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.

https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/11831/sto-free-to-play-stoked-96/ Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:42:22 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=11831 The F2P announcement leaked this week, and we cover the Borg DSE Red Alerts, a few quick Tweet Leaks, and then it’s time for another round of the Foundry Files!

The post STO Free to Play | STOked 96 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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The free-to-play announcement leaked out this week, and we’re here to discuss the details that are available so far. We’ve got the original smoking gun, dev posts, and some tea leaves to read as well. Wouldn’t you know it… we take a week off for PAX and the whole world of STO goes topsy-turvy!

Then we’ll discuss the Borg DSE Red Alerts, a few quick Tweet Leaks, and then it’s time for another round of the Foundry Files!

It’s a great big show, so hold on tight!

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Show Notes:

Rumor Busting with Al

TOS Phaser Fiasco?

• Solution: TOS Phasers are no longer unique, but are lower in quality than the leveled version you get from completing the Devidian series of missions.

New Ships on TRIBBLE:

• Feds get a Galaxy variant – the Venture Class
  • Special Ability is an AOE Jam Sensors (short range), plus Confuse, and Perception debuff.
  • Console can only be equipped on Galaxy-type ships, but all tiers.
  • The power looks like the spread used in Best of Both Worlds, to “blind” the Borg to the shuttle containing Data and Worf, when they went over to the cube to rescue Picard.
  • The ship design actually was inspired by a design from Perpetual Entertainment
• KDF gets a Vor’cha variant – [the Vor’Kang class]
  • Special Ability is a chain lightning attack that gets more powerful with each jump.
  • Console is universal, but only fits on a battle cruiser, carrier, or orion cruiser.

Feedback Threads:

• Vor’Kang Feedback Thread
• Venture Class Feedback Thread

NEWS

STO goes F2P
Original “announcement” came as a bullet point during an investor meeting, from PWE’s CEO

Follow-up posts by Devs:

• Stormshade re: announcement
• Stormshade re: Lifetime Subs
• dStahl re: FAQ
• (next week, aiming for Tuesday)
• dStahl re: server load

Details we know so far:

• As seen in a “leak” last week, F2P members will not be able to edit Foundry missions
• CO offers 400 C-store stipend (CO-only) for LTS

Editorial:

/Jeremy’s Thoughts/ –

• Increase number of people at low levels
• Churn / turnover could have a negative impact on the community if not watched closely
• STO has one HUGE leg up on the rest of F2P games: The Foundry

/Chris’ Thoughts/ –

• Could lower the barrier for existing Trek fans, that are not gamers.
• Weeklies + Foundry = sure fire ticket to get freebies to upgrade to a full sub.
• Helps those who get butt hurt over content drought’s coast out the dry times, and pop right back to monthly when the goods are there.

POLL: Share your thoughts:

/“STO Free to Play: Good or Bad?”/

• Champions Online Free-to-Play Features Matrix

Dan Stahl appears on “Computer Ed” talk show

• He talks about Steam’s adoption of F2P
• Digital distribution overcoming shelf space for PC gaming, but you have to eliminate the barrier for entry to entice people to download.
• Content creation will SPEED UP, due to PWE (they know that CONTENT drives MTs)
• PWE and Atari were already swapping MMO war stories as far back as a year ago
• Some minor info about the “Core Team” and their work on the “Secret Project”

The BORG INVASION has begun!

• join the “REDALERT” global chat channel
  • A little tiny bit dumb that there’s no in-game option to track them.
• Tons of accolades! OMG
• Jeremy doesn’t like the V’Ger tie-in. Booooooo.

TWEET LEAKS:

• New lower-tier Gorn ship?
• Another look at the Gorn ship
• Gozer tells us about STF changes – KA Gates
• Gozer tells us about STF changes – No More Missions
• Gozer tells us about STF changes – Time Limits?

A new Star Trek TV show being pitched?

• Story Link #1
• Story Link #2
• Hear Chris’ comments on this week’s episode of J@N!

