While there has been some concern regarding the sale of Cryptic announced earlier this week, the Star Trek Online game developers continue to move forward with new additions to the game. This week they added new fighters, check out a video feature on those below. Plus STO’s Executive Producer has outlined plans for July’s Season 4 and offered more encouragement about the future of the game.
New STO Fighters & New Foundry Spotlight Mission
Star Trek Online has added new "fighter" craft for both The Federation and The Klingons. This video outlines the Peregrine (UFP) and To’Duj (Kling) fighters.
There is also a new player created Foundry Mission Spotlight video, for Netherblood’s Sins of the Son for the Klingon Faction.
STO Exec Producer: Moving forward to Season 4 + STO "not going anywhere"
Earlier this week news that Atari was putting STO developer Cryptic up for sale has raised some concerns amongst players. However, all indications are things are progressing as planned, which means that Cryptic continues to be focused on their next big release (Season 4) coming in July. In an Engineering Report earlier this week, STO producer Dan Stahl outlined in detail what players can expect, with a special emphasis on improving ground combat, noting "One of the biggest changes coming to the game is the reworking and rebalancing of nearly every ground weapon and kit power in the game." STO is also adding a new "duty officer system" and a voice chat system allowing players to communicate with each other using headsets.
More details and additional new features can be found in the full Engineering Report, including details on things Cryptic is looking at in the future such as adding the Romulan faction.
In addition, in a later comment on the STO forums, Stahl offered this encouragement for the future:
Don’t let the news or other worries get you down. STO is doing very well as a game and I’m not going anywhere and the team is rock solid behind making this game more awesome every day.
Thank you to everyone who gives us credit across the web for continuing to improve this game. We are still going strong and have high hopes that by anniversary year 2 – you’ll be saying that the game has improved yet again since even year 1.
STOked: Rumor Smashing & Al Rivera interview
Here is the latest episode of the leading STO podcast STOked.
I’d like to see how they handle a Romulan faction, new ships would be a big plus! :)
Still a big fan of this quirky little game. Glad they’re re-tooling ground combat. It’s by no means bad, but for multi-player it’s more than a bit underwhelming.
Still pulling them to go free-to-play…
I still really like this game, coming up on my 500 days anniversary. I like the new episodes and certainly hope for a Romulan faction too! Glad this game isn’t going anywhere for awhile…
STO has nothing to do with Star Trek, It’s a crap game with the name Star Trek slapped on it. Besides STO and Cryptic Studios are on their last legs, see story below
@5: nice invisable linkie, troll
@6 I’m sorry that you’re a Cryptic fanboy and can’t see the writing on the wall, the story is all over the gaming world.
I bet your one of those guys who kisses the Dev/Mod’s butts on the official forums.
Hey.. Pariahterra.. i am sure you consider ST2009 Star Trek.. so, go and wach it and leave the old real star trek fans alone in STO.
@8 Sorry chum! ST 09 is and always will be STAR TREK
Sad these games all promote Star Trek as Star Wars…oh well.
@7
I wonder, are you one of those spastic people who finish games within the first month or one of those who played for 2 days and gave up.
Usually it’s one of the two who don’t like STO.
Back to playing a really great game now ….
@11 i take offence at you calling anyone a ‘spastic’. Who in the hell do you think you are?
STO is not a great Trek game at all imo. Elite Force, Birth of the federation and A Final unity are examples of good Trek games.
You are entitled to your opinion but that does not give you a right to belittle people with such offensive terms as the one you used.
Is there somewhere that has all the non-federation ships on STO? I see the federation ship list and the ships in the cryptic store, but I would like to see what they did with the Klingon and other ships.
And before someone says “just buy the game”, I did but my computer can’t run it.
#12
I suggest you avoid prime-time television if you are so easily offended by such an over-used expression. Maybe you should avoid life in general… or perhaps you could adjust your comfort levels
come on idiots, lay off each other. so some of you think the game is weak, so what, and some of you think the game is great so what. Skin of Evil was was a good episode for some, and not for others….can’t we just put all this crap aside, and agree to disagree.
