Star Trek Online

[Jen]

Yep, we've discussed the possibility a few pages back on this thread. That would be fun.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Yea, I think that if this game works out how they have shown it, definately get a lot of attention.  I can't wait.  Its like a 2nd Christmas next year.  XD  :laugh:

King Linksr

[Jen]

Here's what the STO Dev Log says:

Entry 5.0 - "Interactions in Action"
Stardate 61390.2 (December 4th, 2007)

Hola, STO fans, and welcome back to the DevLog! There's something darned cool lurking in this entry, so let's skip the endearingly goofy banter and get right to it...

Over the past few DevLogs we've primarily focused on a sampling of the low-level processes of STO development, taking a peek at terrain generation, object design, and version testing, among other things.

Today we'd like to seriously shift gears, and start revealing a little bit about the actual game systems themselves. We'll start with a deceptively simple game mechanic that's deucedly difficult to nail down: the Interaction System.

What's the Interaction System you ask? In a nutshell, the Interaction System controls every non-combat, player-to-NPC interaction in the game. If you want to talk to a Ferengi shopkeeper, it goes through the Interaction System. Need to get some additional phaser training at the local Starfleet Academy? That's the Interaction System. Want to beam down to a planet? Interaction System. Responding to a distress call from a crippled starship? That's the Interaction System, too. In fact, when one is done tallying up the mission givers, trainers, vendors, Transwarp Terminal operators, Dahar Masters, helpful cadets and informative colonists, you'll find that there are just about as many peaceful interactions in Star Trek Online as the phasers-and-bat'leths variety. Put plainly, the Interaction System is the glue that holds all the other systems of STO together, transforming a bunch of disconnected (though spectacularly well designed and balanced) phaser fights into an actual game, so it's vitally important that we get it "just right."

As we design, implement, and refine our Interaction System, we're trying to keep a few basic goals in mind:

    * Keep it Simple - The less clicks and extraneous buttons the better.
    * Keep it Intuitive - The best Interaction System is one the player can figure out without any instruction.
    * Keep it Consistent - No matter where the player is (ground, space, another dimension) or what kind of interaction he's engaged in (dialogue, buying, training, obtaining missions, etc.) the widgets of the Interaction System's interface should behave in a consistent manner.
    * Keep it Trek - A blanket goal of STO, but one that bears repeating.
    * Keep if Fun - You'd be surprised how often this gets forgotten.

So, what can you interact with in STO? A better question might be: what CAN'T you interact with?

When playing on the "ground" (the surface of a planet, the promenade of a space station, or the interior of an "abandoned" Borg cube, etc.), players will use the Interaction System to chat with terrified aliens, order cups of Earl Grey from station replicators, launch games of chance from charming Dabo girls, and get missions from Starfleet superiors, among scores of other activities. All of these interactions, from the mundane to the sublime, will be launched by the most casual of mechanisms ("Keep it Simple"): a single right-click of the mouse on a neutral or friendly NPC.

While flying through space in a starship, players will use the Interaction System in exactly the same way ("Keep it Consistent")... but the NPCs the player will interact with will reflect more of the awesome diversity of the Star Trek universe. In space, players can respond to hails from officials on distant planets, or get orders from the commanders of besieged space stations, or do business with the owners of untrustworthy Orion shipyards, simply by right-clicking on those planets, space stations, or shipyards in exactly the same manner as if they were on the ground. In fact, the Interaction System is often the key to the player's ability to transition between space and ground, as ably illustrated by our VERY FIRST RELEASED IN-GAME SCREEN SHOT:

http://www.startrekonline.com/devlog/viewimage.php?IntScreen.jpg

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Wow, it goes along with my phrase of KISS.  "Keep it simple stupid"  :laugh:  Ever the more information they release the more excited about this game I get. 

Thanks Jen.

King Linksr

[Jen]

PR firm Kohnke Communications is suing Star Trek Online developer Perpetual Entertainment for breach of contract and fraud, among other allegations.

ImageKohnke Communications, which has represented studios including NetDevil, Red 5 Studios and Cryptic studios, filed the December 7 court document in a California Superior Court.

The filing, discovered by MMO-centric website TenTonHammer, is yet another setback for Perpetual Entertainment, which recently opted to cancel the MMO Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising, in order to concentrate more on the development of Star Trek Online.

Perpetual cancelled (or "placed on indefinite hold") Rome Rising in order to avoid having to pay the PR firm between $80,000 and $280,000 upon the launch of the game, Kohnke alleges. These costs would've had a negative impact on the development of Star Trek Online, which Perpetual is in the process of developing.

Kohnke also alleged that Perpetual asked the PR firm to create promotional materials for Rome Rising with the knowledge that the game would be cancelled. Kohnke called the alleged act "fraudulent and malicious."

The filing lists defendants as Perpetual Entertainment, P2 Entertainment Inc., Perpetual CEO Joseph Keene and president Chris McKibbin.

Kohnke is seeking between $80,000 and $290,000 in damages.

[Jen]

One word... "Ug"!

[billybob476]

Well that is unfortunate.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Good grief...people are so sensitive today that they'll sue over anything.  I mean, if I were to step on Jen's foot right now she would probably sue me for haraasment and "damages" to her foot.  Thats of course if I didn't already know she was a trekkie geek and probably wouldn't care.   :laugh: ;)

/sigh Another setback for my most favorite awaiting game..... :'( :'( :'(

King Linksr

[Jen]

Actually I wouldn't sue...  ;)

I could have sued a doctor for malpractice a few years ago but didn't.  :)

If Perpetual did do this...they deserved to be sued. I've worked in the print/design industry for years and we always have one slime ball or another trying stuff like that. It's underhanded.

[Jobydrone]

[Rico]

Wow!  I fear the Star Trek MMO might never see the light of the Internet highway.  :(

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Wow!  I fear the Star Trek MMO might never see the light of the Internet highway.  :(

No, Rico, don't say such Blasphemous things.  You don't want a crying person on Christmas on your conscience do you???  *sniff* *sniff*

King Linksr

[billybob476]

Well this isn't ideal...

------------------

Breaking News: P2 Out As Star Trek Online Developer
by Dana Massey, 14 Jan 2008 2:10 pm

P2 Entertainment - formerly Perpetual Entertainment - has ceased development on Star Trek Online, according to multiple sources at the San Francisco based developer. The news does not, however, mean that the game is canceled. The license, as well as the game's content - but not the code - have been transferred to another Bay Area development studio where work will continue. It is not entirely clear at this time what this means for the individual developers who worked on the project at P2.

As a company, P2 Entertainment will continue on with their profitable Perpetual Platform, which has been licensed to industry leaders like BioWare, and refocus their core business on the casual games market.

Without the code, whoever takes over Star Trek Online will be faced with a lot of work to complete the project, which means that fans may have longer to wait for a completed Star Trek Online.

P2 Entertainment had no comment on the story.

WarCry will continue to follow this story as it develops.


http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/breakingnews/2802-Breaking-News-P2-Out-As-Star-Trek-Online-Developer

[Jen]

crud...

[Rico]

To borrow from another franchise, "I've got a bad feeling about this."