New Screenshots (January 7, 2009)

[blamb]

We've added two new screenshots to our gallery!

The first one - There is trouble at the Federation outpost! Can you fight the flames of war?

The second - The residents of this asteroid base may be friend or foe.

Check them out in the gallery! (http://www.startrekonline.com/screenshots)

[The_Padre]

Well that's the Sabre-class confirmed then :D

[Genex]

Wow thats awesome, and the Sabre class is there! Great work as usual Cryptic

[Paulo999]

WOw if we can set up bases built on asteroids just WOW thanks for the new screenshots

[Hagon]

Very nice, especially for pre-alpha. :cool:

Thanks for making them available.

Pleased to meet you btw Teslanova.

[evan.is.weyoun]

Very nice! This is definitely what I'm hoping to see when I get that game in my hands at the end of this year :)

[blackfx]

Haha, YES! Thanks guys!

I'm deeply exciting for some SCI FI action!!

[CarlR]

SABRE!! WOOT!!! Thats one of my Fav ships! of all the smaller craft i always loved the Sabre, even over the Defient, Nova and Norway... theres too many defient fanboys out there.

[Dahakra]

Very nice, very nice indeed, and hand delivered by an Associate Producer no less.
Hello to you.

- Dahakra

[Rgoodfel]

Thank you for the screenshots they are very nice.

Hint: Some shots of Klingon ships would be well received. :D

[marscentral]

An Ask Cryptic and screenshots. You're spoiling us today.

[nhamlett]

Very nice, very nice indeed, and hand delivered by an Associate Producer no less.
Hello to you.

- Dahakra
To get too happy Haha. That was me on another computer. I forgot to log him out. :) However... he is watching *queue suspenseful music*


I'm glad that you guys liked the updates. :) I'm happy to give them.

[redemption58]

Awesome screenshots. Keep em comin!

[cv_coco]

Thx for the screens, they look real nice!

[Spacemanspiff]

Nice to see some new screen shots, but can we get some on the Klingon side next time ? :D

[Captain-Picard]

We've added two new screenshots to our gallery!

The first one - There is trouble at the Federation outpost! Can you fight the flames of war?

The second - The residents of this asteroid base may be friend or foe.

Check them out in the gallery! (http://www.startrekonline.com/screenshots)


Fantastic screenshots. Maybe a new video trailer next time? :D

[Captain-Picard]

An Ask Cryptic and screenshots. You're spoiling us today.


Cryptic spoil us rotten LOL!

[RandomRedshirt]

Is it just me, or are the graphics of the screenshots improving?

Not trying to open up the whole "cartoon graphics" debate again here. I honestly think there have been some graphical improvements. Edges are getting sharper, colors are looking more "real world" hued and it seems to be improving.

I'd love to hear from someone at Cryptic if this is true, or just a figament of my imagination.

[Cormoran]

I love the asteroid base, very nice!

Oughtta be interesting to see if and how we can modify that little sabre.

[Rgoodfel]

Is it just me, or are the graphics of the screenshots improving?

Not trying to open up the whole "cartoon graphics" debate again here. I honestly think there have been some graphical improvements. Edges are getting sharper, colors are looking more "real world" hued and it seems to be improving.

I'd love to hear from someone at Cryptic if this is true, or just a figament of my imagination.

It is a good point, I think the graphics are looking very sharp. I am unsure if they are better or we are just getting a better feel for them because we are seeing more of them.

[callsign11b]

nice screenshots interior and space.
keep them coming

[TwAgIssmuDe]

I like the screenshot of the sabre and the asteroids, tough little ship the sabre is. I realy can't wait to play this game.

[CaptainHoliday]

It is a good point, I think the graphics are looking very sharp. I am unsure if they are better or we are just getting a better feel for them because we are seeing more of them.

well we never had a look at inside a building before, so the Federation outpost shot is new. It looks good and sharp and all. We just never that type of screen before, so I don't know if Cryptic is fine tuning the screenshots.

Something tells me the visual look is finalized as is.

[The_Padre]

Is it just me, or are the graphics of the screenshots improving?

Not trying to open up the whole "cartoon graphics" debate again here. I honestly think there have been some graphical improvements. Edges are getting sharper, colors are looking more "real world" hued and it seems to be improving.

I'd love to hear from someone at Cryptic if this is true, or just a figament of my imagination.

I think they are as well.

