Just my 2 cents, and I'm not speaking for anyone else, just me
I would rather have a season dedicated to Content tidy up, not new Content. DS9 needs some much needed TLC (looking at you Tacofangs) plus it would be cool for some core planets to be added ie, Betazed, Ferenginar, Cait (this one especially since I only play Caitans )
Some reason to explore would be awesome too, give me a reason to get that T6 Galaxy Class, oh its so tempting
Ship interiors would also be cool, and to be honest I wouldn't mind them been added to the REP tab, and grind away for em ... but ship interiors is another 100 posts elsewhere in the forums lost to the STO gods ... :eek:
Thanks OP for a fantastic post, and some wicked Ideas.
I predict the krenim betray the alliance and manipulate time not only to smush the iconians, but also to try and conquer the galaxy themselves.
Or they'll pull a Soviet Union and start antagonizing their former allies (in a new Cold War) once the common enemy is defeated.
Bipedal mammal and senior Foundry author.
Notable missions: Apex [AEI], Gemini [SSF], Trident [AEI], Evolution's Smile [SSF], Transcendence
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1. A fully independent and sovereign New Romulan Republic -- which can maintain the alliances. In fact, keep the alliances, but make the faction a full New Romulan Republic faction.
2. Romulan/Reman Fleet Holding aesthetic projects for any fleet leader to slot in order to give a more Romulan/Reman look and feel to the fleet's holdings. (See this thread, which is only one of several pertaining to this idea.)
3. A nightclub at New Romulus Command (there are unused doors in the Command Center any one of which could be opened up to provide access to a nightclub), with a Bartender (who sells Romulan Ale and Kali-Fal). This should be a larger version of the clubs on our warbirds, with some extra stuff (like a "Tour the Galaxy" mission-giver).
4. A Romulan Academy inside the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan.
5.a. A Romulan Senate Building inside the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan (even an exterior plainly labelled as the "Deihu'kri" (Senate Building) would suffice -- for now).
5.b. Who are the NPC members of the Senate? Or at least, who are the most prominent NPC members? We should know!
6. Open the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan to New Romulan Republic players (you can put the Academy and Senate Building in there), and add another nightclub there.
7. Opening up the Capitol City on New Romulus also means letting us see part of the Reman area thereof.
8. A name for the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan. I have suggested (and we are using in my fleets) the name "Hachae s'Temer" for the Capitol City (the name means "Soul of Temer").
9. There is no Security Officer at New Romulus Command. We need one there, or inside the Capitol (of course, this means the Captol interior must be accessible).
10. More Science ships for the Romulan faction. (And stop using Circular Reasoning -- which is a FALLACY -- to make decisions about what "will" sell; this also means overturn the illogical decision to make no new Klingon Science vessels.)
11. A Full Carrier for the Romulan faction.
12. T'varo Warbirds as Hangar Pets (combat pets). And how about making the Romulan Drones available for the Command Warbird hangars, too (as well as any new warbirds with hangars)?
13. The Raptor art from the T'liss in TOS "Balance of Power" available for the bottom of all Warbirds. OR, an updated version featuring the New Romulan Raptor.
14. A T6 (or at the very least, T5 upgradeable) Romulan D7 (with the Raptor art as seen in the digitally remastered edition of "The Enterprise Incident") and an interior which looks like that of the D7 flagship seen in the same episode (original and digitally remastered).
15. More Romulan ship interior (or at least bridge) options. Add the Lleiset interior to Dreadbirds, and make it an option for other warbirds. It is basically just a recoloring, but even that is some variation, and that would be welcome.
16. The ability to display wall trophies in the Ready Room of Romulan ships, and the ability to display wall trophies and floor trophies in the Club of Romulan ships.
17. Fix the missions so that members of the Romulan Republic faction are not referred to by NPCs as if they were Starfleet or Klingons. AND I would prefer not to hear my Romulan and Reman BOffs talking like Klingons, either. "For the Empire!"? Uhh. Makes me think I need to arrest them for being Star Empire loyalists. Time this was fixed.
18. More Romulan costumes and fix the bugs with the current costumes (also expand the KDF color palette to the full color palette; even if Klingons are color-blind, the Orions are not, and neither are their Romulan allies).