FOUNDRY FILES

“Time the Enemy” by Havraha

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

How do you keep your fleet strong?

Leave your feedback below for next week’s episode!

The post STO Free to Play | STOked 96 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/11063/rhode-island-qa-stoked-93/ Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:15:32 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=11063 Star Trek Online's lead designer, Al Rivera, joins us to chat about the new Rhode Island variant, STO's latest Tier 2 science starship. Plus beginner tips!

The post Rhode Island Q&A | STOked 93 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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Star Trek Online’s lead designer, Al Rivera, joins us to chat about the new Rhode Island variant, STO’s latest Tier 2 science starship! In another segment of “Rumor Busting” he also lays down long-term plans on bringing more and more starships to the game, new special abilities, and so much more behind-the-scenes info.

Then the Foundry Files team returns to report on their latest player created adventure, and we cover the community’s STO beginner tips and collection of “tribal knowledge” that all captains must know.

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Show Notes:

NEWS:

Rhode Island Variant lands on Tribble – Patch Notes
Info Thread from Jupiter Force
STOWiki – Console Details

Rumor Busting with Al “CaptainGeko” Rivera:

• Is there a canon reference that this ability is based on? (Picard maneuver? TNG – Peak Performance? Voyager – Basics?)
• How good is the cloak?
• Can the decoy be destroyed? How resilient is it? It does damage, right?
• What does “Aggression Stealth” mean?
• What’s the C-Store cost? Bought with emblems?
• Is the current Boff setup finalized?
• Any chance of a T5 version?
• KDF equivalent?
• The tooltip for the console lists like 2 dozen skills that affect it… are there any that affect it more than others?

Star Trek Convention in Vegas – Aug 11 – Aug 14
* Gozer, Zero, Thomas and JHeinig, hosted by Priority One
Holding
* Twitter-based contests for prizes, including autographed versions of Ent-F poster

Cryptic is Hiring again! – LINK
Only one position specifically calls for “Star Trek knowledge” – Systems Designer

Suricata’s Ship Chart has been updated!

Amazon JB Chrome Extension!
Support the show with your reckless spending!

Tweet Leaks

• Better pic of the Borg Diamond
• The X-wing – T3 Norgh Variant

FOUNDRY FILES:

• Mission: “First Cause, Then Effect”
• Author: RogueEnterprise
• Total Plays: 3749
• Total Star Rating: 4.26

* Intended for SOLO play *

FULL REVIEW DOCUMENT (pdf version)

FINAL REVIEW SCORE
Story: 7.57
Technical: 6.40
Gameplay: 7.20
TOTAL: 7.13

Links
+ Starbase UGC
+ Wiki UGC Tutorials
+ Podcast UGC
+ Podcast UGC Review

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK:

Bobdoesthejob Wrote:

• Disable Kit visuals so you can strut your hot stuff

Hevach Wrote:

• Mission Replay and other ship interior functions, great way to get missing parts of a reward set!

OggOfSkish Wrote:

• When you run a scan (by pressing the V Key)

PlayfulDreamer

• You need to go through 11 grades of spent skill points to get promoted to the next rank. So many people see their 9th

hatchery Wrote:

• … there’s actually an auto-fire option?
• … you can buy schematics for crafting?
• … you can replay some missions to get new level appropriate rewards?
• … accepting a map transition to a team mate’s bridge will put you alone in their bridge with your BOFFs?
• … you can share most missions with team mates?
• … you can breed tribbles?
• … you can have high-end skills trained to your BOFFs by other players?
• … you can display trophies in your ship’s interior?
• … the cooldown timer on repeatable missions will start to count down at the time of accpeting the mission?
• … you can win the bat’leth contest on Forcas III?
• … release notes contain important information?

The post Rhode Island Q&A | STOked 93 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/10868/caught-fire-stoked-92/ Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:49:28 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=10868 We've packed together the latest leaks and news about upcoming features, the impending Borg Invasion, a KDF Flagship, and the Rhode Island class starship!

