This week Cryptic have released three new images from their upcoming Star Trek Online MMORPG, including the a good look at a Klingon ship and another Federation ship. Plus Cryptic has answered some questions, including how money will work in the ‘moneyless future’ of Trek. And coming up this week there is a new trivia contest where you can win a beta slot.
New shots
Three new ‘in-game’ (not Photoshopped) screenshots released this week, including a look at a new Klingon ship and a new ‘Miranda’ style ship.
Klingon in asteroids
Warp Core
Miranda zooming from planetoid
NOTE: It is unclear why this new ‘Miranda’ has the same registry as the previously released update to the Sovereign.
STO Q&A: Galactic Maps, Federation Money? and more
There is a new ‘Ask Cryptic’ on the official site this week, with six new fan questions answered, here are a couple of the more interesting ones:
Q: Will there be a galaxy wide map which is directly linked to the territories? e.g- If a federation fleet takes over a few star systems, will it show up on the map so everyone is constantly updated with their fleet’s boundaries etc?
A: Yes and no. The star systems that are going to be changing hands are in the Klingon / Federation neutral zone where PvP and indirect PvP will be taking place. The systems within the Neutral Zone will change loyalty between the two factions, and their status will show up on the sector level map. The actual high level map itself is not going to change territory lines.
Q: Since the Federation has evolved beyond money and the need for it, how will the galactic economy work and flow for the Federation and indeed the Klingons? Will there also be opportunities for cross-faction trading?
A: The Federation may have grown beyond the need for money within itself, but the rest of the galaxy hasn’t. Even within the Federation there is a sense of credits: transporter credits and replicator credits. You can’t simply decide one day that you want a starship and then get one, you have to have enough credits for that. Outside of the Federation, there’s a thriving galactic economy that uses gold pressed latinum. You, as a Starfleet officer, will participate in that economy on behalf of the Federation. As for cross faction trading – we’re looking into how black markets might fit into the game.
More STO…more chances to win beta spot
Here are a couple of other STO updates:
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Announcement of new trivia contest (kicking off Monday) to win more spots in the beta test
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2nd ‘Kobayashi Maru’ challenge on the STO Forums.
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New STO Starfleet uniforms spotted (again) in IDW Countdown #2 comic preview [spoilers]
For more on STO, see our special Star Trek Online category for our most recent articles and also visit the official startrekonline.com site.
I cant wait for this game! Hope it is a 2009 release.
First??
Looks good
Very interesting? I just wonder how much power in graphics this game is going to take?
Very interesting! is what I meant!
Is it just me or does the Miranda look like the millennium falcon backwards….haha weird
I must admit that I am not sure about the look of that ‘Miranda’-type ship. Just doesn’t look right to me…
“Credits” would be acceptable to me, in terms of Federation currency. I’m glad that gold pressed latinum will be in the game as well, when dealing with non-Federation cultures.
That Klingon ship looked kind of… odd, but I’m sure it will be a lot of fun to fly.
I just wonder why that Klingon ship, that is supposed to be a 25th century ship looks almost EXACTLY like the ENT-era (22nd century) Raptor.
And I also wonder why the Miranda-thing has the same registry number as the Sovereign-like thing we’ve seen before. I assume the registry will be sooner or later, but it’s still odd.
Other than that, it looks great. I’m still not sure I’ll ever play the game, but it sure looks great.
yeah the Miranda looks too “evil” to be a federation vessel
Looks great, I can’t wait for this!
The background visuals look great in these shots. However, I do wonder about the ship designs. The Miranda looks kind of Enterprise-era to me. It could almost be a precursor to the Star Trek II design. The Klingon ship also doesn’t seem very futuristic.
For example, think about all the changes that have occurred in aviation design over the last century from WWII era fighters to modern fighter jets. I would expect 25th century ships to have some wilder designs than the ones we are seeing.
what the hell is that ?!
that nx ship omg
are the cryptic designers now 24/7 drunk?
more and more holes – soon they will look like
tng romulan warbirds
aww im going to vaporize me
This game is still interesting, but the interest is slowing fading with every passing month. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but STO is missing something that makes me say “Wow.”
oh no, not another terrible looking 13-year-old’s-idea-of-a-ship kitbash.
The thing I liked most about Federation starship designs, and what set them apart from pretty much every other ship in any series, is that every part of the ship had some function. You could point at any part of any Enterprise and a good Trekkie would be able to tell you what it does, and it would be simple and it would make sense from an in-universe perspective.
How do you point at odd edges and superfluous pointy bits and explain them?
#13
It seems to that this is one of these projects that would have been better to introduce and then not do too many pre-release publicity shots. Sometimes it seem that when companies do too much publicity for a release, the buzz gets a little killed. It’s like I know too much.
Heck, take the new Trek movie. I haven’t even been following all the news and I feel like I can practically put together mot of the major plot points. WIth STO, there have been so many design releases, I don’t feel like there’s going to be too much to actually surprise me upon release, which kills a little of the excitement.
Maybe not everybody feels this way, but I am making a vow to try and avoid spoilers for ANYTHING (including non-Trek) from now on. I’m even trying to avoid movie trailers and reviews.
I think it’s interesting how all the ships are classified as “NX” as opposed to being true commissioned classes.
that warp core arrangement is…ugh… >.< …and that Miranda looks like someone cut out chunks from the hull and pasted them onto the front…
I like their economic explanation much, both from an in-universe and gaming perspective.
Does not appeal visually to me.
And, as has been said by Vorus before, why an ENT era design in the 25th century? This better be some time travel scenario.
for this I’m thinking of playing Klingon. How does everone else stand? KI or UFP?
That purple contraption is supposed to be a FEDERATION warp core?! :-/
#21
Looks like a Klingon Warp Core to me. Judging by the colours in the room.
Meh. MMO’s still seem to be utterly unable to keep my attention. Unless this manages to somehow break the mold for how these MMO’s all seem to operate, not even Star Trek will get me to spend money on it.
Yeah, gonna say the warp core pic is a FAIL. Looks like they didnt bother looking at how a warp core works, you know, magnetic constrictors pumping matter and antimatter into an intermix chamber and dilithium and all, they just built a clear and generic looking PC game power reactor with stuff that kinda resembles the Galaxy warp core. The new Miranda class, its overly flashy, like the gaps in the saucer section (that Ive seen in other ship designs of theirs to) are pointless. It could still very well be a great MMORPG but kind of like the new movie, Im starting to wonder how much its actually going to be star trek.
yay, more retarded ship design…
totally agree with 25
MIRANDA class in service for 130 years
Ships in EVE Online look waaay better.
Why does a 25th century Klingon ship look identical to the 22nd century Klingon Raptor from ENT??
First a tuned Sovereign, now a 22nd century time traveling Klingon ship and a Miranda that looks like the Ebon Hawk mated with the Millennium Falcon and had a Star Trek baby together?
Damn…
Sign me on!
That Klingon ship looks like it belongs on Batman, not Star Trek..
well never mind… never been into pc games in general (never played too much complicated games… mostly simcity…) I do have good memories of EGA TREK perhaps if some one will make a flash version of that game i’ll get a one..