19. The off-duty gown worn by the Romulan Commander in TOS "The Enterprise Incident," along with the drop-shaped earrings she wears while in that dress and the large and rather baroque-looking ring. And of course, her hairdo, although one of the available hairdos is sort of close. Her eyebrow shape.
20. Fix the doors for KDF, so that they actually open before the character runs into them with her/his face (and/or other body parts).
21. Ter'jas Mor system and surface area, including a meeting with Melani D'ian, and a mission from her available to KDF players (or at least to Orion players). Also, Rigel VII. Seriously. It was in "The Cage." It's supposed to be the original homeworld of the Orions. We would like to visit it and see the futuristic landscape and buildings seen in "The Cage" (and its revised version, "The Menagerie").
22. More to do on Vulcan (and fix the "daily" mission "Ancestral Sin" so that it is actually a daily, i.e., repeatable).
23. So far, all of the important, high-ranking personalities we have seen in the New Romulan Republic's government and military have been male. We have D'Tan, Obisek, Kererek, all holding high office/rank. The Romulan females we have seen in positions of authority have been of considerably lower rank, like Commander and Subcommander. This is ... dissonant with the generally accepted view that the basic unit of Romulan society, the hfihar ("houseclan") is based on matrilnear descent, that the hfihar is almost always led by a female, that a male Romulan leaves his hfihar and joins that of his wife (with only rare exceptions), that Romulan society has had a number of Queens and Empresses and female Praetors and so on. So don't you guys think it's time for some powerful Romulan women in the New Romulan Republic's government and military (besides my brilliant and lovely character, who, as the Fleet Admiral of the Tal'Diann, is the Chief of Military Intelligence, is a member of the Romulan Star Command on equal footing with the other members thereof, holds a seat on the Continuing Committee, and reports directly to, and only to, the Proconsul ... or at least that's what some sites say about whomever happens to be the head of the Tal'Diann, and since my main created the only "Tal'Diann" and "Tal-Diann" fleets in STO, that would be my main). But yeah, surely my main isn't the only brilliant, gorgeous, and deadly Romulan woman in a position of high authority within the Republic, so let us see more high ranking political and military personages in the Republic who are female. *nod*
24. I will GIVE you the correct pronunciations for all Romulan words you have used and want to use, if you will only a. actually fix the mispronuciations already in-game, b. use the correct pronuciations for any Romulan words you use in the future, and c. give us the rest of this stuff (or at least a decent portion thereof) which I am requesting in this post.
And finally, ...
25. How much time passed between the attack on Virinat in January 2409 and the rediscovery of ch'Mol'Rihan? We have a vague "2410" at the beginning of the Jenolan Conference in "Surface Tension," and the beginning of the Iconian War is in June of 2410. In-game stardates, however, indicate that it is currently sometime in 2415. Will the storyline date ever catch up with the stardates? It would be helpful for purposes of RP and keeping our own storylines consistent with the in-game storyline. Can we please let the STO storyline catch up with the STO stardates?
EDIT:
26. KDF characters get a "Shard Sword of Kahless." RRF characters should get a usable replica of the Sword of the Raptor Star.
27. In some of the concept art, the Romulan Honor Blade can be clearly seen. This should be developed and implemented (and should be sheathed in the thigh boot, for those who use the TOS Romulan footwear, on the belt for others). In fact, with the replica of the SotRS and the Honor Blade, a new mechanic for dual wielding of melee weapons would be nice.
28. More ship slots!!! (Increase the cap on how many we can have.)
29 While I do not wish to lose my KHG set with visuals, a Romulan Republic ground set with visuals is greatly desired.
30. A battle/adventure zone for Iconian Marks.
31. Expanded zones for Qo'noS (some area outside First City, maybe similar to the Ketha Lowlands, but less impoverished, with a nice vista of the outside of First City), Earth (let us see more of San Francisco -- that bridge is a temptation and we can't bite), and New Romulus (you can certainly expand the adventure zone a bit, but of course we also would like the interior of the Capitol).
After we're done with the coming darkness...
There will be a new, even darker darkness. I can't see Cryptics creative department do anything else than war stories. (which is rather sad)
"...'With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured...the first thought forbidden...the first freedom denied--chains us all irrevocably.' ... The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today--"
- (TNG) Picard, quoting Judge Aaron Satie
1) More high level KDF personnel that are not Klingons. S'tassas is the highest member of a non-Klingon race and serves as lead Ambassador and commander of KDF operations from DS9.
