Cats and dogs, ok, and Picard had this fancy fish... But how would you keep a shark on a ship? Or do you mean as homeworld pets or something?

Real planets are what is missing in this game. I hope they will have an update/expansion that gives us total planets to explore, quest, harvest. You know, real MMO stuff in an MMO.

Random distress calls in sector space when you are near a planet. Being able to beam down to any inhabitable planet in a system to look for crafting material (requires a real crafting system). Running through a mission, then having the option to beam down to the planet for optional quests. Faction grinding on planets for new equipment or crafting recipes.

There are thousands of options for real planets in STO. We have nothing at this point. Only shallow missions with no choice. This needs to change and your idea would at lease be a step in the right direction OP.

Shark was a bad example, perhaps something better would be Xindi Aquatic. It could permanently be in an environmental suit with antigravs for example to swim through the air.

Real planets that hail passing ships randomly with different missions would be awesome, and a real crafting system certainly, too.

I think homeworlds as "bridge" ground counterparts would add to the Trek feeling and also increase interest in the aspects of beam-to planets before such a major change would be made. A system that creates random hails and missions would require a lot more than just putting a vendor with some planet mix'n'match parts on space stations though.

I really like some of the planet designs in exploration, maybe this is just my desire to buy an own moon, lol However, the parts are there, all Cryptic needs to do is let us buy them and put them together like the randomizer does, and fill in the option "visit homeworld" under "visit bridge".

Xindi would would be a difficult case tho. On their planet, they shouldn't have to wear enviromental suits, and would need an extra option. Along with a bodyshape, suits, ships and whatnot. I still think it could be done if a Xindi faction would come in the future; that would require all these things anyways.

I like this idea. I'm not sure it's the most important thing on their menu, but I'd pay for my characters to have 'houses' on their own home planets. ESPECIALLY if I could dress the houses up or bring home items from various missions and travels and display them inside said home.

Trophy items would be pretty cool, even if they were placed in the home automatically. Like, a Bat'Leth on the wall after beating a Klingon mission, or a jar with Cardassian neckbones; Ketracel-White containers, stuff like that.

Yeah I've been thinking it would be nice to eventually live on our homeworlds.

What about if they added ship's holodecks, and sold holodeck programs such as "Ferenginar" etc, so that you could get a breath of home by hanging out on your ship's holodeck (and even invite your friends over)?

Any way to get home is fine. If it was a holodeck, it would mean we'd get ship interiors, too. O.o I think the option to buy custom planets from a vendor like the ship designer would be easier; its just opening up the existing randomizer parts from exploration planets in a shop. But whatever works.

I dont see the point in adding this feature i wouldnt spend anytime in this place at all as when i login i want to play the game not stand about ina house i have never understood why people would want to stand in a house in an MMO.