I still think the one main thing behind the slimming population is the inability to derive open ended purpose for factions in general. It's nothing an actual Official Faction Battle System wouldn't solve. You want some change? But not too much? The system creates a grid of what can and can't happen. This place is like a game that is all set up with a base population to start from, everyone already knows how to play, we just need to let the real games begin! A system means the OF's will be the ones leading the charge in propelling storyline within a list of options to choose from. To me, there's no point in letting things go on and factions try to develop themselves, if it is all locked to a backdrop scenario that they can't really effect except in small ways, and only at times it's allowed.
The system creates a perpetual cycle of activity. It never ends, an outcome of an event can immediately be countered, what it comes down to, is if the players find it all interesting enough to want to get involved again. It's like we've been so tied down for so long, that kind of freedom for factions is almost scary, but it makes the most logical sense as a place to start. It would provide more in game actions that people can take and participate in to have greater RP/story effect, and all kept fair because the process would happen on the forum, for us all to see, like with base siege declarations. Add that system, and if the admins kept up on running it, this place would flow much better, with people realizing the best way to fight is think up your next move in game, instead of gatekeeping others from succeeding by changing the game on them, or supporting keeping the game world 100% locked. I really can't see factions failing as much if there was more to do other than pretend you're doing something.
If you want to have wars here, just put some order to it and accept the outcome. I guarantee a system will give those situations a much more real feeling, and changes to station layout from battles won't seem ludicrous to everyone. Each war or crisis may start with a siege, but in a naturally balancing fight, it may never go past the first station. (as in, if a station is captured, and the losing faction has enough to earn its own siege event, it can turn it around and keep trying, meaning a station could be fought over indefinitely by two active and equally populated factions. The rest is left up to playing the game and seeing what happens! (and superweapons )).