2) Expanded line-up of KDF member ships, maybe T6 Dreadnoughts from the Gorn, Orions, Ferasans.
3) A ground kit that allows the Gorn to throw giant rocks at their enemy. I do not care if its a kit module that everyone can use, but the Gorn need it.
4) A level 5+ KDF STF for low level KDF. The Federation has Starbase 24; why not give the KDF the attack on Starbase 24.
5) Revamping "The Big Dig" so that more people play it.
6) Revamping or getting rid of "Breaking the Planet"
7) Maybe a melee/physical gun only ground STF against the Borg
8) Mek'leth for the KDF, Anvound (Vulcan Sling)/Ushaan/Katana for the Federation
A nice feature would be if Romulans could wear Reman clothing articles if they have the Remans unlocked in the C-Store/T5 Romulan Reputation.
It makes sense as the Romulan and Reman people are reunifying.
Cultural elements such as clothing would be shared more frequently now that the Romulans are coming to see their Reman siblings as equals.
Well, there are options if they plan to continue forward. The Andromeda galaxy as that was where the Iconians were hiding all this time. They could also open up the Gamma Quadrant.
Considering the fact that the Star Trek license is up for expiration in 2016, there is a significant possibility that the Iconian War is the planned "end game" for STO content. Staffing cuts to the STO development team don't place much confidence in the hopes for a long term extension.
I remain hopeful, but food for thought. I hope to be surprised.
Considering the fact that the Star Trek license is up for expiration in 2016, there is a significant possibility that the Iconian War is the planned "end game" for STO content. Staffing cuts to the STO development team don't place much confidence in the hopes for a long term extension.
I remain hopeful, but food for thought. I hope to be surprised.
They've pretty much tied in every significant storyline in Star Trek canon into this one final confrontation with the Iconians. I'm not sure if they planned it this way from the start, but at some point, they clearly committed to this. STO's been built to have a single narrative -- with three slightly different perspectives -- and it's a classic RPG power fantasy that leads up to an ultimate apocalyptic struggle. Obviously, anything that comes after that would be epilogue. Some epilogue would be nice. But the entire storyline has been a linear ascent, so they can't really continue it without trying to top it, which would be absurd.
I hadn't known the license was expiring. So it makes sense that they're drawing it to a close, and I think that's actually a respectable decision.
I hadn't known the license was expiring. So it makes sense that they're drawing it to a close, and I think that's actually a respectable decision.
Is there even a source for this claim?
But even if there is - licenses can be renewed, and likely will be, if the game is still succesful. Heck, even sucky games like Mechwarrior Online get their licenses renewed...
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
Considering the fact that the Star Trek license is up for expiration in 2016, there is a significant possibility that the Iconian War is the planned "end game" for STO content. Staffing cuts to the STO development team don't place much confidence in the hopes for a long term extension.
I remain hopeful, but food for thought. I hope to be surprised.
They've pretty much tied in every significant storyline in Star Trek canon into this one final confrontation with the Iconians. I'm not sure if they planned it this way from the start, but at some point, they clearly committed to this. STO's been built to have a single narrative -- with three slightly different perspectives -- and it's a classic RPG power fantasy that leads up to an ultimate apocalyptic struggle. Obviously, anything that comes after that would be epilogue. Some epilogue would be nice. But the entire storyline has been a linear ascent, so they can't really continue it without trying to top it, which would be absurd.
I hadn't known the license was expiring. So it makes sense that they're drawing it to a close, and I think that's actually a respectable decision.
The Borg were the biggest and baddest of The Big Baddies for TNG. The Borg were hinted at in the final episode of the first season of TNG. They made their first appearance in the 16th episode of season 2. By the 2nd episode of season 4, the Borg arc was largely over in TNG, although there were a few more appearances, and they returned as the antagonists in the movie "First Contact." TNG lasted 7 seasons, spawning DS9 and VOY. They played little role in DS9 (one appearance as a flashback sequence, although the facticity and possible PTSD borne by The Sisko did figure into the story), but were again a major thread in VOY.
