By
Chris “Spare” Higgins, Guest Columnist



This week, Cryptic Studios formally announced their intention to
develop an MMO based on the Star Trek universe.  This news
comes as a relief for Trekkies and Trekkers who were uncertain of Star
Trek Online’s fate after Perpetual sold the rights to their
claim at Star Trek Online.  Not a lot was known about
Perpetual’s plans for Star Trek Online; only a few
screenshots and some very basic information were ever released about
the mysterious title, so it is safe to assume Cryptic will be starting
from a clean slate. That said, a few key questions must be answered
before Cryptic has a solid game on their hands.

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Cryptic better get Star Trek Online right, or thousands of Trekkies will be looking like this.

What elements will Cryptic need to include in this MMO to make it
great?



Well first things first.  At what point in the Star Trek
timeline will this game take place?  I would imagine the
timeline would be 2385 or beyond.  The new Star Trek movie
will begin with Spock recounting memories, which will lead into the
movie and that is rumored to be in 2385.  At this point in the
time line there will not be much written and it will give Cryptic a
clean slate to work with.



Another question on my mind is “What races should appear in
this game?”  



I am pretty sure Starfleet humans, Klingons, and Vulcans are a
guarantee.  Romulans should be in game but should not be
played by players.  There are other races like Ferengi,
Cardassians, and Bajorans that could appear as player controlled
races.  Races like the Jem’Hadar and Borg could be
used in this game but should not be player controlled and only used in
player events or in story lines.



Star Trek Online should also have robust space combat and exploration
systems.  I think this would be the most critical system
because almost everything happens in space.  However there
should be a rich ground combat element where players can beam down and
really get into some visceral combat sequences.  



One of the biggest challenges Cryptic will face is “How do
you make a MMO that feels like Star Trek?”  



Most fans of Star Trek have not found that one game that captures the
Star Trek spirit.  Bethesda has put out some decent Star Trek
games, but none have really captured that Star Trek spirit. 
The Enterprise was on a mission to explore strange new worlds and seek
out new life and new civilizations.  How does a game company
translate this into a game that is fun for all?  



Another challenge is the Klingon Race.  The Klingon race alone
is almost a basis for a whole MMO.  While everyone always
thinks about the Federation first, Klingon’s are still very
important.  I know once I heard about Star Trek Online my
first thought was “I am going to grab my bat'leth and charge
into battle and drink blood wine”.  Flying cloaked
in your bird of prey to do battle in space is going to be a highlight
of Star Trek Online, so I hope this race gets the attention they
deserve.



It is going to be interesting to see how Cryptic translates Star Trek
into a game.  My only hope is they stay true to the lore and
technology in the universe and boldly goes where no game has gone
before.