Filed under: Star Trek Online

Cryptic clarifies what one million accounts actually means

by Rubi Bayer Feb 8th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Trek Online

As Eliot pointed out yesterday, when Cryptic announced that they had reached one million registered accounts, it paid to look at the announcement a bit more closely. What exactly is a registered account? Does a registered account mean that someone purchased Star Trek Online? Is it a beta tester? Maybe just a forum account?

We weren't the only ones wondering about this. More than one reader was curious about the phrasing the press release: "Already, over 1 million Star Trek fans have created accounts at the official websites." IncGamers was able to get a response from Cryptic regarding the specifics of the release, minus the lingo.

While the phrase "Star Trek fans" led many people to assume that the press release referred to Star Trek Online accounts only. The press release actually referred to Cryptic accounts -- which are required to play not only Star Trek Online, but Champions Online as well.

One million registered accounts is a milestone worth mentioning in any situation, but it's always helpful to know for certain what we're congratulating.

[Thanks Bill!]

One Shots: Rings

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 7th 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Star Trek Online, One Shots

Not everything in Star Trek Online is fighting when it comes to space. Sometimes, you turn and a lovely sight such as the one captured above will greet you. While this image was captured during the open beta, these types of stunning views are still there, waiting to be discovered by Star Trek Online's players.

Today's One Shots comes to us from Sjohn, who writes in to give us some context: I was doing a mission in the Pico System where I was patrolling the mines located in the rings around one of the planets. Saw this view and couldn't help but save it for later!

Are you exploring the final frontier? If so, why not send along a screenshot of your recent travels. Email it in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. We'll post it out here for everyone to look at and give you the nod.

Gallery: One Shots

Star Trek Online reaches one million accounts

by Eliot Lefebvre Feb 7th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Opinion, Star Trek Online

If it's not too dated, you can feel free to do the Dr. Evil voice as you read the announcement in your head. Star Trek Online has reached one million registered accounts, an impressive milestone for any game. The announcement follows in the vein of Cryptic's announcement that players had created over one million characters in Champions Online, which was also an impressive milestone... well, until you started to do the math and ask why they were counting the number of characters created rather than players.

There are similar questions to be asked about the latest Star Trek Online announcement, if you're the suspicious type. In short, we don't know the criteria that is being used to get the figure being thrown around. One million accounts could refer to open beta and head start accounts, or it could refer to everyone registered on the forums, even if they've long since stopped posting. It's an odd metric to use.

Still, it's a sign of how strong the IP of Star Trek still is after all these years, and as one of the few major launches planned for the year it's bound to attract quite a bit of attention. Congratulations to Cryptic, and here's hoping that those million accounts stick with the game after a few months.

Enter the Star Trek universe with Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online. From hands on reviews of the early levels and space combat, through noob questions and developer interviews, we've got everything you need to know about the game trekkies are dying for. Check out Massively's Star Trek Online page for the latest!

Anti-Aliased: A Cryptic opinion

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 4th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Champions Online, Anti-Aliased

So, wow, what a set the last week and a half has been. There seems to be a very strong theme going on in my inbox recently, and that's, without a doubt, Cryptic Studios. I've read unflattering comments about my integrity as a journalist, the usual statements of how this site is Cryptic's lapdog due to all of the Star Trek Online and Champions Online coverage, and, even more oddly, people want to know my opinion of Cryptic's recent actions -- specifically Star Trek Online and Vibora Bay.

Well, I was never one to shirk from the truth. I've been wanting to give my personal opinion on these events since Vibora Bay hit, so I might as well dedicate this column to my evaluation of Cryptic Studios. But, before we get to Cryptic, I have a few ground rules that I want to go over with you guys. Some facts that I'd like to set straight for, oh, I dunno, the fifth time.

Captain's Log: A guide to Lieutenant progression

by Kyle Horner Feb 4th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Guides, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Captains Log

Star Trek Online goes out of its way to make sure the player always has a bevy of mission choices at their fingertips. That makes a step-by-step guide on progressing through Lieutenant (i.e. the first ten "levels") somewhat worthless to write. So, I'm taking a different approach this week.

