Space combat! Star Trek Online community Q&A answers
by Kyle Horner 
Nov 25th 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Star Trek Online, Community Q&A
cryptic-studios posts
Space combat! Star Trek Online community Q&A answers, part 2
by Kyle Horner Nov 25th 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, Star Trek Online, Community Q&A
One Shots: Everybody (no) pants now
by Krystalle Voecks Nov 25th 2009 at 2:00PM
Filed under: Super-hero, Screenshots, One Shots, Champions Online
Calling all people enjoying holiday or role-play events -- we want your screenshots! So send your snaps in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/group/game and a quick description of what we're seeing in the image. That way everyone can check out what's so cool about your favorite game's holiday events -- or rp community -- too!
Thanksgiving surprise: Four free days in Champions Online
by Kyle Horner Nov 25th 2009 at 12:30PM
Filed under: Super-hero, News items, Champions Online
Hopefully things go much more smoothly than the last time there was a free weekend. Although, we're curious as to who'll be watching the servers on Thursday. We expect a vast majority of people to be lined with food and edging on the precipice of nap time. Maybe Cryptic is employing robots or Canadians to run their servers for a day. Unless... unless they're the same thing...
Dan Stahl talks Star Trek Online
by Rubi Bayer Nov 24th 2009 at 12:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Interviews, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online
Eurogamer and Stahl talked about his view of things like ship customization vs. remaining true to the Star Trek "look", combat styles on the ground and on ships, and general content. His enjoyment and pride on the game shines through clearly and makes the interview a fun read. "I really think that people who play the game for the first time will look at the game and say 'Wow, they nailed it.'" The translation of the article can be read courtesy of Google Translate, with the original here.
As a little extra bonus, Eurogamer treated us to a beautiful new gameplay trailer which can be viewed here.
Star Trek Online is scheduled for launch in February 2010.
Star Trek Online VFX Lead on updating visual style of the IP
by James Egan Nov 24th 2009 at 10:00AM
Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Star Trek Online
IGN recently posted a Star Trek Online dev diary written by the game's VFX Lead Michael Cavallaro. "Creating the visual style of Star Trek Online was no easy task," said Cavallaro. "You might think that everything we would be creating has already been done, but not only are references several years old but they vary across the board." If you factor in how the effects changed between the various series and movies, you can see how preserving the look of Star Trek as viewers know it posed a challenge for the Cryptic Studios devs.
The idea, Cavallaro related, was for the Cryptic devs to draw upon elements from the original Star Trek series and update that now-retro 60's sci-fi look for a contemporary audience. The trick was to do so while keeping said elements recognizable from the original IP.
Bill Roper talks powers in Champions Online
by Eliot Lefebvre Nov 24th 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: Super-hero, Game mechanics, Interviews, Opinion, Champions Online
Two of the biggest aspects of Champions Online are easy to point out: the character creator and the wide selection of powers. Certainly it's not the first game to use a classless system by a long shot, but the visual and immediate nature of power selection and the cosmetic effects of those choice are a big part of the game's distinctiveness. So it's hard not to be interested when Bill Roper sits down and talks with MMOCrunch about which powers he thinks worked excellently out of the gate and which onces were a bit less impressive.
Bill gushes quite enthusiastically about powers such as Force Cascade, Killer Instinct, and Thermal Reverberation -- powers that encourage alternate playstyles or different combinations of abilities. He's also enthusiastic about Uppercut and Haymaker, which he feels have an excellent payoff if they're used successfully and force the player to think more carefully. On the flipside, passive offensive powers don't have nearly enough effect, Chain Lightning tries to encourage alternate approaches but fails to do so, and summoning doesn't mesh nicely with the game's core play aspects. Roper also talks about what's being planned for the underwhelming powers to help bring them more in line, as well as discussing data mining and the infamous launch day nerfs. Take a look at the full interview for more details.
The Digital Continuum: Federation stands for 'fighting'
by Kyle Horner Nov 23rd 2009 at 3:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Trek Online, The Digital Continuum
And you know what? They really aren't true fans.
