April 2012: Achievement Unlocked by USS Gygax

NEW SHIP’S CHAPLAIN

GYGAX TECHNICAL MANUAL II

NEW OIC FOR THE 20th MSG

APRIL 2012

SEASON FIVE

OUR TAKE ON “THE 2800” AND THE ODYSSEY-CLASS!

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

OUR INTERVIEW WITH WAR BALLOON GAMES:

STAR COMMAND COMING SOON FOR iOS & ANDROID!

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 USSGYGAX.COM MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE U.S.S. GYGAX

ROLLING FOR INITI TIVE

ur first month as a commissioned chapter has been amazing as a number of changes occur when we traded in our NX for a shiny new NCC tag on March 14th. The beauty of commissioning on that date is that 3.14 is also known internationally as Pi Day. I think this is great because I happen to really like Pi. Especially Banana Cream Pi. Oh... not that kind of pi? Gotcha. Never mind, then. Anyway, as I was saying, Gygax has seen quite a few changes in the first month as a fullyfledged chapter within STARFLEET: The "Natural 20s" has seen a change in command, we switched our Executive Officers, and one of our own won a national prize during the fleet-wide Retention Month. We also saw a nice influx of new members joining the chapter in hopes of sharing their love for Trek gaming with the rest of us. Out of the chapters in Region 4, I would say that we're one of the biggest and in such a short amount of time. No other chapter recruited as hard as we did during February and March and our numbers nearly doubled in that time. March also marks another milestone in our chapter's history: We celebrate our first Flag Officer certification! CDR Melissa Hadley is the first Gygax crewmember to pass FOS in our existence. Not to go without acknowledgement, but LTCOL Jon Madon had previously passed FOS prior to joining our crew. However, our dedication to training the ship up as much as possible is providing our chapter with suitable exposure at the Academy, as our names continue to show up on the course rolls every month. I want to applaud those of your crewmates who have spent a lot of their free time in taking and passing those Academy courses every month. Perhaps, one of these days, we might get together and contribute to the Academy with a college of our own making, so we can give back and help others appreciate our interests as well.

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This month, yours truly has been very busy getting to know some of the other chapters in Region 4. I attended two chapter meetings: USS Northern Lights in San Jose, and USS Augusta Ada in San Francisco. I was very touched by the warm welcomes I received from both crews as they wanted to learn more about our chapter and even let me speak to their assembled crews. We had plenty of fruitful discussions about the future of the region, and even managed to garner a bottle of wine from our new Regional Coordinator, VADM Jerry Tien. He, along with Northern Lights' commanding officer, FCAPT Tracy Newby, signed and dedicated this bottle to our crew and our chapter, on the occasion of our commissioning. During our discussions, we talked about a possible Bay Area bid for the Region 4 Summit. We talked about the various venues available to us as well as how we might move forward on using local conventions to our advantage. We have a number of options we're pursuing and I hope by the time we go to print on this newsletter, we'll have already submitted our bid for the first summit of Jerry's tenure as Regional Coordinator. I hope that we can get a sizable Gygax presence at the summit this year, as we'll be representing our part of California and the region. If we could get at least five or six crew to attend, I think we'll be well-

CO ARTWORK BY RADM JON LANE OF USS ANGELES. represented at the summit. As soon as the dates and details are finalized (at this point, it's looking like late October to early November), I would love to coordinate those plans with interested crewmembers. As I like to do every month, I wish to acknowledge the following members of our crew for their contributions to the chapter:  LCDR Tia Marie for her service as our founding Executive Officer. Her dedication to the position and to the chapter led us into an excellent shakedown. Due to personal circumstances well outside of her control, she had to hand the reigns over for the good of the chapter, but I did not want to let her service to go unrecognized. She will remain a part of this crew, and we hope that once she has time to return at full strength, we will see that amazing and tireless passion within the chapter once more.  That being said, I also wish to acknowledge CDR Melissa Hadley, for her willingness and can -do spirit in stepping into the XO role so capably. As she has in our other projects in the past, she passed all of her required certifications and then some, and slipped in at the last minute so we could make our commissioning date. With appreciation and gratitude for being a team player, I'd like to thank Commander Hadley for her efforts. Additionally, she has taken on the role as the ship's chaplain, after passing all of her qualified courses and registering with STARFLEET.  1LT Ted Pool for taking over as the Officer-inCharge of the 20th Marine Strike Group, the "Natural 20s." After passing his OTS and OCC, with the kind of Gung Ho spirit we like to find in our marines of all stripes, Lieutenant Pool has begun reorganizing the 20th into a lean, mean, gaming machine for the chapter. As he will spell out in his new column within the newsletter, all interested crewmembers should take a look at switching to active duty or even reserve marine status with the SFMC. I, myself, am a reserve Colonel in the Marine Corps.  LCDR Lauri McConaughy, formerly of the USS Indomitable in Region 5, has been our artist-inresidence who had been an honorary Gygax crewmember for months, finally switched her membership full-time to our chapter. She will continue to provide amazing artwork for our

newsletter and work out of our engineering department under LT Benner. We're very happy to have her here and we look forward to her continued contributions to the chapter. Many of you took my training challenge to heart and went after your OTS and OCC, and in one case, FOS certifications. For April, let's focus on communications. I would like to see all crewmembers take as many courses from the College of Communications as possible. Being Internet-dwellers, three of these courses are going to be very easy. But web design and newsletter design will need help, and if you should find yourself in a quandary, then reach out to your fellow crew for assistance. We're here for you! Next issue, Achievement Unlocked will be moving to a bi-monthly run to help fill our pages with content. This means the next issue will be published late May to early June. If you wish to help out with the Newsletter, please find me or LTJG Balsley on the forums. We're always looking for new articles. Ahead full speed,

CAPT Michael D. Garcia Commanding Officer, USS Gygax Michael Garcia is the Commanding Officer of USS Gygax, and the publisher of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED. He is the founder and head administrator of WNOHGB. He can be reached at co@ussgygax.com.

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TOC

IN THIS FROM THE COVER STAR COMMAND An interview with War Balloon Games on the forthcoming and highlyanticipated science-fiction indie game for iOS and Android . We ask them about the game, their impressions of fandom, the pressure of expectations, and the state of indie game publishing today.

33 FEATURE ARTICLE

:SEASON FIVE We take a close look at the season five feature episode series, “The 2800”, and figure out the pros and cons of the new Odyssey-class cruiser in their basic and advanced variants.

USS GYGAX TECHNICAL MANUAL The second installment of Ensign Duane Watts’ technical manual takes us on a journey through deck one of our ship, covering the bridge, the ready room, and the conference room/observation lounge. What does the captain hide in his ready room, anyway?

DEPARTMENTS

3 5

ROLLING FOR INITIATIVE

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EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE

ENGINEERING TRUTH

SHIP’S ROSTER

CONFIRMING THE CRIT!

CHAPLAIN: HALOS

ON THE COVER: The officially-released poster for the game, “Star Command,” provided by War Balloon Games. Artwork by War Balloon Games

TOC

ISSUE... Star Trek

THE NEW THREAT

The third chapter of this crossover fanfic has the Doctor working alongside Federation personnel to determine the true nature of the threat, and how to start working on a way to defeat them with Starfleet technology... and a sonic screwdriver!

Gaming for the Visually-Impaired Ensign Marty Montgomery details the challenges he faces and explains the methods he uses to participate in games of all kinds; tabletop RPGs, board games, and even online games such as WNOHGB.

49 DEPARTMENTAL REPORT OF THE MONTH

SCIENCE REPORT

In this month’s edition of the Science Report, Lieutenant (jg) Monica Ayhens discusses the Federation’s alignment of its military and exploration programs in comparison to real-life mandates and programs of the present and the past.

COLUMNS & REPORTS TRAINING REPORT

BUREAU OF PERSONNEL

CREW PROFILE

THE MAD ANDROID

CHAPTER FORWARD

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MASTHEAD & CREDITS

EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE By CDR Melissa Hadley Executive Officer

started with a thought. Michael Garcia approached Tia Marie and myself with his idea that we could build our own STARFLEET chapter and initially base it out of our LambdaMOO-based RPG Where No One Has Gone Before. I felt it was an amazing idea considering how many ideas we had and some previous stallings Michael and I both had in STARFLEET prior. What if we started a chapter with an interest in gaming, particularly Trek gaming? We're not without a lot of people who fit that fandom right within our own gaming community. And so, at first, we spread interest through word-of-mouth. The chapter hadn't even had a name yet, and was just an idea. I spoke in private with a few people, which eventually resulted in the start of the 20th MSG and some great new and old SFI members. Then we announced the idea more publically within the game and more people with ideas came forth, as well as those who just wanted to support those ideas. We polled for a name and a class. We tossed around a couple Akiras and a Nebula, and a couple alternative names. Gygax, for the late Gary Gygax, was an instant hit and won the vote by a landslide. Before we even launched as a shuttle, we had a full force of over ten members, some outside the game, from offline connections people had. Most of our members were new members, even. It was awesome. Once we launched as a chapter in training and had ourselves a shiny website designed by Michael and Josh Benner, we quickly gained the interest of those outside the chapter. Star Trek Online players, gamers from around the net, and even some more people from within WNOHGB stepped forth. One month into the existence of the USS Gygax as a chapter in training, and the ship was already half-way through the checklist for

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commissioning. We participated in Extra Life 2011, raising hundreds of dollars for children's hospitals in need. People were taking STARFLEET Academy tests like crazy for fun and enjoyment, and our chapter grew even more, branching further out into the internet. We had a couple slow months through the holidays, we even myself being out of state for two weeks along with some health scares, but come February, we shot back with a vengeance. We brought on another nine members in February, many with such great interest in helping out the chapter in dedicated roles and responsibilities right out of the gate. Josh began a tabletop group for us to enjoy together outside of our other hangouts such as the forums, WNOHGB and STO, and the first one was already a great success. And then some sadness, as Tia Marie had to resign her position as Executive Officer due to circumstances beyond her control. But while we have lost her as XO, we have not lost her as crew, and we're proud to have her here with us in whatever capacity she can. I'm also honored and humbled to take the mantle of XO in her place. But then we commissioned on March 14th 2012, Pi Day! How awesome is that for a bunch of geeks like ourselves?! It's not even been a full year thus far, but we're well on our way to another great year. Melissa Hadley is the Executive Officer and Shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chaplain of USS Gygax. She presently works for Zynga in Austin, Texas. She can be reached at xo@ussgygax.com.

OIC

CONFIRMING THE CRIT!

