Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Boldly going where few have gone before, the latest installment of the hugely popular Star Trek film series as brought a new surge of interest in what is easily one of the most recognized sci-fi IPs on the planet. The recent talk of all things Trek-related inspired by the film’s release naturally got us thinking about Cryptic Studios’ upcoming Star Trek Online. In a brief Q&A, Ten Ton Hammer discusses the latest Star Trek film with STO’s executive producer Craig Zinkievich, touching on some of the possible links we might see between the two with the MMO's launch.

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Ten Ton Hammer: The new Star Trek film has certainly breathed new life into the IP, managing to appeal to both long time fans as well as people who were aware of the Star Trek universe but might not have considered themselves ‘fans’ previously. Do you feel that Star Trek Online will have this same kind of universal appeal once it’s launched?

Craig Zinkievich: Although the game is rooted fiercely in the Star Trek universe, we’ve always tried to make sure that the setting is not a barrier to entry for players who aren't hardcore Star Trek fans. Our hope is that you don’t need to know anything about Trek to enjoy the game, but that if you are a Trek fan, you'll find lots of references to the series and movies that you'll enjoy. We want STO to be another way to introduce Trek to people who otherwise wouldn't call themselves fans.

Ten Ton Hammer: In the film, the crew of the Enterprise came together somewhat organically, with key characters essentially being "picked up" along the way based on either circumstance or their natural affinity for a given role. Would you say that the bridge officers in STO are obtained in a similar manner - through missions etc?

Craig: That’s an interesting comparison.

The crew is such an important and central part of what Star Trek is about; the way that a Captain meets his or her crew, the way they’re selected and how they interact is essential to the Trek feel. We want to make sure that players in Star Trek Online get to be part of the history of building their crews. They should remember where they met their science officer or when and how their best tactical officer joined the crew. All of these things allow players to build a connection to their crews in the gaming world.

I hadn’t thought about it before, but the movie's setup is building that history for the viewer as well.