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Star Trek Online - All News

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Tuesday - May 10, 2016
Tuesday - October 06, 2009
Monday - October 05, 2009
Saturday - October 03, 2009
Thursday - October 01, 2009
Wednesday - September 30, 2009
Wednesday - September 23, 2009
Sunday - September 20, 2009
Monday - September 14, 2009
Friday - September 11, 2009
Monday - September 07, 2009
Saturday - September 05, 2009
Thursday - September 03, 2009
Tuesday - September 01, 2009
Sunday - August 30, 2009
Wednesday - August 26, 2009
Tuesday - August 11, 2009
Monday - August 10, 2009
Sunday - August 09, 2009
Friday - August 07, 2009
Sunday - August 02, 2009
Wednesday - July 22, 2009
Sunday - July 19, 2009
Friday - July 10, 2009
Friday - July 03, 2009
Tuesday - June 30, 2009
Saturday - June 27, 2009
Wednesday - June 24, 2009
Saturday - June 20, 2009
Wednesday - June 17, 2009
Saturday - June 13, 2009
Friday - June 12, 2009
Thursday - June 11, 2009
Sunday - June 07, 2009
Saturday - May 30, 2009
Saturday - May 23, 2009
Saturday - May 16, 2009
Thursday - January 01, 2009
Thursday - December 25, 2008
Thursday - November 27, 2008
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Wednesday - July 19, 2006
Friday - July 14, 2006
Thursday - June 08, 2006
Box Art

Tuesday - May 10, 2016

STO - Agents of Yesterday Announced

by Silver, 12:37

@GameBanshee With the 50th anniversary of Star Trek coming up Star Trek Online have decided to announce a brand new content expansion titled "Agents of Yesterday". Star Trek Online executive producer Stephen Ricossa has written a letter to the community outlining his thoughts on the expansion.

loading...

[...]

From the letter:

Agents of Yesterday will allow players to create a new captain in Star Trek: The Original Series era and will set them on an adventure featuring classic story lines, locations, celebrities, and era-appropriate starships. In 2270, the year following the third season of the original series, the player will adventure with Walter Koenig, reprising his role of Chekov, and Chris Doohan, filling in for his father as Scotty. There is a new threat to the security of the Federation, and they are invading with hopes of overwhelming the past to destroy our future.

In addition to the ability to create a brand new Star Trek: The Original Series Starfleet captain, we will be introducing a new episode arc for players of every faction, the Temporal Initiative Resistance Reputation, a Temporal Operative Primary Specialization along with brand new Bridge Officer powers. Players who create their captains during the first six weeks of launch will also be able to participate in the new Temporal Agent Recruitment system for bonus personal and account-wide rewards, a new iteration of the popular Delta Recruitment system that released a year ago. This release is packed with content to keep you engaged in the classic Star Trek: The Original Series era - and beyond.

Source: GameBanshee

Tuesday - October 06, 2009

STO - Three Screens

by Myrthos, 21:35

MMORPG.com promises to bring us 3 new Star Trek Online screens every two weeks and this week marks the star of that series.

 

STO - Five Other Screens

by Myrthos, 21:28

Five appears the magic number as Msssively also has 5 new screens from Star Trek Online with one of them showcasing a Borg.

Monday - October 05, 2009

STO - Interview @ Ten Ton Hammer

by Myrthos, 12:08

Star Trek Online’s executive producer Craig Zinkievich talks about how to get into beta, ground combat, and some of the challenges Cryptic has dealt with in an interview with Ten Ton Hammer.

Ten Ton Hammer: So how is Star Trek Online coming along?

Craig
: It’s coming along really well. We’re moving into the home stretch now and looking at what we have, and figuring out where we think the holes are, and plugging those holes. We’re really starting to polish it; taking a step back and realizing we’ve got the core of everything in. Now what do we have to do to get this game out?

Closed beta is right around the corner, and we’re all chomping at the bit for it. PAX was a lot of fun. It was really amazing to finally get people from outside the company and friends and family to play the game and give us feedback. We’re all anxious to get the game out and get feedback in as soon as possible.

Ten Ton Hammer: So when is beta happening then?

Craig
: Definitely in 2009.

Saturday - October 03, 2009

STO - 5 Screenies

by Myrthos, 21:37

ZAM is the next in line to showcase 5 unique screenshots from Star Trek Online.

Thursday - October 01, 2009

STO - Five New Screens

by Myrthos, 23:26

Five screens of Star Trek Online can be viewed at Curse.

Wednesday - September 30, 2009

STO - Fresh Screens

by Myrthos, 22:05

Five brand new screens from Star Trek Online are to be found at Massively.

Wednesday - September 23, 2009

STO - Discovery Class

by Myrthos, 23:02

The Star Trek Online site offers more information about the Discovery class ships, the successor to the Intrepid class (Voyager).

The Intrepid class proved its worth as a long-range vessel during U.S.S. Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant. Voyager successfully completed a 70,000 light year journey with no access to Starfleet supplies or facilities. Its success made the Intrepid class the gold standard for deep space explorer ships.

Inspired by Voyager, the design teams at Utopia Planitia set out to update the Intrepid class with the latest in Starfleet technology and design theory. The Discovery class, along with her sister ships Intrepid and Cochrane, is more than capable of long exploration missions without Starfleet support or assistance, but is equally equipped as a fleet support or solo patrol vessel.

Sunday - September 20, 2009

STO - Player Progression

by Myrthos, 15:23

In their regular 'Ask Cryptic' sessions the forum members got to ask questions about player proression to the team.

Sklarz: Are we limited to one branch? say I'm Engineering and I go down maintenance and then later I decide I also want to do some in Modification. Are we limited to one branch or can we go all out and get them all?

You’re not limited to any branch; you can acquire all the skills within your profession. You can start going down the Maintenance branch, but it’s not really a branch in the traditional sense. You can pick and choose any skills you want. But different tiers of skills become available as you rank up. The skill system isn’t technically a skill tree – lower-rank skills affect higher-rank skills, but there aren’t any prerequisites for the most part (more on that later).

For example, if you’re a Tactical officer, you can take Starship Energy Weapons training, or Starship Projectile Weapons training. You gain access to both of those skills as a Lieutenant. When you become a Lieutenant Commander, Beam Weapons, Cannon Weapons, Torpedo Weapons and Mines become available. At that point, if you put all your points into Starship Energy Weapons, you can go back and put points into Projectile Weapons training, or you can put it into Torpedoes.

At the next rank, Commander, there’s Phaser, Disruptor, Photon and Quantum skills. What you’re getting is more specialized skills. So if you put all your points into Energy Weapons, then Beam Weapons, then Phasers, you’ll be really good at phaser beams, generally good at all beams and OK at all types of energy weapons. You’d be not so great at disruptor cannons at that point, because you didn’t put anything into Cannons or into Disruptors, but you did put some points into Energy Weapons.

There is one true skill tree in the game, and that is the ship trees. Some of your skills govern your ability to captain certain types of vessels. You start off in a light cruiser based on the Miranda class, but from there your decisions will affect what ships become available to you. For instance, the tier 1 Escort is based on the Saber class. In order to fly the tier 2 Escort, you’ll need to have spent points to learn how to fly the Saber. You can put points you want into Science, Cruiser or Escort, but you can’t fly a tier 4 Cruiser just because you can fly a tier 4 Escort. You’ll need to learn how to pilot the previous Cruisers first. But you can fly every ship in the game on one character, if you invest the points.

Monday - September 14, 2009

STO - Meet the Team: Gesine "WishStone" Fischer

by Myrthos, 21:40

Its time to meet Gesine Fisher the German community manager for Star Trek Online.

What do you do on Star Trek Online?

I’m one of the online community representatives for STO. In my case, I am the German Community Rep and as such work both STO as well as our second game, which we released in September: Champions Online. I have not worked very much for STO when it comes to the front stage and have more been in touch with the German concerns in general. I prowl a few German STO fansites while they are not watching me and often find myself preferring the smaller fansites when doing so. While my main focus is the German community (I tweet in German on my official Twitter), I still throw in helping hands where needed. Trivia questions on the IRC channel have come from my pen as well as translations for the webpages.

Friday - September 11, 2009

STO - Video Interview @ Hailing Frequency

by Myrthos, 23:07

Craig Zinkievich was interviewed by Hailing Frequency at PAX resulting in a video interview.

STO - Path to 2409 - 2391 Supplemental Log & 2392

by Myrthos, 23:04

A supplemental log to the year 2391 is now online.

Excerpt from a classified report from Lieutenant Mark Fischer, Federation Operative placed with the troops of the exiled Romulan Commander Sela.