By 1LT Ted “Mindtrick” Pool Officer-in-Charge, 20th Marine Strike Group

reetings Shipmates! There is a great feeling of excitement buzzing right now. All the hard work that we, as a crew, have contributed has been rewarded with our official commissioning earlier this month, this marks a historical occasion in the history of the U.S.S. Gygax. Earlier this month I accepted the position of Officer In Charge of our Marine Strike Group, “The Natural 20s”. I take this position with honor and high hopes to forge a formidable MSG. I would like to take a few moments and talk about the direction I want to take our Marines. I want Marines. In SFMC Marine Force Manual, they tell us that if you are the only Marine on a ship, don’t think of yourself as alone. Instead, reaffirm that you are an elite member of STARFLEET and that one Marine can make the difference. In the coming months I will be launching a recruiting movement to bolster our numbers. I will also be on the lookout for a DOIC. When I took over the 20s, the framework for a great MSG had been laid, but inactivity (the universal killer) had struck and stopped any progress. I hope to change that. What does it mean to be a STARFLEET Marine? We are, probably, the most overlooked aspect of the Star Trek universe. If the officers that command our starships are our Navy, then we are their warriors on the ground; we are marked by our extended training, proficiency in advanced weapons and armor, and constant vigilance in the face of enemies, known and unknown. Becoming a Marine is as simple as changing your affiliation on the SF Database (http://db.sfi.org). Of course, the reality is a little more involved. You can be either an Active duty Marine or a Reservist. Active duty requires that you move completely into the Marine unit, for example- your rank will change to reflect the

Marine side, you’ll be required to dress in the Marine uniform standards; but aside from some specific Marine duties that is about it. A Reservist moves back and forth. They can either use the marine ranking or not, they still participate in the naval side, they are not restricted on uniform policy, and etc. So, as I close this message to all the fine crew of the U.S.S. Gygax here is a short list of what I want to accomplish in the coming months. I.

Begin a recruiting drive to bring in more Marines, both Active and Reserve. II. Begin the search for a DOIC to help run the 20s. III. Finish the process of creating a motto and slogan for our MSG. We have all been rewarded by our hard work the last couple of months, but let us not rest. We have more challenges ahead, but together we can ensure peace and victory. Let us all keep Rollin’!

Ted Pool is the Officer-in-Charge of the 20th Marine Strike Group, currently attached to the USS Gygax, He can be reached at 20thOIC@ussgygax.com.

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SPECIAL GUEST:

PROFILE

Crewmember profilE: SCC-69074 CHRIS M. MACLIR

Ensign Chris MacLir joined USS Gygax during the February Recruitment Drive; he was one of eight new crewmembers to join our chapter during that time. We asked Executive Officer Melissa Hadley to interview him for this month’s edition of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED so we could get to know one of our newest shipmates. Please be sure to say hello to Chris on the forums!

NAME: RANK: ASSIGNMENT: AGE: LOCATION: CAREER ASPIRATIONS: HOBBIES: ANIMAL COMPANIONS: FAVORITE TREK ERA: FAVORITE TREK CHARACTER: FAVORITE GAME: FAVORITE NON-TREK TV SHOW: CURRENTLY READING

Chris M. MacLir Ensign Command Department 24 Jacksonville, Florida Attain a Captaincy in the Merchant Marines D&D, Pathfinder, Magic: The Gathering, Reading, Xbox, being awesome! Aequitas and Erin, Chihuahua mix. TNG Picard, hands down. D&D 3.5, Elder Scrolls series. Tie between Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Doctor Who. 501 Things to Do with a Zombie by J.C. Richards, The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

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FEATURE

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FEATURE SCREENSHOTS COURTESY OF CRYPTIC STUDIOS (HTTP://STARTREKONLINE.COM)

season five By CAPT Michael D. Garcia & 1LT Ted Pool

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FEATURE

FEATURE EPISODES: “THE 2800” By 1LT Ted “Mindtrick” Pool Star Trek Online One of the first things I noticed when I Dominion is back returned to play was the greater sense of a and madder than larger world; specifically the interiors of the ever! Good thing starships. Although, this is a cosmetic change too, I have been looking for a reason to return I really liked the ability to visit different areas of to DS9, other than my Dabo habit. my ship and see crew running around. The As STO players know, in February we game itself has an impressive episodic frame were all treated to the release of a new feature work that allows players to virtually go everyepisode, The 2800. This, coincidentally, con- where, replay missions, jump to specific epiverged with my return to playing Star Trek sodes that are available, and etc. Throughout Online. It was the first time I was at ground ze- the day, there is a constant flow of activities ro for an episode release and I have been tak- that players can participate in and which give ing full advantage of it. bonus, and special, loot to help level and Now even though my main character is equip. level 41 (My KDF guy was left a little behind, I found the space combat and travel he’s only 21) I still feel fairly inexperienced at still very awesome. This to me is a critical part the game as a whole due to such a rich and of the game due to fact that to have an effecmultidimensional gaming environment that is tive Star Trek game, you have to give a great offered to players . Being a Trek fan I have space aspect to the players. What surprised played several games in the past associated me was that I found the away team missions with the franchise from the original RPG to were greatly improved. The away team memconsole games for Super Nintendo, Nintendo bers seemed more independent and acted far DS, and Xbox 360, but none of them have giv- better than I remembered from last time. The en me the sense of emersion that I feel playing ability to train and increase their skills gave me

THE

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FEATURE a greater arsenal to use during these missions and I was far more successful in completing missions and had a greater experience in the game. I also found an interesting aspect of the game in the ability to direct shipboard and sector assignments. I think it is a cool thing to be able to pour over a crew roster and assign missions and tasks to duty officers, along with department head recommendations as to who would be a good candidate for the task. These missions aren’t just for padding; successful completions gain players special rewards and accolades, so it is something I really look at doing and putting some time into exploring. But, of course as an STO player, you already knew that. I found the newest episode very exciting and was immediately drawn into the gameplay. It felt as if I was leveling faster and I was able to let myself go. Before I realized it, I had gained several levels. The missions are an excellent mix of action, diplomacy, and problem solving; I really feel like I have to pay attention to the dialog for each mission. Star Trek has always had a reputation of detailed backstory, history, and technical detailing, but nothing is a better example of it than this. Unlike so many other MMOs, you real-

ly need to be more than a hack and slash artist. The missions in this episode require you to talk to a lot of people and preform your duties with a greater sense of finesse and problem solving that I have been accustomed to, but it was a refreshing change. With the surprise appearance of the lost Dominion fleet and the fall of DS9, your first few missions on Bajor are all about gathering information, sorting out the next move, and talking to Federation and Bajoran officers and officials; I really liked these missions. For me, they break up some of the more monotonous, but integral to leveling, parts of the game. I really think there is something for all players within this episode. One of my favorite points during The 2800 has been during the “Boldly They Rode” mission. The inclusion of the Environmental suits as a usable, and required, piece of mission gear was genius; ever since I saw Star Trek: First Contact I’ve wanted an EV suit. On the whole, this feature episode has reinvigorated my love of Star Trek and of playing Star Trek Online. Cryptic really has knocked one out of the park with the use of episodes to further game play and attract players, new and returning, to a game worthy of notice.

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

AN ODYSSEY-CLASS SCIENCE STAR CRUISER EMPLOYING THE NEW ADVANCED QUANTUM SLIPSTREAM DRIVE.

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FEATURE

IMPRESSIONS OF ODYSSEY By CAPT Michael D. Garcia crowd swarmed this guy and suddenly everyone was off running that mission to test out the newest tar Trek Online held their second class to hit the game. anniversary event at the beginning of I want to make one thing clear; there are February. As I did with the previous several different “original” classes of ship within year’s anniversary event, I was there waiting in Star Trek Online. Most of them are variations on line for the events to begin along with what the canonical classes, such as the Thunderchildseemed like everyone else on the game. This class (redress of the Akira-class), the Bellerophon year, however, with the release of the new -class (redress of the Intrepid-class), and then Free2Play (F2P) portion of the game, the crowds there are several truly original classes that have to even get onto the server were so large that it no basis whatsoever, such as the Avenger-class took more than a few minutes to actually get to the and the Dervish-class. In the past, my reactions character select screen. Once you were in, to the 100% original classes has not been though, you could earn the new class of ship, the positive. In fact, although I did use the Dervish for Odyssey-class, through a mission pickup right my Tactical Admiral for many months, I only used outside of Admiral Quinn’s office, from an NPC. it because of the benefits rather than the design. I As soon as the NPC popped for the event, the personally think the Dervish (and the variants)

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FEATURE

design is lacking in many ways, and honestly regarding the design and the canonical believe that Cryptic needs to hire someone who information they’ve disclosed, so far: knows Trek a little better before trying to strike out on their own. The new Odyssey-class is not a Cryptic The Odyssey class is the largest vessel ever credesign. They opened up a contest a little under a ated by Starfleet. Its massive size makes it very year ago where players like you and me could resilient, but its turn rate is reduced by the bulk submit designs for this new class. The winner of the vessel. The Odyssey’s unique split saucer was Adam Ihle, which was, quite frankly, the bestpylon reduces subspace turbulence which allooking design out of the others that were lows higher warp speeds and increases the dusubmitted to Cryptic. If you take a look at the link, ration the ship can maintain Slipstream Drive. you’ll see the ones that came in second, third, and The Odyssey is designed as an extreme longfourth… and all I can say is, if they had gone with range vessel, and can operate for long periods any of the others... blech. I think they made the of time away from support. Because of this, it is right choice, but Odyssey isn’t without its the most versatile cruiser ever developed by the problems. Starfleet Corps of Engineers and features a UniI’m going to quote from the website versal Lieutenant Commander Bridge Offer Station that can by operated by any Bridge Officer class. “... THE [BASIC] ODYSSEY IS NOT A

RECOMMENDED CLASS FOR TACTICAL OR SCIENCE OFFICERS...”

– Stephen D’Angelo, Executive Producer,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 RIGHT: USS BONHOMME RICHARD APPROACHES SPACEDOCK. LEFT: USS YAMATO DESTROYS A NEGH’VAR-CLASS BATTLESHIP IN COMBAT.

