Originally by: Aurum Bellator

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Edited by: Aurum Bellator on 29/08/2010 20:52:08
Edited by: Aurum Bellator on 12/07/2010 22:32:29

Back in the days before Yulai, there was widespread clamor for highways to connect the capitals of each empire. The argument was, it takes too long to get anywhere. There aren't enough players to justify the space. "Approaching Stargate." Etc.

So CCP added superhighways that connected all four empires with CONCORD space. Yulai supermarket hub was created. Market prices across the empires were homogenized. The inter-regional / inter-empire trader was dead. Concurrent players peaked around 7,000 at this point in time.

Fastforward. At some point (I do not know when, as I was on official leave of absence from the game), CCP removed the superhighways and Yulai died. Enter the age of Jita, Amarr, Rens, and Dodixie.

Fastforward to present. Eve reaches 60k concurrent players. Space is crowded. Jita is today's Yulai. Prices are once again mostly homogenized (not completely).

In my opinion, it is time to take the final step and remove the highsec highways that connect empires to empires. Each empire should be bordered with only lowsec systems, so that in order to travel between empires, you have to travel through borderzones rife with piracy and warfare.

[PROPOSAL RELATED TO ADDITIONAL CURRENCIES REMOVED DUE TO LACK OF SUPPORT]

The benefit? For one, it would allow the possibility of lucrative and specialized trade routes. Tweak drop rates in different areas and you will have vast price differences, with people unable to connect them with autopilot in a freighter. Think of the trade possibilities that would erupt by simply altering the spawn rate of certain asteroids in the four empires.

Two, it will spread the population out from the central network that connects the major hubs.

Finally, doing this would at last create the unique 'flavor' of each empire/race. It would also create far more opportunity for lowsec gameplay, and by that I don't just mean ganking and pirating although certainly there would be that as well.

AUB

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