Makar Compound

I believe Commander Sela has found allies in her bid for power. The artificial quantum singularities we were able to track seem to have been left by a species we’ve never encountered before. Commander Sela managed to contact them and begin some sort of negotiations.

I had further indications of some sort of potential alliance three nights ago, when T’los and I were guarding Commander Sela’s quarters. T’los, as Sela’s right hand man, rarely acts as a simple guard. When he joined me, he told me to expect visitors.

Also the year 2392 is now available.

News of the race for Federation President dominates news nets for much of the year. President Nan Bacco declines to run again, stating that while she didn't feel right leaving office during the Romulan crisis, "I've been here too long. We need new blood and new ideas."

The popular Bacco doesn't endorse a successor, throwing the field open to dozens of potential candidates. Jaed Maz of Trill is frequently mentioned by political commentators, as are Federation Councilors Soron of Vulcan and Kevin Steiner of Terra Nova. Candidates from Bajor, Andoria and Sauria are seen as outside choices.

However, Soron and Charivretha zh'Thane of Andoria never become formal candidates and Steiner abandons his campaign two months before the election after his ties to the Orion Syndicate are exposed by the Federation News Service. The remaining hopefuls engage in a fierce campaign in which top issues are aid to the Cardassians and Romulans, the increasing conflicts with the Klingon Empire and whether Starfleet should be expanded to respond to the increasing threats to Federation citizens.

 

STO - PAX Previews

by Myrthos, 23:01

Here is a list of previews of Star Trek Online based on the PAX presentation:

VideoGamer

Gamespot

Gamespy

Massively

IGN

TrekMovie.com

Joystiq

Kotaku

Monday - September 07, 2009

STO - Hands-On Session

by Myrthos, 12:42

In a hands-on session of Star Trek Online the Ten Ton Hammer editor had amongst others this to say:

One of the very first things that stood out for me when playing STO is that, if I didn’t know better, I might not have ever realized that the game was being built using the same in-house tools as Champions. It’s no secret that I’ve been spending a good deal of time scampering, tunneling and swinging my way around Millennium City and beyond over the past few months, so I’ve gotten a pretty good feel for how fluid the movement and combat can be on the engine. What’s interesting then, is seeing how tightly controlled movement and combat feel in STO both in space as well as on the ground with your away team. That’s not to say that the pace of combat is slow by any means, but more so that the more tactical approach to combat that’s synonymous with the IP is readily present, which also speaks volumes about what Cryptic is capable of as a developer;  in other words it certainly isn’t just a one-trick, spandex-clad pony of a studio.

STO’s space combat was easily the most talked about gameplay element over the two days I spent on the show floor at PAX. Nearly everyone I spoke to had either played it and had something positive to say about Cryptic’s approach to space combat, or were trying to find time to sneak away from their own booth to get some hands-on time with it. Considering the caliber of the developers and titles on display at the show, the fact that STO’s ship combat was generating such a high buzz factor really speaks volumes about the potential of the game, at least if initial impressions based on a single looped demo mission are any indication.

Saturday - September 05, 2009

STO - Friday Screenshot

by Myrthos, 22:05

A screenshot of a Miranda class ship in an asteroid belt can be viewed at the Star Trek Online site.

Thursday - September 03, 2009

STO - Impressions @ ZAM

by Myrthos, 11:59

ZAM have added their impressions from the gamescom presentation of Star Trek Online that can be read here.

This brings us to an interesting topic. Players get the majority of their power in combat differently than you might expect. Cryptic wanted to take the idea of Bridge Officers being an important part of a battle from the cinematic experience, and make them an extremely important part of Star Trek Online. "Your Bridge Officers are really MMO pets pushed to the next level. You name them, customize them, level them, choose which skills they have, invest skill point into them and give them the equipment that they have when they beam down to an away mission. So they really help define who you are by which Bridge Officers you have with you" said Zinkevich. He went on to explain how leveling your bridge officers up will continue to enhance gameplay. For this example he used a bridge officer named Sasha Meera who has a photon torpedo salvo skill that increases the number of torpedoes fired as she levels up. Additionally, as she continues to level, she'll gain new skills that you can invest in. Imagine if the MMO that you're playing now had an alternate advancement system for all your individual items; that's essentially what Cryptic has done here.

Tuesday - September 01, 2009

STO - Impressions @ Eurogamer

by Myrthos, 21:17

Eurogamer had a look at Star Trek Online while they were at Gamescom and share their impressions here.

The game is approximately equal parts space combat, interstellar travel and on-planet missions. As with the TV series (the original one, anyway), the action ensures that you're never in the same place for very long, constantly moving between space and planet surfaces, boarding ships, spacestations and satellites, zipping between systems at warp-speed in search of where no man has ever gone before. Although the Klingon and Federation players will be locked in a war, the game is heavily instanced; all the foes you face will be computer-controlled. It's emphatically not EVE Online.

Space combat is slow-paced and tactical. "If you look at combat in the Star Trek universe, it's not a dogfighter,"says Zinkievich. "These are huge, powerful starships. It's a tactical, strategic experience. It's all about positioning, how you're balancing the energy to your different systems, lining up that final attack and taking them down."

Sunday - August 30, 2009

STO - Impressions, Meet the Team & a Screen

by Myrthos, 01:19

Here are some impressions of Star Trek Online when it was showed at Gamescom:

IGN

The majority of content in Star Trek Online will be instanced, but there are some large social hubs and plenty of action to be found on the large sector maps of Alpha Quadrant. The team isn't yet talking about the PVP aspects of the game, but given the outbreak of hostilities between the Klingons and the Federation, it seems clear that the game has to include lots of directed conflict between players on either side of the war.

The one thing that's already clear is the tremendous work that's gone into the game's visuals. The level of detail and authenticity is certainly high, which is even more impressive considering the tremendous variety of elements the team has included. The ships themselves are the real stars, but even the ground action seems to capture just the right feel for Star Trek world.

A very short one at Now Gamer

With such a passionate fan base to appease, the developer has also ensured that Star Trek Online will remain true to the franchise: "We've worked really, really closely with CBS, and they've been helpful with keeping us in tune with what's going on in the universe, what's going on in the new movie, and what's going on in the comics and the novels."

And here is Lee Dotson:

What do you do on Star Trek Online?

I'm the art lead on STO, so that means that for the most part anything that's visual and in the game is my responsibility.

How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Star Trek Online?

I started working in the game industry 11 years ago as a character artist on a little-known RPG called Anachronox. Since then I've worked on Alice, Diablo 3, Unreal Championship 2 and Hellgate: London.

An finally a new screenshot.

Wednesday - August 26, 2009

STO - Impressions @ Gamespot

by Myrthos, 21:36

Gamespot have watched Star Trek Online at Gamescom and had amongst others the following to say:

Every person plays the role of a starship captain in Star Trek Online. You can take control of a Federation or Klingon Defense Force vessel, along with three bridge officers. "It's all about being a captain. That's the game we wanted to make," said executive producer Craig Zinkievich. Star Trek Online was granted an official licence from Star Trek owner CBS, and Zinkievich said the goal with the game was to "make it feel like the TV shows and movies," and from what we saw at GamesCom, it's on its way to achieving that goal.

The mission we saw involved ferrying a Vulcan ambassador to a monastery. En route our ship was hailed by several Klingon ships, who warned us that the ambassador was an evil shape-shifter and that we would need to beam him over to them, or die. Despite the immediate hostilities, the environment looked rather peaceful with our ship floating blissfully around the class-M planet and through a nearby asteroid field. In our intergalactic journey, we also saw some beautiful nebulae and planetary bodies in deep yellow and purple colours. At subwarp impulse speed, you can just coast along and take in all of the sights; however, when travelling at warp speed, you view the galaxy from an astrometric grid view. Despite being able to fly through space at warp speed, the Federation ships aren't particularly zippy with impulse power. Zinkievich explains that these are massive warships with more than 100 crew members, and space combat should reflect the size and scope of these awesome ships.

Tuesday - August 11, 2009

STO - Community Questions

by Myrthos, 21:28

Once again the community got to ask a couple of questions in the 13th installment of Ask Cryptic.

Numerous: Will different places have different environmental conditions that some races are more capable of withstanding than others?

Currently, no, but that’s a great suggestion we’d like to look into. For instance, some cold environments where Andorians would get a bonus and other races would receive a penalty. We’re spending more time looking at racial bonuses right now, so it’s a good time for us to talk about it internally.

ExAstris: Will all ground missions be 5 individuals, or will some of the more epic things you encounter at "end game" require 10+ away team members?

The team size is always five. There are maps that require multiple teams to make your way through. Think of a front-line situation where numerous players bring down their away teams to work together with other players to fight against multiple teams of other players or NPCs. But your away team is always five members.

