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Star Trek Online raid episodes launched with new trailer

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 5th 2010 at 12:01AM }

Announced last week, the first in a series of new raid episodes is now available in Star Trek Online. The first episode, entitled "The Infected," which tasks five players with assaulting a Borg-infected starbase and investigating a new Borg nanovirus that can "assimilate entire worlds at alarming speeds." Three more Borg episodes are planned, ultimately concluding with a direct attack against the Borg queen herself. If the trailer above is any indication, you can expect plenty of deep space confrontations, lots of ground action and copious explosions.

More raid episodes will arrive in the future, including one that revisits the work of everyone's favorite villain: Khan Noonien Singh.

Cryptic 'definitely' opening up ships to Star Trek Online players

by Ben Gilbert { Feb 15th 2010 at 10:00PM }

In the world of Star Trek, there's nothing quite like grabbing a few moments of R&R with your first mate on the holodeck or heading down to engineering to check up on your favorite ship's power core. Unfortunately, as we've been unable to explore the interior of our own ships since we first got our hands on Star Trek Online's pre-release beta program (nonetheless the final product), those wonderfully humdrum space activities will have to be postponed for a little while. But hey, they're coming ... or so says Cryptic executive producer Craig Zinkievich, at least.

"Anything we can do to make the game feel even more like Star Trek is something we want to do ... so, definitely, we want to give people more of their ship," he tells Inc Gamers, adding, "This is one of those things we want to get perfect before introducing it to players, though," indicating that the functionality likely won't be arriving in the near future. And us, well we just want to passive aggressively flirt with crew members -- is that so much to ask?

Gallery: Star Trek Online

[Via 1UP]

Borg soon assimilating Star Trek Online in upcoming content update

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 13th 2010 at 6:00AM }

A recently added hub page on the official Star Trek Online site has revealed that the nefarious Borg will soon make first contact with the MMO's players in an upcoming free content update, which will be rolled out over the next two months. The patch will add a series of high-level episodes (that's STO-speak for "quests") to the game which will throw players into a number of ground and space conflicts with the cybernetic species, leading up to a climactic raid encounter with the Borg Queen.

You can get an idea of the formidable foe you'll be facing off against in the video above and the gallery below. As a special protip from us to you, here's an instructional video which reminds prospective Borg-fighters exactly where the line must be drawn.

Gallery: Star Trek Online - Borg Update

Pay to become a Ferengi or Federation Klingon in Star Trek Online

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 3rd 2010 at 11:30AM }

Are you somewhat satisfied with your Star Trek Online avatar, but wish he or she possessed more unsightly forehead ridges? Perhaps you desire a pair of ears shaped and sized like funnel cakes? Do you wish it looked like your brain was attempting to escape out of the top of your head? Good news -- the Federation Ferengi race can now be downloaded in-game for 80 Cryptic Points, which translates to a shiny half-dollar in real-world funds.

Federation players also have the option to download what we can only assume to be a reformed species of Klingon for 240 Cryptic points, or $1.50. We're still unsure as to why anyone would play Star Trek Online and not make their own race, since we wouldn't find the game so compelling without the adventures of Barbicane, the only surviving Bonerian in the galaxy.

Cryptic would 'love' to get Star Trek Online to consoles

by David Hinkle { Feb 1st 2010 at 3:03PM }

Sure, we'd like a lot of things, too. Could we get a butterscotch waterfall in the backyard and maybe tiny, invisible robo-men with jetpacks to do the dishes for us every night? Or, better yet, could we get a better explanation for Champions Online's hold-up besides the "blame Microsoft" you said six months ago? But, we digress.

Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich told CVG that a console port of the com-pooter MMO is something the company is "definitely" interested in. "We would love to get STO to the console. At launch it will just be available for the PC but here at Cryptic we want our games across multiple platforms," he said.

