Star Trek Online interview

We got the chance to interview Daniel Stahl, producer of Star Trek Online.  The interview was done shortly before the launch, and due to our delays at launching it has not seen the light of day...until now!  The questions are still relevant, so please enjoy!

Question:How difficult was it picking up the license from another company, and what impact did the prior work have on what your company has done with it?

When we acquired the license there were discussion between Cryptic and CBS to describe our vision for the game and how we would take the spirit of what Perpetual Entertainment had started and build something from the ground up that would deliver on the vision for what a Star Trek fans have wanted for so long. We were very thankful for the amazing concept drawings and designs that were made available to us. Even though we’ve build the game from the ground up, it is remarkable how similar some of the designs stayed true to Perpetual’s concepts.

Question:Given the very…enthusiastic fans of the canon, what is being done to ensure that the game is fun, but at the same time loyal to the original canon?

First and foremost this game is being designed by Star Trek fans for Star Trek fans. The question we ask ourselves is – are we building the Star Trek game that we will want to play? We have had great success in making games that are fun to play and this game is no exception. It’s a lot of fun to fly around in these big Starships dealing with the dangers of the Galaxy. The fact that it is set in the Star Trek universe amongst all the familiar locations, names, and sounds you remember, makes it a dream come true for fans like me.

Question:Will there be a similar setup to Champions Online with a single shard setup, filled with multiple instances of areas?

With such a large Galaxy to deal with, it only makes sense to have everyone on one big Shard. We feel we have found a good balance between the desire to be a solo captain out exploring the unknown, and the comfort of knowing that other players are nearby doing the same. So while the majority of the content may be instanced episodes, when you are traveling through sector space, or socializing at a local Starbase, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and form friendships with other Captains.

Question:While there has not been an announcement on costs yet, would it be fair to expect microtransactions in Star Trek Online?

This will be a subscription game with a monthly fee and we will offer additional content in the game through microtransactions. As with any business, we will adjust as needed to ensure that players have access to the game. As we’ve done with our previous games, we’ll continue to push new content to players on a regular basis, so having a regular subscription model helps us deliver high quality updates with lots of cool stuff.

Question:One of the key elements of the various shows and movies was the focus on resolution of conflict without violence (i.e. diplomacy). Will there be any applications where diplomacy will be used?

There was a recent debate about this very topic on our forums and I’m tending to lean towards the opinion that despite what was said in the dialog, there was always a lot of conflict in Star Trek. While the various Captains had differing opinions on the use of violence (I mean c’mon – Kirk would shoot at anything) for the most part the Starfleet philosophy was to protect the innocent and help those in need. If you need to fire your phasers and photons to do that, then that was ok so long as the enemy was clearly an enemy. At the end of the day this is a game and it is a lot of fun to fire photon torpedos!

That is not to say that the game is all about combat. True to the show there are missions and content in the game specifically designed around non-combat. This could be resolving the mining strike on Beytan V, resetting seismic sensors on one of Pellme’s moons, or even charting and taking readings of stellar anomalies in an unknown part of the Galaxy.

A key feature in the game revolves around seeking out new information in the Galaxy and returning that information to the researchers at Memory Alpha where they can convert that knowledge into new technology that you can use.

But, have I mentioned its fun to shoot your phasers?

Question:Can we expect more factions, and as a result more playable factions, after the initial launch?

Making a new playable faction in Star Trek Online is complex because the factions have very different goals and political values for why they do things. You can’t just slap a new costume on someone and have them play the same missions and zones. They need an entire set of missions and content that is specific to what their goals are. That is why for launch our schedule is limited to the two most popular factions - Starfleet and the Klingon Empire.

However, we have been taking surveys in Beta as to which factions players would like to see in future updates. The front runners have been Cardassians, Romulans, and Ferengi. Those are the ones we’re looking into, but up to this point all eyes have been focused on Starfleet, and we are now heavily focused on making the Klingons very different so that they feel right and play right. You can’t just have Klingon exploring the Galaxy in search for knowledge. They need resources and space!

Question:Has the experience working on the other two titles that Cryptic is well known for helped with the creation of Star Trek Online?

With Star Trek Online being our fourth MMO title, not only do we have awesome tools and technology to build the game with, but we have veteran employees on the team who have gone through all four title ships. This brings a level of cool calm confidence to the team as we scramble to get every last texture, model, and bit of dialog into the game. It helps us tackle bugs and issues remarkably fast. Someday our Beta players will be able to attest to how fast we are able to react to their suggestions and get things in the game. It is a huge bonus.

Question:Is there a chance that we can have tribbles as pets on ships?

Hmm… that sounds like a fine idea, but where do you put them? They don’t seem to be very mobile, so you’d probably have to carry them around. What if they found some food to eat? What if you’re a Klingon?! So many issues have to be resolved before we can just let everyone have a Tribble. I’m not ruling it out, but it sounds like the kind of feature request you may end up regretting you wished for.

Thank you so much for the great questions. Here’s a Klingon toast to the next great Tribble hunt!

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