I absolutely hate when a good comments section turns into a fight.
@5/7 Uh check the forums and you find a surprising lack of posts (0) from me, sir. I merely call you a troll because of your childish rant about STO because you still fail to provide back up to your comment about STO and the publisher immante demise… unless you mean tommorrow?
you can hate the game and Cryptic all you want (the joys of 1st admendment rights, assuming you are American. any other result equals deafened ears) but if your gonna rant like a troll, at least provide -proof-?
yes, the game has issues (name a platform that is perfect currently active world wide) but your point isnt made, SIR. *Big Smile*
@12
Sorry if it was offensive, was only wanting to describe people who rush through a game to finish it, not enjoying the ride.
I take it back.
for the record. im an occational player mostly because, yeah, the content isnt enough to make me replay enough. well also its time availablity too, since its coming summer and the GF and minions soak up valuable RL time. i just think the way to achieve rank is too quick IMHO.
DDO has simular complaints but that game is several years older and rough 4 times the content (my math is likely off but its just my guesstimate)
however, they are still adding stuff. so clearly it isnt dead yet.
+1 to @15’s defence.
i mean, both STO and DDO… *mumbles*
In my humble opinion, Star Trek Online is the best ST game. Everyone is entitled to agree or disagree.
At best it is an average game. But Star Trek it certainly isn’t…
The developers have given a lot of time and thought into carefully integrating tidbits of trek trivia and lore into each adventure. They have crafted a believable future version of Trek, just as ST09 created an alt universe of Trek. So what’s not to like? Just that much more Trek to explore!
A bit off topic but what the hey…. I can’t find anywhere else to put this.
Assuming from what we have already heard that filming is due to begin on the Star Trek sequel in August or September. Then assuming that filming lasts three months (which I think is a minimum) and being generous and assume filming begins on August the 1st.
Then that leaves a fraction under eight months (absolute maximum) for visual/sound effects, scoring, editing, test viewing, re-shoots, marketing, making prints and distribution.
I do not see any way that the Star Trek sequel will meet its June 29 2012 release date. This film will get pushed back to a Christmas 2012 release. For no other reason than time constraints. If it even gets made at all.
There just does not seem like there is any impetus to this project any more.
@22
The game is almost exclusively, fly here, destroy these ships. Beam down, shoot these people, beam up, destroy some more ships, fly away.
Star Trek is a lot more than that, Star Trek games are better represented in the adventure category such as “A Final Unity” where there was a more balanced approach to the different aspects of Star Trek.
“Bridge Commander” is also another example of a good Star Trek game.
Although the emphasis was on combat, the “Elite Force” games were quite entertaining too.
There are a band of people who are putting together what they hope is going to be “the definitive Star Trek game” and from what I have read on their site and forum, they have a chance of releasing something quite unique.
Take a look yourself… http://www.stexcalibur.com
They have already been featured in PC Gamer
Mark, the game used to be exclusively fly/shoot/beam. No longer. How long since you’ve actually played the game?
We also now have diplomacy missions, first contacts, brilliant story arcs involving everything from the Breen, to the Devidians and the Remans as well as user-created missions both complex and fan boy that really to make this a Star Trek game.
STO is slowly turning into Star Trek, it’s just taking time to revamp it to be so, it’s something that’s not gonna happen overnight yanno
I was one of the first to grumble about how it seemed more slanted towards combat and less toward exploration, it is Star TREK after all, eh ?
That was when it was still new, a lot has changed from the start of the game’s life, a lot of it due to feedback from Star Trek fans, gasp
The folks behind the game are listening to the fans, double gasp
@25
Perhaps it might be worth my while to take another look…. :)
im gonna say something positive, i’d like sto a little bit if is didnt have ship trails are were so colourful (some sort of colourless displacement effect) and cleaned up the overly bold and fat weapons effects.
