Atari – Jupiter Broadcasting

Just Enough VPN | LINUX Unplugged 322

Wes Payne — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 19:32:22 +0000

Show Notes: linuxunplugged.com/322

The post Just Enough VPN | LINUX Unplugged 322 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Perfect World | MMOrgue 15

chris — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:58:41 +0000

Over the past few weeks, there’s been one MMO company consistently popping up again and again, whether its because of acquisitions, announcements, or new products. The name “Perfect World” just keeps recurring.

I’ve decided to set aside today’s episode to cover some of those recent developments, and take a look at some of the moves this company has been making in the Western MMO markets as of late, as well as cover some of the information I gleaned from my time at PAX Prime.

Later in this episode, I’ll show you a little bit about a new F2P FPS that I got a hands-on demo of at PAX called Blacklight Retribution. But first, I’d like to cover a few of the newsy bits that’ve brought Perfect World into the public eye recently.

Direct Download Links:

HD Video | Large Video | Mobile Video | MP3 Audio | YouTube

MMOrgue iTunes Feeds:	MMOrgue RSS Feeds:
HD Video iPad & Apple TV Video iPod Video MP3 Audio	HD Video RSS Large Video RSS Mobile Video RSS MP3 Audio RSS

Show Notes:

STO – F2P

MMORPG.com announcement

In a move that surprised … just about nobody, it was recently confirmed that Star Trek Online will soon be moving to a Free-to-Play subscription model. Details on the transition are scarce at the time of filming this episode, but according to a statement from Perfect World CEO Kevlin Lau, the transition is scheduled to take place before the end of 2011.

There are a few simple reasons that this came as no real surprise to anyone that’s been following Cryptic Studios and their recent acquisition by Perfect World:

Firstly is that this game, and their superhero game – Champions Online – both have possessed in-game cash shops since their launch.
While to some this came across as a “cake: have-eat” scenario, I always saw it more as testing the waters of a F2P model, without taking the full risk associated with such a move out-of-the-gate.
I also suspect that there was a lot of pressure from their former publisher, Atari, to recoup the cost of development of both of these MMOs, by charging both an up-front box cost and an ongoing subscription fee.
The move to a fully cash-shop-supported financial model is going to be just as seamless and simple for STO as it was for CO when they transitioned to F2P almost a year ago.
And secondly, if STO had remained a subscription-based game, it would have been the ONLY such subscription model on Perfect World’s books. That would be highly unlikely.
That being said, a subscription OPTION still exists in CO, and is likely to exist in STO as well, after this transition goes thru. In fact, in the same conference call where this F2P transition was first revealed, it was also mentioned that Perfect World is using Cryptic Studios to get more of a foothold in the subscription-based MMO market. Meaning that it’s also possible that more of Perfect World’s future products will offer a subscription option, in addition to their usual cash-shop offerings.

As for my opinions on the subject? I can pretty much summarize by saying that I consider this a very, very good thing for the future of Star Trek Online. I’ve been in touch with potential players of this game, and fans of Trek in general, and a primary sticking point to new players trying out the title has always been the subscription fee. By eliminating that barrier for entry, Cryptic and Perfect World will be opening the doors to a whole new type of audience, that can then “vote with their wallets” to determine whether or not Star Trek Online is worth investing in.

The presence of a strong set of UGC tools, and a strong community surrounding those tools, continues to be a unique selling point for Star Trek Online. I believe that if Cryptic really wishes to distinguish themselves in the F2P market, they need to leverage that set of tools as a primary selling point.

Early indications are that Free players will be unable to build their own missions, but will still have access to PLAY missions created by other players. Meaning that they can see the toolset in action, and if they are impressed by what they see, they may be enticed to subscribe or buy access through the in-game cash shop, in order to become a part of the UGC community of STO.

In order for that to happen, Freepers need to be shown the best of the best missions in-game. And so, additional support for mission creators needs to be brought to the fore of Cryptic’s community-based efforts. Reinforce those players that are making your game look the best, and you will reap the benefits tenfold.

As most of you are probably aware, Jupiter Broadcasting also produces a video podcast dedicated to Star Trek Online, so if you’re curious to hear a more in-depth editorial on the subject, I’d recommend following the next few episodes of STOked, as the story continues to develop. We hope to have someone from Cryptic join us on that show in the near future to discuss the Free-to-Play transition, and all of its implications.

NEVERWINTER

In other Perfect World-slash-Cryptic news, I thought I’d mention that back in August we received notification that the launch of Neverwinter has been officially delayed from a launch window of “Late 2011” to “Late 2012.” The initial quote from Perfect World indicates that this launch delay was being undertaken in order to “invest in a more immersive experience.”

Well, pardon me, but HELL YES. It’s about damn time that more game publishers start to realize that launching a product prematurely – especially an MMO – does way more harm to the long-term goals of that label and the associated development studio, than any monetary influx that the sale of boxes could bring. We’ve already seen this happen with the aforementioned Star Trek Online, which has been universally acknowledged by both its staunchest fans, and developers of that title, to have launched WAY too early to be considered a fleshed-out product. And the result of that premature launch has been a lack of consumer confidence in Cryptic Studios by the general gaming public, and, likely a lack of long-term success that COULD have been found if the studio had been allowed to spend another year or two in development.

