14 DAY TRIAL // Perfect World Entertainment Inc., Cryptic Studios, and TransGaming Inc. today jointly announced the release of Star Trek Online for Macs. “We have wrapped up our Open Beta testing period, and we want to extend our warmest welcome to the STO Universe to all Mac users,” the developer says.
Developed by Cryptic Studios (makers of Neverwinter and Champions Online), Star Trek Online uses the Cryptic Engine, “a core technology that means our designers can focus less on a game’s nuts and bolts and more on creating a game that captures Star Trek’s essence, guaranteeing that both longtime fans of Star Trek and people new to the universe will feel at home,” according to the creators.
Cryptic and Arc Games reveal that Mac client users will be playing on the Holodeck server, alongside Windows PC players. This opens the pods to cross-platform play, “allowing them to team up with their friends and fleetmates to boldly go where no one has gone before,” according to the announcement.
Star Trek Online is the first high-quality MMO to feature space and ground combat at launch, with missions that take players across exotic planets, inside starships, and even in the midst of battle.
“Players will have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek fiction, reach out to unexplored star systems and make contact with new alien species. With Episode Missions, every moment spent playing Star Trek Online will feel like a new Star Trek episode in which you are the star,” reads the game’s description.
Players with a highly developed creative side might be interested in the Foundry for Star Trek Online, which gives them the opportunity to create a unique Star Trek universe, complete with new missions and stories.
“Use the specialized toolset to create missions in space or on the ground. Craft custom missions, or really take your creativity to the next level by designing an entire series of episodes from the ground up,” according to the publishers.
To download Star Trek Online for Mac OS X, gamers can either visit the official Arc Games page and hit the “Play for Free” button, or just use the link supplied by Softpedia.
Requirements include OS X 10.7.5 (Lion) or later, Intel Core 2 Duo, at least 4GB of RAM, 10GB free disk space, and one of the following graphics solutions: Intel HD3000 / Nvidia 9600M / AMD HD2600 with 256MB+ VRAM. You’ll also need a speedy Internet connection.
Mac users are told that if the system requirements aren’t met, “the game will either not run at all or give a less than desirable performance.”