No, but it does mean all planets require you to have a fist fight with a Klingon overlooking a fiery ravine

I imagine that this would be Something Like the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden creation kit) which was a fallout 3 mod which allowed you to build custom locations and Alter current ones, Etc. Etc. For the game it would be similar except you wouldn't be able to altar any of the planets currently built or 'Generated' by players, Developers.

They would become permanent locations in the game. Because the "Dead" planets are already there, what this tool would do is allow you to make it 'habitable'. And with that habitability you could whatever assortment of items, structures you wanted on it although as far as wanting people to come then you'll have to advertise baby!

Hope this cleared up most of the questions you guys had.

I think this is really exciting and interesting and leaves me in no doubt that we all be able to have the star trek experience.

The point is lost if they can't make their own content.

Fixed that for ya.

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I love the Genesis system! All I can say is massive variables equals huge permutations which equals no repeats which equals rave reviews.

Please let us know that Genesis and persistent world sky boxes will be full, character viewable (90 degrees) hemispheres with multiple shells for multi-layered atmospheric and orbital objects and effects? Will there be day and night cycles on Genesis (and persistent) worlds? Also, will there be weather? Rain? Snow? Meteor Showers?

I believe that all of these things will be essential to creating the ultimate space faring and planetary exploration MMO, and that MMO should be Star Trek Online without equal or rival.

I don't know all the answers, but I'll try to help from what I know, or think I know, since it's rare that a Dev will directly answer our forum queries.

1. I don't know if this is working yet or not. But, given they intend to launch in less than a year from now, I sure hope so.
2. I agree. But if they load up with tons of variables, that should keep the content fresh each time we find a new planet. More variables increases permutations exponentially.
3. The Genesis planets will be instanced, I believe, and will only exist while you're in the instance. Once you leave, it vanishes and the data to recreate it upon your next visit is stored in some sort of code string. You may share Genesis locations with your friends if you like, and visit them together.
4. I hope it's more detailed and fleshed out than the SWG Points of Interest. In the current climate of MMOs, it really needs to shine.
5. The Devs have stated they are working on episodic content, although I don't know if they've mentioned how many such scripted missions and mission chains they expect to have at launch time.

Unless someone has the specific coordinates of your Genesis world(s), they'll never see them, and thankfully, we won't see theirs' either.

Hope that helps somewhat, and if anyone knows more accurate information, please share.

My only fear is that unless the Genesis system has a deep well to go to, eventually everything is going to start looking similar.

The appeal of nonlinear play is truly exciting though.

but in the search for spok didnt the gen planet blow up?

I agree, the random variables need to be voluminous to avoid repetitions. In another related thread, I was thinking about some of the things that could be randomized when the Genesis system creates a world on the fly ...

- Planet Size (6 to 10 different sizes at least)
- Color Palette (at least 6 for the primary and secondary color bases of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple; effects other appearances to follow)
- Geo-Atmosphere viewed from orbit (as many geo-atmospheres as they can stand to draw, color altered with above Palette)
- Sky viewed from ground (colored as above with Palette, in lower shells of hemisphere sky box)
- Illuminating bodies (5 central star(s) types to tint Palette... Red Giant, Yellow, White Dwarf, Blue Dwarf, and Brown Dwarf for twilight world, usually single but sometimes binary stars, in top outer shell of sky box)
- Orbiting Bodies (asteroids, moons, or none, in shell(s) just below top shell)
- Populace (unlimited variety of alien types randomly generated from character generator system)
- Topography (jungle, desert, oceanic, forest, swamp, savanna, desolate, etc)
- Development Level (at least 6 levels, preferably more - think Sid Meyer's Civilization)
- Infrastructure to match Development Level and Topography (lots of building types, this is where repetition becomes a problem unless they make oodles of various wood, brick, adobe, metal, glass, sandstone, crystal, huts, modules, caves, tents, houses, warehouses, offices, smiths, power relay stations, medical facilities, and on and on ... a very tough art project to flesh out, but using the randomly generated color palette from above to tint will help)
- Quests (they may need to make a whole battery of fed ex or "save the village/city from XXX" quests unique to Genesis worlds.)
- Resources (part of the economic system, these will be numerous in variety)
- Flora (lots of artwork, color tinted by Palette above)
- Fauna (lots of critters, but usually not more then one or two per planet, as indigenous sustenance, or possibly threat, color tinted by Palette above)

They need to keep it real. If there's one thing that Star Trek fans appreciate it's astronomical accuracy, or at least close emulations. Sometimes, we'll just find a gas giant that we can't land on, but it's got a great gaseous resource. At least, that should happen. Other times, it may just be a jumble of asteroids floating in a nebula cloud, with resources. It need not always be a planet, but if a planet, it may not be class M or have an atmosphere we can breathe without apparatus.