Today’s update for Cryptics Star Trek Online MMORPG starts off with two cool videos giving you a glimpse into the STO backstory and some Klingon combat. Plus we have a whopping fifteen new screenshots, and lots of new details on game.
The Star Trek Online Backstory and Klingon Combat in Video
Cryptic released a nice little video which recaps what has been happening in the Star Trek Universe since Nemesis. The history is not as detailed as what is revealed in the ‘Path to 2409’ series that Cryptic has released in the past. The video describes the tensions between Romulans and Reman’s and then moves over to the Klingon Empire waging war on two fronts. The video also has about two minutes of new combat footage of the Klingon Empire on the attack.
In the past Cryptic has released a very large amount of information concerning the federation and many have noticed that there has been very little coverage for the Klingon Empire, all that has changed. IGN is hosting a new trailer from Cryptic where Klingon’s are attacking a federation outpost. It’s short but anyone who has been looking forward to seeing more action for the Klingon’s will not be disappointed.
Ton of new Screenshots
Crypitc released fifteen new screenshots recently (11 space based and 4 ground based) between Zam, Massively and Curse.com. The screenshots capture combat with the Gorn, Borg, Federation and Cardassians. [click images to enlarge]
Space based
Land based
New Game Details – one server – player death & more
MMO Gaming – Daniel Stahl answered some questions for the MMOGaming.ru and covers a wide range of topics. Some of the questions have been asked in the past but there is some new information that has been released.
According to the interview there will only be a main server so that everyone will be able to find their friends.
Also in the interview player death is brought up. It wasn’t made clear whether this was for ground combat, space combat or both but when players die they will be brought back to a checkpoint. Go to mmogaming.ru for the full interview.
Full list of Federation ships
Cryptic has put up a list of Federation ships. The ships of the line page was redesigned to show which ships will be available for each rank. From what was released it appears that there will be nine ships available per rank giving three ships available for each ‘class’: Science, Escort and Cruiser. So far the Klingon list only has those that there have been a profile for, but Crytpic tells TrekMovie there are many more Klingon ships that are not listed yet.
PC Gamer Article Online
Last month PC Gamer had an article about Star Trek Online, which recapped the events of a STO mission ‘episode’ in which players have to rescue Lt. Miral Paris; daughter of Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torrez. That article is now online in PDF format. Not a lot of new info, but article includes some amazing screenshots and also shows off the engine to customize your characters and your ship.
COMING SOON: TrekMovie Beta Key Contest
TrekMovie is going to be giving away some beta keys in a contest coming up soon, so keep an eye out for that, plus all the latest news on this upcoming game.
Most of the ship designs still just look off, badly kitbashed… like a “pimp my ride” version of the official classes. Ultimately, though, the gameplay will make or break this game.
Ooh, TrekMovie Beta Key contest! I’ll be keeping an eye out for that.
I’ll revise my last: gameplay AND story are the crux. Fortunately, the story does look like it’s shaping up. The graphics look okay (kind of remind me of Mass Effect). However, compared to how Bioware’s Star Wars The Old Republic is coming along, I’m not sure this will come anywhere near as good. If both are good, however, I’ll probably end up bankrupting myself and playing both.
bring it out on the ps3!!!!!!
The images don’t exactly “enlarge”, they just link to what you see.
Isn’t this exactly what Roddenberry hated? Total militarism. Where’s the cool science and the social commentary? This is a videogame, yes. But, it’s not Trek. Of course, it could be fodder for JJ’s next movie.
*runs like hell*
@6
Lets face it, negotiating a treaty just isn’t the same in a video game. The only *good* Star Trek games have been the heavily action-focused ones.
#1 – all of the official classes are what they were and serve as configurations which players will then customize to their liking…so yeah, you’re going to get a “pimp my ride” feel in the game because people can change the aesthetics of a class of starship to what they want and add any special equipment or parts that they may come across or gain access to throughout the game.
