The second biggest Trek project going on besides the new Star Trek film is ‘Star Trek Online’ the MMORPG being built by Perpetual Entertainment. Just this week Perpetual have added a ‘DevLog’ to the official STO site. The first DevLog written by story designer (and avowed hard core Trekkie) Mike Stemmle discusses the process for making each of the planet designs from concept to 3D build in the "World Machine." Here is a final result
Hopefully these DevLogs will give more insights into this exiting project. In the first entry Stemmle promises that in the months leading up to launch (late 2008) it will "be the place to go for informative, entertaining, and intriguing peeks into the making of the most ambitious Star Trek game in the history of the galaxy." Stemmle also offers up this " random, utterly cool ‘Star Trek Online Image of the Moment’"
click to enlarge
Check out the full DevLog for more.
Related: TrekMovie.com interview with STO Exec Producer Stinnet
Perpetual sell game platform
This week Perpetual announced a licensing deal for their massive multiplayer platform to game developer BioWare (for an unnamed ‘secret’ MMORPG). This includes tech for player management, billing, customer relationship management, game feature extension, load-balancing, lobby servicing, patching and community management. This is very welcome news as last year there were some reports of biz trouble at Perpetual which is still a young company who have yet to release a single game. This deal is sure to help the coffers and is also a big vote of confidence in the engine that will power Star Trek Online.
Images courtesy of Perpetual Entertainment
Looks pretty good! I wonder if they’ll be able to capitalize on the new movie, since they’ll be out at the same time? Although the game is supposed to be set sometime after Nemesis….
And dare I say it? First!
Hmm….looks like a cross between Space 1999 and Babylon 5 – weird!
What game system is this being developed for? Its too bad that Star Trek
with its Prime Directive is so mellow otherwise….I’d like to see a One Person Shooter game developed….perhaps….one with the Borg and who else?
Any decent ideas out there? Ones that haven’t been never seen on Tv – etc?
duane,
STO is a MMORPG and is being made for PC. There have been Trek first person shooters, the most recent are Elite Force and Elite Force II
Yeah….thats right – based on the Quake engine. Did you ever see – play or own that interactive Borg game that came out in the early 90’s and ran on the Macintosh OS – it seemed good though I never completed it – how about you?
Take care – enjoy your weekend and thanks for your prompt reply.
It’s all Greek to me. Or is that “Geek”? ;)
I guess this might be interesting, but I don’t have a clue when it comes to computer gaming.
I want to play now
Great. Months of silence, and now some blogging and images that could be from any sci-fi game. It’s almost like Stemmie is constantly trying to remind us that it is indeed Star Trek by throwing in references to Klingons and the odd movie quote here and there.
I don’t hold very high hopes for Star Trek Online — one of the few times my fandom truly makes me a snob. The uniforms and colour schemes are pretty awful… something that shouldn’t happen after fans (and the actors!) complained about the latter in The Motion Picture.
Might I add… the new Starfleet logo — all perfectly symmetrical — NO. Bad. They can’t suddenly change it that radically just because it’s the future.
I will revise my earlier statement. After visiting the site, I no longer think it is interesting, but I am still clueless when it comes to computer gaming.
Jovan,
they have not released the final uniform designs and the early sketches are apparently nothing like what they are planning. Regardless the show changed the uniforms constantly….they changed 3 times during the TNG era, so 20 years later they are obviously going to change again. To dismiss an entire game because of the logo or the fact that they are changing uniforms is a bit much
I’m not dismissing the entire game. Re-read what I said. I just think the art style is pretty awful. If it’s indicator of what to expect of the game as a whole I don’t have very high hopes. In short, I get the same feeling as I did with Enterprise. Trying too hard.
If what you’re saying is true, that’s a good thing. Again, don’t misread what I say… I certainly don’t mind them changing uniforms. The screenshot I saw with the plastic shoulderpads and whatnot though… eek. Just didn’t strike me as very Trek-y. But hopefully what they show next will be better.
Hey, if the guy doesn’t like the uniforms or logo, that’s fine. Personally, I’m getting sick of hearing how those kinds of things don’t matter and that Star Trek is all about the message and all that other crap. To me it is very much about the uniforms and ship design and all of those things, right down to who is playing the parts.
Maybe they should wear cowboy outfits or ACME Batman’s Outfits or diapers or halter tops. Those would be uniform changes. We should accept those because “change is good.”
I don’t know squat about these games, but not liking the design sounds like a good enough reason to me to “dismiss” it.
4 – Duane, are you referring to Star Trek Borg, which starred John De Lancie as Q? I wouldn’t call that or Star Trek Klingon, its sister effort, a game. More like a low grade TNG episode.
I too thought the artwork looked out of place for Trek, similar to the proposed new animated series. Since when did Star Trek turn into Baywatch?
Oh, good grief…
Everything I’ve seen so far looks way to cold and sterile. Steel and monochrome blue.. what the???? Did Starfleet assimilate the Borg?