So, lesson learned. Neither Cryptic or Perfect World want that to happen again. So Neverwinter will be out “when it’s ready.” And I, for one, am thankful to be kept waiting.

TORCHLIGHT MMO and TORCHLIGHT II

Torchlight MMO gets a launch window

Another bit of news that “leaked” out of that same conference call, was a confirmation that Runic Games is indeed moving forward at a steady clip on their plans to roll out a Torchlight MMO. According to the statements made by Perfect World, the title could be ready to launch as early as late 2012.

I actually had the pleasure of sitting down to speak with Runic’s CEO, Max Schaefer, during PAX 2011. When asked about eventual plans for their rumored MMO, he said it had always been Runic’s intent to create an MMO game, and that cutting their teeth on Torchlight and Torchlight II has been a necessary part of that process, as the lessons they’ve learned while developing those two titles has left them wiser and more well-prepared to tackle their big dream project.

But nowhere in that conversation did he indicate that they were already moving forward on the project to the point that a release could be more or less one year away from now. In fact, in my frank conversation with him, he actually indicated that Runic may even take a break from the Torchlight franchise after the launch of their impending sequel, and that no solid plans for their upcoming pipeline have been nailed down.

It’s possible that there’s been some crossed wires here between Perfect World and Runic. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that this initial estimate of the launch of the Torchlight MMO ends up being off by as much as a few years. Though there’s no doubt in my mind that it is, indeed, going to happen. It just seems to me that the success or failure of Torchlight II will determine the timing of that MMO’s development process, which doesn’t seem to have begun yet.

As for Torchlight II, I had the brief opportunity to get my hands in some co-op gameplay on the PAX floor, and was very happy with the experience. As many of you probably already know, Blizzard has recently announced that Diablo III will include some rather restrictive mechanics when it launches, including the lack of offline play, no modding, and an auction house for trading items for real world currency. All of these announcements have turned off many potential players of the upcoming title, but Runic has embraced those announcements as an opportunity to stand apart from the title it was once rumored to have been cloned from.

Torchlight II will include both an offline solo mode, and LAN play that will not be filtered through a central verification server. During my conversation with Max Schaefer, I asked if they were afraid of piracy that may result from this lack of restrictions, and his simple answer was no. That piracy will happen regardless of what restrictions you put in place, and that it can also potentially drive additional sales of your product. For example, if you visit a friend and end up playing a LAN session of Torchlight II using a hacked copy of the game, Runic feels you are very likely to enjoy that experience to such a degree that you end up purchasing the game at a later point in time. And with a box price of only $20, I can see that being a reality.

Torchlight II will also support modding. To such a degree that the actual development tools that were used to create the game will ship as a part of the retail program. And while there’s a steep learning curve associated with their use, the inclusion of these tools will allow the modding community to literally create anything they can imagine in Torchlight. From new campaigns and maps, to fundamentally altering the mechanics of the gameworld itself. One of the most common examples of this that’s been mentioned repeatedly, is the removal of the player cap on multiplayer sessions, which at the time of release will be set at between 4 and 8 players. But via modding, this restriction could potentially be completely removed.

As for the auction house concept, Max simply told me it’s beyond the scope of Torchlight II. There isn’t even a direct trading interface between players. The only way to trade items, is drop them on the ground where the other player can pick them up. If players wish to work out Paypal arrangements for such transactions, they’re welcome to, but Runic has no intent to cash in on the gameplay enjoyment of their customers.

In essence, Torchlight II is shaping up to be more Diablo-ey, than even the sequel that will bear the name. And Runic claims they are on target to release their title on the PC by the end of the year.

BLACKLIGHT RETRIBUTION

Let’s switch gears entirely now, and talk about an upcoming title from Zombie Studios and being published by Perfect World. This game caught my eye at PAX because I thought I was watching a game of what was essentially a Counterstrike clone, when suddenly one of the staff running the 4vs4 PvP demo told the players participating, to activate their “wall hacks!”

Welcome to Blacklight Retribution – an Unreal Engine dx11 competitive FPS set in a near-future of cyber-warfare. I’m not sure what the backstory of this world is, or if there even is one, but I’m also not sure that it matters for this type of gameplay.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about this title, as it’s most definitely NOT an MMO. Even though it contains a huge online presence, the lack of any form of persistence really rules out the MMO moniker from coming into play. Despite that, this F2P game is still being published by an MMO company, and I think that’s enough to warrant a little bit of attention.

