Before I suggest this, I want everyone to be aware that I understand fully this is NOT the top priority, and should not be asked for immediately or in the near future. However, I felt that I might suggest it anyway. Also, I understand that as a currently non-subbing player, I might not have as much suggestion power; nonetheless, I'm just throwing this out there for the far future.

This is not so much about actually introducing a system so much as how you might do it.

To give a good example, let's say we're introducing system Alpha between (beside, really) Deneb and Geira Rutilus.

Alpha could be announced and placed on the map WITHOUT ACCESS; it would lie near Deneb and Geira. The RP could be this: "Scientists have discovered two microscopic wormholes that lead to a new system: Alpha. They are embarking on a project to expand the wormhole into a fully usable gateway, but, naturally, both the Serco and Itani want it."

After it is announced, a 'station' could be created in two sectors of Deneb and Geira Rutilis, nothing more than just a small number of docking ports (1-3) and a 'containment unit'. There would only be a handful of missions there, which could each be one of the following:

- Gather building materials for the gateway
- Gather building materials for a guard for the gateway project (maybe just pay a certain amount instead)
- Attack and intercept an enemy's gateway project and take some of the building materials that you find (rough sketch, this would be tougher to practically figure out)

After a certain 'amount' is reached by either the Itani or the Serco, whoever got there first could 'win' the system and it would become part of their domain (Perhaps the losing team could still try to open up their side of it or... who knows). The next phase would begin here; establishing stations. The same system as before could apply here; collection, building, sabotage, etc.

Some considerations for the new system might be a new faction hiding in it (alien race, spooky) or perhaps a human colony abandoned there semi-recently (from Old Earth, but they lost connection too or something alike). In all fantasy this would go swimmingly along with the Universe Redux; admittedly, though, that is not going to happen and I would not even want to suggest that it might.

Comment as you want; if a moderator sees fit, this could be moved to the RP forums instead, because it is not so much a suggestion as a story that could be potentially interesting in VO.

Trolls, beware: I've set up an electric fence, intruders shall be electrocuted by my 1337 Lazers (tm).

P.S. May edit later and will certainly revise according to comments or lack thereof.

If VO is still around when my great-grand-kids start getting in to video games, they might get to play with something like this.

In all seriousness, though, this is a good idea. I've heard murmurs about the "exploration" expansion to VO that never happened. Perhaps it isn't yet too late for it.

I'd really like to see a new race. However, the engineering of the alien race better not look or behaves even remotely like that of the stuff currently in-game. The fact that the Itani, Serco, and UIT all fly exactly the same ships is already really pushing it.

I like this idea, it'd be nice for new major content to have some kind of story tie in, not just be plunked in like a last minute addition to a soup.

"Hey cookie, what kinda soup we havin' today?"

"Oh I dunno, let me look in the pantry... how's Shiny Roid sound?"

"Sure, sounds good"

"Hm, this Dynamic Warfare is about to go bad... let's throw that in too. Oh, and for good measure, might as well use up this tin of Capships Randomly Start Escorting Voys Now"

"Isn't that a bit... haphazard?"

"Nah, you just don't understand it"

Oh look, Ladron whining, how unusual.

Nah, the fact that they use largly the same ships and ecquipment isnt that suprising. WWI everybody used the french 75 and the maxim machine gun. most of the crap i think is uit design, and they sell to both sides of the war.

ladron, you have a point about the interchangeability of ship design across the major factions. If memory serves, the faction redux might aid in that regard.

Hehe, I just thought of a neat little tidbit that could be added to the RP of this all.

Were there to be an alien race in the new system, they could be secretly at fault for the strange Hive activity, or... well, who knows, maybe they ARE the Hive. That could work, then certainly having to invent a totally new alien race wouldn't be necessary.

Also, looking at LNH and tosh's last comments, if we do things like they are in the real world, things might get more boring. Would you play a game (whoops, actually, you sorta already are) where every nation's top gun is the SAME gun? And ships? You have to drop reality to some degree in games, but certainly there should be some extent to which a 'type' or caliber of weapon/ship is universally present. Hopefully, as tosh said, the faction redux will help take care of that, but... I'm personally not going to get my hopes too high.

Though, certainly, I hope UIT gets a boost. Almost NOTHING actually sold in our (ahem, did I say 'our'?) territory is used.