Free-to-Play Star Trek Online launching January 17

By Jeff Hughes November 11, 2011

Mark your calendars Trekkies, Star Trek Online has gotten an official date for its free-to-play conversion. Cryptic Studios announced the F2P model will be launching on January 17, 2012. Become a captain and travel to all the iconic locations you love from the Star Trek franchise like the Academy or the First City of Qo’noS; all without spending a dime.

Players will be split into Silver and Gold members; Silver being those who opt for the free experience, and Gold being those who subscribe or continue a subscription. Silver players will be able to experience the majority of the STO universe for free: All sectors and missions, PVP access, weekly episodes, classes, joining guilds, playable species and Klingon play.

Of course, free will have its limitations. Silver players will have to put up with advertisements in their in-game Vivox voice chat. Also, perks such as extra character slots, inventory and Captain Retrain Tokens will need to be purchased.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

Gold players will be given these perks with their subscription, and will automatically start with certain features which Silver will need to unlock such as standard ships. Gold will have unlimited access to forums and in-game chat, along with no advertisements.

Certain features will only be available in Gold such as priority login, as well as a stipend that bestows 400 free Cryptic Points to subscribers each month as a thank you for their loyalty (a $5 value). The Gold member stipend benefit will begin December 1.

Star Trek Online is the latest in the trend of MMOs going free-to-play, following DC Universe and Cryptic’s other game Champions Online. Perfect World, a Chinese firm that recently purchased Cryptic Studies, believes that the new model will have bigger potential in both the U.S. and China markets.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.

Gaming

What is DPS in gaming?

Two squads of heroes clash in an Overwatch 2 trailer.

Gaming is filled with jargon that sounds like complete nonsense to anyone not totally plugged into the space. Terms like Metroidvania and rouguelike/roguelite are rough enough, but when we abbreviate terms, it can be impossible to figure out what they mean, even when said in context. DPS is a term first used mainly in MMORPGs, but it has found its way into other genres like hero shooters and single-player RPGs, among others. It can, and is, applied to just about every game involving combat of some sort. If you've heard people complaining about their DPS, or see it listed as part of a weapon's stats, here's what it all means.
What does DPS mean?
DPS stands for Damage Per Second. It is shorthand for saying how powerful a weapon or character is by either listing its DPS as a number -- in which case the higher the number, the better -- or as its general role in a team. DPS on a weapon takes into account several things to make one more consumable stat, including how much damage it deals with each attack and how quickly it can attack. By dividing those numbers into seconds, you can equally compare how much any weapon or ability will do compared to another. For example, if one weapon hits every 2 seconds for 100 damage, the DPS would be 50, while a weapon that hits four times per second, but only deals 25 damage per hit, would have a DPS of 100.

In team games, DPS is often used to refer to one of the major roles. Tanks are characters meant to absorb most of the damage, healers heal, and DPS characters are the ones in charge of dealing the bulk of the team's damage. They are the team's aggressive killers, such as Soldier 76 in Overwatch 2 or the Black Mage in Final Fantasy 14. All their abilities and skills tend to be offensive-focused and need to rely on the other classes to support them.

Gaming

Best gaming console deals: cheapest prices on PS5, Xbox S and X and Switch

father and son playing video games

While the latest generation of consoles had a bit of a slow start, things have heated up in the last few years, and for those who have been waiting to pick up a console, now is a pretty good time when it comes to games, accessories and the like. There are a lot of great Xbox Series S and X deals, PlayStation 5 deals, and Nintendo Switch deals for you to check out, and we've collected the best we could find below. That said, it's important to note that we're currently going through a bit of a deals drought, even when it comes to refurbished consoles, so there aren't a ton of options out there, although be sure to check back as we do regularly keep track of deals and will update this article as better deals appear.
Xbox Series S 1TB -- starting at $349, was $380

The Xbox Series S is the less powerful but cheaper option out of the newest generation Xbox line. When comparing the Xbox Series S versus the Xbox Series X, the Series S takes a hit in all the component categories. That means it's not quite as fast. But if you're not hung up on getting the optimal performance out of your system, you'll actually notice very few differences. The two biggest ones are the Series S's inability to play in 8K, and its lack of a disc drive. Most people don't even have 8K TVs, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're alright with downloading all of your games straight to the console's memory (and you have a separate DVD or Blu-Ray player), the Series S will work fine. It's quite a bit smaller anyway, and easier to fit on a shelf.

Gaming

How to trade in Manor Lords

A medieval market in Manor Lords.

No matter what type of lord you want to be in Manor Lords, you will need to play nice early on. You will only have access to so many materials and resources in your village's early stages, so trading is essential for not only upgrading and advancing, but also keeping your loyal population happy. To sustain yourself in the early years, trading will grant you access to much-needed support, as well as a great source of income if you have a surplus of materials to sell. To make sure your storehouses are well-stocked, you will need to learn how to set up a profitable trade operation.