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New Star Trek MMOG Announced

jabagi writes "Perpetual Entertainment and Viacom decided to produce a Star Trek MMOG. Not many details yet, but beta will be available in 2006, and the game will be launched in 2007. Here is the discussion on gamespy."

38 of 302 comments (clear)

  1. Better than the text adventure? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You are on the bridge of the Enterprise. You can go North, South and DENNIS.

    1. Re:Better than the text adventure? by Darkon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But is it better than these text adventures?

    2. Re:Better than the text adventure? by cozziewozzie · · Score: 4, Informative

      If you're into text adventures, you should check some of many Star Trek based text online games (MUSH'es and MUSE's). They offer an amazing depth of roleplaying experience, often modelling even the smallest aspects of ST universe. Sadly, with the advent of graphical online games, they've fallen behind in popularity.

      A classic game based on TOS (which had Nimoy, Shatner and Kelley visit for chat sessions on several occasions) can be found on space.tos.net. To play, simply telnet to tos.tos.net, port 1701. Several empires to chose from, with fleets, a space system, economy, diplomacy, culture (especially important with Vulcans, Klingons and Romulans), language, etc. All based on roleplaying and some coded systems.

    3. Re:Better than the text adventure? by stormhair · · Score: 5, Funny

      You are on the bridge of the Enterprise. You can go North, South,

      ...or where no man has gone before?

    4. Re:Better than the text adventure? by GoofyBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

      >They offer an amazing depth of roleplaying experience, often modelling even the smallest aspects of ST universe.

      Welcome to Start Trek MUD!

      Please choose a character:
      1 - Captain
      2 - Science Officer
      3 - Red Shirt Ensign

      > 3

      You beam down to a strange rocky planet and die before the first commerical break.

      Do you want to play again? [y/n]

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
  2. It's taken this long? by sgant · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is almost a given.

    Also another given would be an all Star Trek cable channel.

    Not that I'm a huge fan, but I'm just pointing out "givens" where Paramount could squeeze yet another dollar out of the Trek world.

    --

    "Leo Fender was in a 'state of grace' when he designed the Stratocaster." -- Paul Reed Smith
    1. Re:It's taken this long? by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 4, Funny

      >where Paramount could squeeze yet another dollar out of the Trek world.

      Lost your copy of The Rules of Acquisition did you?
      --
      Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
  3. 2007? by tuxter · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's due in 2007... Does that mean it will be compatible with longhorn?

  4. hmmm by MikeHunt69 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm sure it will be as 'good' as star wars galaxies... *sigh*

  5. Aagh. by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Paramount hates Star Trek, and is obsessed with ruining the franchise. An MMORPG where everyone insists on being a captain or admiral, where no story can take place, and they can make up more "iso" words.

    Aren't they being sued for a Star Trek related game contract gone awry already?

    1. Re:Aagh. by briareus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There's a huge difference between "hates Star Trek" and "wants to suck as much profit out of the already worn-out Star Trek franchise".

  6. Announced? by erroneous · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the area if MMORPG development, where so many projects seem to get canned after months or even years of development, I really don't think "announced" is newsworthy any more.

    How about not publishing MMORPG stories until they're "finished" - at least finished enough to alpha test.

    As a side benefit, we'll not have to read any of the "cancelled" stories the following year...

    --
    erroneous: look me up in a dictionary
  7. The FAQ... by zoeblade · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...is at startrek.com.

  8. Role playing by borgalicious · · Score: 4, Funny

    All I know is that when it does come out, I wanna be one of the nameless landing party guys in the red shirts.

  9. FAQ ! by phreakv6 · · Score: 3, Informative

    FAQ on the game

    --
    fifteen jugglers, five believers
  10. Preview of game play by tod_miller · · Score: 5, Funny

    BigBoI: "hAhAhHhAaaa"
    DM0nz: "u r sposd 2b a vulcan u cnt laff"
    BigBoI: "/me does vlcn nekk pnch"

    Se7en_ov_n9ne: "hi I am female"
    chaptin_pick_hard: "zomgzzcripes can I boldly go where no man, err, boy, errr, cripes my mum is calling me"

    Yey, can you send me a copy please? Oopps, my mum is calling me, she said no /. 'til after my dinner.

