Last Friday, Star Trek Online Creative Director Daniel Stahl scheduled a community chat in Quark’s bar on Deep Space Nine and hosted a Q&A session in the REDALERT chat channel. Mr. Stahl was also joined by Perfect World’s Brandon Felczer, the game’s Community Manager.

I copied and pasted everything @dstahl said in chat, unless he repeated his answers to questions or said something not relevant to the game, which wasn’t much.

I will attempt to organize everything here for this post. Fingers are crossed, since I’m on my tablet and copying from the Evernote app to the flaky-as-always WordPress app, then rearranging per topic if possible. I did not copy the player questions, however. Most responses should be obvious what the questions were, but there are two instances where I did put Q&A and wrote the gist of the question asked so the response would be clear.

Season 6 and beyond; STFs:

@dstahl: Season 6 will be posted to TRIBBLE over the next 3 weeks… release to HOLODECK IN JULY


@dstahl: re: Featured Episodes in the Future: We are going to be focusing on Story content for Season 7 (releasing laster this year)


@dstahl: RE: Crafting update – it is schedule to be somewhere between S7 and S8 — probably around Feb is my guess (all dates subject to change of course)


@dstahl: re: S7 story – it is going to focus on one of the 3 main stories in STO as well as a specific enemy group


@dstahl: RE: Crafting update – it is schedule to be somewhere between S7 and S8 — probably around Feb is my guess (all dates subject to change of course)


@dstahl: RE: New VO – there is some new VO in Season 6, and we will continue to include it whenever our budgets allow.


@dstahl: RE: Moving Crafting to Ships – look for changes similar to this to be tied to the crafting update planned for between S7 and S8


@dstahl: RE: STF Currency simplification – that is a feature on the docket for Season 7


@dstahl: RE: EDCs, STFS and REewards – we are tackling this issue in S7


@dstahl: re: STF timer – we are evaluating. Many of the new queue missions in S6 use variants of this – we will collect feedback and adjust post S6


@dstahl: RE: Time gated content – yes there will be less in the future – we are making a big change to this in S6


@dstahl: re: New STFs – nearly all the new queued missions in Season 6 are meant to be challenging group combat for 5 to 20 players.


@dstahl: re: Into the Hive: Gozer definitely has plans and is waiting for schedule approval

New Ships:

@dstahl: RE: KDF version of Armitage – that is a possibility – there are quite a few ships coming with the Starbase progression – so if you don’t see something you like when S6 hits, then we can consider it…


@dstahl: RE: new Science ships – there is one specific Science ship we’ve been talking about forever that has finally been approved and will be coming this year (not allowed to say which one yet)


@dstahl: re: Vesta – maybe


@dstahl: re: Vesta – it is in the pipeline – no eta yet, still working out details


@dstahl: RE: Voyager ship pack – it is on our list of “ship packs” and I believe is near the top


@dstahl: RE: Sovereign class bridge – we don’t have it on the schedule yet, but there is rumor of a sov variant coming soon


@dstahl: re: Sovereign – it is coming soon


@dstahl: RE: D’deridex in a lockbox: That ship will be part of any future plan for a playable Romulan species and not a lockbox


@dstahl: re: new ship designs – yes new ship designs are planned – we have a few refits and retrofits to get out as well


@dstahl: re: Next Ship – is a special ship appearing in the next doff pack – Reinforcements Duty Officer Pack


@dstahl: re: Ship Testing – yes there was a big post-mortem about the Armitage – we continue to have issues like this and are making changes


@dstahl: RE: More small craft – we are waiting for a new feature to set default small craft – once in – more small craft inbound


@dstahl: RE: Ships/Free Ships – there will be all types of ships continually added to the game – some as soon as S6 tied to Fleet Advancement Tiers


@dstahl: RE: Ships from other ST games: unfortunately no, our license is for movies and tv shows owned by CBS


@dstahl: RE: Voyager and TNG bundles – those are both planned – no eta

PvP:

@dstahl: The PvP Maps Gozer has been working on are waiting on some software that won’t be ready until Season 6 ships -once we get that – then we can start putting the new PvP test maps on TRIBBLE


@dstahl: re: PVP – we have a dedicated specialist revamping PVP to allow cross faction matches and any level bolstering. We are starting with a space arena revampt and going from there – post S6


@dstahl: re: PVP leaderboards – these are planned for the PVP update


@dstahl: Re: PvP in China – we have Gozer working on PVP because we want PVP to be better and it can be.

KDF Content and Updates:

@dstahl: re: KDF Season – not currently. We areinstead focusing on more KDF content for max level players intead of levels 1-18 because 90%+ of all players are max level


@dstahl: re: KDF Content – we are focused on all faction end game content for the forseable future – no plans to do KDF levels 1 -18 at the moment


@dstahl: RE: New KDF Uniforms – yes a new fleet uniform (which is awesome) is coming in S6


@dstahl: re: Kits for KDF – this is a bigger issue with how KDF costumes were made – there is a long term goal to make this happen and it goes along with the kit revamp we want todo


@dstahl: re: Hair and Hair Fixes – no eta – this is on the Character Art lead to resolve, but no firm plan yet

Foundry:

@dstahl: RE: Foundry – Season 6 is going to be a great boost for the Foundry. Small nice to have features and a new codebase designed to get us to room-by-room interiors in the future.


@dstahl: RE: Foundry Spotlight – is going to be getting more formal support after Season 6 releases


@dstahl: re: More Decor points – we are reserving this for when we get Foundry room-by-room editing. It has teh features you’re talking about


@dstahl: re: increasing team size in Foundry missions – that is a very great suggestion that I’m going to pass on to the devs.


