Personally, before making changes such as removing or changing NS regions entirely, I would like the space to simply become somewhat dynamic when it comes to rats and resources.
It makes perfect sense, that if you keep exterminating rats for example in a ceirtain system or region, they would start thinning out and eventually relocate elsewhere. Likewise with mining, explo sites, everything.
They should remain in the region as long as it makes sense for them lore wise and not encroach on regions that they shouldn’t, but should relocate. Even mission targets, they can stay in general region but could jump over by a couple systems this way or that way.
This would lead to a lot more overall dynamic gameplay.
Then once it gets to the point where even this fails, thats when NS could shrink a bit. And I think it could do so via NPC NS becoming LS, some LS becoming HS. Some unoccupied systems meant for SOV becoming NPC Null.
But, like I said, I do not think we are at the stage of shrinking NS just yet, but we definetly are past due for dynamic space instead of the static we have now.
I think that trying to level the population makes no sense because ns has to be somewhat lower population to work and to provide the gaming it provides.
If anything I would go beyond that with a new outer ring of systems that don’t even have gates, everything would have to be built out by corps.
It’s actually much more simple than that. Connectivity and current static nature of it really isn’t a problem, nor is it an actually big variable. I’m pretty sure that CCP has figured that one out, considering they moved away from the whole player built gates concept transforming that into just an iteration of jump bridges based on Upwell structures in an attempt to make those function as conflict generators. Sure, there’s that other grand plan, but it does not change the foundation elements.
We know the regions. We know the belts. We know the distances. We know the objects in space. We know the moons. We know the planets. We know the remnants of old stuff. We know the ratios and timers of anomalies. We know everything. There isn’t a single surprise.
In truth, there isn’t a single incentive to even contemplate to go looking for something new.
One might argue that w-space interacting with proper (!) space can be seen as something that shakes things up. But does it really? I’d argue it doesn’t. There’s vested routines now of scanning by default and rolling every hole people can find while tracking everything found in the process. It is conservative behaviour, people shun away from the interaction. They may claim otherwise, but it is conservative behaviour. Sure, stuff happens, but it’s hardly cataclysmic or a real trend. Sure, it’s part of strategems en considerations for such, but so is every type of connection anywhere.
It’s been years since CCP added regions, and one might very well argue that this wasn’t an ideal approach. Ever since CCP has been introducing mechanisms to make space bigger from the inside out (see The Doctor reference hurray). Think of this in terms of economic behaviour, aka feeding. More room per system for people and their alts to make ISK concurrently.
They could maybe incorporate such a nullsec space reduction into the lore to justify it in-game so it isn’t perceived oog as a “cutback”.
E.g. Gates to certain systems mysteriously go offline and after capsuleers do some exploring and intel gathering, it’s discovered this is being done by NPCs (Sleepers?) who want to use this space for their own nefarious purposes so are trying to cut it off from the rest of NE…
Just take systems that are fly-over and remove them sublimely by redirecting the gates. You can probably cut 1% of the games systems outright by just looking at how much they have been used the last 24 months and if its below a given amount, kill it.
No, you just need to scrap truesec (another wonderful CCP Greyscale idea) which caused this problem of condensing in the first place. The anomoly changes were just fuel on the fire, but no one ever spread out before them since if the alliance’s only upgraded -0.9 ratting system was busy they just logged a highsec alt on to run incursions.
I am sure, that there is a ton of players in this game, who value solitude. Sweet feeling, that you make a difference in the place you live in. Not only a row on killboard, but real king of small part of new eden. Even if no one else wants that part, because logistic is crap and PVE opportunities are meh there… It is still your home and yours only.
So - no , big no for reducing of space to live.
Big yes for more advertising to lure more players into the game. Feel lonely = spend a day in Jita and you will value the calm. Eve offers place for everyone, any activity or life style. Wast emptiness is a part of it.
You want more interaction? Put low sec systems between gallente high sec space , minmatar, caldari and amarr. Add them for FW for lore sake. People will have to focus on their local markets. Pirats will replace gankers. Make Jita low sec and content is there for months, or even years…
Thanks, but no thanks. I like my deserted, ignored backwater NPC null sec systems where I can do what I want and do not have to bother with other individuals whenever they feel like it.
The bears would just trade locally within their own faction, which is also not a bad thing. It would give some more meaning to resources that are area specific.
