I am wondering what the top winter package prize will be this year? With the odds of getting a ship likely 1:300 (Bug ship was around 250 to 300), I'd like see the top prize be a real awesome prize instead of just another ship. How about a LTS account unlock? That's the best prize of all that I can imagine. Anyone disagree?

Now, if you are already LTS then and only then can you get the new ship as the secondary top prize.

Why do it this way? Easy. So LTS can win a ship and sell it on the Exchange for huge money. So then no complaints from current LTS owners right? Right now the Temporal ships are going for 55-60M which seems like a bad deal for anyone buying master keys to try to unlock them at the rate of 1:200. Having the ship limited to be won by LTS means that the ship prices will be much higher.

Meanwhile non LTS can win an LTS without having to put pure cash into the great STO grinding machine. Instead they can put in Dilithium -> Zen -> Winter Packages. (Then they could go on to win the ship after winning LTS.)

How would this help anything?

Well, this would be a big win for the Zen Exchange and start forcing prices more towards 150 rather than the current trend to 100.

Win-win-win-win. Right?

Even STO/PWE wins because they are selling their $300 USD LTSs for $375 USD, if you consider that a Winter Gold Box in the store would be $1.25.

Probably too late for the team to make last minute changes but highly motivated people can get things done quickly if they put their minds to it.

While I would like it to be something other than a ship, I don't see it being an LTS.

Well it only took 300 upset forum posts about the STF changes to get them changed back... kinda.

So only 299 more posts to go to get the LTS as the top winter prize?

Rather see a New BO or a New and shiney shuttle

Personally...I kinda hope its a cool Breen ship. But considering a new ship is generally $25...I doubt they will give away $300 LTS' unless they are extremely rare...we are talking like one or two people might win it rare...I doubt it would happen.

I'd like to see a top prize of 2500 z-points myself. That way I can get what I want, be it a new T5 ship, or some combination of other things in the store.

Eh, the only ships that cost $25 are those that are sold directly through the Z-Store. Those that are sold only in lock boxes are worth far far more. For example look at the chance table for the Temporal Lock Boxes.

http://www.stowiki.org/Temporal_Lock_Box

The Temporal Science Vessel Starship is listed at 30,994 Zen or $309.94.

Now if you count all the other stuff then it falls to 2,583 Zen, however, most people do not want the lesser prizes. Mirror Vessels worth 500 Zen? Hardly.

Mind you, last year the winter package was the first "Lock Box" ever. It was what started the now long list of Cardassian, Ferengi, Tholian, and Temporal (making STO fabulously wealthy in the process). If bug ship was 300:1, then it stands to reason that the LTS, valued at $300 USD, could be a prize as well.

Spend 125 Zen to win 2500 Zen? Unless the odds of the prize package is 1:20, who is going to buy it?

Mind you there are two ways to get the winter prize package, either running the race and winning a random color (red, blue, green) or buying directly from the store. Most people who run the race end up getting the lowest tier box (red is like 1 to 3%). So really only way to win the top prize would be to buy through the store.

Do you think STO would pass up a chance to use the event to sell a new lockbox?

Having a BO as the top package prize seens anti-climatic, don't you think?

Depends on the BO doesn't it
but frankly the lock box ships are mostly rubbish