We recently sent a set of questions to Cryptic Studios about the game and its features, and Daniel Stahl, Producer on Star Trek Online, graciously took the time to answer all of them for us.
From starship vs. planetary gameplay, story elements, fleet battles and social gaming to working with other captains and the benefits of doing so, all of these are discussed below.
With Star Trek Online based in the Star Trek universe with familiar locales, ship designs, lore, etc., will there be any direct ties to specific characters, episodes, events from the different series’ and movies or other nods to the hardcore fans?
Will STO be inviting and friendly to non-Trek fans and/or casual gamers and what do you feel will help draw them in?
In terms of player controls, HUD displays, terminology and progression, will STO be familiar to experienced/advanced MMO gamers?
This game combines both the space elements of games like EVE and ground exploration and combat to more standard MMO fare - what else does STO do to differentiate itself from the competition?
In terms of story elements and the basis for the game’s universe, what made you decide on having the game take place 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis?
Prior to the closing of Perpetual Entertainment, they were developing Star Trek Online for several years. What major elements of the game did you keep going forward and what elements did you change in molding STO to Cryptic’s plans for the title?
We understand that STO will allow each player to command there own vessel. Will there be an opportunity for friends or guild-mates to climb onboard, socialize and/or share one large ship? If not, is that something we could see down the road in the form of an update/expansion?
Can you walk around the interior of your own vessel?
Continue to Part 2 of the Star Trek Online Q&A…
We understand that players have a multitude of popular Trek alien races to choose from with the bonus of being able to create their own race. What does race-creation entail and can other players join/choose a race that someone else has created?
With every player acting as a captain of their own solo star ship, how will Away teams for surface missions be formed? Will each captain need to fly their ship to a planet and form an away team consisting of the captains?
What size parties can we expect to see for surface and space missions?(ie. Will we see large fleets of dozens of player-controlled vessels working together on a mission?)
Will the majority of gameplay be in space or on planet surfaces?
Are their public meeting areas in-game such as on planets or space stations?
There’s been some concern online that the game may entail loads of solo space-faring making the experience feel single-player due to the nature of the game. Is there anything being done to ensure that the game/universe feels like a community and a massively multiplayer experience or is that mainly up to the individual users and their playstyle?
Last but not least, we have to touch on one other thing: Many fans were disheartened about the cancellation of the Marvel Universe MMO - With DC Comics releasing DCU soon and Marvel making headlines everywhere with the Disney merger and upcoming slate of blockbuster films, are there any chances of that project re-starting in the future with Cryptic Studios involved?
A big thanks to Daniel Stahl and the team working on Star Trek Online for taking the time to read and answer our questions.
Thank you for your excellent questions and we look forward to seeing everyone online!
Things are gearing up for this MMO’s release and we at Game Rant are excited to see what the game will bring to the genre.
Hopefully some of your questions were answered here. What would you like to see from Star Trek Online?
If you missed it, check out the STO PC System requirements as well as the cool video on ship tactics.
Star Trek Online goes live February 2, 2010.
