STO: New Bridge Officer And Crew Info

Cryptic Studios has released new information about the role of Bridge Officers and crew members in its upcoming MMO, Star Trek Online.There are three station types on the bridge of a ship, Science, Tactical and Engineering. Depending on the type and size of the ship, the stations will vary. Science ships obviously have a focus on science stations, whereas escort ships have more tactical and cruisers prefer engineering.Bridge Officers also have ranks, and the higher rank, the more skills are available to the player, so the placement of officers is vital.A ship’s crew, while not always visible to the player, also affect the performance of a player’s ship. The crew work behind the scenes, repairing subsystems and damaged hulls after battles. They can also be injured during these battles, which results in them being sent to sick bay. The speed of their recovery depends on the ship’s medical facilities and the skills of the Science Officers. Injured crewmen do not count towards the ‘working’ crew, so a speedy recovery is desired. Crewmen can also be killed, and can only be replaced by visiting a starbase.Small ships can carry as few as 50 crewmen, large cruisers can have up to 1,000.The closed beta test for Star Trek Online is expected to begin before the end of the year, check back regularly for the chance to win beta keys.