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FEATURE Again, I want to stress that this is not a Cryptic design. But the explanation for the various design choices are nothing short of nonsensical crap. Okay, granted, Star Trek itself is fictional, but there’s a certain standard of keeping to the established explanations for How Things Work within the universe. Over time, you have a large number of references to pull from, and I often think that Cryptic is either too lazy to use them or just phones in some of the explanations for why a ship looks like that. The split-saucer pylon, which is more commonly referred to as the “neck,” is a design element borrowed from an earlier design of the Oberth-class frigate. The Oberth-class was shown in the form of the USS Grissom from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. This class also uses the same concept, which is kind of cool since its a stylish departure from the normal solid neck look of the Galaxy, Excelsior, Sovereign, and of course, the original Constitution-class starships. My problem is with the explanation for why this element is used. I quote from the blog excerpt above, “The Odyssey’s unique[sic] split saucer pylon reduces subspace turbulence which allows higher warp speeds and increases the duration the ship can maintain Slipstream Drive.” Okay, first of all, what a crock! That’s like saying that the Space Shuttle’s wings make it easier for it to fly in space. It doesn’t. You don’t determine higher warp speeds based on the design of the ship, you base it on the ability of the warp coil to sustain a higher energy output to allow a ship to enter the subspace interfold layer at a higher rate. You could form a subspace field around a brick and as long as the coils generating the field are solid, you can hit higher warp speeds, no problem. I

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think Cryptic needs a lesson in Trek’s mechanics before they approve drivel like this. My Trekkie (or Trekker) rant notwithstanding, within the game itself, there are a few hazards I’ve run into with the class during combat. First of all, this is not a recommended class for Tactical or Science officers. Tactical officers need maneuverability and DPS. Science officers get maneuverability from the smaller classes like the Nebula and Intrepid-classes. The basic gift Odyssey-class is the aforementioned brick: it doesn’t turn on a dime, but it has a really tough hull and can tank like no other class on STO right now. It does come with a Universal Lieutenant Commander bridge officer station, which makes it usable by Tactical or Science, but the fact that the only Commander-level station is for Engineering seals the deal for me. I’m only going to use this with my Engineering officer. I can’t justify switching off my other characters to use this class because there’s just too much of a sacrifice to required abilities within combat and flight. Playing as my engineering admiral, however, the ship is a match made in heaven. Even though the cruiser lacks the swift handling of the Sovereign-class, this is easily corrected with a Rare (blue) or Very Rare (purple) RCS Accelerator console. Double them up, if you need to. Once I installed that console, I found that I could turn as quickly as I could while helming my Sovereign or GalaxyX vessels. The only drawback to the Odyssey as an engineer is the loss of the extra tactical slot from my Sovereignclass ship. Otherwise, it’s still a four-fore and four-aft weapon ship, four ship devices, and a four/ three/two on consoles. It carries +10 to both Shield Power and Aux Power, with a

FEATURE maximum warp of 9.996 (faster than any other ship on the game), and the new Advanced Slipstream Drive will blow past the normal Vice Admiral Slipstream by nearly 30% (Warp 28.00). The duration of the ASD is also increased; you can fly the entire length of a sector without having to cool down, but once you hit the edge, there’s a two minute cool down period before you can use it again. With the addition of the Borg warp drive, the max warp still hits 14.00, so there’s no advantage there. But for Aegis, MACO, and Omega users, you will see a big increase in warp speed. Additionally, what makes this class even more of a tank is the additional hull points on top of the standard. A stock Odyssey comes with around forty-five thousand hull points, but when you add on all your bonuses? Well, I’m rolling around in STFs with fifty-six thousand-plus hull points. I’m going toe-to-toe with Tactical Cubes and can hang in a firefight for much longer, especially with all my health buffs and abilities. I’ve pretty much decided to switch to this class permanently for my engineer. What I’m looking forward to the most is Cryptic’s class variants for Odyssey, because right now, there’s only one skin available. But the size of the class provides a big opportunity for Cryptic to make a little money by selling off more ship costumes for it. I’m very curious to see where they go from here, because I’m still waiting for my damn Ambassador-class heavy cruiser to be released! Since the release of the triple Odyssey pack, which include Tactical, Engineering, and Science-specific versions of the class in March,

there’s been ample time to test out the various functions between them. First off, the high cost (in Cryptic points) of the three-pack might be daunting, but it is somewhat better than having to pick and choose one of each. If you have all three classes, the three-pack is the best choice, as once unlocked for one of your characters, all of them receive the benefit of choosing between the three variants as they see fit. Just make sure you have enough room in your ship inventory, or else you’ll be sitting at the error screen wondering which ship to let go of before you make your name and registry selection. While the breakdown of benefits varies between the class-specific variants, check out the tables on the next page for more information on how each class offers different power bonuses to each character class. The first variant I tried was to replace my engineering Vice Admiral’s basic Odyssey with the new one. Everything was pretty much the same with transferring weapons, shields, deflector, impulse, and devices straight across. However, the extra console in engineering and the one less in tactical did make things a bit harrowing in what to choose and what to leave in the bank. I

ODYSSEY-CLASS USS BONHOMME RICHARD WARPS OUT OF THE SOL SYSTEM. (LEFT: IOLANTHE PASSES LUNA, RIGHT: USS YAMATO SEPARATES ITS SAUCER SECTION)

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21 AU201204

FEATURE deployed my Borg gear in the shield/deflector/ impulse slots, and went with double RCS consoles, Neutronium Hull, the Chevron Separator, and the Borg Device. Warp speed gets a major boost in the Advanced Operations variant, with the Borg “jet pack” equipped, I hit Warp 19.98 on normal warp cruising durations. The Advanced Quantum Slipstream takes me up to Warp 28.00 for the length of the sector rather than giving me a short twenty second duration, which is a nice upward change from the Basic Odyssey that I was using since the anniversary event. I immediately took my ship, USS Yamato, into a Borg STF (Cure), to see how it would

ODYSSEY-CLASS (BASIC, 2ND ANNIVERSARY) RANK HULL SHIELDS WEAPONS CREW BRIDGE OFFICERS

DEVICES CONSOLES

TURN RATE BONUS POWER ABILITIES

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VICE ADMIRAL 42,000 6,008 4 FORE 4 AFT 2,500 CDR (ENG) LCDR (UNIVERSAL) LT (TAC & SCI) ENS (SCI) 4 2 TACTICAL 4 ENGINEERING 3 SCIENCE 6 +10 SHIELDS/AUXILIARY CHEVRON SEPARATION

handle in a combat situation, along with a group of my fellow fleeters helping me out. I had to take a few minutes to get used to the modified controls, as with the change in available Bridge Officers, there was an adjustment period to not having the same abilities available as with my Sovereignclass ship. With the added RCS, the brick wasn’t so bricklike. Even at an all stop, I could turn fairly quickly, but nowhere near the same nimbleness as I found on the Sovereign-class. I managed to pull through the STF fairly well, thanks to my friends in the fleet. With all of my anti-proton beams firing, I felt like I was in a real tank since I graduated to the Galaxy-class

ODYSSEY OPERATIONS VARIANT (ENGINEER) RANK HULL SHIELDS WEAPONS CREW BRIDGE OFFICERS

DEVICES CONSOLES

TURN RATE BONUS POWER ABILITIES

VICE ADMIRAL 42,000 6,008 4 FORE 4 AFT 2,500 CDR (ENG) LCDR (UNIVERSAL) LT (TAC & SCI) ENS (UNIVERSAL) 4 2 TACTICAL 5 ENGINEERING 3 SCIENCE 6 +5 ALL POWER LEVELS CHEVRON SEPARATION

FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES, A NEGH’VAR-CLASS BATTLECRUISER FLIES CLOSE ABOARD THE ODYSSEY-CLASS USS YAMATO.

FEATURE when I made Captain so long ago. As with the basic version, I felt that the ship only got better in the advanced variant with the Chevron Separator function because it provides you with a small escort-like craft as a support. The saucer Chevron holds a couple of phaser banks and has high maneuverability, however, you cannot control it as a player vessel. It is purely autonomous. The Tactical variant has, by far, the coolest ability: the Aquarius-class escort that follows you around when activated. The escort carries Phaser quad cannons, turrets, quantum torpedoes and the point defense system (presumably from the Thunderchild-class). The only drawback to using this variant as a tactical officer, even with double

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RCS consoles within the engineering section, is that it cannot replace or hope to duplicate the same kind of performance that an Escort-type ship provides. To me, the best offense of a tactical officer is the ability to use cannons; normal and heavy. In concert with a healthy use of torpedo spreads and high-yield, I can DPS with the best of them in PvP. Although the Odyssey provides more armor, it does not allow for cannon use to be anywhere near feasible. All any enemy would have to do is keep chasing your rear flank until they kill you. So, unless you plan to switch from cannons to beam boat, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not enough offset with the Odyssey abilities to make this a viable

ODYSSEY TACTICAL VARIANT RANK HULL SHIELDS WEAPONS CREW BRIDGE OFFICERS

DEVICES CONSOLES

TURN RATE BONUS POWER ABILITIES

VICE ADMIRAL 42,000 6,008 4 FORE 4 AFT 2,500 CDR (ENG) LCDR (UNIVERSAL) LT (TAC & SCI) ENS (UNIVERSAL) 4 3 TACTICAL 4 ENGINEERING 3 SCIENCE 6 +10 WEAPONS +5 SHIELDS/AUX AQUARIUS-CLASS ESCORT

ODYSSEY SCIENCE VARIANT RANK HULL SHIELDS WEAPONS CREW BRIDGE OFFICERS

DEVICES CONSOLES

TURN RATE BONUS POWER ABILITIES

VICE ADMIRAL 42,000 6,008 4 FORE 4 AFT 2,500 CDR (ENG) LCDR (UNIVERSAL) LT (TAC & SCI) ENS (UNIVERSAL) 4 2 TACTICAL 4 ENGINEERING 4 SCIENCE 6 +10 SHIELDS/AUXILIARY WORKBEE REPAIR UNITS AU201204

FEATURE VICE ADMIRAL C.J. KIRCHEIS CONTEMPLATES THE PROTOTYPE USS ODYSSEY IN DOCK AT THE SHIPYARDS WITHIN SPACEDOCK.