Whoever filmed the guys talking for the back story video did a terrible job with lighting. The guys all look deathly pale. Even nerdy shut-ins don’t look that bad.
#9 – maybe it is so that their image doesn’t distract from the gameplay footage that is going on? Dunno.
Klingons have battlecruisers. Romulans have warbirds. -.-
The updated Miranda looks neat.
#9 – I didn’t mind the first and third guys, but #2 needs to learn that he can open his mouth to speak.
I guess when they came up with this idea they didn’t know JJ was going to destry Romulus, pretty much destroying the whole concept of this game. Canon?
#13 – This game takes that in to account. Romulus has been destroyed already in this game…and they have storylines to go with that.
JJ and others have stated that there are two timelines now…there is what is known as the Prime Timeline which is the Trek and all the movies and series that we know it…which is where STO takes place…and then there is the new timeline which will now be created in JJ’s universe due to the events in the new movie. The original timeline is still going to exist though, with Vulcan and no Romulus.
I really encourage people to go to the STO website and read the stories and the timeline and become as informed as possible before forming opinions on canon, ships, etc.
Not true. There are three timelines now:
– Prime Timeline (which is continued in the books: Borg wiped out, Typhon Pact formed)
– Altered Prime Timeline (STO and Countdown: Klingon Romulan War)
– JJverse (New movie series)
notice the list on the website has the Luna class down under federation ships. wonder if it will have the same design as on the cover of Damocles.
The shipdesign in STO is really bad. Even fans can come up with better ideas (go over to bcfiles.com and have a look).
The books actually got it right. Look at the Aventine! It does not look like a badly made kitbash, but an evolution of known elements.
The more I see of STO, the more I regret, that it won’t be the game, which was announced a few years ago.
#8 — Fair enough, but there are several predefined classes invented for STO (like the Excalibur and Vigilant classes) that I find wanting, specifically….
^ Oops, I mean the Discovery class, not the Vigilant class, which actually looks pretty decent….
OFF TOPIC, but AOL is reporting NASA scientist have discovered a bright ring of energy surounding our solar system. Great Barrier in Star Trek 5 is a reality after all. Just have to go the edge of the solar system not the edge of the galaxy to find it. They voyager spacecraft sent back the intel on this.
20 – That was in Science Friday, either a few days ago or the week before.
But, it is cool.
So people wearing colors other than the 24th century equivalent of “original series red” die too?
Combat is preferred. A peace game would be silly and boring.
Honestly, these graphics are atmospheric and detailed. I am impressed. The second to last Borg screenshot is totally epic. Can’t wait to see more on this game.
The Images look great, as for story line (thats what it was called before Canon was used) I’ll have to play the game more to discover what most are saying will mess things up.
Glad they’re making Game Box versions, even with multi core computers, kids are a sure test of durability. And PC’s can be far weaker than Game Boxes. Plus game boxes hook to HDTV’s easier than PC’s do. and PCs are 16×10 and HDTVs are 16×9 and has better sound systems in most cases.
Plus 42″ DLP is bigger than 22″ or 19″LCDs
#23) Stormin, Killing games are more exciting but only if your killing electons, If your killing people than your moral values are in need for adjustment. That is as long as where you live is on the front line of the battle field.
Still looks pretty lame, not gonna lie. Weird how we still hardly see anything Klingon here, all Federation. I doubt WoW would have done well in their pre-beta days showing only allie screen shots and nothing horde. If they have a free trial I’ll check it out, but otherwise I seriously doubt I will, just doesnt look that good, or that much like something truly Star Trek.
I dislike most of the ships, but the new Defiant ship looks awesome…and is that a Luna-class starship in the last of the space-based images?
The day I win a beta key for anything is the day the sky falls in. Which, by the waym, will probably never happen so there you go, lol!
I yawn’d. Also, no mention of the destruction of Romulus, eh? Way to not tie in to the most recent and most successful Star Trek movie of all time.