The primary selling point of Blacklight, is Instant Action. Beyond just being able to load into a match using traditional matchmaking services, once in the match the use of your “Hyper-Reality View” (or HRV), will allow you to see your friends and foes thru the walls around you, allowing you to almost instantly track down the nearest target or defense point, and get into the action with minimal delay. The presence of this built-in “wall hack” mechanic actually adds a new layer of strategy to the game, as every player comes equipped with it. So even though you can see him thru those walls, he can potentially see you, too. And so knowing when your opponent is looking your direction is almost as important as knowing where he is, and whether there’s a wall between the two of you. Because of the addition of this one simple mechanic, I found the entire FPS deathmatch experience to have taken on a slightly more cerebral layer of consideration, and became more strategic than your average shoot-em-up match.

As a somewhat unique feature in this world of PvP deathmatch shooters, Blacklight also features a very robust customization interface. Players will have the option to change the look and feel of most of the weapons in the game, including adding laser sights to pistols, changing ammo types, or just adding decals to your weapons and armor. It’s really a very small matter, but it’s very fun, and really no stranger than adding a unique hat to your TF2 avatar.

In fact, fans of games like TF2 and Counterstrike will definitely want to check out Blacklight Retribution when it lands. At the price of FREE, you really have nothing to lose. I would caution you however, that the minimum specs are on the high-end, as the makers at Zombie Studios specifically want to ensure that their game is a cut above the level of most console shooter titles. However, that also means that this game is very much rooted in the PC market, and the UI and keybinds will not suffer from being “dumbed down” for players used to using controllers to frag their enemies.

Blacklight Retribution is undergoing extensive private beta testing right now, with the goal of being released before the end of 2011. However, the statement I received from one of the Zombie Studio reps at PAX, was that the title would only be released once they were sure they could deliver a bug-free and balanced experience out of the gate. When I asked the same question of an on-site Perfect World rep, they confirmed this by stating that the launch date would be at the discretion of Zombie, and hadn’t been finalized.

CLOSER

That’s it for this episode of The MMOrgue. As we look back on the stories of today’s episode, we notice that 3 separate development studios, all working under Perfect World, all producing vastly different products still all have a few simple design philosophies shining through:

1) Deliver PC-focused game experiences, regardless of whether the title is an MMO, shooter, or action RPG.
2) Eliminate or reduce the financial barrier for entry to enjoy these titles, and allow the consumer to ‘vote with their wallets’ to support the product or not.
3) Don’t launch the title until it’s ready for public consumption.

I have to say, as a gamer and industry enthusiast, I absolutely agree with those 3 principles, and can foresee myself becoming a long-term supporter of Perfect World if they can stick to their guns. The only hiccup remains the potential for cash shops to encourage that whole “pay to win” atmosphere that I’ve spoken out against in the past, and so far Perfect World has been sitting on both sides of that fence, depending on which of their games you look at. It’s in their best interest to steer as clear of it as they can, as they continue to gain more of a foothold here in the Western MMO market.

That brings us to the end of this week’s MMOrgue. Over the coming few weeks, I intend to produce episodes about League of Legends and Firefall, but the precise dates of each of those haven’t been pinned down as I’m trying to wrangle up an interview for each. So next week’s episode is a total mystery! I hope you can join me back here nonetheless, as I continue to plumb the depths of the online gaming market.

The post Perfect World | MMOrgue 15 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Champions / Marvel | MMOrgue 3

chris — Sat, 28 May 2011 03:00:49 +0000

In this week’s MMOrgue, we’re digging up the dirt on the world of superhero MMOs! Join us as we don our capes and tights to take a look at the latest troubling reports from inside Marvel Universe Online, as well as examine the effects that SOE’s network security issues and subsequent outage have had on DC Universe Online.

Last but not least, we examine the announcement that Atari is parting ways with Champions Online developer, Cryptic Studios. What has motivated this divestment, and what could this mean for the studio’s future and existing projects?

Direct Download Links:

HD Video | Large Video | Mobile Video | MP3 Audio | YouTube

MMOrgue iTunes Feeds:	MMOrgue RSS Feeds:
HD Video iPad & Apple TV Video iPod Video MP3 Audio	HD Video RSS Large Video RSS Mobile Video RSS MP3 Audio RSS

Show Notes:

First, to respond to some feedback:

“The dark theme and name do not suit the show’s content.”

First the obvious reasoning behind the name: Everybody talkes about MMOs, and everybody considers themselves an expert worthy of a name and brand. Hence, MMO-everything is taken. I kid you not.
More importantly, the concept of looking at the inner workings of a living industry is very much in line with the idea of cataloguing and studying our dead.
- I chose this theme and name to illustrate a scientific and analytic approach to the stories that will be covered herein.
- The communities, technologies, and professionals of this industry are very much the heart, lungs and brains of any MMO. Without analysing what motivates and drives any of these, we potentially lose sight of the whole.
And lastly, the MMO industry is a dangerous place. Covering titles and technologies that are dead, and finding out what put them there, is something that WILL be covered on this show.

“You need a co-host.”