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FEATURE

option for me to use on an everyday basis. For now, I’ll stick with either the Tactical Escort Retrofit or the Multi-Vector Attack Mode Prometheus. Meanwhile, the Science variant is a big step-up from the basic Odyssey. Where I opted to continue to use my Intrepid-class retrofit, once I got a hold of the Odyssey-class science variant, I switched over to it in a heartbeat. The added science console makes a huge difference given all of the science-specific consoles I’ve picked up in the other classes (Rhode Island, Nebula, Bellerophon) that I wanted to make use of. While the Intrepid-class retrofit had that awesome ablative generator console, I traded it in for the added hull points and shield power bonus, easily. I’m not going to lie and say that you can hang out extra-long with this class over the other

science classes, but I can say with all certainty that you’ll see a marked improvement in your ability to take damage and last a bit longer than in the Nebula or Intrepid retrofits. The added bonus to having all three variants in your inventory, is that you can combine all three of the abilities onto a single Odyssey class and reap the benefits of a Chevron Separation, Work Bees and the Aquarius Escort. The combined power of all three nets you the Enhanced Engineering Systems (+0.5 Flight Turn Rate, 25% reduction to all Odyssey consoles, +12 to Hull, Armor, and Plasma systems). That’s enough to cause any player to buy the three-pack over collecting each one individually. Also, it’s a benefit Cryptic doesn’t go out of their way to highlight in their engineering blog posts, either. Which is kind of a shame, because I would think

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FEATURE

THE NEW AND VERY LARGE COMMAND/INFORMATION CENTER OF THE ODYSSEY-CLASS STAR CRUISER, KNOWN WITHIN THE GAME AS THE “AQUARIUS” BRIDGE, FEATURES A SMALL FORWARD OBSERVATION AREA THAT LOOKS OUT OVER THE SHIP’S BOW.

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FEATURE that to be a keen selling point! All in all, while the basic Odyssey-class Star Cruiser left me wanting shortly after the anniversary event, Cryptic did their level best by bringing us a major improvement in the Advanced version of the class. If I had to change anything about the release of the advanced class, it would have to be the price. I would think that anyone who picked up the anniversary edition might be entitled to some kind of a discount against the improved classes, but Cryptic (under the control of Perfect World Entertainment) continues to shift toward the higher-end microtransaction model, especially with the advent of F2P. Speaking strictly as a lifetime member (since the closed beta of STO), I think there’s very little added benefit to being a Gold

member these days what with all the additional money you still have to plunk down in order to buy a ship. Sure, we get a stipend of 400 Cryptic points per month, but it’s hardly enough to cover the cost of the three-pack at a total of 4,000 CP, which would take a Gold member about 10 months to save up in order to purchase it. I believe that Cryptic should take a good look at the Gold model and make some adjustments to it as they’ve done to Champions Online and give better incentive to sign up for a monthly cost, rather than being nickel-anddimed along with the Silver (free) users. Of course, this is simply my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

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FEATURE

THE AQUARIUS-CLASS ESCORT VESSEL USS GEMINI UNDOCKS FROM THE ODYSSEY-CLASS USS IOLANTHE TO PERFORM ITS DUTY.

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CHAPLAIN

The HALO Report By CDR Melissa N. Hadley Ship’s Chaplain (Episcopalian)

aster is just around the corner. Coming out of Lent, the traditional time for reflection and self-discipline, we come upon the Easter. Whether the celebrating the Resurrection or celebrating the fresh Spring engulfing our hemisphere, there is no escaping the realization that Easter is the time to be born anew.

away the things of winter can help the mind transition into the new season. To some, this is the second New Year. As chicks  Open your house. Open windows, doors, and break their shells, grass grows, leaves and flowers open the shades. Let in the natural light. return to grace the trees and ground, and the There may still be cloudy weather, but the Christ who had died rises again, many people colors and freshness in the air can still lend a break out of their respective shells and enjoy life helping hand. with a greater love and hope. Sloughing off the  Have a BBQ. On a dry day, make use of the winter blues and seeing the brilliant color of spring BBQ that's been hiding since fall. The scent of both outside and in. fresh BBQ is a great way to bring someone back out of the blues. With this renewed energy, you can focus on your  Attend Holy Week services. If you're religious full potential and being all you can be. To help and Christian, attending Holy Week (or at least ease this along, there are some great things you Easter) celebrations can help spiritually can do to refresh your mind and body: transition you out of the winter and Lenten ruts.  Take a walk. If your area is now covered by spring, take a walk through it. Smell the Welcome to Easter time and the joys of Spring! scents of the flowers, the new sights of greens Have a great one, everyone! and bright flowery yellows and reds. Immerse yourself in spring.  Pack away your winter clothes and bring out Melissa Hadley is our ship’s chaplain, in addition to her the spring's. Sometimes just the act of putting duties as the ship’s Executive Officer. She can be reached at xo@ussgygax.com

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ENG

engineering truth By (prov) LT Joshua Benner Chief Engineering Officer

which works well on all screen sizes using modern browser features such as CSS, media queries, and JavaScript. A website with well-implemented Responsive Design will load in your browser, but then you can drag the browser window increasingly smaller and watch the layout, sizes, and visibility of page elements changing in real time. Good examples of responsive design on the internet already are Smashing Magazine and the Boston Globe. Finally, one of the big-deal trends that caught my attention at Drupalcon was the discussion of incorporating much of the Symfony2 framework into the lower levels of the next release of Drupal. For a long time, there has been an underlying attitude of "not-invented-here" in the Drupal community. That is, problems to be solved were often attacked using a Drupal-specific solution. This attitude resulted in a custom database layer, logging framework, HTTP stack, and so on. However, as Drupal becomes more complex and difficult to maintain, there is increased interest in using the expertise of others outside of Drupal. I was delighted to learn about how sophisticated yet simple the Symfony2 framework is, and how its replacement of some of the fundamental layers of Drupal will not only simplify Drupal's maintenance, but also expose some incredibly powerful capabilities such as subrequests and edge-side includes. While Drupalcon Denver definitely had a more corporate feel to it than past years, it was a good conference. The mobile message was loud and clear, and the developments on Drupal 8 are an encouraging sign for the future of Drupal. As more companies and governments adopt Drupal, the ecosystem around it will continue to mutate and grow. I look forward to the future of Drupal and future Drupalcons.

work as a Software Engineer in the Internet industry. These days, most of my effort takes place in the context of a popular web content management system (CMS) called Drupal. Drupal has been growing explosively in popularity over the five years I've been involved with it. What used to be a new entrant into the CMS market as a mostly hobbyist project has grown into a burgeoning open source and corporate ecosystem. Each spring, Drupal developers, users, administrators, and designers from all over the world gather for the North America Drupalcon to talk about using Drupal, where it is in the world, and where it's going. This year Drupalcon was held in the beautiful city of Denver. While I was there with my colleagues, we enjoyed fresh (if a little thin) air, breathtaking views of the mountains, biking along riverside paths, and sampling the finest local beers and pubs. Aside from the recreation, though, we spent a lot of time focused on Drupal and several trends that are pushing it forward: Mobile First, Responsive Design, and the Open Source mindset. Traditionally, Drupal has been a website tool aimed at rendering web pages targeted at desktop -like browsers. However, Luke Wroblewski, a world-renown designer, author, and product leader, convinced us during his entertaining keynote that mobile is a fast-growing trend that shows no signs of slowing down. He and others spent the week advocating a shift in how both makers and stakeholders approach the construction of modern websites: Mobile First Essentially, this new notion is to build website to look and work well on mobile devices first, then extend them to also work well on the desktop, since the mobile platforms are likely to become (or be now!) the primary manner in which users consume websites. As an extension of the mobile mindset, the practice of Responsive Design received a lot of attenJoshua Benner is the Chief Engineering Officer of USS tion. Responsive Design is a series of design and Gygax and our webmaster. You can reach him at development practices that produce a website eng@ussgygax.com.

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TECH U.S.S. Gygax NCC-63545 Technical Specifications

PART ONE: THE COMMAND CENTER By ENS Duane Watts allow the watch-stander a view of the holographic Engineering Officer display. Behind the Captain's chair is the tactical ou find yourself in the turbolift which is stations. Normally only the port side station is moving upwards. The lift stops, the door manned, during routine operation, the starboard opens up and you step out onto.. provides additional support in combat or can be configured for mission operations at other times. Both stations are designed for the watch-stander to remain standing, facing towards the front of the bridge. The turbolift has deposited you on the starboard And finally, on the aft bulkhead is the side, facing the bridge proper. To your right the various engineering stations. Centrally placed is a bulkhead where the holographic display can be large master systems display, providing an overall set to display external views from the sensors, view of the ship's engineering status from the visual communications, or various other items that plasma feeds into the warp nacelles all the way to is required by the bridge officers. data flows to and from the bridge. Flanking the The overall colors of the bridge are a mix multifunction display are the environmental station of blue lighting marking the various steps, beige on the starboard and auxiliary on the port. consoles, and black and silver paneling on the Moving to your right, you head to the walls. Overhead are blue-white lighting, providing doorway leading port and into... ample illumination without creating undue glare. Everything you see has a crisp, clean look, showing the newness of Gygax, not yet marred by scratches or wear. Even the air smells clean and fresh, though environmental systems have You only get a chance for a quick look before you improved considerably over the decades. realize that you took a wrong turn. A desk with a Ahead of you, in the center of the bridge, is terminal is situated in the middle of the room while the helm console. The helm has a slight arc, a couch and a low table is positioned along the providing easy reach for the helm officer of any forward bulkhead. A viewport and a replicator control. A few small steps behind the helm leads also catch your attention. The current up to the Captain's chair, flanked by the XO's and commanding officer of Gygax has taken the time the Visitor's chair which is raised slightly over the to make the room his own. helm to provide an unimpeded view over the helm Near the replicator sits a hung wall scroll of officer. the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrowhead with a geodesic shape with Also raised slightly, along the starboard the Starfleet five-point star in the center, while on and port bulkheads are two more stations placed the opposite bulkhead is a still holograph of the for visibility from the center. Starboard is the Akira-class starship in flight. A bust of Gary Operations station while port is the Science Gygax sits in the corner near the holograph. station. Both consoles face obliquely forward to Stepping back out onto the bridge, you

DECK 1: BRIDGE

DECK 1: READY ROOM

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TECH

Image courtesy of wiki.maquis.com head for the door leading starboard and find meetings are possible within this room. On the yourself in a short corridor. Following it aft, you port and starboard bulkheads, display panels enter... reside, positioned to provide visuals to those sitting at the table. The forward bulkhead is painted in the logo of the USS Gygax, flanked by what appears to be a painting of a fire breathing dragon looming The view out of the aft windows is the first thing to over a knight in shining armor on one side and a capture anyone's attention. Looking out over the painting of the starship Gygax herself on the saucer, you can see the valley between the other. catamarans that support the nacelles and sail. Beyond the ship, you can see the scattered stars in the background, as well as any nearby nebulae. Pulling your gaze away from that view, you see a large conference room table, surrounded by In the next issue of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED, chairs, running the length of the room. The chairs Ensign Watts will continue his deck-by-deck tour all look quite comfortable, suggesting that long of Gygax!

