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In this week's "RoleCraft," Jim Moreno looks at different ways to roleplay with weather effects in-game.

Star Trek Online has the first of a series of articles designed to advance the storyline. The first is entitled "2379-2380". Check it out by clicking below.

As was done with Champions Online, Cryptic Studios has initiated an "Ask Cryptic" series for Star Trek Online. Fans submit questions which, if chosen, developers answer. Among other things, STO's music and exploration grab the spotlight. Check it out by clicking below.

A random drawing will be held soon to determine the winners of the now-closed "Lifetime Subscription Contest" at the official Star Trek Online Site. Check out the details of when you might be notified by clicking below.

In this week's "RoleCraft," Jim Moreno continues his look at character alignment in MMORPGs - this time focusing on how in-game factions make characters "evil" (or not).

There's a new FAQ in town to help answer all the burning questions about Star Trek Online. Grab the link and a sample of the great information after clicking below.

Cryptic Studios, the developers of sci-fi MMO Star Trek Online, released three new shots from their debut trailer and we have them here right after the jump!

Star Trek Online fansite, Hailing Frequency, had the chance to rake former WarCry bad boy, J.R. "Razor" Sutich, over the coals at last weekend's gather in Las Vegas. Check out what Razor's been up to in the intervening months after the jump.

In this week's examination of Clausewitz "On Gaming," Jonathan Steinhauer looks at what victory and defeat mean ... to NPC monsters.

In case you weren't in Las Vegas or missed the simulcast of the Star Trek Online gameplay video, we have it hot off the virtual press. Check it out after the jump.

Cryptic Studios chief creative officer Jack Emmert recently had the chance to talk to the main stream media about Star Trek Online. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Leonard Nimoy will be assisting the Cryptic Studios gang in the unveiling of Star Trek Online this coming weekend in Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live via a webcast. Check out the exact information after clicking below.

Five lucky people will be drawn to win a lifetime subscription to Star Trek Online AND a retail copy of the game. All that is required is signing up on the official site by August 17th! Check out the announcement after the jump.

Cryptic Studios revealed today that Star Trek's Leonard "Spock" Nimoy will unveil the Star Trek Online MMO in Las Vegas this upcoming Sunday, August 10th, where the first in-game footage will also premier, and beamed online at the official site.

In this week's RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at the standard D&D concept of alignment, how it works in roleplaying, and how it's applied to MMORPGs.

Star Trek Online's producer Jack Emmert has sent out a letter outlining the reasons for picking up the Star Trek license, beyond just the geek factor. See what Emmert has to say by clicking below.

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Carl Clausewitz to MMOGs, this time focusing on defeat and "life after death" in online worlds.

Following Cryptic Studio's unveiling of Star Trek Online today are a batch of new screenshots available on the official Star Trek Online website.

You can also find the screenshots here at our new Star Trek Online gallery!

Tick, tock, tick, tock...The countdown is finally over and Cryptic Studios has now officially unveiled their newest project -- Star Trek Online! Cryptic Studios will be showing off the game at the annual Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas on August 10th, 2008.

For more details you can view the official STO website here. Hit the jump for the press release!

As the Cryptic timer winds down, Star Trek fans found yet another sign of the impending unveiling at the upcoming Star Trek Convention site which features a not-so-mysterious "Star Trek Online Revealed" event on Sunday August 10.

The Hailing Frequency fan site will have a live coverage of the convention and we'll bring you the latest development!

Update: Cryptic Studios posted an ad in Game Career Guide e-zine (pg. 42) hiring for Star Trek Online, officially confirming their involvement.

The Hailing Frequency's Star Trek Online retrospect series concluded its fifth and final entry with a new batch of early webcam captures and a look at Perpetual Entertainment's PR mistakes, conveniently ending 3 days before Cryptic's timed "major announcement" at the Champion Online site. Read it all at the HR site and check their newly upgraded 24/7 online stream.

This week in RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at ways for roleplayers to deal with the Fairer Tongue of Elvish.

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his application of the writings of Carl Clausewitz to MMOGs, this time looking at what happens when victory is yours.

The Hailing Frequency fan site continues its retrospective look at Perpetual Entertainment's defunct Star Trek Online project, with previously unreleased info and screenshots. Read Part 3 and Part 4 at the HF forums.

Star Trek Online is getting a Perpetual Entertainment retrospect coverage at The Hailing Frequency fansite, with previously unreleased screenshots and information straight from the PE's now defunct vaults. Read more for the teaser and links!

This time on RoleCraft, Jim Moreno wants to hear from you roleplayers out there.

In this installment of RoleCraft, Jim Moreno looks at an interesting idea from WoW RP Realms: Full Immersion Roleplaying (FIRP).

Jonathan Steinhauer continues his study of Clausewitz and examines the art of the kill.

Just in case you may not be aware, RoleCraft isn't the only place where you can find roleplaying related info on the interwebs. Of course you know that, and I'm only joking. During the course of my day, I am given and locating sites which are directly related to or merely referencing some aspect of roleplaying, and I consider it part of my duty to help keep you, my fellow roleplayers, informed as much as possible.

Since we are dealing with computer-generated cyber worlds that are more than likely not our own creations, there are certainly roadblocks and speed bumps in these games that challenge roleplayers to improvise and adapt. These game mechanics come with the nature of the beast, and many are very necessary to the operation of the games, and are often so obvious as to threaten to pull a roleplayer out of character. While they may not be pleasant to experience during roleplay, their effect in-game can be at least lessened through the lens of imaginative roleplaying.

As game worlds become more and more advanced, they also grow larger and larger. The by-product of this improvement is the long distances that must be traveled between locations. For some reason, with this increase in world size, there is not a corresponding improvement in traveling systems. Indeed, there seems to be almost a perverse joy in sending players on quests that involve running back and forth between two distant points with no other objective but carrying a bickering message between a pair of NPCs.

Jim Moreno tackles the difficult task of roleplaying a merchant in this edition of RoleCraft: "Even roleplayers are known to struggle with this cookie cutter gameplay, and with keeping their characters from looking and acting just like every other character in game. What to do? One sure way to avoid the pitfalls of routine is to realize that there are many other classes in game besides adventurer. It's time to become a professional roleplayer!"