We will almost certainly win the Iconian War (perhaps "The Other" is whoever is responsible for the Nexus Ribbon, and with the Nexus Ribbon being supposed to return to our region of the universe in 2410, it may play a role in the Iconian War, with or without any connection to "The Other" -- or its return could be the next Big Challenge after the Iconians), but that does not mean that the Iconians, or a lone rogue Iconian (T'Ket, perhaps), won't return to plague us again after the war is won. And although the Iconians have supposedly been the secret puppetmasters behind most if not all events in STO so far, that doesn't mean that they will be the final threat, nor does it mean that the next adversary will have to be bigger and badder. After the 1st episode of season four of TNG, the Borg were marginal at best throughout the rest of the series (all of season 4 except the first episode, and the aftermath in the second episode of the same season, plus all of seasons 5, 6, and 7).
Star Trek is ultimately not about constant battles with bellicose or sociopathic species or individuals, but rather, about the exploration of the galaxy and the individual psyche, sociology, cultural exploration and interactions, social justice, progress on many fronts (including, but by no means limited to, technology), and The Ultimate Philosophical Questions. That gives plenty of options for the continuation of new content, to say nothing of polishing already-extant content, fixing bugs, patching glitches, finally giving necessary attention to the KDF and RRF, etc. Of course, Development companies have often focused on new content to the detriment of their games as they refused to go back and fix old issues, but that has not been universal, and is a poor business model, since issues, especially longstanding issues, discourage players from spending.
I see no reason to assume that the conclusion of the Iconian War will necessitate the end of STO, nor even the end of new content, license notwithstanding. CBS would be rather foolish to refuse to renew the license in 2016, as it would mean saying "No, we don't want any more money from you guys." That isn't how corporations usually do things in 2015 (and I doubt that's going to change by the time the license is up for renewal).
Star Trek is ultimately not about constant battles with bellicose or sociopathic species or individuals
But Star Trek Online most certainly is. While many, many details come over from the series, the spirit does not. There's very little content in STO except combat. And, the entire storyline -- all of it -- has been completely linear, and all of it has been linked to this conflict with the Iconians. Yes, there's a reference to the "Other", but at most, that means that after we defeat the Iconians, there's another final battle with the real Final Boss.
As I said, I could see the possibility of some epilogue content, and I can think of some stuff they could do. But it's pretty late in the game for them to change to an entirely different theme, with entirely new content.
Star Trek is ultimately not about constant battles with bellicose or sociopathic species or individuals
But Star Trek Online most certainly is. While many, many details come over from the series, the spirit does not. There's very little content in STO except combat. And, the entire storyline -- all of it -- has been completely linear, and all of it has been linked to this conflict with the Iconians. Yes, there's a reference to the "Other", but at most, that means that after we defeat the Iconians, there's another final battle with the real Final Boss.
As I said, I could see the possibility of some epilogue content, and I can think of some stuff they could do. But it's pretty late in the game for them to change to an entirely different theme, with entirely new content.
We used to have exploration in STO, although the mechanic for it was a bit ... limited, and often involved battling some enemy in space and/or on some ground surface.
Expansions can still go in different directions from earlier content. Side content can be added into the earlier missions which would have little or no effect on the Iconian story arc. There has been talk of restoring some exploration system at some point. We've also heard rumors of a coming expansion which will involve the Gamma Quadrant (which may be interrelated with the rumored exploration restoration). Now, of course, I know as well as you that rumors concerning games of this sort may be wild and rampant speculation which someone expressed and then got passed on as if it were some sort of inside information, but in the case of Gamma Quadrant and exploration, I believe I have seen something in the fora from Staff which may have contributed to the rumors (my memory on this is vague, so I cannot point to any specific post, and I'm about to go back in-game, and therefore don't really care to search for it). Certainly I and many others would like to see an expansion involving the GQ and the restoration of some kind of exploration mechanic, so those are things the Devs might be considering. We have now the Alpha, Beta, and Delta Quadrants (although not all of any of those), and only one mission which involves entering the Gamma Quadrant, so an expansion which opens up the GQ as well is far from an illogical direction to go.
Comments
I would rather have a season dedicated to Content tidy up, not new Content. DS9 needs some much needed TLC (looking at you Tacofangs) plus it would be cool for some core planets to be added ie, Betazed, Ferenginar, Cait (this one especially since I only play Caitans
Some reason to explore would be awesome too, give me a reason to get that T6 Galaxy Class, oh its so tempting
Ship interiors would also be cool, and to be honest I wouldn't mind them been added to the REP tab, and grind away for em ... but ship interiors is another 100 posts elsewhere in the forums lost to the STO gods ... :eek:
Thanks OP for a fantastic post, and some wicked Ideas.
