EVE General Discussion

They tried that too with "high" null -0.1 etc being pointless to invest in for large blocks. Just made it sucky for everyone who lived there as they still couldn't fund themselves against the bigger powers that vastly overshadowed them. Power movement from well entrenched groups for years now have railroads to move across space in no time. This power projection making holding vast territories easy.... well, easier. The dedication bar is set super high for upstarts.

We do need more space. Nul is empty because CCP wants alliances to be able to control that space...and they do. There aren't any safe areas past the nulsec choke points (that are frequently bubble camped). Carebears and casual players don't go there any significant numbers because it's expected you will get blown up (don't fly anything you can't afford to lose, right?), so there is no significant economy. Business does not thrive in dangerous outback areas. Business needs safe and populated areas to thrive. That's just the way it is. The only way to get people out there is to make nul safer, or add some safe zones, or maybe add more jump gates to empire...or get rid of bubbles. Adding more stars to the map is one way to make things safer, because the chance of bumping into someone who will kill you is lessened.

well for me its less about making it safer for the "carebears" and more about giving them something else to employ their skills with. They would have a new ship, a new module for caps, and even gates to build for the seeding of a new galaxy. And the larger blocks would be at the forefront of the new push. Which would open up swaths of space for people to move into while the new galaxy expanded. So while the older players and newer players who are interested would be able to explore a new galaxy and help build this new territory. The smaller groups would be able to muck about in the current galaxy, claiming the space that has been left behind for the "greener pastures" people who push the expansion.

So basically you want static w-space.

these larger groups would obviously expand. And eventually end up in a BOB situation where they are too big for their britches if you will. And as they move on more opens up here for those who are just starting to thrive. And again I will bring up the think about how useful your spies would become when you could decimate whole alliances with the right Intel on their asset movements to and from the new galaxy! This would definitely not be an instant gratification thing. I agree EVE should never go down that road. (we already have PLEX that's close enough) But the younger players would still have plenty to do. As it sits most new players go down the missioning and mining road. Those who mine would be in high demand as gates would need to be something that is complex and require a lot of different things to build. And again the power blocks would be forced to stretch their assets making them easier targets for coalitions or medium alliances to threaten.

TL;DR

But thinking the size of the galaxy in EVE should be increased is a mistake. There are simply still too many empty systems to warrant such a suggestion. Rather CCP should focus on fixing what actually causes of players to clump together in only a minority of the systems.

Problems like very high travel speed, negligible fuel costs for offensive use of capitals, minimal cost&effort&risk for JF logistics, insignificant differences between NPC factions and corporations, no good scarcity-mechanics for ores and other resources, FW being the only profession with sufficient rewards&benefits to balance the extreme risk of trying to make money in low-sec, etc.

EVE is feeling a lot smaller over the years. And not so much because there are that many more players, but because CCP implemented and changed features and mechanics, causing unforeseen problems (and then ignoring them mostly).

Not only is every game driven by challenge, EVE is also driven by consumption. For it to function properly, stuff needs to blow up. Simple as that.

And to facilitate this, people should be encouraged by the game to take risks by sufficient rewards.

There isn't enough risk in empire, while at the same time the reward of low-sec doesn't come close to cover the risk.

(edit: also NAP-trains are stagnating null and their pilots spent too much of their time in empire simply because they can)

Eve is a sandbox game about spaceships, treachery , and space assholes.

ugh well anyway, it won't draw more accounts, this is just too overcomplicated and too demanding for development and in some cases one-time-off features (gate build race or whatever. This is too whimsical. Not to mention poorly written for the size of it on a forum board, but..

Even if it was a good idea while remaining complicated:
1. Right now we have iteration for another probably few expansions.
2. Then comes the devils due, and we let them get back to WiS development. Pff next 10 expansions just to get anywhere with it.
3. Most of us are old and indigent by the time they finish WiS, only the next generation of players will be effected by such ideas as yours.
4. Between 2 & 3 we will be lucky to see fast easy new things added to the game as far as the space game is concerned.
--a. I could see a case for low/high expansion a little, but nothing over complicated.
--b. I would hope for some added professions and/or skills at some point.
--c. There will always be a need for maintenance to the things that are in the game rather than allowing things to break as they have done in the past.
5. I wrote all this without needing multiple posts so chances are I won't get flamed ...not to bad at least.