Monday - August 10, 2009

STO - Audio Interview @ Hailingfrequency

by Myrthos, 21:22

An audio interview from a 25 minute phonecall with Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich can be found at Hailingfrequency.

Sunday - August 09, 2009

STO - New Screenshot

by Myrthos, 21:58

A fresh new screenshot showed up at the Star Trek Online site for you to view.

Friday - August 07, 2009

STO - Path to 2409 - 2390 Supplemental Log

by Myrthos, 21:07

A supplemental log to the year 2309 in the series of stories leading to the year 2409 can be found here. As all sumplementals this also features Jake Sisko and this time he is interviewing Captain Data of the Enterprise.

Your recent report to Starfleet indicated that Species 8472 has found their way to Federation space. Could you elaborate on that?

You are suffering under something of a misapprehension. My report indicated there was sufficient evidence to cause concern that Species 8472 may have crossed over from their home dimension to Federation space. However, there is no conclusive evidence. Due to the properties of the protostellar nebula, our instruments were unable to take completely accurate readings.

What do you think the odds are that they have crossed over from Fluidic Space?

I have insufficient information to make such a prediction.

Sunday - August 02, 2009

STO - Meet the Team: Shaun "Stormshade" Brodie

by Myrthos, 22:27

At the Star Trek Online site some information about comunity representative Shaun Brodie aka Stormshade can be found.

I’m an online community rep for STO, which means I spend an awful lot of time hanging out with the STO fan base. I spend most of my day reading our official forums, and passing the feedback I gather on to the rest of the team. I also act as the forum manager, and take care of escalations from our moderation team, as well as helping out with stuff like taking screen shots, and all that other fun behind the scenes stuff.

Right now, I just finished setting up private fleet forums for a few guilds. It’s something new we’re trying out here on the STO forums, and I’m really excited by it. If everything works out with it, I’m hoping to expand on this idea quite a bit!

Wednesday - July 22, 2009

STO - Community Questions

by Myrthos, 21:59

Another batch of community questions have been answered by the devs of Star Trek Online.

marscentral: We know it's Science, Tactical and Engineer for Starfleet types, but what about the Klingons?

The simple answer is they’re exactly the same. No one ever said Klingons don’t have scientists or engineers; somebody built those ships. Klingons will probably have a few distinctions in skills and certain other areas, but the classes will be the same.

Manx: Will there be ways for solo players to get the high end ships, or will they be strictly for fleet members only?

Solo players will be able to access highest-end ships in the game. Everyone will be able to fly a Sovereign class ship or a Prometheus class ship once their skills and rank allow them to do so. That’s not to say there won’t be endgame rewards and things only guilds can do. But ships will remain available to everyone.

Sunday - July 19, 2009

STO - Interview @ ZAM

by Myrthos, 00:59

At ZAM Star Trek Online Producer Craig Zinkievich explains the influences to Star Trek Online.

"The move to 2409 allows us to change the political landscape," Zinkievich says. "Everything's not the same as it was at the end of DS9. Old enmities have flared, and new ones have sprung up. There are new leaders for many of the major factions, and new alliances between familiar races. The Romulan homeworld is gone, and overall, the Alpha and Beta quadrants are much more dangerous and volatile than they were 30 years ago. I think that 'familiar but unexpected' vibe will appeal to fans of the new movie as well as those who have been watching the shows from the beginning."

 

STO - The Path to 2409: 2390

by Myrthos, 00:53

The next year to be covered is 2390 and talks about the conflict between the Klingon and the Gorn.

The best-case scenario for the Federation, analysts agree, is if the Klingon and Gorn find a peaceful solution before the conflict has a chance to engulf nearby worlds. To this end, the Federation offers to mediate talks between the Gorn and the Klingons at a neutral location. Neither party is overeager to accept "human" meddling in a personal dispute and preliminary talks to hash out the details of the peace conference drag on for weeks. The process comes to an abrupt halt when Chancellor Martok announces that the Klingons will not participate unless Starfleet withdraws all of its ships from the Romulan-Klingon border.

Friday - July 10, 2009

STO - The Path to 2409: 2389 Supplemental Log & New Screens

by Myrthos, 22:03

In 2389 Jake Sisko interviews Garak, member of the Detapa Council on Cardassia Prime, while having breakfast with him.

What do you think is going to happen on Cardassia? Now that the Detapa Council is in place?

I am far too simple a fellow to know that. But, if asked, as you have just asked me, I might say that there are several paths Cardassia could take. One would be to rebuild peacefully and become a productive part of the intergalactic community. One, which I hope the Detapa Council will prevent, is a path into the past. That would be a path attempting to reclaim our past glory and rebuild our military might. The one our good friends in the True Way would advocate.

I’d heard they’d become active again. They were your main opposition during the democratic elections, weren’t they?

Indeed. Lead by the most respected Gul Madred. Who, of course, favors a return to our days of military government.

So you’re opposed to building up the Cardassian military?

Oh, I never said that. A military is an important thing. But I am opposed to chasing after the past forever. After all, we do recall what happened the last time.

And there are 3 new screens at Gamespot.

Friday - July 03, 2009

STO - Meet the Team: Andy Velasquez

by Myrthos, 13:04

Andy Velasquez, an associate producer on the Star Trek Online team is the next in line to explain what he does in the development team.

What do you do on Star Trek Online?

I am an Associate Producer on Star Trek Online and I work with a wide variety of our development departments, from powers and systems design to the ship team all the way to our amazing concept artists. This is great for me because I get to argue with all kinds of different people! I get to say things like, “Hey that Romulan cloth sash looks CRAZY!” one minute and then say, “That Borg assimilation power seems super powerful” the next. More tangibly, though, I create and manage schedules, set up and run meetings to deal with any new craziness we try as well as helping unblock any of my fellow STO teammates by finding what their problems are and making them disappear.

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

STO - A Story, a Wallpaper and a Chat

by Myrthos, 23:44

Here is an update of the news on Star Trek Online from the last couple of days. First there is a short story about the destruction of the Klingon ChoS battle group, featuring an unknown ship.

To: Martok, Chancellor of the Klingon Empire and leader of the High Council
From: Quen, Klingon Intelligence
Re: After Action Report, choS Battle Group

Chancellor, I regret to inform you of the loss of the choS Battle Group. The crews fought with honor, sacrificing everything to send back to us intelligence about a new threat to the Empire.

The image included in this missive is of the ship that destroyed the battle group. We know little about this starship other than that, and what we do know is due to the heroic actions of Captain D'rakal and his crew. They died well, and I honor them.

In its continuing investigation into the events of the Hobus supernova, agents of Imperial Intelligence have been looking into reports of incredibly advanced starships appearing in Romulan space.

There must be some validity to these rumors. The Narada was a civilian ship captained by a common miner. Nero was no warrior, and yet he defeated a fleet of our finest starships! I cannot look in the faces of the mates and children of blooded Klingon warriors and tell them that these great men and women were killed by a miner! Even if all of the Fek'lhri had fought at his side, this should not have happened. I will not rest until I have uncovered the truth of all that occurred.

Secondly a new wallpaper featuring the Type VII Commercial Laboratory Ship can be found here.

And lastly a transcript of the recent dev chat can be found on the Star Trek Online forum.

Saturday - June 27, 2009

STO - Interview @ AbleGamers

by Myrthos, 21:16

Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich talked to AbleGamers about taking gamers with disabilities into consideration.

AbleGamers:  Do you know if anyone on the development team is disabled?

Zinkievich:  I am aware of several people at Cryptic Studios who are colorblind. Although there may be others who have disabilities, that tends to be personal information.

AbleGamers:  8% of men in the US are colorblind; do you think they will have a hard time playing Star Trek?

Zinkievich:  I hope not. As I mentioned - there are several colorblind employees here at Cryptic. We bring them into the review of anything in the UI where we are using color as a major factor in the communication of information. That being said - good UI never has a single method of communication, so any place we use color it tends to be a secondary or tertiary marker.

AbleGamers:  Game sound is an important factor, especially in a game with such well-known sound effects such as photon torpedoes, phasers, and a well-known opening title.  Will I enjoy the game with no sound at all? Without sound, will I know what is going on? And are there visual cues as well as audio cues for an event or quest advancement?

Zinkievich:  You will definitely know what is going on, and I really do think that you will be able to enjoy the game with no sound.

Good game audio can provide emotion or a sense of place and give extra cues to events that are happening. That being said, our policy is to make sure for any important game event there are multiple UI cues. Nothing is ever indicated only through audio. If there is voiceover, there is text.  If there is a warning claxon, there is a visual UI cue as well.

