Deleting systems poll UPDATE

[Karst]

I'd like to comment on the "number of systems" debate (and not any of the other topics that popped up in this thread).

The high point in 4.86, I think everyone can agree, was excessive. The Savoies and Quebecs of the world never would have contributed anything to the game, even if they had been developed beyond having a single base and jump hole. Ever since then, the number of systems has been decreasing. Often to my chagrin, there's a lot of them that I miss dearly: Lambda, 92, even weird ones like Dundee. The list goes on.

I think there's a sweet spot there somewhere, which is definitely lower than the number in 86, and also isn't actually that dependent on player numbers/density. Even at its peak, the 225/225 wouldn't really "fill" more than 20 or so systems, which is less than even vanilla.
If I were generous, I'd wager we're at that sweet spot right around now. More realistically, I think we've already surpassed it, and further reductions will just reduce the appeal of the game. The sheer sense of scale, the number of hidden, rarely-visited corners of the universe, are after all a cornerstone of the Discovery experience. And I don't buy into the quality over quantity argument either: If we drop say, twenty systems, even if every remaining system is as developed as Skorak's Pennsylvania, the game will be worse for it.

I guess that's not an outlook that's shared by many of the developers but as this thread clearly shows, it seems to be a very common opinion among players.

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