DECK 1: OBSERVATION LOUNGE

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COVER

STAR COMMAND AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JORDAN COOMBS OF WAR BALLOON GAMES

by CAPT Michael D. Garcia & LT Joshua Benner

ARTWORK & SCREENSHOTS PROVIDED BY WAR BALLOON GAMES

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COVER

ast year, the prospective game Star Command was brought to the chapter's attention shortly after we launched. Several of the chapter members even pitched in to help Kickstart the game and helped feed some money into it so they could move forward with the development. Since then, USS Gygax has been keeping one eye on their website and their twitter account for more news, screenshots, and other announcements about when this game is coming out. If you've never visited their website before, then you probably don't know much about it, but it's safe to say that the concept of the game falls well within our area of interest given that we're all science-fiction and gaming fans. As of this writing, however, the release date of Star Command is simply, "When it is awesome." Jordan Coombs, one-third of the Star Command team over at War Balloon Games, sat down with us to answer a few questions at what has become one of the most highly anticipated iOS games in a very long time.

WE WON'T EVER MAKE A TINY TOWER OR SMURFVILLAGE TYPE GAME, BUT WE WON'T TAKE THE APPROACH THAT VALVE USED ON TEAM FORTRESS OFF THE TABLE. BUT, ETHICALLY WE BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD GET A FULL GAME EXPERIENCE IF YOU BUY OR DOWNLOAD THE GAME. a huge company with large resources to make a game that could make a splash. It's strange that the rise of both mobile and digital platforms like Steam have happened at the same time - it's really been a fantastic couple of years to be an indie developer.

AU: What inspired you to create and develop ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Can you tell us a little STAR COMMAND? bit about your background? How did you get started in developing iOS apps? JC: We have always been really big Trek fans. One night my brother (Justin) and I were hanging JORDAN COOMBS (W AR BALLOON GAMES): Jordan out watching TNG and found it interesting how the and Justin are brothers and mortal enemies. show always started in the middle of the boring There can be no peace as long as the other mission. They would be in the middle of cataloging survives. Until we resolve that though, we were in advertising as Art Directors. Our backgrounds are in fine arts as well as well as design. We really have no formal training in video game development - just a lot of passion. Steve Tranby, our developer god has had a couple game releases before joining us to produce the greatest game ever. We are also working on Star Command. We have all wanted to game development but until the mobile boom, it really felt like you had to be

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COVER STAR COMMAND; CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE nebulas or hosting some diplomats when the main story would start. We always thought it was more interesting to think about the stuff they did when they weren't battling the Borg are dealing with Q just going these humdrum missions, scanning asteroids and space dust. The day to day of a Starship. After we got into the actual design we wanted to capture more of that crappy sci-fi flare hokey enemy designs, archetypal characters, etc. We love all sci-fi as well, so there are elements of Aliens, X-Com, Battlestar - really its just a melting pot. AU: What has been the biggest surprise about the whole process in developing STAR COMMAND?

diplomatic simulator, the first goal is to have something that is fun to play. It can be very hard to pull features because it's really not adding to gameplay. We want people to play our game eventually though, so we have to be able to say no. AU: Have you started thinking about what happens after the launch? JC: Quite a bit. Assuming some good success, lots of free content. Right now we have plans to have a level cap for you crew at level 60. That way we can see how people are playing the game, the missions that are working etc, and then release high level zones - stuff that is really challenging for your experienced veteran crew that you have spent all that time building. And yes, it will be free. We believe in an old school model you buy our game, you get the full game, and a bunch of free stuff afterward. We will charge for things like expansion packs. Our first would probably be "Away Teams", allowing you to go down to planets, visit alien vessels and starbases etc. The work to get something like that together would be pretty significant, so there will be a couple dollar charge for that expansion.

JC: Two things. The first has been our success. When we did the Kickstarter campaign we really thought we would make maybe 10k - just see what kind of response we could and maybe luck out. We were very very surprised to see the response. In our minds eye, we figured we thought it might be some under ground type game that got a bit a following post release. We were very wrong. The second thing has been limiting ourselves. As much as we want a complex AU: Kirk or Picard?

JC: Yeesh. That's one of the hardest questions ever. Kirk only because he did it so long. There are so many things to like about Picard, but Kirk had a little more to work with his best friend died, he lost his son, and his character really grew from the television series to the final film. Picard is great, and his run on the television shows was actually better than Kirks. He had his character moments too, like being converted to a Borg or living the entire life of a long dead civilization -

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COVER but there is just something about Kirk being Kirk that is undeniable. But even as we type this it feels like we could switch to Picard. As us again next week. AU: Do the fans scare you sometimes? JC: Not really - we're fans too after all. Sometimes things can get a little intense, and expectations are sky high, so were gonna let some people down. We changed combat from strategy based like xcom into a real time based combat because it was just simply more fun - the community freaked out. And that's ok, they have every right to. We think a big part of it is because we try to open our doors as much as possible - we give updates on the game, show our trials and tribulations and consistently miss release dates. That's a recipe for some passionate follower but also for people to have a strong opinion about the product they are investing in. AU: What is it like to be hailed almost like a hero for what you've promised and not yet delivered? Is there a lot of pressure under the current circumstances? JC: Big time pressure - big time. Like we said - we thought our biggest challenge would be getting attention. We have a lot of attention, now its just about making a game that lives up to sky high expectations. AU: What is your favorite text editor? JC: Random. We use Google docs pretty extensively during development. Easy to share, collaborate etc.

... THE FIRST GOAL IS TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT IS FUN TO PLAY.

AU: What magical things about science fiction shows are you hoping to help players relive in STAR COMMAND? JC: Tough one there. Couple things come to mind. Camaraderie of your crew. There isn't a formal sims type system, where certain crew members like other crew members, or some dont get along. But to get your crew to high ranks is going to be difficult. Lot's of stuff to kill them out there. Were hoping that players will start to fill in this internal story in their heads, and when Ben Deacon, who you picked up as a rookie and has been around with your crew since your first mission gets sucked into the vacuum trying to repair your leaking engine core, you will have some sort of remorse and a feeling of loss. If we get that, and that alone, the game is a success. On top of that, introducing new races into the game and just that moment of "what the hell is that". We want to give players options to go to into combat or not without really knowing the consquence. Sometimes you may let something live and you have access to a whole new race to recruit crew members from - other times if you let it live it live it will create havoc on your ship, killing numerous crew members. AU: How would you describe the humor of the game?

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COVER STAR COMMAND; CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE JC: 10% toilet, 40% main stream sci-fi, 25% crappy sci-fi, 15% video game reference, 13% wedont-know-where-this-came-from and 2% butterscotch ripple

years or so you had to have multiple team members with huge budges working on a high risk game. It's not surprising there are so many sequels - video games for a long time have been high risk. Mobile has really kind of flipped that AU: Have you abandoned your day jobs, or is upside down. this now your primary occupation? AU: Do you see adapting STAR COMMAND to JC: Yes we have. So buy the game or our other platforms such as PC/Mac? children will go hungry. You'll only have yourselves to blame if they do. JC: Assuming good sales, definitely. So, it's on you guys. BUY THE DAMN GAME! AU: What are your favorite games (other than STAR COMMAND)? AU: What are your thoughts about the microtransaction trend in entertainment software? JC: X-Com is a huge one (clearly). Civilization. Team Fortress 2. Minecraft is a real game- JC: This is how we look at it. There are tons of changer and evolution in game design. All of the trends in video games. The NES was probably too Daggerfall games have been great. Star kiddy for Commodore 64 fans, consoles were for Command. Oh wait. Crap. frat boys and little kids to PC fans, and now "gamers" look at FarmVille and Tiny Tower and AU: What drew you to mobile development? say "those are crap games". But the freemium model is doing a couple things that we really like JC: Mobile is a lot like the PC market of the 90's - it get's people that normally wouldn't play games a very small team can sit down, make a great to try them out - and that is always good. Those game and make enough money from it to start a people eventually get bored with Farmville and studio and do it full time. PC and most certainly look for something a little more challenging consoles, have become a burden to develop for. maybe the Sims and then possibly Civilization. Steam has helped a bit, but really until the last 3 The other thing about trends like that is eventually the gaming core finds a way to make it theirs and cool Team Fortress 2 is now a "freemium" game, and that is one we have no problem with. We won't ever make a Tiny Tower or SmurfVillage type game, but we won't take the approach that Valve used on Team Fortress off the table. But ethically we believe that you should get a full game experience if you buy or download the game. If we charge you for it, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting the full game. If you download it for free, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting the full

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COVER game with a monetization model that doesn't nickel and dime you. For instance, if Minecraft went free and asked for like $5 per mod we would totally be cool with that. If Minecraft went free and charged you to get new skins and gear - thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bullsh!t. The community will figure out what's acceptable and what isn't. Our favorite example of this is DLC. When Bethesda did the $5 for horse armor people flipped out, and rightly so. The message was "this isn't how we want DLC". Developers took note and you quickly saw DLC morph into much more reasonable things, like map packs or full blown expansions. It's easy to just say "it's stupid and wrecking games", but that probably isn't the truth. There is something cool (and profitable) there the hardcore gamers will figure out how to adopt it and in three years there will be twenty great games that use that model and no one will complain.

really happy that Double Fine is gonna make an adventure game (we contributed the Kickstarter ourselves) but the problem could be large development houses start using it as a way to sell their games and push genuine 2-3 person indies out. There is only so much money to go around, and as much as we sincerely love Double Fine, if it was our choice that 2.5 million would be way better used giving 100k to 25 different developers than for just one game. All that said, it's truly fantastic. It helps AU: Kickstarter was obviously a great tool for small guys get off the ground, gets rid of the you to use. What do you think about other crappy publisher/developer relationship and really tools for indie developers that are on the rise, the gaming community as whole benefits. Can't such as Desura? complain about any of that. JC: Nothing but good there. The only danger we AU: Within the game itself, given the current can see is companies like Double Fine or Firaxis climate of iOS games making use of social etc kind of wrecking it. Not to say that we aren't media integration, does STAR COMMAND feature anything that will follow suit, beyond the normal, "Hey, I'm playing this" tweets/ facebook wall posts?

MOBILE IS A LOT LIKE THE PC MARKET OF THE 90'S - A VERY SMALL TEAM CAN SIT DOWN, MAKE A GREAT GAME AND MAKE ENOUGH MONEY FROM IT TO START A STUDIO AND DO IT FULL TIME.