This guide is aimed at helping to quicken the pace of leveling towards your first new ship. The Miranda class ship is nice and all -- but everyone just really wants their first real ship. Plus, as an added bonus, you can use these tips throughout your entire Star Trek Online experience!

Star Trek Online team seeks world record

by Rubi Bayer Feb 4th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, real-world, Star Trek Online

Namco Bandai and Atari are helping Cryptic keep the hype machine for Star Trek Online at full throttle with this latest event: an attempt to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

The team at Star Trek Online is pursuing the record for "largest gathering of people dressed as Star Trek characters", and of course, they want your help. Fans in the London area are asked to join dressed as anything Star Trek related. The gathering will take place on London's Millennium Bridge

Join other fans February 14th (bring your significant other -- it's romantic!) at 1.00pm on the bridge and prepare to be checked out by officials from Guinness to be sure everyone is dressed in full Trek regalia. Best dressed fans can win Star Trek Online prizes, including lifetime subscriptions.

Check out all the details on the event here, and if you attend, have a great time.

Star Trek Online offers two new races in online store

by Rubi Bayer Feb 2nd 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, News items, Star Trek Online

Many Star Trek Online players were surprised to find a couple of new additions to the C-store after launch in the form of two new playable races.

For 240 Cryptic Points, you can purchase the Klingon race, and for only 80 Cryptic Points you can purchase the Ferengi race. Each race comes with a few race-specific traits -- Warrior and Honorable for the Klingon, Immunity and Acute Senses for the Ferengi -- and the ability to choose two more. Purchasing the race unlocks it for every character slot on the account.

Most pre-order packages included Cryptic Points, so the races will essentially be free for many players, but fan reaction was mixed regarding the addition anyway. Many players felt it to be a bit of an underhanded move, with the phrase "nickel-and-diming us" being batted about frequently. Meanwhile, a similar number of players pointed out the free points that came with pre-order as well as the increasing frequency of microtransactions in MMOs these days, and moved on.

No matter which side of the argument you fall on, if you are interested in learning more about these two new races, you can take a look here.

Unboxing the Star Trek Online Collector's Edition

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 2nd 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Star Trek Online, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on

Today, we launch into Star Trek Online! Our ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before. Well OK, not since beta, anyway. Still, it's always exciting to hold a shiny new MMO box in your hands -- made even nicer when you're a huge Star Trek fan and have managed to get your hands on the Collector's Edition.

Curious as to what came in this shiny metallic box now that you've checked out all of our launch day coverage? Well, travel along with us as we put it into warp and set off for a gallery look in the package.

Gallery: Star Trek Online Collector's Edition unboxing

One Shots: A happy reunion

by Krystalle Voecks Feb 2nd 2010 at 2:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Star Trek Online, One Shots

With Star Trek Online officially launching today, you can only imagine how many folks are counting down to getting home and logging in later. With various locations from the different series, you really can't blame any Trek fan for being excited about it. Today's great One Shots comes to us from John H. who captured one of the more iconic locales for us. We'll let him explain.

As a lifelong fan of the Star Trek franchise and someone who has played every Trek game since the Original Series game for NES, I've been anxiously awaiting Star Trek Online since I first heard of its development around four years ago. Deep Space Nine was always my favorite of the series, so of course I was thrilled to find that the station (and accompanying wormhole) were included in the game. This is an in-game shot of the station at the precise moment the wormhole opened.

Are you Star Trekkin' across the universe? If so, feel free to grab a screenshot and send it in to us! All you have to do is send them to oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, and a brief description. We'll add it to our gallery and give you the nod for sending it in.

Gallery: One Shots

Massively's Star Trek Online launch day roundup

by Kyle Horner Feb 2nd 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, News items, Star Trek Online

Today marks the official launch date for Cryptic Studios' newest title, Star Trek Online. We know there's a massive amount of information for new players to process, so we've put together a nice round-up of our various guides, tips and op-ed features to help out. Follow our advice and you should be more than ready to begin your heady Starfleet (Or Klingon Empire!) career.

