Captain's Log

Season Six is being readied for a move to STO's test server, Tribble, in the next couple of weeks, according to the most recent Ask Cryptic as answered by the game's Executive Producer, Dan Stahl. The new patch will contain fleet starbases and a new fleet advancement system but not much else in the way of story-based content.

That's not unexpected, however, as not one of the previous Season releases really ever contained story-based content; they've merely been game-technology pushes, and I understand that Season Six will be no different.

However a couple of things have come out to the game in the past few weeks that have ruffled some hard-core Trek-fan feathers: Caitian Carriers and Ferasans.

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For a veteran Star Trek Online player, it can be very easy to get mired in the game's seemingly soulless endgame. From restricted (time-gated) play to lackluster PvP to grinding strategic task force missions and dailies, sometimes it's difficult to find reason to log in at all, let alone on someone else's schedule.

There are always a few options, however. Of course, these ideas aren't going to be everyone's cup of raktajino, but they're a start, and I want to take some time to discuss two possibilities that may help to provide a distraction while we all wait for fleet starbases, Tholians, and Ferasan (the new cat-like species to be released for the Klingon faction).

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Recently Cryptic Studios' Star Trek Online team has pressed forward with a mix of new releases and old reruns in an effort to entertain the playerbase while we await the anticipated release of Season 6 in June.

Some of the recent releases, such as Spotlight on the Foundry, a new Klingon mission titled Alpha, the new Caitian Atrox carrier for the Federation faction, and a duty officer commendation XP bonus weekend, have all been fairly well-received. We have also seen the return of the Ask Cryptic blogs, and apparently we will also be seeing the return of the fan-favorite Engineering Reports at the end of this month.

The question remains, however, whether or not the those relative successes can overcome the controversies that seem to surround the game's other recent releases -- namely, the introduction of what is arguably a new currency and the infusion of yet another time-gated mission.

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This week brings to an end my series of interview with Cryptic Studios representatives. We conclude with the second half of my interview with Christine Thompson, lead writer for Star Trek Online.

Thompson confirmed that she essentially writes everything in STO. She admits that she gets some help, sometimes from developers who prefer to write their own work, but she says she writes 90% of everything in the game.

The conversation picked back up with a focus on The Foundry, the user-generated content tool available to players in STO. I asked her if she had any direct advice for authors who use the Foundry to create missions and maps and social zones in the game. She said, "Authors "shouldn't be afraid to tell the stories they want to tell. That's one of the joys of The Foundry. And they should also know not every story is going to work for everybody. Some things people will love, and some things people won't. Use Of Bajor for example. I really enjoyed that episode. We took a chance and did something completely different with that episode, and I liked telling a Bajoran story. But for every person who liked that episode, there was somebody saying" -- and here she dropped her voice to a hoarse whisper -- "oh dear god, why can't I just shoot something?!"

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Today Captain's Log continues with the first of two installments of my interview with Christine Thompson, Star Trek Online's lead writer at Cryptic Studios!

I began the discussion by asking Thompson about her background as a writer and journalist before she began working for Cryptic. She stated that she had held positions as a reporter, editor, page designer, and wire editor for 13 years, after which she found herself in a position of "either having to move up into management or having to find something else to do."

Yet she spent a lot of her personal time playing MMOs, reading comic books and fantasy novels, and watching Star Trek. Since she had to find a new career anyway, she thought, "Why not find a career I actually enjoy?" That's when she began to look for writing positions in the gaming industry.

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I first asked Stahl to give me an overview of his responsibilities as Executive Producer, as there are many people who are either new to STO (or even to gaming overall) who may not have a clear understanding of his role entails.

He stated his job is "similar to making movies." He has several direct reports, the first being the software person or the person responsible for the team of people who actually create the code for the game. The second is the Content Lead, who is responsible for new missions, new features, and anything to with player experience. Finally, the Quality Assurance team also reports to him.

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Rivera and I picked up the conversation and talked briefly about the Why I Play STO column that I wrote several weeks ago. I informed him that because of that column, I had received a few emails from brand-new MMO players who expressed frustration over the fact that as new free-to-play players, they weren't immediately allowed into the parts of the game that would give them access to the community, especially fleets, right off the bat.

