I agree that maybe it could be a little more lenient as population seems to be hovering at about the same the last year or so which is still lower than previous years. Maybe it picked up a bit, or at least, stopped shrinking.
I shall continue to plug the idea that a new activity generating system be designed and implemented.
What brings people out most? Look at the last 3 months.
The most active events were the ones where there was a real risk for loss/gain on either side. People come out like crazy when there is a goal to achieve, something to work for on top of the little things we do. For the Aland Shipyard crisis, the idea that there may have been a legit battle to see what happens had everyone forming new relationships, alliances, working on strategy. I hate to say it but with a couple more situations like that spread out around the server, and most factions would have a reason/chance to get involved in a similiar situation. As long as we don't overlap too many at a time though, everyone can spread out and choose their side to back with each situation.
Lets add a game to the game. That is, a (war) battle system. What do we really have to lose? Yes, I'm suggesting we turn disco partially into a multiplayer real time strategy game. The reasons some factions don't log is there really is not much to do after a certain point. Free flowing conflict always splits people. There will always be people willing to choose a side if there are real sides to choose (even just for the battles). It gives us something more real to do.
I think that if people knew this was a game where you could capture stations, planets, jumpgates etc, it would finally provide a modern and updated allure to the game. I believe this is how the original Freelancer was designed around and intended to be run. There are many ways we can tweak a system to be fair, balanced, let players have their fair chance for gain/loss on either side of a conflict, and set limits so that the server doesn't radically change too fast.
The last thing necessary to make it really interesting, is add about 5 more sandbox systems, not spread out, but clustered like a whole new star cluster discovered nearby with NO stations, bases, all wide open territory to be explored and colonized. Let people duke it out over claims, get on with building bases, sieging them etc. I also made a suggestion one time long ago about making planets claimable, minable (adding a thin minable layer just outside the atmo barrier) and even add a new POB for planets letting players claim and settle planets (player laid Docking Rings/Mooring fixtures, which means every moon out there could wind up being built into by someone, we could let big planets be divisable into 2-3 bases and let factions compete or form alliances (like pecos).
Oh there's plenty of things to do to solve the activity crisis, but also, a lot of work that would need to be done.
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