Star Trek Online: Exkluzivní rozhovor s Craigem Zinkievichem

MMOGames.cz Interview with Executive Producer Craig Zinkievic

The whole concept of Star Trek Online looks more like an MMORTS with RP elements and a possibility of disembarkation, where deliberation, tactics and planning are way more important than the action itself. What it's the game going to be like in this way? What should the players expect?

One of the fun parts about MMOs is that you can deliver many different gameplay types within a single game. STO is no exception as you can do both types of gameplay: story based and open ended.

Star Trek Online delivers a lot content chunks that we call “Episodes”. The player will be directed through different locations and situations and will follow interesting story lines that can be stand alone episodes or part of a larger story arc.

Players will also get to experience content as they want to through exploration and Player vs. Player content. At almost any time in the game the player can choose to just “explore”, visit a star cluster and get to see something new and exciting. Similarly if they don’t want to follow the main story of the game through the episodes they can progress by doing PvP.

Being a captain of a space ship full of NPC's, cruising around the infinite universe sounds - well a bit lonely for an MMORPG. Won't the players, even with fleets, on-ground fight cooperation and mass PvP, feel alone? After all, the universe is just huge.

You will be able to team up with your friends in both space and ground.  There will be a variety of starbases, space stations and gathering spots throughout the game where players can communicate and socialize.

The locations on the planets are probably not going to be as big as the whole planet, but if you could, somehow, specify the size of the locations and the possibilities of interactions on them?

The size of the locations will vary.  Some maps will be bigger than others but you might travel to a planet where you meet a new species or find new resources.  Most of the time however it will be driven by what mission you are doing. 

And again a question about the size of the universe. It's common that if there is a really big game world, than the quests of a certain type tends to repeat themselves in a rather annoying way. Did you avoid this? That the exploring of new planets, civilizations and technologies is not going to get boring after a certain time? Like, for example, 10 different scenarios constantly repeating just with slight differences?

Since we’re trying to recreate the Star Trek experience and not make a Star Trek simulator, the game play areas of the game break down into maps, which provide enough content for a “scene” or two of an episode. They look and feel huge, but it’s hard to get turned around or lost, because we direct players through content in a certain way. We do, however, try to encourage exploration by putting stuff off the beaten path for curious players to discover.

When we land on a planet, will our ship remain vulnerable?

Your ship will not be vulnerable but you may get a call where you’re coming under attack and you need to beam back to your ship to stop an attack.

What about the Starbases? Will the players get an option to build themselves their own? And what level of interaction can we expect in the inside of them? And what are the other options of activities on the planets?

At launch, players won’t be able to build starbases or custom fleet shipyards and the like. It’s something we’d love to investigate post-launch, but we just weren’t able to tackle something that big in addition to all the other cool stuff we are shipping with.

We designed starbases to work like a mix between a social hub and a supply/mission depot. You can stop by to change the ship you’re flying, requisition new bridge officers (or transfer the ones you have to a friend), buy new items or just hang out and talk with all the other captains who are coming and going. We wanted them to have a bustling feel, like a busy episode of DS9.

Where do we stand now? What is the stage of the beta test at this moment. Are you still sort of developing the game, focusing on correcting errors or just fixing the details during constant gameplay?

Throughout development we’ve been playing the game: first as a team, then other members of Cryptic Studios, now into closed Beta with our community. I think the best feedback we’ve gotten isn’t suggestions for new game systems, but the little tweaks that make the whole game more accessible and easy to get into. As developers, we spend so much time with the game and, although we can get complex systems implemented, can sometimes overlook the simplest things. “Why can’t I double click that? I didn’t notice that UI indicator at all? I didn’t understand where to go next.” Those are the types of comments that end up being very valuable to us.

Well we just started the closed beta for Star Trek Online and we gradually expanding the test by inviting new players in.  We hope to go into open beta early next year and then we will go where no game had boldly gone before when we launch the game in Europe on February 5^th.

What about the economy. What are the possibilities and the actual importance of economy in the game? How much can players focus on being just a trader without fighting? Did you get any inspiration from the EVE Online economy system?

The economy in Star Trek Online is very different to Eve Online, in Star Trek Online there is a thriving economy and although money isn’t important to our captains, there will be a currency that players can accrue. Players will also need to work towards their renown and merit within Starfleet in order to progress and acquire certain things. For instance, Starships are massive vessels and they aren’t just handed out to anyone who comes along and asks for one so players need to generate enough merit to warrant the helm of a new class of ship.

And could you tell us an example from the storyline that appears in the game? To have a general idea about the RP aspect of the game.

The game takes place in 2409, after the Khitomer Accords broke down, which has resulted in a full-scale war between the Federation and Klingon Empire. Romulus exploded years ago, and their empire is only now just getting back on its feet. Plus, the Borg remain a constant threat.

The story line in STO is comprised of Episode Missions, which are mission chains that guide players through the game’s overarching story. Each is a complete story in itself, but it directs players through the big “Star Trek” story, as well.

There’s definitely a lot of turmoil to be found in the Star Trek universe right now, which means roleplayers should be able to craft their own stories in additions to the ones we tell. We definitely want them to feel welcome in the world.