14 DAY TRIAL // As its launch date approaches, more and more details regarding Star Trek Online begin to surface. The latest details its developers have released are the system requirements so that Star Trek fans will have plenty of time to upgrade their system if necessary. The minimum requirements for the game are pretty decent, they're in line with what you would expect from the next-year massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The title demands a low towards mid system as far as today's standards go.
OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit); CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz or AMD Athlon X2 3800+; Memory: 1GB RAM; Video: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 / ATI Radeon X1800 / Intel HD Graphics; Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card; DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher; HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space; Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required; Disc: 6X DVD-ROM.
If these are more than acceptable, the recommended system requirements are a bit steeper. They won't crush your rig, don't take it the wrong way, it's not a quad-core must, but still, for an MMORPG, the demands are relatively high.
OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit); CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+; Memory: 2GB RAM+; Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+; Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card; DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher; HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space; Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required; Disc: 6X DVD-ROM; Star Trek Online will be out February 2.
MMORPGs, by definition, imply a large number of on-screen characters, most of the times in a vast, open environment, well beyond the standards of a typical RPG. A full PvP battle can easily encompass up to 100 players, all fighting in a small area, with a variety of character animations and spell effects, all rendered in a single frame. As such, the MMORPG graphics tend to be well beneath the ones of single-player RPGs in order to accommodate a wider variety of systems, and, of course, entice more players to participate. The game genre relies on quantity, not quality. As it relies heavily on gameplay, this aspect has to be flawless, and, with the issue of the never-ending lag, the last thing a player needs is for their duel to be plagued by a choppy gameplay made up of still shots.