Advance STO

You have nailed down the basics and you want more. You are trying to fit your ship with new weapons and you know it is not as simple as just buying the most expensive weapon you have credits for. There is a collection of detailed analysis of the weapons and ships here.

This is one of my favorite analysis. It compares the different weapons and the DPS and Range numbers.

Beginners Start Here

So, you got the game, you brisk through the tutorial mission and now if you still trying to fly your ship in a pseudo 3D environment and wishing that it was 2D. The official game manual is next to useless, and you need something better. Where do you start?

1. The Academy Information Index is the best starting place for learning the game
2. The StoWiki is your best reference at this point
3. Join a fleet

Crafting at Memory Alpha

The new made some changes to crafting and it is definitely not as bad as before. At least there is progress feedback so you know what you need to do next to unlock the next level. The link to the tutorial is here. If you need a pdf version to print you can download pdf.

Create Star Trek Races

STO allows you to create your own race (alien option) and from there, you can re-create many of the star trek races not yet available as an option.

The link to the tutorial is here.

Big 3 getting Nerfed

Looks like the big FBP, SNB, and VM are getting nerfed soon. If you don't know what the last sentenced meant, allow me to explain. These are the three most powerful ability and some would argue, too powerful for the game balance. FBP stands for feedback pulse and when you use this ability, any beam attack you receive is bounced back to the attacker at greater damage. It has become a "must have" ability. VM stands for Viral Matrix, another powerful ability that takes your opponent ship offline -- in essence, making it a sitting duck where you can pound on. In a PvP match, this makes your opponent incredibly frustrated and angry.

Here is a forum post by the devs suggesting changes to these abilities and requesting feedback from the community. I think the changes are welcomed and would make the game more fun and discussing with the community first before nerfing the abilities is definitely a positive move.

Saurian Bridge Officers

If you bought the Amazon Pre-Order STO, you would get a bonus item of a Borg BO that has a unique "efficiency" trait. The only other way to get this special BO, is to find for a Saurian BO that has that trait. Most Saurian BO does not have this trait, so you need to hunt on the exchange for it.  A number of people bought theirs on the exchange for about 100k each.The last time I checked, they are selling for about 25 million on the exchange.

This is a stat before using Saurian "Efficient" BOs:

This is a stat after adding 4 Saurian "Efficient" BOs:

Tribble Crafting

 

 In STO crafting is similar to purchasing an item just with a different currency (anomalies) and most players find it rather boring and chose not to do it. However, we have discovered that breeding tribbles can be quite fun. As you can see from the chart, there are many tribbles that can be bred and it is sufficiently complex, that many players spend considerable time and energy trying to breed tribbles just for the fun of it. Places where you can get this chart is listed below.

Google Docs Links

>> Wallpaper Link (1MB, PNG)
>> Printer Friendly Version (233k PNG)

Mirror Links (ImageShack)
>> Wallpaper Link (1MB, PNG)
>> Printer Friendly Version (233k PNG)

STO Character Builder

STO Character builder is HERE.

The reason it would be good to use a character builder in STO upfront is because there is a skill point cap of 60,700. The skill point cap was confirmed by the devs. However, the exact amount of cap is based on the open beta and this could be higher in the actual game.

There is talk about possible respec during the game, however, this feature wasn't available during open beta to test. So, until respec feature is introduced, it would be wise to spec out your skill points for each desired rank and hence the reason to use this tool.

STO Ship Teir Chart

STO Map

Someone posted the map of the STO. Original source here.
Ways to use the map:

• Print and laminate it to use as a reference to find locations
• Make a desktop wallpaper hoping to memorize it for no value whatsoever
• Use it as a graphic for your digital photoframe to annoy others
• Email it to your parents asking for directions to a specific planet

Interviews with the STO game developers

The following is a listing of interviews with the developers of the game. This will give you a good idea of what to expect in the game and in the future development of the game.