The post Caught in the Crossfire | STOked 92 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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We’ve packed together the latest leaks and news about upcoming features, including details of the impending Borg Invasion, a KDF Flagship, and the Rhode Island class starship. All of this, PLUS a bonus helping of “Daniel Stahl SAYS STUFF” in this week’s news feed!

After that, we’ll share the results of our Starfleet Academy feature poll from last week, and lay out a whole new Community Feedback question for you all to make your voices heard!

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[ad#shownotes]

Show Notes:

NEWS:

Massive Star Trek DVD Sweepstakes on Facebook

TNG on Blu-ray Coming In 2012

Borg Invasion Teases:
* STOwiki has been gathering info
* Contact dialog popup leaked into recent patch
* 5x skill point rewards?!

The Foundry makes a TRIUMPHANT return!
… and then went away again, until Monday (so they could look at the collected data)

Tribble Test Reward is LIVE

KDF Flagship? WORK IN PROGRESS
Info on CapnLogan’s “free time” work on this project

Another compilation shot of the Odyssey Class (EntF)

Rhode Island Class vessel coming soon
* Decoy + Cloak power (Console? Type?)
* d’Stahl@dstahl: The RI power allows you to create an exact holo copy of your ship while you go stealthy and slink away. Any ship that was targeting you now targets decoy

Daniel Stahl SAYS STUFF

Stahl on Trek Radio
* Confirmed that Cryptic wants to split Ground and Space skills (no timeline)
* Acknowledges the current content drought, and plans to change that soon, and permanently
* SFA: Trivia daily coming, which will possibly reward doffs

He popped online and held an impromptu Q&A
* A replica Defiant interior is in the works for an episode in the next series – it is possible that will become available
* i’m trying to get CBS approval to expand on some story points in Shatner’s “The Return” novel..
* there is a new King of the HIll pvp map coming in next feature episode series

COMM FEED:

POLL RESULTS
Next Feature Requested for Starfleet Academy:

• Testing Builds : 31.75%
• Mission Replay Upgrade : 29.63%
• Firing Range : 19.05%
• Trek Trivia Quiz Game : 11.77%
• PvP Arena “Dodge Ball” : 7.4%

StormyMaverick (and MANY others):
The NUMBER one thing I’d like to see at Starfleet Academy is THE KOBAYASHI MARU!

Divvur:
My idea would be for a mini-game. First you need to gain a Universal Cadet, perhaps through missions or recruitment assignments. You then ‘sponsor’ them for Starfleet Academy, much like Sisko did for Nog. Throughout their training, you use the mini-game to advise them (like a mentor) what to study for their upcoming tests.

eng09:
I would like to see SFA In a weekly Series, Like Paradise Lost, where the Changelings Infltrate Earth, But start Wuth the SFA.

New question:

Tell us your top “newbie” tip!

• Something not covered by the tutorial
• Tribal knowledge
• I wish I knew then, what I know now

Leave your submission on our SHOW PAGE (where you are reading these show notes!)

The post Caught in the Crossfire | STOked 92 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/10577/back-to-school-stoked-91/ Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:20:15 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=10577 Cryptic has launched Starfleet Academy, and we’ve got no choice but to geek out in some major ways about their take on this iconic environment.

The post Back to School | STOked 91 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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We’re back! During our week off, Cryptic surprised us with a direct-to-Holodeck launch of Starfleet Academy, and we’ve got no choice but to geek out in some major ways about their take on this iconic environment. We also have in-game shots of the Enterprise-F, now called an Odyssey Class Cruiser, and you know the ship geeks have to make their final opinions heard.

Before we jump into a brand new Community Feedback, there’s also the July Engineering Report to review, and OH BROTHER it’s got some juicy teases about future content that’ve got our brain juices pumping. Tune in to hear our thoughts!