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In releasing the new mission, Cryptic decided to take advantage of a community-based effort called Klingon Awareness Week (KAW) and set the release date to occur right in the middle of the event. This week also sees the return of First Contact Day events for the Federation side, which will showcase its own unique rewards. Let's dig in to each of these great events!

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Last week I received a bit of feedback regarding the state of Rivera's desk. I withheld taking pictures of the interior of the office space for fear of inadvertently capturing information that I wasn't free to share. Happily, though, Rivera himself decided to tweet a few photos of the ships and Trek paraphernalia that graced our visit to his office. Yes, it also included a picture of what I had described in my last column as a "funky purple monster." Apparently my comic book naiveté has kept me from recognizing what Rivera informed me is The Maxx.

Sorry, but it will always be that funky purple monster to me.

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Last week, I headed to Cryptic Studios to meet with several of the folks responsible for the development of Star Trek Online. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be sharing what I learned from those individuals and from the team on the whole!

This week, I will begin my coverage of a lengthy interview with Al Rivera (@CaptainGeko), the lead designer for STO.

If I had any doubts about the team's love or understanding of our beloved franchise, those doubts were dispelled the moment I walked into the STO work area.

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The Foundry is Star Trek Online's user-generated content tool, one that allows players to create their very own playable missions in the game. Those missions also become available as content to the rest of the playerbase. It's a tool that differentiates STO from most other MMOs and encourages fans to expand on the universe of STO and Star Trek in general. Join me as in this Captain's Log, I focus on the Foundry, some of its missions, and the community that keeps it going.

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As with previous columns about The 2800, this is an overview and will contain spoilers. If you have not yet played this mission or do not want to know about what happens, stop right here.

This is what happens when you look forward to something for a long time and then it's over. It's that satiated-yet-melancholy knowledge that sits in your gut and you're able to smile and frown at the same time.

Star Trek Online released the finale to The 2800 featured series with Boldly They Rode on Saturday, March 10th. Deep Space Nine is once again firmly in the hands of the Federation, thanks to the Klingon Empire, a suspiciously eager to help Changeling and her Vorta subordinates as well as a critical appearance from a new ship with a familiar name. Come join me while I recap the events of the episode!

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Star Trek Online continues its recent featured episode series, The 2800, with Facility 4028, a meticulously created mission that places the player's character into the unenviable position of being caught in the middle of a Starfleet prison when all hell breaks loose.

It's a fun little trip, and I believe it's an installment worthy of the reputation garnered by the more intricate missions seen in STO's previous series, Cloaked Intentions. Join me for a recap of this adventure!

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Like previous columns about The 2800, this is an overview and will contain spoilers. If you have not yet played this mission or do not want to know about what happens, stop right here!

Episode three of Star Trek Online's featured episode series, The 2800, was released over the weekend, and developers at Cryptic Studios were able to give the players who enjoy flying small vessels their first new mission since The Vault in the Cloaked Intentions series.

So jump into your shuttle (or fighter or captain's yacht) and join me as we head toward the Gamma Quadrant.

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If you have not yet played the newest episode in Star Trek Online's The 2800 series and you do not appreciate spoilers, then hold off reading this column.

At first I thought I was going to split this column and discuss two different things: the new DS9 Bundle offered by Cryptic Studios in the Star Trek Online C-Store and the newest featured episode, The 2800: Of Bajor.

Although there still is a lot to talk about the bundle, after playing today's episode, I realized that it would be impossible to write about both and that I needed to concentrate on one.

To that end, if you consider yourself a Deep Space Nine fan, you owe it to yourself to check out the bundle that caters to your tastes. It includes the new Vedek robes and Admiral uniforms as well as a completely new environment for the Defiant class ship (including a bridge, crew, engineering, mess, sickbay, and many other rooms). Also included are two new Bajoran weapons, three unique duty officers, and a playable shuttlecraft which makes it a really good deal for 1800 C-Store points.

But first, let's concentrate on the newest featured episode, Of Bajor...

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