However, before you break out your good Starfleet duds and crank the jamz up to eleven in celebration, know that should Cryptic pursue a console port, it likely wouldn't be available for quite some time. Zinkievich puts it this way: "But we'll have to see how Star Trek does and then secondly we want to do it justice and not hurry something along just to get it on the console."

MMO developers sound off about World of Warcraft's dominance

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 27th 2010 at 11:00PM }

We remember a time when every young buck coming out of the MMO development stables would puff up its cheeks and proudly proclaim itself "The World of Warcraft-killer." However, the industry's a bit older and wiser now, and massive online game devs are at peace with the fact that they'll never catch up to Blizzard's irrationally lucrative MMORPG. A handful of these developers recently spoke to MCV about how it feels to compete with an unstoppable juggernaut. (In short: Not awesome.)

Even in an MMO-heavy year which will see the introduction of Star Trek Online, APB, Final Fantasy XIV and others, Jagex COO Rob Smith thinks 2010's online games "are unlikely to topple the likes of World of Warcraft from their throne, at least in the short term." He's probably right -- unless, of course, 2010 is the year that the FarmVille MMO which we all totally know is going to happen actually happens.

Star Trek Online beta extended by one day

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 25th 2010 at 7:00PM }

MESSAGE BEGINS

Attention to all members of Starfleet. It has come to the attention of Starfleet's admiralty that the recent Borg activity in the Vega system has resulted in several thousand ensigns suddenly being promoted to the rank of captain. A very strange turn of events, to be sure, though Starfleet is no stranger to such events. Just last week, we encountered a race of people that spoke entirely in metaphor. Crazy, right?

In related Starfleet news, a spacetime anomaly (yes, another one) has manufactured an additional day of what we perceive as time. Please note that there is no need to adjust your ship's internal chronometer. The upshot of all this is that the Star Trek Online beta has been extended by twenty-four hours and will now end at 1800 hours (6:00pm Pacific), January 26. We would advise the thousands of improbable new captains to use this time wisely.

MESSAGE ENDS

[Via Blue's News. Image source: Alex Piskun]

Star Trek Online going where Del Taco lovers have gone before: Del Taco

by David Hinkle { Jan 21st 2010 at 11:20PM }

CUUUUUUUPS

It's going to be a long time before mankind invents Replicator technology. Until then, we're all forced to fill our Geo Metros with dead dinos and drive on down to the Del Taco for sustenance like jerks. But, the usual reward of a scrumptious combination of tortilla, beef and spices won't be the only thing to greet you at the end of your trek: Star Trek Online is teaming up with Del Taco to offer some collectible game cups. You know, the same kind that you got for every other thing that ever launches ever. Oh, you also get a free game trial, but oh man cups with ships on them!

In addition to this megaton news item, we've also got two new Star Trek Online trailers, featuring the Cardassians and the Vigilant Class Starship. Set your mouse to click and you'll find them past the break.

Source - Press release
Source - Del Taco promotion page

Continued →

Star Trek Online beta gets huge update, adds more Nimoy

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 21st 2010 at 4:30PM }

The MMO-developing band over at Cryptic has released an absolutely massive update to the Star Trek Online open beta. There are literally pages of fixes and changes, though Cryptic has thankfully distilled the major "headline" changes into a few bullet points:

The level cap has been removed, which should be music to the ears of the pre-release power levelers out there.
Cardassian and Romulan space is now accessible to Federation players, too, and there are some changes to bridge officer mechanics.
Additionally, the update allows players to use the mini-map to scan anomalies. As we all know, anomalies need scanning like nobody's business, so that's good news.

Perhaps most important of all is that Spock himself, Mr. Leonard Nimoy, now offers an "audio journal overview" upon entering a new sector of space. That's great news because, just like bacon, everything's better with Nimoy. Hit the source link for the full patch release notes (be sure to click through the splash page).