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[ad#shownotes]

Show Notes:

NEWS

Foundry re-opened…

• … with issues … still no editing capabilities
• AUTHORS: If your mission is broken, go HERE
• There’s also a bug on Tribble where C-Store unlocks are linked to Foundry building assets – it will be corrected, these should not be locked for those that haven’t purchased them

Ent F Dev Diary

• The FINAL design, revealed at last… hear our thoughts!
• Odyssey Class (how many times will that be spelled wrong?)
• Daniel Stahl – an “official blogger” for StarTrek.com
• Action Shots

Starfleet Academy

• OMG!
• Accolade + Title for reading all of the plaques (which are references to episodes and movies)
• Fleetmates showed me a way to get “out of bounds” where I went running on the waves and climbing to the tops of buildings.
• Cadet Uniforms walkin’ around
• Shuttle traffic, nice touch
• Mission replay accessible from Holodecks (but, it’d be nice to be able to ‘launch’ the mission)
• They nailed the look that we saw in Voyager Season 5 Episode 4 – In the Flesh.

Engineering Report

• I enjoy this bullet point: “Lots of tickets from Season 4 launch” … heh
• The first open zone ground combat area (Invasion zone)
• Trivia and Lore missions for Social Zones
• 6 new end-game gear sets (3 space, 3 ground)
• Moving kit/armor options to Tailor
• Combining all marks (etc) into a single scaling Emblem currency
• C-Store / Emblem trading
• “One Sector Map To Rule Them All” (in discussion for S5)

Tweet Leaks!

Special Edition : Borg/Academy

• New Cadet Uniforms
• KDF Cadet Armor
• KDF Academy
• New borg sphere
• New borg cube
• New borg probe
• New borg…. thing?
• New shield effects for cubes
• Assimilated… STATION!?

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

Vote in our Poll: https://poll.fm/34qol

If you have any additional comments, please leave them ON THIS PAGE!

The post Back to School | STOked 91 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/10171/season-4-arrives-stoked-90/ Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:13:38 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=10171 Bugs, nerfs, and issues oh my! Does all this spell certain doom for STO? Or is the solution to all of Season 4’s issues just a patch away?

The post Season 4 Arrives | STOked 90 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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The epic update we’ve all been waiting for has landed, but some of us are a bit upset. Bugs, nerfs, and issues oh my! Does all this spell certain doom for STO? Or is the solution to all of Season 4’s issues just a patch away?

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Show Notes:

DTNE Dev Diary #3

Season 4 Patch Notes
Announcement
TENSIONS ARE HIGH

We did not get:

• New tutorials
• KDF academy
• Starfleet academy
• Duty officer system

Known Issues:

• Foundry Dialogues got EFFED OVER (deleted, broken, unplayable)

• Intermittent connection issues
• Some gear scaling swaps did not happen correctly, some of your gear might have been “nerfed” on accident.
• Auto-Fire in RPG mode was preventing Spring/Roll/etc – Should be Fixed by Tues.
• Tac Boffs throwing grenades at their feet
• PVE queue system non-functional (not creating maps)
• Cannot equip Boffs if you are not in space
• DStahl’s FAQ / Q&A / OMG

Chatroom’s list of Stuff That Rocks:

1. Fonts
2. Textures better
3. Faster Ground Combat
4. Borg Adapt
5. New Ship UI
6. New Qo’Nos
7. Kit Powers
8. Overall Faster UI
9. aNew Ground Weapon FX
10. New Ground Sound FX
11. New C-Store UI
12. ViVox (TBD)
13. New Kling Shipyard
14. Switching Shuttles from UI
15. New Gorn
16. New Loading Screens
17. Warn in Effects
18. Resizable Boff Power UI
19. New BOFF Bar

Tweet Leaks
Gozer reveals Borg Turrets on The Cure:
https://twitpic.com/5n7w8q https://twitpic.com/5n7xda https://twitpic.com/5n7yg7

We are out next week!

