Star Trek Online

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Star Trek Online
Developer(s) Perpetual Entertainment
Publisher(s) Perpetual Entertainment
Designer(s) Daron Stinnett
(Executive Producer)
John Yoo
(Senior Systems Designer)
Christine Brownell
(Senior World Designer)
Engine Proprietary Engine
Release date(s) TBA
Genre(s) MMORPG
Mode(s) Persistent world
Platform(s) PC
Input Keyboard and mouse

Star Trek Online is the working title of a MMORPG being developed by Perpetual Entertainment which was announced on September 7, 2004.[1] The game is expected to be a major release that will create a massive online arena for PC players to participate as Starfleet officers in the Star Trek universe. The stated plan calls for the beta test to begin in the summer of 2007, with the launch in the final quarter of 2008. [1]

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Players' characters will begin as Starfleet cadets and have the opportunity to advance in rank up to Captain and possibly even Admiral. The game will mainly be played from a 3rd person perspective, though there are hints that it might be possible to zoom into a first person view under certain circumstances. Players will be able to travel, explore space and the surface of planets, and engage in Player versus player (PvP) combat and Player versus environment (PvE) combat; the developers have stated that they are going for an approximate 50/50 mix of space-based and ground-based content. Players will be able to form crews to do missions together as well as larger fleets, the game's version of player guilds. Although grouped adventuring is supported, plans for the game incorporate extensive options for players not in a crew.

First exterior look development for starships, an Akira class vessel.
First exterior look development for starships, an Akira class vessel.

Players will be given the option to specialize their skills in a particular area such as Engineering, Tactical/Security, and Science. Other familiar departments, such as medical, flight control, communications, and operations are integrated into these three main professions. Players may also have the option to take on the role of a Commanding Officer. However, the Command Track will be an optional route, rather than a mandatory selection.

STO will not feature permadeath; instead, when a player's health falls below a critical threshold, they will automatically be beamed to Sickbay and be cared for by a medic. This will slow a player's advancement, but not subtract experience points already received. Likewise, starships will not be fully destroyable; a starship that is disabled in combat will be smashed, broken, and adrift in space, but will still be repairable if it is towed to a space dock.

[edit] Setting

Galaxy-class Observation Lounge.
Galaxy-class Observation Lounge.
Galaxy-class Corridor.
Galaxy-class Corridor.

The game is to be set in the early years of the 25th Century[2] (just beyond the eras of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), approximately twenty years after Star Trek: Nemesis (the latest movie); the developers are using this time-gap to allow for some evolution in the Star Trek universe for the sake of better playability. Missions will include storylines that involve established characters from the Star Trek franchise. Players will begin at Starfleet Academy, where they will learn basic game skills, before progressing to Starship assignments. Players will be able to live in crew quarters on ships, on planets, or on starbases.

[edit] Starship operation

Starship assignments and missions will be one of the key components of this game. Players will congregate and socialize aboard large starship "hubs" such as the Galaxy-class, and use them as jumping-off points to go on missions aboard their smaller personal starships.

Many (but not all) missions will be "instanced," meaning that when a player enters that area, they would experience it on their own, no matter how many others were playing that area/scenario. This would enable players to have the experience of exploring the galaxy, without feeling that game areas were becoming "overpopulated."[3]

[edit] Character development

After a player has chosen a career, the selection becomes permanent for the character's entire existence. Characters will physically age as they progress through the game and gain more experience, thus the experience of higher-ranking officers will be accurately portrayed in game. The final list of playable races has not yet been announced; current candidates include Human, Vulcan, Klingon, Bajoran, Bolian, Cardassian, Ferengi, Tellarite and Andorian.[4]

Starfleet uniform concept art.
Starfleet uniform concept art.
Turbolift/Lobby concept art.
Turbolift/Lobby concept art.
Astrometrics concept art.
Astrometrics concept art.

[edit] Combat

Star Trek Online will include both personal and ship-to-ship combat. However, the developers have released very little information thus far as to how combat will work.

[edit] Personal combat

It is believed at this point that the game will operate using both first-person and third-person cameras; personal combat is expected to be primarily third-person, with the use of first-person views from time to time. It will take place on the ground and aboard ships.

[edit] Ship-to-ship combat

Perpetual Entertainment has stated that they want every player to be able to command their own ship, even if it's only a runabout. Large-scale ship-to-ship combat, however, will require teamwork. Full-size starships will require a bridge crew to operate and probably at least one person in Engineering.

Space combat in Star Trek Online will be three-dimensional and not based on a 2D plane as previously supposed; further details about space combat have been sparse. Player-Controlled starships will be piloted by their captains via a system of coordinated instructions and not by a player in a separate flight control position, though an NPC pilot will be present at the helm.

[edit] Travel

Players will travel through the gameworld by foot, at impulse power, at warp, and using transwarp conduits constructed by the Federation in the twenty years since Star Trek: Nemesis (However, according to official information, the transwarp conduits are only semi-reliable)[citation needed].

[edit] Economy

As in Star Trek, money will not be emphasized, but it will be present in the form of Federation Credits. All of the player's basic needs (i.e. "food, lodging, uniforms, simple entertainment, and standard equipment")[5] will be provided for free, but players can choose to spend credits on things the Federation does not normally provide—for instance, special items of value, special entertainment, or special treatment. Players will also amass "prestige", an intangible currency that reflects their favor with Starfleet. Obtaining command of a starship will not cost any credits but will require a great deal of prestige, with different ships costing different amounts. Prestige will be earned by impressing Starfleet and making special achievements.

[edit] Story

The game will begin during a time of relative peace for the Federation, a time known as the "En'ock tu Ch'enock," which roughly translates to "The Calm before the Inferno." All of the Federation's traditional enemies (such as the Borg, the Romulans, and the Klingon Empire) have either tentatively made peace or ceased to be a threat. The developers have stated that a new enemy from deep within the Beta quadrant will be the main antagonists.[6]

[edit] Notes

Several veteran production staff are known to have been involved in STO, including Mike Okuda, Andrew Probert [2] and John Eaves [3], all of whom have contributed primarily in the art departments relating to their specific expertise in the franchise.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Perpetual Entertainment (2006-03-23). Official Star Trek Online splash page. Perpetual Entertainment.
  2. ^ Mike Stemmle (2004-12-023). Star Trek Online Official Devblog 'A holiday story'. Perpetual Entertainment.
  3. ^ Star Trek Online Official FAQ: Ships. Perpetual Entertainment.
  4. ^ Lorien Gremore (2006-05-01). Star Trek Online Official FAQ. Perpetual Entertainment.
  5. ^ Eric Heimburg (2005-11-18). Development Logs: Space Combat. Perpetual Entertainment.
  6. ^ Mike Stemmle (2005-12-13). Re: Official F.A.Q. Updated. Star Trek Online .Net. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.

[edit] See also

Star Trek games

[edit] External links

[edit] Official

[edit] Community

[edit] Articles

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