JC: We have really cool ideas, both with trading crew members and getting exclusive gear, but first thing is first - getting the game done. Our social media stuff is kind of fluff at the end. If we have time we really want to do it, but we have a pretty hard date set for ourselves. Some of that stuf may just happen post release.

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COVER STAR COMMAND; CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE JC: We will, probably around 20-50, but that will be very public and very equal opportunity. Expect an announcement around the end of March. AU: Would you like to join our STARFLEET Chapter? JC: We would but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re gonna go ahead and keep as much distance from aligning ourselves with Star Trek until post release. Don't want any confusion that get lawyers at very large companies in a cease and desist or suing mood. We do have a cool feature with Facebook and your phone contacts though. Where do you AU: Thank you so much for spending time think we're gonna pull the names for your crew with us, Jordan. We appreciate it. members from? For those of you wanting to get the latest AU: Do you guys game together (tabletop, PC, information on Star Command, you can visit their etc)? website at http://www.starcommandgame.com and follow Jordan on twitter over at http:// JC: We do indeed. Lots of board games (really twitter.com/starcommandgame or like them on want to try Star Trek Fleet Captains - we will Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ shamelessly plug it if we get a free copy), D&D, StarCommandGame. All sites are updated pretty Star Wars RPG. frequently with news and updates about the game We're also in a Team Fortress 2 clan and we will hopefully see a release date in the called deadbabies. If you don't think those jokes near future. Everyone here at Gygax is avidly are funny, you probably aren't gonna like Star awaiting the chance to play the final product! Command. We're also gonna be at PAX and one of our goals is to get down on some D&D madness there. Gonna have to see what the schedule will look like (we are there under kickstarters banner). AU: Need any extra beta testers?

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THE MAD ANDROIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUZZLE PAGE

PUZZLE

CRAZY CROSSWORD #2 Across 1. Drop from the eye 5. Beauty pageant wear 9. Trowel wielder 14. Arm bone 15. Car bar 16. "Remember the ___!" 17. Peel 18. Obsolescent phone feature 19. A violin made by Antonio Stradivari 20. TOS Episode Title; Hull made of neutronium 23. Dump 24. "Is that ___?" 25. ___ juice (milk) 26. Chowed down 27. Captain, Abbrev. 29. "___, humbug!" 32. DS9 Actor Biggs 35. Gangster's gal 36. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and western Burma 37. The chief law officer of a country or state 40. "High" time 41. Length x width, for a rectangle 42. Blatant 43. Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Abbrev. 44. A coffin along with its stand 45. Award bestowed by Queen Eliz. 46. Tasha or Ishara 47. Letters on a Cardinal's cap 48. "Ain't ___ Sweet" 51. The sciences involved in the study of the physical world and its phenomena 57. Conscious 58. "Thanks ___!" 59. Colored eye part 60. Some shirts 61. French novelist Pierre 62. Seven of ___ or Deep Space ___ 63. Bias 64. Chooses, with "for" 65. Kind of card

Down 1. Term for feces 2. Ness of "The Untouchables" 3. Bother

4. Rear Admiral, Abbrev. 5. A seat for the rider of a horse 6. Like some symmetry 7. Cut down 8. Station on the bridge; controls flight 9. A person or animal that is adopted by a team 10. Even if, briefly 11. Delhi dress 12. Arab League member 13. Plasma power object 21. Debaucher 22. Copious 26. Federation timeship 27. Demurer 28. Aquatic plant 29. In need of resupply, maybe 30. Biology lab supply 31. "Stop right there!" 32. "Out of the question" 33. Bit of physics 34. "Enough!" 35. ___ mortals

36. Actress Campbell 38. Nigerian money 39. Federation starship; went searching for the Hera 44. Minimum 45. Inflammation of the ear 46. Runabout; named for a Canadian river 47. Captain Montgomery or Captain Tryla 48. Curtain fabric 49. "Die Lorelei" poet 50. Federation starship; lost at MabBu VI 51. Drops off 52. Military no-show 53. The basic unit of money in Western Samoa 54. Federation freighter that "hiccuped" 55. Hogwash 56. Holographic woman at Vic's lounge

SOLUTION IN THE NEXT ISSUE!

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PUZZLE

THE MAD ANDROID’S PUZZLE PAGE

WORD SEARCH: STARSHIP NAMES (A-C)

ADELPHI AGAMEMNON AJAX AKAGI ANTARES APPALACHIA ARCHER ARIEL ARIES ARMSTRONG BELLEROPHON BERLIN

BIKO BILLINGS BONCHUNE BOZEMAN BRADBURY BRATTAIN BUDAPEST BURAN CAIRO CAROLINA CENTAUR CHALLENGER

CHARLESTON CHEKOV CHICAGO CLAVIN CLEMENT COCHRANE COLUMBIA CONCORD CONSTANTINOPLE CONSTELLATION CORTEZ CROCKETT

SOLUTION IN THE NEXT ISSUE!

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FANFIC In this issue of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED, we are pleased to bring you the third chapter of a crossover fanfic featuring Star Trek and Doctor Who. Chapter Three Apologies and Ramifications NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon) Stationary position relative to the remains of Outpost ZetaThirteen. Main Engineering Stardate 65540.5 "I apologize, but I've never heard of that species before." Lieutenant Commander Taurik eyed the thin man standing before him. The Doctor grinned. "Time Lord? Not surprising. I doubt any exist in this timestream." "Forgive me for saying, but you share a striking resemblance to that of a Terran." "A Terran?" "They call themselves 'human.'" "Ah. Well, a freak coincidence of aesthetics, I suppose. I can assure you, the two are very different." He had just been released from the holding cell where he enjoyed the company of Gwen Cooper for all of five minutes before the captain issued orders to release him. The Doctor eyed a console directly behind Taurik and pointed, "Is that your primary method of propulsion I see back there?" Taurik did not turn. He merely nodded. "That is correct." "Mind if I have a look?" "The captain informs me that you hold a security clearance above mine, Doctor. Therefore, I see no reason to hide anything

from you." He stepped aside and gestured with his right hand toward it. "Please proceed." The Doctor pulled out a pair of eyeglasses and peered at it. "Forgive me for sounding a bit dense, but is this a matter-energy conversion-based power system?" "It is, Doctor." "You take the energy from matter and anti-matter, channel the explosion through a..." He read aloud, "'di-lithium crystal housing,' and then modulate the plasma flow to a series of subspace coils housed in the nacelles to generate a field that allows for smooth

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FANFIC transition to faster-than-light speeds?" "That is correct," repeated Taurik. "Well! Not exactly smooth. I was being kind. You're literally running over the fabric of space and time with cleated boots. I'm surprised the whole of space hasn't fallen out from under you lot." Taurik altered the display. "Perhaps this would be of interest to you, Doctor." The Doctor read the screen aloud again. "'Variable geometric pylons?" He snapped his fingers and pointed. "Brilliant! You alter the geometric structure of the FTL field with each generation to reduce the impact of the transfer to FTL speeds!" He sighed happily. "May I just say you people are just about the most conscientious beings I've met in a very long time." "We're here to serve, Doctor." "And modest, too. Very modest." He peered at the first dis-

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play again. "You don't run into the problem with time dilation as you approach the constant?" A hypothetical entry to warp speed was now animating on the display, under Taurik's manipulation. "We do not approach cee beyond point-two-five times cee," he explained. "A subspace field, once generated at the lowest power, is equal to one-cee. We generate more power in the reaction chamber by keeping a one-to-one ratio at higher volume-" "Thus you move beyond onecee," the Doctor finished the thought. "Then, I'm assuming that the subspace field also shields you from time dilation altogether. Inside the field, time moves at the same rate as outside the field." "That is correct, Doctor. Subspace is considered to be an integral part of the space-time continuum that coexists with normal space in a confluence. It acts as an interfold layer," Taurik once again altered the screen to illustrate his narrative. "We also use this layer to maintain communications between ships, bases, and planets." The Doctor could not contain his enthusiasm. "That's just brilliant. This Starfleet of yours is most impressive, Commander." "Thank you, Doctor." Taurik sensed the conversation was drawing to a close, and pointed to another console. "Shall we review the outpost data we've ac-

FANFIC cumulated so far?" "We shall," the Doctor told him. "Lead on, my pointy-eared engineer." "For the record, I'm a Vulcan. It is also the name of our homeworld." The Doctor removed his glasses, then tilted his head. "You named yourselves and your planet after a Roman god from Earth?" "It is pure coincidence that both words exist in our languages. Obviously, they hold different meanings," explained Taurik as they approached another station. "I'm told that every race has various linguistic similarities." "You know, that's actually quite astute. Earth has several hundred languages and at least one word from each has a meaning to another species' language or dialect. Take the word 'd책rlig' for example." Taurik listened, but began the playback of the alien message shortly before the scientists' and engineers were killed. The dissonant tones played at a lower volume, but they still carried the same chill as before to those within earshot. The Doctor froze. "From the beginning, please." Taurik complied and set the playback point from the start of the recovered record. When it was finished, the Doctor's joviality vanished. In its place, a stony look at the waveform audio display resided. "As I was saying, Commander, take the word d책rlig for example. In Norwegian, it means 'bad,' and I can't think of a better word to describe this scenario."

"Other than the obvious circumstances, Doctor, is there another reason why you would choose that word?" "The pronunciation of that word is a homonym for the name of that species, Commander." He pushed past the Vulcan and began walking quickly for the exit. "Let's go see Captain Magambo. Once again, I have to be the bearer of bad news."

The Doctor stood before the entire senior staff in the bridge conference lounge. "They're called Daleks. They're from my timestream, which suggests that you people found a way to punch through the fabric of the spacetime continuum and gained pandimensional access. Congratulations, you just made contact with the most xenophobic homicidal species you'll ever meet." Martha snorted, "We should introduce you to the Borg." "I'm deadly serious, Martha." Magambo interjected, "Doctor, no one at this table is not taking your information seriously." She leveled her gaze at Martha and repeated, "No one." She rose from the table and continued, "However, we've certain protocols we must observe when determining a threat to the Federation. That includes providing Starfleet Command with as complete a threat analysis as we can." The Doctor folded his arms and leaned against the bulkhead. "Sounds like military procedure, but a practical one. What do you

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FANFIC need to know?" An audio alert interrupted the conversation. "Bridge to captain. We're receiving a distress call from a civilian freighter outside the designated zone. She's under attack by an unknown vessel." Magambo tapped the commpanel. "Recall all shuttles and make your course for the source of that call. Engage at flank speed." Once the channel cleared, she answered the Doctor, "Everything, please. As quickly as you can."