A Final Unity still will remain the greatest Trek game ever I’ll bet my bank account on it! But ONLINE looks like it’ll be pretty freakin sweet :D
Surely the online community’s already got Eve? Will enough people outside of the Trek gamer community really care enough to play a game that has nothing to do with established Trek lore?
Already got EVE? STO is shaping up to be nothing like EVE. EVE doesn’t allow you to control a 3rd person avatar, beam own to explore planets on away missions, walk around space stations and interact with capital ships, etc- and importantly, it isn’t Star Trek.
How does this game have nothing to do with established Trek Lore? What, you mean like TNG when it started? Get off it, the game is full of Trek Lore, just because they’ve set it a little after the canon and updated some visuals doesn’t change the context- and it’s not like they’ve overhauled the design to the extent it looks nothing like Trek, so the uniforms are slightly different, oh… do the uniforms worn in First Contact look anything like the Uniforms worn in TUC? Change of aesthetics is an established facet of the IP itself. Get over it.
#5
“It’s all Greek to me. Or is that “Geek”? ;)
I guess this might be interesting, but I don’t have a clue when it comes to computer gaming.”
Same here. It appears to me that they mostly involve shooting, fighting, killing, explosions, noise, shouting, stealing, destroying, and generally being a bit of a rotter. Just the sort of training we could probably do without.
Just turn the screen off and go and get a hobby that involves creating something, or renovating something, or learning something that leaves you with something to show for it say I. No wonder so many kids are useless these days.
Re 13 –
Way to admit how superficial you are, Stanky!
I dunno…there just doesn’t seem to be anything redeeming about your kind of fandom. If it’s just about uniforms and preserving the canon…well, then you almost deserve to be beaten up by the cool kids, don’t you?
re: 21
Call it what you want. I pointed out just a few things that I think are important, so if not listing every single one of them makes me superficial, so be it.
Obviously, Star Trek is many things to many people. I just have no problem with someone not liking some of these “projects” for whatever reason or reasons.
“Thank you Mr. Barber for giving me a great haircut on the left side. Don’t worry about the fact that you gouged a two inch hole in my head on the right side and cut off one of my ears.”
The problem here is the expectation for us to like stuff just because they slap the name “Star Trek” on it.
Well, I agree people shouldn’t be expected to take to anything just because it’s got the name “Star Trek” on it, but why not wait until we can see the actual game before making a judgement?
It’s become far too easy to piss all over something before anyone’s even had a chance to judge it on its own merits.
I agree with Stanky’s last statement here. We all like Trek for different reasons. I cant just watch something that says Star Trek on it and think its all good….Its like buying every single product because you saw the commercial.or like every movie you saw.. Thats just plain unrealistic.God forbid we have lives and different opinions here or believe everything the machines tell us? .
We like the different incarnations for different reasons. I would preferred if this game just wasn’t going for the TNG an post TNG crowd.
I like the concept of Star Trek Legacy for example then the game itself was OK. I prefer if this game involved puzzles and mysteries to be solved.
I would like a TOS or TOS movie era MMORPG game. Personally I am cutting back my MMORPG time. Interesting concept but I don’t think it wouldn’t be more interesting than Star Wars Galaxies. And thats as low as you can get.
And what’s wrong with a game for the TNG crowd? If they’d gone for the TOS gang they would have risked coming up with a game that violated the all-important canon–just like the way TOS fans are worried the new movie might do.
TOS gang are a very picky bunch to cater to–sometimes to their detriment. Also, many are probably too old to be MMORPG players.
Inept managing of franchise…three bad films with twith the last two making less each time. ratings falling through three series in a row. …I guess that buys me a clue right there.
Pllppt. We’re talking about the game, now, Redshirt.
Marketing a TOS MMORPG to aging Boomers who barely know how to use their email makes no sense!
Yeah, maybe some of their members helped invent the internet. But that doesn’t mean most of them take full advantage of it.
no were not…Your saying TOS fans are not a worthy audience.. and were a bunch of aged old hytpocrites..So younger TOS fans don t matter? or are you sayingTNG fans have no lives and play nothing but video games?
Star Trek TOS is not reserved the people over thirty the nor is TNG or post reservfed for the teenage crowd or is that what our saying?
Not my fault you cant accept reality and you live in Star Trek is still on the air land. .Maybe you should try thinking before you type.You would be better of..
C’mon, guy. Don’t lash out with unreasonable, barely coherent and egregiously misspelled ranting–you know I’m pretty much right about this. Perpetual Entertainment does to, which is why they decided on this approach–although that was back before there were plans for a Trek XI. Knowing what they know now, they just might be wishing they could tie into the new feature…
Anyway, my point still stands. TOS fans tend to be older. TNG fans, younger, more knowledgeable and more open-minded. But even the TNG guys are in their 30s or older…which is why the new movie needs to reach out to “the kids” in their teens and twenties.