29: Way to not read the comments above.
#30 – go to the STO website and read the timeline stories they have been posting once or twice a month.
Informed comments are smart comments. Non-informed comments are stupid comments :)
^ Everyone can learn a lot from this one lol
I really like this backstory they’ve set up. I know it would be difficult to successfully pull off, but a non-combat section of the game where you can scheme and plot and politick your way through this new Byzantine arrangement of alliances and factions could be really fun.
I noticed the pdf file mentioned the Guardian of Forever. Somewhere, Harlan Ellison’s attorney is making a down payment on a new yacht while the man himself girds his loins for battle….
When is it coming out again?
#7 Lets face it, negotiating a treaty just isn’t the same in a video game. The only *good* Star Trek games have been the heavily action-focused ones.
Really? My favorite ST games are the TOS graphic andventures and TNG’s Final Unity. They completely reflected what ST is all about, up to the point where Final Unity played just like a TNG episode (including showing the name of the game where usually the episode title would be).
All these games had teamwork, good story and and a moral dilemma.
Not seeing any of that in the online game. (yet)
Damn you haters.
I think it looks cool! Do you guys dislike this so much that you’d rather wait till 2012 for the next movie? At least the Trek world is still alive through mediums such as MMORPG’s.
Why are you guys so angry?
I’m more covinced than ever.
Borg! Gorn! Akira-Class!!!
They’ve had a long, long time to work on it, here’s hoping … here’s hoping.
After all … Trekkies … computer-games … I can’t see how there hasn’t been a good one yet … Trekkies … computers … it’s like Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, how haven’t they crossed over yet?
Good-looking game! Why is an NX-class in it, though?
Also, couldn’t they make this into a movie?
Never mind my NX question.
I just wanted to say that viewing that Klingon attack on Earth actually made me angry against those purple-blooded bastards. And that’s pretty cool. In a game-playing kind of way.
@ #11
Thank you!
Can’t wait to see more thrilling trailers like that!!! That one really got me pumped for this game!!!
Oh and 11 and 42
The Klingons could have commandeered the Warbirds after the destruction of the Romulan Star Empire
#5 – delete the “-t” from those filenames, then you’ll see a full size. Someone messed up apparently. :-)
Actually, the ship designs aren’t too bad, even a few seem over-worked, but I kind of like the 4 nacelle ship, even though generally I disdain most of the multi-nacelle designs. :-)
#7 “The only *good* Star Trek games have been the heavily action-focused ones.”
Star Trek 25th Anniversary and Star Trek Judgment Rites were excellent games.
They were ‘adventure’ games where you basically solve your through an ‘episode’. An MMORPG could structure the quests so that they take you through this sort of story as well. Even if there wasn’t a single burst of phaser fire it would still be at least as entertaining as some of the World of Warcraft quests like “Gather 25 eggs” or “Kill 20 goats”.
@ 36: Amen
The only three good Trek Games to date are:
– 25th Anniversary
– Judgment Rites
– A Final Unity
The rest… let’s say it says Trek on the package, but what you get only look like Trek… it does not feel like it.
OOoo c’mon… the new film came and went, and so the bashers were left with a void of something to hate, and say wasn’t “trek enough”.. now this comes along, and looks great.. and it’s ahhh now let’s bash this also.. Never has so much talent, been wasted on so many people who don’t appreciate it… people. please!
All Trek games rock. :-)
Star Trek Legacy was decent, at least on the 360. (I have heard the PC version was much worse.)
As for the STO haters….they clearly won’t be satisfied no matter what is done in the end. Particularly in the MMO sphere, combat is of necessity going to have to be a major element. And frankly, particularly in time of war, the very presence of the Klingons as a playable faction means that constant combat and militaristic organization is completely ‘canon.’
(Despite my love of Federation starship design, me and a couple of my buddies are planning on playing as Klingons just to indulge the desire for Trek universe ship-to-ship combat. )