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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 announces Tribble Test Weekend
Star Trek Online's first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, is going to be launching in less than two weeks, and to build up some hype for the new addition, the folks at Cryptic have deemed this weekend a Tribble Test Weekend. Beginning tomorrow, players can log on to the Tribble test server and get their first look at the new content coming when Legacy of Romulus goes live on the 21st. But if that's not enough to enthuse you to play on the test server, Cryptic is sweetening the deal. Any players who log in and play on the Tribble server for at least one hour over the course of the weekend will receive a special to-be-announced reward after Legacy of Romulus is released. For the full details on this Tribble Test Weekend, just head on over to the game's official site.
Star Trek Online introduces UI updates
Star Trek Online's LCARS (the Library Computer Access and Retrieval Systems) is in the process of getting an overhaul. The "next, next generation" UI will have a cleaner aesthetic and allow for more user control. A lot of the incoming changes were prompted by the upcoming inclusion of the Romulan faction. Using the present tradition of coloring everything on the UI to represent a given faction (in this case, that would mean a crazy green glow) didn't seem the way to go. Instead, a complete revamp was begun. The revamp includes interchangeable color schemes, oodles of customization options, and more immersive elements. Be sure to check out the most recent Captain's Log to get Teri's take on the UI changes and other tasty morsels on the Tribble test server.
Captain's Log: Starting anew in Star Trek Online
One of things about Star Trek Online that really differentiates it from most other MMOs is the fact that it appeals to players who have never played an MMO before. STO is a Star Trek game, yes, but it also appeals to those who appreciate general science-fiction as well. Since the end of the Star Trek convention last month, I have been approached by a surprising number of people who are just now trying out STO for the first time. For many of them, STO is also their first experience with any MMO. So I have taken it upon myself to create a brand-new character in the game to see what it might be like for a new STO player. I'll be focusing several future columns on that new-player experience, starting with this one.
Massively Exclusive: Star Trek Online announces EU relaunch, double XP weekend
Star Trek may feature universal translators, but the crew at Cryptic has to make do with old fashioned techniques until the future catches up with us. As such, the studio has announced that it is relaunching Star Trek Online in Europe to support its French- and German-speaking players. Starting right now, the game, website, forums, and game support will be available in all three languages. To further cater to European players, Cryptic has vowed to add more EU-friendly event timeslots. Executive Producer Dan Stahl hopes this will spread STO across the world: "The launch of Star Trek Online in Europe is the culmination of our efforts over the past several years to bring gamers the Star Trek universe on a truly massive scale." All players can benefit from this European relaunch, as Q's coming back to celebrate with a double-XP bonus weekend. Anyone who logs in from today through Monday, April 2nd, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, will not only benefit from the a skill point and bridge officer point boost but can claim a free IDIC Tribble of his or her very own. The Tribble provides a unique buff to your character based on his, her, or its class -- and if you manage to get all three buffs on you at once, you'll be granted an additional boost to damage, resistance, and health regen. [Source: Cryptic press release]
Captain's Log: To spec or not to spec?
Captain's Log, Stardate 65340.3... Hello, computer (and players)! Unlike an answer to Shakespeare's original question, the answer to the question in this week's title is probably a no-brainer for most of you: Yes! Choosing a specialization, or "speccing," in MMOs is something that stretches across most titles out there, and Star Trek Online is no different. Whether you wish to resist attacks longer, do more damage, or add strength to your powers, choosing a customized spec can be rewarding and a challenge at the same time. With so many variables and places to spend your points, the possibilities are endless. While this week's Captain's Log is not here to tell you what you should spec into for your particular class or ship set-up, I would like to go over the space skill point overhaul that STO is about to go through. In the past, one of the biggest complaints from players was that they did not have a clear understanding of which skill tree affected which ability. The devs heard this feedback and have been working on a complete revamp to make these decisions simpler. Hopefully, this will allow you to have a better understanding of where and why to spend your points in a particular skill when you do have to re-spec at the launch of F2P on January 17th, 2012. Ensign, warp 10! Let's get our readers' bookmark buttons ready...