Kia Kaha
Or they'll pull a Soviet Union and start antagonizing their former allies (in a new Cold War) once the common enemy is defeated.
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2. Romulan/Reman Fleet Holding aesthetic projects for any fleet leader to slot in order to give a more Romulan/Reman look and feel to the fleet's holdings. (See this thread, which is only one of several pertaining to this idea.)
3. A nightclub at New Romulus Command (there are unused doors in the Command Center any one of which could be opened up to provide access to a nightclub), with a Bartender (who sells Romulan Ale and Kali-Fal). This should be a larger version of the clubs on our warbirds, with some extra stuff (like a "Tour the Galaxy" mission-giver).
4. A Romulan Academy inside the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan.
5.a. A Romulan Senate Building inside the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan (even an exterior plainly labelled as the "Deihu'kri" (Senate Building) would suffice -- for now).
5.b. Who are the NPC members of the Senate? Or at least, who are the most prominent NPC members? We should know!
6. Open the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan to New Romulan Republic players (you can put the Academy and Senate Building in there), and add another nightclub there.
7. Opening up the Capitol City on New Romulus also means letting us see part of the Reman area thereof.
8. A name for the Capitol City on ch'Mol'Rihan. I have suggested (and we are using in my fleets) the name "Hachae s'Temer" for the Capitol City (the name means "Soul of Temer").
9. There is no Security Officer at New Romulus Command. We need one there, or inside the Capitol (of course, this means the Captol interior must be accessible).
10. More Science ships for the Romulan faction. (And stop using Circular Reasoning -- which is a FALLACY -- to make decisions about what "will" sell; this also means overturn the illogical decision to make no new Klingon Science vessels.)
11. A Full Carrier for the Romulan faction.
12. T'varo Warbirds as Hangar Pets (combat pets). And how about making the Romulan Drones available for the Command Warbird hangars, too (as well as any new warbirds with hangars)?
13. The Raptor art from the T'liss in TOS "Balance of Power" available for the bottom of all Warbirds. OR, an updated version featuring the New Romulan Raptor.
14. A T6 (or at the very least, T5 upgradeable) Romulan D7 (with the Raptor art as seen in the digitally remastered edition of "The Enterprise Incident") and an interior which looks like that of the D7 flagship seen in the same episode (original and digitally remastered).
15. More Romulan ship interior (or at least bridge) options. Add the Lleiset interior to Dreadbirds, and make it an option for other warbirds. It is basically just a recoloring, but even that is some variation, and that would be welcome.
16. The ability to display wall trophies in the Ready Room of Romulan ships, and the ability to display wall trophies and floor trophies in the Club of Romulan ships.
17. Fix the missions so that members of the Romulan Republic faction are not referred to by NPCs as if they were Starfleet or Klingons. AND I would prefer not to hear my Romulan and Reman BOffs talking like Klingons, either. "For the Empire!"? Uhh. Makes me think I need to arrest them for being Star Empire loyalists. Time this was fixed.
18. More Romulan costumes and fix the bugs with the current costumes (also expand the KDF color palette to the full color palette; even if Klingons are color-blind, the Orions are not, and neither are their Romulan allies).
19. The off-duty gown worn by the Romulan Commander in TOS "The Enterprise Incident," along with the drop-shaped earrings she wears while in that dress and the large and rather baroque-looking ring. And of course, her hairdo, although one of the available hairdos is sort of close. Her eyebrow shape.
20. Fix the doors for KDF, so that they actually open before the character runs into them with her/his face (and/or other body parts).
21. Ter'jas Mor system and surface area, including a meeting with Melani D'ian, and a mission from her available to KDF players (or at least to Orion players). Also, Rigel VII. Seriously. It was in "The Cage." It's supposed to be the original homeworld of the Orions. We would like to visit it and see the futuristic landscape and buildings seen in "The Cage" (and its revised version, "The Menagerie").
