CAPTAIN'S BLOG

July's Ask Cryptic

Captain's Blog Stardate 89109.97

So I took a look at this month's Ask Cryptic and the more I read the more excited I became. It looks like the rest of 2011 will be a big year for STO. The answer that probably made me the happiest is the fact that they are looking into removing sector block instances and having just one huge galactic map. This has been a highly requested feature since the game first launched and is something I have really been looking forward to. If everything works out for them then we could see this feature by the end of the year (Season 5). I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet, but I think I can safely guess that by the end of 2012 we'll have open space. Speaking of open space, Season 4 will allow all players to visit all sectors. That's correct, if you are a Starfleet officer you can enter the Omega Leonis sector (where Qo'noS is located). If you are a KDF officer you can go to the Sirius Sector (where Sol is located). You won't be able to beam down to the planets though, but you can still fly through it. In order to enter those areas you'll need to achieve something first. For example, Starfleet officers who have reached the rank of Ambassador in the Diplomatic Corps can go into the Omega Leonis sector. I actually made a request for this feature a couple of months ago and I'm glad Cryptic thought it was a good idea. Continuing on, it looks like we'll be getting a new sector block with the next featured series. This series will take place around DS9 and apparently we will be visiting the Gamma quadrant as well. Obviously a part of the Gamma quadrant would be the new sector. This series will also be bringing about some new enemy ships that aren't in game yet which is always great. So lets see, we have the release of Season 4 which brings a new ground combat and every sector opened up to all factions. Then the Duty Officer system which I'm excited for and can't wait to test on Tribble (hurry up with this Cryptic!), a new featured series that brings a whole bunch of new stuff, and hopefully (I'm really praying for this) no more borders for space! Let me know what you're most excited about and can't wait to see in the coming months.