Atari/Cryptic have announced programs to both help bring in new players to their MMORPG Star Trek Online, and to keep players playing. In May they will be rolling out a loyalty program, a referral program for current gamers, and a free demo version of the game for those who are thinking of trying the game. Details below
press release
ATARI ANNOUNCES NEW CURRENT PLAYER REWARDS AND REFERRAL PROGRAMS FOR STAR TREK™ ONLINE
Star Trek Online Loyalty and Recognition Programs, Including Veteran Accounts, Referral Program, Winback and Free Demo, Set to Launch in May 2010
New York, NY (April 30, 2010) – Atari, one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and acclaimed developer Cryptic Studios™, are pleased to announce a range of new reward programs for Star Trek Online, the massively multiplayer online game for the PC. These programs include: the Star Trek Online Veterans Rewards, Star Trek Online Referral program, Star Trek Online Winback Weekend and Star Trek Online Demo. The new offers begin May 7, 2010. All details are available at www.startrekonline.com.
The Star Trek Online Veteran Rewards program delivers exciting perks and rewards to our loyal Star Trek Online community. For every 100 days of playtime logged, players can collect rewards including new titles, ship and ship slots, boosts, costume pieces, character slots and more. Of course, Lifetime subscribers will also receive all Veteran rewards as they reach each 100-day milestone.
The Star Trek Online Referral program rewards users who successfully refer a friend to Star Trek Online. When a player successfully refers a friend, he or she will receive the title of Courier, a unique Tribble and non-stacking skill points for your Captain and Officers. When a referred friend subscribes to Star Trek Online, the referrer will receive an additional title of Recruiter, a unique holographic bridge officer and 400 Cryptic points! The more new people a player successfully refers, the more rewards that player will earn.
The Star Trek Online Winback Weekend gives former players a chance to revisit the Star Trek Online universe and enjoy exciting new content. Users with a valid Star Trek Online retail account, but no current subscription, can log-in with their existing characters and play free for the entire weekend. This initiative will kick off on May 7, 2010, at 10 a.m. PST and last until May 10, 2010, at 10 a.m. PST. Pre-load begins on May 3, 2010.
The Star Trek Online Demo program will allow new users to download and play a trial version of Star Trek Online for an unlimited amount of time (some restrictions apply). The demo includes the “Stranded in Space” mission, which pits the player against vicious Orion space pirates. The demo client is available for pre-load on May 3, 2010, and will go live starting on May 7, 2010.
“Star Trek Online gives fans and gamers an unprecedented Star Trek experience and we are confident that the new awards and referral programs will positively expand upon this unique experience,” said Jeff Lapin, CEO of Atari, SA. “We are very pleased with the post-launch content additions and want to give new players a chance to experience the latest expansions and missions, while rewarding those players who helped us launch so successfully.”
Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures. Players have the opportunity to become high-ranking Starfleet officers and participate in missions that take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and inside other starships. Star Trek Online offers total customization, from a player’s avatar to the ship he captains.
Start Playing
If you want to get into the 25th century and play Star Trek Online it is available at Amazon discounted currently for less than $25 (or $47 for the collectors edition), and that includes a one month subscription.
This sounds nice. I like these sort of programs that gives rewards long time play instead of giving it out to everyone who wants it. Take Blizzard for example. Back during the first blizzcon, the pet murloc was a hot item, but only those who attended the event on location got it. Now, whatever they have to offer can be bought for a mere $20 online and there’s no exclusiveness anymore. Instead of giving you a pet when you’ve been on for five years, they give anyone a pet who logs in on a certain day. It’s a bummer to say the least.
Very cool. Now anyone who hasn’t played gets a free demo! No reason to not try it out.
I have to say I’m having a blast playing. I keep finding new things ever time I play, running into different types of missions, and it’s just fun.
And I’ve still got a ways to go. (Commander-6 right now). It will be a while before I get to try out the Veterans Rewards. It will be a very enjoyable ride.
And still waiting for the Mac version.
A bit late.
YES! I have been waiting for a demo version before I try buying the game. Can’t wait to play :D
I’d like that free 3 month offer Atari briefly put up and then pulled after existing players complained.
This good I was curious but not curious enough to invest money. I will try the free demo if it is good, I will see some of you on line
I am so far still pleased with the game. It has definitely evolved over the past couple of months and is entirely different from when it went live.
In other words, online users have dwindled to less than 100,000 and Cryptic is getting desperate to bring in more people.
I could care, but my laptop won’t run this game, I just know it. And until they put a demo on PS3, my level of caring for this game just dwindles more.
Doing the same three or four missions over and over and over is seriously boring.
The game should be called Star Trek: C-store, and I think if Cryptic wanted players to keep playing the game, they should have *made* a good game.
#3 & #10 — good luck hoping for either of those.
It’ll be a cold Christmas Day in hell before Star Trek Online hits consoles.