22. More to do on Vulcan (and fix the "daily" mission "Ancestral Sin" so that it is actually a daily, i.e., repeatable).
23. So far, all of the important, high-ranking personalities we have seen in the New Romulan Republic's government and military have been male. We have D'Tan, Obisek, Kererek, all holding high office/rank. The Romulan females we have seen in positions of authority have been of considerably lower rank, like Commander and Subcommander. This is ... dissonant with the generally accepted view that the basic unit of Romulan society, the hfihar ("houseclan") is based on matrilnear descent, that the hfihar is almost always led by a female, that a male Romulan leaves his hfihar and joins that of his wife (with only rare exceptions), that Romulan society has had a number of Queens and Empresses and female Praetors and so on. So don't you guys think it's time for some powerful Romulan women in the New Romulan Republic's government and military (besides my brilliant and lovely character, who, as the Fleet Admiral of the Tal'Diann, is the Chief of Military Intelligence, is a member of the Romulan Star Command on equal footing with the other members thereof, holds a seat on the Continuing Committee, and reports directly to, and only to, the Proconsul ... or at least that's what some sites say about whomever happens to be the head of the Tal'Diann, and since my main created the only "Tal'Diann" and "Tal-Diann" fleets in STO, that would be my main). But yeah, surely my main isn't the only brilliant, gorgeous, and deadly Romulan woman in a position of high authority within the Republic, so let us see more high ranking political and military personages in the Republic who are female. *nod*
24. I will GIVE you the correct pronunciations for all Romulan words you have used and want to use, if you will only a. actually fix the mispronuciations already in-game, b. use the correct pronuciations for any Romulan words you use in the future, and c. give us the rest of this stuff (or at least a decent portion thereof) which I am requesting in this post.
And finally, ...
25. How much time passed between the attack on Virinat in January 2409 and the rediscovery of ch'Mol'Rihan? We have a vague "2410" at the beginning of the Jenolan Conference in "Surface Tension," and the beginning of the Iconian War is in June of 2410. In-game stardates, however, indicate that it is currently sometime in 2415. Will the storyline date ever catch up with the stardates? It would be helpful for purposes of RP and keeping our own storylines consistent with the in-game storyline. Can we please let the STO storyline catch up with the STO stardates?
EDIT:
26. KDF characters get a "Shard Sword of Kahless." RRF characters should get a usable replica of the Sword of the Raptor Star.
27. In some of the concept art, the Romulan Honor Blade can be clearly seen. This should be developed and implemented (and should be sheathed in the thigh boot, for those who use the TOS Romulan footwear, on the belt for others). In fact, with the replica of the SotRS and the Honor Blade, a new mechanic for dual wielding of melee weapons would be nice.
28. More ship slots!!! (Increase the cap on how many we can have.)
29 While I do not wish to lose my KHG set with visuals, a Romulan Republic ground set with visuals is greatly desired.
30. A battle/adventure zone for Iconian Marks.
31. Expanded zones for Qo'noS (some area outside First City, maybe similar to the Ketha Lowlands, but less impoverished, with a nice vista of the outside of First City), Earth (let us see more of San Francisco -- that bridge is a temptation and we can't bite), and New Romulus (you can certainly expand the adventure zone a bit, but of course we also would like the interior of the Capitol).
32. Let me kill Sela already!!!
There will be a new, even darker darkness. I can't see Cryptics creative department do anything else than war stories. (which is rather sad)
2) Expanded line-up of KDF member ships, maybe T6 Dreadnoughts from the Gorn, Orions, Ferasans.
3) A ground kit that allows the Gorn to throw giant rocks at their enemy. I do not care if its a kit module that everyone can use, but the Gorn need it.
4) A level 5+ KDF STF for low level KDF. The Federation has Starbase 24; why not give the KDF the attack on Starbase 24.
5) Revamping "The Big Dig" so that more people play it.
6) Revamping or getting rid of "Breaking the Planet"
7) Maybe a melee/physical gun only ground STF against the Borg
8) Mek'leth for the KDF, Anvound (Vulcan Sling)/Ushaan/Katana for the Federation
It makes sense as the Romulan and Reman people are reunifying.
Cultural elements such as clothing would be shared more frequently now that the Romulans are coming to see their Reman siblings as equals.
Aenar, Risians, Cardassian tailors, Tribbles, Gingerbread People, Eh-poes...
I remain hopeful, but food for thought. I hope to be surprised.
+1
I love this stuff.
Why, thank you.
1. fx induced lags on New Romulus/Risa etc fixed.
