Welcome to the 19th installment of Ask Cryptic, where we put the questions you ask to our development team. In this issue we conclude our multipart series on Klingons. Read more to learn about Star Trek Online!

tom_riker01: I realize the Klingon buffs out there will say I'm whining, as I tend to like the Feds, but strictly from a gaming point-of-view, between the added forward weaponry and the fact that Klingons can cram as many tactical officers as they want on to their bridge, won't that overpower the Klingons just a bit?

Not at all! Klingon ships having more forward facing weaponry really just makes them play differently. Flying a Bird of Prey, for example, is all about whipping around your opponent and constantly keeping him in your front arc. Should someone manage to attack the sides – look out! As for tactical officers, remember that every different type of officer offers its own unique abilities. Just because someone has more tactical officers doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s better in combat. Science officers, for example, can use tachyon beams to bring down shields. So no, we don’t expect the extra tactical officers to provide more of a bonus. Just means the Klingons have an option to focus on the brute force approach.

StrifeDarkwrath: Will Klingons be able to advance if there is a lack of federation players or Klingons nearby? i.e. Are there PVE objectives that Klingons can complete and earn rewards for within the Warzones or other persistent PVP constructs if no one shows up to contest them?

Yes the Warzone maps are setup so that they can be completed even if the other side doesn’t show up—your main opponent in that case is the PvE Content. However, with a single server model, we think there is going to be plenty of PvP to go around.

Zoberraz: : There were mentions of a particular focus on PvP advancement for Klingons, but it's never been clearly established whether this meant an absence of player-vs-environment content. Could you elaborate clearly on what the Klingons will have by launch in that regard?

We have deep space encounters for Klingons that are a great place to test new strategies or configurations or just to let off some steam between PvP matches. Additionally, some of the PvP maps feature PvE objectives, as answered in the question above. Of course, if Klingon Players tell us they want more of this once we've launched, and they've tried things out, we'll look into adding more PvE content.

Feryk: I want to know more about the Houses and how they will be organized. Do the Houses have different benefits for joining? Will it be possible to rise in the favor of your House? What benefits/dangers will that convey? How much of a role to players have in the admin of their House?

Player built Klingon Houses function like Federation Fleets so all advancement and benefits are handled by players themselves.

icedfire: How will the carrier's fighters work? Can you customize them at all and if so in what way? Can you have one bomber wing outfitted to damage shields and another fighter wing to damage the hull? Will the federation ever get their own carrier? What happens when all the fighters are destroyed? Does the carrier have any armaments?

The Vo'Quv has two fighter bays available. Each capable of launching a wing of fighters. Players can choose between several different types of fighters to deploy: some are direct damage dealers; other may weaken or disable your foes; and others will help keep the player's ship repaired and performing at its peak. When those fighters are destroyed players will be able to launch another wing after a short period of time. Of course, the carrier is bristling with its own weapons as well. It's a massive ship that will strike fear into the heart of Federation players! The Vo’Quv also fills the role of a strong fleet support vessel for the Klingon empire.