If this was a show about sharing the latest press releases and announcements, I would be inclined to agree. Finding commentary and conversation on such topics is easy, and flows best between separate minds.
- However, as this show is 100% editorial driven, the content is created from the mind of its host. Increasing the number of minds involved would only fragment the content and any opinions contained herein.
That said, there will occasionally be important industry events which either slip my radar, or about which I know too little to accurately form an editorial opinion.
- In these circumstances, I intend to invite “correspondents” to join me on air to discuss those particular situations. If you feel as though you would like to become a correspondent, please contact me by posting at jupitercolony.com, or by emailing jeremy@jupiterbroadcasting.com, to start a discussion on what content you would like to present to our audience.

DCUO and SOE outage

Infographic
On May 2nd, SOE went dark. Then hundreds of thousands of gamers cried out in frustration, and never went silent.
It took almost two weeks to get the network, and all of Sony’s games, back up and running and (apparently) secure from further invasion. That outage is estimated to have cost SOE a total of $171 million.
And this is AFTER a fiscal year that ended in March, which reported an annual loss of $3.2 billion for the company.

What does this rough patch mean for the future of DCUO?

Nobody at SOE is making any official statements yet, other than to say that DCUO’s population is currently “very good.”
In the past 3 months, there have been two replacements among the DCUO project’s upper management that were made from within … existing execs taking on extra responsibility instead of promotions, or new hires.
And this after the project suffered a round of layoffs in April.
It is likely that subscriptions will see a noteworthy drop due to the outage. Even with the incentives being offered by SOE by way of apology.
- This comes down to Consumer Confidence, which is fancy way of saying “people don’t like to be jerked around.”
- SOE has a large overhead, capable of supporting a few rocky patches. Even so, they’ve been known to shut down games (Matrix Online).
GOOD NEWS: Apparently this outage scared SOE into being more interactive with their customers, and their forums are now ablaze with Dev Posts at regular intervals sharing REAL info instead of SOE’s standard practice of silence and mystery.
- Let’s hope it lasts.

MegaServers

Just days before the SOE network outage, it was announced that ALL of the existing DCUO servers would soon be merged into a few instanced networks called “MegaServers.”
Through the use of “phasing” technology, players will still be participating in areas that will have reasonable populations.
The benefit of this is to allow all of the back-end queueing for Raids, Duos, Alerts, and PvP to work across ALL players (on a per-platform basis).
The idea of server mergers has always been seen as a bad thing by the MMO press. It indicates a population decline, and a lack of interest.
- This MAY be different, as this sounds more like a fundamental tech shift, and not just a run-of-the-mill merger.
- However, it is still addressing an issue that would not be present if the game had a large and active population of gamers (queue times for instanced content).
Community outcry of “name collision” issues, and lack of solid responses from SOE, are causing additional schisms and rage among players.

Champions Online – Atari divests itself from Cryptic

https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34704/Atari_Drops_Champions_Online_Developer_Cryptic_Studios.php

First, rumor killing:
– Nothing is happening YET. Atari has only announced their INTENT to divest. They have not announced that they are seeking a buyer, nor that any change of staff will occur as a result of this decision.

Atari is making a Bad Choice

Investing in casual markets
- Casual / Facebook games do not create brand recognition, fan loyalty or press.
- As this market continues to mature, games will become more and more complex and impressive until their development budgets rival current standalone titles.
- Long-term investment in this area will continue to require more and more finances to remain competitive. It is not a quick and cheap money-maker market.
Profits continue to rise
- 17.3 million prior year, 7 million this year, next year = ??
- While actively developing at least one unreleased title – Neverwinter
- Early indications that Champions Online move to F2P has resulted in huge increase in profits, which only occurred in Q3 of 2010.
Foundry Tech
- No other MMO has created such a successful and robust UGC tool, and it is now available to be ported to all titles using the Cryptic Engine: STO, CO and NWO.
- Giving the power of content creation to users opens up new doors to new types of gamers, and creates a powerful sense of community.
- Other MMO devs would probably love to get their hands on this technology…

Independence for Cryptic?

In today’s MMO landscape, no Dev survives alone.
They all need a publisher, and most publishers end up owning the Dev studio
- Blizzard was acquired by Activision in 2007
- Bioware became a part of EA in 2007
- Turbine, the biggest example of a successful “indie” developer, was purchased by Warner Bros in 2010.
To date, no major developer has managed to leave its parent publishing company, and survive. In fact, it’s such a risky prospect that studios typically just dissolve rather than even attempt it.

So then, who buys Cryptic?

I think it’d be a bit presumptuous for me, as a gamer and not a financial analyst, to try and make an educated guess on this one.
MMORPG.com has a couple good editorials that cover most of the major candidates in this area. Check the show notes for details, as I don’t have much else to add to the discussion at this point.
- “Who Should Buy Cryptic?” — Western buyers
- “Cryptic’s Future Unclear” — Eastern buyers
Fans of Star Trek Online are hoping that the company is acquired by CBS, the IP holder of the Star Trek franchise.
- Would CBS be interested in entering the online gaming arena? They haven’t yet.