[Rekkert]

WOW, keep the NX-91001, I want a Sabre.:D Nice screenshots Cryptic.

PD: I was just kidding, I like the NX-91001.:p

[RogueEnterprise]

Cool screens. I like to see more and more ship classes be introduced in these screens. What can I say, I love Trek ship aesthetics.

Hmm Arwen... you're making the production team spend too much time on the forums and not enough time with MS Project or whatever they use for a task tracking system... let them get back to work!! =)

[doam]

Bleh. Stupid federation ships. Daddy needs to see what you're doing to his klingon ships. Gimme!




Oh, and thanks for the pic's. :p

[Flatfingers]

Woo-hoo! LCARS consoles! :D

Thanks muchly, Awen.

--Flatfingers

[PrimeDirector]

thanks for reloading the old November pics too, it seems they were down for awhile...

[JMD10222]

It is a good point, I think the graphics are looking very sharp. I am unsure if they are better or we are just getting a better feel for them because we are seeing more of them.


Maybe a little of both;) Thanks for the new screens BTW:D

[Trekkie]

Both of these screenshots are great! I am really liking the visual style of the game now! Thank you for posting these!

[Slayer_ninja_13]

really like the new screen shot,Really happy a saber class is there

[TheDart]

I'm not sure which I'm happier to see - an interior shot, or a really NEAT asteroid base.

Thanks for the update!

[miqrogroove]

Awen, thanks for the screenshots. I expect at least two more by the end of January!

[CaptainHoliday]

I'm not sure which I'm happier to see - an interior shot, or a really NEAT asteroid base.

Thanks for the update!

I want to see an interior shot of a NX-91001!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reinkaos]

Sweet :D I wonder if the asteroid base would be interactable/instanced, or just .. aggressive scenery.

[Acidrain]

I really like the images, however the base at the asteroid for some reason looks rather od when it comes to the graphics of it. Iam not nit picking, though it could be the fact it was taken afar and it is at a bad angle shot.

[mendal]

I would also say that graphics are looking better and better. Earlier I gave it 8/10 but now I am inclining to give it 9/10. The graphics of the interiors are pretty good for an MMO IMHO. The smoke is pretty good and the shadows are quite realistic as well. The textures are still 8/10 but better than in most MMOs. I think that a little more realistic textures wouldn't have taken away from what they call a "fantastic" look.
The planet texture is absolutely amazing and better than in any other game I have played before.

I can say that I would enjoy the game with the graphics which I am seeing now.

[CarlR]

I didnt wanna say anything at first.. but theres 2 grphical things that are bugging me.. in the first pic, the fire looks like it's coming out of nothing, and if it isnt and those 2 brownish things are whats on fire, the base of that fire is waaay too big for such small items... it just doesnt look right IMO. the Smoke is Awsome though as mentioned above!

2nd, the Buildings looks like they were just slapped ontop an astroid, Although the 2 farther building sections look great, the cloer one is just wrong... if you look carefully you can see the astroid is coming threw and out of various places on the building where it really technically shouldnt be, especially on what would be the far end of the building from this angle, where a small portion is coming threw the "roof" of the lower levels. it just doesnt look clean, it looks like it's a building model that someone just slapped on there, it doesnt look like it was built for the astroid it's on.

Other then these 2 things i'm LOVING IT!!! I cant wait to have my Sabre!! Thats likely going to remain my Flagship when another ship is not required.

[INVAD3R_J]

I'm not a huge fan of the sabre-class but........NICE! These shots are another great look at the game. Keep up the great work guys!

[Jack_RM_]

Great job Cryptic.I like them.It's good to see the Saber in.

[eNDIE]

It looks realy nice:) But Awen dont be afraid the klingons wont hurt you if you post a screen of their ships:)

[da_firey007]

THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU BE GONE DEMON BE GONE BACK TO THE HELL IN WHICH YOU SPAWNED FROM. But in all seriousness Sabre Class sucks some major balls, it's nothing more then a Glorified Police Ship for the federation but it looks good in the game just would have thought that would have been a class of starship that would have disappeared from the game, but then again if my eyes don't deceive me I think I saw a Cheyenne Class Starship docked in Dry Dock, which by my calculations would pretty much be near 100 years old at the time in which this game is set, Please Crypic don't use TOS/Original Movie ships anymore The Excelsior Class is dead just like the Miranda class, give us our Galaxy's and our Sovereign Class ships and we will be peaceful.... ohh and don't forget my Prometheus Class to.:p

[STO]

the "building" sitting (or falling?) into the asteroid ...?? I mean come on, build it so it at least looks A LITTLE like something more than a building dropped on a rock.

