Star Trek Online is coming!

[Shane 0]

It's finally coming!

 

 

`Star Trek Online' is ready to beam up

By DERRIK J. LANG – 1 day ago

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Trek Online" is finally going warp speed ahead.

 

After years in development limbo, the "Trek"-themed massively multiplayer online game will engage, according to game developer Cryptic Studios Inc.

 

Jack Emmert, Cryptic Chief Creative Officer, said players will begin "Star Trek Online" as the captain of a small Starfleet or Klingon Empire ship. They can customize their characters from pre-existing "Trek" species — from Klingons to Gorn — and can create entirely new alien races. As they progress through the game, players can increase in rank and gain larger vessels and more crew.

 

"You'll venture through space exploring new civilizations and life-forms," said Emmert. "You'll also beam down to planets and have adventures inside your ship. It's a galactic-wide game. There's going to be tons of space to investigate. We have a great system for exploration, which will allow for almost infinite possibilities."

 

Cryptic recently announced it had secured the rights to develop and publish "Star Trek Online" from CBS Consumer Products after now-defunct Perpetual Entertainment set the besieged project to kill.

 

"We had a friendly relationship with them," Emmert said. "As it became apparent they weren't going to continue to function, they decided to sell off the license. We swooped in and grabbed it. We took no assets. There was nothing to be had, to be honest. We're building everything from the ground up."

 

Players will also be able to battle against other vessels in laser-blasting, missile-firing deep space scuffles reminiscent of "The Wrath of Khan" and the Dominion War in "Deep Space Nine." Because the game will be set a few generations following the last "Trek" film, players shouldn't expect to run into James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard.

 

"There might be a ship called Enterprise flying around, but it's probably not the same ship anymore," said Emmert. "Most of the characters will have either retired or passed on, but you'll definitely be going to all the places you know and love from 'Star Trek.' Expect to see oldies like Vulcan and Bajor but also fan favorites like Andoria and Qo'noS."

 

Emmert plans to unveil footage and more details about "Star Trek Online" — which has no release date set — with Leonard Nimoy at a "Star Trek" convention Sunday in Las Vegas at the Gene Roddenberry Theater inside the Las Vegas Hilton. The "Star Trek Online" panel will also be broadcast live at StarTrekOnline.com.

 

"You're going to see the actual game working and functioning," said Emmert. "This isn't renders. This isn't concept art. Everything that people will see on Sunday is going to be taken right from 'Star Trek Online' as it stands today, so hardened people should know that a release date might be closer than they think."

 

Cryptic, the developer originally responsible for "City of Heroes" and "City of Villains," is also working on the superhero-themed online game "Champions Online," scheduled for release for Windows PC and Xbox 360 next year. Emmert said "Star Trek Online" would definitely be available for Windows PC and perhaps Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

 

Other online games based on popular entertainment franchises include "The Lord of the Rings Online," "The Matrix Online," "Pirates of the Caribbean Online" and "Star Wars Galaxies." Sony Online Entertainment is currently developing "DC Universe Online" while MGM Interactive is working on "Stargate Worlds."

 

On the Net:

• http://www.startrekonline.com/
  

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Edited August 9, 2008 by Shane

[FredM 0]

Hey there,

 

And some of us will be there to see the preview. :)

 

One interesting thing...go check the STO forums at www.startrekonline.com. Apparently, STSF is part of a debate. We're being used as a verb! :) :) :)

 

Essentially, questions are going about if STO should be designed more for the casual gamer or roleplayer. Apparently the people who prefer the "text based rpg" that we use and the style of gaming are now known as "STSFers." Kind of neat really. :)

[Kansas_Jones 0]

I can totally handle being used as a verb.

 

And I hope that the spokesperson, Emmett, isn't teasing us about STO perhaps being released on XBox 360. I'm a 360 owner who does not want to fork over the cash for a new desktop/laptop rig or updates for my current dinosaur (2003) desktop in order to play STO. I tried PC online MP gaming for about a year (Elite Force 2 and Enemy Territory), and then switched back over to console gaming. Honestly, console based gaming is easier with less game updates and game patch headaches, without the worry of this graphics card or that system requirement, so yes, I hope Emmett isn't being a tease.

 

And I don't intend this comment as a battle of the gaming systems. I love Trek, I'd like to see the STO game move forward, but as an adult gamer with various real life bills and other real life concerns besides gaming, I just do not have the desire to invest in a new rig in order to play STO.

 

I'd welcome a possible STO port over to the 360.

[Abe Kas 0]

I think we have to look at something similar, like http://www.eve-online.com to see what's coming. When I took a look at their site statistics, they had 30,000 players on-line. Cryptic sounded like they are going to basically create an Eve-like world, only using Star Trek cannon instead of coming up with their own stuff.

 

I have come to appreciate the intimacy of STSF. I don't want to be part of 30,000, I want to be part of 30. Much more like a family that way, and much more friendly. It's also nice to know that, let's see, there were 2,997 before me, and more coming every day. Players from the past drop by and give us the benefit of their experiences. New players are evaluated by GMs and put into teams with where they are going to be happy.

 

Oh, did I mention that STSF is free too??? I like that!!! Maybe we should have a donation site for upgrades you GMs think we should get, but can't afford. I'd send in a few strips of latinum.

Edited August 13, 2008 by Abe Kas

[will_marx 0]

I have come to appreciate the intimacy of STSF. I don't want to be part of 30,000, I want to be part of 30. Much more like a family that way, and much more friendly.

 

Oh, I concur. I cut my gaming teeth on tabletop games like Car Wars and Dungeons & Dragons; and I prefer to let my mind create what I'm seeing, rather than the interpretation of what some computer programmer wants me to think is real. I tried WoW, didn't like it and bailed during the free trial period. While I do have an SL account, I don't use it for gaming, but conversation with people on the other side of the world.

 

It's these interactions that led me to first join SFOL, then come back to STSF.

Oh, did I mention that STSF is free too??? I like that!!! Maybe we should have a donation site for upgrades you GMs think we should get, but can't afford. I'd send in a few strips of latinum.

 

And to echo Kansas, and in total agreement with Abe, I don't have a lot of free cash to dump on new gaming systems. And I quite enjoy plugging along on my non-Internet enabled PS2, playing the few games I have on it, in addition to the free-ness of STSF.

[shewhosighs 0]

Wow, I just went to the star trek online site, it looks exciting *rubbing hands together with greedy expectation*

[Brian T. Riley 0]

I try to have faith that something good will come out of this, but I get the feeling that this may be more indicative:

 

Edited September 3, 2008 by Brian T. Riley

[Travis Kroells 0]

lolz.

[Aliana Lucindak 0]

haha

I can just imagine that... O.o

~Ali

[Tyana 0]

I try to have faith that something good will come out of this, but I get the feeling that this may be more indicative:

 

 

That sir, is full of win. :blink:

 

 

I don't see how the 'niche' of text based RPG couldn't be worked in by using whatever suppliment STO uses/may use/will use for the Supergroup feature in CoH/CoV. That way the needed and usually hardcore MMO players can have their way and the 'niche' (I hate using that term to differentiate.) text based players can still have the new interactive MMO features while still having control of their usual text based RPG within the game.

 

For anyone unfamiliar with Cryptic/NCSoft's City of Heroes/Villains.... the Supergroup feature allows people to join a group, run missions together, use the supergroup base, and also has a 'private group chat' ability. Along with the owner of the SG being able to give admin or GM abilities for SG management. Since I've played a few Cryptic/NCSoft games with that feature, I don't see how or why something like that would be left out of STO in one form or another. So there is a possibility of that already being part of the game. Though I'd have to play the actual game (or test it) to see if there is/was a feature like that embedded into the game, in order to see how feasibly it could be applied to the general MMO environment. So until then I'll continue to lurk in silence over on those forums until I hear something that indicates one or the other.

 

Most of all I like the SG or general group/guild features in MMO games for when I am soloing and do not feel like reading that crap or feel like paying attention to group agendas/iteneraries when I am not in the mood to play with others. (All of it. The good, bad, inbetween, and also getting to skip out on people who take RPing way too seriously like some do in MMOs. That is one of the major contributing factors as to why I hate WoW. Too many people getting waaay to into the characters to the point they lose all common sense.) The SG is perfect for people who gel together and enjoy playing together without having as much interference from other players and also having some aspect of group interaction without it being a free for all and/or greatly disturbing others who are not in the mood to play with the group.

 

::thinks:: Other than that I've got nothing. :rolleyes:

For full post de-railment, I might renew CoH/CoV.... I haven't played it in a few months. :blink:

Edited September 4, 2008 by Tyana

[Jay Newson 0]

I'm a bit intrested (even though I haven't got so much expereience of online gaming before) but, I don't think that I can play it. (minium requirments) ;) Thanks for posting anyway. ;)