    --
    #hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
    1. Re:Preview of game play by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Just wanted to draw more attention to this post, before ijits moderate it into oblivion. Not only is this post 90% serious in my opinion, it's accurate. I could not think of a better example of what MMO gameplay devolves to.

      Someone figures out how to get rid of this crap, andit would revitalize MMO games.

  11. ... this isn't helping by enrico_suave · · Score: 5, Funny

    this isn't helping get my older brother out of my parent's basement anytime sooner... =(

    e.

    --
    Build Your Own PVR/HTPC news, reviews, &
  12. check out the job requirements on perpetual's site by kesteloot · · Score: 5, Interesting

    These are the requirements for a Game Systems Programmer posted on their website.
    # BS in Computer Science or equivalent.
    # Must have extensive experience working in a senior programming role on a commercial game development team.
    # Strong familiarity with PC development using C++.
    # Familiarity with Linux programming.
    # Experience developing networked game applications, preferably client-server.
    # Has developed and documented technical designs.
    # Has a love of gaming.

  13. They make MMORPG's from anything... by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "It seems like the game is about taking command of a starship in the 24th century."

    Hmm, to me this doesn't sounds like a game well suited for being a MMORPG. A Lord of the Rings MMORPG does, but not one where you command a (note: a) ship in a vast galaxy. Galaxies are mostly empty. How much socialization will be going on then? How immersive will the atmosphere be?

    Will it consist of OMGLOLBBQ we met a Bird of Prey, kill them! OK, done, let's move on, then OMGLOL we must go look at the Borg Cubes? Possibly -- which makes me wonder why this is a MMORPG. Maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time seeing how a game like this will make you go "WOW, what a vast cool world" if you'd be mostly just playing in a starship.

    When even Star Wars Galaxies (which I think had better potential since SW is traditionally also a lot about the planets -- actual worlds) ended up pretty bad, I don't see how this game will not end up as just a cash cow attempt backed up by a powerful well-known label with no special spirit and immersiveness about it.

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  14. System requirements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    - Galaxy Class Federation Starship or better
    - Holodeck Mk 1
    - Social skills not required

  15. Re:check out the job requirements on perpetual's s by halowolf · · Score: 4, Interesting
    # Strong familiarity with PC development using C++.
    # Familiarity with Linux programming.

    At a rough guess I would say that this translates into a Windows client front-end (perhaps linux as well but less likely) and a Linux server backend (more than likely) for its stability and reliability.

  16. Re:Who cares? by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Name me one decent Star Trek game.

    Elite Force I & II and Star Trek Armada I & II

    There. You now have four.

  17. Skill by Himring · · Score: 3, Funny

    [Thu Feb 10 01:08:09 2007] You have become better at never getting a date! (66)

    --
    "All great things are simple & expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." --Churchill
  18. I have two predictions: by evslin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    1) This game doesn't make it out of beta
    2) This game does make it out of beta and gets slaughtered by EQ and DAOC.

    I like Star Trek and all, but the MMORPG market isn't exactly the easiest one to work in.

  19. Star Trek MMORPG wish-list by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The MMORPG market is pretty heavily populated at the moment, but a title like this will obviously be able to break in on the strength of its franchise, if the game is good enough. I'm not actually much of a Trek fan; I find the series fun for a couple of episodes and then incredibly repetative after that. However, here are a few of the concepts that I think would work with the license and which could convince me to buy the game and pay the monthly subs:

    1) Don't over-emphasise the combat on planet surfaces. Galaxies made this mistake big-time, to the extent that this was basically the only thing in the game on release. Traditional, Everquest-style MMORPG combat, be it PvE or PvP has been done to death by virtually every MMORPG around. I don't personally see anybody beating FFXI's system for this at any time in the immediate future; it's way ahead of the competition in terms of depth and polish. Better to play to the license's strengths and focus on other areas.