J-MAN Productions:

“Little Birdies” – A Tribute to the Klingons

Little birdies
Flown by Klingons
Little birdies made of ticky-tacky
Little birdies blow up easy
Little birdies all the same

There’s green ones
And … green ones
And greener ones
And greenish ones
And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all blow up the same

And the klingons
In the birdies
All went to Kronos Academy
Where they were put in birdies
And they came out all the same

They’re Science
Or tactical
Or engineering specialists
And they’re all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all die just the same

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The post Season 4 Arrives | STOked 90 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/9991/into-the-crossfire-stoked-89/ Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:04:05 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=9991 The guys chat about the new features they personally are looking forward to in STO's Season 4. Plus learn the MATH behind the Efficiency Trait!

The post Into the Crossfire | STOked 89 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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Season 4 of Star Trek Online is nearly here, and the guys chat about the new features they personally are looking forward to. Plus in this week’s MATH segment, learn the ins and outs of the Efficiency!

Then we wrap the show with kicking off a new foundry review segment, called the Found Files. We’ve assembled a dedicated foundry review team, and we introduce to them and review two epic foundry missions!

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Show Notes:

NEWS:

STO Calender Updated
July 2011:

*6th – 8th Season 4: Crossfire
*21st – 23rd Cadet Uniforms (C-Store)

Our most anticipated Season 4 features:

Chris:
*Faster ability execution on ground.
*Improved textures.

Jeremy:

*UI responsiveness as a whole
*Foundry improvements / assets
*An excuse to replay content (Ground Combat 2.0)
Pre-patching has been enabled! Season 4 will be here NEXT WEEK!

New Variants on the way
Super Mega Cool Picture
Tribble Weekend is ON!

Tricobalt Grenade Launcher?!

Star Trek Reunion, Ep 1 (and their blog)

Tweet Leaks? (actually Forum News)
Gozer now has a radio show on Risaradio.com
Map of new Qo’nos
Gorn updates still in progress
Ogen (Infected Mini-Boss) now heals himself?

Cardassian Upgrades have appeared on Tribble!
And a new dialog Easter Egg about Capt Kurland
Before / After pic

MATH:
Email from Al Rivera, mini-Math!
Link

I can find no problem with either the player of BOff version of the Efficient trait.

The player version adds +10 to Auxiliary, Engine, Shield and Weapons Efficiency Stats, and the BOff version adds +5.  That’s not +10/+5 to power levels, that to the stat, as though you were buying this skill. The Efficiency stats add more power to your systems the lower your power levels. So you gain more of a bonus if you power level is low.

Here is the formula:
(StatStarship_X_Efficiency/300)*(75 – Y_PowerLevel)
(100 / 300) * (75 – 25) =

Where X= Auxiliary, Engine, Shield or Weapons Efficiency Stats; and Y=the corresponding power system level. Note, this formula affects all Efficiency stat values, not just those gained by the Efficiency Traits.

The net results are very small and the UI may round your numbers down, so you may not see the bonus, especially with high power levels.

These values are old and have not changed in some time.  I verified today that they are working – at least in Season 4 they are working.  So if for some reason there is some other odd problem on holodeck right now that I am unaware of, it should be resolved by season 4.

Foundry Files by Jupiter Force:

Old Top 5 vs New Top 5
OLD: The Worst of All Worlds vs NEW: The Spirits of Ramok Nor

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The post Into the Crossfire | STOked 89 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

]]> https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/9146/infected-perfected-stoked-85/ Tue, 07 Jun 2011 04:00:22 +0000 https://original.jupiterbroadcasting.net/?p=9146 Our guide to “The Infected” which includes tips and tricks for painlessly eliminating the Borg drones, and their leaders. Plus our Perfect World reactions!

The post Infected Perfected | STOked 85 first appeared on Jupiter Broadcasting.

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In the first of a 3-week long series of events, the STOked boys are taking you on an in-depth tour of the Borg Special Task Force missions. Up this week is a guide to “The Infected” which includes tips and tricks for painlessly eliminating the Borg drones, and their leaders.

Before we dig into that however, BIG NEWS landed this week regarding the impending purchase of Cryptic Studios by Perfect World International. Despite the community’s uproar over this news, we’re taking a more level-headed approach to the corporate nature of this acquisition, and intend to share our thoughts on why this could be one of the best business moves STO could potentially see.

