, and I promised more to come. But I've decided to change course a bit, so we'll cover those next week. Instead, I thought it might be fun to discuss what's on every Earth nerd's mind right now: E3! The Electronic Entertainment Expo has engines on full impulse this week in Los Angeles, and amid all the grand news we don't care about -- I was counting on the 3DS to not be totally awesome so I wouldn't have to replace my DSiXL! Curses! -- the MMO news is flying fast and furious. With all the news and shiny images of forthcoming space-based MMOs, should fans worry that STO's days are numbered?
Star Trek Online pushes pre-order bonus items to the C-Store
Are you a Star Trek Online player who wants a Borg bridge officer or access to the original USS Enterprise, but missed out on the limited-time offers for them? The good news is that you no longer have to be bereft of the pre-order perks just because you came into the game late. Cryptic is offering a variety of the pre-order items and bonuses on the C-Store as part of a large update to their stock. Among the new items are uniforms for Deep Space Nine and The Wrath of Khan, playable Joined Trill, and of course the original Constitution-class Enterprise. Understandably, there's a fair bit of furor about the new additions to the store. Lifetime subscribers are especially upset about the changes, as some of the additions were specifically aimed at them -- and unlike pre-ordering customers, they didn't pay the same price as everyone else. While the developers are understanding, they've stated repeatedly that they see this as best for the game and the players. It certainly is a net benefit for non-lifetime Star Trek Online players, but it certainly isn't going to tone down the controversy of the game's microtransaction system.
New Star Trek Online patch structure looks forward
While you can fault the team behind Star Trek Online for some things, failure to plan is certainly not one of them. The development team has been very public about their plans for testing and release, which made a few people rather curious when Season 1.2 launched in early June rather than late May. What would that mean for Season 1.3 and the following Season 2 patch? The most recent Engineering Report on the official forums tackles precisely that, explaining that the team has adjusted their schedule slightly and will roll 1.3 straight into the Season 2 patch. That leaves us with an enormous list of features for Season 2, which is aimed at July. Ship interiors and a raise in level cap to 51 are the two most obvious changes, with the former offering a choice from several layouts and the latter promoting a player to the rank of Vice Admiral or Lieutenant General. There's also the addition of minigames, weekly episodes, officer trading, new episodes for the high-level band, a new fleet action, and a general surfeit of improvements to the game. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to check out the official thread and offer any feedback to the proposed changes.
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.
Newest Ask Cryptic for Star Trek Online highlights gaps between series and game
The trouble with making Star Trek Online is that there are a lot of parts that work great in a dramatic television series that don't necessarily work as well in a game. As much fun as it might be to have your bridge officers get together for a poker game, there's a dearth of useful ways to integrate it into gameplay in a meaningful sense. That having been said, the team at Cryptic is clearly interested in trying to add as many iconic elements from the series as possible, as spotlighted in the most recent set of Ask Cryptic answers on the official site. A prime example are individual bridge officer stories -- they want to add them, but there are so many variables that the effort winds up feeling more generic instead of more personal. However, there are ideas and hopeful plans for adding more personalities to bridge officers, as well as the potential to respec your officers (although that also runs into minor problems). There's also some information about the upcoming Diplomatic missions to help spice up exploring the nebulae around the galaxy. Star Trek Online players are encouraged to take a look at the full list of answers, which covers quite a bit of space in both design and lore.
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!
Captain's Log: Federation guide to choosing your first starship
Greetings, fellow officers! Welcome to another edition of Captain's Log, your weekly dispatch from the far reaches of Star Trek Online. I hope everyone had fun tooling around the cosmos with the developers on Monday. Sadly, technical difficulties prevented me from accessing the Tribble test server. So I'm making all my engineers wear red shirts on away missions for the rest of the week -- that'll learn 'em. This week, I thought we'd cover one of my favorite aspects of STO: starships! More specifically, I'll offer some tips and information to help you choose your first ship when you reach that magic Lieutenant 11. Remember, you pretty much have to live with your decision for 10 levels, so let's make sure you choose wisely.
Star Trek Online hosts a play night on the test server
The team for Star Trek Online has been working on cleaning up bugs, deploying new features, and generally getting the game prepped for the upcoming Season 1.2 patch, which promises a variety of additions and improvements to the game. In order to help facilitate the testing of new features -- and to enjoy getting into the mix with the players -- the development team is going to be hosting one of Cryptic's frequent play nights with the general populace. Unlike normal, this night isn't taking place on the live servers, but on the Tribble test server. From 4-6 PM PST (7-9 PM EST) on May 24th, the developers will be on the server, taking part in PvE content as well as on the PvP maps. Whether you want the developers to hear about your great idea for new task forces, want to tell them how much you want the game to have new content, or are just still recovering from the series finale of Lost, any player with an active Star Trek Online account is encouraged to mix it up with the development team.
Captain's Log: Guide to Memory Alpha and crafting in Star Trek Online
Attention, Starfleet! It's time again for Captain's Log, your favorite Thursday Star Trek Online column. After last week's roundup of incoming changes and improvements, let's discuss the latest much-needed upgrade to STO: the Memory Alpha overhaul! I am so excited about this change. Crafting in STO definitely got short shrift at launch. The system itself was not engaging, and progression was a confounding mess. While Cryptic Studios haven't fundamentally altered the former, last week's update to the Season 1.3 patch made such changes to the latter -- it implemented a dedicated crafting window and actual progression -- that I almost don't care. After bidding a brief farewell to the previous system, allow me to explain the basics of crafting: materials, missions and Memory Alpha.