The Digital Continuum: Federation stands for 'fighting' part 2
by Kyle Horner Nov 23rd 2009 at 3:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, Star Trek Online, The Digital Continuum
Free costume parts galore in Champions Online
by Kyle Horner Nov 21st 2009 at 4:00PM
Filed under: Super-hero, Patches, News items, Champions Online
While these are only cosmetic costume options, they're important to players who wield specific guns or swords. It may seem like a minor issue to some, but having an outfit that makes sense -- and looks cool at the same time -- is surprisingly important to players who revel in a game like Champions Online.
You can also now put guitars on the back of your characters; something that immediately reeks of potential. We have to wonder if guitars are going to be added as visual replacements for sword based powers, enabling us to whack enemies with our musical axes. If someone at Cryptic could make that so, it would be somewhere within the vicinity of pure awesome.
The Daily Grind: You or not you, in Star Trek Online?
by Kyle Horner Nov 21st 2009 at 8:00AM
Filed under: New titles, Opinion, Star Trek Online, The Daily Grind
You see, we began thinking on this very subject not too long ago and a dilemma struck. While being a Vulcan or some odd new species is undoubtedly a tempting concept, seeing ourselves sitting in the captain's chair is nearly as exciting. Considering Cryptic's knack for powerful character creation tools, we've no doubt that coming up with a close approximation of our likeness wouldn't be too difficult.
We know that every Star Trek fan is going to create themselves at some point but your first "main" is so very important. Since creating a Klingon-sided character is unlocked after some initial Federation play, we're thinking of making ourselves first, and then, wait for it... a Gorn second. Yes!
Bill Roper on Champions Online's launch, current state and future
by Kyle Horner Nov 20th 2009 at 6:00PM
Filed under: Interviews, New titles, News items, Champions Online
Of particular note, there's a mention of how Champions Online will handle DC Universe Online's 2010 launch given that the superhero MMO market hasn't really expanded of late. Curiously, Roper says he feels that the Xbox 360 version will help to vastly expand Champions' user base. There's a chance Cryptic could be pushing to get into the console market by or before SOE releases their superhero MMO. Although given the headaches Cryptic has expressed at getting an MMO on Microsoft's console, we get the feeling much of the developer's focus is presently on Star Trek Online and continued live game support.
Star Trek Online ship tactics, part 2
by Adam Holisky Nov 20th 2009 at 4:00PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online
Part 2 of the Star Trek Online starship tactics video premiered over at IGN, and there are a couple concepts clarified over a few subjects -- but as with the last video, it's nothing really new. The gameplay footage that's attached to the explanation is quite compelling however, especially with the boarding parties where you can see the little shuttlecrafts head towards the Romulan ship. Let's take a closer look at each of the concepts the video covers.
Power management.
Power management is going to play a big role, which we known about for a while. You can see some detailed pictures of part of the power management UI in yesterday's article, located along the bottom of the screen with words like Defense, Attack, and Speed. Say you have 100 units of power, in STO you're going to be able to devote 25 of those units to the shields, 10 to auxiliary systems, 50 to weapons, and 15 to the engines. Power allocation will not be immediate, it will have some sort of delay associated with it. That means you'll have to think ahead about your strategic choices.
Star Trek Online open beta dates announced
by Adam Holisky Nov 19th 2009 at 6:30PM
Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Trek Online
Star Trek Online is currently in closed beta, which began last month. Champions Online six-month and lifetime subscribers have been told that they'll be in the closed beta before the end of the year, so those folks should get at least a month of beta access before the game hits the retail shelves on February 2nd, 2010.
Once the open beta begins, you'll likely see a flood of information and guides about STO since the NDA will have been lifted. This will provide everyone with key information as to the finer details of the gameplay mechanics.
New Star Trek Online video shows tactical combat, UI
by Adam Holisky Nov 19th 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, New titles, Star Trek Online
There are a few points that STO Director of Production Craig Zinkievich, Game Designer Zeke Sparkes, and Producer Daniel Stahl make which are worth noting. We've already heard most of it, but the in-game footage demonstrates most of these concepts nicely.
You can watch the video above, or head over to our sister site Big Download to grab the hi res version. The hi res version of this video is worth it.
After the break we'll take a look at the major points, as well as talk about some of the high resolution screen grabs of the UI shown in the video.