Captain's Log Supplemental Recorded under security lockout X-Ray-OneOne-Zero The Doctor has provided us with a complete technological profile of the Dalek technology. We are on fast approach to the distress call of the freighter Queen Elizabeth X, which has provided a sensor profile of the attacking party. The profile data was confirmed by the Doctor and as ordered, I have transmitted the data directly to Starfleet Security. "This is absolutely remarkable," said the Doctor, as he stared at the face of Lieutenant Commander Ursula Blake. His cheeks were resting upon his palm, and his elbows supported them against the top of the operations console. "Absolutely remarkable," he repeated, showing off his teeth in an abashed smile. Ursula, for her part, could not help but blush under the Doctor's scrutiny. "May I help you,

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sir?" "Oh, nothing. Just admiring the handiwork of space and time." He straightened up, then leaned against the console with his right elbow. "How close are you with Leftenant Pope over there?" "I beg your pardon, sir." "Don't call me 'sir,' please." "I'm sorry, su- Doctor." Ursula knew that. She had listened to the briefing from the captain. "To answer your question, the leftenant and I are not that close. We take meals together in the mess, sometimes." The Doctor grinned. "Far be it for me to make any kind of a suggestion, but I think you make a lovely couple." Ursula moved her head to eye the back of Pope's as he worked at the helm. "Really?" "Oh, yeah," the Doctor replied with a quick nod. "There might be something there worth exploring." Ursula opened her mouth, but the captain called out, "Doctor." The Doctor turned away and joined the captain in the center of the bridge. "Yes, Captain?" "We're approaching the freighter. I thought perhaps you would like to take a look?" Without waiting for his response, she ordered that the sensor data be placed on the main viewscreen. Ursula reported, "No lifesigns aboard, sir. Reading multiple hull breaches along the command section and the cargo holds are exposed to space." The Doctor put on his spectacles and eyed the sensor information. "Can your sensors give me a proper metallurgical analysis of the hull?"

FANFIC "Mister Blake?" asked the captain. Ursula replied, "We're a bit too far away from the freighter for a complete scan, but I have some preliminary data coming through right now. I'm putting in on the main screen." "Indeed. Very efficient, thank you, Commander," the Doctor said, distractedly. His eyes scanned the information. "High-level disruption at the molecular level." He twisted around to face the captain. "Quick! What weapons from this timestream could disrupt the molecules of a freighter like that?" Martha answered first, "The Breen, the Ferengi, the Gorn..." Ursula continued, "The Lysians, the Klingons..." Magambo finished, "Rigelians, Romulans, the Borg, the Cardassians, the Dominion..." She sighed. "So we can't narrow it down?" "The Daleks do employ disruptors that could do this kind of damage. It's possible this is them, but I'd need to take a closer look at the damaged section of the hull." The Doctor added, "With Commander Taurik's help, of course. He's a good, smart-looking fellow." Martha beamed. "One of the best in Starfleet." "No doubt." Magambo ordered, "As the Doctor wishes. Number One, Mister

Blake. I want a sample beamed to main engineering, immediately. Mister Cooper, talk to Doctor Thann and coordinate transport of the fallen to the morgue."

The Doctor found himself back in the engineering compartment, working alongside Lieutenant Commander Taurik. "You know, I really like you. You're swift and efficient, intelligent and thoughtful. Your staff follows your outstanding example. I may never leave this place." Taurik did not turn his head. His hands continued to fly over

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FANFIC the console's input pad. "I am honored by your assessment of my performance, Doctor. As is my staff." "Just stating the obvious." "Is it your wish to join Starfleet?" "I might." "Then might I say that if you wished to join, I'm certain Starfleet would greatly benefit from your knowledge and experience," Taurik informed him candidly. "I'm sure they might. I'll look into it." The Doctor hopped from one foot to the other. "Have they, uh... 'beamed' the sample over, yet?" The chief engineering officer checked the console display. "The transport is commencing, now, Doctor." A shimmering blue light appeared and a jagged section of the freighter's hull materialized upon the sensor panel. On it in an instant, the Doctor reached into his inside suit pocket and pulled out his sonic screwdriver, then from the side pocket, he pulled out a set of white spectacles. One lens was red, and the other blue. He peered at the twisted metal and grinned uncontrollably. "Oh, yes! This has a pan-dimensional signature!" His screwdriver was lifted over the hull; it's bright blue light and high-pitched trill sounding off quickly. "Dalek. And either they've upgraded their gunsticks... I mean, based on the level of damage, these Daleks are from before the Time War." "Time War?" The Doctor straightened his posture. "Long story. Suffice to

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say, this is enough to convince me you've got a bigger problem on your hands." Taurik tilted his head. "What do you mean, Doctor?" After turning to face Taurik, the Doctor sighed. "Well, a group of Daleks tend to pepper their target with multiple strikes. And their armor is suited for spaceflight at sublight speeds. The attack damage that your Commander Blake provided with her analysis is spot on with a typical attack pattern. However..." When the Doctor went silent in thought, Taurik prompted him, "However...?" "I'm sorry," said the Doctor as he removed his red and blue specs. "I'm so sorry. No single, or even a small group of Dalek armor could do this kind of damage." He shook his head as he spoke the last words of his sentence. He folded his arms over his chest, with his sonic screwdriver in one hand and the specs in the other. He continued, "I'm afraid they've brought a ship through that rift. The damage suggests it might be a heavy cruiser-class ship, which carries ship-mounted disruptors and ship-to-ship missiles." Taurik narrowed his eyes at the new information. "How many Daleks man a heavy cruiser-class ship?" The Doctor rubbed his forehead. "Over twenty-five hundred Daleks in full battle armor." Chapter Four of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New Threatâ&#x20AC;? will appear in the next issue, so be sure to pick up Volume 2, Issue 3 of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!

SCI

SCIENCE REPORT By (prov) LTJG Monica Ayhens Chief Science Officer

hoton torpedoes without science is naked militarism. Science without photon torpedoes is….? At Star Trek’s core, throughout its various iterations and reboots, has been the exhortation for exploration and discovery. Boldly going, the crews of the various vessels and stations that comprise the canon have sought to extend the Federation’s knowledge even as they sought to defend it from external and internal attack. This vision of the future, of scientists not in lab coats but in uniform, ranks as important as doctoral degrees, is not only a prediction of the future but a projection of present and past connections between science and military power. It is hardly surprising that Starfleet, the Federation’s exploratory arm (with impressive armament) follows a naval ranking structure. Likewise, it’s hardly surprising that Captain Picard and the officers of the Enterprise-D like to dress up as their eighteenth-century counterparts in the holodeck, much less sing Gilbert and Sullivan ditties. Great Britain’s Royal Navy, in the midst of the tumultuous, war-wracked, Enlightened 1700s, was a vital part in the nation’s scientific endeavors. We can thank naval officers and administrators for trials that gave us a successful chronometer, and with it a reliable means of determining latitude. Medical science advanced through the efforts of figures such as Dr. James Lind, who first made the connection between citrus fruits and an effective means of fighting scurvy. The main figure of heroic exploration is doubtless Captain James Cook, who observed the transit of Venus from Tahiti and explored from the South Pacific to the coasts of

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Alaska, among his many exploits. He fell to his unfortunate end in which, like so many away missions gone wrong, he was thought to be a god before meeting his demise at the end of a well-aimed rock. This connection, between military might and the quest to explore both the world and the heavens beyond it, only strengthened in reality and the public imagination. While the United States’ Exploratory Expedition of the 1830s may have had a commanding officer cut in the mold of William Bligh, the mission made the first sighting of Antarctica, the mysterious southernmost continent and brought back the artifacts that would become the first collections of the Smithsonian. In the twentieth century, military personnel have explored the ocean depths and served as the pilots of space programs across the globe. Some of the most significant advances in physics have occurred in wartime and under the auspices of military power, though not without staggering human costs and lingering moral, ethical, and political questions. Nor is this connection limited to the actual world. Even on television screens, interstellar travel and discovery is in the hands of United States Air Force in the various Stargate series. The one with MacGuyver remains the best, in my opinion. Looking at the future, or at least the fictional future, through the lens of the past and present, tells us a great deal about how we think about the relationship between science and military force. Those thoughts are by no means simple or uniform.

SPECIAL

Gaming for the Visually-Impaired By ENS Marty Montgomery card games, and have come up with other games Command Division Officer on their own. Some examples are Uno and Special Column for ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED checkers. The next problem, and possibly the biggest aming is likely a sizable part of our lives. depending on the area and format of game, is When many of us aren't working, travelling to the location of the host's or hostess' spending time with the family or doing home; more so at the beginning when they first other things with friends, we're gaming in some meet up with someone from the group. Some way or the other. Whether that be online gaming solutions to this are: ask if they can bring in the form of any MMORPG or text-based RP someone else whether the other person game, in any format, perhaps even a board game participates in whatever game or games, or we all know or maybe a game of cards, or maybe perhaps just observe. Ask if someone could pick you're dragging the dice out and the rulebooks you up, whether it's the person you are invited by and other reference material for your favorite or someone else. Also you may have someone tabletop gaming session with some friends. you already know take you, drop you off, and These are all good examples of gaming. come back later and get you. Even if you live in a However, there are some of our fellow gamers city with various forms of public transportation that do not have the same capabilities as we all and/or paratransit system, that system may not do. I, myself, am one of them... that being visually- service the area you live in or the area where you impaired gamers. There are others who may face are going, so other arrangements would have to other challenges with gaming as well, such as the be made. hearing-impaired or those with limited or no use of The next problem is with online gaming. limbs, perhaps. While I am not further physically This is the area that likely may cost the most at impaired from gaming I am visually impaired, and first. There are several possible solutions for though I have most of my vision, there would be screen readers. The more popular names are times when I need assistance. So, in this column, GW Micro’s Window Eyes, Freedom Scientific’s I will talk about some of the challenges and JAWS for Windows and Nuance’s Dragon solutions visually-impaired gamers may face and Naturally Speaking. These may work for instance use. These may vary on the severity of visual- somewhat with text-based games, but they all impairment and what, if any, amount of correction have their pros and cons. JAWS which a lot of or adaptation is used by a visually-impaired visually impaired people who use screen readers gamer. tend to use it the most often, costs several The first problem you may encounter with hundred dollars to buy. Also I personally am not visually-impaired gamers in board and tabletop aware how many visually-impaired players that games is that they may not be able to see clearly use screen readers if any play MMORPGs. the results of any actions they take, such as rolling However depending where you look there are dice in a tabletop game, or if not told present many visually impaired gamers who play textpositions in some games like Risk perhaps. may based games. Some solutions players use for text make moves they cannot. The most common -based games are making sound packs for solution for this is to make sure that the player can various clients that afford such capabilities, one at least depend on one other player to describe such client as example is GWA Games’ VIP MUD positions on boards or inform of dice results. Also, client. Also one solution for this, though it takes a as far as board games, there are companies that bit, is asking the administrators on such games to cater to visually-impaired enthusiasts. They make add the ability to the game so that it's more versions of some of the more popular board and accessible to visually-impaired gamers. Examples

