There’ve been no further patches or patch notes since the emergency patch of last night.
Our replacement hero, Arkturos Reh is getting ready to leave Stardock in search of new adventures. So he beams back to his ship, and heads, for the first time, to Sector Space! And then gets disconnected before I can take a picture, and I can’t get back in just yet.
Think of this as a commercial break during an episode (though I suspect everyone just watches them on DVD or downloads them these days!).
7:23 pm GMT, Day 2
We’re back in. This is Sector Space:
Sector Space in Star Trek Online
This particular sector is called the Vulcan Sector, lying in the Sirius Sector Block. From here we can see a variety of star systems, and other points of interest. When you select them, you can choose to warp to their location, but it seems like you can also choose to chug about at impulse speed so I’ll do that for now to get a feel for it. You can also see a wide variety of player and NPC ships going about their business.
Lieutentant Reh’s purpose here is to find a merchant vessel called the SS Azura which has gone missing. Turns out it really isn’t all that missing as I can see it from over here. We’d better go make sure they’re alright.
After about half an hour of play, I’ve gotten kicked again and am having trouble getting back in. I’d just taken a turbolift down to another area in order to destroy some borg devices that are blocking communication. Might see some real combat soon! Beaming people into space just isn’t the same, especially as vacuum did not upset the Borg as much as I thought it would.
Movement and controls seem a bit mushy and unresponsive, but that could easily just be the betalaunch server lag and nothing to worry about. We’ve still not gotten to the meat of the game yet anyway, ground and space combat.
Hmm, it just occurred to me that the USS Khitomer is named after the Klingon planet, best known for the Khitomer Accords between the Federation and the Klingon Empire (now broken), but also for the Khitomer massacre. Lets hope my adventure takes after the former rather than the latter. I guess they named the ship before the treaty broke down.
My crew and I have been asked to take Star Trek Online for a three week shake-down cruise. We set sail at 6 pm GMT.
A liveblog is something of a stream of conciousness affair, where I’ll be writing my impressions of the game as they come to me during the playthrough, rather than planning anything out. So I may change my mind later on about something I’ve said previously!
Star Trek Online Login Screen
6:10 pm GMT
We’re off. Or we would be if I wasn’t dithering over what shape my head ought to be. I’ve filed my first bug-report, regarding weird miscoloured bits that occur on many of the beards. Looks like the secondary colour selector ignores what you select and stays the default colour. Facial hair is important!
Looks like Cryptic are taking the “test” part of the STO Open Beta Test seriously. A Good Thing. They’ll be keeping us in the starter areas until we’ve given them a good working over.
I’ll be live-blogging the Open Beta launch later today.
Patch Notes Known Issues for Jan 11 2010 – ST.0.2010108b.10
Open Beta will start with characters restricted to playing Federation and Klingon sectors only. You will not be able to access Romulan, Cardassian, or Borg space until we update a little later on into the Beta.
In addition, all players will hit a level cap at 16 – which should be enought to complete all missions available in your respective sectors. You’ll be unable to spend new skillpoints after you hit the cap until we open up the other sectors. We ask that you play through all of the content you can find available to you. This will ensure coverage of everything in the sectors before you move on. You will progress enough to advance past your initial ship and into and through your first tier Cruiser, Escort, or Science vessel.
* Fixed the power trainers to display which officers are eligible for training
* Open Mission rewards were calculated 1-3 levels lower than they should have been and have been adjusted
* If the system you are warping into doesn’t exist, we’ll quickly fail the warp instead of sending you back to the Tutorial
* Addressed an issue in Star Clusters where the systems you would find where not as random as they could be
* Fixed an issue where items received in different regions would sometimes fail to equip
* Your character will now face your target on the ground when firing a weapon
* Science vessels were not getting all of their starting gear. They now come with approriate loadout.
* Updated random values in character creator
* Fixed an issue with anomalies in star clusters not being set on the proper cooldown
* Increased XP rewards for the first 6 mission
* Updated reward tables for items scanned in Star Clusters
* Fixed the zoom in/out bind commands as they were reversed
* Fixed an issue where female eyes would pop out during dance emotes
* Added back the ability to exit PVP maps using the Depart System minimap button when not in combat
* Added reward tables for all Fleet Actions (Fed and Klingon)
* Added maps for Klingon Deepspace Patrol Systems
* Fixed a UI issue where multiple windows would overlap strangely
* Teams should now be able to enter the same “Explore Unknown System” maps. This needs more testing so please file bugs you find.
* Sector space wandering mobs will now avoid system spawn in points
* Klingon ships should now have more texture options in the Ship Customization Window
* Rewards received from PVP and Fleet Actions will now go directly to your inventory
* Fixed an issue where you could not place items in the bank
* Addressed a crash with searching the Exchange
* Players now receive an error message when they attempt to drag a bound item to the Fleet Bank
* Many PVP maps now grant rewards correctly
* Star Cluster missions were completing in any cluster. They are now cluster specific
* Updated many NPC costumes
* Added info text to skills indicating the requirements for unlocking ability training
* Fixed an issue where too many batteries were dropping in space
* Removed Aenar and Tellarite bridge officers from the stores
* Cannons were draining too much power when fired. They are now draining power appropriately.
* Star Cluster Unexplored System missions should no longer have empty nouns in mission dialog.
* There are now PVP item vendors on Qonos, K7, Earth Spacedock, and Ganalda Station
* Updated the name of badge names and icons (pvp/exploration/medals)
* Updated AI of Sector Space wandering enemies
* Fixed some collision issues on Klingon Ships
* Removed “sidekick” option from the cryptic generic UI
* Fixed some occlusion issues on several maps
KNOWN ISSUES
Here are things we know about and are already working on
* Klingon players can join PVP queues prior to completing their starting mission which will make the character unable to complete their mission chain and progress any further. Do Not Join PVP queues until AFTER you’ve completed your starting mission and leveled up to 6.
