FAQ (Perpetual Entertainment)

[FF| AdmiralHocking]

This is the official game FAQ as provided by Perpetual Entertainment.


Overview

What is Star Trek Online?
STO is a massively multiplayer game where hundreds of thousands of players will serve as Starfleet officers in the United Federation of Planets. You will choose a race, department, and alignment with one of several groups within and on the fringes of Starfleet. All players will gain access to Federation and alien technology including starships to explore the Galaxy, defend against incursions, and pursue the needs of the Federation in space and on planet surfaces.

When are the beta and release dates?
We haven't made firm beta plans yet, but we're hoping to begin limited beta testing in the Summer of 2007.

On which platform will this game be available?
Windows-based PC

What has changed in this latest version of the FAQ?
This FAQ reflects our most recent design and development plans for the release version of Star Trek Online. As development proceeds and features are realized, we will be adjusting course as needed to deliver the highest quality experience possible, so it is likely that some of the information contained in this FAQ will change before we go live.

Where can I find out more about Star Trek Online?
Keep visiting http://www.startrekonline.com for upcoming announcements and developer blogs.

Will STO be localized and made available internationally?
Absolutely. We view a world-wide release in a variety of languages as vital to the success of STO and key to recognizing of one of Star Trek's most celebrated core values.

Will there be a monthly fee?
Yes. The fee will be competitive with other products of our genre.

What is the intended audience for Star Trek Online? The world of Star Trek Online will be designed with respect to canon and to support an immersive experience for Star Trek, sci-fi and MMOG fans of all types.

Who is making this Game?
Perpetual Entertainment is a San Francisco based company created by MMO and networked game veterans with the express purpose of developing ground breaking persistent world games.


Community

What is the plan for community support while the game is being developed?
Our level of interaction with the community will grow in stages as our development progresses. We're currently in the pre-production stage of development which involves detailed planning. Upon completion of pre-production, we will be in a position to begin sharing detailed feature information. In the meantime we plan to engage the Star Trek enthusiast community with preliminary design considerations so that community feedback can inform our planning process.

How can I sign up for the beta program?
Once we have a beta plan in place and are ready to gather a list of beta participants, we will make the appropriate announcements.

Will STO support guilds?
Absolutely. Because communication and teamwork are such important parts of Star Trek, STO aims to provide industry leading support for all sorts of player organization, ranging from the traditional MMO guilds (which are called "fleets") to more casual organizations such as clubs and small teams.

How can I get involved?
We plan on setting up official discussion forums once we have adequate staff to support the discussions and information to share. In the meantime, we are relying on community supported websites for feedback and game related discussions. And if you have strong development skills and experience developing games, please visit our jobs section at Perpetual Entertainment to see a list of open positions on the STO team.

We'd love to hear from you.


Gameplay

Will there be options for solo play?
Yes. While there will be some content that requires player grouping, the majority is accessible by both solo and grouped players.

Will there be player vs. player combat?
Yes. Although PvP is not the primary means of advancement, we are considering several different PvP opportunities. The holodeck will offer a large array of configurable dueling and arena scenarios, and though we're committed to providing PvP gameplay outside the holodeck, we are not yet ready to share specific plans.

What will starship combat be like?
Starship combat encourages strategic thinking, rapid analysis of the situation, and quick decision making. Players can travel alone in their personal ships, team up with other ships to fight more potent enemies, or gather on a single ship with other players to form a crew. Proficient crews can coax far more out of a vessel that any single individual could.

What will ground combat be like?
Our ground combat system is going to take advantage of many of the skills and abilities seen in Star Trek: using heavy weapons, energy shields, pattern enhancers, and more. The player’s point of view will be predominantly 3rd person. Players can form away-teams with any mix of defensive, offensive, and support characters.

What types of gameplay experiences does STO offer?
STO will deliver the essential experiences associated with Star Trek: shipboard and starbase life, away-team missions, holodeck activities, and encounters with other starships. Players will have the opportunity to engage in exploration, combat, problem solving, and diplomacy in addition to character development and social activities.

Will I enjoy STO if I have limited time to play?
Yes. STO will have plenty of content to engage players who can only play for a half hour at a time, while also providing more time-intensive missions and activities. STO will also support innovative offline advancement features which will give casual players a boost.

Will the game be easy to learn?
Yes. STO has been carefully designed to be easy to learn, so that players can get into the game within minutes. However, it is also designed to be especially deep and immersive – players can discover additional details slowly as they continue playing.

What races can I choose?
The following playable races are being considered: Vulcan, Bolian, Human, Andorian, Cardassian, Tellarite, Bajoran, Klingon, and Ferengi. However this list is not yet considered final.