Star Trek Online dev blog talks test server rewards
Star Trek Online's latest dev blog is live, and executive producer Stephen D'Angelo spends a bit of time talking about tribbles. Rest easy, they're not taking over the Cryptic offices, and D'Angelo spends this week's Path to F2P installment outlining the benefits of participating on the game's Tribble test server. The dev team has increased the character transfer limit, and players may now copy up to three of their avatars from the main server. D'Angelo outlines the various rewards available for players willing to roll up their sleeves and get down and dirty with the bug squashing. The goodies range from tribble pets (naturally) to XP boosts and Dilithium chunks. Exclusive titles, starship slots, and duty officers are also available, so head over to the test shard and do your part!
Captain's Log: A two-minute read could save you 15% or more on nerdrage insurance
Captain's Log, Stardate 65340.3... Hello, computer (and players)! Welcome to this week's edition of Captain's Log, brought to you by "Geko" Insurance. (And let's just say, you may want to purchase a policy). If you are a Star Trek Online player who watches Cryptic's official forums, you know that the game experienced an Occupy movement of its own this past weekend. Even if you don't frequent the forums, you may have seen some of the concerns raised through the #STO Twitter feed. Over the weekend, players lashed out against some of the recent changes that have made their way to the Tribble test server. It may be surprising to some of you reading this, but the commotion was not related to the economy changes. The main concern is that some of the items for purchase in the C-Store are going to be changing from account-wide unlocks to per-character transactions. While I was a little perturbed at the thought too, I was happy to see that some of the misconceptions were cleared up once we got an official statement from one of the devs. But since there is a lot more to the story, let's take a look. Ensign, warp 10! And don't forget to buckle your seatbelt...
Captain's Log: More on the economy
Captain's Log, Stardate 65303.9... Hello, computer (and players)! As I discussed last week, heated discussions surround Star Trek Online's change to a F2P hybrid model and planned game mechanics updates. While new updates are being pushed to the Tribble server for testing and feedback, many aspects are in a state of flux as such feedback is collected, evaluated, and implemented. The biggest area affected is the economy. While everyone has his own thoughts on the matter, Cryptic is leaving no feedback forum post unread -- the players will help shape these changes. Last week, we saw the push of another patch that seems to have made some giant strides toward solving some of the biggest concerns, including significant reductions in prices for most items and the return of free ship tokens for most ranks. Stephen D'Angelo, acting Executive Producer and Emergency Executive Producer Hologram (EEPH), explained: "Based on how rapidly we're getting data and revising the game, we're still probably two more weeks away from having the economy in a state that is close to good enough." Since he said a lot more in his recent dev blog post, I thought I should take some time to expound on it. Ensign, warp 10! Let's take a look at what else the EEPH had to say and break it down...
Star Trek Online opens character transfers to the test server
When the testing process started for Star Trek Online's upcoming free-to-play version, players were limited to creating new characters rather than bringing over old favorites. The reasoning was simple: Because the game will be flinging the doors open to a flood of new players, that experience absolutely needs to be top-notch. But now that the testing has been ongoing for some time, the Tribble test server is open for players to bring a higher-ranked Federation or Klingon character across. Naturally, there are some restrictions to the process, namely that players are limited in their overall number of characters transferred. Characters will also be updated to the newer game version, meaning several currency changes for Federation characters and a long list of changes for any Klingon characters. The newest entry in the Path to F2P blog series outlines the details, which should be pertinent to any players eager to see what their characters will play like when the business model shifts.
Captain's Log: The voices of reason
Captain's Log, Stardate 65284.2... Hello, computer (and players)! It is often said that the voices of the gaming community are some of the loudest, and most passionate, around. This is especially true within the Star Trek Online community. While some may see particular posts made in Cryptic's forums as trolling or whining, others see passion and dedication for making the game they love the best it can be. There is no denying that there will always be those who love to hate and hate to love, but there are also community members out there who are the voices of reason -- they take their time to carefully examine something and provide appropriate and well-thought feedback on how to make something better. As STO is preparing to re-launch with its F2P model, many changes are being pushed to the Tribble test server for players to playtest and provide feedback on. Before the test shards ever open, debates based on the patch notes begin. After a few hours of testing on Tribble, players make their feedback posts public in hopes that developers notice and hear their opinions. The great news here is that the developers are reading each post and have vowed that feedback does not go unnoticed. Since I have been following this feedback closely myself, I thought I should share some of it here. Ensign, warp 10! Let's share some recent community feedback on two of the hottest topics out there...