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Show Notes:

PERFECT WORLD BUYING CRYPTIC
It was announced this morning that “Perfect World” has penned a deal to purchase Cryptic Studios for 35million Euro. 

Other links/Cryptic responses:
Compilation of pre-responses
Official announcement from PR Newswire

Thoughts:
J-RANT: Chinese Racism on Forums (for shame!)

F2P, Pay-to-Win
Star Trek IP in China?
“Angelica” 3D Engine — aging? Perhaps this acquisition is for the Cryptic engine?
PWE obtained Runic (makers of Torchlight) in 2009 and haven’t meddled at all.
R&D / Tech angle
“More importantly, Cryptic Studios’ highly reputable development team and its technology platform will further strengthen our well-established R&D capabilities.”
Jupiter Uniforms are here! C-Store: 280 pts
– Not a bad price for 5 new tops and pants.
– Pooooor Klingons…

TWEET LEAKS
– Earth Badge: https://twitpic.com/559m31
– Gatling Turrets: https://a.yfrog.com/img610/8388/62484048.jpg
– Qo’nos Courtyard: https://a.yfrog.com/img611/4751/dq60.jpg
– Exocomps to replace Drones: https://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg612/scaled.php?tn=0&server=612&filename=7xvjt.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640
— REALLY, DAN? A picture of an EMAIL?! Now you’re just taunting us.

Enterprise-F Dev Diary (How The Winner Was Chosen)
– Includes a “clay model” with more angles to view (still a WIP)

Infected Tips

Watch the uncut full stream here & Part 2 here:

General Tips:
– If you’re new, get experienced players to lead you through. There’s plenty out there now.
– Voice chat is highly recommended. (Vivox coming soon!)
– Follow directions. Or if you’re leading, give clear directions that are easy to follow!
– Do not progress any dialog pop-ups until the Team Leader gives the OK, or does it him/herself.
– Do not go in unprepared! Make sure you have a solid spec that plays to the specific strengths of both your Space AND Ground abilities.

SPACE:
Zip around BEHIND the gate, and do not activate the two popups until the team is in position.
With high DPS, you may be able to destroy the gate in a single activation sequence.
If you destroy the gate without killing transmitters, you get better loot.
If you do not destroy the gate in a single activation, you will be faced with 3-4 waves of borg ships that get progressively more and more powerful with each wave.

Good Space Boff Abilities:
Hazard Emitters (practically a must-have)
Tactical Team
A lot of DPS/buffs/debuffs
Gravity Well — good for chain reactions on warp cores!

Tactical Cubes have a ~5km explosion radius. If you are trying to keep the Transmitters alive, and have a Tac Cube spawned, be sure to lure it away from them before destroying the cube.

Tweet Update:
Cryptic_Gozer Dan Griffis
Weekly STF Update… Infected space 85% complete. Battle to destroy the Transwarp Gateway is much more interesting now

GROUND:
Ground Weapons:
Tactical — Sniper(x2)
Engineer+Science — CRM200 + Melee

Ground Kits:
Engineer: Fabrication or Bunker Kit
Tactical: Fire Team or Squad Leader
Science: Medic (at least one on the team)… if you want to DPS, I recommend Geophysicist

Order of Ground Targets:
Interlink Node
Infected
Drone
Medical
(Protos? Can be cleaned up at any time after Medical. May despawn on their own.)
AFTER ONLY TACTICALS ARE LEFT, SWITCH TO MELEE WEAPON
Tactical
Heavy
Elite

FIRST BOSS: Ogen
Pull him OUT of his room, into the hallway.
He will stop and summon friends halfway through the fight. If you are in the hallway, they will not join the battle.

END BOSS: Manus
Get into the alcoves on the wall opposite from the entry doorway.
This blocks line of sight between group members (meaning, no heals!), which prevents her “chain lightning” attack from hitting more than one target at a time.

NEXT WEEK: “The Cure”
Keep your tips/guides coming! Jeremy is gonna try and post the best ones over at JupiterColony.com

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