I think we've established that Gallia is too big. Devs have even said they'd retcon the size (smaller) for 4.87.
I don't believe that official factions are facing a slump due to a desire to play indie characters more. There is an overall downwards activity tend affecting the entire server that can't be escaped. Disco activity always has fluctuations and this is just a drop. The reasons can change from time to time but either way, it happens.
Also, I totally disagree with Ursus on NPC factions. Keep all the different factions, there is no reason to remove vanilla flavour.
Plus, summer is coming soon.
Only god knows how many will be joining in on the fun on a more permanent agenda.
Hell, to make up for the people we've lost, let's all invite people we know that we think will want to join us!
I've already gotten several to start playing the SP storyline already.
Thats all good, but even with 225 players online, there is still too much space - I have been online at times with 225 players on, and there would still only be 5-10 players in all of Gallia combined and 5-10 players in Kusari - and I bet at least half of these were oorp powertraders. That's not really good enough considering these areas are supposed to be full-fledged houses with corporations, military and whatnot. These systems should be bustling with activity.
Also I am against limiting the number of NPC factions, as they add the much needed nuances in this game, but I am all for deleting a quarter of the systems in Sirius...
' Wrote:The NPC factions and story can exist without sucking up 2-3 people each. Do we really need a Cryer player faction? REALLY?
Yes! I would love to see them active in regards to the hostilities between Cryer and Outcasts relating to the Synth marihuana. Also there seems to be implications that Gallics (Gallians?) are prone to diseases common to the rest of Sirius - the Council (dunno about GRN) has a huge demand for pharmaceuticals. With all of the nomnom remains being sold at Cambridge Reseach Station, there has to be something going on behind the scenes too. All these little things add flavor and diversity to the stagnant and black/white disco universe.
*points at my previous post* Thats a possible answer people!:PMaybe not exact that, but taken that as main idea!
Saying 'i suck in fighter battles' is irrelvant. Then you will simply learn it through people who train you, etc. Like in EVERY game.
Saying 'i am bored, done all you can do' means theres not enough gameplay. The gameplay is fun: THIS GAME IS BUILD ON PVP, and disco made it RP. How ever PvP and RP can be combined. Just think about the idea I posted, not simply ignore all that typing I made xD Haha
It are not the actions that defines a mans worth...
It are the intentions what are behind it,
What makes the person who he is and where he stands for.
This may or may not be related but its a serious pain in the butt to fly larger ships (which Disco keeps getting more and more of) through asteroid fields.
If it were possible to depopulate these fields by perhaps 50% (Or perhaps just cleave some 'transporation channels" through them between jump gates/holes) it might encourage players to move around a bit more.
' Wrote:The NPC factions and story can exist without sucking up 2-3 people each. Do we really need a Cryer player faction? REALLY?
So you're saying it's a bad thing that people want to RP.
Next you'll suggest Admins make our characters for us and allocate which factions we have to join just to fill an arbitrary quota.
This is not a solution. If people don't want to play as Cryer, they won't. If they do want to, then allow them to do so. The idea that membership in one faction prevents you from joining others is ludicrous. You just need a decent number of people contributing equal amounts of time, not a small number putting in lots of time, for stability and the possibility for participation in multiple factions.
Edit: there exists a special relationship between rate of encounters and diversity of encounters. You need to create a balance between the two, not sacrifice one for the sake of the other.
Down-edit: you don't need a player to be present just to uphold the validity of a faction or their RP. It would be nice if we could always have a certain number of players per faction always online but we'd need a server cap of 1000, not 225.