Torinth sits down to take a look at ESD and it's various revamps, both past and present.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Earth Spacedock is the central hub for all Starfleet Captains and has seen a number of changes in it's time, some being minor graphical tweaks, and some being complete overhauls to the layout of the Station, below I talk about each of them, including the huge one coming with Season 9.

2010 EARTH SPACEDOCK
Reminiscent of Deep Space 9, with it's sweeping arcs and large pylons, The Orignal Earth Space Dock was truly massive in size and scope. Many liked it's overall appearance but felt that the spacedock design didn't represent what Earth Space Dock should look like as it looked nothing like what was seen in the series. The interior left that same taste in many players mouths, looking futuristic... but not quite what you'd of thought it should look like, not quite Trek enough with it's compact sections and bulky ramps and walkways everywhere.


2011 EARTH SPACEDOCK
We then move on to 2011 which is when we got the 1st major revamp to Earth Space Dock, this saw a HUGE change on the exterior level, changing from the previous DS9 looking generic station to the more cannon type of Station that was actually shown in in the series. Although the exterior had a huge overhaul the interior only got a handful of changes, mainly just a change in console models and a few changes to the locations of several rooms.



2014 EARTH SPACEDOCK
2014’s revamp of Earth Spacedock is absolutely fantastic. Grainy textures and jagged corners have been replaced with long, elegant, sweeping arcs. Cramped corridors have been replaced with large open spaces with stunning vistas. Cryptic’s Environment team hit the ball out of the proverbial park with this most recent update. Maintaining the same relative footprint as the original Earth Spacedock, the new interior uses the the footprint a lot more efficiently, thus, leaving little space to waste. Small details have been scattered throughout to give the structure a lot more of a genuine Star Trek feel.

Below, I have highlighted a few sections that I feel really spotlight the changes made to Earth Spacedock. (Which also include links to gifs showing the transition from the drawing board to implementation.)

TAILOR
What was once a Cardassian standing next to a giant awkward hologram is now a cute little clothing boutique on Earth Spacedock promenade.Ghemik Telur maintains his post as Starbase Tailor in a highly improved store. Mannequins line the windows containing some player favorite outfits. Inside the shop, vibrant colors in the carpet, countertops and plants really set the tone as a friendly place to be. Additionally, located in back of the store are genuine changing rooms, complete with sliding vanity screens!

ARMORY
Through a neat little corridor from the Tailor’s Office, is the best armory in Star Trek Online to date. A complete collection of Starfleet firearms line left and right walls, combat gear is located to the rear of the store. Whilst this room is not as warm as the Tailor’s office, it does give off the right feel.

COMMODITY STORE AND SHUTTLEBAY
The shuttlebay introduced to Earth Spacedock is one of our favorite parts of this recent update. It lacks any functionality aside from an easy access route to SFA, but the view is fantastic! With a full compliment of Yellowstone and Type-9 Shuttles as well as a few Runabout class shuttles, you will frequently see craft coming and going. It’s an excellent vantage point just to sit back and watch for a few minutes.

EXCHANGE AND BANK
The exchange, STO’s player auction house and bank got a facelift as well. Now sporting, a bright, sterile environment; the new Exchange is a lot more crisp and clean. Funky green lanterns have been replaced and makes the area look like a more modern, futuristic spacedock, instead of a few patchwork consoles stringed together.

SHIPYARD
No longer separated from the main floor, the shipyard is located at the bottom of the Concourse. The shipyard retains all of the functionality it once had, in addition to all of the NPCs being located slightly closer together, thus enabling shorter stays on Earth, and the ability to get back in the field faster.

In conclusion I feel Earth Spacedock started out being a generic futuristic looking space station, and has evolved into something spectacular that screams Star Trek, with it's clean modern interior and it's very cannon and spectacular exterior, but be sure to check out the full blog by Tacofangs on the Official STO site here, and whilst your at it be sure to give Rellimie's Debrief of Season 9 here.