CONTINUED ON PAGE 51 AU201204

SPECIAL

GWA Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VIP Mud client is just one of the many ways that visually-impaired players can participate and enjoy online textbased gaming. of this option can be: adding an option to describe any graphics textually, (i.e. giving location and/or coordinate listings along with the map but in a separate file/command than the map). Also another problem and solution that may happen more often than not in face to face gaming such as board, card or tabletop RPGs is that the rules and other source material needed, may need to be converted to large print or braille for the visually impaired gamer, or you could record them on a cd or convert them to a computer file if need be, and save them to a disk of some sort and hand them to the person in advance so theyll have what they need. Also as far as character sheets and such other things they will need them in some sort of accessible format as well. Also while many gamers that play tabletop rpgs may have their own set of dice, there are not many sources of accessible dice for visually impaired people. There are however the standard d6 die available in accessible format, but are more costly as well. While cost in some way hinders all gamers, it can hinder visually impaired gamers more than most others as well, I've mentioned the voice recognition program costs for computers and online gaming, but there's also possibly costs more than that. Some choose to for instance get visually impaired versions of eReaders but these

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products can cost at least three to ten or more times than the popular eReaders. Also speaking of eReaders, there may be some, differences in pronunciations and where some may read 4D8 some may not even recognize it and read it at all or say "error" or something similar, also some words may be pronounced wrong as well. These are only a few problems and solutions for visually impaired gamers. These are the most common but there are others that will and do happen and come up. Say it's imperative you have them there, but they're not able to get there due to inclement weather, and no one wishes to risk their own lives and vehicle to go pick them up do you cancel? or find a work around or play some other game that day? So the next time you see a visually impaired gamer whether online, at a convention of some sorts, or in a regular gaming group, think of the challenges they may have faced and may at times still face. Also while I only briefly mentioned those with other challenges other than vision impairment, think of the same for them of what they may have had to face or have to face still when gaming. Also one last tip and I believe I don't have to say this to most but always be truthful if reporting results to visually impaired gamers. Never give false information just to make the situation in the game worse or better than it may be.

ROSTER

USS GYGAX NCC-63545 S H IP’S RO S TER COMMAND STAFF

COMMANDING OFFICER (CO) CAPT Michael D. Garcia EXECUTIVE OFFICER (XO) CDR Melissa N. Hadley SECOND OFFICER (SO) VACANT SENIOR STAFF

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER VACANT CHIEF ENGINEERING OFFICER LT Joshua Benner CHIEF SECURITY OFFICER VACANT CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER VACANT CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER LTJG Monica Ayhens CHIEF FLIGHT CONTROLLER VACANT OFFICER-IN-CHARGE, 20th MARINE STRIKE GROUP 1LT Ted “Mindtrick” Pool Officers LTCOL Jonathan T. Madon LCDR Tia Marie LCDR Lauri L. McConaughy LTJG Larry Balsley LTJG Sarah Randle ENS Arnold Comeau III ENS George Schadler III ENS Duane Watts ENS Paschall Freeman ENS James Howard ENS Marty Montgomery ENS Matthew Gillette ENS Chris M. MacLir MID4 Jared Ethan MID4 Michael M. M. Haynes

SHIP’S CREW NCO& Enlisted CPO Robert M. Swarts CPO Sam Gilles PO1 Brenda Smeby PO1 Shra’Hawk PO2 Shon A. Elliott CRR Timothy M. Ince CRR Kirk J. Felton CRR Ernesto Villarreal CRR Joshua M. Foster CRR Daniel A. Perteet CRR Erinn T. CRR A.J. Italics denotes Associate Member of USS Gygax

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TRAINING

Tri g

we ll

TRAINING OFFICE

ri s

The following is a list of all courses completed by Gygax personnel in the month of March 2012. For more information on how you sign up for courses online and add your name to next months’ list, visit the Starfleet Academy website. Notes in RED are special courses or awards.

CDR MELISSA N HADLEY CTOC 301: DISTINCTION TGA 101: PASS FOS 101: HONORS SFC 106: DISTINCTION SFC 107: DISTINCTION SFC 108: DISTINCTION SFC 109: HONORS SFC 110: DISTINCTION SFC 111: DISTINCTION SFC 112: DISTINCTION SFC 113: DISTINCTION BRONZE BOOTHBY AWARD

1LT TED POOL

OW 114.1: HONORS OCC: HONORS PD-10: PASS SFMC INITIAL ENTRY TRAINING AWARD

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LTJG SARAH RANDLE BOC 101: DISTINCTION BOC 102: DISTINCTION OCC: HONORS

ENS MATTHEW GILLETTE OTS: PASS

ENS MARTY MONTGOMERY

ENS CHRIS M MACLIR KWA 101: PASS SFLK 111: DISTINCTION SFLK 112: DISTINCTION OTS: HONORS RDW 101: HONORS COC 101: HONORS

CW 114: PASS BSG 101: DISTINCTION CSCS 101: DISTINCTION CSCS 102: DISTINCTION COC 101: DISTINCTION COC 102: DISTINCTION COC 103: DISTINCTION EC 101: HONORS COHU 101: DISTINCTION

COURSES COMPLETED: ACADEMY STUDENTS:

33 6

BUPERS

BUREAU OF PERSONNEL This report consists of all changes to personnel status within the month of March 2012. This will include those persons who have come aboard to join, departed the ship, received a promotion or appointment into a staff position.

CDR MICHAEL D GARCIA

CPO ROBERT M SWARTS

LCDR MELISSA N HADLEY

PO2 SHON A ELLIOTT

PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN

APPOINTED AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER APPOINTED AS SHIP’S CHAPLAIN PROMOTED TO COMMANDER

LCDR TIA MARIE

RESIGNED AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER

LCDR LAURI L McCONAUGHY

TRANSFERRED TO USS GYGAX APPOINTED AS ENGINEERING OFFICER

ENS TED POOL

APPOINTED AS MEDICAL CHIEF APPOINTED AS ENGINEERING NCO

CRR MATTHEW GILLETTE PROMOTED TO ENSIGN

CRR CHRIS M MACLIR

PROMOTED TO ENSIGN

DANIEL A PERTEET

REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT APPOINTED AS ENGINEERING CREWMAN

AFFILIATION SET TO ACTIVE DUTY MARINE RANK CHANGED TO SECOND LIEUTENANT, SFMC APPOINTED AS 20th MSG OFFICER-IN-CHARGE PROMOTED TO FIRST LIEUTENANT

ENS SARAH RANDLE

PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT (JG) APPOINTED AS SHIP’S TRAINING OFFICER

FULL MEMBERS: ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: TOTAL MEMBERS:

27 5 32 AU201204

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

MARCH 2012

COMIC Something*Positive by r.k. milholland New comics published every day at the Something Positive homepage: http://somethingpositive.net Click on the comic to start at the beginning of this story arc, which includes an illfated convention, a hoarde of rabid catgirls, Star Trek LARPers, and Wil Wheaton in the role he was born to play! This comic is used with the expressly-written and very kind permission from the artist.

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WHAT’S NEXT

APRIL 2012 Chapter Events: April 1: April Newsletter published. April 1: Extra Life 2012 signups for Gygax team begin! April 2: Double XP Weekend ends (Star Trek Online) April 5: Chapter Monthly Status Report (MSR) due April 5: CRR Erinn T.’s birthday! April 5-9: “First Contact Event” (Star Trek Online) April 6-8: SakuraCon 2012 (Seattle, WA) April 7: ENS Paschall Freeman’s birthday! April 21: Gygax tabletop mission continues! (see forums for details).

In the MAY/JUNE 2012 issue of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FEATURE: We sit down with Executive Producer Dan Stahl of Cryptic Studios to talk about Star Trek Online and Season Six! ENS Duane Watts will take us further into the inner workings of USS Gygax with part two of his Technical Specifications. We continue our coverage of STO’s Free2Play with a Duty Officer and new Crafting primer! And more fanfic ahead with Chapter Four of Star Trek/Doctor Who: The New Threat. SEND ALL NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS TO NEWSLETTER@USSGYGAX.COM!

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MASTHEAD

CREDITS

PUBLISHER CAPT Michael D. Garcia, CO (co@ussgygax.com)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LTJG Larry L. Balsley, ChiComm (comms@ussgygax.com)

CONTRIBUTORS CAPT Michael D. Garcia CDR Melissa Hadley (prov) LT Joshua Benner (prov) LTJG Monica Ayhens 1LT Ted Pool ENS Duane Watts ENS Marty Montgomery

LAYOUT CAPT Michael D. Garcia

ARTISTS CAPT Michael D. Garcia LCDR Lauri L. McConaughy RADM Jonathan Lane, USS Angeles

APPLICATIONS Corel PaintShop Pro X4 Autodesk 3DS MAX 2010 x64 Notepad++ Microsoft Publisher 2010 Crossword Compiler 8 Issuu.com

SPECIAL THANKS VADM Jerry Tien, USS Eagle RADM Jonathan Lane FCAPT Tracy Newby, USS Northern Lights CAPT Heather Stern, USS Augusta Ada CAPT Zach Perkins, USS Loma Prieta

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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED is a publication of the Communications Department of USS Gygax. USS Gygax is a correspondence chapter of STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. It is intended for the private use of our members. USS Gygax and STARFLEET hold no claims to any trademarks, copyrights, or properties held by CBS Corporation. All content from STAR TREK including still images and character names and other trademarks is the property of CBS Corporation and used without intention of infringement. STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. operates as a non-profit fan club and is committed to promoting STAR TREK. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED BY USS GYGAX is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommericial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Some rights reserved.

United

States

The rank insignias in this publication were created by Kuro-chan of KuroRPG.net. If you wish to obtain them and an up-todate copy, access kuro-rpg.net.

USS GYGAX NCC-63545 www.ussgygax.com 2059 CAMDEN AVE STE 103 SAN JOSE, CA 95124-2024 (415) G0-GYGAX (404-9429)