What professions can I choose?
Star Trek Online offers a wide range of customization options. Players first pick a department: Science, Engineering, or Tactical. Each department offers several different specialties to choose from. Some of these specialties are primarily suited to shipboard activities, while other specialties are mainly used during away-team missions. Players may choose one of each type of specialty. For instance, a Science Officer might choose to be an Intelligence Specialist (which is primarily a shipboard role) and also a Medical Specialist (which is primarily an away-team role).

Customization is further increased thanks to the Leadership system. As players play the game, they may choose to forego some departmental training and instead learn to be a better leader. Leaders have different abilities, such as improved negotiation tactics, and leaders are also capable of becoming high-ranking officers. By mixing leadership abilities and department-specific abilities, each player can create a character that closely matches their play style.


Setting

Where will players live?
Players will have personal crew quarters aboard a ship. The location of these quarters will change as players advance in the game.

Will there be an economy?
As in the series, an economy will be present and fully functional.

Will I be able to explore the surface of planets?
Yes. Star Trek Online will enable Starfleet members to visit, explore, and engage in problem solving and combat on planets throughout the Galaxy.

What area(s) of space will I be able to explore?
The primary gameplay area will be the Beta Quadrant, the section of the galaxy that includes territory of the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans among others. Other areas of the Galaxy will be opened up via game expansions.

Will I be able to travel and explore space?
Yes! Players will have considerable freedom to explore space and discover the unknown.

What are the playable factions?
At launch all players will be part of the Federation with playable opposing factions coming via expansions. Players will be able to align themselves with one of a number of both mainstream and fringe groups within Starfleet. A player's alignment will have an affect on the types of missions available as well as access to unique technology and racial equipment.

Which time period or series does this game occur in?
The game's starting point is set some time following the latest movie (i.e. Star Trek Nemesis). However, there will be missions with storylines and characters from other parts of the Star Trek franchise.

How will players get around?
Players will have access to all major modes of travel seen in the series including transporters, shuttles, and starships.


Ships

Can I obtain a ship of my own?
Yes. All players will be able to obtain a permanently commissioned vessel, with higher-ranking players having access to better ships. Players may choose to play as captain of their personal vessel, or to temporarily leave their ship and become a bridge crew member on another player's starship instead.

What sorts of ships can I have?
Players will be able to command a wide range of Starfleet ships ranging in size and scale from small warp-capable vessels such as shuttles and runabouts, to larger combat ships such as the Defiant and the Akira-class starships, to advanced science ships such as the Nova-class. Along with classic and favorite ships from the series, STO will also feature new ships designed especially for the game, sporting new technology and innovative designs.

In addition to a wide array of Starfleet vessels, players might also be able to obtain or borrow ships designed by allies of the Federation, such as ships made by Klingons, Ferengi, or others.

The largest Starfleet vessels, such as the Galaxy and Sovereign-class ships, are not normally assigned to individual players, but these ships play another role in STO: several of these ships act as hubs of activity, augmenting the game's large variety of cities and other gathering places.

Won't everyone want to be a captain?
Of course! We expect that a significant portion of players will work towards the rank of captain. In Star Trek Online, players who achieve the rank of captain and above have chosen to specialize in leadership skills that will make them especially valuable as player group leaders. A department specialization track provides an alternative for players wish want to excel as solo players or as crew members when playing in groups.

However all players, no matter which track they choose will gain access to one or more personal starships for which they are always the commanding officer, regardless of rank. As commanding officer, you can invite other players aboard your ship and retain command even when members of your crew are of higher rank. Capital ships that serve as hubs for all players are operated and commanded by a NPC bridge crew.

Will I be stationed on a ship that patrols the Galaxy?
While Star Trek Online is heavily influenced by the ship experiences seen in many of the series, STO is not a strict simulation of starship-life as seen in the shows. Players will be stationed at various hubs positioned throughout the Galaxy, which serve as launching points for players to explore the galaxy and defend the Federation. Some of these hubs will be capital ships that are cruising a specific sector of space. And while all hubs will offer direct access to local missions, players will venture out in their own ships for most missions.

Can I be a doctor who heals other players in sickbay?
We plan on providing profession-related duties for all departments on major starships and stations, however all players will engage in space and ground missions as the primary means of advancement. Players in all departments are required to serve as members of a bridge crew and away teams to complete missions. On the ground, medics will heal other players and NPCs, while in space, medics will draw on additional science department proficiencies to serve as the bridge crew's science officer.

Can my player guild all live together aboard a single ship or space station?
We hope to support this, though we are not prepared to provide details yet. will enable Starfleet members to visit, explore, and engage in problem solving and combat on planets throughout the Galaxy.

[Knippschild]

I stickied your thread since it's more official than the other