2. even less lag
3. female nausicaans (just for kicks)
They've pretty much tied in every significant storyline in Star Trek canon into this one final confrontation with the Iconians. I'm not sure if they planned it this way from the start, but at some point, they clearly committed to this. STO's been built to have a single narrative -- with three slightly different perspectives -- and it's a classic RPG power fantasy that leads up to an ultimate apocalyptic struggle. Obviously, anything that comes after that would be epilogue. Some epilogue would be nice. But the entire storyline has been a linear ascent, so they can't really continue it without trying to top it, which would be absurd.
I hadn't known the license was expiring. So it makes sense that they're drawing it to a close, and I think that's actually a respectable decision.
But even if there is - licenses can be renewed, and likely will be, if the game is still succesful. Heck, even sucky games like Mechwarrior Online get their licenses renewed...
The Borg were the biggest and baddest of The Big Baddies for TNG. The Borg were hinted at in the final episode of the first season of TNG. They made their first appearance in the 16th episode of season 2. By the 2nd episode of season 4, the Borg arc was largely over in TNG, although there were a few more appearances, and they returned as the antagonists in the movie "First Contact." TNG lasted 7 seasons, spawning DS9 and VOY. They played little role in DS9 (one appearance as a flashback sequence, although the facticity and possible PTSD borne by The Sisko did figure into the story), but were again a major thread in VOY.
We will almost certainly win the Iconian War (perhaps "The Other" is whoever is responsible for the Nexus Ribbon, and with the Nexus Ribbon being supposed to return to our region of the universe in 2410, it may play a role in the Iconian War, with or without any connection to "The Other" -- or its return could be the next Big Challenge after the Iconians), but that does not mean that the Iconians, or a lone rogue Iconian (T'Ket, perhaps), won't return to plague us again after the war is won. And although the Iconians have supposedly been the secret puppetmasters behind most if not all events in STO so far, that doesn't mean that they will be the final threat, nor does it mean that the next adversary will have to be bigger and badder. After the 1st episode of season four of TNG, the Borg were marginal at best throughout the rest of the series (all of season 4 except the first episode, and the aftermath in the second episode of the same season, plus all of seasons 5, 6, and 7).
Star Trek is ultimately not about constant battles with bellicose or sociopathic species or individuals, but rather, about the exploration of the galaxy and the individual psyche, sociology, cultural exploration and interactions, social justice, progress on many fronts (including, but by no means limited to, technology), and The Ultimate Philosophical Questions. That gives plenty of options for the continuation of new content, to say nothing of polishing already-extant content, fixing bugs, patching glitches, finally giving necessary attention to the KDF and RRF, etc. Of course, Development companies have often focused on new content to the detriment of their games as they refused to go back and fix old issues, but that has not been universal, and is a poor business model, since issues, especially longstanding issues, discourage players from spending.
I see no reason to assume that the conclusion of the Iconian War will necessitate the end of STO, nor even the end of new content, license notwithstanding. CBS would be rather foolish to refuse to renew the license in 2016, as it would mean saying "No, we don't want any more money from you guys." That isn't how corporations usually do things in 2015 (and I doubt that's going to change by the time the license is up for renewal).
As I said, I could see the possibility of some epilogue content, and I can think of some stuff they could do. But it's pretty late in the game for them to change to an entirely different theme, with entirely new content.
We used to have exploration in STO, although the mechanic for it was a bit ... limited, and often involved battling some enemy in space and/or on some ground surface.
Expansions can still go in different directions from earlier content. Side content can be added into the earlier missions which would have little or no effect on the Iconian story arc. There has been talk of restoring some exploration system at some point. We've also heard rumors of a coming expansion which will involve the Gamma Quadrant (which may be interrelated with the rumored exploration restoration). Now, of course, I know as well as you that rumors concerning games of this sort may be wild and rampant speculation which someone expressed and then got passed on as if it were some sort of inside information, but in the case of Gamma Quadrant and exploration, I believe I have seen something in the fora from Staff which may have contributed to the rumors (my memory on this is vague, so I cannot point to any specific post, and I'm about to go back in-game, and therefore don't really care to search for it). Certainly I and many others would like to see an expansion involving the GQ and the restoration of some kind of exploration mechanic, so those are things the Devs might be considering. We have now the Alpha, Beta, and Delta Quadrants (although not all of any of those), and only one mission which involves entering the Gamma Quadrant, so an expansion which opens up the GQ as well is far from an illogical direction to go.