[Veglargh]

beutiful details. Thank you.

[SelorKiith]

Ah.... beautiful... yes... but aside yeah the Fire doesn't look right... but till today I don't know any game that had an open Fire really looking like one... so it's nothing to be worried of ;)

And the second one, I love the Sabre Class and I love the Station, the shapes look a little bit like those planetary stations that could be seen on those "Backgroundimages" back in TOS ^^

[Mystica.Shadowheart]

Awsomness! Thx Cryptic. If the game goes on like this count me in for many many fun years of subscription ;)

[whatinblueblazes]

Very nice to finally see the interior of one of the facilities. Are we to take the fire as evidence that we'll be able to combust things in-game?

[SenshiBat]

Woot! You go there..Cryptic posse..
[now in character, Most adequate...Even Vulcan hybrids need resources mined. It is a power generator,no?]

[bradley1701]

I love the new screen shots...I can't wait to check out that asteroid colony! This is really starting to get me excited about exploring the Trek universe!!

[bradley1701]

the "building" sitting (or falling?) into the asteroid ...?? I mean come on, build it so it at least looks A LITTLE like something more than a building dropped on a rock.

Use your imagination...maybe that city does have some sort of foundation but has been on that asteroid for centuries and so it has started to become part of it over time with space dust collecting on it, etc.

[Vicelance]

nice pics. The Sabre is a nice little ship can't wait to see more ships. Though I have to agree we need some shots of Klingon ships. Maybe some ship interiors as well.

Like the look of that asteroid base.

[Elanel]

The galaxy is starting to look pretty good. Every time you guys post more screenshots my anticipation level increases some more, if that were even possible. You must be having fun producing this game! You should do that as one of Cryptic's future YouTube posts. Record a part of the game at a concept phase through to its creation as an in-game feature. I'm fascinated by how it's all done.

[phifur]

nice job:)

[moeper]

the shadow looks great!

[Ensign.Ricky]

*steps off the bordom noose* Screenshots!

Very glad to see the interior of a buildings and a ship class confirmed (also the hint to tasks that can be done inside buildings). I actually don't mind the Asteroid base as it does remind me of something I'd see on TOS, a novel painting, or another classic Sci-Fci show. Remember folks not everyone's at the same tech advancements as the 25th Federation.

*takes a sigh of relief that the November pix are still around.*

P.S can anyone fix the Screenshot description of the Science officer? (3 of 18) It says Klingon Outpost. :confused:

[Eidolonael]

This is clean, smooth settings typical of Cryptic artist's talent, but I wonder if the lighting and shadows couldnt be made to be a bit more dynamic to give it a more edgy feel and break up the smooth crystalline landscape graphics indoors?

Never been a fan of that ship design, but nice to see land mass, building, ship, and space all in one shot...

[UfcFan78]

Klingons please...........






cool, though, lol.

[Fluxion]

I think the graphics in the screenshots look fine...it's the subject matter of the shots (well, the interior shot at least) that makes me scratch my head. A fire burning inside some sort of storage room or cargo bay? That just seems like an odd choice for a screenshot. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see them. I'm just asking if there aren't more exciting screenshots we could see. :)

As far as the space shot goes...it's looking nice, but I have to repeat my previously stated opinion that most of the space shots we've seen so far seem overly cluttered to me. In this shot, for example, the "landscape" includes: A base. A planet. A ring around said planet. Asteroids. A moon. A nebula. It's just too much. Heck, every screen shot we've seen with the exception of one (I think) has included a nebula of some sort.

I hope this is just an example of wanting to show the most interesting shots for a screenshot (which is sort of the opposite of what we got in the interior) and not the norm when we're actually flying our ships thru space. Space is not that jam-packed with things on a such a regular basis.

Hope I'm not being unfair here.

[Posideon]

very very nice. great work!! love the ship and the rest of the screen shots.

looking forward to the klingon ships. also to see the interior of ships would be good.

again, great job!