BULL
Your so full of it!..and you know it. . I know hell a lot of people who can open their E-mails just fine and they don’t need your help. And they play online games religiously. And We don’ t matter? And you continue undermining saying the old must go … So when are they going to cart your sorry ass off? .We dont even know what the plans are yet and that’s all on presumption and rumor So dont fill me arrogant bologna.
ok guys settle down…its just a MMORPG. I for one am looking forward to playing it. It is aimed primarily at gamers, but hopefully some trekkies too. Just like with the film I fairly setting neutral. You can make a good TOS era MMORPG and a good post TNG era MMORPG, it is not for one group or another. I think setting 20 years past TNG will give them freedom to make many changes (like Klingons in Starfleet), new uniforms, new ships, etc. It is not canon…it is just a game
If you are not a gamer I do not see why you might even care about this thing
Sleeper you stepped over the line there, then others folllowed…
dont make me close a simple thread about the game
Oh and just for the record (thankfully my swearword-laden reply to Sean Graff (19) was blocked!) I don’t need to ‘get over’ anything where innovation in Trek is concerned. I love it when new stuff turns up and I’m the first to roast canon obsessives. I was genuinely shocked and upset to be attacked by Sean and talked to like some moronic reactionary for asking a question!!
My quite innocent question remains valid though: what audience do they think the audience for this game is going to be? Would MMORPG players be think this game is sufficiently different from other games to drag themselves away from Eve and so on?
The game calls itself Star Trek but is set in a completely different time period, with different designs, background and so on. It’s not a series with a regular cast, connecting it to any other Trek, so why call it Star Trek?
Are there enough Star Trek fans out there who will be interested in getting into MMORPGs? People I know who are already into these games (especially Eve players) have scoffed at the mention of a Trek game, saying that, by the time a Trek MMORPG game gets going, they creators will have kinda missed the boat on the whole MMORPG thing?
Not criticisms. Not wantiing anyone to spit on me for asking. Just questions. Anyone care to answer nicely?
Well, I apologize for “stepping over the line” (where exactly did that occur? when I said Boomers aren’t really into MMORPGs? Sorry if I made my case too forcefully–I hope all can see I HAVE tried to be restrained, here!) but I think my overall points are still valid.
I think there’s nothing wrong with the approach Perpetual Entertainment is taking. By setting the game after Nemesis, they’ll have freedom to do a lot more things creatively. It’ll still be a Star Trek game if it involves exploring and interacting with alien races and has the sorts of classic features Trek–in ALL its various incarnations–is known for.
Will it succeed? Who knows. Trek games have always been hit or miss. But you know, these guys took on a Trek project when Trek was officially dead. If they make a sincere effort to make a good game, then I personally think we ought to be grateful they took this project on. I know some of you will balk at that idea…I’m just saying that’s my point of view.
#17– Being that there are two of us named Lukas here, I will graciously henceforth assume the name ‘LK’ to avoid confusion.
Mmm… I would /love/ a TOS-era MMORPG. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t usually play those games.
Myself and several of my friends can’t wait to be able to go through Star Fleet Acadamy with each other!
Looks better and better every time! If the graphics are any indication, we should be in for a good time!
\\//_
Sign me up. Keep an eye out for Captain Steeevil
Wonder if there’s a way to get to the Mirror Universe while playing the game?
if there were a TOS MMORPG one thing you would not want to be was a red shirt in security!
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/9722/
;)
I’ve heard a lot of things about this game, just randomly trying to find any new info on Star Trek – The Movie (XI), and I don’t understand why so many Trekkies (or Trekkers, I personally don’t understand needing to call ourselves anything that forces us into a certain niche) are upset. I mean, from the screenshots and concept art that I’ve been able to find, this looks really unique! Why is that such a bad thing? Cos the ships look different? Do the ships in Picard’s era look anything like the ones in Archers? What about the uniforms? Surely they didn’t change between 1969 and 1979! Its just a game based off of a tv show that really shouldn’t have caught on, but for whatever reason (that would be us, my friends) did. Really it’s all a matter of context. Trekkies have lives too, you know, and I’m sure all of you are very active in non-Trek related pursuites. So, like someone said up there, why not just follow those for a while, and when the game comes out, give it a shot? If you don’t like it, stop playing. If you do, then keep playing. It’s really that simple. I personally will be giving it a shot, because I’ve wanted to play a Trek MMO for a long time, and refused everything else, including Galaxies (tho I love Star Wars. Like Trek, its just damn fine science fiction, and isn’t that the point over everything else?)
Oh, Steevil: That would be so rad, to be able to enter the Mirror Universe. I wonder what the maps/story would be. If they’re smart, they’ll do it as an expansion pack.
I couldn’t care less about this unfortunately UN-TOS looking MMORPG…what I’d really like for myself and the brats, is *LEGO* STAR TREK:ORIGINAL SERIES… The LEGO Star Wars games were an absolute blast, and there is a fine-looking LEGO Indiana Jones game on the way! Surely a colourful TOS-set game with all it’s colourful crew and assortment of aliens and badguys along the way would be a terrific franchise to add to the LEGO games too?…I want to phaser that Klingon scum NOW… :)