Future of Neverwinter IP?
Possibly the biggest question mark in all of this…

Atari holds publishing rights on all Dungeons & Dragons products until 2017.
A lot of money and time already invested in the project, including a co-publishing deal with a line of novels written by R.A. Salvatore, and a deal with Wizards of the Coast for additional tie-ins.
Unlikely that Atari will let this one go completely.
- It will either get pulled from Cryptic and given to another studio with Atari maintaining their publishing oversight, or a new deal will be worked out to keep Atari on board in spite of their divestment from the studio.
- Either option discounts the title from being a bargaining tool in obtaining a new investment partner.

Marvel Universe

F2P

Attempting to live under the title of “First ever AAA F2P MMO in the West, at time of launch”
- Color me completely unimpressed.
- First of all, you can’t CLAIM a title like “Triple-A” without having a product. At this time, with the total lack of game footage, screenshots, timelines for beta/release, or even branding… what is here to lay claim to?
- This just sounds like empty hype, from a company that has already started disappointing us with overblown hype for their other unlaunched MMO, Jumpgate:Evolution.

No Character Customization
Rank this as my “most worrying” concern for this title.

On the one hand, it will allow players to jump into game as iconic well-known superheroes from the Marvel franchise.
- A lot of people will find this appealing, as evidenced by the outstanding sales records for single-player superhero titles like “Ultimate Alliance.”
- Developers at Secret Identify Studios claim this will make everyone feel more heroic, and “we won’t be merely ‘sidekicks.’”
  - EMPTY CLAIM — CO allows heroes to feel like heroes, and even have their own Nemesis with minions and a base. What sidekick has that?!
On the other, how many Wolverines and Hulks will be roaming around? Or will each server have only one instance of each? Where’s the “massive” in this MMO, if that’s the case?
- And how about progression? If you have to unlock the powers of your favorite superheroes, how do you explain them losing their abilities at the start of the story?
Possibly one of the biggest selling points of superhero MMOs to date, has been character customization. CoX and CO had it in droves, and DCUO’s comparative lack of options brought them a lot of criticism from MMO players and press.
- This is a technological step backwards, and will only work if this is NOT a true MMO as we’ve come to define it.
- If this is just another “X-Men Legends” or “Ultimate Alliance” with robust online matchmaking services, then it could work.
- But any form of persistence, progression and community, will be lost without personalization of your avatar.

Written by Bendis
This has the potential to make me excited.

Brian Michael Bendis is the godfather of Marvel’s “Ultimate” universe, and creator of some of the most critically acclaimed stories ever to spring from comic books. Including “Avengers Disassembled,” “House of M,” “Civil War,” and “Secret Invasion.”
He claims to be writing stories for MUO that will portray some of the most iconic moments from each characters’ lore, and re-imagine them into events that players will experience in-game.
Not much else to say about it, really. Bendis has never really done anything ‘wrong’ (except, arguably, killing off Hawkeye… ) so it’s great news for the story side of the game.
Between this, and the news that R.A. Salvatore is writing for Cryptic’s “Neverwinter,” it could set a precedence in the industry to bring in more established high-profile writers to flesh out the story of an MMO. Nothing wrong with that at ALL. There’s a reason they are high-profile after all… it’s because they’re AWESOME.

https://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/5187/page/1
https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/02/the-daily-grind-do-you-think-marvel-universe-is-an-mmo/

—————

Man… this whole episode was a lot of bad news, wasn’t it? And here I was hoping that superheroes were a HAPPY topic of conversation…

Well, maybe next week will turn some of that around…

+ RIFT feedback and discussion
+ 2KGames enters the MMO arena, through a partnership with XLGames (Lineage)
+ Bioware talks Mass Effect MMO

The post Champions / Marvel | MMOrgue 3 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

Cryptic: Remastered | STOked 83

chris — Tue, 24 May 2011 02:01:56 +0000

Big news landed this week, as Atari announced their intention to part ways with Cryptic Studios. What does this mean for the future of Star Trek Online? Apparently not much, but it’s not been easy to get a straight answer. Hear what Chris & Jeremy have to say on the matter on today’s episode.

After drudging through the mess of corporate financial statements, it’s time to have some fun! Remastered episodes are getting their moment in the spotlight this weekend, and we’ve taken them through their paces to see if this re-imagined content has been worth the hype and anticipation.

Direct Download Links

Subscribe via RSS and iTunes:

Our STOked App:

Grab the STOked iPhone/iPod App and download STOked on the go!

[ad#shownotes]

Show Notes:

NEWS:

Season 4 includes behind-the-scenes improvements (“very un-sexy”)
– S4 marks a conjunction of “Code Branches” between all projects using Cryptic engine.
– Micro-patching, partitioning, animation sequencing.
– DX11 support?

June 17-19, Q will return for Double XP

C-Store Sale thru May 26th
– no discount on Section 31 uniform, or Fighter crafts.

Fighters
VIDEO
C-Store Items: 400 tokens each ($4.99 US)
– More fragile than existing shuttles, but more firepower.
– Shuttles/Fighters to feature in STF Revamps

New Prize for “Stranded in Space”
New reward for Stranded in Space summons a commodity dealer that also works as a bank and mailbox! Thank you Captain Brott!
– 4 hour cooldown, useable in any sector space map

TWEET LEAKS:
Two more pics of 500-day Vet Uniforms (Pic 1 // Pic 2)
Andorian Badge: https://twitpic.com/4ynr6x
Golden Gate Bridge: https://yfrog.com/z/h74bahpj

Atari intends to SELL CRYPTIC ?!