[STO]

I finally figured out what bothers me so much about the asteroid image. It is not the fact that there are clipping issues and a poor job at modeling the building and asteroid to look well together. It is the scale. Something like the following would have been much better:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/HighCommander/Asteroid_base.jpg

[LordDave]

I finally figured out what bothers me so much about the asteroid image. It is not the fact that there are clipping issues and a poor job at modeling the building and asteroid to look well together. It is the scale. Something like the following would have been much better:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/HighCommander/Asteroid_base.jpg

Depends on how big the Asteroid is. And how far it is from the camera.

Also: While it is clipping, it's intentional clipping. Think about this: If you don't need to build a wall and can use the natural rock, why would you bother to build a wall?

[JeanNYGUARD]

As Soldiers say

"WE LOVE IT ... WE LOVE IT ... WE WANT MORE OF IT HOAH"

Great Job Cryptic - Your always full of surprises.... The best of surprises.

[Anti-Proton]

Depends on how big the Asteroid is. And how far it is from the camera.

Also: While it is clipping, it's intentional clipping. Think about this: If you don't need to build a wall and can use the natural rock, why would you bother to build a wall?

It's the windows on the base. They are friggin huge if you compare them to the ports on the ship. That's why the scale seems off.

[OzzyNF]

the graphics are inproving, i am looking forward to this game.

[LordDave]

It's the windows on the base. They are friggin huge if you compare them to the ports on the ship. That's why the scale seems off.

Wow you're right. They are freakishly big.

[Rekkert]

Something that concerns me is that in every screenshot of plantets, there are always asteroids too! It's true that a lot of planets have asteroid belts or some asteroids around, BUT SOME DO NOT.

[RyceSTO]

I really don't like the asteroid screenshot. The shading of the buildings is just .. well almost non-existent. That GIANT light source behind the asteroid (the planet) and there are no shadows on the buildng's camera-side surface? The rock itself casts no shadow on the lower building? Portions of the buildings are so devoid of shadow that in the 2D-ness of a screen shot its hard to make out the actual depth/angles of various pieces/corners/spires/etc of the buildings.

This light source / shadow thing has bugged me on several of the screenshots released.

[LordDave]

Something that concerns me is that in every screenshot of plantets, there are always asteroids too! It's true that a lot of planets have asteroid belts or some asteroids around, BUT SOME DO NOT.

I can aleviate this one for ya.

Every single shot we've been shown?
Same exact planetary system.

[ivan50265]

I really don't like the asteroid screenshot. The shading of the buildings is just .. well almost non-existent. That GIANT light source behind the asteroid (the planet) and there are no shadows on the buildng's camera-side surface? The rock itself casts no shadow on the lower building? Portions of the buildings are so devoid of shadow that in the 2D-ness of a screen shot its hard to make out the actual depth/angles of various pieces/corners/spires/etc of the buildings.

This light source / shadow thing has bugged me on several of the screenshots released.

I agree I understand that these are pre alpha shots and all, but the screens seem really bright and devoid of contrast. I'm guessing that will all change the closer we get to launch though.

[Rekkert]

I can aleviate this one for ya.

Every single shot we've been shown?
Same exact planetary system.

OK, thanks Dave.

Looking the asteroid image more closely I've noticed some green things on top of the Sabre primary hull.
maybe they are the same green things the Centaur-class ship has in the drydock screeshot?

[Invalid_Alien]

the quality looks nice :)

[Blackfire2]

While the first one was ok, the second one must be I hope a joke the base on the asteroid obviously required little thought in it's construction, texturing and worse looks 'plugged in'. The starship itself would have been, or might have been the saving grace except for the 'blocky' look of it. startrek ship designs always looked better designed than this with starfleet hulls sporting rounded or ovaled hulls and streamlined. But this???

C'mon cryptic shame on you for releaseing that second pick and worse shame on the people here for swallowing anything that cryptic is putting out as cool, if you guys really want a good game here you need to be a little more critical sometimes, otherwise you will only get what you all seem to be settleing for......

[The_Padre]

While the first one was ok, the second one must be I hope a joke the base on the asteroid obviously required little thought in it's construction, texturing and worse looks 'plugged in'. The starship itself would have been, or might have been the saving grace except for the 'blocky' look of it. startrek ship designs always looked better designed than this with starfleet hulls sporting rounded or ovaled hulls and streamlined. But this???

C'mon cryptic shame on you for releaseing that second pick and worse shame on the people here for swallowing anything that cryptic is putting out as cool, if you guys really want a good game here you need to be a little more critical sometimes, otherwise you will only get what you all seem to be settleing for......

