Star Trek Online: Boldly going …

… in a very familiar direction. Not quite the Star Trek intro you might have been hoping for but with the recent Devlog STO’s core system has been revealed along with their very first gameplay screenshot. The gameplay system is called the Interaction System. I’ve reread their description of it several times and I’m still trying to infer to what length they are actually trying to take this system and in what way it will achieve their goals. Here’s what the Devlog had to say regarding the Interaction System:

“What’s the Interaction System you ask? In a nutshell, the Interaction System controls every non-combat, player-to-NPC interaction in the game. If you want to talk to a Ferengi shopkeeper, it goes through the Interaction System. Need to get some additional phaser training at the local Starfleet Academy? That’s the Interaction System. Want to beam down to a planet? Interaction System. Responding to a distress call from a crippled starship? That’s the Interaction System, too. In fact, when one is done tallying up the mission givers, trainers, vendors, Transwarp Terminal operators, Dahar Masters, helpful cadets and informative colonists, you’ll find that there are just about as many peaceful interactions in Star Trek Online as the phasers-and-bat’leths variety. Put plainly, the Interaction System is the glue that holds all the other systems of STO together, transforming a bunch of disconnected (though spectacularly well designed and balanced) phaser fights into an actual game, so it’s vitally important that we get it “just right.”

First STO gameplay screen

As we design, implement, and refine our Interaction System, we’re trying to keep a few basic goals in mind:

Keep it Simple – The less clicks and extraneous buttons the better.
Keep it Intuitive – The best Interaction System is one the player can figure out without any instruction.
Keep it Consistent – No matter where the player is (ground, space, another dimension) or what kind of interaction he’s engaged in (dialogue, buying, training, obtaining missions, etc.) the widgets of the Interaction System’s interface should behave in a consistent manner.
Keep it Trek – A blanket goal of STO, but one that bears repeating.
Keep if Fun – You’d be surprised how often this gets forgotten.

When playing on the “ground” (the surface of a planet, the promenade of a space station, or the interior of an “abandoned” Borg cube, etc.), players will use the Interaction System to chat with terrified aliens, order cups of Earl Grey from station replicators, launch games of chance from charming Dabo girls, and get missions from Starfleet superiors, among scores of other activities. All of these interactions, from the mundane to the sublime, will be launched by the most casual of mechanisms (“Keep it Simple”): a single right-click of the mouse on a neutral or friendly NPC.” – STO Devlog Dec 4th 2007

Honestly it’s starting to sound like a glorified and global quest or NPC interaction tab. Would it accomplish their goals? It’s simple, it’s consistent, it’s easy to figure out, it could be considered Trek’ish if you think along the lines of long range communication, and I guess it could be fun. I’m not sure though why they’re pushing such a fundamental and basic aspect common to nearly all rpg games as their big innovative and simplistic backbone. I think it would be a fine idea, don’t get me wrong, but hasn’t it all been done before? If maybe we can get a little more information on what makes this unique or different from say a normal NPC interaction that would be fantastic.

I might be misunderstanding what they’re trying to say. I guess making any NPC available to you right at your fingertips would simplify the game quite a bit but other than that I don’t see this as much more right now. But aside from that the screenshot looks great. Reading some of the replies on boards out there many people are in agreement that the stylized graphics are fitting. I like it much more this way than say like EVE or EQ2. It’s fitting of a Sci-fi game.

STO is starting to take shape and I like what I see. It doesn’t look like we’ll be getting our game where groups all work together to run a starship but this could be the second best thing to it. Hopefully they continue to make the right decisions and their game can make a comeback from the negative publicity it has received over the past few weeks.

  • I was similarly unimpressed with the “interaction system.” It sounds like a great hyped-up idea if you have never played any RPG before in your life.

    For MMO veterans and anyone that has ever played most RPGs (ie. 90% of the world’s gamers), this comes off as cheesy marketing to try to make the game sound innovative in light of recent shutdown rumors.

    Don’t get me wrong, I still hold out hope for STO. But the microtransactions and the transforming of capital ships into cities has me thinking this will be more NGE-flavored SWG than CU-flavored SWG.

  • Yeah, I remember this from every Final Fantasy game and in fact most every console RPG ever made. FF Tactics — did it really well.

    I don’t want to play in a second-best ST world. I want to play in the best one. Every single ST fan wants to be able to group with their friends and run the Enterprise, just like in the TV shows. This is absolutely the number one thing anyone would think to do when told of a ST MMO.

    The notion that they feel they can avoid offering the thing most wanted and still call it a ST MMO or achieve any sort of success amazes me.

    So, you’re going to have an Enterprise wallpaper on your screen while you go through a point and click chat window and this is your core Star Trek gameplay element?

    Please.

  • Well, the core “non combat” element or so they claim. I have hopes of a decent space combat system. If it becomes confirmed that they’re using lots of microtransactions then I’ll be skipping it altogether.

  • Oh, and not to say that what they’re doing looks at all bad, but it’s not what a LOT of your hardcore Trekkies would hope for. In aiming for a wider market, could they aim too wide?

  • crossing my fingers. i am glad they are moving forward. i’ll critique the game mechanics and fun factor more closer to release (so maybe in 2009 or 2010) 🙂

  • Whatever it is it will be better than any Star Trek MMO we have now. Perhaps some folks are too young to recall the relatively low quality of gaming that some of us have called fun in past decades. The graphics and systems of today are simply astounding compared to that. So long as they can get this game out, have fun elements to it, and not have bugs, I think real Trek fans will find a way to adopt it and have a good time in game. We’ve seen this in other Trek games that offer a lot less.