Star Trek Online lifetime, 12-month subscription deals

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 15th 2010 at 4:15PM }

Cryptic has announced some special Star Trek Online subscription options for anyone planning to sink some serious time into the game. The company is selling a lifetime subscription to the game for $239.99, which will last however long the game does. Also included with the lifetime subscription is a playable Borg character and two extra character slots. If you're not quite that devoted, you can opt for a 12-month subscription for $119.99, which also includes two extra character slots.

Big Download notes that regular subscriptions range from $14.99 per month, $41.97 for three months or $77.94 for six months, so the 12-month subscription is substantially cheaper than the $155.88 it would cost for two six-month subscriptions. Remember that the 12-month and lifetime subscriptions are available only for pre-orders, so you'll have to put some money down if you want to save money in the future.

As for whether you'll actually still be playing it in the future, you'll just have to wait and see. Or you could use a tachyon pulse. That works too.

New Star Trek Online trailer gets its Kling-on

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 13th 2010 at 9:00PM }

There are no words spoken in the Star Trek Online trailer you see above -- not that any words are really required. You can easily get the gist from the moving pictures, which give a brief look at the Klingon Empire's homeworld, its floating armadas, and somewhere in the vicinity of 17,000 laser discharges. Forget the fact the game isn't even out yet -- we feel confident calling it the "Most Lasered Game of 2010."

If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, it's not too late to find an entry key for the open beta!

Gallery: Star Trek Online

PSA: Star Trek Online beta starts today

by Richard Mitchell { Jan 12th 2010 at 3:20PM }

MESSAGE BEGINS

Attention Starfleet cadets, this is a reminder that the Star Trek Online open beta testing program begins today, January 12, 2010 (stardate 63497.4). Those cadets wishing to participate will need to acquire a client and a beta access key. A client may be obtained from the Big Download database located here. Massively.com has a cache of 10,000 beta access keys that will be granted to cadets on a first come, first serve basis. Please visit Massively to obtain your access key as soon as possible.

Also, we would like to remind students that transporter pads in transporter room three are still malfunctioning. Anyone not wishing to have their good and evil halves split between two physically identical bodies should avoid transporter room three if at all possible.

That is all.

MESSAGE ENDS

[Image source: Alex Piskun]

Star Trek Online 'Exploration Trailer' tours the fatal frontier

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 6th 2010 at 10:05AM }

These are some clips from Star Trek Online. Its mission: to make you buy the game; to seek out new subscribers and revenue sources; to boldly make money, like no MMO has done before ... except World of Warcraft.

To learn more about Star Trek Online before you beam aboard, check out Massively's coverage of the first few levels of the 25th-century simulator.

Gallery: Star Trek Online

Massively embarks on the first few levels of Star Trek Online

by Griffin McElroy { Jan 3rd 2010 at 8:00PM }

Last week, our MMO-obsessed sister site Massively took a break from their sneak preview of Cryptic's spacefaring sim, Star Trek Online, to share some of their thoughts on the Klingon faction and player vs. player combat. Today, they've got a preview of the first few levels you'll be grinding through. Is there anything more exciting in an MMORPG than those inaugural hours? All those tutorials? The terrible items? The countless woodland rodents and birds you have to slaughter to become marginally less pathetic?

Check out Massively's preview to find out how your astronautical career begins. Spoiler alert: You start the game by fighting the Borg, which are way more intimidating than rabid sewer rats.

Gallery: Star Trek Online

Massively goes where no blog's gone before with Star Trek Online

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 28th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Our brief time with Star Trek Online at PAX 2009 offered us a glimpse of the Starfleet's glossy spacecrafts and some player vs. environment gameplay. Recently, our MMO-loving sister site Massively got a chance to see how the other half lives. That is to say, the wrinkle-headed half, and the competitive half. That is to say, Klingons (the eeeeevil faction) and player vs. player combat.

Check out Massively's write-up to get more gooey, insider baseball-filled details about the Klingons' impressive arsenal, and to find out how PvP skirmishes unfold.