Star Trek Online

[Feathers]

So Rico, now that you've carted the big computer with you to IL, can we expect to see you in STO come Feb 2?

I thought that was why he was taking it :)

I mean what else will there be to do in an empty house with no family members around every night

[billybob476]

One very cool thing is that they appear very VERY concious of the timeline. Obviously this game was in development long before the new movie came out and they've already addressed that it is still taking place in the 'Prime' timeline. However 2 days ago I rolled a new Federation character, they had added in the Nimoy voiceover as kind of an intro.

I was very pleased to hear Nimoy as Spock talk about the Hobus ultranova, his efforts to save Romulus and even though he travelled back in time, the timeline he left behind continues on. I thought it was a cool nod to the new stuff without having to deal with it directly in the game.

[Rico]

So Rico, now that you've carted the big computer with you to IL, can we expect to see you in STO come Feb 2?

I thought that was why he was taking it :)

I mean what else will there be to do in an empty house with no family members around every night

Well, I hope to be in the game soon.  I have one hitch to it.  I preordered it to come to a Gamestop near my home in Michigan.  I have tried to change my pick up spot to a Gamespot in Rockford, IL and no one can do this for me.  The store can't do it.  The Gamestop online order site said they can't change my order, so I'm kind of stuck.  It's preordered in my name so I'm not sure Lynn can even pick it up.  I think there is only like a $5 penalty if I don't pick it up (which is dumb), but I might just buy it somewhere here.

[Rico]

As I followup to the above, I just got another email from Gamestop.  They said the store "reserves the right" to not transfer preorders even though I preordered this online.  Which is frankly a load of,.....  This is a scam to charge people $5.00 who don't pick up their games.  So, I wrote them back and tossed around my "Trek Podcaster" weight - LOL!  I told them I would inform my listeners to not buy the new Trek Online game (or any others) from Gamestop.  We'll see if that helps at all (probably not but it was fun to write it).  :)

[billybob476]

Frankly while we're all excited about this game I don't see it selling out on launch day. Can you cancel the gamestop preorder and just order it from amazon? They'll email you your head start key within 24 hours and then you jsut download the client.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

Gamestop is a scam.  I quit using them since they tried to scam me out of a Gamecube game years and years ago.  (Something about we didn't order enough/store rules)  Bloody hell, don't try that crap with me, I'm not amused.  

King

[VaeVictis1701]

As I followup to the above, I just got another email from Gamestop.  They said the store "reserves the right" to not transfer preorders even though I preordered this online.  Which is frankly a load of,.....  This is a scam to charge people $5.00 who don't pick up their games.  So, I wrote them back and tossed around my "Trek Podcaster" weight - LOL!  I told them I would inform my listeners to not buy the new Trek Online game (or any others) from Gamestop.  We'll see if that helps at all (probably not but it was fun to write it).  :)

There is a way around it so you don't have to transfer your pre-order.  You should be able to contact the Store Manger for the one where your reservation is and inform them that you are out of town and that your wife will be picking up the game in your place.  She can then give you the codes you need from it so you can have your added bonuses and then mail you the game.  The good part is you will still be able to play the head start and the game for a little while without installing the game.  They said that there is going to be a grace period where people can still play without the retail version installed.

[Rico]

Frankly while we're all excited about this game I don't see it selling out on launch day. Can you cancel the gamestop preorder and just order it from amazon? They'll email you your head start key within 24 hours and then you jsut download the client.

Nope can't seem to cancel.  I may try to have Lynn pick it up, but it may not work since I used a credit card in my name.  I'll come up with something.

[Jobydrone]

Gamestop will let you put the $5 toward any other game (WoW Cataclysm perhaps?)  Just tell them you don't want it.  Then go preorder in Il.

[VaeVictis1701]

Nope can't seem to cancel.  I may try to have Lynn pick it up, but it may not work since I used a credit card in my name.  I'll come up with something.

If they won't work with you then I would cut off all business with them.  I use to work for Game Stop and I would bend over backward to ensure that my customers received their product any way possible.  Some of the times I involved the district manager to give me permission to do things to help out my costumers.

[wraith1701]

I cracked and went for the lifetime membership. This way I can switch between it and WoW without feeling bad! Early birthday present for me.

