starTrek


 * Start researching your game online. Watch gameplay videos and look at fan-created content that supports the game experience. Write a brief section describing the gameplay as you observe it, focusing on the elements that make it distinct from other MMOs. Did this game make any innovations within the genre?**

Karen H Aula S Steven H

Star Trek Online will be the first AAA MMO to feature space and ground combat at launch. Seems similar to Eve Online but one significant difference I can see is that the player can explore both the spaceship and space as well as the ground. Each player will be captain of their own ship, serving either the United Federation of Planets or the Klingon Empire. It also stated that players will be able to beam down onto different planets "for face-to-face confrontations". Exploration of the inside of starships will, at launch, be limited to the bridge and certain episodes. Its possible for it reach a broad age range because of its fan base.

There are many differences between the games //Star Trek Online (STO)// and the game fictional game from the book //Epic.// The first major difference is //that Epic// is a game in a fictional novel and STO is a real game. Another significant departure between the games is that Star Trek is just a game, and yes some may become obsessed with gameplay and the STO brand; however, it has not yet reached critical mass in society, nor used as a valid form of dispute resolutions. In contrast, the game within the book //Epic// has become the rule of law in society, parents encourage their children to practice and play the game, additionally, the in book society prohibits any violent acts outside of the game.

Currently, there is no real winning condition in STO. One may advance in levels and make economic gains but due to the newness of the game it's hard to determine what the winning state would entail. It is probable as the game progresses and the in-game world is further explored that a real winning condition could be achieved. As for now, the fact that there is no real consequence to the death condition would almost annihilate the concept of winning.

Griefing is a big topic for any MMO. The creatores took a clear stance for STO, no griefing allowed. STO has a predetermined PvP set that enforces faction(Federation) vs. faction(Klingons). What is unique about Star Trek is that there is only one server. There are no PVP, PVE, or RP servers. There is only one online server, and PvP is restricted to designated sectors and neutral zones. Designed PVP zones offer objective-based battles, similar to battlegrounds in WoW. Examples include Assault, which is managaing resources and transporting them, and Area Control, which is a domination game where you fight for zones.

Even though this game is designed to prevent griefing, on Feb 22, Goons invaded the STO universe. The Starfleet Dental(goons) spent over 2 hours self destructing their ships over Earth Spacedock. This caused a lot of chaos and rage to players in that area. The Starfleet Dental also discovered a exploit where they could invite Klingons to teleport onto the Federation Bridge. Klingons that came onto the bridge were then instantly killed by 30+ members of the Starfleet Dental that camped the spawn. On the official STO forums, players complained that the goons be banned. The posts span over 100 pages.

Griefing video[] STO forum post []

It is hard to tell if Star Trek online is thriving or failing at this point. Star Trek Online was released on Feb 2, 2010. It has only been online for barely over a month. The game received mixed reviews, mostly heading towards the negative side. Cyptic has announced STO launched with over 1 million registered accounts. This could refer to beta accounts and forum accounts, but in my opinion it is still a great start for any game.

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