Wednesday - June 24, 2009

STO - Community Questions

by Myrthos, 22:53

In the 11th edition of Ask Cryptic where a selection of questions from the forums is answered more information can be found on spontaneous missions, ship classes, cloaking and more.

Elboulevardo: One thing that can add tactical strategy to space combat will be path based weapons. Will we see this in STO? I'd love to see a situation where a friendly captain can come to the rescue and place his ship in the line of fire so his friend can escape destruction.

You won’t see path-based weapons. Star Trek Online isn’t going to be a twitch-based game, either in space or on the ground. You won’t be able to jump in front of bullets or rockets, like in a first-person shooter. It’s still an MMO – it’s a "click 'Fire' and go" game. But there will be mechanics that emulate the drama of interacting with dangerous objects in the game. For instance, a slow-moving, large plasma torpedo is something you’ll be able to shoot out of the sky. You won’t be able to shoot smaller photon torpedoes; you can’t dodge standard projectiles.

But you’ll be able to rescue your friends in other ways. You will be able to eject your warp plasma and ensnare the people that fly through it, which means people will be able to fly around it to avoid it. You’ll be able to repair friendly ships, transfer shield power to another ship or capture foes in a tractor beam.

Saturday - June 20, 2009

STO - Interview @ 1UP

by Myrthos, 16:34

IUP talks to executive producer Craig Zinkievich on why it's Klingon versus Federation, the success of the J.J. Abrams reboot, and if players can become Starfleet Commander.

1UP: The dissolution of the peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingons opens up a number of interesting plot points for players, but can also place the game in a convenient "let's create tension and combat-oriented gameplay" situation for an MMO. Has there always been the plan to have this in place for the game, or was this a decision that was made later on in the creation process?

CZ: You're right -- it is both interesting and convenient! At the end of Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Nemesis, the Alpha and Beta quadrants have become a rather peaceful and happy place, which was great for the way those stories ended. In STO, we're opening a new chapter.

It's true that we wanted to add some more conflict and action to the story, but if you look at the history of the Trek Universe, these conflicts tend to be cyclical. When the Federation is in a good place with one or more of its rival powers, another will step in to fill the void as the main aggressor. And there have been multiple periods of peace and war in the Klingon-Federation relationship. They are two very different groups and it's not always possible for them to be in harmony.

That being said, there's nothing to say that the Federation and Klingons will never cooperate to face a greater threat. We expect the relationship between them to shift and change as the story advances.

STO - Meet the Team: Denis Korkh

by Myrthos, 16:30

Denis Korkh, working on the artwork of the ships, is next in line to be profiled on the Star Trek Online site.

What do you do on Star Trek Online?

I build some of the ships that will populate Star Trek Online. Sometimes this means replicating what has already been tried and true and other times it’s definitely about sneaking in the awesome and hoping that the real hardcore fans don’t come after me with torches, bat'leths and phasers when all’s said and done.

How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Star Trek Online?

I worked in games for only about a year before I joined Cryptic and I’m extremely grateful for having lucked out so big so early. Before Cryptic, I was working on Sony Home, building most of the environments that were there at launch and a few that came out a little later. Before that I did odd 3D contracts for a while and even further back I did some work at Giant Killer Robots for Spiderman 3, Happy Feet and Fantastic Four 2.

Wednesday - June 17, 2009

STO - Dev Chat Transcript

by Myrthos, 21:35

A forum member of Star Trek Online put a transcript of the recent dev chat online.

STO - The Path to 2409: 2389

by Myrthos, 21:31

The next year leading to the period in which Star Trek Online takes place is 2389. It's filled with information about the decline of the Romulan empire, the Klingons and Federation who are entering Romulan space, Cardassian elections (won by DS9's Garak), the bad relationships between Vulcan and the Federation where Picard plays a role and Voyager's doctor has a court session.

In the courts, the case of the photonic lifeform known as The Doctor makes a small advancement after years of being stalled in hearings and appeals. On Stardate 66954.79, a Federation judge rules that the lawsuit may be expanded into a class-action suit encompassing all sentient artificial lifeforms in the Federation. "This is about more than one being and a mobile emitter," says Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, a lawyer for the Soong Foundation. "This is about basic rights."

Cogley-Shaw says that while the expansion of the lawsuit may mean that it will remain tangled in the courts for years to come, its ultimate resolution may mean an end to the forced servitude of more than 600 EMH Mark I holograms. And, as Starfleet re-equips more of its starships with holoprojectors to expand the usefulness of photonic "tools" such as the Emergency Command and Emergency Medical Holograms, someday those lifeforms may be considered Starfleet officers with all of the rights and privileges of their rank.

Saturday - June 13, 2009

STO - Genesis and Star Trex IX

by Myrthos, 22:38

If you ever wondered how the movie Star Trek IX and Star Trek Online interact you can now find out fo yourself.

How do Star Trek Online and the new movie interact, and where does the timeline diverge?

In the movie, two characters travel back in time from the year 2387. When Nero arrives in the year 2233, he disrupts the time continuum, creating an alternate reality from the point of his arrival. Star Trek (the new movie) takes place in this alternate reality. This is explained in the film in a conversation between Uhura and Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Star Trek Online is set in the "prime" Star Trek reality. This is the timeline of the five television series and the first 10 movies. It is the world in which the Gorn attacked Cestus III, Kirk fought Khan in the Mutara Nebula, Picard explored the galaxy, the Federation fought the Dominion War, Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant and Captain Archer and the crew of the NX-01 showed us how it all began.

Read more and check out the timeline here.

Furthermore producer Daniel Stahl talks about the Genesis program and how it helped them in game development in the developer blog at MMORPG.

In order to make a game universe where players can go somewhere no one else has gone before, we’d have to make more maps than we physically have time for and we would have to keep making them until the end of time. So how can we deliver on this concept?

To answer this question we turned to the Star Trek movies for inspiration and found the Genesis Program.

In the movie cannon the Genesis program used technology to convert nothing into something. “Life from Lifelessness.” This was the Creation device that Khan threatened to destroy the Enterprise with and what eventually spawned the Genesis planet.

Star Trek Online has embraced the concept of Genesis as a method to generate planets and systems that no one has seen before. But as with any technology it requires a lot of brainstorming, engineering, and testing to make it work right.

The core concept of Genesis in Star Trek Online is to create places for you to go without requiring hours of art and development time for each location. In a lot of ways, when we think of Genesis we think of the Holodeck computer.

Friday - June 12, 2009

STO - The Path to 2409:2388 Supplemental Log

by Myrthos, 21:49

As a supplemental to the already known year 2388 some additional information is now available on the Star Trek Online site featuring the ever friendly Worf.

I meet with Ambassador Worf in his home on Qo’noS. He hasn’t spoken with any reporter since the events surrounding the Hobus explosion. The Ambassador is an old friend of my family, which is why I thought I might be able to speak with him. It appears that I was right.

Ambassador Worf is a warrior. He is clearly still recovering from the near fatal injuries he took while fighting the madman, Nero. Just as clearly, he refuses to allow those injuries to slow him down.

He is also furious with me.

What are you doing here?! Do you know how foolish your actions have been? Wandering around Qo’noS on your own? The Federation is not very… popular.

It’s good to see you, too, Worf.

What would your father say if he knew you were here!?

[I meet his gaze and keep mine steady. Ambassador Worf is the sort of man who respects confidence, and directness.]

He’d probably say the same thing he used to say. ‘What is Jake thinking!’ And then he’d say that I’m a man now, capable of making my own decisions. I’ve grown up.

Thursday - June 11, 2009

STO - Meet the Team: Matthew Kenneally

by Myrthos, 12:29

At the official Star Trek Online site an interview can be found with their UI programmer Matthew Kenneally.

Who is your favorite Star Trek character and why?

I have to say that this boils down to just a question of who is cooler: Spock or Kirk – and that’s a tough decision. There is just something incredibly intriguing about the trials and adventures that define and bond the friendship of these powerful figures, and create the ultimate dynamic duo. But which of the two is strongest on their own? On one hand, Kirk has tremendous charisma and great leadership abilities. He’s calm and collected, witty, courageous, and loyal to his crew. He has a killer fighting style, and his stare could kill a man. Then you have Spock, whose wisdom, introspection, and curiosity, coupled with his long, thin face and sharp features are the definitive Vulcan. I would have to say that he is the single most memorable alien of my childhood - even though I hadn’t seen that much Star Trek in my younger years. So while Kirk’s character is as cool as he is humorous, I’d have to say that Spock wins for the nostalgia and lasting image that Leonard Nimoy created for Star Trek.

Sunday - June 07, 2009

STO - Developer Blog @ MMORPG

by Myrthos, 01:19

In the Star Trek Online developer blog at MMORPG executive producer Craig Zinkievich's gives his views on the internal play test process for Star Trek Online.