Star Trek Online asks players to choose the next ship addition
There have been a lot of ship designs in Star Trek over the years, so it's understandable that not every design was in Star Trek Online at launch. The game's division of ship tiers into customizable batches is no doubt part of the reason, as well. But that doesn't mean that the developers aren't well aware of the gaps in ship classes, and that's the reasoning behind the latest poll on the official site, asking players which ship design they'd like to see enter the game next, quite possibly as a lower-tier ship. Of the classes available, four are past or future designs for the ubiquitous Enterprise lineage, including the often-seen Excelsior class and the rarely-seen Ambassador class. There's also the far-future Enterprise-J design and the far-past NX design, both seen in Star Trek: Enterprise. The other two classes are somewhat less flashy but somewhat more notable omissions -- the Nebula class, a frequently-seen workhorse design that resembles a pared-down Galaxy class, and the Oberth class, a general-purpose medical and scientific vessel from the same area. The Excelsior class is currently in the lead, so Star Trek Online fans are encouraged to vote for their favorites.
Season 1.1 supplemental goes live for Star Trek Online and nukes Memory Alpha
Really, if you play Star Trek Online, you can't possibly treat the wholesale revision of Memory Alpha with anything but glee. (That is, the planetside excuse for a crafting system, not the franchise wiki.) It's been one of the most universally panned portions of the game, and short of it automatically deleting your character any changes would be an improvement. The new Season 1.1 Supplemental patch adds in the large-scale revision of Memory Alpha along with the Undine Terradome special task force as well as several UI improvements and bug fixes. The revised version of Memory Alpha is much closer to a classic crafting system: you level a research skill in one of several categories, starting with Basic and moving on to more specialized research once you've maximized your Basic skill. Basic ingredients are sold by vendors on-site, and there's no longer trading in what amounts to tokens for new items. Progress in the previous system has been preserved as best is possible, although there is a bit of fudging of numbers here and there. It'll take Star Trek Online players a little time to adjust to a crafting system that isn't quite so... special as its predecessor, but we're willing to bet they'll adapt.
Captain's Log: A look into the future of Star Trek Online
Hello again, everyone! Welcome to another installment of Captain's Log, our weekly dose of Star Trek Online goodness. I trust you all had a fine time with Captain Trout last week, learning about the Klingon beginner's experience. While you were gone, the lovely engineers on the U.S.S. Bob Wiley have installed a brandy new graphics processor, so we're back up and running! Cryptic Studios have had a busy week or so with STO. First came their big push to welcome back players, which included a free weekend for lapsed subscribers. Then came the exciting news of Cryptic's development plans for the next three months. And today saw the release of an update to Season 1.1, which includes much-needed Memory Alpha improvements and the somewhat-delayed fourth Special Task Force mission, Undine Terradome. I want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the incoming content that could make this the summer of STO -- and to ponder a few roadblocks that might get in the way.
Star Trek Online takes a look in the Undine Terradome
First known as Species 8472, the Undine are one of the signature threats of Star Trek Online, a race of shapeshifting creatures with bizarre motives and what seems to be unbounded malice toward other races. While they've not yet moved into center stage, they've followed a steady process of subversion and infiltration through several of the game's storylines. But now they're stepping up their efforts and their intensity, as the newest special task force sees you taking on an incoming invasion of the Undine. As the new lore page reveals, while your mission starts as a simple investigation of some erratic energy signatures, it quickly changes into something else. Fans of Voyager might recognize some of the trappings, but the threat in this case may be something far worse than before. It's up to players to take the fight to their enemies, hopefully preventing a full-scale invasion of space by an undetectable foe. The prior Star Trek Online special task forces have pushed the game's storyline (and difficulty) front and center, and the newest installment seems to be aiming in that direction as well.
Ship interiors planned in the near future for Star Trek Online
It's been an interesting process to watch the growth of Star Trek Online over the past few months, with Cryptic clearly making a concerted effort to pack a great deal more content into the game as fast as possible. They've stated prior that they would like to go no more than three months between major content updates, with smaller updates happening on a monthly basis. In the most recent Engineering Report on the official site, we get more details about what's being planned and worked on for the near future -- and the many players eagerly awaiting ship interiors don't have to wait that much longer. The report outlines the rough plan for the next three months, for the Season 1.2 patch, the followup 1.3 patch, and the Season 2 update planned in July. 1.2 is aiming at adding a "sidekick" system a la City of Heroes, new playable races, and social improvements. 1.3, targeted for June, is adding Dabo, the option to trade bridge officers, and weekly episodes. And as could be expected, Season 2 is packed to the gills with new features -- including Klingon episodes, "neutral" episodes for all factions, and ship interiors. Take a look at the full report for more looks at what's on the table and being tested for Star Trek Online.
Dabo, Klingon missions, and diplomacy heading for Star Trek Online
There are a lot of things to expect out of Star Trek Online, including things that weren't in the game at launch which made some people rather unhappy. The game has passed its three-month mark, however, and seems to be doing fairly well for itself with updates coming at a steady clip. Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich recently sat down for an interview in which he discussed some of the upcoming content for the game, including the ever-popular pastime of any Deep Space 9 occupant: Dabo, the nebulously-defined gambling game that involved large sums of money and attractive Bajoran attendants. Beyond that, the staff is working on Memory Alpha and tweaking the difficulty of the special task forces, which they felt were just about right for the high end and a bit too difficult for the average player. They've also got the beginnings of plans for Season 2, including a raise to the skill point cap, Klingon Episodes, and a Federation diplomatic corps. The next update is tenatively scheduled for July. For more details on what the future is currently slated to hold for Star Trek Online, take a look at the full interview.