Nice. I'm thinking about doing that as well. :)

[billybob476]

I cracked and went for the lifetime membership. This way I can switch between it and WoW without feeling bad! Early birthday present for me.

Nice. I'm thinking about doing that as well. :)

Just remember, you've got till Feb 1st then the offers go away (1 year and lifetime)

[wraith1701]

I cracked and went for the lifetime membership. This way I can switch between it and WoW without feeling bad! Early birthday present for me.

Nice. I'm thinking about doing that as well. :)

Just remember, you've got till Feb 1st then the offers go away (1 year and lifetime)

Cool; I still have some time to think about it.

Have you (or any of the other beta players out there) mastered the art of using a phaser yet? Some of the player characters that I've seen online make it look like a piece of cake, but the whole "target-with-mouse-then-hit-1-to-fire" seems awkward to me. Is there an easier way to use it? 

...I'm also open to any tips on how to smoothly fly a starship.  :P

[billybob476]

I basically just hit tab which will target the closest enemy, also instead of 1, 2, 3 etc to fire weapons I use:

spacebar - fires all phasers that have the target in their firing arc

ctrl + spacebar - fires all torpedoes that have the target in their firing arc

The good thing about that is is you are broadside on an enemy hitting spacebar will fir both your front and rear phasers at once.

with regard to steering, I usually fly with the mouse holding down both buttons and work the camera around to make the ship do what I want, other times I use the keyboard, depends how I feel. 

[billybob476]

Here's the latest "State of the Game" from the developers dated Jan 27th:

The Journey Begins...

Thank you all so very much for making this entire Beta experience as awesome as it has been.

I could look back and reminisce about the downtimes. I could wax nostalgic about the patches. I could even recall every exploit with distaste and still fondly remember the awesome emergent gameplay you've shown us... And yet, all that implies an end. Sure, the test is over. But, in reality, this is only the beginning.

We've been working without rest for nearly two years to reach this moment -- the moment when we can begin expanding Star Trek Online in earnest. The years ahead when we get to work directly with you to figure out what we add next to the game, where we fill out content, and what new systems we might add. That's real development. That's live development.

Not a team to just sit back and wait, we're already working on content additions, bug fixes and 'quality of life' improvements that we're going to roll out over the next couple months. Here are a few of the things we're working on:
The Borg

The Borg have planned. They have adapted. They have evolved. What the Borg cannot assimilate, they will destroy.

You saw a little Borg action in our End of Beta event – prepare to see more. The Federation have tracked down the Borg staging ground for their assault on the Alpha Quadrant. Join up with Battle Group Omega and take the fight to the Borg. Experience new Federation Episodes, Borg Exploration Clusters, deep space encounters. Also expect daily missions for these tasks to maximize the rewards you'll be getting for helping out Starfleet in the Gamma Orionis Sector.
"Raid-i-sodes"

These are the high-end episodes you've been waiting for. Locked to 5-players, you'll need every trick and every bit of teamwork to complete these challenges.

A Borg raid-i-sode series culminating in an encounter with the Borg queen is on its way. Expect a couple other "loose ends" to be addressed in the future, as well.

Available for both Klingon Generals and Starfleet Admirals, we'll be releasing a new one of these every few weeks for the next three months.
First Update

We're already working on it and it'll be out before you know it.

The first update is going to have more PvP, Klingon exploration content, more ground fleet actions, more ship costume pieces, more playable species, and then some.
Bugs and Reactions to Them

Of course, like any MMO, we'll scramble during the first couple weeks reacting to new bugs. putting in quality of life fixes, and closing exploits that weren't exposed to us during Beta.

We'll be fine tuning as well, but don't expect thoughtless or harsh changes to game balance. We're more than willing to wait and make sure everything we do is measured and calculated.

Expect a public test shard to become available real soon, too. We've named her "Tribble." This is where the brave Captains (read: addicted testers) amongst you can try out our changes before we push them live. If you're one of those who can't get enough of the bleeding edge of development – or have a penchant for finding bugs and balance issues – keep an eye on the forums for details.

So, thank you again for the awesome Beta, but the fun begins now.

We have years of development left in us and a universe of content still to add. Here's where it gets interesting... Here's where you help us figure out what comes next.

I, for one, am looking forward to taking that journey.

-Zn

http://www.startrekonline.com/node/957