* There are UNTRANSLATED text errors in stores if you cannot purchase an item.
* C’zann, a Klingon contact, has a doppleganger in the bar at Qo’nos that offers the same content.
* Skin color choices run off the left side of the client when customizing a character.
* Bridge Officer descriptions in the store run off the screen. Trick is to move the Store window to the top of the screen and the tooltip descriptions will scroll down.
* We have reports that auto grouping may not be working in all systems.
* In some rare cases the bridge officer reward you accept while still in Sector Space may disappear and not be rewarded. If this happens to you – bug it.
* The Map Systems List has some text and UI errors at the top for sector blocks that is messed up.
* Comparison Tooltips may sometimes not updated as you equip and unequip items in space.
* If you crash out of a map during a warp cutscene – you can end up invisible until you map transfer again.
* Food items that are equipped to your device slots will show up on your power bar with a multiplied stack number.
* Random buttons in the uniform page of the character creator will randomize your body shape as well
* Loading screens are still work in progress.
* Anti Aliasing support is disabled for some video cards at this time.
* Contact headshots may animate and move in odd fashion. This is being adjusted.
* There are some placeholder sound FX being used in contact windows to denote where VO will go.
* Alt-Tabbing out of the game window can cause performance stuttering when returning to the game.
* Enemy ships will show the incorrect faction icon in the target status window.
* Completed mission objectives do not clear from the hud tracker until the mission completes.
* Some powers may not slot as expected on your space power tray.
* Bridge officers species are not always what they claim to be in the officer requisition “store”. You may think you’re getting a Ferengi and end up with an “Alien Gen”.
* We have reports that some Star Cluster doors are crashing clients. If this happens you will see a CRC error and be asked to give a bug report. Please post the name of the map in the bug report. It will start with SC_
From out of left-field comes Lego Universe! I don’t know much about this game yet, but after seeing this, I intend to find out. Concrete information about gameplay is still very scarce. It looks like it will involve all the building goodness we’d expect from any lego game, but in an MMO world where you are battling dark forces. No info that I can find about how combat or economy will work. It’s slated for release in the second half of 2010.
But what the heck. I don’t need to know all that stuff. It’s LEGO!!!!!! And it looks very jolly.
This is the Lego Universe trailer released at CES.
I have a large box of lego sitting within easy arm’s reach as I write, and various little legofolk perched upon my desk. If Legoland is in trouble, they can count on my building arm.
On the other hand, NetDevil is also the company that brought us Auto Assault, so perhaps I should not get too excited yet. I’d like to see some actual gameplay, to go along with the awesome trailer.
I’ve been having a ridiculous amount of luck clearing up quests this week, leaving very few that Maltheas can complete at his current level. I’ve even let him level twice, with him now on 38, but the end of a tier in EQ2 is always the hardest time. You are still mostly using the same equipment you were at 32, with no upgrades in sight until 40. Still, an Extreme Quester should at least attempt to do any available quests before levelling, even if it turns out rather poorly in the end, for you can often surprise yourself with what you can achieve.
And so it was that Maltheas did resolve to clear up all his Nektropos Castle quests. Nektropos is not for the faint hearts, with most of the dungeon being designed for groups, and heroic enemies abounding. When last he visited, two levels ago, he could not get past the first of the Everling daughters, but it was close enough that it seemed it might be worth a try now. The plan today was to get as far as possible, and do what he could manage. It was not to get as far as this:
Maltheas meets Lord Maltus Everling in Everquest 2's Nektropos Castle
It went rapidly downhill from there. A variety of unconnected foes leapt into action to help their Lord, and beat Maltheas into a furry pulp. It’s not particularly surprising, but the end-fight in Nektropos is far more difficult than anything else beforehand. It’ll be all the more satisfying when we finally teach Everling not to be so spooky. It is a fantasticly atmospheric and cleverly put together zone that no EQ2 player should miss, though you should probably be wiser than Malth and take a friend or two along if possible!
It was all good, anyway, as Malth got ten or so quests done, including The Everling Lockets, and is slowly catching up with the competition. It is getting harder and harder to find quests that he can complete though, so there is, to my pain, probably going to have to be a little more levelling in his near-future.
Lord Everling stands alongside Varsoon as annoying roadblocks to progress. Both need killing for several quests apiece, but neither show much sign of dying just yet. Perhaps when Maltheas hits 40 and can check out some new gear.
In the City of Qeynos,
where almost everyone is nice,
in a damp bit of tree moss!
Lives Frubbie, (Frubbie,) Frubbie, (Frubbie,)
Frubbie the Racist Froglok
Maltheas attempts to reason with Frubbuppa Bogstomper the Racist Froglok
Frubbuppa Bogstomper is Maltheas’ arch-nemesis. Whenever she sees him making his way about town, on some goodly deed or other, she makes a point of shouting out that he does not belong in such a kind and loving place as Qeynos. Why? Because he’s Ratonga scum, apparently. That he’s lived in Qeynos for 5 years, has been praised by the Queen, and is a Bishop of Rodcet Nife, god of healing, does not seem to register with her. She cannot see past the fur.
She makes Maltheas cry. An almost unforgivable deed.
A disgrace to the otherwise noble children of Marr, I have a strong suspicion that she is secretly a cultist of Innoruk, Lord of Hate. I await the day that the Devs allow me to reveal her hideous crimes to all, or better yet, get her to rethink and change her ways. Currently our only option is to suffer her outrageous nastiness whenever she sees us.
And in case you were wondering what the first half of this post was smoking:
