I've stolen five minutes to connect, since this thread is highly interesting to me. I see similarities between ST (software) and PC architecture (hardware). You can almost run a 1987 piece of software in present PC and that's amazing, but that also carries a burden of compatibility in all the PC design. ST is an impressive long-time work, with better and worse design decisions, with decisions that were formerly good and now not so good, but overall
a working solution. Not only from the simulation point of view, but also from the playability point of view.
Part of the time I cannot have spent in my project was time I have spent playing ST! And that's good. A new project has the advantage of a new design, but the disadvantage of the huge amount of work to be done. So I think that ST should continue to be developed as it is now.
I'm afraid that most of the things that may seem logical, feasible, even desirable, most probably won't work for a game. That's the main risk for a new project, for sure.
@Roads: yes, mail can give a non-linear behavior, but interesting systems are non-linear, aren't they?

Another thing I would like to play with is
locality. In ST and other transportation games, some things happen instantaneously in places distant apart. I don't like it. Another thing a working message system can help.
Yes, I think that my idea is more similar to a God game.
One thing I want to keep apart for the game is war and similar... Why? Why not. There are a lot of war-like games out there. I don't like any. There'll be no armies, weapons, etc. That doesn't mean that you cannot be evil... What would happen if another player relies heavily on the coal I transport and, from today to tomorrow, I stop doing it?