There was a lot of topics regarding not too many players with too much space. I was wondering if there is a way of scalling down whole Sirius. I had this idea before, when I was trying to project diplomacy/risk-like game set in Discovery Universe.
Instead of normal systems, the idea would be to make sectors instead of sole systems. For example, instead of Colorado and New York, there could be one Sector, that would read "Central Liberty", you know, no trade lanes, two stars in the sector, scalled down space (omnitting or not some useless bases and nav points).
Colorado and Texas would make "Southern Liberty", New London and Cambrige "Bretonia Inner Core", and so on. Those sectors would contain scalled down systems, like two-three of them, with OR in-system Jumpholes/Jumpgates, OR with Trade Lanes, changing their role a bit. It has been proven that Freelancer's engine is capable to render 300K distances without problems.
You are thinking in terms of PVP and player interaction... but not really in terms of game play and immersion in the vastness to space.
What about trading? What about the whole idea of hunting in a wide area?
Wouldn't work imo. People would be more cluster and that's about it.
I find the solution better (hard to do looks like) is having ppl play the game and raising the pop back...
It wasn't exacly about Discovery itself, but such possibility to do something like that within a mod. Yet I can see your point of view, just pointed out the lack of players (yet, this is the most populated server with a mod at the moment).