– Business as usual, for now. Seeking a buyer.
– The term “Discontinued Operation” doesn’t sound good.
– Could be worse… Eden Studios having workforce cut by 60+% instead of being sold off.
– Future of Neverwinter is unclear. Atari owns publishing rights on D&D franchise until 2017.
– If profits continue to rise, next year could be “in the black”
– Atari Second Half and Full Year 2010/2011 Consolidated Result

Atari has it’s reasons:
“ Sharp reduction in research and development costs year over year due to lower amortization in relation to the products released and lower investment requirements of the current product pipeline as the Company continues to focus and fewer profitable releases with reduced research and development investments”

Followed by…
“In line with the previously stated strategy of fewer but more profitable releases and further expansion into casual online and mobile games, the Company has determined that external development creates more flexibility in the changing marketplace. Therefore, the Company has made the decision to divest itself from Cryptic Studios. The divestiture process is underway and more details will be provided as appropriate.”

Instant Feedback Poll:

TACTICAL VIEW:

Remastered Imaga/P’Jem

P’JEM / DIPLOMATIC ORDERS
– Badass reward (Pocket Spock)
– Vulcan has a space station. Who knew?
– Shuttle interior! (Briefly)
– Vulcan landing was EEEEEPPPPIIIICCCC
– New social area on the ground.
– Cutscenes and voiceovers

IMAGA / DOOMSDAY DEVICE
– No more hargh’peng torpedos (360 targeting)
* New ones have a neat effect, though!

– Holoshimmer effect on KDF costume is really nice
– High quality Klingon voiceovers.
– You’re actually flying a B’rel !!
* Have to reset your hotkeys. WORTH IT.
* Bridge cutscene IN SPACE! (no zoning)
– Avoid the targs. You WILL get deaded.
– oh. em. gee. The Doomsday Device
– Klingon singing!

Community Feedback:

More Duty Officer info and Q&A

We’re still collecting Duty Officer questions for Heretic, but he won’t be able to appear for a few more weeks.

Around the same time he’ll be on, we’ll also have Al Rivera back to talk in-depth about the new Ground Combat. So…

Send us your questions for Al Rivera, re: Ground Combat!

Foundry Suggestions:

Cryptic spotlights “Sins of the Son” (video) by Netherblood

Brains Before Bounty
Ice Station Gamma
To Free or Not To Free

Be sure to check out the J-Man’s new show: MMOrgue

Download:

The post Cryptic: Remastered | STOked 83 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

StormShade Interview | STOked 69

chris — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:20:21 +0000

Popout Live Chat

This week in the world of STO, the developers have gotten around to righting a few wrongs that have persisted since launch. Tune in to hear the tweaks that will make everyone a little happier!

And then, in the interest of making you even happier, we’ll have a heart-to-heart interview with Cryptic’s Online Community Rep, Shaun “Stormshade” Brodie.

And last but certainly not least, Cryptic launched the highly-anticipated first mission in a new series of Featured Episodes, and the boys from STOked were there to give you their hands-on impressions of “The Vault” from top to bottom.

Direct Download Links

Our STOked App:

Grab the STOked iPhone/iPod App and download STOked plus bonus content on the go!

Show Notes:

NEWS:

C-Store ships now available for (many, many, many) in-game currency.

Level 41/RA/BG Rank Excelsior is now available, for 200 marks.
Garumba is now available
Exclusive shuttle skin comes with purchase of a D’kyr science vessel (Support Craft)

Cryo Bombs getting revamped!
They will do “something different and a lot less griefy.” — Chaddington

Hints at a possible scale revision for The Defiant?
Old vs. New @ DS9 — (Pic 1, Pic 2)
Old vs. New with Shuttles – (Pic 1, Pic 2)

These pictures were taken using The Foundry
There is a certain Defiant skin that is better scaled than the current version, when compared to shuttles and DS9.

Anonymous Tipster reveals unused icons in STO files

Bamboo Cannon
Undine World-destroyer … or Tholian Web??
Nausicaan Lance Ground Weapon
Borg arm weapons … possible additions for Borg Boffs/Captains?

1-Year Anniversary Tribute Video by RachelGarrett

One-Year Anniversary Celebration Recap

Overhaul of ESD
Q’s Trivia
Q’s Beastiamorphs
Fountain Loots (including C-Store exclusives!)
Devs = Caitians in Speedos
Their VIDEO thanks the community specifically for their contributions

Featured Episode Review: “The Vault”
First of all, the TRAILER
This story includes descriptions of upcoming episodes not available on STO.com yet!