I’d buy a lottery ticket if there is a chance of that happening.
Demo at last! Time to see whether it’s worth it.
Nice that there is a demo. Now I can at least try if it plays on my computer, which it probably won’t. :-(
I’d play if it took place in the 2260’s – like that would ever happen! They’ll never make a TOS-era game because that would be too original.
Why is “TOS” not an option in the latest poll?
think the bubbles already burst for them, its clear by their videos, blogs and interaction with the community that they have lacklustre vision for this poor excuse for a trek game.
good riddance
I’m pleased about this. Now I’ll be able to introduce more friends to this game. :)
Release date 2nd Febuary
Begging plea 1st May
I smell desperation by Cryptic.
but yeah, faults and warts all, i still like it. just wished some aspects in the controls mirrored previous ST games (example SFC3)
I’m glad to see a demo. I’m not sure my computer could handle the graphics, so I held off because I didn’t want to pay $50 for a game I couldn’t play.
@#20
By my count Cryptic is pulling in over 1 million dollars a month on this wonderful, beautiful game. I have no idea how much a month it takes to run the game, but I really don’t see a desperate situation here.
Of course, more money is always good.
thanks for the edit *meek grin* i was rather… angered this morn and i was… NOT kidding on the dislike of the controls…
@ 23
I bought the STO open beta for £44
Its available for £15, 1 month after official release.
Now cryptic are offering a few weekend and rewards for players who do not die of boredom!
Allow me to give you another example of how STO is DOA
Age of Conan { a sub standard MMO} has 3 million subs and has been around for 2 years
STO only around for 3 MONTHS & has 1 million subs.
but also think of the Trek Fan base that WANTED a TREK MMO and who would happily hand over the cash for a quality product.
STO is NOT a quality product and a lot of Trek fans who initially signed up have quickly left after their “free” month was up.
@the always negative #25
This game bores you and it’s not quality? Wow.
You are so wrong on the quality. Being bored with it can’t be helped for some I guess.
Boredom comes only to those who have completely finished the game. For that to happen you have too much time on your hands.
I play it every day and have a blast everytime, and I’m not even close to finishing. But, I am not holed up in a basement playing every MMO ever made either, so I guess I will never understand the people who don’t like this game.
I suspect you just ran through it and didn’t sit back and enjoy it.
You should take the free playtime they are offering and use it to really enjoy the game instead of rushing through it.
@ 26
if your playing STO, not getting bored and “having a blast” each time then your either
1 lying
2 just happy to have any piece of trash with a Trek label
3 on LSD
Sure, I check out the free weekend to see what is new and “improved” but after the sub standard game that was released a few weeks ago I don’t expect to be celebrating “The Emperors New Clothes”
Ah….
JUST finished the mission where we explore the Hobus system.
It was a blast, and I’m not on anything.
Are you serious olley? Bored with this sub-standard game?
That mission was just plain fun.
And there’s more like it.
See you around the galaxy kiddo.
MagicDan
USS. Resistance NCC-93834-A
Then Adventure Continues…..
This game is truly bad.
It is designed for 5 year old kids with a Xbox controller.
All you do is press spacebar and press f to scan lol.
It has zero depth, and to make it even worse it doesn’t even feel like Star Trek in any way, shape or form.
Uniforms resemble Xmen more than they do StarFleet, exploration is pathetic and can only be described as a fishbowl simulator, the pvp part of the game is a complete joke, ships don’t resemble the ships from the show at all (intrepid is a particular funny one, they have the impulse engines mixed up with the aft torpedo launcher lol, shows how much love went into the game). Klingons have zero pve quests.
More loadscreens than ps1 game. Very tiny amount of endgame, and the little bit of endgame atm is truly pathetic.(btw, you hit endgame way too fast for a MMO)
Mission dialogue is written by Bert and Ernie.
StarFleet is killing babies in this game (dead serious about that, no joke)
Subscription based + Cash shop lol.
Heck, they had a bug a while back that made the crappy engine try to render a infinite amount of fps, leaving people with fried videocards.
etc
etc
etc
This game is a middle finger to Star Trek and its loyal fanbase.
I myself am a big Star Trek nerd (and a proud one at that), but even i uninstalled the thing after 5 days.
You hit endgame after 5 days?
yea i did, my whole freakin clan did (48 members)
And when we got there we got a few daily mission as “endgame” which will have you in purples in another week.
We went back to Arma2, and some to EVE until Star Wars comes out.
So, you don’t feel like you rushed through it at all? Did you even try to enjoy the game?
How many hours a day did it take to explore this game in 5 days? I think you missed something.
Like the WHOLE game perhaps?
I guess if you can finish it in 5 days it is a bad game.
But, if you take the time to enjoy it and explore it, it’s a really fun and beautiful game.
Yea, and then they drop it just when it was getting fun. Uncool at best.