On the face of things, this sounds like a fantastic idea. But when you really think about it. having lowsec split up is actually great. It maintains how lowsec is still filled with small gangs. If lowsec were one continues loop, then it would be possible for one or two massive pirate entities to control lowsec in it's entirety, much like null sec is now.

I don't want my lowsec all blue. I like my fights, and I like the fact that big pirate alliances are isolated to certain areas. It also gives smaller corps and alliances the chance to find an area or lowsec to call their home,without having to worry about other lowsec residence come in force.

I would be very very upset if this happened. No to all blue space, no to bland territory controlled by one or two coalitions, and no to isolating small corps trying to leave highsec.

Highsec is one big loop, null is one big loop, why isn't lowsec a big loop?
CCP, Break this please

Frankly the game needs less routes, not more. Every attempt to implement highways has resulted in large chunks of the map being permanently dead.

Eve needs more variety and the only way to do that is by making it less easy to get there.

Solitude is an excellent example - accessible via Aridia (fair few low-sec hops) or Syndicate only. As a consequence of that and the clever low/null sec split between one half and the other it has a rather unique feel to it - a strange mix of miners/builders and budding PvPrs.

The rest of Eve empire (high and low sec) feels much of a muchness.

Agree 100% percent.

Great idea!

Now let me tell you what will happen. All the pirates would be forced to join one alliance for survival and would hang around in a handful of systems in one large blob.

Be happy with what you have before you turn lowsec into nullsucks.

"It would change the fundamental nature of lowsec by removing some interesting terrain created by different system linkages"
Notice that the suggestions for what gates to add are just ideas. I'm not a CCP Dev, I don't have the training in game design to be able to pick the exact best places for interlinks to go, to maintain the varied terrain of lowsec. Maybe solitude should stay isolated? I don't know. But I've gone into Solitude at 17-1800 and had to wait for systems to turn on because no one had been there all day. Its cool in principal to have isolated systems, but if no one's using them then all they're doing is taking up server space. I don't want lowsec to change into a nullsec NAPtrain, and I don't think it will change just from being easier to get around. A giant powerbloc won't take over lowsec for the same reason it won't take over highsec: because there's nothing for them there. People in lowsec don't want blues. I've had people offer to blue me repeatedly and I've turned them down 99% of the time, on the grounds that if I blue everyone then who can I shoot at? What's the point? People don't go to lowsec for the NAPtrain, they go to lowsec for pvp, and that's hard to do when everyone's your best friend.

Pirate: "I want to be a badass pirate! I don't want to interact with other players."
Miner: "No. You have to interact with other players."
Pirate: "I'm content maker here you noob! Deal with it!"
Pirate: Oops.

Did I get this right?

Miner: "Stop it! I want to mine here."
Pirate: "There are consequences for your choices, ya know. Deal with it! If you don't want to interact with other players go play WoW."

...

Pirate: "I want to be a badass pirate! I don't want to interact with other players."
Miner: "No. You have to interact with other players."
Pirate: "I'm content maker here you noob! Deal with it!"
Pirate: Oops.

Did I get this right?

I wouldn' t mind something like "Pirate gates" between isolated pockets of Low Sec.

Constructed by the "cartels" to further the efforts of their nefarious stooges in Low Sec... sounds good.

I'd also put in a gate mechanic that only allowed -5.00 and below to use them..... afterall, what self-serving and upstanding pirate wants to look "suspect" to other pirates without a less than suitably low Sec Status -- or have those filthy "goody two-shoes" carebears using his gates...

Yar.

Okay, here are a few quick rebuttals to people who are against this idea:

"Pirates should deal with the consequences of their actions, they CHOSE to be pirates"
And mission runners chose to run missions, but that doesn't mean that every rat in the mission should have a longpoint and a web.

I really wanna see things like lowsec trade hubs be a big thing.

Scale up lowsec by interconecting now isolated areas of space and you'll scale up the level of conflict. Projection of power using titans will become much more essential. The alliances that want small-scale pvp will perish. You don't want bluefest or blobwarfare? You think we want it in nullsec? Adapt or perish.

This also would be solved by turning hisec empires into islands separated by lowsec.

this is the way it should have been since the beginning, but with the current iteration of gates its impossible, maybe on a few more years once we get rid of gates and we get system to system jumps ala Sins of a Solar Empire.

the grav well idea of that game is nothing short of genius. and completely negates any argument of "well the gates are there so people shoot each other."

This would only work if every ship in a system appeared on the same grid.