Stormshade Interview – Transcript

Download:

The post StormShade Interview | STOked 69 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

How Cryptic Saved Star Trek Online | STOked S01 E14

chris — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:48:41 +0000

STOked Season 1 Episode 14: We detail how Cryptic acquired the right to a Star Trek MMO, what big well known company almost acquired STO and turned it into a console only game!
Plus we cover the news of a new book based on Star Trek Online, and what you can expect. We’ve combed through the latest Cryptic staff interviews and have picked out the best bits from them all, and share them with you!

THEN – We cover the Live streamed beta leak and what the public reaction to Star Trek Online was, and we cover the latest round of game play videos and screen shots!

DISCUSSION:

The Complete History of the Star Trek Online IP:

Feb 2000: Announced at a financial meeting that Verant (which later became Sony Online Entertainment) obtained the IP to make a Star Trek MMO. This title was slated to be released for both PC and PS2 (!), but was abandoned less than 6 months later when Verant instead shifted most of their production to SWG. This version of STO was quietly abandoned
https://pc.ign.com/objects/794/794740.html

2004: Perpetual Entertainment announces development of “Star Trek Online”. PE (or P2 Entertainment, later) was also developing a “Roman” themed MMO (Gods & Heroes) which never made it past Closed Beta. In January 2007, just a few months after beginning G&H Closed Beta, a massive wave of layoffs swept the company and after another wave hit in September, PE announced they would be exclusively focusing on STO. In order to quell rumors that the company was going under, a series of screenshot releases and interviews were held that were later reported to be completely bogus, or concept-level creations ONLY.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_Entertainment

November 2007: An article was released that Perpetual may be bought out by an investor known as Gravity Co., Ltd – a korea-based company that intended to change the game into a non-subscription-based MMO that would instead charge RL money for in-game items and advancement.
https://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50065

In January 2008, Perpetual filed Bankruptcy and liquidated their assets. Almost immediately following the collapse of Perpetual, the IP and all of PE’s work was obtained by Cryptic Studios. Utilizing the Cryptic Superhero engine, development progressed very swiftly. And by Auguest of 2008, in-game footage was available & revealed at the Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas (the announcement of STO, and reveal of this footage, was co-hosted by Leonard Nimoy).

Food for thought:
Star Trek will have existed for 44 years at the time of release (since 1966)
Despite the eventual success of Star Trek, creator Gene Roddenberry nearly filed bankruptcy in the early 70s after several other TV pilots/pitches were rejected by many studios.
Due to lackluster box office draw, Roddenberry was forced by Paramount to relinquish creative control to future sequels after the release of “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”
Over 15,000 fans attended the 2009 Las Vegas Star Trek Convention (vs approx. 8,000 @ Blizzcon 2009)

NEWS:

STO Novel: “Needs of the Many”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/143918657X/?tag=thelinactsho-20
Michael A. Martin — has written books in the “Enterprise” timeline.
Won’t release until after STO is out. Trek today reports “it will have 340 pages, and the release date is set for March 30th, 2010”
Pre-Order at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/143918657X/?tag=thelinactsho-20

STO has a Rating!
“T” for Teen (Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes)

STO is up for “Most Anticipated of 2010”
https://www.massively.com/2009/12/03/massivelys-end-of-the-year-readers-choice-awards/
Only noteworthy adversary is FF XIV. And maybe DC Universe.

“Tweet in Klingon” (Twitter) and “Trek Me” (Facebook)
https://www.startrekonline.com/node/659
The klingon tweets annoy me. Not a very good translator, anyway.
Trek Me was fun for for about 10 minutes.

BETA LEAKS:

Over two hours of footage was leaked on MMORPG.com’s forums (justin.tv)
Has since been removed. Showed tutorial gameplay – space & ground combat.
Generally well-received! Made people excited!

ARTICLES:

Massively.com — Community Q&A with Zinc
https://www.massively.com/2009/11/25/space-combat-star-trek-online-community-qanda-answers/
Discusses the “need” for combat, both in the story and as a game
Firing arcs & power management discussed, driving a tactical feel to space combat.
“Fun comes first, with IP accuracy a close second.”
Klingons: Have to drop shields to cloak (susceptible to AOE torpedo spreads and such?)
Shuttles (crew-fueled abilities) can be shot down! And countered via a “Security Team” BO ability.
Subsystem targeting: Science vessels can do this innately, but BOs are better at it for a single system (Weapons, Shields, Engines, Aux)

Boomtown.te — Craig Zinceivich interviewed
https://rpg.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=18916
Diplomatic missions: “… the point of these is to figure out a problem, locate evidence or a missing person. These missions flow naturally thru talking with NPCs and exploring the environment.”
Learning Curve: “Minute to learn, lifetime to master.”

Ten Ton Hammer — Gear Information
https://www.tentonhammer.com/node/77337
SO MANY SLOTS: Weapons, Shields, Armor, Kits, Devices… and MORE for your Boffs!
MORE SLOTS IN SPACE! Weapons, Shields, Hull, Deflector Dish, Station Upgrades/Mods
Kits = Class specific. Visual additions (belts, shoulder harnesses, etc)
This is the first time Cryptic has made gear important in a game (CoH, CO – not important). Trying to find a balance that will enable gear to augment and customize a character, instead of define it.