Testing players to receive rewards in Star Trek Online
One of the little carrots that Star Trek Online has always given its players is a reward for playing on the test server. Specifically, by playing on the Tribble server, players receive a unique "bonus" tribble for their captain on the live server. The fourth entry in the Path to F2P blog series promises that players who take part on the test server will once again receive a special ball of fluff to call their own... but there's more on the way. The special reward tribble will be given to anyone who either reaches level 6 on a character created for the test server or transfers a higher-level character over once the transfers become available. Current subscribers who clock in time on the server will also be eligible for several other small rewards -- nothing spectacular individually, but enough so that players who log in regular testing will feel a bit of an extra bonus. The test server will get the KDF faction opened this week, so Star Trek Online players will have plenty to test in the name of easily replicating cooing dustbunnies. The fifth Path to F2P blog post has also gone live this evening with more details on how to rack up these test points and a deeper explanation for why you'd want to do so.
Captain's Log: What's your (energy) type?
Captain's Log, Stardate 65244.9... Hello, computer (and players)! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear meeeeeee, happy birthday to me. Sorry, I couldn't resist. Yes, today is my birthday, and the best present I could receive is being able to share this week's Captain's Log with you all. As we get closer and closer to the F2P re-launch of Star Trek Online, I expect that there will be new captains tuning into this column each week, so to help support our new comrades in between the weeks that feature an influx of breaking news and developments, I am going to be taking some time to educate everyone on a few of the game's mechanics. When I first started playing STO, I often found myself wondering about many of the choices available to my different characters. From armor to shields, deflectors to engines, and kits to weapons, there is an endless array of options that we can decide to play with and use. One of the most frequently asked questions I get from new players is, "What is the best energy type to use for my ship's weapons?" In the past, when I really did not know much, I would choose my type by the color it emitted. I now know that "pretty" does not equal "power." While each type has its own special bonuses, it's up to you to decide which to use and why. Here's to hoping I can aid in that decision. Ensign, warp 10! Let's take a look at the spectrum of colors and their abilities...
Star Trek Online outlining the road to free-to-play
The conversion to free-to-play isn't here yet for Star Trek Online, but it's on its way. And like so many things in the franchise, it's starting off with a sacrificial redshirt. Specifically, it's kicking off with the advent of the RedShirt test server for the game, as explained in the first "Path to F2P" blog entry on the official site. It's not that Tribble, the longtime test server, is being removed altogether -- instead, it's being repurposed to allow current subscribers a preview of the game's upcoming conversion. According to executive producer Stephen D'Angelo, Tribble will reopen for players on the 29th, although it will not be accepting character transfers upon opening. This is intentional, as the development team wants players to test out the new early portions of the game and enjoy the revised experience. It's the start of what promises to be a long path, but current subscribers and the team behind the game get to walk it one step at a time.
Captain's Log: Preparing for launch (and farewells)
Hello, computer (and players)! As we are all now aware, the development team at Star Trek Online is busy making its preparations to re-launch the game with a hybrid, free-to-play model. Currently, the Tribble test server has been taken down as a beta build is being prepared for testing. In the meantime, Red Shirt, originally a Closed Beta test sever, has been opened up to current subscribers to continue testing new releases that will occur between now and the F2P launch. While there is still no date set for when this will be happening, many signs point to an October or November launch period. To add to the craziness that must be going on at Cryptic's headquarters in Northern California, on Tuesday, Dan Stahl, Executive Producer of STO, publicly announced that he would be vacating the Captain's Chair as he moves on to a new endeavor in his career. Effective immediately, Stephen D'Angelo, Cryptic's CTO, will be taking temporary command as the search for a new EP begins. While this came as a shock to many and was completely unexpected even by me, it may not be the "end of the world" as some players are calling it. Let's explore more. Ensign, warp 10! Set sensors to maximum range as we explore a little bit more about this change...
STO's August engineering report on plans for Feature Series 4
It's that time again, Trekkers and Trekkies -- Star Trek Online's August Engineering Report is upon us. STO executive producer Daniel Stahl has offered up a post that kicks off with praise for Cryptic's new overlords at Perfect World Entertainment. He goes on to state that subs are up as players stream in to check out the new Ground Combat system and that the team is working extra hard to push out the long-awaited Deep Space 9-themed Feature Series 4. Stahl also outlines the devs' fall plans for the REDSHIRT closed beta server and notes that the upcoming September 22nd update "will be pretty big [...] some might say even bigger than the launch of Season 4." Finally, the post winds down with a meaty list of game features and bug fixes currently in testing, including tweaks to the Duty Officer system, random Borg encounters, the group-finder tool, lore quests, and more.
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...
Captain's Log: The reverse slingshot effect
Captain's Log, Stardate 65056.3... Hello, computer (and players)! The slingshot effect is a maneuver, shown throughout the Star Trek franchise, which allowed starships to move back through the time continuum. By traveling at a high warp factor towards a star with a large gravitational pull, the ship would whip around it and time travel. While this seemed to only exist within the realms of the IP, it looks as though Star Trek Online's Executive Producer Dan Stahl took us on a reverse slingshot course, giving us a glimpse into the future of the game. Before we returned to the original timeline, he made sure to write up everything we saw along the way for those who couldn't make the trip. In layman's terms, for those of you who missed the news earlier this week, July's Engineering Report has been released. While this is a monthly publication that contains the development pipeline for STO, including some items that have been featured in past issues, there are always a few bullet points added that seem to spark a healthy amount of debate -- one of these includes the ability to auction off your in-game Emblems, a form of currency, for C-Store points that have been paid for with real money. For information on this, including a response from Cryptic's PR department, and more, read ahead past the jump for this week's Captain's Log entry. Ensign, warp 10! Let's pull a slingshot maneuver of our own...
Captain's Log: Shop till you drop (out of warp)
Captain's Log, Stardate 64997.8... Hello, computer (and players)! Over the past couple of weeks, there has been much heated debate about microtransactions within MMOs. Whether those microtransactions involve an accessory for your character, additional character slots, or a new mount, players have mixed emotions on spending real money to obtain such items. No matter what your position is on the topic, one thing for certain is that microtransactions are not going to disappear. In fact, they seem to be the future when it comes to how most studios will be delivering exclusive content and items. Star Trek Online is no stranger to such transactions -- the infamous Cryptic Store (C-Store) is full of items priced from just a dollar all the way up to $25. If you are new to the game or have never made a purchase before, at first glance, you may be wondering what you should buy. While some items are simply there as cosmetic enhancements, some will actually help in your battle against your favorite enemy. To help shed some light on your choices, this week's Captain Log is going to explore the top 10 must-have C-Store items that every STO player should not leave spacedock without. Ensign, warp 10! It's time to go on a virtual spending spree...
Captain's Log: The Gospel of Tribble
Captain's Log, Stardate 64959.3... Hello, compu... what the... shields up, red alert! Brace for impact! A giant Tribble is on the loose, and its name is Season Four. That's right -- the Star Trek Online public test server, Tribble, sometimes nicknamed the Trouble with Tribble, has finally reopened with the major update that we have all been waiting for. This build was first pushed last Friday but was taken down moments later due to a "major database error." The show-stopping kinks have been worked out now, so it is time to get to testing out all of the new content I have been writing about for the past couple of months. If you have not seen the release notes for this build, there are dozens of updates that will be altering the way you have come to play the game. Not sure what to test? That is what I am here for. The goal of this week's Captain's Log is to provide you a checklist on what to hit up once you patch your game and get on your test toon. Also, if you have never installed the test server, now is a great time -- Cryptic will soon be announcing a Tribble Test Weekend, during which you can log in and receive an exclusive item on the live server just for helping test. Ensign, warp 10! Let's share some text from the word of Tribble...
