So...
Speaking personally, not for staff overall, I love the SOTL and want it to be available for players. I have it on my personal to-do list. But I'd like to be careful about how we implement it, if we were to. And because of that, it isn't as simple as a few small tweaks and then plugin and play.
None of this is stuff we're working on, but it's been discussed at length:
- If we were to release SOTL, it would have to be incredibly hard to get. Something highly sought after like a legendary. That doesn't mean you'd have to loot for it (lolol), but it should require lots of steps and difficult tasks.
- SOTL as a model is missing some key things, namely repair spots and collisions (invisible walls) in some key locations as to prevent players from falling and being trapped below deck. We have to be very careful when it comes to editing more complex pre-existing POTCO models, as converting them into an editable format, and then back into a format the game can use often causes data loss. It's hard to predict, and we're working with Panda3D developers whenever such an issue arises. This is also why the Carrack has been a difficult project. We have to be very careful with how we edit the model and any intractable nodes (where it tells the game to place cannons, the steering wheel, masts, etc).
- SOTL stats-wise is not balanced to be a player ship. Disney released all NPC ships for sale by a mistake, and decided to just let players have the SOTL to keep on the Test Server.
I know this isn't a definitive yes or no answer, but I hope it provides insights into our thought process on the SOTL.