Each week, the entire Star Trek Online team gets together for an internal play test. It’s an incredibly important part of the development cycle, and I think our fans should know more about how we use our experience to shape the game and make it better. We play together every Tuesday for about an hour. Obviously, certain teams play the game quite a bit more than that, but Tuesdays are a special day where everyone on the team – Art, SW, Deign, Audio, Concept Art, Production, QA, OCR – is required to play our game. We get to really focus on key elements we’re adding to the game, and to sit down and have real discussions about what we’re working on.

We assemble a build of the game late Monday, and on Tuesday afternoon we drop what we’re doing and get into a conference room to go over what we’re testing that week. We go over what the major changes and additions over the last week have been to the game, what content we’re going to play and what is the particular focus during the play session.

We spend about an hour playing, and then everybody gets back into the same room. We spend another 15 or 30 minutes gathering as much feedback from the team as possible. What did we like? What didn’t we like? Most importantly - did we have fun? It’s important to talk about the good stuff in addition to the bad, so we can stress the “likes” in future tests.

Saturday - May 30, 2009

STO - Excalibur class

by Myrthos, 23:10

The next of the spaceships in Star Trek Online to be announced is of the Excalibur class.

Updating the iconic profile of the Constitution class, the Excalibur is the first of a group of new, state-of-the-art cruisers intended to fill a variety of roles for Starfleet.

Designed with the modular construction favored by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, the Excalibur can tackle almost any task. Its expanded cargo capacity and advanced warp core make it an ideal solo exploration vessel, but it also performs well as a support ship during fleet actions.

During times of peace, the Excalibur class is well-suited for cargo or transport missions. Its massive holds make it invaluable to Starfleet, which uses the Excalibur class extensively to resupply planets, space stations and other starships. It has enough power to run industrial replicators non-stop, and is often the ship of choice for missions of mercy or rapid evacuations. Crews on Excalibur-class ships can convert cargo bays to temporary housing in a matter of hours, enabling the Excalibur to carry as many as 1,100 passengers in an emergency.

In combat, the Excalibur's Class VIII warp core is large enough to allow it to transfer power to damaged ships or extend its shields to protect an ally without impacting its own defenses or systems. Engineers on an Excalibur-class starship can reroute that power to boost its tractor beams, allowing it to grapple enemy ships that could easily break away from lesser vessels. It has enough crew to get damaged systems back online quickly, and can even transport repair crews to allied ships. And the Excalibur class's reinforced hull allows it to stay in a fight, even when faced with a coordinated enemy assault.

Saturday - May 23, 2009

STO - The Path to 2409: 2388

by Myrthos, 02:06

The latest update on the events leading up to the date Star Trek Online starts is now available on the STO site. This time the year 2388 is covered.

Fallout from the destruction of the Romulan system dominates interstellar events in 2388.

The Romulan colony worlds reel from the loss of their homeworld and a vacuum in leadership. With the death of Praetor Chulan and the disappearance of Donatra, there is no one who has the authority to call the worlds to order or organize a new government. The leadership council of Rator III declares itself to be the new Romulan Senate and Rator III as the new capital of the Romulan Star Empire, but it is quickly challenged by the leaders of Achenar Prime and Abraxas V, who make similar claims.

One person many look toward to pull the Romulan people back together is Admiral Taris. She concentrates on evaluating what military forces remain, and issues a call for all remaining ships, even deep exploration vessels, to return to Romulan space.

STO - Meet the Team: Josh Ferguson

by Myrthos, 01:52

Content designer Josh Ferguson is the next in line to be interviewed on the official Star Trek Online site.

What do you do on Star Trek Online?
I’m a content designer. Specifically, I deal with a lot of the "Exploration Content." One of the core components of the Star Trek universe is the whole "…where no one has gone before" idea, and I’m doing a lot the content work geared towards supporting that notion. No "One" may have seen precisely what the player is exploring, but there is a whole lot of work needed to make sure that it makes sense, plays well, fits Trek and above all … that it is fun.

How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Star Trek Online?
I’ve been making games for 14 years. I’ve worked on quite a number of games over the years at companies like Turbine and Microprose, as well as more than four years here at Cryptic. I have a couple of shipped MMOs under my belt, but perhaps most relevant to STO's community, I had a somewhat minor role on Star Trek: Birth of the Federation – a game which I still remember very fondly, even though it has been a decade since it shipped.

Saturday - May 16, 2009

STO - New story path

by Myrthos, 22:12

A new story path named 2409 - 2387 Supplemental can be found at the Star Trek Online site. It offers background information to the timeline the game is playing in.

Commander Suran, once captain of the warbird Soterus, now lives as a gentleman farmer on the planet Talvath. Talvath has recently petitioned for Federation protection, which is what brings me here to interview him. He is the highest ranking military officer on the planet, and has indeed become something of an elder statesman. His intimate knowledge of Romulan politics, and involvement within definitive political events dating back to the conflict with Praetor Shinzon, makes him an even more important source of information. He smiles at me, offering me a glass of water as we sit on the porch of his sprawling ranch.

I know why you’re here. [he tilts his own glass at me] Oh, you may say it’s to gather information and determine whether your Federation will accept us. But you have all the same questions everyone else does.

What questions would those be?

You want to know about Donatra, of course, the missing Empress*. If only she hadn’t disappeared, how different everything would be! [he speaks in a higher pitch, clearly mimicking someone] Romulans would still be strong, still be a power to reckon with in the Universe! [he laughs] Well, I’m afraid I will disappoint you. They’re right, you see. If Donatra had lived, everything would be different. I can’t tell you if we would have been able to avoid all the catastrophes that befell us, but we would be a much stronger people.

I’m afraid, as well, that I can’t tell you where she’s gone. If I could, believe me, I would have sought her out long since.

Thursday - January 01, 2009

STO - The Timeline: 2384

by Myrthos, 21:55

A new installment in the timeline of Star Trek Online can be found at the official site. This covers the year 2384.

Federation analysts say that a shakeup in the Romulan power structure has left the empire vulnerable to attack from within and without. Starfleet is dispatching additional ships to the border of the Neutral Zone and considers the Romulan situation one of the main threats to Federation safety and security.

After Tomalak’s defeat by Donatra and her fleet, Praetor Tal’aura removes him as proconsul, choosing Sela as her right hand and fleet commander. Sela, a human-Romulan hybrid with extensive experience in the military and intelligence fields, has been a part of several major Romulan operations, including a failed attempt to invade Vulcan and coordinating support for the House of Duras’ attempt to take over the Klingon High Council in 2367.

As a gift to Tomalak for his decades of loyal service to the Romulan Star Empire, Tal’aura allows him to “retire” to his rural estates on Romulus.

Previous years in the timeline can be found here.

Source: WarCry

Thursday - December 25, 2008

STO - First Space Ship

by Myrthos, 18:08

The firat space ship announced for Star Trek Online can be found on the official site.

Exploration vessel; Commissioned: 2409

A starship designed to carry Federation influence throughout the Alpha Quadrant and beyond, the NX-91001 is one of the first multi-role starship designs since the Sovereign class was commissioned in the early 2370s. Able to function as a deep-space explorer with extensive sensors and laboratory facilities for scientific research, the NX-91001 also is outfitted as a heavy cruiser armed with some of the latest in Starfleet weapons technology for deployment in hostile areas.

Source: Massively

Thursday - November 27, 2008

STO - Craig Zinkievich Interview @ SKNR

by Woges, 16:00

Executive Producer gives an interview.

GVK: What is the mix between planet, ship, and station missions, and will players have to be a certain level before they can board a ship?

CZ: About fifty percent of your time will be spent in space, and the rest of the time you will be exploring planets, boarding other ships, visiting space stations or performing tasks aboard your own ship.
We get you on the ships right away – you’ll fly your first ship during the tutorial, and from there the starships just get bigger and better.

GVK: What is the story for the game and is it opened ended or story based gameplay?

CZ: Star Trek Online begins in 2409, which is about 30 years after the events in Star Trek Nemesis. In that time, technology has advanced, the Klingon Empire and the Federation are no longer allies and the universe is a much more volatile place.

We will be revealing the story of what has happened in the Star Trek Universe leading up to 2409 in a series of updates on our web site. So check out www.startrekonline.com to learn more.

Source: Blues News

Tuesday - October 21, 2008

STO - Preview @ CVG

by Woges, 17:46

Preview of STO giving an overview of the crew and exploration system.

Assuming you go with the Star Trekkers themselves, your orders come from Starfleet Central Command, in the form of Tours of Duty: sequential missions that take you to worlds explored or unexplored. Emmert claims his development team have created "A system of infinite exploration. We will be creating new planets, solar systems, civilisations that you as players might be the first to ever see."