    2) From what I've seen, the Universe lends itself pretty well towards a sensible PvP arrangement. The Trek universe always struck me as quite rigidly controlled and policed, albeit with darker fringes. Just make it so that the "core worlds" are non-PvP (or PvP harshly punished by NPCs) and the outer fringes are less restricted. I hear EVE Online already has a vaguely similar system.

    3) I want to be able to buy, crew and run a ship with my friends. I'm not saying "I want to be Captain of the Enterprise", but rather that I want to be able to be a crew-member on an independently operating ship, with "real people" as my crew-mates. Maybe they could let people progress through skill-trees in... say... navigation, gunnery, sensor use etc and make it so that you need a balance of skills to run a ship. Obviously, as you make more cash, you should be able to get better ships, as well as bigger ships, which might require a larger crew. There should be the option for very high level players of being able to develop your character and your crew towards running either a battlecruiser or a supertanker. I don't want the game to be dominated by people running around in 1-player fighters or, worse still, 1 player battlecruisers. Boarding operations during ship-to-ship combat could be a fun alternative to planet-side combat.

    4) Please, for the love of god, take a fairly distant approach to the license. Put the usual planets and races in there, by all means. Tie it generally to a point in the time-line. But don't get into a situation where you're saying "we can't do this because it doesn't fit wit this stage of the timeline". Galaxies has suffered because of the inevitable tensions created by making the Jedi the most desired class during a time-span where there are only supposed to be a couple of Jedi.

  20. stab at this by Aggrazel · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ensign 1: Captain, there's another ship approaching. They are hailing us.
    Captain: Main screen turn on.
    Ship: This is Captain Duder of the spaceship Leet, we're taking this camp site, bugger off.
    Captain: WTF? We've been here all day!
    Ship: Too bad dude, we want the loot from this easy romulan spawn, and we got 3 photon torpedo banks saying its ours, move to another sector, or we'll KS you biatches.
    Captain: WTF!! What about the prime directive!
    Ship: LOLz. You RPers crack me up.

    1. Re:stab at this by Caraig · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually this isn't funny at all. This is exactly what's going to happen.

      The best thing for an MMORPG that you care about is to find some mechannic that makes the game interesting, but makes it very very difficult to powergame and bowl over other players. It's bad enough in a system where you don't have PvP. It's even worse when someone can waltz up and shellack you for no reason whatsoever. You spend hours and hours learning the ropes, getting reasonably good at the game, dying embarrassingly to a number of mobs, all for what? To be killed by some leet-speak-babbling, profanity-spewing, whiny little PGer who probably hasn't graduated from junior high yet? How long are you really going to want to spend on a game where some 1337 d00d can and will PK you?

      World of Warcraft had a good thing with the enforced rest. It's just a shame that the people who only wanted to level up and be the uber-PKinators raised such a huge stink about it that Blizzard had to remove it form the Beta.

      A Trek MMORPG would need something good to allow it to compete with the slew of MMORPGs out there. Unfortunately the Trek franchise lends itself to reasonably good role-playing for the most part; at it's very best it can be rousing sci-fi action with moral and ethical questions thrown in. But, I don't think it'll do too well as a MMORPG where the goal of most of the players is to level up, become "uber", beat all the named monsters and get the rare drops, and rub other peoples' faces in it.

      --
      "I am an Adept of Tantric VAX."
  21. If they don't screw up, it could be a good game. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They can make every player a mercenary taking missions from either major races (humans, klingons...). Land on this rebel planet, kill boatload of rebels or borg, gain xp, loot, fame, women, whatever ...

    Crafting would allow the construction of weapons, ship gear, maybe even androids. Lot of possibilites.

    There could be trading between different civilizations, exploration missions given to the public (that will turn bad of course with baddies to kill). Ownership could be in the form of space ships. One could trade legally or illegaly. Plenty of choices.

    Not to mention, the countless spying agencies could be used as an excuse for PvP. Or archeological dig races or whatnot.