The Saber-class has always looked blocky though: First Contact ships (http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans/firstcontact1.htm)

Also maybe people genuinely like what they are seeing, had that thought occurred to you?

[scmanion]

I'm no game developer. I'm not much of an artist. I don't know much about space. Hell, I don't even know much about Star Trek. What bothers me most about this picture of the asteroid station is that it seems to follow itself despite the contours of the rock.

If current social trends are any indication of the future, people will be extremely lazy in the future. This leads me to believe that we'd build a space station in the most convenient method possible, not the most symetrical method which requires cutting and/or building directly into hard rock. If there is no gravity on this asteroid (save for what artificial gravity is produced by the station), then why would you have the buildings follow each other in such a way? Work smarter, not harder.

[Crux]

While the first one was ok, the second one must be I hope a joke the base on the asteroid obviously required little thought in it's construction, texturing and worse looks 'plugged in'. The starship itself would have been, or might have been the saving grace except for the 'blocky' look of it. startrek ship designs always looked better designed than this with starfleet hulls sporting rounded or ovaled hulls and streamlined. But this???

C'mon cryptic shame on you for releaseing that second pick and worse shame on the people here for swallowing anything that cryptic is putting out as cool, if you guys really want a good game here you need to be a little more critical sometimes, otherwise you will only get what you all seem to be settleing for......

I like it because:

1. Its not suppose to look like a Starship. If it would every building would look like something familiar like the Enterprise-D. And that would get boring fast. I like variety in a galaxy.
2. It could be alien judging by the caption and who knows how old it is. It could be the ruins of an ancient culture or it could be their first state-of-the-art asteroid station. There would be times in the series where structures looked like 20th century cities or looked completely alien and organic. In Trek anything goes. Maybe there's something mind blowing inside. Best not to judge a book by its cover.
3. They could've played it easy and not put any structures on space objects at all. You might not agree with the look of it, but you can't deny the feel of a mysterious asteroid base is classic Sci-Fi.

[CrimsonComet]

hello all, i have been a registered member of this site since it open, but never really have done any posts, so im kinda new at this so please forgive me if this is not the poper place to say this, i just wanted to say thank you to cryptic for bring this game to life for all of us, i for one cannot wait until get to play and be part of star trek online, and i value everyone opinions on here that i have read, and i would like to say hello to everyone as i will be on here more, i would like to get to know some of or all of the players i will be playing with or agaisnt, so hello everyone !!! :) nice to meet you all, and also i am looking for a fleet to join, so when the game launches i have a fleet to be with, so anyone that is looking for new members please contact me via this site, as i said before im just learning this site, so please forgive me if this is a impoper post thank you, hope to get to know all of ya guys and gals soon :) thank you

[Vorador]

Love the Sabre :D. Like a few other people, love to see some klingon ships.

[Captain_K.C.]

I finally figured out what bothers me so much about the asteroid image. It is not the fact that there are clipping issues and a poor job at modeling the building and asteroid to look well together. It is the scale. Something like the following would have been much better:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/HighCommander/Asteroid_base.jpg

Both STO and scmanion have a point: the buildings of the asteriod base not only look like they were plopped onto the rock (look at the lower left corner by the Star Trek Online symbol, there are like two places where the clipping is especially obvious), but the entire design is all wrong.

Like STO has shown, if you are going to put a structure on an asteroid you want it to be compact and self-enclosed. The buildings there look like they were ripped out of Starfleet Command SanFran. The entire asteroid is moving at hundreds of thousands of miles an hour around its "mother" planet, and there exists the risk that it will collide with other space debris or asteroids.

Basically:

You don't want windows. They'll get shattered by impacts.
No spires or tall structures protruding from the ground. They'll get ripped off by the momentum of movement in orbit.
Docking ports! Some ships don't have transporters but do have airlocks for moving goods/people.
Aerodynamic, round structures. Corners and sharp lines work on a planet, not so well on a space rock.


The interior shot looks good, although it's like someone set a floating Tribble on fire. :D


To get too happy Haha. That was me on another computer. I forgot to log him out. However... he is watching *queue suspenseful music*
Eek a Changeling game producer :p

Welcome to CrimsonComet and nice to meet Awen too!

[Azurian]

Thanks for the new screenshots, Cryptic. Though the inside screenshots remind me of the Jedi Knight games than Star Trek. :p

I like the Saber / Mining Outpost, it has a bit of a 60's feel to its design and color schemes. Though the Sabre itself looks off. Why are there engines at the end of the Engineering hull? And what's with the lights on top?