Once you arrive at a planet, you get to choose which crew members you want to have beam down with you, and then you're planetside. The surface environments look lovely, and combat here is fast-paced and cover-based.

Emmert gives a few tantalising examples of the game's "dynamic content": the Borg might invade a sector, and you're tasked with taking it back. "Or who knows, the Tholians could get a bit uppity." Exciting!

Tuesday - August 26, 2008

STO - Q&A @ Official Site

by Asbjoern, 21:16

The developers of Star Trek Online have answered questions on Star Trek canon, customization, music, exploration and dynamics of the game world, all submitted by the community. Here's something on exploration:

If I'm not in the mood for ship combat, gaining Starfleet's favor or earning credits doing jobs for Quark, in what ways will I be able to advance my character doing what I want to do most: exploring the galaxy?

Craig "Zinc" Zinkievich (executive producer): Exploration will never take a backseat in Star Trek Online. Heck – in all the series, Starfleet is always sending captains off to chart new systems or classify nebulas. So we don't view exploration as a "break" from other gameplay – it's integral. Expect to be encouraged to boldly go! And as an incentive to explore space, discovering new civilizations is one of the major ways to open up new resources and equipment and make new alien recruits available to you, your fleet and your faction!

Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Tuesday - August 12, 2008

STO - Fact Sheet @ Binge Gamer

by Asbjoern, 14:10

So it turned out that Cryptic Studios was the developer after all, but hardly no big surprise.

Binge Gamer has published a fact sheet containing an overview of the information that was revealed by Cryptic Studios at the presentation in Las Vegas. If you haven't yet seen the debut trailer for Star Trek Online, then it can be viewed by clicking the link too:

General Information

  • Star Trek Online is set in 2409, roughly 30 years after the events of the 10th Star Trek film, “Star Trek Nemesis”. In the 30 years since the movie, many enemies have become friends, and some friends have become enemies. Specifically, the Federation and the Klingon Empire are at each other’s throats once more — as it should be.
  • Anything considered canon in the Star Trek universe (i.e. live-action TV, films) will not be altered, but STO will take “inspiration” from some of the non-canonical Trek lore (i.e. novels, comics, etc.)
  • There will only be two factions to play as at the game’s launch: The Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets. However, Cryptic has promised that other factions such as the Dominion and Romulan Empire will become playable in the future.
  • Guilds will be included. They will be referred to as “Fleets”, and as your Fleet grows in size and posterity, your Fleet will eventually be able to build their own shipyards.
  • You won’t have to have a top of the line PC in order to play Star Trek Online (JW: But it’ll help).
  • Unfortunately, no Mac or Linux support at this time. But they certainly made it sound like they would add it later on.
  • Cryptic Studios is working with former Star Trek writers to help pen some of the missions and events in the game.
  • We can expect to see Star Trek Online in “less than 3 years”.

Source: Blues News

Monday - August 11, 2008

STO - Interview @ Gamespot

by Woges, 17:03

Interview with Craig Zinkievich reveals ideas and types of gameplay planned for STO.

GS: Which classes of ships will players be able to create? Birds of Prey? Deep space exploration ships? Hybrid warships like the Defiant? Shuttlecraft?

CZ: All of the above. Players will have access to many different classes of starships that let them create the look and feel of many of the famous "ships of the line" but also many new and different ones.

GS: Exploration has always been a major focus in Star Trek. How will the game encourage players to boldly go where no man has gone before?

CZ: The game will be filled with hand-crafted Star Trek content that lets players play important parts in storylines active in the game universe. But exploration is key to Star Trek. Players will be able to pick uncharted star clusters of space and "seek out new life and new civilizations." There they’ll find content that will open up new resources, technologies, and even races with special abilities that they can recruit to their ship.

GS: One of the benefits of all that exploration is blowing up hostile new races that you encounter. Could you tell us about the combat system in the game?

CZ: There are two drastically different combat systems in Star Trek Online. The combat on away team missions will be fast paced "run and gun" combat. As for space, we don’t want to fall into the trap of trying to make Starship combat into a dogfighter. That’s not what Star Trek is about. In the shows and movies, space combat is about positioning, shifting power from weapons to shields, analyzing weaknesses, and having your crew come up with a plan at the last minute that can blast your enemy out of the sky! Space combat in Star Trek Online is a much more measured and tactical experience to reflect the spirit of the franchise.

STO - Gameplay Trailer

by Woges, 02:16

Cryptic have released the first trailer for STO.

See Star Trek Online! Our debut trailer shows some of the environments, ships and combat you will experience as you discover the future of the Trek universe. Explore the final frontier as the captain of your own starship and adventure on planets, in space and inside ships!

This trailer is created with 100 percent in-engine gameplay footage. What you see is what you'll play!

Wednesday - August 06, 2008

STO - Special Guest Leonard Nimoy

by Woges, 12:57

Spock to offically announce game this weekend in Las Vegas.

We are thrilled to announce that legendary Star Trek actor and director Leonard Nimoy will be our special guest at the reveal of the first gameplay footage from Star Trek Online!

Mr. Nimoy will be appearing at our event at the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 10 in the Gene Roddenberry Theater at the Las Vegas Hilton.

For those who cannot make the convention, we do not want to leave you out! We will broadcast the event LIVE via webcast. Please stay tuned for details on how to join the webcast.

And join the Star Trek Online community by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sunday, August 17, for a chance to win a copy of Star Trek Online and a lifetime subscription! You can learn more about how to win here!

Monday - July 28, 2008

Star Trek Online - To be Revealed Shortly

by Woges, 12:23

More than one cat jumped out of the bag it seems, from Blue's News.

The hints and clues about Star Trek Online are getting thick enough to cut with a knife. The schedule for the upcoming Las Vegas Star Trek Convention lists the following event for August 10: "1:30 PM 'Star Trek Online Revealed" indicating when the game will be revealed, presuming you don't count when it was first revealed going on four years ago (story). Meanwhile, the countdown timer on the Cryptic Studios Website (story) is down to a little under 13 hours, so the announcement that Cryptic is the studio that picked up development of the game from Perpetual Entertainment is likely to come in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Even that poorly kept secret is now moot, as WarCry Network (thanks Ant Joystiq) has dug up a job listing for Cryptic Studios that lets Schrödinger's cat out of the box by saying "Cryptic Studios, a leading independent developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online games, including the upcoming Champions Online and Star Trek Online, is expanding …"  and

Offical web-site is now up and running. Game footage to follow soon.

Los Gatos, Calif. – Cryptic Studios™, a leading developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), announced today that it has secured the global rights to develop and publish Star Trek® Online, a massively multiplayer online game based on the legendary Star Trek franchise, from CBS Consumer Products.

Cryptic will unveil the first Star Trek Online gameplay footage as well as details about this highly anticipated MMO at the annual Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas on Sunday, August 10, 2008. Trek fans from around the globe can also view the event live via webcast at http://www.startrekonline.com/.

Interested participants can register today for the Star Trek Online webcast and to sign up for the STO community by visiting http://www.startrekonline.com/.

Talk about this in the forums!

Source: Blues News

Friday - March 14, 2008

Star Trek Online - More Cryptic Studios Rumours

by Asbjoern, 08:46

A law firm representing the new developers of Star Trek Online has taken contact to the Star Trek gaming website, startrek-games.com, in order to prevent them from releasing some Star Trek Online design documents. That law firm is also the law firm which represents Cryptic Studios (Evidence: Part VI of the Privacy Policy on the Champions Online website). Law firm:

Timothy J. Harris, Esq.
c/o Morrison & Foerster LLP
755 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1018

This could still of course be a coincidence.

Source: Bluesnews

Tuesday - March 11, 2008

Star Trek Online - Official Website Relaunch

by Asbjoern, 15:35

After having been shut down the official website has reappeared with a new background and a "Coming Soon" message underneath the Star Trek logo. Star Trek gaming website, Hailing Frequency, speculates:

This could signify a change in hands of the domain, potentially from perpetual, to whoever may be developing it now, but, attempts to trace the domain back to its new owner do not give any results.

Cryptic Studios has been rumored to have taken over the development of Star Trek Online, but the actual developer is still unconfirmed.

Source: WarCry

Thursday - January 31, 2008

Star Trek Online - Bethesda Not Planning Trek Game

by Inauro, 20:43

FiringSquad has word that Bethesda, the current owner of the Star Trek franchise rights when it comes to PC games, will not be publising a game based on the upcoming movie. Nor will its sister company ZeniMax be taking over the Star Trek Online development.

