The Cryptic Decryption - Star Trek and Champions Online Updates 08 july 2011

Season 4 has launched in Star Trek Online, four types of Hideouts have been introduced in Champions Online...it’s a big week for Cryptic. It’s actually a pretty massive update as we have all the info you need right here.

Star Trek Online Season 4: Crossfire

We have some exciting news! Our latest major update for Star Trek Online, Season Four: Crossfire, is live and ready for you to explore. New and enhanced features, gameplay upgrades and other content updates are available now, so log in and check out all that is new and improved in Star Trek Online.

Here are a few of this season’s highlights in this initial release:

Enhanced Ground Combat: New “Shooter Mode” option lets you toggle between tab-and-click targeting and point-and-shoot mode. We’ve also added new weapons and made tons of improvements to existing weapons, kits and powers for a more intense combat experience. For a closer look at Shooter Mode and instructions on how to use this new feature, visit our Tutorial page.
Qo’noS Revamped: A brand new hub and place to call home for the Klingon Faction! Visit the more easily navigable and reconstructed Klingon First City.

Inventory & Bank Slots: Make some more room for expanding coffers and overflowing inventories by adding additional Inventory and Bank Slots. Both are available for purchase in the newly revised C-Store.
Additional Season Four Updates: Klingon access to more Sectors and Patrol missions; integrated Vivox Voice Chat to help you connect in even more ways with your Fleet and the entire STO community; Fleet Action Queue improvements and a new Ship Browse Feature with consolidated view of all available ships, their features and customization options.

And much, much more on the way throughout the Summer of Season Four!

Check out the Season Four: Crossfire info page for more details and information about new features and other content updates coming your way in future Crossfire releases.

New C-Store for Season Four

The Season Four spirit of renovation has come to theC-Store! You can now make C-Store purchases directly through the STO website, and new category tabs and filters make browsing even easier. Visit the C-Store and while you’re there, why not pick up some newly released Inventory or Bank Slots?

Vivox Voice Chat Now in STO

Now you can use Vivox Voice Chat to talk with your friends and Fleet members in Star Trek Online! Click below to learn more about the integrated Vivox VoIP chat system and how it can enhance your game experience.

Champions Online

Phase One Hideouts Now Available!

Every hero should have a place to call home. Hideouts are themed environments that allow you to choose and customize your own bit of Champions Online real estate. You can select from among four Hideout categories and themes:

BASEMENT: Mom’s, Hi-Tech and Vigilante
CAVE: Industrial, Hi-Tech and Primal
MOON: Sci-Fi, 60’s Retro and Space Agency
SANCTUM: Mystic, Druidic and Alchemist
More on the way!

Each Hideout unlock is account-wide and offers different thematic options with customizable elements, mix-and-match pieces for use within the same category, and character-specific memory so that all of your heroes are able to share a common space while still benefiting from a Hideout customization that is unique to that character.

Modify your Hideout as you see fit, then gather with up to ten friends to socialize, roleplay or plot your Supergroup’s strategy for the next big Boss fight. All Hideouts include Tailor and Socrates Crime Computer access with additional conveniences coming in future updates.

Gold & Lifetime Members:

Don’t forget to claim your FREE Hideout! Head to the Main Map and click the Hideout button or type “/hideout” in your chat command window, then choose any one of these Phase One Hideouts: Mom’s Basement, Industrial Cave, Sci-fi Moonbase, or Mystic Sanctum. Claim your Hideout by clicking on the "Free Token" button, then make your Hideout selection and click the "Claim" button.

Once you have claimed your free Hideout, you can purchase additional Hideouts by following the instructions for Silver Players below.

Silver Players:

Silver Players can purchase Phase One Hideouts by heading to the C-Store and clicking on the “Hideouts” tab. Or browse through these Hideout web pages and click on the “Buy Now!” button for the category you’d like to purchase.

You will need to select the Hideout you’d like to visit before you can travel to it. Follow these steps to choose the Hideout you want to set as your Current Hideout:

Select the Hideout you want to set as your current Hideout from the menu
Click the “Choose” button to select your Hideout (you will see the name of the Hideout listed at the top as “Current Hideout: [name of hideout]”)
Click the "Travel" button to be transported to your Current Hideout

You can travel to your Current Hideout at any time by opening up the Hideout Menu and clicking the "Travel" button. You can also right click your portrait and select “Go to Hideout.”

Please see the Release Notes to learn more about how you can make your Hideout suit your special hero and how to utilize Hideout conveniences.

Hideout Types

Like a starter home, this “Starter Hideout” is the perfect option for the hero who’s just getting into the crime-fighting business or might be experiencing a run of bad luck. Fortunately, there’s always Mom’s Basement to catch you when you fall. And as an added bonus, you’ll have a built-in N.A.G. security system that’s sure to stop even the most powerful villains.

Buried deep beneath the Earth’s surface, this bunker-like Hideout is ideal for the hero who prefers isolation and escape from the urban hustle and bustle of the city above. A highly secure location, the Industrial Cave is equipped with a top-of-the-line ventilation system and back-up oxygen recycler that allow you to remain hermetically – or more appropriately in this case, “hermitically” - sealed in for months on end.

Nothing provides security quite like an extraterrestrial base of operations! The Sci-fi Moonbase, a Harmon Industries environmental control area formerly used by UNTIL scientists, has been retrofitted with an advanced early warning system connected to the SOCRATES network. The classy, early 70’s décor is perfect for the well-funded and stylish hero who just wants to get far (very far!) away from it all...

A delapidated manse magically converted into a mage’s dream, the Mystic Sanctum Hideout features a collection of spellbooks that rivals that of Witchcraft herself! Protective wards draw from the mystical energy that flows from the powerful node nestled below, and the opulent yet tranquil interior provides a mage with the comfort and serenity needed to regain focus and recharge energies.

Issue 6: The King is Dead Available 7/7!

We’re delighted to introduce our weekly series of free content updates, the Champions Online Comic Series! Accessible to all players, each Comic Series takes you on an exciting adventure in which you’ll encounter new creatures and environments, all the while playing through an intriguing story that unfolds before you, issue after issue.

Each Comic Series spans six weekly issues. Once it debuts, the issue can be played along with any other previously released issues. You must complete earlier issues in a Series before you can play the latest release.

On top of regular mission rewards, you can also earn special Issue Rewards and Item Drops as you play!

Players at Level 11 and higher can access the Comic Series right away. To start your Comic Series adventure, check out the Contact information below.

DARK AGES FANTASY COSTUME SET

The age of chivalry is back! Turn your hero into fashion royalty with this medieval fantasy costume set and two bonus weapons: Medium Blade Rapier and Heavy Weapon Royal Scepter.

(Read More...)