Looks as if Gene Roddenberry’s dream of peace and a hopeful future is alive and well.
to counter the pure battle scenes, here is a speedrun of a *non-combat* mission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8s_e-AbZQk
that would be so fun to watch in a advertisement trailer… NOT
@ 11. MagicDan
As father of a daughter who has special needs, I find the word you used HIGHLY OFFENSIVE.
sorry to double post but
@ 14. Melllvar / Magic Dans sock-puppet
I have never heard such an offensive word on prime-time television on in real life in general.
Maybe its because I keep the company of more mature people instead of spamming tumblr and 4chan where such behavior is seen cool .
Sorry for the offense, AGAIN. (see 17)
Wait……is sock-puppet offensive?
But what is more offensive are people trashing STO with no correct examples about what the game is all about, it’s more offensive than any word or words I can type anyway.
The game is beautiful, you have so many choices of customizable ships & equipment, a totally customizable captain and crew, some very interesting “episodes” to play, and now unlimited, rated player created episodes. I haven’t even finished the main episodes yet, and it’s been over a year! (I don’t get to play 24/7 so it takes me a while)
And now fighters.
The Star Trek universe to travel around it…..places to see….planets to explore……
And NOTHING beats hitting that extra tough enemy ship on the downed shield.
Except maybe vaporizing a Klingon with your dual pistols……..very close second.
Oh, the hatred in these comments.
@29: You said it.
These STO threads are becoming too personal. Stop with the attacks. Lots of people like STO, but not everyone. Wow, shocking. Extreme comments on either side are pretty pointless.
36. Anthony Pascale
Thank you very much for a balanced article and for being a great moderator. Well Done!
I am into STO (even since that first website went up and down some years back!). It is a first step into our beloved universe on an epic scale. I think if they added a free front end to the game for people to begin populating the bases and worlds this could become the biggest social network of them all.
A virtual universe for everyone. Surely you don’t have to be a star trek fan to want to setup a virtual home on the moon or some far away world and show off pictures of your holiday snaps on your wall!
People could make a place their own for free or sign up for the exploration and combat stuff which we already do..
..and for those of you who are determined to undermine the universal conscience.. meh.
do try to remember that most of the hater comments are purely trollish in nature. I was just insulted by one and was angry as result (stupid me)
i still play STO because it is the best version availible. i liked playing SFC3 (at least some versions of it, since the mods were in wide range of functional to nonfunctional, depending on the skills of mod makers of course), had never played previous entries in the series type and just happy something is out.
now the question that i guess alot of you ask is how long will it last?
@39 You shouldn’t call someone a “troll” just because you don’t agree with them. What do you have stock in Cryptic Studios?
Just because you don’t agree with me doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talking about. I played in beta and then I continued to play for over 300 days. One day Dan Stahl told me to “vote with my wallet” so I did.
This game is not Star Trek and it’s just “Wash rinse repeat” over and over again. No matter how many shiny new things they add to the game it’s boring and poorly conceived.
The reason I hate Cryptic and STO is because I love Star Trek.
All this hate jeeez
oh well this has to be said and what better way is to repeat the words of the man himself, William Shatner
Get A Life
Ya, Pensive’s, get a life.
dude, im at my GF’s watching her littlest at play. got the life check. and you know…
had you just said WHAT you said at the bottom of your post @40, way back at the top, then maybe the mud slinging wouldnt have occured, yes?
anyway, its monday, Missouri just got nuked by Mother Nature -again-. there are much more important things to argue or worry over.
like loved ones or the GF’s littlest… o.O
It was a joke, take it easy. No reason to get all serious. This is one of the places I like to come to forget about real life for a minute.
Is there a decent website that breaks down the stats and whats the best way to set up your character tree?
@45 Ya, it’s called http://www.don’twastyourtimeshitygame.com
The guy’s at STOked have pretty good walk thru’s, really in-depth and technical sometimes. (see video link above) Really good podcast about STO.