Fans can swap their mouse for a controller this fall when STO finally makes it’s console debut.
Launched on the PC back in 2010, Star Trek Online has been a great success for developer Cryptic Studios, who are now bringing it to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, complete with new, spiffy graphics. The game contains over 130 missions and features voice acting from Leonard Nimoy, Michael Dorn, Jeri Ryan, and many other Trek favorites.
Sometimes games can be ported from the PC to consoles with very little thought given to the different interface. According to Stephen Ricossa, Executive Producer of STO, great care is being taken in preparing the game for consoles:
Our first major task was to convert a PC game that takes nearly an entire keyboard to play into a game that plays well with a 12 button controller. We focused on getting the controls right before we began work in earnest on this project, because we knew the game had to be as tactical, fun, and accessible as the PC game that preceded it. A combination of radial menus and streamlining of some HUD elements created a game that is easily understood, instantly accessible, and incredibly fun to play.
Next up, we invested heavily in our engine and added several modern lighting technologies that significantly improved the visual quality of the game. Deferred lighting, light probes, and improvements to our High Dynamic Range lighting system combine to provide more realistic lighting that feels like a true refresh to the game. These technologies, and the skilled artists that bring them to bear, create an experience that is not only more immersive, but simply put, more beautiful. To the community that has been with us for over half a decade, I want you to know that these lighting improvements will be coming to the PC version of the game later this year as well.
Alongside the lighting system, we decided the entire UI needed not only a complete graphical overhaul but to have its entire back-end rewritten. The goal here was to create a UI that was incredibly streamlined on the back-end to ensure the best game performance possible, while also creating a brand new experience purposely built for the controller. We’re really proud of how this looks and how well it performs, and I’m excited for everyone to see it in action.
In addition to all of these exciting changes, we’ve also made some improvements to episodic flow and player progression that will really improve the experience for everyone.
To learn more about Star Trek Online, click this.
STO is also releasing a TOS-flavored expansion pack in honor of the show’s 50th anniversary. The trailer, featuring voiceover work from Vic Mignogna (Kirk in Star Trek Continues) is below.
Really enjoyed this game on PC but stopped playing it. Having it on PS4 will give me an extra reason to get back into it again! Good move.
STO is one of my favorite games. If anyone has any questions feel free to post and I will answer.
I remember you from the forums back from before closed beta. I participated in the CB and had the game from launch and really enjoyed it. I liked a lot of the improvements that were put in including the overhaul to the ‘Galaxy map’ (If that’s the right term for it). I left before really scratching the surface of the main missions. But they had made changes to the Ground Combat making it more like an optional 3rd person shooter..
I’m keen to check this out on PS4..
What other additional improvements have they made?
Hope it’s got offline missions; not a fan of online gaming.
Someone is missing the point of an MMO
It does not.
You got the order of those two news swapped. Being able to play in the *proper* Star Trek era is surely more important and headline-worthy than being able to play on consoles. ;)
No, really, the expansion is gonna be a big thing. It’s apparently a whole new faction based in 23rd century (http://massivelyop.com/2016/05/11/seventeen-things-you-need-to-know-about-star-trek-online-agents-of-yesterday/). Scotty (http://massivelyop.com/2016/05/10/scotty-joins-star-trek-onlines-agents-of-yesterday-expansion/) and Chekov (http://massivelyop.com/2016/05/11/chekov-joins-star-trek-online-in-agents-of-yesterday/) are gonna be there, and stuff. Like, squee?
Nobody will be swapping a mouse for a controller; the console version is distinct from the PC version, so players will have to walk away from up to six years of invested time and money if they want to make the change.
You’re right. This will really just work for the new players of the game. I don’t see anyone who already plays or has played this on PC to switch over.
Pardon my ignorance, but where has it been mentioned that a PC player wont be able to use his account and charcters on the console version. I would have thought the console verson and the PC version would have used the same servers and players from each platform could play with and against each other.
From multiple Cryptic employees on social media and in interviews with other websites. Cross play wouldn’t be possible anyway; the PC game is patched weekly, which is not possible with all the red tape involved with approving patches for consoles, so the versions are never going to line up.
First they screw all former Mac users of the game out of the right to play unless they dump more $$$$ for a PC (not gonna debate merits of Mac vs. PC here),even promising refunds for said Mac users when they cancelled Mac support, (and advising said players to use third party software they themselves said was a violation of their TOS if they wanted to continue playing) and then making up some fake excuse ‘if u EVER used a PC to play no refund for u’ and banning accounts who actually requested said refunds, and now they want to screw everyone who played PC out of their progress and money if they want to play on consoles. I’m sorry but Cryptic are a bunch of scam artists and anyone who values their money and sanity should not play this game (no I’m not a troll, but have been first-hand screwed by Cryptic as all of the above RE: former Mac support) has happened to me
Since I’m a console gamer and not a PC gamer, I’ve never had a chance to give this a shot. Think I’ll have to play it on Xbox Live this fall.
As a long-time STO player, I’m really excited about this. While it will definitely expose the game to a ton of new players, I’m hoping that they find a way to allow long-time players such as myself to play on the console without having to start from scratch, while still maintaining a presence on the PC. Because of the player base, separating console from PC doesn’t make good sense, since the PC player base is unlikely to switch and lose out on their hard-earned content, items, gear, ships, etc.
However, there are a lot of technical challenges to overcome to make that happen, but from the look of this announcement (and the slightly more in-depth announcement post at startrekonline.com), it appears that they’re giving very serious thought to overcoming those challenges, rather than simply doing a clean launch of the game on console. But, time, and future posts, will tell.
I used to love this game but after 6 years, it’s engine is so dated… it’s past time to put it to rest and start work on Star Trek Online 2
has not stopped WoW
or DDO for that matter
~Pensive’s Wetness
this game looks very excite! as I am big fan of tos, I must surely play this game sometime? but please to tell, why does ceilings of bridge and other area seem so very high? it seem very odd to me!
In the early days of the game, the camera wouldn’t work properly in tight spaces, so the scale of a lot of locations was a bit… off. While improvements have been made to the camera tech, they never went back and properly sized the old maps.