FiringSquad has learned that publisher Bethesda Softworks, the current owner of the video-PC game rights to the Star Trek franchise, will not be publishing a game based on the upcoming J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek movie. Company spokesperson Pete Hines confirmed this news with FiringSquad today but added, "Really interested in seeing the movie though. If anyone can make that movie awesome, it would be J.J. Abrams." Hines also stated that Bethesda Softworks's sister company, the new MMO based developer ZeniMax Online Studios, will not be taking over the development of Star Trek Online, the long-in-development MMO that has recently been let go by its now former developer Perpetual Entertainment. Hines told us, "I don’t believe that is anything that we or ZOS is interested in or actively pursuing. "

Bethesda Softworks has been the official licensee of the Star Trek game franchise for the past few years, publishing (but not developing themselves) a number of Trek titles for the PC and consoles, all of them centered around some kind of space combat. When asked if Bethesda Softworks was going to continue publishing Trek games or if it would let its current license expire, Hines only told us cryptically, "TBD."

Source: FiringSquad

Wednesday - January 16, 2008

Star Trek Online - Cryptic Interviews Developers @ WarCry

by Inauro, 20:54

Cryptic Studios (City of Heroes/Villains) has confirmed it has been speaking to former P2 Entertainment developers but has made no comment on rumours it has acquired the Star Trek license.

 

Source: WarCry

Monday - January 14, 2008

Star Trek Online - P2 Ceases Development @ WarCry

by Inauro, 20:57

WarCry reports that P2 Entertainment (formerly Perpetual Entertainment) has ceased work on Star Trek Online.

P2 Entertainment - formerly Perpetual Entertainment - has ceased development on Star Trek Online, according to multiple sources at the San Francisco based developer. The news does not, however, mean that the game is canceled. The license, as well as the game's content - but not the code - have been transferred to another Bay Area development studio where work will continue. It is not entirely clear at this time what this means for the individual developers who worked on the project at P2.

Source: WarCry

Wednesday - December 12, 2007

Star Trek Online - Interview @ WarCry

by Inauro, 21:16

WarCry talks to Daron Stinnett,  the Executive Producer of Star Trek Online.

WarCry: This week you've released your first space image and now your first land image since you decided to move away from a photorealistic image and towards a stylized one. Can you talk about both images and why you think the decision you made is the correct one?

Daron Stinnett: We love the caricatures of the races in Star Trek and we had a strong desire to make sure that each race was as visually distinctive as they are on an emotional level. However that presented a game design challenge given that on TV, all those great races are just human actors with prosthetics and makeup to differentiate them; an approach does not translate well to the game world where subtle differences among players and NPCs would not be legible at typical view distances during gameplay.

Source: WarCry

Tuesday - December 11, 2007

Star Trek Online - Class Action Suit @ Ten Ton Hammer

by Inauro, 21:18

Ten Ton Hammer reveals that PR firm Kohnke Communications Inc. has brought a class action suit against Perpetual Entertainment citing breach of contract, fraudulent transfer, fraud, and various other charges as its reasons.

The complaints stem from allegations that Perpetual sold valuable assets like the Star Trek Online (STO) license to P2 Entertainment, Inc., a thinly veiled yet separate corporate entity, before executing the Perpetual ABC or "Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors" (a liquidation mechanism allowed by states like California as a less expensive alternative to the extensive litigation surrounding bankruptcy). The case could have drastic implications for future of the pre-alpha Star Trek Online title.

Source: Ten Ton Hammer

Wednesday - December 05, 2007

Star Trek Online - Dev Log #5 @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:10

The official Star Trek Online site has been updated with a new developer log discussing... But seriously, you're all probably more interested in the fact that it contains the first release of an in-game screenshot.

While flying through space in a starship, players will use the Interaction System in exactly the same way ("Keep it Consistent")... but the NPCs the player will interact with will reflect more of the awesome diversity of the Star Trek universe. In space, players can respond to hails from officials on distant planets, or get orders from the commanders of besieged space stations, or do business with the owners of untrustworthy Orion shipyards, simply by right-clicking on those planets, space stations, or shipyards in exactly the same manner as if they were on the ground.

Source: Perpetual Entertainment

Monday - December 03, 2007

Star Trek Online - LCARS and UI @ StarTrek-Online.net

by Inauro, 21:10

Steve Mason, the Lead UI Designer for Star Trek Online, has posted at the StarTrek-Online.net forums regarding the game's interface.

My name is Steve Mason and I'm the lead UI designer & engineer for STO. I come to this site every now and then to read the threads about UI issues and it's always really inspiring to see. Star Trek is unique in that it's one of the few science fiction universes that has a distinct look and feel for its computer UI, so it's not surprising that so many people are concerned with the interface in our game. I'm a huge fan of Star Trek and Mike Okuda's work, so it's been a dream-come-true to be able to work on this project. In fact, one of the reasons why I came to work on this game was because I was scared they would get someone who didn't have a deep affinity for LCARS and all the cool graphics in the shows! As a fan, I was already looking forward to being able to use a Star Trek computer interface in an MMORPG.

So, for the last 18 months or so, I've been working on a new LCARS design style that will not only look cool, but also *work* well. Remember, LCARS was made twenty years ago, before modern computer GUI standards had been established yet. You know, things like movable windows, scrollbars, drop down menus simply didn't exist back then, at least not in the mainstream (mac doesn't count, sorry). Heck, LCARS was intended to be used by touching it with your fingers, or speaking --- not using a mouse and keyboard. Not only that, but really it was intended to replace the TOS bridge control surfaces which were covered in pentiometers, sliders and blinking lights! So it's been a really interesting challenge to take the graphic design and interface style of LCARS, and apply it to the needs of a sophisticated, modern application like an MMO.

There's been a lot of speculation on here about what the UI might be like, or how LCARS will work on terminals a la Doom 3. And I can't talk about anything that might provide clues about gameplay, but I can say this:

Be prepared for a new LCARS style. Think modern, slick, clean, and elegant. Think shiny, black, and serious. Think iPhone. It's going to feel good. The design of the UI has been driven directly by the needs of gameplay. The last thing we want is the for the UI to get in the way of actually playing the game.

Saturday - December 01, 2007

Star Trek Online - Publication Update @ StarTrek-Online.net

by Inauro, 01:28

Daron Stinnett, the Executive Producer for Star Trek Online, has dropped by the StarTrek-Online.net forums to comment on recent rumours about the future of Perpetual Entertainment's upcoming MMO.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to step in and give everyone a quick update given all the rumors circulating. We are now in the process of finding a formal publisher for STO, which involves conversations with a variety of parties. We have been working on our business model for some time and once we establish a publisher, we will work with our new partner to communicate exactly what we are building - something I know all of you have been waiting a long time for.

There was also a report about PE liquidating our assets. That report relates to a transaction that took place a while back. And while I can't go into details right now, I want to assure the community that the entire Star Trek team is still here working hard and eagerly anticipating our chance to finally share our big plans.

Thanks, and hang-tight.

- Daron

Source: Perpetual Entertainment

Tuesday - November 27, 2007

Star Trek Online - Rumours @ Shacknews

by Inauro, 22:06

Shacknews has word that there may be changes afoot for Star Trek Online in the wake of Perpetual Entertainment's acquisition by an as yet unnamed media company.

Perpetual has been acquired by new ownership, reportedly a media company looking to use Star Trek Online to make its first major inroads into the video game market. Along with the acquisition comes a partial retargeting of Star Trek Online to what our source describes as a "more casual" experience, one which may potentially eschew subscription fees in favor of the practice of charging real money for optional in-game items, a practice popularized by various Korean MMOs.

Source: Shack News

Tuesday - November 13, 2007

Star Trek Online - Dev Log @ Official Site

by Inauro, 21:12

Head over to the official Star Trek Online site for a new dev log from Perpetual Entertainment.

Welcome back to the STO DevLog, our regular look into the development of Star Trek Online, the only game that dares to reveal what happens when good tribbles go bad!

This month we thought it would be fun to peer into the minds of the STO team, to find out what they think about Star Trek. Surveys were sent out, and answers were sent in... by the crate load.

Source: Perpetual Entertainment

Tuesday - October 02, 2007

Star Trek Online - Dev Log @ Official Site

by Inauro, 23:14

A new developer log at the official Star Trek Online site takes a closer look at the construction of a Vulcan village.

That’s darned pretty, but if we’re going to build more than one Vulcan-style village in Star Trek Online (and we are), this beautiful drawing will have to be broken down into its component parts, so that our modelers and texture artists can create dozens of bits and pieces that can be easily be re-assembled into a nigh-infinite variety of combinations. This process is usually handed off to a member of the concept team, who has “ownership” of the concept breakdown.

