At the moment, we're able to customize our characters to an amazing extent, especially custom alien species. We're able to customize our clothing, including uniform and off duty styles and colors. We're able to customize our bridge officers. We're able to customize our ship appearance a fair amount (for federation non-cstore ships, anyways). We even have a lot of options - especially through the c-store - for changing what our ship's bridge looks like.
But still, the only control we have over our ship's interior (bridge aside) is the general layout/size of the ship, and even then the medium/large layouts are nearly identical, and the individual rooms presented with each layout are exactly the same. Regardless of if you're flying the enormous sovereign or galaxy, or if you're in the pocket-sized defiant, your ship still has the same captain's quarters, the same sickbay, the same crew lounge (which really doesnt make sense in the defiant, which isnt supposed to have much crew space). We also have zero control over the appearance of our ship's crew. These are things I'd like to see remedied.
Here's my personal suggestions for improving the interiors of our ships, I'm sure there's plenty of ideas out there I wont think up so include your suggestions in this thread as well.
#1: Customizing your crew
One thing that bothered me right off the bat with ship interiors is the fact that my bridge officers - as well as my captain - wear completely different uniforms than the rest of the crew on the ship. Right now, there are options for 'fleet uniforms' upon creation of a fleet - why not use a similar system for our vessels? At the ship customization NPC, add an option to create uniforms for your ship's crew, using any of the on-duty uniform options that are available to your character.
This system would allow you to create different uniforms for science, engineering, and tactical personnel, and all NPC's walking about your ship would use those uniforms rather than the default they're wearing at the moment.
Additionally, at the ship layout screen, add an option to select how many crewmen you have onboard your ship (not a specific number, but more of a "large crew compliment "average crew compliment" "small crew compliment" selection). This way, when you're on a smaller ship like a defiant, the hallways arent completely crowded with crewmen that shouldnt even be there - instead witht he small crew option you'd only have a dozen or so crewmen on each section of the ship.
#2. Improved Ship Layout options
When selecting 'large' 'medium' or 'small' layout for your ship, have the individual rooms change to match. The current rooms would be fine for a large ship (large sickbay, large lounge, large engine room, etc. etc.), but for smaller ships they're just too much.
Give the small layout a limited sickbay, a crew lounge that only has small viewports looking out into space and very limited space for recreation. Make the captain's quarters very spartan - more like the klingon quarters (though obviously with a federation touch), maybe only a couple small viewports/portholes into space instead of the huge glass window we have now. Change the engine room to show a much smaller warp core with a modified layout. so on and so forth. And, of course, the medium layout would be inbetween what we have now and the small layout proposed.
Also, I'd like to see the layout system made modular - where you can pick and choose the rooms that you have onboard your ship. Some rooms (like most of what we have right now) would be required, but have check-boxes that allow you to add or remove the following:
-Holodecks
-Diplomatic/conference rooms (as seen here:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2f0dhfc.jpg )
-The ship's armory
-Torpedo room (with energy weapon capacitors and other techy bits around)
-Shuttlebays
-A stellar cartography/orrery room showing maps/starcharts
-A science lab
Of course, these rooms might be restricted based on the layout you choose. For example, I'd remove the option for holodecks and shuttlebays for the small layout.
Lastly, in the layout customization screen there should be options to alter the color of your ship's interior. As it is, most of the interiors dont match most of the bridge options available, which can look a bit goofy with the transition. Keep the base color of the walls grey or whatever is normal, but allow customization of the floor color and the detail color on the walls.
#3. Holodecks
I'd like to see some usable holodecks for ships - doesnt have to be anything complex, but being able to go into your ship's holodeck and activate a program from a simple list (maybe even have some holodeck programs as rewards from missions, vulcan love slave anyone?) would be nice. Give some basic 'relaxation' holograms - like a small area on risa, vulcan, andoria, or a host of other planets where there's no real goal or mission or combat (maybe a dueling area with npcs for the andoria one), but just a place you can chill out, especially if you have friends onboard your ship. Additionally, some holodeck programs could be used for combat or investigation missions - we saw plenty of these in the various star trek series, such as the sherlock holmes episodes.
Of course, with option #2 above this would only be applicable for ships that actually have a holodeck onboard. Similar holodeck programs should be accessable on earth space dock (lower level) as well as from quark's bar on DS9.
#4. Animated turbolifts
Pretty simple one here really... instead of the weird instant-transition when you change what part of the ship your'e in via turbolift, simply have the doors close and a little movement animation on the walls (moving lights that make it feel like you're going up or down) for a few seconds, then open the doors and you're in the chosen section of the ship. Since there's no real loading screen at the turbolifts right now, I dont think this would be too hard to implement.
Comments
I went walking through my Bird of Prey the other day for the first time and was astounded (ASTOUNDED I TELL YOU) at the size of the engineering section of the ship. Holy hell. I'm all for this particular suggestion.
4 Great suggestions and I know there are more that needs to be added. With Season 4 we will see crew improvements but how much of an improvement is yet to be revealed. I hoping this adds some to the ship interiors as well.
I feel that the layout of the ship should be costomizable to the captain as well, but someone pointed out to me that this is not Sim Trek. I just don't feel that every ship has the same layout. We should have a default layout based on the type of ship we select but it could be able to be adjusted if I choose.
Also I "beam" Into my bridge... which is ODD when youre in space. HOW are you beaming into your bridge when youre already there?! Explain that to me Cryptic!
it relates to your ship.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=172099
and this relates to your clothing options.
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=172210
this relates to Future Additions for STO
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=183052
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=184854
http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=184104
coment on a thread you looked in, and share your thoughts on them