Of course, of you're looking for an even more wonderful hub of information, you should check out our shiny new dedicated Star Trek Online page. It'll serve as the go-to place for any new guides, interviews, patches game lore and videos.

So -- as Sera Brennan would say -- without any further delay, let's take a trip down memory lane and look back at the best of our STO coverage...

The WoW Player's Guide to Star Trek Online

by Adam Holisky Feb 2nd 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Star Trek Online

Massively has been covering Star Trek Online extensively, and we've complied a guide for all the WoW players out there looking to get into the game. As a WoW player, you'll find numerous similarities and be comfortable with the controls overall. Nothing is too terrible different from WoW, especially if you're used to vehicle combat, and players transitioning to the game (even for a quick evaluation) should have an easy time.

Read on for the WoW Player's Guide to Star Trek Online, and don't forget to check out Massively's Star Trek Online page for everything related to STO.

Star Trek Online head start begins

by Adam Holisky Jan 29th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Star Trek Online

The Star Trek Online head start program has begun, allowing all those who pre-ordered STO access to the game before it officially launches next Tuesday, February 2nd. The servers should be up and running just as they will be during the full release, although don't be surprised if there are some problems along the way, just like there are in any newly released MMORPG. Cryptic has been working hard to increase their server stability since the start of the beta, and people are hopeful that things will be more or less smooth ~~sailing~~ warping.

With the beginning of the head start, it's also important to note that all characters in the beta have been deleted. This is par for the course with MMORPG betas, and Crpytic was diligent in keeping everyone informed of this -- so hopefully no one is surprised that their beta toon doesn't exist anymore.

Massively staff has been hard at work preparing guides and other information for you. Everything is available to look at via our new Star Trek Online page. Stay tuned to Massively as the head start progresses and moves into the full release next Tuesday.

Update: From the error page on the STO forums at 2:10 p.m. EST: "Some players may experience difficulties logging into Star Trek Online Right now, we are aware of this issue and working on a resolution."

Read all of Massively's STO coverage

Star Trek Online official dev blog: Chris Menard

by Kyle Horner Jan 29th 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Opinion, Star Trek Online

For the third and final Star Trek Online developer blog we present to you Chris Menard discussing his experience as a special effects artists for the game. It's a short but fun look into one developer/fan's experience working on a title set within the Star Trek universe, and we think you'll enjoy the read.

It's a funny thing, getting to work on something with such a high profile. We can't imagine that the men and women doing the animations, effects or really any aspect of a high profile MMO would want to put too much thought into just how many people will be seeing (and judging) their work. Our hats off to the hard working developers behind each and every game out there!

Star Trek Online head start patch now available

by Adam Holisky Jan 29th 2010 at 1:05AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Patches, News items, Star Trek Online

The last patch for Star Trek Online is now available to be downloaded and installed via the Cryptic Launcher. According to Cryptic Community Manager Stormshade, the patch will be the last one before the head start begins. The head start is for players who purchased a pre-order -- if you haven't purchased the STO pre-order and are interested in it, there is still time to do so. More information is available from Cryptic.

If you have been participating in the open/closed beta, your client just needs to be patched up to the latest version. There is no need to download and install an entirely new client. If you want to copy your game installation to another computer to run, just copy the folder across via normal means -- again, no need to download an entirely new client. This patch which you'll get is about 60 megs and is a quick download right now, although that is likely going to change once the masses get to it.

It's also worth reminding people that their beta character has been deleted, and you'll need to start anew.

The head start begins today at 10:00 a.m. PST.

New info and screens for upcoming Star Trek Online content

by Kyle Horner Jan 28th 2010 at 11:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online

Earlier we got a small taste of what's to come in Star Trek Online through the State of the Game feature, but already Cryptic is treating the community to a brand new "What's Next" page that lays bare their free update plans for the next two months. While all the major points themselves are old hat, it's the details of those major points that are in fact, new.

We've got a breakdown of the coming updates after the break, plus new screens in our gallery.