Source: Perpetual Entertainment

Thursday - September 27, 2007

Star Trek Online - Interview @ MPOGD

by Inauro, 23:07

MPOGD catches up with Daron Stinnett, Executive Producer of Star Trek Online.

So what does it take to get a ship of the size and prestige of a galaxy-class starship? "The largest ships, the ones that players dream of walking around on and working with, those are the equivalent of "player cities." It gives us a way to fill up these spaceships with real people instead of NPCs." The alternative would have required people who control massive ships to sit around in a hub somewhere looking for enough people to man something of that scale. Not exactly fun; we all hate waiting.

Sunday - July 22, 2007

Star Trek Online - Dev Log @ Official Site

by Inauro, 02:06

This one's a few days old, but informative nonetheless.  The official Star Trek Online site has been updated with a new developer log.

Exhibit A: Recently, I was absolutely floored by a demonstration of how we'll be crafting our exotic alien environments. For years, the process of constructing believable landscapes (alien or otherwise) has been a grueling, painful endeavor. But these days technological advances have come along to help designers and "world builders" rapidly assemble huge environments that look like they were shaped by natural forces, while simultaneously providing all the necessary gameplay "Points of Interest" laid out by the design team. Here's how it more or less works

Source: Perpetual Entertainment

Saturday - January 20, 2007

Star Trek Online - Interview @ WarCry

by Inauro, 22:40

WarCry speaks with Daron Stinnett, the Executive Producer of Star Trek Online.

WarCry Network: You've mentioned in a slew of interviews that you're working on a game, not a simulation of Star Trek. Can you talk about some specific instances where you've run into "realism" vs. fun, what you did and why you went that way?

Daron Stinnett: One of the earliest examples I can think of is when we were thinking about how the player would beam aboard their ship. Naturally, our first thought was that the player would run down to the transporter room to request a beam-out - just as in the shows. But the more we thought about it, we realized that there is no reason a player can't beam directly from wherever they happened to be standing. Forcing players to run to a particular location just because that was the way it was usually done in the shows, was silly and would get really tiresome. So we decided to streamline, knowing that players who still wanted to role play could always make the choice to beam out only from the transporter room without forcing everyone to play that way. That decision marked the day where we decided that we would consider the entertainment value of every design element on its own merits rather than blindly mimicking show mechanics.

 

Source: WarCry

Thursday - January 18, 2007

Star Trek Online - Site Relaunched

by Inauro, 21:24

Perpetual Entertainment has relaunched the Star Trek Online site with a whole new look. 

Saturday - November 25, 2006

Star Trek Online - Audio Interview @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 23:23

Dana Massey talks with the Executive Producer of Star Trek Online in an interview available via podcast at MMORPG.com. 

Source: MMORPG.com

Tuesday - September 19, 2006

Star Trek Online: AGC Interview @ MMORPG.com

by Dhruin, 23:42
MMORPG.com's second AGC article today is an <a href="http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setview/features/loadFeature/891/gameID/216/page/1" target="_blank">interview on Star Trek Online</a>:<blockquote><em> AGC gave us the chance to catch up with the developers behind Star Trek Online. Lead Designer Glen Dahlgren and Executive Producer Daron Stinnett were joined by their recently hired Lead Systems Designer John Yoo at the conference.<br><br>Yoo was the Powers Lead on Cryptic Studioa "!s City of Villains and Items Designer for Blizzarda "!s World of WarCraft. His hiring represents a larger trend at Perpetual Entertainment as they bring more and more experienced MMORPG developers into the fold. Currently, the Star Trek Online team is up to 35 full-time developers, despite the early state of the game.</em></blockquote>

Sunday - September 10, 2006

Star Trek Online: Development Update @ StarTrek-Online

by Dhruin, 00:10
Star Trek fansite StarTrek-Online.Net has obtained an exclusive STO <a href="http://www.startrek-online.net/messageboard/showthread.php?t=5556" target="_blank">development update from executive producer, Darren Stinnett</a>:<blockquote><em>Ita "!s been a long time (too long) since Ia "!ve given the community an update on how things are going for the Star Trek Online team and with today marking Treka "!s 40th (happy birthday Trek!), I thought it would be a great time to do some catching up. Ia "!d like to start off by giving everyone a sense of what to expect going forward. Star Trek Online was announced about a year before development began in earnest. And as a result, we had some catching up to do in order to reassure the fans that we were treating the license with respect and demonstrate our commitment to developing a high quality game. Wea "!ve also really enjoyed the opportunity to share some of our design ideas with the community and get feedback. As you might imagine, our first year of development involved a lot of brainstorming on paper while the foundation for our new client engine and toolset was being built. It was a perfect time for us to bounce ideas out to the community. And the feedback we received had a very valuable effect on our decisions and thought process. </em></blockquote>Head over for the rest of the post.

Source: Blue's

Saturday - September 09, 2006

Star Trek Online: Interview @ FiringSquad

by Inauro, 00:32
FiringSquad <a href="http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=12148" target="_blank">interviews</a> Glen Dahlgren, the Design Director of <a href="http://startrek.perpetual.com/" target="_blank">Star Trek Online</a>.<blockquote><em><B>FiringSquad: First, with Star Trek entering its 40th anniversary this week how does it feel to continue this science fiction franchise in a whole new way?</B><br><br><B>Glen Dahlgren</B>: Ita "!s incredible. Ia "!ve been a fan from way back, and Ia "!ve found that every era has its own character and something distinct to like about it. Whata "!s wonderful is that, while wea "!re drawing on elements from all of these series, wea "!re effectively creating a new seriesa  a new era twenty years beyond the most recent movie. This era will have its own look and feel, and is being constructed in collaboration with some of the best-known Star Trek designers as well as with the wholehearted blessing of CBS. This is a wonderful opportunity for us, and hopefully an exciting opportunity for fans as well. </em></blockquote><a href="http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=12148" target="_blank">More...</a>

Source: FiringSquad

Saturday - July 22, 2006

Star Trek Online: Starship Exteriors @ Gamasutra

by Inauro, 02:23
Star Trek Online's lead client engineer Ian Pieragostini offers some insight into the visual development of the game in the latest in a series of technical articles at Gamasutra.
The starships are one of the most recognizable characters in Star Trek. To make sure we faithfully reproduced the look, we began by selecting a segment of footage to reproduce. We chose a sequence from Voyager.

We created an external sample application as a test bed for our ideas. We felt this would keep iteration time down and allow us to try lots of different things. Properly integrating new graphics techniques into an engine including the export pipeline is not trivial. It can also lead to dead code as ideas are tried and abandoned. An external test application is a place to quickly test out ideas with throw-away code.
More...

Source: Star Trek Online

Wednesday - July 19, 2006

Star Trek Online: Visual Look Development #2 @ Gamasutra

by Dhruin, 03:11
After a hiatus since February, Gamasutra has finally posted the second part of their Visual Look Development: Star Trek Online Starships:
The starships are one of the most recognizable characters in Star Trek. To make sure we faithfully reproduced the look, we began by selecting a segment of footage to reproduce. We chose a sequence from Voyager.

We created an external sample application as a test bed for our ideas. We felt this would keep iteration time down and allow us to try lots of different things. Properly integrating new graphics techniques into an engine including the export pipeline is not trivial. It can also lead to dead code as ideas are tried and abandoned. An external test application is a place to quickly test out ideas with throw-away code.

Friday - July 14, 2006

Star Trek Online: Screenshots @ MMORPG.com

by Inauro, 03:11
MMORPG.com has snagged a couple of new Star Trek Online screenshots courtesy of the IGDA website.

Source: MMORPG.com

Thursday - June 08, 2006

Star Trek Online: FAQ Updated @ Official Site

by Inauro, 12:18
The good folk at OGRank alerted us to the fact that the FAQ at the official Star Trek Online site has been updated.
We finally had some more information abut the MMORPG that every Star Trek fan and not only them is waiting for. Enjoy this list of the most recent FAQ additions or read the complete FAQ at the official STO official website.

What area(s) of space will I be able to explore?
The primary gameplay area will be the Beta Quadrant, the section of the galaxy that includes territory of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans among others. Other areas of the Galaxy will be opened up via game expansions.

What races can I choose?
The following playable races are being considered: Vulcan, Bolian, Human, Andorian, Cardassian, Tellarite, Bajoran, Klingon, and Ferengi. However this list is not yet considered final.
More...

Source: OGRank

Information about

Star Trek Online

Developer: Cryptic Studios

SP/MP: Massive
Setting: Sci-Fi
Genre: MMORPG
Combat: Unknown
Play-time: Unknown
Voice-acting: Unknown

Regions & platforms
World
· Homepage
· Platform: PC
· Released: 2010-02-05
· Publisher: Cryptic Studios