Star Trek Online's 'Episode Missions' detailed
by Kyle Horner 
Nov 9th 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online
Each episode will be roughly 45 to 90 minutes long and functions as a primary mover in player progression. Many of their stories will be infused with conflict, although Cryptic is saying not all episodes have to end with battle. The setting -- the year 2409 -- is a time of war, which gives credence to a Trek universe where blowing things up is unfortunately more common. In this respect, Star Trek Online is much more like the movie versions than the series.
The game is set to launch with three seasons of episodes, where each season represents 14 episodes. That's 42 episodes at launch, which is kind of like a nerdy lucky number. We'll take it as a good sign.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
smackphat said on 10:53AM 11-09-2009
That's only a little over 30 hours worth of content at launch. :-\
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Super Healer said on 12:34PM 11-09-2009
Who said the "Episode" quests were going to be the only quests in the game? Also some people actually like the combat part of the Star Trek universe, which is just as big a part of the show than exploring and discovering another new generic planet/alien race.
Some people really do like to doom-monger for no good reason, dont they!
Im hoping for a mixture between exploration and combat and keeping an open mind.
Ryan said on 11:27PM 11-09-2009
They've said people can level up through quests, exploration, planet-side missions and even PvP...
I'm not sure if Mission Episodes will get people all the way there, but combined with all the other various ways of leveling, I don't think it's a bad start. I also am not opposed to 42 missions coming out at the start, with more to follow in the months ahead.
Brian! said on 10:55AM 11-09-2009
Hrm. It remains to be seen if the gameplay will be compelling. Great IPO.
I am a bit concerned that they won't be able to capture the feeling of Trek, which seems to be largely about discovery. If the gameplay centers around war and destroying X-Y-Z target over and over, it might not keep the fanbase's attention.
But then, I also think MMOs went from being vast worlds to the game of WoW which is pretty much only about combat or crafting things for combat. I would like to see more MMOs implement more gameplay elements that make games like the SIMS so addictive and that would work very well in an MMO.
Basically, Star Trek Online could be a game with lots of gameplay around exploration and social interactions. It is harder to develop than tables of damage and damage resistance, but it does lead to much deeper gameplay.
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UltimateQ said on 11:06AM 11-09-2009
"although Cryptic is saying not all episodes have to end with battle."
Diplomacy?! Yay!!!
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THAC0 said on 11:27AM 11-09-2009
That means they will give you one mission you can talk your way out of or some courier missions or something.
They just said that to try and hush people like me and Brian! who think that a STO based almost solely on combat really runs counter to the heart of the IP and looks unappealing.
UltimateQ said on 11:53AM 11-09-2009
T_T
mpdivo said on 12:13PM 11-09-2009
Episode 5.
Your ship has been assigned to the far reaches of sector 7b and visit an uninhabited earth like planet. There you are to kill 25 boars and return with their pelts for the Federation Science Foundation to examine.
Boar Pelts: 0/25
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Kyle Horner said on 12:23PM 11-09-2009
That would probably work for Klingons, you know.
fall0ut said on 2:58PM 11-09-2009
Great post.
As much as I want to see Star Trek Online succeed. I've just got a bad feeling about this game.
Christian Levesque said on 12:37PM 11-09-2009
Except it would not be for research but for honor instead!
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Anthony Damiani said on 3:44PM 11-10-2009
63 hours of storycontent at launch does not augur well, given the Champions situation.
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Ryan said on 11:37PM 11-09-2009
I have high hopes for this game, something I didn't always have, but I'm not entirely optimistic. While I haven't seen what they plan to implement for launch, I do have a slightly sinking feeling that it will be rushed without quite enough content in the game. I think the ability to costumize the inside of the craft could be very, very cool -- and actually be the first time "player housing" could be relevant that I've seen in a game, given that the housing travels with you.
There's lots of potential for this game, including sandbox potential, but I'm not sure the game will be that at launch. What about an assignment to help oversee a new federation colony, where your officers have to help oversee the development of the colony and your decisions make an impact in their life. The more successful the colony runs, based off your decisions, the more exp and rewards you get out of it in the end. Assignments on exploration, "We need lots of X ore. Find sources of X ore in Y regions of space." There may be fairly large pockets, but the bigger the pocket that you find, the more exp you get. (These kinds of missions would make having scientific vessels be a big boon.)
I think the game will eventually get to where it should, but it's going to take some time. February 2nd couldn't possibly be enough time, so I'll have to temper my expectations. That said, I absolutely think the game can be fun and somewhat polished from week 1, so this may just be the first time I've ever bought a MMO around the period of its initial launch.
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-Drexel- said on 5:53AM 11-10-2009
30 hours of content for people with a life is quite a bit. Especially considering that these episodes are the storyline only...there are other avenues of progression, side missions with their own miniature storylines and periodic content like borg raids and distress signals.
For me, 30 hours is more thana month of over-the-top gaming...not everyone hunkers down for 22 hours a day in front of their computers, devouring games for all they are worth in the first 3 days so they can jump on to Massively and cry DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOm!
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Neurotic said on 7:45AM 11-10-2009
I salute you, Drexel. Full-time job, two kids, a wife who hates computers... my gaming time is a treat to be savoured, not a Cola-fuelled endurance marathon.
ALSO - this game is not about racing-to-the-cap speed trials. 49 missions seems fine to me, considering that, ideally, we'll be immersing ourselves in delicious new Trekness, taking our time to consider our options before implementing our next moves, quoting Shakespeare to each other as our torpedoes slam into shields and our away teams creep through underground mining facilities. So take your xp-per-minute, loot-per-hour ideology and shove it up your Death Star trench, you lousy Gorn scumbags!