09 Nov 02 - IncGamers
09 Nov 02 - TenTon Hammer
09 Oct 28 - Altern8.com
09 Oct 22 - TenTon Hammer
09 Oct 20 - VideoGamer.com
09 Oct 19 - VideoGamer.com
09 Oct 14 - The Older Gamers
09 Oct 11 - TenTon Hammer
09 Oct 09 - Eurogamer
09 Oct 07 - MMOgaming.ru (English)
09 Oct 05 - TenTon Hammer
09 Sep 12 - AngryJoeShow (video)
09 Sep 05 - Hailing Frequencies (video)
09 Aug 22 - GamesCom 09 vids
09 Aug 10 - Hailing Frequencies
09 Jun 24 - AbleGamers
09 Jun 19 - 1UP.com
09 Jun 05 - MMORPG Blog
09 May 25 - TenTon Hammer (new movie)
09 May 19 - Gamasutra
09 May 18 - Beckett Massive Online Gamer
09 May 11 - MMORPG Blog
09 May 01 - ZAM
09 Apr 25 - Skewed & Reviewed
09 Apr 17 - MSNBC (video)
09 Apr 03 - MMORPG Blog
09 Mar 31 - IGN Vault Voon Dev Chat
09 Mar 31 - Epic Battle Axe
09 Mar 30 - TenTon Hammer
09 Mar 16 - MMORPG Blog
09 Feb 27 - Massively.com
09 Feb 27 - MMORPG Blog
09 Feb 23 - Ten Ton Hammer (Voon Chat)
09 Feb 16 - That Video Game Blog
09 Feb 10 - Allakhazam.com NYCC '09
09 Feb 09 - NY Comic Con '09 Cryptic Meet & Greet (videos)
09 Feb 08 - Hailing Frequency
09 Feb 07 - NY Comic Con '09 (video)
09 Feb 06 - PC.IGN.com NYCC '09
08 Dec 16 - TrekMovie.com
08 Nov 20 - Skewed and Reviewed
08 Oct 24 - Allakhazam
08 Oct 17 - STO.info
08 Aug 26 - TenTon Hammer
08 Aug 22 - MMORPG.com (video)
08 Aug - GenCon 2008, Video1, Video2, Video3, Transcript
08 Aug 11 - GameSpy
08 Aug 10 - Hailing Frequency Video Part 1, Part 2
08 Aug 10 - GameSpot
08 Aug 08 - Associated Press

STO Pre-Order

Star Trek Online is the most anticipated game to have hit the market. For the fans of the star trek series, this is a dream come true - an MMORPG that allows them to play a character in the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek Online will launch on Feb 2, 2010 and you can pre-order the game before it launches.

The official listing of all the retailers carrying the pre-order game can be found here.

Each retailer carries a different "bonus" item when you pre-order the game from them. The game comes in a few flavors, you have the standard (one in game bonus item), the Digital Deluxe Edition (a number of in game bonus items) and the Collectors Edition (a few physical collectible items).

If you are living in the US, you have many options and they are all good options. One of the most popular choice is the Amazon Pre-Order where you get a Borg as your Bridge Officer as an in game bonus.

If you live outside the US, I recommend that you purchase from Direct2Drive UK as they are one of the few places that has the license to sell worldwide and the game is delivered digitally -- meaning you don't have expensive international shipping cost unlike buying from Amazon.

If you live in the UK, the cheapest place to purchase the game is through HMV.

Why Pre-Order?
If you are a star trek fan, you will buy this game at some point, so you might as well buy it now and get the following bonus:

• Free In Game Bonus
• Open Beta Access (you get to play it now but the servers will be wiped out after testing)
• Head Start (you get to play the game 4 days before the launch)
• Option to purchase lifetime subscription before Feb 1 (you don't have to pay monthly fees)

 The "lifetime subscription" option to me is the most compelling reason to pre-order because if you intend to play the game for more then 15 months, it also works out to be the cheapest way to play the game.