If I wanted a multiplayer version of X3, it would not be an MMO. Lets get that fact straight right away. I dislike MMOs, nuff said.
However, there's a multiplayer concept floating in my mind that piques my interest a bit.
5 players agree on a ruleset (scripts, mods, version), one sets up a X3 server, all log in.
The universe is new and young: each player controls a corporation belonging to one of the major factions, waiting to spread out and commercialize/dominate the universe. The sectors are not industrialized yet: outside your core sectors, there are no solar plants, no mines, all that happy stuff.
Each sector has randomly-generated preferred resources: ones with asteroids would tend to be ore-generating. Those with multiple suns would be excellent solar-generating. So forth.
In short, you expand into sectors, trade with (or destroy) your friends. Contend with the various NPC issues and missions we see regularly.
Victory conditions include wiping out your buddies, generating Y income, dominating Z amount of the universe, whatever.
SETA would need to be replaced with hyperthrusters or some such, since time compression doesn't work with multiple people involved.
And yes, a game might take days or weeks to complete. Whatever, that's not new to big strategy games these days anyway.
No crazy new additions (first-person; planet-wandering;etc etc) just the ability to interact with and compete against a real person or two with the same rules.
This isn't really a realistic endeavour: I don't think publishers are at all interested in funding 5-player multiplayer games these days (I wouldn't either). But one can dream.
My $0.02 and then some. Your patience and consideration is kindly appreciated if you bothered to read this
)
