ug 02, 2005 - STO Infrastructure
One of the first questions we pondered for Star Trek Online was the nature of our audience. We knew the design would vary based on the answer to that question. Would we design a detailed simulation for the hard core fan? Or create an open-ended world that allowed for individual freedom that would be more appealing to a wide audience? This is especially important issue given the structured quality of Starfleet. While the idea of serving aboard an authoritative starship might be appealing to some, we knew that some would find that experience too confining.
I firmly believe that Star Trek has universal appeal. eople of all ages and walks of life have an affinity for the ideals of Star Trek even if they do not consider themselves to be fans. Star Trek offers an attractive world that is an escape from the worries of every day life - exactly what many want in an MMO. Though there have been some moderate successes, Star Trek games to date have failed to perform to a level that one might expect given the popularity of the franchise. The reason for this is that the values of Star Trek and traditional gaming just don’t align that well. traditional single player game is typically about individual violence; the antithesis of Star Trek. MMO’s on the other hand are about community and teamwork, at least the good ones are. dd in exploration, diversity, factions, rank and you have a set of values that align exceedingly well with the franchise. The MMO is the first interactive medium that is truly capable of delivering on the values of Star Trek. There are no excuses for why Star Trek Online should not aim for and achieve a level of popular success that any fan would hope for and expect.
So with the goal of a diverse player community in mind, we’ve designed STO to support player freedom; a world where players can choose their own way of relating to Star Trek and the gameplay experience. We want the experience to be enjoyable for a variety of players because diversity is critical to creating a healthy community and a core Star Trek value. Rather than a strict simulation of the world of the TV series, Star Trek Online will to adapt the mechanics of Star Trek to the needs of an online game that will achieve an online community worthy of its genesis.
The conceptual model for STO is a tree, with the trunk representing a common experience that will bring everyone together no matter what motivates their participation. t the limbs of the tree, particularly at higher levels we will have the opportunity to create experiences that are geared towards paying-off on Star Trek experiences requiring mechanics which may appeal to a subset of the community.
So what does the trunk of that tree look like? For starters, the setting for STO is a region of space near arth that is roughly twenty sectors within the beta quadrant. While there will be opportunities for missions that extend deeper into the galaxy, the bulk of the experience will take place within those twenty sectors (plus or minus). We plan to support point-to-point navigation for long distance travel with travel time a function of distance and speed, though highly compressed vs. realistic travel times. sector is 400 square light-years, so while twenty sectors represents only a portion of the galaxy, there is more than enough area to explore. nd leaves plenty of opportunity for future expansion.
The backbone of STO is a network of friendly hubs spread throughout the playable region of space. Hubs come in the form of starbases, space docks, planetary bases, and capital ships on station. These bases serve as a base for all player activity, each serving a specific range of missions with respect to difficulty, type, and story context. The largest hub will serve as a community nexus; drawing players of all levels. Connecting these hubs are warp capable transit shuttles available to all. s players progress in rank, they will be stationed on hubs further and further from arth, though there are few restrictions on player movement throughout the hub system.
t lower levels, players will access away missions via transporters and NC piloted shuttles for missions beyond transporter range. s players rise in rank, they will gain access to player piloted shuttles and ships, and ultimately assigned a permanent commission. ersonal (C) ships are small to medium sized and assigned based on player department. They are primarily designed to be piloted by the owner but may have options for multiple players to work together as a bridge crew. roups of players with ships can band together to tackle missions. layers will be able to walk around their ships, with medium sized (i.e. Defiant class) and larger ships providing more elaborate interiors and appropriate amenities. Manning any of the bridge consoles will enable an external tactical view for combat. The performance, appearance, and amenities of personal ships can be upgraded and customized.
In order to reinforce a strong community, we’ve designed STO so that players will range out from the hub system to accomplish missions, returning to the hub system frequently to mix with the community, repair, re-supply, train, trade, etc. layers will have the opportunity to take out loaner ships of various classes, use their personal ship, or hop aboard a friend’s ship to access away and space combat missions throughout playable regions of space.
The opportunity to operate capital starships will come at higher levels. These ships will require a fully staffed bridge crew to operate effectively, and are typically used to tackle high level content either on their own, or in armadas of other capital and escort ships. Using the tree metaphor again, capital ship missions represent the upper limbs in that they will pay-off on quintessential Star Trek experiences while providing a powerful motivator to achieve the privilege afforded by the higher ranks.
There is much more to share, but this covers some of the most important fundamentals. Keep in mind that these plans are not yet realized and therefore subject to change, but this does represent a direction in which the team feels confident. We welcome your feedback and will be monitoring the forums to follow community comments, questions, and suggestions. We hope you will find these ideas exciting in their possibilities and supportive of a vibrant online experience that is true to the values that makes the world of Star Trek so compelling.
Daron Stinnett
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