[The_Padre]

Basically:

You don't want windows. They'll get shattered by impacts.
Aerodynamic, round structures. Corners and sharp lines work on a planet, not so well on a space rock.



Okay these two are somewhat interesting:


The "windows" are more than likely made from Transparent Aluminium*.
Corners and sharp edges on a base such as this are not that uncommon in Trek, like the Dominion's Ketracel white facility*, which also had "windows" incidently.


*Transparent aluminum (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Transparent_aluminum)
*Ketracel-white facility (http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Ketracel-white_facility)

[Mlgarth81]

WOw if we can set up bases built on asteroids just WOW thanks for the new screenshots


We can hope :)

nice screenshots too

[0wl]

Great shots love 'em! :)

On a side note can someone tell me a little more about this "Sabre"?

[Thraken]

That's more like it =3

The outpost definitely has a federation installation feel. And the inclusion of the ye olde Saber class is good. I imagine the class is the old patrol cutter/courier of the era.

@0wl
the saber class is one of the small ships designed for first contact and is also seen in DS9's dominion war.

There's not much official information on the ship so much is conjecture from the fan community and some input from the books. It has a crew of about 40ish, has at least three Type 10 phasers and photon torpedoes. Generally the opinion is that the Saber class has a powerful warp drive, capable of cruising at over warp 9.

[The_Padre]

Great shots love 'em! :)

On a side note can someone tell me a little more about this "Sabre"?

Or Saber-class if you're more comfortable using that spelling, the Star Trek Encyclopedia uses the British spelling "Sabre" in a number places where the ship class is referenced.

[KL0k]

hm, to be honest, im not really impressed. it looks "okay", but.. even for MMO-standards its nothing special, except the space-feel for the second one.
especially the fire on the first looks like.. i dunno.. the 5 yr old kotor engine or something. and i hoped the textures would look a bit more realistic.
but i love the sabre :)

[Ahsoka]

Dont look cartoony ot me

Great job!

[0wl]

Thanks for the info people! :)

[marrinhas]

nice sabre!!

i just hope they soon post a picture of an akira class

[shildkrote]

Nice shots. They open my imagination as to how detailed and different this game will be when compared to other MMO's.
Keep up the good work, please!

[Fluxion]

I can aleviate this one for ya.

Every single shot we've been shown?
Same exact planetary system.

Possible. But how about the nebulas? Can't be the same nebula---different colors. :D

[Fluxion]

nice sabre!!

i just hope they soon post a picture of an akira class

...and a Nova. :)

[LordDave]

Possible. But how about the nebulas? Can't be the same nebula---different colors. :D

Unless there are a few nebulas in that system, just for testing purposes.

It's a technology demo. Put in as many examples of the tech as you can in one "map" to make sure it looks right.

[Fluxion]

Unless there are a few nebulas in that system, just for testing purposes.

It's a technology demo. Put in as many examples of the tech as you can in one "map" to make sure it looks right.

I hope you're right.

[RyceSTO]

Unless there are a few nebulas in that system, just for testing purposes.

It's a technology demo. Put in as many examples of the tech as you can in one "map" to make sure it looks right.

But only one type of asteroid environment? :P

I get what you're saying, but we don't know either to be the case (similarities due to only having a single system to screen shot vs having several that are just fairly similar). One assumption is fear based, the toher is faith based ... but both are assumptions ... there's no harm is posting the occasional "I hope all planets aren't surrounded by asteroids" or "I hope all asteroids aren't that bizarre baby blue color" ;)

[LordDave]

But only one type of asteroid environment? :P

I get what you're saying, but we don't know either to be the case (similarities due to only having a single system to screen shot vs having several that are just fairly similar). One assumption is fear based, the toher is faith based ... but both are assumptions ... there's no harm is posting the occasional "I hope all planets aren't surrounded by asteroids" or "I hope all asteroids aren't that bizarre baby blue color" ;)

There are two.
Look at the screenshot with the weird hovering space station thingys. Those asteroids are ice chunks.

And my assumptions are actually estimated guesses based on landmarks, colors, ect... And logic. It would make sense to show shots of a tech demo to show off the game, but not spoil anything then to show off the goodies and spoil it (or have people hate it when you change it).

[Niclam]

Very impresive screenshots, This is getting better and better.

