STO Guidelines

Hailing Frequency caught up with Star Trek Online’s Executive Producer, Craig Zinkevich last week, for a 45 minute chat about the game!

In our first interview with Craig since the game released on February 2nd 2010, the interview covers a wide range of topics including the previously released Season 1 updates, the upcoming Season 2 updates, and beyond!

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Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich checks in with an important announcement:

Two and a half years on Star Trek Online, seven years at Cryptic Studios … and it’s time for me to move on.

I’ve decided to take a break from Cryptic Studios for a bit and focus on other things, like hanging out with my kids over the summer, walking my goat more and taking care of my bees. (Jack never told you about them, did he?)

Getting to work on Star Trek Online has truly been the highlight of my career. Since I was little, I’ve been a fan of the shows and movies. And since the internet and MMOs became prevalent, I, along with you guys, have watched, hoped and waited to get the chance to explore that universe online. I still can’t believe how lucky I was when it became my responsibility to help make STO a reality. I’m often asked in interviews or online, “Isn’t your job the coolest job ever?” Yes, yes it is.
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Our latest content update, Season Two: Ancient Enemies, will be available in July 2010. In Ancient Enemies, you’ll encounter and do battle with even more of Star Trek’s iconic races, enjoy all new Episodes and experience Star Trek Online in brand new ways. Here’s some of what you can expect in Season Two: Ancient Enemies:

Congratulations, Admiral
We’re raising the level cap from 45 all the way to 51. With the increase comes new ranks:

Federation:
Rear Admiral, Lower Half (41-45)
Rear Admiral, Upper Half (46-50)
Vice Admiral (51)
Klingon:
Brigadier General (41-45)
Major General (46-50)
Lieutenant General (51)
With the new distinction comes a new set of rewards and content:
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Last time we chatted with Star Trek Online executive producer Craig Zinkievich, he and Cryptic Studios commemorated the MMO’s three-month milestone with “Season One,” its first major content update. As promised, the developers “addressed players’ concerns” and delivered “new, fresh content in the players’ hands,” as Zinkievich described it, in our “Season One and Beyond” interview.

The three-month release cycle continues in July with “Season Two,” offering more new content and gameplay refinement. In our latest interview with Zinkievich, we talk about some of the significant features and changes that Cryptic has added throughout the past few months, like the Memory Alpha revamp and the new “Accolade System.” We also get details about upcoming content in July’s “Season Two,” which introduces popularly-requested exploration, diplomacy and anthropology-themed missions via the new “Federation Diplomatic Corps.” Zinkievich tells us about the future of ship interiors, mini-games like “Dabo” and more. Read the full interview after the jump!

[Note: The following interview took place earlier this month; publishing delayed due to our E3 2010 coverage.]

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When Cryptic (developers of the excellent superhero massive multiplayer online game, Champions Online) released Star Trek Online earlier this month we drew a sharp breath. A game that promises full space/ground combat, player versus player (PVP) combat and a metric tonne of customisation options…these are all grand ideas indeed even before you take the subject matter into account: Star Trek; possessing a ravenous and loyal fanbase for decades, satisfying them is surely a task too great for even an established MMO dev? Well, minus some bugs, we can safely say that Cryptic have done a bang-up job!

For a start, the amount of lore in this game is pretty ridiculous, and easily comparable with the heavyweight MMO games around today. Whilst it doesn’t quite match the millions of pages of text found in books across Oblivion’s world, there are many moments during STO where nostalgic memories are sparked due to some text or the appearance of a friendly face. Without offering spoilers, it’s safe to say that some familiar (and highly enjoyable) locations will be visited during a play through Star Trek Online.
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