Star Trek Online: Here We Go Again!

[tmp]

a short hands-on at Rock Paper Shotgun. Doesn't say much but doesn't seem negative.

[rattran]

Star Trek Online is due for release in February 2010, reports Eurogamer, saying the Trekkie MMORPG is due in North America on February 2 and in Europe on February 5. They say they've confirmed these dates with Cryptic and Atari after they appeared in GameStop and Amazon listings.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-trek-online-out-in-february

[Shatter]

Star Trek Online is due for release in February 2010, reports Eurogamer, saying the Trekkie MMORPG is due in North America on February 2 and in Europe on February 5. They say they've confirmed these dates with Cryptic and Atari after they appeared in GameStop and Amazon listings.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-trek-online-out-in-february

So 3.5 months from CB(Oct 22) to Live(Feb 2)....

[ShenMolo]

Maybe they've trimmed the game down to three zones: Quarterdeck, Medical, and Engine Room

[Montague]

I'm a huge Star Trek geek but after CO I have no desire to play this.

[Malakili]

Maybe they've trimmed the game down to three zones: Quarterdeck, Medical, and Engine Room

Didn't you hear, on-ship zones won't be included at all in release.  No, seriously.

Then again, we saw what kind content CO was released with, so I don't expect a ton in this either.

[waylander]

Without a mass beta prior to release, I doubt I'll even think about playing this game until its been out for release at least 3 months and I can read the player feedback. 

[Khaldun]

There will be a jungle planet, a city planet, a desert planet and a winter planet. And an ocean planet. I bet.

[01101010]

Without a mass beta prior to release, I doubt I'll even think about playing this game until its been out for release at least 3 months and I can read the player feedback. 

Player feedback 

That's a great one!

[Bunk]

Watching people play this game at PAX pretty much guaranteed that I was going no where near this. The space combat was pretty, and kinda swoopy, uh yea.

The planet combat.... 

Picture a Klingon and a Human standing three feet apart. The Human is in a rigid upright stance, shooting his phaser at the Klingon's chest (pew, pew, pew). The Klingon (three feet away) is making repeated big over hand chops with his Batlethfhft on to the Human's head (Hasan Chop!). Watch exitedly as we wait to see which combatant's personal forcefield fails first!

[HaemishM]

Fuck's sake. February? Really? I had no hope for this project before I heard that. Based on how shitty the CO beta was run, this means realistically the beta will have about 2.5 months because the gold will be about 2 weeks before that and I'm sure there'll be a 1-2 week pre-order head start window. If they run this beta on a limited schedule like they did CO - this game is so fucked.

[Lantyssa]

Best. Present. Ever.

[Khaldun]

It turns out I was wrong about there being nothing in the pipeline after this: Cryptic may be doing the Neverwinter Nights MMO. So I think that pretty much confirms it: the Cryptic/Atari model is to shovel out a barely-working, content-light MMO off a licensed property made under tight production constraints. The plan: make its money back on box sales + two months subs, and then use microtransactions to try and fuel a few more months of profitable operations. Anything after that is gravy, in the meantime, it's on to the next subpar product.

[01101010]

It turns out I was wrong about there being nothing in the pipeline after this: Cryptic may be doing the Neverwinter Nights MMO. So I think that pretty much confirms it: the Cryptic/Atari model is to shovel out a barely-working, content-light MMO off a licensed property made under tight production constraints. The plan: make its money back on box sales + two months subs, and then use microtransactions to try and fuel a few more months of profitable operations. Anything after that is gravy, in the meantime, it's on to the next subpar product.

So the next step in MMOland is to somehow come up  with a pyramid system of getting rich quick and getting out fast.

[Draegan]

So anyone want to pony up some cash to by some popular IP make a shit game and profit?

I'm thinking we go after GIJoe MMOG.  Lets see if we can buy Planetside and reskin in. 

[Malakili]

So anyone want to pony up some cash to by some popular IP make a shit game and profit?

I'm thinking we go after GIJoe MMOG.  Lets see if we can buy Planetside and reskin in. 

This idea is actually very good.

[Oban]

This idea is actually very good.

Which is exactly why it will never happen. 

[Evildrider]

Seriously... Battletech/Mechwarrior MMO.  That's money in the bank!

[Lantyssa]

Made, cancelled close to release.  Still my favorite 'mech game to date.

[Goreschach]

It turns out I was wrong about there being nothing in the pipeline after this: Cryptic may be doing the Neverwinter Nights MMO. So I think that pretty much confirms it: the Cryptic/Atari model is to shovel out a barely-working, content-light MMO off a licensed property made under tight production constraints. The plan: make its money back on box sales + two months subs, and then use microtransactions to try and fuel a few more months of profitable operations. Anything after that is gravy, in the meantime, it's on to the next subpar product.

At least Atari is getting back to its roots.

[VainEldritch]

Star Trek Online is due for release in February 2010, reports Eurogamer, saying the Trekkie MMORPG is due in North America on February 2 and in Europe on February 5. They say they've confirmed these dates with Cryptic and Atari after they appeared in GameStop and Amazon listings.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-trek-online-out-in-february

So 3.5 months from CB(Oct 22) to Live(Feb 2)....

