Gameplay
In Star Trek Online, each player acts as the captain of their own ship.[9] Players are able to play as a starship, controlling the ship's engineering, tactical, and science systems by keyboard/mouse or using an on-screen console. Players can also "beam down" and move around as a player character in various settings with access to weapons and specific support and combat skills relating to their own characters' classes.[10] The two combat systems are intertwined throughout the game: away-team missions feature fast-paced "run-and-gun" combat, while space combat stresses the long-term tactical aspect of combat between capital ships. Both are offered in concert with the Star Trek storyline and emphasize ship positioning to efficiently utilize shields during space combat, as well as the player's away team's positioning in consideration of flanking damage and finding various weaknesses to exploit during ground combat.[11]
Other aspects of the game include crafting, which in its current form involves using duty officers (junior crew members) to make items, depending on the level of the school (category- such as science, beams, etc.) chosen. To raise the level of the school being researched, it is necessary to perform a research project using a crafting material. Unlike in some other MMO's, crafting is a "set-and-forget" procedure. The player will set up the project, click a button and after a specified time the task will be completed, rather than spending time actually performing the crafting.
Duty Officers can be sent on assignments (also following the "set-and-forget" method) and are not available during that time.
Characters of level 52 and higher can send any ships they have, or have had, on admiralty missions, similar to duty officer assignments but these do not use duty officers. Again, the mission is selected and a certain amount of specified time passes until the player is told it is complete, and informed whether it was successful.
