Owners of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PS4 video game consoles are used to braving strange new worlds. What they’re not used to is doing so in Star Trek Online. Launched back in 2010, Star Trek Online is a role-playing game that takes PC users back to the world of the popular television shows and movies. Due to an accident, you’re thrust into the spotlight as a captain. Espionage and turmoil have gripped the Alpha Quadrant. Only you and your crew have what it takes to set everything right.
Gamers on Windows PCs have been able to enjoy the title ever since it launched. Years after launch, Mac users got that opportunity temporarily. Now developer Cryptic and publisher Perfect World are preparing to extend an invitation to a new group of potential captains. Recently, Perfect World revealed the Star Trek Online PS4 and Xbox One release on its website.
Here’s everything that we know about the Star Trek Online PS4 and Xbox One release.
Star Trek Online PS4 & Xbox One Release Window
In its reveal of the new versions of Star Trek Online, Cryptic was plain-spoken. Feeling that there were more possibilities out there for the game, its engineers set out to improve the game in a big way and bring it to as many people as possible. Rather than go the exclusive route as some free-to-play games did, the studio opted to launch on both modern consoles, finally giving everyone that plays games a way to experience it. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the Star Trek Online PS4 and Xbox One release is shrouded in mystery at this point. Officially, Cryptic and Perfect World say that the game will launch in “fall 2016.” That means that we can expect an October release at the very earliest. Because Star Trek Online is already free-to-play, there won’t be any pre-order extras or purchases necessary.
Star Trek Online PS4 & Xbox One Release Upgrades & New Features
Though it’s the same game that PC users have had for years, Cryptic is using the Star Trek Online PS4 and Xbox One release as an opportunity to make some grand improvements.
Computer hardware has changed a lot since Star Trek Online launched back in 2010. Through weekly upgrades and season updates, Cryptic adds new features. Often times, these features don’t mean big changes for the underlying game engine or visuals. Usually, they contain new ships, mechanics and options for players. That’s not the case with this one.
Visual changes, control changes and upgrades will all launch with these new versions of the game. A new dynamic lighting system will give Star Trek Online more realistic, better looking visuals than the game has available today. Cryptic confirmed in a blog post about the game that these changes will roll out to PC users after it launches on consoles.
The HUD or heads-up display that dominates the game, is getting completely redone so that it’s far more in tune with what console players need and want. Again that’s great news. Star Trek Online for PC’s interface needs an awful lot of work – even for mouse and keyboard users. Sometimes it can be very, very confusing.
Star Trek Online PS4 & Xbox One Release: Controller Support
One more promised change is to make more accommodations for those that have a controller. Star Trek Online for PCs does a pretty terrible job at enabled support for controllers. The game entirely relies on keyboard and mouse support for steering starships and ground combat.
Cryptic says that it set out to solve the controller problem very, very early on. The studio does have some experience with taking games meant for PCs and bringing them to consoles. Neverwinter was the first game the company ever transitioned to being a console title. It’s based on the popular Dungeons and Dragons craze.
The directional-pad buttons are used to control speed in Star Trek Online for PC and Xbox One. Like the PC version, the third-person camera ultimately determines what direction players are looking in, even when they haven’t changed the steering on their ship. Rather than come up with button combinations for shield controls, Cryptic opted to simply implement a one-push option for shield distribution when a ship is under attack. Players just press down the left directional pad. Switching between the powers for attack and defense requires pressing and holding the B button, then switching to the power they are ready to use.
Star Trek Online PS4 & Xbox One Release: Updates & Server Differences
With any online-only game, server changes can have a big impact. Star Trek Online is currently powered by a single server today, with another server set aside for testing. More free-to-play games are arriving on consoles and getting buried their first few days under server strain. Cryptic hasn’t said much about how it plans to handle the strain, but it has provided some server-related details.
First, the console versions of the game won’t get updates at the same time as the PC version. That’s despite them launching with all the content that’s currently available to PC owners.
Gamers won’t be able to take the character they started on PCs and play them in the new versions of the game either. That’s a huge blow for anyone that’s already spent money on starships and character upgrades in the PC version.
On the other hand, that balances out with the enhancements that PC users are getting. Cryptic plans to talk more about the console versions of Star Trek Online before they debut.
Source: xbox one – Google News
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