Confirmed (finally)... http://www.startrekonline.com/node/490

Feb 2 US and 5 EU. I'd like to optimistic about this, I really would. However...

[Pennilenko]

At least Atari is getting back to its roots.

[UnSub]

Star Trek Online is due for release in February 2010, reports Eurogamer, saying the Trekkie MMORPG is due in North America on February 2 and in Europe on February 5. They say they've confirmed these dates with Cryptic and Atari after they appeared in GameStop and Amazon listings.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/star-trek-online-out-in-february

So 3.5 months from CB(Oct 22) to Live(Feb 2)....

Confirmed (finally)... http://www.startrekonline.com/node/490

Feb 2 US and 5 EU. I'd like to optimistic about this, I really would. However...

It's... ambitious timing.

[Cadaverine]

Looks like total ass, and the whole "standing three feet from each other trading laser phaser blasts is beyond even SWG level stupid.

Also, what comes out on Feb 2nd/5th that would give the Star Trek wankers a run for the money?

[Malakili]

Looks like total ass, and the whole "standing three feet from each other trading laser phaser blasts is beyond even SWG level stupid.

Also, what comes out on Feb 2nd/5th that would give the Star Trek wankers a run for the money?

That I don't know...but, it probably won't matter.  I expect the typical rush followed by mass exodus.

[caladein]

It's launching the week in between Mass Effect 2 (Jan 26) and Bioshock 2 (Feb 9) according to GameSpot.

[VainEldritch]

Welp, the lulz have started on the forums. 

With suitable goading this could provide entertainment for weeks - I may even subscribe.   

[Malakili]

Welp, the lulz have started on the forums. 

With suitable goading this could provide entertainment for weeks - I may even subscribe.   

For all my bitching, I might give it a shot for real.   I don't expect to stay very long, but to be honest, these episodic missions could provide me with a month worth of fun.  I guess it depends what I'm doing at the time though, if I'm perfectly happy with my gaming situation, I doubt I will add this.  Partly it depends on how the game plays.  One of the saving graces of Champions is that it plays quite well.  If they can make that happen again, then it might be legitimately worth checking out.   I guess thats the problem though, its just another one of those MMOs that you don't intend to stick around with for very long.  It used to be pick an MMO and stay with it for years, now they just whore themselves out, you use them for a month or two, then toss them back on the street.

[Nebu]

... and the whole "standing three feet from each other trading laser phaser blasts is beyond even SWG level stupid.

Any futuristic MMO is doomed to these logic failures without addition of mech armor or powered armor.  You just can't have guns, lasers, light sabres in a game without also having the ability to 1-shot anything.  It's silly.  Even playing a fantasy MMO where it takes 1000 whacks of my sword to kill a pig makes me cringe.  Somehow, the idea that I'm using a pointy object makes it more palatable.

[caladein]

... and the whole "standing three feet from each other trading laser phaser blasts is beyond even SWG level stupid.

Any futuristic MMO is doomed to these logic failures without addition of mech armor or powered armor.  You just can't have guns, lasers, light sabres in a game without also having the ability to 1-shot anything.  It's silly.  Even playing a fantasy MMO where it takes 1000 whacks of my sword to kill a pig makes me cringe.  Somehow, the idea that I'm using a pointy object makes it more palatable.

I imagine a part of finding it less offensive with swords is that martial combat in movies is usually depicted as these ten-minute long duels.

Mainly though it's the silliness of taking D&D's "hit points" as the literal ability to get hit by a ballista bolt and keep going.  That said, if people didn't find that enjoyable we wouldn't see the prevalence of "shields" in sci-fi games and we'd all be playing Bushido Blade 9.

[Khaldun]

Yeah. I think if you're relatively new to using a sword, it just might actually take ten whacks to kill an animal, etc.

There are other dodges in futuristic games besides armor or forcefields: healing nanobots or some such, for example. But I agree that there's just something kind of dumb about hitting something with a phaser to no visible effect unless it's some kind of exotic superbeing. I'd rather they visualize an encounter like that in a game as "dodge dodge dodge dodge HIT it's dead/stunned" than "hit hit hit hit hit it's dead/stunned".

[Malakili]

I'd rather they visualize an encounter like that in a game as "dodge dodge dodge dodge HIT it's dead/stunned" than "hit hit hit hit hit it's dead/stunned".

didn't we have this exact discussion in the TOR thread?

[Fordel]

We probably did.

[Triforcer]

February 2?  ANd its not even closed beta yet?  You have to  be fucking kidding me.  I'm subscribing just for the laughs.

Don't all signs (like development time, state of what we've already seen, etc) point to like an MMO 18 months away from release?

[Malakili]

February 2?  ANd its not even closed beta yet?  You have to  be fucking kidding me.  I'm subscribing just for the laughs.

Don't all signs (like development time, state of what we've already seen, etc) point to like an MMO 18 months away from release?

it is in closed beta, it has been for a whole 3 weeks!