    They have lot of good material from wich a good MMOG could be made. Let's hope they avoid the pitfalls of SWG: the total lack of Star Wars feel. They already have the templates for the classes, no need to re-invent the wheel:

    Tank - Security guys (Worf).
    Ranger - User of phasers (Picard).
    Cleric - Medics (Crusher).
    Wizard/Mage - Betazoids or other telepaths (Troy).
    Some other class - The techie people (Laforge)

    They got a very rich universe.

  22. Starship Crew by randalx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One thing that stands out about this type of game would be the cooperative play needed to run a starship. This could be very interesting if most/all the crew were PCs as opposed to NPCs.

    Seems it would require much more cooperation than is normally required by the typical clan on other games.

    It would also be interesting aboard Klingon ships if one could advance in rank simply by beating one's superior officer. Hopefully they will allow this sort of flexibility.

    I think this one has potential.

    1. Re:Starship Crew by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Won't happen.

      It'll be Star Wars Galaxies with "star wars" races replaced with "star trek" races.

      They could have done what you suggested with Galaxies. Join the empire as a low level stormtrooper, rise through the ranks - kind of like an America's Army type of thing. Or be a crew member on a smugglers ship. Or become a bounty hunter, and get assignments from Jabba himself.

      Nah, just another boring ass RPG game where you sit around levelling up all day. They forgot the MMO part, it seems.

      Star Trek is all about exploitation and milking the last few bucks out of a dried out franchise. MMOGs are "hot", so there's a Star Trek MMOG.

      Most Star Trek games have sucked ass, they've all been clones of popular titles with Star Trek characters. Descent Freespace, except you're in a Federation vessel, or Unreal with Klingons. I doubt this'll be different.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  23. Not Fair! by w3weasel · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is not fair!!
    I just got a girlfriend!!!

    --

    Just as irrigation is the lifeblood of the Southwest, lifeblood is the soup of cannibals. -- Jack Handy

    1. Re:Not Fair! by jwriney · · Score: 5, Funny

      got a girlfriend

      You mispelled "downloaded some porn".

      --riney

  24. Great potential - most likely wasted by Malfourmed · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's clear from the press release and FAQ that it's not going to happen, but I always thought that Star Trek, with its multi-century future history, was perfectly placed to create a MMORPG gaming experience like no other.

    Imagine a game where everyone started out as characters in the ENT (or even ST:FC) era. Imagine them having adventures that took them into the 23rd, then 24th centuries (changing characters as necessary ... yes, aging could play a part in this game unlike most MMORPGs, or by playing long-lived races like Vulcans).

    Imagine players having the opportunity to shape history by partaking in or deciding the outcomes of, key events like the Federation/Klingon wars, Wolf 359, first contact with Cardassians, discovery of the transporter or deflector etc.

    Imagine playing the character responsible for introducing TOS-style uniforms into the game, or the character who discovered transwarp, or the character who introduced the Akira-class ship into the fleet, or the character who was responsible for holding AR-558 before Sisko's arrival or ... the possibilities are virtually endless.

    Eventually, sure, the future history would outstrip the "documented" canon but that wouldn't happen for a few years and the servers could either be re-set or the history extended. (Server launches could be staggered so that there would be a choice of eras for people to play in, for those who were determined to stick to one timeline.)

    But given that MMORPG game design is based on the principle of maintaining the status quo while only giving the illusion of advancement and change, this isn't going to happen.

  25. Q ! by Odonian · · Score: 3, Funny

    I called it first! nyah nyah. see you in Borg-space, mortals!

  26. Ob. Family Guy Quote by Zorilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    Kirk: Alright men, this is a dangerous mission. And its likely one us will be killed. The landing party will consist of myself, Mr Spock, Doctor McCoy, and Ensign Ricky.

    Ensign Ricky: Ahh crap

    --

    It would be cool if it didn't suck.
  27. It's based around the Khitomer disaster by FauxPasIII · · Score: 4, Funny

    You play as Worf. Son of MMOG.

    --
    25% Funny, 25% Insightful, 25% Informative, 25% Troll
  28. take the MMORPG lesson by geekoid · · Score: 3, Funny

    wait for brother to step away from the basement, then move in and camp it.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect