The first thing that caught my eye was from the Question :

Drexel-: How will the use of our weapon systems and abilities be limited during combat?

In the answer Al  mentions 4 possible weapons slots

• Beam arrays
• Cannons
• Torpedos
• Mines

This is the first mention of Mines which is good but there is nothing about Drones or Drone Racks and these are very effective in keeping an enemy at a distance if you’re trying to make an escape or trying to drain their weapons power I’m keeping my fingers crossed it comes up later like when I mentioned Shuttles and Boarding Parties and the nest day what does Ship Tactics Part II show use, that very subject. Cool Down Rates along with Limited Power will insure you have to think about what you’re doing and not just blast away like some crazed Khan

I like Al’s Answer the Fanboy’s question :

FanBoy: What will happen when you “die”?

In the answer Al shows some humor to a very serious question that every gamer, especially in MMO’s needs to know. What is the penalty for death? there  is a five balance between being a good death and a throw your arms up in the air and walk away death. If it is to high then the player will get frustrated and lose interest in the game if  it’s to light then this encourages reckless play and other players get pissed off, Games these days have gotten a lot more forgiving on the death penalty, partly because we do so much of it and mainly because only the hardcore players would put up with the great loss of time invested with a high penalty.  That is a sure way to lose your subscriber base

Al’s answer to Grandpotato’s question is not exactly an answer

GrandPotato, eddie: Will there be boarding parties? If so, can you capture vessels, or does that just disable them or something?

We know there will be Boarding Parties but will they be able to take control of an opponents ship before he can Self Destruct. My answer would be NO.  How would you feel it someone boarded your ship and took it from you after you’ve spent 10′s maybe 100′s of hours building it up.  I would not be pleased and probably quit right there and if I did not quit I sure wouldn’t get into any fights unless I knew for sure 100% I was going to win. That being said PvE would be different…..?

There also a good question on Science ships and how they affect other ships. you can read the full Q$A at Massively and stay tuned for the third round of Q%A sometime in the near future I’m not even sure what the subject will be maybe Ground Combat if you have any ideas let them know

Definitely. Escorts are the quick-moving, precision-striking ships of the fleet. They’re not as hardy as other ships, but they’re tough to hit and can fit cannons, which are high-damage, almost sniper-style weapons. Cruisers are big ships with a big crew and huge engines that provide them lots of power, so they can fit a lot of guns, send big BOARDING PARTIES and repair their hull and subsystems very quickly. And Science ships can detect cloaked vessels, use tractor beams to hold other ships in place and expose a weak side, take out shields with powerful tachyon beams, and lend aid to other ships in need. ”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  There are going to be boarding parties?  does this mean we can take over someone else’s ship  or more likely a PvE ship and use it or explore it for loot I want to hear more about these Boarding Parties To see the full Q&A  just follow the link

Perpetual

July 28th Transcript – IRC Dev Chat. – Star Trek Online Forums

Star Trek Online