Mike does have plans for the intel system - it will definitely be completely different to how it worked in BOTF. He has asked me not to discuss the plans in public though, because he wants to finalise those plans first. He doesn't want me talking about stuff that might not actually make it into the game.
Trust me though, his plans sound like a positive overhaul and replacement of the BOTF system. It will also be more realistic...at least, in a Federation sense it will. I'm not going to give any more hints than that.
_________________"Anyone without a sense of humour is truly at the mercy of the rest of us."