@dstahl: re: new Foundry interiors – yes, we have an artist tagging as many as they can to get ready for S6 release


@dstahl: re: new chat system – not in the works yet – but I’ve heard rumor of Chat coming to Foundry


Q:
have you considered a FOUNDRY TOKEN Store (like STF or LOBI stores?) -> play Foundry mission get token > turn in for loot etc…


A:
@dstahl: RE: Foundry Token Store – great idea – something I’ll share with the leads

Fleets and Starbases:

@dstahl: RE: Starbase Interior layouts – while they will not be customizable at launch, there will be exclusive projects that are time-sensitive which will unlock new cool decorations


@dstahl: re: Ship Interior Holodecks – we want to see these in Quarks, Starbases, and Ship interiors – no timeframe yet


@dstahl: re: Fleet Starbase Shipyard functionality – you will be able to buy new ship varients, but not customize further than you already can.


@dstahl: re: Cross Faction Fleets – currently we aren’t allowing this, but have discussed ways it could happen in the future


@dstahl: re: Civilian traffic and attire – we are working on this right now but focused around your Starbase


@dstahl: re: M12 gear tokens – Fleet Advancement will help with this


@dstahl: re: more reusable combat pets – there are new operational assets with Fleet Starbases that will add more variety

Character Advancement, etc.:

@dstahl: re: Fleet Admiral Rank – we are looking at the skillpoint cap right now and working on our timetable for rank increases. Look for news on this in the near future.


@dstahl: re: Future Ranks – Fleet Admiral and/or other specializations


@dstahl: RE: BOFFS more relevant at end game – yes. this is a big feature reserved for the rank of Fleet Admiral – we want to see Away Teams in space – where BOFFS command ships that help you


@dstahl: re: more biography space – we have a special web team working on a complete revamp of the offline character profile which may include more bio space and lots more features


@dstahl: re: First Contact Space Suits – yes they are coming


@dstahl: re: Crew uniform – this was something we were hoping to get into S6, but it is still not happening yet.


@dstahl: re: Accessibility options for Captains – brilliant idea! bummer we don’t have anything like that yet…


@dstahl: RE: More captain skills – these new skills will be tied to additional ranks and/or personal advancement system


@dstahl: re: holstered weapons while at rest – this has been tested internally – we want to do it and are testing systems to make it happen


@dstahl: re: 1 universal station – this is the planned functionality of your #1 when you obtain future ranks

Miscellaneous:

@dstahl: RE: Accolade UI – there has been some discussions and white board mock ups, but nothing more concrete than that yet.

@dstahl: re: Account linking – there is an account linking promo in the works so you’ll get another chance to link accounts soon.

@dstahl: RE: Silver access to emotes – we are reviewing emotes soon and trying to get that all squared away

@dstahl: RE: Death Animation in Space – We have toyed around with the idea (disabled ship). It is something we can consider for the future.

@dstahl: re: Customizable Ground Kits – this is high on Al’s list of features but is not on the schedule right now

@dstahl: re: New species – yes you can expect several new species every year.

@dstahl: re: more bank slots – we will be offering more shared bank slots in Season 6 along with Bind on Account changes to some items

@dstahl: RE: Account Shared Currencies – We are evaluating those currencies for use with Account Shared Bank now, and you’ll see this change when Season 6 goes live in July

@dstahl: re: Cat hair styles – not currently on the schedule – it is up to Matt if he can get to this outside of everythign else we are working on

@dstahl: re: Specialized inventory – inventory could use an overhaul – nothing on the schedule currently but its a good idea

@dstahl: re: Re-Trait Tokens – Another feature on Al’s to do list – but no date when it is happening yet

@dstahl: re: unbind tokens – we are not planning this – but we are planning to evaluate if some items should be account bound instead

@dstahl: re: Lock box break – we will continue to offer lock boxes, but as you’ve noticed we are trying new and various ways to implement them. Look for more changes in S6 including the Lobi store

@dstahl: re: Reinforcements Duty Officer Pack – it will replace the DS9 Cadre and it has a chance of a new ship that has some special qualities


@dstahl: re: DOFF Packs replacing lock boxes – not yet, but we are definitely experimenting with the right way to bundle items

@dstahl: re: Porthos [non-combat pet] – I’ve heard rumor one of the animators is working on this in their spare time – we’ll see if it really happens

@dstahl: RE: minigames – these require bored software engineers to get made – right now we have them too busy with bugs and features

@dstahl: re: STO in China – it is being evaluated, but no decision yet

@dstahl: re: visiting the gamma quadrant – someday, but there are several sectors in line before it

@dstahl: RE: Tholians – I just saw the latest models – they look absolutely amazing – they are crystaline and nearly see through in various light – very nasty

@dstahl: re: [The STO] Team Focus – we have various people working on various tasks all the time – our schedules look like an excel monster – but we do focus on specific releases and the makup of those releases


Q:
What are the top 3 items the STO team is working on?


A:
@dstahl: re: Top 3 Systems, Top 3 Stories: Crafting, Traits, PvP, Foundry, Advancement – Iconians, Remans, Sela, War, Unification


@dstahl: re: bugs: there are still lots of bugs here and there and I don’t have status on each one – we do have QA going through all old bugs to clean out the system and regress issues to determine priority

@dstahl: re: Boff Power Searching on exchange – it is not on the schedule yet, but planned

@dstahl: re: Gold Perks or SB Advancement – nothing specific, but we do plan to add more perks in the future

@dstahl: re: Flight simulator controls (aka true 3D) – never


@dstahl: re: “real” FPS on ground – not possible in this engine – what we have now is the closest we were able to get


@dstahl: re: New Engines – we do not have any new engines planned for STO, but we do have engineers continually working with Video Card makers to constantly improve our existing engine.


@dstahl: re: DX11 mesh errors – we have recently hired a new engineer to help coordinate the video devs and address issues like this.