MMORPG.com – Hands On Preview
https://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/352/feature/3780/page/2
Some more thorough Character Progression info (Careers and Sub-classes of skills)
Tactical = Soldier (Damage), Security (Tank), Special Ops (Stealth)
Engineering = Technician (Buff/Debuff), Fabrication (Turrets/Pets), Combat (manipulation of the battlefield) –?
Science = Research (group buffs/debuffs), Scientist (individual buffs/debuffs), Medical (healer)

IGN.com – Developer Diary w/ Matt Highison: “Re-creating the Borg”
https://pc.ign.com/articles/105/1050342p1.html
“No return” from assimilation. Whole limbs & torsos are removed/replaced for the new borg.

Gamerant.com – Interview with Daniel Stahl
https://gamerant.com/exclusive-star-trek-online-interview-robk-3807/
Additional interiors post launch? “With so many ships, and everyone wanting a different configuration, there needs to be a lot of options to make it live up to Cryptic’s customization standards.”
Fleet Actions (20+ players? We keep getting different numbers.) can take place on ground or in space.
Any announcement of future projects (whatever those will be) will not come until after the release of Star Trek Online.

Computer & Video Games – Interview w/ Al Rivera
https://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=228783
A LITTLE more Klingon ship information, but not much (BoP, Raptor, Battle Cruiser (Neg’vhar, Vor’cha), and Super Carrier)
Traits: “There are about 60 species traits. Most are passive, but a few can be activated. Some are obligatory to the IP like Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Mind Meld, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Empathy, etc. Others are more implied by the IP or simply make good MMO mechanics, like Improved Strength, Logical, Warrior, Soldier, Stubborn, Spiritual, etc. Some traits are unique to certain species, and some are generic. The way it works is you first pick a species. Every species gets 4 traits. If you choose a specific species you will get 1-3 traits that are auto assigned to that species, and you can choose the remainder from a generic pool. Species specific traits are typically better than those in the generic pool, but the more species specific traits a given species has, the less generic traits the species has access too. If you choose to create your own species, you do not get any species specific traits, but you can choose all 4 of your traits from the entire generic pool, so you can make some interesting combinations not available to any specific species.”

Massively.com — Space Combat Hands-On
https://www.massively.com/2009/12/01/hands-on-with-star-trek-onlines-space-combat/
Walk-thru of some key commands: Thrust on Q/E, WASD, Power Level Presets
“Space combat may get to a point — we’re talking after release, here — where players can do it so deftly that it becomes somewhat boring, but I kind of doubt it. Every battle offers different challenges depending on the configuration of the enemy forces.” (We can assume this is somewhat in reference to things like launching fighters, boarding parties, minefields, and more.)
Article includes a handful of new screenshots! (Romulans, and weird Fed ships)

Techulous — Interview w/ Dan Stahl
https://www.techulous.com/news/exclusive-interview-star-trek-onlines-daniel-stahl.html
Crafting is not crafting. It’s either “replicate and trade” or “survey and collect” for rewards.
PvP Instancing: Arena, Objective, or Assault. (No definitions available)

MMORPG.com — Bridges & Boffs
https://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/352/feature/3792/Star-Trek-Online-Bridges-Bridge-Officers-Preview.html
“Each time the player earns a new ship, they get to select from a group of prefabricated bridge areas. The team is close to launch and they didn’t want to bite off more than they could chew.” … meaning no customization beyond just picking which one to use, for now.
There are plans to add other iconic locations, such as the Captain’s Ready Room that could store trophies and other personal items.
Akin to player housing, no piloting functions included.
Boffs: Full customization of name, features and RACE (this is not what our beta tips told us!)
Smaller ‘cast’ than the TV shows, due to combined/general classes. No helmsmen, no counselors, no morale officers. Boffs are more well-rounded, though you can choose their skills to focus on particular skillsets.
8 abilities (1 per rank, 1 ground & 1 space). All visible when you acquire a Boff to help you plan accordingly.
Boffs are groupmates, buffs, collectibles, and a tool to allow captains to adapt to different situations, all in one tidy little system.

VIDEOS:

From a France company – Andy Vasquez
https://www.youtube.com/user/unificationfrance
Each shot is only ~40seconds, not much new information, but fun to watch.

Cryptic – Fleet Actions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfebtpXOY3w
Quick shot of Astrometrics (aka Sector Space)
Crystalline Entity (with an odd ship in the foreground – three nacelles?)
Camera flies thru the wings of a Romulan ship – AWESOME
DOOMSDAY MACHINE

Cryptic – Belly of the Beast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4KbG3eCk4
More combat and big beautiful explosions
DS9 combat shot

SCREENSHOTS:

10 Shots over at IGN: https://media.pc.ign.com/media/142/14270158/imgs_1.html (Including RAD Klingon shot)
5 shots over at curse.com https://www.curse.com/articles/sto-en-news/617080.aspx

The post How Cryptic Saved Star Trek Online | STOked S01 E14 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.