In our latest Q&A with STO executive producer Craig Zinkievich, we ask about the post-development lessons learned from Season One, and how it might influence future content and gameplay mechanics.

ZAM: At launch, we heard that Cryptic would try to hit a release schedule of 45 to 90 days for new content; is that still the case? If "Season Two" is expected to drop in July, that's about three months after Season One. Ideally, is three months the longest amount of time between content that you're shooting for?

Zinkievich: This is something we are shooting for. We're going to try to get new content to our players as soon as possible. We learned that instead of waiting and doing one major update every so often that it would be better if we got smaller content updates more often. I would say 90 days would be the longest that we would want to go without doing an update. Of course if we release something much larger in scale then that might take a bit longer but we do want to get new content to our players as soon as we can.

ZAM: We realize it's early to be asking about the specifics of "Season Two," but can you give us any wide-ranging details or specific areas of focus? 

Zinkievich: Sure, we just released a sneak peek of what's coming in our Engineering Reports section of our forums. Some of what we're working on is Klingon Episode missions, a new skill point cap, more high-end Episodes, a Federation diplomatic corps, and so on. July is going to be very exciting for our players and us.

ZAM: Will most content updates follow this "Season X" format?

Zinkievich: Most likely. We like terming our big updates" Seasons," like a TV show. Most everyone understands what it conveys. It's a significant addition to the game, but not a world-shaking event. Seasons are natural progressions. Something huge, like an expansion, would need another name.

ZAM: We've only heard a little bit about the "non-combat" missions and the upcoming emphasis on "diplomatic" and "anthropology" gameplay; can you give us an example or two of what this content will entail? The anthropology angle sounds especially interesting…

Zinkievich: We're still ironing out the details, and I don't want to give away too much because we don't have anything set in stone yet. We're still at that point in development where things are very fluid, so anything I say now could change tomorrow, and I'd rather not confuse people by mistake. We'll have more information on this soon.

ZAM: How well are the Special Task Force missions being received? Will you continue releasing new STFs each month?

Zinkievich: The reception has been very positive from some players, but other players have expressed concern over their difficulty. That's something we're constantly tweaking. And we plan on releasing new STFs as often as we can. We want to continue telling the Star Trek Online story, and these special missions are one way of doing so. We've also got more Episodes—and more high-end Episodes—planned in the future, as well.

ZAM: What about special live-events or GM-led events?

Zinkievich: We try to do community events, so I'm sure we'll set something up in the future. We've also done a "play with the devs" event not so long ago. We really enjoyed that, so I wouldn't be too surprised if we did that again.

ZAM: What's the solution for players who feel like the MMO gets repetitious or "hits a wall" at RA 5? Are players burning through content faster than the development team can release it?

Zinkievich: I think with most MMOs players are going to get through content faster than you can make it. Making new content takes time. The key is us adding more content throughout the game that is fun and re-playable so that it gives players something to do while we make more content.

ZAM: Is the issue of "class distinction" something that's being looked at? Will future patches strive to provide more of a distinction between the three major archetypes (Tactical, Engineering and Science)?

Zinkievich: It's something we may take a look at eventually. We feel that the different class types stand up on their own. We wanted to make them similar enough where you didn't have to be grouped up with other players outside your class. For example, if I am a Tactical officer, we wanted where I can play with other Security officers. We don't have to have a Science and Engineering officer with us to do the mission, even though it'd probably help. You want each class to have their own distinctions and we'll continue to look at these and make adjustments if need be.

ZAM: As always, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Craig.

Zinkievich: Sure, thanks for asking them.