Keep up the great work Cryptic Studios :).

Regards,

[STO]

I hope space is not full of asteroids, nearly all the screen shots are peppered with them...

http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen01_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen03_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen05_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen07_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen10_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen13_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/sto_screen12_0.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/screen_sto_002.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/screen_sto_005.jpg
http://uploads.startrekonline.com/screen_sto_008.jpg

and on top of that... is it just me or do they look like raisins? hehe

[RyceSTO]

There are two.
Look at the screenshot with the weird hovering space station thingys. Those asteroids are ice chunks.

And my assumptions are actually estimated guesses based on landmarks, colors, ect... And logic. It would make sense to show shots of a tech demo to show off the game, but not spoil anything then to show off the goodies and spoil it (or have people hate it when you change it).

I'm not saying your assumptions aren't reasonable ... but they are still assumptions. We don't know how many systems they've developed. All of these shots could be from one system ... or they may not be. We/you/I don't know. They could be from many very similar ones. Even if they are from one (which seems to be a reasonable guess) ... all the others may also be filled with odd baby blue ice chunks as well :p (maybe the cryptic art guys are just really in love with bizarre baby blue rocks in space) ... or they may not be ... you don't know.

Reasonable assumptions may be reasonable ... but that doesn't necessarily make them correct. Now is the time for us to point out all the little "this seems odd to me" things so that developers can either quietly roll their eye at us secure in the knowledge they've already thought of that ... or quietly consider adjustments that may be worth making prior to an actual beta.

In the end developers open up forums at this early stage for lots of reasons, and at least one of them is to get feedback from users who might catch little oddities and offer feedback. "Man I really hope that not all systems are ..." sort of posts are just what the developers need/want right now (provided they are done in constructive ways of course).

[LordDave]

I'm not saying your assumptions aren't reasonable ... but they are still assumptions. We don't know how many systems they've developed. All of these shots could be from one system ... or they may not be. We/you/I don't know. They could be from many very similar ones. Even if they are from one (which seems to be a reasonable guess) ... all the others may also be filled with odd baby blue ice chunks as well :p (maybe the cryptic art guys are just really in love with bizarre baby blue rocks in space) ... or they may not be ... you don't know.

Reasonable assumptions may be reasonable ... but that doesn't necessarily make them correct. Now is the time for us to point out all the little "this seems odd to me" things so that developers can either quietly roll their eye at us secure in the knowledge they've already thought of that ... or quietly consider adjustments that may be worth making prior to an actual beta.

In the end developers open up forums at this early stage for lots of reasons, and at least one of them is to get feedback from users who might catch little oddities and offer feedback. "Man I really hope that not all systems are ..." sort of posts are just what the developers need/want right now (provided they are done in constructive ways of course).

Well it would seem odd for all the systems to have asteroids.
Just like it would be odd if all the systems had at least 1 M class Planet.

[Drunk1n]

I think it is just chance that we have been shown so many comets/asteroids.

or maybe they have decided you have to dodge one million asteroids to gain tier 2 ships. Seriously though the images do look impressive, and it is more likely that the shots with the asteroids, and planetary debris are more moving to the cryptic staff then those that are not. After all they are a beautiful series of images.

[The_Padre]

I think they're doing it just to divert attention from the fact that in most cases space is pretty empty and pretty bland.

Still my favourite photo of space is this one of the Earth and Moon as seen from Mars orbit: Photo (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/The_Earth_and_the_Moon_photographed_from_Mars_orbi t.jpg)

[Trpko_62]

THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU BE GONE DEMON BE GONE BACK TO THE HELL IN WHICH YOU SPAWNED FROM. But in all seriousness Sabre Class sucks some major balls, it's nothing more then a Glorified Police Ship for the federation but it looks good in the game just would have thought that would have been a class of starship that would have disappeared from the game, but then again if my eyes don't deceive me I think I saw a Cheyenne Class Starship docked in Dry Dock, which by my calculations would pretty much be near 100 years old at the time in which this game is set, Please Crypic don't use TOS/Original Movie ships anymore The Excelsior Class is dead just like the Miranda class, give us our Galaxy's and our Sovereign Class ships and we will be peaceful.... ohh and don't forget my Prometheus Class to.:p

And I persume your ship of choice would be "Borg cube". C'mon get some of reality check. Even US is using today Iova class battleships made in 194#.

[robgomm]

Great pics!

[Yor]

Looks amazing !