MMORPG.com: By choosing to do space and land-based content, you're essentially making two games. Can you talk about your general goals in regards to the land-based aspects of the game?

Daron Stinnett: We're committed to doing both space and ground for Star Trek Online because it is the right thing to do. But you're right to point this out as a challenge for the development team. Building two games at once is hardly a recipe for success, so we've put a lot of effort into figuring out how to unify the mechanics between the two environments, while maintaining the unique flavor of each.

We also want to avoid creating two kinds of games from the player perspective, so we are building a world where players will feel equally capable in either arena. Just as it is in the series, we expect player characters to move freely between the two environments. This will enable us to weave space and ground gameplay together in a single mission. For example, its not hard to imagine mission that takes place within a derelict Borg Cube that allows the player to complete that mission either on foot or by ship, or a combination of both. The possibilities are endless and we're planning on giving players a lot more mission variety than they are used to.

MMORPG.com: And in space?

Daron Stinnett: Both space and ground combat have similar RPG style combat mechanics, but the similarities end there. Like a mount in land-based MMOs, your starship will speed you across the galaxy to destinations unknown. And of course starships are so much more than mounts since they are also upgradeable combat platforms that also happen to have accommodations for your friends. Players will have the choice to go it alone, group with other ships, or form a crew to maximize the combat power of any single ship. And at higher levels, Admirals will have the ability to form armadas that can be a combination of crewed capital ships and escort ships to tackle high level missions.